Intuit—a company best known for its QuickBooks financial management software for businesses—earlier this year announced a cessation of services for firearms dealers‚ along with manufacturers of firearms or firearms components. The latest attempt at woke corporate activity resulted in another embarrassing about-face‚ demonstrating left-wing social policies do not reflect American values and undermine the business interests of the companies that advance them. The threat this time came from Intuit‚ a software company that manages personal‚ business‚ payroll‚ and tax finances‚ but denied its services to gun makers‚ gun dealers‚ and even gun-parts manufacturers. After Sen. Ted Cruz‚ R-Texas‚ launched an investigation as ranking member of the Senate Committee on Commerce‚ Science‚ and Transportation‚ Intuit dropped this woke‚ discriminatory policy. The sharp reversal under Cruz’s spotlight demonstrates the deep unpopularity of the woke anti-gun cause. Intuit’s decision to harm law-abiding businesses does not reflect American values and‚ in fact‚ harms its own shareholders. Dawson Precision is a Texas-based manufacturer of firearms parts and a firearms dealer. Like many American small businesses‚ the company used Intuit to manage its  payroll. Suddenly and without warning‚ Intuit terminated the company’s payroll-service subscription—deeming the gun-parts maker in violation of Intuit’s “acceptable use” policy prohibiting services for gun manufactures. To no avail‚ Dawson appealed the termination‚ arguing that its business as a small firearm-parts manufacturer—rather than a manufacturer of firearms—did not violate the acceptable-use policy. Unfortunately‚ this isn’t the first woke discrimination policy employed by the company. In 2018‚ Intuit incorrectly classified Arizona-based Gun Site Academy as a gun seller.  Despite clear proof of Gun Site Academy’s compliance with the policy—and that the business does not sell directly to consumers—Intuit denied the company an appeal‚ leaving it without payroll software.    As the investigation continued‚ Cruz found Intuit’s banking providers—JPMorgan Chase &; Co. and Bank of America—were instigators of these discriminatory practices. These financial institutions demanded Intuit refuse to provide payroll services for gun manufacturers and retailers.  As a result‚ Intuit terminated its relationship with scores of companies such as Dawson Precision and Gun Site Academy. Thanks to Cruz’ investigation‚ Intuit acknowledged the unfair policy‚ its subjective application‚ and lack of a fair appeals process. The subsequent removal of Intuit’s discriminatory gun-related payroll policies  is a step in the right direction‚ but this denial of essential financial services to law-abiding businesses should sound alarm bells for Americans. The risk to individuals‚ institutions‚ and businesses of being “debanked” simply for being on the “wrong” side of a woke creed continues to rise. Freedom-loving Americans are fighting back. Have an opinion about this article? To sound off‚ please email letters@DailySignal.com‚ and we’ll consider publishing your edited remarks in our regular “We Hear You” feature. Remember to include the URL or headline of the article plus your name and town and/or state. The post Intuit Backpedals From Discriminatory Denial of Services to Firearms Industry appeared first on The Daily Signal.

A new report is documenting a drastic rise in anti-Christian hate crimes across Europe. The Observatory on Intolerance and Discrimination Against Christians in Europe published its annual report last week‚ detailing a 44% increase over the course of 2022 in social hostility toward and violent attacks against Christians as well as acts of vandalism and desecration against churches. According to the report‚ 748 anti-Christian hate crimes were committed in Europe last year‚ 38 of which were violent physical attacks and three of which were murders. Arson attacks were also more common than in years past‚ and churches were targeted for firebombings and vandalism‚ especially in France and Germany. In fact‚ arson attacks nearly doubled over the course of one year‚ rising from 60 attacks in 2021 to 106 in 2022. The report noted that “there had been a surge of clear extremism-motivated attacks.” The majority of these attacks were committed by groups with far-left‚ satanic‚ Islamic‚ feminist‚ or LGBT affiliations. In comments to The Washington Stand‚ Irish Freedom Party founder and president Hermann Kelly said‚ “The increase in the number of anti-Christian hate crimes is truly shocking in a supposedly Christian continent. The presence of many millions of the Islamic faith‚ which preaches hatred‚ domination‚ and annihilation of all non-Muslims‚ has no doubt added greatly to the rise in anti-Christian violence.” He added‚ “A second spike in the anti-Christian pincer movement is that of aggressive and militant secularism of the far Left. Incredibly‚ they find common allies and goals in the silencing of Christian public presence and influence in European society.” In its report‚ the Observatory on Intolerance and Discrimination Against Christians in Europe also noted a growing movement to suppress religious liberty and criminalize Christian practices. In Ireland‚ for example‚ the government has been promoting what the observatory called “Europe’s most extreme ‘hate speech’ bill.” The Criminal Justice (Incitement to Violence or Hatred and Hate Offences) Act would shift the burden of proof to the accused‚ who would have to demonstrate that they did not intend to “spread hate.” The bill criminalizes private materials‚ such as memes on a phone or books on a shelf‚ and could potentially outlaw Christian teachings on such subjects as LGBT ideology. The bill‚ if enacted‚ would also allow police officers to obtain warrants to investigate suspected “hate speech” without presenting any evidence to a court. Other European nations have also seen “hate speech” legislation weaponized against Christians: Two Catholic bishops in Spain have been prosecuted for repeating the Catholic Church’s teachings on marriage and sexuality‚ numerous “street preachers” have been arrested in the U.K. for allegedly causing “distress” to those who disagreed with Christian teachings‚ and Finish Parliamentarian Päivi Räsänen was charged with “War Crimes and Crimes Against Humanity” for quoting Scripture. Others have seen “hate speech” policies weaponized in areas like academia. In Ireland‚ schoolteacher Enoch Burke was dismissed from his post and eventually jailed for refusing to call a student by transgender pronouns. Welsh teacher Ben Dybowski was fired after being asked to share his Christian position on homosexuality and abortion during a confidential‚ mandatory diversity and gender awareness training session. U.K. teacher Joshua Sutcliffe was sacked for sharing his Christian views on marriage with students‚ and school chaplain Bernard Randall was dismissed for delivering a homily critical of the LGBT agenda. Another area of concern is abortion “buffer zones”—designated areas outside of abortion facilities where prayer‚ protest‚ and pro-life counseling are legally prohibited. These “buffer zones” are becoming prevalent in Ireland‚ Germany‚ Spain‚ and the U.K. Last year‚ pro-life activist Isabel Vaughan-Spruce was arrested for silently praying outside an abortion facility in England. The Catholic woman held no rosary and did not speak aloud but simply stood in silence. She was arrested‚ tried‚ and acquitted‚ and then arrested again two weeks after the acquittal on the same charges. Arielle Del Turco‚ director of the Center for Religious Liberty at Family Research Council‚ commented to The Washington Stand: The preservation of religious freedom relies not just on good laws and legal victories‚ but also on cultural support. Sadly‚ we are looking at plummeting cultural support for the rights of Christians in the West and a rise of intolerance against the Christian faith‚ particularly when that faith is proclaimed boldly in the public square. This is symptomatic of the larger trend of secularization. As culture becomes increasingly secular‚ people understand and value it less. Christian beliefs about the human body‚ sexual ethics‚ or the exclusivity of Christ can be seen as offensive or even oppressive. She further noted‚ “Over time‚ this leads to greater erosion of religious freedom and cultural support for Christians simply wanting to live out their faith or express their beliefs.” In its conclusion‚ the observatory report stated‚ “As freedom of thought‚ conscience‚ and religion is a cornerstone for free and democratic societies‚ we hope that states will not compromise on the protection of these fundamental rights‚ and thus ensure an open and peaceful climate in our societies.” Hermann Kelly forcefully added‚ “Only a return to Christian faith‚ family‚ fecundity‚ and education will give culturally and demographically dying Europe the chance of a future.” This piece was originally published in The Washington Stand. The Daily Signal publishes a variety of perspectives. Nothing written here is to be construed as representing the views of The Heritage Foundation. Have an opinion about this article? To sound off‚ please email letters@DailySignal.com‚ and we’ll consider publishing your edited remarks in our regular “We Hear You” feature. Remember to include the URL or headline of the article plus your name and town and/or state. The post Anti-Christian Hate Crimes Spike in Europe appeared first on The Daily Signal.

The Spanish-language network Univision interviewed former President Donald Trump this month and allowed him to respond to questions without interruption or personal attacks. It was like every interview the legacy media have conducted with President Joe Biden or Hillary Clinton. So‚ of course‚ leftist Latino groups‚ terrified this shift reflects the changing political views of Univision’s audience‚ are throwing a hissy fit. More than 70 Democratic Party-affiliated groups and some individuals‚ including the actor John Leguizamo‚ have signed a letter crying foul. This includes left-of-the-left groups such as La Raza (now going by the name UnidosUS)‚ the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund‚ and the Congressional Hispanic Caucus. The Washington Post reported that more than 70 groups sent the letter Nov. 17 to Wade Davis‚ a Univision executive‚ and other executives at the media company. Univision‚ which is formally known as TelevisaUnivision after it was acquired by Mexican media giant Televisa in 2021‚ is the largest Spanish-language media outfit in the U.S. “We demand Univision conduct a thorough internal review‚ take corrective measures‚ and reaffirm its commitment to unbiased reporting and to keeping the Latino community informed and up-to-date with facts and truth‚” the letter said‚ according to The Washington Post‚ which also said the letter called the interview “a betrayal of trust.” “This trust has been betrayed. It is beyond alarming to learn that Univision’s leadership is giving former President Donald Trump—the most anti-Latino and anti-immigrant president in modern American history—unquestioned access and allowed him to spread falsehoods unchecked‚” the letter added‚ according to a separate report by the Messenger. The Congressional Hispanic Caucus is taking things to a different level. According to The Washington Post and the Messenger‚ it is planning to send Univision its own letter. It will also demand that executives meet with members of the caucus. At this point‚ it is important to remember that the Congressional Hispanic Caucus is not a real caucus of members of Congress of Hispanic descent since it refuses membership to Republicans. It is‚ therefore‚ simply an arm of the Democratic Party‚ and this request would amount to a party demand for partisan coverage of the 2024 campaign. La Raza and MALDEF are also far-left groups with little or no grassroots components. They represent the views of radical funders such as financier George Soros’ Open Society Foundations‚ the Ford Foundation‚ the Service Employees International Union‚ etc. La Raza‚ founded with seed money from the Ford Foundation in the late 1960s (as was MALDEF) to promote identity politics and the concept of an official Hispanic category‚ means literally “The Race” in Spanish—a name so redolent of racial politics that the organization changed it to UnidosUS in 2017. As for Leguizamo‚ he is so caught up in identity politics that last year he protested the casting of James Franco as Fidel Castro in a movie—not because Castro was a monstrous dictator who enslaved Cubans for decades‚ but because Franco “ain’t Latino.” This ignored‚ of course‚ that Franco’s father’s family hailed from Portugal‚ which is just a few miles south of where Castro’s father was born in Galicia‚ Spain. One thing CHC‚ La Raza‚ MALDEF‚ or the snake-bitten Leguizamo do not do is speak for Hispanics‚ let alone conservative Hispanics‚ whom these groups revile. They are not “major Latino advocacy groups‚” as The Washington Post put it in its coverage‚ and whatever they say should not be interpreted as a “growing backlash” against the Trump interview. A few of us conservatives of Hispanic descent sent our own letter to Davis and the other Univision executives cautioning them to ignore the leftist criticism. Of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus’ letter‚ we wrote‚ ”If sent‚ this letter would constitute a direct attack on a free and independent press and a form of electoral interference.” The reality is that the leftist groups are trying desperately to stem the tide of growing support for the former president by these people. Trump won almost 40% of their vote in 2020‚ a modern high-water mark. (Mitt Romney and John McCain‚ by comparison‚ won about 27% of that vote in 2012 and 2008‚ respectively.) The Washington Post itself recently put Hispanic support for Trump at an unheard-of 42%. Executives at Univision are also likely keeping an eye on these growing numbers and acting accordingly. For years‚ the network was a hard-left platform that did not hide its bias. In 2015‚ then-CEO Isaac Lee compared conservatives to Nazis and said his reporters should cover them the way Word War II reporters covered Hitler. “If you are an American journalist covering the Second World War‚ it’s not a problem for you to want the Nazis to lose‚” Lee said back then. Of course‚ this was the same Lee that The Washington Post quoted as the standard-bearer of journalistic integrity. He told The Post that he trusted that Univision’s reporters would do the right thing. “I trust that their heart and their mind is in the right place‚” he said. Of course‚ polls tell us that this heart beats to the right now. Originally published at WashingtonExaminer.com Have an opinion about this article? To sound off‚ please email letters@DailySignal.com‚ and we’ll consider publishing your edited remarks in our regular “We Hear You” feature. Remember to include the URL or headline of the article plus your name and town and/or state. The post The Left Is Bleeding Hispanic Support—and They Know It appeared first on The Daily Signal.

Suspect Pleads Not Guilty to Shooting Palestinian-American Students in Vermont

Are the Voting Machines in Pennsylvania Still Screwed Up?

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At the Joe Biden White‚ Christmas stockings for the grandkids are an all-or-nothing deal. And now that the president and first lady have been forced to acknowledge a now-5-year-old girl in Arkansas as the daughter of first son Hunter Biden‚ they’ve clearly decided the answer this year is “nothing.” And they’ve got a cover story… The post Cancel Culture in White House: Bidens Won’t Hang Stockings for Grandkids This Year after Controversy appeared first on The Federalist Papers.