State Politics & News
Coverage of state politics, elections, and conservative policy battles across all 50 states shaping America’s future.
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- Opinion
New York City Is Reversing an LGBT Counseling Gag Rule. That’s a Win for Everyone.
The LGBT movement has asked for the repeal of its favorite new law in New York City. In a public statement on Thursday, the speaker of the City Council agreed. Why? Because free speech matters. And elections have consequences. Sweeping Speech Bans In 2017, the City Council passed a law that punishes counselors who engage…Cathy Ruse -
- News
Washington Post Passed on Thinly Sourced Kavanaugh Story Before New York Times Ran It
The Washington Post passed on a thinly sourced, unproven allegation about Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh before The New York Times published it Sunday in a misleading article that has since been corrected. Times reporters Robin Pogrebin and Kate Kelly left out exculpatory evidence in an article that said Kavanaugh had his pants down at…Peter Hasson -
- News
New York Times Corrects Kavanaugh Story After Omitting Relevant Facts
The New York Times published a correction late Sunday night after leaving out exculpatory evidence in a story about Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh’s time as an undergraduate student at Yale University. Times reporters Robin Pogrebin and Kate Kelly wrote an article in Sunday’s paper drawing from their new book, “The Education of Brett Kavanaugh:…Peter Hasson -
- News
After Another Allegation in New York Times, Trump Urges Kavanaugh to Sue
President Donald Trump accused Democrats and members of the press of waging an influence campaign against Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh Sunday, after another allegation of sexual misconduct against the justice appeared in The New York Times. The president suggested that Kavanaugh bring civil suits for libel and decried “accusations without recrimination.” A Saturday story in…Kevin Daley -
- Opinion
North Carolina Is Tackling Crimes Run Amok. Congress Should Take Notes.
North Carolina is taking its overcriminalization problem seriously. With overwhelming bipartisan support, the state last month enacted Senate Bill 584, which allows the legislature to rein in runaway regulatory crimes. Like the federal government, North Carolina’s regulatory agencies are overzealously creating regulatory crimes. These are crimes defined by executive branch agencies pursuant to authority delegated…GianCarlo Canaparo -
- News
2 Ohio Planned Parenthood Clinics Shut Down After Withdrawal From Title X
Two Planned Parenthood clinics in Ohio have shut down following the organization’s withdrawal from the federal family funding program Title X. The Cincinnati, Ohio, clinics will be closing after Planned Parenthood formally withdrew from Title X in August, thereby forgoing about $60 million a year. A Planned Parenthood spokesman told ABC News that the Cincinnati clinics that…Mary Margaret Olohan -
- News
Nearly 500 Illegal Aliens Released From North Carolina Jails Despite ICE Detainers
Detention centers across North Carolina have released hundreds of illegal aliens in their custody, defying detainer requests made by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Local authorities in North Carolina released about 500 undocumented immigrants in the past 10 months. A total of 489 detainers were ignored by state law enforcement officials, according to data…Jason Hopkins -
- Opinion
Michigan Brothers Push Back Against Town’s Retaliation in Christmas Tree Farm Fight
When your favorite tool is a hammer, every project looks like a nail, and apparently, a similar rule holds true for local government. When said government’s favorite tool to get its way is threatening residents with ruinous, unconstitutional fines, its response to every problem is to threaten them with even larger, more ruinous—and more unconstitutional—fines….Chance Weldon -
- Opinion
If California Relies on Obama School Discipline Policy, It Will Put Students at Risk
California legislators seek to expand a law that limits a teacher’s ability to keep order in the classroom. Surveys find opposition to such loosened policies, and research demonstrates that ideas such as these may put students at risk and even limit student achievement. The provisions also dredge up painful questions about the relationship between recent…Jonathan Butcher -
- Opinion
Terrorist Plot in New York City Thwarted Before Labor Day Weekend
Law enforcement arrested a 19-year-old New York man before the Labor Day weekend and charged him with plotting a terrorist attack in New York City. It was the 114th Islamist terrorist plot or attack against the U.S. homeland. Authorities gave this account: The man, identified as Awais Chudhary of Queens, New York, contacted an undercover…David Inserra -
- Opinion
Problematic Women: Meet (Miss) Virginia
This week on “Problematic Women,” we interview the woman that inspired the new feature film “Miss Virginia,” Virginia Walden Ford. We talk to her about everything from her childhood years integrating the Little Rock, Arkansas, school system to working with President George W. Bush creating the D.C. Opportunity Scholarship Program to the star-studded cast of…Kelsey Bolar -
- Opinion
Ruling in Minnesota Wedding Videographers’ Case Properly Prioritizes First Amendment Rights
A recent decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals in a case arising from Minnesota strikes the right balance between First Amendment rights and the statutory right to be free from discrimination. The ruling came in a case involving Telescope Media Group, which produces commercials, short films, and live-event productions. Owners Carl and Angel Larsen…Thomas Jipping -
- News
A Texas Town Votes to End ‘Drag Queen Story Hour’
A city council in Texas has voted to stop renting out space at the local library to public organizations, essentially canceling the town’s ability to have a “Drag Queen Story Time” for children, a move hailed by pro-family advocates. “These are people who are actually employed at adult nightclubs,” Mary Elizabeth Castle, a policy adviser…Rachel del Guidice -
- News
Vermont Hospital Violated Nurse’s Conscience Rights on Abortion, HHS Says
The University of Vermont Medical Center forced a nurse to participate in an abortion, despite her objections, in violation of federal law protecting conscience rights, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced Wednesday. The hospital denied the allegation. HHS cited provisions of 42 U.S.C. 300a-7, known as the “Church amendments,” named for then-Sen….Fred Lucas -
- News
Alaska Moves to Comply With Supreme Court on Deducting Union Dues
Alaska’s labor policies need a “course correction” to ensure the First Amendment rights of public employees are protected under a recent Supreme Court ruling, the state’s attorney general has told Gov. Michael Dunleavy in a legal opinion. Because public sector employers no longer are permitted to deduct labor union dues or fees from an employee’s…Kevin Mooney -
- News
Washington Post Publishes, Retracts Attempt to Link Conservative Author to White Nationalism
The Washington Post on Tuesday retracted an op-ed writer’s distorted attempt to link conservative author J.D. Vance to white nationalism. Left-wing writer Marissa Brostoff penned an op-ed for the Post accusing the mainstream pro-life movement of aligning with white nationalists. Brostoff’s accusation depended on two examples: pariah Republican Iowa Rep. Steve King—whose comments on white nationalism were unanimously condemned by Republicans in…Peter Hasson -
- Opinion
New York Times’ ‘1619 Project’ Has Key Error About Our Founding
The New York Times has begun a major initiative, the “1619 Project,” to observe the 400th anniversary of the beginning of American slavery. It aims to reframe American history so that slavery and the contributions of black Americans explain who we are as a nation. Nikole Hannah-Jones, staff writer for The New York Times Magazine,…Walter E. Williams -
- News
Idaho Must Pay for Transgender Sex Offender’s Surgery, Court Rules
A federal appeals court has ruled that Idaho must pay for a transgender inmate’s surgery. Thirty-one-year-old Adree Edmo is a convicted sex offender who is scheduled to be released from jail in 2021. The sex offender was diagnosed with gender dysmorphia in 2012, identifies as a woman, and is currently housed in a men’s prison, according…Mary Margaret Olohan -
- News
Washington State Pulls Out of Title X Rather Than Abide by Trump Abortion Rules
Washington state has withdrawn from Title X, the federal family funding program, rather than comply with new rules imposed by the Trump administration. The Washington Department of Health informed the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services of its decision to withdraw from the program rather than obey administration rules banning Title X grantees from…Mary Margaret Olohan -
- News
New York Times Demotes Editor for Tweets Mocking Jews, Native Americans
A New York Times editor has been demoted after 10-year-old tweets mocking Jews and American Indians resurfaced Thursday. A Times spokesperson told Fox News that the editor, Tom Wright-Piersanti, apologized to leadership for “his recent serious lapses in judgment.” “I have deleted tweets from a decade ago that are offensive. I am deeply sorry,” Wright-Piersanti wrote on Twitter, according…Audrey Conklin