‘Fibber Phil’ Bredesen Claims ‘I Am Not Going to Be Voting for Chuck Schumer,’ But Even Politico Admits ‘The Pledge Is Functionally Useless’

Phil Bredesen, Chuck Schumer

Phil Bredesen did his best to flee from Democrat Chuck Schumer during Tuesday’s U.S. Senate debate, the Republican National Committee (RNC) said. Bredesen is running against U.S. Representative Marsha Blackburn (R-TN-07) for the Senate seat being vacated by Senator Bob Corker (R-TN) who is retiring. “We need to get new leadership. I can tell you right now that if I’m elected, and when I’m elected and go to Washington, I am not going to be voting for Chuck Schumer,” Bredesen said at the beginning of the debate. He managed to make news by saying he wouldn’t vote for Schumer to be the leader of the Democrat caucus, even though Schumer, the Senate Minority Leader, recruited him. But there’s a problem with that. Politico said, “The pledge is functionally useless — unlike in the House, where the speaker is chosen by a majority of the chamber in a floor vote, Senate party leaders are chosen by a majority in a private caucus vote. While there might be enough Democratic House candidates to deny (U.S. Represesntative Nancy) Pelosi the 218 votes she needs to become speaker again, there is virtually no chance of Schumer being dethroned by the Democratic Caucus after the…

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UT Board of Trustees Places Trust in Randy Boyd to Serve as Interim President

The University of Tennessee Board of Trustees on Tuesday placed its trust in failed gubernatorial candidate Randy Boyd to lead the system as interim president. Boyd, the Knoxville entrepreneur who made improving education a key plank in his failed bid this summer to be Tennessee’s governor, will take over as interim University of Tennessee system president when current President Joe DiPietro retires in November, WBIR reported. The Board of Trustees voted Tuesday morning to appoint Boyd to the role. As the board started its vote, a few students began protesting. Stephanie Haines reported on Twitter, “Before this, a few students interrupted the vote and approached Chair Compton with a petition against the appointment. They were asked to leave. There was some profanity.” UT Board of Trustees votes Randy Boyd as interim system president pic.twitter.com/2GE7OMhD3F — Stephanie Haines (@StephanieWBIR) September 25, 2018 Several UT students attended the meeting and protested Boyd’s appointment, holding signs saying, “LIES” and “#RunoutRandy,” the Knoxville News-Sentinel reported. Several also spoke during the meeting, saying they had concerns about his appointment. Some protesters planned to introduce a bill to the Student Senate Tuesday night opposing Boyd’s appointment. The bill says, “the administration has forgone any review of…

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Memphis Entrepreneur Says Bredesen’s Debate Claim He Can Be Effective as Moderate Democrat in Senate ‘Either Naive or a Charade’

“Phil Bredesen’s claim in the debate tonight that he can be effective as a moderate Democrat in  the U.S. Senate is either naive or a charade,” Memphis entrepreneur Jeff Webb told The Tennessee Star on Tuesday night in an exclusive interview. The founder of Varsity Brands also questioned Bredesen for his opposition to President Trump’s tax cuts and economic program. “Bredesen continues to avoid saying what he would do to keep the current economic revival going,”  Webb added. Former Gov. Bredesen, the Democrat nominee for the U.S. Senate seat currently held by outgoing Sen. Bob Corker (R-TN), squared off in a debate Tuesday night at Cumberland University with GOP nominee Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN-07). “He’s talking like he’s running for governor,” Webb said. “He’s not going to be the policy maker, if he’s elected to the U.S. Senate. He’s going to be the junior senator from Tennessee. The question is, how is he going to vote. If he wants to be a chairman of a committee, if the Democrats win the majority in the Senate, or the ranking member on a committee, if they stay in the minority, he’s going to have to go along with the Democrat leadership, which…

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Christian Movement that Began on National Mall Will Spread to Every State in 2018

A Christian movement that started as a gathering on the National Mall in 2017 will soon be kicking off a nationwide three-day prayer and worship vigil set to occur simultaneously in every state capital. The event, called “Tent America 2018” and sponsored by Awaken the Dawn, started last year when David Bradshaw met with the founder of Washington D.C.’s popular “David’s Tent.” The two decided to organize a three-day event featuring 50 worship tents on the National Mall to “preach the gospel and send out the youth of America.” The event attracted close to 50,000 people and an additional 4 million viewers on Facebook, encouraging Bradshaw to continue the event in 2018, but this time all across the country. “On Sept. 27-29, again, coinciding with the Feast of Tabernacles, we will be hosting ‘tent city’ gatherings of worship, prayer, and gospel proclamation—simultaneously at all 50 state capitals and on college and university campuses,” an event description states. “Imagine. Three days. Millions of people. Day and night. Public, outdoor worship flooding our nation with the presence of Jesus. It will be historic,” it adds. In a video for the upcoming gatherings, Bradshaw called the success of his 2017 event one of…

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Commentary: With Kavanaugh, the Democrats’ Second Verse Is the Same as the First – a Whole Lot Louder and a Whole Lot Worse

by Jeffery Rendall   If one is great two (or more) is even better. You had to figure if there was at least one hardened and ambitious looney leftist willing to beclown herself in front of the whole country (by accusing Judge Brett Kavanaugh of a crime no one contemporaneously heard of nor recalls) there’d certainly be another liberal wackjob out there somewhere lying in wait to repeat the feat. Such was the case over the weekend as Kavanaugh now has two accusers claiming he was a sex-obsessed slimeball in his pre-marriage and family days. Caitlin Yilek of the Washington Examiner reported, “At least four Democratic senators have reportedly been given information about a new allegation against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh that dates back to when the judge was a freshman at Yale University. “Deborah Ramirez alleges Kavanaugh exposed himself to her at a college party, put his penis in her face, and forced her to touch it without her consent as she pushed him away, according to a report Sunday evening published by the New Yorker. “The report said Ramirez was initially hesitant to share the story with the publication because she had been drinking at the time of the alleged incident.” Like with Blasey…

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Antifa Sends Threatening Message To Ted Cruz After Disrupting His Dinner: ‘You Are Not Safe’

by Molly Prince   The Washington D.C. chapter of Antifa sent a message to Texas Republican Sen. Ted Cruz early Tuesday morning after chasing him out of a restaurant, telling the Texas senator that he is “not safe”. Cruz was dining with his wife, Heidi, on Monday night when a large crowd of protesters flooded the restaurant shouting “we believe survivors,” referring to allegations of sexual misconduct against Judge Brett Kavanaugh, a nominee to the Supreme Court who Cruz supports. Cruz and his wife promptly left the restaurant. A recording of the incident was soon tweeted by Smash Racism DC, a branch of Antifa based in Washington, D.C., with the hashtag “#CancelKavanugh.” Hours later, Smash Racism DC doubled down on its harassment of the senator. “No — you can’t eat in peace — your politics are an attack on all of us You’re [sic] votes are a death wish. Your votes are hate crimes,” Smash Racism DC wrote. “Tonight Senator Ted Cruz arrived at Fiola, an upscale restaurant mere steps from the White House, to enjoy a hearty Italian dinner. He could have dined on a lavish four course meal for only $145 while millions of Americans struggle to buy groceries. He…

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Debbie Stabenow On Single-Payer Health Care: ‘Let’s Get In Office’ So We Can Pass It

Obamacare

by Evie Fordham   Michigan Democratic Sen. Debbie Stabenow appeared to show support for a single-payer health care system, in a video that surfaced Sunday. “There’s no way it is going to go anywhere with Republicans in office, so let’s get in office,” the senator responded when an unknown individual asked Stabenow about supporting a single-payer bill. Stabenow’s campaign webpage on health care mentions lowering prescription drug prices, women’s reproductive rights and support for a universal, but not single-payer, health care system. “Sen. Stabenow supports a government takeover of health care that would cost $2 trillion dollars per year and add trillions to the national debt,” Stabenow’s GOP challenger John James said in a statement to The Daily Caller News Foundation. “Stabenow wants to impose a single-payer, government-run system that would hurt Michigan families and stifle economic growth.” James’ campaign website focuses on giving families “choice” when it comes to health care. TheDCNF reached out to Stabenow’s office but did not receive a response at the time of publication. Stabenow has called attention to her health care record throughout her campaign, but the James campaign dinged her for spreading the false claim that “if you like your health plan, you can keep it” during the early days of…

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Report: Tennessee Civil Forfeiture Laws Among the Nation’s Least Protective

Tennessee has reformed some of its civil forfeiture laws, but more work remains, according to new report from a State Advisory Committee to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights. “Tennessee’s civil forfeiture laws remain among the least protective of property owners in the nation,” according to the findings. The 17 members of Tennessee SAC released their report late last week and submitted it to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights. “Tennessee’s current civil forfeiture laws impose unnecessary burdens upon innocent property owners who seek the return of their property and provide no right to counsel even where basic needs are at risk,” according to the report. “The Tennessee SAC also found that local law enforcement agencies are permitted to use seized assets for their own use without independent monitoring, creating financial incentives for misuse of the law. The Tennessee SAC further determined that recent abuse of civil forfeiture laws has been well-documented.” Tennessee SAC also reported an absence of comprehensive data concerning where, when, and against whom civil forfeiture is used. That, SAC members went on to write, “limits meaningful oversight of local law enforcement agencies—resulting in a lack of fair and consistent use of civil forfeiture across the state.”…

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Senator Bob Corker Calls New Kavanaugh Accusations ‘Thin;’ Process Feels ‘More Like A Circus’

Bob Corker

by Henry Rodgers   Tennessee Republican Sen. Bob Corker called the second allegation of sexual misconduct against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh “thin” Tuesday — saying he thinks the process feels “more like a circus.” The comment comes in light of Deborah Ramirez’s accusation that Kavanaugh sexually assaulted her in the mid-1980s, alleging he exposed himself and thrust his penis in her face. “I read the New Yorker article, it was pretty thin. No one else remembered any of it. This is really kind of getting carried away … it’s feeling more like a circus,” Corker told CNN. “But again, I did feel like this first accuser should be heard.” The comments come as Corker has not said he would definitely vote for the confirmation of Kavanaugh, saying Christine Blasey Ford, the first woman who accused Kavanaugh of high school-era sexual assault, should be heard. Corker told The Daily Caller News Foundation on Sept. 18, however, that he believes it will be “quite something” if Ford decides she did not want to testify, saying, “I would assume the committee would then move on, as they should.” Kavanaugh has continued to deny all allegations, saying Monday night on Fox News that he is not going anywhere. “I’m not…

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US Solar Projects Surging After Trump Tariffs

by Jason Hopkins   Despite apocalyptic warnings from trade experts, the U.S. solar industry has experienced rapid growth since President Donald Trump enacted tariffs on foreign-made solar panels. When Trump fist announced in January that his administration would impose levies on solar panel imports, leaders in the industry predicted doom and gloom. Many critics offered fiery public condemnation of the move. “It boggles my mind that this president — any president, really — would voluntarily choose to damage one of the fastest-growing segments of our economy,” Tony Clifford, chief development officer for Standard Solar, stated at the time. “This decision is misguided and denies the reality that bankrupt foreign companies will be the beneficiaries of an American taxpayer bailout.” Clifford was far from alone in believing tariffs on foreign solar modules would stunt growth. The Solar Energy Industry Association (SEIA), a major trade group in the country, predicted the Trump tariffs would result in 23,000 project managers, engineers and installers losing their jobs. The SEIA believed one-third of the 260,000 U.S. workers in the solar industry would also be at risk of unemployment in the long term. The tariffs — requested by Suniva and SolarWorld, two American companies hit hard by foreign…

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Commentary: The New York Times Explains Why the Minimum Wage Should Be $0.00

by John Miltimore     One of the greatest takedowns of the minimum wage you’ll ever find comes from an unlikely place: The New York Times. There are many reasons people and politicians find the minimum wage attractive, of course. But the Times, in an editorial entitled “The Right Minimum Wage: 0.00,” skillfully rebuts each of these reasons in turn. Noting that the federal minimum wage has been frozen for some six years, the Times admits that it’s no wonder that organized labor is pressuring politicians to increase the federal minimum wage to raise the standard of living for poorer working Americans. “No wonder. But still a mistake,” the Times explains. “There’s a virtual consensus among economists that the minimum wage is an idea whose time has passed.” But why has the idea “passed”? Why would raising the minimum wage not help the working poor? “Raising the minimum wage by a substantial amount would price working poor people out of the job market,” the editors explain. But wouldn’t the minimum wage increase the purchasing power of low-income Americans? Wouldn’t a meaningful increase allow a single breadwinner to support a family of three and actually be above the official U.S. poverty line? Ideally, yes. But there are…

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Nashville Council Files Another Bill Targeting the Metropolitan Development and Housing Agency

Nashville Metro At-large Councilman Bob Mendes is taking additional steps to try to rein in the city’s Metropolitan Development and Housing Agency. Last week Mendes had four Tax Increment Financing-related bills up for discussion, according to the Nashville Business Journal. The newest proposed bill would require Metro hire an independent accountant to validate the financial assumptions built into any proposed new MDHA redevelopment district, the website reported. Other bills Mendes backs are already on their second and third readings. As reported, the MDHA has vast powers and gives real estate developers millions of dollars in incentives to build in ritzy areas of town. Many of those details aren’t public record. This process, Tax Increment Financing, is supposed to help blighted areas — but not necessarily a project such as the one at Fifth and Broadway in tourist-heavy downtown Nashville. According to the Nashville Business Journal, one of Mendes’ bills tries to make the incentives process more transparent. That bill, if passed, would accomplish that through a seven-member committee. The other two would divert a portion of money otherwise earmarked for MDHA to Metro Nashville Public Schools. Council members must go through three readings before the bills are actually law, in…

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‘National Heritage Areas’ Use Americans’ Love of History to Excuse Government Land-Grabs

by Tom DeWeese   I have been pushing hard lately to let people know that, no matter how big and powerful the opposition, the assault from big government forces can be stopped. That’s why I want to tell you about a recent major victory in Louisiana where a wonderful, determined group of residents rose up and stopped the implementation of the Caddo Lake National Heritage Area. By the way, this is the second NHA we’ve stopped. The Crooked Road NHA in Virginia was successfully shut down by us a few years ago. National Heritage Areas are one of the most despicable stealth land grabs in the nation. Here’s why. Americans love history. And we love preserving significant places that played an important role in the making of our unique nation. So when we hear of a new plan in our area presented offering a chance to preserve some of our local heritage we are interested and even supportive. But, in this day of massive government control over so much of our land, our economy, and our basic ability to live free lives, we must be cautious and look at the details of plans, no matter how innocent or well-meaning they…

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Blackburn, Bredesen Trade Barbs in Senate Debate

Phil Bredesen, Marsha Blackburn

U.S. Senate candidates Rep. Marsha Blackburn and former Governor Phil Bredesen traded barbs in a debate at Cumberland University Tuesday. U.S. Representative Blackburn (R-TN-07) called Bredesen out on a number of issues at the debate at the university in Lebanon, from allegedly covering up sexual harassment in the state’s executive office to being financially dependent on Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer. The video archive is available here:   The debate was sponsored by NewsChannel 5, The Tennessean, Nashville Public Television, the League of Women Voters and Cumberland University.  NewsChannel 5 anchor Rhori Johnston and David Plazas, opinion engagement editor at The Tennessean, were co-moderators. Blackburn reminded viewers that Bredesen is “bought and paid for” by Schumer, who recruited the former governor to run for the Senate and has financed his campaign. Schumer’s PAC donated $10,000 to Bredesen’s campaign earlier this year, and the Schumer aligned Senate Majority PAC has already booked more than $2 million in ads in Tennessee, The Tennessee Star previously reported. The candidates were asked if they would vote for Judge Brett Kavanaugh for the Supreme Court. Bredesen said what both parties are doing “disgusts me” and repeated previous claims the nomination is a circus. He said he wanted…

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President Trump to Hold MAGA Midterm Rally Oct. 1 in Johnson City for Marsha Blackburn, Will ‘Share Great News About Booming Economy’

Tennessee Star

President Donald Trump will hold a Make America Great Again (MAGA) midterm rally Oct. 1 in Johnson City. The rally will be the president’s sixth in Tennessee – and first in Johnson City – since he began his first presidential race in June 2015, his campaign announced Monday. The rally will be held at 7 p.m. ET at the Freedom Hall. The president is expected to discuss the latest news on the booming Trump economy and the critical importance of protecting and expanding the GOP majorities in the House and Senate for his America First agenda. “We are pleased to announce our next scheduled Make America Great Again rally on Monday, October 1 in Johnson City, Tennessee,” said Michael Glassner, chief operating officer for Donald J. Trump for President Inc. “With just 44 days from today until the midterm elections, President Trump looks forward to sharing the great news about the booming economy that’s delivered new jobs and bigger paychecks to Tennessee families. The President will also remind Tennesseans of the critical importance to get out and vote for Marsha Blackburn for the U.S. Senate.” The public may register online for the rally here. You may only register up two…

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Commentary: The Suicidal Sanctimony of Phony Conservatives

by Chris Buskirk   Christine Blasey Ford made scurrilous accusations against Brett Kavanaugh for actions she claims occurred nearly 35 years ago when they were both minors. Both Judge Kavanaugh and Mark Judge, who Ford also claims was present have vehemently and categorically denied her claims. The people who know Kavanaugh, as well as decades of evidence of a life lived with dignity and propriety, support him. Even one of the people Ford claims was a witness denies her claims. Ford says that Leland Keyser was a friend of hers and was at the party in 1982. But Keyser says she has no recollection of the party. Not only that, she denies knowing or ever being in a social situation with Kavanaugh. Keyser’s statement calls into question whether the party occurred at all, which would make Ford’s claims against Kavanaugh entirely false. Predictably, however, Ford has been joined by Stormy Daniels’ execrable mouthpiece, Michael Avenatti. Now a Yale classmate is making claims about some nudity at a dorm party, which have been questioned or denied by people who were allegedly there. So why are some self-described conservatives signing up to help this circus along? What’s Different Now False accusations and smear…

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Promoting Religious Liberty Affirms ‘Human Dignity,’ Pompeo Tells Values Voter Summit

by Fred Lucas   Secretary of State Mike Pompeo reaffirmed Friday that the Trump administration is committed to religious liberty, both at home and abroad. Speaking at the conservative Values Voter Summit in Washington, Pompeo said that more than 80 percent of the world’s population lives in countries that place significant limitations on religious freedom. He singled out Iran and China. “We are assuring human dignity by advancing one of our most cherished, indispensable liberties, enshrined in the First Amendment. It is our religious liberty,” said Pompeo, a former member of the House from Kansas and CIA director before becoming the nation’s chief diplomat in April. “Religious freedom is a universal, God-given right, to which all people are entitled,” Pompeo said. “Religious freedom is also a building block for free societies. Our Founders knew this.” Pompeo talked about the success of getting American detainees released from captivity in North Korea in May. “Far and away, the greatest highlight to date of my job as secretary of state has been bringing three Americans home from captivity in North Korea,” Pompeo said. He said the State Department now is focused heavily on securing the release and repatriation of Andrew Brunson, an American pastor who has been…

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Lose My Number: Spam Callers Abuse of System Prevents Mobile Users From Acknowledging Calls and Texts

On Monday’s Gill Report– broadcast on Nashville’s Talk Radio 1510 WLAC weekdays at 7:00 am – Star News Digital Media National Political Editor Steve Gill discussed the mass amounts of unwanted calls from sales and insurance companies and how it is preventing people from answering and opening calls and texts much like the times of the email spam days. He went on to close the commentary by calling for a solution to this growing problem. Gill continued: How often do you refuse to answer calls that either designate on your mobile phone that they may be spam, or it’s a blocked number, or you don’t identify the number? More and more people will not answer a call on their cell phone unless they knew who it is. So, you gotta leave a message and hope they call you back. And generally, if you get a call from a number you don’t recognize or from a blocked number and they don’t leave a message that’s a pretty good sign that it was one of those sales calls or spam calls. So, more and more people are not answering unless they have your number in their phone. And now a new report…

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Phil Bredesen’s Connections to Hillary Clinton Go Back Decades to Their Work Together for Liberal Democrat Presidential Candidate Eugene McCarthy in 1968

Phil Bredesen and Hillary Clinton

These days former Tennessee Governor and Democratic Party nominee Phil Bredesen is working overtime to distance himself from his huge donations to liberal Democratic political candidates, including over $44,000 to help elect Hillary Clinton.  A Tennessee SuperPAC is working to remind voters about that. Bredesen recognizes that his partisan political past doesn’t really fit his rebranding as a “non-partisan” who is “willing to work with President Trump.” The fact that Tom Steyer, the liberal Democrat billionaire from California who is spending $100 MILLION to impeach Trump, has made financial contributions to the Bredesen campaign also tends to undercut his “media makeover.” But Bredesen’s close connections to Hillary Clinton predate his financial support for her failed Presidential run in 2016. While the media hasn’t paid much attention to the fact, the truth is that Hillary and Bredesen worked together in New Hampshire in 1968 for liberal Democratic Presidential candidate Eugene McCarthy. Bredesen worked as a volunteer for McCarthy that year.  He wasn’t alone, as the New York Times says Hillary “found her voice” in the tumultuous political arena of 1968 when she ALSO worked for McCarthy in New Hampshire. Liberal birds of a feather flocked together in 1968. They still do. Another…

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Poll: Republican Party Enjoys Highest Favorability Rating In Seven Years

by Evie Forham   The Republican Party is enjoying a favorability rating of 45 percent — its highest since 2011 — that could give Republicans hope for the upcoming midterm elections, according to a Gallup poll published Monday. The survey also showed the Democratic Party’s favorability rating at 44 percent with a 4 percent margin of error. The Republican rating represents a 9-point increase from 36 percent in September 2017. The last time the Republican Party enjoyed a rating this high, it had just gained back control of the House of Representatives in the 2010 midterm elections. The party’s favorability level soared to 47 percent in 2011. Gallup attributed the Republicans’ rating to the growing economy and the middle-class-friendly tax reforms passed in December. The Republican Party had barely broken 40 percent favorability since 2013, according to Gallup. Republicans have an 85 percent favorability rating when only taking “Republicans and leaners” like independents into account, according to Gallup. That is compared to 67 percent in September 2017. There has been essentially no change in Democrats’ views on the Republican Party and their own party, according to Gallup. Democrats typically have “the upper hand” in favorability numbers, according to Gallup. The Gallup poll was conducted on Sept.…

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President Trump an ‘Absolute No’ on Puerto Rico Statehood Until ‘Good Leadership’ is In Place

Puerto Rico

President Donald Trump on Monday declared himself an “absolute no” on statehood for Puerto Rico as long as critics such as San Juan’s mayor remain in office, the latest broadside in his feud with members of the U.S. territory’s leadership. Trump lobbed fresh broadsides at San Juan Mayor Carmen Yulín Cruz, a critic of his administration’s response to hurricanes on the island last year, during a radio interview with Fox News’ Geraldo Rivera that aired Monday. “With the mayor of San Juan as bad as she is and as incompetent as she is, Puerto Rico shouldn’t be talking about statehood until they get some people that really know what they’re doing,” Trump said in an interview with Rivera’s show on Cleveland’s WTAM radio. Trump said that when “you have good leadership,” statehood for Puerto Rico could be “something they talk about. With people like that involved in Puerto Rico, I would be an absolute no.” Gov. Ricardo Rossello, an advocate of statehood for the island, said Trump’s remarks had trivialized the statehood process because of political differences. “The president said he is not in favor of statehood for the people of Puerto Rico based on a personal feud with a…

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Vatican Caves To China’s Demand, Recognizes Bishops Appointed By Communist Government

by Joshua Gill   The Vatican reached a breakthrough in negotiations with China by acquiescing to Beijing’s demands to recognize eight bishops appointed by the country’s communist government. Chinese and Vatican officials announced Saturday that they had signed a “provisional agreement” to the effect that the Vatican would recognize eight bishops appointed by China’s communist government without papal approval and that all of China’s bishops would now be considered in full communion with the church. The Vatican issued a statement concerning the agreement, saying it was meant to foster conditions of greater collaboration between Beijing and the Vatican, but Chinese Catholics are divided over the agreement and some have harshly criticized it as a capitulation to China. “Pope Francis hopes that, with these decisions, a new process may begin that will allow the wounds of the past to be overcome, leading to the full communion of all Chinese Catholics,” the Vatican statement reads, according to The Associated Press. Negotiations between the church and China previously included the prospect of China’s recognition of nearly 40 bishops of the country’s underground Catholic Church, which refuses to bend the knee to the Communist Party run Patriotic Association, which governs state-regulated Catholic churches. The Vatican and Beijing…

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Tennessee State Lawmakers Gave Up a Section of the State Constitution When They Quickly Ratified The U.S. Constitution’s 26th Amendment

Back in 1971, the Tennessee General Assembly quickly ratified the 26th Amendment to the Constitution of the United States, which lowered the voting age in all elections–federal, state and local– to 18 in every state. By doing so, they voluntarily give up a section of the Tennessee State Constitution. Here’s that story: During the late 1960s and early 1970s, the Vietnam War — with which the United States was heavily involved — continued to rage overseas.  With so many American soldiers — several of them younger than 20 years of age — dying on the battlefields of a foreign land in this War, public opinion within the United States began to shift in terms of by what age a person should become eligible to vote.  At the time, an individual had to be at least 21 years of age in order to register to vote. But with the evolution in social sentiment occasioned at least in part by the Vietnam War, Congress began to take steps to lower that age from 21 down to 18.  A popular slogan of the day was “if you are old enough to fight for your country, then you are old enough to cast a…

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Steve Osborne Commentary: #ConfirmKavanaugh Now

by Steve Osborne   The Kavanaugh hearings have devolved into a disgraceful spectacle. As his accuser’s accusation falls apart, another accuser mysteriously appeared over the weekend saying the judge acted inappropriately during his freshman year in college. If you haven’t figured it out by now, let me tell you that this whole charade is an orchestrated attempt by the democrats, hoping to delay a vote on Kavanaugh’s appointment to SCOTUS. The Democrats see that there’s a possibility of retaking the majority in the senate. If they can delay the vote on Kavanaugh until after the midterm elections, the judge won’t get the necessary votes to be confirmed. All the while, the judge’s family has to endure unfounded mudslinging all for the sake of unseemly politics. Sadly, we’ve seen this movie before. The Honorable Robert Bork, nominated for SCOTUS by President Reagan, was publicly and unjustly ripped to shreds during his confirmation hearing, and failed to get the necessary votes to confirm his nomination. Justice Clarence Thomas was similarly defamed during his confirmation hearing by a democrat operative named Anita Hill. Thankfully, Justice Thomas, knowing Anita was a setup, read a statement prior to his vote in which he excoriated the…

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Bredesen’s History With Refugee Resettlement in Tennessee Consistent With Democrats in Congress Who Want Big Numbers Resettled in FY 2019

Right after Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced that the FY2019 ceiling for refugee admissions would be no more than 30,000, Democrats in Congress flew into action and federal refugee resettlement contractors began objecting. On Thursday, 51 U.S. House Democrats, including Tennessee’s Steve Cohen, co-sponsored House Resolution 1073 calling for no fewer than 110,000 refugee admissions for fiscal year 2019 which begins on October 1st. This was the last refugee admission ceiling proposed by Obama before leaving office. The resolution also takes a swipe at President Trump’s integrity on the refugee issue by stating that Trump “and his administration must operate the United States Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP) in good faith.” Democrat Senate candidate Phil Bredesen’s history of welcoming thousands of refugees to Tennessee during his two terms as governor, is strong evidence that he agrees there should be a higher number of refugees brought to the U.S. in the coming year. Between 2003 and 2011, Bredesen’s last year as governor, over 9,000 refugees of multiple ethnicities were brought to Tennessee by federal contractors. The numbers do not, however, account for secondary migrants who are first resettled in other states or other parts of Tennessee but then relocate to follow friends,…

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Tennessee Star Report EXCLUSIVE with Ann Coulter on Allegations Against Kavanaugh: ‘There Are No Corroborating Witnesses for This, for Either of These’

On Monday’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 talked with best-selling author Ann Coulter this morning about the “perfectly timed” allegations made against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh. Coulter and Gill discussed the ridiculousness of the allegations and the lack of supporting evidence. Gill: Ann good to have you back with us! Coulter: Good to talk to you, Steve Gill – it’s been eons! Gill: I know way too long, but we’re going to get you on regularly. And you’ve mellowed, you’ve chilled over time, I’ve noticed. You don’t have any opinion on the whole Kavanaugh thing. Coulter: That’s right. Gill: What is your take on this latest, “you know I was too drunk to know if it was, you know anybody that I was in college with” allegation by this latest smear?  Again, it’s right out of the Democrat playbook. Coulter: Yes, I knew this was coming. I couldn’t believe when a friend called me and told me. I mean all of my indignant tweets were from my iPhone. I knew they’d do…

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Phil Bredesen Donated Nearly Half a Million Dollars to Left-Wing Democrats

U.S. Senate Democratic candidate Phil Bredesen of Tennessee gives vast sums of his wealth to the most left-wing Democrats in America, including Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, and Steve Cohen. This, according to a super PAC called the ‘Committee to Defend the President.’ According to the PAC’s research, Bredesen donated exactly $460,691.11 to Democratic Party interests from 1987 through 2014. Chairman Ted Harvey asks the following question: “How can a loyal Clinton and Obama donor be trusted to work with President Trump?” In an emailed statement, PAC Committee spokeswoman Amanda Head continued with that theme. “The Committee to Defend the President remains committed to exposing Phil Bredesen for the left-wing Democrat he’s always been,” Head said. “Bredesen may claim to be a ‘moderate,’ but his liberal policy positions and long history of donations to far-left Democrats tell the true story. Tennessee needs a pro-Trump conservative like Marsha Blackburn, not an anti-Trump liberal like Bredesen.” Bredesen donated extensively to Bill Clinton and Al Gore and other Democratic Party interests in Virginia, Florida Wisconsin, Iowa, Nevada, New Hampshire and Ohio, records show. Bredesen also donated $63,700 to the Democratic National Committee, according to the Committee to Defend the President. He also made the…

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Political Economy Research Institute at MTSU Includes Conservative Philosophy to Balance Out the Left

A new program at Middle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro will balance out academia by introducing students to right-of-center political philosophers. Usually, academia consists of left-wing professors who despise capitalism. Their lectures and their required readings reflect that hatred. At MTSU, at least, Karl Marx and other left-wing philosophers will make room for other kinds of thinkers, such as Adam Smith and Milton Friedman, among others. No, it’s not April Fool’s Day. Just Google the Political Economy Research Institute at MTSU. This is real. And, as PERI Director Dan Smith told The Tennessee Star this week, it’s not about one political philosophy reigning supreme over another at a college campus. That’s not what academia, in theory, is about. Academia, Smith went on to say, is about balance. “This is about a well-rounded perspective. For a long time the academy has chased conservative professors or libertarian professors off the campus and there are small numbers, especially in some disciplines, completely unbalanced. This is a disservice, even to the people on the left,” Smith said. “Otherwise how are you going to learn to actually believe in your own ideas unless you’re actually confronted with the best ideas on the opposing side? You…

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Chuck Todd Questions Senator Perdue About Kavanaugh: ‘Does Public Opinion Matter?’

by Molly Prince   Republican Sen. David Perdue of Georgia explained Sunday morning why his decision whether or not to vote for Judge Brett Kavanaugh’s confirmation to the U.S. Supreme Court has not been swayed based on recent polling. “Does public opinion matter to you?” Chuck Todd asked Perdue on “Meet The Press.” “If more people oppose his nomination or more people don’t believe him, should that factor in to your decision-making on this?” “Well, there are two issues there. First of all, I don’t put a lot of confidence in these polls — these are the same polls that had me losing by as much as 10 percent in my race three or four years ago and we won by more than eight points,” Perdue replied. “It had [President Donald] Trump losing, so I’m not sure these polls clearly reflect the opinion of the American people.” Support to confirm Kavanaugh is down among voters following Christine Blasey Ford’s sexual assault allegations against him. More voters believe Ford’s accusations than Kavanaugh’s denials by a 6-point margin, according to a Fox News poll. However, over one-third of voters are unsure. “The other thing is that I believe that right now the information that the…

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EXCLUSIVE: Karen Monahan Contradicts Keith Ellison’s Claim Of ‘Ongoing’ Investigation, Says It ‘Ended Two Weeks Ago’

by Peter Hasson and Joe Simonson   The Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party, the Minnesota arm of the Democratic Party, concluded its investigation into domestic abuse allegations against Rep. Keith Ellison two weeks ago, Karen Monahan told The Daily Caller News Foundation on Sunday. Monahan, a Sierra Club activist and Ellison’s ex-girlfriend, accused the Minnesota Democrat of emotionally and physically abusing her during their relationship. “I only know the [Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party (MNDFL)] did an investigation that ended two weeks ago,” Monahan wrote in a private Twitter message to TheDCNF on Sunday. If that claim is accurate, it raises questions about why the DFL has withheld the results of the investigation and why Ellison — the DFL nominee for attorney general — claimed Friday that the investigation was “ongoing.” “There is an ongoing investigation, which we hope will conclude soon,” Ellison said during a debate Friday. Ellison said he did not know if the investigation would be over before the election. DFL communication director Ellen Perrault did not return a phone call, voicemail and email seeking comment. The Democratic National Committee and Ellison’s campaign also did not return emails seeking comment. “I will give further comment soon. I am trying to collect my thoughts,” Monahan told TheDCNF. She…

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Commentary: Resisting #TheResistance

by Mytheos Holt   If the recent generic ballots tell us anything, it is that the Republican establishment should stop trying to run generic Republicans as candidates. The GOP of Paul “throw-granny-off-a-cliff-and-give-her-Social-Security-check-to-the-Koch-Brothers” Ryan has never been popular, and for good reason. This is why Donald Trump, despite having ostensibly low approval ratings, is virtually unstoppable compared to his purported “allies” in Congress. Against this alleged political party with approval ratings somewhere between those of Typhoid Mary and the man who ran over your dog, and with all the instinct to fight of said dead dog, a blue wave should surprise no one. On the surface, therefore, the potential success of the Democratic Party would seem to be a banner day for #TheResistance. Except it won’t be. Indeed, should a blue wave arrive in November, it will be the high water mark of #TheResistance’s influence. Within the administration, and even in Congress, the very policies that could shipwreck #TheResistance on the shores of its own extremism are closer than ever to coming to pass, and what’s more, #TheResistance knows this. Indeed, the campus-style freakout on the part of Democratic Party activists in response to the baseless accusations of Christine Blasey Ford, who recently lobbed…

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No Bigger Fish to Fry? Ohio Investigative Unit Focuses on Small Dollar Misuse of Food Stamps

Steve Gill

On Friday’s Gill Report – broadcast on Nashville’s Talk Radio 1510 WLAC weekdays at 7:30 am – Star News National Political Editor Steve Gill talked about the recent liquor license revocation at a small lounge called Sharky’s in Harrison Township Ohio.  He was perplexed about the Ohio Investigative Unit’s focus on a small two thousand dollar misuse of food stamps instead of perhaps bigger fish to fry. Gill said: Well some bad news for those who live in Harrison Township in Ohio, well maybe it’s not sad news for everybody just those who want to use their food stamps to go buy liquor, drugs, and well an occasional lap dance at a strip club. Sharky’s lounge is in Harrison Township in Ohio and they lost their liquor license yesterday. The Ohio liquor control commission revoked the adult entertainment clubs license, according to the Ohio Investigative Unit. Now they had begun investigating the club, known as Sharky’s back in May of 2017. So, it was a long investigation. It takes a lot to find out what these are up to sometimes. Anyway, during the investigation agents say they were able to buy drugs and lap dances from strippers by using food…

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Trump Administration Will Restrict Green Cards For Foreign Nationals On Public Aid

by Will Racke   The Trump administration will move forward with regulatory changes that could make hundreds of thousands of foreign nationals living in the U.S. ineligible for green cards if they use any one of a wide range of public assistance programs, immigration officials announced Saturday. The draft regulation expands the definition of “public charge” to include users of many non-cash aid programs such as food assistance and Section 8 housing vouchers. The change restores the definition of public charge to its original meaning under a federal law that aims to block the admission of immigrants likely to become a drain on public resources, according to Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen. “Under long-standing federal law, those seeking to immigrate to the United States must show they can support themselves financially,” Nielsen said in a statement. “The department takes seriously its responsibility to be transparent in its rulemaking and is welcoming public comment on the proposed rule. This proposed rule will implement a law passed by Congress intended to promote immigrant self-sufficiency and protect finite resources by ensuring that they are not likely to become burdens on American taxpayers.” Under the current interpretation of immigration law, non-immigrant visa holders who receive cash welfare…

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Deceptive Tricks Congress Uses to Drive Spending Higher

US Capitol

by Justin Bogie   Congress is up to its old tricks again, trying to pass another massive spending bill that uses gimmicks and tricks to push deficit spending even higher. And it thinks it can hoodwink President Donald Trump into signing it. Next week, the House is expected to vote on a combined fiscal year 2018 continuing resolution and a fiscal year 2019 spending bill for the departments of Defense, Labor, and Health and Human Services. The “cromnibus” bill would provide over $855 billion in funding for 2019, making up two-thirds of the total discretionary budget. The Senate passed the measure on Tuesday. If the House passes the Senate version and the president signs it into law, the government will stay open past Sept. 30. But at what cost? Earlier this year, Congress busted the budget and with a whopping spending deal that ran up nearly $300 billion in new debt. This bill would continue those spending levels. Take the so-called savings from changes in mandatory programs. The bill claims nearly $8 billion in savings from such changes. This is the most commonly used gimmick to increase discretionary spending. These “savings” are included in appropriations bills as a rescission of funds, meaning that unspent money…

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Democrats Phil Bredesen and Karl ‘Marx’ Dean Have Close Ties to Soros-Funded Group Whose Leadership Is Working to Block Kavanaugh Confirmation

Phil Bredesen, Karl Dean

Audio captured from a July conference call shows the Soros-funded American Constitution Society for Law & Policy (ACS) Board member Ricki Seidman telling Democrat leaders in reference to Judge Brett Kavanaugh, that a “strategy that will emerge and I think it’s possible that that strategy might ultimately defeat the nominee.”     The ACS, which receives millions in direct funding from the George Soros Open Societies Foundation (more than $2 million in 2016 alone), is active in Nashville, Knoxville and at law schools in the state. The Nashville chapter of  the ACS , which Seidman helps lead at the national level, is loaded with members, including its leadership, who hold close ties to Democrats U.S. Senate candidate Phil Bredesen and Tennessee gubernatorial candidate Karl Dean. For example, Dean’s wife, Anne Davis sits on the Nashville chapter’s advisory board having just left her position as the managing attorney at the Southern Environmental Law Center. Anne Passino, her comrade in arms at the Law Center, serves as the ACS Event co-chair. Shanna Singh Hughey, a Board member of the Nashville ACS chapter served as a senior advisor to Karl Dean when he was mayor of Nashville and also served as the director of Dean’s…

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TVA Believes Nashville Will Have More Electric Cars, Despite Evidence to the Contrary

Taxpayers have paid millions of dollars to help electric vehicle manufacturers not only get their products out on the road but also furnish electric car charging stations all over Nashville. Prior reporting shows few people around Nashville appear to use these charging stations. Yet officials with the Tennessee Valley Authority and the Nashville Electric Service expect more and more Nashville drivers will soon take up the habit of driving electric cars. They’re preparing a study to gauge how Nashvillians can best prepare. But must Music City drivers make way for more Chevy Sparks and Nissan Leafs? According to a press release, FleetCarma, TVA, the NES, and the Middle Tennessee Electric Membership Corporation are launching something called SmartCharge Nashville. The statement says people interested in buying EVs wonder how far they can drive before they need a charge. Utilities also need to prepare for more EVs on the road, the release said. SmartCharge is supposed to help with both of those things. No one at the NES returned The Tennessee Star’s requests for comment Friday. But TVA spokesman Joshua Clendenen said the following in an emailed statement to The Star: “While the adoption of electric vehicles inside the Tennessee Valley has…

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Women’s March, Other Left-Wing Groups Violated IRS Rules and Their Nonprofit Status Could Be In Jeopardy

by Andrew Kerr, Peter Hasson and Joe Simonson   Left-wing nonprofit groups that orchestrated disruptions during Brett Kavanaugh’s Supreme Court confirmation hearings likely violated IRS rules, which can result in their loss of tax-exempt status, according to an investigation by The Daily Caller News Foundation. TheDCNF listened in on a conference call Monday where organizers for three groups behind the protests called on activists to continue their “civil disobedience” as part of their efforts to “shut down” Monday’s upcoming confirmation proceedings. These activist organizations — which include Women’s March, the Center for Popular Democracy and Housing Works — provided cash for the post-and-forfeits to protesters who didn’t show up with their own money before they faced arrest for their conduct, CPD Action national field organizer Darius Gordon and Housing Works national advocacy coordinator Paul Davis both said on Monday’s call. Post-and-forfeit payments are small cash sums paid to resolve low-level misdemeanor crimes and avoid jail time. More than 200 activists connected with #CancelKavanaugh, a movement organized by the three groups, were arrested for disrupting Kavanaugh’s confirmation hearings in early September, and the organizers said they plan to continue its near-constant disruptions of future Senate confirmation proceedings. Women’s March, Center for Popular Democracy Action…

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Commentary: Media Continues Its Slow Suicide

by Julie Kelly   After reviewing last week’s news coverage, I would encourage President Trump to come up with a more accurate taunt than “fake news.” Maybe “garbage news.” Or perhaps “bottom-feeding news.” Even try “we-are-a-collection-of-dishonest-miscreants-who-are-unworthy-of-an-ounce-of-the-American-people’s-trust news.” But “fake news” is tame in light of the media’s misleading, destructive, and willfully ignorant reporting last week that was intended further to inflame a divided body politic. Some of the lowlights featured MSNBC morning host Joe Scarborough, claiming Trump has done more damage to the country than the 9/11 terrorists; the editorial board of a major newspaper blaming Trump for Hurricane Florence; the wholesale acceptance of a highly flawed paper about hurricane deaths used to bash the president; and a despicable crusade not just to quash Brett Kavanaugh’s appointment to the Supreme Court, but to destroy his reputation and damage his young family. And it wasn’t just the dependable lunatics on the Left pushing trash commentary. Bret Stephens, the NeverTrump “conservative” columnist for the New York Times, compared Trump to a drug addict. Washington Post “conservative” blogger Jennifer Rubin warned that if Senators Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) voted to confirm Kavanaugh, their names would be, “as was the case with [Nazi-era traitor] Vidkun Quisling—synonymous with ‘sellouts,’ ‘collaborators,’ or, to use a Trumpism, ‘phonies.’” As…

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Fugitives Allowed To Live In Federally Funded Homes, Watchdog Wouldn’t Partner With FBI To Catch Them

by Molly Prince   Federally funded housing agencies aren’t required to evict wanted rapists and murderers living on their property, and, for years, some government investigative offices weren’t part of a program that shared information about such individuals with the FBI, according to a congressional watchdog. And the watchdog overseeing the investigators made a new requirement to participate in the program, but refused to ensure that the offices are complying with the rule, according to a Government Accountability Office (GAO) report. The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Inspector General (IG) and the FBI partner through the Fugitive Felon Initiative, where the two agencies share information to apprehend fugitives living in taxpayer-funded homes. Through this initiative, more than 1,200 fugitive felons discovered to be potentially living in federally funded housing between 2013 and 2017 were arrested, according to the Sept. 10 GAO report. But four of the IG’s seven regions weren’t part of the Fugitive Felon Initiative between 2012 and 2016. Additionally, the local agencies responsible for administering federally funded housing programs, known as public housing agencies (PHA), aren’t required to evict fugitives living in their units. The agencies are given a large amount of discretion in determining who can stay in the taxpayer-funded homes,…

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Is the Mueller Special Counsel Probe All About Protecting Rod Rosenstein’s Reputation?

by Robert Romano   The key facts to remember in the whole investigation by Special Counsel Robert Mueller, not into Russian interference in the election, but into the firing of former FBI Director James Comey, are these: 1) Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein recommended to Attorney General Jeff Sessions that Comey be fired; and 2) Rosenstein appointed Mueller to investigate President Donald Trump for following through on his recommendation. And reports the New York Times on Sept. 21, Rosenstein was angry at the President: “The president’s reliance on his memo caught Mr. Rosenstein by surprise, and he became angry at Mr. Trump, according to people who spoke to Mr. Rosenstein at the time. He grew concerned that his reputation had suffered harm and wondered whether Mr. Trump had motives beyond Mr. Comey’s treatment of Mrs. Clinton for ousting him, the people said.” Read that again and the likely true motive for the Mueller probe is revealed: “He grew concerned that his reputation had suffered harm…” Comey was fired on May 9, 2017. Mueller was appointed on May 17, 2017. There’s a lot of fluff in the Mueller appointment about investigating Russian interference. Comey was investigating Trump for assisting Russia, somehow, with…

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Hospitals’ Secret Contracts With Insurers Are Keeping Health Care Expensive: Report

by Evie Fordham   Hospital systems are making secret contracts with insurers that are keeping health care costs high, a Wall Street Journal report revealed, prompting alternative health care advocates to point out the flawed nature of the U.S. health care system. “Health care is the only industry I can think of where technology is used as an excuse for price to go up and productivity to go down because of these perverse incentives,” The Health Rosetta founder Dave Chase told The Daily Caller News Foundation. “The perverse incentives at a high level are generally, either directly or indirectly, the worse job [the hospitals] do, the more they get paid.” TheWSJ’s Tuesday report detailed “dozens of contracts with terms that limit how insurers design plans” so they cannot exclude powerful hospital systems, which when included in health plans can drive up costs for employers and employees. These secret contracts often include clauses that mandate insurers steer consumers away from less costly health care providers or give hospitals the ability to “mask” their prices, according to TheWSJ. If plans did not include these more costly health care systems, they could be up to 10 percent cheaper, the report stated. Some major health…

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Gowdy: Russia Docs Are ‘Embarrassing’ For John Brennan, DOJ And FBI

by Chuck Ross   South Carolina Republican Rep. Trey Gowdy said the information in a batch of Russia investigation documents that President Donald Trump was considering for declassification will prove “embarrassing” for the Department of Justice, FBI and former CIA Director John Brennan. Gowdy made the remarks in an interview with Fox News on Thursday. The next day, President Donald Trump retracted his order to the Justice Department to declassify and release the documents. But the Republican left open the possibility that the records could be released down the road. But Gowdy, the chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, provided a preview of what to expect from the documents if they are eventually released. “I’ve read it. Some of it’s embarrassing for the Department of Justice — some of it’s embarrassing for the FBI. Embarrassment is not a reason to classify something,” said Gowdy. “A lot of it should be embarrassing to John Brennan, and maybe therein lies why he is so adamant that this information not be released.” Brennan suggested Tuesday on MSNBC’s “Andrea Mitchell Reports” that government officials resign rather than comply with Trump’s directive to release the records. Brennan, who now serves as an…

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Memphis Ponders Whether It Hands Out Corporate Welfare the Right Way

Memphis

There’s a lot of tussling going on in Memphis as the city’s movers and shakers debate the best ways to disburse corporate welfare. According to the Memphis Daily News, a seven-member city group is studying the effectiveness of EDGE – the city-county Economic Development Growth Engine. EDGE hands out tax abatement incentives. Members of this group want to know if they should take the city out of EDGE and create a city Industrial Development Board to make things more efficient, the website reported. Members of the group met for the first time this week. Council member Reid Hedgepeth said economic development interests need a “czar” to help run things. “Now is the time to streamline the process so that we have this czar that can come and say, ‘Memphis can do this deal. I say we can compete at this level. We’re ready. Here’s the application, Turn it in. Let’s go,’” the website quoted Boyd as saying. “Right now, at the rate we are going, everybody says ‘that’s not my responsibility’ or ‘I can’t do that’ or ‘I didn’t know we wanted to turn that in and compete on this deal.’ Time out on excuses.” Eric Miller, with the Greater…

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Republicans Tell Bredesen Get Off the Fence on Kavanaugh Nomination

Phil Bredesen

President Donald Trump won the election in 2016 due in part to his promise to put mainstream conservative judges on the federal bench. Trump also won Tennessee by more than 26 points. It’s fairly obvious that Tennesseans want the President’s nominees to be confirmed, Garren Shipley, Republican National Committee spokesman, said in a statement Friday. Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Phil Bredesen has said he is “embarrassed” by Democrats’ treatment of Judge Brett Kavanaugh in his Supreme Court confirmation hearings, the Tennessee Star reported last week. He has also been dragging his feet for more than two months in saying whether he would support Kavanaugh. Shipley accused Bredesen of hedging his bets, hoping he can avoid having to take a stand on Kavanaugh’s nomination — following Democrat Senate leader Chuck Schumer’s advice of staying neutral for as long as possible. Shipley pointed to a story by The Star showing Schumer’s Senate Majority PAC has booked more than $2 million in ads in Tennessee, perhaps giving Bredesen a reason to stay quiet. Schumer’s PAC donated $10,000 to Bredesen’s campaign earlier this year. As next week’s vote approaches, that time has run out, Shipley said. “Phil Bredesen has had more than enough time to consider Judge Kavanaugh. He needs to tell Tennesseans…

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Nashville Metro Council Member Steve Glover Complains of Threats . . . From the Mayor

Steve Glover

A Nashville Metro Council member is tasked with challenging the mayor and holding him or her accountable, when needed, but current council members evidently don’t hold that kind of sway. At least not now. That’s because current Mayor David Briley makes threats, said Metro Council Member Steve Glover. “In this city, we get threatened all the time by the administration. If you don’t vote this way then we (the mayor’s office) will not do something for you,” Glover told The Tennessee Star. “I got $500,000 to start doing improvements on Central Pike under the Karl Dean Administration. You tell me. Do you see anything starting out there yet? You will not. I’m not going to throw other council members under the bus. I know they get threatened all of the time. We hear ‘If you don’t support me then I’m not going to make this project happen for you in this district. I’m good at withholding the money on this or that. I have the money to do these projects.’” Glover said he will not work that way. As reported, Glover has spoken out against Briley, including, most recently, the way he planned for a Major League Soccer stadium. No…

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Commentary: How George Washington Warned Us About Tribalism and Disunity

by Richard Lim   Sept. 19 was the 222nd anniversary of the publication of President George Washington’s Farewell Address. Appearing in newspapers nationwide, it announced Washington’s intention to retire from public life after his second term. For most of American history, the Farewell Address was required reading in grade schools across the nation and was continually invoked in the public discourse. Yet in recent decades, the address has faded into obscurity. That’s a shame, as it is a treasure trove of wisdom from the man who did the most to create our country—who knew, as well as anyone else, what it took to create a modern, large-scale republic. After all, it was Washington who led the nation through the War of Independence, oversaw the drafting of the Constitution, and served as its first president. Washington addressed the document specifically to the American people—not just to policymakers—and recommended that they give his advice their “frequent review.” The Farewell Address is mostly known for its warnings against political parties and entangling alliances during the nation’s youth. Certainly, Washington made those points, and offered practical advice on a wide array of other subjects. They include making permanent the powers of the federal government,…

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Researcher Uncovers Christine Blasey Ford’s ‘Hidden’ 80’s-Era High School Social Life

by CHQ Staff   One of the enduring mysteries of Dr. Christine Blasey Ford’s decision to level last minute allegations of sexual misconduct against Judge Brett Kavanaugh is why her social media and online presence were so thoroughly scrubbed prior to her charges against Kavanaugh becoming public. Although internet sleuths have tracked down a few photos and articles from Dr. Blasey Ford’s professional output, she effectively ghosted herself prior to going public – a very unusual move for someone who requested and anticipated anonymity from the Democrats through whom she leveled the charges against Judge Kavanaugh. The ghosting of Christine Blasey Ford was so thorough that her high school alma mater, the prestigious all-girl Holton Arms School, even pulled the yearbooks for the years during which she was a student, when a teenage Brett Kavanaugh allegedly attacked her. However, one prescient, and as yet anonymous, blogger downloaded copies of the yearbooks and posted key pages that describe the social life of “Chrissy” Blasey and her social set. The yearbook title is SCRIBE. The relevant issues are SCRIBE 82, SCRIBE 83 and SCRIBE 84, corresponding to Blasey’s sophomore, junior and senior years, when she and her classmates (and Kavanaugh) were 15-17 year old…

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Expert: Failure By the Republicans to Confirm Judge Brett Kavanaugh Could Mean Annihilation in November

Brett Kavanaugh, Donald Trump

By Robert Romano     The GOP Senate has one very important job, and that is to confirm Judge Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court, maintaining the balance of power on the nation’s highest court. When Justice Anthony Kennedy retired, it was a gift to Republicans, giving them an opportunity to confirm a replacement that would be nominated by a Republican president and confirmed by a Republican Senate. To highlight the importance of Kavanaugh’s confirmation, one need only look through the prism of time to see what lies ahead should he be delayed or defeated. If Kavanaugh is held up or voted down, it will be because a few — and that’s all it will take — Senate Republicans who sabotaged their own party by scuttling the confirmation. If Senate Republicans fail here and now, there likely won’t be enough time to confirm an alternate to Kavanaugh before 2019. It would be a betrayal of Republicans voters who wanted a constitutionalist majority on the court to interpret the law as written, and could risk suppressing conservative turnout in the 2018 midterm elections in November. Put simply, the GOP simply cannot afford to lose the Kavanaugh confirmation. Senate Democrats, should they wrest…

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PROOF: Trio of Project Veritas Videos Expose Unaccountable Federal Government Employees Pushing a Soclialist Agenda From Within the Administrative State

By Natalia Castro   When federal bureaucrats are unaccountable to even their own managers, it can be hard to identify and correct abuse within the system. In his most recent undercover expose, James O’Keefe sought to uncover the stories of the federal government’s worst employees directly from the source. This week, Project Veritas released three videos highlighting rampant misuse of federal resources by employees for political gain. All stories have a similar thread: the employees believe they can never be fired. And they are not completely wrong, current law makes their removal extremely different despite clear evidence of abuse. O’Keefe’s team of investigative journalists went undercover speaking with federal government employees who are also active members of Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), an organization dedicated to ridding the country of capitalism — the economic system responsible for freeing and uplifting millions around the world from poverty — and replacing it with socialism (also known as the economic system responsible for killing millions of people in the last century and continuing to leave Venezuelans starving and penniless). In the first Project Veritas video, Stuart Karaffa, a Department of State employee explained how he spends his day working, “I have nothing to lose. It’s impossible to fire federal employees… I’m…

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