Country singer-songwriter Charlie Robison passed away on Sunday in a hospital in San Antonio after suffering from cardiac arrest.
A statement from a family representative confirmed Robison's passing and his wife, Kristen Robison, said, "It is with a heavy heart that I share the news that my husband, Charlie Robison, has passed away today, surrounded by his family and friends. My heart is broken. Please pray for me, our children, and our family."
Robison's passing seems to have been unexpected and his family will need plenty of support while they deal with this.
Robison has four children with his current wife and three children from a previous marriage with Emily Strayer, one of the founding members of country band The Chicks.
Robison grew up in Bandera, Texas on his family's ranch that they had owned for generations.
Robison was a quintessential Texas man standing at 6'4" and with years of experience doing hard work on a ranch. Those experiences made him a relatable figure for many Texans which boosted his status in the Texas country music scene.
Robison got into music in the late 1980s playing for local Austin bands but it wasn't until 1996 that Robison made his solo debut with the release of "Bandera," named after the ranch he grew up on.
Two years later, Sony approached Robison which would lead to a good twenty-year music career before coming to a sudden stop.
In 2018, Robison underwent a tonsillectomy and another procedure to remove extra tissue in the throat which went wrong and led to his voice being permanently damaged leaving Robison unable to perform.
Robison went on to sue the doctor that had performed the procedure but after years of back and forth in court, Robison dropped the case.
Nonetheless, Robison had been forced into early retirement bringing an early end to a successful career and robbing Texas of one of its great entertainers.
Singer-songwriter Kevin Fowler praised Robison's contributions to country music saying, "His voice was so unique. It was something refreshing. It wasn’t what was going on at the time — all the slick Nashville stuff. Here’s a guy with raw, rough edges."
Fowler added, "That’s really what helped fuel this scene, was the authenticity of it. It wasn’t about going out and kissing radio [butts] and trying to get air play, it was about the live show and connecting to fans. I think we just took what Willie [Nelson] was doing and took it to the next level."
While Robison may be gone, his music remains for fans to enjoy for years to come.
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
Bidenomics, the sweetened-up name for the Bidenflation that has been plaguing Americans since the last presidential election, has one-third of the nation wondering how they will be paying their bills.
That's according to a report in the Federalist.
And that could be a determinative factor in the 2024 presidential race.
"Despite having committed trillions in new government spending programs, and running massive deficits in the process, government surveys reveal millions of working Americans believe they are worse off than they were in January 2021, when Biden first entered the White House," the report explained.
According to the Census Bureau's recent Household Pulse Survey, the number of those who say they are finding it "somewhat" or "very" difficult to make all their payments is up by six million since Biden took office.
At that time, the number responding in those categories totaled 80.53 million Americans. Now it's 86.92 million.
"That means in Biden’s America, more than 1 in 3 households are struggling to pay their bills," the Federalist report said.
Most affected are those with incomes from $50,000 to $150,000, mostly considered America's "middle class."
"For example, the number of households earning $50,000 to $75,000 that are having trouble paying their usual household expenses increased from 10.01 million in January 2021 to 13.34 million in July 2023," the report said.
They're turning to credit cards, personal loans, and other debt, the Federalist said.
"In July 2023, 85.46 million Americans relied on 'credit cards or loans' to 'meet spending needs in the last 7 days.' In July 2022, the number was just 74.89 million," the report said.
And the fact that Americans are suffering under Biden's agenda is supported by other numbers, too, the report said.
"A LendingClub report published earlier in 2023 suggests 61 percent of Americans say they are living paycheck to paycheck. In cities, the number is even higher, coming in at 69 percent," it said.
And alarmingly, 57% of Americans say they can't afford to cover an emergency expense of $1,000 or more.
"Democrats have spent trillions upon trillions of dollars without offsetting the increase with additional tax revenue, effectively printing huge amounts of money. Those spending increases have created inflation that has yet to be reversed, and probably never will be," the report said.
A large part of the problem is the surging inflation that has hit Americans under Biden's policies. It maxed out at more than 9% last year and still remains high.
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
A lot of things went wrong during the COVID-19 pandemic that originated in a Chinese lab working on dangerous bat viruses and circled the globe, killing millions.
First, there was how the virus moved into the human population and took its toll. Then there were those mandatory "vaccines" that weren't vaccines at all and failed to stop infections.
Then the massive number of side effects – and deaths from those shots – still is climbing.
Now a new report is blasting the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for "misleading" the American public with its promises on mRNA COVID vaccine labels.
A report at Just the News revealed that the FDA is refusing to label potentially severe side effects or "even tell recipients the shots can't stop transmission of an increasingly immune-evasive virus."
The report confirmed autopsies and medical records show "a much higher incidence of Pfizer and Moderna vaccine-associated heart deaths than officially categorized in South Korean, Japanese, and Qatari government registries, particularly in younger people at lower risk from COVID."
And it said a study, even funded by the FDA for the Journal of the American Medical Association of Pediatrics that involved three million children ages 5-17, found a "signal" for several serious heart diseases, shortly after vaccination.
The report went through the results:
They, in fact, "castigated" the federal bureaucracy and called the mRNA labels being used "misleading."
"Whatever one thought of the initial shots, people are now getting boosted indefinitely with little reliable information about scientific developments," explained University of Maryland pharmacy faculty Linda Wastila and Peter Doshi.
In fact, the report explained the FDA is requiring "proven" links from mRNA to problems, instead of following a federal law that only requires "some basis" to believe there is a threat.
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
The attorney general for the state of Arizona, Democrat Kris Mayes, says she'll still enforce a so-called "non-discrimination" law in her state, even though the Supreme Court has struck down as unconstitutional a nearly identical demand in the state of Colorado.
A report from the Post Millennial called the announcement by Mayes "an act of defiance against the Supreme Court's decision to protect religious liberty."
In the decision, the justices, 6-3, said the state of Colorado was not allowed under the Constitution to require a web designer to use a state-approved ideology when talking about marriage.
Lorie Smith wanted to, with her 303 Creative, promote traditional marriage. But as a Christian, she could not provide that same promotion to same-sex duos.
The high court slammed Colorado for its ideology, and it wasn't the first time that state was brought low by a Supreme Court loss. Several years ago the justices scolded Colorado for its official "hostility" to Christianity in its attempt to force baker Jack Phillips to create promotions for same-sex duos with his cake artistry. Actually, several other cases remain in the pipeline over Colorado's discriminatory actions against Christians.
According to the report, Mayes claimed her office still will seek to prosecute those businesses that refuse to serve "those that belong to a 'protected class.'"
She lashed out at what she called the "profoundly wrong" decision, and said it amounted to nothing less than discrimination against "LGTQ+ Americans."
She did not address the constitutional protection for religious rights around which the case revolved.
"While my office is still reviewing the decision to determine its effects, I agree with Justice Sotomayor — the idea that the Constitution gives businesses the right to discriminate is 'profoundly wrong.'"
Sotomayor dissented from the majority in the case.
And, the report said, Mayes issued a statement encouraging people to file complaints if they think they've been the target of discrimination based on "race, color, religion, or sex."
She said her state does not allow any discrimination "in public places."
"If any Arizonan believes that they have been the victim of discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex (including sexual orientation and gender identity), national origin, or ancestry in a place of public accommodation, they should file a complaint with my office. I will continue to enforce Arizona’s public accommodation law to its fullest extent," she said.
The Supreme Court found that Colorado was seeking "to use its law to compel an individual to create speech she does not believe. As surely as Ms. Smith seeks to engage in protected First Amendment speech, Colorado seeks to compel speech Ms. Smith does not wish to provide."
A lower court earlier found Colorado was using its state power to suppress opinions that it did not like.
Hillary Clinton just claimed that the state of Florida "isn't safe" for Black people or LGBTQ+ people.
Clinton made the claim Tuesday on Twitter.
She wrote:
Ron DeSantis's ultra-MAGA Florida isn't safe for people of color, LGBTQ+ people, or even multi-billion dollar corporations. pic.twitter.com/1sxKM5W9ol
— Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) May 23, 2023
Clinton attached to her Twitter message two screenshots: one regards Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis's (R) ongoing battle with Disney and the other regards the recent travel warnings issued by civil rights groups.
DeSantis recently signed several bills targeting the political left's woke agenda. One bill, Senate Bill 266, looks to remove from higher education any Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives. Another bill, Senate Bill 254, bans gender-related "surgical procedures and experimental puberty blockers" on minors.
These are just some of the bills that DeSantis recently signed. More can be found here.
In response, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and the United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) issued travel advisories for the state of Florida.
NAACP's travel advisory can be found here. And, LULAC's, here.
The NAACP's travel notice reads:
Florida is openly hostile toward African Americans, people of color and LGBTQ+ individuals. Before traveling to Florida, please understand that the state of Florida devalues and marginalizes the contributions of, and the challenges faced by African Americans and other communities of color.
NAACP Board of Directors chairman Leon W. Russell immediately faced pushback, following the release of the travel advisory, after it was discovered that he lives in Florida.
During an MSNBC appearance, he denied being a hypocrite, and he claimed, "We haven’t told anybody to leave." Russell added:
In fact, the NAACP is encouraging folks to stay here and fight. If there was ever a reason to stand your ground, it’s Black people, LGBT community, the immigrant community, women, need to stand our ground in Florida and fight, and understand that that fight is a political fight.
DeSantis responded to the NCAAP's travel warning on Wednesday, saying, "Claiming that Florida is unsafe is a total farce."
DeSantis continued:
I mean, are you kidding me? You look at cities around this country, they are awash in crime. In Florida, our crime rate is at a 50-year low. You look at the top 25 cities for crime in America, Florida does not have a single one amongst the top 25. And if you look at cities like Baltimore and Chicago, you got kids more likely to get shot than to receive a first class education. Yet, I don't see the NAACP batting an eye about all the carnage that's happening in those areas.
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
Texas Children's Hospital continues to perform "gender transition services" on adolescent youth, including administering "puberty blockers" – which the Texas Attorney General deems "child abuse" – despite pledging to stop them in March, a conservative writer has learned.
"I have obtained exclusive whistleblower documents showing that, despite its public statements, the Houston-based children’s hospital – the largest in the United States – has secretly continued to perform transgender medical interventions, including the use of implantable puberty blockers, on minor children," Rufo reported in an article on his Substack page published Tuesday.
The redacted medical records supplied by the whistleblower cite Richard Roberts, "a University of Virginia-trained endocrinologist and assistant professor at Baylor College of Medicine who co-presented the grand rounds ... as performing transgender medical procedures on minors at TCH," Rufo writes. "According to these records, Roberts has managed patients ranging in age from 12 to 17 years old for 'gender identity' and 'gender dysphoria,' with indications for 'medication,' 'testosterone levels,' 'medicine refill,' and 'specialty services.'"
Texas lawmakers are on the verge of passing legislation that would ban puberty-blockers and cross-sex, trans "hormone treatments" for minors, a development that has energized conservatives but scandalized LGBT activists and allied "progressives" in the state.
"Despite the hospital’s statement that it had ceased these practices, Roberts has continued to manage a heavy caseload for 'gender-affirming care,' including multiple patient visits in a single day last week for 'gender dysphoria' and 'gender identity,' and another for 'HRT [hormone replacement therapy],'" according to Rufo.
The senior fellow for the New York-based Manhattan Institute has been a leader among conservatives in exposing trans "gender ideology" and the agendas connected to it, none of which is more radical than encouraging gender-confused children to embrace the idea that they were born into the wrong sex, and then take "medical" steps to "transition" to the opposite sex.
Rufo reports:
"Another doctor at Texas Children’s, a Harvard-trained surgeon and assistant professor at Baylor College of Medicine named Kristy Rialon, has also been involved in conducting transgender surgical procedures on minors. The records indicate that Rialon inserted and removed “non-biodegradable drug delivery implant[s]” for “gender dysphoria in pediatric patient[s]” throughout 2022 and 2023 – including one procedure on an 11-year-old “female-to-male transgender person,” listed in records for three days after the hospital had announced that it had stopped performing “gender-affirming care.”
Rufo tried to get a comment from the hospital, but spokeswoman Kelley Carville responded, "We have no comment."
Rufo reports that "TCH and Baylor College of Medicine, which works in partnership with the children’s hospital, hosted a 'pediatric grand rounds' presentation titled 'Medical and Psychological Care of Gender-Diverse Youth,' describing the process of sex-change interventions, from puberty blockers to cross-sex hormones to genital surgeries."
The presentation describes "puberty blockers" and "hormone therapy" as first steps in lifelong gender-identity "transition": "TCH and Baylor College of Medicine encouraged doctors to begin treatment with puberty blockers and hormones during adolescence, and then consider surgeries, including breast removal and genital reconstruction, in adulthood – though the presenters explained that some surgical procedures could be appropriate for “adolescents on [a] case-by-case basis.”
Earlier this month, Republican Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton announced he is opening an investigation into another medical center, Dell Children's Medical Center in Austin, Texas, "over its alleged performance of gender transition procedures on minors," as Daily Caller News Foundation reported.
Paxton's action stemmed from a Project Veritas undercover video from April in which a social worker from the center told an undercover PV reporter that it has patients “as young as 8" that have started "transitioning."
Rufo similarly called for an investigation of the TCH "gender affirmative care" procedures performed on youth and exposed by the whistleblower.
Responding to Rufo's article in the City Journal, where it was originally published Tuesday, "StoneRamon" wrote: "That this is happening in America is perfectly Orwellian and Naziesque at the same time. I'm reminded of Dr. Josef Mengele and his horrific experiments. ... Mutilating healthy adolescent bodies instead of treating adolescent confusion as a common and normal aspect of the transition to adulthood is a crime against humanity."
The Washington Examiner reports that the recently-leaked Pentagon documents reveal the extent to which the United States has penetrated Russian intelligence.
The documents were leaked on Twitter, Telegram, and other online sites on Friday.
The documents appear to be official U.S. classified documents, and the documents contain intelligence that the U.S. government has gathered on China, Ukraine, and others.
But, here, the focus is going to be on the leaks related to Russia - particularly to the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict.
The leaked documents, according to the Examiner, show that the U.S. has penetrated Russian intelligence to such an extent that the U.S. has been able to warn Ukraine about attacks that Russia was planning to launch before Russia launched them.
The Examiner reports:
The documents detail Russia’s weaknesses as it struggles to overcome Ukrainian forces in its 14-month invasion, indicating several compromises in the military’s communications. The documents show several instances in which U.S. intelligence agencies have been tipped off about Russian strikes, allowing the U.S. to warn Ukraine ahead of time.
In the same vein, U.S. intelligence has also gathered information about Ukraine, including about Ukraine's military weaknesses.
But, the Examiner reports that "the reports indicate that U.S. officials have a far deeper understanding of the Russian military than that of Ukraine."
Something also worth noting is that the reports indicate that the leaked documents do not appear to contain any information that would undermine Ukraine in its battle with Russia. The documents also do not contain information about how the United States went about obtaining this intelligence.
In recent weeks, documents like the ones detailed above, have been leaked online, leading to concerns among American officials.
According to military analysts, the leaked documents do appear to be genuine. But, analysts have indicated that, in some places, the leaked documents also appear to have been altered.
At the moment, the source of the leak remains unclear.
Some U.S. officials - and some Ukrainian officials - have suggested that, perhaps, Russia or a Russia-backed group leaked the documents. The officials have suggested that the leaks have all the hallmarks of a Russian disinformation campaign. But, this theory has not been confirmed.
An ongoing investigation into the leak is being led by the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD). The DOD told the Examiner:
The Department of Defense is actively reviewing the matter, and has made a formal referral to the Department of Justice for investigation.
The White House just issued a statement "affirming transgender kids" in honor of the "Transgender Day of Visibility."
Never heard of the "Transgender Day of Visibility?"
U.S. President Joe Biden, on Thursday, issued a proclamation establishing March 31, 2023, as the "Transgender Day of Visibility."
Biden, in his statement, went so far as to claim that "transgender Americans shape our Nation's soul" - an incredible statement considering that transgender individuals are estimated to make up far less than 1% of the entire U.S. population.
Biden, in his proclamation, wrote:
Transgender Day of Visibility celebrates the joy, strength, and absolute courage of some of the bravest people I know — people who have too often had to put their jobs, relationships, and lives on the line just to be their true selves. Today, we show millions of transgender and nonbinary Americans that we see them, they belong, and they should be treated with dignity and respect. Their courage has given countless others strength, but no one should have to be brave just to be themselves. Every American deserves that freedom.
That is only a small part of Biden's proclamation, which is eight substantial paragraphs long.
Biden, however, did not stop there.
Biden followed Thursday's proclamation with a substantially longer "fact sheet," titled, "White House Honors Transgender Day of Visibility."
This fact sheet appears to have two main goals: first, to criticize "conservative politicians [who] have advanced hundreds of anti-transgender laws," and, second, to demonstrate the ways that Biden and his administration are "uplifting transgender communities."
Biden, as part of this effort, signed an executive order "to advance equality for LGBTQI+ people, especially children and families."
Regarding children, in the fact sheet, Biden and the White House strongly come out in favor of "affirming transgender kids" - an idea that Republicans have firmly opposed. Referring to a new report from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), Biden claims, "there is conclusive scientific evidence that affirming a transgender or LGBTQI+ child’s identity is vital to protecting their mental health."
Biden, in the fact sheet, also made it clear that the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) will look to use its resources to "intervene legally when states violate the rights of transgender youth and their families."
The efforts that Biden and his administration are taking toward advancing transgenderism - including "affirming transgender kids" - are expansive, to say the least - just take a look at the fact sheet.
One can't help but think that if Biden and his administration put even half as much energy into the major problems that America is facing the country wouldn't be in such bad shape.
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
An award-winning Christian music artist who has performed with the likes of Michael W. Smith and Toby Keith has put a new anthem online – and it's blown past 1 million views in just two weeks.
It also delivers a blunt, no-nonsense message to the nation as the 2024 presidential election approaches.
In that race, President Donald Trump already is a candidate, while the incumbent Democrat, Joe Biden, continues to pursue his agenda points of abortion for all and body-mutilating transgender surgeries for children.
But Natasha Owens' anthem declares: "Trump Won, and You Know It."
A commentary at the Gateway Pundit points out, though, that the FBI is "perplexed on how to retaliate."
"Natasha’s latest release highlights the popular belief that the 2020 election was stolen and Joe Biden is an imposter. Natasha mixed her belief with a catchy tune. You will love it," the report explained. "It is not clear yet how the FBI and deep state will react to Natasha’s forbidden speech. Surely they are holding meetings and paying social media to clamp down on such heresy."
Publicist Brian Mayes explained, in the Gateway Pundit report, that "Owens is doubling down with her boldest political anthem to date, 'Trump Won.' Quietly released on Youtube and Rumble with no announcement or fanfare, the video has received over 950,000 views within the first 2 weeks and continues to grow in view counts each day."
Actually, the number was approaching 1.2 million heading into this weekend.
In the statement, Owens said, "Everyone I know was so excited to have 4 more years of President Trump’s America First Agenda. Thousands of people filled stadiums for President Trump while no one was showing up for the Joe Biden rallies. We all stayed up watching the election and we were so hopeful.
"But we all woke up to unexplainable events that happened overnight. In the months and years that followed, there wasn’t much that was investigated and wrongs were not righted. Every time the topic came up people would say, 'You know Trump won' and 'Everyone knows it'. When the film '2,000 Mules' debuted I went to watch it. There was so much proof in that 2-hour documentary that Trump won. It just seemed that people were afraid to say it publicly. So I decided, it’s time for someone to sing about what is not talked about. Trump Won and You Know It."
The artist's most recent album is called "American Patriot," which combines a love of country with themes of faith and family.
Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) has revealed the extent of potential criminal evidence against Hunter Biden that has been shared with Congress.
The senator disclosed to Attorney General Merrick Garland that lawfully protected whistleblower disclosures to his office indicate that the Justice Department and FBI had over a dozen sources who provided potentially criminal information relating to Hunter Biden, according to The Daily Caller.
Grassley said that the alleged volume and similarity of the information would demand that the Justice Department investigate the truth and accuracy of the information.
He also asked Garland what steps the Justice Department has taken to determine the truth and accuracy of the information given to Grassley’s team.
Grassley made the disclosure during a hearing with Garland held by the Senate Judiciary Committee after asking hypothetical questions about protections for whistleblowers who match the description of the people who came forward to his office.
The senator asked Garland what steps the Justice Department has taken to determine the truth and accuracy of the information given to Grassley’s team. Garland largely refused to give detailed answers about the active investigation into President Joe Biden’s adult son, deferring to Delaware’s U.S. Attorney David Weiss.
The attorney general said any information about Hunter Biden should have gone to Weiss and the “FBI squad” assisting him.
He insisted that if Weiss needed to go to another jurisdiction to bring a case, he would “assure” that the U.S. attorney would be able to do so.
While Hunter Biden has said he expects to be cleared of wrongdoing, Republicans have raised concerns about influence peddling, particularly regarding his Chinese business dealings and access to areas where classified documents have been located.
Hunter Biden, 53, is under federal investigation for possible tax fraud, illegal foreign lobbying, money laundering, and lying about his drug use on a gun-purchase form.
Investigators reportedly believe they have enough evidence to charge him with tax crimes and lying on the gun form. Hunter and his uncle, first brother James Biden, have a history of seeking business in countries where Joe Biden holds sway over US policy, such as China, Russia, Mexico, and Ukraine, creating conflicts of interest and corruption concerns.
Grassley later cast doubt on Garland’s claims that the probe by Weiss — one of the few still-serving US attorneys appointed by President Donald Trump — was truly independent.
Grassley asked if Weiss, the US attorney in Delaware, sought permission from another US Attorney’s Office, such as in the District of Columbia or California, to bring charges. Garland didn't know the answer to that but insisted that Weiss has been told that he is not to be denied anything that he needs.
Hunter Biden reportedly still owns a 10% stake in BHR Partners, which manages $2.1 billion in assets. The company has “unique mixed ownership,” which combines the resources and platforms of China’s largest financial institutions, and the networks and know-how of the US-based investment fund and advisory firm shareholders. In 2016, BHR Partners facilitated a deal in which a Chinese firm bought a Congolese cobalt mine from US and Canadian companies.