Month: May 2018

Acting Mayor Briley ‘Doesn’t Have Any Comment’ on Carol Swain’s Call for Resignation of Rich Riebeling, Metro Nashville Official at Center of Financial Scandals

Tennessee Star Staff
Rich Riebeling w Acting Mayor Briley

Acting Mayor of Nashville David Briley has no comment on election day rival Carol Swain’s call for Metro Nashville Government’s Chief Operating Officer Rich Riebeling to resign. “Mayor Briley doesn’t have any comment,” a spokesperson for the mayor’s office told The Tennessee Star late Sunday in response to a request for comment on Swain’s call Friday for Riebeling’s resignation, in light of the $7 million federal funding scandal that originated in 2010 and 2011 when Riebeling served as director of finance in former Mayor Karl Dean’s administration. Two polls conducted prior to the May 1 transit referendum put Briley in first place in the May 24 special mayoral election in which Nashville/Davidson County voters will select a mayor to complete the remaining one year and three months in the term of disgraced former Mayor Megan Barry, who resigned on March 6, the same day she plead guilty to a felony. Both polls showed Swain in a distant second. Briley has stumbled badly in recent weeks, however. His first misstep came when he backed the $9 billion transit plan introduced by Barry before her March resignation. Voters in Nashville/Davidson County soundly rejected that Barry-Briley plan on Tuesday by a 64 percent 36…

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Andy Martin Analysis: Why They Lost the May 1st Nashville Transit Plan Referendum

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by Andy Martin   The May 1st County Primary vote on the $8.9 billion transit tax referendum is one for the record books. 123,963 votes: 44,636 FOR and 79,327 AGAINST. For reference, the last County Primary May 6, 2014 had 38,804 total votes. What happened? In a rush to scoop the story every major Nashville news organization has opined on the results with little reflection. Here are the real reasons why the referendum failed in a landslide. We already have transit This will come as a shock to out of state meddlers like StreetsBlog USA, CityLab, and the National League of Cities, but Nashville has transit. Likewise, based on the convulsions from the mayor (Nashville “will fail” if the referendum does not pass), metro council, and local media, you would think even locals don’t know this. The Nashville Metro Transit Authority budget is $80 million. We have buses, shuttles (AccessRide and airport shuttles), private/public partnerships, ride sharing, car and van pooling, BRT lite (non-dedicated lanes), the Music City Star, and bike paths. According to MTA there are roughly 10 million riders (or rides) per year. One wonders what MTA CEO Steve Bland thinks when Nashville leaders say we “do nothing.”…

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Low Turnout in Early Voting for Nashville’s Special Mayoral Election

Tennessee Star Staff

Turnout on the first day of early voting for Nashville’s special mayoral election on Friday was low, a stark contrast to the heavy early voting seen in the just completed May 1 transit plan referendum and the August 2015 mayoral election. Only 277 residents of Nashville/Davidson County early voted on Friday, less than one-third of the 900 who early voted during the first day of the early voting period leading up to the August 2015 mayoral election, which saw the top two vote getters, Megan Barry and David Fox, qualify for the runoff election the following month that Barry won. Metro Council member Dave Rosenberg, who also runs Harpeth Strategies, the polling and political communications firm, tweeted the details of the low first day turnout: 277 people voted today. On one hand, it’s a Howard School-only day that doesn’t draw like countywide early voting. On the other hand, about 900 people voted on the first Howard-only day in the August 2015 race. — Dave Rosenberg (@DaveRosenbergTN) May 4, 2018 Early voting in advance of the May 1 transit plan referendum, which extended over a 16 day period beginning April 11 and ending April 26, was far more robust. A total of…

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Trump Initiative Protects Religious Rights, Faith Groups’ Equal Access to Federal Dollars

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by Fred Lucas   President Donald Trump signed an executive order Thursday focusing on protecting freedom of religion and exploring new ways faith-based agencies can partner with government to effectively provide services. “We condemn all crimes against people of faith, and today we are launching another historic action to promote religious freedom,” Trump said at a National Day of Prayer ceremony in the Rose Garden before signing the executive order to create a White House Faith and Opportunity Initiative. “The faith initiative will help design new policies that recognize the vital role of faith in our families, our communities, and our great country,” the president said. “This office will also help ensure that faith-based organizations have equal access to government funding and the equal right to exercise their deeply held beliefs. [ The liberal Left continue to push their radical agenda against American values. The good news is there is a solution. Find out more ] “We take this step because we know that, in solving the many, many problems and our great challenges, faith is more powerful than government, and nothing is more powerful than God,” Trump continued. The White House initiative will be made up of faith leaders and experts…

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Acting Mayor David Briley Echoes Megan Barry in His New TV Ad ‘Moving Forward’

Tennessee Star Staff

Acting Mayor of Nashville David Briley is echoing the themes and policies of disgraced former Mayor Megan Barry in his new television ad, titled “Moving Forward.” The ad began airing Thursday on both local broadcast networks and cable outlets. With a bank roll in excess of $400,000, Briley is expected to keep his ad campaign on both broadcast and cable outlets until election day, May 24. Two of his rivals in the mayoral race–State Rep. Harold Love (R-Nashville) and former Vanderbilt professor Carol Swain–are currently running television ads on the local cable system. You can watch Briley’s ad here: .   Here is the trancript of the ad, which features the voice of Briley only: These days, it seems like everyone is on the move. As Nashville’s new mayor, it’s my job to get us all moving in the same direction: forward. We’ve worked hard to build our economy. Now let’s work on what’s important to families. By building stronger and safer schools. Working for more affordable housing. And finding new traffic solutions we all can agree on. Because when we’re all moving forward, no one gets left behind. In 2015, when he was running for vice mayor, Briley ran…

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Commentary: The GOP’s Secret Weapon in November Just Could Be the Deranged Democrats

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by Jeffery Rendall   It’s no big secret in media circles how many conservatives and Republicans are upset (to put it mildly) with the party’s congressional leadership. With a healthy House majority and a slim but viable senate preponderance going into the first term of President Donald Trump last year, it’s safe to say most right-leaning folks expected the GOP to churn out bills like consumer goods on a Chinese assembly line. It hasn’t happened this way. To date Trump is seen as an effective if atypical chief executive having slashed regulations by the boatload, appointed an impressive number of conservative jurists to the nation’s federal courts and fast-tracked foreign policy achievements that have many, including foreign leaders, suggesting the New York celebrity/real estate developer turned first-time politician is deserving of a Nobel Peace Prize. Needless to say, when comparisons are made between Trump’s seemingly boundless energy and enthusiasm for Making America Great Again to the lethargic and moribund GOP congressional leadership, most suggest the party could do (much) better on Capitol Hill. But what about the “loyal opposition” (the Democrats)? Is everyone on the left side of the aisle happy with their leaders? Recent signs indicate apparently not. Clinton pollster Douglas…

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Commentary: Here’s What Small Business Owners Like Me Need in Tax Reform 2.0

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by Mark J. Bollman   What’s even better than one federal tax cut bill? Two rounds of tax cuts. It just might happen this summer, according to House Speaker Paul Ryan. Tax Reform 2.0, as it’s being called, would aim to make the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act’s individual tax cuts permanent, extending them past their 2025 expiration date. But just as importantly, this second set of tax cuts may focus on America’s economic backbone: small business. Small business tax cuts are the key to expanding a growing economy. When job creators spend less of their hard-earned money on taxes, they in turn invest it in hiring additional staff, expanding operations, and rewarding employees with bonuses. We’ve seen all of the above since the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act passed. Over 500 job creators around the country have announced raises, bonuses, and enhanced employee benefits for current staff, which in total benefited over 4 million hardworking Americans. [ The liberal Left continue to push their radical agenda against American values. The good news is there is a solution. Find out more. ] Just look to MB Financial in my home state of Illinois. MB Financial’s president said that “it is only natural that we share the benefits of tax reform.” He raised the base wage for hourly employees to $15 per hour, in addition to giving…

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Erica Gilmore Blasts Acting Mayor David Briley’s Metro Nashville Budget Proposal for 2019

Tennessee Star Staff
Erica Gilmore runs for Nashville Mayor

At-large Metro Council Member Erica Gilmore took the gloves off Friday and blasted Acting Mayor David Briley’s Metro Nashville budget proposal for 2019. Gilmore, who is among the top tier of candidates challenging Briley in the May 24 special election in which voters will select a permanent mayor to serve out the one year and three months in the term of disgraced former Mayor Megan Barry, said Briley has proposed a “Promises Made, Promises Broken Budget” to the residents of Nashville/Davidson County. “The budget proposed by Acting Mayor Briley is a Promises Made, Promises Broken Budget. Nashvillians have been told we need ‘continuity’ in this month’s election. But this budget reflects continuity for some, and broken promises for everyone else,” Gilmore said in a statement released by her campaign on Friday. “This morning, Acting Mayor Briley insisted ‘most citizens will not notice any difference at all.’ I could not disagree more,” Gilmore continued. “Our employees nearing retirement will notice,” the At-large Council Member said. “Young workers trying to save to buy their first home will notice,” she added. “Parents trying to put their kids through college will notice,” Gimore noted. “And our Metro Public School students and teachers–who will not…

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Predators Fall to Jets 6 to 2

Tennessee Star Staff
Preds

Hopes that the Nashville Predators will make a repeat appearance in the NHL’s Stanley Cup Championship Finals diminished in Bridgestone Arena Saturday night when the visiting Winnipeg Jets easily defeated the home team in Game 5 of the Western Conference Semi-Finals, 6 to 2. The loss put the Predators one game away from elimination, as Game 6 returns to Winnipeg on Monday, where the Jets have enjoyed a huge home team advantage throughout the regular season and into the playoffs. Down three games to two, the Predators will have to win the away game in Winnipeg to force a decisive Game 7 back in Nashville. After a scoreless first period, the Jets jumped to an early lead when Paul Stastny scored at the 7:44 mark of the second period. The Predators’ Yannick Weber answered to tie the game up at 1 to 1 with an unassisted goal at the 11:08 mark, but the Jets jumped back into the lead barely a minute later when Kyle Connor put the visiting Jets up for good with a goal that made the score Jets 2, Predators 1. It was all down hill for the Predators after that. Conor scored his second goal at…

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Liberal Media Interest in The Tennessee Star Continues . . . And Documents Some of Their Own Journalistic Flaws

Tennessee Star Staff

Another day, another story expanding upon the Politico story about “Baby Breitbarts” that highlighted The Tennessee Star. Jason Schwartz talked to Tennessee Star Political Editor Steve Gill a few times, got some insights from those familiar with The Tennessee Star — including critics like the Tennessee Democratic Party Chair Mary Mancini — and earlier this week published a detailed, fair and balanced story. New York Magazine built from his story without even talking to us. They declared — without any factual foundation — that our intent is to promote a conservative ideology with no regard to profitability. We charge our advertisers. We want more of them. Contact us ASAP if you would like to become an advertiser! We are profitable, have been profitable from the inception, and want to be even more profitable. Influencing the political environment; informing readers (and listeners) so they can become more actively engaged and more discerning in the political process; and, exposing the corruption, fecklessness and duplicity of political leaders are all bonuses! And, we might add, a heck of a lot of fun! Then, Brian Stelter, who hosts CNN’s Reliable Sources, interviewed Gill for his weekday podcast.  Again, a fair, entertaining and interesting interview…

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Liberal Activists Target Kanye West’s Adidas Sponsorship

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 by Peter Hasson   The liberal activist group running a powerful boycott campaign against Breitbart News appears to have a new target: Kanye West. The group, Sleeping Giants, has been the driving force behind a boycott against Breitbart, costing the website an estimated 90 percent of their advertisers. The group is now targeting West’s partnership with Adidas, over controversial remarks the rapper made about slavery. West referred to slavery as a “choice” in a Tuesday interview with TMZ. West was talking about black people being “mentally enslaved,” he later claimed. Sleeping Giants is now publicly pressuring Adidas to revisit their partnership with West to sell his shoe brand, Yeezy, as a result of his comments, which came days after he expressed his support for President Donald Trump and conservative activist Candace Owens. Adidas should part ways with the rapper, Sleeping Giants implied on Tuesday. “Pretty wild that @adidas is still going to pump out Yeezys after this,” the group wrote on Twitter. “Athletes have lost their endorsements for far less than saying that slavery was a ‘choice.’” “This feels pretty out of step coming from @adidas,” Sleeping Giants wrote on Twitter, tagging Adidas’s handle to make sure the athletic apparel company got the message. “For a company who owes…

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Diane Black Calls on Gov. Haslam to Sign Anti-Sanctuary City Bill

Tennessee Star Staff
Diane Black Would Veto in-state tuition benefits for illegal immigrant students

On Wednesday, Rep. Diane Black (R-TN-06), a candidate for the Republican nomination for governor, called on Gov. Bill Haslam to sign the anti-sanctuary city bill (SB 2332/HB2315) passed by the Tennessee General Assembly last month. “The voters of Tennessee want our leaders in Nashville to get tough on illegal immigration,” Black said in a statement released by her campaign. “Sanctuary cities have no place in our state, and Governor Haslam should sign the anti-sanctuary cities legislation passed by the General Assembly – the duly elected representatives of the people of Tennessee. It is a common-sense bill that supports law enforcement and prohibits local governments from rewarding illegal immigration. It needs to become a common-sense law,” Black concluded. The statement by the Black campaign continued: While Tennessee already has a law making sanctuary cities illegal, that law defines sanctuary cities as cities with written sanctuary policies. SB 2332/HB 2315 would expand that law to apply to cities who don’t necessarily make a written policy, but don’t cooperate with the federal government’s immigration enforcement. Each of the four Republican candidates for governor have different positions on the issue. Speaker of the House Beth Harwell (R-Nashville) voted for and supported the bill in…

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Bill Lee on Anti-Sanctuary City Legislation: ‘As Governor I Would Sign This Bill’

Tennessee Star Staff
Bill Lee

Bill Lee, one of four candidates seeking the Republican nomination for governor, weighed in on the anti-sanctuary city legislation passed by the Tennessee General Assembly that Gov. Haslam has not yet signed into law. “As I’ve said throughout this campaign, I am opposed to sanctuary cities,” Lee said in a statement released by his campaign to the Tennessee Star late Friday night. “They embrace lawlessness and put our entire state at risk. I would use every single tool in my power to stop them and enforce the rule of law. As governor, I would sign this bill,” Lee concluded. As The Tennessee Star reported last week, the Tennessee General Assembly passed the anti-sanctuary city bill last month despite “[r]epeated efforts by House members to derail [it].” The bill passed the Tennessee House of Representatives by a 64 to 23 vote. “State Sen. Mark Green [R-Clarksville] passed the Senate companion bill SB 2332, with a solid 23 -5 vote,” The Star reported. “We’ve seen time and again that the consequences of illegal immigration can be severe, and sometimes, even deadly. This bill puts Tennesseans first,” Green said in a statement at the time. Far left activists, including the Tennessee Immigrants Rights…

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NFIB Grades 110th Tennessee General Assembly from the Small Business Perspective

Tennessee Star Staff

The National Federation of Independent Businesses (NFIB) rated the 110th Tennessee General Assembly on Wednesday, just  few days after Tennessee’s legislative body adjourned for the year. “The Tennessee Legislature is now adjourned, but NFIB/TN worked hard to protect the state’s small business owners right until the end. In late April, just before adjournment, hundreds of NFIB/TN members made calls and emails about House Bill 2310. This bill contained a harmful provision that would have authorized the state to hire third parties to conduct sales and use tax audits. However, thanks to your activism, NFIB/TN convinced lawmakers that the state should always conduct these proceedings rather than farm them out to vendors who would have access to confidential taxpayer information,” the NFIB said in a statement, adding: Here’s a roundup of the other key state victories achieved for your small business over the past two years during the 110th General Assembly, none of which could be achieved without your support—thank you for raising your voices! Labor Reform (SB 262) This bill preempts any local governments from establishing predictive or restrictive scheduling laws on businesses. NFIB/TN supported it, and it passed the House 67-24-1 and the Senate 29-3. Regulatory Reform (SB 1194,…

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Nashville’s Jewish Federation Community Relations Committee Sponsors SPLC Talk on Hate Speech

Chris Alto

The Community Relations Committee (CRC) of the Nashville Jewish Federation has invited Joseph Levin, Jr., co-founder of the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) to speak at an event titled “Then and Now: Hate in the Mainstream.” The May 23rd event is free and open to the entire community. The Jewish Federation of Nashville and Middle Tennessee exists “to promote the general welfare, viability and cohesiveness of the Jewish community of Nashville and Middle Tennessee and to ensure the continuity of the Jewish people locally, in Israel and around the world.” The CRC is a committee that operates under the umbrella of the Jewish Federation and shares similar goals related to advocacy for “Israel and World Jewry,” Additionally, the CRC described as the “central public affairs arm of the Federation” says  part of its mission is “stand[ing] up for social justice.” In July 2017, Imam AhmedulHadi Sharif at the Islamic Center of Tennessee, preached against Zionist oppressors who he calls “the number one terrorists in the world,” directing hatred against Jews who believe that Israel is the Jewish homeland. Since the Imam’s sermon intersects with the missions of both the Jewish Federation and the CRC, The Tennessee Star contacted Mark Freedman, the Executive Director of the…

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Coup by Intimidation: The Swamp Fights Back

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Drain the Swamp, Donald Trump

by Rick Manning   On May 2, the Daily Caller reported, “House Democrat Warns Trump Team: You’ll End Up ‘Sullied’ Like Ronny Jackson,” writing, “Democratic Tennessee Rep. Steve Cohen warned on Wednesday that members of President Donald Trump’s inner circle will end up ‘sullied’ like former White House physician Adm. Ronny Jackson — if they stick with the president for long.” On May 2, the Washington Examiner reported, “Ex-Trump aide Michael Caputo warns: Investigations espousing ‘punishment strategy’ to deter future Trump-like candidates, stating, “Michael Caputo, a former Trump campaign aide, said that he doesn’t think anybody should work on a Republican campaign ever again, unless they are compensated for any legal fees that may come out of it. Speaking out Wednesday evening, Caputo also said he believes there is a ‘punishment strategy’ to ‘destroy’ Trump and deter any other billionaires in the future from thinking about running for president. Just out of an interview with special counsel Robert Mueller, Caputo told Fox News’ Tucker Carlson he’s certain that federal investigators are fixated on collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia. Caputo said he firmly believes there was never any collusion. Caputo also griped about the crushing legal costs of being a witness in the Russia…

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Commentary: Rod Rosenstein’s Attempted Coup Against President Trump Intensifies

Tennessee Star Staff

by George Rasley, CHQ Editor   Anyone who thinks the Deep State gave up its attempt to unseat President Trump when the Obama-era FISA abuses were revealed should think again. Yesterday, NBC News revealed Federal investigators wiretapped the phone lines of Michael Cohen, the longtime personal lawyer for President Donald Trump who is under investigation allegedly for a payment he Wiretap Michael Cohenmade to pornographic actress “Stormy Daniels” who alleged she had an affair with Trump, according to two people with knowledge of the legal proceedings involving Cohen. Editor’s update: It now appears the FBI did not wiretape Cohen, rather it was a “pen register” which is often a predicate to a wiretap. It is not clear how long the wiretap has been authorized, but NBC News reported it was in place in the weeks leading up to the raids on Cohen’s offices, hotel room, and home in early April, according to one person with direct knowledge. At least one phone call between a phone line associated with Cohen and the White House was intercepted, the person told NBC News. Previously, federal prosecutors in New York have said in court filings that they have conducted covert searches on multiple e-mail…

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$7 Million Federal Funding Scandal Hits Metro Nashville Administrations of David Briley, Megan Barry, and Karl Dean

Tennessee Star Staff
US Capitol

A WSMV investigation revealed on Friday that $7 million in federal flood relief funds provided to the Metro Nashville Government in 2010 were not used for flood relief at all, but were instead used to build the Ascend Amphitheater downtown. The stunning revelation rocked the special mayoral election, and cast doubt on fiscal management and legal compliance with federal funding rules on the administrations of former Mayor Karl Dean, former Mayor Megan Barry, and Acting Mayor David Briley, who is a candidate in the May 24 special mayoral election. “Nashville got $10 million from HUD’s Disaster Recovery Fund to start and received another $22 million in a second appropriation from HUD in 2011,” after the 2010 Nashville floods,” WSMV reported, adding: Our News4 I-Team investigation discovered that one-third of that $22 million – $7.4 million – never went to flooded homeowners. It was used to design Ascend Amphitheater, a downtown concert venue. “Rich Riebeling was the city’s finance director at the time; he’s now Metro’s Chief Operating Officer. The News4 I-Team asked him who decided to use the money for the amphitheater,” the WSMV report continued: “I don’t recall it,” Riebeling said. “I think it was a group decision. I’m…

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Mayoral Candidate Carol Swain Calls For Immediate Resignation of Metro Nashville Chief Operating Officer Rich Riebeling After $7 Million Funding Scandal

Tennessee Star Staff

Mayoral candidate Carol Swain called for the immediate resignation of Metro Nashville Chief Operating Officer Rich Riebeling on Friday. Earlier in the day, WSMV broke the story that Metro Nashville Government used $7 million in federal funding received in 2010 and 2011 that was supposed to be dedicated to flood relief to build the Ascend Amphitheater. Riebeling was the finance director for Metro Nashville at the time. “The voters of Davidson County are tired of broken promises, underfunded schools, and cronyism that rewards those at the top. Riebeling has been in Metro government since 2007 and served as finance director under Karl Dean and COO under Megan Barry and David Briley,” the Swain campaign said in a statement released late Friday. “For too long Metro government has been squandering the taxpayer funds of hard working Nashvillians,” Swain said in the statement. “Today’s revelation of the misappropriation of federal HUD flood relief funds is just another example of the corruption that is plaguing City Hall and the rest of Metropolitan government. As finance director of the city, Reibeling was either complicit in this act or ignorant of it. He can delegate authority, but he cannot delegate responsibility,” she continued. “Riebeling has…

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CNN’s Reliable Sources: Brian Stelter Interviews Tennessee Star Political Editor Steve Gill

Tennessee Star Staff
Brian Shelter Interviews Steve Gill

CNN’s Brian Stelter interviewed Tennessee Star Political Editor Steve Gill in Thursday’s edition of the network’s Reliable Sources podcast about the recent national interest in The Star and its reporting on state and local news. “Steve Gill, co-founder of The Tennessee Star website, tells Brian Stelter about his local coverage with a conservative bent. Are sites like his filling a void left by local newspapers? Gill says he is “filling a void” in the marketplace, citing “flaming” liberal bias from other outlets. Stelter says these local sites are another sign that the U.S. is reverting back to a more partisan press,” CNN said in its promotion of Stelter’s interview. “This weekly podcast is our chance to go in depth with media leaders and newsmakers, a chance to highlight some of the stories that might otherwise get lost amid the absolutely crushing news cycle that we’re all experiencing” CNN’s Stelter explained. “This week I wanted to highlight a story in Politico by author Jason Schwartz. The headline is ‘Baby Breitbarts to pop up across the country?” It’s a really interesting story about what Schwartz says is a growing trend of ‘opaque, locally focused, ideological outlets dressed up as traditional newspapers.’ He…

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Early Voting Begins Today in Nashville’s Special Mayoral Election

Tennessee Star Staff

Early voting in Nashville’s special mayoral election began today, just three days after residents of Nashville/Davidson County went to the polls and defeated the $9 billion Nashville transit plan, 64 percent to 36 percent. Taxpayers will spend an extra $2 million on the May 24 special mayoral election, thanks to the ill advised and legally unsound decision made by the Davidson County Election Commission to schedule the election for a later date, rather than follow the law, as The Tennessee Supreme Court later told them to do in a landmark legal decision last month. The legal and common sense decision that the Davidson County Election Commission rejected would have scheduled both the transit plan referendum and the special mayoral election for the same day, May 1. Residents of Nashville/Davidson County can early vote beginning today, and continuing until Saturday, May 19, as News Channel 5 reported: Right now, you can only vote at the Howard Office Building in downtown Nashville. Hours vary but it opens at 8 a.m. every weekday. All early polling locations will open next Friday, May 11. WSMV offered this guide to early voting: The following locations will be open for voting starting Friday, May 11: Belle…

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Attorney Who Won Special Mayoral Election Case: Head of Davidson County Election Commission Who ‘Set Fire to $2 Million of Taxpayer Money’ Should Resign

Tennessee Star Staff

Jamie Hollin, the attorney who represented plaintiff Ludye Wallace in the historic mayoral special election date case the Tennessee Supreme Court decided unanimously in his client’s favor last month, is calling on Jim DeLanis, Chairman of the Davidson County Election Commission to resign  for causing the Metro Nashville/Davidson County Government to spend an extra $2 million on the May 24 special mayoral election. Hollin appeared at Monday’s meeting of the Budget and Finance Committee Meeting  of the Nashville/Davidson County Metro Council. When the Committee Chairman, Council Member Tanaka Vercher, opened up discussion of a resolution to appropriate $2 million for the special mayoral election on May 24, Council Member Glover asked how it came to be that the city was spending an extra $2 million on a second election just three weeks and two days after more than 120,000 voters turned up to vote in the May 1 Nashville transit plan referendum, which was defeated by a 64 percent to 36 percent margin. At around the 53:00 mark in the video of the Budget and Finance Committee meeting (which can be seen and heard in the video clip below), Committee Chair Tanaka Vercher asked Hollin to express his views on the…

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Iowa and Texas Anti-Sanctuary City Laws Are Strong Precedent for Haslam to Sign New Tennessee Legislation

Chris Alto
Bill Haslam

Governor Bill Haslam should look to Texas, Iowa and the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals to support signing Tennessee’s new anti-sanctuary city legislation which passed 64-23 in the House and 25-5 in the Senate. The Texas sanctuary city law signed last year, is the strictest in the country and more extensive than the Tennessee bill. In March, a unanimous three-judge panel of the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals allowed all but one part of the Texas law to go into effect. Most importantly for Governor Haslam’s consideration, the provisions in the Texas law requiring local law enforcement to comply with ICE detainers, was upheld by the court. The only part of the Texas law blocked by the court was prohibiting public officials from endorsing sanctuary city policies, a provision not included in the Tennessee bill. The Texas law includes criminal penalties for refusing to comply with an ICE detainer request. Tennessee’s bill does not include any criminal sanctions. In ruling to uphold the Texas law on compliance with ICE detainer requests, the Court effectively dismissed the same Fourth Amendment arguments being put forth by the TN Immigrant & Refugee Rights Coalition (TIRRC) against the Tennessee bill. Citing to an earlier…

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Commentary: New Study Shows Trump is Right, Gun Free Zones Make Schools More Dangerous

Tennessee Star Staff

by CHQ Staff Our friend Christopher Hull, Ph.D., Executive Vice President, of the Center for Security Policy just shared an eye-opening study with us, that demolishes the liberal shibboleth that “gun free zones” make schools safer. You can read the entire study through this link, and it is well worth the time. Gun Free Zones ChartHull’s study confirms the argument President Trump made after Parkland that a gun-free zone “is like target practice” for school shooters such as the alleged Florida killer, Nikolas Cruz. “They see that and that’s what they want,” said the President. “Gun-free zones are very dangerous. The bad guys love gun-free zones.” Hull reminds us the next day Trump pointed out to a room full of Governors at the White House, “You have a gun-free zone, it’s like an invitation for these very sick people to go there.” Naturally, the Left and squishy Republicans went nuts, but Dr. Hull’s study supports President Trump’s position. Hull crunched the numbers on school shootings per year, number killed per year, and number wounded per year for the period 1968-1990, before the Gun-Free School Zones Act (GFSZA) was signed into law, and after it was put in place (1991-2018). In…

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Diane Black, Marsha Blackburn, and Scott DesJarlais Nominate Donald Trump for Nobel Peace Prize

Tennessee Star Staff

Rep. Diane Black (R-TN-06), Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN-07), Rep. Scott DesJarlais (R-TN-04) and fifteen additional Republican members of Congress nominated Donald Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize on Wednesday. Black broke the news first with this tweet: Moments ago, Rep. Diane Black released her and several other members of Congress’s nomination of President Donald J. Trump to the Nobel committee for the Nobel Peace Prize. pic.twitter.com/edlwU7TAlS — Fox News (@FoxNews) May 2, 2018   In a letter addressed to the Honorable Berit Reiss-Anderson, Chair of the Norwegian Nobel Committee in Oslo Norway, dated May 2, Black, Blackburn and their Republican House colleagues made their case why President Trump deserves the 2019 Nobel Peace Prize: Since taking office, President Trump has worked tirelessly to apply maximum pressure on North Korea to end its illicit weapons program and bring peace to the region. His Administration successfully united the international community, including China, to impose one of the most successful international sanction regimes in history. The sanctions have decimated the North Korea economy and have been largely credited for bringing North Korea to the negotiating table. Black, Blackburn, and DesJarlais were joined as signators on the letter by fifteen other  Republican members of…

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Memphis Democrat Tami Sawyer Uses Elite and Expensive Education to Push Radical Socialist Platform

Chris Alto

Tami Sawyer, winner of the Democratic primary to represent District 7 on the Shelby County Commission, is not only a leader in the Black Lives Matter movement and a #TakeEmDown901 statue destroyer, she is also a graduate of St. Mary’s Episcopal elite and expensive all-girls private school in Memphis. Tuition at the private school for the 2018 school year starts at $16,300 for kindergarten and increases to $21,660 for the senior year in high school. The base cost does not include fees for snacks, technology, facilities and some textbooks. After graduating from St. Mary’s in 2000, Sawyer continued her elite private school education at the private, historically black Hampton University, with tuition, board and fees totaling over $36,000 a year for 2018. Sawyer left Hampton University after two years, finished up her degree at University of Memphis and moved to Washington, D.C. to attend the historically black Howard University Law School. The cost of tuition, fees, and living expenses to attend  Howard Law School in 2014 was $60,240. There is no indication that Sawyer completed her law degree and no listing was found under her name in the public attorney directory maintained by the Tennessee Board of Professional Responsibility. Sawyer describes…

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Predators Beat the Jets 2 to 1 to Even the Series, Head Back Home for Game 5 on Saturday

Tennessee Star Staff
Preds

The Nashville Predators came through in the clutch, beating the Winnipeg Jets by a 2 to 1 margin in the fourth game of the Western Conference semi-finals of the NHL’s Stanley Cup Playoffs on Thursday, evening the series at 2 games apiece. Game 5 will be played at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena and Saturday night, and fans around Middle Tennessee are expected to clamor into downtown Nashville to watch the game inside the arena, and outside and large watch parties. Ryan Hartman staked the Predators to a 1-0 lead at the 17:20 mark of the first period with an unassisted goal that quieted the raucous Winnipeg crowd. P.K. Subban gave Nashville a 2-0 lead at the 14:36 mark of the second period with a power play goal and assists from Flip Forsberg and Ryan Johansen. But in the third period, the Jets got some of their offensive mojo back when Patrick Laine scored on a power play at the 19:09 mark. In the end, it was a case of too little too late for the Jets, and the momentum in the series, tied now at two games apiece, swings back to the Predators. Expect to see a lot of “throwing that…

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WWE Wrestler Jacobs Wins Knox County Mayor Primary by 17 Votes

Jason M. Reynolds

WWE wrestler Glenn Jacobs has won the Republican primary for Knox County mayor by a margin of only 17 votes, WATE reported. The Knox County Election Commission says there are, however, a few provisional ballots, so the results won’t be official until next week. Jacobs, a former WWE wrestler aka “Kane,” and insurance agent, faced off against county commissioners Brad Anders and Bob Thomas. The election was not without issues, WKYT reported. Just before 10:15 p.m. on Election Day, the Knox County Election Commission website showed Jacobs with a 17-vote lead taking the candidacy over Anders in the primary election. While Jacobs called it a “WWE finish” to sister station WVLT, Anders said he was not conceding until the provisional ballots have been counted. According to Knox County officials, the county website failed Tuesday night, and election results were delayed as a result of a computer problem, WKYT said. Cliff Rodgers with the Knox County Election Commission said they experienced a “widespread denial of services attack.” The Knox County Election Commission told WVLT that they had recorded 43 provisional ballots for all races, according to WKYT. Of those 43 ballots, 38 were classified as “green,” meaning they were submitted by people who had…

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State Sen. Mark Green Calls for Special Session of Tennessee General Assembly to Override Gov. Haslam Veto of Cancer Patient Bill

Tennessee Star Staff

State Senator Mark Green (R-Clarksville) and State Rep. Bob Ramsey (R-Maryville) have called on the Tennessee General Assembly to reconvene for a special session to override the Governor Bill Haslam’s veto of the Cancer Patient Choice Act. That Act, which gives patients and their physicians the choice of proton therapy for cancer treatment, passed the Senate 29-1-1 and the House 85-13. “Let’s remember where this begins: A physician and patient. The physician makes a recommendation for what he thinks or she thinks is best for the patient. Next, the pa-tient decides they want that. But then, the insurance companies step in,” State Sen. Green, a medical doctor who is running for the Republican nomination for the House of Representatives in the 7th Congressional District, said. “Unfortunately, the Governor has chosen to side with the insurance companies and their vendors–ignoring what physicians and their patients have decided is best,” Green added. The authors of the bill agreed creating a special process was not ideal and placed the bill into summer study last year. The Haslam administration was given 18 months to find a solution, but when that failed, the General Assembly took action and overwhelmingly passed this bill to protect both…

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Transit Tax Debacle Winners and Losers

Tennessee Star Staff

by Steve Gill   Any election or referendum has a clear winner and loser after the votes are count-ed. The margins may be wide or slim, but the results are there in black and white. Every election cycle also produces less apparent winners and losers who were not on the ballot, and that is definitely the case with the Nashville transit tax battle. So, who were the winners and losers in the Barry-Briley Transit Tax referendum that was rejected by a nearly two to one margin? WINNERS 1. NASHVILLE TAXPAYERS, who avoided an unnecessary $9 billion boondoggle that would not have improved traffic congestion nor fixed Nashville roads and bridges. More importantly, they dodged having one of the highest sales tax rates in the country! 2. TAXPAYERS IN SURROUNDING COUNTIES, who would have been among those paying about 47% of the taxes for the Nashville transit scheme that would not have improved commuter traffic nor roads leading in to Nashville. 3. EVERY CANDIDATE FOR MAYOR NOT NAMED BRILEY, since every candidate for Mayor in the May 24th special election not named Briley was on the side of the 64% of Nashville voters who rejected the Briley tax increase. 4. THE…

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Sponsor of Anti-Sanctuary City Bill Rep. Jay Reedy Asks Newspaper to Correct ‘Incomplete and Misleading’ Information in Articles About His Bill

Chris Alto
State Rep Jay Reedy

Rep. Jay Reedy, sponsor of the anti-sanctuary city legislation passed by overwhelming majorities in both chambers of the Tennessee General Assembly, has asked The Tennessean’s editor to correct “incomplete and misleading information” in two of the newspaper’s articles written about his bill. In support of his request, Reedy cited to the Principles of Ethical Conduct for Newsrooms posted on the paper’s website: WE ARE COMMITTED TO: I. Seeking and reporting the truth in a truthful way We will be honest in the way we gather, report and present news – with relevancy, persistence, context, thoroughness, balance, and fairness in mind. We will seek to gain understanding of the communities, individuals and issues we cover to provide an informed account of activities. We will hold factual information in editorials and other opinion pieces to the same standards of accuracy as news stories. We will treat information from unofficial sources, which may include social media, with skepticism and will seek to corroborate information. When considering news content created outside of the Network, we will factor the credibility of the source and weigh the value and accuracy of information provided. Specifically, Reedy’s letter points to two stories which omitted a key fact leaving readers to…

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Tennessee Republican Party Calls on Democrats to Invalidate Nomination of Candidate Who Voted in GOP Primary

Tennessee Star Staff

On Wednesday, the Tennessee Republican Party called on the State Primary Board for the Democratic Party “to invalidate the nomination of Anne McGraw for Williamson County Commission.” “During early voting, Anne McGraw, a Democratic candidate herself on the May 1 primary ballot, opted to vote in the Republican primary. This decision demonstrates a malicious intent to tamper with the democratic process,” the Tennessee Republican Party said in a statement, adding: According to TCA 2-7-115: (b) A registered voter is entitled to vote in a primary election for offices for which the voter is qualified to vote at the polling place where the voter is registered if: (1) The voter is a bona fide member of and affiliated with the political party in whose primary the voter seeks to vote (2) At the time the voter seeks to vote, the voter declares allegiance to the political party in whose primary the voter seeks to vote and states that the voter intends to affiliate with that party. Being herself a candidate and therefore bona fide member of the Tennessee Democratic Party who is running for their nomination, Anne McGraw knowingly violated the spirit of Tennessee election law. “The sanctity of our elections…

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University of Tennessee Chancellor Beverly Davenport Fired

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The first woman Chancellor of the University of Tennessee, Beverly Davenport, has been fired effective July 1 although she will remain on the payroll as a tenured professor of Communications. Davenport began her tenure as Chancellor in February, 2017 but was terminated by President Joe DiPietro for a number of reasons, which he cited in a letter to Davenport. “As I indicated to you last Tuesday, I do not think you can be successful as the leader of our flagship campus and have decided that it is best to move forward with a change in leadership rather than putting you on a formal performance improvement plan,” DiPietro said in the letter. When Davenport takes assumes her position as a professor, she will be receiving 75 percent of her initial base salary as professor for four years, approximately $439,000 per year, at which time her pay will be adjusted to the average base salary of a full professor. She is being immediately placed on administrative leave with pay until June 30. To call DiPietro’s termination letter to Davenport scathing could be an understatement, as he detailed her failings and refusal to address concerns that had been expressed to her earlier. Here…

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Nashville Draws $70 Million Corporate Finance Headquarters

Jason M. Reynolds

A global asset management firm will build a $70 million corporate headquarters in Nashville, the state announced in a press release Wednesday, May 2. Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam, Department of Economic and Community Development Commissioner Bob Rolfe and AllianceBernstein L.P. (AB) officials made the announcement. The relocation of its company headquarters will create more than 1,000 corporate jobs, including positions in finance, IT, operations, legal, compliance, internal audit, human resources, sales and marketing, WSMV reported. “Tennessee is home to many world-renowned brands and we’re extremely proud to welcome AllianceBernstein, a global financial leader, to Nashville,” Haslam said in a press release. “Tennessee’s pro-growth policies continue to attract international companies to our state, providing fantastic job opportunities for our citizens. AB’s decision to bring 1,050 corporate office jobs to Nashville is an incredible win for our state and shows that Tennessee will lead in creating high quality jobs.” Rolfe said in the press release, “Since 2011, Tennessee’s financial industry has grown at the second fastest rate in the Southeast, creating approximately 24,500 jobs.” The year-long search for a new location started with 30 cities. In the end, Bernstein said Nashville was the clear choice, WSMV reported. AllianceBernstein’s headquarters are currently in New York…

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State Sen. Mark Green, M.D. Commentary: When Government Becomes Too Powerful

Tennessee Star Staff

After five days off life support, 23-month old Alfie Evans died over the weekend. Having a neurodegenerative disorder, doctors didn’t expect him to live long–but Alfie fought and hung in there for nearly a week. Alfie’s parents wanted to take him to a hospital in Rome for further treatment, but the boy’s doctors disagreed, and the British courts sided with the doctors. The Italian hospital not only offered to take Alfie, Italy even granted him citizenship and had a plane ready so he could immediately be flown over. But the British government said no, and stationed police at the hospital to prevent Alfie’s parents from taking him to Rome–or even taking him home. As parents, my wife Camie and I are outraged, and join millions across the world in mourning Alfie and hurting with his parents. Our son had cancer as a child and I couldn’t even fathom how we would’ve felt if any doctor or court ever told us we couldn’t choose where to treat him. As a physician, I understand that some conditions in this fallen world are indeed incurable. But I also know–because I’ve seen it firsthand–that sometimes the impossible can happen and the incurable can be…

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Black Lives Matter Leader and Statue Destroyer Wins Democratic Primary for Shelby County Commissioner Seat

Chris Alto

Tami Sawyer, a leader in the Memphis Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement and organizer of the #TakeEmDown901 activists that resulted in removing Confederate statues in the city, won the Democratic primary to represent District 7 on the Shelby County Commission Tuesday, WREG reported. Sawyer won with 50 percent of the vote, followed by Stephanie Greenwood, who won 36 percent of the vote. Eric Dunn finished in third place with 14 percent of the vote. She will face Republican Samuel Goff, who was unopposed in his primary, in the August general election. During the August 2017 Confederate statue protest during which protestors surrounded police cars, seven people were arrested. According to Sawyer, BLM posted bail for them. The BLM movement was launched by co-founders Alicia Garza, Patrisse Cullors and Opal Tometi in response to the acquittal of George Zimmerman for the shooting death of Trayvon Martin, a black Florida teenager. In no short order, BLM became known for protests involving property destruction and violence, oftentimes directed at police. All three of BLM’s co-founders have been connected in some way with one or more of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization’s (FRSO) groups. FRSO, one of the four largest radical Left organizations in the…

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Nashville/Davidson County Voters Deliver Crushing Defeat to Transit Plan, 64% to 36%

Tennessee Star Staff

NASHVILLE, Tennessee–Voters in Nashville/Davidson County delivered a crushing defeat to the $9.2 billion transit plan proposed by disgraced former Mayor Megan Barry and supported by Acting Mayor David Briley, 64 percent to 36 percent on Tuesday. A record turnout of 122,477 voters cast their ballots, with 100 percent of all precincts reporting. Sixty-four percent of voters, 78,710, voted against the plan, and only 36 percent, 43,767, voted for it. A little more than 59,000 voters were cast during early voting, while about 63,000 were cast on Tuesday, election day. The sentiment against the transit plan was virtually the same during each voting period. Sixty-five percent of early voters opposed the plan, while only 35 percent supported it. Among those who voted on election day, 63 percent opposed the plan, while 37 percent supported it. The election day results were remarkably close to the results of a Tennessee Star Poll released on Monday April 16, which had 62 percent of voters opposing the plan with only 27 percent supporting it. The Tennessee Star was the only media outlet in Tennessee that conducted a poll on the Nashville Transit Plan. Transit for Nashville, the group that favored the plan, conceded the race…

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Weak and Wounded, Acting Mayor David Briley Big Loser in Nashville Transit Plan Blowout

Tennessee Star Staff

Acting Mayor of Nashville David Briley’s aura of inevitability came to a sudden and devastating end Tuesday night when voters soundly rejected the $9 billion transit plan he championed to the bitter end by a 64 percent to 36 percent margin. The man who less than two months ago had been praised by the Nashville Business Council as the only possible person who could provide “continuity” to the city after the resignation of disgraced former Mayor Barry on March 6, found himself reduced to blaming the deplorable voters of Nashville for their lack of wisdom in rejecting the boondoggle his predecessor introduced and he embraced whole heartedly. “We all can agree that we have to do something about traffic and transportation, but voters didn’t get behind this plan,” Briley said after it became clear that his cherished plan of “continuity” was going down in flames, adding:    My responsibility as Mayor is to get back to the drawing board and find the common ground to develop consensus on a new way forward. Our transportation problems are not going away; in fact, we know they’re only going to get more challenging as we continue to grow. I’ll get back to work…

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Five Takeaways From Israel’s Massive Intelligence Operation on Iran

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by James Carafano   The Israeli government on Monday unloaded a massive intelligence data dump that demonstrated Iran’s efforts to hide its nuclear weapons program. The revelations come weeks before an anticipated decision by the U.S. to “fix or nix” the Iran nuclear deal. Reactions to the Israeli intelligence revelations ranged from “ding-dong the deal is dead” to “nothing to see here, move along people.” Neither of these extreme assessments accurately characterize the likely impact this intelligence data will have on the final U.S. decision. Here are five takeaways from the intelligence dump that the Trump administration will no doubt take to heart. [ The liberal Left continue to push their radical agenda against American values. The good news is there is a solution. Find out more ] 1. Trust but verify. The information is true. It is highly unlikely that Monday’s briefing from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is the first the administration has heard about the Israeli intelligence operation. U.S. officials have already confirmedthe veracity of the documents. That doesn’t happen so immediately without prior contact. Sure, the White House knows the Israeli government dumped the information at a strategic time so as to add pressure to the White House to dump the deal. That…

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Shelby County Commissioner Billingsley Suggests County Already Operating As a Sanctuary City

Chris Alto

Waiting until only eight of the Shelby County Commissioners were still present to conduct business on Monday, Shelby County Commissioner Mark Billingsley introduced a resolution urging Governor Haslam to veto the anti-sanctuary city bill that was passed with overwhelming majorities in both chambers of the Tennessee General Assembly. In discussing his reasons for bringing the resolution, Billingsley said that Shelby County’s law enforcement was “not prepared for this” referring to the legislation determining the state’s policy about cooperation with federal immigration authorities and compliance with federal law. Billingsley’s comment is strongly suggestive that Shelby County law enforcement is currently releasing criminal illegal aliens into the community instead of transferring custody to ICE, a practice that if confirmed, would constitute a violation of the new anti-sanctuary law and potentially make the county ineligible for economic and community development grants from the state. Mauricio Calvo, director of Latino Memphis, spoke in favor of Billingsley’s resolution even though the reasons he cited are unsupported by federal court precedent and the experience in other states that have passed even stricter anti-sanctuary city and anti-illegal immigration measures. Seven commissioners passed the resolution while Commission Chairman Heidi Shafer did not vote citing a lack of information available to…

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Two EPA Officials Stepping Down Amid Ethics Investigation

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Tennessee Star

by Jason Hopkins   In what is seen as another major blow to Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt, two officials have resigned from the agency. Albert “Kell” Kelly and Pasquale “Nino” Perrotta — two Pruitt allies engulfed in their own separate scandals — tendered their resignations on Monday. Kelly served as head of the Superfund, a program that is tasked with cleaning up contaminated sites. Perrotta was in charge of leading Pruitt’s 24/7 security detail. Kelly, a former banking executive, is leaving following public revelation that he was barred from working in the finance industry for violating regulations. A report in December 2017 by The Intercept revealed Kelly and Pruitt to be close friends in their home state of Oklahoma, with Pruitt appointing him to the EPA not long after he was banned for life from the finance industry by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation. “Kell Kelly’s service at EPA will be sorely missed. In just over a year he has made a tremendous impact on EPA’s Superfund program, serving as chair of the Superfund Task Force and presiding over the development of the steps necessary to implement the recommendations in the report,” Pruitt said in a Tuesday statement. Perrotta, on the other hand, is…

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Texas AG Paxton Files Seven-State Lawsuit Against Feds To End DACA

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 by Will Racke   Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton sued President Donald Trump’s administration on Tuesday in a bid to force the termination of a program that gives younger illegal immigrants a reprieve from deportation, saying the Obama-era amnesty is outside the scope of executive authority. Six other states joined Paxton’s lawsuit challenging the constitutional muster of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. Trump had intended to wind down DACA by March 5, but several federal court decisions have forced immigration authorities to continue issuing work permits under the program. “Our lawsuit is about the rule of law, not the wisdom of any particular immigration policy,” Paxton said in a statement. “Texas has argued for years that the federal executive branch lacks the power to unilaterally grant unlawfully present aliens lawful presence and work authorization. Left intact, DACA sets a dangerous precedent by giving the executive branch sweeping authority to ignore the laws enacted by Congress and change our nation’s immigration laws to suit a president’s own policy preferences.” Although the lawsuit names Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen and Immigration and Customs Enforcement Acting Director Thomas Homan as defendants, it is actually intended to assist the Trump administration’s…

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What Trump Calls ‘Right Message’ to North Korea After Evidence Iran Cheats on Nukes

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by Fred Lucas   President Donald Trump, without saying he would pull out of the Iran nuclear deal, said Monday that he is open to signing a better agreement with the Islamist regime. Commenting after Israel accused Iran of cheating on the deal, Trump also rejected the premise that by pulling out the U.S. would jeopardize a separate nuclear deal with North Korea. “No. I think it sends the right message,” Trump said of his possible move during a joint press conference with Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari in the Rose Garden of the White House. [ The liberal Left continue to push their radical agenda against American values. The good news is there is a solution. Find out more ] The month of May could prove to be monumental for the Trump administration and global politics. The United States has until May 12 to decide whether it will remain in the 2015 multilateral deal, led by the Obama administration, to temporarily delay Iran’s development of nuclear weapons. The president said he will meet with North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un in late May or early June. “I’m not telling you what I’m doing, but a lot of people think they know,” Trump said…

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Commentary: Conservatives Unanimous For Change in Support of Jordan for Speaker

Tennessee Star Staff
Jim Jordan, Paul Ryan

CHQ Staff   Conservatives are hoping Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) will decide to challenge Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) for speaker, according to a poll by FedUp PAC. Showing near-unanimity, almost 99% agree that Jordan would be more likely to successfully move President Trump’s conservative-populist agenda through the House. Less than one-half of one percent believe McCarthy would do a better job. Jordan is a member of the conservative Freedom Caucus and has been a leader in the fight to cut spending, protect the Second Amendment, repeal ObamaCare, and deport illegal aliens. McCarthy is closely tied to the Washington GOP establishment and would be expected to follow Ryan’s policy of distancing himself from Trump and the conservative agenda. His previous attempt to become speaker collapsed for lack of conservative support. The contrast between Jordan and McCarthy was easily seen when Congress passed its most recent spending bill. McCarthy was a strong supporter of the $1.3 trillion bill which eliminated the budget caps adopted in 2011, funded many Democratic priorities, and was supported by a majority of House Democrats. Jordan opposed the bill, and Trump threatened to veto it until he decided that the need for more military spending justified his very…

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TBI Raids Claiborne Sheriff’s Office

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Tennessee Bureau of Investigation agents arrived just as the Claiborne County Justice Center opened for business Tuesday for what the Knoxville News characterized as a raid on the Sheriff’s Office. For several hours, agents were seen filing in and out of the facility, carrying boxes of files and computer disks. Meanwhile, other agents were seen searching the unmarked vehicles parked in the adjacent lot. Knox News reports: A TBI mobile command center sat parked outside. Agents at the scene and TBI spokeswoman Leslie Earhart would answer no questions and referred all inquiries to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for East Tennessee. A spokeswoman for the office wouldn’t give any details on the investigation. At least one assistant U.S. attorney, Frank Dale, arrived on the scene shortly before noon. Others at the Justice Center included TBI Agent Darren DeArmond, who helped lead the probe into disgraced ex-Knox County Criminal Court judge Richard Baumgartner and has worked various other high-profile cases of government corruption in East Tennessee. Sheriff David Ray had no comment, telling Knox News, “There’s been a lot of rumors going around but we’re not ready to say anything.” Ray has had a number of scrapes with the law while serving in…

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