Category: Policy

Some School Board Associations Denounce National Group’s Letter Over Threats

Some state school board associations are challenging the National School Boards Association’s (NSBA) recent letter to President Joe Biden. The NSBA compared parents to domestic terrorists and called for the president to direct the federal government to “deal with the growing number of threats of violence and acts of intimidation occurring across the nation.” Several days later,…


Republicans Warn Biden’s IRS $600 Disclosure Plan Could Lead to ‘Surveillance State’

Republicans are sounding the alarm over a proposal tucked inside the Democrats’ 2,500-page $3.5 trillion Build Back Better Act that would expand the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and allow the agency to have access to any bank transaction of $600 or more. The proposal would give the IRS further access to anyone’s financial information, which Republicans say…


871 Firefighters File Intent to Sue Over LA City’s COVID-19 Vaccine Mandate

Hundreds of firefighters in Los Angeles have filed a notice of intent to sue the city over its public employee vaccine mandate. The notice (pdf), filed on Oct. 7, said that the 871 firefighters is seeking $2.5 million each in damages. “The claims will be filed in Superior Court as an unlimited civil case pursuant to…


871 LA Firefighters File Intent to Sue Over City’s COVID-19 Vaccine Mandate

Hundreds of firefighters in Los Angeles have filed a notice of intent to sue the city over its public employee vaccine mandate. The notice (pdf), filed on Oct. 7, said that the 871 firefighters are seeking $2.5 million each in damages. “The claims will be filed in Superior Court as an unlimited civil case pursuant to…


China Presses US to Cancel Tariffs in Virtual Meeting

China’s top trade negotiator Liu He pushed his U.S. counterpart Katherine Tai to cancel trade tariffs in a virtual meeting on Oct. 9 as the world’s biggest economies kick off negotiations following a lengthy break. During the virtual talk, the Chinese side “negotiated over the cancellation of tariffs and sanctions, and clarified position on China’s…


Leaving Gun in Carryon Bag Will Mean Losing Concealed Carry Permit in Pittsburgh

You can’t bring more than 3.4 ounces of shampoo in your carry-on bag onto a commercial airplane. Or a gun. But too many travelers at Pittsburgh International Airport have forgotten the ‘no guns in your carry-on rule’ and now, officials there are cracking down. Transportation Security Administration (TSA) workers have found 27 firearms at the…


California Ends Mandatory Minimum Jail Sentences for Non-Violent Drug Offenses

California Gov. Gavin Newsom ended mandatory minimum jail sentences for non-violent drug offenses on Oct. 5, but a recovery advocate foresees an increase in drug deaths and crime ahead. Senate Bill 73, authored by state Sen. Scott Wiener, a Democrat, prohibits the probations or suspension of sentencing for a person who commits a drug offense….


California Ends Mandatory Minimum Jail Sentences for Nonviolent Drug Offenses

California Gov. Gavin Newsom ended mandatory minimum jail sentences for nonviolent drug offenses on Oct. 5, but a recovery advocate foresees an increase in drug deaths and crime ahead. Senate Bill 73, authored by state Sen. Scott Wiener, a Democrat, prohibits the probations or suspension of sentencing for a person who commits a drug offense….


Lawmakers Introducing Legislation Targeting Enablers of International Corruption After Pandora Papers Findings

A bipartisan group of lawmakers is set to introduce new legislation aimed at stopping enablers of international corruption in response to the findings highlighted in the Pandora Papers investigation. The Establishing New Authorities for Business Laundering and Enabling Risks to Security (ENABLERS) Act would make it harder for “kleptocrats” across the globe to launder money…


Afghanistan Is ‘A Massive Safe-Haven for Al Qaeda, ISIS’—Feat. Marine Corps Veteran Elliot Ackerman

Best-selling author and veteran U.S. Marine Captain Elliot Ackerman describes Afghanistan, under Taliban rule, as descending into a black hole. This is a circumstance we’ve seen before in other parts of the world, he says: “What eventually crawls out of that black hole is some type of terrorist group that is going to lash out…