A judge on Monday upheld a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/missouri" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Missouri</a> law mandating that voters show photo identification at the polls to cast a ballot. 
Cole County Circuit Court Presiding Judge Jon Beetem <a href="https://www.courts.mo.gov/fv/c/JUDGMENT.PDF?courtCode=19&amp;di=3366631" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ruled</a> that multiple groups that alleged the state’s voter ID laws were unconstitutional “failed to prove their case.” Beetem said Missouri’s law was a &#8220;reasonable&#8221; deterrent for voter fraud and did not violate the rights of those who challenged the measure. 
“Requiring photo identification at the polls is a reasonable way to deter potential voter impersonation,” the judge wrote. “It is not irrational or arbitrary for the State to enact laws that can deter voting fraud, such as voter impersonation.” 
The law, signed in 2022 and in effect for the 2024 presidential election, was challenged by the NAACP, the League of Women Voters, and multiple Missouri residents who claimed it imposed a burden on their right to vote. They argued the law would prevent many eligible residents from voting. 
Beetem was unconvinced, saying that Missouri makes it easy for people qualified to vote to acquire photo identification. 
“The State of Missouri provides free photo identification to individuals who wish to obtain it for the purpose of voting,” he wrote. “There was no evidence that any of the individual voter Plaintiffs were asked to pay money to obtain a qualifying photo identification from the State after asking for a photo ID in order to vote.” 
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He added that &#8220;any ‘harms’ to the organization resulting from the law are self-inflicted” and based on speculation. 
The judge ruled that these concerns do not trump the security the ID requirements bring to the election. 
“The State of Missouri has a compelling interest in promoting confidence among the electorate that the people who have voted in an election are the individuals who are registered and presented themselves at the polls.”
The ruling was celebrated by Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey, who defended the law in court. 
“We went to court, we put on the evidence, and radical activists working to undermine our elections FAILED,” Bailey posted on X. “This is a HUGE win for election security.”
The order came <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/resounding-victory-judge-upholds-missouri-law-banning-trans-procedures-on-children" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the same day</a> that another judge in Missouri upheld the state’s law banning transgender procedures on minors.

Election Day Virginia

Judge Rules In Favor Of Missouri Law Requiring Photo ID To Vote

Courts

Election Fraud

Elections

Missouri

U.S.

Voter ID

A judge on Monday upheld a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/missouri" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Missouri</a> law that bans doctors from performing transgender procedures on children. 
Cole County Circuit Judge R. Craig Carter <a href="https://ago.mo.gov/wp-content/uploads/Noe-v.-Parson-trial-order.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ruled</a> that the state’s Save Adolescents from Experimentation (SAFE) Act does not violate the constitution, siding with GOP Governor Mike Parson, who was sued over the law. The law bans giving minors puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, and performing surgeries like mastectomies on girls who identify as boys. 
Carter’s decision, which cited the numerous medical risks and dangers of transgender procedures, comes before the U.S. Supreme Court is set to hear oral arguments on a challenge to a similar law in Tennessee on December 4. 
“The Court has left Missouri’s law banning child mutilation in place, a resounding victory for our children. We are the first state in the nation to successfully defend such a law at the trial court level,” said Attorney General Andrew Bailey, who defended the law in a two-week trial. “I’m extremely proud of the thousands of hours my office put in to shine a light on the lack of evidence supporting these irreversible procedures. We will never stop fighting to ensure Missouri is the safest state in the nation for children.”
The suit was brought by the ACLU of Missouri and Lambda Legal on behalf of a parent and her minor child. 
Carter rejected arguments that the treatments were medically backed and that Missouri’s law violated the equal protection clause. He said that there was “an almost total lack of consensus as to the medical ethics of adolescent gender dysphoria treatment.”
He argued that if he followed the logic of the plaintiffs, “any person – including a minor – would be able to do anything from meth, to ecstasy, to abortion as long as a single medical professional was willing to recommend it.”
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Carter pointed to research showing that many minors naturally outgrow gender dysphoria and noted the medical harms of the procedures. 
“The gender dysphoria treatment prohibited by Missouri uses drugs and surgeries to either inhibit normal healthy human growth or surgically remove and replace healthy human organs,” he wrote. “Such an approach to treatment is well outside normal medicine, and medical ethicists are unable to agree on the propriety thereof.”
Missouri is one of 26 states that have banned transgender procedures on minors in recent years.

Four Surgeons discuss each Other Surgical Precision and Healthcare Expertise  before the Operation case

‘Resounding Victory’: Judge Upholds Missouri Law Banning Trans Procedures On Children

minors

Supreme Court

trans

Transgender

transgender surgery

A vaguely-worded<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/missouri" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> Missouri</a> ballot initiative could overturn the state’s ban on transgender procedures for children if approved by voters, a conservative legal group warns.
On Election Day, Missourians will vote on <a href="https://www.sos.mo.gov/cmsimages/Elections/Petitions/2024-086.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Amendment 3</a>, a leftist-backed ballot initiative that restricts what laws can be passed on “all matters relating to reproductive health care.” In addition to upending Missouri’s robust pro-life laws, there are concerns that the amendment will erode parental rights and erase protections for children from transgender surgeries and hormone procedures. 
Mary Catherine Martin, a lawyer with the Thomas More Society, told The Daily Wire that “nobody really knows the scope” of the amendment because of the messaging from its proponents and the broad language used in the amendment. 
The amendment says: “The government shall not deny or infringe upon a person’s fundamental right to reproductive freedom, which is the right to make and carry out decisions about all matters relating to reproductive health care, including but not limited to prenatal care, childbirth, postpartum care, birth control, abortion care, miscarriage care, and respectful birthing conditions.”
Because of this wording, Martin says that the state’s shielding of kids from transgender procedures could be struck down, because the broad reference to reproductive health care could encompass procedures like puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, genital surgeries, and mastectomies on girls who identify as boys. 
“Gender transitions are matters related to reproductive healthcare. There’s really no way to define gender transition if it doesn’t involve the transfer of your reproductive organs, or exchange of your reproductive organs, alteration of your reproductive organs for something else,” she said. “And if it involves your reproductive organs, according to our federal government, that’s reproductive healthcare.”
Martin was referring to the Department of Health and Human Services&#8217;s  <a href="https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2024/04/26/2024-08503/hipaa-privacy-rule-to-support-reproductive-health-care-privacy" target="_blank" rel="noopener">definition</a> of reproductive health care as care “that affects the health of an individual in all matters relating to the reproductive system and to its functions and processes.”
To spread awareness about the amendment, Martin and the Thomas More Society put out a “decoder” <a href="https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/63d954d4e4ad424df7819d46/671118553e5aedfba82e68a7_Decoding%20Missouri%20Amendment%203.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">document</a> that highlights the amendment&#8217;s over-broad language.
<div id="attachment_821773" style="width: 2628px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-821773" class="size-full wp-image-821773" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/10/Screen-Shot-2024-10-30-at-4.36.01-PM.png" alt="" width="2618" height="1169" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/10/Screen-Shot-2024-10-30-at-4.36.01-PM.png 2618w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/10/Screen-Shot-2024-10-30-at-4.36.01-PM-300x134.png 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/10/Screen-Shot-2024-10-30-at-4.36.01-PM-1024x457.png 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/10/Screen-Shot-2024-10-30-at-4.36.01-PM-768x343.png 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/10/Screen-Shot-2024-10-30-at-4.36.01-PM-1536x686.png 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/10/Screen-Shot-2024-10-30-at-4.36.01-PM-2048x914.png 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2618px) 100vw, 2618px" />Credit: Thomas More Society.</div>
Missouri law <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/missouri-governor-signs-bills-banning-transgender-treatments-for-minors-protecting-womens-sports" target="_blank" rel="noopener">bars</a> doctors from removing the breasts of girls who identify as boys or giving children puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones, which have been linked to heart issues, bone development problems, and fertility issues.
Missouri&#8217;s Republican Governor, Mike Parson, and Senator Josh Hawley share concerns about the broad impact of Amendment 3. 
“This is about an effort to come into our schools behind your backs without your knowledge, to tell our kids that there&#8217;s something wrong with them and to give them drugs that will sterilize them for life, to push them toward procedures that will fundamentally change their bodies irrevocably for life,” Hawley warned in September. 
<a href="https://www.amiracist.com/?_gl=1*jtghwp*_gcl_au*ODQ1NjYzNTg2LjE3Mjg5MDk3OTE.*_ga*MTc2NzM0NDQ2NS4xNzI4OTA5Nzkx*_ga_CZKR9ZYKJP*MTczMDEyMDgwOS40OS4xLjE3MzAxMjA4MzkuMzAuMC4w" target="_blank" rel="noopener">MATT WALSH’S ‘AM I RACIST?’ NOW STREAMING ON DAILYWIRE+</a>
These concerns have been dismissed by legacy media as “<a href="https://www.kcur.org/politics-elections-and-government/2024-09-16/josh-hawley-missouri-amendment-3-abortion-rights-vote-transgender-health" target="_blank" rel="noopener">fear-mongering</a>” and “<a href="https://www.politifact.com/article/2024/oct/25/would-mo-abortion-amendment-legalize-trans-health/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">highly unlikely</a>.” 
However, Martin points out that the language of the amendment places no limits on what “matters relating to reproductive health care” means. 
“There’s literally no argument that all matters relating to reproductive health care does not include the alteration of your reproductive organs,” Martin told The Daily Wire. “There is nothing in the amendment that narrows that category.”
The amendment only needs over 50% of the vote to pass and be enshrined in Missouri’s constitution. The group pushing the amendment, Missourians for Constitutional Freedom, has <a href="https://www.kcur.org/politics-elections-and-government/2024-10-30/missouri-abortion-rights-amendment-3-fundraising" target="_blank" rel="noopener">raised</a> nearly $31 million to promote its efforts, while opponents have raised just around $3.2 million. 
Martin said that the amendment was not just about abortion, but “an ACLU Christmas list” that could lead to taxpayer-funded abortions and transgender surgeries, the end of single-sex bathrooms and sports teams, and the end of parental consent laws.

This Ballot Initiative Could Undo Missouri’s Ban On Trans Procedures For Kids

2024 Election

Josh Hawley

The Democrat senate candidate who left a reporter wounded after shooting targets with an AR-15 at a campaign event alerted the police two days after the incident, which is currently under investigation by authorities, according to correspondence viewed by The Daily Wire.
Lucas Kunce, the Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate from Missouri, hosted a campaign event on Tuesday alongside anti-Trump former congressman Adam Kinzinger, where two fired rifles at a private residence, leaving one reporter injured. The reporter, Ryan Gamboa, was injured after he was struck in the arm by what appears to have been a fragment of a bullet or a deflected round that bounced off of the steel targets that the group was shooting just yards away with a high-powered rifle.
Kunce announced that he <a href="https://www.kshb.com/news/local-news/kunce-notifies-sheriff-of-campaign-event-incident-that-injured-reporter">notified</a> the local sheriff of the incident on Wednesday, days after his campaign event. His call to the Clinton County Sheriff appears to have come following an inquiry from The Daily Wire, which was investigating whether the Democrat may have acted in <a href="https://revisor.mo.gov/main/OneSection.aspx?section=577.068">violation of the law</a> by failing to report the shooting incident. The sheriff&#8217;s department said it is unable to release further information about the incident because it&#8217;s &#8220;under investigation.&#8221;
The Kunce campaign did not respond to a Daily Wire inquiry.
Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO), who Kunce is challenging, took to X to <a href="https://x.com/HawleyMO/status/1849177066635174397">warn</a> that the Democrat could have broken the law by not immediately calling the police after the incident.
“Serious question. Missouri law *requires* any person who causes injury with a firearm to file a report with law enforcement immediately,” Hawley, the former Attorney General of Missouri, wrote. “Did Lucas Kunce do that? Failure to do so is a crime.”
The Democratic candidate was slammed online after he first announced that the reporter had been injured at his campaign event, with many criticizing his use of steel targets, which appear to have been shot by AR-15 rifles at close range.
“Always have your first aid kit handy. Shrapnel can always fly when you hit a target like today, and you’ve got to be ready to go,” Kunce wrote in a post on X. “We had four first aid kits, so we were able to take care of the situation, and I’m glad Ryan is okay and was able to continue reporting.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Great day at the range today with my friend <a href="https://twitter.com/AdamKinzinger?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@AdamKinzinger</a>. We got to hang out with some union workers while exercising our freedom. Always have your first aid kit handy. Shrapnel can always fly when you hit a target like today, and you’ve got to be ready to go. We had four first… <a href="https://t.co/Qu4YxfrtrU">pic.twitter.com/Qu4YxfrtrU</a>
— Lucas Kunce (@LucasKunceMO) <a href="https://twitter.com/LucasKunceMO/status/1848886246749184008?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 23, 2024</a></blockquote>
“You could’ve killed somebody today, you freaking moron. What kind of a brain dead idiot shoots steel inside 10 yards with a rifle?” CEO of The Federalist <a href="https://x.com/seanmdav/status/1848895823389573181">wrote</a> in response to the candidate&#8217;s post. 
“You shot a reporter while firing .556 and .308 rifles at steel targets at 7 yards? The minimum safe distance for steel targets is 100 yards with those weapons,” another user wrote.
Kunce is trailing Hawley, who was first elected in 2018, by wide margins in the polls. The election is November 5.

Lucas Kunce

Shooting Incident At Missouri’s Dem Campaign Event ‘Under Investigation’ By Authorities

Senate

<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/missouri" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Missouri</a> Democratic Senate candidate Lucas Kunce is under fire after a bullet fragment from his gun struck a nearby reporter, who had to be provided first aid.
KSHB-TV’s Ryan Gamboa was hit with the bullet fragment at a shooting range event on Tuesday, which was held at a private residence for the Democrat’s campaign, The Kansas City Star <a href="https://x.com/kcstar/status/1848855839790272648?s=46&amp;t=o-U3qwC25WnWaylJ0oeG7Q">reported</a>.
Kunce was firing rounds at a target when a piece of the bullet from the gun the Democrat was using ricocheted off the target and hit the reporter, who&#8217;s arm began to bleed before Kunce administered first aid.
In pictures that have surfaced from the event, Kunce can be seen wrapping gauze bandages around the reporter’s arm and using his own belt to stem the bleeding. The two were able to remain at the range and finish the event.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
It’s too on the nose: Democrat Senate candidate Lucas Kunce shot a reporter at an event with Adam Kinzinger. <a href="https://t.co/FzcPXb811r">pic.twitter.com/FzcPXb811r</a>
— Steve Guest (@SteveGuest) <a href="https://twitter.com/SteveGuest/status/1848886575603544453?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 23, 2024</a></blockquote>
“You never know what’s going to happen—shrapnel can ricochet off anything, and you’ve got to be prepared,” Kunce said in a written statement. “We were able to handle the situation, and I’m grateful Ryan is okay and could continue reporting.”
Missouri Republican Sen. <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/josh-hawley">Josh Hawley</a> — Kunce’s incumbent opponent — reacted to the news that Kunce accidentally hit a TV reporter with his bullet fragment during a campaign event.
“I condemn all acts of violence against reporters and call on Kunce never to shoot another one,” Senator Hawley wrote on X on Tuesday. His post included three laughing emojis.
I condemn all acts of violence against reporters and call on Kunce never to shoot another one 😂😂😂
— Josh Hawley (@HawleyMO) <a href="https://twitter.com/HawleyMO/status/1848884106077127065?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 23, 2024</a>
Hawley also noted that his grandmother was a better shot than his Democratic opponent:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
My grandma is a better shot than Lucas Kunce <a href="https://t.co/rSjnBTlWeh">pic.twitter.com/rSjnBTlWeh</a>
— Josh Hawley (@HawleyMO) <a href="https://twitter.com/HawleyMO/status/1848891356942344506?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 23, 2024</a></blockquote>
The shooting comes more than a week after Vice President Kamala Harris’ running mate and self-described &#8220;gun guy&#8221; Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz struggled to <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/24-year-military-veteran-and-self-described-gun-guy-tim-walz-struggles-to-wrangle-his-own-firearm" target="_blank" rel="noopener">load his firearm</a> during a pheasant hunting event that was covered by reporters.
Images and clips of the event were roundly mocked by many who suggested Walz did not have as much experience with guns and hunting as he has claimed. In one video, Walz is shown with a firearm — his own personal Beretta &#8212; as he appeared to struggle to operate it.
CBS campaign reporter Shawna Mizelle posted, “@Tim_Walz is out hunting pheasants for the season opener in MN. The Harris Walz campaign recently announced the hunters, gun owners &amp; anglers coalition. Walz often says he supports the 2nd Amndmt but advocates for ‘common sense’ legislation. &amp; we know Harris owns a Glock.”
Mizelle followed several photos with video of Walz attempting to operate his firearm and complaining, “It never fits quite right, it’s not quite right.”
“Watch Tim Walz struggle to load his shotgun and then complain that the kick usually hurts his shoulder. Men everywhere are in awe,” Amber Duke commented.
Virginia Kruta contributed to this piece.
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/harrison-butker-endorses-josh-hawley-for-senate" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Harrison Butker Endorses Josh Hawley For Senate</a>

Dem Candidate Under Fire After Reporter Injured At Shooting Range Campaign Event

Politics

Second Amendment

Tim Walz

Chiefs Kicker <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/harrison-butker">Harrison Butker</a> said for the first time in his life, he has decided to endorse a political candidate, Missouri Republican Sen. Josh Hawley.
The Kansas City NFL star will appear at three different stops with Hawley on Thursday after the senator sent out <a href="https://x.com/HawleyMO/status/1843685964033732935">emails to supporters</a> about the endorsement of the Super Bowl-winning star, the <a href="https://amp.kansascity.com/news/politics-government/article293715029.html">Kansas City</a> star reported.
“This is Harrison Butker-you may know me as a three-time World Champion kicker, but that’s just my day job,” Butker said in the fundraising email shared by Hawley. “At my core I am a husband, a father, and most importantly a Christian who cares about the future of our nation.&#8221;
“I want to tell you about my friend Josh Hawley,” he added. “In a time when our nation is at a crossroads, Senator Hawley stands strong for many of the values that matter most to me and my family.”
“He’s not just a Senator; he’s a devout Christian, a family man, and a fighter for so much we hold dear,” the message continued. “Josh Hawley is relentless in defending religious rights, fighting for the Constitution, and standing up for the most vulnerable among us—the unborn.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
This is awesome. Proud to have the support of <a href="https://twitter.com/buttkicker7?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@buttkicker7</a> <a href="https://t.co/oQ7p91c9gV">https://t.co/oQ7p91c9gV</a>
— Josh Hawley (@HawleyMO) <a href="https://twitter.com/HawleyMO/status/1843685964033732935?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 8, 2024</a></blockquote>
The Chiefs star said Hawley’s “commitment to the pro-life movement” is one reason he’s supporting him because he’s “the kind of leader who doesn’t back down when it matters most.”
<a href="https://www.amiracist.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.amiracist.com/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1726313279401000&amp;usg=AOvVaw115_qPFFEePDP86-Fvo-Vd">Am I Racist? Is In Theaters NOW — Get Your Tickets Here!</a>
Butker’s letter concluded with the message that he’s endorsing Hawley to “represent all of us and keep the fight for our faith, family, and freedom alive” as he called on others to join him and donate money, if they could, to help Hawley beat his opponent, Democrat Lucas Kunce.
The <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/kansas-city-has-separated-from-employee-who-doxxed-harrison-butker">Chiefs kicker</a> made headlines earlier this year after he gave a commencement address at <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/colleges">Benedictine College</a>, a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/catholic">Catholic</a> university in Kansas, in which he praised his wife for being a “homemaker,” called out President Joe Biden’s support for abortion, and criticized LGBT “Pride month.”
In the speech to the Catholic college on May 11, Butker said, “How many of you are sitting here now, about to cross this stage, and are thinking about all the promotions and titles you are going to get in your career? Some of you may go on to lead successful careers in the world. But I would venture to guess that the majority of you are most excited about your marriage and the children you will bring into this world.”
“It cannot be overstated that all of my success is made possible because a girl I met in band class back in middle school would convert to the faith, become my wife, and embrace one of the most important titles of all: homemaker,” he added.
The usual leftist stars <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/cancel-culture-fail-harrison-butker-signs-deal-making-him-highest-paid-kicker-in-nfl">slammed the comments</a> and a <a href="http://change.org/">Change.org</a> petition was started calling for the three-time Super Bowl champion to be dismissed from the team.
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/america-needs-more-jesus-not-less-chiefs-kicker-calls-out-chicago-cardinal-who-led-invocation-at-dnc-with-cross-hidden" target="_blank" rel="noopener">‘America Needs More Jesus, Not Less’: Chiefs Kicker Calls Out Chicago Cardinal Who Led Invocation At DNC With Cross Hidden</a>

Harrison Butker-1

Harrison Butker Endorses Josh Hawley For Senate

Faith

Harrison Butker

Kansas City Chiefs

Sports

On August 11, 1998, a lifelong criminal named Marcellus Williams was looking for a house to rob in a gated community in University City, Missouri.
By that point, Williams already had several prior criminal convictions, including for robbery and burglary. He shouldn&#8217;t have been on the streets at all, but apparently a judge let him out of jail so that he could commit more crimes and victimize more people. And that&#8217;s exactly why he was in University City on August 11.
When Marcellus Williams knocked on the door of a home owned by a 42-year-old journalist named Felicia Gayle, no one answered. So Williams broke a window and let himself in. After he noticed that someone on the second floor was taking a shower, Williams went downstairs to the kitchen, grabbed a butcher knife, and waited. When Gayle emerged from the shower, Marcellus Williams stabbed her 43 times, including seven separate fatal wounds. He then stole Gayle&#8217;s purse and her husband&#8217;s laptop before leaving the house to pick up his girlfriend.
Immediately, his girlfriend noticed something was wrong. Williams&#8217; shirt was bloody. His neck was scratched. Inexplicably, there was also a new laptop in his car. The next day, Williams&#8217; girlfriend noticed a purse in the trunk that contained Felicia Gayle&#8217;s identification card. When she confronted Williams about this, he admitted that he had just murdered a woman. He threatened to kill his girlfriend if she went to the police.
Then, a few months later, Williams was incarcerated for an unrelated crime. (This is the theme in his life, after all; he&#8217;s constantly in prison because he&#8217;s constantly committing serious crimes). In this particular instance, when Williams was in jail, promptly bragged to another inmate that he had murdered Felicia Gayle, and provided non-public information about the killing. When that inmate got out of jail, he went to the police department and told them what he had heard. During their investigation, detectives spoke to Williams&#8217; girlfriend, who confirmed that he had confessed to the murder. The police also found several items belonging to the victim in the Buick that Williams was driving, as well as the stolen laptop belonging to the victim&#8217;s husband.
On these <a href="https://law.justia.com/cases/missouri/supreme-court/2003/sc-83934-1.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">facts</a>, Williams was convicted by a jury and sentenced to death. On appeal, Williams&#8217; attorneys raised several objections, most of which were technical in nature. But there were a couple of claims that related to his guilt or innocence. Specifically, Williams said that the jury should have been given the opportunity to determine that he was a mere accomplice to the murders, as opposed to the actual killer. That&#8217;s because, according to the defense, &#8220;several unidentified hairs and shoe prints were found at the murder scene.&#8221; Additionally, Williams&#8217; girlfriend was supposedly &#8220;seen with a laptop computer&#8221; after Williams was incarcerated.
<h4><a href="https://www.dailywire.com/episode/ep-1451-member-exclusive" target="_blank" rel="noopener">WATCH: The Matt Walsh Show</a></h4>
But these arguments weren&#8217;t convincing to the Supreme Court of Missouri. For one thing, there was evidence showing that &#8220;several workmen&#8221; and &#8220;hundreds of guests&#8221; had been inside the home in the months prior to the murder, so you&#8217;d expect to have some unidentified shoe prints and hairs lying around. Additionally, Williams told both his girlfriend and the inmate that he was alone when he committed the murders. And finally, there was no evidence that Williams&#8217; girlfriend possessed the same laptop computer that was stolen from the murder scene. She just had a laptop — any laptop.
If you tune into any mainstream media coverage of the Williams case, you won&#8217;t hear any of the details I just outlined — all of which are undisputed, and come directly from the Supreme Court of Missouri. You won&#8217;t hear news anchors recount all of the ways in which it&#8217;s clear that Marcellus Williams is extremely guilty of murder. Instead, you&#8217;ll find emotional segments like this one, which just aired on CNN:
<iframe loading="lazy" title="001 Marcellus Williams" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/vzpdwJaT7vE?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>
Putting aside the melodrama for a moment — If we&#8217;re being honest, that segment is a little surprising. It&#8217;s your last meal, and you can request anything you want — and you choose tater tots instead of curly fries? Unfortunately, the rest of the CNN segment doesn&#8217;t explain this questionable decision, as confusing as it obviously is. Instead, the anchor focuses on reinforcing the current BLM narrative that Marcellus Williams&#8217; execution was unjust. To that end, she talks about how &#8220;prosecutors&#8221; and &#8220;the victim&#8217;s family&#8221; didn&#8217;t want to see Williams killed. She implies he might even be innocent. And she barely even mentions the woman who was brutally stabbed 43 times in her own kitchen, or the mountain of damning evidence in the case.
Let&#8217;s take both of those claims in turn. First of all, the &#8220;prosecutor&#8221; that the CNN anchor is referring to is a &#8220;restorative justice&#8221; activist named Wesley Bell. Bell was not the original prosecutor on the case, which was tried more than 20 years ago. He parachuted in at the last moment, in defiance of the state&#8217;s attorney general, to try to delay Williams&#8217; execution. Earlier this year, Bell claimed in court filings that DNA evidence might exonerate Williams.
Specifically, there was supposedly unknown DNA on the murder weapon. 
But that claim fell apart in recent weeks. According to the Missouri judicial branch, attorneys, “received a report indicating the DNA on the murder weapon belonged to an assistant prosecuting attorney and an investigator who had handled the murder weapon without gloves prior to trial.&#8221; So there was no unknown DNA on the murder weapon after all.
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This month, a court in Missouri <a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1H_8gEp_1LgUzEsUAEEXg1643UJw88rja/view" target="_blank" rel="noopener">looked into</a> what exactly happened with the handling of this murder weapon. They determined that, back in 2001, it was normal practice for detectives in St. Louis to handle evidence, without wearing gloves, after the crime lab had processed the item and determined there was no useful DNA or fingerprint evidence on it. And in this case, because the killer wore gloves, there was no usable evidence on the knife. So the detective and the prosecutor repeatedly handled the knife, as part of trial preparation. Nothing about that, in any way, suggests that the knife was &#8220;tampered with,&#8221; or that there might have been another killer. So the court upheld the conviction.
As the state attorney general put it: 
<blockquote>One of the defense’s own experts previously testified he could not rule out the possibility that Williams’s DNA was also on the knife. He could only testify to the fact that enough actors had handled the knife throughout the legal process that others’ DNA was present.</blockquote>
That attorney general emphasized that the other available evidence was very clear: 
<blockquote>The victim’s personal items were found in Williams’s car after the murder. A witness testified that Williams had sold the victim’s laptop to him. Williams confessed to his girlfriend and an inmate in the St. Louis City Jail, and William’s girlfriend saw him dispose of the bloody clothes worn during the murder.</blockquote>
This is overwhelming evidence, obviously. And if you read between the lines, even this new prosecutor concedes that. In recent court filings — and in his interview with CNN — the prosecutor didn&#8217;t even claim that Williams was necessarily innocent. Instead, he pointed to alleged defects in how the trial was conducted, including jury selection. Here&#8217;s part of the prosecutors&#8217; interview with CNN:
<iframe loading="lazy" title="002 Why The Speedy Execution" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/GbTyrNhfJpQ?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>
&nbsp;
It&#8217;s an incredible moment. They&#8217;re both claiming that Marcellus Williams was executed too hastily — more than 25 years after he killed a woman in her own kitchen. That&#8217;s too fast, apparently. We just need another 25 years to really investigate this case, and see if we can find some new information. Maybe some new witnesses will turn up. Maybe we&#8217;ll find new surveillance footage. Who knows? Apparently the point is, even after you&#8217;re convicted, you get 50 more years to prove you&#8217;re really innocent. At least, that&#8217;s what you get if BLM and the corporate press think they can turn you into a martyr. If you&#8217;re a white guy on death row, then no one really cares. You’ll notice that the only condemned criminals anyone ever cries over are black. Plenty of white guys get put to death, too, but they never become a trendy cause for the media and activists. I wonder why?
The other argument that they&#8217;re using is that people connected to the victim supposedly don&#8217;t want this man to be executed. Again, this isn&#8217;t a claim that&#8217;s related to whether Williams killed someone or not. It&#8217;s an argument about what the family wants. But if you look closer into this claim, it falls apart as well. Here&#8217;s part of a letter written last month by Laura Friedman, who&#8217;s now married to the victim&#8217;s former husband:
<blockquote>After 26 years of competing court filings, secret commissions, TV news alerts and front-page headlines, my husband&#8217;s personal pain is once again the subject of public discussion and debate. &#8230; This is now the fifth time this family tragedy has been revisited, relitigated and reappeared in the press. We are exhausted and exasperated. &#8230; Whether the death penalty is deserved in a case like this is a matter for debate. Williams&#8217; guilt is not.</blockquote>
Notice what&#8217;s actually going on here. Laura Friedman emphatically says that Marcellus Williams is guilty. The media just ignores that part. She also says that she just wants this case to be over, so that the family can get some closure. They&#8217;re clearly tired of how activists have dragged this case out for more than 25 years. The media ignores that part, too. Instead, the story from the mainstream media is that the family and loved ones close to the victim supposedly don&#8217;t want the death penalty.
These are the lies that are underpinning the latest attempt by race hustlers to manufacture another George Floyd scenario. 
For example, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nSqu9YNOEPM" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Henry Rogers</a>, a.k.a. Ibram X. Kendi, <a href="https://x.com/ibramxk/status/1838769254553837758" target="_blank" rel="noopener">wrote</a>:
<blockquote>Tonight, Missouri lynched Marcellus Williams. DNA evidence proved he was innocent. It didn’t matter. Because the United States is a serial killer of Black people.&#8221; For her part, Cori Bush — who just lost her primary to Wesley Bell — also <a href="https://x.com/RepCori/status/1838740528734638565" target="_blank" rel="noopener">called</a> Williams &#8220;innocent&#8221; and said his death was &#8220;depraved.</blockquote>
The NAACP had a similar <a href="https://x.com/NAACP/status/1838718578465378620" target="_blank" rel="noopener">message</a>:
<blockquote>Tonight, Missouri lynched another innocent Black man. Governor Parson had the responsibility to save this innocent life, and he didn’t. The NAACP was founded in 1909 in response to the barbaric lynching of Black people in America — we were founded exactly because of people like Governor Parson who perpetuate violence against innocent Black people.</blockquote>
There are a lot more statements like this, from every BLM activist and race hustler you&#8217;d expect. Mainstream media organizations are saying much the same thing. They&#8217;re claiming that there&#8217;s no difference between executing a man convicted of a brutal homicide — and who clearly did commit that brutal homicide — and lynching a random black person who&#8217;s done nothing wrong. If these people had any degree of intelligence or integrity whatsoever, they&#8217;d recognize how degrading that is to black people who haven&#8217;t committed any crimes. They&#8217;re being equated with a career felon who killed a woman for no reason.
The only lesson we can draw from this is that the NAACP, Henry Rogers, and corporate media don&#8217;t believe that black people should get the death penalty when they murder a white person. They probably don&#8217;t think any punishment is appropriate, frankly, based on how they&#8217;re lying about the death of Felicia Gayle. We are witnessing crass race hatred spilling out into the open.
We all know that, if Marcellus Williams were white, or if his victim had been black, then there wouldn&#8217;t be any outrage whatsoever. This is the clearest imaginable example of a manufactured racial narrative, and of course it&#8217;s happening in an election year.
And it&#8217;s riling up all the lunatics you&#8217;d expect. In one post that has hundreds of thousands of views on X, an activist <a href="https://x.com/mrgnbrmll/status/1838659426716410063" target="_blank" rel="noopener">wrote</a>: 
<blockquote>The murder of Marcellus Williams is connected to the murder of the people of Palestine and the people in Haiti and the people in Lebanon and the people in &#8230; Let your grief move you to see this as part of one state approved project.</blockquote>
Yes, Marcellus Williams is &#8220;connected&#8221; to the &#8220;people of Palestine&#8221; and the &#8220;people of Haiti and Lebanon.&#8221; As deranged as this post is, it does have a shred of honesty in it. The truth is that no one campaigning on behalf of Williams actually thinks he&#8217;s innocent. If a woman is brutally murdered and you confess to the crime to multiple people, giving them details that you wouldn’t have known unless you’d been there — and you are found with the victim’s property in your car — then you’re guilty. Period. It is basically impossible to even conceive of a scenario where all of that could happen and yet you’d still be innocent. That’s because Williams is guilty. He did it. He brutally butchered an innocent woman. He deserves to die for what he did. It’s that simple.
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But none of the activists really care about the facts of his case, or even about Williams himself. These, after all, are not empathetic people. These are not people who value human life. Millions of human children have been killed by abortion in this country and these people not only don’t care about that, but celebrate it. They apparently feel infinitely more sympathy for a convicted murderer who stabbed a woman 40 times than they do for 60 million dead children combined. How could anyone’s heart be that twisted? How could their sympathies be so wildly, psychotically misdirected? Well, because they actually have no sympathy at all for anyone. It’s all a show. It’s an act.
This is about a much larger effort to undermine and ultimately destroy the rule of law in the United States. And this effort is being undertaken by people who care far more about Haiti and Lebanon than they care about this country. That&#8217;s why they&#8217;re trivializing the murder of this young white journalist in Missouri. It&#8217;s why they&#8217;re mocking her family and pretending her killer is innocent. Only the most dysfunctional hellholes on the planet have explicit, distinct standards of justice depending on the skin color of the assailant and the skin color of the victim. And after this surreal and delusional effort to absolve Marcellus Williams, it&#8217;s clear that we&#8217;re much closer to becoming one of those hellholes than we might like to admit.

MixCollage-26-Sep-2024-04-01-PM-1534

This Man Confessed To His Brutal Crimes … And They Still Call Him ‘Innocent’

This Man Confessed To His Brutal Crimes ... And They Still Call Him 'Innocent'

Anti-Racism

Blacks

Death Penalty

Death Row

Ibram X. Kendi

Matt Walsh

Murder

Opinion

Racism

St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department Officer David Lee, 44, was assisting with a car crash on Sunday morning when he was struck by another vehicle and killed.
The driver of the other vehicle, 24-year-old Ramon A. Chavez-Rodriguez, had entered the U.S. illegally and was drunk when he allegedly struck and killed Lee, KMOV <a href="https://www.firstalert4.com/2024/09/23/suspect-charged-st-louis-officers-death/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>. On Monday, Chavez-Rodriguez was charged with DWI, death of law enforcement or emergency personnel, exceeding the posted speed limit, and operating a vehicle on a highway without a valid license.
Chavez-Rodriguez, from Honduras, was allegedly driving at least 71 miles per hour just seconds before the crash – on a road with a posted speed limit of 55 mph, according to charging documents obtained by KMOV. Chavez-Rodriguez allegedly lost control of the vehicle due to the rainy conditions, struck Officer Lee, and pinned him between two vehicles before throwing him several feet, KSDK <a href="https://www.ksdk.com/article/news/crime/officer-david-lee-killed-charges-driver/63-36b44d6c-1f4b-4935-a2f3-8caf29486c9c" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>.
Chavez-Rodriguez was taken to the hospital, and his blood was drawn two hours after the crash, showing his blood alcohol level at that time was still 0.10, meaning it was likely even higher when he allegedly struck Lee.
“My heart breaks for the family, friends, and colleagues of St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department Officer David Lee, who was tragically killed by an individual who was in this country illegally,” Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey said. “This devastating loss serves as a harsh reminder of the real consequences of a broken system that fails to protect our communities. I am praying for Officer Lee’s family, friends, and the entire police department during this unimaginable time. We must honor his service by ensuring justice and security for all.”
At the time of the crash, Chavez-Rodriguez was already on probation for domestic assault and DWI in St. Charles County.
Lee’s family <a href="https://www.ksdk.com/article/news/crime/wife-remembers-officer-david-lee/63-75c9551d-e2c5-4388-a08d-922523744732" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told</a> KSDK he was a devoted father, husband, and police officer.
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“I&#8217;m gonna miss him dearly, because he was the yin to my yang, my best friend,&#8221; his wife, Tonya, told the outlet. “He was my partner, my other half. One half of my heart, and I&#8217;m the other half of his heart.”
Lee’s son, Khalil, told the outlet that his father loved his family, his job, and basketball.
&#8220;He was somebody who I could talk to about anything,&#8221; Khalil said. “He&#8217;s the reason why I chose to go to school for criminal justice and do what I&#8217;m doing now.”
Tonya said the night before Lee was killed, they had prayed together as usual, and when they were lying in bed together, he said something she’d never forget.
“It was weird,&#8221; she told KSDK. &#8220;He laid beside me in the bed, and he put his hand on my thigh, and he said, &#8216;Thank you for everything.&#8217; And I said, Oh, Bae, thank you for everything. He said, &#8216;No, seriously, thank you for everything.&#8217; And I didn&#8217;t know this was my husband saying bye to me.”

Ramon Chavez-Rodriguez And Officer David Lee

Illegal Immigrant Charged In Death Of St. Louis Police Officer

Illegal Immigrant Charged in Death of St. Louis Police Officer

Crime

Death

Drunk Driving

Illegal Immigration

Police

St. Louis

Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey announced this week that Missouri would move to obtain merits discovery in its lawsuit targeting the Biden-Harris administration for allegedly working with social media giants such as Meta, Twitter, and YouTube to censor and suppress free speech.
A motion for discovery requests the court to compel the opponent to relinquish information; thus, information the Biden-Harris administration may have wanted to conceal would be brought to light.
The lawsuit was originally filed by former Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt and Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry in 2022. Schmitt was elected to the United States Senate in 2023.
“We are moving to obtain merits discovery in Missouri v. Biden to DISMANTLE the Biden-Harris censorship regime once and for all,” Bailey announced on X. “ This lawsuit is for every American who has been censored by our own government. The fight for free speech is just beginning.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
🚨BREAKING: We are moving to obtain merits discovery in Missouri v. Biden to DISMANTLE the Biden-Harris censorship regime once and for all. 
This lawsuit is for every American who has been censored by our own government. 
The fight for free speech is just beginning. <a href="https://t.co/IuUSvizxZl">pic.twitter.com/IuUSvizxZl</a>
&mdash; Attorney General Andrew Bailey (@AGAndrewBailey) <a href="https://twitter.com/AGAndrewBailey/status/1836171542914294032?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 17, 2024</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Great!
&mdash; Elon Musk (@elonmusk) <a href="https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1836270021452140674?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 18, 2024</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
The 2022 <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/lawsuit-filed-against-biden-top-officials-colluding-big-tech-censor-speech-hunter-covid">lawsuit</a> mentioned three instances, among others, where truthful information was censored by the social media companies, including the Hunter Biden laptop story, the lab leak theory that the COVID-19 virus could have been leaked accidentally from a biotech lab in Wuhan, China, and the efficacy of masks, as both Senator Rand Paul and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis were censored by YouTube for questioning the efficacy of masks.
“In direct contravention to the First Amendment and freedom of speech, the Biden Administration has been engaged in a pernicious campaign to both pressure social media giants to censor and suppress speech and work directly with those platforms to achieve that censorship in a misguided and Orwellian campaign against ‘misinformation,’” Schmitt said when he filed the lawsuit. “In the lawsuit that Missouri and Louisiana filed today, we allege that government officials in the Biden Administration, including President Biden, Press Secretary Jen Psaki, Dr. Anthony Fauci, Surgeon General Vivek Murthy, and others colluded with social media companies like Meta, Twitter, and Youtube to remove truthful information related to the lab-leak theory, the efficacy of masks, election integrity, and more. I will not stand idly by while the Biden Administration attempts to trample on the First Amendment rights of Missourians and Americans.”
&#8220;Big Tech has become an extension of Biden’s Big Government, and neither are protecting the freedoms of Americans; rather, they are suppressing truth and demonizing those who think differently,” Landry added. “Ripped from the playbook of Stalin and his ilk, Biden has been colluding with Big Tech to censor free speech and propagandize the masses. We are fighting back to ensure the rule of law and prevent the government from unconstitutional banning, chilling, and stifling of speech.”

New York City Marks 23rd Anniversary Of September 11, 2001 Attacks

LOOK OUT: Missouri Asks Court For Discovery In Lawsuit Alleging Collusion Between Feds, Social Media

Biden-Harris administration

Censorship

Free Speech

Social Media

On Tuesday, the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/missouri" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Missouri</a> Supreme Court ruled that a proposed constitutional amendment that would strip pro-life protections in the state would appear on the ballot in November. 
The court <a href="https://www.courts.mo.gov/fv/c/SC100742%20-Coleman%20v.%20Ashcroft%20%20%209-10-24_FINAL.pdf?courtCode=SC&amp;di=201805" target="_blank" rel="noopener">overturned</a> a decision from a circuit court judge that <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/another-pro-abortion-amendment-may-be-thrown-off-the-ballot-in-red-state" target="_blank" rel="noopener">had said</a> that Missourians for Constitutional Freedom, the pro-abortion group backing the amendment, did not follow state law in the language it used for the ballot initiative. The <a href="https://moconstitutionalfreedom.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Missourians-for-Constitutional-Freedom-Amendment.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">amendment</a> would ban the state government from passing laws that “infringe upon a person’s fundamental right to reproductive freedom.”
“Today’s decision is a victory for both direct democracy and reproductive freedom in Missouri,&#8221; <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2024-election/missouri-abortion-rights-ballot-measure-state-supreme-court-rcna170395" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> Rachel Sweet, campaign manager for Missourians for Constitutional Freedom. “The Missouri Supreme Court’s ruling ensures that Amendment 3, the Right to Reproductive Freedom Initiative, will appear on the November ballot, giving voters — not politicians — the power to decide on this critical issue.”
The initiative would prohibit the government from passing any laws that ban abortion before “fetal viability.” 
Pro-life advocates have expressed concerns that the amendment’s use of “fetal viability” leaves the door open for effectively all abortions because it allows viability to be defined by the “good faith judgment of a treating health care professional and based on the particular facts of the case.” 
Lawyers with the Thomas More Society had challenged the ballot language on behalf of Missouri State Senator Mary Elizabeth Coleman, pro-life advocate Kathy Forck, state Rep. Hannah Kelly, and Our Lady’s Inn President and CEO Peggy Forrest.
Last week, Missouri Circuit Court Judge Christopher Kirby Limbaugh, a cousin of the late conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh, <a href="https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/63d954d4e4ad424df7819d46/66dc58ba81bf97e670a12c3f_JUDGMENT.PDF" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ruled</a> in their favor, saying that the ballot organizers violated state law by not including language in the initiative that would make clear what current Missouri law would be repealed by adopting the amendment. 
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“It is deeply unfortunate the court decided to ignore laws that protect voters in order to satisfy pro-abortion activists who intentionally omitted critical information from the initiative petition,” Thomas More Society lawyer Mary Catherine Martin <a href="https://www.thomasmoresociety.org/news/missouri-supreme-court-reverses-ruling-that-invalidated-reproductive-freedom-ballot-initiative">said</a>. “This ruling takes away important protections from all Missouri citizens to serve the well-funded political goals of a few. Missouri’s Amendment 3 will have far-reaching implications on the state’s abortion laws and well beyond, repealing dozens of laws that protect the unborn, pregnant women, parents, and children—a reality that the initiative campaign intentionally hid from voters.”
At least 10 states will vote on abortion in November, including Florida, Nebraska, Montana, South Dakota, and Arizona. 
Democrats have made abortion a key campaign topic for the 2024 elections, with Vice President Kamala Harris repeatedly attacking former President Donald Trump over the issue during the debate on Tuesday. Harris promised to sign a bill that would create a federal right to abortion, while Trump said the issue should be decided at the state level.

DSCF0369

Red State Supreme Court Rules Abortion Amendment Will Be On Ballot In November

Abortion

A proposed ballot initiative that would strip pro-life protections in <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/missouri" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Missouri</a> may be removed from the ballot after a judge ruled that its language violated state law. 
The state Supreme Court <a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2024/09/09/missouri-abortion-rights-amendment-state-supreme-court/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">will hear</a> arguments on Tuesday on whether a ballot initiative that would make abortion a constitutional right will appear on the ballot in November. The <a href="https://moconstitutionalfreedom.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Missourians-for-Constitutional-Freedom-Amendment.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">initiative</a> would ban the state government from passing laws that would “infringe upon a person’s fundamental right to reproductive freedom.”
If passed, the amendment would undermine current Missouri law which protects unborn children at all stages in the red state.
On Friday, Missouri Circuit Court Judge Christopher Kirby Limbaugh <a href="https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/63d954d4e4ad424df7819d46/66dc58ba81bf97e670a12c3f_JUDGMENT.PDF" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ruled</a> that ballot organizers, Missourians for Constitutional Freedom and Anna Fitz-James, violated state law by not including language in the initiative that would make clear what current Missouri law would be repealed by adopting the amendment. 
“Fitz-James’ failure to include any statute or provision that will be repealed, especially when many of these statutes are apparent,” Limbaugh wrote, adding the language “is in blatant violation of the sufficiency requirements” for ballot initiatives. 
A challenge to the ballot language was filed by lawyers with the Thomas More Society on behalf of Missouri State Senator Mary Elizabeth Coleman, pro-life advocate Kathy Forck, State Rep. Hannah Kelly, and Our Lady’s Inn President and CEO Peggy Forrest.
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They argued the amendment would compromise other Missouri laws on issues like transgender surgeries and human cloning.  
“Thomas More Society’s mission is to defend life, family, and freedom—wherever they are threatened. Missouri’s Amendment 3 threatens all three,” <a href="https://www.thomasmoresociety.org/news/missouri-judge-rules-reproductive-freedom-initiative-petition-is-in-blatant-violation-of-state-law">said</a> Thomas More Society lawyer Catherine Martin. “We will not allow Missourians to be deceived into signing away dozens of current laws that protect the unborn, pregnant women, parents, and children.”
Leftist activists have mobilized to place pro-abortion amendments on ballots across the country in red states such as Florida and Montana. A pro-abortion ballot in Arkansas <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/arkansas-supreme-court-rejects-effort-from-leftist-group-to-put-abortion-on-november-ballot" target="_blank" rel="noopener">was rejected</a> last month by the state’s Supreme Court which agreed with Secretary of State John Thurston who said that the pro-abortion activist didn’t follow state law. 
The Arkansas ballot <a href="https://ag-opinions.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/2024-004.pdf">initiative</a> would have added exceptions to existing Arkansas abortion law for rape, incest, and fetal anomaly, as well as instituting a right to an abortion up to 18 weeks after conception. At <a href="https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/pregnancy-week-by-week/in-depth/fetal-development/art-20046151">18 weeks</a>, an unborn baby’s digestive system begins working and they can hear sounds.

Annual March For Life Held In Washington, D.C.

Another Pro-Abortion Amendment May Be Thrown Off The Ballot In Red State

Pro-Life Movement

Chinese Communist secret police have infiltrated the United States. Working through so-called “nonprofits” with pedestrian-sounding names, these operators have set up spy nests and secret police stations, subverting our Republic while exporting Chinese Communist Party (CCP) totalitarianism to American shores.
<a href="https://dailycaller.com/2024/07/17/exclusive-red-state-ag-subpoenas-local-chinese-service-center-linked-to-communist-party-intel-arm/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Investigative reporting</a> has exposed several of these operations, known as “Overseas Chinese Service Centers (OCSCs), in seven American cities: Charlotte, Omaha, Houston, San Francisco, St. Paul, and St. Louis. Working through these organizations, the CCP can extend its intelligence gathering, <a href="https://www.uscc.gov/sites/default/files/Research/China%27s%20Overseas%20United%20Front%20Work%20-%20Background%20and%20Implications%20for%20US_final_0.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">influence operations</a> and transnational repression activity into virtually any community. 
In St. Louis, Missouri State Attorney General Andrew Bailey has reacted decisively. He launched a legal investigation into the OCSC after finding that it violated Missouri law by <a href="https://ago.mo.gov/attorney-general-bailey-expands-investigation-into-missouri-non-profit-over-alleged-ties-to-peoples-republic-of-china/#:~:text=With%20the%20CID%20issued%20today,organized%20under%20Missouri%20state%20law." target="_blank" rel="noopener">engaging in</a> “deception, fraud, false promises, misrepresentation, unfair practices, and/or the concealment, suppression, or omission of material facts in connection with the solicitation of charitable funds.”
Bailey’s leadership comes at a critical juncture. National security experts have been ringing alarm bells over the CCP&#8217;s vast network of subversive operations against the United States in the American heartland. The OCSCs are a key part of that network.
OCSCs assume the mantle of nonprofit organizations that, on the surface, promote Chinese culture and assist Chinese citizens living abroad. But their strings are pulled by the <a href="https://selectcommitteeontheccp.house.gov/media/press-releases/select-committee-unveils-ccp-influence-memo-united-front-101" target="_blank" rel="noopener">United Front Work Department</a> (UFWD), an <a href="https://www.uscc.gov/sites/default/files/annual_reports/2016%20Annual%20Report%20to%20Congress.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">intelligence service</a> which answers directly to the CCP’s Central Committee in Beijing. In addition to helping steal American intellectual property, United Front operations are heavily engaged in transnational repression.
In April 2023, two men were <a href="https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/two-arrested-operating-illegal-overseas-police-station-chinese-government" target="_blank" rel="noopener">charged</a> by the Department of Justice for running a secret police station in New York City under the direction of China’s Ministry of Public Security (MPS). The case shines a light on how Communist Party agents operate on U.S. soil.
All around <a href="https://nypost.com/2022/10/08/chinese-police-station-spies-on-dissenters-linked-to-shady-us-charity/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the world,</a> China’s overseas police stations monitor, harass and intimidate dissidents. In some cases, they’ve facilitated the <a href="https://jamestown.org/program/the-long-arm-of-the-lawless-the-prcs-overseas-police-stations/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">extra-judicial kidnapping</a> of China’s enemies to face the Peoples Republic of China’s <a href="https://www.economist.com/china/2019/10/31/justice-in-china-is-notoriously-harsh-but-reforms-are-afoot" target="_blank" rel="noopener">notorious legal system</a>.
One of the New York defendants, <a href="https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/two-arrested-operating-illegal-overseas-police-station-chinese-government" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Lu Jianwang,</a> organized counter-protests against the Falun Gong on behalf of the MPS during President Xi Jinping’s 2015 visit to Washington, D.C. In 2018, Lu helped pressure a fugitive to return to China by threatening the victim and their family. In 2022, an MPS official tapped Lu to help track down a pro-democracy dissident thought to be living in California.
CCP infiltration extends far beyond secret police stations and the OCSCs. Attorney General Bailey must launch a similar investigation into another CCP operation in Missouri masquerading as a nonprofit: the <a href="https://usheartlandchina.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">U.S. Heartland China Association</a> (USHCA). When the State Department launched its <a href="https://www.justice.gov/archives/nsd/information-about-department-justice-s-china-initiative-and-compilation-china-related" target="_blank" rel="noopener">China Initiative</a> to counter Chinese economic espionage and protect critical U.S. infrastructure, the CCP became alarmed at its effectiveness. In response, the USHCA co-hosted an <a href="https://ucausa.org/ucatalks-nov-3-2021-event-return-of-mccarthyism/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">event</a> in 2021, calling the initiative as the “return of McCarthyism.” USHCA’s manipulation scheme worked. Just months later, the Biden administration <a href="https://www.npr.org/2022/02/23/1082593735/justice-department-china-initiative" target="_blank" rel="noopener">discontinued</a> the China Initiative amid alleged concern that it was fueling “intolerance and bias against Asian Americans.”
Organizations like the USHCA work hand-in-glove with the Beijing-based Chinese Peoples’ Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries (CPAFFC), which according to the <a href="https://2017-2021.state.gov/designation-of-the-national-association-for-chinas-peaceful-unification-nacpu-as-a-foreign-mission-of-the-prc/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">U.S. Department of State</a>, actively seeks to “malignly influence state and local leaders to promote the PRC’s global agenda,” and is the party organ “tasked with co-opting and neutralizing threats to the party’s rule and spreading its influence and propaganda overseas.”
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While Attorney General Bailey is doing what he can within his legal authority to target illegal CCP operations in Missouri, state legislatures around the country must give their attorneys general more tools to deal with this threat. They should start by passing state-level Foreign Agent Registration Act (FARA) laws that close federal FARA loopholes and help expose the operations of foreign adversaries within the United States. State legislatures should also enact legislation that would enable law enforcement to crack down on transnational repression operations. And, of course, attorneys general must use these tools to take action against <a href="https://apnews.com/general-news-95025c52081b9722e5afca23fe0a43b9" target="_blank" rel="noopener">malign influence</a> operations in their respective states.
The myth that China is interested in becoming more friendly and more democratic is falling apart, and we can take some comfort in that. But the CCP is relentless, and the federal government cannot face it down alone. Protecting our homeland from the CCP will demand focus, commitment, and action by our state and local government officials.
 * * *
Michael Lucci is the founder, CEO, and Chairman of State Armor, which he created to develop and enact state solutions to global security threats. Follow him at: @Michael7ucci
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of the Daily Wire.

House Judiciary Committee Holds Hearing On Manhattan District Attorney’s Office

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