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Florida Amendment Would Ban Students from Using Social Media in Schools

Matt OHern
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Florida Amendment Would Ban Students from Using Social Media in Schools

Social networks may be banned in Florida schools if a recently filed amendment passes Florida Legislature and gets signed into law by Governor Ron DeSantis.

Earlier this week, Florida State Representative Brad Yeager filed an amendment that would require Florida schools to block students from accessing social media sites through the use of internet access provided by a school district. The legislation also seeks to implement social media safety education in grades 6 through 12.

If the amendment passes, it would take effect in July of this year, and each school district in Florida would be required by law to install a firewall on school Wi-Fi systems to prevent students from accessing popular social media platforms while using the network.

The amendment’s language reads:Section 1006.1494, Florida Statutes, is created to read: 1006.1494 Prohibiting student access to social media platforms.—Each school district must prohibit and prevent students from accessing social media platforms through the use of Internet access provided by the school district.

Multiple states, including North Carolina and Mississippi, have recently passed laws that ban use of the social network TikTok on government internet networks. At the federal level, senators have proposed bills to ban downloading or using TikTok on the devices of federal government employees Congressman Ken Buck (R-CO) and Senator Josh Hawley (R-MO) introduced the No TikTok on the United States Devices Act

“TikTok is a clear threat to our privacy and national security. Not only is TikTok directly associated with the Chinese Communist Party, but it has been used to spy on Americans and gain an alarming level of access to users’ phones. This should concern every citizen who values their privacy, security, and personal information. Banning CCP tied TikTok nationwide is the only route to ending this malicious cybersecurity threat,” said Representative Buck. “I am proud to introduce this legislation alongside Sen. Josh Hawley to ensure that every Americans’ privacy and security is protected from hostile foreign entities.”

Former Trump Advisor Claims Marjorie Taylor Greene Vying for Vice President Spot on 2024 Ticket

Matt OHern
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Former Trump Advisor Claims Marjorie Taylor Greene Vying for Vice President Spot on 2024 Ticket

One of the most controversial members of U.S. Congress wants to join former President Donald Trump’s ticket as his choice for Vice President in the 2024 Presidential Election. Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., is angling to be Donald Trump’s running mate in 2024, according to Trump’s former advisor Steve Bannon and an anonymous source who advised Greene spoke to reporters at NBC.

“This is no shrinking violet, she’s ambitious — she’s not shy about that, nor should she be,” said Steve Bannon. “She sees herself on the short list for Trump’s VP. Paraphrasing Cokie Roberts, when MTG looks in the mirror she sees a potential president smiling back,” he added.

A second source who has advised Greene told NBC “whole vision is to be vice president.” The source, who has ties to Trump but spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe private conversations, said he also believes Greene would be on Trump’s short list.

Greene made headlines for her clash with fellow firebrand Matt Gaetz, as the two popular right wing representatives disagreed over electing Rep. Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif. to become Speaker of the House. Following the 15 rounds of votes to make McCarthy the new speaker, Greene was named to the Homeland Security and Oversight and Accountability — where she can join investigations of President Joe Biden’s administration. Despite Greene’s recent ban from committees, McCarthy also tapped her to be part of the panel investigating how the government handled the COVID-19 pandemic.

Greene’s battle with her colleagues House Freedom Caucus may give Greene the collateral she needs to gain the respect and consideration of Trump when it comes to a Vice Presidency selection. “”She’s both strategic and disciplined — she made a power move, knowing it would run up hard against her most ardent crew,” Bannon said. “She was prepared to take the intense heat/hatred short-term for the long-term goal of being a player.” Greene’s district in Georgia is overhelmingly conservative, but the rest of the state voted against Trump in 2020 and against Trump’s hand-picked Senate candidate, Herschel Walker. Georgia Republicans thoroughly rejected David Perdue in the Gubernatorial primary, as he lost to incumbent Governor Brian Kemp by just under 52 points.

Trump has not publicly given any indication that he is seriously considering a vice-presidential pick at this early point in the process, and aides did not respond to NBC News’ inquiries about Greene’s chances of ending up on a Trump ticket.

According to the same report from NBC, Greene’S spokesman Nick Dyer downplayed the words of Bannon and Greene’s former adviser. “Congresswoman Greene is laser focused on serving the people of Northwest Georgia on her new committees in the GOP majority.”

Kentucky Gubernatorial Candidate Endorsed by Trump Touts Poll Showing Large Lead

Matt OHern
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Kentucky Gubernatorial Candidate Endorsed by Trump Touts Poll Showing Large Lead

Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron recently produced results from a new poll showing him as the standalone candidate in a crowded field of 12 Republican Kentucky Gubernatorial candidates vying to unseat incumbent Democratic Governor Andy Beshear, who has an approval rating average that has remained above 50 percent in recent months.

Cameron’s campaign conducted the poll of 500 Kentucky Republican primary voters via a polling firm named Meeting Street, with a margin of error at a little over four percentage points. According to the poll, 81 percent of the primary voters recognized Daniel Cameron’s name and 62 percent of the voters viewed him favorably. An excerpt from a press release from Cameron’s campaign reads:

“Across all demographics, and markets, General Cameron is leading the field by a wide margin. Overall on the primary ballot, Cameron sits at 39 percent to his nearest competitor at 8 percent”. 

The poll does not mention what percentage of respondents have heard of the other candidates, but it does feature favorability ratings for several candidates, with Secretary of Agriculture, Ryan Quarles at 28 percent, former U.S. Ambassador Kelly Craft at 22 percent, state auditor Mike Harmon at 17 percent, Eric Deters is at 10 percent and Somerset Mayor Alan Keck at 7 percent.

The timing of Cameron releasing data from the poll coincides with a report that Craft’s campaign has already spent $1 million on advertising.

Cameron made headlines last week when he accused Beshear of violating transparency laws. According to Cameron, Beshear denied a records request for correspondence to or from 13 named officials “mentioning or related to school closures, remote leaning, nontraditional instruction or NTI, KEA or the Kentucky Education Association, JCTA or the Jefferson County Teachers Association” from 2020 to the present. Cameron recused himself from the case, but his office said it’s required to adjudicate open records disputes under state law.

Tennessee Senator Marsha Blackburn Takes on Ticketmaster After Taylor Swift Ticket Server Crash

Matt OHern
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Tennessee Senator Marsha Blackburn Takes on Ticketmaster After Taylor Swift Ticket Server Crash

Two months after millions of Taylor Swift fans were knocked offline while attempting to purchase concert tickets, Tennessee Senator Marsha Blackburn (R – Tenn.) is joining Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) to to combat the use and operation of bots in the online ticket marketplace.

Below is a transcript of Blackburn’s statements during her guest appearance on CNBC Squawk Box, with host Joe Kernen. Blackburn published her remarks in an official press release.

“When I am out and about in Nashville, I hear from tour managers. I hear from business managers, talent agents [about] how frustrated they are with what is happening with Live Nation and with Ticketmaster, and they feel it’s appropriate for us to step in. In 2016 when I was in the House, Senator Schumer and I passed the BOTS Act, which gives the FTC the authority to move in and to go after these bots to work with these ticketing platforms. And the FTC has not exercised that authority. They need to be doing it. They’ve only brought forward one case. But the point is also that these ticket platforms, when they know they’ve got a bot in their presence, they need to give that information to the FTC so that the FTC can go after this — so they can be blocked from these sites. And so fans, whether they’re fans of the Grand Ole Opry or Taylor Swift or any of the other ones that are out there, they can get the tickets for the shows that they want.”

Katie Britt and Nancy Mace Could Help Republican Party Improve Support From Young Women

Matt OHern
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Katie Britt and Nancy Mace Could Help Republican Party Improve Support From Young Women

Pundits and political analysts enthusiastically cover firebrand Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Green (R – Georgia), but Sen. Katie Britt (R – Ala) and Rep. Nancy Mace (R – S.C.) could prove to be far more vital to the Republican Party’s hope for success in future elections.

While Green is known for frequently making controversial statements, Britt and Mace built their respective bases of support through conventional grassroots efforts, including outreach to small businesses in their respective states.

Prior to Britt’s election to U.S. Senate, she served as president and CEO of the Alabama Business Council, and she is also on the Alabama Wildlife Federation Board of Directors. The 2022 Senate campaign trail was familiar territory for Britt, who as a campaign manager for Senator Richard Shelby. Britt, who has a law degree from the University of Alabama, also practiced law at Butler Snow LLP.

Political talk show host Ben Burnett, who worked with Britt during her tenure on the Alabama Business Council, sees a bright future ahead for the new Senator.

“Katie Britt and Nancy Mace have the talent and ability to bring women into the party like nobody else in Washington”, Burnett said. “Senator Britt has a long track record of luring good jobs and good ideas back into Alabama that fund things nobody can disagree with.

Congresswoman Nancy Mace has the ability to vote according to the needs and values of her district. Although she is pro life, she votes in favor of common sense legislation that may prioritize a woman’s right to choose, over her own wishes. She’s also shown that you can have adversity in her personal life, and you can still be desirable to your constituency. 

Mace’s resume prior to Congress includes a historical milestone at The Citadel, where she was the first female to graduate from the Corps of Cadets, where she received a degree in business administration. In 2019, Mace successfully advocated for the inclusion of exceptions for rape and incest in a bill for a six-week abortion ban that passed the South Carolina state house. In a speech on the state house floor, Mace revealed that she had been raped at age 16. She has said she opposes abortion but does not believe the government has the right to tell a victim of rape or incest they do not have the right to an abortion. Mace recently gained attention for her effort to get Republicans to seek a middle-ground compromise with Democrats on the sensitive issue of abortion.

“We have been tone-deaf on this issue since the time that Roe was overturned,” Mace told reporters earlier this month. “We buried our heads in the sand…We didn’t have any policy alternatives.”

“Congresswoman Nancy Mace has the ability to vote according to the needs and values of her district,” Burnett said. “Although she is pro life, she votes in favor of common sense legislation that may prioritize a woman’s right to choose, over her own wishes. She’s also shown that you can have adversity in her personal life, and you can still be desirable to your constituency.” 

Tate Reeves Faces Uphill Battle to Re-Election as Mississippi Governor

Matt OHern
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Tate Reeves Faces Uphill Battle to Re-Election as Mississippi Governor

Democrats are eyeing Mississippi for a potentially shocking upset in a gubernatorial race. Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves entered his fourth year in office with an unusually low approval rating for an incumbent Republican in a dark red state.

Results from a recent Mississippi Today/Siena College poll showed Reeves with a 48 percent approval rating. What is more troubling for Reeves is the fact that only 33 percent of respondents in the same poll said they would vote to re-elect reeves, and only 15 percent said they strongly approve of Reeve’s performance in office, compared to 27% saying they strongly disapprove of his performance.

Reeves’ opponent, Democratic Public Service Commissioner Brandon Presley, is a distant cousin of the iconic American rockstar, Elvis Presley. Despite Presley’s relation to one one of the most famous Americans in history, the majority of voters (61 percent) polled said they weren’t familiar enough with Presley were not familiar with his background to offer an opinion of him as a candidate.

In a recent interview with Fox News Digital, Reeves said that he’s seeking to completely eliminate income tax in Mississippi. The last Democrat to win a gubernatorial race in Mississippi was David Ronald “Ronnie” Musgrove, who served only one term, from 2000 to 2004.

One recent milestone that could help Reeves raise his approval rate is the recent news that Mississippi’s graduation rate reached an all-time high.

“The conservative education reforms we fought so hard for over the years are working,” Reeves said. “Couple this with keeping our kids in the classroom while other states relied on virtual learning, and you can see how we got to this historic achievement. Kudos to the teachers for stepping up and going back into the classroom, and kudos to the parents for playing an active role in their kids’ education.”

An Overview of the 12 Candidates in the Kentucky Republican Party’s Gubernatorial Primary Election

Matt OHern
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An Overview of the 12 Candidates in the Kentucky Republican Party’s Gubernatorial Primary Election

With incumbent Democrat Andy Beshear seeking a second term as Kentucky’s governor, 12 Republicans have declared their candidacy in Kentucky’s Republican Gubernatorial Primary. Below is a list of the twelve candidates, confirmed by Kentucky’s Secretary of State, including their career background and voting record on major issues, if applicable.

Kentucky Republican Gubernatorial Primary Candidates

Daniel Cameron: As the Attorney General of Kentucky, Cameron recently gained statewide and national attention when he demanded records involving COVID school closures that are concealed by Governor Beshear. Cameron describes himself as a bold conservative who is endorsed by former President Donald Trump. As a rising young star in the GOP, Cameron may enjoy the benefit of an influx of additional campaign funds from out of the state, which could pose a major fundraising challenge to Beshear. Cameron’s campaign website is cameronforkentucky.com

Jacob Clark: Jacob Clark’s career experience includes working in engineering. Clark doesn’t have experience as an elected official, but has run for political office in the past. In 2022, Clark ran in the Republican Primary for the 18th District in Kentucky’s House of Representatives,where he lost to Samara Heavrin, with Heavrin getting 57.3 percent of the vote, to Clark’s 42.7 percent. Clark describes himself as a “warrior for liberty and freedom” and is a staunch supporter of the Second Amendment. campaign website doesn’t appear to be up yet, but he has a Twitter account at Twitter.com/clark4ky

David Cooper: According to David Cooper’s campaign website, his career experience includes service in the Army National Guard, and he is also an ordained minister and the author of a children’s book. Cooper doesn’t have experience as an elected official. Cooper’s campaign website is Cooperforky.com

Kelly Craft: Kelly Craft served as the United States’ Ambassador to Canada from 2017-2019. Ealier in her career, Craft was appointed by President George W. Bush as a US alternate delegate to the United Nations in 2007, where her focus included US engagement in Africa. Craft describes herself as Christian conservative. Her campaign website is KellyCraft.com

Eric Deters: Nicknamed “The Bulldog” for his aggressive defensive of his clients during his career as an attorney, Eric Deters describes his political philosophy as “a registered Republican with Libertarian and conservative views.” Deters currently hosts a political talk show on, 700 WLW, Realtalk 1160. Deter’s political experience includes serving as chairman for Chairman of Northern Kentucky for Trump in 2016 and the Kenton County Republican Party from 1988-1992. Deters also served as the state party’s Congressional District 4 chairman from 1990 to 1992, the same district where he served as chair for Larry Forgy’s campaign for governor in 1991. Deter’s campaign website is detersforgovernor.com

Bob DeVore: Bob DeVore served in the U.S. Navy from 1974 to 1999. His public service experience also includes serving on on the McCreary County School Board from 2000 to 2006. In the private sector, Devore has worked as a dock lead at UPS. Devore ran for Jefferson County Clerk of Court in 2022 and finished in second place to Barbara Holsclaw. DeVore describes himself as a Christian conservative. Devore’s campaign website is morewithdevore.com

Mike Harmon: As Kentucky’s State Auditor since 2015, Mike Harmon enters the race with the advantage of name recognition and deep knowledge of Kentucky’s budgeting. Harmon also spent 13 years as a member of the state legislature, where he served as the Vice Chairman of the House Standing Committee on Tourism Development and Energy. He also served as a member of the committees for Banking and Insurance, Elections, Constitutional Amendments & Intergovernmental Affairs, Health and Welfare. Harmon describes himself as a Christian conservative dedicated to returning constitutional leadership to the governor’s office. Harmon’s campaign website is mikeharmon.com.

Alan Keck: Alan Keck was elected mayor of his hometown of Somerset in November 2018. Keck, who also has experience as a business executive, describes himself as “a family man, businessman and innovator ready to lead Kentucky…a man of deep faith who is ready to give hope to working families.” Keck’s campaign website is keckforkentucky.com

Ryan Quarles: As the state’s Secretary of Agriculture, Ryan Quarles touts one of the longest lists of endorsements from state. From 2010 to 2014, Quarles served as member of the House of Representatives.Quarles describes himself as an outspoken advocate for Kentucky’s farmers. A native of Scott County, Quarles grew up on his family’s farm in central Kentucky, an area where they have lived and farmed for more than 200 years.Quarles’ campaign website is ryanquarles.com

Robbie C. Smith: As a high school math teacher from Madison County, Robbie C. Smith describes himself as a pro-life Christian and a common man for the Commonwealth. Smith has also stated that he believes lockdowns are unconstitutional. Smith’s campaign website is rsmith4gov.com

Dennis Ray Ormerod: The only information available for Ormerod is found on the Kentucky Secretary of State’s official list of declared candidates, which shows Ormerod as a resident of Louisville who filed to run on January 6, 2023.

Johnny Ray Rice: The only information available for Rice is found on the Kentucky Secretary of State’s official list of declared candidates, which shows Rice as a resident of Berry, who filed to run on January 6, 2023.

Biden’s White House Press Secretary Makes Misleading Claim About Ron DeSantis, Florida Schools

Matt OHern
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Biden’s White House Press Secretary Makes Misleading Claim About Ron DeSantis, Florida Schools

At a press conference earlier this week, President Biden’s White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre took an opportunity to criticize a decision by the Florida Department of Education’s decision to not include African American studies as part of Advanced Placement testing, but her criticism included false allegations about Governor Ron DeSantis and the state’s curriculum, implying a block on any studies or course materials about black Americans.

“It is incomprehensible to see that this is what this ban—or this block, to be more specific—that DeSantis has put forward. If you think about the study of black Americans, that is what he wants to block and, again, these types of actions aren’t new, especially from what we’re seeing from Florida, sadly,” Jean-Pierre said. She declined to discuss the state’s actual objections, but Florida state law already requires the teaching of African American history in public schools, including the history of African Americans, including the history of African peoples before the political conflicts that led to the development of slavery, the passage to America, the enslavement experience, abolition, and the history and contributions of Americans of the African diaspora to society.

The only prohibition of teaching that involves different races in Florida involves class instruction that could make someone feel “personal responsibility” for historic wrongdoings because of their race, sex or national origin. The AP course rejected by the state Education Department contained references to Critical Race Theory, a section of the curriculum on Black Queer Studies “explores the concept of the queer of color critique, grounded in Black feminism and intersectionality.”

Another part that tackles the concept of “colorblindness” includes a recommended book on the topic that colorblindness within the U.S. criminal justice system “functions as a contemporary system of racial control — relegating millions to a permanent second-class status.”

National Review columnist Stanley Kurtz noted that the curriculum also advocates the overthrow of the capitalist system.

Reporters from a variety of media outlets have tangled with Jean-Pierre in recent weeks regarding her lack of transparency, her lack of preparation for inevitable questions on current events, including the recent revelation that classified documents were found on President Biden’s private property.

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