When President Trump Comes Calling, Nashville Answers by the Thousands

President Trump in Nashville

NASHVILLE, Tennessee–President Trump visited Nashville Tuesday to show his enthusiastic support of Representative Marsha Blackburn (R-TN-07), who is running to replace retiring Senator Bob Corker. Republicans and Democrats seem to have settled on their candidates, with both Republican Blackburn and her presumed opponent, Democrat Phil Bredesen running alone in their respective primaries. As the election cycle heats up through the summer and into the fall, political watchers are predicting the battle for the open U.S. Senate seat with be as costly as it will be brutal. President Trump’s appearance in Nashville set the stage for that contest to begin in earnest – and the people of Tennessee were there to listen, cheer and jeer. From the reserved seating to the filled floor, Nashville’s Municipal Auditorium was packed with 8,000 raucous Trump supporters who turned out – despite the bad weather – to show the President their commitment and appreciation of him and his agenda. Here are some highlights The Tennessee Star captured leading up to and during the event. Like all Trump events, the lines were many and long, but Tennesseans were ready for the wait – even when it started raining! You never know who you’ll run into at a…

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Phil Bredesen’s Illegal Alien Driving Certificate Problem

Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN-07) threw a well-aimed punch at former Gov. Phil Bredesen’s glass jaw earlier this month, criticizing him for his role in pushing the Tennessee General Assembly to pass his ill-advised illegal alien driving certificate program, which he signed into law in 2004 and made Tennessee a magnet for illegal aliens. The program, which Bredesen touted originally as a “common sense solution” was such an unmitigated disaster, he was forced to end it in 2006. Bredesen’s 2018 campaign team, with the help of a compliant and uninquisitive mainstream media in Tennessee, has attempted to spin his way out of culpability for this serious debacle, but The Tennessee Star has prepared this synopsis of the facts that sets the record straight. Former Republican Governor Don Sundquist sent a number of very bad policy proposals to the Tennessee General Assembly during the two terms he served between 1995 and 2003. One of them continues to reverberate throughout the 2018 statewide elections, playing a role in both the U.S. Senate general election between Bredesen, the presumptive Democratic nominee, and Marsha Blackburn, the presumptive Republican nominee, and the increasingly bitter GOP gubernatorial primary contest between front runners Rep. Diane Black (R-TN-06) and…

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Millennials Hold the Line for Trump in Nashville

NASHVILLE, Tennessee— If you’re older than 50 and worry millennials will eventually muck things up for America then look no further than who stood in line to hear President Donald Trump speak in downtown Nashville Tuesday. There were a  good number of young people waiting six, seven, maybe even eight hours outside Nashville’s Municipal Auditorium to cheer on Trump, despite mainstream media narratives that say only older working class folks support him. They were not only young, but they relocated from parts of the country that traditionally vote left. These millennials say they get a bad rap. “I would say within the last year and a half I’ve seen the narrative flip flop dramatically. The mainstream media is losing the narrative,” said McKenzie Blaser, 21 originally from Akron, Ohio. “Don’t count out the young female conservatives. They voted for Trump too, and I’m living proof.” Another Ohio native, Danny Kosko, came to Nashville only because he said he wanted to see last year’s solar eclipse. He liked Middle Tennessee so much he decided to pro-long his stay, although he is moving back home soon to start a new business. “I love Trump so much that I would blast Abraham Lincoln’s…

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Obama Holdovers ‘Working Toward A Union Takeover’ Of US Chemical Agency

by Michael Bastasch   Obama administration appointees are “working toward a union takeover” of the U.S. Chemical Safety Board (CSB), two sources familiar with the matter told The Daily Caller News Foundation. CSB board members are expected to vote an Obama administration appointee as “interim executive” to take over for outgoing CSB chairwoman Vanessa Sutherland, said sources, both of whom spoke on the condition of anonymity. Sutherland announced her resignation on May 21, and the following day sent out what’s called a notation item to vote on her successor. Sources said the notice only had one name: Kristen Kulinowski. Kulinowski has support of the United Steelworkers (USW), the labor union most involved with CSB matters, sources said. While Kulinowski has a background in chemical and safety regulations, she grew closer to USW since joining CSB in 2015, the sources said. “Before she became a CSB member in August 2015, she had limited involvement with the unions, but over the past three years, she has increased it markedly,” said one source. “There’s been a very tight relationship over the years with the steelworkers,” a second source told TheDCNF. “They want to have their own people in there. They are very, very powerful in…

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Will Liberal Teachers’ Union Endorsement Hamper Beth Harwell In Her Gubernatorial Nomination Bid?

As The Tennessee Star has reported, Tennessee House Speaker Beth Harwell has received the Tennessee Education Association’s endorsement for the Republican nomination for Governor. The Tennessee Education Association Fund for Children and Public Education (TEA-FCPE), which is the PAC and political arm for the teachers’ union in Tennessee, has endorsed House Speaker Beth Harwell for the Republican nomination for Governor. The TEA’s PAC also endorsed House Minority Leader Craig Fitzhugh in the Democratic Party primary. Harwell welcomed the endorsement: “I am honored to receive the endorsement of the Tennessee Education Association,” Harwell said. “Education is my top priority, and as Speaker of the Tennessee House of Representatives, I have led some of our boldest reforms that resulted in Tennessee being one of the fastest improving states in education.” But, is this an endorsement that will actually help Harwell in her race for the nomination, or could it backfire? The Star went on to explore the potential downside in its previous coverage. The endorsement of the liberal TEA will not play well for Harwell in a contested Republican Primary for Governor. A Tennessee Star Poll conducted a few months ago reveals that accepting TEA money and support may come at a…

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Tennessee Jobs Now Launches Television Ad Targeting Diane Black’s Support for Driver’s Licenses for Illegal Aliens

Anti Black Ad

Tennessee Jobs Now, a SuperPAC that supports Randy Boyd in the Tennessee Governor’s race, began airing a new television commercial last week that continues on the theme of its recent statewide radio buy.  The radio spot aired by the group criticized Rep. Diane Black (R-TN-06) for voting to issue Tennessee driver’s licenses to illegals in 2001. The television ad does the same thing but also hits Black for her March 22, 2018 vote against the Omnibus Spending Bill (HR 1625) that funded a small portion of the border wall embraced by President Donald Trump. The bill passed both the House and the Senate and was signed into law by President Trump, who vowed that he would never again sign such an “ridiculous bill” that consisted of more than 2,000 pages, failed to follow regular order and was jammed through by the Republican House and Senate leadership unto the membership with less than two days to read and review. Almost every conservative member of the House of Representatives voted against the Omnibus Spending Bill, including Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN-07), Rep. Scott DesJarlais (R-TN-04), and Rep. Jimmy Duncan (R-TN-02). President Trump was so unhappy with the bill’s failure to fully fund the border wall,…

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Billionaire Activist Tom Steyer: Democrats Who Don’t Back Impeachment Crusade Are On The Wrong Side Of History

by Chris White   Billionaire Tom Steyer suggested Tuesday Democrats who are hesitant to jump aboard his impeachment campaign are at risk of normalizing what he believes is President Donald Trump’s bad behavior. Democrats who maintain a wide berth from campaigns to impeach Trump are alienating a large swath of liberal voters, Steyer told Politico on Tuesday. Rebuking the campaign also places vulnerable Democrats on the wrong side of history, Steyer said, responding to his crusade to oust the president. “If you look at the civil rights movement, the pushback was not, ‘You’re not telling the truth;’ the pushback was, ‘We’re dealing with it in time. Stand down so we can deal with it in tie [sic],” said Steyer, a former hedge fund manager who poured tens of millions of dollars into Democratic coffers over the past six years. Steyer, who often suggests without evidence Trump conspired with Russia to win the election, used various social media platforms in October 2017 to launch a “need to impeach” Trump movement. More than 5 million people have signed his petition so far, but House Democrats think the wealthy activist is wearing out his welcome. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, for instance, called an impeachment campaign impractical in…

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Commentary: Time For Democrats and The Media To Admit the Russia Investigation Was Illegitimate from the Start

by George Rasley   In the last week, as revelation upon revelation hit that Obama administration officials and career employees of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), and U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) spied on the Donald Trump campaign in the run-up to the 2016 presidential election, Margot Cleveland writing for The Federalist, observed that the mainstream media, the Left, and Never Trump Republicans have fallen back on three ready responses: A solid plurality of this contingent continue to avert their eyes from the facts and dismiss the claims of misconduct as peddled by tinfoil-hat conspiracy theorists. There is not much you can say to this faction, because they refuse to consider the proof. A second – and more extreme group – believes Trump conspired with the Russians to steal the election from Hillary Clinton. There is not much you can say to this bunch either, because they are tinfoil-hat conspiracy theorists. But the final group sees things differently. While they don’t necessarily believe Trump was treasonous, they argue that the FBI and other intelligence-gathering agencies rightly targeted the Trump campaign. With Russian-leaning Paul Manafort and Carter Page involved in the campaign, and Trump trolling Hillary with praise for Vladimir…

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Nashville Protestors Whine More About Capitalism Than Trump

NASHVILLE, Tennessee–The protestors who showed up to picket President Donald Trump’s visit to Nashville Tuesday didn’t seem to have a problem with him as much as they had a problem with capitalism. Take Nashville resident Nicholas McKenzie, 19 (pictured, right). He said little about Trump and fixated more on what he called “the oppressive nature of capitalism.” McKenzie, a member of the Party for Socialism and Liberation (PSL), told The Tennessee Star that his political party is growing in Tennessee, having started out with six members and is now up to 15. “I had to drop out of school to work to live. I worked several jobs. I worked jobs that were technically illegal for me to have when I was underage. I’ve experienced some of the worst aspects of capitalism,” he said. “I know capitalism is oppressive. I may be young, but I’ve lived it and I’ve studied it.” McKenzie, who said his job is to “agitate and educate,” said his organization plans to get platforms in public schools and make sure schools have PSL extra-curricular programs to promote the cause. “There are several chapters of PSL who have PSL clubs at schools. There’s members of high schools and…

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President Trump to Impose Tariffs on $50B of China’s Tech Goods

by Peggy Chang   The White House says it plans to impose 25 percent tariffs on $50 billion of Chinese goods that contain “industrially-significant technology” as trade talks between United States and China continue. The White House said Tuesday the proposed tariffs are in response to China’s practices with respect to technology transfer, intellectual property, and innovation.  It will announce the final list of covered imports by June 15, 2018, and the tariffs will be imposed shortly thereafter. The Trump administration made the announcement in a statement called “Steps to Protect Domestic Technology and Intellectual Property from China’s Discriminatory and Burdensome Trade Practices.” Other punitive steps include implementing stronger investment restrictions and enhanced export controls for Chinese citizens and companies related to the acquisition of industrially significant technology to protect national security. The proposed investment restrictions and export controls will be announced by June 30, 2018, and adopted shortly thereafter, according to the White House. In addition, the Trump administration said trade talks with China will continue, and it will request China remove all of its many trade barriers, including non-monetary trade barriers, and that tariffs and taxes between the two countries be “reciprocal in nature and value.” In April,…

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Senator Grassley: Fusion GPS Founder Gave ‘Extremely Misleading’ Testimony About Trump Work

by Chuck Ross   The chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee is accusing Fusion GPS founder Glenn Simpson of giving “extremely misleading” statements, if not telling “outright lies,” during Senate testimony in 2017. Simpson may have lied when he denied working for clients to investigate President Donald Trump after the 2016 election, Iowa Sen. Chuck Grassley said in a May 24 letter made public on Tuesday. Fusion GPS, which Simpson started in 2011, worked for the Clinton campaign and DNC to investigate Trump’s possible ties to Russia. The opposition research firm hired former British spy Christopher Steele, who would go on to write a dossier alleging Trump’s campaign colluded with the Kremlin. Grassley noted that in his Aug. 22, 2017, testimony, Simpson claimed after the election, he was not working for a client to continue his Trump work. [ RELATED: Back Channel To Christopher Steele Goes On The Record About Senate Testimony ] “So you didn’t do any work on the Trump matter after the election date; that was the end of your work?” Simpson was asked during the interview. Simpson responded, saying: “I had no client after the election.” Grassley said Simpson’s denial was false. “As we now know, that was extremely misleading, if…

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Trump Contends Prosecutors Will ‘Meddle’ in 2018 Elections

U.S. President Donald Trump contended Tuesday that prosecutors investigating his 2016 campaign’s links to Russia “will be MEDDLING” in November’s congressional elections. The 13 Angry Democrats (plus people who worked 8 years for Obama) working on the rigged Russia Witch Hunt, will be MEDDLING with the mid-term elections, especially now that Republicans (stay tough!) are taking the lead in Polls. There was no Collusion, except by the Democrats! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 29, 2018 Trump offered no explanation how he thinks the legal team of special counsel Robert Mueller would interfere with the voting for all 435 seats in the House of Representatives and a third of those in the 100-member Senate. Last week he suggested that the length of Mueller’s year-long investigation could turn voters against candidates he favors and “put some hurt on the Republican Party.” Trump, in a string of Twitter comments, ignored the conclusion last week by his new secretary of state, Mike Pompeo, that U.S. officials expect “continued efforts” by Russia to interfere with the congressional elections, just as the U.S. intelligence community concluded it did in the presidential election two years ago to help Trump win. With the congressional campaigns now in…

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President Donald Trump: Phil Bredesen ‘Is An Absolute Total Tool . . . of Chuck Schumer and Nancy Pelosi’

NASHVILLE, Tennessee–President Donald Trump took an ole hickory stick to former Gov. Phil Bredesen Tuesday night and the raucous crowd of more than 8,000 supporters jammed in to the Municipal Auditorium loved it. You can see the transcript of the portion of the president’s talk that addressed Bredesen, the presumptive nominee of the Democratic Party for the U.S. Senate seat from which Sen. Bob Corker (R-TN) is retiring, here: To keep this momentum going – to keep this incredible progress, to keep on winning, you have to vote Republican in November. You see what’s happening with the Democrats! So Marsha’s very liberal Democrat opponent Phil Bredesen – have you ever heard of this guy? [BOOS] (at about the 1:30 min mark of the audio file below) He’s an absolute, total tool [pause – audience starts cheering] of Chuck Schumer. He’s a tool! Of Chuck Schumer and, of course, the MS-13 lover, Nancy Pelosi. (emphasis added) [BOOS] She loves MS-13. Remember? I said, ‘they’re animals’ and she said, ‘how dare you say that – HOW DARE YOU SAY THAT.’ Have you seen what they’ve done? Have you seen what they are doing to us? And we’re taking them out of our…

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