Politics

David Lust, former GOP lawmaker in South Dakota, dead at 53

David Lust, a former Republican state lawmaker in South Dakota who served four years as the state GOP’s majority leader, died suddenly Friday, according to reports.

The cause was believed to be a heart attack, the Argus Leader of Sioux Falls reported.

Lust, 53, was most recently serving as a partner of a law firm in Rapid City, according to the newspaper.

He served two stints in the South Dakota House of Representatives, serving from January 2007 to January 2015, following his first election victory in 2006.

David Lust, a former South Dakota state lawmaker who died Friday at age 53, was a married father of four children.

After leaving public office, Lust returned in September 2016, being appointed by then-Gov. Dennis Daugaard to succeed state Rep. Dan Dryden, following Dryden’s death from cancer. Lust served until January 2019.

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South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, a Republican who served alongside Lust when she was a state legislator, told the Argus Leader that she remembered Lust as an effective lawmaker who showed commitment to criminal justice issues.

“He and I got elected together and we were both whips at the same time,” Noem told the newspaper. “He was a great legislator and a serious legislator, but also the kind that everyone could approach. He was a fantastic man.”

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U.S. Sen. Mike Rounds posted a remembrance of Lust on Twitter.

“David Lust was a true public servant, a brilliant legal mind and a devoted family man,” Rounds wrote. “His thoughtful leadership made a lasting impact on the community of Rapid City and the state of South Dakota. Jean and I lift up Becky and their four children in prayer.”

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Daugaard also spoke of Lust’s commitment to public service.

“We didn’t always agree on things, but he was very professional,” Daugaard told the Argus Leader. “I always respected and admired him, and I liked him a lot.”

Lust, a graduate of Dartmouth College, leaves a wife and four children.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.

AOC campaigns in Ohio to aid Bernie Sanders protégé Nina Turner’s US House bid

U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez hit the streets of Cleveland on Saturday in a show of support for Ohio congressional candidate Nina Turner.

Turner, a former Ohio state senator and co-chair of U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders’ 2020 presidential campaign, has also received backing from other top liberal lawmakers in Washington as she strives to fill the 11th Congressional District seat that was vacated by former U.S. Rep. Marcia Fudge, who took a job with the Biden administration.

The district’s Republican and Democratic primaries will be held Aug. 3, with the general election set for Nov. 2, according to Ballotpedia.

Progressives are pushing to fill the seat with their favored candidate in a GOP-dominated state that currently has 11 Republican Congress members and just three Democrats.

DEMOCRATIC CONGRESSIONAL HOPEFUL NINA TURNER RECEIVED DONATION FROM PRO-ASSAD OPERATIVE

“I think it is extremely clear that Nina Turner is the candidate in this race that answers to the people of Ohio first and foremost,” Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., said in an interview with local news outlet WKYC-TV. “She is a candidate that I think can be trusted to bring people’s voices to Washington.”

Ocasio-Cortez said she endorsed Turner because of her stance on policies that progressives have labeled priority issues, including the climate and labor unions.

“There’s a lot of dark money, there’s a lot of D.C. and insider folks trying to tell Ohioans what to do,” Ocasio-Cortez claimed. “It’s really important that we have a champion that has been in our community that we can trust with a track record of fighting for working people, our health care, environmental justice, living wages, the right to unionize.”

Former Ohio state Sen. Nina Turner is running for a U.S. House seat in a special election in Ohio. (Getty Images)

Sanders is also expected to hit the campaign trail next week as Turner’s race comes to a close.

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The independent senator from Vermont described the Ohio election as a key race for the Democratic Party.

“The upcoming congressional election in Ohio has everything to do with the future of the Democratic Party,” Sanders said in a tweet earlier this month. “Will Democrats stand with the working class and have the courage to take on wealthy special interests? I know that Nina Turner will, which is why I strongly support her.”

Other Democrats – like U.S. Reps. Cori Bush of Missouri, Rashida Tlaib of Michigan, and Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts – have also endorsed the Ohio candidate.

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Turner is seen as a top contender in a race against 12 other Democrats vying to fill the seat vacated by Fudge, who left earlier this year to become President Biden’s housing secretary.

Local Democratic Party chairwoman Shontel Brown, a moderate, is believed to be Turner’s biggest challenger.

Brown’s backers include Hillary Clinton and U.S. Rep. James Clyburn, D-S.C., the House majority whip.

Army combat veteran who owns steel company asks Biden to bring back ‘Made in America’ showcase

An Alabama Army combat veteran whose business had taken a hit because of rising steel prices is calling on President Joe Biden to reinstate a Trump Administration tradition to honor American-made products at a time, he says, when businesses could really use the morale boost.

Colin Wayne, CEO of Redline Steel Huntsville, Ala., wrote to Biden this week asking him to re-launch the “Made in America” showcase at the White House that celebrated businesses from around the country that manufactured products with American workers and goods.

To cancel the tribute would be a “disservice,” especially when many businesses are struggling with rising costs and labor shortages, Wayne told Fox News on Saturday.

ALABAMA VETERAN WHO MADE STEEL FLAG FOR TRUMP NOW DONATING ART TO CORONAVIRUS RESPONDERS

“To take that away is kind of a disservice to [Biden’s] campaign of Build Back Better,” Wayne, an Army veteran of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars and a former fitness model, said. “If he wants to build back better, it starts with recognizing and honoring domestic companies that are building sustainability for the future. To take that away is not a good message sent to business owners.”

The White House did not respond to Fox News’ request for comment on Wayne’s letter or whether Biden had any plans to host a “Made in America” style showcase this year.

Wayne, 31, nearly lost his life while serving as a military police officer in Afghanistan in 2012. A rocket attack on his base in the Paktika province blew up the gym with Wayne inside. He was severely injured with shrapnel in his legs, nerve damage to his back and a traumatic brain injury.

Through months of physical therapy and surgery, Wayne did more than recover. He built his physique so much that he became a fitness model after being discharged from the Army.

By 2016, Wayne launched Redline Steel, a home furnishing retailer that specializes in steel-made products, to transition out of modeling to something with more longevity. His business had early success and Wayne had the honor of representing Alabama at former President Trump’s “Made in America” showcase in July 2019 at the White House where his Redline Steel products were on display.

Trump held three such events during his administration, but the showcase didn’t occur in 2020 in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic.

Colin Wayne, an Army combat veteran and CEO of Redline Steel in Alabama, on the right, with his brother, Coleman Erwin (L), an Army veteran. The picture was taken on July 15, 2019, at the White House when Redline Steel was invited to be part of the “Made in America” business showcase.
(Colin Wayne)

Wayne, who was deeply honored by the recognition from the commander-in-chief, considered the White House focus on American-made products a big morale booster. Now as times are tougher, Wayne says he’d welcome any chance to speak with Biden about how to better support domestic manufacturers.

INFLATION CHECK: THESE COMPANIES ARE RAISING THEIR PRICES

The biggest challenge is the price of steel that has shot up astronomically. In his letter to Biden obtained by Fox News, Wayne points out that “since January, the drastic increase of domestic steel costs has increased 265% per pound on the CRU.” Since his company manufactures steel products, the increase has meant Redline is losing more than $150,000 monthly, Wayne said.

The losses are unsustainable, so Redline announced recently it has to increase shipping costs to customers. Additionally, Wayne is seeking to transition to aluminum-based products, which he says are running cheaper than steel.

Wayne wants to know what Biden is doing to secure the domestic supply chain and combat inflation.

“I want to keep my products in America,” Wayne said. “I think that’s very important as a veteran who almost died for this nation. It’s important to sustain America’s prosperity. With the cost of how much everything is rapidly increasing, it’s hard to constitute the price points domestically when you can outsource at a fraction of the cost.”

Former President Trump and Colin Wayne at the White House in July 2019. Picture was originally posted on Trump’s Instagram account.

During the coronavirus pandemic, Wayne already found creative ways to retool his business, starting with offering free home decor products as a thank you to professionals putting their health on the line, including nurses, truckers, health care workers and U.S. Postal Service mail carriers.

He currently employs more than 100 people.

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A chance to visit the White House again and support Made in the USA products would be an extreme honor, Wayne said, noting he has the utmost respect for the office of the presidency.

“I got a famous selfie with President Trump,” Wayne quipped of his last visit two years ago. “I would love to have a famous selfie with President Biden.”

Border migrants dropped off at bus stations as authorities struggle to cope

Bus loads of migrants are being dropped off at bus stations in McAllen, Texas with bus tickets to go to their chosen destinations — amid new reports that authorities are struggling to cope with the backlog of migrants being allowed into the U.S.

Footage captured by Fox News in the Rio Grande Valley shows Border Patrol dropping off bus-loads of migrants at McAllen Central Bus Station, where they are given bus tickets to travel out of town after they are processed and released from custody with notices to appear at a court or Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility.

TEXAS DASHCAM SHOWS ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS POUR OUT OF SMUGGLER’S CAR AFTER PURSUIT

At least four bus loads of migrants were dropped off at McAllen’s station on Saturday in what is the latest sign of the high number of border encounters in June.

More than 188,000 migrants were encountered in June. Encounters of family units, meanwhile, surged by 25% to 55,805 from 44,746 in May. While some are being returned via Title 42 public health protections, many more are being processed and eventually released into the U.S.

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Republicans have blasted the return to what they call “catch-and-release” and blamed the Biden administration’s rollback of a number of Trump-era policies like the Migrant Protection Protocols (MPP) — which kept migrants in Mexico as they awaited their hearings.

The Biden administration described such policies as cruel, and has instead blamed “root causes” like poverty, climate change and violence in Central America for the surge. It has focused on more efficiently processing migrants and releasing them into the interior, while still returning single adults via the Trump-era Title 42.

The New York Post reported that the four bus companies that operate out of McAllen’s central bus station are struggling to keep up with business due to the number of illegal immigrants being released into the U.S.

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City Manager Roy Rodriguez told The Post that demand for tickets was at a “record” high” with most of the increase coming from migrants who had come into the country illegally — leading to delays.

The center now accommodates a record average of 7,000 people a week, with about half leaving by bus and the rest by airplane, the Post reported.

Soros hands $1 million to group attempting to defund police as violent crime skyrockets nationwide

Liberal mega-donor George Soros has directed $1 million to an activist group attempting to defund the police as violent crime surges in major urban centers across the nation.

Soros sent the million dollars via his Color Of Change PAC on May 14, according to Federal Election Commission files obtained by the Washington Free Beacon.

SOROS QUIETLY DROPS $200,000 BACKING ANOTHER FAR-LEFT PROSECUTOR IN VIRGINIA

The organization describes itself as “the nation’s largest online racial justice organization” and actively engages in efforts to defund police departments such as spreading an online petition calling for “divesting from and dismantling the systems that unjustly harm Black people.”

The group also backed a push by the Milwaukee City Council to defund the police.

“Policing is a violent institution that must end,” the group’s president wrote in a statement supporting the move. “We imagine a country where there is enough money to educate our children, care for our sick and feed those who are financially unstable. Defunding the police allows for this vision.”

Violent crime has surged dramatically in many large cities across the United States this year, including in areas where Soros has spent large sums of money electing Democratic candidates who have promised to ease sentencing requirements and implement relaxed bail reform laws.

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In 2018, Soros spent millions of dollars to help elect current Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascon who promised to implement sentencing reforms and decriminalize certain illegal activities. In 2021, the Los Angeles City Council redirected funds from the LAPD to social outreach organizations.

This year in Los Angeles, murders are up 20% and violent crime has spiked which has contributed to a rampant homeless crisis that many argue Gascon’s policies have made worse.

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Philadelphia, where Soros spent almost $2 million electing District Attorney Larry Krasner, currently has the highest murder rate per capita among the 10 largest cities in the country and homicides have risen 35% this year.

“When George Soros funded scores of elections for prosecutors who have no intention of prosecuting criminals and every intention of prosecuting police officers, he knew exactly what he was doing,” host of Fox News’ Life, Liberty and Levin Mark Levin said about Soros last year. “He was funding a counter-revolution in the U.S.”

Antifa sympathizers celebrate death of Washington state sheriff’s deputy

Twitter accounts linked to the leftist activist group Antifa rejoiced at the news that a Washington state sheriff’s deputy had been shot in the head and killed.

“A @ClarkCoSheriff deputy was shot in the head near Portland (in Vancouver, Wash.) overnight and killed,” journalist Andy Ngo tweeted Saturday along with screenshots of tweets he claimed were linked to Antifa. “The suspect remains at large. Antifa accounts have been celebrating on Twitter in response.”

WHAT IS ANTIFA, THE FAR-LEFT GROUP TIED TO VIOLENT PROTESTS?

The accounts posted by Ngo show users with Twitter bios using terminology such as “ACAB”, which stands for “all cops are bastards,” and responding to the news of the deceased deputy with mocking comments such as, “Cheers, I’ll drink to that.”

Another user reacted to the news with “TAKBIR,” which refers to the phrase “Allahu akbar,” Arabic for “God is great.” Another user with the Antifa logo as its profile photo celebrated the deputy’s death by writing, “I’ll bet his pig family is crying.”

ANTIFA VIOLENTLY CLASHES WITH POLICE OUTSIDE LOS ANGELES SPA FOLLOWING ALLEGED TRANSGENDER DISROBING INCIDENT

Calls to defund the police, a move promoted by prominent Democrats nationwide, were also seen in several of the bios and tweets.

The deputy, later identified by authorities as Deputy Jeremy Brown, 46, was shot during a standoff on Friday night and died later at a hospital, authorities said. Two suspects were reportedly in custody in connection with the killing.

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Earlier this week, an Oregon man was convicted of felony arson for throwing an explosive device at a police officer and setting a Portland, Oregon, police building on fire. Some reports referred to the man as a member of Antifa.

Antifa sympathizers celebrate death of Washington state officer

Twitter accounts linked to the leftist activist group Antifa rejoiced at the news that a Washington State police officer had been shot in the head and killed.

“A @ClarkCoSheriff deputy was shot in the head near Portland (in Vancouver, Wash.) overnight and killed,” journalist Andy Ngo tweeted Saturday along with screenshots of tweets he says are linked to Antifa. “The suspect remains at large. Antifa accounts have been celebrating on Twitter in response.”

WHAT IS ANTIFA, THE FAR-LEFT GROUP TIED TO VIOLENT PROTESTS?

The accounts posted by Ngo show users with Twitter bios using terminology such as “ACAB”, which stands for all cops are bastards, and responding to the news of the deceased officer with positive comments such as, “Cheers, I’ll drink to that.”

Another user reacted to the news with “TAKBIR,” which is the name of the phrase “Allahu akbar,” Arabic for “God is great.” Another user with the Antifa logo as its profile photo celebrated the officer’s death by writing, “I’ll bet his pig family is crying.”

ANTIFA VIOLENTLY CLASHES WITH POLICE OUTSIDE LOS ANGELES SPA FOLLOWING ALLEGED TRANSGENDER DISROBING INCIDENT

Calls to defund the police, a move promoted by prominent Democrats nationwide, were also seen in several of the bios and tweets.

The police officer, who remains unidentified, was shot during a standoff on Friday night and two suspects are reportedly in custody in connection with that killing.

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Earlier this week, an Oregon man was convicted of felony arson for throwing an explosive device at a police officer and setting a Portland, Oregon police building on fire. Some reports referred to the man as a member of Antifa.

Scalise blasts ‘unconscionable’ DOJ move to drop Cuomo nursing home investigation

Rep. Steve Scalise, R-La., blasted President Joe Biden’s Justice Department Friday after the DOJ announced it was dropping a civil rights probe into New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s handling of the coronavirus in nursing homes.

“It is outrageous that the Department of Justice refuses to investigate the deadly ‘must admit’ orders issued by governors in New York, Pennsylvania, and Michigan that resulted in the deaths of thousands of senior citizens,” the minority whip said in a statement Friday.

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“Where is the justice for nursing home victims and their grieving families? These deadly orders contradicted the CDC’s guidance, and needlessly endangered the most vulnerable among us to the deadly COVID-19 virus,” the Louisiana Republican added. “Even worse, Governor Cuomo in New York intentionally tried to cover up the true death toll resulting from his mandate. Grieving families deserve answers and accountability. It’s unconscionable that Biden’s Department of Justice refuses to investigate the deadly actions that went against CDC’s medical guidance taken in these states.”

The DOJ told Republican lawmakers Friday that it will not pursue an investigation into the Cuomo nursing home scandal but a separate investigation by federal prosecutors into the matter will continue.

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Cuomo has been widely criticized by both sides of the aisle for his handling of the coronavirus pandemic in regards to nursing homes and his critics have suggested his order mandating nursing homes to accept infected patients last year caused at least 1,000 deaths.

Additionally, critics say Cuomo officials repeatedly attempted to play down the total number of nursing home deaths. Cuomo has been accused of withholding key data for political purposes.

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Several prominent Republicans joined in on Scalise’s criticism of the DOJ’s decision including New York’s Rep. Elise Stefanik who said that President Biden is now “complicit” in Cuomo’s alleged coverup.

Iran’s embattled regime hit by protests over water shortage, Khamenei admits ‘not a minor issue’

Iran’s authoritarian regime is facing fresh pressure from Iranian protesters over a drought in the southwest of the country — with protesters chanting anti-government slogans just as the regime is installing a hardline president.

The protests, which have been going on for over a week, have taken place in a number of cities and towns in the Khuzestan region over the drought. Iran’s Fars News Agency reported that at least one protester and police officer had been killed in the protests.

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It blamed “rioters and armed militants disguised among protesters” for the violence but the regime has also acknowledged the anger over the drought.

“People showed their discontent, but we cannot have any complaint since the issue of water in the hot climate of Khuzestan is not a minor issue,” Khamenei said, although he too accused opponents of trying to exploit the situation..

The Human Rights Activists in Iran group says that security forces have fired tear gas and water cannons, while Amnesty International accused the regime of using live ammunition against protesters — describing the move as “horrifying.”

The National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), an umbrella group of Iranians opposed to the regime, said the protesters were fighting for liberation from the regime as well as water.

“Hail to #Khuzestan’s martyrs, hail to those who have risen for water and freedom,” NCRI President-elect Maryam Rajavi tweeted. “The Iranian people have nothing to lose under the rule of the criminal mullahs; they will fight to the end for their inalienable rights, water, bread, freedom, & the people’s sovereignty.”

Other NCRI officials tweeted out video showing that protests were specifically targeting the regime.

The State Department, meanwhile, told reporters that the administration was following reports of protests as well as internet shutdowns by the regime.

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“We urge the Iranian government to allow its citizens to exercise their universal rights of freedom of expression as well as freely access information online,” a spokesperson said.

The days-long protests are the latest blow to an already embattled regime, which has faced an economic downturn in recent years due to not only the COVID-19 pandemic but the “maximum pressure” policy by the Trump administration which re-introduced sanctions on the regime that were scrapped under the Iran deal.

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The Biden administration has signaled an openness to rejoining the deal, and talks have been ongoing in Vienna between signatories to the 2015 deal. However, those talks have appeared to stall, amid further uranium enrichment in Tehran.

Meanwhile, hardliner Ebrahim Raisi won the presidential election in a contest marred by accusations of rigging and a low turnout. Raisi said he would not meet with President Biden, and said the removal of sanctions by the U.S. is non-negotiable.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Missouri AG plans to sue St. Louis over reinstatement of mask mandate

Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt said he plans to file a lawsuit against St. Louis and St. Louis County for reinstating a mask mandate for both vaccinated and unvaccinated people over the age of 5.

Local leaders announced the new requirements on Friday citing the rising number of coronavirus cases and hospitalizations. The requirements were to take effect on Monday in indoor public places and on public transportation.

Masks are also “strongly encouraged” for groups when outdoors.

Schmitt, a GOP candidate for U.S. Senate, said he’s heading to court to stop the new mask requirements.

ST. LOUIS MANDATES MASKS INDOORS REGARDLESS OF VACCINATION STATUS, RECOMMENDS MASKS OUTDOORS

“The citizens of St. Louis and St. Louis County are not subjects — they are free people,” Schmitt tweeted. “As their Attorney General, I’ll be filing suit Monday to stop this insanity.”

The mask requirement comes as local health officials raised new alarms about the fast-spreading Delta variant of COVID-19 and low vaccination rates, saying the extra precautions were needed to save lives.

CDC: DELTA VARIANT ACCOUNTS FOR 83% OF US CASES

“We’ve lost more than 500 St. Louisans to COVID-19, and if our region doesn’t work together to protect one another, we could see spikes that overwhelm our hospital and public health systems,” Dr. Fredrick Echols, acting director of health for the City of St. Louis, said in a statement Friday.

St. Louis County reported 241 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 on Wednesday, bumping the 7-day average up to 212, which is slightly higher than the level that it was at in mid-April. The county’s average test positivity rate has risen to 9.4% over the past week, the highest it has been since late January.

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The CDC announced on May 13 that vaccinated Americans no longer have to wear masks, but the Delta variant’s surge has caused some local officials to rethink that guidance.

Dr. Rachel Walensky, the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), said this week that her agency’s mask guidance hasn’t changed, but that “communities and individuals need to make the decisions that are right for them based on what’s going on in their local areas.”

Schmitt is running to succeed Sen. Roy Blunt, R-Mo., in the Senate among a crowded field of candidates. He told Fox News earlier this month what distinguishes himself from others in the GOP field is his ability to file lawsuits to push back against the “really radical” agenda of the Biden administration.

Schmitt said the legal effort is about fighting back against authoritative executive action and protecting personal freedoms. He also took some swipes at Democratic St. Louis Mayor Tishaura Jones for the “raging violent crime” in her city.

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Fox News’ Paul Best and Paul Steinhauser contributed to this report.

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