May we not lose sight of the value of working hard to honor God and trust that He has a plan for the world and every generation.

'The natural disaster exception will apply only to individuals who cannot show photo ID because of the disaster'

There would 'be consequences'

'I don't know how long I have until she's buried in a pauper's grave'

'They refuse to apply it to Donald Trump'

'It makes me sick to my stomach'

Imagine being Jordan Montgomery hearing this

It’ll be a showdown between two Midwest men when Sen. JD Vance, an Ohio Republican, and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, a Democrat, face off in the vice presidential debate Tuesday evening in New York City. The stakes are high in what likely will be the only debate between the vice presidential candidates as both Vance and Walz will attempt to lay out the path to victory for their respective running mates—former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris—and themselves. Both men, new to the level of national scrutiny focused on a presidential campaign, have studied for this debate. Sources told CBS News that Vance, first elected to public office in 2022, has spent more than a month preparing while maintaining a vigorous campaign schedule. Vance and his team have held “murder board” sessions with top Trump-Vance campaign communications officials. “We’re studying up as much as we can on the issues that matter to the American people, and I’m looking forward to it,” Vance recently said of the debate. Beyond the issues, Vance and company have keyed in on Walz’s own policy record and his debate style in previous outings. Vance’s goal, it seems, is to cast the Harris-Walz ticket as far left and incapable of solving the nation’s problems, namely illegal immigration, inflation, and instability worldwide. House Majority Whip Tom Emmer, R-Minn., is familiar with Walz’s record and style, given he represents the Land of 10,000 Lakes. Emmer has been standing in for Walz during Vance’s debate prep. “My job was to be able to play Tim Walz so JD Vance knows what he’s going to see,” Emmer told ABC News’ “This Week.” Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, Democrats’ vice presidential nominee, addresses the Human Rights Campaign National Dinner on Sept. 7 in Washington. (Alex Wong/Getty Images) So far, Walz has been on the offensive on the campaign trail. He has called Trump and Vance “weird as hell.” He’s told the GOP ticket to “mind your own damn business.” And he’s repeatedly claimed that he “can’t wait to debate” Vance. Nevertheless, a report from CNN claims that Walz actually warned Harris in August that he is a “bad debater.” More than a dozen campaign staffers told CNN that the Minnesota governor is afraid he will let down Harris, his running mate. No surprise, then, that Walz also has been intensely preparing for the debate with campaign advisers, several of whom reportedly also were involved in Harris’ debate prep. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg has played Vance opposite Walz. Buttigieg also helped Harris prepare for her vice presidential debate in 2020. Walz’s strategy, sources told CNN, is to brush Vance aside and focus on Trump because, as Walz recently asserted at a fundraiser in New York City, Vance is “selling his soul to Donald Trump.” The challenge for Walz will be balancing a vigorous attack with the positive and plainspoken style he’s known for. Meanwhile, Vance, like Trump, has a combative debate style, albeit the Ohio senator is more measured in his delivery. If Trump is like a hammer, Vance is more like a scalpel. Vance will attempt to draw the contrast between the Trump and Biden years, but he’ll also look to play the role of journalist amid the Harris-Walz ticket’s lack of media appearances. He’ll likely ask Walz pointed rhetorical questions about the Biden-Harris administration’s record, why the Biden-Harris administration didn’t implement Harris’ plans on Day One if they would solve the Americans’ problems, and what actually happened to President Joe Biden that forced him to drop out of the presidential race after one debate with Trump. Nevertheless, Vance could confront unexpected opponents—namely, the debate moderators—just as Trump did in the Sept. 10 presidential debate hosted by ABC News. The vice presidential debate, hosted by CBS News, will be moderated by “CBS Evening News” anchor Norah O’Donnell and “Face the Nation” host Margaret Brennan. The network has promised there will be no fact checks by the moderators, unlike the ABC News debate, but said they do have the power to mute a speaker’s microphone if they so choose. The backlash to ABC News’ bias during its presidential debate was so severe that it appears to have worked in Trump’s favor. If the moderators conduct themselves similarly Tuesday night, Walz might fade into the background. But given the Harris-Walz ticket’s media strategy, that might be the result the campaign is hoping for. The post Vance, Walz Prepared for All-Out Attacks in VP Debate appeared first on The Daily Signal.

Rarely does a piece of education legislation deserve a grade of A+. But the End Woke Higher Education Act, has passed the U.S. House of Representatives, has earned it. The policies in the bill—passed 213-201 on Sept. 19—are right on point and are articulated well. Freedom of speech, freedom of assembly, freedom of religion, and accreditation reform: What’s not to applaud? Following the anti-Israel, antisemitic encampments and civil rights violations at multiple U.S. universities, it’s especially welcome to see the House clarify where free speech ends and actionable conduct begins. Being more restrictive risks violating the First Amendment or a college’s own promises of free expression. But being any less restrictive risks violating civil rights. Colleges have failed on both sides of this equation. The End Woke Higher Education Act, following Supreme Court precedents, shows them what they must and must not do. In particular, the bill “recognizes that free expression, open inquiry, and the honest exchange of ideas are fundamental to higher education.” In that light, the bill encourages colleges to adopt the Chicago principles of free expression, which the University of Chicago uses as a touchstone and which also follows Supreme Court precedent. Furthermore, colleges must disclose their speech and association policies to students. At student orientation, public colleges must explain students’ constitutional rights and their civil rights. And to prevent public colleges from reclassifying their public spaces to exclude the public, the bill reminds colleges that their public spaces are public forums for free speech. The bill also condemns and discourages the use of a DEI (“diversity, equity, and inclusion”) statement—or any political litmus test—in hiring and admissions. That’s because a nonsectarian university should be neutral and merit-oriented, not activist, when bringing scholars and students into their academic community. The House of Representatives on Sept. 19 turned thumbs down on collegiate DEI. (Rapid Eye/iStock/Getty Images) Similarly, the bill prevents accreditors—the bodies that vouch for colleges so that they can access federal student aid programs—from having DEI requirements. As colleagues and I have argued, accreditors too often abuse their gatekeeping power. This bill ensures that, at least for student aid purposes, accreditors do not stray beyond the letter of the law. But wait, there’s more. The bill protects student organizations in five ways. For one, sometimes a disfavored organization cannot find a faculty adviser as required due to social pressure on faculty members to avoid even advising the group. In such cases, a college must recognize the organization anyway. Second, sometimes a college has given the student government authority over recognizing student organizations, but the student government abuses its power and rejects a group for ideological reasons. At a public college, that’s unconstitutional. This bill makes it clear that a group may appeal to the administration. Third, it is common for a college to give the student government authority over expending funds from a mandatory student activities fee. These funds frequently go to ideologically and culturally favored organizations without the use of neutral funding standards. This bill follows numerous court precedents to require the use of clear and neutral standards, and it requires an appeals process. Fourth, sometimes a student organization is assessed an unreasonably high—and therefore unconstitutional—“security fee” to host a disfavored speaker, on the ground that protesters may disrupt the event. Again, the bill follows Supreme Court precedent in preventing a public college from charging extra because of what’s called a “heckler’s veto.” A basic function of government is to keep its people safe, and extra security costs must be borne by the college. Finally, some colleges have shown so much animus against single-sex social organizations that they ban students from joining them—even if such groups are unrecognized and off-campus. No college, under the bill, may punish students for being part of a fraternity or sorority. Overall, this bill mainly puts into law what the Supreme Court and lower courts have been saying for decades about how the First Amendment applies on college campuses. If colleges had protected these rights in the first place, such a law would not be needed. But free speech violations are so pervasive across so much of American higher education that it is high time to implement policies such as the ones just passed by the House. The post Ending Woke on Campus: Will Colleges Now Finally Uphold Students’ Rights? appeared first on The Daily Signal.

Join us for a special four+ hour LIVE broadcast of “The Tony Kinnett Cast,” covering the day’s top news and pre-debate antics, a simulcast of the vice presidential debate hosted by CBS News, and follow-up postdebate analysis from Tony Kinnett, Bradley Devlin, and other special guests. In the run-up to Election Day, this final scheduled debate might be far more important than the vice presidential debate has been in the past. With Hurricane Helene’s destruction, foreign war escalation, labor strikes along the East Coast, economic uncertainty, and immigration chaos along the southern border, we’ve never seen a more dramatic election-year October. Don’t miss this power-packed, fast-paced coverage! Catch the live radio show and livestream weeknights at 7 p.m. EDT on The Daily Signal’s YouTube, X, or Facebook—and subscribe to the podcast so you never miss an episode or exclusive interview. The post WATCH: The Daily Signal’s Ultimate VP Debate Coverage appeared first on The Daily Signal.