Month: September 2018

New Nashville Metro Arts Director to Make Six-Figure Salary

Chris Butler

The Nashville Metro Arts Commission has a new executive director, and she’ll make twice Nashville’s median household income. New Executive Director Caroline Vincent has worked for Metro Arts since 2011. She will make $118,000 per year, according to The Tennessean. That’s nearly twice Nashville’s median household income — $61,577 — according to Forbes. As Tennessee Watchdog has reported, this government entity has given out millions of taxpayer dollars for abstract art for display in and around the city, sometimes to out-of-state artists. Among them: • In 2016 members of the department paid 20 times the regular market value for new bike racks downtown. • They paid an out-of-state artist $300,000 to create an exhibit commemorating the Civil Rights Movement, even though the artist lived 2,000 miles away in California….and that money did not recirculate in Tennessee. Artist Walter Hood created “Witness Walls” on the west side of the Metro Nashville Courthouse. The project portrays sculptural images of Civil Rights activists from the 1960s, according to the Metro Arts Commission’s website. • “Stix,” erected outside the Music City Convention Center, cost the city $750,000. That project is nothing more than a bunch of sticks with bright, shiny colors. The artist, Christian…

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Jeff Webb on The Tennessee Star Report: Bredesen’s Claim He Won’t Vote for Schumer as Leader of Democrats in Senate ‘Almost a Laughable Political Stunt”

Julie Carr

On Wednesdays’s Tennessee Star Report with Steve Gill and Michael Patrick Leahy – broadcast on Nashville’s Talk Radio 98.3 and 1510 WLAC weekdays from 5:00 am to 8:00 am – Tennessee Star Political Editor Steve Gill and Michael Patrick Leahy chatted with Varsity Brands President and CEO Jeff Webb about the current Senate race in Tennessee and what it means for the recent tax cuts and regulation rollback.  They went on to discuss how, if Phil Bredesen was elected that would effect Tennessee and the country at large. During the interview, Webb said that Bredesen’s claim that, if elected to the U.S. Senate, he won’t vote for Sen. Chuck Schumer as the leader of the Democrats in the Senate is “almost a laughable political stunt.” Steve Gill: Jeff good to have you with us. Jeff Webb: Thanks Steve good to talk to you. Michael Patrick Leahy: Good morning Jeff, Mike Leahy here. Gill: In honor of Varsity Brands I told Michael earlier that’s why I’m wearing the cheerleader outfit, the UT cheerleader outfit. Just in honor of you. Leahy: Orange and white pom poms it’s a site that can’t be unseen. (Laughter) Leahy: So, Jeff we talked to you last night,…

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Commentary: The Bizarre World Of Christine Blasey Ford

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by CHQ Staff   The past ten days of ritual defamation of Judge Brett Kavanaugh revealed the depth and sophistication of the Far-Left Democrats’ smear machine, but yesterday’s hearing revealed the truly bizarre world of Christine Blasey Ford, the high priestess of the ritual. In this bizarre world, Christine Blasey Ford cannot fly, due to the posttraumatic stress syndrome caused by the manhandling she allegedly received at the hands of Brett Kavanaugh and Mark Judge. Unless of course, the flight is to Tahiti, Hawaii, or the East Coast of the United States just a few weeks before her attorneys cited that alleged PTSD as the reason to delay her testimony for another week. In this bizarre world, Christine Blasey Ford, a university professor, educated at an elite high school and some of America’s top universities – who holds two masters degrees and a doctorate – cannot compose a letter that would garner better than a C at any public high school in America, and doesn’t know how to contact her Representative in Congress. In this bizarre world, the university professor speaks in a little girl’s voice, cannot remember or does not know elementary things about how she came to sit before…

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Trump Dossier Research Chief Glenn Simpson Declines US Congress Interview Request

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Reuters   The Republican chairman of the U.S. House Judiciary Committee on Friday subpoenaed a U.S. research firm founder to give a deposition on his hiring of a former British spy to compile a dossier on alleged links between U.S. President Donald Trump’s associates and Russia. Representative Bob Goodlatte, a Republican from Virginia, announced the move on Twitter a day after receiving a letter in which lawyers for Glenn Simpson, the founder of Fusion GPS, said that their client “will not agree to an interview” requested earlier this week. “As part of our joint investigation into decisions made by DOJ in 2016, today I subpoenaed Glenn Simpson to appear for a deposition,” Goodlatte posted on Twitter. Goodlatte said in a separate Twitter post that former FBI Director James Comey, former U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch and other former Justice Department officials have been invited “as witnesses. Will subpoena them if necessary.” Simpson’s lawyers also sent their letter to House Oversight Chairman Trey Gowdy, who is conducting with Goodlatte a probe into the Justice Department’s decision to investigate possible collusion between Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign and Russia. The top Democrats on the committees, Elijah Cummings and Jerrold Nadler, in a statement…

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Commentary: Revenge of the Nerds – Swamp Edition

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by Julie Kelly   In one scene in “When Harry Met Sally,” Meg Ryan’s character insists she had great sex in college with a guy named Shel. Billy Crystal’s character doesn’t buy it. “Sheldon? No, no, you did not have great sex with Sheldon. A Sheldon can do your income taxes, if you need a root canal, Sheldon’s your man . . . but humpin’ and pumpin’ is not Sheldon’s strong suit. It’s the name. ‘Do it to me Sheldon, you’re an animal Sheldon, ride me big Shel-don.’ Doesn’t work.” Since we all reliving the 1980s, that clip came to mind as I watched Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) grill Judge Brett Kavanaugh on Thursday about his high school hijinx and in-crowd jargon from Georgetown Prep’s 1983 yearbook. The former prosecutor applied his keen interrogation skills against the Supreme Court nominee as Whitehouse delved into an unfamiliar world of teenaged popularity and partying, a place where guys like Kavanaugh strode past the likes of Whitehouse in the high school hallway with nary a glance, and Kavanaugh’s gal pals never gave poor Shel a chance to score. Whitehouse revealed depravity of the highest order as he exposed the elite prep-school caste system. He finally…

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Rand Paul Calls For Investigation Into Who Doxxed Senate Judiciary Committee Republicans

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Rand Paul

by Molly Prince   Sen. Rand Paul called for an investigation Friday to determine and punish who published the personal information of three Republican senators during the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing with Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh and Christine Blasey Ford, who accused him of sexual assault. “Yesterday there was an attempt to incite people by publishing the personal information of Senators – including home addresses – endangering them & their families,” the Kentucky Republican tweeted. “This should be  investigated & the perpetrators punished. There is too much hatred and violence in politics these days.” Yesterday there was an attempt to incite people by publishing the personal information of Senators – including home addresses- endangering them & their families. This should be investigated & the perpetrators punished. There is too much hatred and violence in politics these days. — Rand Paul (@RandPaul) September 28, 2018 Three members of the Senate Judiciary Committee — Sens. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina and Mike Lee and Orrin Hatch, both of Utah — had their personal information, including their phone numbers and home addresses, posted on their respective Wikipedia pages shortly after each questioned Kavanaugh at Thursday’s hearing. The unknown person who published the information…

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While Washington Erupts Over the Kavanaugh Confirmation, the House Pushes Through GOP’s Tax Reform 2.0

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by Evie Fordham   The House of Representatives pushed through a legislation package nicknamed Tax Reform 2.0 that would make individual tax cuts permanent among other proposals Friday. The legislation is expected to stall in the Senate, although its Republican supporters could bring it back at some point after the midterm elections, reported CNBC. The package consists of three bills, which are: The Protecting Family and Small Business Tax Cuts Act of 2018, which would “lock in” the individual tax cuts that Republicans touted when they first passed in December 2017 The Family Savings Act of 2018, which purports to help Americans save for retirement as well as make funds in education accounts more accessible The American Innovation Act of 2018, which lets fledgling businesses “deduct up to $20,000 in start-up expenses” under certain rules, according to CNBC “Tax reform is working,” House Speaker Paul Ryan wrote on Twitter Friday. “The American economy and our workforce are thriving. These Tax Reform 2.0 bills make lower rates for individuals and small business permanent, and help families further plan for the future.” The tax cuts bill would also make certain provisions to save taxpayers money permanent. The bill would make a new child tax credit, a higher…

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Elon Musk Takes the Deal – Agrees To Step Down From Tesla As Chairman In SEC Settlement

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Elon Musk

by Chris White   Billionaire tech guru Elon Musk agreed to step down as the chairman of Tesla after the Securities and Exchange Commission sued the electric vehicle company for fraud, according to court documents published Saturday. Musk, who owns roughly 20 percent of the company, also agreed to pay a $20 million fine in connection with a tweet he wrote in August telling followers that he had enough funding to take Tesla private, the documents note. He neither admitted nor denied the allegations the SEC leveled against him. The SEC has spent months probing whether Musk’s promise was designed to hurt short-sellers at the expense of new investors. Musk gets to retain his position as CEO, but the move could drastically affect the company’s structure. He told his Twitter followers in an Aug. 7 post that he had sufficient funding to take the company out of the public domain. Reports about Musk’s tweet came shortly after a source told The Financial Times that the Saudi’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) bought share of Tesla. The PIF’s position is worth between $1.7 billion and $2.9 billion at Tesla’s current share price. The stake makes the fund one of Tesla’s eight biggest shareholders. Musk used recent discussions with…

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Steve Cohen Lectures Republicans on Brett Kavanaugh

Chris Butler

U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen, D-Memphis, who recently suggested Marsha Blackburn jump off a bridge, said this week Republicans treat women poorly. Just as you knew he would, Cohen opined on the Brett Kavanaugh U.S. Supreme Court nomination hearings. How members of the GOP-led U.S. Senate have handled matters was foremost on his mind. Saying the “soul of the country is in jeopardy,” because of the hearings, Cohen took to the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives to scold his opposition. “The two most pressing issues that will be heard are the #MeToo Movement and respect for women and their safety from sexual assault and the truth and whether or not the truth is something that matters to people anymore or whether it is just spin and lies to get ratings,” Cohen said in his address. Cohen, who told now disgraced former FBI agent Peter Strzok he deserved a Purple Heart, also lectured the GOP about integrity. Specifically, Cohen spoke of how he thought Republican members of the U.S. Senate’s Judiciary Committee treated Christine Ford. Ford accuses Kavanaugh of an alleged sexual assault in 1982. “She should be given respect, and there should be an attempt to find the truth.…

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Blackburn Calls Out Bredesen Over Continued Silence on Kavanaugh Nomination

Jason M. Reynolds
Marsha Blackburn, Phil Bredesen

Marsha Blackburn is calling out Phil Bredesen over his continued refusal to tell Tennesseans how he would vote on Judge Brett Kavanaugh if he were in the Senate. “Dr. Christine Blasey Ford and Judge Brett Kavanaugh testified extensively before the Senate Judiciary Committee and the American people on Thursday,” Blackburn said in a statement. “I appreciate their willingness to share their stories. Each of us saw more of what we have seen throughout this process: Senate Democrats behaving despicably and putting personal political ambitions above their constitutional duty to advise and consent.” “Phil Bredesen, under Chuck Schumer’s direction, has stayed neutral as long as he can, but now,  the hearing is over and he has no other reason to stall. I have been clear from the start: I will always vote to confirm judges who uphold the Constitution. Obviously, Phil Bredesen will not make that commitment to Tennesseans because he’ll only vote when and how Chuck Schumer tells him. That’s not what Tennesseans deserve from their next Senator.” U.S. Representative Blackburn (R-TN-07) and Democratic former Governor Bredesen are running for the Senate seat being vacated by Bob Corker (R-TN). The Tennessee Republican Party said in a statement, “One of the…

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Commentary: Kavanaugh Is Right; We Now Have Good Reason to Fear for the Future

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by Jeffery Rendall   If the United States republic ultimately burns to ashes people will likely remember yesterday, September 27, 2018, as the beginning of the end. Or, in the alternative, if the political system somehow reforms itself citizens may look back fondly on that date as the reemergence of truth and due process. The country’s end of it all — or a possible new birth — were at stake as Judge Brett Kavanaugh and his accuser Christine Blasey Ford appeared before the Senate Judiciary Committee for a “hearing” into Ford’s allegations that Kavanaugh sexually assaulted her sometime in the summer of 1982. I use the term “hearing” loosely because what transpired was more like a cage match (in two parts) than a high-level exchange between professional adults. These people represent (some of) our states? Lord help us. The behavior of the minority Democrats during the first three hours (when Blasey Ford testified) was so disgraceful and compromised as to call into question the legitimacy of the entire government. Instead of probing Ford with inquiries regarding the enormous holes in her recollections the ten Democrat senators used the majority of their time to lavishly bathe Ford in tributes, complimenting the witness…

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‘Fibber Phil’ Bredesen Pushed for Switchgrass Facility that Later Bailed on Tennessee

Chris Butler

Ten years ago, then-Tennessee Gov. Phil Bredesen and other state officials spent $70 million of taxpayer money on a facility in Vonore that would convert switchgrass into fuel. Bredesen, now running as a Democrat for the U.S. Senate, promised it was a great investment for Tennessee’s future. On Christmas Eve 2015, however, when most people weren’t paying attention, officials at DuPont, the recipient of this taxpayer money, announced they were leaving Tennessee. “Fibber Phil” Bredesen’s promise was not delivered. No one at either Bredesen’s campaign or DuPont returned The Tennessee Star’s requests for comment Tuesday. According to Humphrey on the Hill at that time, the refinery began as a joint project between DuPont Danisco Cellulosic Ethanol LLC and The University of Tennessee Research Foundation. “In 2007, the state legislature approved $70.5 million in total investment for the project, including $40.7 million for land acquisition, facilities construction and equipment,” according to Humphrey on the Hill. “This proposal, at its core, is about joining the best of Tennessee’s agricultural and academic resources and leveraging them in a unique way that will position us to take advantage of the opportunities of tomorrow,” Bredesen said in a press release at the time. “These investments…

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Unknown Assailant Murders Memphis Chamber Executive Phil Trenary

Chris Butler

An unknown assailant shot and killed the president and chief executive officer of the Greater Memphis Chamber of Commerce Thursday night. That man, Phil Trenary, 64, took over as president in 2014, and he helped Pinnacle become a $1 billion company between 1997 and 2011, according to Fortune. The shooting occurred in downtown Memphis, at the 500 block of South Front, which is a neighborhood of high-end apartment buildings, according to various media reports. Trenary died at Regional One Health hospital. The suspect, according to Memphis police, is a male African-American with dreadlocks hairstyle and a blue shirt. Police said the suspect was in a white four-door Ford F-150 truck, possibly an extended cab. Police said they have not determined the shooter’s motive. According to police, Trenary was leaving a nearby Chamber event, the 4-mile Move it Memphis race, when the shooting happened. “At this point, it does appear that the victim was alone when the shooting occurred,” according to the Memphis Commercial Appeal. “(The suspect) parked along the sidewalk on South Front, got out of his vehicle and approached the victim, at which time the victim was shot.” No one at the Memphis Police Department returned The Tennessee Star’s…

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Court Approves U.S. Catholic Church’s Proposed $210 Million Payout To Sex Abuse Victims

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by Joshua Gill   The Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, which filed for bankruptcy in 2015 amid a flood of sexual abuse allegations, will pay $210 million to abuse victims. U.S. Bankruptcy Court Judge Robert Kressel approved the archdiocese’s proposed settlement Wednesday as part of its reorganization plan. The archdiocese faced an overwhelming financial burden in 2015 after the Minnesota Child Victims Act lifted the statute of limitations on sexual abuse for three years, which would have allowed many victims whose cases went previously unreported to sue the archdiocese. The archdiocese filed for Chapter XI bankruptcy in light of that impending burden, and offered to pay the lump settlement as remuneration to abuse victims. The settlement is the U.S. Catholic church’s second largest payout to victims of sexual abuse. “I need to say once again that I am truly sorry,” Archbishop Bernard A. Hebda said during the hearing, according to Crux Now. “I know those words — as well as my promise of prayers — may ring hollow for many and will never be enough. Still, I am so sorry for the horrific things done to you by people you should have been able to trust.” “As a bishop, as a priest, as a…

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Bernie Sanders’ Misguided ‘Stop BEZOS’ Bill Would Backfire on Workers

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by Amanda Snell and David Kreutzer   No single company gets perhaps as much attention in the news as Amazon. The online retailing giant has surpassed $1 trillion in market value and is now searching for a city to place its second headquarters. Amazon has done enormous good in making Americans’ lives more convenient. But not everyone is a fan. Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., has introduced a bill targeting Amazon and its founding CEO, Jeff Bezos. Appropriately labeled the Stop Bad Employers by Zeroing Out Subsidies Act (Stop BEZOS), this bill is an unabashed attack on Bezos and his immensely successful company. Stop BEZOS is meant to incentivize large companies, like Amazon, to pay a “living wage.” Sanders defines a living wage as $15/hour. This bill would require such companies to pay taxes (dollar for dollar) on the amount of government assistance that its employees collect. The implicit logic of the Stop BEZOS Act is that Amazon pays its employees subsistence wages (just enough to keep them from starving). In this alternate reality, every dollar of government assistance allows Amazon to pay their employees a dollar less. Were this true, the simplest, most effective solution would be to deny any government benefits to the employees…

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California’s Gas Prices Inch Toward $4 Per Gallon At A Bad Time For Democrats

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by Chris White   Gas prices in Southern California are hovering around $4 per gallon as Golden State Democrats attempt to defend an unpopular gas tax outgoing Democratic Gov. Jerry Brown signed in 2017. The average pump price for regular gas in the Los Angeles area is hovering around $3.736 a gallon Thursday, up nearly 19 percent from a year earlier, according to the American Automobile Association. It’s an unwelcome development for Democrats who are fighting for their political lives. The average price in California stood at $3.683 a gallon, up 18 percent from $3.11 in 2017, the AAA said. A portion of the increase stems from the unpopular 12-cent increase in California’s fuel excise tax that went into effect in November. The state tax now sits at 41.7 cents per gallon and is one of the highest in the country. Nearly 58 percent of voters oppose the tax increase, including 39 percent who say they strongly reject the legislation, according to a survey the University of California, Berkeley’s Institute of Governmental Studies conducted shortly after the measure was passed in April 2017. Only 35 percent of voters surveyed at the time favored the law, which also hikes vehicle registration fees to fix roads. Opposition against…

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GOP Rep Jim Jordan Says Voters Have an Easy Choice In November Between Republican Results and Democratic ‘Craziness’

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by Nick Givas   GOP Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio said voters have a clear choice between Republican results or Democratic “craziness” in November’s midterms when they go to the polls. “I think this election is really about two contrasting visions for where we’re going to take the country,” Jordan said on Fox News’s “America’s Newsroom” Friday. “I mean, I’ve never seen the Democrat Party take the extreme positions they are now taking.” “They applaud [Colin] Kaepernick when he disrespects the flag. They embrace [Andrew] Cuomo when he says America was never that great. And they cheer on Maxine Waters when she says go out and harass people who support the president of the United States. That is craziness.” Fox News’ America’s Newsroom tweeted the interview: WATCH: @BillHemmer got reaction from @Jim_Jordan ahead of the vote on Judge Brett Kavanaugh's nomination at 1:30 PM EST #nine2noon pic.twitter.com/Qa0pCcypNA — America's Newsroom (@AmericaNewsroom) September 28, 2018 Jordan said Democrats have assumed radical ideological positions and claimed their platform is in direct contrast to that of President Donald Trump. “That’s the position that the left has now taken in this country. Contrast that with the record under President Trump’s leadership,” he continued. “Taxes cut, regulations…

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Scott DesJarlais Honors Afghan War Veteran

Chris Butler

This week members of the U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill to honor an Afghan war veteran. U.S. Rep. Scott DesJarlais (R-TN-4) put a bill forward to honor Sgt. John Toombs, according to a press release his office released Tuesday. The bill designates Murfreesboro’s Mental Health Residential Rehabilitation Treatment Facility at the Department of Veterans Affairs’ Alvin C. York Medical Center in Murfreesboro as the Sergeant John Toombs Residential Rehabilitation Treatment Facility. The bill passed the U.S. House of Representatives on a bipartisan vote, said DesJarlais spokesman Brendan Thomas. “Sgt. Toombs, an Afghan War veteran who suffered from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, sought counseling for his disorder, as well as addiction treatment, at his local VA facility,” Thomas said. In November 2016, as Thomas’ press release went on to say, Toombs committed suicide on facility grounds. The press release quoted DesJarlais. “He was a war veteran. He was a constituent,” said DesJarlais, a member of the House Armed Services Committee. “I’ve worked closely with David Toombs, his father, to recognize his son’s struggles and to prevent another tragic ending like John’s.” DesJarlais went on to say suicide and substance abuse problems affect a disproportionate number of U.S. military veterans. “We…

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Next Step: Democrats Pledge To Investigate Kavanaugh, Float Impeachment If He’s Confirmed

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by Peter Hasson   Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh might keep facing political attacks from the left if he is confirmed to the nation’s highest court. Kavanaugh faced an onslaught of attacks from Democrats and liberal activists even before Palo Alto University professor Christine Blasey Ford accused him of drunkenly trying to force himself on her while the two were in high school. Kavanaugh denied Ford’s accusation once again in an emotional testimony Thursday. Brian Fallon, former press secretary on Hillary Clinton’s unsuccessful 2016 presidential campaign, predicted Kavanaugh “will not serve for life” if confirmed to the Supreme Court. Fallon leads Demand Justice, a Democratic dark money group dedicated to opposing Kavanaugh’s confirmation, and previously called for Kavanaugh to be impeached from his current position on the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals. “If Senate GOP ignores Dr. Blasey Ford and tries to muscle an attempted rapist onto the Supreme Court: 1. They will pay dearly this November. 2. Senators up in 2020 (Collins, Gardner et al) will feel intense heat for next two years. 3. Kavanaugh will not serve for life,” Fallon predicted. If Senate GOP ignores Dr. Blasey Ford and tries to muscle an attempted rapist onto the Supreme Court:1. They will pay dearly this November.2. Senators up in…

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House Republicans Are Overhauling The Endangered Species Act

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by Tim Pierce   The House Committee on Natural Resources advanced a slate of GOP-authored bills aimed at restructuring the Endangered Species Act (ESA) on Thursday. The committee also passed three Democrat-authored bills that continue the federal government’s use of the James J. Howard Marine Sciences Laboratory, set up a historical monument in Puerto Rico and set up a program to provide federal aid to new businesses on American Indian reservations. “These bills honor our heritage, lighten regulatory burdens for communities, increase transparency, and strengthen relationships between states and the federal government. Ultimately, these bills aim to bolster our country’s natural resources,” committee chairman Republican Rep. Rob Bishop of Utah said in a statement. “I’d like to thank the Western Caucus and my colleagues for helping to move these bills forward.” Landowners, individuals and companies that operate on government-owned land have blamed the ESA for placing heavy-handed federal regulations that are often difficult to roll back once enacted on an area to protect a species approved for federal protection. Just 3 percent of listed species have been delisted and the regulations set up to protect them rolled back. The ESA bills introduced reforms geared toward giving more individual, local and state conservation efforts, reforming procedures for listing animals and banning…

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Commentary: The Senate, Not the FBI, Confirms Supreme Court Justices

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by Robert Romano   Article II, Section 2 of the Constitution states that “The president shall… nominate, and by and with the advice and consent of the senate, shall appoint… judges of the supreme court…” Those are the simple words that outline the process prescribed by the U.S. Constitution for confirming Supreme Court justices. The President nominates a justice, in the current case Judge Brett Kavanaugh, and the Senate advises and then either consents or not to the nomination. Not the Federal Bureau of Investigation, which is not even in the Constitution. It seems that Senate Democrats were more interested in asking Judge Kavanaugh what he thought the appropriate process for hearing the allegations of Dr. Christine Blasey Ford was than to ask him about those allegations. To his credit, Kavanaugh did not give the committee Democrats what they wanted, which was a sound bite calling for an FBI investigation into himself. What a preposterous line of questioning. The FBI cannot even bring a charge of sexual assault against Kavanaugh or anyone else. As it is, Kavanaugh has already been subject to six FBI background checks throughout his career, which is really all that would happen here. A statement by the…

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Tennessee Star EXCLUSIVE: Sen. Lamar Alexander Stands Strong in Support of Brett Kavanaugh’s Confirmation to the Supreme Court

Tennessee Star Staff

NASHVILLE, Tennessee–Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-TN) reaffirmed his strong support for the confirmation of Judge Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court in an exclusive interview late Friday afternoon at his Senate offices in Nashville with Tennessee Star political editor and host of The Tennessee Star Report, heard weekday mornings from 5 a.m. to 8 a.m. on Talkradio 98.3 and 1510 WLAC, Steve Gill. Alexander’s remarks came after the Senate Judiciary Committee’s 11 to 10 party line vote to favorably recommend Kavanaugh’s nomination for a floor vote in the Senate, but minutes before President Trump instructed the FBI to conduct a supplemental investigation into the allegations against Judge Kavanaugh, limited to one week in duration. Trump’s order came after Sen. Jeff Flake’s (R-AZ) last minute demand that such an investigation be conducted. “As we sit here on a Friday when this whole Kavanaugh confirmation process is still in flux, now, apparently, a request for an FBI investigation, it may be voted next week early or late, as you kind of look at it right now, where do you see it going, again, while we know it changes minute by minute,” Gill said. “Well, I don’t want to predict what will happen because, who knows what…

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Bredesen’s Socialized Healthcare Plan Endangers Insurance, Medicare, Ad Says

Jason M. Reynolds

Senate Leadership Fund on Tuesday launched a new advertising campaign discussing U.S. Senate candidate Phil Bredesen’s support of single-payer health care, saying it “threatens our healthcare.” The $1.2 million buy will run statewide on a combination of broadcast and cable television, radio and digital.  It is available to watch here. Bredesen, a former Tennessee governor, is running for the Senate seat being vacated by U.S. Senator Bob Corker (R-TN). His opponent is U.S. Representative Marsha Blackburn (R-TN-07). “Multimillionaire Phil Bredesen is dropping a fortune on ads portraying himself as a moderate, but his plan for a government takeover of health care would give Bernie Sanders palpitations,” said Senate Leadership Fund Spokesman Chris Pack. “Bredesen just isn’t the moderate he wants Tennessee voters to believe he is.” The ad brings attention to Bredesen’s book, “Fresh Medicine,” calling for socialized healthcare. The ad points out “Even the liberal Los Angeles Times called it ‘radical stuff,’” referring to a March 3, 2011 book review by David Lazarus for the newspaper. Also, the ad says Bredesen’s plan would eliminate employer-sponsored health insurance, “making you dependent on the government.” The plan would eliminate Medicare “as we know it, jeopardizing seniors’ care.” The ad ends with this…

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Commentary: Republicans Must Hang Together Now or They’ll Hang Separately in November

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Brett Kavanaugh, Mike Pence

“We must, indeed, all hang together or, most assuredly, we shall all hang separately.” – Benjamin Franklin, 1776. As perhaps America’s quirkiest and most practical Founding Father Ben Franklin is remembered for many sayings, but this quote could be his most famous. Franklin spoke the words just prior to signing the Declaration of Independence, knowing full well the dangers of waging war against the Mother Country – the only options for he and his fellow patriots were win or die. On paper the colonies’ ragtag army and flotilla of privateers was little match for the time-tested land and sea forces of the world’s premier empire, Great Britain, but the men who signed the Declaration hedged their bets and sacrificed everything nonetheless. Today the political situation isn’t nearly as dire and grave as it was all those years ago. Elected officials serving in the nation’s capital won’t be tried for sedition or sent to the gallows unless they do something truly egregious (and even then, who’d convict them in today’s divided political environment?). The circus surrounding Judge Brett Kavanaugh’s confirmation is certainly heinous but doesn’t quite rise to the level of high treason (but should it?). Still, there’s something to be garnered…

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Crony Capitalism-Funded Nashville SoundWaves Waterpark to Open in December

Chris Butler

The SoundWaves water park at the Gaylord Opryland Resort and Convention Center is scheduled to open in December, according to a press release. Are you excited? Before you grab your swimming trunks and bathing suits, don’t forget, Nashville residents, your taxes helped pay for this thing. Also, don’t forget you can’t take so much as one dip inside this water park unless you pony up $250 for a one night stay at the Gaylord. Essentially, you can’t take advantage of something your taxes helped pay for. As the Tennessee Watchdog reported in 2017, Nashville Metro officials gave away $14 million in incentives so Ryman Entertainment officials could build the water park. This, even though the city already has a popular, privately run waterpark — Nashville Shores. Nashville Shores will now have a taxpayer-subsidized competitor. Council member Jim Shulman called it corporate welfare. “I can’t think of any reason why government should be using taxpayer money to help one business compete against another similar business,” Shulman said to the publication. The writers at the World Socialist Web site scolded the agreement as did the staff members at the right-of-center think tank the Beacon Center of Tennessee. Former Nashville Mayor Megan Barry…

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POLL: Smears Of Kavanaugh Motivating Voters Against ‘Radical and Unscrupulous’ Democrats

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by CHQ Staff   Conservatives see the confirmation vote on Judge Brett Kavanaugh as the issue that will allow Republicans to not only hold but even expand their Senate majority this fall, according to a poll by FedUp PAC. A large majority of 91.4% say that campaigning in support of Kavanaugh allows the GOP to highlight how “radical and unscrupulous” the Democrats have become.  Another 5.3% fear that Kavanaugh has been seriously tarnished by the uncorroborated accusations, and that Republicans should campaign on local issues without mentioning Kavanaugh.  Only 3.3% are undecided. The first round of Kavanaugh hearings demonstrated that the radical Democrats would not vote for any nominee who demonstrated faithfulness to the Constitution and the laws as written.  Instead they demanded that the Supreme Court become a left-wing legislature, imposing as the “law of the land” rulings for which many elected Democrats dare not vote. The unscrupulous nature of the Democrats was shown by their waiting until just before the committee vote on Kavanaugh, then springing the unlikely and uncorroborated story of Christine Blasey Ford, using it for delay and more delay.  When it appeared that the committee was finally moving toward a vote, they pulled yet another wild…

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Police May Take Sensitivity Training, Per Steve Cohen

Chris Butler

If U.S. Rep. Steven Cohen (D-TN-09) has his way then police officers nationwide will undergo a series of sensitivity training seminars, according to proposed legislation he’s filed. Race sensitivity training. Ethnic bias sensitivity training. Disability sensitivity training. Police officers would also have to take sensitivity training on how to interact with new immigrants. They would also have to learn how no to behave properly with different groups on a conscious level. Police would also have to learn how to act on a sub-conscious level — whatever that means. And if and when police use deadly force then state officials would have to adopt new laws mandating an independent prosecutor oversee matters. But what is the process for selecting an independent prosecutor? How can anyone know the prosecutor truly is independent? Better yet, what, specifically, does Cohen mean when he asks for sensitivity training for police officers? Unfortunately, no one in Cohen’s office returned The Tennessee Star’s requests for comment Monday. Going by its formal name, the Police Training and Independent Review Act is Cohen’s response to police shootings in Missouri, Tennessee, South Carolina, and Maryland, among other places. “Asking local prosecutors to investigate the same law enforcement officers with whom…

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US House Intelligence Committee to Vote on Release of Trump Russia Transcripts

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Reuters   A U.S. House of Representatives committee will vote on Friday on whether to release dozens of transcripts of interviews from its investigation of Russia and the 2016 U.S. election, including conversations with senior associates of President Donald Trump. The House Intelligence Committee is expected to agree to send transcripts of the 53 interviews to the Office of the Director of National Intelligence for review before they are made public, congressional aides said on Thursday. That would pave the way for the public to see thousands of pages of conversations with people including the president’s eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., and son-in-law and close adviser Jared Kushner, as well as Attorney General Jeff Sessions and former advisor to President Trump, Steve Bannon. Interviews with officials from former President Barack Obama’s administration, including former National Security Adviser Susan Rice and United Nations Ambassador Samantha Power are also among the transcripts. The transcripts are likely to provide the first public look at how some key witnesses described events such as a June 9, 2016, meeting at Trump Tower in New York at which a group of Russians offered to provide damaging information about Trump’s Democratic rival at the election, Hillary Clinton.…

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Blasey Ford Says She Can’t Remember If She Gave Therapist Notes To A Reporter, But WaPo Claims They Had Them

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by Hanna Bogorowski   During Christine Blasey Ford’s testimony in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday, Blasey Ford said she could not remember if she directly gave reporters her therapist notes from 2012. The Washington Post‘s article by Emma Brown revealed Sept. 16 the identity of the woman behind the anonymous letter sent to Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein of California alleging Supreme Court nominee Judge Brett Kavanaugh sexually assaulted her in high school. In the report, Blasey Ford says she never told anyone of the incident until 2012 during a couples therapy session, and WaPo appeared to claim it had obtained a portion of the therapist’s notes. She alleges Kavanaugh pinned her down on a bed and attempted to remove her clothing forcibly. “Ford said she told no one of the incident in any detail until 2012, when she was in couples therapy with her husband,” the report reads. “The therapist’s notes, portions of which were provided by Ford and reviewed by The Washington Post, do not mention Kavanaugh’s name but say she reported that she was attacked by students ‘from an elitist boys’ school’ who went on to become ‘highly respected and high-ranking members of society in Washington.’” “The notes say four boys…

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Sharia Law Advocate Linda Sarsour Arrested Again – This Time While Blocking Streets Outside Supreme Court

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by Henry Rodgers   Women’s March leader Linda Sarsour was arrested while protesting against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh Thursday afternoon. Sarsour, who has been arrested numerous times, including at Kavanaugh’s Sept. 4 confirmation hearing, was spotted inside the Hart Senate Office Building around 10 a.m. with dozens of protesters, before leading a march with the group outside of the U.S. Capitol to the Supreme Court. A group of protesters and Sarsour were seen sitting in the middle of the street in front of the Supreme Court hours later. After being asked to move multiple times, police arrested Sarsour and dozens of others of protesters. #CancelKavanaugh: @womensmarch leaders Linda Sarsour & Bob Bland started a chant of “arrest Trump” while being led away. pic.twitter.com/xnHa1GCnHb — Alejandro Alvarez 🫡 (@aletweetsnews) September 27, 2018 Kavanaugh was testifying in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee. The Daily Caller News Foundation asked Sarsour what her plans were before the arrest. She refused to comment.  – – – Henry Rodgers is a reporter at Daily Caller News Foundation. Follow Henry on Twitter. Photo “Linda Sarsour” by Festival of Faiths CC2.0                     Content created by The Daily Caller News Foundation is available without…

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NRA Endorses Mark Green for Congress

Chris Butler

The National Rifle Association Political Victory Fund has endorsed Republican Mark Green for Tennessee’s Seventh Congressional District seat this week. Republican Marsha Blackburn currently occupies that seat in the U.S. House of Representatives. She is right now running for the U.S. Senate. In their endorsement, NRA officials describe Green as “a longtime champion for gun owners” who fought for the Second Amendment in the Tennessee State Senate. “I’m proud to receive the NRA’s endorsement,” Green said in a press release. “In the State Senate, I have led the fight to expand gun rights to law-abiding citizens and championed the constitutional carry bill in the state. I defended each of the freedoms in the Constitution when I went to Iraq and Afghanistan, and if elected to Congress, you can count on me to continue fighting for the Second Amendment.” Green is a lifetime member of the NRA and has collaborated with the organization on numerous legislative efforts. In his latest re-election campaign to the State Senate, Green received an A+ on the NRA-ILA’s scorecard and also received their endorsement, according to the press release. Green’s opponent in the race, Democrat Justin Kanew, has reportedly pledged not to accept any NRA contributions,…

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REPORT: EPA Paid $14.5 Million For Foreign Nationals, Not Americans, To Work In Government Labs

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by Michael Bastach   The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) paid $14.5 million to foreign nationals to work at agency laboratories over the past 11 years that could have been awarded to U.S. citizens and permanent residents, according to federal investigators. EPA’s Office of Inspector General (OIG) found the agency’s cooperative agreement with the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) funded 107 fellowships to “foreign nationals or persons who were not citizens or permanent residents of the United States.” “Allowing foreign nationals to participate in the fellowships is inconsistent with the EPA practice of awarding fellowships to U.S. citizens, which is required for the EPA’s directly awarded fellowships,” OIG reported Wednesday. EPA’s cooperative agreement with NAS began in 2007 and lasted until 2017, so it spanned multiple administrations. In that time, EPA has come under criticism for wasting taxpayers dollars. Federal auditors found in 2014 that eight EPA employees racked up 20,926 hours on paid leave “and cost the government an estimated $1,096,868.” Each “was on extended administrative leave for four or more months,” auditors found. The Government Accountability Office noted in a 2014 report the “salary cost for EPA employees on administrative leave for fiscal years (FYs) 2011 through 2013 was $17,550,100.” Most notably, former…

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Deputy UN Chief: Fight Against Tuberculosis Drastically Underfunded

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Tuberculosis (TB) is a vicious epidemic that is drastically underfunded. That was the takeaway message from the first high-level meeting focused on the infectious disease at the U.N. General Assembly in New York. Amina Mohammad, U.N. deputy secretary-general, said the disease is fueled by poverty, inequality, migration and conflict, and that an additional $13 billion per year is needed to get the disease under control. Last year, tuberculosis killed more people than any other communicable disease — more than 1.3 million men, women and children. The World Health Organization estimates that the 10 million people who become newly infected each year live mostly in poor countries with limited access to health care. Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, head of the WHO, told the assembly that partnership is vital to end the disease. He said the WHO is committed to working with every country, partner and community to get the job done. The WHO plans to lead U.N. efforts to support governments and other partners in order to drive a faster response to TB. Most people can be cured with a six-month treatment program. But as world leaders told the assembly, medication is expensive, and the stigma associated with TB interferes with…

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Republican Senators Doxxed By Someone In House Shortly After Questioning Kavanaugh

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by Peter Hasson   An unknown person located in the House of Representatives on Thursday posted the personal information of Republican Sens. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, as well as Mike Lee and Orrin Hatch of Utah. All three senators sit on the Senate Judiciary Committee, and their personal information was posted shortly after each questioned Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh during Thursday’s hearing. “They appear to be targeting Republican members of the committee after they question Judge Kavanaugh,” a Hatch spokesman told The Daily Caller News Foundation. The staffer noted the change revealed Hatch’s home address and that Thursday was the senator’s wife’s birthday. The changes were immediately highlighted by a watchdog account that monitors Wikipedia changes made using IP addresses located in the House. A Lee staffer confirmed the senator’s home address in Utah and personal cell phone number were posted to the public page. A spokeswoman for Graham did not immediately return TheDCNF’s request for comment. The information posted on Wikipedia and Twitter matched with a listed personal address for Graham. Wikipedia appears to have removed the changes. Graham delivered a fiery criticism of Senate Democrats shortly before his personal information was posted, a technique known as “doxxing.” “What you want to…

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Senator Bob Corker Announces He Will Vote to Confirm Judge Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court

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Late Thurday, after a long and often emotional day of testimony at the Senate Confirmation Hearing of Judge Brett Kavanaugh, Senator Bob Corker (R-TN) announced he will vote to confirm Judge Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court. “I plan to vote to confirm Judge Brett Kavanaugh,” Corker wrote simply. In his statement – released as an attachment to his tweet – the swing Senator elaborated: I believe those who come forward with allegation of sexual assault deserve to be heard. That is why I was one of the first members of the Senate to call on the judiciary committee to delay the original vote on the nomination so that both Dr. Ford and Judge Kavanaugh could provide additional information. I know if took courage for Dr. Ford to appear before the committee today. I also very strongly believe Judge Kavanaugh, like all Americans, deserves the presumption of innocence and that it was equally as important for him to have the opportunity to address the charges and defend himself. While both individuals provided compelling, nothing that has been presented corroborates the allegation. There is no question that Judge Kavanaugh is qualified to serve on the Supreme Court, and is a different political…

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‘Fibber Phil’ Bredesen Called Out by NRA: ‘Stop Lying’ About Endorsement

Jason M. Reynolds

Phil Bredesen has a “D,” not an “A” rating from the NRA-ILA, and the organization wants him to “stop lying.” The Democratic former governor of Tennessee had received an “A” rating from the NRA – in 2002, The Tennessee Star reported last week. Bredesen is running for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Senator Bob Corker (R-TN) who is retiring. NRA-ILA Political Victory Fund executive director Chris W. Cox  is using Twitter to call Bredesen out for his use of the old “A” rating, Breitbart reports. @PhilBredesen It’s not 2002, you’re not governor and you’re not A-rated by the NRA. Its 2018, you have earned a D rating for turning your back on self-defense and supporting the Hillary/Schumer/Bloomberg gun control agenda. @VoteMarsha is a 2A champion. You’re not. #stoplying pic.twitter.com/Wi0ORRmQTv — Chris Cox (@ChrisCoxCap6) September 20, 2018 On September 19, Bredesen posted a video to Twitter in which he is seen holding a shotgun and can be heard talking about the “A” rating, Breitbart says. Bredesen’s video is available here. Real independence and not party politics — that’s what’s right for Tennessee. pic.twitter.com/BmyyvJGL2e — Phil Bredesen (@PhilBredesen) September 19, 2018 Bredesen was elected governor in 2002, and Cox responded…

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Opening Statements by Judge Brett Kavanaugh and Accuser Christine Blasey Ford Before The Senate Judiciary Committee Today

Tennessee Star Staff

Judge Brett Kavanaugh and accuser Christine Blasey Ford will present two different versions of the truth regarding Ford’s uncorroborated allegations Kavanaugh sexually assaulted her in 1982 before the Senate Judiciary Committee today. President Trump nominated Judge Kavanaugh to serve on the Supreme Court in July, and the Senate Judiciary Committee is scheduled to vote on forwarding his nomination for confirmation to the full Senate on Friday. “In the summer of 1982, like most summers, I spent almost every day at the Columbia Country Club in Chevy Chase, Maryland swimming and practicing diving,” Ford wrote in written testimony provided to PBS and other news outlets Wednesday night she intends to deliver when the Senate Judiciary Committee hears her testimony today, adding: In the summer of 1982, like most summers, I spent almost every day at the Columbia Country Club in Chevy Chase, Maryland swimming and practicing diving. One evening that summer, after a day of swimming at the club, I attended a small gathering at a house in the Chevy Chase/Bethesda area. There were four boys I remember being there: Brett Kavanaugh, Mark Judge, P.J. Smyth, and one other boy whose name I cannot recall. I remember my friend Leland Ingham…

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My Pillow Inventor Mike Lindell in Nashville for Christian Revival Event

Chris Butler

NASHVILLE — Once upon a time, My Pillow, Inc. CEO Mike Lindell was a cocaine addict whose habit spiraled so far out of control he had an intervention — staged by, of all people, his own drug dealers. Lindell, in Nashville Wednesday to help launch a Christian revival event called Awaken the Dawn, said the intervention was the first of many planted seeds to help set him straight. The final seed, he said, led him to Jesus. The drug dealers who put on Lindell’s intervention cut him off from his supply of drugs after he had another binge, this time in downtown Minneapolis, he told The Tennessee Star. “I was told I was up for 14 days. They finally told me ‘We’re cutting you off. I waited until they went to sleep, and I went down to the streets at 2:30 a.m. I couldn’t get drugs anywhere. I couldn’t get crack anywhere,” Lindell said. “I came back up there, and the one guy that was left said ‘You know what. You made a promise to us that this pillow (you made) was a platform for God, and you would come back someday and help us all. We’re not going to…

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No Raise Is Too Little For Nashville Mayor Briley’s Staff While Remainder of City Employees Left Out of Pay Increases

Jason M. Reynolds

In a year where Metro Nashville’s rank and file workers learned they would not get promised cost of living increases, Nashville Mayor David Briley gave merit raises to 20 members of his own staff, WSMV reported. Two of the mayor’s staff received 6 percent increases. One Briley staffer, Chief Strategy Officer Brian Kelsey, got a $7,178 raise, increasing his salary to $126,824. Briley also gave merit-based raises to department heads. Briley’s decision to reverse the cost of living adjustments – COLAs – for Metro employees created a lot of controversy. Nashville Fire Chief Will Swann refused his 2.5 percent pay increase, choosing to pass the Open Range money to 19 administrators under him. Briley said that although city workers would not get cost of living adjustments this year, 71 percent of the city’s work force could expect their paychecks to increase during the coming year. Workers can get what are called step increases. Metro Nashville’s being strapped for cash did not stop Briley from compiling a wish list of expensive projects like a $125 million floodwall for downtown, The Tennessee Star reported. Police officers and firefighters wanted the raises they were promised to help with the cost of living, WSMV…

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Tennessee Star Report EXCLUSIVE: Steve Gill Talks to Larry Woods on Bredesen, Blackburn, Democrats, and Debate Fashion

Julie Carr

On Wednesday’s Tennessee Star Report with Steve Gill and Michael Patrick Leahy – broadcast on Nashville’s Talkradio 98.3 and WLAC 1510 weekdays from 5:00 am to 8:00 am – Tennessee Star Political Editor Steve Gill talked with Larry Woods about last nights Tennessee Senate debate and how Phil Bredesen and Marsha Blackburn made some hits and misses in both candidates performance. Steve Gill: And welcome back in. The debate, first debate took place last night sponsored by The Tennessean, sponsored by Channel 5, League of Women Voters, the National Public Television, you know all those conservative outlets that made sure the panel was properly composed. Larry Woods with us to us help breakdown the debate, Democrat Party activist, lawyer, and longtime friend, and media colleague of mine. We’re going to be on Channel 5 plus their political show at 9 o’clock Friday together we’ll break this down at that time. We get a little head start here. When you looked at the politics last night to me Larry one of the key moments was when Phil Bredesen declared that he would not vote for Chuck Schumer for majority leader, um, do you believe him? Larry Woods: Oh yes, Bredesen’s the kind…

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Commentary: The Trump Doctrine

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Trump at UN

by George Rasley   While the establishment media and self-appointed pundits focused on the U.N. audience reaction to President Trump’s truthful boast that “In less than two years, my administration has accomplished more than almost any administration in the history of our country…” they missed the most important part of the President’s remarks – the announcement of what might be called the Trump doctrine. What the President said that was so important was this: We are also standing up for our citizens and for peace loving people everywhere. We believe that when nations respect the rights of their neighbors and defend the interests of their people, they can better work together to secure the blessings of safety, prosperity, and peace. Each of us here today is the emissary of a distinct culture, a rich history, and a people bound together by ties of memory, tradition, and the values that make our homelands like nowhere else on Earth. That is why America will always choose independence and cooperation over global governance, and I honor the right of every nation in this room to pursue its own customs, beliefs and traditions. The United States will not tell you how to live, work,…

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EXCLUSIVE: Female High School Friend of Kavanaugh Says Latest Allegation ‘False,’ ‘Absurd’

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by Rachel del Guidice   A woman and friend who knew Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh as a high school student says allegations of sexual misconduct from a third accuser are “false.” “This claim is absolutely false and absurd,” Meghan McCaleb, a friend of Kavanaugh’s since high school, told The Daily Signal of allegations from Julie Swetnick, which were made public Wednesday. Swetnick, who says she is a graduate of Gaithersburg High School in Gaithersburg, Maryland, claims she saw Kavanaugh “drink excessively at many of these parties and engage in abusive and physically aggressive behavior towards girls, including pressing girls against him without their consent, ‘grinding’ against girls, and attempting to remove or shift girls’ clothing to expose private body parts.” Gaithersburg High is a public school in Montgomery County, Maryland, about 10 miles north of Georgetown Prep,  the private school Kavanaugh attended. “We never hung out with anyone from Gaithersburg High School, there was never any drug use at our parties, and the fact that she is coming out and saying that is such an insult to Brett and to all of us,” McCaleb said. “It makes our community look bad and our reputation, and Brett was just not like that…

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Less is Better? West Palm Beach Teacher Fired for Expecting More Out of Student’s Performance

Julie Carr

On Tuesday’s Gill Report – Tennessee Star Political Editor Steve Gill was baffled by a recent firing of a West Palm Beach, Florida elementary teacher who refused to give a fifty percent score to students who chose to ‘do nothing’ in class. The school’s “lowest grade possible-50% policy”  encourages students to do less than the bare minimum. “A teacher in West Palm Beach was fired because she refused to follow the school’s direction that the worst grade a student could get, even if they did not turn in anything in terms of their homework or their assignment was a zero. She said you get a zero if you don’t turn anything in. The school said, ‘No, you have to give them at a least a fifty percent because that’s the rules of our school,” Gill reported.  He went on to talk about the education epidemic that is rising across the country through faulty, over-funded school systems and how it will fail graduating students when they enter the work force. “Doing nothing gets you fifty percent according to West Palm Beach; she refused to do it and she was fired,” Gill said; adding, “I can’t wait to see these kids out in the…

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The Fed Lifts Rates for Third Time in 2018 and One More Raise Is Expected

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The Federal Reserve on Wednesday raised a key interest rate for the third time this year in response to a strong U.S. economy and signaled that it expected to maintain a pace of gradual rate hikes. The Fed lifted its short-term rate — a benchmark for many consumer and business loans — by a quarter-point to a range of 2 percent to 2.25 percent. It was the eighth hike since late 2015. The central bank stuck with its previous forecast for a fourth rate increase before year’s end and for three more hikes in 2019. The Fed dropped phrasing it had used for years that characterized its rate policy as “accommodative” by favoring low rates. In dropping that language, the central bank may be signaling its resolve to keep raising rates. Many analysts think the economy could weaken next year, in part from the effects of the trade conflicts President Donald Trump has pursued with China, Canada, Europe and other trading partners. The tariffs and countertariffs that have been imposed on imports and exports are having the effect of raising prices for some goods and supplies and potentially slowing growth. Compounding the effects of the tariffs,other factors could slow growth…

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Ohio Diocese To Publicly Name Up To 20 Reported Predatory Priests

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by Joshua Gill   The bishop of the Steubenville diocese declared that his diocese will release a list of predatory priests, becoming the second Ohio diocese to do so. Dino Orsatti, spokesman for the diocese, made the announcement Tuesday that Bishop Jeffrey Monforton called for the list of alleged sexually predatory priests to be released as a show of greater transparency in the wake of revelations like Pennsylvania’s grand jury report on sexual abuse in six of the state’s dioceses. The list will name between 12 and 20 priests who, according to church documentation dating back as far as 1944, were alleged to have committed sexual abuses against parishioners. “He would welcome any investigation like the one in Pennsylvania,” Orsatti said of Monforton, according to The Associated Press. The Steubenville announcement followed a similar one from the diocese of Youngstown, which announced earlier in September that the church there would also release a list of accused predatory priests, echoing Pennsylvania bishops who chose to release lists of such priests from their respective dioceses during legal battles over the release of the grand jury report. Monsignor John Zuraw  said the diocese of Youngstown hopes that the release of their list will not only foster transparency,…

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Public Sector Unions Make Up Half of All Union Membership

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Washington DC

by Richard McCarty   Public sector unions have long exploited taxpayers by pushing for higher taxes, higher spending, and generous benefits and extravagant pensions for government workers while opposing measures to hold bureaucrats accountable. Fortunately, the U.S. Supreme Court’s Janus decision, which gave government workers a choice of whether to belong to a public employee union, has started to erode some of these unions’ excessive power. Yet much work remains to be done to make government bureaucracies more efficient and responsive to elected officials and to the public. Although the public sector is much smaller than the private sector, public sector union members make up nearly half of all union members. In fact, of the nation’s 14.8 million union members, there are 7.2 million public sector union members and 7.6 million private sector union members. The near parity between public sector union membership and private sector union membership is only possible because the union membership rate is more than five times higher in the public sector than in the private sector: 34.4 percent of the public sector is unionized while only 6.5 percent of the private sector is unionized. The five largest public employee unions, which claim to represent several million current and former government workers, are the National Education Association…

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‘Fibber Phil’ Bredesen Misleads on Nissan and Volkswagen Production in Tennessee

Chris Alto

‘Fibber Phil’ Bredesen, the U.S. Senate Democrat candidate takes credit bringing Nissan and Volkswagen to Tennessee in his ad Matters and then uses these references to talk about his record creating jobs in the state when he was governor: As governor I worked with Democrats and Republicans to bring Volkswagen and the Nissan headquarters to Tennessee The same claims are posted on Bredesen’s campaign website. Watch the ad: The problem with Bredesen’s version of the facts, which deliberately mislead voters, is it omist material facts which if known, diminish greatly Bredesen’s claimed accomplishments. The Nissan Corporation’s relationship with Tennessee actually began during the early part of Lamar Alexander’s first term as governor. Lamar took the governor’s office in 1979, and two years later, Nissan was breaking ground to build its first plant outside of Japan, in Smyrna, earning Lamar recognition from The Tennessee Automotive Manufacturing Association (TAMA) in their ‘Hall of Fame’: During his time as governor of Tennessee (1979-87), Lamar Alexander recruited Nissan and General Motors to establish major auto manufacturing and assembly plants in the state and set the foundation for future auto industry growth through state-led economic development initiatives. Today automotive manufacturing is one of Tennessee’s leading…

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US Proposes Selling Taiwan Arms – This Time without Angering China

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Washington’s notification of a second weapons sale to Taiwan in as many years is helping arm the client without, so far, enraging its military rival, China, or exacerbating already strained Sino-U.S. ties. The Pentagon notified Congress Monday of a $330 million arms package, including parts for American-made aircraft such as F-16s and F-5s. The package omits new fighter jets, such as F-35s, or technology for submarines despite Taiwan’s requests over the years. But the deal has drawn just a routine protest from China rather than the outrage expected from bigger sales. China claims sovereignty over self-ruled Taiwan and insists the two sides eventually unify, by force if needed. Taiwanese prefer their autonomy of some 70 years. To resist China, Taiwan has fostered a military ranked by online database GlobalFirePower.com as the world’s 24th strongest. Sino-U.S. ties are already strained by a growing trade dispute. “Some might see spare parts as a kind of rejection, because what Taiwan really wants from the U.S. is many other larger items,” said Sean King, vice president of the Park Strategies political consultancy in New York. “But as I see it, this sale’s just another step in President Trump’s evolving support for Taiwan over the…

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