Little Pink House, the film based on the notorious 2005 Supreme Court ruling commonly known as Kelo v New London (often shortened to simply “Kelo“) is set to hit theaters April 20 in limited release in Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco and Atlanta. At present, there are no plans for the movie to be released in the Nashville market, but that could change based on requests from local movie theaters. The movie, based on the book of the same name, tells the true story of Susette Kelo’s struggle against the eminent domain abuse of some twenty neighborhood households by an alliance of business interests, state and city officials of New London, Connecticut. “Little Pink House is more than a movie, it’s a movement, and the hybrid approach gives our fans new ways to use the film to fight for positive change in their neighborhoods,” writer-director Courtney Moorehead Balaker told The Hollywood Reporter. Catherine Keener and Jeanne Tripplehorn star in the film that follows Susette Kelo, a nurse who lived in a modest home on the New England coast. Kelo denied demands by politicians and developers she sell her home. Citing ‘the public interest,’ officials from New London and the State of Connecticut invoked eminent…
Read the full storyMonth: February 2018
Ryman Hospitality Properties, Inc. to Hire 250 Employees for Ole Red Nashville
Blake Shelton-Inspired Restaurant and Entertainment Venue to Host Job Fair March 8 –16 in Nashville.
Read the full storyDon’t Worry, Actress Jennifer Lawrence Is Going to ‘Fix’ Democracy
If you were worried about democracy in this country, you can now rest easy — Jennifer Lawrence is on the case. The “Hunger Games” star revealed while promoting her new film “Red Sparrow” that she is taking a year off from acting to focus on political activism — and she has high hopes.
Read the full storyLawyer Mocks Mueller’s ‘Magical Ability’ to Indict with Non-Collusion Allegations
Revelation of a new arrest in special counsel Robert Mueller’s wide-ranging probe into Russian election meddling adds to the growing body of evidence that the investigation has little to do with President Donald Trump, a lawyer said Tuesday. The latest target of the Mueller probe is Alex Van Der Zwaan, who had worked for the prominent law firm Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom. Prosecutors last week charged him with lying about his talks with someone identified in court papers only as “Person A.”
Read the full storyWest Point Posthumously Admits Heroic Shooting Victim Peter Wang to Class of 2025
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — U.S. Military Academy West Point is posthumously admitting Florida school shooting victim Peter Wang, who dreamed of attending the prestigious academy. Wang could have been in the Class of 2025. The 15-year-old’s funeral is today.
Read the full storyJC Bowman Commentary: Protecting the Teaching Profession
The OREA report on Educator Sexual Misconduct has made clear that Tennessee has a fractured, ambiguous reporting system that has allowed educators who have engaged in sexual misconduct to slip through the cracks.
Read the full storyColumbine Survivor Introduces Bill to Expand Concealed-Carry in Schools
DENVER – Some students are calling for tougher gun-control laws after escaping last week’s horrific massacre in Parkland, Florida, but another school-shooting survivor is going in a different direction. Colorado House Minority Leader Patrick Neville, who attended Columbine High School at the time of the 1999 mass shooting, has again introduced legislation to remove limitations on concealed carry in K-12 schools.
Read the full story‘Resign Now! Megan Barry’ Rally Held at Metro Nashville Courthouse and City Hall Steps
NASHVILLE, Tennessee –About 80 people attended the Resign Now! Megan Barry Rally rally held on the Metro Nashville Davidson County Courthouse and City Hall steps Tuesday prior to the regularly scheduled Metro Council meeting. Attendees heard comments of varying lengths from four speakers – Carol Swain, Johann Porisch, Reverend Enoch Fuzz, and Lisa Bradshaw–each with a different perspective, but all agreeing on the singular point that Megan Barry is no longer able to fulfill the duties of the mayoral office and should resign immediately. A lone, non-intrusive, Megan Barry supporter carried a handmade sign, “Stay Megan Barry Stay,” which he also occasionally chanted as he watched the rally. One life-long Nashville resident attending the rally shared his conclusion with The Tennessee Star that the 80 to one ratio of attendees calling on Barry to resign versus those supporting her might be indicative of the sentiment of the city as a whole. Former Vanderbilt University professor and well-known Nashville conservative, Carol Swain, lead off the speakers saying forgiveness is an expectation and duty of Christians, and she counts herself as one who has already forgiven Mayor Barry. “But, but, but, but,” Swain lead the chant and then continued,“ in forgiveness we are left with…
Read the full storyCarol Swain on Nashville Mayor Megan Barry: ‘She’s Damaged Goods. She Needs to Go’
While sitting in for Dan Mandis on WTN 99.7 FM Monday afternoon, guest host and Tennessee Star Editor-in-Chief Michael Patrick Leahy welcomed the recently retired Vanderbilt professor and conservative legend Carol Swain. Part One “We’re delighted to have you here, Carol,” Michael Patrick Leahy began. “You just wrote a great op-ed for us at The Tennessee Star called, ‘The Seven Reasons to beware of the Southern Poverty Law Center. It is, by the way, the second-most read commentary we’ve had in almost a year – so congratulations on that excellent piece.” “Now, we asked you in today, Carol, because we wanted you to talk a little bit about what is going on with Mayor Megan Barry.” Carol Swain responded, “Well first of all, I have to confess that I didn’t vote for Megan Barry, and I could never have imagined myself doing so because she was so liberal. After having said that, I wanted her to succeed.” “I love Nashville,” Swain continued. “And I wanted her to be able to do some of the things that she promised – especially for the working class and the poor. “And I’m disappointed with her as a woman; I’m disappointed with the lack of moral leadership around…
Read the full storyLights, Camera, Action: Transit Plan Opponents Air First Commercial
NoTax4Tracks, a political action committee, announced it is starting a television campaign today, Feb. 20, to encourage Nashville-Davidson County voters to say no to Mayor Megan Barry’s $9 billion transit plan on the May 1 ballot. “We know people are concerned about paying one of the highest sales taxes in the country for a light rail system that does little to help congestion,” said Jeff Eller, spokesman for the campaign. “We’re starting television advertising now, so voters fully understand how much it will cost and how little it will do. That’s why the commercial makes it clear, if this plan passes, Nashville will become Taxville.” The commercial can be viewed here. The commercial will air on Channels 2, 4, 5 and 17, with a heavy focus on news and “high information seekers,” the PAC said. This will be the first of several commercials NoTax4Tracks will air prior to the May 1 election.
Read the full storyHarvard Professor Has Nerve to Ask, Post-Florida, ‘Where’s God?’
A Harvard professor named Steven Pinker went on MSNBC’s “Hugh Hewitt” to ask, post-Florida travesty, “Where was God?” And the media didn’t report God’s response, but if members had, it could’ve easily have gone like this: “Where you put me – out of the schools, out of the home, out of society.”
Read the full storyS. Korea’s Moon Urges ‘Stern’ Response to New US Tariffs
South Korean President Moon Jae-in called Monday for a “stern” response to new US tariffs on the South’s exports as concern grew over looming trade restrictions by Washington. US President Donald Trump last week threatened retaliatory action against China and South Korea and vowed to revise or scrap a 2012 free trade deal with the South which he described as a “disaster”.
Read the full storyJohn Kasich Laments ‘God Darn AR-15,’ Scrubs Pro-Gun Section of Political Website
Ohio Gov. John Kasich is retooling a pro-gun stance of his political website in the wake of the Parkland, Florida school shooting. A Second Amendment section of JohnKasich.com disappeared on Sunday after the Republican appeared on CNN’s “State of the Union.” The changes were first noticed by Ohio pubic radio journalist Karen Kasler.
Read the full storyTrump’s Tariffs Are Driving a U.S. Solar Panel Resurgence
President Donald Trump’s recent to apply tariffs on imported solar panels was met with strong reaction in Washington, reaction that very much divided along political lines. But the initial evidence shows that the tariff is working.
Read the full storyCommentary: Is it Time to Shut Down the FBI?
by CHQ Staff Once known as the Nation’s premier law enforcement agency, today the Federal Bureau of Investigation is mired in corruption, incompetence, careerism, and brazen political dirty tricks. There was a brief glimmer of light when Christopher Wray was appointed to replace his corrupt predecessor, James Comey, but that light has faded. Wray has proven himself to be unequal to the task of cleaning up the corruption and careerism that have become endemic at the Bureau’s DC headquarters and his leadership has not resulted in higher standards of competence or focus at the field level where “known wolf” terrorists and psychopaths are routinely ignored until they kill. The latest example of FBI incompetence – failing to follow-up credible citizen information that Nikolas Cruz, the Parkland, Florida school assassin, had made threats to shoot-up his school and kill law enforcement officials, prompted Florida Governor Rick Scott to demand Director Wray’s resignation or firing. And in a society where personal responsibility, honor and integrity were still traits of the ruling class Wray would have tendered his resignation after the preventable bloodbath in Florida, but careerism, not honor or integrity is apparently the principle guiding Mr. Wray. The one good thing that…
Read the full storyYale University Offers ‘Constructions of Whiteness’ Course
Yale University is offering a course this semester where students will examine the “construction and counternarratives around whiteness.” The “Constructions of Whiteness” class, first reported by The College Fix, will examine topics ranging from “whiteness” and “white imagination” to “white property” and “white speech.”
Read the full storyParents Just Lost Custody of Teenage Daughter Who Wants to ‘Transition’ to a Boy: What You Need to Know
Parents in Ohio lost custody of their 17-year-old daughter Friday because a judge ruled that she should be allowed to receive therapy, including testosterone therapy, to identify as a boy. Without commenting on the specifics of this case just outside Cincinnati, Americans can expect to see more cases like it as government officials side with transgender…
Read the full storyDemocrat Mayor Who Endorsed Randy Boyd & Is Open to Bringing Immigrants to Gibson County Runs as Independent in Next Election
After publicly endorsing GOP gubernatorial candidate Randy Boyd and welcoming Muslims and immigrants to take jobs in Gibson County, Mayor Tom Witherspoon, twice elected as a Democrat, will run for re-election as an Independent. Witherspoon credits Randy Boyd for helping “Gibson County stay in the race to land the Tyson Foods plant” and on several occasions, has suggested that his vote for Boyd is payback for that assistance saying, “[t]hat man kept his word with me and I’ll keep my word with him.” Witherspoon also says that like Boyd, he welcomes Muslims and immigrants to come work in Gibson County: Randy, like me, isn’t afraid of a Muslim coming to the county and maybe seeking a job, or a legal immigrant coming to the county. He’s not afraid of that; neither am I. If somebody wants to come here legally, and seek employment and be productive and work hard, God knows we need more of that, not less of it. Meat processing and packaging companies, including Tyson Foods, employ a steady stream of arriving refugees in plants across the country. In the case of the Tyson Foods plant in Wilkesboro, North Carolina, the company justified bringing Burmese refugee workers to supplement…
Read the full storyTennessee’s American Muslim Advisory Council Board Member Shouts Down Police During Saturday Protest at UT Knoxville
Drost Kokoye, a founding and current board member of the American Muslim Advisory Council (AMAC), Tennessee’s most prominent Muslim organization, was caught on video using a bullhorn held to the faces of police and shouting them down for wearing riot gear while they were protecting protesters like Kokoye at UT Knoxville on Saturday. You can see Kokoye aggressively pushing her bullhorn towards the face of one police officer at the 2:22 mark of this video from WATE TV. The demonstration was organized by UT Knoxville’s Progressive Student Alliance to protest the university’s decision to allow Matthew Heimbach, leader of the Traditionalist Worker Party, to speak at UTK, the first stop on his campus speech tour. Heimbach’s group ascribes to white nationalist ideology. During Saturday’s UTK demonstration that devolved into a hate protest against the police, AMAC board member Drost Kokoye joined marchers delivering that message – “cops get the f*** off our campus (look for the pink hijab in the video below): “COPS GET THE F*** OFF OUR CAMPUS” Student-led protests at the University of Tennesee today against ‘police and nazis’ as Matthew Heimbach set to speak. pic.twitter.com/f7mBMC3uxF — Matt Finn (@MattFinnFNC) February 17, 2018 Kokoye posted this tweet about…
Read the full storyThe Left Whines When Laura Ingraham Criticizes the NBA’s LeBron James
“I’m an equal opportunity critic for the Left on topics on which they know little,” Laura Ingraham said on “The Ingraham Angle” Friday night. She was commenting about the left-wing backlash to her earlier comments about NBA superstar LeBron James. “Race had nothing to do with it.”
Read the full storyTennessee Star Editor-in-Chief to Guest Host the Dan Mandis Show on WTN Today and Interview Carol Swain About Moral Leadership
Tennessee Star Editor-in-Chief Michael Patrick Leahy will guest host The Dan Mandis Show from noon to 3 p.m. central time on Supertalk 99.7 WTN today, President’s Day, Monday, February 19. The first hour will address the turbulent recent events in Tennessee politics, including Sen. Bob Corker’s (R-TN) potential re-entry into the U.S. Senate race and the controversy surrounding Nashville Mayor Megan Barry. At 12:30 former Vanderbilt professor Carol Swain will offer her commentary on Megan Barry’s lack of moral leadership and its impact on Nashville, the hypocrisy of the #metoo movement with regards to Barry’s extramarital affair with her Metro Nashville Police bodyguard, and the Megan Barry Must Resign rally Tuesday. In the 1 p.m. hour, conservative icon Richard Viguerie, president of ConservativeHQ.com, will discuss the status of 2018 midterm elections. In the second half of that hour, author and Reagan biographer Craig Shirley will offer his reflections on Ronald Reagan on President’s Day, discuss his most recent books, Reagan Rising: The Decisive Years, 1976-1980 and Citizen Newt:The Making of a Reagan Conservative, and will let us in on his future book projects. The final hour of the program will focus on civic education and instruction of elementary and secondary school…
Read the full storyTrump Criticizes FBI for ‘Missing Signals’ Before Florida School Shooting
President Donald Trump has criticized the the top U.S. law enforcement agency for “missing signals” before a 19-year-old man carried out a mass shooting at a Florida high school last week. “Very sad that the FBI missed all of the many signals sent out by the Florida school shooter.
Read the full storyMattis: Artificial Intelligence Poses Questions for Nature of War
Artificial intelligence and its impact on weapons of the future has made US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis doubt his own theories on warfare. A question on the subject prompted the retired Marine general to give an impromptu seminar on his theory of war Saturday to reporters returning with him from a week-long tour of Europe.
Read the full storyConstitution Series: The Nineteenth Amendment
This is the twenty-second of twenty-five weekly articles in The Tennessee Star’s Constitution Series. Students in grades 8 through 12 can sign up here to participate in The Tennessee Star’s Constitution Bee, which will be held on Saturday, April 28. The Nineteenth Amendment was finally ratified and victoriously added to the United States Constitution on August 26, 1920 after nearly one hundred years of painstaking trials, tumult, and disappointment. Twenty-six million women were enfranchised! It states: The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex. Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation. To understand the long road to political equality for the American woman, we must understand the history and events that transpired during those years. HISTORY The U. S. Constitution of 1787 was a gender-neutral document. The original Constitution referred to “persons,” not male persons, and used the pronoun “he” only in the generic sense. Not until the addition of the Fourteenth Amendment in 1868 did the Constitution include the word “male.” In fact, nothing in the original document prevented women from voting. Our founders left it to the discretion…
Read the full storyJustice Department Big Shot May Have Huge Ethics Problem
A senior Department of Justice (DOJ) executive may have broken the law by failing to disclose the fact that his wife worked at Fusion GPS, the firm that employed a former British spy for opposition research on President Donald Trump.
Read the full storyJeff Sessions Stands by Recusal in Russia Investigation
Attorney General Jeff Sessions said Sunday he stands by his decision to recuse himself from the investigation into whether there was collusion between the Trump campaign and Russians during the 2016 election.
Read the full storyOhio’s Governor Kasich Calls for Congress to ‘Wake Up’ After Shooting
The Republican Party needs to “wake up” and consider “common sense gun laws” in response to the latest mass shooting in Florida, Ohio’s Republican Governor John Kasich said Sunday.
Read the full storyTrump: Dems Should Have Passed Gun Control When They Had The Chance
President Donald Trump responded to criticisms of his administration’s stance on gun control Saturday on Twitter by arguing that if Democrats really cared, they would have passed suitable legislation during the Obama administration.
Read the full storyJeff Hartline Commentary: Evaluating Risk In The Era Of School Shootings: Do Solving Other Problems Teach Us Anything?
By Jeff Hartline When I was a little boy, I regularly rode in the car with my dad standing next to him. I can recall numerous times when he would have to quickly apply the brakes that his right hand would shoot across my body to keep me from hitting the metal dashboard. With highway deaths in America approaching 50,000 annually then, it was a “no-brainer” for car manufacturers to start installing lap belts, then shoulder harnesses, then inflatable impact bags, then requiring children to be strapped in car safety seats. We did all this to reduce risk to automobile passengers. We did not, even once, consider reducing the rights of citizens to move about all across the nation or eliminate automobiles from our culture. Just a few decades ago, some evil person laced Tylenol capsules with poison and numerous innocent people died as a result. The Tylenol manufacturer was not required by the public or government to cease operations. What they did was create a safety seal for their product to allow a customer to be able to tell whether a bottle had been opened. All of us parents have experienced the frustrations of getting a prescription bottle…
Read the full storyTiny Pacemakers Could Be Game Changers for Heart Patients
Tiny, new pacemakers are making headway around the world. One type, the Micra, is keeping 15,000 people’s hearts beating in 40 countries, according to manufacturer Medtronic. One of those people is Mary Lou Trejo, a senior citizen who lives in Ohio.
Read the full story‘Resign Now! Megan Barry’ Rally Set for Tomorrow at Metro Nashville Courthouse
A rally calling on embattled Mayor Megan Barry to resign “effective immediately” will take place tomorrow, Tuesday, February 20, at 5 p.m., on the south side steps of the Metro Nashville Davidson Courthouse, organizer Rick Williams told FOX 17. Late last month Mayor Barry admitted to having a two-year-long extramarital affair with her Metro Nashville police officer bodyguard, Sgt. Rob Forrest. The two took nine trips alone together out-of-state at taxpayer expense over the two years. One of these trips was to Athens, Greece, another was to San Francisco, California, and yet another was to Washington, D.C. “Having sex with a subordinate is an ethics violation for sure at a minimum,” Williams explained to the Fox affiliate, adding: They feel like she was busy with a romance for two years and didn’t tend to the things she promised. Corporate leaders, they question whether they should work with someone with a recent tainted past. I personally like Megan Barry. I felt very sorry when her son passed away, I attended both the visitation and funeral. It’s not anything personal at all, I just think she’s lost the trust of the citizens. Long-time pastor and Nashville community activist Enoch Fuzz is expected…
Read the full storyTennessee College Republicans Hear From Candidates at Annual Gathering
NASHVILLE, Tennessee–The 14th annual Tennessee College Republican State Convention met in the chambers of the Tennessee House of Representatives at the State Capitol in Nashville on Saturday, and heard from a number of GOP candidates, including gubernatorial candidates Bill Lee, and Tennessee House Speaker Beth Harwell (R-Nashville), U.S. Senate hopeful Dr. Rolando Toyos, and Congressional candidates Dr. Mark Green (7th District) and John Rose (6th District). Supporters of gubernatorial candidates Rep. Diane Black (R-TN-06) and Randy Boyd, as well as U.S. Senate candidate Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN-07), and Rep. David Kustoff (R-TN-08), who is running for re-election to his House seat, spoke as well. Bobbie Patray, President of the Tennessee Eagle Forum, also spoke and was a crowd favorite. Party officials, including Tennessee Republican Party Chairman Scott Golden, addressed the audience as well. About 75 representatives from colleges across the state of Tennessee were in attendance. “It’s good to see young Republicans from across the state joining together to hear from current and future leaders in our government, and be able to obtain information to make a responsible and educated decision for the future of conservatives in our state and country,” Adam Yardumian, who is currently interning for State…
Read the full storyGOP Gubernatorial Candidate Bill Lee Announces 100-Member Activist Coalition, ‘Students for Bill’
Franklin-area businessman-turned-gubernatorial candidate Bill Lee announced “Students for Bill,” a new addition to his coalition of grassroots and citizens’ groups that support his bid to be the state’s next top executive. The Saturday announcement comes the same day Lee will address the 14th Annual Tennessee College Republican State Convention. “With this initial coalition of student activists from across our state, I’m so honored to see the continued grassroots support for this campaign and my vision for Tennessee,” Lee said in a statement. “These students make up a diverse group of leaders working to ensure our victory in November.” The Lee campaign says the coalition, which spans schools across the state, “will serve as an essential component of Lee’s grassroots support and help spread Bill’s ideas within their campus communities.” Students for Bill will have three Co-Chairs – to represent East, Middle, and West Tennessee – to lead the effort. University of Tennessee student Janey Green, the Co-Chair for East Tennessee said, “For some, running to be governor is just part of their political career. We don’t need a politician for governor; we need a businessman, a farmer, and a man of faith, working to improve the lives of Tennesseans. Bill…
Read the full storyWomen’s March Organizers Plan ‘National School Walkout’ for Gun Control
Organizers of the Women’s March on Washington — the same group that donned pink “pussy” hats in a Washington, D.C. protest march following President Donald Trump’s inauguration — have a new mission. This time, their target is guns — and their aim is stringent new gun control legislation in this country. The Women’s March Youth EMPOWER group is asking students, teachers, parents, administrators, and “allies” to walk out of school on Wednesday, March 14.
Read the full storyCarol Swain Commentary: Seven Reasons to Beware the Southern Poverty Law Center
The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) says its primary mission is to fight hatred, teach tolerance, and seek justice. These are noble goals for most Americans, but this is not a noble organization. It is the exact opposite. Given the SPLC’s power and influence over the media and members of Congress, this once highly-regarded civil rights organization deserves fresh scrutiny. Here are seven reasons why the SPLC fails to serve the public interest: The SPLC ignores basic standards of scientific research in selecting and classifying hate groups and extremists. The SPLC’s definition of “hate” is vague. It defines a hate group as one with “beliefs or practices that attack or malign an entire class of people, typically for their immutable characteristics.” SPLC President Richard Cohen testified in December 2017 that its assessment of hate is based on opinion, not objective criteria. (See minutes 43-48 of his testimony.) George Yancy, a University of North Texas sociologist, documented the SPLC’s subjective nature in a 2014 study, “Watching the Watchers.” Yancy said the group’s methodology seemed more geared to mobilizing liberals than cataloguing hate groups. The SPLC uses guilt by association to engage in ad hominem attacks against individuals. Hannah Scherlacher, a Campus Reform worker, found her…
Read the full storyBloomberg-Backed Gun-Control Group Slammed for Inflating School-Shooting Numbers
Last month, a shot fired at a high school near Seattle entered an office window and hit a three-ring binder. Six weeks later, 17 people were killed when a gunman opened fire at a high school in Parkland, Florida. What do the incidents have in common? They were both listed by Everytown for Gun Safety as…
Read the full storyLetter to the Editor: To See Why Nashville’s Transit Plan is Doomed, Just Look at California and Texas
Dear Tennessee Star, Nobody asked me, but . . . So, let’s see. Mayor Megan Barry’s Transit System will cost about 5.2 billion dollars, plus another $5 billion for “operating expenses,” as per government estimates. For you non-math whizzes, that’s over $10 billion dollars, not the $5.2 billion they are advertising. And that’s if everything goes according to plan. Well, as anybody who has ever been involved in planning a new business venture will tell you, original estimates are always “pie-in-the-sky” wishes. There are too many variables that will be encountered that cannot be foreseen on the initial drawing board. These things always cost more. The California High Speed Rail (HPS) is already over budget and it isn’t even completed yet. Original estimates given to the population in 2008 was $40 billion. Latest estimates in 2015 put the project at $64 billion, a 62.5% increase in less than 10 years, and it isn’t finished yet. Not to mention the bonds that were sold to partially finance the project. Those bonds will come due in the future and are payable by raising taxes in a state where “raise their taxes” is already the rallying cry of politicians. Do you wonder why…
Read the full storyRussia Indictment ‘Good Day’ for Trump, Former Prosecutor Says
In an indictment handed down Friday charging 13 Russians — but no Americans — with interfering in the 2016 presidential campaign does not quite vindicate President Donald Trump, but it comes close, a Republican congressman said. Rep. Ron DeSantis (R-Fla.) said on “The Ingraham Angle” on Fox News that special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation began last year with the accusations that Trump’s campaign colluded with Russian agents.
Read the full storyFederal Judge Deals Heavy Blow To Fusion GPS In Dossier-Related Lawsuit
A Trump-appointed federal judge said Friday that he will not recuse himself from a lawsuit related to the Steele dossier. Trevor McFadden, a judge in Washington, D.C., issued the ruling in response to a recusal request submitted last month by Fusion GPS, the opposition research firm that commissioned the dossier.
Read the full storyExclusive: Rutger Hauer on His New Biblical Film and Most Iconic Role
Few actors working today have the eclectic filmography of Rutger Hauer. He has worked with such acclaimed directors as Ridley Scott, Robert Rodriguez and Christopher Nolan, and at 74 years old, Hauer shows no signs at all of slowing down. The actor currently stars in “Samson,” which is out in theaters today.
Read the full storyTillerson to North Korea on Talks: ‘I’m Listening’
Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said in an interview to air Sunday that he is “listening” for signs that North Korea is ready to engage in direct talks. “My job as chef diplomat is to ensure that the North Koreans know, we keep our channels open,” Tillerson told the CBS news show “60 Minutes.”
Read the full storyMetro Nashville Police Announce Task Force to Confront Growing Green Hills Crime Wave
Metro Nashville Police Chief Steve Anderson announced Thursday the formation of a “multi-component task force” that will use “overt and covert strategies” to disrupt and apprehend what police think may be two separate groups of armed teenagers plaguing the Green Hills neighborhood. Police say the teens are responsible for auto thefts, violent carjackings, shootings, and personal robberies over the past several days. “Nashville and its police department will not tolerate the violent gun crime being exhibited by these teens,” Chief Anderson said in a statement. “While we ramp up enforcement strategies, it is time for parents, extended families and other stakeholders to take notice of what is occurring and do their part to stop it.” Authorities are careful to characterize the rash of teen crime as being perpertrated by “groups” and not “gangs,” though the spike in frequency and severity by the groups could indicate a higher level of organization. “We have an issue right now with these young teenagers committing very violent crimes, and this police department is not going to put up with it,” said MNPD Spokesman Don Aaron told WSMV. “We’re arresting young people, teenagers with guns, one-by-one-by-one, but there are seemingly more to take their places.” As an…
Read the full storyRemoving One Enzyme Could Be Key To Curing Alzheimer’s
An experimental treatment completely reversed Alzheimer’s disease in mice by reducing the levels of a single enzyme in the animals’ brains. The results further bolster the theory that amyloid plaques are at the root of this mysterious brain disease, and that addressing these plaques could lead to an eventual cure for Alzheimer’s.
Read the full storyWill Nashville Embrace 19th Or 21st Century Transit Technology?
As debate on Nashville’s proposed $9 billion transit plan grows, some are asking if the system would have the flexibility to change as needed or even if light rail is relevant in the 21st century. “If voters approve Mayor Megan Barry‘s transit plan in a few months, how tied would Nashville be to the specific details of the multibillion-dollar plan? The answer is up for debate,” the Nashville Business Journal says. “Transit advocates argue there’s room to adapt and modify the plan after the vote, while opponents argue the referendum binds Nashville to Barry’s proposed changes,” the publication says. “During a transit-focused Metro Council meeting in January, Rich Riebeling, Metro’s chief operating officer, said there “would have to be some common-sense provisions going into the future if some technology we don’t know about today comes into play that says you shouldn’t do this, then we’d have to come back to the council, future legislators, and make the adjustments at that time.” One group says rail systems do nothing to relieve traffic congestion. Go Nashville! bills itself as “average people who support efficient, affordable, sustainable private/public transit.” The group posted on Twitter Feb. 9 that each of the Top 10 cities in…
Read the full storyNorth Carolina Judge Throws Mom In Jail For Baptizing Her Daughter
A North Carolina judge threw a mother in jail for seven days for having her daughter baptized without the father’s presence and consent. Kendra Stocks of Charlotte, N.C. will report to jail Friday to begin her seven-day sentence after District Court Judge Sean Smith ruled in March 2017 that she acted in “bad-faith disregard” and was therefore in contempt of court for having her daughter baptized without consulting Paul Schaaf, the child’s father, according to Fox8. Stocks’ sentence is based on a previous custody battle between her and Schaaf, to whom the court gave final authority on all legal decisions regarding the child, including decisions about religion, according to WSOC.
Read the full storyFlorida Gov. Rick Scott Calls on FBI Director to Resign Following Agency’s Failure to Follow Protocols After Receiving Tips on Mass Shooting Suspect
Late Friday, Florida Gov. Rick Scott, a Republican, called on FBI Director Christopher Wray to resign following revelations that the FBI had failed to follow protocols that might have prevented mass shooting suspect Nicholas Cruz from allegedly murdering 17 people at a Florida public school. “The FBI’s failure to take action against this killer is unacceptable. The FBI has admitted that they were contacted last month by a person who called to inform them of Cruz’s ‘desire to kill people,’ and ‘the potential of him conducting a school shooting,’ ” Scott said in a statement released by his office. “An apology will never bring these 17 Floridians back to life or comfort the families who are in pain. The families will spend a lifetime wondering how this could happen, and an apology will never give them the answers they desperately need.” “We constantly promote ‘see something, say something,’ and a courageous person did just that to the FBI. And the FBI failed to act. ‘See something, say something’ is an incredibly important tool and people must have confidence in the follow through from law enforcement. The FBI Director needs to resign.” As Fox News reported: The agency said earlier Thursday…
Read the full storyJeff Flake: Trump Campaign Not ‘Competent Enough’ to Collude with the Russians
Sen. Jeff Flake said he thinks President Trump’s campaign wasn’t “competent enough” to collude with the Russian government, according to a CNBC interview that aired on Friday. “I don’t think that the campaign colluded in some meaningful way. I don’t think that they were organized enough, or competent enough as a campaign to do that,” Mr. Flake, Arizona Republican, said on CNBC.
Read the full storyICE Arrests 212 Illegals, Targets 122 Businesses in Los Angeles Sweep
Federal deportation officers staged one of the biggest enforcement actions in years against businesses in Los Angeles this week, arresting 212 people and serving audit notices to 122 businesses who will have to prove they aren’t hiring illegal immigrants. Nearly all of those arrested were convicted criminals, according to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Read the full storyJustice Department Official Hid Wife’s Payments by Anti-Trump Researcher
Bruce Ohr, the Department of Justice official who brought opposition research on Donald Trump to the FBI in 2016, did not disclose that the company that produced it at the Democratic National Committee’s behest was paying his wife, documents obtained by The Daily Caller News Foundation show. READ MORE
Read the full storyUS Islamic Group With Ties To Hamas Rejoices Over Court Challenge To Travel Ban
A U.S. Islamic advocacy group suspected of conspiring with Hamas celebrated a federal court’s Thursday ruling against President Donald Trump’s latest travel sanctions. The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), which the FBI labeled as an “unindicted co-conspirator” with the terrorist group Hamas in 2009, released a statement Thursday celebrating the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruling against the latest edition of Trump’s travel sanctions, which CAIR called “Trump’s ‘Muslim ban 3.0.’” CAIR continued its claim that the travel restrictions are part of a white supremacist agenda that specifically targets Muslims, despite the fact that the restriction is not actually a permanent ban and does not include include the two countries that hold one-quarter of the world’s Muslim population.
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