State Rep. Judd Matheny Speaks in Jackson County About Plan to Stop Nashville Sanctuary City Ordinance

State Rep. Judd Matheny  (R-Tullahoma) was in Jackson County on Tuesday, where he spoke to a crowd in Gainesboro about Nashville’s attempt to become a bona fide sanctuary city. Matheny spoke of the overwhelming number of Republican House members who are opposing the measure and who will intensify the fight against the initiative should a third reading pass or the motion simply be tabled for a later date. Matheny noted that the most up to date and reliable coverage of the sanctuary city issue has been provided by The Tennessee Star. The residents attending the meeting expressed strong approval for efforts to stop the Nashville sanctuary city ordinance, and were particularly interested in the details of the plans to oppose it. Matheny, as one of the leaders in the Tennessee General Assembly of the effort to stop the Nashville sanctuary city ordinance, provided details about the 63 members of the Tennessee House of Representatives who signed a letter, which was sent from his office, outlining their opposition to proposed ordinance, and asking members of the Metro Nashville City Council to vote against it. First elected to the Tennessee House of Representatives in 2002, Matheny is one of at least two conservatives who…

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President Trump Urges Passage of Kate’s Law

Tennessee Star

  The White House released a statement Tuesday afternoon strongly urging passage of HR 3004, more commonly known as ‘Kate’s Law’: The Administration strongly supports H.R. 3004, Kate’s Law. This bill commemorates Kate Steinle, the 32-year-old woman who was shot and killed two years ago in San Francisco as she walked along a pier with her father. The alleged shooter, Francisco Sanchez, was an illegal immigrant who had already been deported five times and had seven felony convictions. H.R. 3004 would increase the penalties that may be imposed on criminal aliens convicted of illegal reentry, deterring reentry and keeping criminal aliens off our streets. The bill is consistent with the Administration’s broader efforts to strengthen enforcement of our immigration laws and improve the security of our Nation’s borders. If H.R. 3004 were presented to the President in its current form, his advisors would recommend that he sign the bill into law.  The effort to sharpen punishments for repeatedly violating U.S. immigration laws in reaction to crimes like the murder of Kate Steinle was undertaken by former FOXNews analyst and host of The Factor, Bill O’Reilly. Early efforts to pass Kate’s Law failed in 2015 and 2016 due to blocks by then-Senator Harry…

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Justice Thomas Calls Out the Supreme Court for Not Believing in the Second Amendment

Justice Clarence Thomas

Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas had stern words for his colleagues when the court declined to hear a case challenging California’s handgun laws, saying that the jurists do not understand the importance of self-defense. The case, supported by the National Rifle Association, involves San Diego resident Edward Peruta, who challenged his county’s refusal to grant him…

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Two Former Lauderdale County School System Employees Charged With Theft For Collecting Pay After Employment Ended

Two former employees of the Lauderdale County Department of Education continued to be compensated after their employment with the school system ended, a report from the Tennessee Comptroller’s Office has found. Both have been indicted on theft charges. The school system is in Ripley in West Tennessee. “It’s important that government entities follow a clear process whenever there is a separation of employment,” said Comptroller Justin P. Wilson in a news release Monday. “All timesheets should also be reviewed to ensure they support payroll.” Educational assistant Devyln Green ended her employment in May 2014, but auditors found that she continued to receive direct deposits to her personal bank account until December 2016, according to the news release. As a result, she received salary overpayments totaling $33,511. The school system also paid the employer portion of her Social Security and Medicare totaling $2,564 and contributed $1,770 to the state’s retirement system on her behalf. Bus driver Milton Waller ended his employment with Lauderdale County in October 2016, but continued to receive direct deposits totaling $4,459 through mid-February. The school system also paid the employer portion of Waller’s Social Security and Medicare totaling $341. The director of schools first disclosed the payments…

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Dan Walker, Candidate for State Rep. in 57th District: ‘I Stand Alongside Every Elected Official at the Local or State Level Who Opposes Nashville’s Proposed Sanctuary City’

Dan Walker, a candidate for State Representative in the 57th District, which is currently represented by State Rep. Susan Lynn (R-Mt. Juliet), released a statement on the proposed Nashville sanctuary city ordinance to The Tennessee Star late Tuesday. “As a candidate for State Representative of the 57th District I stand alongside every elected official at the local or state level who opposes Nashville’s proposed sanctuary city ordinance. This needs to be a united fight and together it will be defeated,” Walker said. “I will fight against this legislation, which ties the hands of the local law enforcement officials to incarcerate illegals who have an outstanding felony,” Walker added: This will cause Nashville and surrounding cities to be a safe haven for illegal immigrant crime activity. We the people need to stand together to keep the Metro Nashville area protected from any further crime and drug activity. It is important to keep our state’s capital city and tourism base secure. Real leadership is needed in Nashville on Capitol Hill. As a military veteran, I signed an oath to uphold the Constitution and protect my country against all enemies both foreign and domestic. With your vote I will take this fight to…

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Now It’s 65 Members of the Tennessee House of Representatives Who Oppose Nashville’s Sanctuary City Ordinance

Two more Republican members of the Tennessee House of Representatives have joined their 63 colleagues in expressing their opposition to Nashville proposed sanctuary city ordinance. On Monday, State Rep. Judd Matheny, State Rep. Bryan Terry and State Rep. Sheila Butt released a letter signed by 63 Republican members of the House expressing their opposition to the controversial ordinance, which will receive a third and final reading at the Metro Nashville Council meeting on July 6. On Tuesday, State Rep. Susan Lynn (R-Mt. Juliet) and State Rep. Kevin Brooks (R-Cleveland) released their own letter, bringing the total number of Republican members of the Tennessee House of Representatives on the record in opposition to the proposed sanctuary city ordinance to 65. The press release provided to The Tennessee Star by Rep. Kevin Brooks on his official letterhead dated June 26, 2017, states: Wilson and Bradley County Representatives Express Strong Opposition to Sanctuary City Ordinances (NASHVILLE) – Representatives Susan Lynn (R-Wilson) and Representative Kevin Brooks (R-Bradley) today expressed disapproval of two ordinances proposed by Metro Councilmen Bob Mendes and Colby Sledge.  The ordinances would in effect make Nashville a sanctuary city. “In 2009, the state legislature made it clear that sanctuary cities are prohibited in Tennessee.  I…

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Latinos For Tennessee Finds New Venue For Event Tonight After Being Turned Away Elsewhere

  Latinos For Tennessee has found a new venue for their quarterly networking event tonight after another restaurant suddenly canceled on them Monday. Those involved or friendly with the conservative political advocacy group sometimes face harassment for their views. Executive director Raul Lopez told The Tennessee Star he thinks the group’s recent opposition to the Metro Council’s proposed “sanctuary city” ordinance has made critics even more upset. But Lopez said his group will keep forging ahead despite the pressure. “They can’t stop us,” he said. The group was set to meet tonight at Salsa Puerto Rican and Latin Cuisine, a restaurant on the edge of downtown Nashville. The event was scheduled weeks in advance, but the restaurant notified Lopez on Monday that they’d have to cancel because they were overbooked. Lopez called it “a major coincidence.” The Tennessee Star was unable to reach anyone at the restaurant for comment. Lopez said the group has met there in the past without any problems. In recent days, Latinos For Tennessee had decided to address the proposed ordinance at tonight’s meeting and invited speakers to talk about it. Some backed out because of hostility they faced for affiliating with the group, Lopez said. Councilman Robert…

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BREAKING: Sponsors of Nashville’s ‘Sanctuary City’ Ordinance To Pull July 6 Vote On Bill

Tennessee Star

Sponsors of Metro Council’s proposed “sanctuary city” ordinance are saying they will not ask their fellow council members to vote on the bill July 6 as originally scheduled. In an email to their colleagues obtained by The Tennessee Star, council members Bob Mendes and Colby Sledge said they are working on plans to hold a press conference Wednesday with other advocates of the bill to discuss the matter. The Tuesday afternoon email followed a public statement in the morning by Mayor Megan Barry asking the council to reconsider the ordinance. Barry raised concerns resulting from the release Monday of a written opinion from Metro’s law director, who said the council can’t legally keep the sheriff from cooperating with federal immigration officials. She also said the Metro Nashville Police Department has concerns about the proposed ordinance. Metro Council passed the bill on a second reading last week, but opposition to the ordinance has grown fast in recent days, with nine state senators now joining 63 House members in opposition, with more expected. A grassroots movement is also mobilizing to stop the bill. In their email, Mendes and Sledge said they need more time to review the law director’s legal opinion. It was unclear…

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Nine State Senators Join 63 House Members in Opposing Nashville Sanctuary City Ordinance, More Expected

Tennessee Star

  Nine State Senators released a letter Tuesday joining the 63 members of the Tennessee House of Representatives who on Monday expressed their unequivocal opposition to a proposed sanctuary city ordinance that awaits a third and final vote in Metro Nashville Council on July 6. The Council passed the controversial ordinance on second reading June 20 in a 25 to 8 vote. The letter was released by the office of State Senator Mae Beavers (R-Mt. Juliet), an announced candidate for the Republican nomination for governor, and is signed (physically or virtually) by eight additional State Senators, including State Senator Paul Bailey (R-Sparta), Senator Mike Bell (R-Riceville), Senator Mark Green (R-Clarksville), Kerry Roberts (R-Springfield), Senator Ferrell Haile (R-Gallatin), Senator Joey Hensley (R-Hohenwald), Senator Jack Johnson (R-Franklin), and Janice Bowling (R-Tullahoma). The two-page statement begins: With the Second Reading of the Ordinances filed by Metro Councilmen Bob Mendes and Colby Sledge having passed and a vote pending from the Metro Council, we are compelled to make public the intent and purposes of this Ordinance and to make it known that as Representatives of the State of Tennessee, we soundly object to their passage. Tennessee is currently being represented by the Thomas More Law Center…

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Professional Educators of Tennessee To Hold Event Friday in Mufreesboro

Tennessee Star

Professional Educators of Tennessee (ProEd) will host an event Friday at Middle Tennessee State University offering classes and the latest news on where the state is headed in K-12 public education. Leader U is for educators, public school parents, business and community leaders, and the media. ProEd is a nonpartisan teacher association headquartered in Nashville. The keynote speaker will be Tedx Talk Speaker Ryan Jackson, the executive lead principal of the Mt. Pleasant Arts Innovation Zone in Maury County, the nation’s first K-12 STEAM campus. He will discuss the importance of creating a sense of student belonging in the classroom based on research conducted during his years teaching for Metro Nashville Public Schools. Teacher leaders and presenters from across the state will lead professional development classes on topics related to poverty, trauma, special needs and more. Classes are tailored to meet the needs of teachers and administrators at all levels, and multiple classes are available for up to six TASL credits. College students and new teachers can also benefit from the networking opportunity and classes on financial literacy, advice for new teachers, technology and project-based learning. In addition, the following ProEd award recipients will be recognized: Michael Ridenour Advocate of…

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Challenger Jeremy Hayes Calls Out State Rep. Susan Lynn’s Failure to Oppose Nashville’s ‘Sanctuary City’ Ordinance

Tennessee Star

  The Tennessee Star reported Monday that fully 63 of the 99 State Representatives signed a letter opposing the Metro Nashville Council’s ordinance proposal, BL2017-739, to make Music City a criminal-friendly ‘sanctuary city.’ One of the names missing from the letter was Representative Susan Lynn, and challenger Jeremy Hayes noticed. “I am extremely disheartened, but not surprised that my opponent did not feel the need to sign the letter, with the sixty-three other representatives, informing the Metro Council this bill will not be accepted. Bills like this are illegal, thanks to laws that Joe Carr sponsored, and even metro council’s attorney, John Cooper, has said that the bill cannot be enforced” said Hayes in a statement. He added: This is the reason I am running for office, because my opponent has sold out to special interest groups, and no longer cares about representing our district, even when our families are at risk. I am sure that once she see’s not speaking out against the “Sanctuary City” bill is politically damaging she will be motivated to act, but we need leadership in our district, not someone who has to judge the political tides before they say something. When elected I will fight…

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BREAKING: Nashville Mayor Megan Barry Asks Metro Council To Reconsider ‘Sanctuary City’ Ordinance

Tennessee Star

Nashville Mayor Megan Barry released a statement Tuesday morning asking the Metro Council to reconsider an ordinance that would restrict local cooperation with federal immigration officials. The ordinance passed on a second reading last week and is up for a final vote July 6. Barry was acting in response to a formal legal opinion issued Monday by Metro Law Director Jon Cooper stating that the ordinance could not be applied to the Davidson County Sheriff’s Office. Barry said: It is clear from this legal opinion that BL2017-739 does not apply to Sheriff Daron Hall, who has said he will continue to honor detainer requests from the federal government. Additionally, the Metro Nashville Police Department has concerns that the ordinance would prohibit them from recommending U visa applications for immigrants who are victims of crime and willing to help put dangerous criminals in jail. Losing that law enforcement tool could jeopardize public safety and would run counter to the intentions of the sponsors to make Nashville a more welcoming city for New Americans. The Metro Council should give serious consideration to these factors and reconsider whether this legislation is appropriate or necessary at this time. In his legal opinion, Cooper said that…

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Gubernatorial Candidate Mae Beavers Proud of 63 GOP House Members Who Expressed Opposition to Nashville Sanctuary City Ordinance

Tennessee Star

“I am proud of Representatives Judd Matheny, Bryan Terry, Sheila Butt, and the other 60 Republican State House members who expressed their opposition to the proposed Sanctuary City plan for Nashville that is headed towards a final vote on July 6,” State Senator Mae Beavers (R-Mt. Juliet), an announced candidate for the Republican nomination for governor, told The Tennessee Star Monday evening. “I hope the remaining House Republican caucus members will immediately add their names to the letter and that House Democrats will also speak up against Mayor Barry’s embrace and endorsement of illegal activity that threatens the safety and security of our state,” Beavers added. The Republican gubernatorial candidate then made her own significant announcement. “I plan to circulate the same letter among ALL my Senate colleagues and hope we can show the same sort of leadership the House Republicans have demonstrated in denouncing the illegal scheme that Nashville’s Metro Council is pursuing,” Beavers said. “It is time for the Democrats to join us in opposing a plan that puts Tennesseans at continued risk of both losing their jobs AND the security we all want for our families. It is impossible to condone illegal activity and also expect our community…

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Metro Nashville’s Own Lawyer Says Proposed Sanctuary City Ordinance ‘Not Enforceable’

Metro Nashville’s “Director of Law Jon Cooper has found that Davidson County Sheriff Daron Hall would not be bound by the council’s ordinance prohibiting him from cooperating with federal authorities on immigration,” Nick Beres reported early Tuesday morning at NewsChannel 5: An opinion from Metro’s legal director has found that the proposed immigration ordinance in Nashville is not enforceable. . . Metro’s Director of Law Jon Cooper has found that Davidson County Sheriff Daron Hall would not be bound by the council’s ordinance prohibiting him from cooperating with federal authorities on immigration. Not only that, Cooper found that the ordinance would not be enforceable because it violates the Metro Charter. “Sheriff Hall has said all along he would not honor the ordinance because it’s a public safety issue,” NewsChannel 5 reported:   “To ask me to ignore everything with immigration is to let that person go who is a serious criminal local violator or federal immigration violator,” Hall said. Hall also said he didn’t believe the council had the authority to tell him how to do his job, and the city attorney agreed. This legal opinion from the city’s own attorney could kill or possibly delay the final vote on…

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Gubernatorial Candidate Bill Lee: ‘Creating a Sanctuary City in Nashville Puts Our Entire State At Risk’

Republican gubernatorial candidate Bill Lee released a statement Monday evening offering “Comments on Tennessee House Member’s Statement on Nashville City Council Sanctuary City Proposal.” On Monday afternoon, the office of State Rep. Judd Matheny (R-Tullahoma) released a statement prepared by Matheny, State Rep. Bryan Terry (R-Murfreesoboro) and State Rep. Sheila Butt (R-Columbia) and signed by 63 Republican members of the Tennessee House of Representatives imploring members of the Metro Nashville City Council to reject a proposed sanctuary city ordinance. “I am 100% opposed to ‘sanctuary cities.’ Creating a ‘sanctuary city’ in Nashville puts our entire state at risk and as Governor, I would use every tool at my disposal to halt the adoption of these types of policies,” Lee said in the statement. “We are a welcoming and compassionate state. Tennesseans want to ensure those who come here do so legally and safely. A ‘sanctuary city’ policy ensures the opposite,” Lee concluded in his statement.

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OFF THE RECORD: Commenter Nails Gubernatorial Candidate ‘La Raza Randy’

Tennessee Star

  Tennessee Star readers are the bomb when it comes to creative, but fact-anchored monikers for Tennessee’s public figures. Yesterday’s story about gubernatorial candidate Randy Boyd and his quarter of a million dollar donation to a Nashville La Raza affiliate while still not dissing Metro Nashville for wanting to formally become the MOST LIBERAL SANCTUARY CITY IN THE U.S., seems to have inspired a Tennessee Star reader to comment on our story Monday, “Gubernatorial Candidate Randy Boyd Donated $250,000 to La Raza Affiliate And Has Not Renounced Nashville Sanctuary City Ordinance,” that “La Raza Randy . . . shows his real colors.” So now, “La Raza Randy” joins “Boss Doss” in our list of favorite fact-anchored monikers, because public figures aren’t entitled to be insulated from ridicule for the decisions they may ultimately wish they hadn’t made. The Tennessee Star is in the business of reporting FACTS. Unfortunately, we can’t help it if the FACTS show that when Boyd made his $250,000 donation, “the single largest individual gift” to the coffers of a named La Raza affiliate the founder and director of the Nashville organization was also already…. the Chairman of the Board of….La Raza! “La Raza Randy”? Sort of rolls off your tongue.  

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FACT’S David Fowler: Supreme Court Trampled States’ Rights In Ruling Creating Birth Certificate Rights For Same-Sex Couples

U.S. Supreme Court

The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday ruled that Arkansas must put the names of same-sex couples on children’s birth certificates, a decision David Fowler, president of the Family Action Council of Tennessee, said reflects the high court “again eroding the rights of the states.” Justice Neil Gorsuch dissented in an opinion joined by Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito. The decision reversed an Arkansas Supreme Court ruling that upheld a state law defining the other spouse as the woman’s husband and presumed father. Alabama’s highest court had said “it does not violate equal protection to acknowledge basic biological truths.” The plaintiffs in the case before the U.S. Supreme Court were two married lesbian couples who had children through anonymous sperm donation. One woman in each couple gave birth and wanted her partner to be listed as her spouse, but the state would only issue certificates with the birth mother’s name. The presumption of motherhood for lesbian partners is “irrational, illogical and impossible,” Fowler told The Tennessee Star. Fowler said that when the high court moved to “deconstruct marriage” in a 2015 ruling that struck down state bans on same-sex marriage, it “started the process of deconstructing the family as a whole.” Birth…

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Commentary: DHS Grant of Half-Million Dollars To Masjid Muhammad A Mistake

  by ConservativeHQ.com Staff During the Obama years the Department of Homeland Security and other domestic security agencies, such as the FBI, were scrubbed of any mention of Islam as the driving force behind terrorism. This led to the bizarre situation where jihadi organizations and Muslims with clear ties to terrorist organizations, such as Hamas and the Muslim Brotherhood being embraced by Obama as part of his “Countering Violent Extremism” or CVE project. This would be the same project that sought to whitewash Muslim terrorism and Islam’s violent precepts, while painting right-to-life advocates, patriotic veterans and limited government constitutional conservatives as potential terrorists. The Trump administration and Department of Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly have made some progress in dismantling that nonsense, but remnants of it persist, especially in the federal grants to community organizations to fight against recruitment of Americans to terrorist groups. Recently, the Department handed out 26 different grants and as our friend Tim Brown at Freedomoutpost.com pointed out, among those was none other than Masjid Muhammad, Inc., which received $531,195. Masjid Muhammad of Atlantic City Located in Atlantic City, the organization offers prayer services, Islamic studies classes, online classes and other services to the Muslim community.…

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Speaker Beth Harwell Keynote Speaker at Grainger County GOP Lincoln Day Dinner

Tennessee Star

RUTLEDGE, Tennessee – The Grainger County Republican Party had an impressive turnout of about 150 people at their Lincoln Day Dinner on Saturday, June 24 held in the nicely decorated Grainger County High School cafeteria, that featured Speaker Beth Harwell (R-Nashville) as the keynote speaker. Harwell was introduced by Sen. Frank Nicely (R-Strawberry Plains) during the Legislative Welcome by him and Rep. Jerry Sexton (R-Bean Station).  Nicely’s comments were limited to “making everyone mad” as he put it, by saying that if she decides to run, he would be supporting Beth Harwell for governor. Speaker Harwell spoke on the three pillars of the Republican Party:  That Government is best which lives within its means; that government is best which governs least; and, that government is best which is closest to the people.  While she provided examples of where she thinks Tennessee has succeeded in those areas, the politically engaged would have plenty of material to critique in terms of Harwell omitting the recent fuel tax and fee increases of the IMPROVE Act, the backstory as to who supported or tried to subvert the legislative advances she cited, and how much work remains to fully live up to the three pillars. The agenda also…

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Gubernatorial Candidate Randy Boyd Is High Bidder For Custom Chair He Says He Will Put In The Governor’s Office

RUTLEDGE, Tennessee – Rep. Jerry Sexton (R-Bean Station), owner of upholstered furniture company Sexton Furniture Manufacturing, donated a striking, custom-made chair embroidered with the Republican party elephant mascot and the words “Grainger County Republicans … Always Right” as a fund raiser for the Grainger County GOP Lincoln Day Dinner held Saturday evening. The chair was one of about two dozen items donated for the auction, intended as fund raisers for the local Republican party. The chair was the final auction item and garnered the greatest haul, with a high bid of $625 by gubernatorial candidate, Randy Boyd. When the bidding was done and as attendees slowly made their way out the doors, Boyd graciously posed for pictures. Predicting the outcomes of both the August 2018 Republican primary and the November 2018 general election, Boyd told Sexton he wanted to have the chair for the governor’s office.  

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Another Loony Liberal: Cy Vance, Manhattan DA, Says Concealed Carry Reciprocity Bill Is Supported by ISIS

Manhattan District Attorney Cy Vance says the congressional bill requiring states to recognize out-of-state concealed carry permits plays into the hands of deadly terrorists. “This bill is supported, I am sure, by ISIS,” Mr. Vance said of the Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act during a radio interview with John Catsimatidis, the New York Post reported. Mr. Vance…

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Rally to Stop Metro Nashville Sanctuary City Ordinance Planned for July 6, Day of Scheduled Final Vote

Organizers of a rally planned to stop the proposed sanctuary city ordinance tell The Tennessee Star the event will be held outside Metro Nashville Council’s chambers in front of the Metro Nashville Courthouse at the corner of 3rd Avenue and Union Street in downtown Nashville at 4:30 pm on Thursday, July 6. The rally will start an hour and a half before the Metro Nashville Council meeting begins where the vote on the third and final reading of the controversial sanctuary city ordinance is scheduled to be held. After the rally, attendees will go inside the Courthouse for the Council meeting in anticipation of the vote on the third reading. T-shirts saying “Keep Nashville Safe. Just Vote No,” will be available at the rally. As The Star reported, the Metro Nashville Council voted 25 to 8 in favor of the proposed ordinance at a second reading held at its June 20th meeting. On Monday, organizers formed a 501 (c) 4 non-profit organization, Tying Nashville Together, Inc., whose sole purpose will be to stop the sanctuary city bill. A website and Facebook page will be up soon, organizers tell The Star. Founding board members will be announced later this week. On…

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White House Responds to the Predictably Dour CBO Score of the American Healthcare Act

Tennessee Star

  Within an hour of the ‘non-partisan’ Congressional Budget Office’s report showing, among other things, that over 22 million Americans would lose their insurance coverage over the next decade, President Trump issued the following statement: The CBO has consistently proven it cannot accurately predict how healthcare legislation will impact insurance coverage. This history of inaccuracy, as demonstrated by its flawed report on coverage, premiums, and predicted deficit arising out of Obamacare, reminds us that its analysis must not be trusted blindly.  In 2013, the CBO estimated that 24 million people would have coverage under Obamacare by 2016.  It was off by an astounding 13 million people – more than half—as less than 11 million were actually covered.  Then, CBO estimated that 30 million fewer people would be uninsured in 2016, but then it had to reduce its estimate to 22 million, further illustrating its inability to present reliable healthcare predictions. We know the facts.  To date, we have seen average individual market premiums more than double and insurers across the country opting out of healthcare exchanges.  As more and more people continue to lose coverage and face fewer healthcare choices, President Trump is committed to repealing and replacing Obamacare, which…

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Two Tennessee Families Split Reward Money In Georgia Convicts Case

Two Tennessee families are splitting $20,000 in reward money for help in catching two Georgia convicts accused of killing two guards and escaping from a prison bus, reports the Associated Press. The names of the recipients are being withheld at their request, according to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation. Each household has been given $10,000. A total of $130,000 had been offered for information leading to the arrests of Ricky Dubose and Donnie Rowe. It wasn’t clear if or when other funds might be distributed. The men, who escaped June 13, held a Shelbyville couple at gunpoint in their home and stole their vehicle on June 15. The husband alerted police and a chase ensued with the fugitives firing at officers before they crashed the vehicle. Dubose and Rowe ended up on foot at the home of Patrick Hale in Rutherford County later that same day. In an unusual turn of events, the men surrendered to Hale and were taken into custody when deputies arrived. Hale had loaded his weapons when he heard the men were in the area, but did not have to take out a gun, he said at a press conference June 16. A Georgia prosecutor has said he…

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63 Members of Tennessee House of Representatives Object to Passage of Nashville’s Proposed Sanctuary City Ordinance

Tennessee Star

  Sixty-three members of the 99 member Tennessee House of Representatives, all Republicans, released a statement opposing the passage of a proposed sanctuary city ordinance by Metro Nashville Council. “With the Second Reading of the Ordinances filed by Metro Councilmen Bob Mendes and Colby Sledge having passed and a vote pending from the Metro Council, we are compelled to make public the intent and purposes of this Ordinance and to make it known that as Representatives of the State of Tennessee, we soundly object to their passage. Tennessee is currently being represented by the Thomas More Law Center in a lawsuit questioning the ongoing practice of settling refugees in Tennessee through various non-governmental organizations without the proper vetting, channels or protocol being followed,” State Rep. Judd Matheny (R-Tullahoma), State Rep. Bryan Terry (R-Murfreesboro), and State Rep. Sheila Butt (R-Columbia) said in a statement released on Monday from Matheny’s office: The Ordinances would formally put policies in place that would officially make Nashville a Sanctuary City. In essence, the Ordinances would: 1) Prohibit Metro Nashville employees from inquiring into anyone’s immigration status, effectively enabling illegal aliens to access public benefits they would otherwise be barred from using. This practice is not…

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Latinos For Tennessee Opposes Nashville’s Proposed ‘Sanctuary City’ Ordinance

Tennessee Star

Latinos For Tennessee is opposing the “sanctuary city” ordinance being considered by Metro Council that would restrict cooperation with federal immigration officials in Nashville and Davidson County. The ordinance passed a second reading last week and will be considered for a final vote July 6. Tommy Vallejos, chairman of the conservative group, issued the following statement in a news release: Nashville’s decision to create a sanctuary city is an affront to the rule of law and puts the well-being of the entire state at risk by blatantly ignoring federal immigration law. True compassion for our community means upholding the rule of law—one of the central pillars of any free, fair and secure society. The Davidson County Sheriff opposes this proposal, and we agree that tying the hands of local law enforcement is not only legally questionable, but it’s dangerous. Just last week in Virginia, Darwin Martinez Torres was arrested for brutally killing a 17-year-old girl. Torres is an illegal immigrant who should not have been in this country at all—he had already been held on local charges that made him removable from the United States. Nashville’s Metro Council still has time to prevent this ordinance from being enacted by rejecting the…

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BREAKING: Supreme Court Partly Reinstates Trump Travel and Refugee Bans

U.S. Supreme Court

  The Associated Press is reporting that ” The Supreme Court is letting a limited version of the Trump administration ban on travel from six mostly Muslim countries to take effect, a victory for President Donald Trump in the biggest legal controversy of his young presidency.” The court said Monday the ban on visitors from Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen could be enforced as long as they lack a “credible claim of a bona fide relationship with a person or entity in the United States.” The justices will hear arguments in the case in October. Trump said last week that the ban would take effect 72 hours after being cleared by courts. The Trump administration said the 90-day ban was needed to allow an internal review of the screening procedures for visa applicants from those countries. That review should be complete before Oct. 2, the first day the justices could hear arguments in their new term. In addition, the Supreme Court granted the Trump administration a win on its 120 ban on refugees, as the Associated Press reported: A 120-ban on refugees also is being allowed to take effect on a limited basis. Three of the court’s conservative…

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Republican Congressman Steve Scalise, Injured in Shooting, Upgraded to Fair Condition and Moved Out of Intensive Care

U.S. Representative Steve Scalise, who was shot and seriously injured in an attack on Republican lawmakers last week, is in fair condition and was moved out of the intensive care unit earlier this week, hospital officials said Saturday. The Louisiana lawmaker, a member of the House Republican leadership, has had “continued good progress,” MedStar Washington Hospital…

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Retired Marine Staff Sergeant and Trump Supporter Kat Gates-Skipper Honors Wounded Veterans at Warren County GOP Event

  Kathryn “Kat” Gates-Skipper, a 20-year Marine Corps veteran and early supporter of President Donald Trump, whose campaign she served as a veterans advocate, was the featured speaker at the Warren County Republican Party Lincoln-Reagan Day Dinner Saturday night at the Westwood Church of Christ in McMinville. Warren County Republican Party Chairman Ben Nixon introduced Gates-Skipper to the crowd of 200, the largest Warren County Lincoln-Reagan Day Dinner crowd in recent memory. Bishop noted that Gates-Skipper, a staff sergeant in the Marine Corps, was “the holder of many military ‘firsts for women,’” and is married to  “Army veteran Charles Skipper, who was decorated for his service in Vietnam.” She and her husband are parents of four children and four grandchildren, Bishop noted. “In addition to running two businesses, work on the Trump campaign and continuing her activism for veterans, Kat has recently launched her campaign for County Commission of Polk County, Florida,” Bishop added. Gates-Skipper wowed the crowd with her compelling personal story. “I consider myself a ‘True Marine, because I was literally born on the shores of Tripoli. I was adopted at 18 hours old, by an Air Force Colonel and his wife. I became part of the Peters’…

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Knox County Mayor Tim Burchett Says He’s Not Running For Governor, But Guarantees He Will Be On The Ballot In 14 Months

RUTLEDGE, Tennessee – At the Grainger County GOP Lincoln Day Dinner Saturday evening, Knox County Mayor Tim Burchett, invited to speak during the “Comments From 2018 Candidates and Political Guests” portion of the agenda, after joking that “These primaries make everybody nervous,” ended the suspense when he said, “I’m not running for governor.” Burchett later said, “You’ll see me on the ballot in about 14 months, I can guarantee it,” but gave no indication as to which office he would be seeking.  Burchett will be term-limited out of office as Mayor of Knox County in 2018.  There have been rumors that he has considered a run for Tennessee governor, as he has been teasing pundits that all options are on the table. Burchett’s comments immediately began speculation that he may run for either the U.S. Senate seat currently held by Senator Bob Corker (R-TN), or the Congressional seat currently held by Rep. John J. “Jimmy” Duncan (R-TN-02) Gubernatorial candidates State Sen. Mae Beavers (R-Mt. Juliet) and businessman Randy Boyd were both in attendance, as was House Speaker Beth Harwell (R-Nashville) who gave the keynote address and has been rumored to be considering a primary run as the Republican candidate for…

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British Parliament Targeted With ‘Sustained And Determined’ Cyberattack

Hackers have attempted to breach internet accounts associated with the U.K. Parliament, British authorities said Saturday, triggering a security response that left lawmakers unable to access their emails outside of Westminster this weekend. The Houses of Parliament “discovered unauthorized attempts to access accounts of parliamentary network users” and is actively investigating the incident in coordination with…

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Mae Beavers at Grainger County GOP Lincoln Day Dinner: ‘Illegals Are Costing Us Somewhere Between $400 to $600 Million A Year’

RUTLEDGE, Tennessee — In her remarks as a gubernatorial candidate at the Grainger County Republican Party Lincoln Day Dinner Saturday night, Sen. Mae Beavers (R-Mt. Juliet) relayed her strong voting record against special privileges for illegal aliens, and reported that, “Illegals are costing us somewhere between $400 to $600 million a year for education, for food stamps, for housing, for all those things that we have to pick up after Catholic Charities and other organizations bring them in here.” Beavers shared that Donald Trump’s stance on illegal immigration was one of the main reasons she decided to support him for president.  She went on to be an at-large delegate for Trump, garnering more votes than any other delegate, and was later elected by the Tennessee delegation as the state’s delegation chair, an honor usually reserved for the governor of the state. In light of the recent controversy over two Metro Nashville/Davidson County ordinances that would make Nashville the most liberal sanctuary city in the United States Beavers noted that she voted for the 2009 bill that made sanctuary cities illegal in Tennessee. “That’s been in the news the past few days with Nashville and Nashville’s Mayor pushing sanctuary cities,” Beavers…

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Pentagon Has Greater Autonomy and Decision-Making Authority Under President Trump

Pentagon officials are welcoming the greater autonomy and decision-making authority under President Trump, after what they say were years of Obama administration micromanaging. Within the hallways and offices of the Pentagon, top military brass and national security leaders have lauded the actions taken by the Trump administration, saying privately that the Defense Department now has an…

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Commentary: Democrats in Disarray Over Pelosi and Party’s Future

Tennessee Star

Just days after their Party received a crushing blow in a special election for Georgia’s Sixth district, Democratic lawmakers struggled to agree on a way forward to repair their party’s electoral fortunes. On the Sunday shows, Democratic members of Congress particularly clashed over whether House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi should continue to lead their caucus. Republicans…

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Trump: ‘Resist’ Movement Has Backfired on Democrats by Turning Off Voters with ‘Terrible’ Message

President Trump said Sunday that the left’s “resist” campaign has backfired on Democrats by saddling them with a “terrible theme” that voters are rejecting. “That’s a terrible word. Think of it. Their theme is ‘resist.’ Their theme should be, ‘Let’s get together. Envelop. Let’s get together,’” Mr. Trump said in an interview aired Sunday on “Fox…

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Sen. Bernie Sanders Rips California Democrats for Pulling $400 Billion Single-Payer Bill, Asks Supporters to Pressure State Legislature

Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders lashed out Saturday at California Democrats for shelving an ambitious single-payer bill, urging them to vote on the health-care legislation estimated to cost $400 billion per year. California Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon announced Friday that Senate Bill 562 had been pulled indefinitely because it “does not address many serious issues,” including “financing,…

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Gubernatorial Candidate Randy Boyd Donated $250,000 to La Raza Affiliate And Has Not Renounced Nashville Sanctuary City Ordinance

  Almost immediately after the Metro Nashville Council voted on second reading to pass a sanctuary city ordinance last week, Congressman Diane Black (R-TN-06), State Rep. Judd Matheny (R-Tullahoma) and gubernatorial candidates, Mae Beavers and Bill Lee, issued strong rebukes to the city’s move to violate federal and state law. The Randy Boyd campaign, despite being asked directly by The Tennessee Star for a comment regarding the proposed Nashville ordinance, did not respond. In a state where The Tennessee Star’s polling results showed that 1,007 likely Republican primary voters rejected in-state college tuition for illegal aliens by a stunning 84 percent to 11 percent margin and where 1.5 million voters helped elect President Trump, Boyd’s silence on a key immigration issue, could prove costly to his campaign. Three days after announcing his candidacy for governor on March 6, 2017, The Star reported on Boyd’s $250,000 donation in 2016 to Conexion Americas, an affiliate partner of the National Council of La Raza (NC La Raza). Renata Soto, co- founder and executive director of Conexion Americas served for three years as vice-president of the NC La Raza Board and was elected to lead the NC La Raza board in 2015, the year before Boyd made his donation. Days later The Star asked Boyd whether he knew…

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Faith: Verse of the Day for Monday, June 26

Tennessee Star - Verse of the Day

  VERSE OF THE DAY Be blessed and be a blessing June 26, Monday Joshua 24:15 And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the LORD, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.” Psalm 80:18 Then we shall not turn back from you; give us life, and we will call upon your name! John 10:10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.

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Donald Trump Signs VA Accountability Act Into Law, Promises Better Care for Veterans

President Trump signed a law Friday that makes it easier for the Department of Veterans Affairs to fire employees for wrongdoing and adds protections for whistleblowers in the VA. Responding to an Obama-era scandal in which veterans died waiting for doctor’s appointments, Mr. Trump said the Department of Veterans Affairs Accountability and Whistleblower Protection Act of…

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James Mattis Irks Leftist Media, Saying of ISIS, ‘We’re Going to Kill Them All’

ANALYSIS/OPINION: U.S. retired general and Secretary of Defense, James Mattis, has said the policy of the American military now in the fight against the Islamic State in Iraq is moving from one of attrition to one of annihilation. The Leftist media doesn’t like this so much. The Washington Post in particular yesterday was upset that Mattis…

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