California’s Proposition 12, which sets space requirements for farm animals, including pigs, is supported by USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins and North Carolina Rep. David Rouzer as enforceable within California but not beyond its borders. Rouzer emphasized the importance of fair, science-based regulations for North Carolina’s pork producers, a major industry worth \$111.1 billion nationally. Rollins expressed concern over Proposition 12’s negative effects on pork producers outside California, highlighting the need to protect other states’ industries from extraterritorial regulations. Both leaders support balancing state rights with preventing adverse impacts on interstate agriculture.
(The Center Square) – California, says the leader of the USDA and a North Carolina congressman, has the right to enforce its Proposition 12.
The state line, however, is where that enforcement should end.
In the battle of pork production, U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins affirmed that position in a congressional hearing this month. This week, U.S. Rep. David Rouzer, R-N.C., reminded Tarheel State farmers of her allegiances.
“North Carolina pork producers have a friend at USDA in Secretary Brooke Rollins,” Rouzer said, expressing gratitude for her push back against Prop 12. “Secretary Rollins is right, California has the right to do what California wants to do, but NC-07 farm families feed the nation, and they deserve fair, science-based regulations, not California mandates.”
Proposition 12 is the colloquial term for the Farm Animal Confinement Initiative. Egg-laying hens, breeding pigs and veal calves have space requirements, and sale of products from the animals is prohibited if not meeting the standard.
Rouzer comes from the 7th Congressional District, the southeastern portion of the state where trips on country roads often mean getting behind a hog truck hauling to the world’s largest pork production facility in the Bladen County crossroads community of Tar Heel. North Carolina’s $111.1 billion agriculture industry includes a No. 3 national ranking in pork production behind Iowa and Minnesota.
California’s market includes about 40 million people and 15% of domestic pork consumption. Compliance with the Golden State’s law can require new construction or retrofits with enormous fiscal impact.
In the Committee on Agriculture, Rollins told panelists, “No one is more of a believer in federalism, the 10th Amendment, and our Founders vision of the state’s rights to be able to be their own laboratories of innovation. When those ideas, those rules and laws begin to impact other states in such a negative way, that is not what our Founders intended.
“The extreme impact of Prop 12, especially on our pork producers – I believe this is a bipartisan question. We may not all agree in this room, but I think most agree even on the Democrat side of the House, that it cannot stand. I stand in full support of your effort.”
Rollins said her department may be able to inject something toward a solution.
“California has a right to do what California wants to do,” she said. “The minute that crosses the border and begins to compromise, in such a significant way, our pork producers we need to act.”
Note: The following A.I. based commentary is not part of the original article, reproduced above, but is offered in the hopes that it will promote greater media literacy and critical thinking, by making any potential bias more visible to the reader –Staff Editor.
Political Bias Rating: Center-Right
The article primarily reports on the opposition by USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins and Representative David Rouzer to California’s Proposition 12, presenting their viewpoints and framing the issue around state rights and impacts on North Carolina pork producers. The language used by the quoted officials emphasizes federalism, economic harm to farmers, and resistance to California’s regulatory reach. While it reports statements and positions from officials without overt editorializing, the selection and presentation of these perspectives align more closely with a Center-Right viewpoint, highlighting concerns common among conservative and agricultural constituencies about state regulatory overreach and business impacts. The absence of counterbalancing views or perspectives from proponents of Proposition 12 further emphasizes this lean.
North Carolina Congressman Brad Knott has introduced the Tren de Aragua Border Security Threat Assessment Act (House Resolution 4070) to combat the multi-country gang Tren de Aragua (TdA) operating in the U.S. The bill mandates a six-month plan by the Department of Homeland Security to identify tactical methods, funding, origins, leadership, and presence of TdA across states. Knott emphasizes going beyond arrests to address root causes, noting TdA’s expansion from Venezuela into multiple countries and its infiltration in potentially all 50 U.S. states. He associates rising crime with the gang’s presence and criticizes the current immigration policy under President Biden, urging bipartisan action to curb criminal threats.
(The Center Square) – Saying eradication of dangerous gangs such as Tren de Aragua goes well beyond individual arrests, a North Carolina congressman’s proposal would create a six-month plan identifying tactical methods, funding and origins.
The strategy, leadership and presence of criminal threats by the multi-country gang would be uncovered and shared by the Department of Homeland Security and relevant federal agencies, says the bill filed by U.S. Rep. Brad Knott, R-N.C. The Tren de Aragua Border Security Threat Assessment Act, known also as House Resolution 4070, has moved through the Border Security and Enforcement Committee and next is up for a voice vote.
“We are for legal immigrants who will help this country,” said Knott, a former federal prosecutor. “Every other category needs to be removed and precluded from coming here in the first place and that’s what we’re working toward.”
The proposal, as of Friday morning, was yet to attract a Democrat in the cosponsor list. Republicans there number 23.
“This bill that we got out of committee, going back to the Colorado incident, arresting the individual who has an AR-15 or an AK-47 on the sidewalk – that needs to happen,” Knott said. “But that’s not where it stops. And this commissions the Department of Homeland Security to really address the root cause, to go beyond the flower, beneath the surface, to the root. And if you kill the root, the whole plant dies.
“This is going to leverage a study to say how they are operating so effectively in our country. Once we figure out how they’re operating, we’re going to have a tactical plan for all 50 states, every law enforcement officer in the country will be a part of this. Arresting the drug dealer, arresting the guy that’s walking around with the pistol or a rifle, that needs to happen. But it’s wholly insufficient. It is going to the root that is going to solve this problem.”
Knott, in a published interview, not only believes TdA is operating in his home state but throughout the country. He varied on exacts, at one time saying in 16 to 20 states, another saying 20 to 25, and saying, “We’d be naïve not to believe they’re in 45 to 50 states.”
“In North Carolina, absolutely, there’s been a very real increase in arrests where it’s been confirmed that criminals with drugs, firearms, human trafficking and so forth, are tied to TdA,” Knott said. “In regard to my confidence level that they are in 50 states, I am confident they are in 50 states or a significant portion of states. Again, these people have marched from Venezuela all the way up the western hemisphere into the United States and into Canada. They have become very proficient at blending in, utilizing benign channels and then poisoning their communities with carnage, death, drugs and destruction.”
Knott says Tren de Argua operates not only in Venezuela but has expanded into Chile, Bolivia, Brazil, Peru and Mexico.
Knott said the gang is here through multiple years of access and proximity. He believes they are “underneath the surface” actively strengthening their presence.
“I saw that in my career in law enforcement,” he said. “The best criminals are the ones you don’t see until it’s too late.”
Knott’s proposal comes in a week where speculation on infiltration by immigrants from the Middle East has ramped up. Reports vary, and Knott does not discount any of the chatter.
“Given the scale of it, we have got to move forward together in lock step to address them as holistically as we can,” Knott said. “And yes, sleeper cells from the Middle East, that’s a big problem. Again, if you want to wait until we know that they’re here to commit us harm? I don’t think so. We need to get ahead of it.”
Like other Republicans, he squared blame on the last four years during the administration of President Joe Biden. Under his watch, Knott estimates the true total of illegal immigrants at 20 million and says former Vice President Kamala Harris shares in that blame.
“This problem, it’s a mortal wound to the country if we don’t fix it,” Knott said. “When you had a border policy like Biden and Harris, adversaries from around the world utilized it. They exploited it. It wasn’t passive. It was an active solicitation, where we went around the world to bring people into this country illegally.
“Of course, Iran exploited that policy. Or course China exploited that policy. But so did an immediate threat like TdA.”
Note: The following A.I. based commentary is not part of the original article, reproduced above, but is offered in the hopes that it will promote greater media literacy and critical thinking, by making any potential bias more visible to the reader –Staff Editor.
Political Bias Rating: Right-Leaning
The article predominantly reports on a bill introduced by a Republican congressman, U.S. Rep. Brad Knott, focusing on addressing gang violence and immigration-related security concerns. The tone and framing emphasize strong law enforcement measures, border security, and characterize illegal immigration as a major threat tied to criminal activity. Language such as “eradication,” “poisoning communities,” and linking the issue directly to the Biden administration’s policies reflect a perspective aligned with conservative and right-leaning views on immigration and national security. While largely presenting Knott’s statements, the selection and emphasis of quotes and context show a clear ideological perspective rather than neutral reporting.
www.thecentersquare.com – By David Beasley | The Center Square contributor – (The Center Square – ) 2025-06-27 07:01:00
In 2007, U.S. Army Capt. Ben Richards survived a suicide bombing in Iraq but suffered a severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) and PTSD. Despite impairments, he returned to combat but struggled with symptoms like headaches, dizziness, and nightmares. After leaving the Army and multiple treatments, Richards discovered hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT), which significantly improved his condition and quality of life. He continues to advocate for HBOT, especially for veterans, though the VA currently treats TBI and PTSD as mental illnesses, limiting HBOT access. Congressman Greg Murphy has repeatedly pushed for HBOT pilot programs in the VA to support affected veterans.
(The Center Square) – In the spring of 2007, U.S. Army Capt. Ben Richards was serving in Iraq when the eight-ton armored vehicle he was traveling in was struck by a suicide bomber in a sedan loaded with 200 pounds of explosives.
The five-member crew all survived; the Stryker was destroyed.
Capt. Ben Richards, U.S. Army
Capt. Ben Richards, U.S. Army | Contributed
“We were all able to walk out,” Richards, a West Point graduate, recalled in an interview with The Center Square. “We are all pretty wobbly. There was a period during the blast when I was temporarily unconscious.”
The U.S. Army at the time had not yet fully recognized the potential long-term impact of traumatic brain injury, Richards said.
When he returned to the forward operating base, Richards had a post-blast assessment by doctors.
“I was not able to walk straight,” he recalled. “I was wobbling around several hours after the blast and I couldn’t see straight.”
Despite the injuries, Richards went immediately back into the fight.
“I was a troop commander and you don’t just take a knee lightly when you are a leader,” Richards explained.
The unit set out on another operation the day after the suicide bomber attack. The soldiers engaged in firefights as Richards was struggling to maintain consciousness from his earlier head injuries.
“I was actually passing out during these little skirmish engagements,” said Richards.
During the battles, Richards remembers his radioman shaking him to wake him up, saying, “Sir, they are shooting at us, they are shooting at us!”
Richards was not alone. He estimates that more than 90% of the soldiers serving in his command had at least one traumatic brain injury largely because of the abundance of improvised explosive devices in the roadways and other locations. Many of those soldiers also returned to the battlefield despite their injuries.
Richards overcame years of hardship and pain before finding a solution – hyperbaric oxygen treatment therapy, colloquially known as HBOT – that finally worked for him.
After Richard’s tour was over, he returned to the United States to his wife and three children. He describes his condition as “a complete mess.”
The first night home, he had a nightmare and literally threw his wife out of bed, thinking she was an enemy soldier. His wife cried and urged him to get help.
The military guidance at the time was not to seek mental health services for at least three months, unless suicidal. The thinking was that post-traumatic stress syndrome would not surface for at least that long after a soldier was out of combat.
Despite debilitating headaches and difficulty sleeping, Richards remained in a command position for another eight months but remembers that he did a “horrible, horrible job.”
He was eventually diagnosed with both a traumatic brain injury and post-traumatic stress disorder, commonly called PTSD.
In civilian life, his brain still perceived constant threats all around him. The traumatic brain injury made it difficult to process the threats in a rational way. In combat, the brain often overcomes fear with anger – someone is shooting at you and that makes you mad. As a civilian, that anger could instead be directed at friends and family members – not a positive outcome.
Lack of sleep and constant headaches didn’t help matters.
Richards went to counseling, but there was no mindset in the military at the time about chronic brain injuries, Richards said. The thinking was that the brain would heal itself over time.
He could not afford financially to take a medical retirement, with three children and a wife to support.
He was thrilled, however, when he was accepted for a teaching job at his alma mater, the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. Then, the couple had a fourth child.
At West Point, doctors officially diagnosed Richards as having a traumatic brain injury. They tried new medications, but the side effects were strong. But the tide was changing with an increased awareness of combat brain injuries.
In 2010, the Army opened the National Intrepid Center of Excellence, a traumatic brain injury center, in Bethesda, Md. Richards was admitted.
“The Intrepid Center was incredible,” he said.
After a three-week evaluation, doctors developed a comprehensive treatment program for Richards. It was then clear that his brain injury was so severe that he was not medically fit for duty so he took a medical retirement from the Army.
The family could not afford to continue living in New York so they moved to Council Bluffs, Iowa, to be closer to Richards’ in-laws.
In 2012, he learned about HBOT therapy. He travelled to New Orleans for treatment, although he was initially skeptical because doctors at the Intrepid Center had warned that healing from traumatic brain injuries was rare after two years had passed. Richards was now five years out from his injury.
When Richards took the first treatment, breathing 100% oxygen for an hour inside a special chamber, he really didn’t notice much difference in the way he felt.
After 20 treatments, spaced out over a month, he did begin to notice a difference.
He woke up one morning and realized that he had finally had a good night’s sleep, the first time in about five years. He noticed that the constant pain in his head and muscles had also subsided.
“And then I realized that I was happy,” recalled Richards, who now lives in Oreille County in Washington. “Because I had not been feeling those emotions for so long, it was euphoric. I had forgotten what it felt like to be happy.”
He did 80 treatments initially and continues to get occasional treatments. He remains a big believer in the healing power of HBOT treatments, particularly for combat veterans who have suffered brain injuries.
For the Department of Veterans Affairs, there is still a need of change from the Department of Defense led by Secretary Pete Hegseth in order to help other veterans through the VA. PTSD and TBI each are treated as mental illness rather than injury. Until the VA gets a change from Hegseth or the administration, HBOT won’t be available to veterans at the VA.
Note: The following A.I. based commentary is not part of the original article, reproduced above, but is offered in the hopes that it will promote greater media literacy and critical thinking, by making any potential bias more visible to the reader –Staff Editor.
Political Bias Rating: Center-Right
This article primarily reports on the personal experience of a U.S. Army veteran suffering from traumatic brain injury (TBI) and PTSD, focusing on his struggle and recovery through hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT). It presents factual details about military medical policies, veterans’ health challenges, and ongoing legislative efforts to expand HBOT access. The mention of Secretary Pete Hegseth and Rep. Greg Murphy, both Republicans, in the context of advocating for changes in the VA’s treatment protocols suggests a subtle alignment with conservative viewpoints that emphasize reforming veterans’ care through legislative action. However, the tone remains largely factual and respectful, avoiding overt partisan language or critique. The article’s focus on veteran health care and promotion of HBOT aligns somewhat with center-right policy advocacy on military and veterans’ issues without strongly editorializing, placing it just right of center in bias.
www.thecentersquare.com – By Steve Wilson | The Center Square – (The Center Square – ) 2025-06-26 13:23:00
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis announced a new alternative university accreditation system called the Commission for Public Higher Education. This coalition includes six state public university systems from Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Texas A\&M. DeSantis criticized the current accreditation system as influenced by “woke ideology” and aims for a model prioritizing student achievement, transparency, and rigor. The initiative follows Florida’s Senate Bill 7022, requiring universities to change accreditors within five years. The new system focuses on student outcomes, academic quality, and process efficiency, challenging traditional regional accreditors like the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.
(The Center Square) – Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis announced the creation of an alternative university accreditation system on Thursday saying the existing one is “beholden to woke ideology.”
This new system, the Commission for Public Higher Education, is composed of six state public university systems – the State University System of Florida, the University System of Georgia, the University of North Carolina System, the University of South Carolina Board of Trustees, the University of Tennessee System and the Texas A&M University System. DeSantis says each will prioritize student achievement over ideology.
DeSantis says this new system will “offer an alternative that will break the ideological stronghold.”
“Florida has set an example for the country in reclaiming higher education – and we’re working to make that success permanent,” DeSantis said at an event in Boca Raton. “That means breaking the activist-controlled accreditation monopoly. With transparent, rigorous, outcomes-based standards, this accreditor will help ensure the Free State of Florida leads the way in higher education for decades to come.”
The new system will offer a new accreditation model focused on student outcomes, process efficiency, and the pursuit of excellence for public postsecondary education.
Accreditation is vital for colleges and universities as it ensures the quality of their educational offerings, assures employers of alumni qualifications, allows graduates to be professionally certified and licensed in their fields and determines eligibility for federal student financial aid.
DeSantis also said this new system will use accreditation standards and practices that will be rigorous and transparent while ensuring colleges and universities maintain academic quality.
The move was ignited by the signing of law by DeSantis of Senate Bill 7022 in 2022, which requires Florida’s universities and colleges to switch accreditors after five years.
“I am proud to be joined by leaders of five other public university systems to establish an accreditor that will focus on ensuring institutions provide high-quality, high-value programs, use student data to drive decisions, and improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the process,” said Chancellor Ray Rodrigues of the State University System of Florida.
Thad H. Westbrook, chairman of the University of South Carolina Board of Trustees, said that innovating accreditation provides great benefits for universities, colleges, and our nation.
Colleges and universities are accredited by several different accreditation bodies. There are six regional bodies that handle this chore: The Northwest Accreditation Commission, the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, the Middle States Commission on Higher Education, the New England Association of Secondary Schools and Colleges, the Western Association of Schools and Colleges and the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools.
The Southern Association handles Florida’s public universities and community colleges and the schools are reevaluated every 10 years.
Note: The following A.I. based commentary is not part of the original article, reproduced above, but is offered in the hopes that it will promote greater media literacy and critical thinking, by making any potential bias more visible to the reader –Staff Editor.
Political Bias Rating: Right-Leaning
The content of the article reports on Florida Governor Ron DeSantis’ announcement regarding the creation of an alternative university accreditation system. The article primarily presents statements from DeSantis and officials supporting the new system, emphasizing the intent to counteract what DeSantis labels “woke ideology” and “activist-controlled accreditation monopoly.” The language used in quoting DeSantis and related officials reflects a conservative framing, highlighting a pushback against perceived left-leaning influences in higher education accreditation.
While the article does not overtly editorialize or critique the move, it selectively focuses on the perspectives of DeSantis and his allies, portraying their initiative as a corrective measure. The absence of counterpoints or perspectives from critics of the new accreditation system results in a subtle right-leaning slant. Thus, the article does not simply report neutrally on the issue but aligns with the viewpoint critiquing the existing accreditation frameworks as ideologically biased.
