Year: 2017

Shelby County Commissioner Van Turner is the Director of ‘Memphis Greenspace,’ Which Took Down Civil War Monuments

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The hasty removal of two Confederate monuments Wednesday overnight has sparked a number of questions into the specifics of the transaction between Memphis city officials and the virtually unknown non-profit corporation that bought the properties, called “Memphis Greenspace.” Shelby County Commission member Van Turner held a press conference Thursday to begin to answer those questions, beginning with the fact that he is the director of “Memphis Greenspace.” WREG News Channel 3 was in Memphis to cover the presser: Memphis Greenspace, the nonprofit group that purchased two controversial city parks Wednesday, announced plans for recently purchased public parks after the removal of two Confederate statues during a press conference Thursday morning. Memphis Greenspace plans to renovate the parks so they can be a safe place for children and more accessible to the public. Van Turner, the director of the non-profit organization and a Shelby County commissioner, led the press conference. He addressed critics of the purchase during the press conference. “This is not a shady deal. It’s a legal deal,” he said. “I presented this solution to Bruce McMullen, the city attorney for the city of Memphis, and he has consistently been an advocate for the removal of these statues legally.”…

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Tennessee House Republican Caucus Calls for Investigation into Removal of Confederate Statues in Memphis

Tennessee Star Staff

On Thursday, Tennessee House Majority Leader State Rep. Glen Casada (R-Thompsons Station) and Republican Caucus Chairman State Rep. Ryan Williams (R-Cookeville) called for an investigation into the removal of two Confederate statues Wednesday evening from property that was owned by the City of Memphis until just a few hours earlier. “Last night, the Memphis City Council unanimously approved the sale of the Health Sciences Park and Fourth Bluff Park under the cover of night to a private entity. For years, these two parks have housed the statues of Nathan Bedford Forrest and Jefferson Davis,” the statement began. Casada and Williams noted that “within an hour following the vote … cranes were spotted shortly thereafter to remove both statues,” adding: Multiple questions have been raised involving the legality of these actions, including: Did Memphis officials violate sunshine laws by coordinating this sale outside of the public eye? Did anyone gain financially from the rapid and clear undervalued sale of these two properties? Were existing state statutes violated related to the removal or relocation of these memorials? With these and many additional questions still unanswered, we will immediately begin work in conjunction with the Speaker, the Attorney General, the Comptroller’s office, and other…

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Marsha Blackburn: ‘It’s Time to Move to Merit-Based Immigration’

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U.S. Senate candidate Representative Marsha Blackburn (R-TN-07) appeared with Shannon Bream Wednesday evening on “Fox News @ Night” for an interview covering Congress members’ reaction to President Trump’s call for ending the visa lottery system, chain migration, and other policies that inch the United States ever closer to an open-border nation. Bream opened the interview asking how Congress will “tackle” the issues President Trump mentioned, and if there would be any bipartisanship to do so. “I would hope so,” Representative Blackburn replied, and the pointed out that the RAISE Act, introduced earlier this year by Arkansas Senator Tom Cotton and Georgia Senator David Perdue, is a specific piece of legislation that addresses both of the issues the president identified. “This is one thing that we know,” she said, wrapping up her opening remarks. “It’s time to move to a merit-based system.” Blackburn added that, “we are a country that recognizes merit, so let’s move to that.” Bream used the remarks of Miami Archbishop Thomas Wenski to the Miami Herald to challenge Blackburn’s assertion, quoting: Derisive comments on ‘chain migration’ forget that a foundational principal of our immigration law has long been to help reunite families. But this principle has been seriously…

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JC Bowman Commentary: Optimism Wins!

JC Bowman

You remind yourself that the holidays are supposed to be a time of happiness, gathering of friends and family and most importantly optimism for the coming New Year. Yet you get inundated with reminders of the holidays that may conjure up unresolved issues like grief caused by a missing friend or family member, your own failing health or that of a friend or family member. Sometimes there is a sense of increased isolation and loneliness or recognition that there is a difference between the perception of holiday joy and the reality of one’s own life. Holidays can take a toll on even the happiest person. From now until after the first of 2018 more than likely your life will be busier and certainly more stressful. You will have more things to do, more things to buy, there will be more traffic in our streets, stores will become more crowded, parking will become more difficult, and you will have your patience tried to the extreme waiting longer for service. Guests in your house will further add to your frustration. Heaven forbid if some person accidentally sits in your seat at your place of worship. The additional demands on our time, attention,…

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Illegal Voters May Have Flipped Virginia Legislature to Democrats

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A forthcoming random draw to break a tie vote in a disputed state House of Delegates election in Virginia might not have been necessary if the state did a better job safeguarding its voter rolls, according to voter fraud experts. No one has alleged fraud in the District 94 race between incumbent Republican David Yancey and Democratic challenger Shelly Simonds, Newport News — where the district is located — has seen ballots by ineligible voters in the past.

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Nashville Investment Group Awarded Major League Soccer Franchise, Will Play in City Subsidized Stadium

Tim Dukeman

In a lavish ceremony at Nashville’s Country Music Hall of Fame Wednesday, Governor Bill Haslam, Mayor Megan Barry, and a slew of local dignitaries gathered on stage with a full house in attendance to hear Major League Soccer Commissioner Don Gaber announce that, after a long and arduous bidding and review process, Nashville has been awarded an MLS expansion club. Mayor Megan Barry’s Twitter feed broadcast the moment of the announcement : Did you hear us? It’s official everyone! #NashvilleMLS pic.twitter.com/h8QHUOj0EY — Megan Barry for Congress (TN-7) (@MeganCBarry) December 20, 2017 “Nashville is the first of 12 cities that submitted formal bids in January to be awarded one of four available MLS expansion teams,” the MLS website stated. The investment group Nashville Soccer Holdings, LLC will form the ownership of the Nashville MLS team, which is led by John R. Ingram, the chairman of Ingram Industries Inc. “Ingram’s partners in the soccer club include Minnesota Vikings owners Mark, Zygi and Leonard Wilf, and the Turner Family, managing partners of Nashville-based MarketStreet Enterprises,” according to the MLS website. “Nashville continues its ascent as one of America’s most dynamic communities, with its incredible energy and creativity. For us, that makes it a perfect place for MLS expansion,” Commissioner…

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Poll: Marsha Blackburn Has Huge 58 to 11 Lead Over Stephen Fincher in GOP Senate Primary

Tennessee Star Staff

Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN-07) has a huge 58 percent to 11 percent lead over former Rep. Stephen Fincher (R-TN-08) in the Republican primary for the U.S. Senate seat currently held by retiring Sen. Bob Corker (R-TN), according to a new Tennessee Star Poll. Dr. Rolando Toyos is a distant third with three percent support. The poll results have a small silver lining for Fincher. Among those who have an opinion about him, he has a 2 to 1 favorability rating. But a massive 65 percent of likely Republican primary voters do not know who he is. This gives Fincher an opportunity to positively define himself to those who do not know who he is, with sufficient financial resources. But Fincher has a lot of catching up to do. Blackburn has an even higher favoribility rating: 61 percent of Tennessee Republicans have a favorable opinion of her while only 13 percent have an unfavorable opinion. The poll of 1,028 Tennessee Republican likely primary voters was conducted between December 12 and December 18 for The Tennessee Star by Triton Research using IVR technology (automated phone response), and has a 3.1 percent margin of error. The respondents were balanced between the three regions of Tennessee…

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Republicans Face Huge Challenge to Keep Capitol Hill Majorities in 2018

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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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Gubernatorial Candidate Mae Beavers Criticizes Memphis City Council Decision to Remove Confederate Monuments

Tennessee Star Staff

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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Memphis Takes Down Confederate Monuments

Tennessee Star Staff

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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Judge Declares Mistrial in Bundy Case

Christina Botteri
Cliven Bundy

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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Metro Nashville Council Passes Resolution Authorizing Mayor Barry to Hire Law Firm to ‘Investigate’ Opioid Lawsuit

Tim Dukeman

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 Picks Up Another Endorsement in His Congressional Bid to Replace Rep. Marsha Blackburn

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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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Commentary: President Trump’s National Security Strategy Is a Welcome Break from Obama and Bush

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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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Senator Al Franken (D-MN): Resignation to be Effective January 2, 2018

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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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State Senator-Elect Mark Pody and Gubernatorial Candidate Mae Beavers Applaud the Exoneration of Wrongly-Convicted Lawrence McKinney

Christina Botteri

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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Illegal Aliens Occupied Congressional Hallways Demanding Amnesty During Votes On Tax Reform Bill

Chris Alto

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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Poll: Diane Black Opens Up 10 Point Lead Over Randy Boyd in Race for Tennessee GOP Gubernatorial Nomination

Tennessee Star Staff

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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Diane Black Praises Passage of ‘Monumental Tax Reform for the American People’

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Gubernatorial hopeful Rep. Diane Black’s (R-TN-06) ‘day job’ as the House Budget Committee Chair has put her in the center of President Trump’s successful bid to pass meaningful tax reform for the first time in more than 30 years. Black appeared on Fox News’ Outnumbered Tuesday to cheer the effort, releasing this statement: Diane Black joined Harris Faulkner on Fox News yesterday to talk about the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, which lowers taxes for job creators and American families across all income levels. “We’re going to pass a monumental tax reform for the American people…The American people are going to be the ones to be the judge at the end of the day. The proof is in the pudding, and the pudding will be this upcoming year when we see the economy growing and more money in people’s pockets.” Fox News Insider also covered Representative Black appearance on the popular afternoon news show: Rep. Diane Black (R-Tenn.) is confident that the Senate will pass the Republican tax bill, and President Trump will be able to sign it into law and give the American people a “big Christmas present.” “We’re going to pass a monumental tax reform for the American people,”…

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New Poll: Bob Corker’s Favorability Rating Crashes to Record-Low 22 Percent Among Tennessee Republicans

Tennessee Star Staff

Senator Bob Corker’s (R-TN) favorability rating has sunk to a record-low 22 percent among Tennessee Republicans, according to a new poll released by The Tennessee Star on Wednesday. A full 60 percent of Tennessee Republicans have an unfavorable view of the retiring junior senator. Corker’s record-low unfavorability rating among Tennessee Republicans stands in stark contrast to President Trump’s favorability rating, which remains sky high at 84 percent among Tennessee Republicans, according to the same poll. The poll of 1,028 Tennessee Republican likely primary voters was conducted for The Tennessee Star by Triton Research between December 12 and December 18 using IVR technology (automated phone response), and has a 3.1 percent margin of error. “These numbers are not really surprising, based on his consistent attacks on President Trump and obstructionist approach to issues that Tennessee voters overwhelmingly support,” Andy Ogles former State Director of Americans for Prosperity, tells The Tennessee Star, adding: Senator Corker figured out that we had figured him out and when he saw similar poll numbers earlier this year so he chose not to try to face Tennessee voters with his pro-Obama, pro-Establishment track record. Once he had a serious opponent for his seat he realized he was going…

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SHOCKER: GOP’s Mark Pody Barely Avoids Upset in Narrow Victory Over Democrat in State Senate Special Election

Tennessee Star Staff

In a shockingly close election, Republican State Rep. Mark Pody (R-Lebanon) narrowly defeated Democratic candidate Mary Alice Carfi in the 17th State Senate District’s special election by a mere 308 votes on Tuesday, 5,990 to 5,682, in unofficial results obtained by The Tennessee Star. Barring a recall challenge from Carfi, Pody will take over the State Senate seat left by former State Senator Mae Beavers (R-Mt. Juliet), who resigned in August to devote full time to her campaign for governor, and be seated in the Tennessee State Senate when the Tennessee General Assembly reconvenes in January. The surprisingly narrow margin of victory for Pody, 51 percent to 49 percent, was dramatically lower than the last time the State Senate seat was contested in 2010, when Beavers easily won by a 24 percent margin. When Beavers ran for re-election in 2014, the Democrats did not field a candidate. The slim margin of victory for Pody was even more surprising, given that the Democratic candidate spent very little money on her campaign, focusing instead on get-out-the-vote efforts, sources tell The Star. A county-by-county analysis of the vote total, as seen here on the tally board at Pody election headquarters on Tuesday night,…

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Smith County, Tennessee Launches Lawsuit Against Prescription Opioid Manufacturers

Tim Dukeman

Smith County filed a lawsuit Tuesday against prescription opioid manufacturers and distributors. The lawsuit is an effort to recover taxpayer money spent to fight the opioid epidemic and defray costs to the Smith County community. Mark P. Chalos, of the national plaintiffs’ law firm Lieff Cabraser Heimann & Bernstein, LLP, made the announcement on behalf of the county. The lawsuit alleges that the prescription opioid manufacturers violated the law by heralding opioids as safe and medically necessary, despite them being extremely addictive. Further, Smith County charges the manufacturers with concealing the true risks of these jobs, to the detriment of Smith County’s government and its residents. As Business Wire reported: The complaint states that these defendants also conspired to manufacture and distribute millions of doses of highly addictive opioids, knowing that they were being trafficked and used for illicit purposes, and recklessly disregarded their devastating effect on the taxpayers and government of Smith County. As a result of the conspiracy, Smith County taxpayers have spent many hundreds of thousands of dollars to fight the opioid crisis and deal with its effects on their community. “What we have seen throughout our region is millions of pills being sold in communities where there aren’t millions of people.…

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Senate Passes President Trump’s Tax Cut Bill, Which Goes Back to the House for a ‘Do-Over’

Tennessee Star Staff

The Senate passed President Trump’s Tax Cut and Job Acts late Tuesday evening in a straight party line vote, 51 to 48. Sen. John McCain (R-AZ), who is back home in Arizona in the midst of treatments for cancer, was the only member of the Senate who did not vote. “Republicans advanced to the one-yard line to pass historic tax reform as the Senate passed the final Tax Cut and Jobs Act on Tuesday, sending the bill to the House for final passage. President Donald Trump hopes to sign the bill before Christmas,” Breitbart News reported at 12:47 a.m. eastern time on Wednesday, adding: The Senate passed the final the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, 51-48, along partisan lines. Fifty-one Republicans voted in favor the bill, while zero Democrats voted for the tax reform legislation. Vice President Mike Pence presided over the vote as the president of the Senate. The House passed the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act earlier on Tuesday. However, the Senate parliamentarian ruled that three provisions violated the Senate’s Byrd rule for reconciliation bills, so the House will have to vote on the tax reform legislation again on Wednesday. President Trump has invited Republican leaders from the…

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Commentary: CFPB Whistleblower Exposes Agency’s Extortion Practices

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By Printus LeBlanc   The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) has been in the news a lot lately, mostly because the former head of the agency Richard Cordray stepped down. However, before stepping down, Cordray believed he had the right to pick his own successor and chose Leandra English. The President disagreed and has appointed Mick Mulvaney to rein in the out of control agency. There is currently a legal battle brewing over who is in charge with a federal judge ruling Mulvaney is acting director. The CFPB was authorized in the 2010 Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act. It was created as a result of the 2007-2008 financial crisis. The unconstitutional agency has jurisdiction over banks, credit unions, securities firms, payday lenders, and other financial companies in the U.S. The agency is considered “off-budget” and therefore does not answer to Congress. The agency gets its funding directly from the Federal Reserve System. The only requirement of the CFPB is to appear and report twice annually before the House Financial Services and Senate Banking committees. Why is this agency so important to liberal progressives? English went judge shopping across the country to stop Mulvaney from being appointed to head the…

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‘Save Our Fairground’ Lawsuit to Stop Soccer Stadium Construction Dismissed

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Chancery Court Judge Ellen Lyle agreed with the City of Nashville’s Motion to dismiss a lawsuit over the city’s plans for a Major League Soccer stadium at The Fairgrounds Nashville. The decision cleared the way for the professional soccer league to decide if, indeed, Nashville is to be included in its planned two-team expansion. The ruling comes as Save Our Fairground – represented by local attorney James Roberts – filed a lawsuit in late November arguing Metro Nashville’s plans to develop a professional soccer stadium and surrounding amenities would put in jeopardy the land’s original use, as defined in the city charter as modified by referendum in 2011. Metro Nashville lawyers answered with a motion to dismiss, saying the claims made by Roberts were either premature or did not have standing because even if the claims were true, they did not meet the standards requiring legal review. In a 10-page decision (see below), Judge Lyle agreed with the city, writing: After studying Tennessee law and the Amended Complaint of the Plaintiffs, and considering oral argument of the attorneys for each side, the court concludes Metro is correct. This lawsuit must be dismissed. “This decision affirms what we’ve known all along:…

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Opponents Fighting Obamacare Deal to Force Tax-Paid Abortions

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Anti-abortion activists are mobilizing against an emerging congressional compromise on that they contend could allow hundreds of thousands of taxpayer-funded abortions. At issue is a program under the Affordable Care Act meant to help customers with incomes below 250 percent of the poverty line pay deductibles and other out-of-pocket health care expenses. It has been in legal limbo since a federal judge ruled last year that Congress never authorized the so-called cost-sharing reduction payments. Sens. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) and Patty Murray (D-Wash.) have been working on legislation to codify those payments.

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New Tennessee Star Poll: President Trump’s Favorability Rating Remains Sky High Among Tennessee Republicans

Tennessee Star Staff
President Trump rally

President Trump’s favorability rating remains sky high among Tennessee Republicans, according to a new poll released by The Tennessee Star on Wednesday. A stunning 84 percent of Tennessee Republicans who are likely primary voters have a favorable view of President Trump, as opposed to just ten percent who have an unfavorable view according to the poll, which was conducted for The Tennessee Star by Triton Research. The poll of 1,028 Tennessee Republican likely primary voters was conducted between December 12 and December 18 using IVR technology (automated phone response), and has a 3.1 percent margin of error. The latest poll results measuring support for President Trump among Tennessee Republicans are virtually unchanged from the results of the June 2017 Tennessee Star Poll, which showed that President Trump had an 86 percent job approval rating with voters in his own party. “Donald Trump is popular with Tennessee Republicans because he promised a conservative agenda and is delivering on it. There is a message here to the Republican Party. Conservatism is not a punch line for a speech. It is what we expect from our leaders,” Judson Phillips, a Tennessee attorney and founder of Tea Party Nation, tells The Tennessee Star. “Sky-high…

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Senator Orrin Hatch Says He Wrote Tax Provision At Center Of Corker Controversy

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Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, on Monday admitted he crafted a controversial tax provision, which could personally enrich Sen. Bob Corker, House Speaker Paul Ryan, President Donald Trump, and top Republican lawmakers directly overseeing the bill. The provision could additionally benefit the real estate industry — which has been one Hatch’s largest sources of campaign donations.

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Top Democratic Candidate for Governor of Tennessee Earned $19 Million Over 4-Year Stretch, Tax Documents Show

Tim Dukeman
Karl Dean Tax Summary

Former Nashville Mayor Karl Dean, a Democratic candidate for governor, had $19.2 million in taxable income from 2013 to 2016, according to documents reviewed by The Tennessean, which reported: Last year alone, Dean and his wife, Delta Anne Davis, who used to work for the Southern Environmental Law Center, earned nearly $2.7 million. The release from the former Nashville mayor — after declining to do so during an initial request of all seven gubernatorial candidates — provides additional insight into the wealth of the numerous candidates in the 2018 Tennessee governor’s race. This puts Dean far ahead his leading challenger for the Democratic nomination in terms of income. He made almost 9 times as much as House Minority Leader Craig Fitzhugh — the only other Democrat in the race ($2.7 vs. $313,000 in 2016).  This is significant because Dean has already demonstrated a commitment to funding his own campaign, when necessary: “During his first run for Nashville mayor in 2007, Dean pumped around $1.5 million in personal dollars toward his run,” reports The Tennessean.  However, Dean was less forthcoming with financial information than other candidates: While Black and Fitzhugh provided copies of their 1040s from 2016, Dean did not. Instead, like Harwell, he provided an income tax summary…

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GOP Group FOIAs Emails Of Anti-Trump EPA Employees and Now They’re Mad

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Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) employees who publicly criticized the Trump administration are crying foul after a Republican group filed a public information request against them, according to a Sunday report from The New York Times. A Republican campaign group made public information requests for the emails of three agency employees who communicated with congressional Democrats critical of the EPA. The targeted employees believe the EPA is orchestrating a type of fishing expedition against its critics.

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Steve Gill Commentary: T.E.A. Sticking It to Teachers and Taxpayers with Needless Lawsuits

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By Steve Gill   The Tennessee Education Association (TEA) often touts their legal prowess in order to justify the annual dues they extract from their union membership. To prove their claim they seem intent on creating lots of litigation through misuse of the 2011 Professional Educators Collaborative Conferencing Act. That Act was intended in part to replace contentious fights with collaboration and cooperation among the parties. Now, TEA seems to brag that PECCA is helping them generate lawsuits rather than prevent them. Most of these suits provide little, if any, actual benefit to their membership. The Maury County case mentioned in the article is a great example. TEA complained that the PECCA voting system used by Maury County was faulty and resulted in an inordinate number of votes for a competing teacher’s organization. After the complaint was raised, the “other side” responded simply and directly: “let’s revote.” That is exactly what the TEA had originally requested. However, TEA’s local affiliate, Maury County Education Association, didn’t see it that way and instead initiated a lawsuit asking for a revote. Why would the teachers’ union sue to get what had already been offered? Because these lawsuits are part of a marketing campaign…

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Trump Senses Victory on US Tax Overhaul

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Trump Tax Victory

Near the end of his first year in office, President Donald Trump could be on the verge of his first major legislative victory: an overhaul of America’s tax code and a partial repeal of former President Barack Obama’s signature health care law. “As a candidate, I promised we would pass a massive tax cut for the everyday working American families who are the backbone and the heartbeat of our country,” Trump tweeted Sunday. “Now, we are just days away.”

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US Vetoes UN Resolution Rejecting Trump’s Jerusalem Decision

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The United States on Monday vetoed a draft UN resolution rejecting President Donald Trump’s decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, after all 14 other Security Council members backed the measure. The veto cast by US Ambassador Nikki Haley highlighted Washington’s isolation over Trump’s announcement that the US embassy will be moved from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, effectively ignoring Palestinian claims on the city.

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Pope Condemns ‘Fake News’ And ‘Media Bias’ As ‘Very Serious Sin’

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Pope Francis

Pope Francis told members of the Catholic media over the weekend that peddling in “fake news” constitutes a “grave sin that hurts the heart of the journalist and hurts others.” “You shouldn’t fall into the ‘sins of communication’ disinformation, or giving just one side, calumny that is sensationalised, or defamation,” the Pope said, according to The Associated Press.

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Faith: Verse of the Day for Tuesday, December 19

Dana Hunsinger Gill
Tennessee Star - Verse of the Day

  VERSE OF THE DAY Be blessed and be a blessing December 19, Tuesday Matthew 10:32-33 “Whoever acknowledges me before others, I will also acknowledge before my Father in heaven. 33 But whoever disowns me before others, I will disown before my Father in heaven. 1 John 1:5 This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all.

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Mark Pody Favored to Win Special Election to State Senate on Tuesday

Tim Dukeman

State Rep. Mark Pody (R-Lebanon), the Republican nominee in Tuesday’s special election in Tennessee’s 17th State Senate District, is heavily favored to defeat the Democratic nominee Mary Alice Carfi in the traditionally conservative district.. The seat was vacated by longtime incumbent State Senator Mae Beavers (R-Mt. Juliet), who resigned the seat in August to run for the Republican nomination for governor of Tennessee. Pody is favored in a district that elected Beavers to four consecutive terms in the Tennessee State Senate. In her most recent General Election matchup, she won 62% of the vote in 2010, winning the race by a margin of 24 points. After that resounding defeat, the Democratic Party did not field a candidate against her when she ran for re-election in 2014. Tennessee’s 17th district is heavily Republican, but that is not the only reason to expect a Pody victory. He has also been endorsed by The National Federation of Independent Business, a leading Tennessee small-business association, as the group announced in a statement: “Mark Pody is the clear choice for small business in the special election in Senate District 17,” said Jim Brown, state director of NFIB/Tennessee. “He has earned NFIB’s endorsement with his fiscally responsible approach to managing…

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Lee Thomas Miller Drops Out of Congressional Race One Month After Announcing Candidacy

Tennessee Star Staff

Songwriter Lee Thomas Miller dropped out of the 7th Congressional District race on Monday, one month and four days after announcing his candidacy for the Republican nomination. “I looked forward to this race and the opportunity to change things that I think are broken. But as a husband and father it quickly became obvious that this campaign would require me to compromise far more of myself than I would ever be willing,” Miller said in a statement released by his campaign on Monday. “So, I will end my campaign for U.S. House of Representatives while taking with me the desire to protect faith, family and freedome that I have always had. I will also go back to using my voice and experience to defend the American songwriter,” Miller added. Miller’s abrupt departure from the race leaves State Senator Mark Green (R-Clarksville) as the only GOP candidate in the running to replace Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN-07), who is running for the U.S. Senate seat currently held by retiring Sen. Bob Corker (R-TN). “Lee Thomas Miller is a great American who captures in song the emotions of life’s challenges,” Green told The Tennessee Star on Monday morning shortly after Miller’s announcement. “I…

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‘Trumpvangelicals’ Are Number One of 10 Most Important Faith Stories of 2017

Tennessee Star Staff

For the second year in a row, President Donald Trump and his conservative evangelical supporters topped the list of the 10 most important religion news stories of the year as compiled by the country’s largest organization of religion journalists. These so-called Trumpvangelicals are enjoying unprecedented access to the Oval Office both through Vice President Mike Pence, a conservative Christian, and an informal presidential advisory panel consisting almost entirely of conservative evangelical Christian leaders.

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