Day: August 4, 2018

Delay by Lawrence County in Reporting Results That Narrow ‘Boss’ Doss Loss Raises Serious Questions

Tennessee Star Staff
Tennessee Star

A 16 hour delay in reporting of the results in Thursday’s Republican primary in State House District 70 by Lawrence County election officials that resulted in a dramatic narrowing of the margin by which State Rep. Barry “Boss” Doss (R-Leoma) lost to newcomer Clay Doggett is raising serious questions about the conduct of those officials. “The fact that several different and inconsistent vote numbers have been reported from Lawrence County over the past 24 hours raises serious questions about whether the disparities are due to incompetence or actual technical issues or something more sinister. The fact that the Secretary of State’s office seemed to have no idea that there were problems indicates that an investigation or a full audit is in order,” Tennessee Star Political Editor Steve Gill said. Late Friday, the Election Administrator’s office confirmed to The Tennessee Star that Lawrence County Election Commissioner Stephen Thompson, who previously served as a campaign advisor to Barry Doss in one of his first elections, was in the Lawrence County Election Office Thursday night when the “problems” with vote counts occurred. A screen shot taken of the Tennessee Secretary of State election results website at 11:59 pm on election day, Thursday, August…

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Judge Dismisses Lawsuit Against Fox News In Seth Rich Case

Tennessee Star Staff

by Vandana Rambaran   A New York City judge dismissed a lawsuit filed by the parents of murdered Democratic National Committee staffer Seth Rich on Thursday that asserted Fox News Channel colluded with the White House to propel a false, politically-biased narrative about Rich’s death. Rich was gunned down outside of his home in Washington, D.C., on July 10, 2016. The death prompted conspiracy theories introduced by Fox News and peddled by television pundits including Newt Gingrich, Sean Hannity, Alex Jones and Rush Limbaugh that Rich was targeted because he allegedly corresponded with Wikileaks, leaking thousands of emails to them from the DNC. Rich’s parents called Fox News’ decision to publish the article, which the family claims is false, as “extreme and outrageous conduct,” according to a lawsuit filed in March. The judge has since dismissed the allegations, which implicated Fox News reporter Malia Zimmerman and Ed Butowsky, a Fox news guest who contributed to the report, according to The New York Times. “It is understandable that plaintiffs might feel that their grief and personal loss were taken advantage of, and that the tragic death of their son was exploited for political purposes,” but Fox evidently did not intend to inflict emotional distress,…

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Iconic Entertainer Jerry Lee Lewis to Rock Nashville’s Schermerhorn Symphony Center on December 10

Bethany Bowman

Rock ‘n’ roll’s original wild-man and country music stylist, Jerry Lee Lewis, will return to Nashville for the first time since 2014 at Schermerhorn Symphony Center on December 10th. Tickets are available for presale here and will go on sale to the general public on August 10 at 10 a.m. “We are honored that Jerry Lee Lewis has chosen the Schermerhorn for his triumphant return to Music City,” said Alan D. Valentine, Symphony president & CEO. “His appearance promises to be one of the highlights of our entire season lineup, and we are thrilled to add ‘The Killer’ — one of the true legends of American music — to the long list of musical icons who have graced our stage.” Few artists in music history can boast a résumé as impressive as that of “The Killer,” now in his seventh decade of an unrivaled career that includes numerous Grammy® Awards, induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s inaugural class, the Recording Academy’s Lifetime Achievement Award, and an unparalleled impact on countless rock and country artists who have followed in his footsteps. About Jerry Lee Lewis Jerry Lee Lewis is one of the all-time best singer-songwriters, musicians, and pianists.…

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Just Released: Here’s What The FBI Is Hiding About Christopher Steele

Tennessee Star Staff

by Joe Simonson   The FBI released its internal records on Christopher Steele, the former British spy behind the controversial “Russia dossier.” One problem: Nearly every page has been redacted. The total records, made public Friday, span 71 pages and contains various documents showing payments to Steele, who is referred to as a “Confidential Human Source,” over an unlisted period of time. While most of the documents are nearly completely redacted, they do show that in February 2016 the FBI had “admonished” Steele. “Verbally admonished the [Confidential Human Source] CHS with CHS admonishments, which the CHS fully acknowledged, signed and dated,” the document reads. However, according to NBC, ” an admonishment is typically given when a person begins a stint as a confidential informant and annually thereafter. It is a briefing on the rules of being an informant to ensure the source complies with guidelines set by the Attorney General, and usually not criticism of the source.” The documents also reveal that Steele disclosed to a third party that he was working for the FBI as an informant, as well as the fact that Steele was the source for a news article. By Nov. 1, the agency signaled that it…

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Manafort Accountant Admits Possible Wrongdoing During Trial

Tennessee Star Staff

by Evie Fordham Former Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort’s accountant admitted she filed tax returns that she was aware may have been criminally fraudulent, at Manafort’s tax fraud trial in Alexandria, Virginia, Friday. “I prepared the tax returns and communicated with banks based on information that Mr. [Rick] Gates and Mr. Manafort provided to me that I didn’t believe,” Cindy Laporta said, reported Politico. Laporta is “the first witness at the trial to testify under a grant of immunity,” according to Politico. Her testimony is also the first instance of a witness conceding involvement in possible wrongdoing in the trial. Lobbyist Manafort is defending himself from charges of tax illegalities brought by special counsel Robert Mueller. Mueller wants to grant immunity to four people besides LaPorta who could testify, reported Politico. Laporta classified $2.4 million from offshore businesses as loans on 2014 and 2015 tax documents to Manafort’s consultant business. She works for Kositzka Wicks & Company in Alexandria. – – – Evie Fordham is a reporter at Daily Caller News Foundation. Follow Evie on Twitter @eviefordham.                      Content created by The Daily Caller News Foundation is available without charge to any eligible news publisher that can provide…

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Congress Demands Key Documents From Largest Opioid Makers In The Country

Tennessee Star Staff
opioids

by Steve Birr   Lawmakers are demanding answers from three of the largest opioid manufacturers in the country, particularly when executives became aware their medications were addictive. Leaders of the House Energy and Commerce Committee sent letters Thursday to drug makers Purdue Pharma, Mallinckrodt Pharmaceuticals and Insys Therapeutics asking they send a variety of legal documents and internal communications to help Congress better understand its role in igniting the national addiction epidemic, reports The Washington Post. All three companies said they plan to cooperate with the committee’s request. Representatives for Purdue Pharma, the makers of OxyContin, also expressed their “concern about the opioid crisis.” “The opioid crisis continues to destroy the lives of our friends and neighbors, and it’s imperative we examine the full scope of this crisis,” Oregon Republican Rep. Greg Walden, chairman of the committee, and New Jersey Democratic Rep. Frank Pallone Jr. said in a statement, according to The Washington Post. The committee is specifically demanding an unredacted copy from Purdue of a deposition given by Dr. Richard Sackler, a member of the family that owns Purdue, during a 2015 settlement with the state of Kentucky. Dr. Richard Sackler became president of Purdue Pharma in 1999 and co-chairman of the board of directors in 2003,…

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