The former British spy who wrote the infamous dossier has been ordered to appear for a deposition in a lawsuit over the salacious document filed in the U.S. A British court ordered Christopher Steele to testify about his role in compiling the dossier, which alleges that the Trump campaign colluded with the Russian government during the…
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U.S. Capitol Police have arrested a male Democratic operative for assaulting a female Interior Department communications official following a House budget hearing Thursday. The assault happened after Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke finished testifying on the department’s 2019 budget proposal before the House Committee on Natural Resources.
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Attorney General Jeff Sessions has fired former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe less than two days before his retirement from the bureau. The firing, effective immediately, was announced late Friday night in a statement by the Department of Justice.
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A Democratic congressman Friday expressed concern that new financial sanctions President Donald Trump on Russia will bring retaliation — in the form of help for Trump’s party in the November midterm elections. Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.) made the comment during an interview with CNN’s Wolf Blitzer.
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In an exclusive interview with The Tennessee Star on Saturday, former gubernatorial candidate and former State Senator Mae Beavers (R-Mt. Juliet) has confirmed she is running for Mayor of Wilson County. “I met with a group of citizens last week and they were asking me to run for County Mayor. We took the week and thought about it, and decided to go for it,” Beavers told The Star. “I just picked up a petition at 3 p.m. Friday, and it kind of snowballed from there,” Beavers added. The Lebanon Democrat first reported Saturday morning that Beavers had pulled a petition Friday afternoon to run for Mayor of Wilson County: After less than two months away from politics, former state Sen. Mae Beavers has pulled a petition and set her sights on the Wilson County mayor’s office. Beavers pulled the petition Friday afternoon, and will challenge incumbent Randall Hutto, who has filed his petition ahead of the April 5 deadline, and Bob Richie, who has not filed his petition. If elected, Beavers will be returning to the same Wilson County Government where she began her political career in 1990 when she was elected to the Wilson County Commission. In 1994 she was…
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Former Nashville Mayor Megan Barry loudly proclaimed “There is no Plan B” to her $9 billion Let’s Move Nashville transit plan. It turns out she was wrong. A new voice has entered the transit debate that focuses entirely on mass transit alternatives. The group is calling itself Nashville Plan “B.” The tagline for the website declares, “We aren’t against mass transit. Just this plan.” Nashville residents John Maddox and Johann Porisch are two of the voices behind the Nashville Plan “B” Alternatives. Porisch, a public relations professional, burst on to the scene during the Resign Now! Megan Barry Rally where he introduced his effort to organize a recall election to replace Mayor Barry, now moot with Barry’s resignation March 6. Nashville Plan “B” joins the first group against the $9 billion Let’s Move Nashville plan, No Tax 4 Tracks, which launched two months ago with the headline that paying for the $9 billion transit plan would raise Nashville’s sales tax to the highest in any major U.S. city. The effort to defeat the plan on May 1 was then joined, as reported in the The Tennessee Star, by the grassroots movement Better Transit 4 Nashville. Proponents of the $9 billion Let’s Move…
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Specialized ‘hair braiding’ salons – called ‘natural hair styling’ salons – may soon have reason to celebrate, as legislation sponsored by Rep. David Hawk (R-Greenville) and Sen. Mark Norris (R-Collierville) would eliminate the requirement for stylists to be licensed by the Tennessee Board of Cosmetology and Barber Examiners in order to ply their trade. So onerous are the license fees and fines, that Forbes.com recently featured the story of professional natural hair styling salon owner Fatou Diouf, who faces $16,000 in fines because she employed hair braiding stylists who did not have the license: Ever since she was a little girl, Fatou Diouf has been braiding hair. And for almost two decades, Fatou has turned that tradition into a vocation by working professionally as a licensed natural hair stylist in Tennessee. “I never did any other job but hair braiding my whole life,” she said. “I cannot recall a time when I did not know how.” But in recent years, Tennessee has forced Fatou to pay a staggering $16,000 in fines, simply because she employed workers who did not have a government license to braid hair. Nor is she alone. After examining meeting minutes and disciplinary actions for the Tennessee Board of Cosmetology and Barber Examiners, the…
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Vil Mirzayanov is a Russian emigre to the U.S. and chemical weapons specialist who helped develop the poison believed to have been used in the attack in Britain on Sergei Skripal, a former colonel in the GRU, Russia’s military intelligence, and his daughter Yulia. Mirzayanov spoke with VOA’s Russian service.
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Thousands of young people across this country “walked out” of their classrooms on Wednesday of this week — and of course many of those who did (some in elementary school) were far too young to know exactly what was going on. Ostensibly, the goal of the walkouts was to honor the victims of the Parkland, Florida, massacre last month and to explore new ways to prevent any others from becoming victims of violence themselves.
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Pharmacy-retail giant CVS announced on Friday that it will now carry the shingles vaccine Shingrix in all 9,800 of its locations, with many insurance providers covering the preventive treatment recommended for adults age 50 and older, the company said in a statement. Yet, CVS stores in one state, Florida, won’t carry the vaccine because of state regulations, the company announced.
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The Williamson County Republican Party Executive Committee announced Friday they passed a resolution to strongly support HB0887 and its companion Senate bill SB0772. The proposal’s summary – sponsored by Rep. Ryan Williams (R-Cookeville) and Sen. Mark Pody (R-Lebanon) – simply states: As introduced, requires a person to declare a statewide political party affiliation before voting in a primary election. – Amends TCA Title 2. (emphasis added) Williamson County Republican Party Chair Debbie Deaver said the measure, which passed overwhelmingly 10-0, would be a welcome change. “It’s a little disingenuous to allow someone to select a candidate for a party they don’t identify with and who they will not vote for in the general election. Just like Alabama doesn’t let Tennessee pick its head coach, and Apple doesn’t have the board of Microsoft select its CEO, we should not let non-Republicans pick our nominees.” The next stop for the bill proposal is the Senate State and Local Government Committee, where it is scheduled to be heard.
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An anti-abortion pregnancy crisis center in 2016 ran afoul of a then-new California law that requires such nonprofit organizations to tell women that they are eligible for free or low-cost “family planning” resources, including birth control and abortions. The statement that Pregnancy Care Clinic must provide to anyone who walks through the door also must include…
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Saint Patrick’s Day is here, and so it goes we join millions across the globe to don our best green garb and imbibe in a panoply beverages from the unnaturally verdant Shamrock Shake to the local pub’s green draft – all in a joyous tradition to cheer one another in the name of a spiritual hero of Ireland. But did you know the true-life story of the man who would become St. Patrick is as harrowing as any high adventure you might find in the pages of a Batman comic? Here are 6 facts you might not have known about the life and times of St. Patrick: (1) St. Patrick was not Irish. St. Patrick’s only known name prior to his canonization is “Patricius.” He was a born late in the fourth century in Roman Britain – most likely the modern Wales region, although some scholars say it was Scotland. Like many Romans of that era, his family were devout Christians. His father, Calpurnius was a deacon, and his grandfather Potitus, was a priest. (2) St. Patrick did not share his family’s faith, and was a skeptic. In his book, Confessio, St. Patrick writes that as a boy, he was not…
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Rob Schneider is perhaps best known as one of the cast members of the so-called golden age in “Saturday Night Live” history. Along with other breakout comedians like Adam Sandler, Mike Meyers, Kevin Nealon, Norm MacDonald, and David Spade, Schneider served up the laughs on late-night TV from 1990 to 1994.
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Toys ‘R’ Us, the iconic retail chain that has captivated American kids for generations, has announced plans to shut all of its US stores, becoming one of the biggest casualties of the retail shakeout amid the rise of e-commerce. The debt-plagued company announced in the early hours of Thursday that it has filed a motion for bankruptcy court approval to liquidate its US operations, a move that could hit 33,000 jobs.
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Former Gov. Phil Bredesen, the 74-year-old “new hope” for Democrats in Tennessee who is running unopposed for his party’s U.S. Senate nomination, launched a television ad last week in which he said “I’m not running against Donald Trump.” Despite that claim, Bredesen is headed to a high end restaurant near New York City’s Central Park in Manhattan to raise big money from Never Trump liberals who want to destroy Trump’s presidency and the GOP. “Pols Love New York City,” reads the headline from a recent New York Post article, which adds the details Tennesseans will find of interest: Democrats from the heartland come to New York for the same reason Willie Sutton said he targeted banks: “Because that’s where the money is.” Former Tennessee Gov. Phil Bredesen, looking to move to the US Senate, will have a fundraiser at Bobby Van’s on Central Park South on April 19. The New York Times reported in November that Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) helped persuade Bredesen, whom he “courted personally,” to run for the U.S. Senate in Tennessee. You can see the New York Post article here: A multi-millionaire, Bredesen has said that it will take at least $50 million…
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Speaking to a Mount Juliet Chamber of Commerce meet and greet on Thursday morning, Republican gubernatorial candidate Randy Boyd said that while he does not support the current in-state tuition bill under consideration in the Tennessee General Assembly, immigration status of student should be irrelevant when it comes to filling seats in Tennessee’s state colleges and universities. Kicked off a full day in Wilson County at the @MJChamber. Look forward to seeing more friends and supporters! Check out our full list of stops via the @wilsonconews https://t.co/1KJt7MgOpx pic.twitter.com/bqZEkDWQpW — Randy Boyd (@randyboyd) March 15, 2018 “Do you support the legislature’s bill on in-state tuition?” one of the attendees at the meet and greet asked the Knoxville businessman. “No. I don’t think the state of Tennessee should be supplying or paying in-state benefits to people that are not in-state,” Boyd responded. The current bill proposed by State Rep. Mark White actually provides in-state tuition rates to illegal immigrant students by redefining what a public benefit is. “Having said that, though, I think, it’s the kind of nuance that, I want to bring more people from all over the country and all over the world to the state of Tennessee, and our…
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Up for a fourth try to award a statutorily classified “state or local public benefit” to illegal immigrants in Tennessee, Rep. Mark White continues to tell his legislator colleagues that his bill is about education and not immigration even though the state law White needs to change was “based on Congress’s asserted interest in ‘remov[ing] the incentive for illegal immigration provided by the availability of public benefits.’” Tennessee’s “Eligibility Verification for Entitlements Act” (EVEA) passed in 2012, classifies in-state tuition is a state benefit. The EVEA requires that: …every state governmental entity and local health department shall verify that each applicant eighteen (18) years of age or older, who applies for a federal, state or local public benefit from the entity or local health department, is a United States citizen or lawfully present in the United States in the manner provided in this chapter. The EVEA defers to the federal law definition of a “state or local public benefit.” A 2017 opinion issued by Attorney General Herb Slatery notes that this federal law was “based on Congress’s asserted interest in ‘remov[ing] the incentive for illegal immigration provided by the availability of public benefits.’” The federal law which limits the authority of state governments…
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State Rep. Eddie Smith (R-Knoxville), a member of the House Education Administration & Planning Subcommittee and Vice-Chair of the full Committee, was nowhere to be found when subcommittee chairman State Rep. Mark White (R-Memphis) jumped his own bill on in-state tuition for illegal immigrants from number 35 on the agenda to the very first bill to be heard. As The Tennessee Star reported earlier, White’s bill, HB2429, was passed on a voice vote without any discussion other than a strongly worded statement of opposition from State Rep. Dawn White (R-Murfreesboro) (no relation to Mark White). It will go next to the full Education Committee although it has not been put on the calendar yet. The Senate companion bill, however, is scheduled to be heard on Wednesday, March 21st. Smith joined the subcommittee after White’s bill was passed. As to prior in-state tuition bills, Smith’s voting record is more transparent with the exception of the subcommittee votes where bills are passed by voice vote even though legislators have the option to request being recorded specifically as a “no” vote. With regard to Tuesday’s vote, the only recorded “no” vote was from Rep. Dawn White. The first year Eddie Smith served in the Tennessee General Assembly…
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Conservative firebrand Julie Hannah is taking her years of experience as a Williamson County Republican Party member and Chairwoman and using it in her unique campaign to be the county’s next Register of Deeds. “People think campaigns are all about big rallies, television ads, and media interviews but at the local level it is door knocking and personal connections that make the difference in winning or losing. That’s why my focus is on going door to door throughout Williamson County,” Hannah said in a statement, adding: “I want to bring my experience in the private business arena to provide consistent professionalism to the office. For me, being Register of Deeds is not about having a position, it is all about serving people and doing the job so well that it never really draws much attention. The Williamson County Register of Deeds is a fairly obscure office that not many people are familiar with. “You’re running for what? is almost always the first question I get,” she quipped. “Having the chance to meet people at their front doors and ask for their votes has been amazing out. I’ve never been more more optimistic about our future with having had the chance to meet families…
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On Thursday attorney Jamie Hollin appealed directly to the Tennessee Supreme Court a ruling by Chancery Court Judge Claudia Bonnyman against his client, mayoral candidate Ludye Wallace, who argued the law says the special Nashville mayoral election should be held on May 1, and in favor of the Davidson County Election Commission, which set August 2 as the date for the special election. “This case involves a pure question of law regarding a matter of unusual public importance: When the Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County—Tennessee’s capital city and most populous municipality—must hold an election to fill a vacancy in the office of Mayor,” the plaintiff’s brief began. “Even more significantly, this case seeks to determine whether the citizens of Nashville are entitled to have their government faithfully adhere to the text of a Charter provision that they collectively enacted with overwhelming support by popular referendum,” the brief continued. The appeal is not automatically heard by the Tennessee Supreme Court. Instead, they must actively decide to “reach down” to hear the case. You can read the entire plaintiff’s brief here: [pdf-embedder url=”https://tennesseestar.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/L.-Wallace-Motion-for-Direct-Review-Exhibits.pdf” title=”L. Wallace Motion for Direct Review & Exhibits”]
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A lack of transparency on the part of the Williamson County Schools (WCS) surrounds the medical condition of Superintendent Mike Looney. The Tennessee Star broke the story on Tuesday that Looney told WCS staffers earlier in the day that he has a tumor on his pancreas. The language of that communication suggested that he was going to go on medical leave during his treatment period: I need to share a little bit of news so that you can learn it from me rather than another source. I would much rather not share things of a personal nature, but given my role in the district, it really can’t be avoided. I very recently learned that I have a tumor in my pancreas. At this point, I am planning on having surgery toward the end of this month and unfortunately will need to take several weeks off for recovery. (emphasis added) The central office staff is wholly prepared to support your work without me. Jason Golden will act on my behalf during my absence. I will enjoy watching from a distance and will continue to cheer you on as our work progresses. However, Carol Birdsong, director of communications for WCS, told The…
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A California high school teacher was placed on paid administrative leave this week after she pointed out an apparent double standard surrounding Wednesday’s national school walkout against gun violence. Thousands of students across the country walked out of classes Wednesday to protest gun violence in honor of the 17 students and teachers who were fatally shot last month at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. The walkout was organized by Youth Empower, a division of the national Women’s March, a left-wing group that has staged two national protests against President Trump.
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Telling a classmate “God bless you” after she sneezes is a “microaggression,” according to extensive social justice guidelines posted by a women’s college in Boston. On its website, the Simmons College library lists six “anti-oppression” categories-“anti-racism,” “anti-transmisia,” “anti-ableism,” “anti-Islamomisia,” “anti-sanism” and “anti-queermisia”-with which students should be familiar. “This guide is intended to provide some general information…
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by CHQ Staff Multiple establishment media outlets are reporting that White House officials have told key Republican leaders on Capitol Hill that President Trump is open to cutting a deal in an upcoming spending bill to protect young immigrants from deportation in exchange for border wall funding, according to four GOP officials briefed on the talks. This possible change in policy would be a significant cave-in for Trump, who, as The Washington Post’s Mike DeBonis and Josh Dawsey remind us, in January insisted on a much broader package of immigration restrictions in exchange for any protections for the so-called “dreamers” – the illegal aliens brought to the United States illegally as children, some of whom have been protected under Obama’s unconstitutional Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program that Trump rightly canceled in September. The immigration framework that Trump issued in January called for $25 billion in wall funding, alongside changes to immigration law that would curtail two key pathways for legal immigrants by ending the Diversity Immigrant Visa Program, which distributes 50,000 visas a year through a lottery system, and by scaling back family-based immigration rules. In exchange, Trump proposed offering legal status and an eventual pathway to citizenship for…
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White House Counselor Kellyanne Conway advised former 2016 Democratic presidential nominee Hilary Clinton to “stop pretending you’re a feminist” Thursday on Fox News’ “Fox & Friends” after Clinton accused women of checking with “your husband, your boss, your son” before voting for President Donald Trump.
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Some students at Antioch High School took the opportunity to sow chaos and destruction Wednesday during the so-called “National Walkout Day” organized by the far-Left group, Women’s March only one month after the horrific school shooting in Parkland, Florida. NewsChannel5 reports that the Metro Nashville Police are looking into incidents of a few students taking down a flag and jumping on a police car, but that no arrests or citations have been issued. Fellow protesters posted some of the incidents on social media. Wednesday afternoon, Metro Nashville Public Schools’ Public Information Officer Michelle Michaud released the following statement: At MNPS, we respect the right of our students to advocate for causes that are important to them. Unfortunately, some students on our Antioch campus today chose to protest in ways that significantly disrupted school operations and threatened the safety and order for other students and staff within our school. Swift action was taken by school security and MNPD to address the situation. No students or staff members were injured during the walkout. The safety of our students and staff is our top priority. Inappropriate behaviors that threaten school safety will be handled immediately and firmly in accordance with the Student Code of Conduct and MNPD. We understand…
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A California man whose son died at the hands of the an illegal immigrant blasted his state’s attorney general Thursday over hardcore “sanctuary” policies. Don Rosenberg, who works for the group Fight Sanctuary Cities, said on “The Laura Ingraham Show” that he is disgusted by the defiance of figures like California Attorney General Xavier Becerra and Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf, who famously issued a public warning that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers were preparing a raid in the city across the bay from San Francisco.
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Americans For Prosperity –Tennessee, the grassroots organization that played a key role in bringing an end to the Hall Income Tax in Tennessee, is hosting a no-cost seminar on the topic of “Free Speech on College Campuses.” Sam Nienow, AFP Middle Tennessee Field Director, describes the event as “a fascinating seminar on the infringements upon free speech at both public and private universities.” AFP recognizes that “colleges and universities used to be a place where intellectual diversity was embraced. Now, this philosophy has changed as many higher education institutions fail to uphold the promises of free expression, assembly, and religion to students and faculty.” The Gallup/Knight Foundation conducted a survey in 2017, “Free Expression on Campus: What College Students Think About First Amendment Issues.” Compared to a 2016 survey, students believe all five first amendment rights – freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom of the press, freedom for people to assembly peacefully and freedom to petition the government – are perceived as significantly less secure in 2017. However, the majority of students consider the protection of citizens’ free speech rights and promoting an inclusive society that is welcoming to diverse groups to be extremely important. But, when given a…
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Professor Judith M. Stinson, Executive Associate Dean of the Sandra Day O’Connor School of Law at Arizona State University and a recognized national expert on the distinctions between legal holdings and “dicta,” told The Tennessee Star that if the decision by Chancery Court Judge Claudia Bonnyman to set the date for the special mayoral election in Nashville at August 2 treated dicta as binding, that places the integrity of that election, as well as the entire judicial system in the state of Tennessee, in question. Only a legal holding in a case on the issue argued by both sides establishes legal precedent, Stinson told The Star in a phone interview on Thursday. “Dicta” is entirely irrelevant and is not solid grounds for a legal precedent. Last Friday, the Davidson County Election Commission ignored the plain meaning of the law and voted 3 to 2 to set August 2 as the date for the special mayoral election. On Wednesday, Judge Bonnyman sided with the commission and ruled that August 2 should be the date for the special mayoral election. On Thursday, Jamie Hollin, attorney for plaintiff and mayoral candidate Ludye Wallace, appealed Judge Bonnyman’s ruling to the Tennessee Supreme Court, The Tennesseean reported. Here is the…
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Tom Benson, owner of the NFL’s New Orleans Saints and the NBA’s New Orleans Pelicans, died Thursday at the age of 90, a month after falling ill with the flu, the teams announced. “Tom Benson, 90, passed away peacefully Thursday, March 15 at Ochsner Medical Center with his wife Gayle Marie Benson at his side,” a…
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Professional Educators of Tennessee (ProED Tennessee) recently surveyed over 1400 Tennessee educators about school safety and potential ways to improve security at our schools. The statewide survey questions (conducted February 27-March 12) are available here. While an overwhelming number of respondents, 88%, felt either safe or somewhat safe at their schools, there are some concerns about whether policies and procedures are actually being followed at all schools. 75% of those surveyed indicated that there has been a recent increase in security procedures and awareness. However, only 62% say their school has an “active shooter” protocol in place. Perhaps more concerning is the fact that only 55% report that their School Resource Officer (SRO) carries a side-arm. Apparently, a huge percentage of Tennessee schools are protected only by security “monitors” rather than someone who can respond effectively and immediately in the event of a threat to the school. When it comes to arming teachers, which is a significant point of contention among policy makers, 53% of Tennessee educators responding to the survey indicated that they personally would be unlikely to carry a firearm if it was allowed. However, 63% felt that properly trained personnel should be allowed to carry a weapon at…
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President Donald Trump visited the U.S.-Mexico border in San Diego on Tuesday to inspect competing prototypes for the proposed wall between the two countries — and among the eight wall sections was one created by Fisher Sand & Gravel Company, headquartered in North Dakota.
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Davidson County Chancery Court Chancellor Claudia Bonnyman sided with the Davidson County Election Commission and the Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County on Wednesday, ruling that the special mayoral election will be held on August 2 rather than May 1. Jamie Hollin, the attorney for mayoral candidate Ludye Wallace, “argued that ‘general Metropolitan elections’ only occur once every four years, during the regularly-scheduled mayoral election. The next one of those has been scheduled for August 2019. Under that interpretation, a special election would need to be held in May because August 2019 is more than a year after Mayor Barry resigned,” News Channel 5 reported, adding: But attorneys for Metro’s legal department argued that the upcoming August 2018 General Election also qualifies as a “general Metropolitan election,” saying that the term is not exclusive to the Mayoral election held every four years. Under that interpretation, the mayoral election question would be added to the ballot this August. In her ruling, Chancellor Bonnyman said previous court rulings have used the broader interpretation of the election term, indicating that it can apply to more than just the mayoral elections held every four years. You can watch the complete video of the…
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Nashville Mayor David Briley has made his first major announcement on the job — a proposal to demolish Greer Stadium and restore the land for reintegration into Fort Negley Park. The Tennessean reported the story Tuesday, adding the new mayor needs to ask Metro Council for $1 million to demolish the old stadium and begin restoring the property as a park. Briley’s predecessor, Megan Barry, had made a controversial push to redevelop Greer Stadium into a mixed-use project called Cloud Hill. Barry abandoned those plans in January amid strong resistance. The funds “would come from the city’s 4% reserve fund through a request to the Metro Council in April,” according to a statement on the city’s website. “Following the demolition, the property will be seeded with grass while the Metro Historical Commission produces a Cultural Landscape Report that will help inform decisions by the Metro Parks Board about how best to turn this space into an active park that honors the history of the site.” Learotha Williams, a professor of black history at Tennessee State University, hailed Briley’s move. On Twitter, he said, “this is, without doubt, a tremendous first step at honoring those Tennesseans who first tasted freedom here.”…
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“It’s really easy to love people who think like you think. It is a very arduous task to treat someone who has polar opposite views with the same dignity and respect with which you would treat a friend,” actor Jim Caviezel told LifeZette in an exclusive interview by phone about his latest picture, “Paul, Apostle of Christ.”
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NASHVILLE, Tennessee–Home schooled students from around Tennessee competed in the Davy Crockett Statesman’s Student Congress Debate Tournament at the State Capitol on Wednesday. The Student Congress consisted of two separate legislative bodies: The Gold House, which debated bills for consideration in the Tennessee State Senate chambers, and the Silver House, which debated bills for consideration in the Tennessee House of Representatives chambers. Debate in each house was governed by a presiding officer, a home schooled student who had excelled in previous Davy Crockett Statesman’s Debate Tournament events. The presiding officer observed Robert’s Rules of Order, which governed the conduct of participating student legislators who debated the proposed bills prior to voting on them, similar to the manner in which floor debates are managed in both the Tennessee State Senate and the Tennessee House of Representatives. Among the bills the students debated and voted on were: A proposal to cut off federal funding to the state of California (which failed) A proposal to legalize medical marijuana (which failed) A proposal to repeal the Davis Bacon Act (which passed) A proposal to defund the National Endowment for the Arts (which failed) Three volunteer judges in each legislative body rated each participating student legislator’s debating…
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Thomas Homan, acting director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, charged leading California Democrats Monday, saying they were deliberately distorting the nature and purpose of recent immigration operations in the state. Homan singled out House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, who in February said a targeted ICE operation in Northern California was a “bigoted” attempt to “terrorize innocent immigrant families.”
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Democrat Conor Lamb said Wednesday that he will work with President Donald Trump on infrastructure and other issues “that are really important to us here in western Pennsylvania” during an interview Wednesday on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe.”
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On the one-month anniversary of the shooting massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, students and teachers across the country walked out of school at 10 a.m. Wednesday morning. Spearheaded by the Youth Empower branch of the Women’s March group, the walkout included at least 3,136 events nationwide. Many demonstrations included 17 minutes…
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Embattled Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner (R) finally found something to share with the party’s fed-up base on a hot-button issue one week before his gubernatorial primary election when he vetoed a bill requiring gun dealers to be licensed Tuesday.
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“The 2030s are projected to be a transformative decade for the U.S. population,” said a report released by the U.S. Census Bureau on Tuesday. That’s putting it mildly. Based in part on data from the 2010 census, the report is projecting three core changes for the 2030 decade — and they hinge on the baby boomer generation.
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GOP gubernatorial candidate Randy Boyd says he opposes giving illegal immigrants access to the in-state four-year college tuition rate, but is still listed as serving on Obama’s College Promise Campaign board which is working to make state community college scholarships like the Tennessee Promise, available to illegal immigrant students. Almost one year to the date after Obama talked amnesty for illegal immigrants in a Nashville speech, he returned to Tennessee, floated the idea of a national free community college program and shortly thereafter, announced appointments to his newly created College Promise Advisory Board. Randy Boyd who was the ECD Commissioner at the time, was appointed to the board Obama launched in 2015. Obama’s College Promise board is led by the president of the leftist Joyce Foundation and honorary chair Dr. Jill Biden, wife of former Vice-President Joe Biden. It’s website does not hide the College Promise campaign’s intention to include illegal immigrants in the group of students who can access the free education dollars: Who will your Promise program serve? Promise programs use specific eligibility and persistence criteria to determine which students the program will serve and benchmarks for continuation in the program. Some common criteria include: … Citizenship: These programs take into…
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Gubernatorial front-runner Diane Black unequivocally rejected the current efforts underway in the legislature to grant in-state tuition benefits to illegal immigrant students. “I have said many times that if the state legislature were to pass a bill providing in-state tuition for illegal immigrants, I would veto it. In-state tuition is a benefit provided to legal residents of our state, and it should stay that way,” Black said in a statement, adding: Too many times, so-called conservatives get elected promising to fight against liberal policies, only to embrace them once in office. It’s a shame to see our state legislature do just that, particularly without real debate or even a recorded vote in committee. It’s time for the true conservatives in the legislature to stand up and say no. As The Tennessee Star previously reported, State Representative Mark White (R-Memphis) rammed his newest in-state tuition benefits proposal through the Education Subcommittee Tuesday with a voice vote and no discussion: The Education Subcommittee of the Tennessee House of Representatives passed State Rep. Mark White’s (R-Memphis) bill granting in-state tuition to illegal immigrant students in Tennessee on a voice vote Tuesday afternoon. Mark White – Education SubcommitteeWith the exception of State Rep. Dawn…
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Gubernatorial candidate Bill Lee reiterated his strong opposition to extending in-state tuition discounts to illegal immigrant students in a statement to The Tennessee Star on Wednesday: It is unfortunate that Washington and Congress have failed us on this issue. While I have deep compassion for any young person facing challenges, I believe a governor’s primary duty is to enforce and defend the rule of law. And extending a taxpayer-funded benefit to illegal immigrants that we would not extend to an American citizen makes the problem that congress has left to the states even worse. For those reasons, I would veto this bill. The bill to which Lee is referring is HB2429, sponsored by State Rep Mark White (R-Memphis), which would provide in-state tuition to illegal immigrant students by changing the definition of “public benefit.” White’s bill passed the Education Subcommittee Tuesday on a voice vote without discussion. This is not the first time Lee has spoken out against proposals to provide in-state tuition to illegal immigrants. As The Star reported in January, while at the SCORE Gubernatorial Forum, one of the questions posed by moderator Rory Johnson asked the candidates about their positions on the controversial idea, and answers fell along…
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The Education Subcommittee of the Tennessee House of Representatives passed State Rep. Mark White’s (R-Memphis) bill granting in-state tuition to illegal immigrant students in Tennessee on a voice vote Tuesday afternoon. With the exception of State Rep. Dawn White’s (R-Murfreesboro) strongly worded statement opposing White’s bill, no discussion was had by the subcommittee before they passed the bill on a voice vote. Bill sponsor State Rep. Mark White (no relation to State Rep. Dawn White), who chairs the Education Subcommittee, opted to move his bill up from number thirty-five on the agenda to the first one voted on by the subcommittee. White’s bill, HB2429, is his fourth attempt to give illegal immigrant students access to taxpayer subsidized in-state tuition. To do this, White’s bill dismantles state law by removing reduced college tuition from Tennessee’s definition of “state or local public benefit. Stating her opposition to the bill, State Rep. Dawn White noted the high fiscal impact from illegal immigration on Tennessee taxpayers estimated to be $793 million in 2017. She also referenced the magnetizing effect that offering the reduced college tuition would have on Tennessee, a point worth noting since none of Tennessee’s border states offer in-state tuition to illegal immigrants. Among the…
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President Donald Trump has selected conservative TV business pundit Larry Kudlow as his top economic advisor, reports said Wednesday. Kudlow told the Wall Street Journal Trump had offered him the job of director of the National Economic Council. “I immediately accepted. I said I would be honored to accept,” Kudlow was quoted as saying.
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Murfreesboro businessman Shane Reeves, a Republican, won a crushing victory over Democrat Gayle Jordan in the 14th State Senate District special election on Tuesday by more than a two to one margin. The final numbers were a blowout victory for Reeves, who won 71 percent of the vote to 28 percent of the vote for Jordan, according to the Tennessee Secretary of State’s election website. Reeves received 13,139 votes, while Jordan received only 5,179 votes. He is expected to be sworn in as a member of the Tennessee State Senate this week, and will join the deliberations of the Tennessee General Assembly, which is now in session. With Reeves’ victory, Republicans now hold 28 seats in the 33 member Tennessee State Senate, while Democrats hold only five. Tennessee Republican Party Scott Golden introduced Reeves at the victory celebration held at the Five Senses Restaurant in Murfreesboro Tuesday evening. “We had an amazing team. Matt Herriman, my campaign chairman, has an amazing future with this party,” Reeves said. “Gregory Gleaves did a lot of great mail for us,” he added. “We had an amazing ground team. Daniel,Tyler, Taylor, raise your hands guys! Thousands and thousands of phone calls, thousands and thousands…
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Representative Diane Black appeared on FoxNews’ ‘Tucker Carlson Tonight’ to discuss the how it is that the Republican Congress continues to fund the nation’s largest abortion provider, Planned Parenthood. In his set-up to the interview with Black, Carlson said, “Congressional Republicans have repeatedly promised to defund Planned Parenthood. It’s hasn’t happened or even come close to happening. Even now, the country’s biggest abortion provider gets more than 500 million taxpayer dollars every year.” “Would Democrats be okay if the NRA [National Rifle Association] got half-a-billion a year? Would they let that stand?” After introducing Representative Black, Carlson said, “You’ve said many times on the record – and you seem like one of the more sincere Republican members on this question – that you’re opposed to giving half-a-billion dollars to Planned Parenthood, which is just an adjunct to the Democratic Party. Why hasn’t the Republican Congress defended it? Specifically, why?” Black replied, “That goes over to the Senate. Twice now with my leadership we have passed, in 2015 and 2017, a measure in the House, sent it over to the Senate, and they have not done their work. “I want to challenge anyone watching this show who is pro-life to call your senator and ask them where…
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Prosecutors in Florida said Tuesday they will seek the death penalty for Nikolas Cruz, the 19-year-old who killed 17 people last month in a shooting rampage at his former high school. “The state intends to seek the death penalty against defendant Nikolas Jacob Cruz,” the state attorney for Broward County, Michael Satz, said in a court filing on the eve of the next hearing in the case.
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