Valerie Richardson
Articles by Valerie Richardson
Biden suspends oil leases in Arctic National Wildlife Refuge
The Interior Department announced Tuesday the suspension of all Arctic National Wildlife Refuge leases pending an environmental analysis, shutting down one of the Trump administration's landmark energy initiatives. Published June 1, 2021
Mass pipeline protest over Line 3 looms in Minnesota
The biggest pipeline protest since Dakota Access is taking shape in northern Minnesota, where opponents are seeking to mobilize thousands of protesters to disrupt construction on the Alberta-to-Wisconsin project known as Line 3. Published June 1, 2021
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signs bill barring transgender athletes from women’s, girls’ sports
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Tuesday signed legislation barring transgender athletes from competing in girls' and women's sports, joining seven other states in what he described as an effort to protect female sports. Published June 1, 2021
Lawsuit demands MLB move All-Star Game back to Atlanta or pay $100 million
A small-business advocacy group has sued Major League Baseball over its decision to relocate the All-Star Game to Denver, seeking an order requiring the league to return the game to Atlanta or pay local companies $100 million in damages. Published June 1, 2021
Rashad Turner, Black Lives Matter St. Paul founder, says he quit over ‘ugly truth’
A founder of the Black Lives Matter chapter in St. Paul says he resigned over what he described as the organization's lack of interest in supporting Black families and opposition to school choice, calling it "the ugly truth." Published May 31, 2021
Kamala Harris bashed for ‘long weekend’ tweet that fails to mention Memorial Day
It was a long weekend for Vice President Kamala D. Harris on social media after she posted a holiday tweet that neglected to mention Memorial Day. "Enjoy your long weekend," Ms. Harris tweeted Saturday. Among those commenting was Rep. Lauren Boebert, Colorado Republican, who tweeted: "Care to mention WHY we're having a long weekend, Kamala?" Published May 30, 2021
‘Devout Catholic’ Biden runs afoul of Catholic church again by dropping Hyde Amendment
President Biden drew a rebuke from U.S. bishops for omitting from his proposed $6 trillion budget the Hyde Amendment, which bars federal funding for abortion, breaking with a budgetary precedent in place since 1976. Published May 29, 2021
Facebook whistleblower who exposed ‘vaccine hesitancy’ crackdown fired
Morgan Kahmann, a Facebook whistleblower who leaked documents to Project Veritas exposing the tech giant's policy on suppressing "vaccine hesitancy," has been fired by the Big Tech giant. Published May 29, 2021
NCAA ripped for holding events in states with bans on transgender athletes in female sports
The NCAA snubbed North Carolina over its 2016 "bathroom bill," but boycotting red states over their transgender laws may be tougher when multiple states are involved. Published May 28, 2021
Montana AG bans critical-race theory programs, joins red-state backlash
Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen declared Thursday that many critical race theory programs violate state and federal anti-discrimination laws, joining red states battling the woke race-focused movement sweeping the nation. Published May 27, 2021
White farmers, ranchers fight Biden administration’s race-based loan program
Like many ranchers who struggled during the novel coronavirus pandemic, Liesl Carpenter would love to have her hefty agricultural loans forgiven by the federal government, but there's just one problem: She's the wrong race. Published May 27, 2021
‘60 Minutes’ hit with backlash from LGBTQ advocates for detransition report
"60 Minutes" is hardly regarded as a bastion of conservative advocacy, but the long-running CBS news program has come under fire from the left for its segment on transgender health care that included those seeking to reverse the transition process. Published May 26, 2021
Rand Paul accuses Richard Marx of ‘advocating violence’ in praising attacker
Sen. Rand Paul, Kentucky Republican, lashed out Tuesday at the "violence coming from the left," linking a recent death threat to a celebrity tweet praising the neighbor who attacked and seriously injured the senator. Published May 25, 2021
One-third of Americans unwilling to spend $1 to fight climate change
President Biden wants to spend in excess of $1 trillion to combat climate change, but more than one-third of Americans are unwilling to chip in a single buck. Published May 25, 2021
1619 Project faces backlash from conservative Black intellectuals
The backlash against what Robert L. Woodson calls the "race-grievance industry" is surging, and leading the revolt are right-tilting Black intellectuals like himself. Published May 25, 2021
Senate Republicans pressure divided Democrats with antisemitism resolution
Senate Republicans introduced Tuesday a resolution condemning recent violence against Jews and linking it to a surge in "poisonous anti-Israel rhetoric," putting Senate Democrats on the spot as they wrestle with rising sentiment against Israel on the left. Published May 25, 2021
Project Veritas exposes how Facebook shuts down COVID-19 ‘vaccine hesitancy’
Facebook is suppressing "vaccine hesitancy" behind the scenes, limiting the reach of comments that express concerns about COVID-19 inoculations or share negative experiences, even if accurate, according to an investigation released Monday by Project Veritas. Published May 25, 2021
Biden to skip Notre Dame graduation amid uproar over abortion policies
The University of Notre Dame is scheduled to hold its 176th commencement ceremony Sunday, and conspicuously absent will be President Biden. The White House told the Catholic News Agency that the president was invited but had a scheduling conflict, avoiding a brewing uproar over whether the Catholic institution should celebrate Mr. Biden by awarding him an honorary degree, as is customary for commencement speakers. Published May 22, 2021
Senate Republicans seek to divert Gaza funding to Israel’s Iron Dome
Senate Republicans introduced legislation Friday to redirect U.S. foreign aid from Gaza to Israel's Iron Dome, the anti-missile defense system that has destroyed thousands of rockets launched this month toward Jerusalem by Hamas. Published May 21, 2021
Woke trend seeps into red states’ public schools: ‘Our education system is being weaponized’
Elite prep schools aren't the only institutions where teachers and students are being schooled in equity, diversity and antiracism. Published May 20, 2021
