Phil Bredesen’s Close Ties to an Increasingly Unpopular Bob Corker Shine Through in New Profile

Bob Corker, Phil Bredesen

In a new The Times Free Press item entitled, Bredesen goes all out in Senate race with Blackburn, what perhaps stands out most of all is Phil Bredesen’s close ties to the increasingly unpopular outgoing Republican Senator Bob Corker and the distance between Bredesen and President Trump. They  make it very clear that Bredesen wouldn’t even be running if he had to face off with Corker. That in itself makes him something of a mini-Corker, only worse. It’s a race the 74-year-old never envisioned making until last year when his longtime friend, Republican U.S. Sen. Bob Corker of Chattanooga, announced he wouldn’t seek re-election. Bredesen, known as a moderate, and Corker go back to the mid-1990s, when Bredesen was Nashville’s mayor and Corker the then-state finance commissioner for Republican Gov. Don Sundquist. In various roles over decades, they worked together on projects, including the successful recruitment of the NFL’s then-Houston Oilers to Nashville and, while governor, working with Corker and local officials in 2008 to bring Volkswagen to Chattanooga. “I had no intention of doing anything else when I left the governor’s office,” said Bredesen, who later succeeded Sundquist as governor and served from 2003-2011. “When Corker said he wasn’t going to run…

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Commentary: Amnesty Push Proves We Need Jim Jordan As Speaker

Jim Jordan, Paul Ryan

by CHQ Staff   Our friends at the Eagle Forum, the principled grassroots constitutional conservative group founded by the late First Lady of the conservative movement Phyllis Schlafly, recently came out strongly in favor of Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio to replace the retiring RINO Paul Ryan as Speaker of the House. One of the key points in the organization’s email to its grassroots membership bears passing on and echoing by every conservative opinion leader: –          If the “compromise [amnesty for illegal aliens] bill” passes, this will not fare well for Republicans in the upcoming November elections.  If Democrats gain control of the House, a much more liberal bill without any border security will be inevitable. –          Republicans would not have been in this situation if we had true Conservative Leadership in the House.  Speaker Ryan, Leader McCarthy, and Whip Scalise have all had a hand in allowing this fight to become so moderate.  This is the perfect time to encourage support for Rep. Jim Jordan for Speaker. –          Our grassroots advocates are very upset by the illegal immigration crisis and are confused by the flip-flop of Congress on this issue.  They will be motivated to voice their support for…

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Senate Fails to Pass the Rescission Package

Trump-captial-spending-money

By Printus LeBlanc   When President Donald Trump signed the omnibus spending bill back in March, he did so reluctantly. The swamp knew the President’s feelings for the military and hid behind them to fill the omnibus with wasteful spending. The President signed it, hoping some of the spending would be later rescinded. After all, who on Capitol Hill wants to fund programs that do nothing and waste money. The President and the American people got their answer when the Senate continued to do what it does best, disappoint the taxpayers. It is bad enough the House barely passed its modest $15 billion rescission package, but the Senate failing to pass the measure is downright embarrassing. The bill failed 48-50 with two Republicans voting to continue wasting money on government programs that don’t do anything. One has to wonder why Senators Richard Burr (R-N.C.) and Susan Collins (R-Maine) crossed the aisle to vote with hardline progressives to fund programs that do nothing? What about Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.)? Doesn’t he claim to be a fiscal conservative? One of the most aggravating examples of government waste is the Advanced Technology Vehicles Manufacturing Loan Program. The program provides taxpayer-funded loans to automobile and automobile part…

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Families of Victims of Illegal Aliens Tell of ‘Permanent Separation’ From Children, Being Ignored by Media

angel parents

by Fred Lucas   With President Donald Trump still facing criticism over separating migrant families who illegally crossed the border, other families met with the president Friday to share their stories of “permanent separation” from children killed by illegal immigrants—and to complain of being ignored by the news media. Among those family members were Laura Wilkerson, who recalled the 2010 slaying of her son Josh. “He was brutally tortured, strangled over and over. He was set on fire after death. His last hours were brutal,” Wilkerson said, standing on a stage at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building with Trump, administration officials, and family members of 13 other victims of crimes by illegal immigrants. They were among the “Angel Families” advocating for strong enforcement of immigration laws. [ The liberal Left continue to push their radical agenda against American values. The good news is there is a solution. Find out more ] Wilkerson contrasted their situation with those of illegal-immigrant parents who can communicate with the children they’ve been separated from on Skype. “As with everyone standing up here, none of our kids had a minute to say goodbye. We weren’t lucky enough to be separated for five days or 10 days,” she…

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Phil Bredesen Accused President Trump of ‘Child Abuse’ on Border Despite Flawed Media Coverage of True Situation

Phil Bredesen

While the controversy of separating families crossing the U.S. border illegally has been mostly settled, it’s worth noting that Democrat Senate Candidate Phil Bredesen took his criticism of President Trump on the issue as far as any far Left-Wing agitator did, in effect, labeling it child abuse. That despite it becoming increasingly apparent that media coverage of the issue was slanted, at best, as the Knoxville News Sentinel reported: Before he spoke about rising health care costs, before he listened to the stories of gaps in the system and before he visited the wing dedicated to babies born dependent on opiates, Phil Bredesen spoke Wednesday about the “elephant in the room.” Bredesen said it was wrong for the U.S. government to institute a policy that separated children from families at the U.S.-Mexican border and he said the policy was “effectively child abuse.” He said he hoped President Donald Trump would fix the crisis Tuesday, which he did later in the day. It’s also worth noting that it’s now obvious that some of the media’s coverage of the issue varied from somewhere between dishonest and incompetent, as Fox News reported in this story, “Crying migrant girl on TIME magazine cover was…

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NRA Gives Diane Black Strong Endorsement for Governor

Diane Black

Today the National Rifle Association announced its endorsement of Diane Black for Governor. The NRA is the oldest and largest gun rights organizations in the nation. The full letter is available here. “For over two decades Diane Black has been a steadfast supporter of our constitutional right to self-defense. She has never wavered in the fight to expand and protect the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding citizens,” said Chris W. Cox Chairman of the NRA Political Victory Fund. “Diane Black has a perfect record on Second Amendment issues and we enthusiastically endorse her candidacy.” Responded Black, “The NRA represents six million of the strongest defenders of the second amendment in our nation, and I am honored to have their support in my race for governor.” “As governor, I will always fight to protect the second amendment and defend the hundreds of thousands of gun owners in Tennessee,” she continued. Cox noted that Black is the only Tennessee gubernatorial candidate with an “A” rating and a “perfect record” on Second Amendment issues. Black is a firearm owner and a lifetime member of the NRA. In Congress, she cosponsored the National Right to Carry Reciprocity Act, voted for the NRA-supported SHARE Act…

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Restaurant Manager Where Secretary Nielsen Was Mobbed ‘Happy About What Happened’

Security Nielsen Was Mobbed

by Julia Cohen   The Mexican restaurant where Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen was swarmed by protesters Tuesday in Washington, D.C., took no action to quell the protesters or ensure Nielsen’s safety, a manager told The Daily Caller News Foundation on Wednesday. “We are not upset the protesters came here and we are not upset even if it was any of our staffers [who tipped off] the protesters,” the MXDC Cocina Mexicana manager, who refused to give his name, told TheDCNF. “We are happy about what happened.” Police responded to the incident, USA Today reported. The manager also said that, to his knowledge, no one who worked at the restaurant contacted authorities when the protesters arrived, and that it may have been one of her security detail or another restaurant patron. “We don’t know who exactly contacted the police … we don’t know,” he said.  The manager, who has tan skin and long, grey, hair, expressed his gratitude for President Donald Trump’s Wednesday executive order mandating that families be kept together. Trump signed the rule in response to widespread backlash against families being separated at the southern border when crossing into the U.S. illegally. “We are very happy about what happened this…

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Steve Gill Commentary: Why Can’t Johnny Read in Our Nation’s Capital?

Steve Gill

Perhaps we should pay more attention to the abysmal reading and math scores being produced in the public schools in our nation’s capital rather than spending our time, energy and resources keeping our southern border wide open to tens of thousands of those who are illegally entering our country. There are about 13 million AMERICAN children living in poverty. Shouldn’t we care for them first before bringing in a massive wave or impoverished and uneducated children and adults that divert resources from dealing with our own infrastructure, education, healthcare and other demands? How bad are the test scores that are being produced in Washington, D.C.? In 2010-11, according to the National Center for Education Statistics, 83 percent of D.C. public school students were not proficient in Reading; 89 percent were not proficient in math. Clearly Johnny can’t read…or do math. But, some might argue, it is because we aren’t spending enough money to adequately teach those children. According to the Census Bureau figures, when calculated accurately, we are spending over $29,000 per pupil per year in D.C.  That means we are spending nearly three quarters of a million dollars per classroom of 25 students per year. We can’t teach basic…

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Dennis Prager Commentary: The Southern Poverty Law Center’s Smear Campaign Against PragerU

Dennis Prager

by Dennis Prager   “Antifa” is to violence what the Southern Poverty Law Center is to words. In short, it is a hate group on the left. The SPLC smears individuals and groups it differs with by labeling them as some form of “hater:” “racist,” “white supremacist,” “extremist,” and the like. That it is cited and even relied upon by The New York Times, Facebook, Amazon, Google, CNN, and others, and that Apple gave the organization a million dollars, is testimony to the moral state of mainstream media and corporate culture in America today. Were the SPLC not quoted and used as a source, there would be no reason to pay it any attention. All the SPLC does is politicize, and thereby trivialize, the fight against racism and other evils. Any organization that labels Ayaan Hirsi Ali—the extraordinary Somali-American woman who devotes her life to fighting for oppressed women, especially in the Islamic world—an “extremist,” as the SPLC has done, is not a moral organization. No wonder it just agreed to pay Muslim reformer Maajid Nawaz $3.4 million and issued a retraction for smearing him as an “anti-Muslim extremist.” [ The liberal Left continue to push their radical agenda against American…

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The Republican Majority in the US Senate is ‘In Name Only’

US Senate

By Printus LeBlanc   The White House needs to accept the political reality of the Senate. Despite having 51 Republicans in the Senate, they do not have a majority and are facing a hostile Senate. All the evidence is in the numbers, and President Donald Trump must act accordingly. The first test for the “Republican” controlled Senate came after six years of campaign promises. The GOP controlled the House, Senate, and White House, and it was finally going to get rid of Obamacare. And then the Senate had to vote when it had a President that would sign the bill. Long story short, Obamacare is still the law of the land. Another test will come later this week. In early June, the House passed a $14.7 billion rescission package. The package was nothing more than programs that did not exist, or there is no authorization, but Congress keeps funding anyways. The package now sits in the Senate and must be acted upon by Friday. It seems like an easy lift. Defunct government programs should not get funded. However, it is not looking good. Many moderate Senators, including appropriators, do not want to rock the boat on the previously agreed to spending…

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Exclusive Interview: Fox News’ Kimberly Guilfoyle on Moving From Law to Media, ‘The Five,’ and a Front-Row Seat

Kimberly Guilfoyle

by Ginny Montalbano   Kimberly Guilfoyle, co-host of “The Five” on Fox News Channel, agreed to an exclusive interview Saturday with The Daily Signal’s Ginny Montalbano during the Young Women’s Leadership Summit. Guilfoyle’s speech that day, at a conference in Dallas organized by Turning Point USA, was not open to media coverage. Guilfoyle talked to The Daily Signal about her career track, the dynamics and fans of “The Five,” media treatment of powerful women at the White House, and her advice for young conservatives who look to pursue a career in media or politics. The transcript of the on-camera interview has been lightly edited for clarity and style.    Ginny Montalbano: I want to start with how you ended up in media and politics. You’ve had a long career with several different chapters. Can you explain how you ended up at Fox News Channel? Kimberly Guilfoyle: Yes, so it’s been quite an interesting journey. I attended law school in San Francisco and worked at internships in the [San Francisco] District Attorney’s Office and really decided that that’s what I wanted to do with my life. Be a prosecutor, fight for victims, for women and children that had been abused and neglected. Domestic…

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White House to Propose Education, Labor Department Merger, Reports Say

Departments of Education and Labor

The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump is expected to propose a merger of the Education and Labor departments, according to several media reports. The plan, which could be announced as early as Thursday, would be part of a broad overhaul of the federal government with the goal of merging duplicative programs and eliminating others the administration considers unnecessary. The proposal, first reported by Education Week, would allow the administration to concentrate vocational training programs in one place. The plan was developed in response to a directive Office of Management and Budget Director Mick Mulvaney issued to federal agency leaders more than a year ago. The new combined agency would require congressional approval. Republican lawmakers have long desired to eliminate the Education Department since its creation in 1980 by president Jimmy Carter. Trump and Education Secretary Betsy DeVos have also expressed similar sentiments. A House bill in 1995 proposing the merger of agencies to place K-12 schools and vocational training programs together failed to win approval.               VOA News

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The AT&T-Time Warner Merger Approved, Mass Media Consolidation Could Lead the Way to One-Party Rule in the U.S.

ATT and Time Warner Cable

By Robert Romano   A vibrant and healthy democracy depends on the free marketplace of ideas. Call it what you want. Viewpoint diversity. Access to alternative views. In today’s media and information-driven society and culture, being able to find the opposing view on an issue, to compare the pros and cons of public policy matters or different products and services, is critical to how the American people make decisions about just about everything. What to buy? Who to vote for? What to watch? Which music to listen to? What to wear? The plethora of choices we have today is owed entirely to the openness of the Internet and other media that facilitates and enables brand development. But what if that process could become compromised or disrupted in a bid to control media? To control what messages were available to the public? This is the very real danger facing policymakers today in an environment increasingly moving towards mass media consolidation. With federal judge Richard Leon’s approval of the $107 billion AT&T-Time Warner merger, allowing the two companies to combine, the floodgates are opening for content distributors like AT&T — which owns Directv — to also own much of content that plays on those…

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Lame Duck Republican Senator Jeff Flake Blocks Trump Judicial Nominees Over Tariffs

Jeff Flake, Donald Trump

by Kevin Daley   Outgoing GOP Sen. Jeff Flake of Arizona is blocking votes on all of President Donald Trump’s appeals court nominees to secure concessions from Republican leaders on tariffs and Cuban travel restrictions. Flake, a Trump antagonist who is not seeking reelection amid floundering popularity with Arizona Republicans, has not openly addressed the matter, though his seat on a closely divided Senate Judiciary Committee gives him significant leverage over judgeships. Roll Call first reported that Flake halted a committee vote on Georgia Supreme Court Justice Britt Grant’s nomination to the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, the federal appeals court based in Atlanta. CNN confirmed late Wednesday that the senator will block all appeals court nominees to prompt discussions on relations with Cuba and the president’s escalating trade war with much of the industrial world. Flake is one of 11 Republicans on the Senate Judiciary Committee, which issues recommendations on judicial nominees before a final confirmation vote. The GOP has a one-vote majority on the panel, making Flake’s cooperation essential if Republicans wish to process candidates. As of this writing, there are 10 appeals court nominees pending before the committee, including a candidate for the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals,…

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The Two Justice Systems in America

Lady Justice

By Printus LeBlanc   This week the American people learned there are two justice systems in the United States. There is a system for the politically connected and illegal immigrants, and then there is the system for the regular Americans. Can you guess who the system is toughest on? The much-anticipated Department of Justice Inspector General’s report was released last Thursday. As Congress and the press had the weekend to digest the voluminous report (500+ pages) and prepare for Inspector General Horowitz’s testimony before the Senate and House on Monday and Tuesday, it became increasingly clear the Clinton email investigation was handled unlike any normal investigation. The tactics used by the DOJ and FBI during the Clinton investigation could not be more different than the actions taken against the President and members of his campaign. The IG report reported, during the Clinton email investigation, an FBI agent and FBI employee exchanged text messages discussing how a witness in the Clinton investigation lied to the FBI. On page 147 of the report, the agent texted, “Awesome. Lied his ass off. Went from never inside the scif [sensitive compartmented information facility] at res, to looked in when it was being constructed, to…

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Intel CEO Resigns After Probe Into Relationship With Employee

Brian Krzanich

Reuters   Intel Corp Chief Executive Brian Krzanich resigned on Thursday after a probe found his consensual relationship with an employee violated company policy. The head of the largest U.S. chipmaker is the latest in a line of powerful men in business and politics to lose their jobs or resign over relationships viewed as inappropriate, a phenomenon highlighted by the #MeToo movement. “An ongoing investigation by internal and external counsel has confirmed a violation of Intel’s non-fraternization policy, which applies to all managers,” Intel said in a statement. The board named Chief Financial Officer Robert Swan as interim CEO and said it has begun a search for a permanent CEO, including both internal and external candidates. Intel declined to give any further information about the probe. Intel shares fell 1.5 percent in early trade. Wall Street took Krzanich’s unexpected departure in stride. “Although we respect Krzanich’s efforts in redirecting Intel’s strategy from a computer-centric to a data-centric company, we view Intel as a process-driven company with a deep bench of CEO candidates that can continue to drive the corporate strategy,” said Kevin Cassidy, an analyst at Stifel. Krzanich, 58, was appointed Intel CEO in May 2013, and was in charge…

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Commentary: President Trump Flips the Immigration Hot Potato Back To Congress

Donald Trump

by George Rasley   In another act of Trump jujitsu, President Trump has turned the tables on the Democrats and open borders RINOs by signing an Executive Order restating the Administration’s intention to “rigorously enforce our immigration laws” while affording Congress an opportunity to address family separation. Saying it is “It is unfortunate that Congress’s failure to act and court orders have put the Administration in the position of separating alien families to effectively enforce the law.” The Executive Order stated that it is the policy of this Administration to maintain family unity, including by detaining alien families together where appropriate and consistent with law and available resources. The Order then stated, “The Secretary of Homeland Security (Secretary), shall, to the extent permitted by law and subject to the availability of appropriations, maintain custody of alien families during the pendency of any criminal improper entry or immigration proceedings involving their members.” The President also directed the Attorney General to take the necessary legal steps to address the root cause of the problem, which was a consent decrees in a 1997 immigration case. “The Attorney General shall promptly file a request with the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California…

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Corker Won’t Quit Undermining Trump On Trade Negotiations

Mike Pence, Donald Trump, Bob Corker

According to a report by The Hill, outgoing Sen. Bob Corker (R-Tenn.) is pressing the Trump administration for details on the implementation of tariffs on steel and aluminum imports. As chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Corker seems intent on making President Trump’s negotiating strategy as difficult as possible, undermining him at every turn. Also per The Hill, Corker sent a letter on Wednesday to Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross “asking for details on how the Commerce Department is deciding which countries will be exempted from the steep financial penalties”, which Corker insists are having a “damaging” impact on U.S. businesses. As The Hill also reported: On the hot seat, Ross defended the tariffs as necessary to protect American businesses. “Actions taken by the president are necessary to revive America’s essential steel and aluminum industries,” Ross told lawmakers on the Senate Finance Committee. “Allowing imports to continue unchecked threatens to impair our national security.” The heated hearing comes as lawmakers in both parties have raised alarm over Trump’s moves in recent weeks to implement a series of tariffs on China as well as U.S. allies, including Canada, Mexico and the European Union. Those tariffs have rattled markets and sparked anger…

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GOP Gubernatorial Debate Produces Few Sparks But Several Distinctions on Policy

Bill Lee, Diane Black, Randy Boyd, Beth Harwell

The second in a series of three debates between the four candidates for the Republican nomination for governor broadcast across the state produced few fireworks on Wednesday night. However, it may have helped Bill Lee introduce himself and gain traction as voters begin to increase their focus on a race that thus far has appeared to be between the more heavily funded candidates, Diane Black and Randy Boyd. The one hour debate was broadcast live on stations in Memphis, Jackson, Nashville, Knoxville, Huntsville (Alabama), Chattanooga and Tri-Cities, with questions posed by Nashville’s WKRN News 2 anchor Bob Mueller, and Memphis anchors Katina Rankin and Richard Ransom of WATN Local 24. The debate opened with a question regarding illegal immigration and President Donald Trump’s Executive Order, signed just hours before the debate. Do your support President Trump’s Zero Tolerance Policy? Bill Lee: “It is sad and heartbreaking to see children taken away from their parents, and I’m glad that has been changed. But we have an immigration policy that is broken because of the failure of Congress for decades to deal with this challenge.” Lee pointed out that Tennessee can make the bad situation worse by offering incentives for illegal immigrants…

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Conservative Icon Charles Krauthammer is Dead

Charles Krauthammer

Fox News confirmed Thursday afternoon beloved conservative pundit and bestselling author Charles Krauthammer has died. He was 68. Fox News’ Elizabeth Llorente broke the news for the center-right news giant: His death had been expected after he wrote a heartbreaking letter to colleagues, friends and viewers on June 8 that said in part “I have been uncharacteristically silent these past ten months. I had thought that silence would soon be coming to an end, but I’m afraid I must tell you now that fate has decided on a different course for me… “Recent tests have revealed that the cancer has returned. There was no sign of it as recently as a month ago, which means it is aggressive and spreading rapidly. My doctors tell me their best estimate is that I have only a few weeks left to live. This is the final verdict. My fight is over.” In recent years, Krauthammer was best known for his nightly appearance as a panelist on Fox News’ “Special Report with Bret Baier” and as a commentator on various Fox news shows. Following the news of the death of his “good friend,” Baier posted on Twitter, “I am sure you will be owning…

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Rep. Scott DesJarlais Supports Trump’s Healthcare Announcement

Scott DesJarlais and Donald Trump

Congressman Scott DesJarlais, M.D., an advocate of patient-centered health care, who has voted to repeal Obamacare and replace it with free-market reforms that would lower insurance costs and increase consumers’ choice of plans, released the following statement in support of the Trump Administration’s announcement yesterday of a new rule allowing small businesses to create Association Health Plans: “Republicans have made major headway repealing the worst Obamacare rules, providing more affordable alternatives to Tennessee families and small businesses. The latest change allows Association Health Plans across state lines, one employers and employees have been advocating for years, ever since Obamacare began raising taxes, fees, and insurance costs. Patients lost their doctors. Hospitals closed. The statement continued, “The law raised premiums to pay for expensive mandates and subsidies, while limiting individuals’ choice of coverage and providers. It exempted big businesses, while punishing Mom and Pop. We’re giving small businesses and entrepreneurs freedom to create better options for an estimated four million people. And we’ll keep working to improve results for Tennesseans.” Under the finalized Department of Labor rule, self-employed entrepreneurs, small businesses, trade associations, and other organizations may now join together across state lines to increase their bargaining power and negotiate lower…

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Democrats See Another Opportunity for Outrage with VA Chief Nomination

Robert Wilke

by Printus LeBlanc   Every week the progressives and their media propaganda distributors gin up another fabricated scandal. This week it is the children on the southern border to distract from the DOJ IG report. It looks like the next attack will come aimed at President Donald Trump’s nominee to head the often-troubled Department of Veteran’s Affairs. Make no mistake about it, Robert Wilkie is eminently qualified to be the next head of the VA, and any obstacle is nothing more than obstruction of President Trump and the protection of government union dues. Robert Wilkie has been the acting VA Secretary for the last eight weeks. He has done such a good job the President decided to nominate Wilkie to permanently fill the seat on May 18. The next hurdle to clear will be the Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs vote followed by the full Senate vote. Once the hearings start, it is expected the typical obstruction will take place. The left will call Mr. Wilkie every name in the book with no proof to back anything up, and the mainstream media will carry the water for the progressives because that is what they do. However, they don’t know Robert…

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Commentary: Fund The Wall Before Any Other Immigration Legislation

Donald Trump, The Wall

by CHQ Staff   Republican lawmakers in the House and Senate have suddenly found the time and energy to pass a quick legislative fix to end the practice of separating parents from children when they cross illegally into the country – but they apparently do not plan to act on any real illegal immigration fixes, such as funding the border wall. According to reporting by The Washington Examiner’s Susan Ferrechio, Senate Majority Whip John Cornyn, R-Texas, is working with other GOP senators on a bill that would allow families who enter the country illegally to remain together at immigration facilities at the border as they await adjudication. The Trump administration has said a court decision requires family separation as adults are prosecuted. Cornyn’s bill would eliminate that requirement, and speed up court hearings for people seeking admission into the country, which can take months. “The answer to this current situation is a solution that allows us to both enforce the law and keep families together,” Cornyn said Tuesday. “They don’t have to be mutually exclusive.” Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., has said he talked to Trump about the idea, and said it could move as quickly as this week. “It could be…

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How Restrictive Labor Laws Keep Puerto Rico’s Economy Down

Puerto Rico

by Rachel Greszler   An economic crisis has engulfed Puerto Rico. The Financial Oversight Management Board, a federally-mandated advisory group, has worked to help Puerto Rico deal with its financial crisis and establish policies that will lead to long-run growth. The board says Puerto Rico must reform its labor market to have a bright future. While the oversight board has direct authority to enact certain fiscal reforms, it needs the Puerto Rican legislature’s approval to enact most of its proposed labor market reforms. Puerto Rico’s governor has agreed to most of the board’s proposed reforms, but the island’s legislature is trying to block the labor reforms that Puerto Rico’s people need. The board recommends several essential reforms: implementing “at-will employment” (allowing employers to fire employees without excessive legal hurdles or significant severance pay); making Puerto Rico the equivalent of a right-to-work state; and reducing unwarranted employee compensation requirements such as mandatory Christmas bonuses and excessive amounts of paid leave. The liberal Left continue to push their radical agenda against American values. The good news is there is a solution. Find out more >> Even with all of these changes, Puerto Rico would still have more onerous labor market regulations than the rest…

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President Trump’s Executive Order, Explained

Trump illegal immigration

Following days of fierce global criticism, President Donald Trump signed an executive order to end his policy of family separations along the U.S.-Mexico border. Trump signed the order Wednesday, saying he “didn’t like the sight or the feeling of families being separated.” Lawmakers had called for Trump to take unilateral action to end the policy instituted in April that resulted in more than 2,300 children being separated from their parents. The move reflects the enormous political pressure put on Trump. Images of children in metal cages and audio of them crying for their parents had prompted global outrage. What does the executive order do? Under the new U.S. policy, parents and children caught crossing the border illegally will be kept together at federal detention centers for the length of their criminal proceedings. Doesn’t that solve the issue of family separations? Not exactly. Because of a 1997 federal court decision known as the Flores settlement, the government cannot hold children in custody for more than 20 days. That’s a problem, since most illegal entry criminal proceedings take much longer than that. As part of the executive order, Trump is appealing to the U.S. District Court to overturn the Flores settlement, allowing…

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How Immigration Officials Cooked the Books and Fooled Congress for Years

border wall

by Mark Metcalf   A recent Justice Department report on U.S. immigration courts provides a rare glimpse into the difficulties faced by the Trump administration as it repairs the damages inflicted on these tribunals over the last 20 years. But give credit to the courts’ new executive, James McHenry. Early on, he identified the need for transparency and has made accurate disclosure of court business one of his agency’s highest priorities. Candor, if not reform, demands no less. It’s a good start for an executive whose predecessors often avoided—and sometimes denied—the truth about the courts’ troubling dynamics. Yet the courts limped along, their annual reports masking a systemic dysfunction never shared with Congress. While transparency won’t cure the dysfunction, it should identify obvious areas for reform—among them failures to appear in court. [ The liberal Left continue to push their radical agenda against American values. The good news is there is a solution. Find out more ] From 1996 through 2016, just under half of all aliens who were set free pending a trial date—1.25 million in total—were ordered removed, i.e. deported. Of that number, 952,291 were removed for evading court. Less than a quarter of this same group actually appeared in…

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Far-Left ‘Artist’ Doxxing ICE Agents is Sam Lavigne, an Adjunct Professor at NYU

Sam Lavigne

by Kyle Perisic   The personal responsible for creating a database of over 1,500 Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) employees’ personal information and spreading it to the terrorist organization Antifa is a professor at New York University. Sam Lavigne, a far-left artist and game designer, is an adjunct professor at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts. He created a database of 1,595 self-identified ICE employees using their LinkedIn profiles and shared it to his 3,600 followers on Twitter on Tuesday morning. Antifa, the formally recognized far-left terrorist organization, picked up the database and spread it to their followers on Twitter hours later. The database also spread to a subgroup on Reddit that encourages spreading personal information — such as where they live and their contact information, known as “doxxing” — of people who they consider “Nazis” or “alt-right,” which, according to them, includes ICE and the NSA. “Doxxing ICE agents is good and moral,” one Reddit user posted on a thread that shared the database. “Dox more Nazis,” another read. “I’ve downloaded and made available the profiles of (almost) everyone on LinkedIn who works for ICE, 1,595 people in total. While I don’t have a precise idea of what should be done with this…

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State of Tennessee Left to Protect Itself From Illegal Immigration As Corker & Alexander Say Laws Should Not Be Enforced

Bill Haslam, Bob Corker, Lamar Alexander

Tennessee’s two U.S. Senators, Lamar Alexander and Bob Corker each released a statement opposing the administration’s zero-tolerance immigration policy including separating children traveling with adult illegal border crossers. The law requiring the separation of children from the adults illegally crossing the border and who are being detained, was signed by President George W. Bush in 2008. Yesterday, President Trump signed an Executive Order allowing illegal alien adults and any children they bring across the border, to stay together in detention pending a determination of their illegal border crossing. While Corker limited his remarks to how adults traveling with children should be dealt with when apprehended at the border, Alexander’s statement goes much further, suggesting that legislation to fix the current crisis should include some type of amnesty for illegal aliens already present in the U.S.: Illegal immigration is against the law but new enforcement policies have resulted in hundreds of children being separated from their parents. The administration should end that new policy immediately while Congress works with the president on a bipartisan immigration solution that secures the border, provides a status for those already here and prevents a humanitarian crisis at the border. Both Alexander and Corker voted to…

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Oregon Forced Us to Close Our Cake Shop – Here’s What the ‘Masterpiece Decision’ Means for Us

Aaron and Melissa Klein

by Aaron and Melissa Klein   We are thrilled for our friend, Jack Phillips, the owner of Masterpiece Cakeshop who recently won his case at the Supreme Court. Like Jack, we know what it is like to be treated unfairly by a state agency and mocked, threatened, and abused by critics. We can only imagine the relief Jack is experiencing. At the same time, we wonder what the future holds for our case, our lost business, and our family. Ours may be, as Justice Anthony Kennedy wrote, the case that allows “further elaboration in the courts.” And we are encouraged to know that seven justices of the Supreme Court agree that a state’s hostility to the religious beliefs of its citizens will not be tolerated under the First Amendment. In one sense, Jack’s case is very similar to ours. We too declined to create a custom cake that would have required us to express a message our faith teaches against. And, like Jack, we faced a commissioner—Brad Avakian, commissioner of the Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industry at the time—who was hostile to our religion and biased in his consideration of our case. [ The liberal Left continue to push their radical agenda against American values.…

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Corker, Alexander Oppose Trump on Child Separation Policy, WTN’s Brian Wilson Fires Back: ‘The President Is Enforcing the Rule of Law’

Lamar Alexander, Bob Corker

Tennessee Senators Bob Corker and Lamar Alexander, both Republicans, issued statements Monday criticizing the Trump administration for separating children from their parents when detained at the U.S./Mexico border, as the Times Free Press reported: “While the issues surrounding our immigration system are complex, we can all agree that innocent children should be protected and not used for deterrence,” said Corker, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. He said the administration “should use all tools available to stop needless family separation without delay, and Congress should act swiftly to address the serious challenges facing our nation’s immigration system.” Alexander’s statement read, “Illegal immigration is against the law but new enforcement policies have resulted in hundreds of children being separated from their parents. The administration should end that new policy immediately while Congress works with the president on a bipartisan immigration solution that secures the border, provides a status for those already here and prevents a humanitarian crisis at the border.” SuperTalk 99.7 WTN veteran broadcaster Brian Wilson, host of Nashville’s Morning News,took up the subject in his broadcast on Tuesday, explaining that “The president is enforcing the rule of law. President Obama did not.” The law requiring the separation of…

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Mae Beavers Endorses Bill Lee for Governor

Bill Lee, Mae Beavers

Former State Senator Mae Beavers (R-Mt. Juliet) announced her endorsement of Williamson County businessman Bill Lee for governor on Wednesday. “I endorse Bill Lee because I believe he’s the true conservative in the race for governor. He has said he will clean up state government, reduce the number of departments, and he has said he will reduce the influence of lobbyists,” Beavers told The Tennessee Star in an exclusive interview Wednesday afternoon. “It is an honor to have the support of a Tennessee conservative leader like Mae Beavers,” Lee said in a statement released by the campaign. It continues: Maria and I got to know Mae and her husband Jerry on the campaign trail, and I know they both have a deep passion and love for Tennessee and our nation. Her leadership in the conservative movement and in the legislature is well known to all, and I am humbled and grateful to have her joining my team. The campaign notes that Wednesday’s endorsement by Beavers makes Bill Lee the only candidate in the Republican Primary to have the endorsement from a former gubernatorial candidate in this election cycle, and that it demonstrates “the continued momentum for his campaign and shows…

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President Trump Will Sign an Executive Order to Suspend the Separation of Minors from the Illegal Alien Adults Who Accompany Them

Donald Trump

President Donald Trump said Wednesday he is signing an executive order that would end the policy of separating migrant children from their parents as they illegally crossed the southern border with Mexico into the United States. In perhaps the biggest policy reversal of his 17-month presidency, Trump said, “We want to keep families together. It’s very important. I’ll be signing something in a little while that’s going to do that.” For days, Trump and key officials in his administration had contended that he could not act unilaterally to overturn the policy and that only Congress, through legislation, could ban the break-up of families. The U.S. in the last six weeks has separated more than 2,300 young children from their parents and sent them to detention centers, while charging their parents with illegally entering the country. But the Trump administration has come under withering attack for the policy, with Republican and Democratic officials alike calling it inhumane. Business and religious leaders, four former U.S. first ladies and Trump’s wife, Melania Trump, also voiced sharp criticism of the policy to split up migrant families, many of them escaping poverty and turmoil in Central America, as they illegally crossed U.S. border. Trump told…

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Ireland ‘Approved Grant Assistance’ to Randy Boyd’s Radio Systems Corporation

Randy Boyd

When Republican gubernatorial candidate Randy Boyd’s Knoxville based company, Radio Systems Corporation, announced in 2012 that it would be locating its European headquarters in Dundalk, Ireland, press reports at the time indicated that the government of Ireland would be providing financial incentives to the company as part of the deal. In a September 25, 2012 press release, Boyd’s company acknowledged and expressed appreciation for the assistance provided by the government of Ireland: Expanding global pet product expert and manufacturer Radio Systems Corporation, has today announced the opening of a new European head office in Dundalk, Ireland following comprehensive market research and evaluation. The opening opening of the new head office will result in the creation of 56 new jobs over the next three years. The investment is supported by the Irish Government with the aid of IDA Ireland. From January 1, 2013 Radio Systems PetSafe Europe Ltd will be fully operational and will base its European multilingual customer services centre, finance, order management, supply chain and human resources departments in Dundalk. Of the 56 jobs being created over the next three years 25 will be hired by the end of December. “As our business continues to grow internationally, Radio Systems Corporation plans to…

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Rep. Mark Meadows: Growing Evidence FBI Documents Were Altered in Clinton Email Investigation

Mark Meadows

by Chuck Ross   North Carolina Rep. Mark Meadows made two startling claims in a House hearing on Tuesday, asserting that there is “growing evidence” that FBI officials altered documentation of witness interviews in the Hillary Clinton and Russia probes. The Republican also revealed the name of an FBI attorney he believes is the bureau employee who was removed from Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s Russia investigation in February after he was found to have sent anti-Trump text messages. Meadows made the revelations in a round of questioning with Department of Justice Inspector General Michael Horowitz. On Thursday, Horowitz’s office released a scathing report that documented FBI officials’ mishandling of the Clinton investigation. It also laid out a slew of text messages that FBI officials and attorneys sent criticizing Donald Trump. “I think the other thing that I would ask you to look into, there is growing evidence that 302s were edited and changed,” Meadows said. “Those 302s, it is suggested that they were changed to either prosecute or not prosecute individuals. And that is very troubling.” Meadows was referring to forms that FBI agents use to summarize witness interviews. He told reporters after Tuesday’s hearing that he has seen evidence that 302s filled out…

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Emails Suggest EPA Officials Colluded With Lobbyists To Thwart Trump’s Agenda

Steve Milloy

by Michael Bastach   An attorney and junk science blogger uncovered emails suggesting lobbyists and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) officials coordinated on an effort to preserve regulations on used truck engine manufacturers. “The purpose, of course, was to embarrass and intimidate the Trump EPA into aborting the rollback of the Obama EPA rule,” JunkScience.com publisher Steve Milloy (pictured) told The Daily Caller News Foundation. Through a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request, Milloy obtained emails between two lobbyists at Volvo Group North America, and high-ranking officials in Ann Arbor, Mich., where EPA’s vehicle emissions testing lab is located. “The emails show that Volvo lobbyists were working to supplying EPA staff with glider trucks so that rogue EPA staff could dishonestly ‘test’ glider emissions and issue a damning report that could be waved about at a public hearing on the proposed rule rollback,” Milloy said. Volvo opposes repealing regulations on glider kits — new truck bodies that use refurbished engines and are substantially cheaper to buy than trucks with new engines. Volvo and other truck engine makers joined environmentalists in lobbying the Obama administration to regulate glider kits in 2016. The Trump administration EPA is working towards repealing the glider kit rule, but…

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Rep. Scott DesJarlais Backs President Trump’s Zero Tolerance Policy for Enforcement of Border Crossing Law

Scott DesJarlais, Donald Trump

Rep. Scott DesJarlais (R-TN-04) issued a resounding defense of President Trump’s commitment to enforcing our country’s immigration laws on Tuesday. “Thousands of families legally immigrate to the United States every year, following all the rules. Those who break the law risk consequences – potential detention, separation from their families and prosecution – just as any American citizen would,” DesJarlais said in a statement released by his office late Tuesday. “Democrats argue illegal immigrants should receive better treatment than our own citizens, including the vast majority who follow the law and struggle to provide for their own families. However, our country’s de-facto open borders mean that hundreds of thousands of foreign citizens, remaining behind in Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador, primarily, are sending their children alone into the custody of federal immigration authorities and U.S. taxpayers,” DesJarlais continued. “Drug gangs and MS-13 transport unaccompanied minors across Mexico. But they and their families could remain together, if adults would simply follow the law. The President is enforcing it, as he promised he would during a winning campaign, and in Congress, I’ve voted for a border wall and other deterrents that would dramatically reduce illegal immigration, juvenile detention and family separation,” he added.…

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Tim Burchett Airs First TV Ad in 2nd Congressional District GOP Primary Battle

Tim Burchett

Republican Knox County Mayor Tim Burchett has released his first television ad in his bid to succeed retiring Congressman Jimmy Duncan in East Tennessee’s Second Congressional District. The ad is running district-wide on both cable and broadcast TV. Titled “East Tennessee Conservative,” the ad highlights Burchett’s conservative record, his commitment to East Tennessee, and his support for President Trump. You can watch the ad here: Here is the transcript of the ad: I’m Tim Burchett, and this – this is my home I’m running for Congress to help President Trump shake up Washington I’ve taken on some tough fights As mayor, I killed a huge property tax increase, and I paid down the county’s debt I fought for term limits and stopped partial birth abortion I’m proud to be pro-Trump, pro-life, pro-America And I’m proud to be from East Tennessee I’m Tim Burchett and I approve this message Because Washington D.C. needs an East Tennessee conservative Burchett has served as Mayor of Knox County since 2010. He previously served in the Tennessee State Legislature. Burchett is facing off against State Representative Jimmy Matlock, businessman Jason Emert, Hank Hamblin, and Ashley Nickloes for the Republican nomination. The primary election date in…

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Lawmakers Call For Acting TBI Director to Resign Over Alleged Affair With High-Ranking State Employee at Taxpayer Expense

TBI Chief

The acting director of the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation is on paid leave and under investigation for an alleged affair at taxpayer expense, and some legislative leaders have called for his resignation, various media outlets reported. Acting Director Jason Locke will be off the job starting Wednesday, June 20, WKRN reported. Senior staff will oversee operations of the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation until next Monday, June 25, when Knoxville Police Department Chief David Rausch takes over the agency. Gov. Bill Haslam on Monday named Rausch as the new director of the TBI, WKRN reported. Rausch visited the bureau Tuesday. Lt. Gov. Randy McNally and House Speaker Beth Harwell called for Locke to resign, The Tennessean reported. “The allegations against Jason are extremely troubling,” McNally said in a statement, according to The Tennessean. “If I were advising him, I would counsel him to resign for the good of his family and the bureau.” Harwell commended Gov. Bill Haslam for “immediately launching an investigation,” The Tennessean said. There appears to be slight confusion on how the affair came to light. Most reports say Locke’s wife Kim emailed Haslam last week to report the affair. NewsChannel 5 reported that information, but in the same story,…

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Commentary: The Answer Is Don’t Bring Your Kid Here Illegally

father daughter

by CHQ Staff   Have you noticed that every time establishment Republicans and Democrats on Capitol Hill try to ram through an amnesty for illegal aliens there’s a new immigration “crisis” to add a bit of pathos to their calls for open borders? The latest phony crisis is the plight of child border crossers who are being separated from their parents at the border. As our friend Michael F. Haverluck of OneNewsNow.com put it, Democrats and open borders Republicans are claiming the Trump administration is running concentration camps for children who illegally enter the United States alone or with parents who are being processed by the U.S. government. “We can’t find a solution to this problem without harming children without putting them in concentration camps?” former Obama 2012 Deputy Campaign Manager Stephanie Cutter asked on Live with Stephanie Ruhle, according to TheBlaze. Virulent anti-Trumper, former Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele, also chimed in on the issue by backing his Democratic colleague and going as far as to imply that President Donald Trump’s immigration policy resembles what was implemented under Nazis during World War II … or by slave holders before the Civil War. “And I would even say, Stephanie,…

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GOP Gubernatorial Candidate Randy Boyd Agrees With Democrats Dean and Fitzhugh: Removal of Confederate Statues by City of Memphis Was Legal

Randy Boyd, Beth harwell, Karl Dean, Craig Fitzhugh

Republican gubernatorial candidate Randy Boyd declared on Thursday that the removal of two Confederate statues by the City of Memphis in December using a questionable ruse to sidestep state law was legal, agreeing on that issue with Democratic gubernatorial candidates Karl Dean and Craig Fitzhugh. Boyd’s remarks came at a forum held in Memphis that was co-hosted by the Tennessee Bar Association, The Tennessee Judicial Council, and The Commercial Appeal. “Our history is our history, and we need to preserve it,” Boyd said. But Boyd asserted that the City of Memphis did not break the law when they removed a statue of Confederate General Nathan Bedford Forrest in the middle-of-the-night last December, referring to the legal loophole used by the Memphis City Council to remove statues from two city parks. “Memphis followed the law. So they didn’t break the law. So I don’t think it’s now, in retrospect, saying, they didn’t do anything that they weren’t allowed to do,” Boyd said. You can hear Boyd say that Memphis did not break the law here at the 24:55 mark of this video: You can hear those same remarks by Boyd in this audio version of the conversation, at the 5:14 mark.…

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For Q2 to Get Back on Track, 4.1 Percent GDP Growth Is the Magic Number

Donald Trump

By Robert Romano   When President Donald Trump stood for election in 2016, he set a national goal of getting the U.S. economy to grow 4 percent annually, and maybe even greater than that. Speaking to the Economic Club of New York on Sept. 15, Trump said, “it’s time to establish a national goal of reaching 4 percent of economic growth. And my great economists don’t want me to say this but I think we can do better than that.” It’s a good goal for the nation to have. The economy has not grown above an inflation-adjusted 4 percent since 2000, and not above 3 percent since 2005. Which makes it good news that the Atlanta Federal Reserve is projecting 4.8 percent growth annualized for Q2. At the current point, the American people would be happy just to get to 3 percent. But in 2017, the economy fell short, only growing at 2.3 percent. And in the first quarter of 2018, it is only grew at 2.2 percent annualized. Meaning to get back on track for 2018 with a target above 3 percent, the economy will need to grow at 4.1 percent annualized in the second quarter, according to an analysis of Bureau…

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Kentucky Democrat Candidate Amy McGrath Likens Trump’s Election to 9/11

Amy McGrath

Democratic Congressional candidate for Kentucky’s 6th Congressional District, Amy McGrath said the closest she could come to describing how she felt after President Donald Trump’s election win was how she felt immediately after the Sept. 11, 2001 terror attacks. McGrath was speaking at a “Meet the Candidates Series” event on Nov. 20, 2017 prior to winning her recent primary. Several right-leaning news sites have highlighted her comments, although they have yet to break through in the mainstream media. The newly released audio is available below. McGrath, who just recently won her primary in Kentucky’s 6th district, said in November that after Trump’s win she felt the same “sinking feeling” that she had after learning of the 9/11 attacks. “And then, of course, the results of the election, we have a new commander-in-chief,” McGrath said during an event by Indivisible Bourbon County. “And that morning I woke up like somebody had sucker punched me. I mean, I felt like, ‘what has just happened to my country?’” “The only feeling I can describe that’s any close to it was the feeling I had after 9/11. ‘What just happened, where are we going from here,’ and it was that just sinking feeling of…

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Regional Group That Backed Failed Nashville Transit Plan Names State Rep. Susan Lynn ‘Legislator of the Year’

Susan Lynn

A Middle Tennessee mayors association that pushed for Nashville’s failed $9 billion transit plan has handed out an award to State Rep. Susan Lynn (R-Mt. Juliet) as state legislator of the year. Voters in Nashville/Davidson County resoundingly rejected the transit plan by a 64 percent to 36 percent margin in a May 1 referendum. The Tennessee House Republicans issued a statement on the award Monday. Greater Nashville Regional Council honored as its legislator of the year during its May executive board meeting. This award is given annually to one member from both the House and Senate for their work towards the legislative priorities of area mayors. “As an organization, we are grateful to Rep. Lynn for her tireless efforts and continued leadership on behalf of Middle Tennesseans,” said City of Franklin Mayor Ken Moore, president of the Regional Council. Moore endorsed “Let’s Move Nashville” as “the first major step in constructing a regional transit system,” the Brentwood Homepage website said in March. The endorsement came after years of collaboration among regional leaders who serve on the Regional Council and its Transportation Policy Board (TPB). The TPB convenes mayors from across seven counties with transportation officials and is responsible coordinating regional plans and programs.…

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Off the Record: Switch-Hitter Boyd Donors Now Raising Money For Liberal Democrat Phil Bredesen

Randy Boyd, Phil Bredesen

“Switch-hitters” are the baseball players who bat both right-handed and left-handed. Political switch-hitters who want liberal representation in the U.S. Senate and a moderate in the governor’s office are rooting for the Boyd-Bredesen team – and they are willing to put their big bucks behind these guys and bring along their moneyed friends. (Anyone willing to bet whether we see Jim Haslam and others with the last name Haslam show up on a Bredesen campaign finance disclosure report?) Boyd’s big dollar donors Sharon Pryse, Raja and Michelle Jubran, and Jim Clayton are co-hosting a fundraiser for Phil Bredesen just like the super-wealthy “Republican” donor Conway-Welch in Nashville whose fundraiser for Bredesen was preceded by the one in Nashville headlined by former Vice-President Joe Biden. Boyd’s Knoxville Cabal needs him to go to his warehouse and get them those special flea collars. And there is plenty of money in them thar hills – Sharon Pryse, Raja Jubran and his wife coughed up $8,000 dineros each to hand over to La Raza Randy. Jim Clayton was only able to come up with a measly $5,000. Pryse, Raja Jubran, and Clayton are members of Boyd’s business coalition but it’s even cozier than that.  Boyd served…

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President Trump Announces Next-Generation ‘Space Force’ as an Independent Service Branch

Donald Trump Space Force

Vowing to reclaim U.S. leadership in space, President Donald Trump announced Monday he is directing the Pentagon to create a new “Space Force” as an independent service branch aimed at ensuring American supremacy in space. Trump envisioned a bright future for the U.S. space program, pledging to revive the country’s flagging efforts, return to the moon and eventually send a manned mission that would reach Mars. The president framed space as a national security issue, saying he does not want “China and Russia and other countries leading us.” “My administration is reclaiming America’s heritage as the world’s greatest spacefaring nation,” Trump said in the East Room, joined by members of his space council. “The essence of the American character is to explore new horizons and to tame new frontiers.” Today, President Trump delivered remarks as the Space Council gathered to discuss American leadership in space exploration and commerce. pic.twitter.com/0xCE59guNC — The White House (@WhiteHouse) June 18, 2018 Trump had previously suggested the possibility of creating a space unit that would include portions equivalent to parts of the Air Force, Army and Navy. But his directive will task the Defense Department to begin the process of establishing the ‘Space Force’ as…

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The Truth Behind 4 Wild Claims About Detaining Children at the Border

Kirstjen Nielsen

by Fred Lucas   The Trump administration is taking heat from Democrats and Republicans for separating parents and children after they illegally crossed the southern border. Over the six weeks from April 19 through May 31, federal officials separated about 2,000 children from their families at the U.S.-Mexican border, the Associated Press reported last week. President Donald Trump blamed the procedure on Democrats in Congress. “They’re obstructing. They’re really obstructionists and they are obstructing,” Trump said Monday at the White House. “The United States will not be a migrant camp and it will not be a refugee holding facility. It won’t be.” [ The liberal Left continue to push their radical agenda against American values. The good news is there is a solution. Find out more  ] “If you look at what’s happening in Europe, if you look at what’s happening in other places, we can’t allow that to happen to the United States–not on my watch,” he said. During the White House press briefing Monday, Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen said: “This is a very serious issue that has resulted after years and years of Congress not taking action.” Here’s a look at four of the more questionable claims made…

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Nashville Becoming ‘Chic Urban Playground for the Wealthy,’ Vanderbilt Professor Tells Wall Street Journal

Nashville City at night

The Wall Street Journal has taken notice of how Nashville is becoming gentrified and is in danger of becoming a “chic urban playground for the wealthy.” James Fraser, an urban studies professor at Vanderbilt University, told The Wall Street Journal the city needs 30,000 more units of affordable housing and should spend $1 billion to meet the demand. Working people are being pushed to outer suburbs and rely on buses to reach their jobs, while wealthier people are moving into inner neighborhoods, he said. Affordable housing has long been a benefit of living in the South, said Laurel Graefe, deputy regional executive of the Nashville branch of the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta. While corporate incentives and low taxation are still attractive, housing demand has outstripped supply, raising prices. From 2008 to 2018, housing values, based on a weighted measure of all transactions in the housing market, rose 75 percent in Nashville, compared with 33 percent in Charlotte, according to the Brookings Institution. The Wall Street Journal story discussed the trend of tearing down older homes and building “tall skinnies”—multistory homes geared toward wealthier home buyers. Much of the issue is from rapid economic growth, the story says. The Nashville…

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Commentary: The IG Report: Obama Knew

Barack Obama

by CHQ Staff   It’s interesting how quickly the Department of Justice Inspector General’s report vanished from the front pages and lead segments of the establishment media when we have just begun to plumb the depths of its almost 600 pages of findings. Both documents are embedded below. And one of the most important revelations from the report is one that the establishment media has studiously ignored – and that is that President Barack Obama knew all about Hillary Clinton’s off the official government network server. Obama said in a 2015 interview with CBS News that he first learned of Clinton’s use of the private server “at the same time everybody else learned it through news reports.” From our own experience working with the White House we understand how closely the communications of the President and Vice President are monitored, so the notion that Obama heard about Clinton’s unofficial email address from the news media sounded like a lot of baloney, and now the Inspector General’s report has confirmed it. Our friend former Secret Service agent Dan Bongino explained to FOX how the President’s email works. Bongino said the emails coming into the former president’s personal cellphone had to be…

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Scientists Find The Oldest Fossil Of Human Ever Discovered In Western Europe

early man

by Chris White   Researchers believe the remains of a one million-year-old jawbone found deep in a Spanish cave could be one of the oldest known human fossils ever discovered, the Daily Mail reported Monday. The Homo antecessor skeleton, which has been dated to an estimated 772,000 to 949,000 years old, is the final common ancestor shared between Neanderthals and Homo sapiens. The finding also pushes back previous estimates for the split between modern humans and Neanderthals, an extinct species. It also suggests the evolution of modern human species may have taken much longer than estimates from genetic studies. Previous studies, based on genetics, showed that modern humans and Neanderthals split around 516,000 years ago. “We faced many challenges during this study, and without the active participation of all these specialists, it would not have been possible to obtain any meaningful and reliable result,” explained Dr. Mathieu Duval of the Australian Research Centre for Human Evolution (ARCHE). Duval worked with fellow ARCHE scientist, Professor Rainer Grün, and a team of researchers to accurately date the Homo antecessor remains using one of its teeth. The age of the jawbone prevented the researchers from using carbon dating to accurately estimate the skeleton’s age. They…

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Will Tennessee’s New Plan To Break The Cycle Of Poverty Only Perpetuate It?

cycle of poverty

Tennessee is increasingly adopting “a two-generation approach” to fighting poverty, which combines the focus on parents and children when it comes to food stamps and other cash assistance programs. The approach may indeed pay off and is being implemented across more and more states, yet, it still appears to be an experiment without much hard  data to back it up as ending in significant success. Meanwhile, many have argued for years that such programs only extend and even expand poverty. From 2013: Since 2007, the number of Americans on SNAP has exploded, going from approximately 22 million people at the start of the recession in 2008 to more than 45 million in 2013. The program provides these families a much-needed safety net as they struggle to get back on their feet, according to Jennifer Brooks, policy director with the progressive Corporation for Enterprise Development based in Washington, D.C. Meanwhile, calls to reform the system from the Right, as with this one from the Heritage Foundation, often go ignored. For now, this seems to be the direction Tennessee officials are choosing and only the future will determine if it’s a success. Tennessee’s agency that administers food stamps and cash assistance programs…

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