Day: August 7, 2018

Bredesen Makes His Case for Republican Votes in New Ad Featuring Favorable Republican Comments

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Scottie Hughes, Phil Bredesen

A new sixty second digital ad from the Phil Bredesen campaign is targeting Republican votes by promoting carefully selective clips of Republicans saying good things about his time as Governor. The ad features comments from former Trump surrogate and conservative commentator Scottie Hughes, Tennessee Congressman Chuck Fleischmann (R-TN-03), frequent Trump critic Senator Bob Corker (R-TN), lobbyist and former Hendersonville State Representative Debra Maggart (R-Hendersonville), and lobbyist Bill Phillips (who served as Chief of Staff and Deputy Mayor under Democrat Mayor of Nashville, Bill Purcell). Phil Bredesen ad “Republicans” transcript: Scottie Hughes: “Folks do not realize this, a lot of Trump supporters are also Phil Bredesen supporters. And we have two Republican Governors who fought for an income tax and fought for a gas tax but you never saw a tax being fought for by Phil Bredesen.” Bob Corker: “Phil Bredesen is a friend of mine. I mean, OK. I have worked with him for 23 years. We worked together to bring the Titans to our state. When I became a Senator and he was Governor we worked to bring Volkswagen to our state. He was a very good Mayor; very good Governor; very good business person.” Chuck Fleischmann: “He had…

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Daily Caller News Foundation Sues To Obtain Information On Comey’s Leaker

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James Comey

by Richard Pollock   The Daily Caller News Foundation is suing the Department of Justice for failing to produce records regarding the Columbia University professor who received four memos from former FBI Director James Comey, one of which was leaked to The New York Times. Cause of Action Institute, a conservative nonprofit watchdog, filed the lawsuit on behalf of TheDCNF Monday after the Justice Department and the FBI failed to produce any records related to Daniel Richman in response to the news organization’s April 25 Freedom of Information Act request. Richman is a long-time friend and confidante of Comey and obtained at least four of the former FBI director’s memos about his conversations with President Donald Trump, two of which contained classified information, according to news reports. He leaked at least one Comey memo to The New York Times. Meanwhile, Comey, in a July 5, 2016 press conference, absolved then-Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton of any criminal activity in using her private server for government business while she served as secretary of state, saying that she was “extremely careless,” but not grossly negligent in using a private server for official government business. Gross negligence would constitute a federal offense tied to the mishandling of classified government secrets. Comey hired Richman as a…

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Feud Escalates Between NRA, New York Governor

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Cuomo

A feud between New York’s governor and the National Rifle Association is escalating, with Governor Andrew Cuomo saying it’s “too bad” the NRA could be in financial trouble because his state pressured financial institutions to cut ties with the gun group. “Too bad. You violated the law,” Cuomo told CNN, while also adding that “it’s not a defense to say, ‘Well, I was committing illegal activity, but I was making money from it, and now I’m upset that I lost the revenue.’” In an amended version of a federal lawsuit filed in May, the NRA claims it lost insurance coverage after the state’s enforcement actions against companies underwriting an NRA-branded insurance program called “Carry Guard,” which provides liability insurance for policyholders involved in shooting incidents. The lawsuit said the Cuomo administration was persuading other insurers to avoid doing business with the NRA. But Cuomo countered that Carry Guard is “designed for people who carry weapons, and the insurance policy essentially insured them for intentional bad acts, intentional wrongdoing.” Cuomo said he sent a letter to other governors Monday, urging them to end the sale and marketing of the Carry Guard program in their states. “And if they think New York…

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Sessions Stands Strong In Defense Of Terminating DACA

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Tennessee Star

by Molly Prince   Attorney General Jeff Sessions slammed a ruling Monday handed down from a U.S. district court, fully reinstating the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. Sessions blasted the decision in a statement, saying that the Obama administration “violated its duty to enforce our immigration laws by directing and implementing a categorical, multipronged non-enforcement immigration policy for a massive group of illegal aliens.” He further stated that the executive branch is well within its right to rescind a policy that was established by an Obama-era executive order, and that it has a commitment to do so. “We have recently witnessed a number of decisions in which courts have improperly used judicial power to steer, enjoin, modify, and direct executive policy,” Sessions wrote. “This ignores the wisdom of our Founders and transfers policy making questions from the constitutionally empowered and politically accountable branches to the judicial branch.  It also improperly undermines this Administration’s ability to protect our nation, its borders, and its citizens.” Sessions asserted that the White House will “aggressively defend” its judgment to dissolve the DACA program, which prevented enrolled illegal aliens from deportation if they were brought to the United States as minors. – – –…

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Study: Minnesota’s Minimum Wage Hike Cost Teenagers Thousands Of Jobs

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minimum wage protest

by Tim Pearce   Minnesota’s minimum wage has cost young and low-skilled workers thousands of jobs in the fast-food restaurant sector since 2013, according to University of Wisconsin economics professor Noah Williams. Williams tracked and compared employment data in Minnesota and Wisconsin from 2014 to 2018, over which Minnesota’s minimum wage increased incrementally from $6 an hour to $9.65 in January 2018. Wisconsin’s minimum wage remained at the federal level of $7.25 an hour, the Minnesota Watchdog reported. Generally, as the minimum wage increases “businesses will demand less labor, which could mean fewer workers and/or shorter hours per worker,” Williams said, according to Minnesota Watchdog. “There were workers willing to work for wages that were less than the new, higher minimum wage and businesses that were willing to hire them for that … The distortion is that the minimum wage rules out mutually beneficial agreements between workers and firms.” The fast-food industries in both states were growing at similar paces in 2014 when the minimum wage of each rested on the federal level. As the Minnesota’s minimum continued to rise, a disparity between employment growth in each state’s fast-food industry developed and widened. “In total, from July 2014 to May 2018, employment…

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Commentary: President Trump Gets The Message – Conservative Grassroots Demand Speaker Jordan

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Jim Jordan, Donald Trump

by CHQ Staff   When President Trump brought Rep. Jim Jordan on stage at his rally in Ohio on Saturday night, the crowd chanted “Speaker of the House” as Jordan stood on stage. To many observers it appeared that Trump was giving the conservative rock star a public boost for his run for Speaker. “Jim Jordan, how great is he?” Trump said, before bringing the lawmaker on stage. “What a great defender he’s been, what courage,” Trump said after Jordan left the stage. “He’s a brave, tough cookie along with some of his friends.” “I didn’t know he was going to be here,” the president continued. “I looked over and said, ‘I don’t want to wrestle him, he’s tough.’ ” According to The Hill’s Jacqueline Thomsen, coverage of the rally also showed Jordan posing for photos with members of the crowd before Trump went on stage. There was a brief “Jordan” chant from the crowd. As most conservatives are aware, Jordan has launched a bid to succeed retiring Speaker Paul Ryan. To the establishment Jordan is seen as a long shot for the post, but has the support from the House Freedom Caucus, which could be the kingmaker in the post-election…

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US Navy’s Top Admiral Cites Increased Threat in Ocean Nearest Washington

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American Navy

by Carla Babb   Chinese military vessels are now operating in the Northern Atlantic, and Russian submarines are prowling those same waters at a pace not seen since the end of the Cold War, the Navy’s top admiral told VOA in an exclusive interview. Chief of Naval Operations Adm. John Richardson said China’s military movements from the North Atlantic into the Mediterranean Sea is a “new dynamic.” “Even five years ago, we wouldn’t have seen anything like this,” Richardson said. According to Richardson, the Chinese navy is a global one that is both “ready and capable” of operating wherever Beijing wants. “They’re certainly a pacing competition for us in terms of the naval threat,” he told VOA. However, Chinese operations near the United States’ eastern shore are not as threatening as Russian vessels lurking below the ocean’s surface. NATO allies from North America to Europe are increasingly concerned about the uptick of Russian submarine activity in the North Atlantic. “We’re talking about more (activity) than we’ve seen in 25 years,” Richardson said. U.S. officials worry that Moscow may try to use its submarines to cut or tap into undersea cables that connect the two continents. 2nd Fleet Due to these…

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Nashville Symphony Welcomes Seven Local Students to Accelerando Music Education Initiative

Bethany Bowman
Nashville Symphony/Sally Bebawy

Seven local students have been selected for the third class of Accelerando, the Nashville Symphony’s groundbreaking music education initiative designed to facilitate the studies of gifted young musicians from diverse backgrounds and to prepare them for careers in music. The seven students were introduced during an event at Schermerhorn Symphony Center on Thursday, August 2, that was attended by current Accelerando students and their families, as well as Nashville Symphony staff members, including President and CEO Alan D. Valentine and Director of Education and Community Engagement Walter Bitner. The addition of the seven students brings the total number of participants in the program to 16. All from Middle Tennessee, the third class of Accelerando students are: Icsis Church, clarinet: Grade 8, Bellevue Middle School, MNPS Treasure Eckles, viola: Grade 10, Hume-Fogg Academic Magnet High School, MNPS Angel Elbano, flute: Grade 4, Una Elementary School, MNPS Rose Majett, cello: Grade 8, home-schooled student Xavion Patterson, bassoon: Grade 10, Stewarts Creek High School, Rutherford County Schools Mario Shaw, percussion: Grade 11, Stewarts Creek High School, Rutherford County Schools Alexander Vinson, cornet: Grade 7, MLK Jr. Magnet Middle, MNPS  Aalia Hanif, a member of Accelerando’s inaugural class, offered remarks during the event. “As…

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Pepsi CEO Indra Nooyi to Step Down

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Indra Nooyi

PepsiCo chief executive Indra Nooyi, one of the most prominent female CEOs in the world, announced Monday she will step down after leading the giant soft drink company for 12 years. Nooyi, 62, has worked at PepsiCo for 24 years. In a tweet, she expressed “mixed emotions” about leaving her position and said she “never imaged” she’d have the opportunity to lead “such an extraordinary company.” PepsiCo’s current president, Ramon Laguarta, will take over as CEO in October. Nooyi will remain as chairman of the board until early next year. Nooyi, who was born in India, is a rarity on Wall Street — a woman and a minority leading a Fortune 500 company. Among the 500 companies in the S&P 500, only 25 — 5 percent — are led by women. Nooyi’s departure leaves only one woman of color among the Fortune 500 CEOs. Nooyi told Bloomberg News on Monday that she planned to advocate for more women to serve at the highest levels of corporations. “My job is, in fact, just beginning once I leave PepsiCo because I can do things now that I was constrained to do when I was CEO of the company,” she said. While at…

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Mike Lee Commentary: Why I Objected to a Bill That Would Ban 3D Gun Designs

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Mike Lee

by Senator Mike Lee (R-UT)   Last Tuesday, President Donald Trump tweeted, “I am looking into 3-D Plastic Guns being sold to the public. Already spoke to NRA, doesn’t seem to make much sense!” The White House has not offered any clarification on what exactly Trump’s tweet meant, but if he is worried about plastic guns being sold to the public, he shouldn’t be. The Undetectable Firearms Act of 1988 already makes the sale, and even the mere possession, of plastic guns illegal. Following Trump’s tweet, however, Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla., went to the Senate floor and tried to pass a bill by unanimous consent (meaning there would be no roll call vote, the bill would just pass the Senate immediately without any debate) that would have banned the mere publication of any designs for a plastic gun that could be produced by a 3D printer. I objected. Anytime legislation begins with words “It shall be unlawful for any person to intentionally publish … ” I will force the Senate to take a long look at that legislation. The federal government already believes it has the power to ban the publication of 3D plastic gun designs under the Arms Export…

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Anti-ICE Protest Strains Nashville Police, While Bredesen Stays Quiet on Threat To City Where He Was Once Mayor

Jason M. Reynolds
CoreCivic protesting ICE

The Metro Nashville Police Department reported it arrested 20 anti-ICE protesters Monday, pulling officers away from their regular duties. Meanwhile, Democratic Senate candidate Phil Bredesen has been silent about the public safety issue. Dozens of protesters descended on the Green Hills headquarters of private prison company CoreCivic and blocked the entrance, the department said in a press release. Ten of those arrested had chained themselves together. Five of those arrested were from Nashville. Those charged are named in the press release. CoreCivic has contracts with the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the Nashville Scene said. Jeannie Alexander of the No Exceptions Prison Collective, told the Scene that the group is protesting in solidarity with others occupying ICE offices across the country. “But what’s unique about Nashville is that we’re the only city in the United States that has the headquarters of CoreCivic,” Alexander told the Scene. “ICE is their biggest customer. And the way the prison industrial complex continues to grow and [what makes] targeting immigrant families so much easier is that corporations like CoreCivic are building internment camps and they’re profiting off of it.” While Alexander’s group spent its time protesting, Nashville’s police force spent its resources protecting the…

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