Day: May 10, 2018

Diane Black on Refugee Resettlement Appeal: ‘I Applaud State of Tennessee for Choosing to Defend our Constitutional Rights’

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Diane Black

On the heels of Tennessee’s decision to appeal a federal judge’s ruling to dismiss the lawsuit against the federal government’s resettlement of refugees Thursday, gubernatorial candidate Diane Black issued a statement supporting the decision. “I applaud the State of Tennessee for choosing to defend our Constitutional rights and appealing this decision,” Black said in a statement. “This is an issue of states’ rights. Tennessee withdrew from the refugee resettlement program over a decade ago, and it’s time the federal government listens to the will of the people of Tennessee.” As reported by The Tennessee Star earlier, the Thomas Moore Law Center is handling the case as no cost to the state: “We are grateful to the designated representatives of the General Assembly, State Representatives Terri Lynn Weaver and William Lamberth and State Senator John Stevens, for authorizing us to continue this significant legal battle. This case involves critical constitutional issues regarding the appropriate balance between the powers of the federal government and the states. The district court decision dismissing this case conflicts with several U.S. Supreme Court opinions upholding State sovereignty against overreach by the federal government,” Richard Thompson, President and Chief Counsel of the Thomas More Law Center, said in the…

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President Trump Announces Meeting with North Korea’s Kim Jong Un in Singapore on June 12

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Less than a handful of hours after welcoming three newly-released Americans home from their captivity in North Korea early Thursday, President Trump announced via Twitter the details of his meeting with Kim Jong Un. “The highly anticipated meeting between Kim Jong Un and myself will take place in Singapore on June 12th,” the president tweeted, adding, “We will both try to make it a very special moment for World Peace!” The highly anticipated meeting between Kim Jong Un and myself will take place in Singapore on June 12th. We will both try to make it a very special moment for World Peace! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 10, 2018 During a brief appearance on the tarmac, President Trump hailed the release of Tony Kim, Kim Dong Chul, and Kim Hak-song as a “gesture of goodwill” and told the press that now, the United States and North Korea are “starting off on a new footing.” “I think this will be a very big success,” Mr. Trump said. “It’s never been taken this far, there’s never been a relationship like this. Some great things can happen, and that’s what we hope.” Watch President Trump and First Lady Melania, along with Vice President and Mrs. Pence…

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State of Tennessee Appeals Federal Judge’s Dismissal of Refugee Resettlement Lawsuit

Tennessee Star Staff

On Thursday, Tennessee appealed a federal judge’s ruling in March that dismissed the state’s lawsuit against the federal government’s resettlement of refugees in the state on 10th amendment grounds. The Thomas More Law Center, a national public interest law firm based in Ann Arbor, Michigan representing the State of Tennessee, the Tennessee General Assembly, and Tennessee legislators State Rep. Terri Lynn Weaver (R-Lancaster) and State Sen. John Stevens (R-Huntingdon) at no cost in the litigation, announced “it has filed an appeal of the federal district court decision which dismissed its case,” in a statement released on Thursday: The lawsuit, filed on behalf of the State of Tennessee, the Tennessee General Assembly, and state legislators Terri Lynn Weaver and John Stevens, challenged the constitutionality of the federal refugee resettlement program as a violation of the principles of State sovereignty under the Tenth Amendment. The Notice of Appeal was filed this morning with the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Tennessee. The appeal will be heard by a panel of the United States Circuit Court of Appeals For The Sixth Circuit. “We are grateful to the designated representatives of the General Assembly, State Representatives Terri Lynn Weaver and William Lamberth…

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Steve Gill Analysis: From a ‘Blue Wave’ to a ‘Ripple,’ Pelosi’s Vow to Raise Taxes If Dems Win House Lands With a Thud

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Gill and Pelosi

Conservative political commentator and Tennessee Star contributor Steve Gill said Wednesday on The Gill Report, broadcast live on WETR 92.3 FM in Knoxville, that despite the mainstream media narrative to the contrary, the so-called ‘blue wave’ we keep hearing about “is looking increasingly like it may be a ripple.” In his ‘Final Thoughts’ segment of Wednesday’s broadcast, Gill said, “Rick Scott in Florida is now holding a slight lead in the Senate race in Florida according to a new poll released just today. Governor Rick Scott is leading 44 percent to to against Bill Nelson’s 40 percent, according to a Florida Atlantic University survey.” He continued: A four-point lead… you know that “blue wave” you keep hearing so much about from the Democrats is looking increasingly like it may be a ripple. And part of it is because of what the Democrats are saying on the campaign trail. Nancy Pelosi was interviewed today at Politico Playbook in an interview that the Republicans ought to make sure is a campaign ad for every Republican House candidate in the country by, well, the end of the day. Jake Tremmel was doing the interview. They asked Pelosi about GOP claims that a Democrat House majority would pass a single-payer…

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Stunningly Low Turnout of Just 194 on Fifth Day of Early Voting Suggests Big Trouble for Status Quo in Nashville Mayoral Special Election

Tennessee Star Staff

The fifth day of early voting in Nashville’s special mayoral election on Wednesday saw another stunningly low turnout–only 194 residents of Nashville/Davidson County cast their ballots, bringing the five day early voting total to an anemic 1,039. After five full days of early voting, less than one-third of one percent of the active registered voters in Nashville/Davidson County (which is slightly more than 360,000) have cast their ballots in the May 24 special mayoral election to select a mayor who will serve out the remaining one year and three months of disgraced former Mayor Megan Barry’s term. Barry resigned on March 6, the same day she pleaded guilty to a felony theft charge related to her two year long affair with her bodyguard, former Metro Nashville Police Department Sgt. Rob Forrest. The anemic turnout levels spells big trouble for the campaign of Acting Mayor David Briley. First, it confirms that voters find him an uninspiring candidate. Second, it indicates that voters are likely burned out on politics, after they turned out in droves–about 123,000 total voters went to the polls–to decisively reject the $9 billion transit plan Briley endorsed, 64 percent to 36 percent. Finally, and perhaps more importantly, it…

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President Trump to Allow Year-Round Sales of High-Ethanol Gas

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Gas up the car

President Donald Trump will allow year-round sales of renewable fuel with blends of 15 percent ethanol as part of an emerging deal to make changes to the federal ethanol mandate. Republican senators and the White House announced the deal Tuesday after a closed-door meeting, the latest in a series of White House sessions on ethanol. The Environmental Protection Agency currently bans the 15-percent blend, called E15, during the summer because of concerns that it contributes to smog on hot days. Gasoline typically contains 10 percent ethanol. Farm-state lawmakers have pushed for greater sales of the higher ethanol blend to boost demand for the corn-based fuel. Iowa Sen. Chuck Grassley called the agreement good news for farmers and drivers alike, saying it would increase ethanol production and consumer choice at the pump. Texas Sen. Ted Cruz said the deal will save the jobs of thousands of blue-collar workers at refineries in Texas, Pennsylvania and other states. “Terrific final decision from @POTUS meeting,” Cruz tweeted. “This is a WIN-WIN for everyone.” Terrific final decision from @POTUS meeting: E15, year-round plus RINs for all exports. This is a WIN-WIN for everyone. More corn will be sold (good for farmers), plus lower RINs (saves…

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California Becomes First State in the U.S. to Require Solar Panels on New Homes

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Builders in California will be required to fit solar panels on most new homes from 2020 under a new rule adopted on Wednesday, the first of its kind in the United States. The far-reaching standards, adopted unanimously by the five-member California Energy Commission, require that new residential buildings in the state be equipped with the panels. “We cannot let Californians be in homes that are essentially the residential equivalent of gas guzzlers,” Energy Commissioner David Hochschild said ahead of the vote. Ethan Elkind, director of the climate program at the University of California at Berkeley’s School of Law, said the new rule would lower the price of solar panels nationwide as manufacturers tapped into California’s huge consumer base. “This is pretty landmark,” he said by phone. “It helps basically provide a market for solar.” The United States’ most populous state has frequently been at odds with President Donald Trump’s aggressive rollback of policies to combat climate change. Governor Jerry Brown is planning a global climate summit this September. Nine percent of single-family detached homes in the state of 39.5 million people currently have solar panels, according to a 2017 U.S. Department of Energy report the Energy Commission cited. The renewable…

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Google Suspends Advertising Related to Irish Abortion Referendum

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Fetus on Health

Google is suspending all advertising connected to Ireland’s abortion referendum as part of moves to protect “election integrity,” the company announced Wednesday. The move came a day after Facebook banned foreign-backed ads in the Irish campaign, amid global concerns about online election meddling and the role of internet ads in swaying voters. Google said that starting Thursday, it would no longer display ads related to the May 25 vote on whether to repeal Ireland’s constitutional ban on most abortions. The prohibition on ads connected to the Irish vote applies to both Google and YouTube, which the company owns. The online search leader, which is based in Mountain View, California, declined to say how much advertising revenue it was giving up because of the decision. Russian role The role of online ads in elections is under scrutiny following revelations that Russian groups bought ads on leading services such as Google and Facebook to try to influence the 2016 U.S. presidential campaign. Many of the ads were designed to sow confusion, anger and discord among Americans through messages on hot-button topics. Karin von Abrams, a London-based analyst with the research firm eMarketer, said banning ads represented a short-term safeguard from potential backlash…

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Watchdog Group Launches Website Exposing Intimate Aspects Of Enviro-Led Climate Litigation

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by Chris White   A Washington, D.C.-based watchdog group is launching an online archive giving the public a sneak-peek at how state attorneys general and activists conspired to engage in climate litigation against energy companies. ClimateLitigationWatch will publish documents involving court cases against the energy industry. The group’s website also offers the first searchable database of records showing activists and politicians working hand-in-glove on litigation aimed at throttling oil producers. The project, which the Government Accountability & Oversight (GAO) kick-started, will also release profiles of the people involved in the litigation, along with trading cards detailing their role in current cases. AGs Maura Healey of Massachusetts and Eric Schneiderman of News York will almost certainly be included in the profiles — both of whom are at the center of the lawsuits. Schneiderman’s decision to resign Monday following reports he physically abused four women could diminish New York’s involvement in the cases. His successor could potentially continue where Schneiderman left off or lead the probes into a different direction. “We’re not going to get into the science debate and other arguments. We’ll just show the public the documents, so you can decide,” Christopher Horner, one of the key figures spearheading the ClimateLitigationWatch project, told The…

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Family Of Prisoner Tony Kim Freed From North Korea Thanks God And President Trump For His Release

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by Ryan Pickrell   The family of Tony Kim, one of the prisoners released from North Korea Wednesday, is thanking God and President Donald Trump for his release from captivity. Kim, previously a professor at Pyongyang University of Science and Technology was detained by North Korean authorities in 2017 for allegedly “committing criminal acts of hostility aimed at overturning the DPRK.” After a year in captivity, he is finally on his way home, along with three other prisoners. “We are grateful for the release of our husband and father, Tony Kim, and the other two American detainees. We want to thank all of those who have worked toward and contributed to his return home. We also want to thank the president for engaging directly with North Korea,” the family said in a statement, adding, “Mostly, we thank God for Tony’s safe return.” “We appreciate all of the support and prayers of friends and even strangers during this challenging year. You are dear to our hearts. We ask that you continue to pray for the people of North Korea and for the release of all who are still being held. Thank you,” the statement from the Kim family concluded. Secretary of State…

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Commentary: If Chaos Equals Success for the Trump Administration, Bring On More of It

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President Trump w White House Press

by Jeffery Rendall   Lost in the fog of last week’s collective establishment media freak-out over Rudy Giuliani’s explosive interviews, the shockingly abusive “pen register” (predicate to a wiretap) of Trump attorney Michael Cohen and the ongoing non-issue of alleged payments to silence porn mistress Stormy Daniels were the results of a new poll suggesting that Americans…think the Trump administration is in turmoil. Steven Shepard of Politico reported, “A strong majority of voters say President Donald Trump’s administration is running chaotically after Trump’s pick for veterans affairs secretary, White House physician Ronny Jackson, withdrew his name from consideration last week, according to a new POLITICO/Morning Consult poll. “More than 3 in 5 voters, 62 percent, say Trump’s administration is running very or somewhat chaotically — nearly twice as many as the 32 percent who say it’s running very or somewhat well. “A majority of Republicans, 68 percent, say the Trump administration is running well. But that sentiment is shared by few Democrats (9 percent) and independents (25 percent).” This gem of a poll contains some other juicy nuggets but let’s concentrate on the “chaos” aspect here. Looking at this data with a critical eye, how or why would 62 percent of…

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Soros Funded Southern Poverty Law Center Challenging Governor Haslam on Anti-Sanctuary City Legislation

Chris Alto

The Soros funded Southern Poverty Law Center has issued a legal throw-down to Governor Haslam challenging his campaign promises to “do everything within my authority to be sure that Tennessee does not attract illegal activity.” Working with the TN Immigrant & Refugee Rights Coalition (TIRRC), another Soros funded amnesty-for-lawbreaker advocacy organization, the SPLC has promised to provide legal representation to  illegal aliens arrested in the Bean Station workplace raid who are in detention and facing possible deportation. TIRRC and its allies want to stop federal immigration authorities from detaining and/or deporting criminal illegal aliens and instead, have them released from ICE detention and returned to Tennessee communities. Shortly after the election of President Trump, TIRRC issued a public call to all Tennessee communities to refuse cooperation with ICE. In other words, TIRRC wants Tennessee to operate as a sanctuary state. Approximately half of the 100 workers taken into custody in the Bean Station raid are in detention and 10 of them face federal charges for evading prior orders of removal. The FY2016 DOJ Executive Office for Immigration Review data for illegal aliens who were never detained, immigration court hearings held in absentia, meaning when the illegal alien fails to show up to court, increased…

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