For the next two decades, a wide swath of resource-rich land crucial to our national defense will be tantalizingly out of reach. The Department of the Interior recently announced a 20-year mining ban for the entire Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness watershed. The watershed extends well beyond the already protected Voyageurs National Park. Officials in Minnesota had hoped to reopen parts of the Iron Range to mining. They argued mining activities there would have been done in an appropriate manner following an environmental review. The Biden administration disagreed. Its decision will no doubt exacerbate the rare earth mineral crisis facing…
Author: Patrick Houck
Patrick Houck
Patrick Houck is an avid political enthusiast based out of the Washington, D.C. metro area. His expertise is in campaigns and the use of targeted messaging to persuade voters. When not combing through the latest news, you can find him enjoying the company of family and friends or pursuing his love of photography.
Beijing admits the balloon is theirs, but… Senior Defense Department officials revealed to the world Thursday night that the military had detected a suspected Chinese-operated surveillance balloon hundreds of miles inside U.S. airspace, well above the altitude of commercial air traffic. The Pentagon spotted the giant balloon over an Air Force base in Montana that houses a number of intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) silos. Beijing urged Washington to remain “cool-headed” while it investigated the reports. “China is a responsible country, and we act in accordance with international law. We have no intention to violate other countries’ sovereignty and airspace,” Foreign…
Senator Mitch McConnell has a reputation as a cool political operator. Yesterday’s action by McConnell is another reminder of his ruthless efficiency and a famous line from an influential TV show. “You come at the king; you best not miss.” Following an attempt led by Sens. Rick Scott, R-Fla., and Mike Lee, R-Utah, to remove McConnell as Minority Leader, the Kentucky Republican booted the conservative duo from the prestigious Senate Commerce Committee. The Daily Wire has more: Scott claimed during an interview with The Hill that McConnell “kicked” him off the Commerce Committee, which has jurisdiction over science, transportation, technology, and a host of…
Hunter Biden has an aggressive new legal strategy, outright threatening Fox News if the network doesn’t comply with his demands. According to The Washington Post, Biden’s legal team is pressuring Fox — and Tucker Carlson — to issue retractions and an apology for coverage of the president’s son they say is false or else risk a defamation lawsuit. The Post reports: Abbe Lowell, a recently hired lawyer whom Biden enlisted about a month ago, sent lengthy letters to the Justice Department and Delaware’s attorney general requesting investigations into several key players who were involved in disseminating data from a laptop…
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) is sounding off after an Election Day ballot paper shortage in the state’s most populous county was shown to be far greater than believed. Houston’s KHOU-11 found that 121 voting centers in Harris County in the 2022 midterms did not initially have enough paper ballots to cover voter turnout. The county typically has between 550-750 vote centers, meaning roughly one-fifth were affected. The Election Administration Office’s initial post-election analysis estimated that ballot shortages occurred at 46 to 68 voting centers. Abbott is sufficiently concerned by the news that he tweeted about the possibility of having…
Seven-time Super Bowl champion Tom Brady announced this morning he has officially retired. Arguably the greatest quarterback in football and undoubtedly its first global icon, Brady announced his first retirement precisely one year ago today. In a video on social media, the 23-year NFL veteran said this time it’s “for good.” https://twitter.com/TomBrady/status/1620772095889403905 In addition to winning seven Super Bowls (six with the New England Patriots and one with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers), Brady is a five-time Super Bowl MVP and three-time league MVP. He also has the record for the most regular season and playoff passing yards. The Sporting News…
Outlets from across the political spectrum are reporting that Nikki Haley is going to announce she’s running for president. It’s no longer a question of if but when. During the Trump administration, Haley served as the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. Her tenure was widely regarded as a success, even by some of Trump’s critics. In 2011, she became South Carolina’s first Indian-American and female governor. Haley served as governor for six years before joining the Trump administration. Charleston, South Carolina’s daily newspaper, The Post and Courier, reports a formal announcement by Haley will come on Feb. 15. Reaction…
A judge has dismissed a lawsuit critical of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ migrant flights for supposedly not complying with a request for flight records. The Florida Center for Government Accountability filed a lawsuit in October alleging that the Florida Department of Transportation and a state contractor deliberately withheld said information in violation of Florida’s public records law. The judge disagreed. Per Hot Air: Remember when Florida Governor Ron DeSantis flew about 50 illegal aliens from San Antonio to Martha’s Vineyard? The governor and other state officials, along with the Florida Dept. of Transportation find themselves involved in several lawsuits over…
Congressman Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., made news last night that’s surprising many. Gaetz said he’s undecided on the forthcoming vote to remove Minnesota Democrat Ilhan Omar from the House Committee on Foreign Affairs. The Florida Republican’s remarks came during an interview on Newsmax. WATCH: https://twitter.com/RepMattGaetz/status/1620250243328610305 Three Republicans have already come out in opposition to Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s bid to oust Rep. Omar. With Democrats united in their opposition to stripping Omar of her powerful committee assignment, McCarthy can only afford to lose four members of his caucus. The Hill further reports: “The reason I think a lot of Republicans want to…
The Manhattan district attorney’s office has dramatically escalated its investigation of former President Donald Trump. District Attorney Alvin Bragg will begin presenting evidence to a grand jury on Trump’s role in paying porn star Stormy Daniels $130,000 in hush money payments before the 2016 election. The payments were to cover up an alleged affair between Daniels and Trump. Recent reports revealed that Bragg’s office had revived the investigation, which prosecutors used to charge former Trump attorney Michael Cohen with campaign finance violations. Prosecutors at the Manhattan’s D.A. office under Bragg’s predecessor considered charging Trump with violating election law for falsifying…