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Four GOP Senators Vote Against SAVE America Act
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This amidst the broader effort to advance legislation via the reconciliation process. Majority Leader Thune does not have the support of his own caucus. Fox News: A cohort of Senate Republicans joined Democrats to sink a late-night attempt to attach a version of voter ID and citizenship verification legislation to the GOP’s bill funding federal immigration enforcement. Sens. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, Susan Collins, R-Maine, and Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., all voted against a modified version of the Safeguarding American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) America Act early Thursday morning. Their defection came during the Senate’s marathon “vote-a-rama,” where lawmakers could force votes on any number of amendments, regardless of whether they mesh with the underlying budget blueprint. The amendment’s 48-to-50 failure crystallized what several Republicans had warned for weeks before launching a quasi-floor takeover to debate the SAVE America Act last month — it didn’t have the support among the GOP to pass. It appears the proposal was doomed even if Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., launched an oral filibuster to advance the measure with a simple 50-vote majority ( Fox News).
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Trump Gives ‘Shoot to Kill’ Order on Iranian Minelayers in Strait
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Ed Morrissey at Hot Air: Alternate headline: The A-10 Warthogs Have Entered the Chat. In the wake of Iran’s refusal to negotiate over its highly enriched uranium and its continued attacks on commercial shipping, Donald Trump has decided to redefine the ceasefire on the US-Israeli side as well. Trump accused the IRGC of laying more mines in the Strait of Hormuz, where the US Navy had already begun minesweeping operations ( Hot Air).President Trump: I have ordered the United States Navy to shoot and kill any boat, small boats though they may be (Their naval ships are ALL, 159 of them, at the bottom of the sea!), that is putting mines in the waters of the Strait of Hormuz. There is to be no hesitation. Additionally, our mine “sweepers” are clearing the Strait right now. I am hereby ordering that activity to continue, but at a tripled up level! Thank you for your attention to this matter ( Truth).
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USS George HW Bush Aircraft Carrier Arrives in Middle East; Three Carriers Now in Region
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This is the first time in this conflict that we’ve had three carriers in the region. Wall Street Journal: Three U.S. aircraft carriers and their accompanying warships are now sailing in the waters of the Middle East, giving President Trump additional warships to enforce his blockade of Iranian ports and more firepower should he decide to resume strikes on Iran. • The USS George H.W. Bush arrived in the Indian Ocean after traveling around the southern tip of Africa to reach the Middle East, according to U.S. Central Command. The carrier and several guided-missile destroyers that travel with it will bolster U.S. efforts to crack down on Iran-linked ships…. The last time the U.S. had three aircraft carriers in the Central Command area of responsibility was in 2003 when the U.S. amassed a naval force to launch Operation Iraqi Freedom, a U.S. official said. The arrival of a third carrier strike group comes as the U.S. expands its efforts to go after ships supporting the Iranian regime. In addition to enforcing its blockade, the U.S. has begun boarding sanctioned and dark fleet oil tankers carrying Iranian oil ( Wall Street Journal).
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Minnesota Holds Hearing on Fraud, Ilhan Omar Refuses to Attend
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State and federal officials have accused the Minnesota Democrat of having a role in the scheme that defrauded the government and Minnesotans of some $250 million. Washington Examiner summarizes the accusation: In 2020, Omar introduced the Maintaining Essential Access to Lunch for Students Act, which granted waivers allowing nonschool-based distributors to participate in the program and claim compensation for the cost of meals supposedly served. “The MEALS Act loosened the guardrails on the federal nutrition program that led to the scandal we now call Feeding Our Future,” said Minnesota state Rep. Kristin Robbins, the committee’s Republican chairwoman. Omar’s legislation was meant to guarantee that economically disadvantaged children who relied on free or discounted school lunches still got fed while schools were shut down during the COVID-19 crisis. In what became known as the largest-ever pandemic-era scam, officials say Feeding Our Future, a nonprofit organization, exploited the program’s expanded enrollment provisions by establishing dozens of shell companies across Minnesota and enrolling them as food distribution sites ( Washington Examiner). Minnesota state Rep. Kristin Robbins (R): Democrat Ilhan Omar was invited multiple times to testify. She refused. Taxpayers deserve to hear from her about the role she played in the Minnesota fraud scandal ( Robbins).
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In California Gubernatorial Debate, Candidates Offer Grade on Newsom’s Performance on Homelessness
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Xavier Becerra gave Newsom an A. Becerra served as Director of Health and Human Services under Biden and has emerged as the leading Democrat after Eric Swalwell ended his bid. Dmitri Bolt at Townhall: The second California gubernatorial debate kicked off Wednesday night, as four Democrats and two Republicans once again took the stage in hopes of gaining ground in the polls following Eric Swalwell’s departure from the race. While candidates faced a range of typical policy questions, at one point each was asked to grade California Governor Gavin Newsom’s handling of the state’s homelessness crisis and explain what they would do differently. The Republican candidates were quick to give Newsom an “F,” while the Democratic candidates, somewhat surprisingly, offered extremely favorable assessments: • Xavier Becerra: A • Chad Bianco: F • Steve Hilton: F • Katie Porter: B • Tom Steyer: B- • Matt Mahan: B ( Townhall). New York Post: The dance that Democrats appear to be doing could be attributed to the governor’s majority approval rating from Californians, even if his disapproval rating hit a high of 45% in February. And while not expected, an endorsement from Newsom in the race could significantly sway the race ( New York Post).
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5th Circuit Court Allows Texas Law on Displaying Ten Commandments in Classroom to Stand
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The Ten Commandments, after all, have played a foundational role in the emergence and sustenance of Western Civilization. Washington Post: An appellate court ruled Tuesday that Texas may require that public school classrooms display the Ten Commandments… The 9-8 ruling came from the conservative Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit in New Orleans. The case is widely expected to head next to the Supreme Court…. ( Washington Post). Albert Mohler: This is a bigger story than it might even appear to be from the beginning, and that’s because there are huge constitutional issues that are invoked here. And we’re also looking at the fact that something had to more or less be discarded or put aside in order for the Fifth Circuit to rule as it did. And that takes us back to the year 1970. It takes us to a Supreme Court case known as the Lemon case, and that presented what was known as the Lemon Test… This was the decision of the US Supreme Court going back to that era, the Supreme Court majority actually said that in order to pass muster, that legislation is not an establishment of religion prohibited by the Constitution, then the substance and even the motivation, the purpose of the legislation could not be remotely religious ( Mohler). Watch for the case be appealed and heard before the Supreme Court.
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Navy Secretary John Phelan Exits; Hung Cao Steps in As Acting Secretary
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The Washington Times reports: His tenure was marked by internal friction with Mr. Cao. Reports emerged last year that Mr. Phelan and his chief of staff, Jon Harrison, had reassigned aides set to help Mr. Cao navigate his role as undersecretary and moved to centralize authority within the secretary’s office. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth subsequently fired Mr. Harrison. Mr. Cao, a retired Navy captain who came to the United States as a refugee from Vietnam in 1975, brings a sharp contrast in background to his predecessor. He graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1996, served 25 years in special operations — including deployments to Iraq, Afghanistan and Somalia — and retired at the rank of captain in 2021. He was confirmed as undersecretary in a 52-45 Senate vote in October ( Washington Times). Trump thanks Phelan : John helped my Administration rebuild Sleepy Joe Biden’s rapidly depleted, and almost abandoned, Navy. Now, because of John, and all of the Great Men and Women lovingly and tirelessly involved, we have the strongest Navy in the World — BY FAR! … A very special thank you to John for his service to the United States of America! President DONALD J. TRUMP ( Truth).
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Israel-Lebanon Ceasefire Extended by Three Weeks
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Joining the meeting in the Oval Office Thursday were President Trump, Vice President Vance, Secretary of State Rubio, U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee, U.S. Ambassador to Lebanon Michel Issa, Israeli Ambassador to the U.S. Yechiel Leiter and Lebanese Ambassador to the U.S. Nada Hamadeh Moawad. President Trump: The United States is going to work with Lebanon in order to help it protect itself from Hezbollah. The Ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon will be extended by THREE WEEKS. I look forward in the near future to hosting the Prime Minister of Israel, Bibi Netanyahu, and the President of Lebanon, Joseph Aoun. It was a Great Honor to be a participant at this very Historic Meeting! ( Truth). Israel Hayom: Trump is personally involved in the Lebanese file together with Rubio and US Ambassador to Lebanon Michel Issa. Trump has said he wants a quick breakthrough on the Lebanese issue. Reportedly. Trump was advised not to pressure Lebanon into holding a meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu or reaching a peace agreement. Against that backdrop, it said the current proposal includes security arrangements to end the state of war, followed by internal and external efforts to deal with the weapons issue. Al-Modon reported that Lebanon is emphasizing that it will not enter any peace agreement outside the Arab track or the Arab Peace Initiative ( Israel Hayom).
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Iraq and the Popular Mobilization Forces: The Other Iranian Proxy Threat to Watch
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We have long warned of the threats of Hamas in Gaza, Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Houthis in Yemen. Eli Lake warns of a newer and newly potent threat: Popular Mobilization Forces in Iraq. Lake: According to The Wall Street Journal, the militias are responsible for drone attacks on the Kuwaiti consulate in Basra and the Emirati consulate in Iraq’s Kurdistan region. “Since the start of the conflict, the Kurdistan region has been consistently attacked externally by Iran and internally by the Iranian-backed militias,” Treefa Aziz, the Kurdistan Regional Government’s Washington representative, told me in an interview earlier this month. Aziz said that the Kurdistan region has absorbed more than 700 attacks from drones, missiles, mortars, and rockets, resulting in the deaths of 16 people and over 90 serious injuries. “The militias are responsible for a lot of havoc, and the government in Baghdad is not doing enough to rein them in.” The Iraqi militias, also known as the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), have not observed the ceasefire that Trump extended on Tuesday. “They have continued to launch drone, rocket, and missile attacks,” one U.S. defense official working on the Iran war said ( Free Press).
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Quality of Life in Los Angeles County at All-Time Low in Year 11 of UCLA’s Survey
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There is plenty not to like about southern California today. UCLA has conducted the study for 11 years. This is the lowest quality of life index on record. UCLA: Los Angeles County residents are less satisfied with their quality of life than at any time in more than a decade, according to the 11th annual UCLA Los Angeles County Quality of Life Index, a project of the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs in partnership with the California Community Foundation. The overall index dropped to a historic low of 52, with six of the nine categories that comprise the index also falling to their lowest levels on record. Topline numbers: • 52 – Lowest Quality of Life Index score on record • 40% – Share of voters undecided in LA mayoral race • 31% – Residents worried about deportation • 26% – Residents reporting wildfire-related income loss • 56% – Dissatisfied with wildfire recovery efforts ( UCLA; full report: Lewis Center)
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