"It's been said we live in one of the most divisive and bitterly antagonistic political eras in our nation's history. That's certainly true for some of the public debates over tough issues we face today. But data from the latest I&I/TIPP Poll show there's one policy issue about which both major parties have near total agreement: school choice.

"Fed up with substandard public schools and feeling trapped, Democrat and Republican voters heartily support greater school choice by more than 2-to-1, according to April's online I&I/TIPP Poll."

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"Social justice activists often don disguises. Animal rights activists pose as farmworkers to film footage in secret. Eco protesters pose as museumgoers to glue themselves to art. But the latest trend is something new: Leftists are posing as corporate investors.

"Why? Because investors own companies, and companies have power. Climate change warriors can chain themselves to every tree in the rainforest, but without the support of the public, they aren't going to get very far. Investing offers something different: a seat at the corporate table, where decisions are made by a powerful few. Convince those few and you're set. ...

"The mechanics of this scheme are straightforward. Activists-turned-investors co-opted a little-known, arcane process of corporate governance called proxy voting. Here's how: Activist groups, such as PETA, buy up a few shares of big, publicly traded companies. Then, as 'investors,' they're allowed to propose changes to how the company is run. These proposals get put to a shareholder vote once a year."

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"Julie Su, the Biden adminitration's labor secretary nominee, appeared before the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions committee on Thursday, where she attempted to make the case for her confirmation as she was grilled by Republicans over her record.

The Democratic majority on the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, which held Thursday's hearing, appeared largely supportive of Su's nomination. But she has not yet secured the support of other key Democrats in the Senate -- suggesting she could face an uphill battle to confirmation when the full chamber casts its vote. ...

If Su does not convince enough senators to get on board with her nomination, she would be the highest-ranking nominee yet to fail among a recent string of candidates brought forward by the Biden administration who have failed to move through the confirmation process. ...

Su's critics have argued that her policy stances are hostile to small businesses.

The top Republican on the committee, Sen. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, expressed concerns about her support for A.B. 5, a California law that aims to reclassify certain gig workers as regular employees, as well as joint employer provisions critics have said make it more difficult for franchisees to operate in California."

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"A decorated supervisory IRS agent has reported to the Justice Department's top watchdog that federal prosecutors appointed by Joe Biden have engaged in 'preferential treatment and politics' to block criminal tax charges against presidential son Hunter Biden, providing evidence as a whistleblower that conflicts with Attorney General Merrick Garland's recent testimony to Congress that the decision to bring charges against Biden was being left to the Trump-appointed U.S. Attorney for Delaware.

"According to a letter from the whistleblower's attorney Mark Lytle to Congress obtained by Just the News, the IRS agent revealed he is seeking to provide detailed disclosures about a high-profile, sensitive case to the tax-writing committees in Congress, which have special authority under federal tax privacy laws to receive such information. That could pave the way to share the details with other committees in coming weeks.

"The letter does not state that the whistleblower disclosures are related to Hunter Biden. However, Just the News has independently confirmed the agent's allegations involve the Hunter Biden probe being led by Delaware U.S. Attorney David Weiss, a Trump holdover, according to multiple interviews with people directly familiar with the matter."

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"Senate Republicans on Tuesday evening blocked a request from Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer to temporarily replace Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., on the Judiciary Committee so that committee has the numbers to advance President Biden's judicial nominees.

"Schumer, D-N.Y., introduced the resolution and asked that it be approved by unanimous consent -- a method that requires every senator to agree. Unanimous consent allows the Senate to quickly approve non-controversial measures without hours and days of necessary debate in the upper chamber.

"But Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., stood to oppose the move and rejecting Schumer's request. That objection means Democrats will need to find 60 votes to approve his request, which will require 10 Republicans to cross the aisle.

"Graham echoed the objections of many Republicans by saying they can't support an effort to put another Democrat on the committee because it will mean Senate confirmation of liberal judges that Republicans oppose."

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"Taxpayers are racing to submit their 1040s and beat the IRS's Tuesday tax deadline.

"Yet their payments -- which are contributing to the highest sustained tax burden in American history -- cannot keep pace with Washington's spending spree.

"This year, Washington will collect $36,313 per household in tax revenues (this includes all federal taxes, as even business taxes are eventually passed on to individuals).

"Washington will spend $46,834 per household.

"The resulting budget deficit of $10,521 per household brings the per-household national debt held by the public to a staggering $194,063.

"Are you getting your money's worth?"

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"Major retailers in the US have been forced to shut down stores due to millions of dollars in losses as rampant theft plagues big box stores across the country.

"This week, Walmart announced it will shut down four of its stores in Chicago just weeks after America's biggest employer shuttered its only stores in Portland.

"It comes as shoplifting reaches alarming levels and other large retailers, including Target, Macy's and Best Buy, are now making good on threats to shutter outlets if petty crime was not lowered.

"In 2021 retailers lost a combined $94.5 billion to shrink, a term used to describe theft and other types of inventory loss. And organized retail crime incidents soared by 26.5 per cent in the same year, according to the 2022 National Retail Security Survey. ...

"Progressive district attorneys in cities like Chicago, New York, Portland and California have also been blamed for effectively legalizing shoplifing with either not prosecuting thefts under $950, or letting criminals off with a slap on the wrist."

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"While the federal government ran up $1 trillion worth of debt in the last six months, 28 states across the country are considering tax cuts as they tout budget surpluses.

"'People, business and capital will flock to where they're treated best,' Florida resident and investment adviser Gary Kaltbaum said on 'Varney & Co.' Thursday. 'I have friends in California, and we compare numbers. It is stunning. It's a gargantuan spread as far as tax is concerned.'

"Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis announced his intention in February to pass the largest tax relief proposal in the state's history, according to a press release. Florida families will allegedly save $2 billion during the 2023 to 2024 fiscal year.

"Other states like Idaho and Colorado are looking to cut property taxes, while Arkansas and Mississippi may eliminate individual income tax altogether. Nebraska and Virginia, for example, are both exploring reducing income tax rates."

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"Between higher costs and a possible recession on the horizon, families feel increasingly strained financially.

More than half, or 58%, of all Americans are now living paycheck to paycheck, according to the CNBC Your Money Financial Confidence Survey, conducted in partnership with Momentive.

And even more -- roughly 70% -- said they feel stressed about their finances, mostly due to inflation, economic uncertainty and rising interest rates, the survey found.

'Whether or not you have significant wealth, everyone is feeling squeezed,' said Misi Simms, portfolio manager at TIAA, a Fortune 100 financial services company."

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"When liberals look back on the Biden presidency, they may hail its greatest accomplishment as ushering in a new era of corporate government dependency. Without fail, and no matter the industry, the administration has hooked businesses on Washington handouts while attaching conditions that put taxpayers and consumers on the hook for leftist policy preferences.

"Government help is never free, as semiconductor companies are learning. Chip makers lobbied Congress for enormous subsidies to build plants in the U.S., which they claimed would shore up supply chains and protect national security. ... Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo then conditioned the grants on companies implementing the administration's social policy.

"Perhaps no industry has become as dependent on government in the Biden years as auto makers. A Goldman Sachs report last week estimated that the Inflation Reduction Act's electric-vehicle consumer and battery-production tax credits alone could cost taxpayers $523 billion over 10 years -- nearly seven times as much as the 2008-2009 auto bailout.

"Auto makers are losing billions of dollars on electric vehicles, but the administration is making the industry too big to fail. How long before they ask government to backstop their losses?"

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