Month: February 2018

Poll: Tennessee Voters Concerned About Health Care Premiums and Co-Pays, Want to End ‘Death Panels’

Tennessee Star Staff

The Tennessee Star Poll released earlier this week showed Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN-07) leading former Gov. Phil Bredesen in a U.S. Senate general election matchup by 11 points, and all four remaining GOP candidates leading former Nashville Mayor Karl Dean in the Gubernatorial general election matchup. In addition to political candidate matchups, the January 2018 Tennessee Star Poll asked likely general election voters of both parties their views on a number of key issues. When it comes to health care, Tennessee voters view health care premiums and co-pays as the top priorities for their Member of Congress to address, while blaming the government and health insurance companies for the rising costs of their health care. By a 39 percent to 31 percent margin, Tennessee voters want to end “death panels.” These numbers, as it turns out, mirror the views of the eleven percent of  voters who are undecided in the U.S. Senate race between Blackburn and Bredesen, and the slightly higher percentage of undecideds (21 percent) in the former Rep. Stephen Fincher (R-TN-08)- Bredesen matchup, in which Bredesen holds a 3 point lead. The automated (IVR) telephone survey of 1,003 likely Tennessee voters in the November 2018 general election was conducted…

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Mayor Megan Barry and Her Communications Director Try to Control Story of Extramarital Affair Using Exclusive Interview with ‘Fair’ Media

Chris Alto

Prior to Mayor Megan Barry’s 7 p.m. press conference Wednesday, which can be viewed in full here, Phil Williams from News Channel 5 was granted an exclusive interview with Barry to break the story of Barry’s extramarital affair. In his own interview on Channel 5’s MorningLine with Nick Beres, Williams explained how and why he was granted the exclusive interview: Williams: I put in the request I believe Friday and I was very straightforward with the Mayor’s spokesperson. You know I knew that they would know why I was asking because my source or sources you know, were incredible. Beres: Had indicated to you that there may have been something going on between the Mayor and her head of security. Williams: Exactly and to the point that I had no doubt. And so I really encouraged the Mayor’s office she needs to sit down answer the questions, go ahead and get all this information out as soon as possible. You know just come clean. Beres went on to state that Williams was “probably the first one to put it to her and she probably also knew Phil Williams will be fair.” Regarding the conduct of his interview, Williams noted that…

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District Attorney Glenn Funk Requests TBI Investigate Nashville Mayor Megan Barry Affair

Christina Botteri

Fallout from Wednesday’s bombshell admission by Nashville Mayor Megan Barry that she carried on a years-long affair with the head of her security detail, Rob Forrest, continues. Serious questions as to the taxpayer funds that Barry may have funneled to Forrest in the form of overseas trips and overtime payments has triggered District Attorney Glenn Funk to ask the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation to look into the matter to determine if there was–and the extent to which there may have been– any criminal wrongdoing by Metro Nashville’s chief executive. “District Attorney Glenn Funk has asked TBI Director Mark Gwyn to investigate whether Mayor Megan Barry and/or others, including Sgt. Rob Forrest, violated any criminal law including misappropriation of public funds and official misconduct,” Funk spokesman Steve Hayslip told The Tennessean Thursday morning. “As with any TBI investigation, agents will collect any and all relevant evidence and interviews and, in turn, submit investigative findings to the district attorney general for his further review and consideration,” TBI spokesman Josh DeVine confirmed to The Tennessean. Meanwhile, Rob Forrest’s wife, through her attorney, requested the former security chief’s cell phone and its contents be held and preserved by the Metro Nashville Police Department. MNPD spokesperson Kris…

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Who Was the Daring Defector Who Raised His Crutches High, Defying the Kim Regime During the State of the Union?

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One of the highlights of President Donald Trump’s first State of the Union address was a North Korean defector brutalized by the regime who raised his crutches in defiance. Describing him as a “witness to the ominous nature of this regime,” the president explained that Ji Seong-ho’s “great sacrifice is an inspiration to us all.”

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Low Turnout As Early Voting Ends for Williamson County Sales Tax Increase Referendum

Tennessee Star Staff

FRANKLIN, Tennessee–Early voting on the proposed Williamson County sales tax increase referendum ended on Thursday, and poll workers say turnout is down so far, ending with a little more than 6,000 of the county’s estimated 130,000 registered voters casting their ballot during the two week period. As a point of comparison, 105,000 Williamson County voters cast their ballots in the 2016 Presidential Election. President Trump easily defeated Hillary Clinton in the county that election, 65 percent to 30 percent. Election day is set for this coming Tuesday, February 6. The Tennessee Star reported when early voting began on January 17 that a single issue is on the ballot, “a proposal that would increase the county’s contribution to the state sales tax by a hefty 22 percent resulting is a new tax rate of 2.75 percent:” Shall Resolution No. 11-17-15, passed by the Williamson County Commission on November 13, 2017 published in the Tennessean, Williamson A.M., newspapers of general circulations, and as authorized by and be levied and collected pursuant to the Retailer’s Sales Tax Act and the 1963 Local Option Revenue Act under Title 67, chapter 6, Tennessee Code Annotated, which will increase the local option sales and use tax…

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Commentary: Survey Finds President Trump’s Amnesty Proposal a Non-Starter with His Base, Who Also Believe He Will Fulfill His Campaign Promises on Immigration

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Donald Trump rally

by George Rasley   Trump supporters, surveyed over the past two weeks by CHQ collaborator Ear to the Ground said they are closely following the immigration reform debate and believe the president will not back down on his campaign promises regarding immigration reform. “Trump supporters couldn’t be clearer: 71% of his base say they will no longer support the President if amnesty is included in immigration reform. They also said they are confident President Trump will follow-through on his campaign promises regarding immigration. There may be perilous waters ahead if Congress or the president appear to include a form of amnesty,” said Ear to the Ground Executive Director Anne Sorock. “We also learned that it is security, above all, that these Trump supporters feel is most important to focus on when it comes to immigration – above cultural fit or self-sufficiency of immigrants.” The new data from the Ear to the Ground Listening Project, a collaboration of academics, market researchers, and policy experts, including www.conservativehq.com is based on the results of a panel survey of 6,883 Trump supporters: • 84% said they are following immigration news “very closely.” • 87% approve of President Trump’s handling of immigration reform. • When asked if they would support…

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Special Counsel Mueller’s Use of ‘Parallel Construction’ May Run Afoul of Constitutional Protections

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by Printus LeBlanc   It seems like every day there is a chorus of officials celebrating Special Counsel Robert Mueller. If you dare question his integrity, you are to be banished to the gulags. However, with a little bit of research you will find out his career as a law enforcement officer is filled with mistakes, mishaps, and questionable policies. Once such policy is the subject of a Human Rights Watch report titled Dark Side: Secret Origins of Evidence in US Criminal Cases. The report details the practice of “parallel construction” in criminal investigations. What is parallel construction, why should every civil libertarian fear it, and what does this have to do with Robert Mueller? Parallel construction is a law enforcement technique used to build a criminal case against a suspect when law enforcement does not want to reveal the evidentiary basis for the investigation. The data comes from the NSA, which transmits it to a special unit in the DEA called the Special Operations Division (SOD). Within the SOD are representatives of several other agencies including the FBI, CIA, and IRS who are given “tips” to carry out their investigations. Let’s say local law enforcement receives a call from federal…

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FactChecking the FactChecking of Trump’s State of the Union – A Counterpoint

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An October 2017 Pew Reseach Center poll noted that “the partisan split in America is the highest it has been in two decades, with Republicans and Democrats holding vastly disparate views on race, immigration and the role of government.” Arguably, this is because, not only do we have our own opinions we also have our own “facts.” Reaction to President Trump’s State of the Union address is a glaring example of this. Factcheck.org recently released a fact check on President Trump’s address that seems to have some of its own issues with the “facts.”

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President Trump Tells Republicans: ‘This Is Just the Beginning’

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President Trump fired up congressional Republicans gathered to plot their 2018 agenda Thursday, telling them they ticked off historic accomplishments last year and urging them to keep their foot on the gas ahead of November’s election. The president said Republicans have surmounted a wall of Democratic obstruction, but said if things don’t improve, the GOP will have to defy expectations and expand its numbers in the elections.

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No Transparency in ECD Deal to Give Tyson Foods $18 Million FastTrack Grant

Chris Alto

Noted in the Governor’s 2018-2019 Budget is an $18 million dollar FastTrack grant for Tyson Foods that may be part of a deal to bring a chicken processing plant to Humboldt, Tennessee after plans for a similarly described project in Kansas met with “staggering” opposition from citizen activists. This year’s money for Tyson Foods is not currently listed in the FastTrack project database maintained on the Department of Economic & Community Development (ECD) website. As part of Governor Haslam’s “Transparent Tennessee” initiative, ECD launched an interactive online platform called “Open ECD,” intended to provide a “comprehensive look at TNECD’s initiatives,” including, FastTrack, community and rural development grants. Haslam’s “Transparent Tennessee” was intended to help create a “customer-focused, efficient and effective state government.” This initiative was supposed to provide greater transparency and accountability in how the state government operates by enabling taxpayers to see how different departments are performing as well as how taxpayer funds are spent. The only reference to date for the $18 million dollar FastTrack grant for Tyson Foods is on page xix of the Governor’s 2018-2019 Budget released with a cover letter dated January 29, 2018: General fund supplemental appropriations in the current 2017-2018 fiscal year total $46 million, $38 million of…

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Alan Grayson, Former Florida Congressman, Dumped by PolitiFact Within Hours of Hiring Statement

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The fact-checkers at PolitiFact found themselves dumping former congressman Alan Grayson hours after publishing a celebratory hiring statement. Mr. Grayson, a Florida Democrat known for bombastic comments and the assertion that AR-15 rifles fire “700 rounds in a minute,’” was let go by PolitiFact.com on the same day its “reader advocate” experiment was announced. The Democrat…

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Peter King Says ‘Every Relevant Fact’ Included in Devin Nunes’ Memo

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Rep. Peter King said Thursday that Rep. Devin Nunes’ memo includes “every relevant fact” to the case and believes the memo should come out. “The first time the White House saw it is we had our people officially deliver it to [the] White House counsel, and the national security lawyers, on Monday night at the White House,” Mr. King, New York Republican, said on CNN.

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$9 Billion Transit Backers Try New Poll To Fish For Support

Jason M. Reynolds

One citizens’ group says the city and its backers are conducting yet another poll to try to show support for the Let’s Move Nashville Transit Improvement Plan. NoTax4Tracks said in a press release that at least one of its people received a polling call regarding the $9 billion transit plan that includes light rail service. Questions include: Would this make you more or less likely to vote for the plan? 17 cents a day cost Comprehensive light rail, bus and other Neighborhood parking zones to get on and off Will run longer hours at night If seniors get a discount If out-of-towners pay for most of it through the hotel tax It would eliminate the need to go downtown to go to neighborhood to neighborhood Which are important to you when you consider your vote: would cost $5.4 billion that we would have the highest sales tax that sales tax is regressive and would hurt lower income communities Which people are meaningful to you in making this decision: David Fox Megan Barry Someone else News of the new poll broke hours before word came of Mayor Megan Barry’s extra-marital affair with the head of her security detail, so it is…

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Mayor Megan Barry and Security Chief Lover Traveled to Athens, Greece Alone on Metro Nashville Taxpayer Funds

Tennessee Star Staff

Nashville Mayor Megan Barry and her security chief, Rob Forrest, traveled alone together to a conference in Greece in September, several Middle Tennessee media outlets reported on Wednesday. Forrest and Barry were alone in Athens, Greece for seveb days, from September 12 to September 18, 2017 attending the Athens Democracy Forum & 100RC City Leaders Advisory Committee Meeting, according to documents released by the Mayor’s Office. During this time, Forrest was paid by the taxpayers of Metro Nashville/Davidson County to provide security for Mayor Barry. Forrest’s travel and lodging expenses were paid for by Metro Nashville/Davidson County. It is not clear whether taxpayers or a private foundation paid for Mayor Barry’s travel and lodging for the Athens, Greece trip. “Documents released by her office show that from January 2017 until present, over $30,000 taxpayer dollars were spent on Barry and Sgt. Forrest’s travel expenses. Barry took 30 trips in total, 7 of which were personal to visit her son or take vacation with friends, while 9 were with Sgt. Forrest alone, including a trip to Greece, reportedly for the Athens Democracy Forum,” WKRN reported. “During 2017, travel records show Forrest traveled with the mayor to San Francisco, Salt Lake City, Denver,…

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Heartbeat Bill That Gives Pregnant Women More Choice Passes Through House Subcommittee

Laura Baigert

NASHVILLE, Tennessee – The Heartbeat Bill passed through the House Health Subcommittee on Wednesday and is headed for the full House Health Committee.  The bill has been under consideration in the Tennessee General Assembly for more than a year, The bill, which has seen its share of challenges, along with its six amendments was the only item discussed in the subcommittee. After five amendments were dispensed with, the amendment that “made the bill,” was introduced by the sponsor of the main bill, Rep. Micah Van Huss (R-Jonesborough). Van Huss began by recognizing and appreciating the many people who, over the last 12 months, worked, prayed and called for the Heartbeat Bill to protect the unborn, and added, “If the unborn could speak, they would thank you as well.” Not having the votes to pass the bill through the Subcommittee in its current form, Van Huss offered an amendment that would “still save lives.” Citing a statistic from preborn.org, Van Huss said that 80 percent of mothers who see an ultrasound choose life. The amendment to the bill increases a pregnant woman’s choices, requiring that “if an ultrasound is performed as part of the examination prior to performing the abortion, the…

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In Shocking Move, Feds Drop All Charges Against Senator Bob Menendez

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In a shocking turnaround, the U.S. Justice Department has dropped its case against Sen. Robert Menendez. In a court hearing in Newark today, federal prosecutors moved to dismiss the corruption indictment against the New Jersey Democrat. Last week, a federal judge had acquitted Menendez and his co-defendant, Salomon Melgen, of seven of the 18 counts against them after a deadlocked jury could not reach a verdict in the high-profile case in November.

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Judson Phillips Commentary: Megan Barry Must Resign as Mayor of Nashville

Tennessee Star Staff

by Judson Phillips   On Wednesday evening, the rumors that had been percolating through downtown Nashville all day were finally shown to be true. Nashville Mayor Megan Barry admitted that she had an extramarital affair. But it was not just any extramarital affair. She was having an affair with a Nashville employee who was paid to protect her. Metro police sergeant Rob Forrest was assigned to protect the Mayor and traveled with her extensively. According to media reports, Barry traveled with Forrest at least nine times alone. According to other media reports, in the last two years alone, Forrest made $135,000 in overtime. That overtime is in addition to his regular salary and for the trips he took with the Mayor on the taxpayer’s dime. Neither Barry or Forrest are giving details, such as the time frame of the affair, presumably on the advice of their lawyers. Until there is evidence to the contrary, sane people have to assume they were having their affair while he was on duty and they were traveling together. Megan Barry used tax dollars to help pay for her affair. And she had that affair with someone who works for the city. All of this…

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State Representative John DeBerry Introduces Bill to Ban Fraternities, Sororities from Tennessee State Schools

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State Representative John DeBerry (D-Memphis) filed a bill Tuesday that would outlaw fraternities and sororities on Tennessee’s state schools of higher education. The bill, HB2042 appears in the Tennessee Legislature’s database as simply filed, with no sponsor yet. It’s description reads: Fraternities and Sororities – As introduced, prohibits fraternities and sororities, other than professional fraternities and honor societies, from being recognized by, associated with, or operating on the campus of, any state institution of higher education. – Amends TCA Title 49. The bill targets Greek organizations that are social in nature and explicitly excludes professional organizations. The proposal comes as Greek life groups across the country have been suspended or placed on probation for instances of excessive drinking and hazing. CBS News Channel 5 notes that in 2016, there were four fraternity hazing deaths across the country that garnered attention. The men were pledging their fraternities at Pennsylvania State University, Louisiana State University, Florida State University, and Texas State University.  

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Five Of Trump’s Lines That Sounded EXACTLY Like The Ronald Reagan We Knew And Loved

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Ronald Reagan, Donald Trump

President Donald Trump’s delivered five lines in his first State of the Union address Tuesday evening that could have come directly out of former President Ronald Reagan’s mouth. The president’s speech Tuesday evening, like many State of the Union addresses, focused on the unity of the American people, along with a number of domestic and foreign policy issues. The American public received the address incredibly well, with CNN and CBS polls showing over 70 percent of viewers approved for the president’s remarks.

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Nashville Mayor Megan Barry Dodges Responsibility As Elected Official on Affair, Denies ‘Giving Women’s Rights a Bad Smell’

Jason M. Reynolds

Nashville Mayor Megan Barry dodged repeated questions at a televised press conference Wednesday night on whether her extra-marital affair with her chief bodyguard, a city employee, was hypocritical as a champion of women’s rights. She also seemed to acknowledge she only came out because the news was breaking. “I am embarrassed and I am sad and I am sorry for all the pain I caused my family and his family, and I know that God will forgive me, but I know Nashville doesn’t have to,” Barry said. She added she hopes she can earn back people’s trust. Earlier in the day, in an exclusive interview with NewsChannel 5 Investigates, Barry insisted that she has not misused taxpayer funds as part of the relationship with Metro Police Sergeant Rob Forrest, NewsChannel 5’s Phill Williams reported on Wednesday. Forrest resigned — the term being used is retirement after 31 years with the police department. Barry said he gave notice on Jan. 17. During the press conference, Barry was asked more than once about the professional aspect of having an affair with a subordinate, especially in terms of women’s rights. The point was raised that if a man were in her position, he…

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