May 8, 2019 - Tennessee Star

Republican Caucus Conference Call Reveals Divide Among Republican Legislators Over Casada’s Future as Speaker

May 8, 2019May 8, 2019 Steve Gill

An emergency conference call hosted by House Speaker Glen Casada to address concerns among the 73 Republican caucus members over recent news stories involving Casada, his former Chief of Staff Cade Cothren and claims that the legislative culture needs to be changed revealed fault lines in the caucus, according to several Members who were on the call. The call was conducted at 1 pm Eastern Time on Wednesday, May 8. “The call lasted about 45 minutes and Glen spoke about the issues that have arisen since late last week before opening it up for Members to ask questions or share their thoughts,” one Republican legislator confidentially told The Tennessee Star. “About a dozen of the legislators spoke up, some in support of Glen and a handful of others expressing their view that he should step down as Speaker. At this point, barring some new and significant revelation of misbehavior by Glen, I think the Caucus will continue to stand with him.” Casada reportedly assured the Caucus that there is no other damaging information that will emerge. “There is nothing else to come out,” Casada said, according to those on the call. Republican legislators who have expressed the opinion that…

Read the full story

Commentary: If Deplatforming Hoaxsters Is OK, the News Media Should Be in Big Trouble

May 8, 2019May 7, 2019 Admin

by Julie Kelly Without much explanation, Facebook last Thursday banned several high-profile users amid accusations they violated the company’s subjective rules about violence and hate speech. The ban applied to InfoWars founder Alex Jones; YouTube star Paul Joseph Watson; Laura Loomer, a 25-year-old journalist and conservative activist, and others accounts loosely aligned with the political Right. (Loomer and Jones already have been kicked off Twitter.) The company offered little in the way of specifics about why these so-called “dangerous individuals” were banished from the world’s most active social media site. “We’ve always banned individuals or organizations that promote or engage in violence and hate, regardless of ideology,” the company said in a statement. The corporation’s vague condemnation prompted widespread speculation from journalists about the real reason why these online menaces got the axe: Jones, Watson, Loomer, et. al. are conspiracy theorists, they warned. From 9/11 to Pizzagate, these alleged villains have peddled their own sinister version of reality and spread false information to their followers. “President Donald Trump on Saturday retweeted messages from conspiracy theorists and far-right figures after Facebook banned several right-wing personalities for promoting violence and hate,” scoffed CNBC online reporter Tom DiChristopher in response to Trump’s…

Read the full story

After Trump Rule Change, Minnesota Home Care Workers Can Decide for Themselves Whether to Pay Union Dues

May 8, 2019May 7, 2019 Admin

by Bethany Blankey Minnesota Personal Care Attendants (PCAs) are speaking out about the Trump administration’s decision to prevent unions from taking hundreds of millions of dollars from their paychecks. The Obama-era rule allowed Medicaid payments to be diverted to government unions, which the Trump administration found violates the Social Security Act. “The rule change means family members and friends who stay home to care for loved ones will keep all of the Medicaid payments intended for them, rather than paying hundreds of dollars to the SEIU,” the state’s fiscal conservative think tank, the Center of the American Experiment, said in a statement. The Service Employees International Union (SEIU) is one of two of the largest public sector unions in the country that lost more than 90 percent of their fee-paying nonmembers less than one year after the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Janus vs. AFSCME. “Currently, the state of Minnesota takes money out of Medicaid support checks meant to improve the quality of life of America’s sick, elderly and disabled, and gives it to the SEIU,” the center explains. The process of unions siphoning money from Medicaid became legal in 2013 after former Gov. Mark Dayton and the majority-DFL…

Read the full story

Instagram Stories Have the Potential to Sway 2020 Voters

May 8, 2019May 7, 2019 Admin

Three years counts as several lifetimes on social media. Twitter may have been the dominant platform mastered by then-candidate Donald Trump in 2016 but it likely will not be the way most voters learn about the crowded field of 2020 Democratic presidential candidates. Instead, Instagram – a photo platform focused more on storytelling through images– has become the place for Senator Elizabeth Warren to crack open a beer, for Beto O’Rourke to turn a trip to the dentist into a policy discussion and for Senator Kamala Harris to dance to Beyonce. Experts say candidates can dominate the social media game during the 2020 election by mastering tone, not platform. “Instagram Stories has become a place where people can really weave together a lot of different types of content and engage with people that aren’t necessarily watching the day to day Twitter wars,” Alex Wall, the director of digital strategy for the Obama White House and for Hillary Clinton’s 2016 presidential campaign, tells VOA. Wall – who is now a vice president of digital engagement at the Center for American Progress, a progressive think tank – says candidates are seeking to imitate the way voters use these platforms in their…

Read the full story

Neil McCabe From OAN Joins the The Tennesse Star Report to Discuss Joe Biden’s 2020 Presidential Run

May 8, 2019May 7, 2019 Julie Carr

On Tuesday’s Tennessee Star Report with Steve Gill and Michael Patrick Leahy – broadcast on Nashville’s Talk Radio 98.3 and 1510 WLAC weekdays from 5:00 am to 8:00 am – Gill and Leahy talked to One America News Networks Neil McCabe about Joe Biden’s entry into the Presidential race of 2020 and how he is not receiving support from his former President, Barack Obama. Gill: One America News Network is basically the last bastion for conservative news on television. And Neil McCabe with us to share some of the highlighted stories of the day. Good morning. McCabe: Hey, good to be with you guys. And before we start I want to wish you both a very happy mothers day if I don’t get a chance to talk to you Sunday. Gill: I get called a mother by a lot of people. (Leahy laughs) Gill: Oh, so by Neil by the way, you know Joe Biden is in the race and — McCabe: He is a race. (Laughter) Leahy: I will also tell you, I know I was telling Steve about this I have a set of seven dwarf nicknames for him that your pretty used by the way if…

Read the full story

Border Patrol Chief Says Agency Has Made Over 30,000 Arrests in the Past 10 Days

May 8, 2019May 7, 2019 Admin

by Nick Givas A U.S. Border Patrol official said his agency has apprehended more than 30,000 illegal immigrants on the southern border in the past 10 days. “This is a challenge unlike any we’ve ever faced before,” Chief of Law Enforcement Operations Brian Hastings said Monday on “Fox & Friends.” “We’re up to 474,000 arrests so far this fiscal year, and just the last 10 days alone, 33,000 arrests for us,” he added. “So, our facilities were not designed to handle this type of flow or more importantly, this demographic — about 63 percent being family units and UACs, or unaccompanied alien children.” Border Patrol Chief Carla Provost called the number of arrests “unsustainable” and “beyond capacity,” in a tweet Saturday. #BorderPatrol agents are arresting more & more family units every day. These numbers are unsustainable & the system is beyond capacity. Despite measures to increase capacity with additional temp facilities, #USBP has had to release overflow into the communities as a last resort. pic.twitter.com/vnUY21pw2M — USBPChief (@USBPChief) May 4, 2019 U.S. officials announced in March they had released 84,500 migrant family members since Dec. 21, The Arizona Republic reported. The government released 14,500 migrants into the Phoenix area,…

Read the full story

Memphis Announces Plan to End Homelessness — Again

May 8, 2019May 7, 2019 Chris Butler

Memphis officials have announced yet another plan to use taxpayer money to end homelessness in the city. This, despite countless past promises to already do so. Memphis leaders recently announced they would pair up with the Shelby County government to combat street-level homelessness, using nearly $8 million of public and private money. That money will go to what was once a city-owned vehicle inspection station to cater to the homeless and, according to a press release, “effectively end” homelessness within 30 months. In an emailed statement to The Tennessee Star, Cara Greenstein, serving as a spokeswoman for city officials, said private sources must provide $5 million before the Memphis and Shelby County governments chip in. “The City of Memphis already provides $375,000 ($200,000 from City Council grants and $150,000 through Work Local), and would provide an additional $275,000 in FY 2019 budget, $275,000 in the FY 2020 Budget — $250,000 of which would be through the City Council’s First Annual Community Impact Fund, $50,000 from the DMC, an additional $200,000 in FY 2021 for a total of $550,000. The DMC would also contribute $50,000 in FY 2019 and FY 2020,” Greenstein said. “Shelby County would allocate and appropriate $250,000 in FY 2019 budget, $375,000 in FY 2020 budget and $650,000 in…

Read the full story

Tom Cotton Hits White House for Plan to Dole Out an Additional 30,000 Temporary Worker Visas

May 8, 2019May 7, 2019 Admin

by Jason Hopkins Arkansas Republican Sen. Tom Cotton, a longtime ally of the president, took a swipe at the White House for planning to issue tens of thousands of additional temporary worker visas. “Our immigration system should prioritize the needs of U.S. citizens over cheap foreign labor. Allowing an additional 30,000 seasonal workers into the country forces Americans to compete for jobs against non-citizens who drag down wages,” Cotton said in a Monday statement. The senator’s scathing statement follows news that the Trump administration will allow an additional 30,000 seasonal foreign workers to enter the U.S. through September. The work visas, known as H-2Bs, will primarily benefit fisheries, oyster shucking companies, seasonal hotels and loggers. The seasonal visas are intended to bring in people who perform jobs that don’t typically attract American workers. White House officials cautioned that the foreign nationals — all of whom would be returning workers — will go through a background check and are trusted not to remain in the U.S. past their visa due date. The economy grew at an annualized pace of 3.2 percent in the first quarter of 2019, blowing past experts’ expectations, according to data from the Department of Commerce (DOC)…

Read the full story

Don McGahn Defies Subpoena for Mueller Records

May 8, 2019May 7, 2019 Admin

by Kevin Daley The Trump administration has directed former White House counsel Don McGahn not to cooperate with a congressional subpoena seeking certain records relating to special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation. McGahn lawyer William Burck told the House Judiciary Committee in a Tuesday letter that McGahn would defy their subpoena at the White House’s instruction, teeing up another clash between congressional Democrats and the Trump administration over the reach of executive privilege and congressional oversight. “Where co-equal branches of government are making contradictory demands on Mr. McGahn concerning the same set of documents, the appropriate response for Mr. McGahn is to maintain the status quo unless and until the committee and the executive branch can reach an accommodation,” Burck said in a letter to the Judiciary Committee. In a separate letter to Burck, White House counsel Pat Cipollone said the records the subpoena seeks contain sensitive internal information, which is subject to executive privilege. “The White House provided these records to Mr. McGahn in connection with its cooperation with the special counsel’s investigation and with the clear understanding that the records remain subject to the control of the White House for all purposes,” Cipollone wrote. “The White House records…

Read the full story

Federal Regulations Amount to a $15,000 ‘Hidden Tax’ on Families, Report Finds

May 8, 2019May 7, 2019 Admin

by Michael Bastasch The federal regulatory apparatus imposed a roughly $14,600 “hidden tax” on American households last year, according to a new report by the Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI). “That amounts to 20 percent of the average pretax income of $73,573, and 24 percent of the average expenditure budget of $60,060,” CEI’s Wayne Crews wrote in his annual Ten Thousand Commandments report released Tuesday. In total, federal regulations, once again, cost the U.S. economy $1.9 trillion despite the Trump administration’s effort to roll back onerous regulations. Crews said his report was a conservative estimate of the true cost of regulations. “The regulatory ‘tax’ exceeds every item in the household budget except housing,” Crews wrote. “More is ‘spent’ on embedded regulation than on health care, food, transportation, entertainment, apparel, services, and savings.” One of President Donald Trump’s first actions upon taking office was to rein in federal agencies, like the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), that had issued billions of dollars worth of regulations during the Obama administration. And Trump’s had some success, according to Crews. Crews reported that Trump will cut regulatory costs about $50 billion by the end of 2019, and his administration issued 3,368 rules in 2018. The…

Read the full story

Commentary: What’s the Goal of New York’s Muslim Community Patrol?

May 8, 2019May 7, 2019 Admin

by CHQ Staff Just in case you still believe that the Muslim threat to American civilization and constitutional liberty is a conspiracy theory we have a report from New York to share with you. Sounding quite benign, Brooklyn’s “Muslim patrol” says it hopes to work with police to help make their neighborhood more “Muslim-friendly.” According to reporting by Caleb Maupin the Brooklyn-based “Muslim patrol” was founded by a Yemeni migrant and boasts at least 30 members. He says the Muslim Community Patrol’s (MCP) main aim is to be the “eyes and ears” of Brooklyn’s Muslim community. Formerly known as the Muslim Civilian Observation Patrol & Services (MCOPS, or Muslim COPS), MCP has been patrolling Brooklyn’s streets since September 2016 and leaving behind traces of the Islamist agenda which guides its growing membership. With uniforms and marked cars complete with sirens, the group could easily be mistaken for regular police – but they’re not. The patrolmen are unarmed and have no police powers. Instead, the group claims it radios to police if they encounter something that requires police action. We are quite interested in exactly what kind of “eyes and ears” the Brooklyn Muslim community might need, because the “Muslim…

Read the full story

In Ohio Budget Discussions, Coalition Seeks Details About School Funding

May 8, 2019May 7, 2019 Admin

by Todd DeFeo Ohio officials should release proposed new school funding formula details throughout the Buckeye State, a representative of Ohio’s eight urban school districts told the House Finance Committee. The Ohio 8 Coalition, an alliance of superintendents and teacher union presidents representing Ohio’s eight urban school districts – Akron, Canton, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus, Dayton, Toledo and Youngstown – offered six recommendations to committee members debating the fate of the state’s operating budget during a committee hearing. Members of a school funding work committee have rolled out a proposed “Fair School Funding Plan,” a complex formula that determines state funding levels based on the cost to educate a student and a community’s ability to raise revenue locally. The proposal would send state dollars based on a combination of property values and resident income to determine a district’s capacity to generate revenue locally for schools. “We’re here to make sure that the state finally has a funding formula that is fair for all of Ohio’s children,” Eric Gordon, chief executive officer of the Cleveland Municipal School District and co-chair of the Ohio 8 Coalition, said. “If it were simply a numbers game, we would be here testifying on the governor’s…

Read the full story

Georgia Gov Brian Kemp Signs ‘Fetal Heartbeat’ Bill Banning Abortion After Heartbeat Detected

May 8, 2019May 7, 2019 Admin

by Henry Rodgers Republican Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp signed a “fetal heartbeat bill” Tuesday that will make abortion after a fetal heartbeat is detected illegal in the state, with certain exceptions. “Georgia is a state that values life,” Kemp said before signing the bill into law. “We stand up for those who are unable to speak for themselves.” “But our job is to do what is right, not what is easy,” he continued. “We will not back down. We will always continue to fight for life.” Georgia Gov. @BrianKempGA has signed the LIFE Act, banning abortions after six weeks, or when a fetal heartbeat is detected. pic.twitter.com/v6eYZkdqLW — Nicquel Terry Ellis (@NTerryEllis) May 7, 2019 The bill makes exceptions in cases of “rape, incest, and situations when the mother’s health is at risk,” reported CBS News. This comes as Republican Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant signed a similar bill in late March, which will make it so women will no longer be able to have an abortion after about six weeks of pregnancy when the law takes effect July 1. Pro-choice group Center for Reproductive Rights called it “blatantly unconstitutional” and threatened to sue the state. Several other state legislatures,…

Read the full story

Ilhan Omar Scheduled to Headline Another CAIR Fundraiser

May 8, 2019May 7, 2019 Anthony Gockowski

Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN-05) is scheduled to headline another fundraiser for the Hamas-linked Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR). CAIR’s Washington state chapter announced last week that Omar would be speaking at its May 25 fundraiser along with Motiva Johnson-Harrell, a state representative from Pennsylvania and the first Muslim woman in its State Legislature. TICKETS ARE HERE! 🎟️ https://t.co/rr2d40XKSm#IlhanOmar #Muslim2020 #Ramadan2019 pic.twitter.com/r59xRUcirx — CAIR_WA (@CAIR_WA) May 2, 2019 The fundraiser is titled “Unapologetically Us: Building Muslim Power for 2020 and Beyond.” “The coming year will be pivotal for our community and for the nation as a whole. There are many challenges from violent Islamophobia to xenophobic policies, but there’s also hope,” an event description states. “American Muslims have seen political representation like never before, including the election of Ilhan Omar, the first Somali-American and one of two American Muslim women elected to Congress.” CAIR goes on to invite its supporters to “join us for an evening of conversation, inspiration, and strategizing on how we can best defend our community everyday while building power for 2020.” In March, Omar headlined CAIR’s Fourth Annual Valley Banquet in Los Angeles and faced widespread backlash for comments she made during her speech. At one…

Read the full story

Conservatives Warn Ohio Lawmakers to Take Steps to Avoid ‘Disastrous Recession’ During Budget Talks

May 8, 2019May 7, 2019 Anthony Gockowski

The Buckeye Institute, an Ohio-based conservative think tank, warned lawmakers Tuesday that state government spending “has outpaced inflation and population growth for years,” meaning the “day of reckoning will be painful for families and businesses” if they don’t cut down on spending. Greg Lawson, a research fellow at The Buckeye Institute, testified before the Ohio House Finance Committee on House Bill 166, the House version of the state’s biennial budget. Lawson began his testimony by noting that the budget decisions arrive “during an economic expansion of historic duration.” In fact, if current economic growth continues until July, it will be “the longest economic expansion in U.S. history.” “Now is the time to pursue meaningful, sustainable reform and take full advantage of this biennial opportunity to make Ohio more prosperous, while avoiding missteps that could lead to a disastrous recession,” Lawson said, suggesting changes to the proposed budget in the areas of government spending, public education, Medicaid, and taxes. He argued that “spending ever-greater sums of taxpayer dollars every fiscal year establishes higher budget baselines that make economic downturns more painful and policy choices more difficult.” “Setting those higher baselines forces future policymakers to choose between painfully increasing taxes during…

Read the full story

DFL Chairman Slams Pence for ‘Legacy of Homophobia’ Ahead of Minnesota Visit

May 8, 2019May 7, 2019 Anthony Gockowski

Vice President Mike Pence is scheduled to visit Minnesota Thursday to promote the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) and discuss its impact on farmers and steel workers. Pence will stop at R & J Johnson Farms in Glyndon before heading to Gerdau Ameristeel, a steel mill in St. Paul. A White House official told The Star Tribune that he will talk with workers about the benefits of the USMCA. DFL Party Chairman Ken Martin issued a statement Tuesday in response to Pence’s upcoming visit. “I’d like to remind Vice President Pence that the majority of Minnesotans did not vote for him and do not support his tariffs that are devastating to our farmers, his massive giveaway to the rich disguised as a tax bill, or his efforts to take away our health care,” Martin said. “Minnesotans pride ourselves on being open, welcoming, and hospitable,” he continued. “Pence’s recklessness and cruelty are anathema to our values, as is his legacy of homophobia and discrimination. DFLers will continue working around the clock to ensure that Mike Pence is a one-term Vice President.” Republican Party Chairwoman Jennifer Carnahan said she is “pleased to welcome Vice President Mike Pence to the great state of…

Read the full story

Cleveland Councilman Introduces Resolution to Change Columbus Day to Indigenous Peoples’ Day

May 8, 2019May 7, 2019 Anthony Gockowski

Cleveland Councilman Basheer Jones introduced an “emergency resolution” Monday to change Columbus Day to Indigenous Peoples’ Day. The resolution calls on the City of Cleveland to recognize “the annexation of indigenous homelands for the building of our nation.” “Citizens have a responsibility to oppose the systematic racism towards indigenous people in the United States, which perpetuates high rates of poverty and income inequality, exacerbating disproportionate health, education, and social crises,” the resolution states. If passed, the second Monday in October would officially be recognized as Indigenous Peoples’ Day in the City of Cleveland. Jones promoted the resolution during a Monday evening press conference on the front steps of Cleveland City Hall, where he said that “anyone has the right to celebrate whoever they want to celebrate,” but noted that “as a city we should not support that.” “Everybody is free to support who they want to support, but as an institution we should not back that,” he continued. pic.twitter.com/bK6BbGAdmy — Councilman Basheer Jones (@basheerj) May 6, 2019 “I want to make this clear: this is not about diminishing anyone’s culture. It’s about opening up and saying that indigenous people also have a right because this was their country before…

Read the full story

State House Democrats Split on Next Steps for Speaker Glen Casada

May 8, 2019May 7, 2019 Laura Baigert

NASHVILLE, Tennessee – Following the resignation of his Chief of Staff, Tennessee House Democrats are split on what Speaker Glen Casada should do next. In a press conference held at the Cordell Hull Building Tuesday morning, Chairman of the Tennessee Black Caucus Representative G. A. Hardaway (D-Memphis) reading from a prepared statement, called for the TBI (Tennessee Bureau of Investigation) to investigate Speaker Casada’s former Chief of Staff Cade Cothren. Cothren has been at the center of controversy since late last week when reports of alleged email tampering associated with activist Justin Jones came out, followed by the uncovering of racially derogatory and sexually explicit texts. Cothren resigned from his Chief of Staff position on Monday. Representative Hardaway was joined for the press conference by Senator Brenda Gilmore (D-Nashville), Representative Vincent Dixie (D-Nashville) as well as Chair of the Tennessee Democratic Party Mary Mancini. In the prepared statement, Representative Hardaway called Justin Jones a civil rights activist and said that media reports say Cothren falsified evidence in a judicial proceeding to obtain the incarceration of Jones. Justin Jones was a frequent protester at the State Capitol, until he was banned after allegedly throwing a cup of liquid at Speaker…

Read the full story