November 30, 2018 - Tennessee Star

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

November 30, 2018November 29, 2018 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

November 30, 2018November 30, 2018 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?

November 30, 2018November 30, 2018 Admin

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

November 30, 2018November 29, 2018 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

November 30, 2018November 30, 2018 Admin

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

November 30, 2018November 29, 2018 Admin

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

November 30, 2018November 29, 2018 Admin

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

November 30, 2018November 30, 2018 Admin

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

November 30, 2018November 29, 2018 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?

November 30, 2018November 30, 2018 Admin

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

November 30, 2018November 29, 2018 Admin

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’

November 30, 2018November 29, 2018 Admin

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

November 30, 2018November 30, 2018 Admin

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

November 30, 2018November 30, 2018 Admin

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

November 30, 2018November 29, 2018 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

November 30, 2018November 29, 2018 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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