A foreign billionaire is using an American dark money organization to boost a ballot initiative that could permanently change the balance of power in the U.S. House of Representatives. Hansjorg Wyss has poured a quarter of a billion dollars into the Sixteen Thirty Fund, a left-wing money clearinghouse that has spent $7 million to push Ohio to vote yes on “Issue One,” a ballot initiative that would change how electoral districts are drawn. If the ballot initiative passes, it would require that the proportion of Democrat-leaning House seats be proportional to how many Democrats live in the state, even if those Democrats are concentrated in just a few districts. That could strip several House seats from Republicans — who currently control the lower chamber by a razor-thin margin — in 2026. But Issue One would boost Democratic power at the expense of community representation. In particular, the initiative is likely to disburse the power currently held in majority-black urban areas. When Michigan redrew its districts in a similar way in 2021, it gave Democrats more seats in Congress, but left Detroit without a black congressman for the first time in 70 years. Some black Democrats aren’t happy with this trade off – particularly because the effort is funded by a Swiss billionaire. “These are people that are supposed to be our political allies, but look at what they are doing to black interests,” Sherry Gay-Dagnogo, a former Michigan state delegate, told The Daily Wire. “When you think about how much money has been dumped into this thing from out of state and even out of the country, what African American organization is going to be able to look at that and hire a lawyer and push back?” Gay-Dagnogo, a black Democrat, said. Proponents of Ohio’s ballot initiative have spent $37 million to advance the issue. Nearly 90% of that money has come from out of state, financial disclosures show. A group called Citizens Not Politicians (CNP) has spent $11 million. Nearly $7 million of CNP’s money came from the Sixteen Thirty Fund. Because Wyss is not a U.S. citizen, he is not permitted to spend money to impact candidate elections. But Sixteen Thirty appears to have identified a loophole: That generally doesn’t apply to state-level ballot initiatives. The Daily Wire previously reported the fund has spent more than $21 million this cycle on such initiatives. Sixteen Thirty gave $550,000 to CNP as it got off the ground in October 2023. On May 23, 2024, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine announced that he intended to have the legislature vote on a bill to ban foreign spending on ballot initiatives. The same day, Sixteen Thirty sent $6 million to CNP. CNP then spent every penny it had before the law actually went into effect, with its July campaign finance report showing $0 cash on hand. The law prohibiting foreign funding of ballot measures was also challenged in court by Democrat lawyer Marc Elias, who has previously served as Wyss’s lawyer. The suit challenging the Ohio law did not name Wyss as a plaintiff, with Elias instead saying he was representing others including a nonprofit advocating for nonbinary Asians. CNP did not return a request for comment. The initiative could require that the percent of House seats that were favorable to each party be within three percentage points of Ohio’s “statewide partisan preference.” But the devil is in the details. DeWine won the popular vote in every county but three, and captured 62% of the popular vote. But the bill would calculate the state’s purported partisan preference based on an average of statewide elections in the last six years, reaching back to a time when Ohio was considerably less red. Issue One backers’ message is that it makes the process less political by setting up a citizen commission to draw boundaries rather than lawmakers. While the 15-person commission would consist of equal numbers of Democrats, Republicans, and independents, they will all be laymen, not politicians, and opponents say bias could overtake the commission in the likely event that members enlist experts to help them with their complicated task. “Anytime you set up a commission where the people have no experience drawing maps…they were at the mercy of an alleged expert,” Gay-Dagnogo said. “When will the citizens have an opportunity to draw a map? They will not.” Frank Strigari, a Republican attorney and former Ohio state Senate aide who has been involved in redistricting issues, said these experts were likely to be left-leaning academics. That, he said, could lead to most of Ohio’s 15 congressional seats going to Democrats, even as a majority of Ohioans vote Republican. That’s because some of the nominally Republican-leaning districts could have only a narrow edge, lacking resistance to ebbs and flows such as backlash to a Republican president during midterm season, while the Democrat ones could be more bulletproof. If Issue One succeeds, the idea is likely to spread to other states as Democrats reverse their longstanding position on “gerrymandering” to rectify the fact that their party’s power is increasingly confined to urban areas. Previously, both parties viewed oddly-shaped districts as unfair, and preferred districts that reflected organic communities and allowed congressmen to represent a defined constituency. For instance, a predominantly-black district city would have its own congressional district, which would likely elect a black congressman. This in particular was important to Democrats. But now, Democrats view overwhelmingly-Democratic urban and black districts as a waste, full of surplus Democratic votes that could be spread out through creative boundary drawing into purple districts they could tip blue. Under Ohio’s proposal, preserving such “communities of interest,” is a secondary goal, to be achieved to “the extent practicable.” “They’re cutting up just enough of the black districts to give the Democrats an edge, but not considering the cultural barriers, the impact of not having a person in Congress to advocate for the needs of those in poverty,” Gay-Dagnogo said. Jason Snead of the Honest Elections Project, which opposes Ohio’s Issue One, says Democrats’ embrace on the issue proves they know the commission will favor their party. If Democrats really believed “citizen-led” commissions were the best option, Snead said, “you’d see them doing it in states like Illinois and Oregon,” where the commissions could boost Republicans. “But you don’t,” Snead added.

Vice President and Democratic nominee for president Kamala Harris is ending her campaign with a final push in the all-important swing state of Pennsylvania, holding rallies and running a new advertisement with the state’s governor. The rust-belt swing state, with its 19 electoral votes, is the most populous and the most consequential state out of the seven battleground states. Pennsylvania is considered by many to be a must-win for the Democratic nominee, who would have a significantly more challenging path to victory if she is unable to sweep through the rust belt states. Harris is now making her final push in the Keystone State, announcing plans to rally in Pittsburgh and Philadelphia on the eve of the election and launching a new ad with Governor Josh Shapiro. Harris just recently rallied in Philadelphia, encouraging residents of the state to vote and hitting on the issues of abortion, the economy, and gun violence. Current polling averages have Harris and former president Donald Trump neck-and-neck in the state, with Trump holding a slim 0.4 percent lead. Her new advertisement in Pennsylvania features the state’s governor Josh Shapiro, formerly a contender for Harris’ running mate before she opted for Minnesota Governor Tim Walz. “Do you want more chaos? Or like me, are you ready for some common sense? That’s why I’m with Kamala,” Shapiro says in the advertisement. “She’s practical, and she gets stuff done.” MATT WALSH’S ‘AM I RACIST?’ NOW STREAMING ON DAILYWIRE+ “As president, I will chart a new way forward and find solutions to create jobs and bring down costs,” Harris states in the ad. Harris’ final ad in Pennsylvania is narrated by Josh Shapiro with him sitting next to Harris. (Shapiro was on the VP shortlist) More from @JuliaTerruso https://t.co/3phmi6e13c pic.twitter.com/6QEXnq7n9X — Alex Thompson (@AlexThomp) November 1, 2024 Harris has taken heavy criticism for her decision to name Walz her running mate instead of Shapiro, with critics alleging that the Democratic candidate decided against the Pennsylvania governor over his support for Israel in its war effort, as well as his Jewish background. One advertisement from the League of American Workers hits Harris over her decision, saying that she “passed over the very popular governor of Pennsylvania Josh Shapiro because of his identity.” Election analysts report that Harris’ clearest path to victory relies on her sweeping the three rust belt swing states of Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, and Michigan. Trump would take the presidency if he won any of those three states while also winning Arizona, Georgia, and North Carolina. “If Kamala Harris sweeps the Rust Belt while Trump takes the Sun Belt states, she would win with exactly 270 electoral votes, the absolute minimum needed to emerge victorious,” Nicholas Creel, an associate professor of business law at Georgia College & State University, wrote in Newsweek. Trump, meanwhile, has a more varied set of potential paths to victory and could surpass the required 270 electoral votes to take the presidency by winning Arizona, Georgia, North Carolina, and either Wisconsin or Michigan, even if he lost both Nevada and Pennsylvania.

CNN’s Jake Tapper fact-checked Vice President Kamala Harris’ lie that former President Donald Trump was talking about abortion when he said he wanted to “protect women” whether they “like it or not,” when the comment was made about protecting women and children from illegal criminal migrants and missiles from foreign adversaries. During a panel on “The Lead,” the anchor played the quote by Harris and called her out for changing it to fit a narrative about Trump being a misogynist. “When Trump said he was going to do something for women, whether they like it or not, ‘whether the women like it or not,’ he was talking about protecting women, protecting women whether they like it or not,” Tapper told the panel. “Certainly, you can take issue with the language, but he wasn’t saying he was just going to do whatever he wanted, regardless.” “But you take my point,” he added. “He’s saying I’m gonna protect them, whether women want me to protect them.” When he got pushback from some on the panel, the CNN anchor replied, “It’s not as she presented it. … So just quote it accurately.” At a rally in Phoenix on Thursday, the Kamala said, “Now in America, one in three women lives in a state with a Trump abortion ban, many with no exceptions, even for rape and incest, which is immoral. And Donald Trump’s not done. Did everyone hear what he just said yesterday? That he will do what he wants, quote, and here’s where I’m going to quote, ‘whether the women like it or not.’ We must vote because this is the thing. You know, there’s a saying that you got to listen to people when they tell you who [they] are, and this is not the first time he has told us who he is. He does not believe women should have the agency and authority to make decisions about their own bodies.” MATT WALSH’S ‘AM I RACIST?’ NOW STREAMING ON DAILYWIRE+ Trump’s actual quote was, “Kamala has imported criminal migrants from prisons and jails, from insane asylums and mental institutions all over the world, from Venezuela to the Congo, including savage criminals who assault, rape, and murder our women and girls.” “Anyone who would let monsters kidnap and kill our children does not belong anywhere near the Oval Office,” he added, noting that his team weeks ago told him not to say he wanted to protect women and children. “I said why? I’m president. I want to protect the women and children of our country. … I said, ‘Well, I’m gonna do it whether the women like it or not.’ I’m gonna protect them. I’m gonna protect them from migrants coming in. I’m gonna protect them from foreign countries that want to hit us with missiles…” Related: CNN Panel Explodes Over Suggestion Kamala Was ‘Chosen’ By Dem Party Elites

The Biden-Harris Department of Health and Human Services consulted left-wing transgender activists as it sought to further “LGBTQI accessibility,” with one activist even calling for families that do not accept a child’s gender identity to be prosecuted in a video reviewed by The Daily Wire. HHS convened the activists late last year for a webinar on “Emerging Practices for Supporting LGBTQI+ Young People Across Human Services Programs.” The project sought to identify “practices that human services agencies, programs, staff, and leaders are using to make human service delivery and prevention more welcoming and accessible for LGBTQI+ young people (ages 10-24),” with a particular focus on the “child welfare and juvenile justice systems.” One activist, Alexander Roque, was particularly extreme, calling for families who engage in “homophobia or transphobia” to be prosecuted on child abuse charges. “There are no systems that prosecute or address family rejection as it relates to homophobia or transphobia,” Roque, the president of an LGBT community center and homeless shelter called the Ali Forney Center, complained. “I’ve been beating this drum that homophobia and transphobia is child abuse, and we need to recognize it as such.” He went on to complain that Child Protective Services has forced him to return children to their families. “We’ve had so many instances where young people have run away from their homes and have come into our care and we’ve literally had to hand over a young person to their family in front of a child protective worker.” “I really think that providers who are seeking to represent LGBT youth have to really support a systems change on how systems address homophobia and transphobia. Right now nothing happens to the families,” Roque said, again indicating that he wants parents who do not accept a child’s gender identity to be punished or prosecuted. Asked by The Daily Wire if he supports prosecuting parents for alleged transphobia, Roque said that he does not “believe that parents should be persecuted nor am I advocating for that.” It is unclear if Roque’s disavowal of persecution means that he does not support prosecution. The federal bureaucracy has been mobilized to push far-left ideologies by the Biden-Harris administration, which named Admiral Rachel Levine, a man who identifies as a woman, as the Assistant Secretary for Health at the HHS. Levine went on to pressure a medical organization to remove minimum age restrictions for children who undergo medical procedures that seek to change their sex. A new study found that the Biden-Harris administration pushed far-left ideology throughout the government with 500 “DEI actions,” The Daily Wire reported this week. Another activist criticized families who do not want their child to attempt to transition to the opposite sex, even saying that others may need to step in as a child’s “chosen family.” “Supporting families is an important form of prevention. Programs are working to support families by using a relationship-based approach that builds connections with families and aims to understand their stage of acceptance with their child’s sexual orientation or gender identity,” Eli Michaels, a health equity researcher with the research organization Mathematica, said during the webinar. “In some cases that may mean helping youth find and even serving as their chosen family.” The program was organized by HHS Deputy Assistant Secretary Miranda Lynch-Smith, who, according to her resume, focuses on “child welfare policy” and “systematic policy changes that build well-being systems and address race equity.” It was performed in conjunction with Mathematica, a New Jersey-based research organization that frequently contracts with federal agencies. HHS has repeatedly pushed child transgenderism under the Biden-Harris administration, investigations from The Daily Wire have revealed. The National Institutes of Health, a subagency of the HHS, allocated over $3 million to expand the availability of sex change operations for minors despite hospitals admitting that such medical interventions can result in sterilization. The department also agreed to spend nearly $700,000 to create “an inclusive teen pregnancy program for transgender boys” and appears to have authorized the use of taxpayer funds to buy chest binders and prosthetic penises for children in the foster care system. Bureaucrats who pushed the far-left agenda could be ousted from the federal agencies pending the results of the November election, however. Former President Donald Trump has pledged to gut the bureaucracy through executive orders, cutting down the size of the administrative state and firing those who may otherwise work to undermine his policy agenda. HHS did not respond to a request for comment.  

'We believe they are standing in these lines'

'You cannot simultaneously have free immigration and a welfare state'

'continue this momentum'

The celebrities were allegedly predominantly male

'Something unusual has happened this cycle'

Our 10 Great Songs You May Have Forgotten or Never Heard article begins a new series that we hope takes flight here at Classic Rock History. This series intends to showcase musical artists and songs that mainstream music fans might not have heard of or perhaps simply forgotten about. We’re well aware that hardcore music fans are probably familiar with the artists and songs on this list, but there’s always a chance that even some devoted listeners may discover something new. Our goal is to spotlight ten different artists and some of their most essential, spectacular songs, hopefully introducing great The post 10 Great Songs You May Have Forgotten Or Never Heard (Vol.1) appeared first on ClassicRockHistory.com.