Year: 2017

GOP Senate Candidate Marsha Blackburn Blasts Likely Democratic Opponent Phil Bredesen as ‘Supporter of Obama’s Liberal Policies’ Who Is ‘Out-of-Touch With Tennessee Values’

Tennessee Star Staff

Minutes after reports surfaced on Wednesday that former Gov. Phil Bredesen will soon announce his candidacy for the Democratic nomination for the U.S. Senate, Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN-07), the front runner for the GOP nomination, blasted the 74-year-old Bredesen as a supporter of “President Obama’s liberal policies” who is “out-of-touch with Tennessee values.” “Tennessee families want change and that is not what 74-year-old Democrat politician Phil Bredesen will bring to the United States Senate. Bredesen’s views are out-of-touch with Tennessee values, he supported President Obama’s liberal policies, is against second amendment rights and even authored a plan to give illegal immigrants driving certificates. Marsha is the only true conservative in this race who will ensure liberal Bredesen doesn’t block President Trump’s agenda in Washington.” Blackburn’s spokesperson said in a statement release by the campaign. Conservative commentator Steve Gill added his perspective. “Tennesseans in 92 of our 95 counties overwhelmingly rejected Hillary Clinton as President; but Phil Bredesen and his wife Andrea Conte voted for her. Federal Election Commission records show they also donated more than $69,000 to Hillary’s election through her campaign, SuperPAC and the Democratic National Committee operation on her behalf, not to mention thousands more to the most…

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Report: Democrat Phil Bredesen Says He Is Running for the U.S. Senate

Tennessee Star Staff

The Nashville Post is reporting that former Gov. Phil Bredesen is running for the Democratic nomination for the U.S. Senate in Tennessee: Former Gov. Phil Bredesen is entering the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate. According to multiple sources, Bredesen began calling major donors this afternoon to confirm that he is in the race. He has been mum about a campaign since U.S. Sen. Bob Corker announced he would step down next year, only acknowledging that he was contemplating a run. A formal announcement of his intent to run has not yet been made. “Three sources confirmed the Democrat’s candidacy, as first reported by the Nashville Post, on Wednesday,” The Tennessean confirmed late Wednesday. The 74-year old Bredesen will face 44-year old James Mackler in the August 2018 Democratic primary if he gets in the race as expected. Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN-07) is considered the front runner for the Republican nomination. She faces former Rep. Stephen Fincher (R-TN-08) and Dr. Rolando Toyos in the Republican primary.  

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Lift the Vote Urges Alabama Christians to Vote in Special U.S. Senate Election Next Week

Tennessee Star Staff

Lift the Vote, a non-partisan project of Power of Liberty, Inc. (a 501 c 4 based in Tennessee), is encouraging Alabama Christian voters to pray, discern and cast their votes next Tuesday in the special U.S. Senate election that pits liberal Democrat Doug Jones against conservative Republican Roy Moore, the organization said in a statement released on Wednesday. “Christians in Alabama need to pray, discern and vote on Tuesday. Vote for what you value, vote for issues you support, like protecting the life of unborn babies, securing religious liberty, and insuring that conservative Justices like Neil Gorsuch can be appointed and confirmed to the U.S. Supreme Court,” said Dana Hunsinger Gill, Co-founder and National Co-Chair of Lift the Vote, in the statement. “When Christians don’t vote, as happened in ‘08 and ‘12, we silence our own voices and allow other voices to dictate the future of our nation and for our children,” she added. The statement continued: Lift the Vote is airing thirty second radio spots on seven Alabama talk and Christian radio stations in Montgomery, Huntsville, Gadsden, Cullman, and Birmingham over the next week. “I’m a Christian, I’m voting!” stickers are also being distributed in the state. In 2016…

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Lee Thomas Miller Names CapWealth Advisors CEO Tim Pagliara as His Campaign Finance Chair

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Congressional hopeful and nationally recognized songwriter Lee Thomas Miller announced in a statement Tuesday he has tapped Franklin-based businessman Tim Pagliara to be his campaign finance chair in his bid to represent the people of Tennessee’s 7th Congressional District. “Pagliara is founder, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Franklin-based CapWealth Advisors, and is recognized as one of the top financial advisors in the state and nation,” the statement said. “Tim not only brings a wealth of contacts to the campaign, but also an extraordinary amount of insight into the issues relevant to getting people back to work, strengthening our domestic economy, making America more competitive in the global marketplace and overhauling our complicated and inefficient tax system,” Miller said in the announcement. “He will be a great asset as our fundraising leader, but will also be invaluable as an advisor to the campaign,” Miller added. “Finance Committee co-chairs and membership will be announced in the coming weeks, but we couldn’t have a better anchor tenant than Tim Pagliara to set the stage for our fundraising efforts,” Miller concluded. Pagliara was effusive in his praise of Miller. “As I have spent time with Lee and had the chance to get to know him, I have…

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State Senate Candidate Joe Carr Launches Radio Ad Campaign

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Former State Rep. Joe Carr (R-Lascassas) launched the first installment of a new radio ad campaign for the upcoming special election on January 25th to select the Republican nominee to replace State Senator Jim Tracy (R- Shelbyville), who resigned in November to accept an appointment in the Trump Administration’s USDA. The message of this first ad is the importance – and unusual – January election date, while emphasizing Carr’s conservative stance on many key issues important to Middle Tennessee voters. Among them are the repeal of the unpopular gas tax increase, his commitment to stop taxpayer subsidies of tuition for in-state tuition for illegal alien students, a commitment to secure our borders, and to stop any expansion of Obamacare in Tennessee. “January is an inconvenient time for an election and we thought we should help explain to voters why they are hearing political campaign ads just before Christmas,” Carr said in a statement. “But we also wanted to point out that the election is very important because the State Senator we elect will take office immediately and be in position to impact several key issues that will come up for a vote in the legislature next year.” “Over the next several…

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Todd Rokita Pushes Bill to Imprison Those Who Do Not Enforce Federal Immigration Law

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Rep. Todd Rokita said Tuesday that his bill could put elected officials in prison for failing to enforce federal immigration law. “If they’re going to act like criminals themselves, if they’re going to put the interests of these illegal immigrant criminals above the safety of their own citizens, then we ought to lock them up,” Mr. Rokita, Indiana Republican, said on Fox News.

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Republican National Committee Resumes Support for Roy Moore in Alabama Senate Race

Tennessee Star Staff

President Donald Trump’s support for Alabama Senate candidate Roy Moore emboldened the Republican National Committee to restore its endorsement for the controversial hopeful. The committee is resuming its support after cutting ties over alleged sexual misconduct accusations against Moore, Breitbart first reported today. “We can confirm our involvement in the Alabama Senate race,” a committee official…

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Steve Gill: Phil Bredesen Is Waiting to See Outcome of Alabama Senate Race Before Making a Decision About Getting Into Tennessee Race

Tennessee Star Staff

Political commentator and media consultant Steve Gill told WKRN’s Chris Bundgaard on Tuesday that former Gov. Phil Bredesen is waiting to see who wins the hotly contested Alabama U.S. Senate race next Tuesday between liberal Democrat Doug Jones and conservative Republican Roy Moore. “I think the impact on Tennessee is Phil Bredesen is waiting to see what happens in Alabama to determine whether or not to see if he gets into a Senate race in Tennessee,” Gill told Bundgaard. You can watch the video of the WKRN interview here: WKRN noted that a prominent Democrat disagrees: House Democratic Caucus Chair Mike Stewart disagrees, saying, “Governor Bredesen would be strong in Tennessee no matter what happens in Alabama. He would be a powerful candidate.” Former Northern Alabama U.S. Attorney and Democrat Doug Jones is in a tight race with Republican and former Alabama Supreme Court Chief Justice Roy Moore.   “(Trump) still has huge approval ratings in the state, and you cannot be seen as anti-Trump or not Trump enough and win a Republican Primary in Tennessee,” Gill said. “The issues are more important than the personalities, so if you have to–hold your nose and vote,” he concluded. Bredesen has long…

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Democrat Rep. John Conyers ‘Retires’ Immediately After 53 Years in Office Amid Sexual Harassment Claims

Tennessee Star Staff

DETROIT — Facing a rising chorus of voices demanding he step down because of sexual harassment claims, U.S. Rep. John Conyers Jr., D-Mich., on Tuesday retired from the seat he has held for more than five decades, a swift and crushing fall from grace for a civil rights icon and the longest-serving active member of Congress.…

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Commentary: Why Is the Senate Refusing to Confirm Judicial and Executive Branch Nominees?

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by Natalia Castro   The Senate has played a vital role in stalling the Trump agenda and preventing the swamp they swim in from being drained. One of the greatest struggles President Trump has faced in moving his plan forward has been an inability to fill vacant positions within the executive branch, with positions such as the NASA Administrator, Export-Import Bank President, and others still vacant. These individuals are qualified and ready to do their jobs, and if Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell does not allow them to, he is committing a vital injustice against all Americans. The lack of movement on judicial nominees has been a frequent point of contention — so far, only 16 judges have been confirmed — positions within the executive office have also gone unfilled. Currently, the Senate has 94 pending nominations on the executive calendar, many which were added to the schedule as far back as June 2017.  The Senate must break from its bubble and realize the direct effect the lack of action is having on the American people. In May, President Trump sent the nomination of Russell Vought to the Senate to serve as the Deputy Director for the Office of Management and Budget (OMB).…

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Trump Informs Leaders of Plan to Recognize Jerusalem as Israeli Capital

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President Donald Trump is telephoning several Middle East leaders ahead of an expected announcement as early as Wednesday that the United States will recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. A White House statement said Trump was speaking to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas and Jordan’s King Abdullah in the morning, and would be calling other regional leaders later in the day.

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Faith: Verse of the Day for Wednesday, December 6

Dana Hunsinger Gill
Tennessee Star - Verse of the Day

VERSE OF THE DAY Be blessed and be a blessing December 6, Wednesday Matthew 5:14-16 “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven. December 3, Sunday Hosea 6:3 Let us acknowledge the LORD; let us press on to acknowledge him. As surely as the sun rises, he will appear; he will come to us like the winter rains, like the spring rains that water the earth.”    

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Former State Rep. Joe Carr Reacts to the Kate Steinle Verdict

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Former State Rep. Joe Carr (R-Lascassas), who mounted a grassroots conservative challenge to Senator Lamar Alexander (R-TN) in the 2014 Republican U.S. Senate primary and is now seeking to replace recently resigned State Senator Jim Tracy (R-Shelbyville) in a special election,  issued a reaction to the acquittal of Jose Zarate, the five-time deported illegal alien who killed Kate Steinle on a pier in San Francisco: “After illegal immigrant, Jose Zarate was found “not guilty” of murdering Kate Steinle by a California court recently, I, like most Americans have a mix of emotions about the verdict in this case. On one hand, I am heartbroken for the Steinle family and how the justice system has completely failed them. She deserved better. We ALL deserve more from a judicial system that seems incapable of actually dispensing justice in high profile cases where political correctness appears to trump the rule of law. But I am also outraged that a person who was deported five times was given sanctuary anywhere in this country, which enabled him to take the life of a completely innocent victim. Federal prosecutors may still find a way to hold Jose Ines Garcia Zarate accountable for his actions; but it is up to…

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Court Dismisses Individual Shelby County Commissioners as Defendants in Lawsuit Filed By Mayor Mark Luttrell

Tennessee Star Staff

Last Monday, the Chancery Court of Shelby county dismissed individual Shelby County commissioners as defendants in a lawsuit filed against the Shelby County Commission and individual commissioners by Shelby County Mayor Mark Luttrell, who is trying to stop an opioid abuse lawsuit filed by the Shelby County Commission. The Shelby County Commission explained the background in a press release issued on Friday, which said, in part: On Thursday, November 2, Shelby County Commissioners announced that they hired Napoli Shkolnik PLLC, a national law firm known for their expertise in filing lawsuits against opioid perpetrators, to file suit on behalf of the county against Big Pharma for their role in their opioid crisis. In response, Mayor Luttrell filed a lawsuit demanding that they cease their actions with Napoli Shkolnik with a defense that only the county mayor has the authority to hire legal counsel to sue on behalf of the county. The parties named in the suit were the Shelby County Board of Commissioners as a whole and their hired firm Napoli Skholnik, as well as each Commissioner individually. The Chancery Court’s decision on Monday dismissed the suit against each individual Commissioner. And while the Mayor’s suit will continue against both…

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GOP Congressional Candidate Mark Green Set to Open Clarksville Campaign Office

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Tennessee Star

State Senator Mark Green (R-Clarksville) announced Monday he will open his first campaign office as part of his effort to become the Republican nominee for the 7th Congressional District in Clarksville on Tuesday, December 19. To celebrate the grand opening, Dr. and Mrs. Green will host a Christmas Open House for the community. “In this season of giving back, we hope you can join us on December 19th for our campaign’s Clarksville grand opening, where we’ll also be collecting canned goods and unwrapped toys for local charities to serve those in need in our community,” Green remarked. According to campaign officials, this will be the first of two headquarters in his 7th Congressional District election efforts.  The second is slated for opening in early 2018 in Franklin. Green is running to replace Marsh Blackburn, who in turn, is seeking to represent the people of Tennessee in the U. S. Senate. Green is a medical doctor, West Point graduate, and a career military veteran with a distinguished record of service. He is an outspoken advocate for limited government, secure borders, and fiscal responsibility. He is opposed in the August 2018 Republican primary by songwriter Lee Thomas Miller. Green was nominated earlier…

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Mae Beavers Delivers Keynote Speech at the Tennessee Guard Annual Banquet

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  Gubernatorial candidate Mae Beavers delivered the keynote speech of the night to a full house at the Tennessee State Guard Annual Banquet Saturday night. During Brigadier General Chago Santiago’s introduction of Beavers, he recalled meeting Margaret Thatcher, The Iron Lady as she was referred to, on a couple of occasions in his career. “Tennessee is blessed to have their own ‘Iron Lady’ in Mae Beavers.” “The blood shed by the State Guard dating all the way back to America’s fight for independence, flows through the veins in this room tonight,” said Beavers. At the end of her speech, the gubernatorial hopeful was presented with a service award and an honorary toast from all in attendance. “It was such an incredible night. To say we were inundated with people wanting to donate and volunteer is an understatement. Like their fellow Tennesseans, those here are tired of the political games played by establishment,” said Beavers’ campaign manager, Ric McCluskey. “It is always a comforting feeling to have the help of the military men and women because they know how to mobilize and execute a mission.” Mae Beavers is a former state senator and representative who has served Tennesseans for two decades. First elected as a…

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Judson Phillips Commentary: Why Doesn’t the Tennessee Republican Party Expel Bob Corker?

Tennessee Star Staff

Well, he isn’t the worst. Tennessee can take some small consolation in the fact that this state does not have the worst United States Senator. Only, one of the worst. In thirteen long months, the state and the nation’s long national nightmare will be over as “Bailout” Bob Corker will finally leave the Senate. Corker is known as “Bailout Bob,” or sometimes the “Senator from Obama,” for his willingness to help Barack Obama and the Democrats. For those who need a trip down memory lane, remember it was Corker who single handedly revived Dodd-Frank from death in the Senate and led the bill until it was signed by Obama. He also spearheaded the circumvention of the Constitution to allow Obama’s Iran nuclear deal to be approved. Corker was all but begging President Trump to make him Secretary of State after the President was elected. The President had the good sense to ignore the junior Senator. But that slight has sent Corker off. Perhaps as early as January, Corker knew he could not win reelection in this state and was looking for an honorable way out. Since President Trump did not give him that, he has been at war with the…

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Former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales Endorses Diane Black for Governor, Will Chair Black’s Law & Order Coalition

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  Representative Diane Black’s gubernatorial campaign earned another big endorsement Monday as former U. S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales gave Black the nod in her bid to be the Volunteer State’s next Governor. Gonzales will also Chair her Law & Order Coalition. “I’m proud to support Diane’s campaign for Governor,” Alberto Gonzales said in a statement. “As the nation’s former chief law enforcement official, I know that she’s the right leader to address the serious challenges our state faces. She has a strong record of conservative achievements and bold ideas on how to build a stronger and safer Tennessee and I look forward to helping her put those ideas into practice as Tennessee’s 50th Governor.” Alberto Gonzales served as the 80th Attorney General of the United States under President George W. Bush. Prior to that, he served as White House Counsel and as an Associate Justice of the Texas Supreme Court. He currently lives in Nashville, TN and serves as Dean and Doyle Rogers Distinguished Professor of Law at Belmont University College of Law. Diane Black said, “I’m honored to have Alberto Gonzales on my team and look forward to his insight and advice throughout this campaign. He’s a strong leader…

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Representative Ron DeSantis: Congress Ready to Hold FBI, DOJ Officials in Contempt for Noncompliance

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Rep. Ron DeSantis said Monday that Congress is prepared to hold members of the FBI and Justice Department in contempt for not complying with requests related to the Trump-Russia investigation. “Devin Nunes has been trying to get this information from DOJ and the FBI for months and they’ve stonewalled every step of the way,” Mr. DeSantis, Florida Republican, said on Fox News.

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Fired CEO of Metro Nashville Airport Sues for Wrongful Termination

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Following an internal review that concluded in October 2017, the Metro Nashville Airport Authority (MNAA) fired its President and CEO, Robert Wigington. Among its findings were that the Airport chief fostered a ‘culture of secrecy and concealment.’ The decision to remove Wigington – under whose six years of leadership the Nashville International Airport was recognized as one of the “Best Airports in the World” – was approved unanimously by the Authority, who added that because Wigington’s removal was for cause, he would not be entitled to receive a severance package. Among the laundry-list of financial irregularities, the MNAA cited a substantial agreement involving $2.6 million in incentives to British Airways for a direct flight to London announced in August. However, Wigington contends his removal is due to a series of serious medial issues – namely, liver cancer, failure, subsequent transplant, and recovery – and he has retained Kevin H. Sharp, Managing Partner of Sanford Heisler Sharp’s Nashville office, and Hannah M. Wolf, an Associate at Sanford Heisler Sharp, represent him in a lawsuit claiming wrongful termination and retaliation. In a statement obtained by The Star, Wigington’s attorney, Kevin Sharp said, “It’s clear that the Airport Authority was very satisfied with Robert’s performance until he had the misfortune of developing liver cancer and notified the…

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Poll: Republican Voters Don’t Believe Accusations Against Roy Moore

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A new poll shows Alabamians who are likely to vote for Senate candidate Roy Moore don’t believe the accusations of sexual misconduct against him. Likely Republican voters overwhelmingly believe the allegations against Mr. Moore are false, according to the CBS poll released Sunday. Seventy-one percent say they don’t believe the women who have come forward, compared…

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High School Cheerleaders Are Now Kneeling During The National Anthem

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High school cheerleaders are also kneeling during the national anthem, according to a testimony from two high schoolers in Union City, Calif. Two high school students, Sasha Armbrester and Teana Boston, told NPR’s Youth Radio Friday that they are protesting police brutality at football games. Armbrester, a cheerleader for James Logan High School’s football team, said…

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Richard Viguerie Commentary: Catholic Voters Hold Key To Roy Moore Victory

Tennessee Star Staff

by Richard A. Viguerie, ConservativeHQ.com Chairman   Today, I’ve launched a campaign to inform Alabama Catholics that Moore’s Democrat opponent, Doug Jones, boldly holds the most extreme, abortion-on-demand views. Alabama Catholics need to understand in no uncertain terms that a vote for Doug Jones is a vote for abortion with no exceptions. Outspent 9-1 and rejected by establishment Washington Republicans, Alabama GOP U.S. Senate candidate Roy Moore remains in a dead heat with his Democrat opponent, Doug Jones. It’s now or never to educate Alabama Catholic voters about Jones’s extremist left-wing views, including abortion, and it may be the key to Roy Moore’s victory. . . . . .and to saving President Trump’s almost unprecedented chance to rescue America from anti-religious federal judges. Despite what you might think about Alabama Republican Roy Moore, one fact about that state’s December 12th special election for U.S. Senate is not in dispute: Roy Moore’s defeat would put in serious jeopardy the U.S. Senate Republican majority, an outcome which may prevent passage of tax reform, tax cuts and the confirmation of judges President Trump is naming to recapture the federal courts from decades of judges who blatantly violate the Constitution. That’s why my political…

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Commentary: President Trump Eyes American Energy Dominance

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by Printus LeBlanc   Despite what the media is spewing, President Donald Trump is continuing his push to improve the American economy. The President made not just energy independence a priority of his campaign and now administration, but energy dominance. The President knows the U.S. has been blessed with vast quantities of energy, but the previous administration spent eight years trying to kill the energy industry and the hundreds of thousands of high paying jobs that go with it. President Trump and Secretary Zinke are taking steps to correct eight years of bureaucratic war waged against the petroleum extract industry. An independent study conducted by Rystad Energy released in 2016 estimates the U.S. now holds more recoverable oil than both Saudi Arabia and Russia. If the report is accurate, it would be worth an estimated $50 trillion. Even if the estimates are off by half, it is still $25 trillion just waiting for U.S. firms to pull out of the ground. Unfortunately, much of that is on federal lands. On June 29, while speaking at the Department of Energy, President Trump outlined six concrete steps his Administration is immediately taking to promote strength and innovation in America’s energy sector. The President’s sixth step…

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Based on Claims from Anonymous Sources and Ex-Wife with Criminal History, Knoxville News Sentinel Reported ‘FBI Asks Questions About Knox County Mayor Tim Burchett’

Tennessee Star Staff

Relying upon claims from an ex-wife with a criminal history, three anonymous sources, and two unproduced documents they claim to have seen but refuse to reveal, the Knoxville News Sentinel published a story written by two Nashville-based reporters on Friday titled “Sources: FBI asks questions about Knox County Mayor Tim Burchett; mayor says ‘no truth to any of it.’” Burchett, who is term-limited in his current job, is a candidate for the Republican nomination for the Second Congressional District in the election to replace retiring Rep. John “Jimmy” Duncan (R-TN-02), where he faces a hard fought battle against State Rep. Jimmy Matlock (R-Lenoir City). Friday’s article was written by Dave Boucher and Joel Ebert, two Nashville-based reporters at The Tennessean, which is part of the USA Today-Tennessee network that now includes The Knoxville News Sentinel and The Memphis Commercial Appeal. “Four people tell the USA TODAY NETWORK – Tennessee federal agents have asked them questions about Knox County Mayor Tim Burchett,” Boucher and Ebert wrote in the article, adding: Allison Burchett [Tim Burchett’s ex-wife] said she began working with the FBI in 2012 but declined further comment. “I’m sorry I cannot comment on an ongoing FBI investigation,” she said. The three other sources requested anonymity for…

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Faith: Verse of the Day for Monday, December 4

Dana Hunsinger Gill
Tennessee Star - Verse of the Day

  VERSE OF THE DAY Be blessed and be a blessing December 4, Monday Psalm 36:5 Your love, LORD, reaches to the heavens, your faithfulness to the skies Hebrews 12:1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, Revelation 1:7 BEHOLD, HE IS COMING WITH THE CLOUDS, and every eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him; and all the tribes of the earth will mourn over Him. So it is to be. Amen.

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Commentary: It’s Time to Update the Endangered Species Act, Because People Are More Important Than Bait Fish

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by Printus LeBlanc   The Endangered Species Act (ESA) is the most weaponized law in America. Radical environmentalists use the law as a blunt object to push the zero-growth agenda on the rest of the country, even invading private property. The law prioritizes bait fish over children, kills thousands of jobs, puts people into poverty, and violates the constitution. It is time for Congress to modernize the law and recognize some things are more important than a two-inch fish. As with most laws passed by Congress, the ESA had good intentions when it was signed into law in 1973. However, that quickly changed when radical environmentalists realized Congress handed them a weapon. One of the first cases after the law’s passage set a precedent for how the ESA could be used as a blunt force object by the federal government and environmental groups. The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) was building the Tellico Dam in the mid-70s. It was the last of 68 dams constructed in the Tennessee River Valley. A second-year law student at the University of Tennessee, Hiram Hill, submitted a petition to the Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) to list the snail darter, a small fish the size of…

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Pro-Life Students Sue Miami University Because It Won’t Let Them Erect a Cross

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Students at the Miami University in Ohio are suing the school after it wouldn’t let them erect a cross on its campus to express their pro-life message. Filed by the Alliance Defending Freedom on behalf of Miami University’s Students for Life, the lawsuit alleges that the university violated their rights to free speech and expression because it wouldn’t let them erect a cross on it’s Hamilton campus, which recently hosted an event on the “Perspectives of Free Speech,” according to WLWT5. The suit also asks the university to change its policies regarding campus postage and seeks monetary damages.

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Oil Drilling in ANWR Moves Ahead as Part of Senate Tax Bill

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Republicans took a major step forward early Saturday in their decades-long fight to open a piece of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil drilling. Included as part of the sweeping tax reform bill passed by the Senate in a 51-to-49 vote is a highly controversial provision to allow energy exploration in a 1.5 million-acre swath of ANWR known as the “1002 area,” which lies along the coast. In total, ANWR spans more than 19 million acres. …

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7th Congressional District GOP Candidate Lee Thomas Miller Praises Senate Passage of Tax Cuts Act

Tennessee Star Staff

Songwriter Lee Thomas Miller, a candidate for the Republican nomination for Congress in the 7th Congressional District, issued a a statement on Saturday praising the Senate’s passage of President Trump’s tax cut bill early Saturday morning by a 51 to 49 margin. “While there are still details the House and Senate have to negotiate to reconcile their two versions of the tax cut plan, this is a huge step towards the most comprehensive reform of the U.S. Tax Code since Ronald Reagan was President. These tax cuts will spur economic growth that will put America back to work, help lift the wages we earn, and keep more of what we earn in our pockets!” Miller said. “There is still work to be done as we continue to cut taxes, make the tax system easier to navigate and reduce the power of the IRS. I look forward to being part of that process in the next Congress. In the meantime, President Donald J. Trump, Vice President Mike Pence (who cast the deciding vote) and Republicans in the House and Senate deserve the thanks and gratitude of the entire nation for getting us within reach of an historic accomplishment that will benefit…

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Can a Flu Vaccine Last for Life?

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Getting your flu shot every single year is a real pain in the arm. Sure, it helps protect you and everyone around you. The Centers for Disease Control estimate that flu vaccines prevented 5.1 million cases of the disease during the 2015 to 2016 flu season alone. But few of us actually look forward to the hassle of taking time from work or school to get poked by needles. Wouldn’t it be great if we could figure out how to make one vaccine that gave us lifelong protection against every strain of flu? …

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New Poll Shows Bob Corker Unpopular Among Tennesseans, But Democrats Like Him More Than Republicans

Tennessee Star Staff
Bob Corker

Senator Bob Corker (R-TN), who was the only Republican senator to oppose President Trump’s tax cut bill that passed the Senate by a 51 to 49 margin, is not very popular with Tennesseans, according to a new poll. Corker’s continued opposition to the President Trump’s agenda appears to be one of the main causes of his plummeting popularity. “Support for Sen. Bob Corker seems to be abating as confidence in President Donald Trump and Gov. Bill Haslam remains strong, according to a new poll,” the Chattanooga Times Free Press reported on Saturday: The poll, which was conducted in November by the Mason-Dixon polling firm, found that more than 50 percent of Tennessee voters approve of how the president is handling his job, and even more approved of Haslam… Corker, R-Tenn., who in September announced he would not run for re-election, is less popular among voters. Only 40 percent of voters approve of Corker, with his popularity now significantly higher among Democrats (49 percent) versus 36 percent of Republicans. The firm’s poll notes there was speculation about Corker’s ability to win re-election in 2018, and the results show that only 32 percent of respondents said they would vote for him. Corker…

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