January 11, 2019 - Tennessee Star

Lamar Alexander: ‘Government Shutdown is Always the Wrong Thing to Do’

January 11, 2019January 10, 2019 Chris Butler

U.S. Republican Sen. Lamar Alexander of Tennessee is none too pleased about the federal government shutdown, and he took to Twitter Thursday to tell his constituents all about it. “I think it’s very important for the people of Tennessee to know that I believe that a government shutdown is always the wrong thing to do,” Alexander said, adding he opposed shutdowns under former Democratic President Barack Obama, just as much as he does under Republican President Donald Trump. “A government shutdown should be as off-limits to budget negotiations as chemical weapons are to warfare. I have suggested three ways to solve the problem. All of them involving provisions that Democrats and Republicans have voted for before.” As The Tennessee Star reported this week, Alexander said the best way to resolve the stalemate is for the feds to provide money for border security at ports of entry and to define the legal status for those already here. In his Twitter video, Alexander said a bipartisan appropriations committee recently approved $5.7 billion for border security, including $1.6 billion for the wall. “A year ago, 54 of us in the Senate, Democrats and Republicans, voted for $25 billion in appropriated dollars for extensive border…

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Commentary: America’s Southern Border Isn’t Just a Crisis, It’s a Disgrace

January 11, 2019January 10, 2019 Admin

by Chris Buskirk Why have Democrats shut down—or at least partially shut down—the federal government rather than approve partial funding for a wall along the southern border? President Trump’s $5.7 billion request is a trivial sum, amounting to a bit more than one-tenth of 1 percent of the federal budget. It’s far less than the amount we give to Latin American countries in handouts every year and it’s part of a sacred commitment government has to defend our border, uphold our laws, and protect our people. President Trump described a humanitarian crisis at the border contrived by Democrats with the active complicity of misguided Republicans who think that attracting a helot class from Latin America to clean their houses, mow their lawns, and drive down wages for low-skill jobs is some sort of capitalist charity scheme that signals their virtue. It isn’t. In fact, it’s inhumane. How can we describe the human trafficking racket that transports so many of these people here, including many thousands involved in the sex trade or forced into servitude for the cartels, as anything other than a modern slave trade? And it comes with all of the violence and degradation you would expect. For…

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East Nashville Girls Hoops Team Wins Triple Overtime Thriller

January 11, 2019January 11, 2019 McKinley Young, Jr.

Editors Note: Tennessee Star Sports Editor Scott Wallace announced today that former Fisk University basketball and baseball player McKinley (Mac) Young Jr. will be one of the writers for the Star’s sports department. Young has a plethora of contacts and knowledge of local sports. He is currently an assistant football and baseball coach for Hillsboro High School and does sports information work for basketball at East Nashville Magnet. He is also a correspondent for Wallace Media Group. “Mac has been with me for a number of years now and has been a reliable source of sports in Nashville,” said Wallace. “He brings excitement to whatever he does. His knowledge of sports makes him a force to be reckoned with.” Young will mostly handle Nashville Metro Sports. He will also contribute from time to time with writing about other schools in the Middle Tennessee area. He will also provide a his weekly Top 19 Metro Girls’ and Boys’ teams. Metro Girls Metro’s top team gets a big game from four-year starter to prevent upset. This past Tuesday, the East Nashville Lady Eagles (16-1, 4-0 10AA) pulled out a classic three overtime road victory over the Sycamore Lady War Eagles 67-64. The…

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Fox 17’s Harriet Wallace Joins The Tennessee Star Report and Handicaps the Nashville Mayoral Race

January 11, 2019January 11, 2019 Julie Carr

On Thursday’s Tennessee Star Report with Steve Gill and Michael Patrick Leahy – broadcast Wednesday on Nashville’s Talk Radio 98.3 and 1510 WLAC weekdays from 5:00 am to 8:00 am – Gill and Leahy were joined by special guest host, and WZTV Channel 17’s, Harriet Wallace joined the duo and discussed the upcoming Mayor race in Nashville and who potentially could run. Towards the end of the show, Wallace confided that Nashville is in a crisis and that a candidate is desperately needed that is compassionate and business minded. She also noted that Nashville has not done a good job of nurturing and producing qualified successors for the city. Gill: Harriet Wallace with WZTV Channel 17 also hosts a political show with Scott Couch on Channel 17 Sunday mornings at 9:30am. If you aren’t tuning in and watching, well then you’re screwing up. I mean let’s just tell it like it is. You’re messing up. You’re not going to know what’s going on. Anyway, Harriett’s with us. Let’s talk a little bit about the mayors race. I mean… Wallace: I’m rubbing my hands together. Let’s go. Gill: We’re there. The mayor’s race, Briley, by all accounts is going to run…

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DOD IG Reveals the Pentagon Let $27.7 Billion ‘Expire’ as Trump Seeks $5.7 Billion in Border Wall Funding

January 11, 2019January 10, 2019 Admin

by Andrew Kerr The Defense Department has relinquished over $27 billion to the U.S. Treasury since 2013 simply because it couldn’t spend the money quick enough, according to a DOD Inspector General report released Tuesday. The DOD was required to fork over the “expired funds” because the Pentagon failed to spend it “within the legal timeframes,” according to the report. The revelation comes as President Donald Trump is considering declaring a state of emergency that would allow him to bypass Congress and leverage unobligated military funds to build a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border. The partial shutdown of the federal government entered its 19th day on Wednesday as Trump remains steadfast in his demand for $5.7 billion in border wall funding from Congress. Democrats, in turn, say they won’t negotiate with the president on the wall until the government reopens. Legal analysts say Trump would have the authority to leverage unused DOD funds to construct a wall in the event he declares a national emergency. “My instinct is to say that if he declares a national emergency and uses this pot of unappropriated money for the wall, he’s on very solid legal ground,” Harvard law professor Mark Tushnet told…

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JC Bowman Commentary: A Bright Future in Workforce & Education

January 11, 2019January 10, 2019 JC Bowman

One of the challenges we face in Tennessee moving forward is the need to further develop and align the education-to-career pipeline. Governor-elect Bill Lee probably expressed this better than any candidate on the campaign trail, and his potential as governor in this arena offers great hope for a brighter future for Tennessee.

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Twitter Meets with Conservatives for Input on Social Media Practices

January 11, 2019January 10, 2019 Admin

by Evie Fordham Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey hosted dinners to pick the brains of conservative leaders, including Grover Norquist, about criticism over content policing or lack thereof, The Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday. Norquist, founder and president of Americans for Tax Reform, told TheWSJ he asked for help for two unnamed “prominent conservatives” who faced setbacks when placing pro-life ads on Twitter. Dorsey held outreach dinners, one in Washington, D.C., in June and another in New York, to get feedback from conservatives and others across the political spectrum, reported TheWSJ. Twitter came under fire from conservatives over summer 2018 when they accused the social media platform of “shadow banning” figures on the right, including Republican congressman. Twitter executives eventually admitted an algorithm meant to punish “bad-faith actors” had affected certain Republican congressmen’s visibility. Republican Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz is one of the members of Congress who said he was shadow banned. “When you search Matt Gaetz, you don’t get the account that is @MattGaetz which has 33,000 follower. You don’t get @RepMattGaetz, which has over 80,000 followers. Instead you get @NotMattGaetz, that’s what you get. I think @NotMattGaetz has fewer than 12 followers. But that’s what happens when you…

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Letter to the Editor: Thank You Tennessee Senators Representatives for Supporting the Bold Infrastructure for Alzheimer’s Act

January 11, 2019January 10, 2019 Admin

Dear Tennessee Star, I want to publicly thank our Senators, Lamar Alexander, Bob Corker, and my Congressman, Jim Cooper as well as the other members of Tennessee’s congressional delegation (Rep. Roe, Rep. Duncan, Rep. Fleischmann, Rep. DesJarlais, Rep. Kustoff and Rep. Cohen) for supporting and passing the Bold Infrastructure for Alzheimer’s Act, a bi-partisan legislation that, according to the Alzheimer’s Association, “will combat the Alzheimer’s crisis and create a public health infrastructure to address the disease.” In 2013 my 63-year-old father, Col.Tom Bowden, was diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer’s Disease. A retired Army colonel who commanded over 900 soldiers, who was responsible for 36 Pershing II missile launchers with assigned nuclear capable missiles, completed two assignments at the Pentagon, and had a ten-year successful post-military career; no longer knew who he was, where he was, or how to communicate his basic needs. My mother, Barbara Bowden was his care-partner. When he was first diagnosed with AD, his primary care provider said, “it is going to get really bad.” As a result, we immediately enrolled him in clinical studies, researched at-home care, and scoured the internet for the best books to read, wheelchairs, hospital beds and eating utensils to buy. However,…

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Trump Visits Southern Border as Shutdown Hits 20th Day

January 11, 2019January 10, 2019 Admin

U.S. President Donald Trump headed Thursday to the U.S.-Mexico border for a firsthand look at efforts to thwart illegal immigration, a day after declaring that talks with opposition Democratic leaders on border security and the partial government shutdown were a “total waste of time.” Before leaving for McAllen, Texas, Trump said on Twitter there is “GREAT unity” among Republican lawmakers who support him keeping a quarter of the federal government closed in a dispute over his demand for more than $5 billion in new funding for a wall, “despite the Fake News Media working in overdrive to make the story look otherwise.” Democrats have offered $1.3 billion in new funding for border security, but none for a wall. WATCH: Frustrations Run High in Third Week of Shutdown A small number of Republicans have questioned Trump’s refusal to reopen the agencies that have been shuttered since Dec. 22, a 20-day closure that is the second longest in U.S. history, two days short of a new record. Some government services have been curtailed, with about 800,000 federal workers furloughed or forced to work without pay. All will miss their first paycheck on Friday. Trump said, “The Opposition Party & the Dems know…

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Marsha Blackburn Cites Tennessee Tragedy in Defending Wall Along Mexican Border

January 11, 2019January 10, 2019 Chris Butler

Republican U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee has weighed in on the case of an alleged illegal immigrant who killed a man in Knoxville in a head-on car crash. Blackburn said border security is a priority. As The Tennessee Star reported, authorities charged Franco Cambrany Francisco-Eduardo, 44, with criminally negligent homicide, not having a driver’s license and failure to have proof of financial responsibility (having no insurance). The Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency has a hold on him. Francisco-Eduardo, of Oak Ridge, is accused of killing Pierce Corcoran, 22. The Knoxville Police Department said Francisco-Eduardo’s Chevy pickup hit Corcoran’s Honda Civic, causing a chain reaction. Corcoran and passenger Jade Adams, 21, were transported to UT Medical Center, where Corcoran was later pronounced dead. Blackburn made her remarks about the case on FOX & Friends Monday. “It is devastating. And, of course, we grieve and mourn with these families that have lost loved ones to illegal immigration,” Blackburn said. “And every time I meet with an Angel Mom, my heart just breaks. And this is why every town’s a border town and every state’s a border state until we secure that southern border.” Blackburn also said President Donald Trump is “so…

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North Carolina Hurricane Relief Hindered by Another Contract Issue

January 11, 2019February 2, 2019 A.P. Dillon

North Carolina’s ongoing hurricane relief and recovery efforts are being hindered by an apparent contract issue involving the North Carolina Emergency Management System and a company contracted to do the work. WBTV reported: A seven-figure contract to help repair homes damaged by Hurricane Florence was cancelled in late December, a little more than a month after it was awarded, due to errors in the procurement process. North Carolina Emergency Management awarded a contract to AECOM to administer a program funded by the US Federal Emergency Management Agency called the Sheltering and Temporary Essential Power Program. North Carolina Emergency Management (NCEM) denied that any work stopped. “It’s not accurate to say that work has stopped or been delayed on the STEP program, or that it’s unknown when it will resume.” NCEM spokesman Keith Acree told WBTV. “Home repair work in the program continues without interruption and AECOM continues to manage the STEP.” NCEM’s claim that work did not stop appears to be false according to a December 27, 2018 email obtained by WBTV: Per our phone conversation on 12/27/2018, the Department of Administration has directed the Department of Public Safety, Division of Emergency Management (NCEM) to inform you that due to the…

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Commentary: Visa Overstays Don’t, in Fact, Negate the Benefits of Border Barriers

January 11, 2019January 10, 2019 Admin

by James D. Agresti Opponents of President Trump’s plan to build a wall along much of the Southwest border often argue that it won’t be effective because many illegal immigrants enter the U.S. by using visas. Visas allow people to temporarily visit or live in the U.S., but every year, hundreds of thousands of people don’t leave when their visas expire. No matter how strong or tall a wall may be, it cannot stop this activity. Those who make that claim—including many media outlets and “fact checkers”—are misleading the public by omitting a key fact: Visa entrants are screened by the U.S. government to keep out foreigners who pose risks to the health, safety, or finances of Americans—while illegal border crossers are not. This lack of screening allows known criminals and others who are likely to harm people to enter the United States, such as the hundreds of thousands of non-citizens who have committed violent crimes in the U.S. and been deported. Federal Law Under Title 8, Section 1182 of federal law, “aliens” who pose risks to the wellbeing of others are generally “ineligible to receive visas and ineligible to be admitted to the United States.” This includes, for example, foreigners who: have been convicted of…

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Lt. Gov. McNally Announces Committee Appointments for the 111th General Assembly

January 11, 2019January 10, 2019 Jason M. Reynolds

Lt. Gov. and Speaker of the Senate Randy McNally (R-TN-05) on Thursday announced state Senate committee assignments for the 111th General Assembly. McNally praised his fellow members in announcing the assignments in a press release. “This Senate is made up of some of the smartest and strongest leaders with whom I have had the privilege to serve,” he said. “Each of our Senators could serve on any number of our committees and do well. I am grateful to have such a strong membership. I am confident we have assembled the best team to do the people’s business.” McNally was re-elected to his second term as Lieutenant Governor and Speaker of the Senate on Tuesday. Former Commerce and Labor Chairman Sen. Jack Johnson (R-TN-23) and former State and Local Chairman Sen. Ken Yager (R-TN-12) were elected Senate Majority Leader and Senate Republican Caucus Chairman respectively, leaving two committee chair vacancies. The resulting changes will elevate two Senators to chairman and give five committees new chairmen. McNally also re-appointed Sen. Ferrell Haile (R-TN-18) as the Speaker Pro Tempore and Sen. Janice Bowling (R-TN-16) as Deputy Speaker. The committee chairs are listed below, along with statements by McNally on each. A PDF in…

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PragerU Brings New Suit Against Google in California State Court

January 11, 2019 Admin

by Peter Hasson Conservative nonprofit PragerU filed suit against Google in California court on Tuesday for allegedly violating state law in restricting access to Prager’s educational videos on YouTube, according to a copy of the complaint obtained by The Daily Caller News Foundation. The suit claims that YouTube’s restrictions on many of Prager’s videos violate California law in four ways: Restricting the nonprofit’s freedom of speech contrary to the state constitution; discriminating against Prager on a religious and political basis in violation of the state’s civil rights act; “engaging in unlawful, misleading, and unfair businesses practices” contrary to the state’s unfair competition laws; and breach of contract for violating YouTube’s own terms of service. Many of Prager’s videos have been placed in “restricted mode,” which often makes them unavailable for users who are part of or using a larger network, such as networks operated by schools, libraries and public institutions. The suit also claims that YouTube capriciously and discriminatorily demonetized Prager’s videos, depriving them of earning advertising revenue from their videos. Prager previously filed suit against Google, YouTube’s parent company, in federal court. That suit lost at the district level and is currently pending on appeal before the 9th…

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Supreme Court Could Take up Case in Indiana’s Ban on Disease-Based Abortions

January 11, 2019January 11, 2019 Admin

by Kevin Daley The Supreme Court may soon take up its first significant abortion controversy under the newly solidified conservative majority. The case at issue is a challenge to an Indiana law forbidding abortions on the basis of an unborn baby’s sex, race or disability and requires doctors to inform their patients of the same. The law also obliges medical professionals to cremate or bury fetal remains. Vice President Mike Pence signed the legislation during his tenure as governor of Indiana. Pro-life advocates say the law is needed to protect the dignity of post-abortive unborn babies and prevent eugenic abortions. But pro-choice groups warn that the statute undermines the legal foundations of abortion by advancing the cause of fetal personhood and permitting government scrutiny of a woman’s reasons for terminating a pregnancy. Planned Parenthood of Indiana and Kentucky challenged the law in court. A federal judge in Indianapolis permanently barred enforcement of the law in 2017. A three-judge panel of the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed that decision. The panel unanimously agreed that the anti-selective termination provisions were unconstitutional because they effectively amounted to an “absolute prohibition” on abortions. However, the panel split two to one as…

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Minnesota’s Republican-Controlled Senate Introduces 91 Bills, Seeks to Punish Sanctuary Cities

January 11, 2019January 11, 2019 Anthony Gockowski

Minnesota’s Republican-controlled Senate hit the ground running Thursday by introducing 91 pieces of legislation. Many of the items correspond with the top five priorities Republicans outlined at a Tuesday press conference, though there were several noteworthy outliers. Senate File (SF) 80, for instance, would impose “aid reductions” on sanctuary cities in Minnesota. The bill defines a sanctuary city as any city that prohibits or restricts local public safety officials from enforcing federal immigration law, or any city “designated as a sanctuary jurisdiction” by the Department of Homeland Security. “Notwithstanding any other law to the contrary, a city may not receive aid payment under sections 477A.011 to 477A.03 if it is determined to be a sanctuary city,” the bill states. Cities such as Minneapolis and Rochester have declared themselves sanctuary cities for illegal immigrants. Republicans also introduced what is often referred to as a “stand your ground” bill, which allows for the use of deadly force in life-situations and is generally pushed by pro-Second Amendment activists. “An individual taking defensive action pursuant to subdivision 2 may use all force and means, including deadly force, that the individual in good faith believes is required to succeed in defense,” SF 72 states, noting…

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Scott Walker Will Help Chair Trump’s Reelection Campaign in Wisconsin

January 11, 2019January 11, 2019 Anthony Gockowski

Former Gov. Scott Walker (R-WI), who officially left office this week after eight years, announced Wednesday that he plans to help chair President Donald Trump’s reelection campaign in Wisconsin. “I’m going to help chair his and Vice President Pence’s campaign here in Wisconsin,” Walker said on Fox and Friends. “I want to be a part of making sure that we keep this president and this administration intact.” Thanks to @foxandfriends for having me on this morning to talk about how we ended our term with a $588 million surplus, our plans for the future and more. https://t.co/ZKimBBHRFy — Scott Walker (@ScottWalker) January 9, 2019 While Walker plans to work in the private sector for a few years, he’s repeatedly expressed interest in running for the U.S. Senate in 2022 if Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI) decides against seeking reelection, which some believe is likely since Johnson has imposed term limits on himself. “My friend, Ron Johnson, has said that he wouldn’t be running again but I’m going to defer to him. If he wants to run again, I think he’s a good and effective United States Senator. If he didn’t, well I’ll think about it,” Walker said on The Jay Weber…

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Ohio State Board Considers Approving More Conditions for Marijuana Treatment

January 11, 2019January 11, 2019 Andrew Shirley

With medicinal marijuana sales imminent in the Buckeye state, the Ohio State Medical Board is currently considering a slew of additional medical conditions for medicinal marijuana treatment. Currently, 21 conditions are approved for the controversial treatment. A number of the conditions cover a wide swathe of ailments. For example, cancer is an approved condition but it does not specify which of the more than 100 known forms of cancer that occur in humans are covered and which aren’t, so, presumably, all of them could be. It would ultimately be at the mercy of the prescribing doctor, though any doctor found overprescribing could be fined, lose their medical license, and even face jail time. Per Ohio Administrative Code 4731-32-05, every year the state is required to give citizens the opportunity to submit petitions for new conditions to be approved for marijuana treatment. Thus far, the Ohio State Medical Board has received 110 petitions. Forty-four of these documents were asking treaments that are already included in the Code. Fifty-four did not meet the final requirements or number of signatures but may be resubmitted. Among the new conditions being considered are anxiety, depression, and insomnia. Per a recent medical study, there is very little research on the…

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Tennessee Republican Party Supports President Trump’s Commitment to Border Security

January 11, 2019January 10, 2019 Jason M. Reynolds

Tennessee Republican Party Chairman Scott Golden has come out in support of President Trump’s visit to the U.S.-Mexico border Thursday. “The most important job a president has is to protect Americans, and today’s visit to the southern border by President Trump further illustrates his strong commitment to our nation’s safety,” Golden said in a statement. “While Democrats continue to play petty partisan games with our security, drug dealers, human traffickers and enemies of this country flaunt our sovereign border. The games have to end, and Democrats need to work with President Trump to make America a more secure nation. This is non-negotiable.” Trump visited the border in Texas Thursday, Fox News reported: During an afternoon briefing with border agents at a patrol station in McAllen, Trump highlighted the prevalence of guns and drugs along the border. The president spoke in front of a table of items border agents have seized, including a rifle, handguns, a plastic bag full of cash and black-taped bricks of heroin and meth. “If we had a barrier of any kind, a powerful barrier, whether it’s steel or concrete…We would stop it cold,” Trump said of human trafficking. The president posted a Twitter video of himself with…

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Tennessee House And Senate Committees Undergo Major Shakeups

January 11, 2019January 10, 2019 Laura Baigert

NASHVILLE, Tennessee – On the third day of the 111th Tennessee General Assembly, leadership announced committee assignments in the House and Senate, upsetting the status quo before recessing from their organizational sessions until January 18. During the House Republican caucus elections in November, Glen Casada (R-Franklin) made a commitment that, as Speaker, he would restructure the subcommittee system to expand up on it as well as use the composition to capitalize on subject matter experts. After his election as Speaker earlier this week, Casada, who garnered votes from Democrat Representatives John DeBerry (Memphis), Johnny Shaw (Bolivar) and John Mark Windle (Livingston), promised partnership rather than partisanship. In the final moments of the two-hour floor session of the 3rd organizational day of the House during which the House Permanent Rules of Order for the 111th General Assembly were debated and voted on and mandatory Ethics and Workplace Discrimination & Harassment training were conducted, Speaker Casada announced the House committees, committee members and subcommittee chairs. Keeping to his previous promises, Speaker Casada increased the House standing committees and subcommittees to a total of 43, from the previous 28. All but two committees had one subcommittee previously, but with Speaker Casada’s restructuring, some…

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