Trump: no third debate. “KAMALA SHOULD FOCUS ON WHAT SHE SHOULD HAVE DONE DURING THE LAST ALMOST FOUR YEAR PERIOD. THERE WILL BE NO THIRD DEBATE!” Trump posted on Truth Social. She apparently wants another debate with her corrupt media so she can spew platitudes and vapid phrases. Maybe he shouldn’t do a second. If […] The post Trump: No Third Debate! appeared first on www.independentsentinel.com.

Former Democratic presidential hopeful Marianne Williamson weighed in on the controversy over Haitian migrants and whether or not reports of them taking and eating ducks from local parks — or even cats from their neighbors’ homes — were grounded in reality. Williamson took to X to express her thoughts on the matter, and declared that voodoo — the religion that is prevalent throughout much of the island nation of Haiti — was a real thing that should not be dismissed outright. In addition, she argued that people dismissing the notion as crazy in an effort to attack former President Donald Trump would likely backfire come Election Day. “Continuing to dump on Trump because of the ‘eating cats’ issue will create blowback on Nov. 5. Haitian voodoo is in fact real, and to dismiss the story out-of-hand rather than listen to the citizens of Springfield, Ohio, confirms in the minds of many voters the stereotype of Democrats as smug elite jerks who think they’re too smart to listen to anyone outside their own silo,” Williamson posted. Continuing to dump on Trump because of the “eating cats” issue will create blowback on Nov. 5. Haitian voodoo is in fact real, and to dismiss the story out-of-hand rather than listen to the citizens of Springfield. Ohio confirms in the minds of many voters the stereotype of… — Marianne Williamson (@marwilliamson) September 12, 2024 The controversy exploded after residents of the city of Springfield, Ohio — where thousands of Haitian migrants have been resettled and given special legal status under the Biden-Harris administration — said at a city commission meeting that they had witnessed the migrants taking ducks from the local parks, cutting off their heads, and taking them home to eat them. Others alleged that the migrants had stolen farm animals to eat as well. Am I Racist? ONLY In Theaters Tomorrow—Get Your Tickets Now! Former President Donald Trump mentioned the reports during Tuesday evening’s debate on ABC with Vice President Kamala Harris, and moderator David Muir jumped in to “fact-check” Trump. He claimed that ABC had spoken with the city manager, who said that the multiple reports of migrants stealing and eating pets were unfounded.

The University of North Carolina System’s Board of Governors (BOG) announced Wednesday that it plans to cut millions of dollars from diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs. The Board announced the decision at a Committee on University Governance meeting, The Daily Tar Heel reported. UNC has already worked since May to eliminate DEI jobs, including 20 positions and 27 that were “realign[ed].” Andrew Tripp, Senior Vice President and General Counsel in the Office of Legal Affairs at the BOG, announced at the meeting that $5.3 million would be redirected away from DEI initiatives. “As we all know, UNC Chapel Hill typifies our larger campuses’ responses,” Tripp said, according to the Tar Heel. “It’s required. Its compliance is required, eliminating dozens of positions.” An “Equality Within the University of North Carolina” report that was signed by University Chancellor Lee Roberts and Provost Chris Clemens at the end of July detailed seven DEI positions that were eliminated in the school’s central administration. These eliminations included the Vice Provost for Equity and Inclusion and Chief Diversity Officer, along with six others. Twelve positions were also eliminated from various schools, including the School of Education, Medicine, and the Gillings School of Global Public Health, among others. Entire DEI offices were eliminated from other schools, including the Kenan-Flagler Business School, the School of Medicine, and the School of Pharmacy. Other positions were realigned, including the College of Arts and Sciences’ Senior Associate Dean for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, who is now the Senior Associate Dean for Faculty and Staff Development. Am I Racist? ONLY In Theaters Tomorrow—Get Your Tickets Now! Further, the report said, “centers that had DEI committees or workgroups have confirmed that they either no longer meet, have been formally ended, or have transitioned to other work.” UNC-Chapel Hill had the most eliminated DEI positions, with UNC-Charlotte following with 9 positions eliminated. In total, the UNC system eliminated 59 positions and realigned 131 others, with $16 million redirected to other programs and more than $17 million saved. In May, UNC’s board of trustees voted to gut funding for DEI and divert the money to campus police, The Daily Wire previously reported. At that time, the board voted unanimously to redirect $2.3 million from DEI initiatives toward campus safety and police. The aforementioned report outlined what has happened since that vote. “I think that DEI in a lot of people’s minds is divisiveness, exclusion and indoctrination,” budget committee vice chairman Marty Kotis said during the vote. “We need more unity and togetherness, more dialogue, more diversity of thought.” “It’s important to consider the needs of all 30,000 students, not just the 100 or so that may want to disrupt the university’s operations,” Kotis added. “It takes away resources for others.”

A pro-life Christian convicted for joining a peaceful protest at a Tennessee abortion facility has been ordered to report next month to a notoriously violent federal prison, he told The Daily Wire.  Calvin Zastrow, 57, is expected to serve his six month sentence at the Federal Correctional Institute Thomson in Illinois beginning October 15. The Thomson facility has been the focus of intense media and lawmaker scrutiny over reports of rampant violence and abuse at the prison over the last few years. Last year, a special management unit at Thomson was shut down after an NPR report found there were five suspected homicides and two suspected suicides from 2019 until February 2023 in the unit. In October 2023, Sen. Joni Ernst  (R-IA) demanded answers on how the facility handled some 275 reports of sexual misconduct against prison employees in 2022. Just last week, the prison was placed in lockdown when an employee was hospitalized after finding a suspicious substance in a housing unit.  Am I Racist? ONLY In Theaters Tomorrow—Get Your Tickets Now! Zastrow was sentenced to six months in prison by Judge Aleta Trauger on July 3 over his participation in a peaceful protest at an abortion facility in Mt. Juliet, Tennessee, in March 2021. During the protest, Zastrow and a group of other pro-lifers sat in a hallway in the office building of the Carafem Health Center Clinic where they prayed, sang hymns, and urged women not to get abortions. Zastrow and others were charged with conspiracy against rights and violating the FACE Act. Zastrow hopes to get a stay of sentence while he appeals his conviction in Tennessee. A federal judge is set to consider motions to dismiss convictions on similar charges in Detroit.  In the meantime, Zastrow told The Daily Wire that he is spending time with his family and ministering to others.  “Our family is doing fantastic. We’re doing really good in the Lord. God is really awesome to us,” he said Wednesday, adding that he was also trying to raise awareness about the challenges faced by other imprisoned pro-lifers like Heather Idoni in Michigan. Idoni was sentenced to two years in prison over a pro-life protest in Washington, D.C.  Zastrow also faces an upcoming civil lawsuit from the Department of Justice over his participation in a peaceful protest at the Planned Parenthood-operated Fort Myers Health Center. He said that the DOJ was trying to impose an injunction that could lead to him being permanently blocked from participating in pro-life sidewalk counseling.  “That’s their end game, to silence us, and to get us off the streets and silence dissent against what they’re doing,” he said. “They’re going to make an example of us.” Zastrow said the government gave him an offer to settle before the case went to trial and pay a $30,000 fine, but he refused. He replied to the offer with a message: “Baby murdering will end in the name of Jesus and so will all lawless tyranny upholding it.” “So I proverbially poked them in the eye and said, ‘fight, fight, fight,'” he said.  The Biden-Harris Justice Department has cracked down on pro-life protesters across the country, pursuing stiff penalties using Reconstruction-era civil rights laws to charge protesters with conspiring against rights. In Washington, D.C., one pro-life activist was sentenced to over five years in prison under the new legal strategy.

It’s official. Pop superstar Taylor Swift is on Team Kamala. What does it mean? That depends on both Vice President Harris and how much Swift wants to invest in her presidential campaign. Some background is in order. Swift soared to superstardom without getting her hands dirty in politics. That changed in the wake of the 2016 presidential election. A certain real estate mogul stunned the world, and the press turned on Swift for having stayed out of the fray. Need an example? The Daily Beast insinuated she’s sympathetic to white supremacists for not denouncing their love for her. The singer eventually declared a major. She embraced the Democratic Party and threw her support behind both Joe Biden and other leftists running for office. They even made a movie about her transformation – the Netflix documentary, “Miss Americana.” In 2023, she hit the road and became the biggest act in the world. And, along the way, she stuck to the music. No lectures. No social media messages attacking Donald Trump or boosting Biden policies. She shut up and sang. And, for what it’s worth, reigned over pop culture in a way not seen since Michael Jackson or The Beatles. Yet she’s been shockingly silent on politics in 2024. She watched the various primary battles come and go without flexing her social media might (95 million X followers … 284 million on Instagram). Am I Racist? ONLY In Theaters Tomorrow—Get Your Tickets Now! Even during the heat of the Biden/Trump battles she stayed quiet. She didn’t even push the media’s brief but embarrassing “cheap fake” narrative to explain away Biden’s senior moments. Days before the first (and only?) Trump-Harris debate Variety Magazine bullied Swift into taking a side. And there’s only one possible side, of course. Swift finally took the plunge on debate night. “I’ve done my research, and I’ve made my choice. Your research is all yours to do, and the choice is yours to make,” she wrote. “I also want to say, especially to first time voters: Remember that in order to vote, you have to be registered! I also find it’s much easier to vote early. I’ll link where to register and find early voting dates and info in my story.” Now what? She’s already proven to be a boost to voting rolls. In the past, she’s promoted voter registration efforts and found some success. Will those “new” voters actually flex their constitutional might on November 5? That remains to be seen. The biggest way to influence this election is to convince the independents and wall sitters alike. Can a major celebrity’s social media musings do the trick? We’ve collectively downgraded our views on political stars in recent years. When the umpteenth celebrity vows to leave the country if Politician X wins, and then they stay put post-election, it hurts their collective cred. So does the fact that mega-stars can ride out high inflation and soaring crime rates while most people can’t. It explains why the recent DNC convention tapped the brakes a bit on its celebrity quotient. Even actor Zach Galifianakis, who previously promoted both Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama with his comedy, warned against playing the celebrity card too hard in 2024. Swift is all toured out at the moment, so she can’t bring her pro-Harris message to stages across the country. That could have made her voice heard by thousands of adoring fans and, in turn, sparked a series of news stories about her proclamations. The corporate press would be only too happy to spread that message. She also could work the late-night TV circuit to promote her music and the Harris/Walz ticket. That audience is already sold on the Democrats, so few hearts or minds would be changed there. Swift’s biggest advantage could be pushing out fake news to her flock. Millions follow and at least partially trust her on a variety of issues. So if Swift tag-teams with the corrupt corporate press that could have a distinct pro-Harris benefit. Imagine if she boosted the “bloodbath” media lie from earlier in the election cycle to taunt Trump. Countless Swifties would assume she was sharing actual news. Yet that seems unlikely. Why? Her pro-Harris statement wasn’t brimming with the usual celebrity bile. Yes, she picked a side, but she didn’t demean Trump or his fan base. She also waited forever to pick a side this election season, suggesting her heart isn’t quite into it. Can you blame her? She’s also protective of her brand to a fault. Her apolitical past wasn’t an accident, nor was her staying on the political sidelines during 2023’s Eras Tour. Everything is a calculation. Even if it appears she’s working alongside the Harris/Walz campaign it could ding her brand in some quarters. That seems like a losing proposition for the starlet. Plus, after having done all that “research” on Harris she must know she’s an empty suit saying whatever it takes to win come November. And if the polls show Trump has momentum in the campaign’s waning weeks she may decide to go quiet again. In the end, Swift’s endorsement matters, but she could be preaching to a considerable choir. Young women and “childless cat ladies” already plan to vote for Harris. Christian Toto is an award-winning journalist, movie critic and editor of HollywoodInToto.com. He previously served as associate editor with Breitbart News’ Big Hollywood. Follow him at @HollywoodInToto. The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

On an earnings call, the CEO of Kroger, the third-largest grocery chain in the U.S. behind Walmart and Costco, revealed that the cost of groceries is now affecting even customers who would not be as “budget conscious.” “The reduction of excess savings built up during the pandemic, higher interest rates and the effect of inflation are pressuring customers’ ability to spend,” Kroger CEO Rodney McMullen stated on the company’s quarterly earnings call. “This is especially true for our most budget conscious customers, as we’ve been seeing for a while now, but we’re now seeing other customer segments beginning to make changes as well. Customers are purchasing lower-price cuts of meat, buying less, and focusing on essentials.” McMullen added that Kroger, which is expected to merge with Albertsons, the sixth-largest grocery chain in the nation, is responding by “keeping prices low through promotions, including loyalty, discounts, personalized offers and fuel rewards,” Supermarket News reported. “The food industry has always been competitive and will continue to be after this merger. We are committed to closing this merger because bringing Kroger and Albertsons together will provide meaningful and measurable benefits — lower prices, secure jobs and expanded access to fresh, affordable food — for customers, associates, and communities across the country,” McMullen added. In February, The Wall Street Journal reported, “It’s been 30 years since food ate up this much of your income. The last time Americans spent this much of their money on food, George H.W. Bush was in office, ‘Terminator 2: Judgment Day’ was in theaters, and C+C Music Factory was rocking the Billboard charts. Eating continues to cost more … In 2022, consumers spent 11.3% of their disposable income on food, according to the most recent USDA data available.” In April 2023, the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City noted, “Food inflation has been above headline measures of inflation since early 2022. … Growth in the price of processed food has driven inflation for food at home since 2022.”

The U.S. maritime industry is “dangerously” reliant on China potentially opening the door for the Chinese Communist Party to gain access to critical American infrastructure, according to a new report from House Republicans. In a report released Thursday, House Republicans on the Committee on Homeland Security and Select Committee on the CCP said that the use of Chinese manufactured equipment and technology at American ports jeopardized national security. The report specifically focused on Chinese-government owned ZPMC, a major manufacturer of cranes used at ports across the country. “The evidence gathered during our joint investigation indicates that ZPMC could, if desired, serve as a Trojan horse capable of helping the CCP and the PRC military exploit and manipulate U.S. maritime equipment and technology at their request,” the committee said in a statement. “This vulnerability in our critical infrastructure has the potential to affect Americans from coast to coast.” The report accuses ZPMC of leveraging cheap labor and subsidized steel to sell cranes around the world at non-competitive prices, flooding the world market. The lawmakers found that around 80% of ship to shore cranes used at ports in the U.S. come from ZPMC. According to the lawmakers, ZPMC is owned by the China Communications Construction Group, which has had “significant involvement in militarizing the South China Sea.” The lawmakers said that this reliance was a cybersecurity risk because ZPMC or one of its contractors had installed cellular modems on cranes at ports in the U.S. “ZPMC has repeatedly requested remote access to its STS cranes operating at various U.S. ports, with a particular focus on those located on the West Coast,” the report said. “If granted, this access could potentially be extended to other PRC government entities, posing a significant risk due to the PRC’s national security laws that mandate cooperation with state intelligence agencies.” Am I Racist? ONLY In Theaters Tomorrow—Get Your Tickets Now! Few alternatives exist because there are no U.S.-based companies that make similar cranes, the report found. Other vulnerabilities in the American maritime industry include the fact that portions of the ports of Long Beach, Seattle, Los Angeles, Houston, and Miami are controlled by the China Merchants Group and COSCO Shipping, two state-owned companies. The lawmakers included several recommendations in their 50-page report on what actions the U.S. should take to bolster its maritime security. These included having the Coast Guard issue guidance telling ports to disassemble any connection between ZPMC cranes to cellular modems. They also recommended that the Commerce Department analyze U.S. capacity to increase manufacturing of crane technology and increasing security at U.S. ports.

The Global Times claimed that the Philippines “illegally trespassed” into Chinese waters during a resupply mission to the Sabina Shoal. The China Coast Guard on Sunday took restrictive measures against a Philippine vessel that illegally trespassed into waters off China’s Xianbin Jiao in the South China Sea, with Chinese experts calling on Manila to withdraw its […]