A never-ending massacre of Christians being “killed for sport” is happening in Nigeria‚ yet the world appears to be largely deaf to the matter. The Muslim population of Nigeria is estimated to be 52% while its Christian population is estimated at 46% and rapidly shrinking. In fact‚ more than 80% of Christians killed for their […]

Why American Cities Are On Their Knees   by David Reavill These are the most difficult days for cities in America. Daily‚ we see the symptoms of their struggle with crime‚ the homeless‚ and the drug-addled on their squalid sidewalks. The internet is full of videos of the “trank” addicted in Philadelphia‚ the muggings and […] The post Why American Cities Are On Their Knees appeared first on www.independentsentinel.com.

Governor Gavin Newsom (D) pushed back last week on accusations that Panera Bread is exempt from California’s new $20 minimum wage for fast-food restaurant employees. Republicans have accused Newsom of giving the chain special treatment because a high school classmate and donor to Newsom’s campaigns‚ Greg Flynn‚ runs two dozen Panera Bread restaurants in California. Bloomberg News first reported that Panera appeared to be exempt from the new minimum wage law‚ which takes effect in April and raises the minimum wage for fast-food workers from $16 to $20. The law carves out an exception for businesses that produce their own bread on the premises. The exemption was added late in the bill’s process‚ and Newsom’s administration has not explained the reason for it — but now his team contends that Panera won’t be exempt from the law. “The Governor never met with Flynn about this bill and this story is absurd. Our legal team has reviewed and it appears Panera is not exempt from the law‚” Newsom spokesman Alex Stack said. Previously‚ Assembly Republican Leader James Gallagher called for an investigation and accused Newsom of setting his special interests up with “favors at the expense of regular Californians.” “This type of crooked dealmaking is wrong and exactly why our constituents think the government isn’t looking out for them‚” Gallagher said. “Campaign contributions should not buy you exemptions in legislation. The public deserves to know the truth about the allegations of Governor Newsom’s crony capitalism‚” Senate Minority Leader Brian Jones (R) said in a statement. Bloomberg reported that Newsom had fought for Panera’s exemption. Newsom’s office argued that Panera is not exempt since the restaurants do not technically “produce” their own bread. The law says the minimum wage increase does not apply to businesses with a bakery that “produces for sale on the establishment’s premises bread.” Panera locations do not make their own dough on the premises‚ although they do bake their own bread. Bloomberg’s reporting also named Paris Baguette and Great Harvest Bread Co. as exempt from the minimum wage hike. It is unclear whether those companies produce their own bread entirely on the premises. Flynn reportedly donated $100‚000 to Newsom in 2021 to help him fight a recall effort‚ as well as $64‚800 in 2022 for Newsom’s re-election campaign. Flynn said that while he opposed the minimum wage bill‚ he never asked for special treatment. CLICK HERE TO GET THE DAILYWIRE+ APP “To be clear‚ at no time did I ask for an exemption or special considerations. In fact‚ the idea never even occurred to me and I was surprised when the exemption appeared in the final legislation. I also never met with Governor Newsom about this bill‚ though I did meet with his staff in a group meeting with other restaurant owners‚” Flynn said. Thanks to the law‚ some fast food will become more expensive in California. McDonalds and Chipotle‚ which are not exempt from the minimum wage increase‚ have already announced plans to raise prices.

A federal appeals court will allow the Texas immigration law permitting law enforcement to arrest illegal immigrants to go into effect this week after a federal judge had previously blocked it. Senate Bill 4 was passed and signed into law by Republican Governor Greg Abbott in December before Judge David Alan Ezra blocked it last week‚ ruling that states “may not exercise immigration enforcement power except as authorized by the federal government.” The appeals court’s stay on Ezra’s order‚ which came down over the weekend‚ means the law can now go into effect on March 9 unless the Supreme Court intervenes in the case and keeps it on hold‚ CNN reported. SB 4 allows law enforcement officers to arrest and jail illegal immigrants and also grants state judges the power to order deportations. The law drew harsh criticism from the Biden administration‚ which argued that the state law interfered with federal immigration law. The Texas law was initially scheduled to go into effect on Tuesday‚ March 5‚ but the appeals court put a hold on its ruling for seven days to allow time for the Biden administration to take the case to the Supreme Court. Abbott responded to the appeals court decision on Monday‚ writing‚ “Law enforcement officers in Texas are now authorized to arrest &; jail any illegal immigrants crossing the border.” “Obviously this is the case unless the Supreme Court intervenes by March 9‚” the governor added. Abbott had previously vowed that his administration would fight to enforce the law all the way up to the Supreme Court. He said the law was necessary because of President Biden’s lax border policies‚ adding that “Texas has the constitutional authority to secure our border through historic laws like SB 4.” Shortly after Abbott signed SB 4 into law‚ the ACLU filed a lawsuit against Texas‚ arguing that the law was discriminatory and would target minorities‚ and a month later‚ the U.S. Department of Justice sued the state. The Biden administration’s and ACLU’s lawsuits have since been combined. Opponents of the law argue that it violates the Supremacy Clause of the U.S. Constitution which prohibits states from interfering with the federal government using its Constitutional powers. CLICK HERE TO GET THE DAILYWIRE+ APP In Ezra’s ruling blocking the law from going into effect‚ the judge disagreed with the attorney for Texas‚ who argued that the law was necessary to curb the massive influx of illegal immigrants crossing from Mexico into the state‚ saying the crisis constitutes an invasion. Ezra said he did not see that Texas was under any sort of “military invasion.” “I haven’t seen‚ and the state of Texas can’t point me to any type of military invasion in Texas‚” Ezra said‚ according to The Texas Tribune. “I don’t see evidence that Texas is at war.” In the first four months of fiscal year 2024‚ which accounts for October through January‚ Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents recorded nearly one million migrant encounters along the U.S. southern border. That number is on top of 2.4 million border encounters in 2023‚ 2.3 million in 2022‚ and 1.7 million in 2021. It does not account for illegal immigrants who crossed the border without being detected.