Searchable News & Info From Reliable Online Sources.
- Unearthed records reveal Dem mayor sought tax hike to fund DEI role ahead of key...
Scranton Mayor Paige Cognetti, a Democratic candidate for the U.S. House of Representatives in Pennsylvania’s 8th Congressional District, once proposed raising taxes to make room for a diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) officer.A "DEI coordinator" was among eight new hires in the city’s 2023 proposed budget and would have set aside $25,500 for the position. In order to cover the costs of that opening and those of a police chief, a fire chief, a business administrator, a solicitor and a director of public works, the budget included a 3% property tax increase, estimated to generate $957,000 for the city.The positions themselves were estimated to cost $380,500. That budget was ultimately not adopted.Cognetti’s proposed plan highlights her beliefs about diversity in government and the directness with which government should pursue representation among certain demographics as she looks to flip one of the country’s most competitive districts and unseat incumbent Rep. Rob Bresnahan, R-Pa.RED-STATE SENATOR DROPS HAMMER ON DEM MAYOR OVER NEW 'WOKE' DEI ORDINANCE WHILE VIOLENT CRIME SURGESIn the past, Cognetti has highlighted her purposeful pursuit of diversity in government."We’re not doing this for the publicity. We’re doing this quietly so that these conversations just become the norm," Cognetti said in a podcast appearance.When asked about the DEI proposals and the 2023 budget, the Cognetti campaign pointed out that Bresnahan’s company has received government assistance for being "women-owned," support it says is in line with DEI policies."Rob Bresnahan’s own company identifies itself as disadvantaged and women-owned in order to get a leg up on securing federal contracts," a Cognetti spokesperson said in a statement to Fox News Digital, referring to Kuharchik Construction Inc.The company, which Bresnahan began leading as CEO in 2013, has received $162,000 in federal contracts since 2008, according to records.MAMDANI COMPARISONS FOLLOW COLORADO DEMOCRAT INTO PIVOTAL HOUSE RACE AFTER PRIMARY WINIt has not received federal payments since 2017.The campaign also said that many of Cognetti’s other acts as mayor directly helped bring the city’s costs down."Mayor Cognetti ran as an independent against a corrupt Democratic machine and reformed city hall. She saved taxpayers' money by balancing the budget after years of mismanagement, turned down a government car and gas card, refused a pay raise, and improved the city’s credit rating from junk bond status to an A- investment rating," the Cognetti campaign continued. "Now Paige is running to take on corrupt politicians in Washington like Rob Bresnahan, who… [TheTopNews] Read More.42 mins ago - School lied, hid daughter’s gender transition under district policy, paren...A Maryland school district is being sued after parents accused school officials of hiding their daughter's social gender transition and then citing district policy to justify keeping them in the dark.America First Legal (AFL) is leading the lawsuit on behalf of anonymous parents identified as John and Jane Doe. The plaintiffs argue Anne Arundel County Public Schools' policies violate their First and 14th Amendment rights, as well as similar provisions of the Maryland Constitution. The lawsuit was filed Wednesday in the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland.The lawsuit is part of a growing wave of legal challenges targeting school districts with policies allowing staff to withhold information about a student's gender identity from parents. It also comes months after the U.S. Supreme Court's decision in Mirabelli v. Bonta, which America First Legal says reinforced parents' constitutional rights over decisions involving their children.Ian Prior, senior advisor at America First Legal and counsel for the plaintiffs, said the district ignored that precedent.NBC ANCHOR FORCED TO EXPLAIN USE OF TERM 'BIOLOGICAL MALE' DURING COVERAGE OF SUPREME COURT RULING"The school system was referring to our client's daughter by a male name and assuming a male identity for their daughter, and they didn't approve that. And they weren't told of that. And when they did find out about it, and they questioned the school, they were quite frankly lied to about it," Prior told Fox News Digital."They said this is not going to happen anymore. We deny consent. And the school said, 'Well, too bad, that's the law.' Unfortunately, for Anne Arundel County Public Schools, that is not the law."Prior said the Supreme Court made clear in Mirabelli that "parents have a fundamental right to raise their children" and argued schools cannot facilitate a child's social transition without parental notice and consent.According to the complaint, the dispute began in December 2025 after a teacher accidentally emailed the parents using a male name for their daughter before attempting to recall the message and later claiming it had been sent to the wrong recipient. The lawsuit alleges the teacher later admitted the explanation was false and acknowledged the student had requested to be called by a male name. The parents then instructed school officials to use only their daughter's legal name and requested records related to the school's actions.The complaint alleges school administrators refused those requests, citing the district's policies and telling the parents that… [TheTopNews] Read More.2 hours ago
- ‘American houses are for American people’: Trump housing chief insis...EXCLUSIVE: Housing and Urban Development Secretary Scott Turner said the Trump administration is working to counteract the housing cost surges that he said resulted from Joe Biden's open border policies.Speaking exclusively with Fox News Digital from the Great American State Fair on Thursday, Turner insisted President Donald Trump's team is pursuing policies to improve affordability, a key midterm issue, and bring down home price and rent cost spikes that correlated with the influx of illegal immigration under the previous administration.Republicans have argued their agenda will bring down home prices and rents by cutting regulations, increasing housing supply and cracking down on illegal immigration.BIDEN'S ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION SURGE CAUSED HIGHER RENT AND HOME PRICES, FED STUDY FINDS"When we first came in with President Trump, we had open borders. We had tens of millions of illegals in our country," Turner said, arguing that increased housing demand from unauthorized immigration drove up costs for American citizens.A recent Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas working paper reached a similar conclusion, estimating that every 1% increase in unauthorized immigrant workers was associated with a roughly 2.2% increase in home prices and a 1.4% increase in rents.Turner said that beyond rolling back regulations, expanding mortgage credit and removing barriers to new construction, reducing illegal immigration is key to helping ease demand for housing.THE SURPRISING HIDDEN COST QUIETLY ADDING NEARLY $132K TO NEW HOME PRICES REVEALEDHe also said the Trump administration's immigration crackdown is a key part of the president's broader effort to reduce costs for American families amid an ongoing affordability crisis."Here in America, we prioritize American people and American people only. American houses are for American people," Turner said.Asked when Americans can expect to see lower housing costs, Turner argued the administration is already taking steps to make housing more affordable."I think there is a misperception that this is not a priority. It is of utmost priority," Turner said.A PROBLEM HIDING IN PLAIN SIGHT IS KEEPING AMERICANS FROM BUYING HOMESAs evidence, Turner pointed to two executive orders Trump signed that together work to remove regulatory barriers to affordable housing construction, expand access to mortgage credit and increase housing supply.The HUD Secretary said the administration is also rolling back regulations and "bureaucratic red tape" put in place under the Biden administration to lower construction costs and spur more homebuilding."That's what we're doing now, we are easing the regulatory environment, bringing the cost down, raising the supply so builders… [TheTopNews] Read More.3 hours ago
- ‘Preaching as resistance’: Dem minister behind Satanist wedding now ...FIRST ON FOX: Democrat candidate Sarah Trone Garriott, a minister and state legislator running for one of the most competitive House seats in the nation, contributed to a "resistance preaching" guide that encouraged faith leaders to combat President Donald Trump and his supporters from the pulpit.Trone Garriott authored a chapter in a 2018 collection, "Preaching as Resistance: Voices of Hope, Justice, and Solidarity," in the aftermath of Trump’s 2016 presidential election victory, a result the book described as bringing the country "so closely to fascism.""Many pastors find themselves drawn toward acts of resistance," Phil Snider, a self-described "White male cishet pastor," wrote in the book's introduction, responding to Trump's presidency.He argued that "pastors of the resistance" were working against a Trump-led coalition rooted in "White supremacy," "exploitation," "greed," and "heteropatriarchy."JOHN FETTERMAN DEFENDS TRUMP SUPPORTERS, CONDEMNS FELLOW DEMOCRATS' 'F--- TRUMP' STRATEGYTrone Garriott, who was ordained in the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America in 2008, was among that cohort as an author of the collection.Her contribution, "The Gospel of Resistance," was described as the first sermon she delivered after the 2016 election and has not been previously reported.Trone Garriott’s involvement comes as she faces mounting scrutiny from Republicans over her previous remarks on religion and cultural issues. The GOP views the Iowa House battleground held by Rep. Zach Nunn, R-Iowa, which incorporates the state capital of Des Moines, as critical to preserving its slim majority.The nonpartisan Cook Political Report rates the contest as a "toss-up." Trump carried the swing district by over four points in 2024, but a recent Fox News Poll showed his favorability is now underwater in the Hawkeye State.Trone Garriott publicly discussed helping marry a Satanist couple as a minister-in-training during a love-themed storytelling event in 2023, Fox News Digital previously reported. She also defended a Wiccan-led prayer in the state legislature and tied public displays of Christianity to political violence in a 2023 sermon.During that talk, she criticized private schools and parental rights in education while highlighting her efforts to seek out prayers in the state legislature that were not from the "White American Christian variety."The Republican National Committee (RNC) sharply criticized Trone Garriott's participation in the "resistance" preaching collection."The Wicked Witch of Woke strikes again and admits what we all knew. She views the pulpit as a political weapon to advance her radical agenda," RNC spokesman Zach Kraft said in a statement to Fox News Digital. "There… [TheTopNews] Read More.3 hours ago
- Democrats are ‘completely stained’ after backing Platner through multiple sc...Graham Platner is taking his name off the ballot, but the trail of debris left from the mounting controversies that brought down his nearly year-long insurgent Senate campaign in Maine is giving Republicans ammunition to use against Democrats in other crucial midterm races."Democrats rolled in the mud with Platner, and now they are completely stained by their association with this sick monster," Republican National Committee Chair Joe Gruters charged in a statement minutes after the Marine Corp veteran announced on Wednesday night that he was suspending his campaign.Republicans are now linking Platner to Democrats in a handful of House and Senate races that will directly impact the midterm battle for control of Congress.Platner, a populist Democrat backed last September by leading national progressives like Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., was challenging longtime Republican Sen. Susan Collins in a high-profile, combustible and very expensive race in Maine, which is one of a handful that will determine if the GOP holds onto its slim Senate majority in November's midterm elections.PLANTER CALLS IT QUITS, DROPS SENATE BID AMID MOUNTING SCANDALSPlatner's exit from the race came two days after an explosive report on Monday afternoon contained an allegation of rape from a woman he previously dated. It was only after that report when a chorus of calls emerged from top Democrats across the country for him to immediately drop out.But Platner, the combat veteran and oyster farmer whose campaign caught fire and steamrolled the Democratic establishment, had already been forced on defense ahead of the his primary victory last month.Past inflammatory online comments made on a now-deleted Reddit account came back to haunt him at the same time he was reeling from revelations of a now covered-up tattoo on his chest that resembled a Nazi symbol. Then reports that Platner exchanged sexually explicit messages with several women while married came right before allegations from ex-girlfriends of a history of rape fantasies, heavy drinking and violent episodes were made public.Platner repeatedly called the allegations of violence untrue and dismissed his tattoo and Reddit posts as actions taken by a younger man who has now changed.And addressing the latest rape allegation, a visibly irritated Platner charged in his suspension video on Wednesday: "This is all false. The things that have been claimed did not happen. It is not real."PLATNER'S GONE: HERE'S WHAT'S NEXT AND WHO'S SCRAMBLING TO REPLACE HIMBut Republicans see an opportunity to use Platner's toxic… [TheTopNews] Read More.4 hours ago
- WATCH: Dem gov mocked for criticizing ‘tribal’ politics amid redistricting p...Maryland Democratic Gov. Wes Moore is facing criticism for condemning rising "tribal" politics while continuing to push a redistricting effort that opponents say would eliminate the state's sole Republican congressional seat.Moore, a rising Democratic star who is being floated as a possible 2028 presidential candidate, gave an Independence Day speech in which he described American history as "powerful," "painful" and "complex."Speaking in the Maryland State House, where George Washington resigned his military commission in 1783, Moore proclaimed that "too many feel that our politics has become tribal, that our political system once felt like a gift, but the politics of today feel like a grift."In response, Haven Shoemaker, the top state attorney for Maryland’s Carroll County, remarked to Fox News Digital that "Gov. Moore is proof positive that hypocrisy knows no bounds."WATCH: MARYLAND DEMS DEFEND ‘BIG TENT’ PARTY AS NEW YORK SOCIALIST SURGE FUELS DEM DIVIDE"On the basis of what you would have to characterize as tribalism, he is going to convene a special session of the Maryland General Assembly to redistrict Maryland's only Republican congressman out of office. Sounds like tribalism to me," said Shoemaker.Maryland General Assembly leaders announced they will meet for a special session beginning on Aug. 3 to consider a constitutional amendment on congressional redistricting, affiliate Fox 45 reported. The special session follows months of pressure from Moore and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., on Maryland Democrats to advance a congressional redistricting plan that would likely eliminate the state's lone Republican-held district.The earlier effort to pass the redistricting bill had fizzled out largely due to Maryland Senate President Bill Ferguson, a Democrat who called the proposed map "objectively unconstitutional" and expressed his worry that "the downside risk to Democrats is catastrophic."Afterward, Moore notably did not endorse Ferguson in his primary race despite the senator being one of the highest-ranking Democrats in the state.After the special session announcement, Moore said in a statement that "for months, I have said that inaction is not an option and we cannot sit on the sidelines while voting rights, fair representation, and the foundations of our democracy come under attack across the country."TRUMP FOE WINS CRUCIAL DEM PRIMARY AS 2028 PRESIDENTIAL SPECULATION SWIRLS"I appreciate the General Assembly’s continued conversations and the agreement to come back to finish the work," he said, adding, "My administration will work closely with the General Assembly as they consider legislation to ensure our state has… [TheTopNews] Read More.4 hours ago
The Searchable USWebDaily.com and TheTopNews NewsBank Helps You Be Better Informed, Faster! Spread The Word.
