Day: September 19, 2018

Former Tennessee Governor Dunn Endorses Blackburn for the U.S. Senate over Former Governor Bredesen

Jason M. Reynolds
Winfield Dunn

Former Tennessee Governor Winfield Dunn, a Republican,  endorsed U.S. Representative Marsha Blackburn (R-TN-07) for the U.S. Senate on Friday last week. Dunn picked Blackburn over one of his successors, former Tennessee Governor Phil Bredesen, a Democrat, who is running against Blackburn. Blackburn and Bredesen are running for the seat being vacated by retiring U.S. Senator Bob Corker (R-TN). Speaking about his endorsement, Dunn said, “November’s election is not about the past; it is about the future of the state and the country. Marsha Blackburn is the only candidate who will vote to protect Tennessee values. She has dedicated her life to making things better for her fellow Tennesseans, and she will represent us faithfully in the United States Senate.” A video of Dunn’s endorsement is available to watch here. In the video, Dunn said, “I strongly urge your support and your vote for Senator Blackburn.” Responding to the endorsement, Blackburn said, “Governor Dunn made history as the first Republican governor in 50 years, but he is most well-known for his gracious spirit and love of public service. He and Betty serve as role models for each of us who seeks to serve. I am so humbled to have his endorsement.…

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Tennessee Star Poll: Governor Bill Haslam Retains Relatively High Approval Rating

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Bill Haslam

As Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam moves closer to full lame-duck status when his successor is elected on November 6 it appears he will leave office with a relatively high approval rating from Tennessee voters. A Tennessee Star survey of likely November general election voter conducted in early September shows the Governor with a “favorable” approval rating from 47.8%; “unfavorable” from 27.1%, “ and “not sure or don’t know” at 25.1%. Haslam’s approval figure is 4 points lower than the approval rating for President Donald Trump in the same poll. However, the disapproval number for Haslam is 15 points lower than the response of those surveyed regarding President Trump. Trump and Senator Lamar Alexander received virtually identical disapproval responses in the survey, 42.4% and 40.8% respectively. Haslam and Alexander both recorded high levels of “not sure/don’t know” responses regarding the voters’ opinions of the two men, 27.4% and 25.1% respectively. Tennessee Star political editor Steve Gill points out that the Trump and Alexander disapproval ratings reflect the bitter partisan divide in the country and state. “Those who support Trump really support him and those who don’t really don’t,” Gill says. “Despite Alexander’s long term appeal across the political aisle, his support…

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Nashville Mayor David Briley to Run for Full Term in 2019

Chris Butler

Nashville Mayor David Briley announced Tuesday he’s running for reelection. What’s uncertain is who and how many people will oppose him. The Tennessean floated names such as at-large council member John Cooper, real estate executive Bill Freeman, and council member Steve Glover. No one in Briley’s office returned The Tennessee Star’s request for comment Tuesday. Cooper, in an email, told The Star he has no timeline. “Am listening to people to decide what to do,” Cooper said. “Our financial situation will be the big issue for next year and the years to come.” When reached Tuesday, Glover, a Republican, said he has no interest in running for mayor, but he is interested in running for an at-large council position. “It would be a challenge for a Republican to be elected as the mayor. It would be a hard fight for a Republican to be elected in this city, but I do believe a conservative Republican could be elected for an at-large seat and if we sit down and work we can get conservatives,” Glover said. “I don’t care if you’re Republican, independent or Democrat, we need conservatives on the council on this next go-round that will sit down and say…

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Dr. Carol M. Swain Commentary: Politico’s Claim That ‘God is Laughing at Brett Kavanaugh’ Demonstrates Publication’s Bias Against Christians and Conservatives

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Carol Swain

by Dr. Carol M. Swain   When did America’s standard of justice erode to the point where we automatically presume innocence for women who make strategically timed sexual allegations against successful men at pivotal times in their careers? Under the new “ends justify means” politics, there is no standard of proof, no statute of limitations, and no real consequences for telling politically-motivated lies. In fact, the women who make allegations against conservatives are treated like heroines. Just ask Anita Hill. Of course, I am referring to what started off as a vicious, anonymous sexual-assault allegation against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh but has now blossomed into a full-blown allegation by accuser Christine Blasey Ford, a professorof clinical psychology at Palo Alto University. Her anonymous accusation made in a July letter to Senator Diane Feinstein is now part of a desperate effort to kill the Kavanaugh confirmation. The political left is full of glee at the prospect of bringing down one of President Trump’s Supreme Court nominees. So much so, that John Harris, editor-in-chief of Politico, decided to bring God into the debate in an article titled “Why God is Laughing at Brett Kavanaugh.” The subtitle of the smug and self-righteous screed was “American Politics is about power,…

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Great Economic News Bedevils Trump Detractors

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by Rick Manning   The incredibly positive economic data that keeps coming out from both private and public sector sources leads to one overriding question: Will the Trump economic detractors ever get tired of being wrong? Over the course of the past six months, we have heard how tariffs against the Chinese would be passed along to the consumers in higher prices — yet the just released inflation data from the Labor Department’s Bureau of Labor Statistics shows that last month the Consumer Price Index increased a seasonally adjusted 0.2 percent for all items with the past six months showing a paltry 0.8 percent increase for all items. The Federal Reserve target for inflation growth is 2 percent per annum and the past six months are tracking twenty percent below that target. This is great news for the U.S. economy. Particularly when paired with BLS wage data which shows that wages have risen faster than inflation over the past year.  Here is what the BLS report says: “Real average hourly earnings increased 0.2 percent, seasonally adjusted, from August 2017 to August 2018. The change in real average hourly earnings combined with the 0.3-percent increase in the average workweek resulted in a 0.5-percent increase in real…

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Trump Administration Slashes Refugees US Will Take By A Third

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Mike Pompeo

by Joshua Gill   Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced Monday that the U.S. will take only 30,000 refugees over the next fiscal year — the fewest since the 1980 Refugee Act. The cap on refugees decreased from the 45,000 cap set for the current fiscal year and is the third such cutback on the yearly refugee cap President Donald Trump has implemented in a row. Pompeo said the lowered cap was necessary to allow the U.S. to deal with the backlog of 800,000 currently pending asylum seekers. “In consideration of both U.S. national security interest and the urgent need to restore integrity to our overwhelmed asylum system, the United States will focus on addressing the humanitarian protection cases of those already in the country,” Pompeo said, according to The Washington Post. International law requires countries to admit asylum seekers, but allows for judges to reject the cases of asylum seekers once they have been admitted into the country and deport them. Refugees, on the other hand, remain outside of the country while their cases are processed. While the new cap on refugees represents a significant decrease from the previous year’s cap, fewer than 20,000 refugees have been admitted to the…

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Fact Checking Shows Bredesen Raised Taxes, Fees By Nearly $1 Billion as Governor

Jason M. Reynolds

Republicans are checking the facts about Phil Bredesen’s “phony” claims to have balanced the state budget when he was governor, pointing out Tennessee’s constitution requires a balanced budget. “Phil Bredesen is touting his budgetary accomplishments in a recent ad, but he’s not giving Tennesseans the full story,” the Tennessee Republican Party said in a statement. Bredesen, a former Democratic governor, is running for the seat being vacated by U.S. Senator Bob Corker (R-TN), who is retiring. His opponent is U.S. Representative Marsha Blackburn (R-TN-07). The Tennessee Republican Party says their latest video shows “Bredesen doesn’t have a leg to stand on.” The video is available to watch here. Tennessee has balanced its budget every year since voters approved a balanced budget amendment to the state Constitution in 1978. The GOP points out how Bredesen fails to say that as governor he raised taxes and fees by nearly $1 billion, citing a 2010 story by the Times Free Press, and “raided hundreds of millions of dollars from the state’s highway fund so that he could pay for his own budgetary priorities.” “Our state constitution has strictly prohibited anything other than a balanced budget since 1978, so it’s pretty rich for Phil…

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A New Campus Invention for Policing Speech

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by Dan E. Way   Colleges are using a new tool with the frightening potential to shut down open dialogue. They go by the benign-sounding name of “bias response teams.”  Bias response teams monitor what students and faculty say. They encourage students to report, often anonymously, comments or behavior that make them feel uncomfortable or threatened, even if the speech or conduct is constitutionally protected. Those who are reported can face referral to student conduct administrators or law enforcement, but records on whether or how often punitive action is meted out are elusive. Indeed, colleges are reluctant to share much of the data collected by them. Campuses have created bias response teams as early as the 1980s, according to an article in the Journal of Student Affairs Research and Practice authored in part by UNC-Charlotte professor Ryan Miller. Arizona State University was among the pioneers, said Adam Steinbaugh, director of the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education’s (FIRE) Individual Rights Defense Program. By 1996, Ohio State University and others increasingly got on board. And their expansion has been a national issue. Bias response teams operate on at least 231 college campuses in 43 states and the District of Columbia, and the number is growing.…

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Alibaba Chief’s Next Move May Reveal a Chinese Gameplan

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by Saibal Dasgupta   Alibaba chairman Jack Ma’s surprise announcement last week that he would step down as head of the world’s biggest e-commerce company, has sparked animated discussions on what would be his next career move and whether the Chinese government was behind the decision. Some analysts have suggested the government was keen to enhance its influence over global giants from China like Huawei and the so-called BAT club, Baidu, Alibaba and Tencent. Such a move would leave little space for high-profile and largely independent players like Jack Ma. “The Chinese government seems to be wanting to have a more direct ‘say’ into the BAT, particularly in Alibaba and Tencent,”said Lourdes Casanova, director of Emerging Markets Institute at Cornell.“The government is saying, ‘You have become so powerful because we have protected you against the big world players. It is time to give us back,’” she said trying to analyze the government’s viewpoint. Ma and the Chinese government have not publicly commented on this speculation about the motivation for his announcement. Many believe Beijing needs to enhance its economic diplomacy at a time when it faces severe trade challenges from the Trump administration in the United States, and would like to…

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Education Facination: Texas State Board of Education Attempts Another ‘Edit” of Social Studies Curriculum

Julie Carr

On Tuesday’s Gill Report – broadcast on Nashville’s Talk Radio 1510 WLAC weekdays at 7:30 am – Star News Digital Media National Political Editor Steve Gill discussed the peculiar fascination with the Texas’s Board of Education and their obsession with editing their state’s social studies curriculum. He went on to reflect on The Tennessee Star’s last story regarding the Alamo and the most recent attempt of taking out Hillary Clinton and Helen Keller from the state’s history books. Gill continued: What the heck is going on in Texas? Now we had a story a week or so ago about the state of Texas Board of Education deciding whether or not to remove the word ‘heroic’ in describing the defenders at the Alamo. They ultimately decided after they got some national push back that the description of the defenders of the Alamo as heroic was appropriate, so they’re leaving that in the social studies curriculum. And now the Texas Board of Education has voted to remove former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton from the state’s social studies curriculum. They’ve also dropped Helen Keller. Now it came after the fifteen-member board nominated volunteer work group created a scale to grade historical figures.…

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What to Expect When the Supreme Court Returns

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Supreme Court of the United States

by Elizabeth Slattery   Monday, Oct. 1, marks the start of a new Supreme Court term. With conservative victories in numerous cases (NIFLA, the so-called “travel ban,” Masterpiece Cakeshop, Janus, and more), the previous term is summed up best by then-candidate Donald Trump: “We’re going to win so much, you’re going to be so sick and tired of winning.” Will conservatives keep the streak alive? The upcoming term may not have quite as many high-profile, headline-grabbing cases, but the justices will nevertheless hear a number of cases raising important issues. Here are a few of the cases coming up in October: Weyerhaeuser Company v. US Fish and Wildlife Service What happens when the government decides private land is “critical habitat” for an animal that can’t survive there and hasn’t lived in the area for half a century? The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service designated 1,500 acres of land in St. Tammany Parish, Louisiana, as “critical habitat” for the endangered dusky gopher frog (also known as the Mississippi gopher frog, named for its natural habitat). In the early 20th century, these frogs could be found throughout the Gulf Coast—from Louisiana to Alabama. But today, they are not found in the wild outside Harrison County, Mississippi.…

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‘Game of Thrones’ Takes Top Prize at Surprising Emmys

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HBO’s record-breaking fantasy epic “Game of Thrones” stormed back onto the Emmys stage on Monday, winning the coveted best drama series prize on a night full of surprises, including an on-air marriage proposal that stunned the audience. The other big story of the Hollywood gala, television’s answer to the Oscars, was the huge success of “The Marvelous Mrs Maisel,” Amazon’s story of a 1950s housewife-turned-stand up comic, which took home eight Emmys overall, including the best comedy award. “The Handmaid’s Tale” — last year’s best drama and an early favorite for more hardware in 2018— went home empty-handed from the star-studded event at the Microsoft Theater, after winning three minor awards handed out a week ago. The ceremony hosted by “Saturday Night Live” regulars Colin Jost and Michael Che took on a decidedly political hue at the start, with a barrage of edgy jokes on hot-button issues from diversity in Hollywood to #MeToo and Donald Trump. The gala also saw several sentimental favorites take home their first Emmys. Matthew Rhys won for best drama actor for spy thriller “The Americans,” Claire Foy was named best drama actress for her portrayal of Queen Elizabeth II in “The Crown” and Henry Winkler…

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EXCLUSIVE: Soros-Backed Activists Slip Cash To Anti-Kavanaugh Protesters Before Arrests

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by Peter Hasson and Joe Simonson   Left-wing groups funded by George Soros and other major Democratic donors hand out cash to protesters arrested for disrupting Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh’s confirmation hearings, the activists revealed Monday night. A coalition of left-wing activist organizations including Women’s March, the Center for Popular Democracy (CPD) and Housing Works have scheduled the near-constant disruptions at the Kavanaugh hearings as part of an organized effort to derail the confirmation process in a series of meetings since he was first nominated. The cash from the donor-funded groups goes toward the protesters’ post-and-forfeit payments — a small cash sum paid to resolve low-level misdemeanor crimes and avoid jail time. Those are just some of the details representatives from the three groups revealed in a Monday night conference call planning their next two anti-Kavanaugh protests, one on Thursday and one next Monday. The Daily Caller News Foundation received a tip with the dial-in code for Monday’s conference call and was present on the call in its entirety. One reporter, who asked questions, revealed his name during the introductions portion of the meeting. Protesters only need a government-issued ID and “your cash for the post-and-forfeit,” CPD national field organizer Darius…

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Commentary: In Today’s Politics, ‘Bipartisanship’ is a Fool’s Gambit

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by Jeffery Rendall   The late Senator John McCain was laid to rest a little over two weeks ago. In the time since there’s been much discussion concerning one of his most passionate lifelong political causes, namely bringing both parties together to “compromise” on legislation and act in a bipartisan manner. Judge Brett Kavanaugh’s confirmation hearings began a couple days after McCain’s burial, and had McCain witnessed personally his Democrat senator colleagues’ atrocious Judiciary Committee behavior he would’ve been astonished at their depravity. On the GOP side you had Republicans complimenting Kavanaugh on his stellar judicial record and certifiable qualifications to serve on the high Court. On the Democrat side there were endless objections and tacit approval of the leftist protesters’ constant interruptions and incitements to violence. There’s little doubt the legitimacy of the American system is at stake these days. Is coming together the answer? And is “bipartisanship” even possible anymore? Some seem to think so, and according to them such a kumbaya moment is essential to moving forward as a country. (Democrat) David L. Mercer and (Republican) Chris C. Reid wrote at The Hill, “Contrary to the current national mood, bipartisanship is not lost to posterity. In fact, President Obama worked…

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Corker: Senate Judiciary Committee Members Should ‘Move On’ If Kavanaugh Accuser Declines Opportunity To Testify

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Bob Corker, Brett Kavanaugh

by Henry Rodgers   Tennessee Republican Sen. Bob Corker said Christine Blasey Ford, the woman accusing Judge Brett Kavanaugh of high school-era sexual assault, needs to respond to Senate inquiries, and that the Judiciary Committee should “move on” if she declines. “I would hope that if someone has been given the opportunity to voice a concern that they have that they would do so,” Corker told The Daily Caller News Foundation in the U.S. Capitol Tuesday afternoon. “So that would be quite something, if she decided she did not want to testify. I would assume the committee would then move on, as they should.” Maine Republican Sen. Susan Collins, who has been on the fence about Kavanaugh, said earlier Tuesday that she finds it “very puzzling” that Ford will not respond to inquiries from the Senate Judiciary Committee, saying “she’s now being given an opportunity to come before the Senate Judiciary Committee and to answer questions and I really hope that she doesn’t pass up that opportunity.” Corker told Politico on Sunday he believed it “would be best for all involved, including the nominee” if they were able to tell their sides of the story in front of the committee. However, according to Iowa Republican…

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