Outrage Continues over Federal Rule to Charge Higher Fees to Home Buyers with Better Credit

A new federal rule that would charge higher fees to home buyers with good credit to help subsidize those with poor credit goes into effect Monday.

The Federal Housing Finance Agency announced in January it would increase Loan-Level Price Adjustment fees for mortgage borrowers with higher credit scores to help keep fees lower for those with worse credit.

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Multiple Corporations Begin Simultaneously Attacking Mother’s Day

Ahead of Mother’s Day 2023, numerous prominent corporations have begun simultaneously sending out emails to customers offering them the chance to opt out of receiving Mother’s Day-themed messages.

As reported by the Daily Caller, multiple screenshots posted to Twitter by various users depict strikingly similar messages from companies such as Hallmark, DoorDash, Kay’s Jewelers, Kroger, and Fry’s Food Stores, among others. The messages all feature very similar wording, leading many to consider the possibility of a coordinated campaign.

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Former Student Urges Catholic School District to Promote Church Teachings Rather Than Cave to LGBTQ Agenda During ‘Pride Month’

A former student at Cardinal Carter Catholic High School in Aurora, Ontario, was cheered this week when he gave a passionate speech at a board meeting during which he urged the district to adhere to the teachings of the Catholic Church to help all students rather than cave to the LGBTQ agenda during the upcoming “pride month.”

Myles Vosylius, 20, drew applause from parents and other citizens at a York Catholic District School Board (YCDSB) meeting Tuesday as he shared his own conversion story related to his parents’ divorce while he was in high school.

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House Considers Federal Ban on Private Money to Run Elections

Eight House Republicans have introduced a bill to block the use of private money to operate elections and curb the controversial process called ballot harvesting. 

If enacted, the Protect American Election Administration Act would block what the bill’s sponsors call a “private takeover of government election administration.” 

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ABC News Cuts RFK Jr’s COVID-19 Vaccine Remarks from Interview

ABC News removed large sections of its interview with Democratic presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. during which he made critical comments about COVID-19 vaccines.

Kennedy spoke with the outlet’s Linsey Davis in an interview published this week. The release of that interview did not include his remarks on vaccines.

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Republicans Ripping DeSantis for Feuding with Disney Took Company Executives’ Campaign Cash

Prominent Republicans who have criticized Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis’ actions against The Walt Disney Company have received significant donations from the media giant’s executives, according to campaign finance records published by the Federal Election Commission (FEC).

DeSantis and Disney have been at odds since early 2022, when the Florida legislature passed a law signed by DeSantis stripping Disney of municipal powers within its special district after Disney criticized Florida’s Parental Rights In Education Law. Recently, several top Republicans have come out opposing the governor’s feud with the company, arguing that it’s bad for business, at a time when DeSantis is widely expected to run for president in 2024; however, many of these Republicans raked in campaign contributions from Disney executives.

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Ohio State Senators Re-Introduce Legislation to Protect Second Amendment Rights

Two Ohio Republican state senators have re-introduced legislation that aims to prohibit fees and insurance requirements from owning a gun.

Senate Bill (SB) 58, sponsored by State Senators Theresa Gavarone (R-Bowling Green) and Terry Johnson (R-McDermott), tries to protect Ohio’s Second Amendment rights by ensuring that no Ohioan will be required to possess or purchase firearm liability insurance or pay a fee for the possession of a firearm, parts, components, ammunition, or a knife.

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Teachers Sue California School over Policy Forcing Them to Hide Kids’ Gender Transitions from Parents

Two California middle school teachers sued their school district on Thursday over a policy that requires them to hide students’ gender identities from their parents, the lawsuit reads.

Elizabeth Mirabelli and Lori Ann West, who teach at Rincon Middle School in Escondido, California, filed the lawsuit against Escondido Union School District (EUSD) and the California State Board of Education over a policy that requires teachers to use students preferred pronouns and names when not in front of parents, according to the lawsuit. The plaintiffs argue that the policy, done to “hide information” about a child’s gender identity from parents, is unconstitutional and violates their First Amendment right to freedom of religion and freedom of speech.

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Commentary: Equity and the Race to the Bottom

Over the last few years, the rallying cry of “woke” activists has become “Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion” (often abbreviated to DEI). There is little reason to object to such principles on the surface. After all, America was founded on the principle that all people are created equal. Unfortunately, the meaning of words can change over time.  

Rather than the Founders’ vision of equal opportunity for all, the use of the word “equity” today denotes equal outcomes for all. The implementation of this “equity agenda,” however well-intentioned, will lead to terrible consequences. 

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Commentary: A.I. Can Never Become God

Artificial intelligence will not spontaneously erupt into a superintelligence. Not soon, not ever. To understand the absurdity of A.I. becoming a “god,” we need only look at the possibility from the perspective of the A.I. itself.

Let’s start with a reflection on how humans, under God’s guidance, became intelligent in the first place. Over the course of millions of years, ancestors of humans bred in conditions that shaped physical and mental characteristics leading, generally, to the propagation of traits that helped humans survive and reproduce. We must assume, therefore, any A.I. created by man immediately would manifest anthropomorphic qualities that have proven useful for our species. 

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Congress Members Want Answers About Chinese ‘Police Stations’ in the U.S.

In a letter to FBI Director Chris Wray, congressional members on the U.S. Select Committee on the Chinese Community Party expressed concerns about the FBI potentially not knowing about Chinese “police stations” operating in the U.S. They also asked Wray to provide information about the FBI’s efforts to investigate Chinese transnational repression in America. 

The committee received a classified briefing on March 30 after requesting information on Feb. 24. However, the briefing didn’t answer their questions, prompting them to formally ask 12 questions they want answered in writing. They also expect to have another classified briefing once they receive additional information.

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James Comer Pointedly Warns Against Witness Intimidation, Too Narrow DOJ Focus in Hunter Biden Probe

The chief congressional investigator in the Hunter Biden scandal says he is deeply worried that the Justice Department has tailored its criminal investigation narrowly to protect the first family and that Democrat defenders are coming close to engaging in witness intimidation that could obstruct his probe.

House Oversight and Accountability Chairman James Comer told Just the News on Thursday night that he is deeply troubled by legal letters and veiled threats that defenders of Hunter Biden have sent witnesses. Threats were allegedly made to cooperating banks, and political attack activities were being funded in the districts of some lawmakers who are investigating the Biden family for alleged influence peddling.

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House Passes Bipartisan Bill to Repeal Biden’s China Solar Rules

The House passed a resolution Friday morning to repeal President Joe Biden’s moratorium on solar panel tariffs to several Southeast Asian nations, where Chinese firms linked to slave labor have reportedly been assembling their products to avoid U.S. tariffs.

The resolution passed 221 to 202, with the support of most Republicans and 12 Democrats, with supporters arguing in the preceding debate that the legislation was necessary both to support the U.S. solar industry while simultaneously holding China accountable for avoiding tariffs. Democratic detractors pointed to opposition from industry trade groups, arguing that the moratorium was set to run out next summer, and that it was necessary to grow the U.S. solar industry in the interim.

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Ohio Constitution Protection Amendment Supporters Say They Have the Necessary Votes to Pass Legislation on House Floor

Supporters of legislation that aims to alter the process of how initiative petitions can propose constitutional amendments have told Ohio House Speaker Jason Stephens (R-Kitts Hill) that they have the support of at least 59 House Republicans who want a floor vote on the resolution.

It will take a three-fifths majority of the 99-member House to pass the resolution to put before voters House Joint Resolution (HJR) 1 requiring 60 percent voter approval for future constitutional amendments.

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Commentary: Bill Lee Attacks the Second Amendment with a Red Flag Proposal

Governor Bill Lee called on the Tennessee Legislature to pass a Red Flag law – one that he proposed – before the 2023 Legislative session ended. The Legislators did not consider his proposal but instead they wrapped up business – they thought – and adjourned until January 2024. Governor Lee, apparently thinking of himself as perhaps the “master” of the Legislature, has now stated that he will call a special session to force the Legislature to take up his call for a Red Flag law.

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Commentary: Outcome of Proud Boys Trial Could Decide Trump’s Fate

Of the hundreds of video clips used as evidence in the marathon trial of five members of the Proud Boys, prosecutors began closing arguments not with a clip of the defendants engaged in criminal activity but with a clip of Donald Trump.

The government showed the jury a portion of the September 2020 presidential debate; goaded by Joe Biden and then-Fox News host Chris Wallace to condemn “white supremacists and militia groups” in an effort to downplay Black Lives Matter and Antifa violence, Trump asked them to “give me a name.” Biden quickly answered, “the Proud Boys.”

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House Rejects Matt Gaetz’s Resolution to Remove Troops from Somalia

The House of Representatives has rejected a war powers resolution introduced by Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida to remove U.S. military personnel from Somalia.

The recorded vote, held on Thursday afternoon, yielded 321 members voting against the bill with 102 voting in favor. The resolution, designated H.Con. Res. 30 and co-sponsored by Republican Reps. Andy Biggs and Paul Gosar of Arizona as well as Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, would have directed President Joe Biden to order all American troops to leave the country, with the exception of Marine Security Guards who protect the U.S. Embassy in Mogadishu.

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Regulators Knew Silicon Valley Bank Was in Trouble Since 2021, Did Not Step In

A closer look at the months leading up to the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank, the second-largest bank collapse in history, shows that regulators saw the warning signs since last year but did not step in.

SVB’s collapse sent shockwaves through the markets, destabilized the economy, and raised fears of a domino effect of other banks. Seemingly backing those fears, other banks have recently collapsed as well.

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Union Boss Randi Weingarten Ripped for Denying She Pushed Biden Administration to Keep Schools Closed

American Federation of Teachers (AFT) President Randi Weingarten is drawing fire from many sides for her denial before a congressional subcommittee that she pressed the Biden administration to keep government schools closed during the COVID-19 pandemic, even as U.S. private and religious schools, and public schools in Europe, reopened. CNN contributor and Kentucky parent Scott Jennings confronted Weingarten Thursday night for pushing the Biden administration to keep schools closed during the COVID crisis but claiming to the House COVID subcommittee she had always wanted to reopen schools.

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Ohio House Speaker Stephens Denies Debate or Amendments on State Operating Budget

The Ohio House passed its version of a two-year operating budget on Wednesday despite objections from Republican lawmakers that no amendments were allowed to be made. The state operating budget includes a $1 billion tax cut, higher income limits for school vouchers, and a ban on TikTok from government devices.

House Speaker Jason Stephens (R-Kitts Hill) advanced the budget to a vote without allowing for any debate or amendments. There were 24 amendment proposals to the budget that Republicans say should have been debated prior to the vote.

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Biden Admin to Start Processing Migrants in Latin America as Border Surge Continues: Report

The Biden administration is expected to announce a plan Thursday to have migrant processing centers south of the U.S.-Mexico border amid an influx of illegal immigration, CBS News reported late Wednesday.

The plan would allow migrants to have their screening interviews at the centers to determine whether or not they have legal claims to come to the U.S., according to CBS News, citing four sources with knowledge of the plan. The processing centers will be located in areas that migrants traverse frequently and in large numbers.

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Catholic Advocacy Group Sues FBI and DOJ for FOIA Documents Related to Government Targeting of Catholics

National Catholic advocacy organization CatholicVote filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit with Judicial Watch Thursday against the FBI and DOJ for failing to provide records requested under FOIA regarding the government’s targeting of Catholics.

CatholicVote President Brian Burch spoke to Fox & Friends Thursday about the lawsuit.

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Unearthed Documents Reveal How Hospital Pushes Medical Transitions on Children

Seattle Children’s Hospital encourages medical professionals to offer swift biomedical interventions as the default treatment for young patients with gender identity issues, even when parents are skeptical, and largely avoids recommending mental health services to gender dysphoric youth, according to documents published by the hospital.

The hospital, which recently attracted criticism for advertising transgender surgical procedures for minors, published several guides to instruct medical professionals on their treatment decisions regarding “gender affirming medical care” for youth. The guides promote puberty blockers and menstrual suppression drugs for young patients, do not list mental health screenings as a necessary step before medications are administered and instead indicate that mental health treatments are optional and must be sought externally.

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Republican Presidential Hopeful Ramaswamy Lays Out ‘Path to Victory’ — America First 2.0

While pundits bill Ohio businessman Vivek Ramaswamy as a “long-shot” candidate for president, the Republican political outsider isn’t campaigning as a long shot. 

As his poll numbers continue to rise a little more than two months into his campaign, Ramaswamy believes he has a clear path to victory — America First 2.0. 

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Columbus Venture Capitalist Mark Kvamme Endorses Bernie Moreno for U.S. Senate

Columbus venture capitalist Mark Kvamme, who many Republicans thought to be a potential GOP contender to run for U.S. Senate against Ohio Democratic U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH) in 2024, announced that he would not be running for Senate and instead endorsed Republican businessman Bernie Moreno.

Moreno previously filed paperwork with the Federal Election Commission to run for Senate in 2024 and to challenge Democratic incumbent Brown. He officially announced his campaign last week, saying that it’s time for a new generation of political outsiders to come in and get the job done to put America First.

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Top Swedish Doctors Determine Transgender Puberty Blockers ‘Experimental’ While U.S. Gender Clinics Push Ahead

With the urging of the Biden administration, gender clinics in the United States appear to be pushing ahead with aggressive medical interventions for gender-confused young people even as top Swedish doctors who reviewed the use of puberty blockers for children now say the drugs should only be called “experimental.” 

Doctors at the Karolinska Institute, one of Europe’s top medical schools, released a systematic review of the literature regarding the provision of puberty blockers to children, the report for which was published April 17 at Acta Paediatrica.

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Norfolk Southern Reports Initial $387 Million in Costs Expected for East Palestine Derailment

Norfolk Southern announced on Wednesday that it expects the costs associated with February’s East Palestine, Ohio train derailment to amount to $387 million. The company anticipates the sum to rise over time, which doesn’t represent the final amount the railroad’s insurance providers will pay out.

The $387 million estimate includes the $30.9 million the railroad promised to assist locals and the residents of East Palestine in recovering from the incident, cleanup costs, community support, restoration payments, legal and advising fees, and an early estimate of claims and settlements.

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Commentary: On Economy, Biden Re-Election Faces Challenges

As President Biden embarks on his reelection campaign, a majority of American voters are dissatisfied with his stewardship of the U.S. economy. Aware of the general angst among the electorate, Biden is threading the needle by saying he’s running on the strength of his overall record, while vowing to “finish the job” that he started when he stepped into the Oval Office. It’s a daunting task, with an overwhelming majority of registered voters expressing deep pessimism about the economy: 40.2% say the United States is currently in a recession, 17% call it a general state of stagnation, and 10.4% believe the country is in an outright depression.

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Nearly 700 Professors Sign Letter in Opposition to Teaching About America’s Founding, Constitution

On Tuesday, an open letter was circulated that featured hundreds of North Carolina professors declaring their opposition to any requirement that students learn about the United States government and its founding documents.

As reported by Fox News, exactly 673 professors from the University of North Carolina (UNC) Chapel Hill signed the letter as legislation works its way through the North Carolina legislature that would mandate the teaching of such courses. The professors claim that such a law would violate the school’s “academic freedom.”

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Fighters Seize Bio Lab in Sudan, Sparking Fears of Potential ‘Germ Bomb’

A potential “germ bomb” of polio, measles and cholera pathogens is now in the hands of Sudanese fighters after they seized the National Public Health Laboratory in the nation’s capital Khartoum, according to reports. On Tuesday, the World Health Organization warned that the situation posed a “huge biological risk.”

“This is the main concern: no accessibility to the lab technicians to go to the lab and safely contain the biological material and substances available,” said Nima Saeed Abidhe, the WHO’s representative in Sudan.

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DOJ Inspector General Has No Answer to How Many in Government Can Spy on Americans Through ‘Backdoor’ Searches

Department of Justice (DOJ) Inspector General Michael Horowitz could not answer how many people in the federal government can use the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) on Americans through backdoor searches when Republican Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz asked him at a House Judiciary subcommittee hearing on Thursday.

FISA Section 702 enables intelligence agencies to carry out targeted surveillance of foreigners outside the U.S., but they have improperly used it on Americans. There were 3.4 million backdoor searches in 2021, according to an Office of the Director of National Intelligence 2022 Transparency report.

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Ohio House Panel Passes More than $86 Billion State Operating Budget

An Ohio House Panel has passed the state operating budget including a $1 billion tax cut, higher income limits for school vouchers, and a ban on TikTok from government devices.

On Tuesday, the plan to spend more than $86 billion over the subsequent two fiscal years contained in the 5,300-page proposal known as House Bill (HB) 33 passed the House Finance Committee with bipartisan support.

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Woke Washington State School District Board Member Draws Fire for Cutting Music Program With Claim It Fosters ‘White Supremacy’ and ‘Institutional Violence’

An Olympia School District board member in Washington state is the recipient of intense criticism for attempting to justify budget cuts by eliminating the district’s music classes with the claims the classes promote “white supremacy culture” and “significant institutional violence.”

According to Jason Rantz, host of The Jason Rantz Show on 770KTTH, with an expected district budget shortfall of $11.5 million, School Board Director Scott Clifthorne told parents the music program for fourth and fifth-grade students would be eliminated to make the budget cuts.

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Granite State Union Says No to Biden Re-Election Bid ‘At This Time’

In breaking with the Big Labor mothership, one of New Hampshire’s largest employee unions has announced it will not endorse President Joe Biden’s re-election campaign — at least not now.

Instead State Employees Association/Service Employees International Union (SEA/SEIU) 1984 says it wants to see competition for the Democratic Party’s nomination. 

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Whistleblower: U.S. Government Is ‘Middleman’ in Massive Migrant Child Trafficking Ring

On Wednesday, a whistleblower is set to testify before Congress with bombshell claims that the federal government has essentially become a “middleman” in a child trafficking ring along the southern border, an operation that is allegedly worth billions.

According to Fox News, the hearing before the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration Integrity, Security, and Enforcement will be titled “The Biden Border Crisis: Exploitation of Unaccompanied Alien Children.” The focus of the hearing will be the spike in the number of “unaccompanied children” (UACs) during the border crisis under Biden’s watch.

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Pope Francis Will Allow Women to Vote in Bishop Meeting for the First Time

The Vatican announced Wednesday during a press conference that women would be allowed to vote during the upcoming Synod of Bishops in October, according to The Associated Press.

Cardinal Mario Grech, the secretary general of the synod, and Cardinal Jean-Claude Hollerich, the relator general of the synod, announced that Pope Francis had approved the proposed changes by the council overseeing the synod, according to American Magazine. Under the new rules, both women and laymen will be allowed to vote for the first time in the history of the practice, and five religious sisters will be appointed as representatives for different orders, according to the AP.

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Schools Axe Homework, Deadlines in the Name of Equity: Report

Several schools throughout the country are moving to axe homework and deadlines in an effort to increase equity, according to The Wall Street Journal.

Under the philosophy of “equitable grading,” students are given more chances to show they have mastered a subject, a practice that downplays the importance of homework and eschews deadlines in an attempt to give kids who struggle with hardships at home more opportunities to learn the material, according to the WSJ. Schools in California, Nevada and Connecticut are moving to implement “equitable grading,” though opponents of the system, many teachers and students say it disincentives students and leads to a lack of accountability.

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Before Biden Laptop Letter, Ex-CIA Boss Intervened on Russia Collusion in 2016, Benghazi in 2012

Just a week after then-CIA Director John Brennan warned President Barack Obama that Hillary Clinton’s campaign was “stirring up” a Russia scandal to harm Donald Trump, the agency’s former acting chief became one of the first high-profile intelligence community figures to claim that the 2016 Republican nominee was a possible agent of Vladimir Putin.

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Ohio GOP Chairman Triantafilou Calls President Biden’s Re-Election Campaign ‘Ill-Advised’

Alex Triantafilou, the newly elected head of the Ohio Republican Party, responded to the announcement that President Joe Biden is running for reelection, calling it “ill-advised.”

“Plain and simple – Joe Biden is not fit for office,” Triantafilou said Tuesday evening.

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Delaware County Judge Blocks Columbus Gun Restriction Enforcement

A Delaware County Judge has blocked the gun control legislation passed by the Columbus City Council on December 5th meaning the city cannot restrict firearm magazines or implement gun storage requirements.

In a ruling issued on Tuesday, Delaware County Common Pleas Judge David M. Gormley placed an injunction on the legislation. Ohio think tank, The Buckeye Institute, filed a lawsuit against the city of Columbus’ gun restrictions in February on behalf of six anonymous residents to protect the rights of Ohioans to keep and bear arms. The lawsuit named the city, Columbus City Council President Shannon Hardin, and Columbus City Attorney Zach Klein as defendants.

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Disney Sues DeSantis over Florida GOP Governor’s Attempt to Limit Its Control of Theme Park

Disney filed a lawsuit Wednesday against Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis alleging he and other state Republican lawmakers having a “targeted campaign of government retaliation,” over the so-called 2020 “Don’t Say Gay” bill. 

Disney World had self-governing privileges that DeSantis threatened to revoke after the company snubbed him last year when he signed a law in 2022 that his opponents labeled the “Don’t Say Gay Bill.” 

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Red State Passes Bill Allowing Religious Institutions Access to State Funding

The Oklahoma House of Representatives passed a bill Tuesday protecting religious institutions from being denied access to state funding.

The Oklahoma Religious Freedom Act was introduced by Republican state Sen. Shane Jett and Republican state Sen. Julie Daniels to further reinforce the First Amendment by preventing the state from denying faith-based groups access to taxpayer dollars, according to the bill. The legislature passed the act Tuesday by a 64 to 27 vote, officially sending the act to Republican Gov. Kevin Stitt’s desk to be signed into law.

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