Month: November 2018

As Legislative Session Approaches, Americans For Prosperity-Tennessee Trains Citizen Lobbyists

Laura Baigert

MURFREESBORO, Tennessee – Statewide grassroots organization Americans For Prosperity-Tennessee (AFP-TN) conducted training for citizen lobbyists in preparation for the upcoming legislative session of the 111th Tennessee General Assembly. Between the House and Senate, the legislature will have more than two dozen new members, the most since Reconstruction, when it reconvenes in January 2019. According to its website, AFP-TN is committed to advancing every individual’s right to economic freedom and opportunity through citizen education and engagement. The Tennessee chapter is focused on breaking down barriers to opportunity, achieving policy victories that can serve as model legislation for other states, and continually growing our activist base to encourage more people to turn from apathy to engagement in the process. AFP-TN State Director Tori Venable lead the four-hour training session for more than 20 attendees, several of whom came from as far as Knoxville, that focused on legislative advocacy and making the case for citizens holding legislators “accountable to the true purpose of public service.” Examples of issues that require legislative advocacy include legislative actions that increase barriers for economic prosperity, budget issues, legislative actions that cause encroachment on personal rights and freedoms. While citizens can use email, phone calls and social media…

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Steve Gill: Three Reasons We Can Turn the Country Around

Julie Carr

On Thursday’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 discussed the three reasons why there is opportunity to save America and how the Democratic party always makes conflicting promises that they can never keep, nor are accountable for.  Steve Gill went into detail about how we can save our country, and in the end pointed out that we are going to have love our country more than the left hates it. Gill: Three reasons why I think there is an opportunity to push back against this perception controls reality.  That liberalism wins and that this mass migration that is undercutting the culture of America will destroy us from within. Leahy: The arc of history leans towards justice. Gill: Well yeah, that will be part of it yeah that ultimately the arc of history, somebody will emerge as a country, like the United States did worldwide.  It became that as Reagan would say, “last best hope of the world.” Somebody else will emerge, because some of will leave and go somewhere else and start a new America. …

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Dr. Carol M. Swain Commentary: Is President Trump’s Asylee Policy for Central American Caravanners Unconstitutional?

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by Dr. Carol M. Swain   A federal judge in San Francisco has blocked President Trump’s November 8 directive stipulating that requests for asylum must be made at a port of entry. The judge’s action follows a jaw-dropping November 1 lawsuit from lawyers representing 12 Honduran migrants. They filed suit in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia opposing President Trump’s announced asylum policy. The petition accused the President of unconstitutional abuse of the caravanners’ rights to exercise “their lawful right to seek asylum in the United States.” At the time, the plaintiffs were more than 500 miles from the U.S. border. Are their claims valid? Let’s look at the facts. First, do the Central American migrants meet the basic criteria for protection under the existing asylum statute? Second, has the President overstepped his authority by issuing a directive that applicants must apply at a port of entry? If both answers are no, then perhaps President Trump is correct in his handling of the matter. Then we would owe him a national thank-you. If the answers are yes, we would have a major problem of a president overstepping his authority. Reacting to what he described as an invasion, President…

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Auditors Scold Tennessee School System for Conflict of Interest

Chris Butler

The Robertson County School System paid a business more than $100,000 for services, even though that business employed a school board member, according to an audit Tennessee Comptrollers released Thursday. That, auditors said, is a conflict of interest and goes against Tennessee law. Comptrollers did not name the school board member in their audit. “During the year, the School Department made payments totaling $105,160 to American Paper and Twine Company, the employer of a school board member,” Comptrollers wrote. According to Tennessee law, “members of the board of education…shall not be financially interested or have any personal beneficial interest, either directly or indirectly, in the purchase of any supplies, materials, equipment, or contractual services for the county.” Robertson County School System spokesman Jim Bellis told The Tennessee Star Thursday he was unfamiliar with that audit finding and had no comment. The school system’s financial coordinator, unnamed in the audit, issued a written response to Comptrollers and said the school system “will terminate the contract and bid with American Paper and Twine.” “We will seek another company from which to purchase expendable supplies for the 2018-19 fiscal year,” the financial coordinator said. As reported, this is not the first time taxpayers…

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Record-High 70,000 Americans Died of Drug Overdoses in 2017

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by Evie Fordham   A record 70,000 Americans died of drug overdoses according to 2017 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data released Thursday, prompting experts to point to the proliferation of the potent substance fentanyl. The CDC’s 2017 data shows that 70,237 Americans died of drug overdoses. That represents a nearly 10 percent increase from 2016, when 63,632 Americans died of drug overdoses. West Virginia, Ohio and Pennsylvania were the states hardest hit in 2017. Analysts warned that a growing amount of drugs are laced with dangerous substances like the synthetic opioid fentanyl when the CDC released preliminary 2017 overdose statistics in August. Provisional numbers suggest that 2018 will see a similar number of drug overdose deaths as in 2017, according to the CDC. Deaths involving fentanyl, its analogs and the opioid tramadol jumped 45 percent from 2016 to 2017 alone, according to CDC data. 2017 saw more than 28,000 deaths involving fentanyl or similar synthetic opioids. Fentanyl is most common in the eastern and midwestern U.S., where the opioid epidemic is most concentrated. Illicit fentanyl is often made in Mexico or China and cut into supplies of heroin or cocaine as it is stronger and cheaper than both…

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72-year-old Congresswoman Accuses Fellow Dems of Ageism, Sexism for Picking Younger Black Male for Leadership Role

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by Luke Rosiak   A 72-year-old black congresswoman accused her fellow Democratic House members of ageism and sexism after they selected a younger black male, New York Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, to lead the House Democratic Caucus on Wednesday. The caucus chairmanship is the fifth-most powerful leadership position. Unlike the hotly contested race, all of the top four were elections in which only one person ran. Both candidates for Caucus chair — Jeffries of Brooklyn and Queens and Barbara Lee of California — are members of the Congressional Black Caucus, an indication of the role identity politics are playing in Democrats’ internal leadership races. “Lee, 72, argued that, with African-American women serving as a backbone to the Democratic Party, it made sense for an African-American woman to serve in Democratic leadership,” The Huffington Post wrote. But when Lee lost the race 123-113, she attributed her loss to ageism and sexism among House Democrats. The Huffington Post wrote: Asked after the vote whether ageism or sexism played a role in the results, Lee replied: “Well, I think you heard and saw what took place. So I absolutely think that’s the case.” The top three House leaders — Nancy Pelosi, Steny Hoyer and Jim Clyburn —…

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Commentary: Trump Wins the First Battle of San Ysidro

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US-Mexico Border

by George Rasley   More than 5,000 phony asylum-seekers arrived from Central America and elsewhere in Tijuana, Mexico after having been transported from their home countries to the U.S. – Mexico border. Last Sunday, hundreds of them marched through Tijuana to assault the U.S. port of entry at San Ysidro. Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Kevin McAleenan said four officers were struck with rocks before they fired tear gas at the migrants trying to rush the San Ysidro Port of Entry. But McAleenan said the officers “were wearing protective gear and did not suffer serious injuries.” According to reporting by NPR, Mexican police officers in riot gear stopped many, but those who continued toward the fence met U.S. border agents, who sprayed some with tear gas. Following the incident, the Mexican Interior Ministry said it will deport hundreds of migrants who attempted to “violently” cross the border. On the U.S. side of the border, ABC 10 News San Diego’s Laura Acevedo reported a group called the San Diego Migrant and Refugee Coalition organized the Sunday rally that eventually turned into a march. About 600 people joined the coalition which is made up of 20 migrant support and social justice groups.…

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Taylor Swift Named ‘Most Influential’ Person on Twitter in 2018

Jason M. Reynolds

Taylor Swift is the most influential person on Twitter this year, despite only tweeting 13 times, CNET says. Social media analysis company Brandwatch released on Wednesday its annual lists of the top 10 most influential women and top 10 men on Twitter. With an “influencer score” of 98 points out of a possible 100, Swift is the winner. Topping the list of most influential men – and playing second to Swift – is Liam Payne. The former One Direction band member turned solo artist scored 97 points. Payne was followed by President Donald Trump, singer Katy Perry, celeb Kim Kardashian West and singer Demi Lovato, all of whom scored 96 points. Perhaps it is good for Taylor that Brandwatch did not look at Instagram. Swift in October endorsed Tennessee Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Phil Bredesen on Instagram, as media outlets previously reported. She cited issues like LGBTQ rights and flamed Bredesen’s opponent, U.S. Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN-07). Bredesen lost spectacularly to Blackburn, who took a commanding lead of 54.73 percent to Bredesen’s 43.89 percent. Meanwhile, do not expect to see Bredesen on the list of most influential Twitter men. He was mocked online for using Swift’s popular song “Look What You Made Me Do”…

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Republican Tim Scott Will Kill Nomination Chances of Trump Judicial Nominee Thomas Farr

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by Evie Fordham   South Carolina Republican Sen. Tim Scott said Thursday afternoon that he will oppose the nomination of Trump judicial nominee Thomas Farr, killing Farr’s chances of making it onto the bench, The News Tribune reported. Scott’s vote was the deciding factor on whether Farr would make it through, and the senator had been publicly mulling his decision since Monday, according to The News Tribune. “We are not doing a very good job of avoiding the obvious potholes on race in America and we ought to be more sensitive when it comes to those issues,” Scott told reporters Wednesday, according to McClatchy DC. “There are a lot of folks that can be judges, in states including North Carolina, besides Tom Farr.” Defeated Democratic gubernatorial candidates Stacey Abrams of Georgia and Andrew Gillum of Florida voiced their opposition Tuesday to Farr for what they called a “disregard for fundamental civil rights.” The 64-year-old lawyer was nominated to preside over the Eastern District of North Carolina by President Donald Trump in July 2017 and could fill the longest judicial vacancy in the country, reported NBC News. Forty-nine Democrats plus Arizona Republican Sen. Jeff Flake had said they would vote against Farr. Flake announced Nov. 14 that…

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U.S. Rep.-Elect Green Announces Town Halls, Constituent Survey

Jason M. Reynolds

U.S. Rep.-elect Dr. Mark Green (R-TN-07) announced he is holding six town halls across Tennessee’s 7th Congressional District from Dec. 11-13. Green will discuss the issues facing the 116th Congress and hear from constituents. All residents in the 7th District are invited to attend and participate. “As a state senator, I held town halls across my district before session every year to hear from constituents so I can better represent them. I’m excited to continue these as we head to Congress. I hope everyone will come and let us know how they feel about the issues,” said Green. Green was unanimously elected president of the Republican Freshman Class Tuesday night, The Tennessee Star reported Thursday. Congressman-elect Green also launched an issues survey for constituents of the district to fill out. The survey is available online here. The details on the town halls are: December 11, 5:30-6:30 p.m. Williamson County Administrative Complex 1320 West Main Street Franklin, TN December 12, 4:30-5:30 p.m. Samuel’s on the Square 117 North Court Square Waverly, TN December 12, 7-8 p.m. William O. Beach Civic Hall 350 Pageant Lane, Suite 201 Clarksville, TN December 13, 2-3 p.m. Square-Forty Restaurant 40 Public Square Lawrenceburg, TN December 13,…

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Are Democrats Trying to Steal a North Carolina Congressional Seat Already Certified by County Boards of Election as a 905 Vote GOP Win?

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The North Carolina State Board of Elections is refusing to certify Republican Mark Harris’s 905 vote victory in the state’s 9th Congressional District on November 6, even though the election boards in all eight of the district’s counties have certified the results as a victory for Harris, and Democrat opponent Dan McCready has conceded. Jay DeLancy, executive director of the non-partisan Voter Integrity Project of North Carolina, asked the question late Thursday night that is on the minds of many North Carolina voters: “Are Democrats plotting to steal an NC election?” “All of the ballots have long been counted and certified in the district’s eight counties, so the state board’s certification looked like a yawner until Democrat board member, Joshua Malcolm, cited concerns with fraud or voting irregularities and motioned to exclude the 9th CD race from certification. The motion carried, 9 to 0,” DeLancy wrote. The North Carolina State Board of Elections has, to date, been secretive about the reasons they have chosen not to certify the election. Conservatives in the state suspect the foul play may be taking place not at the ballot boxes in the district, but in the political power plays going on between Democrat lawyers,…

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Google CEO to Testify Before Congress to Discuss Allegations of Conservative Censorship

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by Evie Fordham   Google CEO Sundar Pichai will testify before the House Judiciary Committee on Dec. 5 to answer questions about the company’s possible political bias, the committee announced. “Americans put their trust in big tech companies to honor freedom of speech and champion open dialogue, and it is Congress’ responsibility to the American people to make sure these tech giants are transparent and accountable in their practices,” committee chairman Rep. Bob Goodlatte, a Virginia Republican, said in a committee press release. Republican lawmakers criticized Pichai for skipping a Sept. 5 Senate Intelligence Committee hearing on social media and foreign election meddling. Facebook and Twitter executives testified, and an empty chair with a nameplate that said “Google” sat where the company’s representative would have been. The announcement of the social media-focused hearing comes as Google employees are making headlines for a Tuesday open letter protesting the company’s work on a censored Chinese search engine. “Today the company accounts for nearly 90 percent of worldwide search traffic. … Unfortunately, recent reports suggest Google might not be wielding its vast power impartially,” committee member and House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy said in the press release. “Its business practices may have been affected by political bias. Additionally, reports claim the company is…

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Sen. Mike Lee Says Mueller Protection Bill Would Create A ‘De Facto Fourth Branch of Government’

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by Nick Givas   Republican Sen. Mike Lee of Utah said Thursday he does not support the Senate bill to protect special counsel Robert Mueller because it would create a “de facto fourth branch of government” unanswerable to the Constitution. Lee was discussing Michael Cohen’s guilty plea for making false statements to Congress regarding the Russia probe and said it’s time for Mueller to wrap things up. “I hope that it is wrapping soon. This has been going on for the better part of two years and I want him to finish his work and I think he ought to wrap it up soon,” Lee said on Fox’s “America’s Newsroom” Thursday. Lee said Cohen’s plea shouldn’t change anything about the Russia probe and criticized the proposed Senate bill to protect Mueller as the special counsel. “I don’t think it changes anything about how I look at the probes,” he replied. “I certainly don’t think it changes anything about how I look at the Flake/Coons bill, that would try to create a de facto fourth branch of government … unanswerable to the president of the United States, operating outside of the separation of powers system established by our Constitution.” “I still oppose that and nothing…

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Battleground State Report: Election Integrity Will be Critical to Outcome of 2020 Presidential Election

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On last weekend’s Battleground State Report  with Steve Gill, Michael Patrick Leahy, and Doug Kellet, a one hour radio show from Star News Digital Media in the early stages of a national weekend syndication rollout, the hosts talked about the voter suppression narrative which is consistently moderated by the left, and how they have conveniently left out the hundreds of people that vote illegally as dual residents.  Gill proposed a solution to this problem which would be to install a national voter database that would alert previous residents of one state when they have registered in another state.  The men agreed that such illegal voting activity should be audited and prosecuted and that Republicans have missed the boat on this opportunity in response to the current political narrative. Gill: One of the big issues guys that came out of the midterms that has been kind of an underlying issue… John Fund wrote a great book a few years back about the voter integrity issue.  About the fraud, the dead voters, the prospects of problems with mail in voting, where you don’t know who the person who sends in the ballot is actually the person who was supposed.  Supposed to be checking…

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Democrats Will Use Climate Report Against Trump in Court

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by Michael Bastasch   President Donald Trump can expect Democrats to use the latest National Climate Assessment (NCA) in lawsuits against his administration’s “energy dominance” agenda. “We’ll use every piece of that report that we can,” California Attorney General Xavier Becerra told The Washington Post in an interview Tuesday, referring to lawsuits against the Trump administration. Becerra, a Democrat, has filed nearly two dozen lawsuits to stop the Trump administration from rolling back Obama-era energy and environment policies, including suing to stop the building of a U.S.-Mexico border wall on environmental grounds. California is not alone. The Golden State generally leads coalitions of other Democratic-controlled states to oppose Trump administration policies. Becerra, for example, led a group of 17 states suing to keep the Trump from undoing Obama-era fuel economy standards. Becerra and others see the NCA, released on Nov. 23, as another tool to use in court. The NCA made dire predictions about future global warming, including rising seas, higher temperatures and slower economic growth — though the most headline-grabbing claims relied on extreme climate projections that experts questioned. “It is not a matter of resisting,” Becerra told WaPo. “It is a matter of doing what we are doing. and…

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Audit: Fayette County Cheerleading Coach Used Cheerleading Fees on Himself

Chris Butler

“The money is there. It’s a cheerleading fee. I think I will steal it and use it on me.” Nope — the high school cheerleaders in Fayette County are unlikely to recite this cheer anytime soon. But Fayette Ware High School Cheerleading Coach Jimmy Wilson may have had those thoughts running through his mind, according to a new audit. Tennessee Comptrollers didn’t exactly roll out their Pom poms for Wilson, of Somerville, in the audit, released Thursday. According to that audit, Wilson took at least $2,500 meant for high school cheerleaders and used it on himself. Members of the Fayette County Grand Jury indicted Wilson this month on charges of theft of property $2,500 to $10,000 and misconduct and tampering with government records. The Tennessee Star was unable to reach Wilson Thursday. A Jimmy Wilson whose home phone number is listed in that county had a disconnected phone line. Wilson apparently has no active social media profiles. “All of the money should have been turned over to the school; however, during an interview with investigators, the former coach admitted to using bad judgment by comingling cheer funds with his personal funds. Most of the money collected was in the form of…

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Current Tennessee Law Might Have Prevented Edgar Torres-Rangel Escape, If Followed

Chris Butler

Former Republican State Rep. Joe Carr (R-Lascassas) said law enforcement officers would still have Edgar Torres-Rangel in their custody if they had only followed a law he sponsored that was passed by the Tennessee General Assembly several years ago. That law, named after Ricky Otts, went into effect in July 2012, Carr said. Otts died several years ago while riding his motorcycle in Tennessee. An illegal immigrant with no driver’s license or insurance killed Otts, Carr said. “It wasn’t an arrestable offense. He didn’t have a driver’s license or insurance, so they let him go, which is typically what law enforcement does when they don’t have a drivers’ license or insurance because they can’t afford to detain these people,” Carr said. The law Carr sponsored that was passed by the Tennessee General Assembly and signed by the governor required that drivers, if they cause a serious injury or a fatality, face a magistrate for arraignment. “There is no mention in the law of illegal immigrants or immigrants. But they are the primary perpetrators of this kind of activity, driving without insurance, driving without a license and it also makes them a significant flight risk,” Carr said. As The Tennessee Star…

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Congressman-Elect Mark Green Elected Republican Freshman Class President

Jason M. Reynolds

U.S. Rep.-elect Dr. Mark Green (R-TN-07) was unanimously elected president of the Republican Freshman Class Tuesday night, he announced in a statement. Thirty members-elect for the 116th Congress selected Green to lead the class. “I’m honored to be elected by this distinguished group of colleagues as president of the Freshman Class,” said Congressman-elect Green. “I ran for Congress to take our successful leadership in Tennessee to Congress, and am excited to be able to lead the freshman class.” I’m honored to be elected by this distinguished group of colleagues as president of the Freshman Class. I ran for Congress to take our successful leadership in Tennessee to Congress, and am excited to be able to lead the freshman class.https://t.co/RB660lVbcm — Mark E. Green, MD (@DrMarkGreen4TN) November 28, 2018 U.S. Rep.-elect Tim Burchett (R-TN-02) said, “Mark is a veteran and served our state as a leader in the legislature. As new members of Congress, we need someone advocating for us who understands the process. That’s why I was honored to nominate Mark to be our freshman class president.” Entering a Democrat controlled House, Green previously said he will “look for areas of commonality” with Democrats to conduct business, Brentwood Home Page…

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Commentary: Trump’s Energy Policies Are Paying Off for Workers and Consumers

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by Richard McCarty   With the liberal media busy looking for excuses to attack President Trump and his administration, you might have missed some good news on the energy front. American energy jobs are being created, gas prices are dropping, energy imports are dropping and energy exports are rising. Since Trump took office, there have been thousands of coal mining jobs created; and tens of thousands of oil and gas industry jobs have been created. Many of these jobs pay well. Thanks to Trump, coal’s future is looking brighter. In the early months of the Trump Administration, the Interior Department ended the moratorium on new coal leases on public lands that the Obama Administration had put in place. In FY 2017, coal production on federal lands increased by more than 12 percent. While environmentalists work to shut down reliable coal plants reducing domestic needs for coal, coal exports increased by 61 percent last year as coal shipments to Europe rose and shipments to Asia more than doubled. The domestic natural gas industry is growing rapidly. Last year, for the first time since the Eisenhower era, the U.S. has become a net exporter of natural gas. The U.S. is expected to…

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Tennessee Cooperative Employee Misappropriated Nearly $1 Million, Audit Says

Chris Butler

A former accountant with the Decatur-based Volunteer Energy Cooperative stole nearly $1 million from the entity, according to an audit Tennessee Comptrollers released Wednesday. This month a Meigs County Grand Jury indicted that former accountant, Jason Kittle, on one count of theft over $250,000. This, after Comptrollers and officials with the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation looked into Kittle’s activities, according to the audit. “This is one of the largest cases of theft that we have investigated,” said Comptroller Justin P. Wilson, in a press release. Investigators determined that Kittle stole at least $994,981 between June 2011 and December 2017. Kittle used three schemes to steal VEC money for his personal use, auditors wrote. • Kittle stole $735,318 by making 242 transfers from a VEC account to his personal bank account. • Kittle stole $229,293 by making 204 payments to his personal credit card account. • Kittle stole $30,368 by making 48 payments to a credit card account in the name of a family member. “Kittle was able to his conceal his misappropriation by recording the fraudulent transactions in VEC’s accounting system as online payment fees, returns, or similar transactions,” auditors wrote. “Kittle also managed and reconciled the statements of the…

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Trump’s Tariffs Aren’t Enough – He Needs to Unload On China, Says Economist

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by Nick Givas   Maryland University economics professor Peter Morici said President Donald Trump needs continue putting pressure on the Chinese government to limit their influence and control over American policy. “I don’t think China is under enough stress,” Morici said on “Fox & Friends” Wednesday. He specifically cited Treasury secretary Steve Mnuchin for being too soft on China and said Trump was right to criticize his performance. “Now we put on a 25 percent tariff. And then do some of the things that secretary Mnuchin has been nixing,” Morici continued. “You know, the president was quite correct to criticize him. He’s been leaning against this all along. When he spoke to me, he expressed great skepticism that the trade deficit mattered at all! At all! At All. That was very disappointing that conversation.” He also called for a ban on Huawei and ZTE cell phone exports in the interest of national security and recommended tougher sanctions on investment. “My feeling is that we need to not only put on the 25 percent tariff but we need to do some of the other things. For example ban Huawei and ZTE’s exports for 5G into the United States. It’s a national security threat,” he declared. “And start to…

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Obama Touts Climate Legacy, Then Takes Credit for US Oil Boom

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by Michael Bastasch   Former President Barack Obama said he was “extraordinarily proud of the Paris accords” before, rather ironically, taking credit for booming U.S. oil and gas production. “I was extraordinarily proud of the Paris accords because — you know, I know we’re in oil country and we need American energy, and by the way, American energy production,” Obama said at an event hosted by Rice University’s Baker Institute on Tuesday night. “You wouldn’t always know it but it went up every year I was president,” Obama said of U.S. oil and gas production. “That whole, suddenly America’s like the biggest oil producer and the biggest gas — that was me, people.” Obama: "Suddenly America is the largest oil producer, that was me people … say thank you." pic.twitter.com/VfQfX1SR0x — Tom Elliott (@tomselliott) November 28, 2018 U.S. oil production nearly doubled between 2009, when Obama took office, to 2016. Natural gas production shot up around 50 percent in that time. However, the boom in production almost exclusively took place on state and private lands where the Obama administration had little to no control. Republicans criticized Obama for lagging oil and gas production on federally-managed lands, which largely stagnated while…

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Trump ‘Willing’ to Shut Down Government Over Border Wall Funding

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President Donald Trump says he would “totally be willing” to partially shut down the government next week if he does not get more funding for a wall along the U.S.-Mexican border to thwart Central American migrants from entering the country. The U.S. leader, who almost daily unleashes verbal attacks on migrants trying to cross into the United States, told Politico he is insisting that $5 billion for wall construction be included in measures Congress needs to approve to keep several federal agencies open after their current spending authority expires December 7. Opposition Democrats have said they will approve $1.6 billion for the wall, leaving the two sides far apart. Some Republicans are also opposed to Trump’s wall, which he vowed in his 2016 presidential campaign would be paid for by Mexico, although he now wants U.S. taxpayers to foot the bill. “I am firm,” Trump said of his $5 billion demand. “I don’t do anything … just for political gain,” Trump said. “But I will tell you, politically speaking, that issue is a total winner. People look at the border, they look at the rush to the police, they look at the rock throwers and really hurting three people, three…

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EPA’s Andrew Wheeler Suggests the Obama Administration Put its Thumb on the Scale of the Latest US Climate Report

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by Michael Bastasch   Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) acting Administrator Andrew Wheeler suggested the Obama administration told the authors of the latest National Climate Assessment (NCA) to emphasize “worst-case” global warming predictions. “And I don’t know this for a fact — I wouldn’t be surprised if the Obama administration told the report’s authors to take a look at the worst-case scenario for this report,” Wheeler told The Washington Post in an interview Wednesday. Wheeler isn’t the first to criticize the NCA’s focus on “worst-case” global warming predictions, but his comments sparked backlash from former President Barack Obama’s chief science adviser. .@eilperin asks @EPAAWheeler why he didn't read the full national climate assessment before it was released. #postlive pic.twitter.com/LCE9OSYJyC — Washington Post Live (@PostLive) November 28, 2018 John Holdren, Obama’s former science czar, told Politico that’s “absolutely false.” Holdren said the report considered a wide range of scenarios, and that he had no role in selecting the fourth NCA’s authors. The NCA is produced by the U.S. Global Change Research Program (USGCRP), which includes officials from 13 federal agencies. “My only instruction was that the USGCRP should continue the distinguished tradition of the first three by drawing on the most current…

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Trump Responds to Mueller About Two Key Collusion Allegations

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by Chuck Ross   President Donald Trump reportedly told special counsel Robert Mueller in writing earlier in November that he did not know about his son’s infamous June 2016 meeting with Russians before it occurred and that he was not informed by his longtime confidant, Roger Stone, that WikiLeaks planned to release information damaging to the Clinton campaign, according to CNN. Trump submitted the answers Nov. 20, after months of tense negotiations with Mueller’s team over the scope of the questions. Trump’s lawyers fought to exclude questions about possible obstruction of justice over the firing of James Comey as FBI director. They also opposed a sit-down interview with prosecutors, vying instead for responses provided in writing. The two sources familiar with the matter did not give CNN any direct quotes. The Trump Tower meeting and WikiLeaks email dumps have been a central focus of Mueller’s investigation into possible collusion between the Trump campaign and Russian government. Donald Trump Jr. met with a group of Russians on June 9, 2016, after an associate contacted him offering information on Hillary Clinton. “If it is what you say I love it,” Trump Jr. responded to the associate, a music publicist who worked for Emin Agalarov, the son of Russian…

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US Charges Two Iranian Cyber Criminals in Ransomware Scheme

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by Masood Farivar   In the first case of its kind, the U.S. Justice Department announced charges Wednesday against two alleged Iranian cybercriminals who used malware to infect the computer networks of U.S. municipalities, hospitals and other organizations in a scheme to extort millions of dollars from the victims. Faramarz Shahi Savandi, 34, and Mohammad Mehdi Shah Mansouri, 27, are accused of creating and deploying a sophisticated malware known as SamSam Ransomware to forcibly encrypt data on the computer networks of more than 200 organizations and other victims in the United States and Canada. Savandi and Mansouri would then demand a ransom payment in the form of the virtual currency known as bitcoin in exchange for decryption keys for the encrypted data. In all, the two allegedly received more than $6 million in extortion payments. Officials did not name the victims that made the payments. Other victims that refused to pay ransom suffered more than $30 million in lost data. The victims included state agencies, city governments and hospitals, including the City of Atlanta, the City of Newark, the Port of San Diego, the Colorado Department of Transportation, the University of Calgary in Calgary, Canada, and six U.S. public health…

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Michigan College Plans to Defend Against Active Shooters by Arming Students With Hockey Pucks

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by Neetu Chandak   Students and faculty at a Michigan college are getting ready to use hockey pucks as weapons in case of a campus shooter situation. Oakland University American Association of University Professors (AAUP) President Thomas Discenna led an effort for the union to buy 2,500 94-cent hockey pucks, the Detroit Free Press reported Tuesday. Pucks were distributed earlier in November with 1,700 pucks going to students and 800 to union members. Oakland’s Student Congress also ordered 1,000 hockey pucks for students, according to the Free Press. “It’s just the idea of having something, a reminder that you’re not powerless and you’re not helpless in the classroom,” Discenna said. The southeastern Michigan college has a no-weapons policy on campus, reported the Free Press. “No person shall possess a pistol or any other firearm, dangerous weapon, weapon, explosive or incendiary device on the campus provided, however, that the occupants of single family residences in the Meadow Brook subdivision and non-student University residences may possess firearms as permitted by law,” Oakland’s Ordinances state. The idea of using hockey pucks stemmed from a self-defense training session for faculty in March during which Police Chief Mark Gordon advised participants to distract shooters by throwing anything, like a hockey puck.…

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US Leads the World in Cutting CO2 Emissions, But That’s Not Good Enough for the UN

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by Tim Pearce   The United Nations is urging countries to pursue more aggressive emissions-cutting policies to keep post-Industrial Revolution global warming under 2 degrees Celsius. The U.N. released a report Tuesday that says the world must revamp efforts several times what they are currently to avoid climate change’s worst effects. The United States leads developed countries in cutting emissions. President Donald Trump ignited a furor in the environmental community when he announced he would pull the U.S. out of the 2015 Paris climate accord. The agreement outlined strategies and goals for combatting climate change, but the deal, without an enforcement mechanism, has done little to reduce the world’s carbon output. Most countries continue to increase their carbon emissions. China, the largest contributor to increasing emissions, has said it will continue to increase emissions for several more years before peaking and focusing on reducing emissions. India will continue to develop and increase its fossil fuel use. European countries increased emissions by 1.5 percent on average in 2017, according to an annual report by British Petroleum. Germany and France, both attempting to ratchet up environmental policies, increased emissions by 0.1 and 2 percent, respectively. “The science is clear; for all the…

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Nashville Metro Council Resolution Reportedly Tries to Tie Amazon Deal to Pay Increases for City Employees

Chris Butler

Certain members of the Nashville Metro Council intend to tie the city’s proposed incentives for Amazon.com to wage increases for city employees, according to The Nashville Business Journal. As The Tennessee Star reported, Nashville will get Amazon’s new Operations Center of Excellence in exchange for $102 million in taxpayer-funded performance-based incentives. Additionally, Nashville will provide a cash grant up to $15 million, as reported. The new operation is supposed to have 5,000 new jobs with average salaries of $150,000 per year, according to Tennessee Republican Gov. Bill Haslam. According to The Nashville Business Journal, Metro Council members are scheduled to hear the resolution during next week’s meeting. The resolution, according the paper, asks that Metro Council “hereby goes on record as requesting that the Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County provide cost of living adjustments to employees of the Metropolitan Government if economic incentives are to be awarded to Amazon.” “If the Metropolitan Government is unable to provide cost of living adjustments to Metro employees, however, no economic incentives should be given to Amazon.” Resolutions, the paper went on to say are nonbinding. That means Metro has no obligation to meet the demands if the council approves it next week. “However,…

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Controversial Thompson’s Station Mayor Napier Re-Elected by 11 Votes After Provisional Ballots Counted

Julie Carr

  Williamson County Election Administrator Chad Gray says that all provisional and contested ballots in the November 6 election for Thompson’s Station Mayor have been tabulated and that current Mayor Corey Napier has won by 11 votes. Napier defeated challenger Mike Roberts by receiving 1,283 total votes to Roberts’ 1,272 votes. Napier had a 12 vote margin when votes were counted on Election Day and until provisional votes were included, after which Roberts picked up one additional vote. Of six provisional ballots cast in Thompson’s Station, only one counted in the final tally. That vote went to Roberts. Napier’s time as Mayor has been surrounded by controversy, including ongoing lawsuits and contentious Board of Mayor and Alderman meetings.  Napier has also seen his wages as Mayor garnished due to unpaid personal taxes.  His extremely narrow margin of victory is unlikely to diminish the conflicts that his leadership has created. One of Napier’s allies on the Board of Mayor and Alderman was re-elected on November 6, Brandon Bell. Shaun Alexander will replace Ben Dilks, who did not seek reelection. Alexander ran his race in close cooperation with the Roberts’ campaign. One of the critical issues the City must address immediately is…

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Good Jobs First, National Watchdog Group, Blasts Amazon Deal That Includes Nashville

Chris Butler

Government officials are “whipsawed” into handing out corporate welfare and other tax incentives to companies like Amazon, as they did this month in Tennessee, among other places, according to the head of a Washington D.C.-based nonprofit. This is especially true as government officials try to entice a company to come to their state when they know those company officials have other options. Greg LeRoy, executive director of Good Jobs First (pictured, above), said as much in an op-ed this week in The New York Daily News. According to its website, Good Jobs First is a policy resource center that promotes corporate and government accountability in economic development. “In game theory, public officials are in the ‘prisoners’ dilemma.’ They aren’t told who they are competing against, and if they find out, they know they must not communicate with their peers. Their job is to supply data — and the biggest possible subsidy package — and hope for the best. They may intensely dislike this game’s rules, but know they must conform, lest they be blacklisted by site consultants shopping the next deal,” LeRoy wrote. “When a press release is issued, giving a politician a powerful re-election gift, the spin emphasizes the…

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Medicaid Improperly Billed in Columbia, Audit Says

Chris Butler

A Columbia nursing facility improperly billed Medicaid nearly $5,000, according to an audit Tennessee Comptrollers released Monday. In their audit, Comptrollers called out the Life Care Center of Columbia. This audit comes as several mainstream media outlets in Tennessee seem to urge state leaders to expand Medicaid. The most recent one was The Daily Memphian, in a glowing piece about newly-elected State Rep. Jesse Chism, D-Memphis. But, as Monday’s audit and many others reveal, people tasked with handling Medicaid expenses often make mistakes and bill the taxpayers more than necessary. According to the audit, Life Care Center of Columbia improperly billed the Medicaid Program for 31 noncovered days from 2014 through 2016. “Of the improperly billed days, 27 were for hospital or therapeutic leave days when the facility was operating below 85 percent occupancy, one was for a hospital leave day that exceeded the 10-day leave rule, and three were billed after a resident was discharged from the facility,” auditors wrote. The facility, Comptrollers went on to say, should refund $4,811 to the Medicaid Program. In another finding, Comptrollers said staff members inappropriately charged Medicaid residents’ trust fund accounts for shampoos and haircuts, which are Medicaid- covered services. “As a…

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Commentary: Go Big Mr. President: Close the Southern Border

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By Conservative HQ Staff   Yesterday, our friend independent investigative journalist Sara Carter passed along a tweet from President Trump saying, “Mexico should move the flag waving Migrants, many of whom are stone cold criminals, back to their countries. Do it by plane, do it by bus, do it anyway you want, but they are NOT coming into the U.S.A. We will close the Border permanently if need be. Congress, fund the WALL!” Mexico should move the flag waving Migrants, many of whom are stone cold criminals, back to their countries. Do it by plane, do it by bus, do it anyway you want, but they are NOT coming into the U.S.A. We will close the Border permanently if need be. Congress, fund the WALL! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 26, 2018 The President’s comment came in response to an assault on our border at the San Ysidro port of entry where U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) said it suspended northbound and southbound crossings for both pedestrians and vehicles for more than four hours on Sunday. The vehicle lanes re-opened at approximately 5 p.m. local time, five-and-a-half hours after they were closed. Fox News reported that CBP said…

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US ‘Extremely Committed to Getting to Mars,’ NASA Administrator Says

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by Alex Christy   NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine is looking to the future of Mars exploration after NASA successfully landed its InSight Mars Lander on Monday. “This accomplishment represents the ingenuity of America and our international partners and it serves as a testament to the dedication and perseverance of our team. The best of NASA is yet to come, and it is coming soon,” Bridenstine said of the success of InSight’s landing on the Martian surface, according to a NASA press release Monday. Bridenstine addressed NASA’s future after receiving a congratulatory phone call from Vice President Mike Pence, according to Space. “You ask what’s happening next? Right now, at NASA there is more underway probably than since I don’t know how many years past. It’s like there’s a drought and all of a sudden all these activities at once. So, we’re busy. We’re going to be working through the holiday — a lot of amazing discoveries to be made, and we’re looking forward to them,” Bridenstine said. Bridenstine views the Trump administration’s priority of returning to the moon as NASA’s first step to an eventual manned mission to Mars, Space reports. Trump’s memorandum from December 2017 states America will go beyond…

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Amazon’s Use of Hush Agreements With Local Governments Facing Political Consequences

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by Evie Fordham   Amazon’s announcement Nov. 13 that it would split its second headquarters between New York City and Arlington, Virginia, is having some unintended political ramifications. Many of the 238 cities that competed for Amazon HQ2 signed nondisclosure agreements with the company as the parties discussed incentive packages, some of which topped $7 billion. Amazon will likely receive tax incentive packages worth more than $2 billion to build in both New York and Virginia. Local legislators are pushing back against the practice that existed long before Amazon announced the contest for HQ2, reported The Wall Street Journal. For example, a Democratic New York state senator plans to propose legislation to ban governments from signing nondisclosure agreements with private companies, reported The New York Daily News. “The balance of power has tipped way too far in favor of big-moneyed interests and it is past time to fight back and reclaim it for the people,” state Sen. Mike Gianaris said, according to The New York Daily News. “The idea that we can have private corporate interests dictating to governments that they’re not allowed to talk to the people and reveal what they’re doing with their money is insane on many levels.” Gianaris represents Queens,…

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Bernie Sanders Opens Up On Whether He’s Running For President In 2020

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by Molly Prince   Independent Sen. Bernie Sanders revealed on Monday that he will “probably” launch a bid for president if another candidate does not emerge who is more likely to beat President Donald Trump in 2020. “If there’s somebody else who appears who can, for whatever reason, do a better job than me, I’ll work my ass off to elect him or her,” Sanders said in an interview with New York Magazine. “If it turns out that I am the best candidate to beat Donald Trump, then I will probably run.” Sanders, who unsuccessfully ran a 2016 presidential campaign as a Democrat, asserted that while he does not particularly desire to hold the position, the ideas he espouses are best for the country. “I’m not one of those sons of multimillionaires whose parents told them they were going to become president of the United States,” Sanders continued. “I don’t wake up in the morning with any burning desire that I have to be president.” The Vermont senator has frequently criticized Trump both politically and personally, however, he has recently heated up his rhetoric against the president. “We must be honest and straightforward and say that we have a president…

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Herman Cain Commentary: Five Things We Can Be Thankful For in the Trump Era

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by Herman Cain   It’s the season of gratitude and time to take measure of the great ways we can appreciate all that we have as Americans. Here are five things that Donald Trump has done for our country, for which we can all be grateful as one nation. Historic Prosperity GDP data strongly indicate that the American economy is on pace to grow by more than 3 percent in 2018 — maybe even 3.5 percent. Democrats like Barack Obama said it couldn’t be done — that sluggish growth of 2 percent or less was the “new normal” and we should just get used to it. I, for one, am thankful President Trump proved that those pessimistic projections were utter nonsense. In just 22 months, President Trump has delivered historic levels of job creation. Unemployment is at an all-time low for Black and Hispanic Americans. Consumer confidence is at an 18-year high. Wages are growing for ordinary Americans. Small business confidence is at a 45-year high. American manufacturing operations are hiring once again. There’s something for everyone to be thankful for in this economy. Avoided Foreign Wars Compared to his predecessors, fewer U.S. servicemen and women have been deployed overseas thanks to President Trump’s judicious use of the American military. This is not…

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Commentary: The Invaders and Their Media Allies

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by Pedro Gonzalez   There is a war on for hearts and minds of Americans, and it began long before the first shots were fired on Sunday along the United States-Mexico border, when federal agents deployed tear gas against aggressive foreign nationals attempting to force their way into our country. But the media coverage of the border skirmish is more telling of the nature of this conflict than canisters of lachrymator. There are three news clippings that might illustrate this point. CNN, to start, placed scrambling Central American “families with young children” in the limelight of the clash, yet didn’t show those same people hurling large stones in the direction of American law enforcement, many of whom presumably have families with young children, too. ABC News, on the other hand, didn’t mention at all that foreign nationals endangered federal agents. “Children were screaming and coughing in the mayhem” that, if one were to read nothing but ABC’s “The Latest,” would seem to have been induced spasmodically by trigger-happy Border Patrol—who, for what it’s worth, are mostly Latino. The worst offender was perhaps the Associated Press. Making no mention of projectile attacks by foreign nationals directed at Americans, the AP quoted…

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Twitter Bans Misgendering Trans People but Allows Porn

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by Grace Carr   Twitter banned the use of biological pronouns to refer to transgender persons, adding a clause prohibiting the practice to its policy regarding hateful conduct. The social media platform updated its policies on hateful conduct in October, but the move wasn’t largely noticed until Friday and Saturday when users began commenting on the change, Pink News reported. “Targeted harassment or expressing hate towards a person, group, or protected category,” is banned, according to Twitter’s Hateful Conduct Policy. The media platform also writes it is “committed to combating abuse motivated by hatred, prejudice or intolerance.” ” … targeted mis-gendering or dead naming of transgender individuals,” is also banned, according to the updated policy rules. Mis-gendering refers to using biological pronouns for a transgender person as opposed to pronouns that accord with their new gender identity. Dead naming refers to using the “dead name,” the name they used before transitioning, to describe or address a transgender person. Conservative speaker Ben Shapiro commented on the change. So Twitter is now banning people for stating the basic scientific fact that men are men and women are women, and that men cannot become women simply by thinking themselves so. Twitter vs. reality. https://t.co/Ur6ap8zNUN — Ben Shapiro…

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GM’s Mass Layoff Includes Eliminating a Hybrid Car Obama Once Championed

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by Chris White   General Motor’s decision to restructure and layoff thousands of employees Monday includes eliminating a hybrid vehicle former President Barack Obama once called the car of the future for the Detroit company. GM said Monday that it will cut roughly 14,000 people in North America and will idle factories in Michigan, Ohio, Maryland and Canada. The layoffs come as the company focuses on manufacturing electric vehicles over gas-powered sedans. Politicians and ordinary citizens are blasting the decision. “It’s all about greed. It’s all about putting more in their pockets,” one employee said, according to CBS. “The bad thing is to get this news on the day after we come back from Thanksgiving,” another employee noted. “GM owes the community answers on how the rest of the supply chain will be impacted & what consequences its disastrous decision will have” Ohio Sen. Sherrod Brown, a Democrat, wrote in a tweet following the announcement. The bulk of the cuts include 8,000 salaried jobs, making it the largest cutbacks since GM went bankrupt and was bailed out by taxpayers during the 2008 financial crisis. One victim of the move is the Chevrolet Volt, a hybrid car Obama once championed. “I got to get…

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Commentary: Four Problems With the New Climate Change Report

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by Nicolas Loris   If you’re like me, you’re happy the White House released the latest version of the National Climate Assessment on Black Friday. Publishing the 1,700-page report the day after Thanksgiving saved me from unwanted dinner conversations about our planet’s impending climate doom. But if your aunt calls you up this week spouting claims of mass deaths, global food shortages, economic destruction, and national security risks resulting from climate change, here’s what you need to know about this report. 1. It wildly exaggerates economic costs. One statistic that media outlets have seized upon is that the worst climate scenario could cost the U.S. 10 percent of its gross domestic product by 2100.  The 10 percent loss projection is more than twice the percentage that was lost during the Great Recession. The study, funded in part by climate warrior Tom Steyer’s organization, calculates these costs on the assumption that the world will be 15 degrees Fahrenheit warmer. That temperature projection is even higher than the worst-case scenario predicted by the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. In other words, it is completely unrealistic. 2. It assumes the most extreme (and least likely) climate scenario. The scary projections in…

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In Missouri, Media and Organizers Overlook Power Struggle Threatening Women’s March in Kansas City

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To protest the second anniversary of the inauguration of President Donald Trump, two area groups, Unity Southeast in Kansas City and Love Thy Neighbor-Kansas City, will host the “Women’s March KC 2019.” For all the talk of love and unity, however, the wheels may be coming off the movement. Time will tell whether the organizers and their media enablers will face up to the disorder within. As to details, marchers will walk from Kansas City Brookside area to Swope Park on January 19 “to demand equality for ALL humans.” To be more accurate, most humans. The “all” decidedly does not include the unborn. Nationally, organizers were not even subtle about excluding pro-life women two years ago. For just about everyone else–save, of course, for cis-gendered, native born white males–the march will come as desperately needed therapy. During the last year, organizers tell us, “basic rights for women, immigrants, LGBTQ+, people with disabilities, the religious and nonreligious, people of color and even Mother Earth have struggled to survive under the weight of the current administration.” Buttressed as they are by the media, progressives see no need to honor reality. In their eagerness to portray themselves as victims, they imagine the most…

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Bedford County Board Does Not Currently Have Plans to Review Mexican Rodeo’s Permit to Sell Beer

Chris Butler

The Mexican rodeo in Bedford County where an alleged illegal immigrant was said to have gotten intoxicated before he killed someone in a car crash still has a license to sell beer. Authorities, however, have gotten certain complaints about that establishment, Rancho La Herradura, said Troy Thompson, chair of the county’s five-member Beer Board, which grants permits to businesses to sell beer. Thompson said he and his colleagues on the board haven’t gotten any phone complaints about Rancho La Herradura — but they heard a few last week, at a county Rules and Legislative Committee meeting. “We had a full courtroom of concerned citizens. We have heard complaints since that time,” Thompson told The Tennessee Star Tuesday, when asked if board members plan to suspend the Mexican rodeo’s permit to sell beer. “We don’t have anything factual to take action on, but the people in our Circuit Clerk Office are supposed to be working on something.” County commissioners, whom Thompson did not identify, have also contacted him to complain about Rancho La Herradura, he said. Thompson also said he and his fellow board members are awaiting the results of a Tennessee Highway Patrol report on the establishment and Edgar Torres-Rangel.…

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OFF THE RECORD: Will Governor Bill Lee Hire Any Conservative Republicans For His Administration?

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When the Bill Lee Transition team was announced with Democrat Butch Eley chairing the effort, many conservative Republicans who worked hard to elect Governor Lee raised their eyebrows; particularly in view of his substantial donation to Democrat Senate candidate Phil Bredesen earlier this year, who was defeated handily by Marsha Blackburn on November 6. Now Eley has been named as Lee’s Chief Operating Officer. The fact that Democrat businessman Stuart McWhorter was also named as a key leader in the transition effort (and has now been tapped as Lee’s Commissioner of Finance and Administration) is also sparking concerns.  McWhorter has given campaign donations recently to Republicans, including perpetual Trump critic Bob Corker, but has consistently donated to Democrats in the past.  He has certainly not been an active proponent of conservative candidates in Tennessee. Two of Haslam’s Commissioners, Mental Health and Human Services, will be retained. Danielle Barnes, who will continue as Commissioner of Human Services joined the department under Democrat Governor Phil Bredesen in 2004. Marie Williams, who is current Commissioner of Mental Health, was elevated to Deputy Commissioner in the Department by Democrat Governor Phil Bredesen in 2011. Other Haslam Commissioners are also expected to keep their jobs…

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General Motors Will Cut 14,000 Jobs, But Spring Hill, Tennessee Plant Employment Expected to Remain Steady

Chris Butler

General Motors sucked up a lot of state and federal taxpayer dollars because of lobbyists who promised big returns on the governments’ investments — most importantly, saving jobs. But as we found out Monday, those promises could only go so far. Tennessee will do OK. As The Tennessean reported, General Motors will add a third vehicle to its production lineup at its Spring Hill plant next year. But as CNBC and countless other news outlets reported Monday, GM will stop production at several plants in the United States and Canada next year. Company officials also announced they will cut more than 14,000 jobs in a massive restructuring that will cost up to $3.8 billion. U.S. President Donald Trump was none too pleased upon hearing the news. “You know, the United States saved General Motors,” Trump told reporters Monday. As The Tennessee Watchdog reported in 2013, GM accepted a $50 billion federal bailout in 2009. According to Reuters, the U.S. government lost $11.2 billion on the bailout, more than the $10.3 billion the U.S. Treasury Department estimated it would. As Tennessee Watchdog reported, GM aggressively lobbied states, including Tennessee, for taxpayer dollars. At the time, GM spokesman Greg Martin defended the…

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Cyndi Miller Commentary: Tennessee Election Laws Make Fraud Legal in the Form of Cross-Over Primary Voting

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by Cyndi Miller   Primaries are not for everyone. They are for the members of each party to nominate who will represent their party in the general elections – the candidates that best represent the beliefs and platform of that particular political party. Should the members of the Rotary Club allow the members of the Lion’s Club to participate in the election of the Rotary Club President? Should just anyone in that city, whether or not they are a member of either club, be allowed to vote? Of course not! Democrats and Independents should not be allowed to vote in Republican primaries. Likewise, Republicans and Independents should not be allowed to vote in Democrat primaries. Does this really happen in Tennessee? Yes! For instance, in Williamson County, Democrat candidates for the State House of Representatives and County Commission “crossed over”, voting in the May Republican Primary election. These Democrats didn’t even vote for themselves in their own primaries! Tennessee law states that only “bona fide” members of a party should participate in that party’s primary.  The voter effectively signs a pledge of loyalty to that party when they request a ballot for that party. Clearly, a candidate running as a Democrat…

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China Orders Probe After Scientist Claims First Gene-Edited Babies

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  Chinese health and medical ethics authorities started an investigation on Monday into claims by a scientist who released videos on YouTube saying he had altered the genes of twins born earlier this month, creating the first gene edited babies. The Southern University of Science and Technology in the southern Chinese city of Shenzhen, where the scientist, He Jiankui, holds an associate professorship, said it had been unaware of the research project and that He had been on leave without pay since February. He Jiankui defended what he claimed to have achieved, saying he had performed the gene editing to help protect the babies from future infection with the AIDS virus. But his university said it was a “serious violation of academic ethics and standards” and scientists around the world condemned it as monstrous and dangerous. The university issued a statement after He said in five videos posted on Monday that he used a gene-editing technology known as CRISPR-Cas9 to edit the genes of twin girls. China’s National Health Commission said it was “highly concerned” and had ordered provincial health officials “to immediately investigate and clarify the matter”. “We have to be responsible for the people’s health and will act…

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Top Line Claim In Newest Climate Report Relies on Research Tied to Major Dem Donors

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by Michael Bastasch   It’s been repeated throughout the media — future global warming could wipe-out one-tenth of the U.S. economy by 2100. It’s a top line finding of a major government climate report, but it’s based on a study funded by groups affiliated with two major Democratic donors. The oft-repeated claim also stemmed from a global warming projection that’s come under increased scrutiny from experts, including one who called it “outlandish.” The federal government released the second volume of the National Climate Assessment (NCA) Friday. The federal report issued dire warnings, including from “ice sheet disintegration on accelerated sea level rise, leading to widespread effects on coastal development lasting thousands of years.” The report also claims that “global greenhouse gas emissions is expected to cause substantial net damage to the U.S. economy throughout this century,” including a 10 percent hit to gross domestic product (GDP) in one extreme scenario. However, NCA’s dire prediction of a 10 percent hit to U.S. GDP comes from a 2017 study supported by the charitable foundations founded by major Democratic donors. The study was also funded by other organizations, including the National Science Foundation, the U.S. Department of Energy and the Skoll Global Threats Fund.…

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