Month: July 2018

Communist China Will Not Get Control of Port of Long Beach

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Port of Long Beach

By Printus LeBlanc   China has been at war with the U.S. for decades now, just not the kinetic war Americans are accustomed to. China has used trade, information technology, and currency manipulation as potent weapons to gain military and economic parity with the U.S. quickly. It looks like we finally have a White House that understands that and is taking a hard stand against China. Not only is the Trump administration taking it to the Communist Chinese government in trade, but it is also using the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) to blunt China’s strategic goals on the U.S. mainland. China is extremely adept at warfare. What we in the U.S. might call foreign relations, diplomacy, or trade, China sees as another form of warfare and a means to an end. The last several administrations have not recognized the path the Communist government is on and have failed to confront them. CFIUS, in particular, has failed to protect U.S. national security interests adequately. CFIUS is an inter-agency body that reviews national security implications of foreign investment in U.S. companies or operations. The Secretary of the Treasury is Chair of the committee with a nine-member panel. The Committee…

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Public School Teachers Are Paid More Than Commonly Reported

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by James Agresti   During recent teacher walkouts in Oklahoma that captured national attention, many major media outlets reported misleadingly small figures for teacher pay. By failing to reveal all aspects of teacher compensation, these outlets hid the true costs to taxpayers—which now amount to an annualized average of about $120,000 for every public school teacher in the United States. CNN, for example, published an article by Bill Weir claiming that in “most districts” of Oklahoma, “a teacher with a doctorate degree and 30 years’ experience will never make more than $50,000 a year.” That claim, which CNN neglected to document, is at odds with comprehensive data from the U.S. Department of Education and the U.S. Department of Labor. This information for Oklahoma and the entire nation follows. For the 2016–17 school year, the Department of Education reports that the average salary of full-time public school teachers was $58,950 in the U.S. and $45,245 in Oklahoma. Those figures generally exclude benefits, such as health insurance, paid leave, and pensions. These are typically much higher for government employees than private sector workers. According to the Department of Labor, benefits comprise an average of 33% of compensation for public school teachers. Including benefits, teachers’ average annual compensation jumps to $87,854 in the…

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Tennessee GOP Increases Heat on Bredesen Over His Party’s Stand Against ICE

John Bryant
Phil Bredesen

Democrat U.S. Senate candidate Phil Bredesen has finally broken his silence on where  he stands as regards the loud and growing calls from his Democrat colleagues to abolish the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE); however, his response was thin at best and did little to stop the attacks on him over the issue from Tennessee Republicans, as the Chattanooga Times Free Press reports: U.S. Senate Democratic hopeful Phil Bredesen says he wants no part of efforts by some national progressives to abolish Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the agency that’s become a flash point for liberals as they rally against President Donald Trump’s immigration policies. “No,” the former Tennessee governor said in a one-word statement to the Times Free Press on the question of whether he favored abolishing the agency. Some U.S. Senate Democrats, including potential 2020 presidential candidates Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and Kirsten Gillibrand, want Congress to to abolish ICE. Warren said it should be replaced “with something that reflects our morality.” That Democrats in Red and even Purple states are either ducking the issue as Bredesen had been, or are now giving short answers to what is actually a more complex question comes as no surprise. Just…

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Steve Gill Commentary: The Californication of the Teachers’ Union

Tennessee Star Staff
NEA

At the recent National Education Association (NEA) Annual Meeting, where Tennessee Education Association (TEA) representatives participated along with other affiliates across the country, the highly partisan NEA took strong positions against immigration reform  and Republicans in general.  They even gave an award to controversial former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick to honor his activism in leading protests against the National Anthem. Now NEA President Lily Eskelsen Garcia has weighed in on the US Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh.  Not surprisingly the NEA opposes Kavanaugh.  Their opposition is NOT based on his rulings as a Court of Appeals Judge, but primarily upon the hysterical concerns generated in liberal circles with completely bogus claims about recent Supreme Court rulings.  For example, she claims the Supreme Court  weakened the right of educators and other working people to come together in their unions and through collective bargaining to advocate for fair pay, benefits, and working conditions (Janus v. AFSCME, a 5-4 vote). Janus actually granted teachers and others the freedom NOT to be forced to join a union if they didn’t want to. And the “Muslim ban” that the Supreme Court confirmed, where travel from certain countries was restricted based on national security interests and…

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Dr. Mark Green Commentary: It’s Time for NATO to Draw a Line in the Sand in Ukraine

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Mark Green

by Dr. Mark Green, Tennessee State Senator and Candidate for Congress   Today starts the annual NATO Summit with President Trump in attendance. Founded in 1949, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization has been one of the most effective alliances in history, from standing against the Soviet Union to cooperating fully in the War on Terror. When in Iraq and Afghanistan, I served alongside British Special Operations Soldiers deployed as a joint special operations task force. In one firefight my aircraft hauled off three wounded British Special Operators. It was a rewarding experience and reinforced the link between NATO countries. The challenges facing NATO today are no less strenuous than at the organization’s founding. The primary protagonist, Russia, seeks to recreate the power and influence of the former Soviet Union. Nowhere is this more prominent than in Ukraine, where as many as 12,000 Russian soldiers work with separatist to destabilize the country, where Ukrainian Defense leadership asserts Russia shelled Ukrainian positions over 15,000 times in 2017, and where Russian hybrid warfare focuses on shifting public opinion. Perhaps the most egregious act was the illegal and forced annexation of the Crimean Peninsula. NATO has a significant relationship with Ukraine: “Ukraine joined the…

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Bill Lee’s Contributions to Bredesen and Barry the Focus of New Billboards in Middle Tennessee

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anti-Lee billboard

Diane Black is hitting Bill Lee hard for his financial support for Democrats like Phil Bredesen, Megan Barry and Karl Dean. A new Black ad, “Burn”, specifically targets Lee for his donations to Democrats Phil Bredesen and Megan Barry. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p7iy1LF_MXs&feature=youtu.be Diane Black “BURN” ad: You know the old saying, fool me once shame on you; fool me twice shame on me. Will Bill Lee fool you again. The last time Bill Lee got involved in politics he pushed liberal Megan Barry for Mayor. She pushed sanctuary policies and gun control and we got burned. Now we learn Bill Lee gave money to liberal Phil Bredesen, too. Bill Lee’s the kind of Republican who helps Democrats get elected. Don’t let Bill Lee burn you again. Now, electronic billboards by an independent expenditure group, Jobs4TnNow, have popped up in Middle Tennessee that are hitting Lee on the same theme. Tennessee Star Political Editor Steve Gill says Black has clearly realized she has a Bill Lee problem. Lee is taking voters away from Black and she has to bring them back. The biggest question, Gill has pointed out, is whether and how Bill Lee would respond to the attacks. “If he hesitates to…

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Schumer Leads the Charge as Phil Bredesen’s Allies Rail Against Trump’s SCOTUS Nominee Judge Brett Kavanaugh

John Bryant
Chuck Schumer

As Tennessee Star readers surely know by now, it was liberal Senate Democrat leader Chuck Schumer who personally recruited Phil Bredesen to run against Rep. Marsha Blackburn in the coming U.S. Senate election. And it’s that same Schumer who is now leading the charge  in an attempt to derail President Trump’s Supreme Court nominee, Judge Brett Kavanaugh. Via Politico: Schumer lays out path to block Kavanaugh Senate Democrats can successfully orchestrate the rejection of Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said Tuesday morning, if they can convince the American people that his confirmation will lead to the undoing of abortion rights and the Affordable Care Act by the Supreme Court. “Let me say this. I believe if we can prove to the American people, which I believe is truly the case, that this nominee will lead to a court that repeals women’s reproductive freedom, repeals ACA with its protections for pre-existing conditions, we will get a majority of the Senate to vote for it,” Schumer told “CBS This Morning” when asked how he might block Kavanaugh’s confirmation. “Obviously, even if we had every Democrat, we need two Republicans. But if we can make that case, we will get…

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Cost for English Language Learner Services in Tennessee Public Schools Increases Over 100 Percent Since FY 2016

Chris Alto
ESL student

The cost to teach English to non-English speaking students in Tennessee public schools has increased over 100 percent since FY 2016. In FY 2016, the total cost for English Language Learner (ELL) services was $94,110,440. Seventy percent was funded through the state’s Basic Education Program (BEP) in the amount of $65,877,308, matched by a “required” local share of approximately 30 percent, totaling $28,233,132. In FY 2018, funding for ELL services for the upcoming school year will cost state and local taxpayers $198,150,357. The state will fund $138,705,250, a 110 percent increase from FY 2016. The required local match will increase 111 percent from FY 2016 at a cost of $59,705,107. “There are 2,872 EL teaching positions and 287 translator positions that will be funded for this [FY 2018] school year, which are funded at a ratio of 1 teacher per 20 EL students and 1 translator per 200 EL students,” according to information forwarded to The Tennessee Star by the state’s Department of Education Deputy Director of Communications. In FY 2016 the BEP funded 1,570 teaching positions and 153 translator positions, highlighting the sharp increase just two years later. According to the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Civil Rights, Title VI of the…

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Poll: Marsha Blackburn Leads Phil Bredesen by 14 in Senate Race, 55 to 41

Tennessee Star Staff
Phil Bredesen, Marsha Blackburn

A poll released by Axios-Survey Monkey on Tuesday shows that Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) leads Democrat Phil Bredesen by 14 points in the U.S. Senate general election, 55 percent to 41 percent among registered voters. Among likely voters, Blackburn’s lead over Bredesen is even greater, 58 percent to 40 percent. Axios-Survey Monkey conducted similar polls in 13 states where contested Senate races are underway. The overall polling reveals that Democrats will have an uphill climb in attempting to capture control of the U.S. Senate in the midterm 2018 election cycle. Democrats are hampered in their Senate races by having to retain seats in 10 states that President Donald Trump carried in 2016, including five that he carried by double digits. Tennessee Star Political Editor Steve Gill said that he is somewhat skeptical of the poll results due to the fact that the survey was conducted over a nearly three week period while typical polling is concluded over 3-4 days. “Nevertheless,” Gill noted, “it appears that Blackburn and Bredesen are both consolidating their party base, with each capturing over 90 percent support from those identifying as Republicans and Democrats respectively.” “Tennessee is a red state that Donald Trump carried handily in 2016 so…

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Two More Countries are Hit with Visa Sanctions for Refusing to Take Back Deportees

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Donald Trump

by Will Racke   The Trump administration has hit certain government officials from Burma and Laos with visa sanctions as punishment for both countries’ refusal to take back their citizens the U.S. is trying to deport, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced Tuesday. Going forward, the U.S. embassy in Rangoon, Burma, will halt the issuance of tourist and business non-immigrant visas to senior officials in the ministries of Labor, Immigration, Population and Home Affairs. In Laos, the U.S. mission will no longer grant tourist and business nonimmigrant visas to senior officials from the Laotian Ministry of Public Security. The restrictions also apply to the officials’ immediate families, DHS said. The sanctions come after a review by DHS Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen, who determined that Burma and Laos have “denied or unreasonably delayed” accepting citizens ordered removed from the U.S. They will remain in place until Nielsen notifies Secretary of State Mike Pompeo that cooperation on deportees has improved, according to DHS. “The decision to sanction a recalcitrant country is not taken lightly,” the department said in a statement. “DHS makes significant efforts, in collaboration with the State Department, to encourage countries to accept the prompt, lawful return of their nationals who are subject…

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Senate Looks Poised To Confirm Kavanaugh

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Brett Kavanaugh

by Robert Donachie   A cloud is looming over the Senate Tuesday and its name is D.C. Circuit Judge Brett Kavanaugh. Trump nominated Kavanaugh Monday evening to officially replace retiring Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy. The nomination has riled conservatives who are hungry to see a Supreme Court champion conservative causes, but has also struck fear in Democrats. [ RELATED: Kavanaugh’s Record Is Deeply Conservative ] In the larger Senate conference, Republicans made clear Tuesday they believe Kavanaugh is a well qualified, highly respected judge that should make it through the confirmation process, acknowledging there will likely meet a few bumps in the road. “Well, I’m sorry to say that Judge Kavanaugh seems to have already broken that record — because Senate Democrats were on the record opposing him before he’d even been named, before the ink was even dry on Justice Kennedy’s resignation,” Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said in a statement late Monday evening. This is a tell-tale sign that some of our colleagues are throwing thoughtful, independent judgment out the window and are outsourcing their thinking on this matter to far-left special interest groups.” The fight from Democrats is a concern for many within the Republican conference, but only…

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Tennessee’s 6th: Corlew Ad Wants to Make Sure Voters Don’t Confuse Bob CorLEW with Bob CorKER

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Bob Corlew

Recent polling by The Tennessee Star showed that Senator Bob Corker has a disapproval rating in the 62% range and 6th District GOP Congressional candidate Bob Corlew wants to make sure voters in his primary don’t hold that against HIM just because of a similar last name. The tongue-in-cheek ad also tries to cut through the late campaign season noise and increase Corlew’s name recognition with GOP Primary voters.  It is similar to an ad that Tennessee Republican Congressman Scott Desjarlais once used to increase his own name recognition with a somewhat difficult last name. Desjarlais’ ad depicted a man confused between Desjarlais and Dijon mustard. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_1Ta8owxoMc Transcript of Bob Corlew ad “BOB WHO?”: Bob Corlew: “Hey, I’m Bob Corlew and I’m running for Congress.” Man: “Corker?” Second Man: “Corker?” Bob Corlew: “No, Corlew. Bob Corlew.” Woman: “Bob Corker?” Second woman: “No, Corlew; Bob Corlew. Army veteran. Judge. Conservative Republican.” Young man: “And a supporter of President Trump. Bob’s spent a lifetime serving others.” Bob Corlew: “That’s right. I want to help stop illegal immigration. Help the President build the Wall. And that’s why I approved this message.” The commercial is airing on both broadcast and cable television.    …

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Randy Boyd Calls Diane Black ‘D.C. Diane’ And Questions Her Record On Immigration In Flyer, Website

Jason M. Reynolds
anto-Black mailer

Republican gubernatorial candidate Randy Boyd fired a salvo this week at opponent Diane Black by calling her “D.C. Diane” and questioning her past stances on immigration as a congresswoman and former state senator. Boyd’s campaign mailed a flyer which said, in part, “The Real D.C. Diane Black: A typical 20-year career politician who says one thing in Tennessee, but does another in D.C.” The flyer said: “D.C. Diane mocked President Trump’s border wall. In an interview with liberal reporter Katie Couric, D.C. Diane Black openly mocked and laughed at President Trump’s plan to build a border wall saying: ‘First of all, you can’t build a wall. That won’t work. It can’t be done.’ “Voted against funding for border security. D.C. Diane voted against a bill that provided $1.6 billion to fund the border wall, even though most Republicans and President Trump supported it. “Voted to give Tennessee drivers licenses to illegal immigrants. Diane Black voted for a bill at the urging of Democrat Governor Phil Bredesen to give drivers licenses to illegal immigrants. “Voted to give Obama a blank check for his amnesty. The conservative Heritage Foundation slammed a bill D.C. Diane supported that funded Obama’s executive amnesty for illegal…

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NATO Countries’ Spending Record Improves as President Trump Heads to Annual Summit

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Donald Trump

Reuters   President Trump is poised to demand again that Europe and Canada raise defense spending at a two-day NATO summit in Brussels from Wednesday, even as billions more dollars are being pledged for allied militaries. NATO agreed in 2014 that each member state would boost military spending to 2 percent of its gross domestic product by 2024, and cumulative expenditure by Europe and Canada has risen by almost $90 billion since 2015. But only two-thirds of the 28 allies, excluding the United States, have a realistic plan to hit the 2-percent level in 2024, NATO diplomats say. The United States spent 3.57 percent of GDP on defense in 2017. However, European officials say while U.S. defense spending makes up 70 percent of combined allied governments’ military budgets, just 15 percent of U.S. expenditure is spent in Europe on NATO-related defense. Washington pays about 22 percent of the running cost of NATO, including the headquarters and commonly-funded equipment such as AWACS surveillance planes. Here is a rundown of the best and worst performers, based on North Atlantic Treaty Organization data. Top of the class BRITAIN has maintained its defense spending at just above 2 percent for several years and is set…

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The World Celebrates Thailand Cave Rescue Amid Fears of Disease and Infection

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Thai Royal Navy

by Hanna Bogorowski   The world celebrated Tuesday as the last players of a youth soccer team and their coach were rescued from the depths of a flooded cave in Thailand after more than two weeks, but fears for their future health now surround the survivors. In addition to treating the boys for dehydration, malnutrition, oxygen deprivation and other conditions, doctors at the hospital in Chiang Rai are monitoring for symptoms of diseases caused by animals and fungi in the cave. Three boys who were rescued on Tuesday were brought to the nearby hospital to join the eight others already there in isolation wards. The last boy and his coach were treated on site at a medical center, CNN reports. [ RELATED: REPORT: All Boys And Coach Freed From Thai Cave ] The families of the boys have been allowed to see their sons through a glass window in the isolation units and were allowed to talk on the phone, Jedsada Chokedamrongsook, the Thai Health Ministry secretary said. “The reason they’re in isolation is, when your body is without natural light for that long – since you’re literally living in a cave – your body starts to change. Certain things get ramped up. Certain things…

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The Left’s Delusions on Economics and the Slow Decline of Human Employment

Julie Carr
Steve Gill

During Monday’s broadcast of The Gill Report – live on WETR 92.3 FM in Knoxville – conservative political commentator and Tennessee Star Political Editor Steve Gill questioned whether the left truly understands the dynamics of equality and economics and how mandating the rise of minimum wage may inadvertently deplete a human work force. Gill pondered, “Among the many things that kind of make me scratch my head and wonder about, well the left and those that don’t understand basic economics – kind of like the woman NBA player complaining about not getting paid as much as men.” He continued: When the WNBA creates 25 million a a year in revenue and the men’s NBA creates 7.4 billion in revenue. You can only pay what’s produced at the gate and until women’s basketball produces more fans more interest more viewership more butts int the seat. Women’s’ basketball players aren’t going to get paid what men’s basketball players get paid when they generate the eyeballs. It’s simple economics. You’re also seeing folks on the left complain that we’ve got to raise the minimum wage. And were seeing it take place around the country. Where some places are seeing $15.00 minimum wage at fast…

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Phil ‘Duck and Cover’ Bredesen Playing Games with Trump’s SCOTUS Nominee?

John Bryant
Brett Kavanaugh, Chuck Schumer, Phil Bredesen

The Tennessee Republican Party is calling Democratic Senate candidate Phil Bredesen to task for his lack of candor in dealing with President Trump’s nomination of Judge Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court. Along with asking if Democrat Chuck Schumer’s “Tennessee recruit” Phil Bredesen will oppose President Trump’s latest Supreme Court nominee, Judge Brett Kavanaugh, the way Schumer is,  they’re also going after him for playing a game of duck and cover on the issue. “Chuck Schumer recruiting Phil Bredesen to run for the Senate has, without a doubt, always been a part of his plan for a full frontal partisan attack against any nominee from President Trump. His ‘everything he’s got’ would 100% include Phil Bredesen if elected. While Phil Bredesen can pretend he would give serious consideration to any Supreme Court nominee from President Trump, you have ask, with Chuck Schumer and liberal Democratic PACs committing millions of dollars to the Senate race in Tennessee, would Phil Bredesen even have a choice?,” says their latest release. In effect, they also accuse Bredesen of being dishonest with voters on the issue. Instead of being honest with voters about President Trump’s Supreme Court nominee, Phil Bredesen is playing a game of political…

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Commentary: Suicidal Democrats Risk Disaster by Defending the Remorseless Maxine Waters

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by Jeffery Rendall   Isn’t Maxine Waters indefensible? It’s a question Democrat leaders must be asking themselves these days as the furor over Waters’ recent inflammatory “resist” comments has drawn apologists of the California congresswoman out of the woodworks. These people seem to think Maxine deserved a more stringent public defense of what she said a couple weeks back. Why, you ask? Because Waters is black! Victor Morton of the Washington Times reported last week, “A group of black women sent a letter this week to the two top Democrats in Congress demanding that they apologize for their veiled criticisms of Rep. Maxine Waters and threatening repercussions at the ballot box in November if they do not. “’For Black women, who are the most loyal base of the Democratic Party and the Progressive Movement, Congresswoman Waters is our shero [sic],’ declared the letter signed by nearly 200 people, mostly black female academics, activists, local elected officials, political consultants, and religious leaders, along with a few male allies. “The letter, a copy of which was posted by Politico on Wednesday, accused House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer, both of whom are white, of racial insensitivity and expressed ‘our…

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President Trump Pardons Dwight and Steven Hammond, the Oregon Ranchers Behind 2016 Stand-Off Against Federal Authorities

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Dwight Hammond, Steven Hammond

President Trump has pardoned two Oregon ranchers whose five-year prison sentences sparked an armed occupation of federal property. The White House announced Tuesday that Trump has ordered the full pardon of rancher Dwight Lincoln Hammond, Jr. and his son Steven Hammond. The two were convicted in 2012 of a 2001 arson on a wildlife refuge that abuts their cattle ranch. A White House stament said, “The evidence at trial regarding the Hammond’s responsibility for the fire was conflicting.” Further complicating the matter, the judge who sentenced them in 2012 gave the father, now in his 70s, three months in prison. The son was given one year in prison, despite a federally mandated five-year minimum sentence for the charges on which they were convicted. Upon a federal appeal, however, the Hammonds were re-sentenced and returned to prison in 2016, despite having served out their initial sentences. In response, supporters of the Hammonds staged an occupation of the wildlife refuge from January 2, 2016, to February 11 of that year, saying the federal officials were guilty of overreach. The occupation ended a few days after the ringleader of the movement was arrested and another man, Robert LaVoy Finicum, was shot dead by…

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Big Government Bredesen Wants TVA in the Internet Business

John Bryant
Phil Bredesen

Liberal Democrat Chuck Schumer’s handpicked U.S. Senate candidate Phil Bredesen has said he wants to get the Tennessee Valley Authority “to help expand broadband internet access to rural areas if elected.” Bredesen made the remarks Tuesday in Clarksville, TN. There’s video of him speaking here. He said he is committed to having Congress amend the federal TVA Act to allow the government-owned electricity provider to bring broadband access to underserved rural areas in Tennessee. Bredesen says the “foundation” has been set by the TVA’s board approval in 2017 of $300 million to expand its network fiber capacity to improve the reliability of its transmission system— and by a law signed by Republican Gov. Bill Haslam last year giving electric cooperatives the authority to provide broadband service. His conservative Republican opponent, Rep. Marsha Blackburn, hit back immediately. The leading GOP candidate to replace Corker is U.S. Rep. Marsha Blackburn. In a statement Tuesday, Blackburn said “broadband as a utility is a big government solution that will raise taxes.” The focus should be on implementing the broadband access act signed by Haslam, Blackburn said. “TVA should stay focused on its core mission, which has served Tennesseans well for decades,” she said. This also…

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Carol Swain Commentary: Why I Support Diane Black for the GOP Gubernatorial Nomination

Tennessee Star Staff

By Dr. Carol M. Swain For weeks I have been telling folks the only viable GOP gubernatorial choices for Christian conservatives are Representative Diane Black and business owner Bill Lee.  These two candidates are competing for and splitting the votes of Christian conservatives.  Because I have friends supporting both candidates, I initially decided not to publicly endorse anyone; however, I believe too much is at stake to not voice my support for the candidate I will support. I will be voting for Representative Diane Black for the GOP gubernatorial nomination.  I believe Diane can defeat Karl Dean and become the next governor of Tennessee.  Our state would benefit from having the steady hand of a strong conservative at the helm. I am for Diane Black because she is a natural leader who has established herself over many years as a strong champion for conservative values and principles. She has always been a defender of the unborn and an advocate for adoption and healthcare reform.  Her issues include human trafficking, protection of our Second Amendment rights, workforce training, protection of small towns, and the restoration of law and order.  Diane’s conservative stances have earned her endorsements from the National Rifle Association…

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OFF THE RECORD: GOP 6th Congressional District John Rose – Will Little Brother Track Big Sister’s Farm Bureau Agenda?

Chris Alto
John Rose, Rhodena Rose

Multi-millionaire John Rose is running in the GOP primary for Diane Black’s seat to represent the 6th Congressional District. He will face off with proven ultra-conservative state Rep. Judd Matheny, self-described conservative retired judge Bob Corlew, and the whoever-heard-of-them candidates Christopher Monday and “U-turn” LaVern Vivio. Roses’s big sister is Rhedona Rose, head of the Tennessee Farm Bureau (TFB). TFB’s parent is the American Farm Bureau Federation, a non-profit organization with affiliate farm bureaus in all 50 states, including Tennessee. The TFB is reputed to be the largest farm bureau in the country. Little brother John Rose, former Commissioner of Agriculture during governor Don Sundquist’s administration, is running on a “I’m a non-career politician” type platform. Oh yeah, right, you were never elected to any political position, you were just a political appointee, chaired the Tennessee State Fair Association and held a seat on the boards of the Tennessee Board of Regents, the University of Tennessee Board of Trustees and the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Commission. And then there’s big sister’s head honcho position with the Tennessee Farm Bureau. No politicking there – sure. Big sister Rhedona Rose is the first woman head of the statewide TFB. She used to be the executive…

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President Trump’s Fuel-Efficiency Reality Check Revs Up the American Economy

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automobile factory

by Derrick Hollie   Despite rampant speculation that President Donald Trump’s trade policy might increase some car prices, how his regulatory relief agenda may lower sticker prices and increase safety goes largely ignored. How did this happen? The Trump administration is revising the Corporate Average Fuel Economy standards imposed on automakers during the Obama era. In particular, they are no longer holding manufacturers to a 2025 fleet mandate of 54.5 miles per gallon. When the rollback was first announced, Secretary of Transportation Elaine Chao declared it “a win for the American economy.” Then-EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt called it “good for consumers and good for the environment.” While a victory for all consumers, it’s a particularly welcome relief to those in poor and minority communities looking to ascend the socio-economic ladder and get an equal shot at achieving the American Dream. [The liberal Left continue to push their radical agenda against American values. The good news is there is a solution. Find out more ] CAFE standards have been around for 40 years, but green crusaders in the Obama administration put them on steroids. During the Obama presidency, the industry was required to increase fuel efficiency by around nine miles per gallon. In 2012,…

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Dr. Bradford Smith, NASA’s ‘Tour Guide for Voyager,’ Missions Dies at 86

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Bradford Smith c.1981

Bradford Smith, a NASA astronomer who acted as planetary tour guide to the public with his interpretations of stunning images beamed back from Voyager missions, has died. Smith’s wife, Diane McGregor, said he died Tuesday at his home in Santa Fe, New Mexico, of complications from myasthenia gravis, an autoimmune disorder. He was 86. Smith led the NASA team that interpreted pictures taken by Voyager space probes as they passed Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune and then presented the images to the public. He was a retired professor of planetary sciences and astronomy at the University of Arizona and research astronomer at the University of Hawaii in Manoa. At NASA press conferences on Voyager discoveries following their launch in 1977, Smith was a star, and known for a certain dry wit. At a press conference showing a multicolored, pockmarked moon of Jupiter called Io, Smith quipped, “I’ve seen better looking pizzas than this.” A video of the conference ran on national broadcast news and his quote was on front pages around the world, said Ellen Hale, a former Associated Press communications director and friend of Smith’s. A 1981 People magazine profile called Smith “the nation’s tour guide” who showed the…

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More People Use a Gun in Self-Defense Each Year Than Die in Car Accidents

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Mark W. Smith, David Hogg

by Mark W. Smith This is an excerpt from “#Duped: How the Anti-gun Lobby Exploits the Parkland School Shooting-and How Gun Owners Can Fight Back”. How is it that so many kids raised on “Harry Potter”, “The Hunger Games”, “Star Wars”, and all the Marvel action figure movies manage to miss a critical point of the stories? The lesson being: If you want to prevail over evil villains, you must have the proper tools to fight back. Millions of people protect themselves and their families with guns every day in the United States. They choose guns as a means of self-defense for the same reason the Secret Service uses them to protect the president: guns stop bad people from doing bad things to good people. It’s absurd to speak about the right of self-defense in theory but then deny people the tools they need to exercise that right. [ The liberal Left continue to push their radical agenda against American values. The good news is there is a solution. Find out more ] Without a gun, most Americans are defenseless at the hands of a violent criminal. How many of us have training in hand-to-hand fighting, the physical strength, and the mental resilience…

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Mexican President-Elect Lopez Obrador Proposes Border Force To Contain Illegal Immigration Into Mexico

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Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador

by Will Racke   Mexican President-elect Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador is planning to create a specialized border force to combat illegal immigration across Mexico’s borders, according to his hand-picked security chief. The new force is aimed at stanching the flow of illegal immigrants and contraband from Central America and will also be deployed to Mexico’s northern border, Alfonso Durazo said, according to Bloomberg. It is part of Lopez Obrador’s broader strategy against regional violence, corruption and poverty. “We’re going to create a border police force that will be highly specialized,” Durazo, who is set to become Mexico’s public security minister when Lopez Obrador takes office in December, told Bloomberg in an interview. “They need to apply the law” against illicit migration and human trafficking, he added. A left-wing populist, Lopez Obrador won the presidency on July 1 on the strength of a campaign against the Mexican political establishment, which he blamed for Mexico’s seemingly intractable cartel violence and public corruption. Though he sparred with President Donald Trump over the U.S. government’s treatment of Mexican migrants, he has promised to contain illegal immigration in his own country by using a combination of tighter enforcement and humanitarian aid. In a meeting of Lopez Obrador’s…

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There’s No Evidence Nevada Democratic Senate Candidate Rep. Jacky Rosen’s Touted Business Ever Existed

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Jacky Rosen

by Joe Simonson   Nevada has no records Rep. Jacky Rosen (D-NV-03) ever ran a small business in Nevada, despite her repeated claims that she started a consulting firm, according to documents obtained by The Daily Caller News Foundation. Rosen, a Democrat, is challenging Republican Sen. Dean Heller for his seat in the upcoming November election and is considered former Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid’s handpicked successor. In April, a public records request was filed with the Nevada secretary of state seeking a copy of any “Sole Proprietor Exemption” or “Sole Proprietor Registration” under Rosen or her maiden name between 1995 and 2005. Less than a week later, a public information officer from the Nevada secretary of state responded in an email that no such records existed. Those registrations are necessary for any business owners in Nevada. Rosen has routinely flaunted her business credentials, claiming her one-woman shop consulted with her former employer, Southwest Gas, and Radiology Specialists, where her husband was once a partner. Rosen told a radio station in November that she “raised my family, I built a business – a woman in technology.” When the Reno Gazette Journal asked her campaign about this discrepancy, a representative said Rosen “did not keep…

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Scott Pruitt’s Parting Gift: Nixing One More Obama-Era Regulation

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by Michael Bastach   A regulation to strictly limit the sale of refurbished truck engines was effectively repealed on Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Scott Pruitt’s final day in office. Pruitt’s last day at the agency was Friday, but that same day, EPA shifted its policy towards glider kits, which are trucks with refurbished engines. EPA would not enforce limits on glider kit sales until December 2019. Pruitt announced his resignation on Thursday amid a slew of ethics investigations. EPA officials told The New York Times “that, through the end of 2019, the EPA will not enforce an annual cap of 300 gliders per manufacturer that had been imposed in January.” The change comes as EPA prepares to finalize its repeal of regulations on glider sales. Glider manufacturer Fitzgerald petitioned Pruitt in 2017 to lift Obama era regulations. EPA was supposed to submit a finalized repeal of glider regulations earlier this year, but bureaucratic delays have kept Obama-era regulations in place. The Obama administration issued glider regulations in 2016, getting around the Clean Air Act by reclassifying gliders as “new motor vehicles.” Gliders are refurbished truck engines placed inside a new chassis. Environmentalists and major truck manufacturers, including Volvo, oppose lifting regulations on gliders.…

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Commentary: Immigration Quagmire Exposes Both Parties’ Leadership Deficit in D.C.

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Donald Trump

by Jeffery Rendall   It’s no secret to regular observers of American politics that the Republican Party has its problems with leadership; fractures have developed within the caucus over time and by all appearances the leaders of both the House and Senate have frequently worked against conservatives in their drive to thwart certain aspects of President Donald Trump’s agenda. One such fissure sprung up last week over immigration. In a last-ditch effort to make it seem like he was “doing something” about solving the lingering border dilemma Speaker Paul Ryan allowed a pair of “moderate” compromise amnesty bills to receive floor votes in the House of Representatives. Neither passed and afterwards the measures’ RINO supporters had a hard time explaining why. David M. Drucker of the Washington Examiner reported, “[Republican Reps. Jeff Denham, R-Calif. and Carlos Curbelo, R-Fla.] and a group of other centrists strong-armed House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., into allowing a vote on immigration reform legislation after they threatened to use a rarely-used parliamentary procedure to require a floor vote on legislation that might have been far less conservative than the twin packages that ultimately received a vote. Both failed after receiving tepid support from Trump. “Had Democrats provided significant support…

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UK PM Theresa May’s Pick To Replace Boris Johnson Hates The ‘Arrogance’ Of The EU

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Jeremy Hunt, Boris Johnson

by Evie Fordham   United Kingdom Prime Minister Theresa May has tapped Secretary of State for Health and Social Care Jeremy Hunt as foreign secretary, hours after outgoing Boris Johnson announced his resignation. Hunt was not for Brexit at the time of the 2016 referendum, but he changed his tune because he could not stand the “arrogance” of the European Union, reported the Guardian in 2017. Hunt, the longest-serving health and social care secretary in the U.K.’s history, was seen entering the prime minister’s office at Number 10 Downing Street on Monday, and British media was already guessing that May would ask him to replace Johnson. The Queen has been pleased to approve the appointment of Rt Hon @Jeremy_Hunt as Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs. — UK Prime Minister (@10DowningStreet) July 9, 2018 A proposed Brexit deal constructed by May and her cabinet on Friday spurred a wave of resignations, reported The Guardian. Johnson reportedly called promoting the weak deal “polishing a turd.” “It is more than two years since the British people voted to leave the European Union on an unambiguous and categorical promise that if they did so they would be taking back control of their democracy,” Johnson wrote in his resignation letter. “We…

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Marsha Blackburn Praises President Trump’s Selection of Brett Kavanaugh for SCOTUS, Phil Bredesen Silent on the Pick

John Bryant
Marsha Blackburn, Brett Kavanaugh, Phil Bredesen

Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN-07), the GOP candidate to replace retiring Sen. Bob Corker (R-TN) in the November general election, led Tennessee Republicans on Monday evening in praising President Donald Trump and his nominee for justice to the U.S. Supreme Court, federal appeals court judge Brett Kavanaugh. “Judge Brett Kavanaugh will make a fine Supreme Court Justice, and I thank President Trump for nominating a strong constitutionalist with a proven track record of upholding the rule of law,” Blackburn said in a statement included in this tweet sent out at 9:27 pm eastern, just 20 minutes after Trump announced his pick: Tennesseans will be well served by Judge Brett Kavanaugh, and I encourage the Senate to consider his nomination expeditiously and to continue to confirm strict constitutionalist judges to our federal courts. pic.twitter.com/CD3NclJiop — Marsha Blackburn (@VoteMarsha) July 10, 2018 In contrast, former Gov. Phil Bredesen, the Democratic candidate for the U.S. Senate, offered no comments on the president’s pick of Kavanaugh. Instead, Bredesen’s campaign released this statement during the day on Monday “in advance of President Trump’s nomination of a new justice to the U.S. Supreme Court,” which largely restated the words Bredesen used in a campaign commercial last month: “An important…

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President Trump Nominates Federal Appeals Court Judge Brett Kavanaugh to Supreme Court

Tennessee Star Staff

President Trump announced on a live television broadcast Monday night that he is nominating federal appeals court judge Brett Kavanaugh to the United States Supreme Court. If confirmed by the U.S. Senate, Kavanaugh, 53, will replace Justice Anthony Kennedy on the Court. Kennedy, long considered the “swing vote” on the nine member Court, retired in June after thirty years on the highest bench in the land. Trump selected Kavanaugh over three well qualified finalists who were also on the list of 25 potential Supreme Court Justices he announced during his campaign for president. Kavanaugh has served as a federal circuit judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit since 2006. A graduate of Yale and Yale Law School, Kavanaugh is considered a protegee of Ken Starr, who he worked for during Starr’s special counsel investigation. He also clerked for Justice Kennedy and served in the administration of George W. Bush. The three finalists who Trump did not select this time around were: federal appeals court judge Raymond Kethledge, federal appeals court judge Amy Coney Barrett, and federal appeals court judge Thomas Hardiman. Judge Raymond Kethledge, 51, is a native of Michigan and graduate of the…

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Mt. Juliet Youth Missionaries Stranded in Haiti Amidst Fuel Protests

Jason M. Reynolds

A Mt. Juliet-based ministry reports that two youth missionary teams, including one from Tennessee, are safe despite violent protests in the Caribbean nation. My LIFE Speaks said Sunday on Facebook that the teams are staying on the organization’s compound in Neply, Haiti. The missionaries are from The Glade Church in Mt. Juliet and Woodland Community Church in Bradenton, Florida. The protests over fuel prices, along with road blocks, blocked the teams from the airport, FoxNews said. Major protests erupted in Haiti on Friday as the government announced a sharp increase in gasoline prices. But the hike was suspended Saturday after violence broke out in the capital, Port-au-Prince, and the northern city of Cap-Haitien. At least three people were killed in the protests, including two protesters who were fatally shot as demonstrators clashed with police, The Associated Press reported. It was unclear who shot the two men. The Washington Post reported church members from several other states are stranded as well. Chapin United Methodist Church in South Carolina posted online that its mission team is safe but stranded. A North Carolina doctor and his son were part of another medical mission group that’s unable to leave. The U.S. Embassy in the…

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GOP Candidate Brent Moody Supports Controversial Medical Marijuana Proposal

Chris Alto
Brent Moody

Republican candidate for Tennessee House of Representatives District 56 Brent Moody, a Nashville dermatologist looking to replace Tennessee Speaker of the House Beth Harwell (R-Nashville) as the district’s representative, tweeted a trifecta of support for medical marijuana and the two state legislators who have tried to legalize it in Tennessee: I am in favor of medical marijuana and support ⁦@DickersonforS20⁩ and ⁦@JeremyFaison4TN⁩ in their efforts to bring this therapy to TN. I was told by a prominent oncologist ‘We need this for our cancer patients.’ That is a compelling argument. Dickerson has failed several times to pass some version of a medical marijuana bill, but has vowed to continue trying. After withdrawing this year’s bill because it became “so watered down,” State Senator Steve Dickerson (R-Nashville) announced a new approach and a new House sponsor for the 2019 session. This time he is joined by conservative House member Rep. Bryan Terry (R-Murfreesboro), who like Dickerson, is a practicing physician. Terry served as Chairman of the House Health Subcommittee during the most recent legislative session and was a co-sponsor of Dickerson’s most recently failed Medical Cannabis Only Act. Dickerson and Terry’s new bill is named the Tennessee Responsible Use of Medicinal Plants Act…

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Special Counsel Robert Mueller Will NOT Present ‘Collusion’ Evidence at Manafort Trial

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Paul Manafort

by Chuck Ross   Special counsel Robert Mueller said in a court filing Friday that his prosecutors will not present evidence regarding Trump campaign collusion with Russia at an upcoming trial for former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort. “The government does not intend to present at trial evidence or argument concerning collusion with the Russian government,” reads a filing submitted by Mueller’s team in federal court in Virginia on Friday. The filing sheds light on one of the largest questions looming over the Manafort case. Mueller’s prosecutors have indicted Manafort in federal court in Virginia and Washington, D.C., on a slew of charges related to his consulting work for former Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych. Manafort ended the work in 2014, and it has been unclear whether Mueller’s team planned to reveal evidence about Trump or the campaign. Manafort is accused in the unverified Steele dossier of directing the Trump campaign’s efforts to coordinate with the Kremlin to help Trump in the 2016 election. The dossier, which was funded by the Hillary Clinton campaign and DNC, claims that Manafort worked with former Trump campaign adviser Carter Page on the effort. Both Page and Manafort have said they have never met each other. Manafort has…

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Commentary: The Next Supreme Court Justice Must Uphold the Principles of Individual Liberty

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Supreme Court of the United States

By Natalia Castro   Each year on Independence Day, we celebrate the historic achievement our Founding Fathers made when they left an oppressive government to form a new country based around the principles of freedom. The Founding Fathers learned from the actions of their previous government and, after outlining the principles of equality and justice in the Declaration of Independence, created a new government which protected every individual’s right to “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” Today, we cannot forget why our Founding Fathers left their previous government and why we must continue protecting our liberties with a Supreme Court candidate who sees the value in individual freedom as much today as our Founding Fathers did over 200 years ago. Pilgrims boarded the Mayflower in search of religious freedom. English common law made criticizing the government in print a crime in the colonies. In 1733, John Peter Zenger was arrested for writing critical articles against the British Governor of New York. Before the Revolutionary War, the British placed a ban on imported firearms and gunpowder. These are only some examples of the very reasons our Founding Fathers desired independence. These are also some of the reasons why the Bill of…

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Pompeo: North Korea Can Replicate Vietnam’s Ties with US

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Mike Pompeo, Kim Jong Un

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo urged North Korea on Sunday to replicate Vietnam in forging a new relationship with the United States, much like Hanoi has done five decades after the Vietnam War against the U.S. ended. The top U.S. diplomat, visiting the Vietnamese capital after two days of talks in Pyongyang aimed at dismantling North Korea’s nuclear weapons program, said 23 years of normalized U.S. relations with Vietnam should be proof to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un that the U.S. can create new ties with former foes. “We know it is a real possibility because we see how Vietnam has traveled this remarkable path,” Pompeo said. Pompeo downplayed North Korea’s accusation that the U.S. had made “gangster-like” demands that it abandon its nuclear program and that their talks were “regrettable.” “If those requests were gangster-like, the world is a gangster,” Pompeo said, as he noted that the U.N. Security Council has demanded numerous times that the North dispose of its nuclear weapons and end its ballistic missile program. He said the fact that the U.S. is “cooperating— and not fighting” with Vietnam “is proof that when a country decides to create a brighter future for itself alongside…

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Feds Freeze ‘Obamacare’ Payments; Premiums Likely to Rise

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Obamacare

The Trump administration said Saturday it’s freezing payments under an “Obamacare” program that protects insurers with sicker patients from financial losses, a move expected to add to premium increases next year. At stake are billions in payments to insurers with sicker customers. In a weekend announcement, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services said the administration is acting because of conflicting court ruling in lawsuits filed by some smaller insurers who question whether they are being fairly treated under the program. Risk adjustment The so-called risk adjustment program takes payments from insurers with healthier customers and redistributes that money to companies with sicker enrollees. Payments for 2017 are $10.4 billion. No taxpayer subsidies are involved. The idea behind the program is to remove the financial incentive for insurers to cherry pick healthier customers. The government uses a similar approach with Medicare private insurance plans and the Medicare prescription drug benefit. Major insurer groups said Saturday the administration’s action interferes with a program that’s working well. The Blue Cross Blue Shield Association, whose members are a mainstay of Affordable Care Act coverage said it was “extremely disappointed” with the administration’s action. The Trump administration’s move “will significantly increase 2019 premiums for…

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Thousands Shut Down Major Chicago Highway In The Name Of Gun Control

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Shut Down the Dan Ryan protest

by Molly Prince   A major thoroughfare in Chicago was shut down on Saturday after thousands of anti-gun protestors overtook the highway, refusing to let any vehicles pass. The demonstration was organized to bring awareness to the city’s joblessness, high poverty rate, poor education system, skyrocketing crime and was demanding stricter gun laws, reported The Guardian. Father Michael Pfleger, the chief organizer of the march, had been calling for Dan Ryan Highway to be shut down for weeks prior to the event. “Inconvenience is the point. We want [people] to be inconvenienced, to think about what the South Side and West Side go through every day,” he told the Chicago Tribune.   Illinois State Police, who have jurisdiction over the highway, initially said any disruptors would be arrested. However, the state police backed down, allowing protestors to occupy half of the northbound lanes, according to The Chicago Tribune. Shortly after the demonstration began, Pfleger and Rev. Jesse Jackson again called for protestors to shut down the entire highway and bring traffic to a total standstill. Chicago Police complied with the march’s request, against the apparent request of Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner. I’m disappointed in the Mayor. There was an agreement in place. I…

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The Mind Behind the Muppets Showcased in Traveling Exhibit

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Jim Henson

For decades, the Muppets, created by Jim Henson, have captured the imagination of children and adults worldwide. A traveling exhibit, “The Jim Henson Exhibition: Imagination Unlimited,” is now at the Skirball Cultural Center in Los Angeles. It features some of the most beloved Muppets and shows what happens behind the scenes for characters such as Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy and The Count from Sesame Street to come to life. “If you learn from Sesame Street, he (The Count) teaches you how to count. There’s Cookie Monster, he does the ABCs every episode,” said 9-year-old Elli Fire, who worked on a hands-on display that shows how a puppet character is created. “We’re excited for people to understand that he was a very multifaceted artist, a very adventurous, creative mind,” said Jim Henson’s eldest daughter, Lisa, who is the president and chief executive officer of The Jim Henson Company, which is also based in Los Angeles. Family business Lisa Henson described what it was like to be in the Henson family, which included five siblings. “As family members, we were always quite included in the productions. He [Jim Henson] was encouraging us to be with him on set all the time,” she…

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Trump White House Has Smaller Staff, Spends Less on Salaries Than Obama White House

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Tennessee Star

by Jeremiah Poff   Over $20 million in taxpayer funds could be saved at the end of President Donald Trump’s first term in office due to his leaner White House operation. A new report on the White House Office Personnel revealed that Trump has a significantly smaller staff than his predecessor did at this time, according to an analysis by Open the Books, a government watchdog organization that focuses on spending. “Although the White House personnel budget is an infinitesimal part of the $3.9 trillion federal budget, it is an important forecasting indicator showing Trump’s deep commitment to cut the size, scope and power of the federal government and reign in waste,” wrote Adam Andrzejewski, CEO of Open the Books, in an op-ed for Forbes. As of June 30, 2018, the White House currently employs 374 people, three fewer than were employed in 2017. It’s also significantly lower than the 469 that were employed in 2010 by then President Barack Obama. [ The liberal Left continue to push their radical agenda against American values. The good news is there is a solution. Find out more ] In addition to maintaining a smaller staff size, Trump’s White House has also cut payroll by…

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Robots Will Continue to ‘Take Jobs,’ and Humans Will Continue to Create More

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robot automation

by Joseph Sunde   Given the breakneck pace of improvements in automation and artificial intelligence, fears about job loss and human obsolescence continue to consume the cultural imagination. The question looms: What is the future of human work in a technological age? Innovators such as Elon Musk and Bill Gates have done their share to affirm the predominant pessimism, painting a grim picture of a future defined by robot overlords and diminishing human contributions. “At least when there’s an evil dictator, that human is going to die,” Musk recently observed. “But for an AI, there will be no death — it would live forever.” The most recent strides and achievements in artificial intelligence are certainly unique in the scope of human history. But as it relates to their impact on the future of human work, the questions have less to do with robotic genius than they do with our faith in human creativity. In a short film from Freethink, we get a helpful reminder of the historical record. Despite the immediate pain and suffering caused by the various waves of automation and creative destruction, we have yet to see an overall reduction in our opportunities for work and creative service. “If you think about it,” the narrator…

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Ireland’s Government Confirms: Randy Boyd’s Irish Tax Records Cited in Tennessean Article Not Available to Media or Public

Chris Alto
Randy Boyd

The government of Ireland has confirmed to The Tennessee Star that the Irish tax records cited in a recent Tennessean article about the Irish subsidiary of GOP gubernatorial candidate Randy Boyd’s company are private, and not available to the public or the media through legal means. Ms. Leann O’Kelly, Press & Media Manager for Ireland’s Revenue Commissioners, the body in the Irish government that addresses tax matters has confirmed that tax records of “any individual, company or entity,” are not available to the public or the media and that “Revenue is legally precluded from providing public comment on the tax affairs of individuals or entities.” The Tennessean newspaper reported earlier in the month that the Irish subsidiary (PetSafe Ireland) of Radio Systems Corporation, the company founded and majority controlled by Republican gubernatorial candidate Randy Boyd, is a tax haven that enables Boyd’s Knoxville-based company to significantly diminish its U.S. tax obligations. However, The Tennessean failed to publish, produce, or explain the legal provenance of the alleged unverified tax documents upon which its story relies, despite a direct request from The Star. The claim made by The Tennessean, therefore, in the headline of the article,  “How Randy Boyd’s company avoided millions in taxes,” is unproven and…

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State of New Jersey Subsidizes Local News, While Tennessee Star Thrives in Free Market

Julie Carr
Steve Gill

During Friday’s Gill Report, broadcast live on WETR 92.3 FM in Knoxville, Steve Gill contemplated the decline of the main stream news outfits and New Jersey’s new found attempt at a tax payer funded media. “Unless you’ve been living in a cave somewhere, you probably have noticed that the main stream media is well, running down the tubes,” said Gill; noting, “Newspapers are closing, advertising revenue is down, we’re hearing more and more about how folks are being laid off at newspapers and you’re seeing newspapers go out of business.” He continued: “Although I will tell you, The Tennessee Star is thriving, and if you do things the right way, there are still plenty of opportunities in media. But rather than do things the right way, you’ve got the main stream media that is still devoted to promoting their personal political agenda of the left rather than actually dispensing the news and being fair and balanced and providing actual facts to folks to inform them rather than inflame them and encourage them to just be propagandized from the left. The Tennessee Star is doing fine, and we’re continuing to grow and expand because we’re filling a need that the main…

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Judge Fines Chinese Turbine Company $1.5M for Theft of American Company’s Technology

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AMSC vs Sinovel

A U.S. judge has ordered one of China’s biggest makers of wind turbines to pay a $1.5 million fine – the maximum allowable – after the company was convicted of stealing trade secrets from a U.S. manufacturer. The judge in Madison, Wisconsin, also sentenced Sinovel Wind Group (Sinovel) on Friday to one year of probation, during which it must pay in full a $57.5 million settlement it struck with Massachusetts-based manufacturer, AMSC. Friday’s sentence came after a U.S. federal jury found Sinovel guilty in January on charges of conspiracy, trade-secret theft and wire fraud. AMSC, formerly known as American Superconductor Inc., almost went out of business after Sinovel’s crime. Federal prosecutors said investors dumped more than $1 billion in AMSC stock and about 700 workers lost their jobs, more than half of the company’s global workforce. The case centered on technology that AMSC developed to regulate the flow of electricity from wind turbines to electrical grids. U.S. prosecutors said Sinovel entered into an $800 million contract for products from AMSC but never paid the money. Instead, prosecutors said, Sinovel used computers in Austria to steal the wind turbine technology and trade secrets from AMSC and to install them on Sinovel’s…

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In Another Blow to Iran’s Faltering Economy, Shipping Giant CMA CGM Announces Exit, Citing US Sanctions

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CMA CGM Shipping

Reuters   One of the world’s biggest cargo shippers announced Saturday that it was pulling out of Iran for fear of becoming entangled in U.S. sanctions, and President Hassan Rouhani demanded that European countries to do more to offset the U.S. measures. The announcement by France’s CMA CGM that it was quitting Iran dealt a blow to Tehran’s efforts to persuade Europeancountries to keep their companies operating in Iran despite thethreat of new American sanctions. Iran says it needs more help from Europe to keep alive anagreement with world powers to curb its nuclear program. President Trump abandoned the agreement in May and has announced new sanctions on Tehran. Washington has ordered all countries to stop buying Iranian oil by November and foreign firms to stop doing business there or face U.S. blacklists. European powers that still support the nuclear deal, officially called the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, say they will do more to encourage their businesses to remain engaged with Iran. But the prospect of being banned in the United States appears to be enough to persuade European companies to keep out. Foreign ministers from the five remaining signatory countries to the nuclear deal — Britain, France, Germany, China…

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Uncovering the Shady Law Firm Behind the Attacks on Jim Jordan

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Jim Jordan

by Printus LeBlanc   Over the 4th of July holiday, NBC News published a disturbing article alleging sexual abuse at Ohio State University. The story went out if its way to implicate a high-profile member of the Republican Party, Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio). The story alleges Jordan knew or should have known about the abuse at the university. The real oddity about this case is the timing and law firm at the center of the case. For anyone that pays attention to Capitol Hill, Jim Jordan is a name on the rise. He is a member of the Freedom Caucus and has been mentioned by several conservative groups for the next Speaker of the House. Jordan is also at the tip of the spear in uncovering corruption at the Department of Justice and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Just last week, he and Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein got into a heated debate over the DOJ and FBI’s role in Russiagate. If the timing wasn’t suspicious enough, the law firm involved in the matter is raising eyebrows. Perkins Coie is the counsel of record for the much of the Democrat Party, including the Democratic National Committee, both Congressional Democrat committees (DSCC &…

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Commentary: Jim Jordan Must Be Winning The Race For Speaker

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Jim Jordan

by George Rasley   Let us help you understand what’s going on with the phony scandal being ginned up against Rep. Jim Jordan, the consensus conservative choice to succeed RINO Paul Ryan as Speaker of the House. NBC News published an article on Tuesday, quoting Mike DiSabato and Dunyasha Yetts, two former Ohio State University wrestlers, claiming that when Jim Jordan worked as assistant wrestling coach at OSU, he ignored sexual abuse carried out by a university physician named Richard Strauss. Our friend Chuck Ross of the Daily Caller has documented that the two former wrestlers accusing Rep. Jordan of ignoring the sexual misconduct by a university physician more than two decades ago have a history of failed business dealings, lawsuits, harassment allegations, and in the case of one accuser, an 18-month prison sentence for fraud. Ross reports one of the former wrestlers, Mike DiSabato, is also being accused by the widow of a Marine who was killed in combat in Iraq of intimidating and bullying her over a memorial fund set up in her husband’s name. “I question the intent, the authenticity, the verity, that Mike DiSabato shares in any of his words or actions,” Karen Mendoza, the wife of…

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Left Wing Activists Target New Mexico Officials In Brutal Fight Over Mundane Fracking Rule

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Jay Block, New Mexico

by Chris White   Environmentalists in a small New Mexico county are ratcheting up the rhetoric against local fracking ordinances as government officials fear the fight is taking on new and terrifying dimensions. Members of the state’s Sandoval County commission claim activists are haranguing them for contemplating rules permitting gas extraction. Documents also show activists are pressuring commissioners to block industry representatives from discussing future ordinances on natural gas production. “We got blasted by the public about being racists and baby killers,” Jay Block (pictured), one of the commission’s two Republicans, told The Daily Caller News Foundation, referring to insults people hurled at him during debates about gas exploration in the county. Block is in an untenable position, stuck in between an animated anti-gas movement and concerns about the county’s economic well-being. “The citizens are driving the narrative,” said Block, a conservative who worked for the Jack Kemp presidential campaign in 1987. “They are delivering misinformation to the public and not one time has the industry been invited,” he added, referring to the Citizens Watch Group (CWG), an activist group created after the commission voted down ordinances in 2017 following significant public outcry. The proposed ordinance would have banned drilling and fracking within…

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The U.S. Senate Is Killing State Welfare Reform

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US Senate

by Jameson Taylor   Few policy reforms have been as popular as welfare-to-work. Why, then, is the U.S. Senate trying to kill state efforts at encouraging able-bodied adults to get a job? Welfare-to-work was one of the signature policy wins of the 1990s, resulting in the 1996 Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act. The legislation was signed by President Bill Clinton after being shepherded through Congress by House Speaker Newt Gingrich and Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott, who recognized welfare had become a trap for many Americans. The two most important features of the federal law were time limits on how long recipients could remain on welfare and work requirements for those on welfare. Both of these reforms were targeted at able-bodied, working-age adults on cash assistance (TANF) and food stamps (SNAP). [ The liberal Left continue to push their radical agenda against American values. The good news is there is a solution. Find out more ] The positive impact of federal welfare reform is well documented. A 2004 report by the left-of-center Brookings Institution states: “The welfare-to-work objective was predicated on a simple proposition: poor families are better off employed than on welfare.” Jobs are the best antidote to poverty. The…

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