Day: October 30, 2018

Phil Bredesen Continues to Deny Migrant Army Marching Through Mexico is a National Security Threat

Jason M. Reynolds

Democratic former Governor Phil Bredesen is still saying an invasion of thousands of migrants marching through Mexico from Honduras who have declared their intent to illegally enter the United States is not a threat to national security. “A caravan of a few thousand poor people without weapons, working their way slowly toward the southern border of the strongest country in the world, is not some huge national emergency like suddenly Russia decided to threaten us with nuclear weapons or something,” WKRN reported during an event at Nissan Stadium Saturday. “Let’s just keep this stuff in context, let’s just handle it in a smart way,” said Bredesen. The Washington Examiner recently reported that the migrant army making its way toward the United States through Mexico is includes a number of multi-national criminals, quoting the Department of Homeland Security, The Tennessee Star reported last week. “@DHSgov can confirm that there are individuals within the caravan who are gang members or have significant criminal histories,” DHS spokesman Tyler Houlton wrote in a series of tweets. Bredesen’s opponent in the Senate race, U.S. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN-07) released a campaign video last Friday calling him out on the illegal migrant army. The video is available…

Read the full story

President Donald Trump to Visit Chattanooga This Sunday Nov. 4, Speaking at McKenzie Arena

Jason M. Reynolds

As previously rumored, President Donald Trump will visit Chattanooga Sunday just ahead of Election Day, with the administration focusing on the closely connected Southeast Tennessee-North Georgia region. The White House says President Trump will speak at McKenzie Arena Sunday, Nov. 4 at 7 p.m. Eastern, WDEF says. You must go to this website to register for a ticket; there is a maximum of two per transaction. The tickets are free, but they are first-come, first-serve. Previous rumors had the president visiting the Scenic City on Monday, Nov. 5. “We are pleased to announce the final stretch of our national midterm campaign tour with MAGA rallies scheduled in key congressional districts and states including Florida, Missouri, West Virginia, Indiana, Montana, Georgia, Tennessee, and Ohio,” said Michael Glassner, chief operating officer for Donald J. Trump for President Inc. “It will be a sprint to the finish of the midterms for President Trump who is campaigning hard for GOP House and Senate campaigns across the map. We can’t go back to the days of high taxes and low expectations. Voters must choose the right future on Election Day and support President Trump’s successful America First agenda with the continued support of GOP majorities in…

Read the full story

Commentary: Halloween and the Perils of Cultural Appropriation

Admin

by Thaddeaus G. McCotter   Cultural appropriation, the Cambridge Dictionary helpfully informs us, is “the act of taking or using things from a culture that is not your own, especially without showing that you understand or respect this culture.” This, of course, should not be a problem in America, a constitutional republic imbued with the concept of pluralism—that is, the ability of numerous cultures to live peaceably while unified by an overarching set of core principles that form an American civic consensus. These include an allegiance to the Constitution and an adherence to a general principle of tolerance, among other essential, mutually shared civic virtues and responsibilities. For a succinct example, when someone describes himself as Irish-American, over time the emphasis is ultimately on the American. Until recently, pluralism has served the nation well, both in terms of assimilating individuals and their respective cultures. It has done so by allowing those subcultures to continue; and, in conjunction with the doctrine of subsidiarity , as a means of respecting a preserving the powers of voluntary, non-governmental organizations collectively operated by private citizens to address and solve problems, including families and civic groups. Unfortunately, the Left’s diversity dogma subverts pluralism by demanding…

Read the full story

Here Are Three Cases to Watch at the Supreme Court

Admin

by Elizabeth Slattery and Ashley Vaughan   The Supreme Court is back in session after a two-week break. The justices will hear arguments in a number of important cases, including ones dealing with coercive class-action settlements, using hovercrafts for moose hunting in Alaska, and Virginia’s ban on uranium mining. Here are three cases to watch closely in the coming weeks. Frank v. Gaos Is it fair for the majority of a class-action settlement to go to third-party recipients with ties to the defendant and the class attorneys? That’s what a district court approved in a suit alleging that Google violated users’ privacy when it disclosed users’ search terms to third parties. Google agreed to settle the case for $8.5 million, with more than $2 million going to the class attorneys, $1 million paying for administrative costs and “incentive payments” for the named plaintiffs, and the vast majority—over $5 million—going to third-party recipients. The federal district court, and then the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit on appeal, authorized this settlement because it would be impractical to distribute settlement funds to a class with an estimated 129 million members. These courts followed a doctrine known as cy pres, which…

Read the full story

Gunman Shoots Out Windows of GOP Office in Florida

Admin

by Chuck Ross   A gunman in Florida fired at least four shots into the Volusia County Republican Party’s offices, police said Monday. South Daytona police Capt. Mark Cheatham told reporters that nobody was injured in the shooting, which occurred between Sunday afternoon and Monday morning. A suspect has also not been identified, according to the Orlando Sentinel. https://twitter.com/mspringerwftv/status/1056926486643511297 Tony Ledbetter, the chairman of the Volusia Co. GOP, told WFTV news station that a volunteer found the window’s shattered on Monday morning. Four bullets had pierced the drywall in the office, he said. “You’ve got some sick person, and I’ll call them out, they’re Democrats. No Republican’s got any reason to come attack our location,” said Ledbetter. https://twitter.com/mspringerwftv/status/1056928353230446593 The shooting follows a series of politically-motivated attacks in recent weeks. On Friday, Cesar Sayoc, Jr. was arrested in southern Florida for sending at least 12 pipe bombs to various Democratic politicians and personalities, including Barack Obama, the Clinton’s and Eric Holder. And on Saturday, Robert Bowers killed 11 people at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh. Bowers’ social media posts showed that he embraced anti-Semitic conspiracy theories. Republicans have also been targeted with acts of violence. A vandal in Bakersfield, California, threw…

Read the full story

Trump Calls Andrew Gillum A Thief

Admin

by Chuck Ross   President Donald Trump called Florida gubernatorial candidate Andrew Gillum a thief Monday, an apparent nod at a corruption investigation that threatens to embroil the Tallahassee mayor. “In Florida there is a choice between a Harvard/Yale educated man named @RonDeSantisFL who has been a great Congressman and will be a great Governor – and a Dem who is a thief and who is Mayor of poorly run Tallahassee, said to be one of the most corrupt cities in the Country!” Trump wrote on Twitter. In Florida there is a choice between a Harvard/Yale educated man named @RonDeSantisFL who has been a great Congressman and will be a great Governor – and a Dem who is a thief and who is Mayor of poorly run Tallahassee, said to be one of the most corrupt cities in the Country! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 29, 2018 Gillum, a Democrat, has not been convicted or even accused of a crime, including theft. But he has come under scrutiny over gifts he allegedly received in 2016 from an undercover FBI agent posing as a lobbyist seeking business with the city of Tallahassee. It was reported on Oct. 23 that in…

Read the full story

Angela Merkel to Step Down, Paving Way for New German Chancellor in 2021

Admin

by Alex Christy   German Chancellor Angela Merkel announced Monday that she will not seek re-election as party leader of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU). Merkel has been chair of the CDU since 2000 and chancellor since 2005, according to Reuters. While she has said she is not seeking re-election, she announced it is her intention to remain chancellor until the next general election in 2021. “It is time today for me to start a new chapter. This fourth term is my last term as chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany. In the next Bundestag election in 2021, I will not run again as chancellor. I will not run for the German Bundestag any more, and I do not want any other political office,” Merkel said to reporters in Berlin, according to CNN. The CDU and Socialist Democratic Party (SPD), the parties under Merkel’s coalition, recently “suffered heavy losses” in regional elections, CNN reported. Merkel has been one of the leading proponents of further European integration. Her open refugee policy has been met with the rise of the Alternative for Germany (AfD), which has risen in popularity amid other anti-establishment sentiments in Europe on the right. On the center-left, the Greens have…

Read the full story

Interfaith Vigils Across the US for Victims of Pittsburgh Synagogue Massacre

Admin

Flags on U.S. government buildings across the country will be flown at half-staff over the next three days to honor the victims of the Pittsburgh synagogue massacre. President Donald Trump calls it “a mark of solemn respect for the victims of the terrible act of violence.” He also ordered flags lowered at all U.S. embassies, consular offices, military facilities, and Naval ships. Interfaith vigils were held from coast-to-coast Sunday and in many Canadian cities. A number of National Football League games held moments of silence before kickoff. The Vancouver Canucks professional hockey team also paused before their game with the Pittsburgh Penguins in Vancouver to remember the dead. The Eiffel Tower in Paris was darkened Sunday night. Authorities in Pittsburgh are calling what happened at the Tree of Life synagogue a “hate crime,” saying suspected gunman Robert Bowers shouted anti-Semitic threats as he opened fire. The 46-year-old Bowers faces 29 criminal charges. Documents outlining the allegations against him say Bowers was armed with an AR-15 assault rifle and three handguns. He said that he wanted all Jews to die because he believed Jews “were committing genocide to his people.” That apparently refers to his belief that a Jewish refugee agency…

Read the full story

Migrant Killed as Second Caravan Clashes with Mexican Border Police

Admin

by Will Racke   Several hundred Central American migrants tried to force their way past police at a checkpoint on the Mexico-Guatemala border Sunday, sparking clashes that left one migrant dead and dozens more injured. The group of mostly Honduran men had broken through a gate leading to the border bridge between the Guatemalan town of Tecun Uman and Ciudad Hidalgo in Mexico. As they streamed onto the bridge, they were met by Mexican officers who had been ordered to block the unauthorized migrants. In the ensuing melee, one of the migrants was killed after being struck in the head by what Guatemalan authorities said was a rubber bullet, The Associated Press reported. Guatemalan authorities did not release the name of the man who was killed, but described him as a 26-year-old Honduran national. At a news conference late Sunday, Mexican Interior Secretary Alfonso Navarrete Prida denied that Mexican police were responsible for the man’s death. Navarrate Pida said the migrants attacked officers with rocks, glass bottles and fireworks and that some of the migrants were carrying firearms. He denied that Mexican officers were deployed with guns that fire rubber-tipped ammunition. The group of migrants involved in Sunday’s clash has billed itself as…

Read the full story

Nashville Judicial Commissioner Refused to Issue Arrest Warrant Police Requested for Protester at Blackburn Rally on Charges of Disorderly Conduct and Resisting Arrest

Chris Butler

Nashville Metro Police Department spokesman Don Aaron told The Tennessee Star on Monday city court officials refused to issue an arrest warrant for Justin Jones, the man who made national headlines and caused the biggest disruption at the Marsha Blackburn and Lindsey Graham political rally Sunday. “Justin Jones was physically arrested and transported downtown where the officer requested warrants for the offenses of criminal trespassing, resisting arrest, and disorderly conduct. The judicial commissioner refused to issue the warrants and instructed the officer to charge Mr. Jones with only criminal trespassing by citation. As reported to us the commissioner’s name is Carolyn Piphus,” Aaron told The Star. “I have no information on why she did that.” Tennessee Star Political Editor Steve Gill said that the video and photographic evidence clearly shows Jones resisting arrest and physically assaulting those attending the event and fighting with the police officer. “The fact that the judicial commissioner refused to issue the warrants requested by the police officer raises a serious question about whether she was motivated by partisan political considerations,”  Gill said. “Is there a blue thumb being placed on the scales of justice in Nashville courts?” Gill asked. “It is hard to believe that…

Read the full story

Tennessee Star Report Exclusive: Former State Sen. Mae Beavers Recounts How Protester ‘Justin Jones and His Troops Sat in My Office, Harassed, Kept Us from Doing Business’

Julie Carr

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 – Gill and Leahy talked with former Senator Mae Beavers about the recent Blackburn rally (covered up by the Tennesseean) and career protester Justin Jones.   The rally was violently disrupted by several protesters on Sunday, one of whom was Justin Jones. They went on to discuss Jones’ history as a repeat protester and how the behavior of protesters may require mental evaluation to prevent future violence as seen in the past few weeks. Gill: Mae Beavers on the line with us.  This Justin Jones character that you see pictured at TennesseeStar.com has also stalked and been a problem and a protester with respect to Mae Beavers as well.  Senator, former state Senator Mae Beavers is on the line with us, on our news makers line and Mae good morning! Beavers:  Good morning Steve. Gill:  So you know this character and had some run ins with this character? Beavers: Well, two years ago when Mark Pody and I filed the bathroom bill, we had some protesters show up at one of…

Read the full story

Dr. Mark Green Commentary: Liability Reform a Major Area for Healthcare Savings

Admin

by State Senator Dr. Mark Green (R-Clarksville)   In my third and final op-ed on the healthcare crisis facing America, I’ll discuss the last major problem causing the crisis as well as a solution to address it. You can read part one here, and part two here. Liability reform is a major area for saving billions of dollars. No one wants to be sued, causing doctors to go crazy ordering CAT scans and labs to make certain that if we are called to the witness stand, we can say we did everything we could. Frivolous lawsuits and exorbitant awards are costing providers and their insurance companies millions of dollars in insurance premiums. Those costs are then passed onto the patients in increased healthcare costs, and thus, increased insurance premiums. In some states, like Florida, three lawsuits and you lose your license. In a recent poll of emergency physicians, 65% said that they could save over $500 per 8-hour shift by decreasing unnecessary tests as a part of their defensive practice. Another 16% felt they could save between $200 and $500 dollars. I ran a level 2 trauma center that saw 75,000 patients a year. If we assume a conservative savings…

Read the full story

Gerard Scimeca Commentary: American Consumers Can Unite Around Holding Volkswagen Accountable

Admin

by Gerard Scimeca   In this era of broad political division, one thing that still unites Americans is a deep and abiding dislike for those who seek to profit from cheating.  Whether cheaters come in the form of athletes, such as cyclist Lance Armstrong and his use of performance enhancing drugs, or celebrity lip syncing phonies Milli Vanilli, America has a long and undeniable distaste for con artists. Even President Trump himself, the exact opposite of a unifying figure, earned praise from some of his harshest critics when he targeted China and other nations as cheaters on trade deals. Rule breakers have a way of uniting even the strangest of bed-fellows. The President, then — in fact all of Washington — may want to turn a keen eye toward Volkswagen, who in the midst of one the greatest corporate scandals in history is still putting their finger on the scale, and trying to hoodwink consumers. At a time when they should be on their best behavior, the German automaker is still a long way from making amends and cleaning up their mess. It’s high-time lawmakers held them accountable. Currently, Volkswagen (VW) is still going through the blowback phase from the revelation…

Read the full story

US Power Sector Has Cut Carbon Emissions by Nearly 30 Percent

Admin

by Jason Hopkins   A combination of slower electricity demand and a changing fossil fuel industry has led to a 28 percent reduction in the country’s carbon dioxide emissions. Despite President Donald Trump’s ambitious rollback of environmental regulations and attempts to revitalize the coal industry, data indicate the U.S. is reducing its carbon footprint under his administration. The country’s power sector has cut its carbon dioxide emissions by 28 percent since 2005, according to a Monday report from the Energy Information Administration (EIA). The country’s power sector had a total of 1,744 million metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions in 2017, the smallest level seen since 1987. The drop in greenhouse gases are due to two main changes: slower demand growth for electricity, and the decline of coal in lieu of natural gas and subsidy backed renewables. In six of the past 10 years, demand for electricity has decreased. At the same time, natural gas has emerged as a cheaper and more efficient source for energy generation than coal. Natural gas surpassed coal as the main source of electricity generation in 2016.  Non-carbon sources of electricity generation have also made inroads in the past decade. Largely fueled by state and…

Read the full story