Day: September 29, 2018

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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