Day: February 22, 2019

Rep. Cohen Spouts Conspiracy Theories on CNN, Saying President Trump is Using Attorney General Barr to Abruptly End Mueller Investigation

Jason M. Reynolds

Congressional Democrats are threatening to subpoena the report to be issued by special counsel Robert Mueller, and U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen (D-TN-09) is spouting off conspiracy theories about the new attorney general as well. The threat comes with reports that the special counsel may issue the report on so-called Russian interference in the 2016 elections next week, U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) said on CNN’s “New Day,” which the network posted on Twitter. AG William Barr “has to make a decision — is he going to be the people’s lawyer or is he going to be the President’s lawyer?” @SenBlumenthal says as sources tell CNN that the Justice Department is preparing for Mueller report as early as next week. https://t.co/o1rWjoIe29 pic.twitter.com/ZR9AXMOTqa — New Day (@NewDay) February 21, 2019 Attorney General William Barr was reticent recently about whether he would allow Mueller to testify before Congress, and whether he would resist a subpoena if it were issued for the report, Roll Call said. Meanwhile, Cohen, who is well known for providing colorful yet not always-appropriate soundbites, had a few things to say about Barr during an interview on CNN. The video is available here. Cohen, who serves on the House Judiciary Committee,…

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Planned Parenthood Tennessee in Partnership with Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition (TIRRC)

Laura Baigert

NASHVILLE, Tennessee – During welcome comments made to attendees of Planned Parenthood “Takes the Hill” day at the Tennessee legislature, Tennessee Advocates of Planned Parenthood Executive Director Francie Hunt said the organization is in partnership with Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition (TIRRC). Tennessee Advocates for Planned Parenthood (TAPP) arranged for a free bus Tuesday, February 19, so that advocates from Memphis and Jackson could join “a day of legislative skills training, meeting with your legislators, and attending committee hearings on behalf of Planned Parenthood.” The same day, a group of about 50 pro-life grassroots advocates visited the Capitol to show their support for the Heartbeat Bill, as reported by The Tennessee Star. Hunt told the group of about 30 that met in a Senate Hearing Room on the first floor of the Cordell Hull Building that “The timing of you being here could not be better.” Hunt was referring to the fact that “two bills that we don’t like” would be heard in the House Public Health Subcommittee the following day, saying that “We’ll have some lead time to persuade them as much as possible.” The first of the two bills they oppose, which Hunt said were talked about…

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Out on Bond Left-Wing Activist Justin Jones Instigates Confrontation at State Capitol, State Troopers Intervene

Chris Butler

A left-wing activist out on bond for allegedly disrupting a Marsha Blackburn rally in Nashville last fall apparently disturbed the Tennessee capitol building Thursday and said House Speaker Glen Casada actually pushed him. That activist, Justin Jones, has a history trying to obstruct Republican officials while they carry out their duties at the state capitol or at other Republican events. Casada’s representatives told The Tennessean their boss did nothing wrong. Jones, as reported, wants state officials to remove a bust of Nathan Bedford Forrest from the state capitol building. He has documented his efforts on his personal Facebook page, including at least one group sit-in at Casada’s office this month. Jones, on his Facebook page Thursday, uploaded a video that began with him arguing with a capitol staff member, demanding a meeting with Casada. Jones then saw Casada out of camera range and walked over to confront him. “Casada, we’ve been trying to get a meeting with you,” the camera recorded Jones saying. An unknown woman in a red coat blocked the camera’s point of view of whatever happened next between Jones and Casada, but during that time someone yelled “Don’t put your hands on him.” As Jones and others…

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Commentary: When Congress Turned On to Globalism

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by Curtis Ellis   July 1967. The Summer of Love. The Doors and Jefferson Airplane topped the charts. Young people flocked to San Francisco to turn on, tune in, and drop out. “All across the nation, there’s a whole generation with a new explanation,” the pop balladeer told us. Indeed, wild utopian ideas were not confined to San Francisco. In Washington D.C. on July 20, 1967, the Joint Economic Committee of Congress held a hearing on the future of U.S. foreign trade Policy. The hearing is memorialized in the Congressional Record and it is there we find a plan for reorganizing society as radical as any inspired by lysergic acid diethylamide in a Haight-Ashbury commune. For it is there, in those drab pages, that we find a concise and coherent explication of the ideology of globalism. Think of it as the day Congress turned on to globalism. (Credit to Matt Stoller for originally exhuming this Rosetta Stone of globalism.) We see that so-called “free-trade agreements” were never really about trade between nations. We see that the goal of U.S. “trade” policy was the erosion of independent nation-states and the vesting of power in supranational authorities. We see a distinct lack…

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Liberal Media Outlet Casts Wide Net to Unearth College Yearbook Photo From 1980 Showing Gov. Bill Lee Dressed in Confederate Uniform at Party

Jason M. Reynolds

Liberal media chain Gannett has dug up a 39-year-old university fraternity yearbook photo showing a young Bill Lee dressed in a Confederate uniform, multiple media outlets have reported. WREG reported that Gov. Bill Lee’s office told the station he has regrets and never intended to hurt anyone. The photo from 1980 is on the Kappa Alpha Order yearbook page and shows Lee in the uniform, posing with other people in period clothing at a party. A copy of the yearbook page is here. The fraternity hosted parties celebrating the Confederacy and Southern heritage during the time Lee attended Auburn, 1977-1981, WREG said. Lee’s press secretary, Laine Arnold, did not reply to an emailed request for comment by The Tennessee Star. A representative for Lee told the Associated Press on his behalf that he never wore blackface or attended parties where that happened, WRCB reported. Tennessee Star Political Editor Steve Gill chastised Gannett, the owner of The Tennessean, for searching wide and far for a 39-year-old photo. “The amount of time that The Tennessean and other Gannett publications have devoted to scouring college yearbooks playing 30 and 40-year-old games of gotcha over costume parties explains better than anything else why their…

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Jussie Smollett Arrested After Alleged ‘MAGA’ Hoax

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by Molly Prince   “Empire” actor Jussie Smollett turned himself into police custody after he was charged on allegations related to disorderly conduct for filing a false police report, police said Thursday. “Press Briefing: Jussie Smollet is under arrest and in custody of detectives,” tweeted Anthony Guglielmi, chief communications officer for the Chicago Police Department. “At 9am at #ChicagoPolice Headquarters, Supt Eddie Johnson, Commander of Area Central Detectives Edward Wodnicki will brief reporters on the investigation prior to the defendants appearance in court.” – Anthony Guglielmi (@AJGuglielmi) February 21, 2019 Felony criminal charges have been approved by @CookCountySAO against Jussie Smollett for Disorderly Conduct / Filing a False Police Report. Detectives will make contact with his legal team to negotiate a reasonable surrender for his arrest. pic.twitter.com/LvBSYE2kVj — Anthony Guglielmi (@AJGuglielmi) February 21, 2019 Felony charges were filed against Smollett on Wednesday evening stemming from a hate crime he allegedly coordinated against himself in January. Smollett claimed two men beat him up late at night while walking in Chicago. He further claimed the men tied a noose around his neck and poured a bleach-like substance on him while shouting racist and homophobic slurs. In a follow-up interview with the Chicago…

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Commentary: How the Space Force Can Restore Our Edge Against China, Russia

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by John Venable   The U.S. just moved one step closer to creating a Space Force. On Tuesday, President Donald Trump directed the Department of Defense to draft legislation to establish the Space Force as a new branch of the military under the secretary of the Air Force. This move is an important step toward defending the space domain, which is home to critical assets that deliver everything from precision targeting and missile launch warning, to the communications and signals that allow banking, commerce, travel, and almost every other aspect of our high-tech society to function. Russia and China are aware of our near-complete reliance on space systems, and they have positioned themselves to move against them. It’s been over 11 years since China proved it is capable of destroying satellites in space using ground-based missiles, and in the years since, Russian satellites co-orbiting in close proximity with ours have been equally provocative. In 2018, an independent report emerged from a bipartisan congressional directive that recommended the U.S. establish an independent Space Force through a two-phased approach that would re-establish our dominance in the space domain. In the months since, the Trump administration has used the president’s current authorities to…

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OFF THE RECORD: Governor Stud Muffin???

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When Butch Eley, Governor Bill Lee’s Chief Operating Officer, made an embarrassing, and telling, donation of $1,350 in February 2018 to Democrat Senate candidate Phil Bredesen it showed poor judgement at the very least. (And it didn’t win any points with now-Senator Marsha Blackburn, Bredesen’s opponent in the November general election.) Not to be outdone, Eley’s executive assistant apparently wants to insure that embarrassing contributions from Team Eley will continue. But alas, what looks to be the contribution from Anna Catherine Davenport was not financial like that of her boss, Butch. Her contribution was  of the social media type. A Facebook post from the account of Anna Catherine Davenport, apparently the same person as Eley’s executive assistant, which was quickly deleted, said that the “Highlight of the Day” was “getting to tell the Governor that some lady in the photo line called him a ‘stud muffin.’ ” In a “Spoiler alert,” the now deleted Facebook post added that “he thought that was pretty great.” Governor Stud Muffin?? True, it’s not as bad as embarrassing as, say, posing for a photo in a Confederate uniform in college – but it’s up there. Maybe that explains the Governor’s passion for repealing the…

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Trump Officially Ends Fuel Economy Talks With California

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by Michael Bastasch   The Trump administration officially ended negotiations with California over a proposed rollback of Obama-era fuel economy regulations. The White House issued a joint statement with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Department of Transportation (DOT) Thursday: “Today, officials from the White House, Department of Transportation, and Environmental Protection Agency announced that the Trump Administration has decided to discontinue discussions with the California Air Resources Board (CARB) regarding the proposed Safer Affordable Fuel-Efficient (SAFE) Vehicles Rule. Despite the Administration’s best efforts to reach a common-sense solution, it is time to acknowledge that CARB has failed to put forward a productive alternative since the SAFE Vehicles Rule was proposed. Accordingly, the Administration is moving forward to finalize a rule later this year with the goal of promoting safer, cleaner, and more affordable vehicles.” The announcement comes as tensions flare between the White House and California over border wall and high-speed rail funding. The Daily Caller News Foundation first reported the administration’s plan to end talks. The impasse over fuel economy regulations will likely result in EPA revoking California’s ability to set its own tailpipe standards for carbon dioxide emissions. Talks between EPA and DOT officials the California Air…

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North Carolina Elections Board Unanimously Orders New Election in 9th Congressional District

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by Evie Fordham   North Carolina’s Board of Elections unanimously ordered a new election in the state’s 9th Congressional District due to “corruption” and “illegal activity… involving absentee ballots” after four days of hearings that drew to a close Thursday. The board decided that neither Republican Mark Harris nor Democrat Dan McCready gained victory in the 2018 midterm election after allegations that Harris campaign operatives illegally harvested ballots, reported Politico Thursday. The race was the only 2018 midterm election that had not been certified. Harris, a former pastor, had an unofficial lead of roughly 900 votes. The board came to a decision after Harris testified and said a new election was needed. “Through the testimony I’ve listened to over the last three days, I believe a new election should be called,” Harris said. “It has become clear to me that the public’s confidence in the 9th District seat general election has been undermined to an extent that a new election is warranted.” Harris’s son, 29-year-old John Harris, had testified Wednesday that he had warned his father about a “shady” political operative. That operative was McCrae Dowless, who worked for the Harris campaign as a contractor through the political consulting firm…

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Pompeo: American-Born Islamic State Woman Is Not US Citizen

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U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo contended Thursday that an American-born woman who defected to the Islamic State terrorist group is not a U.S. citizen and should not be allowed to return home from Syria because her father was a Yemeni diplomat. President Donald Trump said he ordered Pompeo to not let the woman, Hoda Muthana, return to the U.S., even though her lawyer says she is willing to face U.S. prosecution for willingly going to Syria and using social media to praise the killings of Westerners. “She may have been born here,” Pompeo told NBC’s “Today” show. “She is not a U.S. citizen, nor is she entitled to U.S. citizenship.” He contended that the 24-year-old woman, now with a child born in a relationship with one of her three jihadist husbands, is not an American citizen because of her father’s diplomatic status. But Muthana’s lawyer is telling U.S. news outlets that the father had ended his diplomatic service “months and months” before his daughter was born in the eastern U.S. state of New Jersey in 1994, thus making her an American citizen. The lawyer, Hassan Shibly, told CNN that Muthana “should have known better” than to leave her home…

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Signs Point to China, US Deal to Avert Further Tariff Hike

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Donald Trump, Xi Jinping

As China and the United States resume high-level talks in Washington Thursday, there are signs that the two may be closing in on a deal. Reuters news agency is reporting that top trade officials from both sides are trying to hammer out the details of six broad agreements aimed at resolving the most difficult issues from forced technology transfers, to state subsidies and cyber theft. Earlier this week, President Donald Trump said there is no “magical date” for reaching a trade deal, a comment some felt suggests that the March 1 deadline, which could trigger a steep hike in tariffs from both countries, could be postponed if progress is being made. Meanwhile, a senior Communist party adviser, speaking at a forum organized by the Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post, predicted Washington and Beijing would reach a trade deal in early March. He also said that Meng Wanzhou, chief financial officer of Chinese tech giant Huawei, is likely to be released by April or May. Speaking on the sidelines of a conference hosted by the newspaper, Xie Maosong, an adjunct professor at the Central Party School, said he was confident that is what would happen because of what he called…

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Tennessee House Republicans Introduce Series of Bills to Empower Patients, Reduce Healthcare Costs, Promote Free Market

Jason M. Reynolds

State House Republicans on Thursday introduced a free-market plan that focuses on patients, nicknamed CARE, to transform healthcare in Tennessee, especially rural areas. The Tennessee House Republicans press release is available here. The legislative package is composed of 11 bills throughout the session, which the state GOP caucus said will “reshape healthcare in Tennessee through Consumerism, increasing Access, improving Rural health systems, and Empowering patients to ensure individuals and families to make all medical decisions, instead of insurance companies or the government.” The CARE Plan will generate price transparency and increased data on prices, Republicans said. A claims database will provide consumers with information to allow them to save money and improve the healthcare system’s performance. Other benefits include streamlining of billing, promotion of competition, better drug prices, use of telemedicine and more. The plan will help people even if they have pre-existing conditions, Republicans said. The move by Tennessee Republicans comes days after North Carolina’s state legislators introduced a bill to address healthcare costs, Forbes said. The publication said: Earlier this week Republican legislators who hold majorities in the North Carolina House and Senate introduced Senate Bill 86, the Small Business Healthcare Act, legislation introduced by Senators Dan Bishop…

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House Democrats to Challenge Trump’s Border Emergency Declaration

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Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives are preparing to introduce a resolution challenging President Donald Trump’s declaration of a national emergency at the country’s southern border. The resolution sponsored by Rep. Joaquin Castro of Texas is set to be filed Friday, and could get a vote in the full House by mid-March. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi issued a letter Wednesday encouraging both Democratic and Republican lawmakers to sign on as co-sponsors and said the measure would “move swiftly.” Trump declared an emergency at the U.S.-Mexico border last week after Congress passed a border security package totaling nearly $1.4 billion but without fulfilling his calls for $5.7 billion to construct a border wall. Trump says a wall is necessary to stop immigrants and drugs from illegally entering the country. Opponents say a wall is an expensive and ineffective measure, and that border security money would be better spent on more customs agents and boosting screening technology at points of entry. The House resolution has a strong chance of passing the Democrat-led House. Republicans control the Senate, so a number of members of Trump’s party would have to go against him in order for the measure to pass there. If it…

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North Carolina Attorney General Won’t Detail ‘Serious Concerns’ About Trump Border Declaration

A.P. Dillon

North Carolina’s Attorney General Josh Stein has “serious concerns” about President Trump’s National Emergency Declaration – but his office won’t detail them. Stein won’t be entering into the 16 state coalition suing President Trump over the move. Instead, a statement from Stein was tweeted by the official North Carolina Department of Justice account that said he has “serious concerns” about the declaration and are reviewing it. .@JoshStein_ : "I have serious concerns about the legality of President Trump’s emergency declaration. We are reviewing the order, and in particular any effects on North Carolina military installations. We will not hesitate to take action if we conclude it is necessary.” — NC Attorney General (@NCAGO) February 19, 2019 Battleground State News reached out to the North Carolina Department of Justice (NCDOJ) for clarification on the Attorney General’s specific “serious concerns.” In our questions to the NCDOJ, we asked about the 31 active National Emergencies that have been declared since 1979. 10 of them were enacted under President Obama. Our research found no “serious concerns” lodged by Mr. Stein as a legislator or since taking office as Attorney General, so we asked for details of what his current “serious concerns” with the Trump…

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Wisconsin Dem Stands Outside ICE HQ Asking for Response to His FOIA Request

Anthony Gockowski

Wisconsin Democratic Rep. Mark Pocan (D-WI-02) recently stood outside U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) headquarters asking for answers about a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request he submitted. Pocan claims the request was filed in October 2018 and sought information on the “arrests of 83 individuals in Wisconsin,” who were presumably arrested and deported by ICE. “More than four months after submitting my request, the agency is clearly using delays as an effort to hide something. While we will not know until the agency provides the information, I have reason to believe that the data on the arrests will show that ICE has targeted immigrants with no prior criminal record to stoke fear in our community,” Pocan said in a recent press release. According to Pocan, ICE claims it has responded to his request on two occasions, but those responses were allegedly just acknowledgments of his request. “Despite multiple meetings, letters, a FOIA request, and unannounced visits to the agency’s office, ICE will not provide information regarding communication with local law enforcement officials and information about whether the arrested individuals held criminal records,” he said. Frustrated with the delay, Pocan recently stood outside ICE’s headquarters in Washington, D.C., where…

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Archbishop Joins DFL Legislators at Capitol in Push to Provide Driver’s Licenses to Illegal Immigrants

Anthony Gockowski

House DFL legislators joined community organizers Thursday for a press conference to call for providing driver’s licenses to all Minnesotans, “regardless of immigration status.” House Majority Ryan Winkler (D-Golden Valley) was accompanied by colleagues Rep. Aisha Gomez (D-Minneapolis), Rep. Rod Hamilton (D-Mountain Lake), and others in unveiling House File (HF) 1500 at the press conference. “A person is not required to demonstrate United States citizenship or lawful presence in the United States in order to obtain a noncompliant driver’s license or identification card,” that bill states, and has 31 House co-authors. At Thursday’s crowded press conference, Winkler said House Democrats are “committed to getting this done this year,” saying Minnesotans need to be “firmly on the side of decency and dignity for human lives.” Rep. Aisha Gomez, an author of the bill says “This is truly a community effort. This is a coalition. When we stand together, we do work that is more powerful. We do work that reflects the realities that Minnesotans are living with.” #mnleg pic.twitter.com/bCHnNdX4iE — Minnesota House DFL (@mnhouseDFL) February 21, 2019 “This is not a long shot. This has been an issue for far too long,” he added. Gomez called the “Freedom to Drive” push…

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OIG Report Finds FHFA Director Mel Watt of North Carolina Guilty of Sexual Misconduct

A.P. Dillon

A report released by an Inspector General’s Office (OIG) has concluded that the Federal Housing and Finance Agency’s Director Luther Melvin “Mel” Watt is guilty of the sexual misconduct complaint filed against him. “We found that the FHF A Director violated Section 702 when he attempted to coerce or induce the PMO Manager to engage in a personal relationship with him by suggesting or implying he would use his official authority to assist her in attaining an executive position with FHFA,” the report says. “We find that there are no circumstances under which it would be appropriate for the head of FHFA to induce a subordinate female employee to meet with him alone, in his apartment, for a conversation in which he professes his attraction for that employee and holds out opportunities for the employee to serve in specific executive positions over which he exercises total control.” Mel Watt, a life-long Democrat, was appointed as Director of the Federal and Finance Agency (FHFA) in 2015 by former President Barack Obama. Prior to his appointment, Watt was a Congressman for North Carolina’s 12th district for 11 terms and spent two years as a senator in the state’s legislature. Watt has denied…

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St. Paul, Minnesota’s Black Dog Cafe Regularly Hosts Trump Resistance Groups for Political Events

Anthony Gockowski

St. Paul’s popular Black Dog Cafe regularly hosts resistance groups formed in response to President Donald Trump’s 2016 election for political events. A collection of groups calling themselves “The MNLeg Coalition” meet once a month for a “Third Thursdays” event that provides the “progressive-values loving community” a chance to “come together, socialize, strategize, learn, and recharge to continue the good fight for justice and equality in Minnesota.” The coalition says that it is “made up of political resistance groups that started after the 2016 election.” According to the group’s website, at least four of these gatherings have taken place at Black Dog Cafe, including a February 21 event on “climate policy in Minnesota.” “Climate policy in Minnesota is having a moment—and not a moment too soon. Come hear from a range of experts and activists on the statewide movement to save our climate. Learn more about what’s at stake, what’s next, and what we can do locally to stop the damage being done to our climate,” a mailer for Thursday’s event states. Speakers included activists from the 100 Percent Campaign, a group seeking 100 percent renewable energy in Minnesota, as well as MN350, whose representative spoke on resisting the Enbridge…

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Taxpayer-Funded Tennessee School Board Association Lobbies State Legislature for More Money and Greater Control

Laura Baigert

NASHVILLE, Tennessee – The Tennessee School Board Association, funded through membership dues paid with tax dollars allocated for school systems, lobbies the Tennessee General Assembly on various issues many of which work against taxpayers’ interests. This week, the Tennessee School Board Association (TSBA) held their annual Day on the Hill with approximately 250 attendees primarily made up of school board members from the organization’s 141 member boards around the state, although superintendents are also permitted to attend. The registration fee was $100 per person, and a block of rooms were made available at the DoubleTree Nashville Downtown at a rate of $219 per night, plus tax. The event, which started Monday evening with a program on this year’s proposed legislation and a reception, continued with Tuesday’s “Call to Action: Conquering the Hill,” during which attending school board members and superintendents broke out to meet with their legislators and attend legislative committee meetings. The packet provided to attending school board members, in addition to general logistical information like an agenda, area map and a list of legislators, included more than 20 pages of materials detailing bills that TSBA supports or opposes, TSBA’s 2019 legislative agenda and an issue brief on each…

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