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The Ross Report | Ross Kaminsky | Substack
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Just One Thing: Where do these school bureaucrats get the nerve to say no?
It takes a very special and evil kind of person to say that parents should not be able to opt their young children out of having to read books that the parents find objectionable, particularly on religious grounds. I'm not Christian, not religious, not socially conservative, but I'd have a big problem with a school force-feeding my 7-year old (if I still had a kid that young) some of these ultra-woke books that don't just call for tolerance of different lifestyles but seem to suggest their superiority.
Opinion | Supreme Court weighs religious freedom vs. educational diktats - The Washington Post
Those watching Tuesday's Supreme Court hearing on the issue believe that the Court will likely order the school district to allow parents to opt out: Supreme Court likely to rule for parental opt-out on LGBTQ books in schools - SCOTUSblog
Here's an interesting brief opposing the parents' ability to opt out: 20241218150621210_24-297 - Mahmoud v. Taylor - Brief in Opposition.pdf
As Leland Vittert noted in his War Notes yesterday, this should be the easiest case of the year. (You should subscribe to War Notes...it's free and it's brilliant.)
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Today's Guests
Admiral James Stavridis is a former NATO Supreme Allied Commander, SouthCom Commander, and is a best-selling author of both fiction and non-fiction. We'll cover a range of topics including the possibility of war between the US and China.
Home - Admiral James Stavridis
Are the US and China Headed to War? Watch for These 5 Signs - Bloomberg
'Diversity' Has Been Purged From the Motto of a US Navy Destroyer - Bloomberg
Things are getting serious with the Russia/Ukraine ceasefire talks, but the US is demanding too much of Ukraine and not enough of Russia and, frankly, I don't get it.
Trump peace plan requires Ukraine to accept Russia occupation
Rubio Skipping Ukraine Talks as Zelensky Rebuffs U.S. on Crimea - The New York Times
Hegseth remains controversial, but that's partly politics. Not entirely, but partly...
Info Hegseth shared with wife and brother came from top general's secure messages
The case for Hegseth: Anti-Hegseth Op Illustrates D.C.'s Bid To Protect The Status Quo
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Congresswoman Lauren Boebert (R-CO4) joins the show to talk about "one big beautiful bill" and this: Rep. Lauren Boebert asks DOGE to pull funding for future passenger rail service along Front Range
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Other Stuff
I hope that Musk believes his time at DOGE and the hatred that it brought down on him not just from American liberals, along with the anger from much of Europe (because of his closeness to Trump, not because of DOGE). The negative impact on Tesla has been massive. I guess the question is whether it’s temporary.
Tesla misses on Q1 results but stock jumps after Musk says time at DOGE will drop 'significantly'
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The Denver real estate market is very interesting. Condos are in MUCH worse shape (as far as being able to sell one) than single-family homes are: Metro Denver sees spike in its inventory of unsold homes over the past year
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I haven't followed this story much and I won't talk about it on the show but when I hear about people this evil my first thought is "I thought people like that mostly existed in movies." But I guess the movies have some basis in reality.
'Doomsday mom' Lori Vallow Daybell is convicted in fourth husband's death
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This is where RFK is potentially most useful: RFK Jr. unveils plan to phase out 8 artificial food dyes in the US - ABC News
But they must act based on science, not based on RFK’s grifts and fever-dreams: Trump administration moves to eliminate certain food dyes
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I didn't get to this big story yesterday:
It’s about time.
Education Department to begin garnishing wages on defaulted student loan borrowers - POLITICO
Student loan borrowers in default face garnished wages, Education Department says - CBS News
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Trump is caving in a bit with China. He doesn't have a choice. But even when talking about not maintaining such a ridiculous tariff rate on China (which, by the way, is arguably the most valid target for trade confrontation), he can't help but spout more and more ignorance about trade:
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Didn't get to this yesterday either:
Remember what I tell you frequently: When it comes to Dems in the state legislature there is no amount of your money that will satisfy them.
Sports betting may see new tax for water
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When Chevron was asked why they dropped the sponsorship, they said that attendance didn’t justify their expenditure. And I’m sure that reductions in DEI budgets are a real issue too: Denver's Juneteenth Music Festival shifts to single-day celebration | 9news.com
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At some point, all but the most die-hard Trump loyalists will be troubled by this. I already am: Report: Most migrants in mega-prison had no apparent criminal record
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If you’re going to a drive-by shooting, don’t do it on video: 18-year-old charged with attempted murder in Aurora shooting captured in music video
Speaking of teenagers committing crimes in Denver: Teen pleads guilty to second-degree murder of 14-year-old during gun sale in 2022 | FOX31 Denver
Yeah, the focus is on the perpetrator but how about the fact that the gun seller was 14 years old?!?
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There are a couple of major issues here: First, there does not appear to be any evidence that the two plaintiffs are gang members which would be required even under Trump's stretched interpretation of the Alien Enemies Act. Second, I think the administration is stretching that law beyond recognition and beyond what is legal. The Supreme Court has not yet ruled on the merits of that question but they also have not enjoined the administration from using the law.
Judge extends ban on deportations from Colorado stemming from Trump's use of 1798 law | FOX31 Denver
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I'm not much of an NBA fan but the existence of this poll is amusing: Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton named most overrated player by his peers in anonymous poll - Yahoo Sports
Sticking with sports: Former Denver Broncos great tight end Shannon Sharpe is being sued by a thieving harlot, a term which may be unfair to both thieves and harlots given this girl's (lack of) character. I mean, Sharpe chose to be involved with her and probably should have figured out sooner that she was bad news but maybe his judgment was clouded by her assets (which, as far as I can tell, she overvalued even more than Trump overvalued Trump tower in loan documents.)
Shannon Sharpe’s Releases Alleged Text Messages From Accuser... "Put a Big Black Baby in Me" -
Assets here: Instagram
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Here's Dave and visiting family and Dave's lap dog...great picture
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The right answer is probably in between: VOA may be unncessary or wasteful (I don't actually have an opinion because I haven't studied the issue) but if it's a creation and authorization of Congress, a president can't just shut it down. Gotta get Congress to pass a low reducing or eliminating it. Judge orders Trump administration to restore Voice of America
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Why are you lying to me, AI? OpenAI's o3 AI model hallucinates more than older models
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Today's Video
Fortunately I don't feel this way about my chiropractor