This is why the United Nations is virtually useless – and anti-American. The U.N. Security Council is mulling a draft resolution that would overturn President Donald Trump’s announced recognition of Jerusalem as the capital city of Israel.
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Despite a booming economy and a general peace, Republicans could lose both chambers of Congress in 2018 elections, say GOP political observers. With recent statewide losses in Alabama, New Jersey and Virginia, Republicans face a big challenge in retaining control of Congress. It’s a bleak picture with less than a year to go for crucial midterm elections, but Republicans can escape minority status, according to GOP political experts.
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Republican gubernatorial candidate and former State Senator Mae Beavers (R-Mt. Juliet) released a statement on Thursday criticizing the Memphis City Council for a series of actions that resulted in the removal of statues in Memphis parks under the cover of darkness Wednesday night honoring Confederate General Nathan Bedford Forrest and Jefferson Davis. “Our history is not perfect, nor are the historical figures who helped shape our state and nation, but it is wrong to destroy these public monuments suddenly and in the dark of night in order to cater to the politically motivated demands of those who want to cleanse our history,” Beavers said, adding: There are some individuals and groups who want to promote a divisive agenda using claims of racism and bigotry against anyone who respects history and wants to preserve it. Sadly that rhetoric, and weak-kneed politicians unwilling to stand up to them and their threats of violence if they don’t get their way, is creating a climate where hysteria seems to matter more than history. Removing these historical monuments won’t help a single child in Memphis do better in school. Perhaps the Memphis City Council should worry more about the abysmal test scores being produced in…
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Confederate monuments on what was until recently city property were taken down in Memphis after the sun set on Wednesday with little advance public discussion of the propriety of the actions taken secretively to circumvent state law. Whether the actions of the Memphis City Council and Mayor Jim Strickland that caused these stealth take downs of Confederate monuments Wednesday legally circumvent state law, or are in fact a brazen violation of state law, is a matter that members of the Tennessee General Assembly are sure to investigate when they convene in Nashville next month. It is unclear whether Mayor Strickland or Memphis officials sought a legal opinion from Tennessee Attorney General Herbert Slatery on their legal right to undertake these actions. According to a recent Tennessee Star Poll, 64 percent of Tennessee Republican likely primary voters are more likely to vote for a candidate who opposes the removal of these monuments, while 26 percent are less likely to vote for a candidate who opposes the removal of these monuments. The Commercial Appeal was on the scene as crews arrived to carry out the removal of Confederate monuments, on order of the new owners, who bought the properties for a paltry $1000 each:…
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After a slight procedural snag, the House on Wednesday voted again on Republicans’ $1.5 trillion tax-cut plan, officially sending the measure to President Trump for his signature and following through on the GOP’s push to enact the most sweeping tax reform in three decades.
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Reuters is reporting Chief US District Judge Gloria Navarro is declaring a mistrial is the government’s highly controversial criminal prosecution of Cliven Bundy over a range-land dispute that led to a days-long armed standoff in 2014: Bundy, two of his sons and another man had been charged with 15 counts of criminal conspiracy and other violations stemming from the confrontation, which galvanized right-wing militia groups challenging federal authority over vast tracts of public lands in the American West. U.S. District Judge Gloria Navarro told federal prosecutors that they had willfully violated evidence rules and failed to turn over pertinent documents to the defense. Navarro had warned prosecutors last week that she might declare a mistrial after listing documents previously undisclosed by prosecutors that could be used to impeach government witnesses or bolster defendants’ arguments that they felt surrounded by government snipers prior to the standoff. In a stinging rebuke on Wednesday, Navarro said prosecutors knew or should have known of the existence of memos from FBI agents that may have been helpful to the defense. Those memos and other documents, some 3,300 pages in all, were not turned over until well after an Oct. 1 deadline, and then only after repeated efforts by…
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As two Tennessee counties prepare lawsuits against pharmaceutical companies that manufacture opioids, a third Tennessee local government appears poised to join the fray: Metropolitan Nashville Government. Tuesday’s Metro Nashville council meeting included a motion to reconsider a days-old resolution authorizing the Mayor to “employ the law firm of Lieff Cabraser Heimann & Bernstein, LLP, as special counsel, on a contingent fee basis, to investigate, and if appropriate, pursue claims against manufacturers and distributors of prescription opioids that have wrongfully caused drug addiction in Davidson County and resulting economic harm to the Metropolitan Government.” The resolution, having already been approved, only had to survive this motion to reconsider. The roll call vote to reconsider the resolution failed, receiving only one vote in support, with 31 votes against. Nashville Public Radio broke the story: “Tennessee counties are joining the list of entities suing pharmaceutical companies over opioids. Smith County is the first to file suit in federal court. Davidson County is likely to follow after approval by the Metro Council Tuesday night.” The resolution makes serious allegations of wrongdoing by pharmaceutical companies, saying: “the interests of the Metropolitan Government require special counsel to investigate, and if appropriate, pursue litigation against manufacturers and distributors…
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State Senator Mark Green (R-Clarksville) announced Wednesday another conservative group, GOPAC, has endorsed him in his congressional run to represent to people of District 7 on the U. S. House of Representatives. “Because of Dr. Green’s active involvement in our programs, we can attest to his dedication to advancing ideas to make our lives easier, safer and better. His medical background of taking care of soldiers in combat as well as founding a healthcare company will bring a much-needed perspective to the conversation of fixing our broken healthcare system. Further, his work to end the Hall Income Tax will serve him well as President Trump and Congress push to give Americans a pay raise by reducing the federal tax burden.” GOPAC Chairman David Avella said in a statement, adding: The GOPAC Election Fund is focused on assisting GOPAC-affiliated state legislators running for federal office in their Primary and General Elections. Our endorsement includes receiving the maximum allowable federal contribution. In addition, GOPAC members and followers will be encouraged to donate directly to Dr. Green. We will also consider bolstering him through independent expenditures that will exclusively tout his biography and ideas for addressing the challenges facing America. Dr. Green responded,…
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by George Rasley When General Mike Flynn was ousted as President Trump’s National Security Advisor we observed that the President’s national security establishment had just been stripped of Trumpism, and we wondered if – going forward – it would revert to something like that of President George W. Bush – hire Bush’s people get Bush’s wars we opined. After reviewing the President’s new national security strategy, announced yesterday in a strategy document and speech, perhaps we were too pessimistic in our judgment. The President offered a clean break with the feckless Obama strategy of appeasing America’s enemies and confusing our allies – and he also offered a clean break with George W. Bush’s “Islam is a religion of peace” folly. President Trump identified the greatest transnational threats to the homeland as: Jihadist terrorists, using barbaric cruelty to commit murder, repression, and slavery, and virtual networks to exploit vulnerable populations and inspire and direct plots. Transnational criminal organizations, tearing apart our communities with drugs and violence and weakening our allies and partners by corrupting democratic institutions. Most importantly, the Trump alternative to Obama’s open borders and policy of ignoring Iran’s instigation of international terrorism, was presented with robust clarity: target threats at their…
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After a spate of so-called “#metoo” allegations of sexual harassment – along with photographic proof – former TV comic-turned-politician Senator Al Franken announced on the Senate floor last week that he would resign his office. In his Senate speech, however, he did not say when he would resign, only that it would be in ‘the coming weeks.’ After Judge Roy Moore was defeated in Alabama in the special election to replace Senator Jeff Sessions by Democrat Doug Jones, speculation that Franken would ‘un-resign’ ran rampant across the media in what could only be described as a trial balloon to see if the idea could gain support from key Democrats and the public at large. That possibility came crashing down on Wednesday as Franken announced he would be taking leave of his elected office on January 2. The legal blog Legal Insurrestion has a comprehensive review on the details of the scandal that most likely marks the end of Senator Al Franken’s generally unremarkable political career: Just breaking, Al Franken’s office has announced that his previously announced resignation will be effective January 2, 2018. The snowball started rolling downhill for Franken when he was accused of groping and non-consensually tongue-kissing a woman on USO tour,…
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Gubernatorial hopeful Mae Beavers and state Senator-elect Mark Pody issued a joint statement Wednesday praising Governor Bill Haslam for his decision to exonerate Lawrence McKinney. McKinney was wrongly convicted in 1978 for the brutal rape of a Shelby County woman and sentenced to 100 years behind bars. Throughout the trial and conviction, McKinney maintained he did not assault the woman in any way. Decades later, The Innocence Project took up his case, and in 2008, DNA testing proved that of the samples collected by law enforcement at the time of the crime, none belonged to McKinney. In June of 2009, McKinney’s conviction was vacated and he was released a month later. In all, he served 31 years in prison. Despite his proven innocence of this heinous crime, however, Governor Phil Bredesen declined requests to exonerate McKinney – a move that would qualify him to file a unlawful imprisonment claim with the Tennessee Board of Claims. That all changed with today’s decision by Governor Haslam. Here is the full text of Beavers and Pody’s statement: Gubernatorial candidate and former State Senator Mae Beavers as well as State Senator Elect Mark Pody expressed extreme gratitude to Governor Bill Haslam, who earlier Wednesday formally exonerated Lawrence McKinney…
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Chanting “undocumented and unafraid,” illegal aliens continued more than a month of protests at the Capitol on Wednesday as the House of Representatives cast the final vote in favor of President Trump’s Tax Cut and Jobs Act. “Hundreds of illegal immigrant ‘Dreamers’ were taking to the halls of the U.S. Capitol complex Wednesday to complain they were being left behind by congressional leaders working on a year-end deal that does not grant them full citizenship rights,” The Washington Times reported on Wednesday: The Dreamers were particularly angered that Democrats, who they were counting on to engage in a shutdown showdown over their fate, appear to have backed off and are willing to grant another month-long funding bill without a an solution in hand. The activists, wearing red stocking hats and T-shirts, marched and lay down in hallways to try to slow business in the office buildings that ring the Capitol. They broadcast the actions live on Facebook. “We want Dream Act,” protesters chanted, referring to a bill that would grant tentative legal status to more than 2 million illegal immigrants, and would see 1.7 million of them earn a green card signifying permanent legal presence, according to the Migration Policy…
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Rep. Diane Black (R-TN-06) has opened up a ten point lead over Randy Boyd, her closest rival for the Republican gubernatorial nomination in Tennessee, according to a new poll released by The Tennessee Star. Black received the support of 21 percent of likely Tennessee Republican primary voters to lead the field of five contenders, followed by Boyd in second place with 11 percent. Rounding out the bottom tier of candidates are Speaker of the Tennessee House Beth Harwell (R-Nashville) with 6 percent, Bill Lee with 4 percent, and former State Senator Mae Beavers (R-Mt. Juliet) with 3 percent. The good news for Black’s four rivals for the GOP nomination is that 52 percent of likely voters in the August 2018 Tennessee Republican gubernatorial primary are still undecided. The poll also provided information on Tennessee Republican voter attitudes on six key policy questions that are expected to drive the debate in the Republican gubernatorial primary over the next eight and a half months. Likely Tennessee Republican primary voters in 2018: Overwhelmingly oppose providing taxpayer subsidized in-state college tuition to illegal immigrant students by a whopping 88 percent to 6 percent margin, more than 14-to-1 against. Overwhelmingly oppose Republican candidates who accept…
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