Day: February 16, 2018

13 Russians Charged in Mueller Investigation

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A federal grand jury investigating Russian meddling in the 2016 election on Friday indicted 13 Russian nationals including 12 employees of a St. Petersburg, Russia-based company that carries out online influence operations on behalf of Moscow. The indictment alleges that Internet Research Agency, a propaganda outfit tied to the Kremlin, engaged “in operations to interfere with elections and political processes” during the 2016 U.S. presidential elections.

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Fincher Drops Out of U.S. Senate Race, Encourages Bob Corker to Challenge Marsha Blackburn in GOP Primary

Tennessee Star Staff

Former Rep. Stephen Fincher (R-TN-08) announced late Friday afternoon that he is withdrawing from the race for the Republican nomination for the U.S. Senate in Tennessee. Fincher’s withdrawal leaves Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN-07) as the only viable candidate in the GOP race, unless Sen. Bob Corker (R-TN) decides to change his mind and reverse his decision not to run for renomination. A recent poll by the Senate Conservatives Fund showed that Blackburn handily beats Corker should he enter the race by a 49 percent to 26 percent margin. In his statement of withdrawal, Fincher encouraged Corker to get in the race. “The party must get behind a candidate that can win in November and stop Democrat Phil Bredesen, who would be a rubber stamp for the Chuck Schumer liberal agenda,” he said in a statement. “For that reason, I believe Senator Bob Corker should continue to serve in the U.S. Senate, and stand with the President to fight for Tennessee families,” Fincher added in the statement. “My campaign has always been about what’s best for Tennessee. Tennessee families need a strong conservative voice in the senate, someone who will stand with President Trump and lead the Republican Party forward,” Fincher…

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GOP Gubernatorial Candidate Bill Lee Donated $500 to Megan Barry’s Mayoral Campaign in 2015

Tennessee Star Staff

Republican gubernatorial candidate Bill Lee donated $500 to Megan Barry’s Mayoral campaign in May 2015, according to public records obtained by The Tennessee Star. The Williamson County businessman’s donation of $500 to Friends of Megan Barry on May 21, 2015 came two months before the August 2015 election for Mayor of Metro Nashville/Davidson County between Barry, David Fox, and real estate developer Bill Freeman. Though the race was technically “non-partisan,” the battle quickly became highly partisan, with progressive Democrats rallying around Barry, conservatives and Republicans supporting Fox, and more moderate Democrats gravitating to Freeman. No candidate gained enough votes in the general election to claim the mayor’s job, so a runoff between the top two vote getters–Barry and Fox–was held the following month in September. Barry defeated Fox in that runoff, 55 percent to 45 percent, and was sworn in as Mayor of Nashville/Davidson County on September 25, 2015. The Lee campaign confirmed Lee’s $500 donation to Barry, and provided The Star with a statement on the issue late Thursday. “Bill doesn’t support Megan Barry. A few years ago a client asked him to give $500 to her campaign and he did. Politicians make political decisions. Businessmen – including Donald Trump…

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Marsha Blackburn Tells WTN’s Brian Wilson She’s In It to Win It

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GOP Senate candidate and current Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN-07) told Brian Wilson on WTN SuperTalk 99.7 Thursday that she is in it to win it when he asked about the possibility of Sen. Bob Corker (R-TN) ‘un-retiring’ and running for re-election this year in the Republican primary. Brian Wilson set up the phone interview, saying: “Yesterday, there was a bit of news about Bob Corker, who said he might ‘un-retire,’ and I was on record saying that I didn’t think that was right. If you say you’re going to retire, then you’re going to retire, because other people are then going to jump in the race. “This effected, of course, the Senate campaign of one Marsha Blackburn,” Wilson continued, “who joins us on the line right now.” After he graciously welcomed Blackburn on the air, and the niceties were exchanged, Wilson got right down to business. “Here’s the thing – what was your reaction when you – after you’ve jumped into the race, started spending money on a campaign, and started doing everything that you should do to run for the office, that was going to be vacated. What was your reaction when you learned that Bob corker was now, all of a sudden,…

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Planning Continues for Rebuilding Interstate 440 in Nashville

Jason M. Reynolds
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Planning is underway for a major overhaul of Interstate 440 in Davidson County, a project that is expected to take three years. The Tennessee Department of Transportation began requesting bids in January for what is called “Design-Build,” sort of a streamlined turn-key project. Contractors bid for the project, which involves the design and construction of large projects. For roadways, that can include design, right-of-way acquisition, regulatory permit approvals, utility relocation, and construction. “This is not going to be a typical low-bid project,” said Kathryn Schulte, TDOT community relations officer for Region 3 (part of Middle Tennessee). “Proposals/plans are currently being developed by the competing design-build teams.” The winning contract will be announced in the summer of 2018, according to TDOT’s timeline. The timeline does not say when work would begin. The plan calls for “removing substandard pavement and widening portions of the 7.6-mile corridor to provide three travel lanes in each direction” between Interstate 40 and Interstate 24. The project is intended to address congestion and improve safety.” The design calls for replacement of deteriorated concrete pavement with asphalt and removal of the grassy elevated median. Other components include ramp widening, construction of new noise walls and replacement of light…

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Ted Cruz: Republicans Moving to the Left of Obama on Immigration, Will Lose Majority

Tennessee Star Staff

Sen. Ted Cruz said Thursday that if Republicans pass an immigration plan that allows citizenship they will lose the majority in Congress this November. “Mark my words, if Republican majorities in Congress pass citizenship for millions of people, do amnesty, I think it is quite likely we will lose both houses of Congress,” Mr. Cruz said.

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‘We Love Our Mayor’ Billboards Taken Down After Buyer Refuses to Disclose Identity

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Three digital billboards along Nashville’s I-24 near downtown reading simply, “We love our mayor” were quietly removed from rotation Friday, February 2 after the buyer refused to disclose their identity. The billboards appeared one day after embattled Mayor Megan Barry admitted to her years-long affair with SGT Rob Forrest, her bodyguard. Outfront Media’s senior director of communications, Carly Zipp, told The Tennessean that the reason for their removal was due to a lack of “proper attribution,” which Tennessee Law – and company policy – require for political advertisements: Zipp said the agency that facilitated the billboard purchase was San Francisco-based SF Media Communications Inc. But she said the media company did not disclose their client. Zipp did not comment when asked how Outfront Media became aware of the problem or why the billboard was allowed to go up in the first place. SF Media Consultants has a history working in the music industry, one of Nashville’s staple brands. According to its website, the firm has done advertising for Big Machine Records, Capitol Records, EMI, and Universal Music Group as well as big-name artists such as Taylor Swift, Garth Brooks, Lady Antebellum and Florida Georgia Line. Lauren Anderson, senior vice president…

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Trump Is Rebounding Against 2020 Democratic Rivals

Tennessee Star Staff

A new Democratic poll shows President Donald Trump in a tie or leading some of his rivals in 2020. The rebound is remarkable, as Trump was suffering from soggy re-election numbers in 2017. It indicates the economy could be helping the president and Republicans in their quest to attract independent voters in this year’s midterm elections — and then in the crucial 2020 contest.

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Commentary: The Michael Flynn Guilty Plea Stinks to High-Heaven

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Tennessee Star

Former Trump National Security Adviser Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn pled guilty to providing false information to FBI agent in December and the more we learn about the events leading up to that plea, the more it stinks to high-heaven. Byron York’s recent article at the Washington Examiner reveals that then-FBI DIrector James Comey testified that the agents who conducted the interview of Flynn did not think he had lied to them.

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Betsy DeVos: Congress Needs to Take Lead on Mental Health Issues in Schools

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Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos said Congress needs to address mental health problems that lead to violence among students in the wake of Wednesday’s deadly mass shooting at a Florida high school. “I’d like to broaden the question and broaden the discussion and say Congress needs to be holding hearings on these issues,” Ms. DeVos said Thursday on “The Hugh Hewitt Show.” “We’ve seen lots of discussion on this every time we have an incident. … We need to have a conversation at the level where lawmakers can actually impact the future.”

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Metro Council Special Committee Investigating Mayor Megan Barry Will Hire Outside Counsel, But Use Internal Auditor

Laura Baigert

NASHVILLE, Tennessee – At the first meeting of the Metro Council Special Committee established “to investigate the circumstances involving the travel and other expenses including overtime expenses potentially related to the Mayor’s extramarital affair to determine if there was any improper use of public money” held Thursday, the seven members voted unanimously to use outside legal counsel from recommendations to be made by Vice Mayor David Briley, but rely on the Metropolitan Government Internal Auditor rather than using outside accounting professionals. The resolution  (page 41) passed by the Council on February 6, 2018, required that the Vice Mayor establish within seven days a Special Committee comprised of between three and seven members. The seven members Briley appointed to the Special Committee were Burkley Allen, Erica Gilmore, Brenda Haywood, Mina Johnson, Bob Mendes, Russ Pulley and Robert Swope. Pulley and Allen were the only two to vote against the formation of the Special Committee, with Allen going on to be elected the Chairman of the Special Committee. The resolution allowed the Special Committee, for the purpose of accomplishing its investigation, to engage the services of outside legal and accounting professionals, but the Special Committee opted instead to keep the audit function…

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