Month: January 2018

Two Republicans, State Sen. Steven Dickerson and State Rep. Jeremy Faison, Introduce ‘Medical Cannabis Only Act of 2018’

Christina Botteri

Much to the delight of the pro-pot activist base, Tennessee State Sen. Steven Dickerson (R-Nashville) and State Rep. Jeremy Faison (R-Cosby) introduced a controversial measure Thursday that seeks to legalize a certain form of marijuana to be used for medical purposes, dubbed, “Medical Cannabis Only Act of 2018” (SB1710). The Nashville Business Journal reports that the Act requires several safeguards to closely monitor and restrict the manufacture, distribution, prescription, and dispensing of the drug: According to the bill, an electronic verification system would be established through which qualifying patients would receive a registration identification card. Using card readers, cannabis establishments and law enforcement would be able see, in real time, how much cannabis the patient was allowed to purchase, as well as when and where the purchase occurred. Once reaching their dosage per month, the patient would not be able to use the card for the remainder of the time. If a patient possessed more than the dosage amount, criminal drug possession laws would then apply. Furthermore, the Act empowers counties to opt-out from allowing dispensaries to operate in their jurisdictions, and for those counties that do, local governments may choose – through a local referendum – to allow (or not) dispensaries. The Journal reports the…

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Actually, It’s Lindsey Graham Who Is Out of Mainstream on Immigration

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Sen. Lindsey Graham ripped senior White House aide Stephen Miller as holding immigration views that are out of the American political mainstream, but a new poll suggests it is the South Carolina senator who is alienated form public sentiment. The Harvard CAPS/Harris poll indicates a majority opposed the partial government shutdown that Graham supported and suggested broad support for many of the immigration views that Miller — and his boss, President Donald Trump — advocate.

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Congressman Phil Roe Still Undecided on a 2018 Re-Election Bid

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Despite questions from constituents and local media,  Representative Phil Roe (R-TN-01) has not yet announced if he will run for re-election in 2018. The most recent inquiry came from, the Kingsport Times News, who asked on a conference call Friday if the retired physician had decided if he would be adding his name to the August primary ballot. “I have not,” the ten-year incumbent answered, adding: “… from a health standpoint … I’ve had a CT (computer tomography) scan, which was normal. I’m very pleased about that. … In another three to four weeks, I’ll have a blood test to see whether that’s normal and OK. Those things will impact the decision you make. So far, I’ve gotten great results. Physically I’m feeling better.” Roe was diagnosed with an early form of prostate cancer in 2017 and is reported to have responded well to treatment. As for the timeline on when he is decide one way or another, the Times News writes that Roe said he has “some things for the VA [Veterans Administration] that are critical” and, “All of these are weighing on my decision and it’s going to be coming rather quickly. … I have a national platform now.…

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Seven Ways Comey’s FBI Helped Hillary Go Scott-Free on Email Crimes

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Former FBI Director James Comey and other key senior bureau executives violated at least seven basic rules for credible investigations in 2016 to ensure former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton would escape prosecution for using a private email server and address to conduct official diplomatic business, according to former U.S. Attorney Joseph diGenova. “What this is about is to exonerate Hillary Clinton of a clear violation of the law with regard to the way she handled classified information with her private server. Absolutely a crime, absolutely a felony,” diGenova said in with Ginny Thomas of the Daily Caller News Foundation.

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Shock Poll: Americans Want Massive Cuts to Legal Immigration

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Americans strongly back giving illegal immigrant “Dreamers” a pathway to citizenship – but a new poll found they also strongly back the other changes President Trump is pushing to build a border wall system, eliminate the visa lottery and curtail the chain of family migration. The Harvard-Harris Poll, taken in the run-up to the government shutdown, even found huge support for cutting the level of legal immigration, which stands at more than 1 million a year, to less than half that.

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Debate Preview: GOP Gubernatorial Candidates Answer Five Questions on Education

Tennessee Star Staff

The Gubernatorial Candidate Educational Forum will be held at Belmont University and broadcast on NewsChannel 5 from 7:00 pm to 8:00 pm tonight, Tuesday, January 22. The Tennessee Star will be there, along with six of the seven leading gubernatorial candidates from the Republican and Democratic parties. Republicans in attendance will be Randy Boyd, Bill Lee, Mae Beavers, and Tennessee Speaker of the House Beth Harwell (R- Nashville). Democrats in attendance will be Karl Dean and State Rep. Craig Fitzhugh (D-Ripley). Rep. Diane Black (R-TN-06) will be the only gubernatorial candidate not in attendance. Black is in Washington, where Congress is currently in session. Earlier this month, the Professional Educators of Tennessee (PET) asked all seven candidates five questions about education. PET has graciously shared their responses with The Tennessee Star. As a preview of tonight’s debate, we present the responses of the five leading GOP Gubernatorial candidates to those questions. QUESTION 1: Thank you for taking the time to share with our educators today. On behalf of our members, I would like to say we are grateful you are offering yourself for Governor. Please share with educators a little about who you are, and why you are running for…

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Trump Slaps Big Tariffs on Imported Solar Panels, Riling Renewables Industry

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The Trump administration announced Monday that it will impose hefty tariffs on the cheap, imported panels that have driven the rapid expansion of solar power in the United States, a move that industry groups warn will slow the spread of renewable energy and cost thousands of jobs. The tariffs come as Trump has vowed to take a tough line against cheap foreign imports that are undercutting American manufacturing industries.

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Commentary: Jeff Sessions Is Turning the Justice Department Around

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By Printus LeBlanc   While everyone is wondering what was said and what was not said, Attorney General Jeff Sessions is quietly restoring the rule of law and eliminating the progressive leftist funding mechanisms installed by the Obama administration. It is time to recognize the excellent work Attorney General Jeff Sessions is doing. One of the most overlooked actions Attorney General Jeff Sessions took was to end third-party settlements. Under the previous administration, the Justice Department allowed companies it fined to pay third-parties organizations not associated with the original crime. Not only did the department allow the offenders to pay third-parties, they received double the credit for doing so. The payments would go to Obama administration approved organizations such as National Council of La Raza, the National Community Reinvestment Coalition and the National Urban League. All left leaning organizations that help the help the Democrat Party carry out its mission. Congressional investigators estimate at least $3 billion went to third-party groups during the Obama administration. Sessions issued the order on June 7, 2017, stating, “When the federal government settles a case against a corporate wrongdoer, any settlement funds should go first to the victims and then to the American people— not to bankroll…

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Gubernatorial Candidate Randy Boyd: The Volume is Going to be Turned Way Up

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Boyd in Kingsport

During a campaign trip to Kingsport, tucked up on the northeast corner of the state, the local newspaper spent some time with gubernatorial hopeful Randy Boyd and came away with two clear messages: the Knoxville businessman and former Haslam appointee is in-it-to-win-it, and is about to ‘turn the volume way up.’ “It’s early and in some of the early polls, when they ask about me, it’s about name ID,” Mr. Boyd told the Kingsport Times News. “[Black] usually leads with name ID, but being known and being favored to be the next governor are two different things. Most people really haven’t spent a lot of time thinking about it yet, but over the next six months, the volume is going to be turned way up. People are going to learn more and more about the candidates. I still believe they are going to vote for a nonprofessional politician and business person and outsider over some politician in D.C.” (emphasis added) Boyd’s claim to be a ‘nonprofessional politician’ is accurate. However, recall that Randy Boyd was tapped by the Haslam Administration in 2013 to serve as a special adviser on higher education, where he helped to develop the ‘Drive to 55’ initiative. It was during his…

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Governor Bill Haslam Announces ‘TN Together’ to ‘End the Opioid Epidemic’

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Governor Haslam unveiled his administration’s ambitious plan to confront Tennessee’s accelerating opioid crisis on Monday, called “TN Together.” Joined on stage by Lt. Governor Randy McNally, State House Speaker Beth Harwell, and Supreme Court Justice Jeffrey Bivins, Governor Haslam aims to implement a three-pronged initiative “to end the opioid epidemic” that focuses on prevention, treatment and law enforcement. “This is a crisis that knows no boundaries and impacts many Tennesseans regardless of race, income, gender or age,” Governor Haslam said in a statement. “Our approach will be aggressive with provisions to limit the supply of opioids and significant state and federal dollars to provide treatment to those in need. I applaud the collaboration and the considerable work of the House and Senate on the TN Together plan, as well as the judicial branch’s leadership through the Regional Judicial Opioid Initiative and National Opioid Task Force, and I ask all stakeholders around this issue to work together to achieve real reform and action that will save lives.” In all, Governor Haslam will propose a $30 million budget in state and federal funding to launch and run TN Together in the 2018-19 fiscal year. That amount will include: The three components of TN Together include prevention,…

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Kid Rock Donates $122K from Fake Campaign to College Republicans Group

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Kid Rock has donated $122,000 raised by his fake Senate campaign to a College Republicans group promoting voter registration. The singer fueled months of speculation last year that he was considering running for Democrat Debbie Stabenow’s U.S. Senate seat in Michigan as a Republican. He launched a “Kid Rock for Senate” website and raised money by selling T-shirts, bumper stickers and road signs promoting the “campaign.”

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Pence: The United States Embassy Will Open in Jerusalem Before the End of Next Year

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Pence Knesset

Vice President Mike Pence addressed the Knesset Monday, saying the Unites States will fulfill its promise made by President Trump and open an embassy in Jerusalem by the end of 2019. “Jerusalem is Israel’s capital,” Pence stated, adding: And, as such, President Trump has directed the State Department to immediately begin preparations to move the United States Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. In the weeks ahead, our administration will advance its plan to open the United States Embassy in Jerusalem, and that United States Embassy will open before the end of next year. Our President made his decision, in his words, “in the best interests of the United States.” But he also made it clear that we believe that his decision is in the best interests of peace. By finally recognizing Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, the United States has chosen fact over fiction. And fact is the only true foundation for a just and lasting peace.   Although Mr. Pence was by all accounts warmly received with several ovations throughout is address to the Israeli lawmakers, the Vice President’s remarks were not met with universal acceptance. The Tribune News Service reports: Twelve Arab members of the Knesset and one Jewish member…

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On the Question of TennCare Expansion, Answers Fall Along Party Lines for Gubernatorial Candidates

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Healthy Tennessee, a Nashville-based 501(c)(3), hosted a healthcare symposium Friday featuring several of the gubernatorial candidates from both parties with moderators Lipscomb President Randy Lowry and Healthy Tennessee Founder President Dr. Manny Sethi. Although the event was slated to have the candidates “share their vision and plans for a healthier Tennessee,” the discussion largely centered around the question of whether and how much should Tennessee’s Medicaid program, TennCare be expanded. “Our forum is designed to provide a meaningful opportunity for each candidate to speak directly to the voters of Tennessee and provide a unique perspective on potential solutions to the health care problems facing our state today,” said Lipscomb University President Randy Lowry in a statement about the gathering. In all, six out of the seven candidates vying for their parties’ nominations were on hand, with each individual taking the stage to share their thoughts with the moderators and audience one at a time. Both Democrat candidates, former Nashville Mayor Karl Dean and state House Minority Leader Craig Fitzhugh, joined Republicans House Speaker Beth Harwell, Franklin-area businessman Bill Lee, Knoxville-area businessman Randy Boyd, and former State Senator Mae Beavers. The only top-tier candidate not attending was Representative Diane Black, who opted to stay in Washington D.C. amid the looming…

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Trump Ad Says Democratic Foes Will Be ‘Complicit’ in Murders by Illegal Immigrants

Tennessee Star Staff

The Trump campaign released a tough ad Saturday saying that Democrats who oppose the president’s border security policies will be “complicit for every murder committed by illegal immigrants.” “Build the wall. Deport criminals. Stop illegal immigration now. Democrats who stand in our way will be complicit in every murder committed by illegal immigrants,” says the ad by Donald J. Trump for President.

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Commentary: One Year Later the Donald Trump Experiment Is Working Like a Charm

Tennessee Star Staff

by Jeffrey A. Rendall   As we reach the one-year anniversary of President Donald Trump’s inauguration, doubts persist within the pundit class about Trump’s relationship with members of Congress. Everyone knows the president’s tangled mightily with Democrats throughout those first twelve months, the most recent dust-up coming over Trump’s alleged “sh—hole countries” remark made during a meeting with senators from both parties at the White House last week. Trump denies ever making the comment and Georgia Republican Senator David Purdue backed up Trump’s claim to ABC News’ liberal George Stephanopoulos last Sunday. Regardless of Trump’s word usage he’d face a near impossible task in trying to mend fences with the Democrats. But there are also those who suggest Trump has a ways to go to shore up good feelings with his fellow Republicans too. If recent history is a guide, Trump’s attempting to do just that. Sarah Westwood of the Washington Examiner wrote, “Republicans who once questioned President Trump’s competence or called him a ‘jackass’ have spent recent weeks singing his praises and joining him on Air Force One as the president works to repair strained relationships on Capitol Hill ahead of the midterms. “Facing the prospect of a Democratic…

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The Obama Administration’s ‘Brazen Plot To Exonerate Hillary Clinton’ To Leak Out, According To Former Fed Prosecutor

Tennessee Star Staff

A former federal prosecutor says the truth is starting to seep out about the Obama Administration’s “brazen plot to exonerate Hillary Clinton” and “frame an incoming president with a false Russian conspiracy,” according to an exclusive interview with The Daily Caller News Foundation. Joe diGenova, a former federal prosecutor, connects the dots on former Obama administration Justice Department and FBI officials who may have “violated the law, perhaps committed crimes” to politicize law enforcement and surveillance against political opponents.

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ICE Is Enforcing Deportation Orders Against High-Profile Illegal Immigrant Activists

Tennessee Star Staff

Immigration authorities have detained in recent weeks two prominent activists who are themselves illegal immigrants, demonstrating the Trump administration’s commitment to expand the pool of deportable aliens. The arrested men have openly lived in the U.S. for years and have until recently enjoyed a de facto immunity from deportation, thanks to their status as high-profile immigrants’ rights activists. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials have denied the arrests are politically motivated, but they clearly show that immigration agents are now emboldened to arrest even the most connected of illegal immigrants.

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Laura Ingraham vs. Rob Reiner: A Conservative and a Liberal Have an Honest, Heated Conversation

Tennessee Star Staff

It was refreshing, it was real, it was engaging. And the feisty face-to-face conversation on set at Fox News’ “The Ingraham Angle” Friday night between host Laura Ingraham and long-time director and actor Rob Reiner — live from California last night — could actually be a model for future dialogue between people on opposite ends of…

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Nashville Would Tie For Highest Sales Tax In Nation Under Mayor Barry’s Transit Plan

Jason M. Reynolds

From apparel to zip-up kitchen bags, merchandise sold in Nashville would bear some of the highest sales tax in the nation if the backers of the city’s proposed light rail system have their way, a PAC says. NoTax4Tracks is the PAC opposing the May 1 referendum in Nashville/Davidson County on a proposed increase in sales and hotel taxes.  The organization issued a press release over the weekend criticizing Mayor Megan Barry’s plan to raise the state-city sales tax to 10.25 percent to help finance the transit plan. The PAC says 10.25 percent would give Nashville the highest sales tax in the nation. According to the Tax Foundation, two cities currently are tied for the dubious honor of highest sales tax, and both have rates of 10.25 percent: Long Beach, California, and Chicago. Nashville would tie for the top spot in the nation’s most expensive cities in which to shop. Nashville is currently tied in ninth place on the Tax Foundation’s sales tax list. The city’s sales tax would increase by 0.5 percent from 9.25 percent to 9.75 percent, NoTax4Tracks says on its website. By 2023 the tax will have increased to 10.25 percent. “Whether it’s a senior living off of…

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Release of Classified FISA Abuse Memo May End Media’s Baseless Trump-Russia Collusion Narrative

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It sounds too good to be true: A top secret memo in possession of the House Intelligence Committee could seriously rupture Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential campaign. The memo doesn’t really have much to do with Russia, however, just like many of Mueller’s Republican targets also have nothing to…

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NYT Changes Headline On Gov’t Shutdown To Lessen Blame On Dems For Impasse

Tennessee Star Staff

The New York Times changed a headline in an article Saturday morning about the government shutdown that absolves Democrats of blame for the impasse. The original version of the NYT headline on an article reporting the news reads: “Senate Democrat Block Bill to Keep Government Open Past Midnight, Shutdown Looms” – which went through various changes as negotiations on the budget deal broke down.

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Mattis: Countering China, Russia Now Top US Defense Priority

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U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis says the United States is losing its competitive military advantage over China and Russia, marking the central challenge to America’s armed forces. “Great-power competition, not terrorism, is now the primary focus of U.S. national security,” Mattis said Friday as he rolled out the unclassified portion of the Trump administration’s National Defense Strategy (NDS) in Washington.

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Commentary: Americans Won’t Let Democrats Weaponize Compassion on DACA

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Jeffrey A. Rendall   It’s not a stretch to claim Americans are a compassionate people. From an early age we’re schooled by parents, pastors and teachers to look kindly on our neighbors, help them in a pinch and give regularly to churches and charities to aid the less fortunate in their time of need. Beyond taking these basic personal moral lessons to heart we’re required by law to contribute to government safety net programs such as state worker’s compensation pools and federal Social Security and Medicare funds. These programs are so ingrained and visible that everyone sees how much their paychecks are reduced every pay period to pay for them – and they’re okay with it. Politicians struggle with the percentage of every dollar that should automatically be allotted to these essentially charitable purposes, but few would seriously suggest eliminating them entirely. Privatizing federal entitlement programs is one solution but politically we’re nowhere near taking such a bold step. No one wants to see others living on the edge of life and death. Americans’ compassion is boundless…but is it endless? The Democrats must think so because they appear willing to shut down the government over the controversial Deferred Action on…

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Devin Nunes Named 2017 Congressman of the Year by Limited-Government Powerhouse

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By Rick Manning   House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes earned recognition as Americans for Limited Government’s 2017 Congressman of the Year for his steadfast pursuit of the truth related to the Obama Administration’s intelligence agency weaponization during the 2016 election campaign and the continued use of these tools against President Trump. Chairman Nunes praised Speaker Paul Ryan for resisting pressure to submarine the Committee’s investigation saying, “The Speaker faced enormous pressure to undercut the Committee’s request for corroborating documents and stood firm in his resolve to get to the bottom of this scandal.” As reported by Fox News’ Catherine Herridge, “A four-page memo circulating in Congress that reveals alleged United States government surveillance abuses is being described by lawmakers as ‘shocking,’ ‘troubling’ and ‘alarming,’ with one congressman likening the details to KGB activity in Russia.” As the #RELEASETHEMEMO movement swirls around Capitol Hill, it is Nunes’ Committee that has opened the door for the potential future public release through their courageous vote to make the memo available for review to all Members of the House of Representatives. The current #SchumerShutdown could expedite the overall process for releasing the memo forward as Members of the House are remaining in Washington, D.C. awaiting…

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Hackers Are Attacking the Electric Grid

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Last September, news broke that hackers had laid siege to the U.S. power grid, probing deep into dozens of energy firms, looking for weaknesses to exploit. The Department of Homeland Security issued a threat warning about an ongoing stream of malware attacks that could one day lead to a Black Sky event, crippling cellphones, erasing bank accounts, devastating hospitals, and disrupting every sector of the economy. Girding our grid (some of which dates back to 1917) could cost $500 billion—too pricey for the more than 3,200 private companies that own its hardware.

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32 Children Rescued from al-Shabab in Somalia

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A U.S.-backed operation by Somali special forces has freed 32 children who were kidnapped by militant group al-Shabab. Somali Information Minister Abdirahman Omar Osman said Friday that Somali forces rescued the kids from a school in the Middle Shabelle region. “The militants were indoctrinating the children, but now they are safe and are in the hands of the government,” he said in a phone interview with VOA’s Somali Service.

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Tom Petty Died of Accidental Opioid Overdose: Family

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American rocker Tom Petty died in October of an accidental drug overdose after taking a variety of medications for his ailments including a mix of opioid painkillers, his family and the Los Angeles county medical examiner said Friday. The autopsy report says the 66-year-old Petty had fentanyl, oxycodone, temazepam and other drugs in his system when he died of cardiac arrest. Petty’s wife Dana and daughter Adria said the medical examiner told them he “passed away due to an accidental drug overdose as a result of taking a variety of medications.”

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Secrecy and Withholding of Information Characterize Move of Tyson Foods Plant into Humboldt, Tennessee

Chris Alto

Gibson County Mayor Tom “Welcoming” Witherspoon and Humboldt Mayor Marvin Sikes claim that only positive impacts will result from the arrival of the Tyson Foods chicken plant, first rejected in Tonganoxie, Kansas, but now being relocated to Humboldt, Tennessee. The plan to put the plant in Tonganoxie was defeated by citizen-led opposition because of concerns of Tyson’s history of environmental violations, impact on infrastructure and potential to attract refugee workers. Opposition to the Kansas plant also focused on the secrecy surrounding the plan for Tonganoxie and withholding of information from public scrutiny. Twilight Greenaway, reporting at Moyers & Company, the website operated by far left journalist Bill Moyers, described the citizen-led opposition in Tonganoxie as “staggering” and fueled in part by the secrecy in which the deal was arranged between Tyson executives and local officials until information was finally made public. As Greenaway reported: The Tyson plant was also a long-kept secret with the code name Project Sunset. Local lawmakers were asked to sign nondisclosure agreements when considering welcoming it to town, and the company is said to have worked through intermediaries when negotiating with the landowner over the 300-acre lot it would occupy. But once the deal was done and…

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New Tone: Trump Administration Blasts Democrats as ‘Losers’ for the ‘Schumer Shutdown’

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Moments after the Senate Democrats successfully blocked the passage of a short-term continuing resolution to keep the government funded through the middle of next month, White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders released a scathing statement, squarely blaming Democrats for their obstructionism. “Senate Democrats own the Schumer Shutdown,” Sanders began in a fiery missive posted on social media. “Tonight, they put policies over national security, military families, vulnerable children, and our country’s ability to serve all Americans,” the statement continued. “We will not negotiate the status of unlawful immigrants while Democrats hold our lawful citizens hostage over their reckless demands. This is the behavior of obstructionist losers, not legislators. When Democrats start paying out armed forces and first responders we will reopen negotiation on immigration reform. During this politically manufactured Schumer Shutdown, the President and his Administration will fight for and protect the American people.” At issue is the Democrats demand for a “DACA fix,” which is problematic for two reasons. First, the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program is not a legal program at all. It is a procedure that was described by then-DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano in a 2012 memo. The procedure was ‘blessed’ by the Obama administration and implemented under…

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NoTax4Tracks: There Is No Such Thing As $1.5 Billion In Free Transit Money for Nashville

Jason M. Reynolds

“There is no such thing as a free lunch” is an adage many students learn in an introductory economics course. Perhaps that adage could apply to Mayor Megan Barry’s $9 billion transit plan as well. NoTax4Tracks, the PAC opposing the May 1 referendum in Nashville/Davidson County on a proposed increase in sales and hotel taxes is making that point. “We’re talking about the $1.5-billion hole in the city’s $9-billion light rail plan,” the PAC said in a press release. “Why is it a big hole? Because the city has said their plan has $1.5-billion in funding they plan getting from the federal government. “Except they’re not.” The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) said its budget: “…includes no funding for new CIG (capital investment grant) projects, and thus project sponsors that do not yet have construction grant agreements acknowledge they are undertaking additional work at their own risk which may not receive CIG funding.” The FTA added it will accept new grant applications with the understanding no funding is guaranteed. So how will Barry fill a $1.5-billion dollar shortfall, NoTax4Tracks asks. WSMV reports the plan’s $9 billion estimate is buried deep within the “Let’s Move Nashville: Metro’s Transportation Solution” report of Dec. 13,…

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FIRST: President Trump Addresses the 45th Annual March for Life

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  President Donald Trump made history Friday when he became the first sitting president to address the annual pro-life event, March for Life. “You come from many backgrounds, many places.  But you all come for one beautiful cause: to build a society where life is celebrated, protected, and cherished,” President Trump said to a small gathering in the Rose Garden, which was broadcast to the some 100,000 Marchers flooding the capital. “The March for Life is a movement born out of love.  You love your families, you love your neighbors, you love our nation, and you love every child, born and unborn, because you believe that every life is sacred, that every child is a precious gift from God.” Watch his moving speech:   FULL Transcript of President Trump’s remarks at the Rose Garden event PRESIDENT TRUMP: Thank you very much.  That’s so nice.  Sit, please.  We have tens of thousands of people watching us right down the road — tens of thousands.  So I congratulate you.  And at least we picked a beautiful day.  You can’t get a more beautiful day. I want to thank our Vice President, Mike Pence, for that wonderful introduction.  I also want to thank…

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Tennessee Pastors Network Calls for Sanctions on Trevecca After University Cancels Conservative GOP Candidate’s Event and ‘Embraces Anti-Biblical Issues and Events’

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The Tennessee Pastors Network called on Nazarene Pastors and members of the Nazarene Church to “place financial sanctions” on their support of Trevecca Nazarene University after the institution recently withdrew access to their facilities for a Homeland Security Summit, organized by Mae Beavers, an alumnus of the school and a lifelong Nazarene. This, in addition to Trevecca’s repeated hosting and celebrations of events the Pastors Network call “anti-biblical LGBT issues,” represent a pattern of behavior that are diametrically opposed to church teachings. Dale Walker, President of the Tennessee Pastors Network said in a statement, “Trevecca Nazarene has caved to political correctness as they canceled an event on Homeland Security hosted by Senator Mae Beavers. This past week, Trevecca slammed the doors shut on speakers that would communicate about the persecution of Christians, threats to Homeland Security and those that have vowed their hatred toward our Christian values.” Walker continued: This ‘Christian Holiness institution’ yet opened their doors for Soulforce to come to the Boone Convocation Center in 2012. Soulforce is a non-profit advocacy organization that supports LGBTQ people from ‘religious and political oppression,’ according to the group’s website. Trevecca welcomed Soulforce and opened the doors of Boone Convocation Center to this discussion on LGBT issues. The recent bowing…

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New Poll Reveals Pro-Life Leanings Among Majority of Americans, Including Democrats

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A majority of Americans – 56 percent – consider abortion to be “morally wrong” while 52 percent agree that an abortion “does a woman more harm than good.” More than three quarters of Americans would limit abortion to – at most – the first three months of pregnancy, a percentage which has remained consistent for the past decade, according to a new Marist Poll.

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Commentary: One Year Later, President Trump Restores Limited Government, the Separation of Powers and U.S. Economic Prosperity

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By Robert Romano   On Jan. 17, Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) took to the floor the U.S. Senate and disgracefully compared President Donald Trump to one-time Soviet dictator Josef Stalin because the President called the fake news publishing stories falsely alleging he is a Russian agent “an enemy of the American people.” Perhaps not appreciating the irony, just a day later, Flake voted to reauthorize Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), legislation that authorizes the President to exercise intelligence gathering powers said to have been abused during the Bush and Obama administrations in the form of mass surveillance. It is all political theater for the retiring Arizona senator as the elites in Washington, D.C. applaud his “courage” for idiotically comparing the President to one of the greatest mass murdering dictators in human history who killed millions of his own people and sent many more to gulags. As a personal note, my wife’s aunt grew up in one of those gulags in Siberia before being liberated years later and eventually immigrating to the U.S. In 2016, she voted for Trump. Flake’s was an outrageous, despicable comparison, and reflects how hysterical and disconnected from reality Trump’s opponents have become since his unlikely victory…

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Governor Haslam to Unveil ‘Opioid Plan’ Early Next Week

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Bill Haslam

The Haslam Administration announced it will unveil its Opioid Plan Monday, January 22 at the Old Supreme Court Chamber. Administration officials characterize it as an aggressive and comprehensive plan to confront the escalating drug crisis. “Some of that will be for an actual bill,” Haslam told reporters from The Chattanooga Times Free Press on Friday. “Others will be things that won’t take legislative action but will be part of a comprehensive plan to address the opioid issue.” Along with Governor Haslam, Lt. Governor Randy McNally, State House Speaker Beth Harwell, and Supreme Court Justice Jeffrey Bivins will be on hand to unveil what the Times Free Press calls a “multi-strategy plan involving prevention, treatment and law enforcement.” The plan couldn’t come soon enough, as the Volunteer State has one of the nation’s fastest-growing opiod-associated death rates. According to a statement from the Tennessee Department of Health, 6,605 people have died from overdosing on opiates over the past five years (2012-2016), and from 2015 to 2016 alone, the number of deaths jumped a shocking 12.4 percent to 1,651. (2017 information is not yet available.) Monday’s announcements is scheduled as an open event that begins at 2:00 pm.  

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Joe Carr: Contribution to Shane Reeves Campaign Came from Tennessee’s Chief Lobbyist for Pro-Abortion Planned Parenthood

Tennessee Star Staff

Shane Reeves, State Senate candidate in the GOP 14th District special Republican primary election on January 25th, filed his financial disclosure forms with the State of Tennessee yesterday and at least one of his contributions is raising eyebrows. A $500 donation is recorded as being received on November 16, 2017 from the lobbying firm of Smith, Harris & Carr PAC. According to  Reeves’ rival for the GOP nomination, former State Rep. Joe Carr (R-Lascassas),  one of the named principals in the firm, Anne Carr (no relation), is the registered lobbyist for Tennessee Advocates for Planned Parenthood. Joe Carr questioned Reeves’ pro-life claims when he was endorsed by the Tennessee Education Association (TEA). The TEA’s national affiliate, the National Education Association, which TEA helps fund, is a large donor to Planned Parenthood. During the 2014 election cycle NEA funneled over $790,000 in teachers’ dues money to Planned Parenthood. “Shane has shown a disturbing pattern throughout this campaign of saying one thing and doing another, which makes him completely unsuited to represent the conservative values of this district in the legislature,” Carr pointed out. “If we can’t trust him to MEAN what he says during the campaign, how can we trust him…

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Rep. Diane Black at March for Life: ‘A Baby Is a Life’ not ‘A Blob of Tissue’

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Representative Diane Black (R-TN-06) was among many lawmakers to join Friday’s 45th annual March for Life rally at the nation’s capital. Fox News’ Harris Faulkner caught up with the Congressman and Tennessee gubernatorial candidate to discuss this year’s event. “I know you authored and passed through the house the Defund Planned Parenthood Act of 2015. Congresswoman, you have said you are so dedicated to the  message that’s out there. What is that message?” Faulkner asked. “That message is that a baby is a life. It’s no longer, as we thought some 45 years ago before we had the science, that this is a blob of tissue.” Rep Black said, surrounded by March for Life activists – many of whom were noticeably young. “This is a life. And I have fought for 45 years. And you know, the energy on this mall today, the energy by young people who know that, who acknowledge that this is a life was here and present today. And it just makes my heart leap,” Black added. Faulkner then asked about the crowd reaction to President Trump’s remarks, which were broadcast to the Marchers via big-screens. “What did [President Trump] say that resonated with that crowd?” “That it…

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MOVIE REVIEW: ’12 Strong’ Explodes with U.S.-Afghan War Effort

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“12 STRONG” – 3 stars – Chris Hemsworth, Michael Shannon, Michael Pena, Trevante Rhodes, William Fichtner; R (war violence and language throughout); in general release Once it gets past a few early stumbles, Nicolai Fuglsig’s “12 Strong” shapes up to be a dramatic and exciting war film. Based on the book “Horse Soldiers” by Doug Stanton, “12 Strong” tells the story of the first American troops to fight in Afghanistan after 9/11.

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Banged-Up Predators Host Coyotes

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Injuries are a part of any season. They have hit the Nashville Predators at the midway point of 2017-18, potentially leaving them without their entire first line for Thursday night’s visit from the Arizona Coyotes. Fortunately for Nashville (26-11-6), it got plenty of practice at dealing with key injuries during last spring’s run to the Stanley Cup Finals. So if it has to play Arizona without Filip Forsberg (upper-body), Viktor Arvidsson (lower-body) and Ryan Johansen (upper-body), it wouldn’t be ideal by any means, but so be it.

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Commentary: Did ‘Government Expertise’ Make America Fat?

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by Richard Morrison   A panel of government experts gets together and decides what is healthy to eat and what isn’t. What could possibly go wrong? Freethink Media’s new video on the history of the Food Pyramid will make for surprising viewing for anyone who assumes official health and nutrition advice should be taken at face value. Starting in the late 1980s, the office of the U.S. Surgeon General took the lead in waging the federal government’s war on dietary fat. This led to years of recommendations and public information campaigns that, among other things, demonized animal protein sources (that often come along with a significant amount of fat) and steered Americans towards consumption of lots of low-fat carbohydrates instead—the base of the pyramid. Many Americas will remember the 1990s as the golden age of carbs. Now, of course, further research suggests that going down that path has actually made diet-related chronic health issues like obesity and diabetes even worse. And the same is true for other items on the government’s food enemies list. My colleague Michelle Minton documented in her detailed 2016 study Shaking up the Conventional Wisdom on Salt the largely false narrative most Americans have come to believe about sodium consumption and high blood pressure. Not…

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Why ‘Forever My Girl’ Is Different from Its Hollywood Competition

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“I didn’t want a movie that felt like homework,” producer Mickey Liddell told LifeZette in an exclusive interview about his upcoming film “Forever My Girl,” which hits theaters on Friday. The movie is in the vein of Liddell’s earlier work, through his company LD Entertainment, in that it harkens back to old-school Hollywood work that aims to entertain and inspire. Liddell’s filmography includes everything from the biblical epic “Risen” to true-story dramas like “The Zookeeper’s Wife.”

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Fever Dreams: Harvard Prof on ‘How Hillary Clinton Could Still Become President’

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Harvard Law School professor Lawrence Lessig says there’s still a scenario in which Hillary Clinton becomes president. A candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination himself, Mr. Lessig envisioned a scenario in which President Trump resigns or is impeached, Vice President Mike Pence resigns or is impeached, and House Speaker Paul D. Ryan – who would be next in line – nominates Mrs. Clinton to be his vice president, and then steps aside to let her have the job.

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