Post New Article

Teachers union, labor bureaucrats make
'end run' around parents, democracy, district
tells SCOTUS

Original Article

Posted By: Mercedes44, 4/17/2026 1:40:48 PM

Nearly eight years after the Supreme Court put a stop to public-sector labor unions imposing fees on non-members as a condition of work, invalidating 22 state laws and prompting a precipitous drop in union membership, it reinstated a permanent injunction against California's so-called gender secrecy policies in schools as a likely violation of parental rights. The high court now has an opportunity to alchemize these disparate precedents into protection for parents' constitutional rights against state labor regulators with Galactus-sized jurisdictional appetites.

Post Reply

Reminder: “WE ARE A SALON AND NOT A SALOON”

Your thoughts, comments, and ideas are always welcome here. But we ask you to please be mindful and respectful. Threatening or crude language doesn't persuade anybody and makes the conversation less enjoyable for fellow L.Dotters.

Below, you will find ...
Most Recent Articles posted by "Mercedes44"
and
Most Active Articles (last 48 hours)
Most Recent Articles posted by Mercedes44"
2A History: When the Militia Set Things Right 6 replies
Posted by Mercedes44 4/18/2026 5:19:44 PM Post Reply
A few days ago, I wrote about a piece that argued that gun rights are imaginary because one person doesn't make a militia, so the right to keep and bear arms must be a collective right. It was just high-minded sounding enough that the gullible might buy it, but anyone who has actually delved into the topic to any degree--or is just skeptical enough to do a Google search--knows it's BS. Now, it's true that one person doesn't make a militia, but a militia is made up of individuals who bring their own guns to the fight or who somehow acquire guns in the course of acting as a militia.
Selective Outrage: When Hezbollah Attacks 2 replies
Posted by Mercedes44 4/18/2026 5:17:01 PM Post Reply
]he latest escalation in hostilities did not begin with Israel. It began with Hezbollah. Hezbollah's operational tactics, like those of Hamas and other terrorist groups, is to embed its military infrastructure within civilian areas — Israel found itself faced with ongoing rocket fire from Lebanon and the presence of a heavily armed group on its border – in contravention of UN Security Council Resolution 1701, which had unanimously required of Lebanon: "three principles -- no foreign forces, no weapons for nongovernmental militias, and no independent authority separate from the central government -- as vital to a lasting Lebanese peace."
Trump Hits Up Las Vegas, the 'Birthplace'
of 'No Tax on Tips,' to Tout Tax Gains
for Americans
2 replies
Posted by Mercedes44 4/18/2026 5:13:26 PM Post Reply
On Thursday, President Donald Trump jetted to Las Vegas for a roundtable at the AC Hotel Las Vegas Symphony Park to tout his Working Families Tax Cuts and the gains provided to everyday Americans through the One Big Beautiful Law (OBBL). Nevada's Democrat representation, like Senator Jacky Rosen, did their darndest to detract from Trump's tax policy visit and downplay the tax benefits. But Trump and the "No Tax on Tip" policy appear to be highly popular among Las Vegas workers, if the crowd wrapped around the hotel before his appearance was any indication. According to Daily Caller White House correspondent Reagan Reese,
Iranian Official Says Strait of Hormuz
Is Closed Again Because Trump Violated
the Deal
6 replies
Posted by Mercedes44 4/18/2026 5:09:45 PM Post Reply
The Speaker of Iran's Parliament has declared the opening of the Strait of Hormuz null and void. In a tweet posted on X, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf accused President Trump of violating the deal opening the Strait of Hormuz and said the Strait is now closed. What he's referring to is the U.S. Central Command announcement that the blockade is continuing: They are also miffed at USCENTCOM's publication of a list of contraband products and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Dan Caine's statement on Thursday that U.S. forces will pursue blockade runners out of the USCENTCOM area of operations.
Hot Takes: Stolen Valor Is Alleged After
'Journalist' Takes Her Hegseth Derangement
Syndrome Too Far
6 replies
Posted by Mercedes44 4/18/2026 5:07:55 PM Post Reply
Democrats and the mainstream media (but I repeat myself) have their sights set on Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, with the press desperate to discredit him as unfit for office, and Democrats happy for their journo allies to lay the groundwork for an impeachment effort. As further evidence, we can look to the freakout they had and the juvenile gotcha games that were played after he went off on the media during a Pentagon briefing on Operation Epic Fury on Thursday. "I sat there in church, and I thought: Our press are just like these Pharisees. Not all of you. Not all of you. But the legacy, Trump-hating press," Hegseth stated.
Stock indices surge, oil prices drop after
temporary Hormuz opening
5 replies
Posted by Mercedes44 4/18/2026 2:21:11 AM Post Reply
Financial markets are reacting positively Friday to news that Iran will temporarily open the Strait of Hormuz for commercial traffic during its ceasefire with the United States. The major U.S. stock indexes, the Dow Jones Industrial Average and NASDAQ, surged. The S&P500 also crossed 7,100 for the first time ever. At the same time, oil prices quickly dropped about 10% after the Iranian announcement. Market conditions had already begun to improve on Thursday as President Donald Trump expressed optimism that the war in Iran was nearing its end. Trump said the war “should be ending pretty soon.”
Lindsey Graham’s Confirmation Votes
for Leftwing Heroes Boasberg, Garland,
and Monaco Haunt Reelection Campaign
9 replies
Posted by Mercedes44 4/18/2026 2:16:02 AM Post Reply
Sen. Lindsey Graham’s (R-SC) extensive record voting to confirm liberal judicial and executive nominees revered by the Left are weighing on his efforts to win a fifth six-year term in the Senate. The South Carolina Senator is a mainstay on Fox News, where he alternates between cheerleading for President Donald Trump’s agenda while encouraging the President to veer towards neoconservative priorities. But his record confirming nominees who later haunt Trump tells a different story. Graham voted to confirm President Joe Biden nominees Merrick Garland for Attorney General and Lisa Monaco for Deputy Attorney General. Both were key architects of the lawfare against Trump and his family and allies.
John Thune’s Senate has delayed weaponization
prosecutors in John Brennan probe for
two months
16 replies
Posted by Mercedes44 4/18/2026 2:08:36 AM Post Reply
Earlier this year, the U.S. Justice Department asked two Senate committees to provide transcripts and records of contacts with former CIA Director John Brennan regarding the now-discredited Russia collusion allegations, signaling there was an active investigation into whether the former spy boss had misled or obstructed Congress. The letters gave a hard deadline of Feb. 23 for compliance. Two months later, the body run by Republican Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., has not complied, slowing a key angle of a grand jury investigation based in Fort Pierce, Fla., into whether Obama and Biden-era government officials engaged in a conspiracy —
How Trump Outsmarted Iran While Critics
Rooted Against America and the Media Melted Down
7 replies
Posted by Mercedes44 4/18/2026 1:32:09 AM Post Reply
Victor Davis Hanson: Hello, this is Victor Davis Hanson for The Daily Signal. I know a lot of you have been exasperated by the reaction to the Iran war, from the Democratic grandees in the House and Senate, the liberal media, The New York Times, particularly The Washington Post, NPR, PBS, and network—even The Wall Street Journal’s news section. And then we have some people on the right who have also looked at the war and said it was lost, it went south, it was gonna—World War III, blah, blah, blah.
RFK Jr. Defends HHS Agenda on Capitol
Hill, Touts Early Wins and Future Reforms
1 reply
Posted by Mercedes44 4/18/2026 1:30:31 AM Post Reply
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. appeared before Congress this week defending his department’s policy agenda. The secretary, who has been under sustained scrutiny from skeptics of his Make America Healthy Again mission, vowed to work with members on specific health legislation to secure wins promised by the administration. Kennedy spent almost 10 hours on Capitol Hill this week and is set to appear for four more hearings next week. The secretary is looking forward to showing Congress how we are working to reduce prescription drug prices, make health care costs clearer for patients, and streamline processes like prior authorization,” HHS spokesperson Andrew Nixon told The Daily Signal.
Liberal Justices Are Stalling a Ruling
to Protect Democrats in the Midterms
2 replies
Posted by Mercedes44 4/17/2026 3:56:37 PM Post Reply
Republicans across the South have been gearing up for what could be the biggest political map shake-up in decades, and it all hinges on one thing: the Supreme Court's expected ruling in Louisiana v. Callais. This case will decide the constitutionality of Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act. It would be cliché to say that the stakes couldn't For most of the past half-century, Section 2 has required states to draw "majority-minority" districts — districts engineered to elect minority candidates, who happen to vote overwhelmingly Democrat. Frame it however you like, but the practical effect has been a race-based political —
Criminals Are Stealing Billions From America’s
Seniors. AARP Is Fighting Back.
8 replies
Posted by Mercedes44 4/17/2026 3:54:07 PM Post Reply
One of the big problems facing our country right now isn’t a partisan issue. It’s a crime. And America’s seniors are increasingly the targets. Every day, scammers—often operating through massive, international networks—are stealing the life savings of older Americans who have worked hard, played by the rules, and saved responsibly for retirement. These are not harmless scams or isolated incidents. It’s organized theft on a scale that should concern every American who believes in law and order. According to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), scammers stole as much as $81.5 billion from seniors in 2024. This is money that people were relying on for retirement —
Most Active Articles (last 48 hours)
Rep. Ilhan Omar blames ‘discrepancy’
on financial disclosures listing $30M
net worth – insists she’s not a millionaire
23 replies
Posted by john56 4/18/2026 11:01:09 AM Post Reply
Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar blamed an accounting “discrepancy” for errors in a financial disclosure that listed her net worth at up to $30 million – while doubling down that she is not a millionaire, a report said. The lefty “Squad” lawmaker – facing fraud probe calls from President Trump – insisted the initial figures in a disclosure filed last May were completely off-base, as an amended filing now shows shared assets with her husband of up to just $95,000, according to The Wall Street Journal. “The amended disclosure confirms what we’ve said all along: The congresswoman is not a millionaire,” her spokesperson, Jacklyn Rogers, told the outlet.
Gavin Newsom’s New Book is a Best Seller
Because His Own Political Action Committee
Spent $1.5 Million Buying Thousands of Copies
18 replies
Posted by 4250Luis 4/18/2026 1:23:23 AM Post Reply
Everything about California Governor Gavin Newsom is fake. Even the numbers on his book sales. His new book is being touted by his allies as a best seller, but the main reason it’s selling so well is because his own political action committee has spent upwards of $1.5 million buying thousands of copies of it. That’s one way to get on the New York Times best seller list. It’s not honest, but it’ll probably work. Not a single thing about this man is genuine. Newsom PAC bought thousands of memoir copies about his hardships, juicing sales
John Thune’s Senate has delayed weaponization
prosecutors in John Brennan probe for
two months
16 replies
Posted by Mercedes44 4/18/2026 2:08:36 AM Post Reply
Earlier this year, the U.S. Justice Department asked two Senate committees to provide transcripts and records of contacts with former CIA Director John Brennan regarding the now-discredited Russia collusion allegations, signaling there was an active investigation into whether the former spy boss had misled or obstructed Congress. The letters gave a hard deadline of Feb. 23 for compliance. Two months later, the body run by Republican Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., has not complied, slowing a key angle of a grand jury investigation based in Fort Pierce, Fla., into whether Obama and Biden-era government officials engaged in a conspiracy —
Laugh Out Loud Headline of the Day: 'Macron,
Starmer Welcome Hormuz Reopening'
15 replies
Posted by 4250Luis 4/18/2026 1:16:32 AM Post Reply
There are numerous headlines like the one above out there Friday, so I won’t pick on one particular outlet. There are longer ones like “European Leaders Welcome Hormuz Reopening and Push for Permanent Navigation Security.” Why did this make me chuckle? Because of course they’re pleased — and they had nothing to do with it. But don’t worry, they’re going to have meetings about the situation very soon: I can barely contain my excitement. And Macron has “demands”:
Ilhan Omar Blames ‘Accounting Error’
For Financial Disclosure Showing Multimillion-Dollar Wealth
14 replies
Posted by VietVet68 4/18/2026 10:48:59 AM Post Reply
Rep. Ilhan Omar has dramatically revised financial disclosures that previously showed multimillion-dollar assets, now claiming the figures were the result of an “accounting error.” The far-left Somali Democrat, who regularly demands that lawmakers raise taxes on the super-rich, had reported assets between $6 million and $30 million in a prior filing. Yet according to The Wall Street Journal, an amended disclosure now places total assets at just $18,004 to $95,000.
Iran says it has closed Strait of Hormuz
again over US blockade
14 replies
Posted by Dreadnought 4/18/2026 10:36:17 AM Post Reply
CAIRO — The standoff over the Strait of Hormuz quickly escalated again Saturday as Iran reversed its reopening of the crucial waterway and fired on ships attempting to pass, in retaliation after the United States pressed ahead with its blockade choking off Iranian ports. Confusion over the strait, through which roughly one-fifth of the world’s oil passes, threatened to deepen the energy crisis roiling the global economy and push the two countries toward renewed conflict. The ceasefire between them is due to run out by mid-next week, and Pakistani mediators were working to put together a new round of direct negotiations to keep the truce going.
Jayapal: Iran Was ‘Pushed Into’ Closing
Strait of Hormuz
13 replies
Posted by Hazymac 4/18/2026 5:36:02 PM Post Reply
On Saturday’s broadcast of MS NOW’s “The Weekend,” Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-WA) said that Iran was “essentially pushed into saying, we’re going to take control of” the Strait of Hormuz “and we’re going to now use economic risk as our substitute for military strength.” Jayapal said that there is a “massive amount of chaos that everybody across the world is looking at, because, obviously, most of the oil — 20% of the oil flows through that Strait. So, it doesn’t just affect folks at home. And I know, in my home state, gas prices are now at $7. … And so, it is really causing enormous havoc. And prices are
10 House Republicans Join Democrats to
Give ‘Temporary’ Amnesty to 350,000 Haitians
12 replies
Posted by 4250Luis 4/18/2026 1:25:28 AM Post Reply
Ten House Republicans joined Democrats on Thursday evening to keep roughly 350,000 Haitian nationals in the United States on Temporary Protected Status (TPS) despite the Trump administration seeking to end the quasi-amnesty. The House passed the measure, led by Reps. Ayanna Pressley (D-MA) and Laura Gillen (D-NY), after advancing the bill through a discharge petition maneuver, with help from half a dozen Republicans. Essentially, the bill would keep about 350,000 Haitians in the U.S. via TPS just as President Donald Trump fights in the Supreme Court to end the quasi-amnesty. The 10 House Republicans who joined Democrats to defy the Trump administration and move the bill to the Senate are:
Tillis holds the cards in Trump Fed clash
— and won’t fold
11 replies
Posted by earlybird 4/18/2026 3:56:48 PM Post Reply
Donald Trump has a growing Thom Tillis problem. The administration’s actions this week are doing nothing to solve it. As the president flirts with trying to fire Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell and dismisses Tillis as “no longer a senator,” the retiring North Carolina Republican shot back with his own message to the administration Wednesday: “I’m not dead yet.”(snipTillis is blocking Trump’s Fed chair nominee, Kevin Warsh, until the Justice Department drops an investigation into Powell. And the stalemate is leaving him in limbo with no clear off-ramp in sight.
The Electric Bus Bust Mayhem Continues 11 replies
Posted by Hazymac 4/18/2026 9:06:44 AM Post Reply
I do like to follow up and keep you all on top of where things stand with some of the previous stories I've covered. Sometimes, it's true, there's not much to write about because whatever happened happened and then they lie there like a dead bug until they shrivel and go away of their own accord. In other cases, there can be happier resolutions, which is always cheerful news, but those are admittedly rare. Most wind up in the slow-rolling disaster column, and man - that does seem to be the case with the Biden administration's $1.6B push to electrify city transit fleets. ...E-buses have been purchased by transit agencies
Omar's revised financial disclosure form
shows sharp drop in her and her husband's
net worth
10 replies
Posted by ConservativeYankee 4/18/2026 8:02:20 PM Post Reply
The office of Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., is saying that the figures on a previously filed financial disclosure that showed a net worth of up to $30 million were due to an accounting error and don't reflect her actual financial situation with her husband Tim Mynett. The original disclosure prompted criticism and calls from some GOP critics for further investigation. Since then, Omar submitted an amended filing showing much lower assets of about $18,000 and $95,000. According to her office, the discrepancy was the result of incorrect valuations from financial professionals tied to her husband’s business interests, including a venture capital firm and a winery in California.
Trump Admin Caves to Slew of LGBT Lawsuits,
Reinstalls 'Pride' Symbol at National Monument
10 replies
Posted by ConservativeYankee 4/18/2026 7:57:11 PM Post Reply
Trump administration officials agreed on Monday to allow the “pride” flag at the Stonewall National Monument in New York City to fly once more. The change comes after the Trump administration had removed the flag earlier this year, a move which immediately sparked legal challenges from LGBT activist groups. The Department of the Interior had directed the National Park Service to remove the controversial flag, contending that non-agency flags could not be officially flown, according to a report from CBS News. But the policy provoked a lawsuit against Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, the National Park Service, and other defendants.
Post New Article