Will the University of Tennessee Review Its Nike Deal in Wake of Colin Kaepernick Controversy?

When the University of Tennessee shifted its apparel and shoe contracts from Adidas to Nike three years ago, there was an enthusiastic embrace of the new gear from athletes and fans alike. That deal was extended last year by then Athletic Director Dave Hart. But the Nike deal was not without some controversy, as the Nike brand experts were a big factor in the University deciding to drop the Lady Vols logo and implement a “branding restructure.”   Fans forced a reversal of that decision, in part thanks to some pressure from the Tennessee legislature. Now, a new controversy has arisen for Nike and the University of Tennessee with Nike embracing the controversial and unapologetically anti-National Anthem/American flag and chief kneeler Colin Kaepernick in a new ad campaign for the company. Protests and calls for boycotts have dominated social media in the wake of Nike’s announcement of their new deal with Kaepernick. Fox Sports Radio host Clay Travis has dubbed the Nike decision the “dumbest move” in the brand’s history and pointed out that the decision had cost Nike about a $3 billion loss in market cap based on stock trading Tuesday morning after the announcement. Currently, the University of…

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Marsha Blackburn Backs SCOTUS Nominee Brett Kavanaugh on First Day of Confirmation Hearings As Phil Bredesen Hides

Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN-07), the Republican nominee in this November’s U.S. Senate race, released a strong statement of support for President Trump’s nominee for the U.S. Supreme Court, Brett Kavanaugh, on Tuesday, the day the Senate Judiciary Committee held its first hearing on the decision to confirm him. “Judge Brett Kavanaugh is a strong constitutionalist with a proven track record of upholding the rule of law,” Blackburn said in the statement. “I am certain we will see his respect for the rule of law displayed throughout his confirmation hearings. Judge Kavanaugh will serve honorably as a Supreme Court Justice. Though Chuck Schumer and Senate Democrats will do everything they can to stall Judge Kavanaugh’s confirmation, I urge the Senate to consider his nomination expeditiously. I also urge the Senate to continue to confirm judges to the federal court,”  Blackburn added. The Democrat members of the Judiciary Committee hearing turned the proceedings into a chaotic circus within minutes of the 9:30 am opening bell. Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA) immediately demanded the hearings being adjourned, but was ruled out of order by Committee Chairman Sen. Charles Grassley (R-IA). Democrats interrupted the proceedings with similar obstructionist objections 62 times during the first 60…

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Women’s March Leader Linda Sarsour Back In Senate Hart Building Hours After Being Arrested At Kavanaugh Hearings

by Henry Rogers   Women’s March leader Linda Sarsour was spotted walking around the Hart Senate building hours after being arrested for protesting the confirmation of Brett Kavanaugh. Sarsour was on her way to elevators in the Senate office building and refused to say if she had been arrested or give a reason as to why she was back in the building. Just hours before, Sarsour was seen screaming in the hearing for Kavanaugh before she was forcibly removed from the room. VIDEO: Protesters arrested in the hearing room for Kavanaugh’s confirmation hearing asking the hearing to end. pic.twitter.com/ZCTcuwq7qZ — Frank Thorp V (@frankthorp) September 4, 2018 Hours later, Sarsour returned with a small group and refused to comment as to what happened previously or what their future plans were. Nearly 20 protesters inside Tuesday’s hearing were removed and arrested just 30 minutes after the hearing began. – – – Henry Rogers is a reporter at Daily Caller News Foundation. Follow Henry Rodgers On Twitter.                     Content created by The Daily Caller News Foundation is available without charge to any eligible news publisher that can provide a large audience. For licensing opportunities of our original content, please contact [email protected].

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NBC’s Chuck Todd Tries To Rally The Troops Against Trump And Fox News

by Nick Givas   NBC’s “Meet The Press” host Chuck Todd urged his fellow journalists to hit back against attacks on the media and blamed Roger Ailes and President Donald Trump for the public’s negative view of the press. Todd played the victim and compared being a journalist today to working in “the segregated South in the 1950s and ’60s.” “Bashing the media for political gain isn’t new, and neither is manipulating the media to support or oppose a cause,” Todd wrote in an op-ed for The Atlantic Monday. “The closest parallel in recent American history is the hostility to reporters in the segregated South in the 1950s and ’60s.” Todd called out Fox News personalities Tucker Carlson and Sean Hannity, commentator Matt Drudge and others, for profiting off the fears of white people. “Some of the wealthiest members of the media … have attained wealth and power by exploiting the fears of older white people,” he wrote. “They are thriving financially by exploiting the very same free-press umbrella they seem determined to undermine.” Todd said Trump labeling the press the enemy of the people has delegitimized the media, but said the public’s antagonistic attitude predated the Trump administration. “Roger Ailes, who went on to…

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Carol Swain Commentary: Abortion and the Progressive Campaign for Black Self-Annihilation

Carol Swain

by Dr. Carol M. Swain   Do black lives matter to “progressive” black women? A new billboard in Dallas, Texas, made headlines last week with a controversial message encouraging black women to have no qualms about aborting their unborn babies. Three attractive, young black women with bright smiles greet passing motorists with a deceptive message to entice black women to snuff out the lives of inconvenient and unwanted pre-born babies. The message proclaimed: “Black women take care of their families by taking care of themselves first. ABORTION IS SELF-CARE.” This enticement to take care of yourself first by aborting your unwanted unborn babies is not sponsored by a white supremacist group, although the funding for the sponsoring organization could easily have come from an anti-black organization seeking to use eugenics to cleanse the population of meddlesome blacks. The sponsoring organization is The Afiya Center, which purports to stand for reproductive rights and women’s health. ‘Reproductive rights’ is an euphemism for abortion. Afiya is no doubt tied into leftist progressive groups and black-loathing liberals willing to donate to such a cause. Afyia’s billboard lists the hashtag “TrustBlackWomen,” which insulates it from criticism an overtly white-run organization would deservingly get. An investigative reporter…

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Los Angeles Prosecutors Drop Criminal Charges Against Kevin Spacey And Two Other Celebrities Accused Of Sexual Assault

Kevin Spacey

by Hanna Bogorowski   The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s office declined Tuesday to file criminal charges against a trio of Hollywood actors, including Kevin Spacey, Anthony Anderson and Steven Seagal, all of whom have been accused of sexual assault. The District Attorney’s office said it would not prosecute Spacey on a 1992 sexual assault accusation because it fell outside the California statute of limitations, according to report by NBC Bay Area. Spacey’s first accusation went public on Oct. 29, and it only took about a week for more than a dozen men, many of whom were teenagers at the time, to come forward alleging Spacey of sexual assault and even attempted rape. The LA County Sheriff’s office was investigating allegations that Spacey had committed forcible sodomy on someone in West Hollywood, but the D.A. said it was too old of a case to bring charges. The “House of Cards” star is also under investigation in London after three men came forward with accusations dating from 1996 to 2013. Anderson, the lead actor in”Black-ish,” had been accused of assault by a woman who catered an event that Anderson had organized. The D.A. said the alleged victim declined to be interviewed. Anderson, who is married, has strongly…

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Second Quarter GDP Upgraded to 4.2 Percent as Trump Economy Booms, Magic Number for Third Quarter Is Now 3.98 Percent

Donald Trump

by Robert Romano   The second quarter Gross Domestic Product was upgraded by the Bureau of Economic Analysis to 4.2 percent inflation-adjusted, annualized growth, great news for the American people — and bringing the economy one step closer to restoring robust growth. The U.S. economy has not grown above 4 percent since 2000, and not above 3 percent since 2005. But that could change in 2018 under President Donald Trump, who has promised his tax cuts, deregulation and “fair and reciprocal” trade doctrine would break the losing streak. So far, the first two quarters have come in at 2.2 percent and 4.2 percent growth, respectively. To get back on trend for 3 percent for year, the U.S. economy now needs to grow at about an inflation-adjusted 3.98 percent in the third quarter, and then it can finish out the fourth quarter with 3 percent. That would get us exactly 3 percent for the year. The good news is that the economy may already be on trend to doing exactly that. Right now, Atlanta Fed’s GPDNOW estimate is coming in at 4.1 percent for the third quarter. Also, the economy overall has produced nearly 3.9 million new jobs since President Trump was sworn in. Overall unemployment is at…

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Will Hoge, Scheduled to Headline Karl Dean Event, Says NRA Members Worst Thing About America

A country music singer on record as calling NRA supporters whores and pimps will headline a Karl Dean for Governor event in Nashville Thursday. The singer in question, Will Hoge, said he has disdain for pro-Second Amendment politicians. No one at Dean’s campaign returned The Tennessee Star’s repeated requests for comment on the matter Tuesday. The Star wanted to know if Dean’s views align with Hoge’s. Hoge previously endorsed U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) for United States president. Hoge called the NRA “a fear-mongering, bully organization” in an interview with Rolling Stone magazine. “They are the worst things about America: a rich organization, led by horrible people, preying on some of the best people in our country with fear and lies, just to grow their own profits,” Hoge said. “I’ve got to believe that at some point all responsible gun owners will see what a sham that organization truly is.” Hoge wrote the following lyrics for his song “Thoughts and Prayers”: “Another politician sitting far away Doesn’t matter how many people got gunned down today As long as you can keep your re-election bills paid You’re just a whore to the pimp that’s called the NRA” Hoge also told the…

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Commentary: ‘First Man’ – Let’s Just Skip This Movie

"First Man"

by CHQ Staff   Universal Pictures’ chose Oscar-winning French director Damien Chazelle and Canadian actor Ryan Gosling to lead “First Man,” the story of the American National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s quest to land a man on the moon. The story line focuses on astronaut Neil Armstrong and the years 1961 to 1969 when the taxpayers of the United States spent billions of dollars to send Armstrong and fellow astronaut Buzz Aldrin to the Moon. What was the most photographed moment of the first two and a half hours man spent on the Moon was when Armstrong and Aldrin planted the American flag at Tranquility Base and saluted it. The problem with First Man is, America, and the American flag, get left entirely out of Chazelle and Gosling’s movie. Ryan Gaydos of Fox News reports Ryan Gosling, the Canadian actor who portrays Armstrong in the movie, defended the decision to not show the flag in an interview with the UK’s Telegraph. Gosling was asked at the Venice Film Festival whether omitting the scene was deliberate and the actor attempted to sidestep the question by responding that the moon landing “transcended countries and borders.” “I think this was widely regarded in the end as…

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Roger Kimball Commentary: Burying the Dead With Bile-Filled Histrionics

by Roger Kimball   The big news last week revolved around the funerals of a 1960s pop singer and an unreliable Republican senator with a cult following among masochistic conservatives and cynical leftists eager to capitalize on his capacity to spread dissension among his nominal allies. I suppose the exploitation of funerals for grubby political ends is nothing new. Mark Antony did it with notable success when he eulogized Julius Caesar in 44 B.C. But there was something especially stomach-churning about the injection of partisan animus into the obsequies of Aretha Franklin and John McCain. Both were reminders—as if we needed any—of how these jangled, hyperpartisan times have the capacity to infect even the most solemn ceremonies of life with bile-filled histrionics, our latter-day version of the theater of the absurd. The race hustling reverends Al Sharpton and Michael Eric Dyson led the bandwagon at Franklin’s funeral, loading their praise of the soul singer with vicious anti-Trump rhetoric. Dyson described the president of the United States as an “orange apparition,” a “lugubrious leech,” a “dictator” and “fascist.” Nicely done, Reverend! The tone at John McCain’s spectacle was more restrained but the message of hatred and contempt for the president was just…

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Phil Bredesen Silent on Democrats Throwing Tantrums at Brett Kavanaugh SCOTUS Confirmation Hearing

Phil Bredesen

Tennessee Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Phil Bredesen makes out he’s an elder statesman. Bredesen boasts he can rise above partisan squabbles. He says he isn’t afraid to call out members of his own party when they take a wrong turn. But Bredesen and members of his campaign refused to comment on the childish antics members of his own party unleashed at Tuesday’s U.S. Senate confirmation hearing for Brett Kavanaugh in the Judiciary Committee. No one in the Bredesen campaign returned The Tennessee Star’s repeated requests for comment Tuesday. If elected to the U.S. Senate, Bredesen will vote whether to confirm any nominated U.S. Supreme Court nominees. Democratic Party protestors repeatedly interrupted Tuesday’s proceedings. They heckled. They shrieked. They acted belligerent. One protestor was reported to have yelled “This is a travesty of justice.” Security officers had to remove that person, and many others, from the room. Democrat U.S. senators on the Judiciary Committee, meanwhile, grumbled and carped they didn’t have enough documents on Kavanaugh to go forward with Tuesday’s hearing — even though Republicans said they provided them with plenty. U.S. senators Kamala Harris (D-Calif.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), and Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) were among the most petulant. They and other…

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