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Charlie Dent is a former Republican congressman from Pennsylvania who served as chair of the House Ethics Committee from 2015 until 2017 and chair of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Military Construction, Veterans Affairs and Related Agencies from 2015 until 2018. He is a CNN political commentator. The views expressed in this commentary are his own. View more opinion on CNN. (CNN) During my first term in Congress (2005-2006), I vividly recall a surge in gasoline prices . Democrats blasted then President George W. Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney, demonizing them for their prior work in fossil fuels and the energy sector. The Democrats contended these two oilmen led an administration too friendly to the oil and gas industry and initiated a war of choice in Iraq to serve those interests. Predictably, there were calls for suspending the 18.4-cent- per gallon federal gasoline tax. Charlie Dent It was a terrible idea then just as it is … [Read more...] about Opinion: Biden wants a gas tax holiday. Here are a few better ideas

This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate 3 Celebrity birthdays for the week of July 3-9: July 3: Actor Michael Cole (“The Mod Squad”) is 82. Singer Judith Durham of The Seekers is 79. Actor Kurtwood Smith (“That 70s Show”) is 79. Country singer Johnny Lee is 76. Writer Dave Barry is 75. Actor Betty Buckley is 75. Actor Jan Smithers (“WKRP In Cincinnati”) is 73. Actor Bruce Altman (“Blue Bloods”) is 67. Talk show host Montel Williams is 66. Country singer Aaron Tippin is 64. Synthesizer player Vince Clarke of Erasure is 62. Actor Tom Cruise is 60. Actor Thomas Gibson (“Criminal Minds,” ″Dharma and Greg”) is 60. Actor Hunter Tylo is 60. Actor Connie Nielsen (“Gladiator”) is 58. Actor Yeardley Smith (“The Simpsons”) is 58. TV chef Sandra Lee is 56. Singer Ishmael “Butterfly” Butler of Digable Planets is 53. Keyboardist-guitarist Kevin Hearn of Barenaked Ladies is 53. Actor Shawnee Smith (“Saw,” ″Becker”) is 53. Actor-singer Audra … [Read more...] about Celebrity birthdays for the week of July 3-9

This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate 8 CAPE TOWN, South Africa (AP) — South African authorities were seeking answers Monday after 21 underage teenagers reportedly celebrating the end of school exams died in a mysterious incident at a nightclub. The bodies of many of the victims, the youngest just 13, were discovered by police lying on tables, slumped over chairs and sprawled on the floor of the club in the early hours of Sunday morning. Police spokeswoman Col. Athlenda Mathe said the investigation into the deaths at the Enyobeni Tavern in the city of East London in Eastern Cape province was ongoing and no cause of the deaths had yet been established. But Police Minister Bheki Cele said forensic samples taken from the victims were being sent to a toxicology laboratory in Cape Town, indicating that police were investigating whether the victims had ingested a poison or toxin. Cele said the … [Read more...] about Mystery over deaths of 21 teenagers at S African nightclub

SACRAMENTO — Elections have consequences. That’s a cliché, but clichés are born of truths. And this is a truth: If a Democrat had been elected president in 2016, we wouldn’t have a right-wing Supreme Court. If Donald Trump hadn’t beaten Hillary Clinton, gun control laws and national abortion rights would not have been quashed by the Supreme Court last week. The Supreme Court today would not have a 6-3 conservative majority. It would be 6-3 moderate-to-liberal. Parts of American life wouldn’t have been turned upside down. Trump named three conservative justices to fill seats that would have been occupied by three liberals or centrists under a Democratic president. On Friday, Trump bragged about that after the court overturned Roe vs. Wade . The former president noted he pledged during the 2016 campaign to nominate anti-Roe justices, and he did. Advertisement The abortion and other recent court decisions “were only made possible because I delivered everything as … [Read more...] about Column: With Roe overturned, will Democrats finally learn that losing parties can’t construct the court?

This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate 3 BANGKOK (AP) — Myanmar’s Supreme Court heard final arguments on Monday in a long-running, bitter dispute between the country’s ousted leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, and her estranged elder brother over the property where she was held under house arrest for 15 years. The court in the capital, Naypyitaw, agreed last October to hear a special appeal from Suu Kyi’s brother, Aung San Oo, on how to divide the family property the siblings inherited in Yangon, the country’s biggest city, his lawyer said. The lawyer, Aye Lwin, said a special bench of the Supreme Court could reach a decision within three months and it would be final. Suu Kyi. 77, whose elected government was ousted in an army takeover last year, already faces a slew of legal cases brought by the military. The court system has been criticized by rights groups for being under the military's influence. The military's seizure of … [Read more...] about Brother of Myanmar’s Suu Kyi seeks share of family property

701 Politics & Government Marches speaking out against overturning of the landmark court decision are slated for Friday evening in Chicago, Wheaton and Naperville. Jeff Arnold , Patch Staff Posted | Updated Replies CHICAGO — As the swift response to Friday morning's Supreme Court decision overturning Roe V. Wade continues, several protests are scheduled for the greater Chicago area against the court's decision to strip women nationwide of the right to have an abortion. Several marches have been announced for Friday evening, including in downtown Chicago and in Wheaton and Naperville, organizers announced on Friday. The events will take place as state leaders — including Gov. J.B. Pritzker, Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot and others — have said that Illinois will remain a sanctuary for women who want to have the procedure done in Illinois. Friday's 6-3 court decision opens the door for states to make the procedure of … [Read more...] about Protests Slated Around Chicagoland After SCOTUS Overturns Roe V. Wade

0 Pets Plenty of adorable animals are up for adoption in the Chicago Heights area. Pet News , Patch Staff Posted Reply If you've been hoping to add a fluffy ball of love and affection to your family, you should check out these shelters in and around Chicago Heights for a pet up for adoption. About 6.5 million companion animals are surrendered or taken in each year by animal rescue organizations nationwide, according to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. However, only around half of all shelter animals are adopted each year, according to ASPCA data. For those looking to adopt, a great place to start your search for a lovable new family member is at South Suburban Humane Society, where Crayon the cat is waiting patiently, or another local rescue facility. If you aren't sure if you have time to take care of a pet year round, many shelters also offer opportunities to foster pets until they are placed … [Read more...] about Chicago Heights Area Adoptable Pets: Dogs, Cats & More

(CNN) — Top Biden administration officials will be dispatched across the country this week to reassure Americans that combating inflation remains a top priority for the White House as prices soar and economic concerns mount, a White House official tells CNN. The travel blitz by Cabinet members and senior officials comes as President Joe Biden meets with world leaders at the G7 and NATO summits in Germany and Spain , where leaders are discussing, among other things, rising costs that have been driven in part by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine earlier this year. One White House official said the travel is designed to highlight how “Biden’s leadership on the world stage is centered around delivering for the American middle class.” READ MORE: Maryland Weather: Muggy & Cloudy With Showers Later The officials are expected to tout the bipartisan infrastructure law and outline steps the President has taken to try to bring down costs, even as Biden himself has acknowledged … [Read more...] about Top Biden Officials Plan U.S. Travel Blitz To Discuss Combatting Inflation

Roe v. Wade is dead. It is difficult to overstate the momentousness of this occasion. Today’s Supreme Court decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization will go down in history as among the most significant events in modern American politics. For pro-lifers, it is an achievement long dreamed of, and yet one that few dared hope for until recently. After 49 years under the absurd legal regime of Roe and its progeny, Dobbs is a seismic change. It will, in the immediate term, likely preserve the lives of countless unborn children. It will save many women from the misery and abuse of coercive abortionists. It will also affect our politics in ways America’s leaders are only just beginning to grapple with. (RELATED: ANDERSON: Here’s Why We Should Be Protecting Pregnancy Centers From Extremists) Now that the barbarity of abortion can once again be legally restricted, if not outlawed entirely, who will do it? How will the issue be addressed legislatively after having been … [Read more...] about SCHILLING: Roe’s Demise Is A Victory For The Family

For years the pro-life movement has had two arms: The political effort, which focuses on policies and laws to protect the unborn. And the practical effort, which focuses on healthcare, mercy and compassion to vulnerable pregnant women and new mothers through pregnancy resource centers. Until now, pregnancy resource centers received less media attention than political pro-life groups, but they are critical in our campaign to protect mothers and children from the ravages of the abortion industry. But don’t take it from me — take it from the Left. (RELATED: SHEFFIELD: Remembering Why Title IX Is So Important For Women) Left-wing extremists have begun a terrorist campaign to destroy pregnancy resource centers and intimidate their staff. Organized into new groups called “Jane’s Revenge” and the appropriately named “Anti Hope Brigade,” they have begun firebombing resource centers and defacing them with graffiti. Over 40 clinics have been attacked since the leaked Dobbs … [Read more...] about ANDERSON: Here’s Why We Should Be Protecting Pregnancy Centers From Extremists