News From Around the Web
#10 Texas Must Hold the Line - Auron Macintyre for Blaze Media
Democrats refuse to comply with immigration law all the time. There is no reason a Republican governor should follow the Supreme Court’s malicious border with Mexico. The Biden administration has enacted a malicious open-border policy welcoming millions of illegal aliens into the country and facilitating a full-scale invasion. Texas Governor Greg Abbott has attempted to stem the tide by deploying razor wire and authorizing state law enforcement to arrest foreign trespassers. Federal Border Patrol agents have responded by cutting the wire so that an unrestricted flow of completely unvetted migrants can continue to enter the country illegally.
#9 West Virginia Conservatives Seek to Close Primaries After Voters Crossed Parties in New Hampshire - Sean Moran for Breitbart
The controversy over the New Hampshire open primary system sets the stage for a fight in West Virginia as conservatives there seek to close the state’s primary elections soon. Former President Donald Trump defeated former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley by double digits on Tuesday night, making him the first non-incumbent to win both the Iowa caucuses and the New Hampshire primary. “Unaffiliated voters made up slightly less than half of the electorate (47%) and broke for Haley by 26 points,” Fox News reported. Now, the West Virginia Republican Party Executive Committee will reportedly meet on Saturday, where it will consider a proposal to restrict the primary elections, including the one for May, to only registered Republicans. This would have a huge sway in the combative elections for governor and senate.
#8 Republican Candidate Beats Lib Mayor by a Landslide in Dem Stronghold - Warner Todd Huston for The Western Journal
The race for mayor in liberal Pueblo, Colorado, was turned upside down Tuesday when a Republican member of the city council ran for mayor and won. Back in November 2022, city council president and owner of Graham’s Grill and Ruby’s, Heather Graham, announced her run for mayor of Pueblo, Colorado. Graham may have seemed like a long shot, being a Republican in the famously liberal city. “This community that we love has been going in the wrong direction the last few years. I just can’t sit back and do nothing,” Graham said when she launched her campaign, according to The Pueblo Chieftain. “My short time in office has shown me how change is possible and not enough is happening.”
#7 Chair of Arizona Republican Party Resigns After Leak Reveals Alleged Bribe - Rachel Leingang for The Guardian
The leader of Arizona’s Republican party resigned on Wednesday after leaked audio of him surfaced, appearing to show him offering a bribe to the Republican candidate Kari Lake by asking if there was a dollar amount she would take to stay out of the US Senate race there. Jeff DeWit, the chair of the state party, was captured in audio secretly recorded by Lake telling her “there are very powerful people who want to keep you out” of the Senate race and that “they’re willing to put their money where their mouth is, in a big way.”
#6 Disney Opens New Fight with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis Over “Obstructionist Conduct” in Public Records Discovery - Mike for Blog Mickey
#5 44% of Americans Can't Pay an Unexpected $1,000 Expense From Savings. ‘We're Just Not Wired to Save,’ - Lorie Konish for CNBC
When faced with an unexpected $1,000 expense, more than one-third of Americans would borrow the money, according to a new Bankrate survey. That may include tapping their credit cards, seeking money from friends or family, or taking out a personal loan. Most would not turn to cash savings because they don't have it, the personal finance website found.
#4 A Nationwide Strike in Argentina Poses Major Test to Milei’s Economic ‘Shock Therapy’ - Sam Meredith for CNBC
Argentina's largest labor union grouping on Wednesday held a nationwide general strike to protest President Javier Milei's shock economic agenda. The strike comes just 45 days after the right-wing leader took office, making it the fastest action of its kind into the term of a new Argentina government. Thousands of workers took to the streets after a mobilization called by the opposition-aligned Confederación General del Trabajo (CGT), the largest and most influential union in the country, and other union forces.
#3 Florida Passes Landmark Bill: Social Media Ban for Children Under 16 - Deja Monet Newsbreak
On Wednesday, the Florida House passed a bill banning children under 16 from popular social media platforms, regardless of parental approval. The bill, which is the top priority for the House’s speaker, aims to address the addictive nature of these platforms and the potential harm they can cause to children. While the bill does not specify which platforms would be affected, it targets social media sites that track user activity, allow children to upload content and interact with others, and use features designed to encourage excessive or compulsive use. However, the bill would not impact apps used for private messaging between individuals. Republican Rep. Tyler Sirois, the sponsor of the bill, highlighted the exploitative nature of social media platforms, stating, “ They’re taking advantage of kids growing up. That’s their business model, And why do they do it? To keep them hooked…with the dopamine hits, the platform gives our children every autoplay, like, and push notification.”#2 China's Attempts to Lift Confidence in Economy Fall Flat - Joe Cash for Reuters
Chinese Premier Li Qiang went to the World Economic Forum in Davos last week with a mission to present a positive image of the economy and schmooze financial elites: "Investing in the Chinese market is not a risk, but an opportunity." The message fell flat. As soon as Chinese markets reopened the next day, a years-long sell-off in stocks and other assets accelerated, even as official data confirmed Li's surprising early reveal that economic growth comfortably hit last year's target.
#1 ‘Stay Hidden’: Van Jones Urges Biden to Repeat 2020 Basement Strategy to Win - Terresa Monroe-Hamilton for American Wire
CNN contributor Van Jones addressed the elephant in the room on Tuesday following the New Hampshire primary, where former President Trump cruised to victory, advising President Biden to stay in his basement.n He virtually called for a do-over of the last election where Biden stayed hidden from view. Americans are demanding answers on the economy and the border, and even Jones is forced to admit the geriatric world leader “doesn’t inspire confidence.” The conversation was kicked off by David Axelrod, who is the former senior adviser to Barack Obama. Earlier in the segment, he claimed the 2024 race would be “trench warfare.”
And Now for Something Special 
California Woman's Nostalgic Blockbuster-Themed Movie 'Library' Has Neighbors 'Rewinding' Into the Past
Blockbuster Video exchange box, launched by a video game developer in Los Angeles, has people 'moved to tears.' A California woman is reminding her neighbors of fond memories associated with Blockbuster Video through a "Free Blockbuster" movie exchange. It's a spin on a "Little Free Library" – a non-profit book-sharing initiative where people donate and borrow books. "Free Blockbuster" is the same idea, but the box is filled with films and is painted in Blockbuster's classic colors — blue and yellow. It was Alyssa Kollgaard, a video game developer in Los Angeles, who wanted to share her love for films through a creative and sentimental project.
