Former FBI Director James Comey is “always the hero of every story he tells,” former Attorney General Michael Mukasey said Friday on “The Laura Ingraham Show.” The Department of Justice turned over to Congress Thursday redacted versions of memos Comey wrote detailing seven conversations with President Donald Trump both before an after Trump’s inauguration.
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by Jeffery Rendall Isn’t it funny when someone says something that’s meant to be an insult — but then when you think about it, turns out to be more like a compliment? Such was the case the other day when former FBI director James Comey elaborated on his current feelings towards the Republican Party. In his own subjective mind Comey was probably trying to dig at the GOP and President Donald Trump by saying the party “left him” – but his words ended up soothing the minds of conservatives who are leading the fight to remake the party into a true bastion of limited government, constitutionally-based conservatism (as opposed to a swamp perpetuating establishment social club). Caitlin Yilek of the Washington Examiner reported, “Former FBI Director James Comey no longer wants to be associated with the Republican Party with President Trump in the White House… “’These people don’t represent anything I believe in,’ he explained, pointing to the Republican National Committee’s website LyinComey.com. “I see the Republican Party, as near as I can tell, reflects now entirely Donald Trump’s values,’ Comey continued. ‘It doesn’t reflect values at all. It’s transactional, it’s ego-driven, it’s in service to his ego. And it’s, I think,…
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The number of prescriptions for opioid painkillers filled in the U.S. fell dramatically last year — the biggest drop in 25 years. People in the U.S. consume roughly 30 percent of all opioids used worldwide. The Institute for Human Data Science, a health data firm, shared those figures Thursday, revealing a nine percent average drop nationwide in the number of prescriptions for opioids filled by both retail and mail-order pharmacies. All 50 states and the District of Columbia had declines of more than 5 percent, the study noted.
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by Rachel del Guidice Office of Management and Budget Director Mick Mulvaney says his staff will soon be sending a package to Congress to rescind some of the planned spending in the $1.3 trillion omnibus bill signed last month by President Donald Trump. “[We] hope to have something here in the next couple weeks,” Mulvaney saidWednesday during a House appropriations subcommittee meeting, reports The Washington Times. Conservative lawmakers, such as Rep. Dave Brat, R-Va., want Trump to send a rescission request to Congress to cancel nondefense spending that the legislators previously approved in the 2,000-plus-page omnibus bill. “We need a plan right now, where the White House and then the House leadership both say, ‘Look Mitch, there’s plenty of money just sitting around in pots, where we can buy significant savings for the American people after that omni[bus], and we want to show them we are serious about fiscal responsibility,’ and so that’s what it is going to take,” Brat told The Daily Signal in a phone interview Thursday. [The liberal Left continue to push their radical agenda against American values. The good news is there is a solution. Find out more ] Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said Tuesday that he does not…
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Vulnerable Republicans cannot save their political fortunes by distancing themselves from President Donald Trump, a conservative activist said Thursday. Matt Schlapp, chairman of the American Conservative Union (ACU), told guest host Raymond Arroyo on “The Laura Ingraham Show” that he learned this while working for former President George W. Bush. The president’s approval ratings sank lower and lower in his second term amid growing discontent with the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
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by Printus LeBlanc Every day, the federal government puts out new regulations, updates old ones, or eliminates them all together. This is done in the Federal Register and is published every morning. What most people don’t know is a great amount of the rules and regulations published in the Federal Register were concocted using reports from government and third-party scientists using “secret science.” Thankfully the National Association of Scholars (NAS) is now calling out federal agencies and Congress for not doing enough to ensure science used to influence every single American can be reproduced independently by making the data publicly available. Secret science has long been a tool of the progressive movement to push its radical agenda. The U.S. government gives out billions in grants to research institutions around the country. The grants are given to study everything from climate change and medical research to animal mating habits and shrimp on a treadmill. The product of the research is then given to the representative government agency and often extensive economy changing regulations are drawn up and implemented based on the study. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt has been at the forefront of the battle, announcing on March 19, the EPA will no…
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Gas Can Man made a pit stop in Murfreesboro early Friday morning at DJ Mart on Lascassas Pike to pump out $25 in free gas to 100 lucky – and very happy – drivers. SuperTalk 99.7 WTN morning host Brian Wilson announced the location of the Energize America giveaway at 7:05 am and within 10 minutes dozens of cars were lined up around the gas station waiting for the fuel to flow at 7:30 am. Within less than an hour the giveaway ended after the one hundredth car had been “pumped up.” One driver, who got out of his car for a selfie with Gas Can Man, said his low fuel light came on while he was waiting in line. Several drivers pointed out that fuel prices are moving back towards $3 per gallon and that legislators who added to the “pain at the pump” should pay a price. “I don’t know how my representative voted, but I will find out if they voted for the tax increase,” one man exclaimed. “And I’ll tell him they voted last year but I get to vote this year!” The $25 in free gas provided to drivers who were quick to arrive represented the…
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North Korean supreme leader Kim Jong Un announced Friday that he no longer wants to test nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles, reported South Korea’s official Yonhap News Agency. The statement would mark a major concession as the young leader prepares for his country’s first direct meeting with a sitting U.S. president, reportedly set to take place late next month or in early June. The announcement came via state media, which said a total freeze for nuclear tests would come into effect immediately local time.
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Dr. George Flinn – after falling short in his bid to replace Representative David Kustoff (R-TN-08) by only 3,000 in the historic 2016 election cycle – has personally lent his 2018 campaign “rematch” with Kustoff $1.4 million, Federal Election Commission filings show. For the first quarter’s reporting period, Flinn reports $863,350 was paid to Caissa Public Strategies of Memphis for “campaign management expenses, leaving a cash-on-hand balance of roughly $530,000. A separate area of the report shows the campaign made a loan payment to Flinn in the amount of $11,000. Apart from the $1,400,000, records show a total of $500 in donations were reported. Meanwhile, incumbent Representative David Kustoff reported receipts of $236,800 across 450 contributions, which range from $500 to $2700 each. A total of $100,000 were from PACs. The sum total of all contributions through the first quarter total $1.12 million – slightly less than Flinn’s loan to his own campaign. Kustoff’s his cash-on-hand shows $955,116 after $21,138 in spending for the quarter. To date, the campaign has reportedly spent $262,866 in this election cycle. Before politics, Dr. George Flinn had a successful career in medicine, where he eventually built a chain of radiology clinics in Tennessee. He took some of that fortune and used it to start Flinn Broadcasting, which acquired a…
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By Robert Romano President Donald Trump is back to the issue that got him elected more than any other and transformed the U.S. electoral map in 2016, and that is rejecting the 11-nation Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal that had been proposed by former President Barack Obama. On Twitter on April 17, Trump appeared to rule out the TPP once and for all: “While Japan and South Korea would like us to go back into TPP, I don’t like the deal for the United States. Too many contingencies and no way to get out if it doesn’t work. Bilateral deals are far more efficient, profitable and better for OUR workers. Look how bad WTO is to U.S.” That had followed a turbulent week for the President as he toyed with the idea of getting back into the TPP. Bloomberg had reported on April 12 that “Two White House officials who spoke on condition of anonymity confirmed that the president directed economic adviser Larry Kudlow and U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer to explore the feasibility of re-entering the TPP.” The President then confirmed his thinking on Twitter on April 12 that he was open to a new deal, but offered certain provisos: “Would only join TPP if the…
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While impeachment fever has gripped the Democratic Party, the voters are not nearly so sure, according to a poll released Wednesday. The of of 827 registered voters, taken April 10 through April 13, has a 3.9 percent margin of error. It found that voters are less willing to support than oppose a congressional candidate promising to impeach President Donald Trump.
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by Will Racke More than 100 suspected members of MS-13 and other gangs were released last year by sanctuary jurisdictions even though federal authorities had formally requested that they be held, according to newly released data from the Department of Homeland Security. Between October 2016 and June 2017, local law enforcement agencies released 142 gang members that immigration authorities were seeking to deport instead of transferring them to federal custody. The prisoners were subjects of active immigration detainers, which are formal requests made by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to local authorities to hold criminal aliens until federal agents can pick them up. The releases occurred in 37 separate jurisdictions, according to a Center for Immigration Studies report on the data, which was compiled in response to a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on the rise of MS-13. With the exception of Maricopa County, Arizona, all are considered sanctuary jurisdictions because they refuse to honor ICE detainers that aren’t backed by a criminal warrant or, in some cases, notify immigration authorities of a criminal alien’s release date. About two-thirds of the releases occurred in California, which has a statewide sanctuary law that limits cooperation between local officials and immigration authorities. Santa Clara County led the…
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by Ginny Montalbano Conservative Parkland student Kyle Kashuv is organizing a pro-Second Amendment Facebook Live show on the 19th anniversary of the Columbine High School shooting. I am working on having 4 prominent speakers, one every 15 minutes, go live on Facebook at 10:00 AM-11:00 AM on Friday, to discuss ways to save lives without infringing on 2A and the importance of mental health and not bullying. Stay tuned! #WalkUpNotOut #WalkUp https://t.co/gVuBikLgrU — Kyle Kashuv (@KyleKashuv) April 15, 2018 Kashuv, 16, tweeted that the goal is to “discuss ways to save lives without infringing on [the Second Amendment] and the importance of mental health and not bullying.” Confirmed speakers for the livestream so far include Sebastian Gorka, former deputy assistant to President Donald Trump; Charlie Kirk, founder and executive director of Turning Point USA; Anthony Scaramucci, former White House communications director; and Matt Schlapp, chairman of the American Conservative Union. Apparently, according to people at my school, Fridays school walkouts were approved by the school board – the same school board that blocked @charliekirk11 from coming and said they're not letting MSD get political on campus. 🤔 — Kyle Kashuv (@KyleKashuv) April 16, 2018 Originally, Kashuv planned to bring Kirk…
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by Eric Lieberman Facebook is planning on adapting to imminently enforced rules from the European Union by trying to exclude around 1.5 billion users from other places around the world. All users of the social media platform outside of the U.S. and Canada are subjected to the same rules, specifically those enacted and enforced by the company’s headquarters in Ireland, according to Reuters, which was the first to report on Facebook’s apparent intentions. Facebook wants to carve out the implementation of the E.U.’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) — a relatively stringent privacy law set to take effect May 25, 2018 that will govern internet and technology — to those in Europe. In other words, it wants to exempt itself from imposing the GDPR on the roughly 1.5 billion Facebook members in Australia, Asia, Africa and Latina America, since they are not confined by the same rules as the involved European countries. Some, of course, will view such a move as a way to elude liability for the way it handles user data, a huge point of contention that arose after a series of recent events and revelations. It could also be perceived as a way to ensure people outside the jurisdiction of the European…
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by Jarrett Stepman Is America destined to become like California? Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey created a stir recently when he tweeted out an article calling for an end to bipartisanship and the beginning of nationwide, one-party rule—similar to the Golden State. He called it a “great read.” Great read https://t.co/O2djSQf8Qv — jack (@jack) April 6, 2018 A Twitter spokesperson told The Daily Signal in an email, “Twitter’s tools are apolitical, and we enforce our rules without political bias.” Nevertheless, the tweet certainly brings up concern over Twitter’s political bias. The article, titled “The Great Lesson of California in America’s New Civil War,” argued that due to the intractable division of worldviews in America, bipartisanship is unworkable. It’s time to simply obliterate the other side. The article was authored by Peter Leyden, the CEO of a media company called Reinvent, and Ruy Teixeira, a progressive political scientist. Teixeira arguedafter Barack Obama’s 2008 election victory that the GOP would go extinct for a generation because demographic trends would make Democrats unbeatable. Needless to say, that didn’t come true. But in a larger sense, it’s worth dissecting what a disaster the Californization of the whole country would be. The authors point to California as a model for America’s…
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When WTOP’s Joan Jones asked former FBI Director James Comey Wednesday if the “smashing of cell phones and destruction of thousands of emails” during the investigation into Hillary Clinton was “obstruction of justice,” Comey said that he had never been asked that question before.
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This year 2018 is turning out to be a big one for the First Amendment. Whether it’s a big year in a positive or a negative way has yet to be decided. But three cases that the Supreme Court has heard this term could soon set important precedents that will either bolster or erode our First Amendment freedoms in the coming years.
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by Joe Carter Patriots’ Day is an annual observance of the anniversary of when the American colonies first took up arms against the British Crown on April 19, 1775. Patriots’ Day has become a forgotten holiday, due in part to the fact we Americans have a peculiar relationship to the term “patriot.” To question someone’s patriotism is considered an insult, while to praise their patriotism is (usually) a compliment. Yet strangely, the only people who refer to themselves, completely without irony or qualification, as patriots are old veterans, old conservatives, and certain pro athletes in New England. Of course, people who do not fit into those three categories sometimes self-identify with that label. But when they do it’s almost always accompanied by an asterisk, denoting—whether expressed or implied—that the use of the word comes with a qualifier: * Sure, I love my country but I that doesn’t mean I support ________. (the President, Congress, the government, the latest military action, etc.) * I am a patriotic, but that doesn’t mean I think America is better than other countries. * Of course I’m a patriotic as they come—though I would never, ever serve in—nor let my child enlist in—the U.S. military. * I’m a patriot…
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In the immediate aftermath of several days of TNReady online testing failures, the Tennessee General Assembly passed a bill on Thursday that will “hold harmless” all students, teachers, and districts from the results of those tests. The bill will “ensure that results from this year’s TNReady tests will not count,” Fox17 reported: The bill would make it so students’ grades, teachers’ evaluations and pay, and schools will not be impacted by this year’s TNReady test scores. However, teachers can still choose to be evaluated based on this year’s scores if their students do well. The state of Tennessee is in its second year of a $60 million contract with Questar for the TNReady tests. So far, Tennessee has paid $12 million of this year’s contact. The state is in the process of reviewing that contract with Questar. The bill is expected to go to Governor Bill Haslam’s desk early next week. “It was clear many members of the General Assembly wanted to address concerns related to the recent administration of state assessments. The governor understands these concerns and did not oppose the legislation,” a spokesperson for Gov. Haslam said. The governor is expected to sign the bill into law next…
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As State education officials continue to struggle with the failure of the online standardized testing system as part of the TNReady assessment of student progress, Aaron Shane is calling out State Representative Susan Lynn (R-Mt. Juliet) for failing to have taken action to address the problems. Shane is opposing Lynn the GOP Primary in the 57th District, which encompasses the western half of Wilson County. “The state has poured tens of millions of taxpayer dollars into the failed online testing programs,” Shane pointed out. “Graduating Seniors this year have never had the standardized testing work properly in their entire high school career. That is inexcusable. What is more inexcusable is that the Tennessee Department of Education bureaucrats have failed to fix the problem over the past half decade. “I have have had many parents and teachers share their concerns about Susan Lynn’s support for TNReady. One parent, who called her office, was told that TNReady was “not one of her concerns.” When an elected representative’s office tells a parent that the education of their children is “not her concern” it is time for us to elect a representative who will put our children first” Shane said. Shane went on to point…
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President Trump endorsed Representative Marsha Blackburn in her bid to replace retiring junior Senator Bob Corker Thursday via Twitter. Unusually, Mr. Trump used a feature of the microblogging site to make sure that all of Rep Blackburn’s followers would see the message by adding a period directly in front of her Twitter username, ‘@MarshaBlackburn.’ In his tweet, the president wrote Blackburn “is a wonderful woman who has always been there when we have needed her.” He continued, “Great on the Military, Border Security and Crime. Loves and works hard for the people of Tennessee. She has my full endorsement and I will be there to campaign with her!” Blackburn is the sole Republican in the running for the nomination – as is her rival, former Nashville Mayor and Governor Phil Bredesen. .@MarshaBlackburn is a wonderful woman who has always been there when we have needed her. Great on the Military, Border Security and Crime. Loves and works hard for the people of Tennessee. She has my full endorsement and I will be there to campaign with her! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 19, 2018 The Washington Times notes that although President Trump’s endorsement is no surprise, it “could prove a shot…
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Using ‘the power of the purse,’ the Tennessee House of Representatives passed an amendment by a vote of 56-31 Tuesday to de-fund Memphis’ bicentennial celebration by $250,000 as a consequence to the overnight removal of two Confederate monuments in late 2017. “If you recall, back in December, Memphis did something that removed historical markers in the city,” Tennessee Republican Rep. Steve McDaniel said from the House floor. “It was the city of Memphis that did this, and it was full knowing it was not the will of the legislature.” Memphis Mayor and City Council schemed to sell the land containing the parks and statues of Confederate President Jefferson Davis and Gen. Nathan Bedford Forrest on very favorable terms to a nonprofit which then took them down. As The Tennessee Star reported: Confederate monuments on what was until recently city property were taken down in Memphis after the sun set on Wednesday with little advance public discussion of the propriety of the actions taken secretively to circumvent state law. Whether the actions of the Memphis City Council and Mayor Jim Strickland that caused these stealth take downs of Confederate monuments Wednesday legally circumvent state law, or are in fact a brazen violation of state law, is a matter…
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One hundred early morning drivers in Murfreesboro will get up to $25 towards a fill up in free gas thanks to Gas Can Man this Friday. The $25 represents about a month’s worth of the fuel taxes the average Tennessee driver is paying thanks to the gas tax increase passed by the legislature last year. Gas Can Man will promote the need to oppose higher federal gas taxes and repeal the gas tax increase that Tennessee imposed last year. Gas Can Man is part of the Energize America Coalition that has done over 50 similar events across the country in the last few years. The first 100 drivers at 7:30 am Friday morning in Murfreesboro will get up to $25 towards a fill up! To find out exactly where the gasoline giveaway will take place, tune into SuperTalk 99.7 WTN at 7:05 am Friday morning or go to Gas Can Man on Facebook to find the location. Tennessee Star readers will also find the location posted promptly at 7:05 am on Friday on the Facebook page for The Tennessee Star. Governor Bill Haslam and the Tennessee legislature permanently raised fuel taxes by over $300 million a year, despite Tennessee having…
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Netflix, the global streaming giant that has dramatically changed the TV industry and clashed with movie theater owners, may be ready to move onto the big screen in a new and surprising way — by owning cinemas.
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Speaker of the State Senate and Lt. Governor Randy McNally announced his endorsement of State Senator Mark Green’s campaign for Congress Wednesday. “I congratulate Senator Mark Green on becoming the Republican nominee for Congress in District 7,” McNally said in a statement, adding: Senator Green has worked hard for his constituents, passed excellent legislation and served the Senate Republican Caucus extremely well. I appreciate all his contributions to the success of our state and I look forward his service in Washington. The campaign notes Lt. Governor McNally joins conservatives across Tennessee in endorsing Dr. Green’s campaign for Congress, and that he has been endorsed by 100 grassroots conservative leaders in the state, 20 mayors in the district, and over 60 members of the General Assembly serve on Green’s finance committee. “It’s an honor to receive Lt. Governor McNally’s endorsement. His steady leadership has been critical to Tennessee’s many successes over the last few decades. I look forward to going to Washington to return power back to our state,” Green said. While in the State Senate, Green is working to pass several pieces of legislation including an anti-sanctuary cities measure to close certain loopholes in the current law, as well as legislation that would prohibit…
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by Kevin Mooney Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke has spent far fewer taxpayer dollars on chartered flights than his two predecessors in the Obama administration, public records show. The Daily Signal’s examination of travel records found that on average Zinke’s two predecessors spent more annually on such noncommercial flights, despite media reports critical of Zinke’s spending on travel. The cost of such chartered flights for Zinke totaled $72,849 in his first six months as interior secretary, the travel records show. The average annual cost of such flights for his two predecessors in the Obama administration, Ken Salazar and Sally Jewell, from fiscal years 2010 to 2016 was $155,515, according to records provided by the Interior Department to the House Natural Resources Committee. Salazar and Jewell spent just over $1 million on chartered flights over the seven years, the records show. Taxpayers were billed for more than $640,000 for Salazar’s chartered flights in fiscal years 2010, 2011, and 2012. Recent media reports, however, have taken critical looks at Zinke’s travel costs. The Interior Department’s Office of Inspector General released a report Monday on Zinke’s use of chartered and military aircraft between March and September 2017, the span of fiscal year 2017 when he was interior secretary. The report came…
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by Robert Donachie A group of House Republicans are calling for the Department of Justice to investigate a laundry list of former agency heads and people involved in the investigation into former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s private email server. The letter is addressed to Attorney General Jeff Sessions, FBI Director Christopher Wray, and U.S. Attorney for the District of Utah John Huber. It asks that each of these men use their respective powers to investigate “potential violation(s) of federal statues” on the part of Clinton and of former FBI Director James Comey, Attorney General Loretta Lynch, acting FBI Director Andrew McCabe, FBI agent Peter Strzok, and FBI counsel Lisa Page. The representatives include members of the conservative House Freedom Caucus—including Rep. Ron DeSantis of Florida, Dave Brat of Virginia, and Paul Gosar of Arizona—and other GOP House members, like Claudia Tenney of New York. “Those in positions of high authority should be treated the same as every other American” and because of that the members want to be sure that any “potential violations of law” be “vetted appropriately,” the group of Republican lawmakers wrote. “In doing so, we are especially mindful of the dissimilar degree of zealousness that has marked the…
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by Rachel del Guidice House Ways and Means Chairman Kevin Brady, R-Texas, says he wants tax reform 2.0 to be about creating a culture of reform so that the country does not regress and wait decades to further streamline the tax code. “I want to change the culture in Washington,” Brady said Wednesday during a speech on the future of tax reform at The Heritage Foundation. “Tax reform 2.0 is really about tax reform and improvement every year, just like the continuous improvement our businesses undertake,” he said, adding: It’s important for Congress every year to be looking at … how do we make America and our businesses more competitive, how do we make them more innovative, how do we become more family-friendly in our tax code, how do we become better as a nation? The Ways and Means chairman said he wants Congress and the administration to explore reforms and policies where families can save earlier and more efficiently for education, retirement, and health care, and encourage innovation that builds on the reform Congress passed in December. The last time the tax code was updated was in 1986 with President Ronald Reagan’s Tax Reform Act. “We are never going to let…
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by Andy Martin Nashville is the IT city. This could change quickly. Nashville faces a referendum for staggeringly high tax increases on May 1. We will vote to increase or leave as is, the local option sales and use tax, hotel occupancy tax, business tax, and local rental car tax. This in a state that The Atlantic already calls the Most Regressive Tax System in America. Add to the tax increases hefty federal grants the city is chumming for, and it comes to $8.95 billion in total future costs. For what? To build and operate light rail, a massive tunnel (much like Boston’s “Big Dig”), bus rapid transit, and related projects. For scale, our entire city budget is only $2.2 billion. 81% of the $5.4 billion (current costs) go to light-rail and the tunnel. The story within a story goes like this: Tax hungry municipal legislators run out of ideas to raise money. Taxpayers have already been promised better schools, safer streets, convention centers, arenas, affordable housing, etc. Eventually legislators run out of excuses (the sugar to make the medicine go down) to raise taxes. But, raise taxes they must, because they’ve resisted the urge to control spending. Moody’s…
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Set to debut next February, the highly anticipated Alliance of American Football (AAF) – a reboot of the XFL – announced on “CBS This Morning: Saturday” that college football Hall of Famer Steve Spurrier set to coach in the first game, which will be hosted by Orlando. AAF co-founder Charlie Ebersol, former NFL wide receiver Hines Ward, who is serving as an executive of player relations, and Spurrier himself joined “CBS This Morning: Saturday” to discuss the new league, which will kick off just one week after next year’s Super Bowl: What was it that drew you back into football? 🏈 "The new rules I really liked. Two and a half hour games, 30 seconds in between plays and the fans want to see that… In life, we all need a challenge." — @SteveSpurrierUF https://t.co/ifaKuSs0Ix pic.twitter.com/67XYgV0h8h — CBS This Morning (@CBSThisMorning) April 7, 2018 CBSSports.com reported: The games will be available to stream on a free app, on CBS and CBS Sports Network. Teams in eight different cities will play a 10-game season. CBS will air the league’s debut game on Feb. 9, 2019, one week after Super Bowl LIII on CBS. The network will also carry the Alliance of American Football’s championship game on the…
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by Michael Catanach Former Nashville Mayor Megan Barry unveiled a multi-billion-dollar transit plan in 2017; the proposal included an underground commuter tunnel, a light rail, as well as expanded bus services. The $9 billion infrastructure project would make Nashville one of the highest taxed cities in the country (an additional $50 more a month per a family) if passed on May 1. The estimated time of completion for the project lists 2032, while the first light rail would begin limited services around 2026. By the time Middle Tennesseans could benefit from the mass transit, several other innovations may be more efficient. Ride-Share Services On-demand services have become increasingly popular since debuting in 2009. Both Lyft and Uber provide an alternative for commuters at a low cost. The platform expanded it services to UberPOOL and Lyft Line, which allows multiple people to carpool at a time. Other U.S. cities have adopted a public-private service following a similar model to ride-share with vans after rejecting a similar mass transit tax proposal. Autonomous The National Highway and Safety Administration predicts that self-driving vehicles are expected to be fully automatic by 2025, years ahead of the light rail. LINDAR technologies uses sensors to detect…
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It is becoming tough to keep special education teachers in the field beyond two or three years. We already have a shortage and it is likely to get worse in the future. Teaching is demanding enough, but special education teachers must cope with even more challenges. Professional learning is rarely aligned to special education teachers’ needs. Special education teachers face more parental interaction, longer hours, potential lawsuits, additional paperwork, while their students need more attention. The slogan “work more, same pay” is not exactly a great selling point in teacher recruitment. The federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, or IDEA, requires that every student have what’s known as an IEP — Individualized Education Program. The IEP involves hours and hours of filling out forms and writing reports documenting each student’s progress. Recently the Tennessee State Board of Education, in the name of greater transparency, has proposed a rule that may actually create more problems for Special Education Teachers. The Proposed Rule: The LEA must notify the parents of a child with a disability at least ten (10) days before an IEP meeting to ensure that a parent will have an opportunity to attend. A meeting conducted pursuant to 34 C.F.R.…
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Leftist legislators and the TN Immigrant & Refugee Rights Coalition (TIRRC) have doggedly tried to stop the anti-sanctuary city bill from moving forward in the legislative process. To date, however, amendments designed to gut or undermine the bill’s objectives have been defeated and misleading arguments offered by opponents have been rejected. Local jurisdictions that declare themselves as “sanctuary cities” do not cooperate with federal immigration officials and instead, put protecting criminal aliens from deportation over and above the interests and welfare of citizens and legally admitted immigrants. The bill sponsored by Sen. Mark Green and Rep. Jay Reedy has continued to add co-sponsors in the Senate along with sixty-six House members that have added their names in support. During the last House State Government Committee, Rep. Jason Powell (D-Nashville) introduced an amendment authored by Nathan Ridley, the lawyer-lobbyist that represents TIRRC. Powell deferred to Ridley and TIRRC’s policy director Lisa Sherman-Nikolaus to explain the amendment to committee members. After considerable debate about Powell’s amendment mostly between Ridley and Reps. Willam Lamberth (R-Cottontown) and Bud Hulsey (R-Kingsport), both of whom have prior law enforcement experience, Lamberth summed it up: [Powell’s] amendment appears to gut this bill and will provide for local governments…
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Nashville businessman Lee Beaman has agreed to serve as the finance chairman of Carol Swain’s mayoral campaign, according to the former Vanderbilt professor’s campaign. “Yesterday, Lee Beaman joined Dr. Carol M. Swain’s campaign for Mayor of Nashville as Finance Chairman,” the campaign said in a statement released on Tuesday, adding: In the two weeks since her announcement, she has received endorsements from author Eric Metaxas and radio legend Dick Bott. Additionally, the campaign has raised over $40,000 from Nashvillians and supporters across the country. There is clearly a groundswell of support for a leader that can rebuild the public’s trust and faith in the metropolitan government. Dr. Carol M. Swain is running for Mayor because she is the only candidate that can bring common sense leadership and transparency to City Hall. Dr. Swain’s “Blueprint for Nashville” lays out the policies that she will advocate for during her term as Mayor. As a political outsider, Dr. Swain is not beholden to special interests, and will fight for fairness in government. Beaman is the owner of Beaman Automotive Group and is one of the most well known auto dealers in Middle Tennessee. He serves as a member of the board at conservative…
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Pastor Dale Walker, president of the the Tennessee Pastors Network (TNPN), held a prayer rally at the Murfreesboro Courthouse Square to pray for the families suffering the effects of horrible addictions to drugs and alcohol and to protest legislation recently passed that allows for Sunday liquor sales. About a dozen people joined Walker, and a protester clad in a “liquor bottle” costume for the rally. Some protesters held signs noting that “Our Families Can’t Afford Bill Ketron’s Big Liquor Bill.” “Pastors have to deal with the effects of alcohol after the bottle is empty,” Walker said, as he held a public prayer for those affected directly and indirectly drugs and alcohol. “We are praying for not only those who are impacted by drug and alcohol addiction, and but also our elected officials like Senator Bill Ketron who have their own addiction to special-interest money that produces so much harm for our families.” Walker expressed particular concern over Senator Bill Ketron citing Bible verses to support passage of his “liquor on Sundays bill.” There will be hell to pay for Bill Ketron misrepresenting the Word of God in order to serve his liquor lobbyist masters,” Walker told the crowd. During debate…
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On Monday’s installment of The Gill Report – broadcast live on WETR 92.3 FM in Knoxville – conservative political talker and Tennessee Star contributor Steve Gill discussed the latest fundraising numbers and sources of contributions in what many political watchers predict will be a hotly contested race to replace retiring junior Senator Bob Corker (TN-R): The Senate fundraising numbers are in for the first quarter of this year – January, February, March. We now know that Marsha Blackburn raised $2 million in donations just in the first quarter of this year. Phil Bredesen, her likely – almost certain – candidate opposing her in the Fall elections in November as the Democrat nominee for the US Senate has raised $1.8 million. So, about 1.8 to 2 million for Marsha – within two hundred thousand dollars. What’s interesting, though, is $1.4 million of Phil Bredesen’s $1.8 million is his money. He loaned it to his campaign. So Phil Bredesen has only raised $400,000 compared to Marsha Blackburn raising $2,000,000. Now again we’ve seen all these hyperventilating articles that “Marsha’s in trouble,” the “the Republicans are in trouble,” and that “there’s this ‘Blue Wave’ building.” Well, apparently the Blue Wave, at least for Phil Bredesen in terms of…
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President Donald Trump on Monday nominated a former Treasury official and a Kansas banking regulator to fill two vacant seats on the Federal Reserve Board. If confirmed by the Senate, the picks allow Trump to further mold the central bank leadership to his liking.
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Former First Lady Barbara Bush has died at 92 years old at her home in Texas. In recent years Mrs. Bush was unwell with frequent visits to the hospital in as she battled Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) and congestive heart failure. On Sunday, the office of former President George H. W. Bush released a statement confirming after a “recent series of hospitalizations,” she has decided against seeking additional medical help and was being cared for at her home. Embed from Getty Images Barbara Pierce married George Herbert Walker Bush at age 19 while he was a young naval aviator. After World War II, the couple moved to Texas where he went into the oil business. From there, George H. W. Bush entered politics, holding a myriad of offices from congressman, to CIA Director, Vice President, and then President. During her time at the White House as the Second Lady, Mrs. Bush’s signature cause was early childhood education and adult literacy which she called, family literacy. Later on as First Lady, she launched the Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy. Eight years after she and her husband left the White House, Mrs. Bush stood with her husband as their son George W. was sworn in…
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by Mary Clare Amselem Education Secretary Betsy DeVos’ recent interview with Lesley Stahl on “60 Minutes” caused quite a bit of backlash from critics. As my colleague Jonathan Butcher has written, “60 Minutes” ignored many of the facts about the state of education in America. Response to the interview drew quite a bit of criticism of DeVos and her policy solutions. Perhaps one of the most pivotal moments came when she suggested that the United States’ heavy federal investment in education has not yielded any results. Stahl hit back, asserting that school performance has been on the rise. But the latest government data show otherwise. According to the recently released 2017 National Assessment of Educational Progress, also known as the nation’s “report card,” we now have more evidence that DeVos was correct. Transform “Tax Day” into “Freedom Day.” Support the campaign to make Trump’s tax cuts permanent >> In fact, recent scores show virtually no improvement over 2015 scores. Eighth-grade reading saw a single point improvement over 2015 scores (10 points is considered equivalent to a grade level), while all other categories saw no improvement. These lackluster results come on the heels of declines on the 2015 assessment, suggesting the beginning of…
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Testing has taken a wrong turn in public education. I have always tried to keep it simple: testing is like your school picture; it is what you look like on that particular day. Kids go in to take a test. Teachers show up to make sure kids are taking their own test. Parents encourage their children to do their best. However, like Ozzie & Harriet, Leave it to Beaver, and the Lone Ranger, those days are gone. With an infusion of $501 million federal dollars of Race to the Top money we hurried to increase standards by adopting Common Core, which we corrected by moving back to state standards. We also increased testing, changing both format and frequency. Tennessee also adopted new evaluation methods. The teacher union supported the incorporation of TVAAS data into the state’s teacher evaluations, which landed Tennessee $501 million from the federal Race to the Top grant in 2010. Professional Educators of Tennessee did not support the use of that data on teacher evaluations, nor did they sign a support letter on the original grant submission. Not everything Tennessee tried was damaging, but it is not debatable that thus far the Age of Accountability has failed…
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The well-known textbook publisher Pearson Education, which is British-owned, is planning a new U.S. history textbook entitled “By the People” for 2019 — and here’s what’s so galling. The strikingly leftist tome goes so far as to suggest that President Donald Trump and his supporters are racist, and that they long for a bygone America in which those in power are almost exclusively white.
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There is a “double standard [that] drives Americans crazy” in comparing the treatment accorded former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe and former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn for the same offense of lying, Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) said Tuesday on Fox News’ “Fox & Friends.”
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by Rachel del Guidice The governor of Tennessee has signed a bill that ends state taxpayer funding of Planned Parenthood and other abortion providers in the state. “The governor … deferred to the will of the legislature on this bill as amended, and after reviewing the bill in its final form decided to sign the bill into law,” Jennifer Donnals, Republican Gov. Bill Haslam’s press secretary, said in a statement published by CBN News. The bill will direct TennCare, the state’s Medicaid program, money to health care facilities instead of Planned Parenthood and other abortion providers. “This money is a form of supporting abortions,” state Rep. Jimmy Matlock said last month, reported The Tennessean. He fought to remove state funding from Planned Parenthood, saying that in the last six years, nearly $1 million has been paid to abortion clinics in Tennessee out of TennCare reimbursements. [ Transform “Tax Day” into “Freedom Day.” Support the campaign to make Trump’s tax cuts permanent ] Thank you, Gov. @BillHaslam for signing my bill to #DefundPlannedParenthood in Tennessee once and for all! We did it! Now it’s time to do the same in Washington! @AUL @SBAList @nrlc @tnrighttolife @LiveAction @LifeSite @lifesite @LifeNewsHQ @FRCAction @HouseGOP @ACUConservative pic.twitter.com/dd3OsrHF3O — Jimmy Matlock (@JimmyMatlockTN) April…
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by CHQ Staff If Republicans really control the Senate, then why are they making confirming Republican President Donald Trump’s department heads and subcabinet posts so difficult? As our friend James Wallner pointed out a couple of weeks ago, in a column for The Washington Examiner, technically, Senate minorities are no longer able to single-handedly block a confirmation vote for a presidential nomination, thanks to Democrats triggering the nuclear option in 2013 to lower the threshold for invoking cloture on all nominations (other than for the Supreme Court) from three-fifths of senators to a “majority-vote.” The 2013 nuclear option eliminated the supermajority filibuster for most nominations. Republicans followed suit in 2017, using the maneuver to eliminate the minority’s ability to filibuster Supreme Court nominees. Yet despite these changes, observed Wallner, Senate rules still allow senators to delay the process after cloture has been invoked – by dragging out the time permitted under the rules before the final confirmation vote. And it is especially peculiar that nominees with establishment Republican – or worse yet Democratic backgrounds – seem to fly right through, while solid movement conservatives seem to take forever. Capitol Hill Republicans have been trying to blame Democrats, and President…
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Former soldier and inventor Adam Jackson developed a new facial recognition software called Edge AI that can instantly cross-check a camera’s video feed containing a person’s face with criminal databases, but an obscure government agency called the Tennessee Alarm Systems Contractors Board declared that because Jackson does not hold an “Alarm Contractors License” – a process, in this case, that takes five-years – he is not allowed sell or even donate his product in the Volunteer State. Braden Boucek, Director of Litigation for the Beacon Center, who has taken the lead in fighting the Board’s decision in court said, “This cutting-edge facial recognition software could make a huge difference in the lives of vulnerable Tennesseans.” He added: “Technological solutions like Adam’s hold far more promise as an effective response to mass shootings than any restrictions on firearms ever could. This is a novel and effective response to gun violence, especially in schools, where his software has the capacity to screen out potential shooters before they enter the building. The state of Tennessee should be rolling out the red carpet for Adam. Unfortunately, we have a regulatory board more interested in protecting entrenched industries from emergent technology using archaic and poorly fitting regulations…
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On the heels of a disastrous first day of failures across the state of students’ series of troubles accessing the TNReady system Monday; on Tuesday, the system failed again. Gubernatorial candidate Diane Black released a statement excoriating the the state’s inability to administer the program: For years the state has chosen to force sweeping education reform and more standardized tests into our classrooms and time and time again, the state has failed to keep up their end of the bargain. This week’s delays are not the fault of the educators or the students, but they are the ones who suffer from the missed class time as they sit and wait for the state to get its act together. Tennessee teachers are some of the hardest working in the nation, and I am disappointed the state continues to waste their time. As The Tennessee Star previously reported: After months of preparing for the annual year-end assessments, many Tennessee students struggled to log on to the TNReady testing platform Monday morning. The Department of Education says the problem was quickly fixed by the vendor, and over 20,000 students took the test after the problems were resolved. “We share the frustration that some…
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Former Vanderbilt professor Carol Swain has raised more than $40,0000 in the two weeks since she announced her campaign for Mayor of Nashville, her campaign said on Tuesday. “It is clear that there is a groundswell of support for a leader that can bring integrity, honesty and fairness to City Hall,” Swain said in a statement released by her campaign. “My administration will restore faith and trust in the metropolitan government. I will work tirelessly to ensure all Nashvillians’ right to live and work in a safe and affordable environment. I will not let you down,” Swain added. “Donations are streaming in from the citizens of Davidson County and from supporters around the country. The campaign is pushing ahead, asking supporters to share Carol’s vision for a better Nashville; one that works for and with the people, not against them,” the statement said, adding: Dr. Carol M. Swain is running for Mayor of Nashville because she is the only candidate that can bring common sense leadership and transparency to City Hall. Dr. Swain’s “Blueprint for Nashville” lays out the policies that she will advocate for during her term as Mayor. As a political outsider, Dr. Swain is not beholden to…
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In Federal Election Commission filings, congressional hopeful Dr. Mark Green reported his campaign to date has raised nearly $1.2 million, with a reported $769,000 cash-on-hand heading into the all-important second quarter of 2018. Since January 2018, the campaign reports it has received $467,949 in receipts through April 2018. “Camie and I are honored that more than 750 people have given to our campaign to bring conservative leadership to Washington. We are committed to running an aggressive grassroots campaign from now through election day, and these resources will enable us to do that,” Dr. Green said in a statement. The sole Republican in the race, Green’s campaign notes the candidate has “received broad support from the conservative movement both in Tennessee and nationally,” adding: He is endorsed by 100 grassroots conservative leaders in the state, 20 mayors in the district, and over 60 legislators serve on Green’s finance committee. National groups supporting Green include the Club for Growth, FRC Action, GOPAC, and the House Freedom Fund, and FreedomWorks. Green currently serves in the Tennessee State Senate, where he is currently working to pass several pieces of legislation including an anti-sanctuary cities measure to close certain loopholes in the current law, as…
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Inspector General of the Department of Justice (DOJ) Michael Horowitz’s report is “devastating” for former FBI Director James Comey and former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe, Rep. Peter King (R-N.Y.) said Monday on Fox News’ “America’s Newsroom.” The DOJ’s Office of Inspector General (OIG) released its internal report Friday reviewing the department’s conduct during its investigation into Hillary Clinton’s use of a private email server to conduct official business while serving as Secretary of State.
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President Donald Trump’s approval rating at 51 percent — significantly higher than other polls — according to the latest Rasmussen Tracking Poll, and the chief executive’s critics are not happy about it. The crowd at “Morning Joe” on MSNBC ridiculed the poll Monday as an outlier or worse.
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