'There has been a top-down policy at Newsmax to censor opposition'

'Federal government to risk the safety and security'

Black Conservatives Blast Biden Admin's 'Soft Bigotry' After It Sues Popular Convenience Store For Discrimination

'The best is yet to come'

'Trial by ambush'

For more than 20 years‚ Alex Smith has worked for the Atlantic City‚ New Jersey‚ Fire Department‚ dedicating his life to serving his hometown. In his current position as air mask technician‚ he fits masks and refills air tanks for firefighters engaged in fire suppression—an important role to ensure their safety while fires are raging. For more than 20 years‚ Smith has also served as an ordained minister. He leads Community Harvesters Church‚ a vibrant local ministry dedicated to showing the love of Christ to the community. He and his church host a food pantry and tend a community garden to offer food and fresh produce for the elderly and financially struggling families. They also maintain a beautiful “tiny house” on church property for those in need of shelter. His compassion also carries over to his fellow employees in the fire department. Smith serves as a chaplain in a program he started to provide a listening ear and spiritual support to those who regularly risk their lives to save others. Smith’s religious beliefs and conscience require him to wear a beard to set a godly example for his congregation and follow the examples of the prophets and Jesus in Scripture. Fire department policy‚ however‚ prohibits beards of any length. Because Smith is an air mask technician and does not fight fires himself‚ he asked the city for a religious accommodation regarding his beard. After the city denied his request‚ he sued. In 2023‚ a district court in New Jersey ruled for the city‚ concluding that accommodating Smith would be an “undue hardship” for the fire department because Smith could—hypothetically—be needed to fight a fire in the future. The district court ignored evidence that Smith had successfully passed a mask-fit test with his beard multiple times and that the masks used by the fire department are positive pressure masks‚ meaning that even if there were a slight leak‚ the firefighter still would not inhale any air contaminants. But what constitutes an “undue hardship”&;#63; The Supreme Court’s unanimous landmark ruling last year in Groff v. DeJoy determined “undue hardship” means a “substantial increased cost” to an operation or business‚ far more than the old de minimis standard courts often relied on. Here‚ the city cannot show any increased costs because Smith’s beard would have no impact on his co-workers or his ability to safely do his job filling air tanks. Other fire departments and the military have found ways to safely provide religious or medical accommodations to otherwise clean-shaven requirements. So‚ why does the city still deny Smith’s request for a religious accommodation‚ refusing to even engage him in discussions about how he could faithfully live out his beliefs on the job&;#63; Smith has appealed the district court decision to the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. He’s not alone in his conviction that he should not have to choose between his faith and his job. Recently‚ individuals and organizations representing a broad array of minority faiths filed six friend of the court briefs at the 3rd Circuit in Smith’s support‚ presenting the views of three Jewish organizations‚ the American Hindu Coalition‚ and two Sikh groups‚ as well as Muslim and Christian law professors and advocacy groups. These briefs not only pointed out how the district court misapplied the law; they also highlighted a trend in other military‚ police‚ and fire department contexts toward safely accommodating religious beards‚ rather than excluding Sikhs‚ Muslims‚ and others from entire career paths. Also voicing their support for Smith were four firefighters and paramedics—Jewish and Muslim—who in 2007 won a permanent injunction prohibiting Washington‚ D.C.‚ from enforcing a requirement that they be clean-shaven. Now recently retired or nearing retirement‚ each worked for the District of Columbia’s fire department for more 30 years. Some of these D.C. first responders regularly donned protective face masks and entered hazardous situations—something that Smith’s role does not even require. Their brief recounted their experience that first responders need not compromise their religious convictions to serve in the fire department. Even though Smith doesn’t need to wear a mask to perform his job‚ Atlantic City still requires that he shave every day to keep his job. All the city’s concerns are hypothetical‚ but the harm to Smith from the city’s refusal to respect his faith is very real. Given the robust protections of federal law and the Free Exercise Clause‚ as well as the experience of other fire departments safely offering religious accommodations to bearded employees‚ Smith should be allowed to continue to serve his community as an air mask technician while enjoying the religious freedom the law guarantees. The Daily Signal publishes a variety of perspectives. Nothing written here is to be construed as representing the views of The Heritage Foundation. The post Diverse Faith Groups Rally in Support of Bearded Atlantic City Fire Department Staffer appeared first on The Daily Signal.

The Biden administration’s expanded mass parole program for illegal immigrants could threaten lawful voter registration‚ election law and border experts contend.  Under President Joe Biden’s parole system—which targets illegal aliens from Venezuela‚ Cuba‚ Haiti‚ Nicaragua‚ Colombia‚ Ecuador‚ El Salvador‚ Guatemala‚ and Honduras—up to 30‚000 migrants per month who wouldn’t normally qualify for a visa may use a U.S. government app on their cellphones to gain parole and either cross the border or fly into the United States.   “That means they are eligible to work and eligible to get a Social Security number. It just massively increases the number of Social Security numbers for people who are not here legally‚” Cleta Mitchell‚ chairwoman of the Election Integrity Network‚ told The Daily Signal.  “This administration has a duty to direct the Social Security Administration to be able to tell states that just because somebody gets a Social Security number doesn’t mean they are a citizen.” The app used by illegal aliens is called CBP One‚ referring to U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Paroled migrants are eligible for work permits in the United States‚ according to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service‚ which‚ like CBP‚ is part of the Department of Homeland Security. Those seeking work will be eligible for Social Security numbers‚ according to the Social Security Administration.   Under a U.S. law called the Help America Vote Act‚ a Social Security number may be used by someone who registers to vote. Several states also allow the last four digits of a Social Security number to be used as voter identification on absentee or mail-in ballots.  The citizenship status of those providing the Social Security numbers wouldn’t be known by local voter registrars‚ Mitchell noted.  “The Social Security Administration should know if they are parolees or what their status is. They should know that and share that with the states‚” Mitchell‚ also a senior legal fellow at the Conservative Partnership Institute‚ told The Daily Signal. “The Social Security Administration should separate those numbers so that states are verifying the last four [digits].” House Speaker Mike Johnson‚ R-La.‚ announced in an April 12 press conference with former President Donald Trump that he would introduce legislation to require proof of citizenship for voting.  Someone granted temporary legal status in the U.S. with work authorization from the Department of Homeland Security gets a Social Security card that says: “VALID FOR WORK ONLY WITH DHS AUTHORIZATION‚” Social Security Administration spokesperson Nilsa Henriquez said. “Under the Help America Vote Act‚ when a voter registrant does not have a driver’s license‚ states are permitted to submit the voter registrant’s name‚ date of birth‚ and last four digits of their Social Security number (SSN) to SSA for verification‚” Henriquez told The Daily Signal in an email.  “Social Security provides the verification to the requesting state through the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators’ … AAMVAnet network‚” Henriquez added. “We developed the Help America Vote Verification (HAVV)‚ which provides real-time verification of the submitted information‚ including name‚ date of birth‚ and last four digits of the SSN‚ and an indication of whether our records show the individual as deceased.” This verification “doesn’t provide citizenship information‚” nor does it give “authority to provide the requesting state citizenship information‚” she said. In addition to a vote on a citizenship verification bill promised by the House speaker‚ the House Administration Committee advanced the Protecting American Voters Act‚ sponsored by Rep. Chip Roy‚ R-Texas. Roy’s bill includes a provision requiring the Social Security Administration to provide states with information to verify citizenship.  Roy’s bill also would require the Department of Homeland Security to provide states with free access to the Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements program‚ or SAVE‚ which has data on who is a naturalized U.S. citizen.  “The Department of Homeland Security has been very uncooperative with states‚” Mitchell told The Daily Signal. “They’ve made them sign very cumbersome and expensive agreements to be able to have access to the database. Unless there is a way to do the comparison to the voter rolls in bulk‚ it’s pretty useless.”  The Biden administration could take executive action to make the SAVE system more accessible to state and local election officials‚ Mitchell said.  “The Department of Homeland Security already is under a federal statutory requirement to give access to election officials to the SAVE database‚” the Election Integrity Network’s Mitchell told The Daily Signal. “That is used for determining when an alien becomes eligible for public benefits. The Biden administration has screwed that up as well.” Opponents of citizenship requirements contend there is no evidence of illegal immigrants voting. A recent article on left-leaning National Public Radio’s website declared voting by noncitizens a “myth” and argued that “it’s becoming clear that a key 2024 voting boogeyman will be immigration.”  What’s different is that‚ under Biden’s parole program‚ those who otherwise would be illegal aliens gain temporary legal status in the United States‚ which allows this population to access Social Security numbers. It remains illegal for noncitizens to vote in federal elections‚ but the parole program could make such a violation more difficult to track. The Heritage Foundation’s database of election fraud cases shows 21 adjudicated cases of ineligible voters casting votes from 2003 to 2023. (Heritage founded The Daily Signal in 2014.) A 2014 study from professors at Old Dominion University and George Mason University estimated that about 6.4% of noncitizens voted in the 2008 presidential election and 2.2% voted in the 2010 midterm elections.  The Biden administration has granted parole to at least 1 million illegal immigrants‚ according to The Associated Press. This policy was expanded under the “Parole Plus Alternatives to Detention” program‚ which the government calls “Parole+ATD.” “Illegal aliens are absolutely a threat in voter registration in a number of ways‚” says Lora Ries‚ director of the Border Security and Immigration Center at The Heritage Foundation. “It could be through Social Security numbers or it could be through voter registration with driver’s licenses under the Motor Voter law.” Ries‚ former deputy acting chief of staff in the Department of Homeland Security‚ contends that states have an increased burden to watch for these potential new voters.  “It could depend on what the state laws are and if [a state] keeps its voter rolls up to date to ensure noncitizens or the deceased are removed‚” she said. In March‚ a federal judge dismissed a lawsuit by 21 states‚ led by Texas‚ in opposition to Biden’s parole program for illegal aliens. U.S. District Judge Drew B. Tipton of the Southern District of Texas ruled that the states lacked standing‚ but wrote: “In reaching this conclusion‚ the court does not address the lawfulness of the program.” A spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security didn’t reply to inquiries from The Daily Signal for this report.  The website for U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services‚ another DHS subagency‚ says: “We may‚ at our discretion‚ grant a parolee temporary employment authorization‚ if it is not inconsistent with the purpose and duration of their parole.”  The website for the Social Security Administration says: “Generally‚ only noncitizens authorized to work in the United States by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) can get an SSN [Social Security number]. SSNs are used to report a person’s wages to the government and to determine that person’s eligibility for Social Security benefits.” During a House Homeland Security Committee hearing last week‚ Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas—impeached by the House for failure to secure the southern border—said his department isn’t responsible for ensuring that noncitizens don’t vote.  “Congressman‚ individuals who are not citizens of the United States cannot vote in federal elections‚” Mayorkas said in response to a question.  The homeland security secretary later added: “I believe that it is state and local election officials that monitor the eligibility of individuals. We do not oversee the election enrollment process. What we do is enforce our borders.” The post How Biden’s Paroles of Migrants Could Prompt Illegal Voter Registration appeared first on The Daily Signal.

House Speaker Mike Johnson called on Columbia University President Minouche Shafik to resign Wednesday in a speech at the embattled Ivy League university. Anti-Israel‚ pro-Palestinian protests and encampments have taken over large swaths of the New York college’s campus and those of other campuses in the past week following Shafik’s House testimony on antisemitism. During that April 17 hearing‚ Shafik was grilled by Republicans about her inability to stop acts of antisemitism on her campus and to control the chaos. Protests at the school have since escalated. On Tuesday‚ Columbia announced that its classes would endorse a hybrid model‚ in which students could choose to go remote for the rest of the school year. In his speech‚ which was met with frequent heckling and booing‚ Johnson‚ R-La.‚ said that this hybrid model was unacceptable and that it’s being used to discriminate against Jewish students. “They’re not allowed to come to class anymore for fear of their lives‚” he said. Johnson condemned the people who had gathered on campus and threatened Jewish students. “I’m here to proclaim to all those who gnash their teeth and demand to wipe the state of Israel off the map and attack our innocent Jewish students this simple truth: Neither Israel‚ nor these Jewish students on this campus will ever stand alone‚” he said. The House speaker said that Hamas put out an “endorsement statement” of the protesters at the Columbia campus‚ calling them the “future leaders of America.” “This is detestable‚” Johnson said. The Louisiana lawmaker noted that a growing number of protesters and students at Columbia have chanted in support of terrorists. “They’ve told Jewish students who wear the Star of David to leave the country‚ and shamefully‚ some students and faculty have joined the mob‚” he said. Johnson condemned the violence that has taken place during the protests and said that the school has allowed “lawless radicals” to take over. This “virus” of antisemitism has now spread to hundreds of college campuses‚ he said. “The madness has to stop.” The House speaker called on Columbia’s president to restore order or step aside. “I am here today joining my colleagues and calling on President Shafik to resign if she cannot immediately bring order to this chaos‚” he said. At one point during Johnson’s comments‚ students began chanting and yelling loudly. Johnson paused briefly and said‚ “Enjoy your free speech.” Columbia continues to be criticized by various public figures for its response to the protests. On Monday‚ Robert Kraft‚ owner of the NFL’s New England Patriots‚ announced that he would stop donating to the school‚ his alma mater. Kraft said in a statement that he was “deeply saddened at the virulent hate that continues to grow on campus and throughout our country” and that he is no longer “comfortable supporting the university until corrective action is taken.” The post Speaking at Columbia University‚ House Speaker Johnson Calls on School’s President to Resign appeared first on The Daily Signal.

If Washington‚ D.C.‚ isn’t going to clean up homeless encampments‚ it should embrace equal opportunity for all and allow tourists to pitch a tent and save on hotel costs‚ one city resident says.   “If … it is your policy to continue to allow individuals and groups to sleep‚ cook‚ and live on city-controlled grassy areas‚ then you should announce this opportunity to both American and foreign visitors so that they can enjoy the experience and savings as well‚” S.R. Hankinson writes in an open letter to D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser‚ a Democrat.   In the letter‚ dated April 23 and shared on social media Wednesday‚ Hankinson explains that he moved last year to the District of Columbia after visiting the city for many years. But‚ he adds‚ “until the past few years‚ I do not recall seeing informal camping sites outside the Kennedy Center‚ in Georgetown‚ and outside the State Department on Virginia Avenue.”  Open-Letter-to-Bowser-23-APR-2024Download “City-provided trash cans‚ not intended for residential waste‚ are not able to absorb the domestic trash of all the camp inhabitants—even should they choose to use them‚ as many evidently do not‚” Hankinson writes to Bowser. “Rats are as common as squirrels in the camp areas.”   A homeless encampment near State Department headquarters in Washington‚ D.C. (Photo: The Daily Signal) Another D.C. campground for the homeless near the Kennedy Center. (Photo: The Daily Signal) It turns out that S.R. Hankinson is Simon Hankinson‚ a senior research fellow at The Heritage Foundation‚ which founded The Daily Signal in 2014. Homelessness rose last year in the District. A total of 4‚922 homeless persons were living in the city in May 2023‚ The DCist reported‚ a 11.6% increase from 2022.   The city’s informal campgrounds for the homeless can be possible‚ Hankinson says‚ only if one of two things are true.  The first: “There is no legal impediment to any citizen setting up a tent or sleeping rough at will on public green space in the District of Columbia.” The second: “Setting up tents on public green space is illegal‚ but neither city nor federal authorities choose to enforce the law.”  According to D.C. Health and Human Services‚ the city “is focused on making homelessness rare‚ brief‚ and non-recurring.”   The city has a “comprehensive plan to address homelessness‚” the agency’s webpage reads‚ and it includes expanded rental subsidies and short-term housing options for families. While the city works to reduce homelessness‚ the agency adds‚ officials “established a protocol for addressing encampments.”   The city’s HHS office says a “protocol for cleaning public spaces is triggered when a site presents a security‚ health‚ or safety risk‚ and/or interferes with community use of such places.”   The Daily Signal didn’t receive a response from Bowser’s office after asking whether the mayor will permit tourists to sleep in tents under the current encampment policy or plans to clean up the homeless encampments Hankinson cites in his letter‚ specifically outside the Kennedy Center on F Street NW in Georgetown and outside State Department headquarters on Virginia Avenue NW. Hankinson sent the letter to Bowser on Tuesday‚ one day after the Supreme Court heard oral argument in a case that may determine‚ at least for one Oregon jurisdiction‚ whether a city may ban homeless persons from sleeping on the streets.   The court’s conservative and liberal justices appeared largely split on the issue Monday‚ with Chief Justice John Roberts‚ a conservative‚ questioning why the high court should be the one to determine how Grants Pass‚ Oregon‚ may address its homeless population. Justice Elena Kagan‚ a liberal‚ questioned a city’s right to “criminalize the status of homelessness.”   The nine Supreme Court justices are expected to rule in June or July‚ possibly setting a significant precedent for how cities may legislate on the issue of homelessness. The post DC Resident to Mayor: Since Homeless Encampments Are Permitted‚ Can Tourists Camp Too&;#63; appeared first on The Daily Signal.

Heavy Presence of Law Enforcement Greets Protesters on UT-Austin Campus