Florida Capital Star Staff, Author at The Florida Capital Star

Alleged CIA Officer Caught on Camera Describing How Intelligence Community Sets Up Regime Opponents

April 11, 2024 Florida Capital Star Staff

A man who claims to be with the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) was caught on camera detailing to an undercover journalist how the intelligence community takes out the regime’s political opponents.

Gavin O’Blennis, an alleged Contracting Officer for the CIA, also worked for the FBI from May 2021 to December 2022 as an operation technician and procurement specialist, according to his LinkedIn account. From there, he went to the Department of Homeland Security where he worked as an immigrations Services Analyst in Minneapolis, Minnesota, according to his LinkedIn.

Commentary: Biden Losing Support from Swing Voters Due to Southern Border Crisis

April 11, 2024 Florida Capital Star Staff

A striking new NPR / Marist poll reveals swing voters who supported Joe Biden by wide margins in 2020 are retracting their votes, and the unsustainable crisis on the southern border is at the heart of this collapse in support.

The tide has turned on immigration politics in four short years, and a majority of Americans now see the border crisis as an issue that needs to be solved swiftly. The NPR poll reveals a majority of Americans have adopted a harsh deportation mindset, with the nation saying 51 percent to 48 percent that all illegals should be deported. This is a radical change in sentiment from just a few years ago, and speaks to voters’ growing distrust of an Open Borders agenda that imports cheap foreign labor at the expense of American citizens.

Commentary: FBI Refuses to Acknowledge Link Between Islam and Terrorism in Idaho Case

April 11, 2024 Florida Capital Star Staff

In a case that has gotten almost no establishment media attention the FBI has arrested Alexander Scott Mercurio, 18, of Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, for attempting to provide material support and resources to ISIS in connection with a plot to conduct a suicide attack on a church.

After the arrest the Department of Justice issued a news release saying in part:

FBI Whistleblowers Say the Bureau ‘Needs to Be Abolished’

April 11, 2024 Florida Capital Star Staff

Two FBI agents who had their security clearances suspended after speaking to Congress about how law enforcement went after pro-lifers and concerned parents, now warn that the FBI has adopted a “Marxist culture” and called for its abolition.

“The type of recruiting events they have—they have adopted this Marxist culture to permanently change our institutions like the FBI,” Garret O’Boyle, an FBI agent whom House Republicans hailed as a whistleblower, said Tuesday at an Oversight Project event at The Heritage Foundation. “Remember, the FBI are the people with the guns and badges who will come after you.”

Navy Orders ‘Deep Dive’ into Readiness After Massive Ship Deployment Delay

April 10, 2024 Florida Capital Star Staff

The Navy’s top officer ordered a “deep dive” investigation into readiness and maintenance issues after one amphibious assault vessel, the USS Boxer, deployed after months of delay, according to Military.com.

The Boxer carries fighter aircraft and Marines and serves as the flagship of its designated combat unit known as an Amphibious Ready Group (ARG), supporting the U.S. military’s ability to rapidly deploy forces across the globe. Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Lisa Franchetti said she directed senior officers in February to do an initial investigation into the delays that could provide lessons for the rest of the amphibious fleet, Military.com reported.

Poll Finds Biden Hemorrhaging Support Among Crucial Voting Block — Even as They Trend Democrat on Key Issues

April 10, 2024 Florida Capital Star Staff

President Joe Biden is losing support among Latinos ahead of the 2024 election despite the crucial voting block moving toward the Democratic Party on key issues, a Tuesday poll found.

Support for Biden among Latino Americans has steadily declined since the last time the question was asked in June 2023, and he now holds only a nine-point favorability lead over former President Donald Trump, according to an Axios/Ipsos survey. The poll also found that Latinos are backing Democrats on the issues of abortion and immigration, and are trending toward the party on the economy and crime.

Commentary: Clinton Allies Attack ‘Good Guy with a Gun’

April 10, 2024 Florida Capital Star Staff

A left-wing group led by Hillary Clinton’s 2016 Campaign Chairman claims a “good guy with a gun” is a bad thing. Tell that to the good guy with a gun in Fort Worth who saved his own life, and maybe his children’s lives as well, from shooter JaDerek Gray, who opened fire on him in a road rage incident on I-35 West.

Gray was driving his motorcycle between lanes, which is illegal in Texas. The hero, driving an SUV next to Gray, couldn’t see him and tried to change lanes. Gray, furious, passed the SUV and parked his motorcycle in the middle of the highway, stopping traffic, witnesses said. Gray then pulled a gun and pointed it at the hero, who was in his vehicle with his children.

Commentary: High Gold Price Points to Sustained Inflation

April 10, 2024 Florida Capital Star Staff

The economy looms large in the minds of most people and not simply because it is an election year. It affects us directly. We spend a lot of our waking hours at work, and our jobs are often connected to the welfare of families and children. With everything being more expensive, getting a toe hold on mere middle-class status is harder now than it was for older generations. Many people are slipping down a rung or three.

In addition to long-term trends like the decline of manufacturing and the cut-throat financialization of corporate America, unique recent events loom large. COVID lockdowns, soon followed by the government money giveaway—PPP loans, augmented unemployment benefits, rent relief, and other stimulus plans—disrupted our routines and affected the entire economy. While these measures likely prevented a deep recession, the shutdowns ruined a lot of businesses, and the various stimulus funds ended up unleashing inflation.

Soros Fund Sets Its Sights on a New Target – America’s Airwaves

April 9, 2024 Florida Capital Star Staff

An investment firm founded by billionaire George Soros is looking to ramp up its influence over a key slice of American broadcasting.

Soros Fund Management, which is controlled by Open Society Foundations (OSF), has made multiple high-profile media acquisitions over the past two years and, according to sources familiar who spoke with Semafor, is in discussions to purchase even more. Roughly one-third of all media consumed in the United States is in the form of audio and about half of Americans still listen to the radio when traveling in their cars.

Students Shout At, Protest Clinton: ‘Wellesley’s Most Beloved War Criminal’

April 9, 2024 Florida Capital Star Staff

Hillary Clinton is Wellesley College’s “most beloved war criminal,” according to pamphlets handed out by student activists.

Activists protested the former Secretary of State’s appearance at her alma mater over the weekend.

Commentary: Free Traders Are Wrong – It’s Time to Try Trade a New Way

April 9, 2024 Florida Capital Star Staff

A recent Daily Mail poll showed 54 percent of voters support Trump’s proposal to put 10 percent tariffs on most imports, from China or not. This is sacrilege to American free traders.

The free-trade globalization crowd – who saw the 80s up to early 2000s as their heyday– believe in a world that does not exist the way they say it does on paper. Do you think Germany allows Ford Mustang’s into their country tariff free? EU charges Ford a 10 percent tariff, four times what we charge their automakers.

National Collegiate Athletics Organization Rules Male Athletes Can’t Compete in Women’s Sports

April 9, 2024 Florida Capital Star Staff

The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) announced Monday that only biological females would be allowed to play in women’s sports.

The organization’s Council of Presidents voted to approve a policy allowing “only students whose biological sex is female” in its women’s sports competitions, according to The Washington Post. The policy will go into effect on Aug. 1 in time for the 2024-2025 season.

Commentary: Is ‘The Great Illusion’ in Ruins?

April 9, 2024 Florida Capital Star Staff

In 2021, Joe Biden was elected after a bitterly fought campaign that deposed the incumbent Donald Trump. Democrats eventually captured, for a time, both the House and Senate, ensuring the most left-wing government in modern American history.

Americans were then set to witness a great experiment. For the first time in their lives, a truly radical socialist program would supposedly fundamentally transform the way America dealt with the border, immigration, the economy, race relations, foreign policy, energy, law enforcement, crime, education, and social questions such as religion, gender, abortion, and schooling.

House GOP Investigates Failures Leading to 200,000 Deportation Case Dismissals

April 9, 2024 Florida Capital Star Staff

U.S. House Republicans are demanding answers from Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas as to why more than 200,000 deportation cases were dismissed.

A new report published by the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse (TRAC) at Syracuse University found that 200,000 deportation cases were dismissed because DHS employees or Border Patrol agents didn’t file the proper paperwork with the courts in time for scheduled hearings.

Brazilian Judge Orders Criminal Probe of Elon Musk as They Tussle Over ‘Fake News’ Online

April 9, 2024 Florida Capital Star Staff

A Brazilian judge ordered the government to carry out a criminal probe of Tesla CEO Elon Musk on Sunday, according to multiple media reports.

Justice Alexandre de Moraes of the Brazilian Supreme Court ordered the inclusion of Musk in a probe into alleged “fake news,” accusing Musk of “obstruction,” CBS News reported. Musk announced his intention to defy orders from de Moraes to censor the accounts Saturday, then pinned a post urging users to acquire a VPN app to ensure access to the social media site.

Part-Time Employment Surges for Another Month While Full-Time Falters

April 8, 2024 Florida Capital Star Staff

The number of Americans working part-time jobs surged in March, while full-time jobs declined slightly, according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) released Friday.

There were 28,632,000 people with part-time jobs in March, 691,000 more than in February, when there were 27,941,000, according to the BLS. In that same period, the number of people employed in full-time positions dropped by 6,000, from 132,946,000 to 132,940,000.

Tuberculosis, Measles Break Out in Chicago Migrant Shelters

April 8, 2024 Florida Capital Star Staff

In the city of Chicago, officials announced that there has been an outbreak of tuberculosis (TB) in several shelters currently housing illegal aliens.

As Fox News reports, the Chicago Department of Public Health (CDPH) released a statement confirming that TB had broken out in “a few different shelters” throughout the city. Although the statement did not disclose the total number of cases, officials nevertheless tried to downplay the threat by describing it as a “small number” of cases.

Increased Crime Cutting into Small-Business Earnings, Survey of Owners Finds

April 8, 2024 Florida Capital Star Staff

One-third of small-business owners say increased crime is cutting into their earnings, and 7 in 10 grade President Joe Biden’s performance negatively in terms of helping small businesses, a new poll finds.

Pollsters John McLaughlin and Scott Rasmussen conducted the survey, along with the Job Creators Network Foundation in March, among 400 small-business owners. When asked about their sentiments regarding the state of the economy, 46% of small-business owners said the economy is getting worse, while just 27% said it’s getting better.

Commentary: Job Program for Americans-No Jobs for Illegal Aliens, Period

April 8, 2024 Florida Capital Star Staff

I am weary of hearing the trope that we need more illegal aliens because “Americans won’t work those jobs.” My bet is that most Americans share this sentiment as well.

Amidst a myriad of concerns about illegal immigration, one prominent worry among Americans is the potential adverse effects on the U.S. workforce. There is apprehension that undocumented migrants could potentially displace native-born workers, leading to job loss and further exacerbating the nation’s tax burden. The media and the left love to dismiss such considerations as fearful, xenophobic, and bigoted, arguing instead that alien workers fill a vital gap in the American workforce. But these concerns, nevertheless, are valid.

Feds Refuse to Drop $37 Million Fine, Lawsuit Against GCU Despite Audit Finding No Fault with Christian School

April 8, 2024 Florida Capital Star Staff

A state auditor’s office recently completed a review that found no proof there is any wrongdoing on the part of Grand Canyon University, but two federal agencies are continuing with their campaigns against the Christian university despite the findings.

The Arizona State Approving Agency, an arm of the state’s Department of Veteran Services, issued a determination Feb. 20 that risks identified by “court actions by the government” could not be substantiated, which means the private nonprofit’s students can still use GI bill funding to pay tuition.

Inspectors: Thousands of American Bridges in Poor Condition

April 8, 2024 Florida Capital Star Staff

Following the collapse of Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge after a collision involving a cargo ship, safety inspectors are now raising the alarm about the structural dangers of a significant percentage of American bridges.

As Fox News reports, federal data from the year 2023 suggests that at least 7% of bridges in the United States – roughly 42,400 total – are in poor condition. The primary cause is deterioration over time, which requires regular repairs that can regularly cost millions of dollars, as well as cause closures that negatively impact many residents’ commutes.

Commentary: The Inspiring Front Lines of the Modern Homeschool Revolution

April 8, 2024 Florida Capital Star Staff

When she was a young girl, Sandra Day O’Connor began her education at home. Her early years of schooling on an Arizona ranch were sitting at the kitchen table with her mother, learning to read, and taking long nature walks.

I read this, and this scene of serenity, this future Supreme Court Justice, beginning her education at home, formed an image in my mind of what might be possible.

Commentary: Navigating the Vibe Shift of a Cultural Reckoning

April 8, 2024 Florida Capital Star Staff

We have been hearing a lot about a “vibe shift” in American culture recently. The phrase has been around for a while. It gained new currency after the commentator Santiago Pliego wrote an essay about the phenomenon, and Tucker Carlson had him on his show to talk about it.

I recommend both. For one thing, they offer notes of cheerfulness (I almost said “optimism,” but optimism is Dr. Pangloss’s failing) in the midst of our sea of gloominess and despondency. According to Pliego, Americans are awakening from their “dogmatic slumbers,” where the dogmas in question are the rancid pieties of the so-called “progressive” establishment. Have you checked your privilege today, Comrade? How are your pronouns holding up? What have you done to combat “whiteness,” “toxic masculinity,” and “climate change?”

Americans Skipping Meals to Afford Housing Under Biden: Poll

April 7, 2024April 6, 2024 Florida Capital Star Staff

A major real estate company released a survey on Friday which found that renters and homeowners are significantly reducing their quality of life to afford housing under President Joe Biden.

Nearly one in five homeowners and renters reported skipping meals to afford housing in Biden’s economy, according to a new survey conducted by Redfin. The median asking rental price increased from less than $1,700 when Biden took office in January 2021 to nearly $2,000 as of February, according to Redfin’s data.

Movie Would Share ‘Gut-Wrenching Story’ of Man Who Tried to Become a Trans Woman

April 7, 2024 Florida Capital Star Staff

Cross-dressed by his grandmother as a child, abused by his uncle, confused and hurting, Walt Heyer sought to become a woman. As a young man, he underwent attempted gender-reassignment surgery, lived as a trans-identifying woman for eight years, and ultimately detransitioned.

Heyer, now 83, has spent the past few decades offering support to men and women who also have been taught to believe they were born in the wrong body. As part of that effort, he told The Daily Signal, he’s written a number of books and answered “thousands” of letters from individuals, often men, who seek his help.

Trans High School Basketball Player Who Knocked Down Female Rival Competes Against Girls in Multiple Sports

April 7, 2024 Florida Capital Star Staff

The trans-identified girl’s basketball player who was filmed knocking down a rival player in Massachusetts earlier this year, was allegedly kicked off a rowing team a couple of years ago for leering at, and commenting on a girl’s bare breasts in the locker room.

In addition to basketball and rowing, the 6-foot tall KIPP Academy senior has competed against girls in multiple other high school sports, including volleyball, hurdles, shot put and tae kwon do, predictably shattering records and leading his teams to victory, according to the Australian online magazine Quillette.

Commentary: At This Point, Disney Deserves to Die

April 7, 2024 Florida Capital Star Staff

That Disney has been dying a slow death for a long time should be clear to anyone even remotely familiar with the entertainment industry. Last summer, the company lost $900 million at the box office, and its streaming platform, Disney+, lost 1.3 million subscribers in just the last quarter of 2023.

Numbers like these should be easy red flags to stockholders and investors — as should the growing amount of blowback condemning woke content in TV shows and blockbuster films.

Commentary: The Case for Marrying Young — From Someone Who Did

April 7, 2024 Florida Capital Star Staff

“Young people are the future” is a quip every Gen Zer has heard. Unfortunately, the “future” has lost its interest in the future. Young people are increasingly turning their backs on marriage and children, a choice that is hurting their mental and spiritual health, their physical wellbeing, and, ultimately, their happiness and sense of fulfillment with life.

As I approach graduation from college, I also approach my second wedding anniversary. Unfortunately, my husband’s and my young marriage is far from the norm in today’s society, and these new norms are hurting America’s young people.

Executive at U.S. Battery Manufacturer Pictured at Chinese Communist Party Meetings

April 6, 2024April 5, 2024 Florida Capital Star Staff

A director of an American firm that’s building battery manufacturing plants in the U.S. has been pictured attending multiple Chinese Communist Party (CCP) meetings, according to a Daily Caller News Foundation review of the website of the firm’s China-based parent company.

Gotion Inc., the California-based subsidiary of Chinese battery manufacturer Gotion High-Tech Co. (Gotion High-Tech), is planning to build massive electric vehicle battery plants in Michigan and Illinois, both of which stand to benefit from taxpayer funding. Gotion Inc. Vice President Chuck Thelen has repeatedly denied any CCP ties, but a DCNF investigation found the company’s chief technology officer attended two CCP meetings in China.

Job Market Continues Hot Streak Despite Persistent Layoffs

April 6, 2024 Florida Capital Star Staff

The U.S. added 303,000 nonfarm payroll jobs in March as the unemployment rate ticked down to 3.8%, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) data released Friday.

Economists anticipated that the country would add 200,000 jobs in March compared to the 275,000 jobs that were added in initial estimates for February, and that the unemployment rate would remain unchanged at 3.9%, according to Reuters. The job gains are in spite of persistent layoffs that reached a 14-month peak in March at 90,309.

Nebraska Votes Against Electoral College Reforms in Blow to Trump

April 6, 2024 Florida Capital Star Staff

The Nebraska Legislature on Wednesday voted against a proposal that would have changed the state’s allocation of presidential electors in the Electoral College, which is a setback for former President Donald Trump’s political interests.

Unlike all U.S. states except for Maine, Nebraska allocates three of its presidential electors based on the majority vote in each of its three congressional districts, while the remaining two electors — accounting for its two U.S. senators — are allocated based on the statewide tally. Republican state Sen. Julie Slama of Lincoln on Wednesday introduced a bill amendment that would change this system to a “winner-take-all” allocation — whereby all electoral votes would go to the candidate who wins statewide, purportedly benefitting the Republican nominee — though the measure failed to advance by a vote of 9 yeas to 36 nays.

Commentary: Under The Hood, the Jobs Report Is Not Strong

April 6, 2024 Florida Capital Star Staff

Looking under the hood of today’s jobs report shows it isn’t the home run that Democrats and the media claim.

Approximately half of the 303,000 jobs created last month came in the unproductive government or quasi-government healthcare sectors. These are not the types of jobs that drive growth and improve Americans’ living standards.

Abortion Activists Moan After Florida Supreme Court Ruling Doesn’t Bring in ‘Rage’ Donors

April 6, 2024April 5, 2024 Florida Capital Star Staff

Abortion activists in Florida are frustrated after the state’s Supreme Court ruling allowing a fetal heartbeat law to take effect failed to produce “rage” donations.

The Florida Supreme Court ruled in favor of a law signed by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis in April 2023 that would prohibit a doctor from performing an abortion after a heartbeat is detected, usually around six weeks of pregnancy. McKenna Kelley, a board member of the Tampa Bay Abortion Fund, said that, unlike the aftermath of the Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade in 2022, the Florida ruling had produced little “rage giving” despite a growing demand for funding for abortions, according to Axios.

“It’s really important that if you care about people having access to abortion, you help support us,” Kelley told Axios.

Commentary: VDARE’s Fight Against Letitia James Is Our Fight, Too

April 6, 2024 Florida Capital Star Staff

For all its gesticulations about “free speech,” the conservative mainstream often plays a supporting role in America’s censorship regime. It’s a two-step dance: The Right styles itself as the sworn defender of free speech and the mortal enemy of censorship while simultaneously downplaying or outright ignoring brazen censorship of speech that ventures a bit too far outside the Overton window. By claiming to defend all free speech in principle but only defending some in practice, the Right concedes, by omission, that certain ideas fall outside the bounds of free expression — and that it’s perfectly appropriate (or, at least, not particularly objectionable) to bring the full force of regime power to bear against any individual so unwise as to express them.

Layoffs Surge to 14-Month High as Inflation Crushes Employers

April 5, 2024April 4, 2024 Florida Capital Star Staff

The number of people laid off from American companies reached the highest point since January 2023, according to data from outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas, Inc.

American employers cut 90,309 employees in March, 7 percent higher than the 84,638 employees laid off in February and higher than the 82,307 positions cut in January, according to a report from Challenger, Gray & Christmas, Inc. The layoffs are in contrast to seemingly strong job gains, which totaled 275,000 in February, while the unemployment rate ticked up to 3.9 percent.

Redistricting Won’t Hurt GOP Chances at Keeping the House, Experts Say

April 5, 2024 Florida Capital Star Staff

Changes in congressional district boundary lines across several states do not appear to have damaged Republicans’ chances of maintaining a majority in the House of Representatives after 2024’s elections, experts told the Daily Caller News Foundation.

North Carolina, Alabama, Louisiana and New York have experienced redistricting processes ahead of the 2024 election. While experts had previously forecast adverse changes from redistricting in these states that could have cost GOP incumbents their seats, the processes have resulted, on balance, in races where likely losses of some GOP seats could be offset by the gains in other states, experts told the DCNF.

‘The Swamp is Getting Deeper’: EPA Awards Billions from Biden’s Landmark Climate Bill to Organizations Loaded with Democrat Insiders

April 5, 2024 Florida Capital Star Staff

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) awarded nearly $14 billion Thursday to three organizations with deep ties to the Biden administration and the Democratic Party.

The EPA announced the winners of $20 billion of funding from the massive Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund (GGRF), a program created by President Joe Biden’s signature climate bill, the Inflation Reduction Act. Among the selected awardees are Climate United, the Coalition for Green Capital and Power Forward Communities, three groups that are taking home almost $14 billion combined to establish financing operations for a wide variety of green technology and energy projects under the GGRF’s National Clean Investment Fund.

Commentary: Senate Must Let House Make Its Case in Impeachment Trial of Mayorkas

April 5, 2024 Florida Capital Star Staff

A grave injustice may be about to take place in the Senate–and only public pressure can prevent it.

I write of the upcoming impeachment trial of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, who was impeached by the House on February 13 on two counts: that he failed to comply with the law and that he lied to Congress about the results of his failure to comply with the law.

California’s Fast-Food Minimum Wage Hike Could Spell Trouble for Public Schools

April 5, 2024 Florida Capital Star Staff

Two policies backed by Democratic California Governor Gavin Newsom could place serious strain on California’s already fiscally unhealthy public schools.

California’s new minimum wage law, which took effect Monday, guarantees a wage of at least $20 an hour for workers at fast food chains with 60 or more locations across the country, The Associated Press reported. The new law, however, does not apply to food service workers in the state’s public schools, forcing them to compete in a more expensive labor market just as schools are preparing for an increase in demand for food workers due to the state’s new universal free lunch program.

Left-Wing Group Pushed a Policy That Could Shape 2024 Election Outcome—Using Your Tax Dollars

April 5, 2024 Florida Capital Star Staff

Documents reveal an organization backed by Obama White House alumni such as Valerie Jarrett and bankrolled by liberal dark money donors advocated using tax dollars to pay college students to get out the vote in the 2024 election, doing so before the Biden administration announced the same policy.

The Daily Signal obtained the documents through a public records request in which it sought documents from the Wisconsin Elections Commission related to President Joe Biden’s controversial executive order to promote voting.

Electric Vehicle Market Share Plummets in First Quarter as Consumers Sour

April 4, 2024 Florida Capital Star Staff

Growth in sales for electric vehicles (EV) slowed in the first quarter of the year as consumers remained wary of the product even though growth in sales of new vehicles remained strong, leading to a drop in EV market share, according to The Associated Press.

Sales for new vehicles grew 5 percent in the first three months of the year, but EV sales grew only 2.7 percent as more consumers chose traditional vehicles due to cost and product concerns, according to the AP. The average sales price declined 3.6 percent year-over-year to $44,186 in March as dealers looked to offload built-up inventory.

Gas Prices Creeping Higher Again as Election Cycle Heats Up

April 4, 2024 Florida Capital Star Staff

The national average cost of a gallon of gas at the pump jumped by 20 cents over the past month, according to AAA.

Currently, Americans are paying about $3.55 per gallon on average, up from about $3.35 a month ago, according to AAA’s data. Goldman Sachs, one of the largest financial institutions in the U.S., has recently cautioned that prices could surge above $4 per gallon by May, according to Yahoo Finance.

Commentary: National Council of Teachers of English Hosts Seminar on How to Teach ‘Gender Queer’

April 4, 2024 Florida Capital Star Staff

The National Council of Teachers of English, a professional development organization, hosted remote training to instruct K-12 teachers on how to teach the controversial book “Gender Queer” in their “classrooms, libraries, and communities.”

The NCTE, which boasts 25,000 members around the United States, hosted a panel including “Gender Queer” author Maia Kobabe and an “LGBTQIA+ Advisory Committee” to discuss how to incorporate the pornographic book into school curriculum.

Trump Campaign, RNC Announce $65.6 Million Fundraising Haul

April 4, 2024 Florida Capital Star Staff

Former President Donald Trump’s campaign and affiliated groups announced on Wednesday they brought in over $65.6 million during the month of March.

The haul includes funds raised by the Trump campaign, the Republican National Committee (RNC) and their affiliated entities, according to a press release. Trump’s fundraising apparatus, which has been lagging behind President Joe Biden’s, also announced topping $93.1 million in cash on hand going into April.

Congress Approves $380 Million for ‘Border Security’ Measures in Middle Eastern Countries

April 3, 2024April 2, 2024 Florida Capital Star Staff

One provision of the $1.2 trillion spending package passed by Congress and signed into law by Joe Biden last month will see at least $380 million spent on securing the borders of several Middle Eastern countries, while the American border remains wide open.

According to Fox News, the appropriation of $380 million will be available until September 2025, and will fund “enhanced border security” measures in the countries of Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Oman, and Tunisia. Jordan will be receiving the most out of the five, at $150 million.

Sarah Huckabee Sanders Announces Major Expansion of School Choice Options for Children Of Veterans, First Responders

April 3, 2024 Florida Capital Star Staff

Republican Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders of Arkansas announced Monday that the state Department of Education was expanding its education savings program to include veteran and first responder families.

The Arkansas Education Freedom Account program, which was launched in 2023, helps fund families who wish to send their children to private schools or homeschool them and previously included “Homeless students, current or former foster care students, students with disabilities” and “first-time kindergarteners.” For the 2024-2025 school year, “veterans, military reserve members, first responders, law enforcement officers and students from D-rated schools will now be eligible, according to a press release.

Judge Hands DeSantis Legal Win in Lawsuit over Martha’s Vineyard Migrant Flights

April 3, 2024April 2, 2024 Florida Capital Star Staff

A federal judge dismissed claims against Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis brought by attorneys representing migrants he flew to Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts, in 2022.

District Judge Allison Burroughs ruled Friday that migrants could sue the charter flight company, Vertol Systems, that contracted with Florida to transport migrants in September 2022. But Burroughs dismissed other claims brought against DeSantis and state defendants, finding the court lacked jurisdiction over them in the case while leaving the possibility of future legal action open.

Commentary: Biden’s Big Bet on Military Abortions Falls Flat

April 3, 2024 Florida Capital Star Staff

Since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in June 2022, President Joe Biden has made it a top priority to use any and all administrative actions to promote and pay for abortions with taxpayer money.

No single related action garnered more attention than Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin’s announcement that the Defense Department would use taxpayer funds to pay for abortion travel. Now, a new Pentagon report finds that the Biden administration’s abortion travel policy for service members and dependents was used only 12 times from June through December.

Florida Sheriff Touts Giving Squatters a ‘One-Way Ride’ to Jail

April 2, 2024 Florida Capital Star Staff

A Florida sheriff on Monday boasted during a Fox News appearance about giving squatters a “one-way ride” to the local jail as concerns about squatting have grown nationwide.

Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida signed legislation to criminalize squatting on Wednesday after a high-profile incident in New York in which a woman who discovered squatters in her late mother’s luxury apartment was allegedly killed by them. Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd told “Fox and Friends” co-host Lawrence Jones that his deputies were already addressing the issue.

Biden Admin Threw Billions at EV Charging Stations, But Only a Handful Have Been Built

April 2, 2024 Florida Capital Star Staff

The Biden administration’s well-funded push to build out a national network of electric vehicle (EV) chargers has so far resulted in only a handful of installations, according to The Washington Post.

The bipartisan infrastructure bill of 2021 allotted $7.5 billion to subsidize thousands of EV chargers to help the administration’s goal of having EVs constitute 50 percent of all new cars sold in 2030, but only seven stations in total have been built in four states to date, according to the Post. The slow rollout of the EV charger funding is unfolding as the Biden administration has recently issued stringent emissions standards for light-, medium- and heavy-duty vehicles that will result in significant increases of EV sales for all three classes of vehicle.