Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., is facing a tough decision in the Senate, one that might determine whether or not California is saddled with an electric vehicle mandate in the near future. At the end of his term, former President Joe Biden granted California an EPA waiver, allowing it to implement regulations that would effectively mandate that 80% of cars be emissions-free by 2035. The waiver allowed California to make its own rules on auto emissions standards, rather than follow national standards. California, as a disproportionally large portion of the U.S. economy, often has the power to shape national business practices. For example, automakers tend to follow the California Air Resources Board’s regulations, as opposed to the more lenient national emission regulations. This month, an alliance of major automakers penned a statement that, if the regulations remain in place, they would be “forced to substantially reduce the number of overall vehicles for sale to inflate their proportion of electric vehicles sales.” The new Congress moved quickly to counteract that, introducing Congressional Review Acts (CRAs) in the House and Senate to strike down Biden’s waiver. A CRA allows Congress to undo a federal regulation by a simple majority vote. The office of House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., said Wednesday that the House would bring the three CRAs striking down the waiver to the House floor this week. (Juliana Yamada/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images) The only problem?  The Government Accountability Office and the Senate parliamentarian—both of whom are charged with determining the rules of engagement for Congress—have determined that the Senate can’t strike down the waiver with a CRA. Now, Thune must decide whether or not he brings the CRAs to the floor in defiance of the watchdogs. Neither the GOA nor the parliamentarian have veto power over the Senate, but defying them would create some political drama.  Thune, who fancies himself as a guardian of Senate traditions and procedures, has warned against challenging the parliamentarian in the past, likening it to a nuclear option. But the stakes are high, and time is running out. Under the Congressional Review Act, there is a limited time period to undo regulations from the previous Congress. In this case, that deadline is mid-May.  Thune’s decision to obey or challenge the Government Accountability Office and Senate parliamentarian in this situation will set the tone for the budget reconciliation process, in which Republican senators are likely to debate both watchdogs over how they score fiscal policy. The post Thune Faces Tough Call on Overturning Electric Vehicle Mandate appeared first on The Daily Signal.

JERUSALEM, Israel—Iran could see a breakthrough in its nuclear nonproliferation negotiations with the United States, but “it’s up to them,” according to U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee.   Iran has “never ever been anything but clear in that their goal is the annihilation of Israel, and ultimately the annihilation of every free-thinking, free-living person on the planet,” Huckabee told The Daily Signal following remarks at the Jewish News Syndicate International Policy Summit in Jerusalem on Monday. Steve Witkoff, U.S. special envoy to the Middle East, has now met with Iranian leaders three time in a series of talks over Iran’s nuclear program. A fourth round of talks is slated for Saturday.   The U.S. can reach a favorable agreement with Iran if Tehran agrees to “lay down any ambitions whatsoever for nuclear weaponry,” Huckabee said.   For 46 years, Huckabee noted, Iran has shouted, “Death to Israel and death to America!”  “It’s never changed, and they made it very clear that Israel is the appetizer and the United States is the entrée,” the ambassador said.   While Huckabee said he hopes Iran changes the course it has long taken, “the president has been as clear as any political figure in history in saying that if they don’t, there will be no holding back. And those are his words. Those are his policies.”   When recently asked if he was concerned about whether Israel would “drag” the U.S. into war with Iran, President Donald Trump said, “No, I may go in very willingly if we can’t get a deal. If we don’t make a deal, I’ll be leading the pack.”   Huckabee stressed that his remarks reflect the president’s position on the talks with Iran, explaining, Trump is “the chemist. I am just the pharmacist.”   Speaking from the main stage of the summit earlier in the evening, Huckabee said Israel’s fight against those such as Hamas seeking to destroy it, is “not a geopolitical struggle, the Left versus the Right, the liberal versus the conservative. This is a vertical battle between heaven and hell, between good and evil, between light and darkness.”   Trump tapped Huckabee, the former governor of Arkansas, to be ambassador to Israel just days after winning the election in November. A longtime supporter of Israel, Huckabee has been taking trips to the small Middle Eastern country for more than 50 years.   With a smile on his face, the ambassador told the crowd of several hundred that had Trump called him for any other position in his administration, he would have politely declined.   “And I will absolutely tell you that every day of the week and twice on Sunday, I would much rather live in Jerusalem than in Washington, D.C.,” Huckabee said as the crowd laughed and applauded.   Huckabee took a significant portion of his 15-minute presentation to discuss the ongoing war between Hamas and Israel and the hostages that have been freed, and those who still remain captive. There are 59 hostages still in Gaza, 24 of whom are thought to be still alive, including Israeli American Edan Alexander.   “One of the reasons that I am so grateful to God to be here,” Huckabee said, “is to make sure that not just here in Israel, but across the world, people understand that the United States of America and President Trump stands for good and not evil, and that’s why he has made it very clear that Hamas has no future in Gaza or anywhere else in the world.”   The post Envoy to Israel Huckabee Says Deal Can Be Reached If Iran Gives Up Ambitions of ‘Nuclear Weaponry’ appeared first on The Daily Signal.

Europe Asking 'Who Turned the Lights Out?!'

SF Chronicle: California Teachers Unions Don't Seem to Care if Students Learn to Read

X owner Elon Musk is challenging a radical leftist attorney general about the enforcement of a law that would likely make online censorship explode during election cycles.  X filed an April 23 lawsuit against Soros-funded Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison. Ellison is responsible for enforcing a law that criminalizes posting images and videos or “deep fakes” made by artificial intelligence featuring political candidates. The law imposes prison sentences of up to five years for repeat offenders or a fine of up to $10,000 or both. Additionally, a candidate who violates this law may be prohibited from taking office for this speech. Minnesota, like Romania, is placing claims of fighting disinformation above the will of the people.  [Story Continues on MRC Free Speech America] 

Over the weekend, Buffalo Police SVU Detective Richard Hy appeared on the popular Unsubscribe Podcast and blew the whistle on Buffalo Public Schools with accusations that officials had destroyed evidence of an attempted abduction at one school, obstructed investigations of child sexual assault, and looked the other way for child abuse until it was too late. But instead of pouring resources into looking into the allegations, Buffalo media chose to make Hy, a long time hate-object of theirs, the target of their reporting. In the podcast episode titled “Your Kids Are In Danger - SVU Detective Exposes Buffalo School System,” Hy made several allegations against Buffalo Public Schools; sharing several incidents he and his fellow officers had to deal with.     “The Buffalo School System has been intentionally not reporting the se–[bleep] assaults of students – between students – and has then also used the Buffalo Police Department’s School Resource Officers to write reports and then had their influence over those officers to then close the reports,” he said. In one alleged incident, there was an attempted abduction of a two students “under the age of 10” (a male and female, at the same time) at Charles R. Drew Science Magnet School. Hy got emotional as he explained how the parent who came to pick up the male student was not informed of the attempted abduction, even after asking why the child had urinated himself. “The school then deleted the video of the attempted abduction,” he said; commending a quick-witted official who managed to record a video while officials played back the security footage, and turned it over to the district attorney. The response by the local Buffalo media was appalling. During the coverage on WKBW’s (an ABC News affiliate) Good Morning Buffalo on Monday, anchor Ed Drantch tried to discredit the allegations because they were made on podcast that wasn’t his cup of tea. The Unsubscribe Podcast was geared toward veterans, military history nerds, gun enthusiasts, gamers, and anime lovers.   Wait wait wait wait…. Instead of focusing on the allegations of a child abuse cover up first, you go after Unsub? lol. pic.twitter.com/1j0Vim4EPk — Donut Operator ? (@DonutOperator) April 28, 2025   “So, I’ll be honest with you. I started watching this podcast and my first thought was ‘this is ridiculous,’ ‘this is crazy.’ Listening to all these guys burp and be absolutely foul,” Drantch whined. “My first thought is ‘okay, this can’t actually be real.’” After noting that Hy was a well-known public figure, he added: “maybe he has a little bit of credence here, but it’s a lot of credence.” Drantch’s co-host, Taylor Anthony seemed to suggest Hy’s comments were just drunken ramblings or conspiracy theories. “What is this?” she huffed. “You’re looking at the like the White Claws on the table. Is alcohol involved here? Where are they?” Meanwhile, over the weekend, WKBW actually sat down with Hy to do their own interview. Responding to their disgust with his chose of venue to blow the whistle, Hy posted on X: “I went on the podcast because I felt comfortable to open up in that setting. Rightfully so, considering the medias reaction.”   I guess we better discredit every @joerogan podcast because he smoked weed and drank Bourban. I went on the podcast because I felt comfortable to open up in that setting. Rightfully so, considering the medias reaction. https://t.co/ejOze4MBfm — Angry Cops (@AngryCops) April 28, 2025   The X account for the Unsubscribe Podcast wrote: “God forbid a detective who is clearly distraught over things happening in his city feels comfortable bringing such a serious topic to the public amongst friends.” Later adding: “I wonder why he felt more comfortable speaking on a podcast and not through the mainstream media…”   I wonder why he felt more comfortable speaking on a podcast and not through the mainstream media… — UnsubscribePodcast (@UnsubscribeCast) April 28, 2025   The local NBC affiliate, WGRZ took the side of Buffalo Public Schools immediately by first publishing BPP’s response to the allegations over 24-hours before reporting on the allegations themselves. On April 26 at 8:48 p.m., they published this report titled: “BPS says it's 'prepared to vigorously address these untruths' made in online video.” It took them until 11:17 p.m. on April 27 to publish an article titled: “Police officer alleges Buffalo Public Schools abuse cover-up.” As for the local CBS affiliate, WIVB, they spilled a bunch of ink attacking Hy’s history as a Buffalo Police officer. 227 of their 714-word report (almost 32 percent) were spent on trying to smear Hy rather than grill the school district. Buffalo-based radio station WBEN went a different path by actually speaking with a parent who sided with Hy. “I am thankful that that Detective [Richard Hy] came forward. The district has a history of covering up. I deal with a lot of special ed parents and we have a lot of problems in Special Ed where students are placed in improper classrooms. This doesn't surprise me one bit,” the station quoted parent Ed Speidel. Speidel had another story to share about alleged misconduct by BPP: “I know of a mom who reported her young child was assaulted by a substitute teacher and the district will not give the teacher's name, so that the mom can press charges. It's disturbing the lack of transparency that comes out of Buffalo Public Schools.”   Statement from the Buffalo Public Schools pic.twitter.com/A2IsPMMxNY — Buffalo Public Schools (@Buffalo_Schools) April 26, 2025   In their response to the accusations, BPP curiously called Hy’s accusations “untruths.” Their post drew a X community note. On the podcast, Hy anticipated the backlash. “You ready to get sued?!” he quipped. Getting serious, he set the stage for what could be brought against him and why he was proceeding: “This is real and this can affect my life, but it's at the moment where it's one of those things where you gotta do the right thing or not.”

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is facing criticism from President Trump, who posted on Truth Social that Zelenskyy’s recent boasting that Ukraine “will not legally recognize the occupation of Crimea” is “harmful to the Peace Negotiations with Russia.” “Crimea was lost years ago under the auspices of President Barack Hussein Obama and is not even a point of discussion. Nobody is asking Zelenskyy to recognize Crimea as Russian territory but, if he wants Crimea, why didn’t they fight for it 11 years ago when it was handed over to Russia without a shot being fired?” Trump continued in his post. “It’s inflammatory statements like Zelenskyy’s that makes it so difficult to settle this War. He has nothing to boast about. The situation for Ukraine is dire — he can have Peace or, he can fight for another three years before losing the whole Country,” he added. Pat Gray of “Pat Gray Unleashed” notes that President Trump has repeated this sentiment several times, and it “just doesn’t seem to be registering with Zelenskyy.” However, Zelenskyy isn’t just facing criticism from President Trump. The Ukrainian president also sat down with the Daily Wire’s Ben Shapiro, who asked him some hard-hitting questions — including where the money he’s received from the United States is going. “I want to start by asking you about the meeting that you had in the Oval Office. How do you feel that you could have handled things better with the president and the vice president?” Shapiro asked the Ukrainian president. “The meeting in the Oval Office — it did not help Ukraine,” he replied. Shapiro then dug a little deeper, pointing out to Zelenskyy that the United States has spent nearly $200 billion on the defense of Ukraine. “Would an audit be possible by the United States of where those dollars are going?” Shapiro pressed. “We are ready to have any inspections from the very beginning of the war. The inspectors coming from the United States, Europe, and our own inspectors — they’re working. We have complete reporting counting, absolutely transparent within the Ministry of Defense,” Zelenskyy responded. “There is access to all the figures starting from the very first year of the war,” he continued, adding that “most of those money were in the form of weapons.” Want more from Pat Gray?To enjoy more of Pat's biting analysis and signature wit as he restores common sense to a senseless world, subscribe to BlazeTV — the largest multi-platform network of voices who love America, defend the Constitution, and live the American dream.

A Wisconsin judge said she is planning to protest the arrest of Judge Hannah Dugan by boycotting her duties in the court. Democrats expressed outrage after Federal Bureau of Investigation Director Kash Patel announced Friday that Dugan, a Milwaukee County Circuit judge, had been arrested for allegedly helping an illegal immigrant avoid detention by immigration enforcement officials. 'I have no intention of allowing anyone to be taken out of my courtroom by ICE and sent to a concentration camp, especially without due process.'Wisconsin Circuit Judge Monica Isham responded by saying she would stop hearing court cases in order to avoid putting her staff or herself in harm's way if they were called on to do the same as Dugan. The email, entitled, “Guidance requested or I Refuse to Hold Court,” was obtained by Wisconsin Right Now, which published screenshots of the rest of the email. "I have been in this position for less than 2 years. I was elected as the first woman, first Native American, first minority all together [sic], to serve as a circuit judge in Sawyer County," she wrote. "I have sworn an Oath to support the Constitution of the United States and the Constitution of the State of Wisconsin."She went on to claim that she had been disrespected in court by those questioning her authority based on her ethnic identity. "Yesterday, Judge Hannah Dugan of Milwaukee County stood on her Oath in the very building she swore to uphold it and she was arrested and charged with felonies for it. Enough is enough," she added. "I have no intention of allowing anyone to be taken out of my courtroom by ICE and sent to a concentration camp, especially without due process as BOTH of the constitutions we swore to support requires. Should I start raising bail money?" Isham asked. "I will not put myself or my staff who may feel compelled to help me or my community in harms [sic] way," she concluded. Dugan is accused of intentionally misdirecting federal agents in order to help an illegal immigrant escape detention after he was charged with three misdemeanor battery counts. At a pretrial hearing, she allegedly instructed him and his attorney to leave via a side door as officials came for him. The refusal of some states and cities to cooperate with federal immigration officials has led to a national debate over the extent of federal power over local governments. Supporters say local officials should aid immigration enforcement efforts, while opponents claim the executive branch is overstepping its authority and infringing on local and states' rights. Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

President Donald Trump is expected to sign an executive order on Monday afternoon that would further crack down on sanctuary cities shielding illegal aliens from federal law enforcement officers.Early Monday morning, press secretary Karoline Leavitt announced during a press briefing that the president planned to sign two new executive orders.'It's quite simple: Obey the law, respect the law, and don't obstruct federal immigration officials and law enforcement officials when they are simply trying to remove public safety threats from our nation's communities.'She told reporters, "Today, we kick off 100-Day Week with a focus on the president's historic effort to secure our southern border. Later this afternoon, President Trump will sign an executive order on law and order and another executive order on sanctuary cities.""The first EO will strengthen and unleash America's law enforcement to pursue criminals and protect innocent citizens," she continued. "The second EO is centered around protecting American communities from criminal aliens, and it will direct the attorney general and secretary of Homeland Security to publish a list of state and local jurisdictions that obstruct the enforcement of federal immigration laws." — (@) Leavitt slammed the Biden administration's "awful open-border policies" for allowing over 10 million illegal aliens to "invade" the country.During a separate news conference — the White House's first new media press briefing — Leavitt highlighted Trump's border accomplishments during his first 100 days and elaborated on the upcoming EOs.She noted that between Inauguration Day and April 1, only nine illegal aliens were released into the country, "a staggering 99.99% decrease from more than the 184,000 illegal aliens who were released into the country under Joe Biden during that same period last year," Leavitt said. The press secretary explained that the administration would review the sanctuary city list created by Attorney General Pam Bondi and Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem to determine whether those jurisdictions were breaking any federal laws. "Then, the Office of Management and Budget is going to look at their federal spending. Again, if you're defying federal law, you are threatening your own federal spending by doing that," Leavitt added.Trump's anti-sanctuary EO will also authorize Bondi to pursue potential criminal and civil suits against those who obstruct "criminal or immigration law enforcement.""It's quite simple: Obey the law, respect the law, and don't obstruct federal immigration officials and law enforcement officials when they are simply trying to remove public safety threats from our nation's communities," Leavitt said.She noted that the law and order EO would ensure that Immigration and Customs Enforcement can coordinate with local law enforcement partners. It allows authorities to "pursue legal action against state or local officials obstructing criminal or immigration law enforcement," according to a document reviewed by the New York Post.Border czar Tom Homan joined Leavitt during the first press conference. He was asked to share his message to sanctuary communities."I don't think any elected mayor, any elected governor should want public safety threats — those illegally in the United States — public safety threats walking through the community," he stated.Homan later told ABC News that the executive order addressing sanctuary cities is "needed." "Sanctuary cities are sanctuaries for criminals," he remarked.Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

A Chinese national accused of voting in the 2024 election in Michigan now faces a bench warrant after he failed to attend a hearing last week.Haoxiang Gao, a 20-year-old Chinese national with a green card, was supposed to show up for a hearing in district court on Thursday but never appeared, prompting Judge J. Cedric Simpson to issue a bench warrant for his arrest. Simpson decided to issue the bench warrant after conferring with Gao's lawyer, K. Orlando Simón.'We have copies of the voter registration form that both includes a checked box and an affirming statement of citizenship.'Gao's legal ordeal began back on October 27 at the University of Michigan, where he apparently registered to vote and cast a ballot on the same day. He used his UM student ID card to prove local residency, Michigan Enjoyer learned after submitting several public information requests about the incident.He must have had some misgivings about his actions because he then called the Ann Arbor clerk's office, inquiring about whether green-card holders were eligible to vote. When the staff member explained that green-card holders were ineligible to vote, Gao allegedly claimed he knew of someone who had voted using their green card at the University of Michigan Museum of Art.Gao then called the clerk's office back 20 minutes later and admitted that he was the person who had voted and that he had "lied on the forms and attested to being a U.S. citizen," according to an email from Ann Arbor clerk Jacqueline Beaudry. "We have copies of the voter registration form that both includes a checked box and an affirming statement of citizenship," Beaudry wrote. "We have the application to vote as well."The following day, Gao arrived at the clerk's office looking "very upset" and claiming to have fessed up to local law enforcement, Beaudry added. Staff at the office claimed they couldn't do anything for him and suggested he find legal counsel.It was sage advice. Gao was later charged with perjury and being an unauthorized elector who attempted to vote, both felonies. At his arraignment in November, Gao "stood mute," meaning he did not enter a specific plea, the Detroit News reported at the time.Now with a bench warrant against him, law enforcement officers are compelled to arrest Gao, should they encounter him. As of Friday, no follow-up hearing for Gao had been scheduled.At the moment, it's unclear where he is. Both Simón, Gao's attorney, and the University of Michigan’s Student Legal Services declined a request for comment from Votebeat, while UM and the Washtenaw County prosecutor's office did not respond to a request for comment.'This young man’s case is what showed our entire nation the giant loophole in Michigan's election laws that allow non-citizens to vote.'Gao is one of 16 noncitizens believed to have voted in Michigan last fall, according to an audit. Leftists like Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson — now running to replace Gretchen Whitmer as governor — celebrated the results of the audit as evidence that the system works as designed.Such instances "represent 0.00028% of the more than 5.7 million votes cast by Michiganders in the presidential election," Benson insisted, even though she testified before Congress in September that "there is no evidence that noncitizens are voting."However, focusing solely on the presidential election, as Benson and others have done, basically ignores the more competitive races down ballot where noncitizen votes could have greater impact. In fact, a 2024 state race in Maine was decided by just a single vote, and dozens of other state-level races across the country were decided by 100 votes or fewer.State Rep. Bryan Posthumus (R-Rockford) — who has already proposed a constitutional amendment that would require prospective voters to provide proof of citizenship when they register and when they go to cast a ballot — believes Gao's case represents a much wider problem regarding election integrity in Michigan."This young man’s case is what showed our entire nation the giant loophole in Michigan's election laws that allow non-citizens to vote," Posthumus said in a statement to Blaze News."We now know definitively that non-citizens have voted in our elections and are voting in our elections. Law enforcement will handle this fugitive, while my part will be to close the gap by amending our state constitution to require proof of citizenship."Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!