In the wake of the Tennessee Republican primary for Governor, won by Bill Lee in a late surge where he garnered 37 percent of the vote versus 24 percent for Randy Boyd, 23 percent for Diane Black and 15 percent for Beth Harwell, some analysts have claimed the results show that negative ads do not work. Actually, the final margins seem to prove that negative ads work quite well.
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To meet or not to meet, that is the question. Or at least it’s a query on the minds of a lot of people these days as President Donald Trump appears to be making his internal White House “open door” policy extend to the rest of the world. Trump famously met with Trump peace through strengthNORK dictator Kim Jong-un in June, Russian leader Vladimir Putin last month and has now offered to meet up with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani anywhere, anytime (or something like that).
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by Rob Shimshock K-12 schools are bringing drag queens into the classroom to teach gender ideology, a Thursday video revealed. Teachers are praising “Drag Queen Story Hour,” according to a clip released by videographer Sean Fitzgerald and the David Horowitz Freedom Center. The program “captures the imagination and play of the gender fluidity of childhood and gives kids glamorous, positive, and unabashedly queer role models.” Maurice Sendak Community School, a public school located in Brooklyn, New York, hosted a drag queen and first grade teacher Alexis Hernandez marveled at the event in a testimonial published on Drag Queen Story Hour’s website. “Drag Queen Story Hour gave my first graders a fun and interactive platform to talk and think about social and emotional issues like acceptance, being yourself, and loving who you are,” Hernandez said. “During our debrief … [students] were preaching the incredible lessons they had learned, like ‘it’s OK to be different,’ and ‘there’s no such thing as “boy” and “girl” things.’” The first grade teacher said she would be hosting the event again the following year. Katrina Green, a teacher from Chickpeas Preschool in Brooklyn, also lauded the program. The event “allows preschool children to deepen and complicate their ideas…
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Lawrence County Sheriff Jimmy Brown, who is under indictment for alleged abuse of power, lost his re-election bid last Thursday. And, a race with statewide interest is drawing questions over irregularities. Military and law enforcement veteran John Myers, a Republican, beat the Democratic sheriff by 53 percent to 31 percent, The (Columbia) Daily-Herald reported Saturday. Independent Rick Osborne took approximately 16 percent of the vote. ‘Boss Doss’ loss raises questions The Lawrence County election process was called into question, especially over the narrow defeat of State Rep. Barry “Boss” Doss (R-Leoma) lost to newcomer Clay Doggett, The Tennessee Star reported. A 16 hour delay occurred in the reporting of the results in the Republican primary. “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…
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by Nick Givas Democratic Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel received backlash, on “Fox & Friends” Friday, for favoring illegal immigrants over American citizens. Fox News political analyst Gianno Caldwell attended a Thursday protest in Chicago, where citizens marched against gun violence and demanded Emanuel’s resignation. “Honestly, the residents of Chicago are fed up with Rahm Emanuel’s inaction,” Caldwell said. “In addition they are fed up with the violence. They don’t see any change.” Caldwell interviewed protesters in the crowd and one of them called Emanuel a “con man” who wants to “keep black folks divided.” Another protester said the city is headed for financial ruin, while another took issue with Emanuel giving preferential treatment to illegal immigrants. Caldwell said he found it surprising so many Illinois Democrats were willing to work with President Donald Trump to help the city of Chicago, given the current atmosphere of political division. “I found it to be particularly interesting that there are leaders within the Democratic Party in Illinois who are seeking the help of outside resources such as President Trump,” Caldwell concluded. Fox News reached out to Emanuel for a statement, but he did not respond to their request for comment. – – – Nick Givas is…
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by Jason Hopkins An extensive report from the Environmental Protection Agency found that including ethanol into the U.S. gas supply is wreaking havoc on the atmosphere and soil. In a study titled “Biofuels and the Environment: The Second Triennial Report to Congress,” the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) determined that ethanol derived from corn and soybeans is causing serious harm to the environment. Water, soil and air quality were all found to be adversely affected by biofuel mandates. “Evidence since enactment of [the Energy Independence and Security Act] suggests an increase in acreage planted with soybeans and corn, with strong indications from observed changes in land use that some of this increase is a consequence of increased biofuel production,” read a portion of the 159-page report. The ethanol mandate has negatively effected water quality, with greater biofuel production resulting in more harmful algae blooms and hypoxia. While most algae is harmless to water, some forms — such as the kind produced in Lake Eerie from biofuel feedstock — has emitted toxic chemicals into the water. This harmful algae can consume the oxygen in the water, a process known as hypoxia, killing other wildlife. Increased irrigation — fueled by growing demand for ethanol — has…
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Metro Nashville Schools’ director is ducking questions on alleged widespread sexual harassment — and coverups — in his district, news outlets are reporting. NewsChannel 5 reported last week that school director Dr. Shawn Joseph tried to run from their reporter who wanted an interview on the topic and his role in the investigations. The TV station has tried to interview him since June 5. He tried to dodge the station’s reporter at a news conference to ask about Dr. Sam Braden, the executive principal of John F. Kennedy Middle School in Antioch. Among other things, Braden allegedly hired a school employee from an adult bookstore he allegedly frequented, NewsChannel 5 said. He was placed on administrative leave two days after the station aired its story on him. Spinning the damage Joseph sent a memo to school board members, saying he was “concerned that the reporter … will report on information that was ‘alleged’” and he wanted to lobby the Tennessee General Assembly to keep human resources files secret, the station said. NewsChannel 5 also reported the school board met in closed executive session to discuss Braden. Braden’s lawyer, Michie Gibson, released a statement saying, “Dr. Braden denies all allegations made…
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by Chris White President Donald Trump dinged “Fake News” Sunday morning for pushing what he called fabricated reports that he is concerned about his son’s decision to meet in 2016 with a Russian lawyer. “Fake News reporting, a complete fabrication, that I am concerned about the meeting my wonderful son, Donald, had in Trump Tower,” Trump wrote on Twitter, referring to reports Saturday suggestinghe is concerned Donald Trump Jr. is in legal trouble with respect to Special Council Robert Mueller’s investigation into Russian meddling. Fake News reporting, a complete fabrication, that I am concerned about the meeting my wonderful son, Donald, had in Trump Tower. This was a meeting to get information on an opponent, totally legal and done all the time in politics – and it went nowhere. I did not know about it! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 5, 2018 “This was a meeting to get information on an opponent, totally legal and done all the time in politics – and it went nowhere. I did not know about it!” Trump said, noting the details about a meeting his son had during the presidential campaign with Russian attorney, Natalia Veselnitskaya, who promised to provide “dirt” on former Secretary of State…
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by Rob Shimshock Two University of Virginia historians resigned their posts at the school’s center for public policy and presidential scholarship on Monday after the university hired a former Trump aide. UVA scholars Melvyn P. Leffler and William I. Hitchcock quit the school’s Miller Center after the center hired Marc Short, who previously served as President Donald Trump’s legislative affairs director, reported Politico. “Short has been a partisan activist during his entire professional career,” Leffler and Hitchcock wrote in a public, joint resignation letter. “He has associated himself with people and institutions who disregard, circumvent and even violate the norms and laws that are fundamental to civil discourse and democratic politics.” While the two scholars resigned their posts at the Miller Center, they will both stay on as history faculty at UVA. Leffler and Hitchcock bashed Trump for his blaming of “both sides” after the August 2017 “Unite the Right” rally in Charlottesville, Virginia. “By not speaking out at the time, by not emphasizing the threats to human decency posed by the public display of Nazi symbols and racist diatribes in our own neighborhood, Mr. Short was complicit in the erosion of our civic discourse and showed an appalling indifference…
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The Phil Bredesen campaign tweeted on Sunday that it is looking for interns and is “open to anyone tired of the hyper-partisan squabbling.” This campaign is open to anyone who is tired of the hyper-partisan squabbling and ready to send someone to Washington who can work together to get things done for Tennessee. Interested in interning with our team? Submit your resume at https://t.co/CTcehR7zmo. pic.twitter.com/IFPVnuspL2 — Phil Bredesen (@PhilBredesen) August 5, 2018 Bredesen apparently does not consider it to be “hyper-partisan squabbling” when Mark Brown, spokesperson for the Tennessee Democrat Party, says “F*** Trump supporters. They’re all idiots.” The Tennessee Star reported the details of Brown’s vulgar comments and Bredesen’s silent acceptance of them: Republicans are raising a ruckus over a spokesman for the Tennessee Democratic Party’s use of foul language and name-calling, especially since that spokesman has been vigorously promoting the candidacy of Democrat Phil Bredesen for the U.S. Senate, who has expressed outrage at being called a “liberal.” The former governor, who is running in the U.S. Senate race against Rep. Marsh Blackburn (R-TN-07), said last week it was “name-calling” when Vice President Mike Pence said he is a “liberal.” However, Tennessee Republicans say Bredesen is deaf when it…
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