Republicans in Montana have taken a strong stand against drag queens reading books to children, banning the practice at libraries and schools.
Republican governor Greg Gianforte signed Montana HB 359 on Monday; over half of the state legislature cosponsored the bill, which bars minors from attending sexually oriented shows.
“A school or library that receives any form of funding from the state may not allow a sexually oriented performance or drag story hour &#8230; on its premises during regular operating hours or at any school-sanctioned extracurricular activity,” the bill <a href="https://leg.mt.gov/bills/2023/billhtml/HB0359.htm" target="_blank" rel="noopener">states</a>, adding that a minor who attended such a performance “may bring an action against a person who knowingly promotes, conducts, or participates as a performer in the performance. The minor&#8217;s parent or legal guardian may bring an action in the name of the minor for an action commenced under this section.”
“In my humble opinion, there&#8217;s no such thing as a ‘family-friendly’ drag show,” the bill&#8217;s sponsor, Republican Rep. Braxton Mitchell, <a href="https://montanafreepress.org/2023/02/23/montana-republicans-advance-drag-ban-for-public-spaces-near-minors/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> in April, adding that he sponsored the bill “because drag shows in recent years have been specifically aimed at children.” He also stated that drag queens reading to children were part of a “sick agenda” and drag shows were “damaging to a child’s psychology and general welfare.”
In signing the bill, Gianforte commented that he believed it was “wildly inappropriate for little kids, especially preschoolers and kids in elementary school, to be exposed to sexualized content.”
The bill passed the Republican-controlled House in a 66-33 vote in February. Democrat Minority Leader Kim Abbott <a href="https://nbcmontana.com/news/local/drag-ban-bill-for-public-places-schools-and-libraries-moves-through-legislature" target="_blank" rel="noopener">declared</a>, “I’m going to object today every time we’re equating a drag performance to sexualizing children. And I just want the body to know that we can do it all day long.”
Democrats attempted to amend the bill and replace references to “drag” with “adult-oriented performance.”  Mitchell said the Democrats’ amendment “completely derails the intent of the legislation” while pushing for the motion to be defeated, which it was in a 58-42 vote.
Drag queens reading at libraries has been pushed for years; as far back as 2016 San Francisco-based <a href="http://www.radarproductions.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">RADAR Productions</a> and New York-based <a href="http://www.feministpress.org/drag-queen-story-hour/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Feminist Press</a> teamed up to bring “Drag Queen Story Hour” to life.
 “DQSH captures the imagination and play of the gender fluidity in childhood and gives kids glamorous, positive, and unabashedly queer role models,” explained the campaign&#8217;s YouTube promotional video. “In spaces like this, kids are able to see people who defy rigid gender restrictions and imagine a world where people can present as they wish, and where dress-up is real.”

Missoula Montana Public Library

Montana Bans Drag Queens Reading To Kids At Libraries, Schools

Drag Queen story hour

Greg Gianforte

Montana

U.S.

Montana GOP Governor Greg Gianforte discussed his decision to sign legislation banning China&#8217;s <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/tiktok" target="_blank" rel="noopener">TikTok</a> app, saying that the communist regime uses it to steal the data of American citizens and use it for &#8220;nefarious purposes.&#8221;
&#8220;I would first say the ability of the Chinese communist government to use TikTok to spy on Americans is well documented,&#8221; he told Fox News host John Roberts. &#8220;That&#8217;s why I&#8217;m pleased that we&#8217;ve banned the application here in Montana. I wish the bill actually was broader. I would have liked to have picked up other social media apps that [are] owned by foreign adversaries. But this is a good step in the right direction.&#8221;
Gianforte slammed the leftist American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) for claiming that the bill was too broad and that his government could not impose a total ban.
&#8220;Well, they&#8217;re just wrong,&#8221; he responded. &#8220;The Montana Constitution has a very broad protection for individual privacy. And TikTok violates that. And this is why we&#8217;ve banned it here. I mean, spying on Americans, enough is enough. We&#8217;re not going to let foreign adversaries surveil the people of Montana.&#8221;
He said that he welcomes the ACLU&#8217;s attempts to challenge in court because his administration has already considered all the ways that this could play out and believes that they will be victorious.
&#8220;The issue with TikTok and these other applications owned by foreign adversaries is they&#8217;re able to steal data about Americans and ship it back for nefarious purposes,&#8221; he said. &#8220;It&#8217;s not what the app does. It&#8217;s where the personal data goes. This is a national security issue. It&#8217;s a violation of the Montana privacy clause in our Constitution. And we&#8217;re pleased that we&#8217;re the first state in the country to outright ban the application.&#8221;
&#8220;Again, I wish it was broader. I wish it picked up, though, the Russian apps and the other Chinese apps,&#8221; he continued. &#8220;We just ran out of time in our legislature to get that done.&#8221;
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WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Montana Gov Greg Gianforte (R): &quot;I would first say the ability of the Chinese communist government to use Tik Tok to spy on Americans is well documented. That&#39;s why I&#39;m pleased that we&#39;ve banned the application here in Montana. I wish the bill actually was broader. I would have… <a href="https://t.co/kY19qfd6nC">pic.twitter.com/kY19qfd6nC</a>
&mdash; Jason Rantz on KTTH Radio (@jasonrantz) <a href="https://twitter.com/jasonrantz/status/1659348059078430720?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 18, 2023</a></blockquote>
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Ceremony In Montana Honors Airmen Who Died In Crash Almost 60 Years Ago

Montana Governor Gianforte On Banning TikTok: They’re ‘Spying On Americans, Enough Is Enough’

Montana Governor Gianforte On Banning TikTok: They're 'Spying On Americans, Enough Is Enough'

Big Tech

Chinese Communist Party

TikTok

<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/montana" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Montana</a> has become the first state to completely ban <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/tiktok" target="_blank" rel="noopener">TikTok</a> after Republican Governor <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/greg-gianforte" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Greg Gianforte</a> signed a bill into law on Thursday. 
The law prohibits app stores from making TikTok available for download in the state. It comes as state lawmakers accused <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/china" target="_blank" rel="noopener">China</a> of using the social media app to spy on Americans and steal their data. 
“The Chinese Communist Party using TikTok to spy on Americans, violate their privacy, and collect their personal, private, and sensitive information is well-documented,” Gianforte <a href="https://news.mt.gov/Governors-Office/Governor_Gianforte_Bans_TikTok_in_Montana" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>. “Today, Montana takes the most decisive action of any state to protect Montanans’ private data and sensitive personal information from being harvested by the Chinese Communist Party.”
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To protect Montanans’ personal and private data from the Chinese Communist Party, I have banned TikTok in Montana.
&mdash; Governor Greg Gianforte (@GovGianforte) <a href="https://twitter.com/GovGianforte/status/1658948119285964802?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 17, 2023</a></blockquote>
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The bill was sponsored by Republican state Sen. Shelley Vance, who <a href="https://www.kbzk.com/news/local-news/supporters-of-tiktok-ban-in-montana-say-threats-outweigh-benefits" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said that</a> TikTok was “a major threat to our national security.” TikTok is owned by ByteDance, a Chinese company, and has been accused of allowing the communist country access to data on Americans. 
Entities, including TikTok or an app store, <a href="https://leg.mt.gov/bills/2023/billhtml/SB0419.htm" target="_blank" rel="noopener">could be fined</a> $10,000 every time someone accesses the app in the state or downloads it. Penalties will be enforced by the Montana Department of Justice. 
“I appreciate Attorney General [Austin] Knudsen and Senator Vance for their partnership on this important measure and for advancing our shared priority to protect Montanans from Chinese Communist Party surveillance,” Gianforte said. 
Jamal Brown, a spokesman for TikTok who previously worked in the Biden administration, <a href="https://apnews.com/article/tiktok-ban-montana-china-data-chinese-government-71143a3a87c9a0b692d927f72b6fec70" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> more than 200,000 people and 6,000 businesses use the app in Montana, which has a population of about 1.1 million people. 
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The law is expected to face legal challenges, including from some free speech groups. 
“We want to reassure Montanans that they can continue using TikTok to express themselves, earn a living, and find community as we continue working to defend the rights of our users inside and outside of Montana,” TikTok spokesperson Brooke Oberwetter said. 
The Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/stand-up-to-china-republicans-press-biden-to-take-enforcement-action-against-tiktok" target="_blank" rel="noopener">has concluded</a> that TikTok poses meaningful national security risks.
CFIUS, a board composed of nine cabinet-level officials who weigh the national security implications of international investments, ordered ByteDance in March to <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/united-states-orders-chinese-company-behind-tiktok-to-sell-the-platform-or-face-nationwide-ban" target="_blank" rel="noopener">sell</a> the platform or face a nationwide ban. The agency initially concluded after a national security review in 2020 that TikTok could “impair the national security of the United States,” a revelation that nearly <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/breaking-trump-says-he-will-take-action-to-ban-chinese-owned-app-tiktok-from-u-s" target="_blank" rel="noopener">prompted</a> former President Donald Trump to ban the platform via executive order.

Montana Becomes First State To Completely Ban TikTok After National Security, Privacy Concerns

China

Communist China

General

<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/montana" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Montana</a> became the latest state to ban sex-change procedures on minors after Republican Governor <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/greg-gianforte" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Greg Gianforte</a> signed a bill into law on Friday, protecting children from the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/transgender-surgery" target="_blank" rel="noopener">life-altering treatments</a>.
Gianforte <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/04/28/us/montana-trans-gianforte.html#:~:text=—%20The%20Republican%20governor%20of%20Montana,the%20beginning%20of%20the%20year." target="_blank" rel="noopener">signed</a> Senate Bill 99, known as the “Youth Health Protection Act,” after previously sending it back to the legislature for amendments. The bill bans surgeries, like elective double mastectomies on girls who identify as boys and prohibits puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones for children.
“He [Gianforte] is committed to protecting Montana’s children from invasive medical treatments that can permanently alter their healthy, developing bodies,” Kaitlin Price, a spokeswoman for Gianforte, said in an email to The New York Times.
In a <a href="https://dailymontanan.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Senate-Bill-99-Amendatory-Veto-Letter.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">letter</a> to Montana Republican Senate and House leaders, Gianforte explained why he supported the bill. He said that the bill “focuses on so-called gender-affirming medical care for children. ‘Gender affirming care’ for children is Orwellian Newspeak, a seemingly innocuous, even solicitous phrase that masks its true nature of permanent, invasive, life-altering medical and surgical procedures, performed on children whose young minds and bodies are still developing.”
During the previous debate on the bill, Sen. John Fuller, who sponsored the bill, <a href="https://www.mtpr.org/montana-news/2023-02-08/after-a-heated-debate-state-senate-advances-a-ban-on-gender-affirming-care" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> that “no serious state would promote the destruction of its own children. We must protect Montanans.”
The bill, which was supported by Republicans, was widely opposed by Democrats. “I’m very disappointed it’s becoming law,” said House Democrat leader Kim Abbott. “It is very damaging policy. It impacts families and communities who are trying to obtain medically necessary care.”
Left-wing groups, like the ACLU of Montana, are already promising legal action against the bill.
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Gianforte’s signing follows the Montana House voting to <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/montana-house-votes-to-punish-transgender-member-who-said-colleagues-have-blood-on-your-hands" target="_blank" rel="noopener">censure a transgender-identifying</a> lawmaker who told colleagues who supported SB 99 that they have “<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/blood-on-your-hands-trans-lawmaker-lashes-out-during-hearing-on-bill-banning-trans-surgeries-for-children" target="_blank" rel="noopener">blood on your hands</a>.”
State Rep. Zooey Zephyr (D-Missoula), a man who identifies as a woman, was barred from attending or speaking at floor sessions, but will be allowed to vote remotely for the remainder of the session, which is set to end next week.
Following the vote, which came in along party lines, Zephyr blasted the “undemocratic decision” by the Republican majority.
Montana joins a number of other Republican-led states, including Iowa, Tennessee, and Mississippi in banning transgender procedures for children.

Montana GOP Rep. Greg Gianforte Advocates For Yellowstone Gateway Protection Act

Montana Governor Signs ‘Youth Health Protection Act,’ Bans Trans Procedures For Kids

Montana Governor Signs 'Youth Health Protection Act,' Bans Trans Procedures For Kids

Health

Politics

Transgender

transgender surgery

Nearly two dozen Republican governors slammed a massive spending bill that Democrats are trying to ram through the U.S. Senate in a statement Thursday, saying that the bill will worsen inflation.
The statement comes as Senate Democrats rush to make last minute changes to a massive $740 billion spending bill that they will try to pass before the August recess by using the reconciliation process because the bill lacks bipartisan support.
&#8220;The Democrats’ solution to 40-year high inflation is passing another reckless tax and spending spree to the tune of $740 billion, affecting Americans in every tax bracket,&#8221; the statement said. &#8220;While denying recession, Democrats want to raise taxes on businesses and manufacturers, which will force higher costs onto consumers, worsen inflation, and aggravate shortages.&#8221;
&#8220;With sky high prices at the pump, the last thing Americans need is for Democrats to punish energy producers, which will ultimately hurt working families struggling to pay for gas, goods, food, and utilities,&#8221; the statement continued. &#8220;Our citizens cannot afford Joe Biden’s broken promises on taxes and Democrats’ inflationary spending that will only exacerbate the economic crisis they created.”
Governors Henry McMaster (R-SC) and Brian Kemp (R-GA) led the 22 Republican governors in issuing the joint statement.
The other Republican governors who signed onto the statement included Ron DeSantis (R-FL), Doug Ducey (R-AZ), Asa Hutchinson (R-AR), Brad Little (R-ID), Kim Reynolds (R-IA), Tate Reeves (R-MS), Mike Parson (R-MO), Greg Gianforte (R-MT), Pete Ricketts (R-NE), Kristi Noem (R-SD), Bill Lee (R-TN), Greg Abbott (R-TX), Mark Gordon (R-WY), Chris Sununu (R-NH), Kevin Stitt (R-OK), Doug Burgum (R-ND), Kay Ivey (R-AL), Spencer Cox (R-UT), Glenn Youngkin (R-VA), and Eric Holcomb (R-IN).
The statement from the governors comes after the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/rogan-slams-democrats-for-trying-to-claim-economy-is-not-in-a-recession-what-a-bunch-of-weasels">released</a> data last week showing that the U.S. economy shrank for the second straight quarter, satisfying the traditional requirement of a recession.
The Biden administration has downplayed the poor economic news by claiming that the economy is transitioning out of a fast-paced, post-pandemic recovery to a more stable environment. The White House’s claims come as Americans continue to be battered by inflation, which measured over 9% in June.
Tim Pearce contributed to this report.

Sen. Lindsey Graham Holds Election Night Watch Party In Columbia

22 Republican Governors Blast Democrats’ Spending Bill, Warn About Impact On Inflation

Asa Hutchinson

Bill Lee

Brian Kemp

Doug Ducey

Glenn Youngkin

Greg Abbott

Joe Biden

Kristi Noem

Ron DeSantis

Five Republican governors have agreed that they are not going to accept the $300 per week enhanced unemployment benefits offered by the federal government, saying it disincentivized workers from going back to work.
“The move to reject the extra money comes as new expert analyses show those who made $32,000 before COVID-19 hit are now making more in benefits staying at home and collecting than if they were to go back to work,&#8221; the <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9566303/Residents-five-GOP-states-LOSE-enhanced-unemployment-Republican-governors-refused-it.html">Daily Mail</a> noted. &#8220;The average U.S. salary for an individual in 2019 was $31,133. This means the average Americans could earn more money in coronavirus-era benefits instead of going back to work.&#8221;
Governors Kay Ivey of Alabama, Asa Hutchinson in Arkansas, Tate Reeves in Mississippi, Greg Gianforte in Montana, and Henry McMaster in South Carolina have stated in the past week their intention to refuse the benefits.
McMaster told Fox News on Monday:
<blockquote>This is about as close to socialism that I&#8217;ve seen. We&#8217;ve got help-wanted signs up everywhere, we get calls and letters, and texts from all sorts of businesses all across the state looking for people to work. People won&#8217;t come to work because they&#8217;re getting as much money or more in some cases by staying home. It’s a counterproductive policy and I&#8217;m afraid what the Biden administration is doing is that they&#8217;re telling everybody that the virus is still rampant and still in great danger. Everybody has to stay home. That&#8217;s not true. Go get a job, get back to work. That&#8217;s how you build an economy and a family and everything else. The Biden proposals are totally underproductive, killing incentive, and it puts us right on the road to socialism. We&#8217;ve got to stand up and fight against this.</blockquote>
He <a href="https://governor.sc.gov/news/2021-05/south-carolina-return-pre-pandemic-unemployment-program-address-workforce-shortages">wrote</a> South Carolina’s Department of Employment and Workforce (DEW), “South Carolina&#8217;s businesses have borne the brunt of the financial impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Those businesses that have survived — both large and small, and including those in the hospitality, tourism, manufacturing, and healthcare sectors — now face an unprecedented labor shortage.”
South Carolina&#8217;s unemployment rate in March 2021 was 5.1 percent, down 8 points from April 2020, the Daily Mail pointed out.
McMaster tweeted, “We are currently facing a labor shortage created in large part by the supplemental unemployment payments that the federal government provides. Since the Biden Admin and Congress appear to have no comprehension of the damage being done the State of South Carolina must take action.”
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We are currently facing a labor shortage created in large part by the supplemental unemployment payments that the federal government provides. Since the Biden Admin and Congress appear to have no comprehension of the damage being done the State of South Carolina must take action.
&mdash; Gov. Henry McMaster (@henrymcmaster) <a href="https://twitter.com/henrymcmaster/status/1390395431197233153?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 6, 2021</a></blockquote>
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Reeves issued a statement on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/tatereeves">Facebook</a>, saying, “After many conversations over the last several weeks with Mississippi small business owners and their employees, it has become clear that the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) and other like programs passed by the Congress may have been necessary in May of last year but are no longer so in May of this year.”
He added on Twitter, “It has become clear to me that we cannot have a full economic recovery until we get the thousands of available jobs in our state filled.”
Hutchinson told CNN’s “New Day,” “The extra compensation was very helpful during the dark days of the pandemic when unemployment rates were so high. But now our economy has come back, we have jobs aplenty, we have employers that are begging workers to come to their place of business. We cannot pay extra compensations for workers to stay home – we need them in the place of employment. If they need assistance in finding a job, we&#8217;ll provide that to them. If they did child care assistance we have more than ample resources to assist in that, as well. People of Arkansas want to work, but we found that that enhanced benefits was simply an impediment.”
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&quot;The extra compensation was very helpful during the dark days of the pandemic when unemployment rates were so high. But now &#8230; we have jobs aplenty,&quot; Gov. Asa Hutchinson says about his decision to end pandemic jobless aid in his state. &quot;We cannot pay &#8230; workers to stay home.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/undhfHUZmy">pic.twitter.com/undhfHUZmy</a>
&mdash; New Day (@NewDay) <a href="https://twitter.com/NewDay/status/1392082492748873731?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 11, 2021</a></blockquote>
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Ivey’s <a href="https://governor.alabama.gov/newsroom/2021/05/governor-kay-ivey-announces-end-of-participation-in-all-federal-pandemic-unemployment-compensation-programs/">statement</a>: “As Alabama&#8217;s economy continues its recovery, we are hearing from more and more business owners and employers that it is increasingly difficult to find workers to fill available jobs, even though job openings are abundant. Among other factors, increased unemployment assistance, which was meant to be a short-term relief program during emergency related shutdowns, is now contributing to a labor shortage that is compromising the continuation of our economic recovery. Our Department of Labor is reporting that there are more available jobs now than prior to the pandemic. Jobs are out there.”

Closeup of man hand showing thumbs down

‘This Is About As Close To Socialism That I’ve Seen’: 5 GOP Governors Reject Biden’s Increased Unemployment Benefits

Kay Ivey

Tate Reeves

Unemployment

Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte (R) signed legislation banning so-called sanctuary cities for illegal immigrants within his state on Wednesday.
The move is largely symbolic since Montana does not have any sanctuary cities, though it is representative of state GOP executives pushing back as President Joe Biden and a Democratic Congress continue to push progressive reforms. Former Montana Gov. Steve Bullock, a Democrat, vetoed similar legislation in 2019.
“We are a nation of laws, and immigration laws will be enforced in Montana,” Gianforte said in a statement, according to <a href="https://helenair.com/news/state-and-regional/govt-and-politics/gianforte-signs-bill-banning-sanctuary-cities-in-montana/article_876dfd3e-71e2-5ad4-ab0b-caace2098173.html">The Associated Press</a>.
The bill bars state and local police from refusing to comply with federal law or work with Immigration and Customs Officials to apprehend and deport illegal immigrants. The law also grants authority to Montana’s attorney general to pursue legal action against cities and localities that do not comply.
Florida GOP Gov. <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/desantis-follows-through-will-sign-bill-today-hank-berrien">Ron DeSantis</a> signed similar legislation into law in his state in 2019.
“This is about the rule of law,” DeSantis <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/florida-gov-ron-desantis-signs-sanctuary-city-ban-11560536897">said</a> at a signing ceremony for the legislation at the time. “It’s also about public safety.”
Sanctuary city policies have led to city officials at times protecting violent criminals from federal authorities, helping those criminals avoid deportation and giving them the chance to commit more violent acts. Such a case appeared to unfold in Chicago in February when a convicted felon allegedly sexually assaulted a toddler. As <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/chicago-mayor-defends-sanctuary-city-policy-after-ice-says-man-accused-of-raping-toddler-was-previously-deported">The Daily Wire</a> reported:
<blockquote>Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot is on the defensive this weekend after Immigrations and Customs Enforcement announced that a convicted felon, now facing charges of sexually assaulting a toddler in a downtown Chicago McDonalds bathroom, was supposed to have been turned over to ICE and deported — and had been deported before.
“ICE said in a news release Thursday [Christopher] Puente was placed into Chicago police custody in June of 2019 after he was arrested for theft,” according to a Chicago ABC affiliate. “According to ICE, Chicago police were expected to hold Puente until he could be taken into their custody, as Puente was expected to be deported.”
Because Chicago is a so-called “Sanctuary City” and has lenient bail policies, Puente was released back into the community.
Puente is now charged with raping a 3-year-old girl in the bathroom of Chicago’s landmark “Rock &amp; Roll McDonalds,” a major tourist destination just north of the city’s downtown, and just west of its “Magnificent Mile” shopping district. Puente allegedly lured the girl away from her father, who was attending to the girl’s brother inside a bathroom stall. Puente, police say, dragged the girl into his stall, locked the door, molested and assaulted her. The girl’s father, alerted by her screams, rescued her, but could not catch Puente, CPD says, who bolted from the bathroom and out the door of the McDonalds, into the street.</blockquote>
Before losing election in November, former President Donald Trump implemented a policy to restrict sanctuary cities’ access to federal funds until local officials begin to comply with ICE requests. The Biden administration has rolled back the policy and <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-court-immigration/biden-seeks-dismissal-of-sanctuary-funding-dispute-at-supreme-court-idUSKCN2AW2WN">requested</a> that legal challenges to it be dropped.

Montana Bans Sanctuary Cities For Illegal Immigrants

Sanctuary Cities

President Donald Trump prompted cheers from a crowd at a rally in Montana on Thursday night when he touted body-slamming Rep. Greg Gianforte (R-MT), saying, &#8220;Any guy that can do a bodyslam, he&#8217;s my kind of guy.&#8221;
&#8220;Let me just say on behalf of all of Montana, Mr. President, thank you for giving us hope again,&#8221; Gianforte said, while at a rally in Missoula, Montana.
After shaking his hand and walking back up to the podium, Trump told the crowd: &#8220;Never wrestle him.&#8221;
Trump&#8217;s comment was a reference to when Gianforte body-slammed a reporter in 2017 who got up in his face.
&#8220;You understand that, never.&#8221; Trump continued. &#8220;Any guy that can do a bodyslam, he&#8217;s my kind of guy.&#8221;
WATCH:
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Here&#8217;s the video of Trump on Greg Gianforte body slamming Ben Jacobs: &#8220;Any guy that can do a body slam, he&#8217;s my kind of guy.&#8221; <a href="https://t.co/8tWxLXE6Jx">pic.twitter.com/8tWxLXE6Jx</a>
&#8212; Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) <a href="https://twitter.com/kylegriffin1/status/1053096071231164416?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 19, 2018</a></blockquote>
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Trump has a history of making jokes out of body-slamming the media:
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<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/FraudNewsCNN?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#FraudNewsCNN</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/FNN?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#FNN</a> <a href="https://t.co/WYUnHjjUjg">pic.twitter.com/WYUnHjjUjg</a>
&#8212; Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/881503147168071680?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 2, 2017</a></blockquote>
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Trump Touts ‘Body Slamming’ Montana Politician, Crowd Erupts

Donald Trump

Trump Administration

On Monday, Montana representative-elect Greg Gianforte pleaded guilty to a charge of misdemeanor assault for body-slamming Ben Jacobs, a reporter for The Guardian, the night before Gianforte was elected to the U.S. House. Gianforte <a href="http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2017/06/12/532613316/montanas-gianforte-pleads-guilty-wont-serve-jail-time-in-assault-on-journalist">will not serve jail time</a>; he was given a six-month deferred sentence.
Whitney Bermes of the Bozeman Daily Chronicle reported that the judge <a href="https://twitter.com/wabermes/status/874302131578208258">initially gave Gianforte</a> four days in jail, but after consultation with prosecution and defense lawyers, the judge <a href="https://twitter.com/wabermes/status/874303710138073088">changed the sentence.</a>
Bermes added later:
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BREAKING: West changes sentence. NO jail time for Gianforte. But has to do 40 hours of community service, 20 hours anger management. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/mtpol?src=hash">#mtpol</a>
&#8212; Whitney Bermes (@wabermes) <a href="https://twitter.com/wabermes/status/874303710138073088">June 12, 2017</a></blockquote>
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The maximum penalty for misdemeanor assault in Montana is a $500 fine and six months in jail.
The case arose on May 24, as Gianforte was about to do a television interview. Jacobs asked him a question about<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/may/24/greg-gianforte-bodyslams-reporter-ben-jacobs-montana"> congressional Republicans&#8217; health care plan</a> when Gianforte body-slammed him, breaking Jacobs&#8217; glasses. The incident was confirmed by three Fox reporters. Gianforte later apologized publicly and promised a donation of $50,000 to the Committee to Protect Journalists if Jacobs eschewed filing a lawsuit.
<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/jun/12/ben-jacobs-greg-gianforte-sentence-free-press">Jacobs told the court </a>he hoped the sentencing would send a message about the &#8220;important role of the free press and the need to help heal our political system &#8230; While I have no doubt that actions like these were an aberration for Congressman-elect Gianforte personally, I worry that, in the context of our political debate, they have become increasingly common. In recent years, our discourse has grown increasingly rancorous and increasingly vile. This needs to stop.&#8221;

Gianforte Pleads Guilty: No Jail Time

Jail

In 2013, the Left went nuts over a rodeo clown.
The rodeo clown was performing at the Missouri State Fair, and he had the awful temerity to wear a mask of then-President Obama. &#8220;We&#8217;re going to stomp Obama now,&#8221; said an announcer. &#8220;Hey, I know I&#8217;m a clown,&#8221; the rodeo clown replied. &#8220;He&#8217;s just running around acting like one. Doesn&#8217;t know he is one.&#8221; The media quoted a bystander who compared the act to a Ku Klux Klan rally. The lieutenant governor of the state condemned the act, as did one of the senators. The rodeo clown was fired, even though he&#8217;d dressed up as other presidents in the past.
Fast-forward four years.
On Tuesday, TMZ posted photos of comedienne Kathy Griffin, who has helped host CNN&#8217;s New Year&#8217;s Eve coverage for a decade, holding a mock-up of President Trump&#8217;s severed head covered in blood. Griffin has a long record of anti-Trump sentiment, of course; in February, she told MSNBC&#8217;s Chris Matthews: &#8220;I&#8217;m a big resister, and I don&#8217;t believe in compromise with this president. I also think he&#8217;s crazy. I think he&#8217;s mentally ill. He&#8217;s also an idiot.&#8221; But this photo shoot crossed a rather obvious line &#8212; it celebrated Trump&#8217;s prospective murder. Imagine if anyone on the Right had done something similar with Obama. The outcry would have been deafening.
Yet the same people who ask for trigger warnings for material that might offend anyone; the same people who believe that there is a &#8220;rape culture&#8221; that pervades America; the same people who say that President Trump has incentivized a culture of political violence across the land; are largely silent about Griffin&#8217;s antics. Why? Because political violence is no longer taboo in the United States. It&#8217;s just another tactic to utilize when useful and denigrate when others engage in it.
That sentiment expresses itself on both sides of the political aisle. When Montana House candidate Greg Gianforte allegedly body-slammed a reporter, prominent conservatives including talk-show host Laura Ingraham demeaned his victim as a wuss and championed Gianforte as a sort of stalwart man&#8217;s man. When leftists attacked Trump rallies during the 2016 election cycle, the media attempted to paint them as defenders of the common good against Trump himself.
The overused phrase &#8220;cycle of violence&#8221; is often used by the press to refer to situations in which an aggressor acts violently and somebody defends him. But we&#8217;ve entered an actual cycle in violent political rhetoric, whereby the vileness of the Left provokes a direct response from the Right, and vice versa.
And it&#8217;s getting worse.
If you spend all day proclaiming that you&#8217;re in a &#8220;civil war&#8221; with other Americans, that you&#8217;re part of the &#8220;resistance,&#8221; it&#8217;s only a matter of time until you become willing to look the other way at violence itself. If Americans aren&#8217;t your brothers and sisters, if we disagree, then they will quickly become your enemies. Kathy Griffin may think it&#8217;s hilarious to hold up a bloody head of the president of the United States, but she&#8217;s tearing away at the social fabric far more than President Trump. And those who back her play are helping to provoke their enemies to respond in kind.
COPYRIGHT CREATORS 2017

How America Lost Its Head

Kathy Griffin

After his victory on Thursday in the election for the Montana House seat vacated by the appointment of Ryan Zinke as Secretary of the Interior, Greg Gianforte told a crowd in Bozeman that he wanted to apologize for his alleged assault of The Guardian&#8217;s Ben Jacobs, the Fox News team that witnessed his assault, and the voters.
Gianforte began, &#8220;I need to share something from my heart here, and I ask you to just bear with me. When you make a mistake, you have to own up to it. That&#8217;s the Montana way.&#8221;
That elicited calls of &#8220;Amen, brother,&#8221; and &#8220;Hear, hear.&#8221;
Gianforte continued, &#8220;Last night, I made a mistake, and I took an action that I can&#8217;t take back. And I&#8217;m not proud of what happened. I should not have responded in the way that I did and for that, I am sorry.&#8221;
Someone in the audience yelled, &#8220;And you are forgiven,&#8221; promoting cheers.
Gianforte added, &#8220;I should not have treated that reporter that way and for that, I&#8217;m sorry, Mr. Ben Jacobs.&#8221; After more applause, Gianforte stated, &#8220;I also want to apologize to the Fox News team that was there and I&#8217;m sorry to each one of you that we had to go through this. That&#8217;s not the person that I am, and that&#8217;s not the way I&#8217;ll lead in this state.&#8221;
RNC chair Ronna Romney McDaniel released a<a href="http://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/335254-rnc-chief-gianforte-right-to-apologize"> statement</a> calling Gianforte&#8217;s apology &#8220;a good first step toward redemption.&#8221; She stated, &#8220;Congressman-elect Greg Gianforte was right to apologize for his actions in Wednesday&#8217;s statement. Tonight&#8217;s apology was a good first step toward redemption and I hope Gianforte continues to work toward righting his wrong.&#8221; She said Montana voters &#8220;chose to send a conservative to Washington &#8230; Once again, voters responded to President Trump&#8217;s call to protect the hard work this administration has done to reform a burdensome tax code, cut onerous regulations and relieve hardworking taxpayers across the country from the rising costs of ObamaCare.&#8221;
Gianforte must appear in court for his misdemeanor summons on June 7; he could be sentenced to jail time but will probably be fined, as the incident was his first offense.
Video of apology below:
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Greg Gianforte wins Montana special election, apologizes to reporter one day after being charged with assault. <a href="https://t.co/HO9ZbNqYaH">https://t.co/HO9ZbNqYaH</a> <a href="https://t.co/QFEkstC8az">pic.twitter.com/QFEkstC8az</a>
&#8212; ABC News (@ABC) <a href="https://twitter.com/ABC/status/868048571861319680">May 26, 2017</a></blockquote>
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Gianforte Apologizes For Attacking Reporter After Big Congressional Win

MSNBC&#8217;s Sally Kohn, attempting to take advantage of the alleged body-slam of a reporter committed by Greg Gianforte, who was elected Thursday night in Montana to fill the seat left vacated by Ryan Zinke&#8217;s appointment as Secretary of the Interior, mocked Republicans in the state for refusing to abandon voting for Gianforte. That left her wide-open for getting body-slammed herself by Daily Wire Editor-in-Chief Ben Shapiro.
Kohn&#8217;s comment came in response to this tweet:
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At polling place in Bozeman, haven&#8217;t found anyone yet who changed their mind bc of last night&#8217;s events. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/MTAL?src=hash">#MTAL</a>
&#8212; Alexis Levinson (@alexis_levinson) <a href="https://twitter.com/alexis_levinson/status/867849890919055360">May 25, 2017</a></blockquote>
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Kohn, eager to show how tolerant Republicans were regarding aberrant behavior, responded:
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&#8216;Merica <a href="https://t.co/rt3zAdw8FO">https://t.co/rt3zAdw8FO</a>
&#8212; Sally Kohn (@sallykohn) <a href="https://twitter.com/sallykohn/status/867943502276997120">May 26, 2017</a></blockquote>
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That prompted Shapiro to fire away:
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Quick, <a href="https://twitter.com/sallykohn">@sallykohn</a>, name the last time you supported a Republican because a Democrat did something bad <a href="https://t.co/tlJ02vNhOc">https://t.co/tlJ02vNhOc</a>
&#8212; Ben Shapiro (@benshapiro) <a href="https://twitter.com/benshapiro/status/867944642351845376">May 26, 2017</a></blockquote>
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Kohn, looking for a way out, thought she saw a glimmer of light:
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Quick, <a href="https://twitter.com/benshapiro">@benshapiro</a>, name the last time a Democratic candidate body slammed a reporter. <a href="https://t.co/AoyX75r3tT">https://t.co/AoyX75r3tT</a>
&#8212; Sally Kohn (@sallykohn) <a href="https://twitter.com/sallykohn/status/868079772500467712">May 26, 2017</a></blockquote>
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Too late; Shapiro had already pointed out the hypocrisy of Democrats when it came to candidates&#8217; behavior:
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Actually, <a href="https://twitter.com/benshapiro">@benshapiro</a> already addressed this question yesterday: 
<a href="https://t.co/hSZcix9d2o">https://t.co/hSZcix9d2o</a> <a href="https://t.co/6JoTHOERvb">https://t.co/6JoTHOERvb</a>
&#8212; Heimish Conservative (@HeimishCon) <a href="https://twitter.com/HeimishCon/status/868083714424799233">May 26, 2017</a></blockquote>
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Typical of Kohn and Democrats to chastise Republicans for doing something that Democrats have done for decades.

Sally Kohn Complains That Republicans Didn’t Vote Democrat After Gianforte Body-Slam. Shapiro DESTROYS Her With One Tweet.

Ben Shapiro

Sally Kohn

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