California Politician Says State Should Imitate China, Europe, Not Texas, on Electric Vehicle Mandates 

California’s electric vehicle mandate should align with Europe and China rather than other states such as Texas and Mississippi, a member of California’s air quality board said as it recently voted to ban the sale of new gas- and diesel-powered cars and light trucks by 2035.   What California does to require residents to purchase electric vehicles ought to line up with the “world market” rather than Texas, Mississippi, and their “ilk,” Hector De La Torre, a former state legislator appointed to the California Air Resources Board by the State Assembly,…

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Harris says the administration plans to help women cross state lines to get abortions

Vice President Kamala Harris said Monday that the Supreme Court’s overturning of abortion rights was “shocking,” and that the Biden administration is exploring a wide range of federal aid for women seeking to travel to states that still allow abortions. The Washington Times stories: White House

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Members of Congress want State Dept to go to bat for LGBTQ diplomats

<p><em>To listen to the Federal Newscast on your phone or mobile device, subscribe in <a href=”https://www.podcastone.com/federal-newstalk?showAllEpisodes=true”>PodcastOne</a> or <a href=”https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/federal-newscast/id1053077930?mt=2″>Apple Podcasts</a>. The best listening experience on desktop can be found using Chrome, Firefox or Safari.</em></p> <ul> <li>Many political appointees, along with the vice president, can expect a freeze on their salaries to continue through at least the end of 2022. The <a href=”https://www.chcoc.gov/content/continued-pay-freeze-certain-senior-political-officials-6″ target=”_blank” rel=”noopener”>Office of Personnel Management</a> released details that the impacted groups are paid at or above the level for Executive Schedule IV. That includes employees serving in Executive Schedule positions and…

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State police raid home of top Michigan Republicans amid disturbing allegations

On Tuesday, reports came out of Michigan that the home of Republican Lee Chatfield’s former chief of staff was searched by state police. Rob Minard served under Chatfield while the latter was speaker of the Michigan House. Minard’s wife, Anne Minard, was an adviser and the director of external affairs during that time. She was also the treasurer for four of Chatfield’s political action committees. State police told reporters that this search was a part of an “ongoing investigation.”  The Detroit News reports that Chatfield’s position at the top of the Michigan GOP…

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South Dakota’s Noem Indignant After State Lawmakers, Pro-Life Group Stop Her Heartbeat Bill

South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem sharply criticized state lawmakers for denying the introduction of her pro-life bill—a bill lawmakers fear could affect the outcome of the state’s major legal battle against Planned Parenthood. South Dakota’s House State Affairs Committee declined Wednesday to allow the governor’s draft bill, modeled after widely discussed Texas legislation banning abortions of babies with a detectable heartbeat (after as early as six weeks of gestation). State lawmakers and the South Dakota Right to Life reportedly expressed concerns that the bill is premature and could affect the…

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State Department Emails Reveal Diplomats’ Concern About China’s ‘Invasive’ Swab Testing

Emails recently obtained by Judicial Watch show how U.S. officials scrambled over reports that the Chinese government was requiring anal swab tests to prevent the spread of COVID-19. The communications were obtained through a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit against the U.S. Department of State. “It took six months and a federal lawsuit to confirm that our embassy in Beijing was concerned about the Chinese government’s invasive anal swab and other COVID testing of our diplomatic personnel—at that as many as two people were asked to submit to a test,” Judicial Watch…

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