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UNBIASED Politics
Everything We Know About the Charlie Kirk Suspect, ICE Agents Kill Man Resisting Arrest, Missouri Passes New Congressional Map, New U.S. Jobs Report Sparks Investigation, and More
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This episode is brought to you by Progressive Insurance. You chose to hit play on this podcast today. Smart Choice make another smart choice with Auto Quote Explorer to compare rates from multiple car insurance companies all at once. Try it@progressive.com Progressive Casualty Insurance Company and affiliates not available in all states or situations. Prices vary based on how you buy. Welcome back to Unbiased, your favorite source of unbiased news and legal analysis. Welcome back to Unbiased Politics. Today is Monday, September 15th. Let's talk about some news. I know I have quite a few new people listening today, so I just wanted to make a quick note that this podcast does not cover international affairs. When I asked everyone on Instagram yesterday what they wanted to hear about in today's episode, I received a number of requests for things like what's going on in Palestine, what, you know, what's with the protests in London, what's happening in the Congo, can you give us an update on Ukraine, things like that. As a general rule, I do not get involved in international matters unless the United States is playing some sort of substantial role in a particular situation. Back when the conflict between Israel and Hamas first broke out, I did two separate episodes all about the hate history of the conflict between Palestine and Israel and answered a lot of your questions. And while those episodes were great, I realized over time that, you know, being a one woman show, it's just not feasible to cover the globe. The quality of my work is much better just focused on the United States, so that's what I do. However, I do have an international section in my newsletter which goes out every Tuesday and Friday and it's not as detailed as the podcast. It's, it's basically quick hitters in pop culture, politics, business, health and international news. But you can always find that, or I should say subscribe to that by clicking the newsletter link in the show notes of each episode. So with that quick little note out of the way, let's talk about some news, starting with arguably the biggest story from the last few days, which is that officials identified in and have in custody the suspected shooter of Charlie Kirk. He is 22 year old Tyler Robinson. So Robinson was taken into custody on Thursday night in St. George, Utah around 11pm local time after allegedly confessing to his father. Utah's Governor Spencer Cox, who has been playing a pretty big role in keeping everyone updated throughout this investigation, said Friday at a press conference, quote, a family member of Tyler Robinson reached out to a family friend who who contacted the Washington County Sheriff's Office with information that Robinson had confessed to them or implied that he had committed the incident, end quote. That family member who reached out to a family friend is confirmed to have been Robinson's father. So here's what we know about the suspect. Robinson was raised in St. George, Utah by his parents alongside his two younger brothers. Robinson's father owns a business installing kitchen countertops and cabinets. His mother is a licensed social worker. Robinson became a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, also known as Mormon, at a young age. However, his family apparently had not been as active in the church in recent years. He was a 4.0 honor roll student who scored in the 99th percentile nationally on standardized tests. His act. He scored a 34 out of 36. He graduated from Pine View High School in St. George in 2021. He was offered a four year merit scholarship to Utah State University, but he actually only attended Utah State for one semester before he enrolled at Dixie Technical College in, in St. George in 2022. He earned his apprentice electrician license and at the time of the shooting, he was a third year student in. In the electrical apprenticeship program. Former classmates described him as, quote, quiet all the time and a little goofy, noting that he liked to play video games. Now, a lot of you. And actually before we get to politics, just to touch on that video game remark, he has a very, he. He was very much involved in the Internet starting at a young age. And we'll talk a little bit about his involvement on Discord, which. But he was very much an Internet kid. Now, I know a lot of you, like I said, have questions about politics. So this is what we know as of now. According to Governor Cox, Robinson grew up in a conservative family, but his own ideology was different. Cox has said, quote, it's very clear to us and to the investigators that this was a person who is deeply indoctrinated with leftist ideology, end quote. When Governor Cox was pressed by CNN's Dana Bash about where that conclusion was coming from. When Cox said that it's coming from family members and other individuals who have been interviewed by the FBI. Now, it's important to note that we don't have any examples from officials about his leftist ideology other than his remarks about Charlie Kirk. Specifically, a family member of Robinson told investigators that at a recent family dinner, Robinson mentioned Kirk coming to UVU in the near future and, and mentioned that he did not like Kirk. He did. He did not like the viewpoints Kirk had and that Kirk was, quote, full of hate and spreading lies. However, outside of those remarks, we don't at least at this point, have any other information from officials that would confirm his leftist ideology? We do know that. I believe it was the Guardian that reported someone that Robinson went to high school with also said that Robinson shared leftist ideology. But then the Guardian actually issued a correction saying that the person they spoke to retracted their statement, saying that they didn't really remember. So nothing. I mean, Governor Cox said that this. This is indicative of leftist ideology. But again, we don't have any official examples outside of those remarks about Charlie Kirk at this point. I know some people were speculating that Robinson was even further right than Kirk, and that's why he didn't like Kirk. But. But we don't have any evidence of that at this time, and that's not what officials are saying. So once we know more, I will update you accordingly. Voter registration records show Robinson is currently registered as being unaffiliated with any party, and per the Washington County Clerk, he's never cast a ballot in any election. We also know that Robinson lived in an apartment in St. George with a transgender partner. That partner is a male transitioning to a female and a corporate, according to officials, has been very cooperative with law enforcement and knew nothing about Robinson's plans. When asked by CNN's Dana Bash whether there's truth to the fact the suspect lived with a transgender partner, Governor Cox said, quote, yes, I can confirm that. That the ro. That the roommate was a romantic partner, a male transitioning to female. I can say that he has been incredibly cooperative, had no idea this was happening, and is working with investigators right now, end quote. Cox also said that investigators were looking at that relationship as a potential motive for the murder, but that's about as much as we know on that front. Now let's talk about his discord messages. So discord, for those that may not be familiar, is like a mix between a group chat and a community forum. So you can. You can talk with friends directly, basically like texting. You can also stream live. You can. You can video chat. You can join what are called servers, which are like online communities built around shared interests, so gaming, sports, politics, hobbies, etc. Then inside those servers, conversations are organized into different channels, which are basically like chat rooms for specific topics. So as an example, maybe there's a book club server for people who like to read. And then within the book club server, there are different channels for different genres of books. That's obviously a very innocent example, but that's the general gist. There are also some pretty dark corners of discord, too, which can involve, you know, Extremist propaganda, grooming, exploitation, even worse. So there. There are definitely dark corners of Discord, but not all of Discord is dark. A lot of people use Discord for gaming, studying, just hanging out with people online. So what we know from these Discord messages that were given to law enforcement is that after the FBI released surveillance images of the suspect, a user on Discord who was in the group that Robinson was in, along with about 20 other people, tagged Robinson's username and wrote ywa with a skull emoji, which stands for where you at. Keep in mind that the other users in this chat didn't know about Robinson's plan. So at this point, tagging Robinson was just meant to imply that Robinson looked like the suspect in the surveillance pictures. This other user was saying it as a joke, right? Not knowing that Robinson was actually the suspect. Robinson then wrote back saying that his doppelganger is trying to get him in trouble. Another user then wrote in the chat, tyler killed Charlie. We which officials, again, just. They think it was a joke considering they didn't know about Robinson's plan. Another user then suggested that the group could turn Robinson in and get the $100,000 reward that the FBI was offering. Robinson responded to that, only if I get a cut. Another user then wrote, whatever you do, don't go to a McDonald's anytime soon. This was in reference to the arrest of Luigi Mangioni, the suspect in the United health care's healthcare CEOs murder. Robinson agreed and wrote back, quote, better also get rid of this manifesto, an exact copy rifle I have laying around, end quote. Another user suggested that the killing of Kirk would result in President Trump sending the National Guard into Utah, to which Robinson replied, quote, in a red state, Nah. Clearly this shooter was from California. And end quote, Robinson also wrote in the chat, quote, I heard the ammo had something about trans stuff on it, but they aren't releasing photos or exact quotes. And then Robinson followed that up with, quote, and also, the claim wasn't backed by the official FBI, just some dude in the briefing room, end quote. A few minutes later, Robinson joked, writing, quote, I'm actually Charlie Kirk wanted to get out of politics, so I faked my death. Now I can live out my dream in Kansas. I. End quote. So that exchange on discord was around 1pm local time on Thursday. We know that about 10 hours later is when he was taken into custody. So at some point after having that exchange on Discord, he must have confessed to his dad, which led his dad to contact a family friend who ultimately reached out to law enforcement. Robinson is not currently cooperating with investigators and has not spoken to them since, invoking his right to an attorney, which, by the way, is not unusual. Okay, so once you invoke your right to remain silent and you get representation, you typically do not want to say another word. If you want any chance of freedom down the road, the people who don't care about, you know, freedom, hoping to get off, they'll talk, they'll confess, they'll say whatever. But the people who want a chance of freedom, they will not speak a word. So that's the current situation. Robinson, again, has not confessed to the shooting, and he is currently being held without bail in a special unit at a Utah jail. It's worth noting that the criminal complaint against Robinson has not yet been filed. But once it is, which could be tomorrow, we will likely get more information about the allegations against Robinson and what the FBI has found during the course of its investigation. And, of course, once we have that, once I go through it, once I read it, I will update you accordingly. So what I want to do now, before we jump off to the next unrelated story, is talk about a few parallel storylines here. First, I want to address the theories that the suspect does not look like the person in the surveillance pictures released by the FBI. I really only have a few things to say here. First and foremost, the surveillance pictures that were released by the FBI were very blurry. Since then, I have seen enhanced images being compared to pictures of the suspect. And while I agree that the enhanced pictures don't necessarily look like the pictures we've seen of the suspect, we have to keep in mind that those enhanced pictures might not be accurate. Right. It was not the FBI that released those enhanced images. So most likely it's some AI platform out there that someone used. And, you know, the platform said, this is probably what this person looks like if we enhance the image. So please, just take those pictures with a grain of salt that are circulating. The other thing worth noting is that this morning, FBI Director Kash Patel confirmed that that DNA from the towel that was wrapped around the suspected murder weapon and DNA from a screwdriver that was left on the UVU rooftop both match Tyler Robinson. Patel also said that Robinson wrote a note prior to the shooting saying, quote, the written note that we believe did exist, and we have evidence to show what was in that note. Which is. And I'm going to summarize, basically saying the suspect wrote a note saying, I have the opportunity to take out Charlie Kirk, and I'm going to take it. That note was written before the shooting. Evidence of its existence, we now have learned, existed before the shooting was in the location in the suspected partner's home. But we have since learned that the note, even though it has been destroyed, we have found forensic evidence of the note and we have confirmed what the note says because of our aggressive interview posture at the FBI, end quote, unquote. I understand that that quote was very confusing. Even as I watched him say it, the wording was just very confusing. Basically, he's saying they found forensic evidence of a note, but that note has since been destroyed. So do with that information what you will. The last thing I want to talk about is how people are getting fired for their remarks about Charlie Kirk. A few of you had questions about this. Specifically your question was why doesn't freedom of speech apply here? So we've heard about, I mean, a few people, but so far I think there's been a school resource officer that was fired. Teachers have been fired. Airline workers have been fired. An Office Depot worker was fired for refusing to print an image of Charlie Kirk for a customer that was going to a vigil. So let's talk about how these people can lawfully be terminated despite possessing the right to freedom of speech. What's most important to understand is that the First Amendment limits government action. It prevents the government from silencing or punishing you for your speech. However, the First Amendment does not require private employers to allow speech without consequences. And even when it comes to the government punishing you for speech, there are exceptions like incitement to violence, true threats, obscenity. So there's. There are always exceptions to your right to free speech. But this is to say that private employers are not obligated to. You follow the First Amendment in the same way that the government is. The First Amendment specifically protects you from punishment from the government. So let's take the teachers and the school resource officer first. Because these people are employed by public institutions, which are government actors. For public employees, some speech is protected particular particularly when people are speaking as private citizens on matters of public concern. But that protection is not absolute. If the speech disrupts the employer's interest in an efficient workplace, the employer can take adverse action against the employee. And when it comes to whether speech disrupts the employer's interest in an efficient workplace, there are different factors that are taken into account. Does the speech impair discipline by superiors or harmony among co workers? Does the speech detract from work relationships that require loyalty and confidence? Does the speech impede performance of the employee's duties or the office's operations. Generally, there are various questions that a court will run through to determine whether termination was lawful. The extent of disruption will be balanced against the speaker's interest in the speech in question. If the extent of the disruption is greater than the speaker's interest in the speech, the employee was lawfully terminated. It's important to remember that even for public employees, free speech does not mean no consequences, especially if the speech is considered to be irresponsible or detrimental to their position or to public trust. When it comes to private employers like Office Depot or Delta Airlines or whatever, the rules are a lot more straightforward. If your employment is at will, which most private sector jobs in the United States are, your employer can end your employment for almost any reason unless you know it's illegal discrimination, retaliation, etc. But also if your employer sees your speech as harming the company's reputation or violating company policy, you can be lawfully let go along similar lines, many workplaces have rules about employee behavior, including what employees can post on social media. If someone's speech violates those rules, whether it be with hate speech, threats, statements, condoning violence, whatever it is, the employer can rightfully terminate the employee. And now, specifically with the Office Depot employee, that employee refused to print an image of Charlie Kirk. That is a refusal to perform a job duty. That's a whole other issue which can be grounds for termination. But at the end of the day, yes, we have a right to free speech. That right does not extend to all situations, especially when it comes to private employers. So let's take our first break here. When we come back, we'll talk about some news out of the Supreme Court, a controversial ICE encounter in Chicago, and more. You've probably seen a million ads for hair growth products and doubted them because honestly, I did the same thing. Until I decided to take a chance on Nutrafol because I had been seeing so much about it on social media. I first started noticing hair shedding in May 2023. It was the first time it had ever happened. Thankfully, it only lasted a couple of months, but it was still scary because my hair has always been almost like my security blanket. But fast forward to a year later and it happened again. So at that point I decided I should probably do something about it. Not just to grow more hair, but also to prevent more shedding down the road. And that's when I finally tried Nutrafol. 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Last year, South Carolina included a provision in its 20242025 budget appropriations bill that required students to use the school bathrooms that correspond with their biological sex at the time of birth. That is still the law in South Carolina, but during the 2024 school year, an eighth grade transgender student who was born a female but identifies as male used the boys restroom. Soon after, the student was suspended from school and reportedly threatened with expulsion. In response to that, the student filed a lawsuit with a group called the alliance for Full Acceptance, which is a Charleston based advocacy group, and argued that South Carolina's law violates Title 9 of the Education Amendments of 1972 and the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment. Now, initially when this lawsuit was filed, the plaintiff requested what's called a preliminary injunction, which we've talked about before. Basically it would, in this case, prohibit the student's school from enforcing the state bathroom law against the plaintiff. Eventually, the request for a preliminary injunction went up to the fourth Circuit Court of Appeals and the injunction was granted. So the state of South Carolina then appealed that injunction to the Supreme Court on an emergency basis. Now, the thing with emergency requests is, is that the party requesting emergency intervention has to adequately show the court that it would be permanently harmed if it wasn't granted the relief it was seeking right away on an emergency basis. Right? So in this case, South Carolina had to show that it would be permanently harmed if it couldn't enforce its school bathroom law against this particular student immediately. And on Wednesday, in a brief order, the Supreme Court denied South Carolina's request. South Carolina did not show sufficient evidence that it would be permanently harmed if it was barred from enforcing its state bathroom law against this student. So a few things to note here. First, this order only applies to this particular student. So by denying South Carolina's request, the student school cannot punish this particular student for using the mail bathroom. But South Carolina schools can still continue to enforce the state law against other transgender students. The law is still very much in effect. Two, the Supreme Court's order did not decide the case on the merits. Right. This case still has to play out in the district court, then make its way through the appellate process, and then eventually make its way to the Supreme Court. And even then, the Supreme Court doesn't have to decide this case. The Supreme Court has turned down at least three similar cases since 2019. So perhaps it turns down this case as well. Or maybe this is the case that, you know, the court finally takes. Takes to settle the debate. We shall see. Okay, moving on. On Friday, an ICE officer shot and killed a man during an attempted arrest in a suburb of Chicago, Illinois. And the incident is causing a bit of controversy. So let's talk about this. 38 year old Silviero Viegas Gonzalez was an undocumented immigrant from Mexico who had reportedly been living in the United States for decades, though it's unclear when he actually entered the country. Gonzalez was working in the US As a cook at the time of his death, and he was also a father of three. He did not have a criminal record, though he had pleaded guilty to four different traffic violations over the years, with the most recent violation in 2013. According to a DHS statement, quote, ICE officers conducted a vehicle stop to arrest Silviero Viegas Gonzalez. He refused to follow law enforcement's commands and drove his car at law enforcement officers. One of the ICE officers was hit by the car and dragged a significant distance. Fearing for his own life, the officer fired his weapon. The target of the enforcement operation was Silvero Viegas Gonzalez, a criminal illegal alien with a history of reckless driving. He entered the country at an unknown date and time, end quote. So I would like to make one thing clear, because I. I always questions about this. So the DHS said in its statement they called. They called Gonzalez a criminal illegal alien. And I just. Alien. And I just told you that he didn't have a criminal record. So let me just clarify something really quick. When I say he didn't have a criminal record, I mean, there are no. There is no record of him committing any crimes. Okay? If he crossed the border illegally when he came into this country, technically he violated federal law, and that is a crime. It doesn't mean it's on his record, but it means that he committed a crime. So that's likely why they're referring to him as a criminal illegal alien. Now, if he came in lawfully and overstayed his visa or something, and was here, you know, illegally, because he overstayed, that's not a crime under federal law. That's a civil offense. So he. He technically wouldn't be a criminal illegal alien. But the fact that the DHS is referring to him as a criminal illegal alien implies that when he did come into the country, he crossed the border illegally, and that is how he got here. So I just wanted to clarify that because I know some of you may have caught that and thought to yourself, I thought you just said he didn't have a criminal record. Why are they calling him a criminal? So hopefully that clears things up. Since the incident, other officials, like the governor of Illinois, are calling for a detailed investigation. Governor Pritzker is asking for a quote from full, factual account of what's happened to ensure transparency and accountability. Critics, including immigration advocates, claim that this shooting is another example of the aggressive tactics employed by the federal government. And that there was no cause for the stop in the first place. Gonzalez's family members have started to go fund me page in the wake of his death. And they wrote in part, quote, it is cruel what ICE agents did to him. Shortly after he dropped his sons at school. It is with heavy hearts that we announce the passing of our beloved Silviero Vegas Gonzalez, a devoted father, a cherished friend, and kind soul who touched the lives of so many. End quote. At this point, we don't really know many details surrounding the lead up to the shooting. We know that the FBI is assisting ICE in the investigation at the request of the dhs. But we haven't seen body cam footage or any other form of video evidence be released to the public by federal agencies. We do have two videos that have made the rounds online, which were taken by nearby surveillance cameras. So one of the videos shows two ICE agents at Gonzalez's car. One on the one on the driver's side, the other on the passenger side. And you can see Gonzalez put his car into reverse as these ICE agents are talking to him. In fact, the agent on the passenger side almost like reaches his hand into the car to stop Gonzalez from reversing. But Gonzalez reverses anyway. And as he reverses, the agent on the driver's side holds on to the side of the car, and the agent is still holding on to the car as Gonzalez backs up and eventually drives away. Once Gonzalez drives away, you can no longer see the ICE agent in the video frame. So it's unclear how long he held onto the car and was dragged. However, a different surveillance video captures Gonzalez rounding a corner corner nearby. So we ended up taking a right hand turn, at least what looks like a right hand turn. And that video camera picks up the sound of two shots. Now, those two shots presumably came from the officer, the ICE agent that was latched onto the car. So if we take those facts and come to a conclusion, that would mean that the ice, the ICE agent was on the car from the point at which Gonzalez drove away until after he had rounded that corner. Now, again, we don't. We can't see the ICE agent on, on this surveillance footage. So we don't know that with 100 certainty, but gathering the facts, that's what it seems like. We'll know more, obviously, once federal agents come out with more information. We also know that this incident came just days into the administration's launch. Launch of Operation Midway Blitz. Operation Midway Blitz is an immigration enforcement effort specifically in and around Chicago. The DHS said in a statement that the operation was launched, quote, in honor of Katie Abraham, who was killed in a drunk driving hit and run car wreck caused by criminal illegal alien Julio Kukol Bull in Illinois. The statement goes on to say this ICE operation will target the criminal illegal aliens who flocked to Chicago and Illinois because they knew Governor Pritzker and his sanctuary policies would protect them and allow them to roam free on the streets, end quote. But as much as I've told you is as much as we know. So very few details are available to us as of now. As always, once we find out more, I will let you know. Over the weekend, the Washington Post reported on documents circulating within the Department of Defense which outline a proposal to activate a thousand members of the Louisiana National Guard for deployment across the state. The documents suggest that the Pentagon is considering a mission that would deploy National Guard soldiers to Louisiana's largest urban areas, including New Orleans and Baton Rouge. The drafted memo, which has not been signed as of now, is addressed to Attorney General Pam Bondi and Homeland Security Secretary Christine Ohm. From Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, it proposes that Guard troops would be deployed, deployed through September 30, 2026, which would be a year from now, though a start date is not specified in the plan. The plan anticipates that Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry would formally request the troops, which if that was the case, if the governor requested troops, that would allow the troops to deploy to the state with Title 32 status. We know that Governor Landry has spoken favorably about receiving federal support, telling reporters earlier this month that he would take them. But at this point, there has not been confirmation that Landry has submitted a formal request. And I've touched on the National Guard quite a few times in recent weeks. But just to be clear, Landry would have to submit that formal request for the National Guard to lawfully be deployed to the state. If Landry did not request or did not approve the deployment to the state, then there are only three circumstances in which the federal government could send in National Guard troops. And so far in California, sending in the National Guard troops without the governor's consent or request has been deemed to be unlawful. So again, like it really just hinges on whether Landry is going to submit that formal request or approve the deployment. Now, the stated purpose of the deployment is to provide support to local law enforcement in high crime areas. The Guard's role would reportedly focus on logistics, communication and drug enforcement support. And the documents indicate that the troops would supplement and not replace local police, though it's a bit unclear exactly what that would entail. I mean, obviously it means the troops would be assisting local law enforcement rather than completely overtaking their role in the city. But to what extent they would be assisting local law enforcement, that's what we don't know. Would the troops be partaking in patrols? Would they be carrying out arrests? Or would they just be simply serving in a support role behind the scenes? That those are kind of the things that we're unsure of. The Pentagon's draft states that the deployment would take place under Title 32 of the U.S. code, which I've mentioned. And Title 32 does allow troops to make arrests and serve as a civilian police force so long as the governor gives permission. Supporters of this proposal argue that the National Guard can provide manpower that local departments lack, particularly in regions where drug trafficking and violent crime are pervasive. However, critics argue, and this includes Democratic lawmakers in the state argue that the state is not currently facing an emergency that justifies militarizing our city streets. Some critics also claim that the deployment is politically motivated rather than a response to genuine community needs. So we'll see what happens here. Again, these this is just what's being reported. The Washington Post says that these are documents that are circulating within the Department of Defense. Some more stateside news Last week, amid all the chaos, Missouri passed a new congressional map that'll give the state one more Republican seat in the U.S. house. Now, this new map, of course, follows Texas's new congressional map, which has the intended effect of adding up to five Republican seats to the U.S. house. Missouri's new map is referred to as the Missouri First Map, and it redraws the boundaries of Missouri's eight congressional districts. Most notably, it alters a district in Kansas City by dividing portions of the city and pairing them with more rural areas to most likely achieve the result of one more Republican seat. The boundary line runs across what's called Troost Avenue, which is a long standing dividing line in Kansas City. But opponents are arguing that this new boundary will reduce the voting power of minority communities, and we'll talk about that more in a minute once we once we get to legalities. Supporters of the map, though, say it better reflects Missouri's political and geographical realities. Notably, not all Republican lawmakers in Missouri voted to approve this map. A few of the GOP lawmakers that voted against the bill included the state House Speaker Jonathan Patterson and State Representative Bryant Wolfen. Speaker Patterson told a news outlet in Kansas City that he did not support how the plan carved up one of the city's counties into districts, quote, represented by three different congresspeople, end quote. State Representative Bryant Wolfen said the move was a partisan power grab that that runs afoul of conservative values. He said, quote, there's nothing conservative about using our supermajority to grab more power, end quote. If this is signed by the governor, which it likely will be, the map is expected to shift Missouri's current 6 to 2 Republican majority in the U.S. house delegation to a likely 7 to 1 split. Democrats have already filed a lawsuit challenging this map and have also discussed trying to build support for a citizen referendum, which would basically attempt to reject the map using a statewide vote of citizens. As for legality and as we've talked about in the past, state legislatures are allowed to redraw congressional districts. However, the process typically happens once a decade following the census. Redrawing maps mid decade is less common, but it's not necessarily prohibited, at least depending on the state. In Missouri, it's not prohibited. And partisan gerrymandering is also generally upheld, which is redrawing district lines to favor one political party over the other. Gerrymandered maps are typically only struck down if they're unconstitutional or illegal, and this is under the equal protection clause of the Constitution or the Voting Rights Act. So per the Voting Rights act, maps are not allowed to dilute the ability of minority voters to elect candidates of their choice. Per the equal protection clause of the Constitution, race cannot be the predominant factor in redistricting. So now that Democrats have filed a lawsuit, it'll be up to the courts to decide whether this new map can stand or whether it must fail under one of those whether it's a violation of the Voting Rights act or it's unconstitutional. At this point, the new map remains valid, of course, unless a court were to rule otherwise at some point down the road. Let's take our second and final break here. When we come back, we'll finish with a couple more stories. We'll do Quick Hitters. We'll also do a Good news segment, and we will finish with Critical Thinking. Whether you like it or not, fall is right around the corner. Personally, I love fall and I love buying new clothes during the fall. It's probably my favorite season to buy new clothes for. And you guys know how much I love quince. Quince makes it really easy to put together polished and refined looks while also saving money without compromising on quality. Some of my favorite fall pieces from Quince I actually got last year, but but I've also added a few to my closet since then I highly recommend anything cashmere from Quint. Their Cashmere starts at $50 and it's truly such great quality for the price. You're never going to catch me spending hundreds of dollars on cashmere. So Quint is my absolute go to when it comes to anything cashmere. I specifically love the Mongolian Cashmere crew neck sweaters and for days that aren't as cool, I love the Mongolian Cashmere mock neck sweater vest. They also have amazing affordable clothes for men. So for all the men out there, do not miss out on Quint. Keep it classic and cozy this fall with long lasting staples from quint. Go to quint.comunbiased for free shipping on your order and 365 day returns. That's Q-I-N c e.comunbiased to get free shipping and 365 day returns. Quite quince.comunbiased hi everyone, this is Jenny.
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Moness from We Didn't Turn out okay Podcast did you know at Great Wolf Lodge there's adventure for the whole family? You and your pack can splash away in the indoor water park where it's always 84 degrees. There's a massive wave pool, a lazy river and tons of water slides for your pack to enjoy together. And the fun doesn't stop there. Get ready to explore and play at Adventure packed attractions from Magiquest, a live action game that takes place throughout the lodge, to the Northern Lights Arcade. There's also a bunch of great dining options and complimentary daily events like nightly dance parties all under one roof. And the best part? With 23 lodges across the country, you're always only a short drive away from adventure. As a parent who loves family adventures, I love when everything's in one place. It's why I can't wait to take my family to Great Wolf Lodge. So bring your pack together at a lodge near you. Book your stay today@greatwolf.com and strengthen the pack.
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The kids are back in school. Summer vacations have come to an end. It's officially the start of cozy season, which means it's time to slide into some bombas. You've heard me talk about bombas before. They make incredibly cozy socks but also slippers, T shirts and underwear. And however, the socks are really special to me because my husband goes through socks like no one I've ever seen. I've talked about this before. His bomba socks are the only ones that stand the test of time now for the fall season. Bombas has spe. I don't want to say special socks, but they kind of are special socks because they're made with special materials that make them extra cozy for fall. So for instance, they have a merino wool blend sock which keeps you warm when it's chilly but cool when it's hot. That's what merino wool does. So they're ideal for the fall season. And they also have rag socks which are made with rag wool. Rag wool is what makes their socks extra thick and cozy. Now the best part about Bombas is for every item you buy, Bombas donates one to someone experiencing homelessness. So head over to bombas.comunbiased and use code UNBIASED for 20% off your first purchase. That's B O m b a s.comUnbiased codeUnbiased @ checkout. Welcome back. Last story of the day. Before we get to quick hitters, good news and critical thinking. This was actually meant to be a story on Thursday, but obviously other events kind of just took over the news cycle. So a couple of weeks ago, the Bureau of Labor Statistics, that's the federal agency that tracks jobs, reported that the US economy actually added 911,000 fewer jobs over the past year than it originally reported. And that's the biggest revision of its kind ever since. Because of that, last week the BLS announced an internal investigation into how it collects and records its data. So let's break this down. Every month, the BLS releases a jobs report that shows how many jobs were gained or lost and in which industries. And they get these numbers by surveying more than 100,000 businesses and government offices across the country. That report also includes the unemployment rate, but that number comes from a different survey, which is one that looks at US households instead of. So on September 5, the BLS released its jobs report for August, and it said that the economy added just 22,000 jobs that month, which was well below expectations of about 75,000. The report showed gains in healthcare, but losses in the federal government, mining, and oil and gas. So while healthcare added some jobs, those gains were almost completely canceled out by losses in these other industries. Now, here's where things get a little bit complicated. So the BLS doesn't just rely on its monthly surveys. It sort of double checks its estimates against a much larger report called the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages. Now, the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages is basically a full count of payroll records collected through state unemployment systems. And because it's based on actual tax data, it is considered to be much more precise than the monthly surveys that the BLS collects. When the census report shows that the monthly survey estimates were off, the BLS will go back and make revisions. And this is called a benchmark revision. Sometimes it's a revision downward, as it was this year. Other times it's a revision upward. In this case, though, the downward revision was massive. The BLS had originally estimated that from April 2024 through March 2025, the economy was adding an average of 147,000 jobs each each month. However, the payroll records collected from the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages show the real number was only 71,000 each month. Now, if we add that up, it means job growth was overstated by 911,000 jobs over the course of a year. If you remember, last September, the BLS made another huge revision. Last September, the revision was. It was a downward revision of 818,000. In fact, that revision was the largest revision since 2009. Until this one, of course. And just to put a number on 2009's downward revision, the total number of jobs in the economy was Revised down that year, 2009, by 900 2000. So this year's revision actually broke that record by about 9,000. Now, because of this year's miscalculation, and likely last year's miscalculation, the BLS announced last week that it's going to be conducting an internal investigation into how it's collecting and reporting data. Keep in mind that all of this is happening against a political backdrop. Right? President Trump recently fired the BLS commissioner after saying the agency was putting out rigged numbers to make him look bad. However, economists pushed back on that assertion. They said that's not how the BLS works. The commissioner doesn't personally create the numbers, and, you know, the agency just reports on the data that it has. So all that's happening at the same time. But the bottom line here is that the BL BLs significantly overstated job growth, and it's now investigating why. All right, let's do some quick hitters. New York Governor Kathy Hochul has formally endorsed Zoran Mamdani in the New York City mayoral race. In her endorsement, Hochul praised Mamdani's courage, urgency and optimism, saying those qualities are what the city needs in its next leader. She acknowledged that the two have disagreed on some issues, like raising taxes, the NYPD and Israel, but noted that they share priorities such as improving public safety, combating antisemitism, and expanding economic opportunity. Mandani is running against incumbent Mayor Eric Adams and former Governor Andrew Cuomo, both of whom are former Democrats. But are now independents or at least running as independents. Zoran Mamdani is running as the only Democrat in the race, so it's not too much of a surprise that Democratic governor Hochul chose to endorse him. In some other news, the DOJ has filed a $125 million lawsuit against Uber, alleging it has violated the Americans with Disabilities Act. The lawsuit claims Uber has routinely refused service to people with disabilities, charged cleaning services when service animals shed, and imposed cancellation fees on riders after drivers unlawfully denied service. Uber says it disagrees with the allegations and points out that it requires drivers to agree to its service animal policy claims to enforce penalties for violations, and says it has invested in training, technology and reporting tools for riders to raise complaints. The DOJ's lawsuit seeks a court order to stop the discriminatory practices, force policy changes, mandate better training and require Uber to pay affected riders and civil penalties. The United States and China have reportedly reached a framework agreement intended to keep TikTok operating in the United States under revised ownership arrangements. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessant announced the deal following trade discussions in Madrid, saying that although the commercial terms are not publicly disclosed, they they have been, quote, agreed upon between private parties, end quote. A phone call between President Trump and China's President Xi is expected to finalize those details. Two men aged 58 and 31 were arrested in Salt Lake City, Utah, after authorities discovered an incendiary device placed under a vehicle belonging to KSTU, which is a local Fox 13 News affiliate. According to court records, the device, quote, had been lit but failed to function as designed, end quote. A search warrant at a home in Magna, Utah, led to the discovery of additional items such as explosives, firearms, illegal narcotics and fake weapons that were claimed by the suspects to be real. Photos and videos from the scene outside the home showed anti Trump signs on the yard. The motive for placing the device has not yet been determined. However, both suspects their names are and I'm sorry if I mispronounce these Adib Nasir and Adil Justice Ahmed Nasir were booked at Salt Lake County Jail on Sunday and President Trump says that construction has begun on the new ballroom at the White House. While speaking with reporters on Friday, Trump pointed to the work vehicles on the South Lawn and said, quote, right there you see all the trucks. They just started construction of the new ballroom for the White House, end quote. Notably, in the original announcement, the White House said the ballroom would hold about 650 people. But still since then, the President told NBC News that the plan has changed a bit with it now expected to seat around 900. The President said, quote, we're making it a little bigger. It will be top of the line, as good as it can get anywhere in the world, end quote. So it's unclear how big the ballroom will actually be considering. Specific details on the layout, design and location have not been released publicly. And I should say specific location. We know generally where it's going to be. But also the project proposal has not yet been submitted to the National Capital Planning Committee Commission. Okay, you all loved the good news segment at the end of Thursday's episode and requested that I incorporate more good news at the end of all of my episodes. I can't promise you I'll include a good news segment in every episode going forward, but I will make a conscious effort to include good news more often because I do agree that we could all benefit from hearing about the good things that are happening not only, you know, in our country, but also around the world. For today, I had kind of a different idea. I've done this once in the past and those of you that were around then really liked it. So what I did and is I asked all of you on Instagram to share something good that's happened to you in the last week or so. And I wanted to share some of those responses here so that we can all feel a little joy for the people who are part of this unbiased community. I received a ton of responses. So if you don't hear yours called out, it's not because it was bad or anything, it's just because I can't possibly relate all of them. Now I don't have everyone's name, so I'm just going to use their direct quotes and go down the line. My son was recognized in school for his good character. My son learned to walk. I went to the grocery store and there was a good. There was a food drive going on so I got some food for it. All three of my kids came over for Sunday dinner. My biopsy was benign. I've seen a lot of people open to having conversations with the other side. I signed two new clients this week. Someone said it's my birthday. Another person said I got a job. After looking for three months, we start our first and hopefully only fertility procedure today. Crossing our fingers witnessed a few of my patients making great progress in their recovery. Proud of them. I finally got my dream job and am moving next week. I entered third trimester for baby number two. Church was packed. Like people were sitting along the back wall packed. I hatched chicks from eggs on my farm. We're getting a new puppy tomorrow. I made it through a major surgery and I'm feeling a little better for the first time today. My sister in law found out that her cancer hasn't spread. My family and I got tickets to see our favorite football team play. I got to come home from college to see family. I went out with some hometown friends to wind down. After acing my physics exam, I started my first coaching group for women of faith who want to heal after abuse or betrayal. My mom just finished chemo. My daughter celebrated her sixth soberversary. She is a meth addict and is now living an amazing life. Had a sweet little baby last month and hubby and I just moved into a larger apartment. Apartment. Well, I don't know about you, but those. Those made my week. I am so happy for all of you. And what I find to be so fascinating is that there are so many people tuning into this podcast that are at different stages in their life, going through different things, celebrating their own highs, struggling with their own lows. And I don't know, it kind of just reminds me that you never know what someone else is going through. And while all of you know these submissions that I just read are positive, we're all going through our own troubles. And I think that's why it's so important to treat each other with kindness and give each other a little grace on a daily basis. Politics isn't everything. I know I. I run a show all about politics, but truly, politics is not even close to the meaning of life. Politics shouldn't dictate humanity. It's really not that serious. And at the end of the day, we're all humans navigating life, and we should treat each other accordingly. So just. Just please don't forget that. All right, let's finish with some critical thinking for those that are new. This is a segment I try to incorporate at the end of every episode. It's not meant to be too complex. It's not meant to stump you. It's just an exercise for our brains. In a world where we are constantly told how and what to think, it's important to challenge our own opinions and to see the other side of an issue. So, typically with this segment, we'll revisit a story from the episode, and I'll ask you some questions that challenge how you feel about that particular story. But for today, I wanted to do something a little different. In the intro of last week's episode, I spoke a bit about the division that we're currently facing. Here in the United States and how I blame the mainstream media, politicians and social media. And I made it a point to be clear about the fact that the perpetuation of hate comes from both sides. And that is a fact. People want to argue about who perpetuates hate more, but that's really not the point. The point is, is that it comes from both sides. And I really didn't get too much pushback from my podcast listeners. I never really do. But on social media, people were pushing back, saying, it only comes from one side. The hate only comes from one side. And it's funny, like people on the right would say that the hate only comes from the left. People on the left say the hate only comes from the right. And it's easy to think that way when you sit in an echo chamber. But I wanted to give you some homework. I want you to do some research. You can spend as much time as you want researching, but I'm asking for a minimum of 10 minutes. Spend a minimum of 10 minutes and find two examples of hateful rhetoric or actions from each side of the political spectrum, the left and the right. Most likely, it's not going to take you very long to find them on the side you disagree with, and that's fine. But if that's the case, I want you to spend the majority of your time critiquing your own side. Analyze their words, decipher what's hateful. And keep in mind, while you might agree with something that someone on your side says, it can also be hateful. So you have to, you have to be able to decipher that language. That's your homework. At least two examples of perpetuation of hate from both sides. And my intention with this assignment is not for you to surround yourself with negativity. Obviously, that's the last thing I want you to do. But I think this is an important exercise because it teaches us how to see the hate that's coming from our own side. A lot of us are too quick to say, oh, it doesn't come from my side, it only comes from the other side when that's, that's actually false. So my intention here is just to get you to, to see when it comes from, from your side as well. And I want you to be able to identify it on both sides. That's what I have for you today. Do not forget about the newsletter going out tomorrow morning, which you can always subscribe to by clicking the newsletter link in the show notes of this episode. I hope you have a fantastic next couple of days. Thank you so much for being here. I will talk to you on Thursday. Monday Sidekick the AI agent that knows you and your business thinks ahead and takes action. Ask it anything seriously. Monday Sidekick AI you'll love to use. Start a free trial today on Monday.com.