On Wednesday Rep. Jim Cooper (D-TN-05) and Rep. Steve Cohen (D-TN-09) refused to vote in support of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency within the Department of Homeland Security.
Read the full storyDay: July 19, 2018
2018 TNReady Scores Show Mixed Results
Students improved most in early grades reading, narrowed achievement gaps; show need for deeper, more sustained work to support improvement. Professional Educators of Tennessee added comments and concerns.
Read the full storyRandy Boyd’s Company Offshoring and Outsourcing ‘Good Paying Jobs’
GOP gubernatorial candidate Randy Boyd’s campaign and political ads have tried to reduce the core concerns of Tennesseans to a three-word tagline: “faith, family and a good paying job.” At the same time, Boyd’s company, Radio Systems Corporation, has offshored and outsourced those “good paying jobs” to China and engineers around the world.
Read the full storyDr. Carol M. Swain Commentary: Why I Am Not Supporting Bill Lee for Tennessee Governor
My decision to choose Black over Lee has caused considerable angst among Lee supporters who are demanding an explanation. Focusing solely on Lee, I will outline the factors I considered while I was formulating my decision.
Read the full storyDisgraced Former FBI Director James Comey ‘Meddles’ in the 2018 Elections
Former FBI Director James Comey said that “all who believe in this country’s values must vote for Democrats” and that Republicans have been “incapable” in a Tuesday tweet.
Read the full storyWashington Post Debunks Bredesen Claim Tennessee’s Meth Problem Was ‘Cut in Half’ on His Watch
Fact-checkers at The Washington Post have awarded Democrat Phil Bredesen three Pinocchios for making the false claim that Tennessee’s meth problem was cut in half under his watch as governor
Read the full storySecret Service Agent Suffers a Fatal Stroke Overseas
A Secret Service agent who accompanied President Donald Trump during his overseas trip has died, the White House announced. Noel Remagen, 42, was found unresponsive Saturday while on duty, protecting National Security Advisor John Bolton during the President’s visit of Scotland. Remagen was rushed to the hospital, where he died Sunday surrounded by family and colleagues, a statement from the White House said. “Our hearts are filled with sadness over the loss of a beloved and devoted Special Agent,” the statement read. “We grieve with them and with his Secret Service colleagues, who have lost a friend and a brother.” Remagen’s body was flown back to the United States on Wednesday, and will be accompanied by Secret Service personnel until the burial. Remagen had worked in the Secret Service, a law enforcement agency tasked with protecting the nation’s leaders, for 19 years. Earlier, Remagen served with the U.S. Marine Corps for five years. “Prayers for the Remagen family. We are all forever grateful for the service and sacrifice of the men and women of the United States Secret Service, some of the greatest and bravest people in the country,” White House spokesperson Sarah Huckabee Sanders tweeted Wednesday. Prayers for the…
Read the full storyGubernatorial Candidates Karl Dean (D) and Randy Boyd (R) Both Invested in La Raza Affiliate Conexion Americas
Gubernatorial candidates Karl Dean and Randy Boyd both considered Renata Soto’s Conexion Americas organization a worthy investment. Democrat Karl Dean used the government’s money while mega-millionaire Republican Randy Boyd used his personal wealth to help Conexion’s legal and illegal alien clients.
Read the full storyTennessee Projected To Face Record Number Of Deportations And Asylum Request Rejections
Tennessee is projected to face a record number of deportations and asylum request rejections for fiscal year 2018.
Read the full storyCommentary: Why Should Trump Pick A Fight With Putin Over The Failures Of Obama, Clapper, Strzok and Brennan?
by George Rasley President Trump’s statement about the poor state of US – Russian relations, “I hold both countries responsible. I think that the United States has been foolish. I think we’ve all been foolish. We should have had this dialogue a long time ago — a long time, frankly, before I got to office. And I think we’re all to blame,” seems to have sent the establishment media and #NeverTrump crowd into chicken little-level fits of hysteria never before seen in American politics or media. Pearl Harbor, Kristallnacht and treason were just a few of the insane comparisons Democrats and Republicans have made to denigrate the President’s performance in Helsinki. Keep in mind, what all the hysteria is obfuscating is that President Trump did discuss Russian interference in our election with President Putin, “During today’s meeting, I addressed directly with President Putin the issue of Russian interference in our elections. I felt this was a message best delivered in person. We spent a great deal of time talking about it…” With all the brouhaha about what Trump said or meant to say during his post-Summit news conference with Putin one important thing seems to be lost on Trump’s critics.…
Read the full storyThe Battle To Repeal An Obama-Era Regulation On Trucks Heats Up
by Michael Bastasch The battle over the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) plan to repeal an Obama-era regulation has been reignited. The Sierra Club, Environmental Defense Fund and Center for Biological Diversity sued EPA on Tuesday to prevent the agency from repealing regulations on refurbished truck engines, called glider kits. Their suit comes days after the House Committee on Science Space and Technology launched an investigation into potential collusion between lobbyists and EPA officials to keep regulations in place. The committee obtained emails suggesting Volvo and the Truck and Engine Manufacturers Association worked with top EPA officials at the National Vehicle and Fuel Emissions Laboratory in Ann Arbor, Michigan, to put together a report on emissions from glider kits. Emails and the involvement of auto lobbyists in procuring vehicles to test “raise serious questions as to the objectivity and legitimacy of the [EPA] study” that has been held up by glider opponents, including Volvo, as evidence of why refurbished engine sales should be limited. Glider kits are trucks with refurbished engines fitted into new chassis. The glider industry sprang up as truckers looked for an alternative to new trucks that had to comply with ever-stricter federal regulations. The Obama administration took action in 2016 to close…
Read the full story$87 Million Government-Run Pre-Kindergarten in Tennessee Failing Kids, Report Says
A report examining findings from a randomized controlled trial of Tennessee’s $87 million voluntary prekindergarten program for low-income children casts doubt on its effectiveness. Indeed, the report’s authors say the data show adverse effects on math and science achievements.
Read the full storyReagan/Trump Advisor Dr. Arthur Laffer Endorses Andy Ogles for Maury County Mayor
Dr. Arthur Laffer, famed economist, has endorsed Andy Ogles for Mayor of Maury County.
Read the full storyFacebook Removes Death Threats Toward Republicans After Florida Representative Matt Gaetz Called It Out
by Kyle Perisic Facebook removed a page Tuesday that posted incitements to violence and implied death threats after a Republican lawmaker called the company out. During a hearing Tuesday with representatives from Facebook, Twitter and Google, Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida asked Facebook’s Head of Global Policy Management Monika Bickert why the social media giant hasn’t removed the page, “Milkshakes against the Republican Party,” for its calls to violence against Republicans. “Do you remember the shooting at the Republican baseball game? One of those should happen every week,” one post read, referring to the attempted assassination of GOP members, which almost killed Rep. Steve Scalise of Alabama. Bickert read the post back to Gaetz at the hearing. Another post called for “crazed shooters” to target Republicans at baseball practices, saying “if you really want to be remembered, that’s how you do it,” before referring to the National Rifle Association as a “terrorist organization.” “Any call to violence violates our terms of service,” Bickert clarified. However, Gaetz claimed Facebook responded to his staff after reporting the page earlier that “it doesn’t go against one of our specific community standards.” Later that day, Facebook removed the page. “I am glad Facebook swiftly removed this offensive…
Read the full storyTrump to Germany: Don’t Give Russia More Weapons
By Sheryl Kaufman The press and former CIA Director John Brennan are expressing hysterics over a press conference where President Trump disappointed them by not showering outright insults on the Russian President. The reporters moved past what may be the most significant development of Mr. Trump’s very busy trip to Europe, what they read at the time as an insult to Germany. Last Wednesday at the NATO summit, President Trump spoke against the proposed expansion of the natural gas pipeline from Russia directly to Germany via the Baltic Sea. The Nord Stream 2 project has nearly completed permitting and is set to begin laying pipe later this year. It will run parallel an existing nearly 800-mile undersea pipeline and double the capacity of Russia to move gas directly to Germany. About a third of Europe’s natural gas is currently supplied by Russia. The new pipeline would allow Russia to expand its dominant position as an energy supplier to Europe and give it flexibility to bypass an onshore pipeline that passes through Ukraine, Slovakia, and Czech Republic to Germany. That would deprive these countries of transit fees, but more significantly it would allow Russia greater control of their energy supplies.…
Read the full storyRandy Boyd Attacks Bill Lee in New Ad
In a surprise move, GOP gubernatorial candidate Randy Boyd launched an ad attacking Republican rival Bill Lee on Tuesday.
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