January 2019 - Page 8 of 12 - Tennessee Star

FBI Moved ‘Quickly’ to Spy on Carter Page For ‘Operational Reasons,’ FBI Lawyer Testified

January 13, 2019January 12, 2019 Admin

by Chuck Ross FBI officials were frustrated with the Justice Department in the run-up to the 2016 election over the slow pace in granting a secret surveillance warrant against former Trump campaign aide Carter Page, a former FBI lawyer told Congress in 2018. Lisa Page, who served as general counsel to former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe, told lawmakers in a closed-door setting in July 2018 that the FBI wanted to “quickly” obtain a Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) warrant against Carter Page for “operational reasons.” “There was an operational reason that we were pushing to get the FISA up, which I am not at liberty to discuss,” she told lawmakers, according to The Epoch Times, which obtained a leaked transcript of Lisa Page’s testimony. “We had an operational reason that we wanted to get this thing up quickly with respect to the subject himself,” she said. But the FBI was stymied to some degree by the Justice Department, Lisa Page told Congress. The testimony raises further questions about the FBI’s surveillance efforts against Carter Page. Republicans have accused the FBI and Justice Department of misleading the federal judges who oversee the FISA process by relying heavily on the…

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Klobuchar Gears Up For Another Confirmation Battle As Presidential Rumors Swirl

January 13, 2019January 12, 2019 Anthony Gockowski

Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) issued a statement Wednesday night after she and her Democratic colleagues on the Senate Judiciary Committee were apparently denied meetings with President Donald Trump’s nominee for attorney general, William Barr. Barr is set to testify before the committee this week, but it is already shaping up to be another controversial nomination process. Klobuchar says she has concerns about an unsolicited memo Barr sent to the Justice Department in June 2018 in which he raised doubts about the scope of Robert Mueller’s investigation. “Mueller should not be permitted to demand that the president submit to interrogation about alleged obstruction. Apart from whether Mueller [has] a strong enough factual basis for doing so, Mueller’s obstruction theory is fatally misconceived,” Barr wrote. Klobuchar told Rolling Stone that she has additional concerns with Barr’s alleged failure to submit all of his ethics reports to the Senate Judiciary Committee. When she and her colleagues sought to meet with Barr to discuss these concerns, Klobuchar claims they were brushed off. “I tried (as did Blumenthal) to get meeting w/AG nominee Barr and was told he couldn’t meet until after hearing. The reason given? The shutdown. Yet shutdown didn’t stop him from other…

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275,000 Inactive Voters in Ohio Sent ‘Last Chance’ Notice to Confirm Eligibility Before Being Purged

January 13, 2019January 12, 2019 Andrew Shirley

This week, Ohio Secretary of State Jon Husted has triggered one of the most consequential and controversial “voter integrity” measures in the country. 275,000 inactive voters, registered in Ohio, have been sent “last chance” letters, informing them that if they do not confirm their current address and voting status, they will be purged from the voter rolls. Voters are considered inactive if they have not participated in two consecutive elections. They are then sent a series of letters, requesting that they up update their addresses. Should they fail to respond, they are then ruled inactive. In effect, an individual would have to not vote and ignore every letter sent over the course of almost half a decade to be ruled inactive. Eighteen other states use a similar practice. However, the process was challenged in the United States Supreme Court by the A. Philip Randolph Institute (Husted v. Randolph Institute). They alleged that the real purpose of these measures is to deny voting rights to racial minorities and the poor who are disproportionately affected by the measure. In a 5-4 decision on June 11, 2018, the court upheld the practice. In spite of this, progressives still alleged the mechanism is a violation of civil rights…

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Michigan Governor Issues Executive Directive to Combat ‘Gender Wage Gap’

January 13, 2019January 12, 2019 Anthony Gockowski

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D-MI) issued an executive directive Tuesday aimed at closing the “gender wage-gap” within state government agencies. Executive Directive 2019-10 prohibits state agencies from inquiring “about a job applicant’s current or previous salaries unless and until the department or agency first makes a conditional offer of employment,” and further forbids searching “public records databases to ascertain an applicant’s current or previous salary.” According to Whitmer, the practice of obtaining an applicant’s salary history “can inappropriately perpetuate the gender wage gap by enabling prospective employers to offer lower salaries to women than they otherwise would.” The directive also requires state agencies to “take reasonable measures to avoid inadvertently discovering salary history while gathering other information about an applicant.” If salary information is “unintentionally discovered,” it “must not be used by the department or agency in an employment decision.” Whitmer tasks the “Equity and Inclusion Officer” for each state office with engaging in “proactive efforts to educate employees of the department or agency about the requirements of this directive.” “Too often, the women of Michigan have been held back by an economy and a state government that does not fully treat them as equals,” the directive states. “Women still struggle…

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Ilhan Omar Declares Trump Presidency a ‘National Emergency’ in Twitter Tirade Against the Wall

January 13, 2019January 12, 2019 Anthony Gockowski

Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN-05) fired off dozens of tweets this week in response to President Donald Trump’s Tuesday address to the nation, nearly outpacing the president himself in tweets about the southern border wall. Before Trump’s Oval Office address even began, Omar was exasperated with the fact that Trump would receive “free airtime for propaganda on the ‘humanitarian and national security crisis’ at the border.” “Two children died in ICE custody last month after 10+ years with no such deaths. There’s blood on your hands,” Omar tweeted Tuesday. Tonight, while #Trump gets free airtime for propaganda on the "humanitarian & national security crisis" at the border, CHILDREN sit in cold cages in inhumane conditions. Two children died in ICE custody last month after 10+ years with no such deaths. There's blood on your hands. — Ilhan Omar (@IlhanMN) January 8, 2019 “We are literally watching a manufactured crisis, designed to divert attention from this criminal and dysfunctional administration. Stay woke America, Individual-1 is not one to sleep on,” she later wrote. Notably, Individual 1 was a code-name used by federal prosecutors in the charges brought against Trump’s former attorney, Michael Cohen, and it was later made clear that Trump and…

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Tennessee Democrats Re-Elect Far Left Mary Mancini As State Party Chair, Republicans Cheer

January 13, 2019January 12, 2019 Jason M. Reynolds

Tennessee Democratic Party State Chair Mary Mancini won another two year term Saturday as the party’s leader. It was a landslide victory for Mancini over her only serious opponent, Holly McCall, Williamson County’s Democratic Party chair. Mancini received 48 votes from the members of the Democratic Party State Executive Committee, while McCall received just 19, the Associated Press reported. A third candidate, M. LaTroy Alexandria-Williams of Memphis, finished a distant third place with two votes. Another candidate, Christopher J. Hale of Murfreesboro, withdrew from the contest before the vote was taken. Tennessee Star Political Editor Steve Gill said, “There’s an adage “if it ain’t broke don’t fix it.” The Tennessee Democratic Party, after years of slipping further into political irrelevancy in the state clearly subscribes to the alternative: “if it’s broken, don’t fix it.” “Party activists are thrilled at Mancini’s re-election. Unfortunately for her party those are REPUBLICAN activists,” Gill said, laughing. Mancini’s four year tenure as chairman of the state party has been marked by abject failure. During her tenure no Democratic candidate for statewide office has come close to winning. The party’s best chance to secure statewide office–former Gov. Phil Bredesen–was crushed in November’s general election for the…

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Report: Tennessee Lacks Transparency and Accountability in State Incentive Programs

January 12, 2019January 11, 2019 Chris Butler

Tennessee has too many confidential incentive deals, and taxpayers don’t know how much of their money goes to private companies or what return on investment they’re getting, according to a report released Thursday. The Beacon Center of Tennessee, a Nashville-based free market think tank, published the report. “To make matters worse, even when companies are required to disclose the number of jobs created as part of their agreement, some haven’t submitted reports in years,” said Beacon Policy Coordinator Ron Shultis, who authored the report, in a press release. “This report actually leaves us with a lot more questions than answers. No matter where you stand on economic incentives, everyone should be for transparency when it comes to how our tax dollars are being spent, and our economic development programs fail that basic test.” Among some of the report’s findings: • State officials do not require that many companies that receive taxpayer money hire the number of workers promised. All 25 FastTrack agreements that Beacon employees reviewed only required companies to hire 80 percent of the promised jobs. • Companies that received FastTrack Economic and Community Development Grants often did not submit the required documentation on time. In fact, only 51 percent of the mandated…

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Commentary: Cultural Marxism Is Real

January 12, 2019January 11, 2019 Admin

by Allen Mendenhall Samuel Moyn, a Yale law professor, recently asked, “What is ‘cultural Marxism?’” His answer: “Nothing of the kind actually exists.” Moyn attributes the term cultural Marxism to the “runaway alt-right imagination,” claiming that it implicates zany conspiracy theories and has been “percolating for years through global sewers of hatred.” Alexander Zubatov, an attorney writing in Tablet, countered that the “somewhat unclear and contested” term cultural Marxism “has been in circulation for over forty years.” It has, moreover, “perfectly respectable uses outside the dark, dank silos of the far right.” He concluded that cultural Marxism is neither a “conspiracy” nor a “mere right-wing ‘phantasmagoria,’” but a “coherent intellectual program, a constellation of dangerous ideas.” In this debate, I side with Zubatov. Here’s why. Despite the bewildering range of controversies and meanings attributed to it, cultural Marxism (the term and the movement) has a deep, complex history in Theory. The word “Theory” (with a capital T) is the general heading for research within the interpretative branches of the humanities known as cultural and critical studies, literary criticism, and literary theory—each of which includes a variety of approaches from the phenomenological to the psychoanalytic. In the United States, Theory…

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Commentary: Time to Put a Stop to Impeachment Talk

January 12, 2019January 11, 2019 Admin

by Stephen B. Presser A push is underway for the Democrat-controlled House of Representatives to hold a vote on whether to impeach the Republican President Donald Trump. Of course, we have been through this before, but with a majority of Republicans voting to impeach President Bill Clinton, a Democrat. It takes only a majority in the House to bring articles of impeachment, which are similar to a grand jury indictment—they are the required first step in a two-step process. Following a grand jury indictment, a criminal trial occurs, and a unanimous jury must bring in a guilty verdict for a conviction. Similarly, following impeachment, a two-thirds vote of the United States Senate is required to remove a president. Bill Clinton survived his impeachment because only half the members of the Senate supported his removal, with not a single Democrat voting in favor of it. It is likely that the impeachment effort to remove President Trump would fail in the Senate now controlled by Republicans, but there are some other similarities and differences between the two proceedings that deserve examination and comment. First is the essential question about what the Constitution means when it provides in Article II, section 4…

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13-Year-Old Jayme Closs Found Alive 87 Days After Being Abducted from Her Wisconsin Home

January 12, 2019January 11, 2019 Admin

by Evie Fordham A 13-year-old girl who was missing for 87 days was found alive in Gordon, Wisconsin, after escaping from her alleged abductor, authorities announced at a press conference Friday. Jayme Closs was allegedly kidnapped and held in a home in a “remote” area by 21-year-old Jake Thomas Patterson, according to CNN. Patterson may also be responsible for the murders of Closs’s parents, James and Denise Closs. They were found shot to death in their home on Oct. 15, the night their daughter disappeared, reported NBC News. “Jayme was taken against her will and escaped from the residence at which she was being held in. We also don’t believe at this time the suspect had any contact with the family. We do believe that Jayme was the only target,” Barron County Sheriff Chris Fitzgerald said according to CNN. Patterson has been arrested and charged with murder and kidnapping. “For 88 days I have said we would work tirelessly to bring Jayme Closs home. We have done just that,” Fitzgerald continued. “Jayme is safe.” Jayme Closs escaped from the home where she was being held and approached a woman walking her dog for help Thursday night, according to CNN.…

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‘Justice Democrats’ PAC Sets Its Sights on First Primary Target: Democrat Rep Henry Cuellar

January 12, 2019January 12, 2019 Admin

by Jason Hopkins A progressive political action committee announced its first primary target for the 2020 elections: Texas Democratic Rep. Henry Cuellar. Cuellar, a seven-term congressman representing Texas’s 28th Congressional District, stands out as one of the few remaining pro-life Democrats left on Capitol Hill. However, the committee Justice Democrats believes the Hispanic Democrat is too bipartisan on a number of other issues, as well. “The people of District 28 need bold leadership that fights for the working class and the immigrant community, and not for corporate interest,” Danny Dias, a community organizer who lives in Cuellar’s district, said in a Justice Democrats press statement Friday. “Henry Cuellar has a history of accepting corporate donations and working on their behalf, while ignoring the interest of working-class families in the district.” In Justice Democrats’s media statement, the group laid out its case against Cuellar, whom it referred to as a “fake Democrat.” The Texas lawmaker voted with President Donald Trump 69 percent of the time during the 115th Congress, received an “A” rating from the National Rifle Association, voted alongside the GOP to oppose federal funds for abortion-related services, and has received thousands of dollars in campaign donations from a…

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President Trump Shares An Image Of ‘Strong And Beautiful’ Wall Design

January 12, 2019January 11, 2019 Admin

by Evie Fordham President Donald Trump shared an image of a “very high, strong and beautiful” portion of wall on the U.S. border with Mexico via Twitter Friday. “The Fake News Media keeps saying we haven’t built any NEW WALL,” Trump wrote on Twitter. “Below is a section just completed on the Border. Anti-climbing feature included. Very high, strong and beautiful! Also, many miles already renovated and in service!” The Fake News Media keeps saying we haven’t built any NEW WALL. Below is a section just completed on the Border. Anti-climbing feature included. Very high, strong and beautiful! Also, many miles already renovated and in service! pic.twitter.com/UAAGXl5Byr — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 11, 2019 He included an image labeled “30-foot Bollard wall constructed and installed” that appeared to be dated Oct. 1. The tweet did not make clear where the portion of wall was located. Trump shared the photo just a day after visiting the nation’s southern border Thursday. The president is asking for $5.7 billion in funding for a southern border wall and is trying to negotiate his way out of a partial government shutdown that began Dec. 22 when Democrats refused to fund it. Trump’s jab…

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Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue Pushes Back on ‘Sensational Reporting’ of Food Inspections Being Stopped

January 12, 2019January 11, 2019 Admin

by Michael Bastasch Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue pushed back on what he called “sensational reporting” that the government shutdown had put a halt to food inspections. “Want to calm some fears because of somewhat sensational reporting on the shutdown,” Perdue said in a tweet Friday in response to alarming headlines, including those from The New York Times and NBC News, over food inspections halting during the government shutdown. “[USDA] inspectors are still at work, checking meat, poultry & processed eggs. Inspectors also screening for pests at export & import points, incl between Hawaii & Puerto Rico and mainland,” Perdue tweeted. Want to calm some fears because of somewhat sensational reporting on the shutdown. @USDAFoodSafety inspectors are still at work, checking meat, poultry & processed eggs. Inspectors also screening for pests at export & import points, incl between Hawaii & Puerto Rico and mainland. — Sonny Perdue (@SonnyPerdue) January 11, 2019 Perdue is referring to USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service, which oversees about 20 percent of U.S. food production. Those inspectors have continued to work without pay while the government is shut down. The federal government has been partially shut down for 21 days. The wave of alarming coverage…

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West Virginia Supreme Court Impeachment Crisis Reaches US High Court

January 12, 2019January 11, 2019 Admin

by Kevin Daley The West Virginia state legislature is asking the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn a decision halting impeachment of several state Supreme Court justices. The West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals was roiled by a public corruption scandal resulting in a slew of resignations and indictments. The justices will probably be reluctant to get involved, however. The West Virginia state legislature has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn a decision that halted the impeachment trials of several members of the West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals. State lawmakers said they are not aiming to restart removal proceedings against the state Supreme Court justices. Rather, they believe the ruling at issue essentially dismantles their impeachment power. “We have said since October that a strict reading of that opinion removes virtually all of the constitutional checks and balances we have on the judicial branch of government,” House of Delegates Speaker Roger Hanshaw said in a statement. “Our action today is not an effort to resume the impeachment proceedings against any individual, but rather an effort to restore the proper legal and constitutional authority granted to the legislature with regard to impeachment proceedings.” The case arose after the legislature…

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Kirsten Gillibrand Heads to Iowa as She Makes a Major Move for 2020 Presidential Run

January 12, 2019January 11, 2019 Admin

by Henry Rodgers New York Democratic Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand is planning on heading to Iowa this month as she makes a major move for a potential 2020 presidential run. Gillibrand, who was reportedly calling New York financiers in order to evaluate their willingness to back her potential presidential campaign in early January, has now decided to visit the state, Politico reported Thursday. Massachusetts Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren visited Iowa after she announced on New Year’s Eve that she was launching an exploratory committee ahead of the 2020 presidential election. Also, Gillibrand hired a new communication director for her potential presidential campaign. The New York Times reported Friday her bid against President Donald Trump “may be imminent.” “I’m definitely thinking about it, of course,” Gillibrand told CNN in December. “I’m going to think about it over the holidays with my children and my husband, and I will make a decision soon.” There is a large list of Democratic senators debating a 2020 presidential run against Trump, including Sens. Kamala Harris of California, Cory Booker of New Jersey and Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota. Former Vice President Joe Biden is also reportedly debating a 2020 presidential bid. Former New York City Mayor…

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Catholic Dem Congresswoman From Minnesota Has 100% NARAL Score

January 12, 2019January 11, 2019 Anthony Gockowski

Rep. Betty McCollum (D-MN-04), a Catholic, has a rating of 100 percent from the pro-choice organization NARAL, and a corresponding zero percent from National Right to Life. According to the Catholic League for Religious and Civil Liberty, McCollum has voted with pro-choice causes 100 percent of the time. Between 2015 and 2016, McCollum voted against 15 pro-life bills in Congress, as did Gov. Tim Walz (D-MN), who is Lutheran. NARAL touts McCollum’s perfect score on its website, providing a list of the dozens of pro-life bills she has opposed. While a U.S. congressman, Walz also earned a score of 100 percent from NARAL. Rep. Tom Emmer (R-MN-06) is currently the only Catholic Minnesotan member of Congress with a pro-life record, and has a National Right to Life score of 100 percent. Rep. Pete Stauber (R-MN-08) is also “steadfastly pro-life” and Catholic, but doesn’t have a voting history as a freshman member of Congress. “The 163 Catholics in the new Congress are split on abortion: almost all Republicans are pro life and almost all Democrats are abortion-rights advocates,” Catholic League President Bill Donohue said in a press release. “It is obvious that religion is not a reliable predictor of the way…

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Senate DFL Introduces Slate of Identity Politics Bills, Seeks to Loosen Prevention of HIV in Blood Donations

January 12, 2019January 11, 2019 Anthony Gockowski

The Minnesota State Senate plans to introduce 92 new pieces of legislation Monday, several of which are backed by the DFL, and focus on LGBT or race issues. Senate File (SF) 95, for instance, urges President Donald Trump and Congress to direct the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to “revise its current blood or plasma donor deferral policy related to men who have had sex with a man and to women who have had sex with a man who has had sex with another man within the previous 12 months from the most recent contact.” The resolution, co-authored by five DFL senators, argues that the United States is “facing a critical shortage of blood donations,” which could be offset by revising an FDA donor deferral policy that “prohibits approximately 19 million American men and women from donating blood and plasma.” “Advances in HIV donor testing have reduced the risk of HIV transmission from blood transmissions to about one in 1.47 million transfusions,” the bill continues, calling for a revised policy “based on individual assessment of the risk posed by the donor.” SF 107, meanwhile, calls for the establishment of a “Council on LGBTQI Minnesotans,” which would consist of “two members…

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In Final Days as Attorney General, DeWine Files Motion to Dismiss Ohio Redistricting Lawsuit

January 12, 2019January 11, 2019 Andrew Shirley

Gov.-elect Mike DeWine (R-OH) appears to be making every last day of his tenure as Attorney General count. This week, DeWine filed a motion to have an upcoming gerrymandering lawsuit tossed out. The suit would mandate the redrawing of all of Ohio’s 16 congressional districts before the 2020 election. In May of 2018, a group of plaintiffs, including one Democratic constituent from all 16 districts, filed a federal lawsuit alleging that the current congressional districts were: an unconstitutional partisan gerrymander that violates the First Amendment, the Fourteenth Amendment, and Article I of the United States Constitution….the most egregious gerrymanders in recent history. The primary force behind the legal challenge is the Ohio League of Women Voters. Should the suit be successful, the state would be required to redraw the congressional districts before the 2020 election with new procedures that would be a radical departure from the current standard. DeWine seeks to have the suit thrown out on the grounds that the plaintiffs cannot prove harm and that there is no legal standing for the case. In May, Ohioans overwhelmingly voted to reform the current system of redistricting. Traditionally, following each census, the party in power would control the redistricting process. Issue 1 will…

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150,000 Sign Petition to Impeach Michigan’s Rashida Tlaib

January 12, 2019January 16, 2019 Anthony Gockowski

A Change.org petition calling for the impeachment of Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI-13) already has close to 160,000 signatures. “This woman is an anti-Semite, a war mongering hate filled Palestinian who has vowed to try and destroy our constitutional rights, hates America, hates American citizens,” the petition states. “She’s a danger to our sovereignty, a detriment to society, and to this country, and is unfit to serve in any capacity within our government.” The petition also takes issue with Tlaib’s election, claiming that she “lied about living in Detroit” by “using her father’s house address.” Tlaib made headlines earlier this week when she vowed to “impeach the motherf—” during a party in celebration of her being sworn in to Congress. “I stand by impeaching the president of the United States. I ran on that,” she said in an interview discussing her comments. She called her promise to impeach President Donald Trump something she “very much” holds “dearly.” “They love that I’m real, and that I am very much focused on getting the government back up and running, but also making sure we’ve held the president of the United States accountable,” she said. Tlaib later apologized that her comments caused a “distraction,”…

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Left-Wing Activist Justin Jones Scheduled for Prosecution in March for Disrupting Marsha Blackburn Rally

January 12, 2019January 12, 2019 Chris Butler

Members of the Davidson County District Attorney General’s office are scheduled to prosecute left-wing activist Justin Jones in March on charges of criminal trespass and resisting arrest, according to a spokesman for that office. Jones, a Vanderbilt Divinity School student, seems to claim he is a victim of political persecution. In a story that made national headlines, Jones caused a scene at a campaign rally for then-U.S. Senate Republican candidate Marsha Blackburn in late October. Blackburn won the election the following month and has since taken the oath of office. Authorities charged Jones with criminal trespassing and resisting arrest for disrupting the Blackburn event at the Ray Stevens’ CabaRay Showroom in Nashville. Blackburn appeared at the event alongside U.S. Republican Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina. Stephen Hayslip, spokesman for Davidson County District Attorney General Glenn Funk, confirmed in an email to The Tennessee Star Friday that Funk’s office will prosecute Jones. Jones himself went into greater detail on his Facebook page Friday. “We have been set for a hearing on Tuesday, March 18th at 9 AM in courtroom 5D. It is deeply troubling that a democratically elected official is choosing to carry the extremist mantle of suppressing people from…

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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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OFF THE RECORD: Latest Lee Cabinet Appointment Continues His Refusal to Select Actual Conservatives

January 10, 2019January 10, 2019 Admin

The Bill Lee Transition team announced another appointment with the creation of a new position to focus on criminal justice reform and rural initiatives. Brandon Gibson, from Crockett County in West Tennessee, will serve as a Cabinet Level Senior Advisor to Governor Bill Lee. She is currently a Court of Appeals Judge in the Western Division, the sole woman on that panel of judges. Her selection will leave the Western Division as a completely male domain. She is a 1996 graduate of Mississippi State University with a BS in Agribusiness, received a Masters in Agribusiness Management from Mississippi State in 1997 and graduated from SMU law school in Dallas, Texas in 2000. After a brief stint with a law firm in Texas she moved to Jackson, Tennessee and practiced law until appointed by Governor Bill Haslam to serve on the Court of Appeals in September 2014. She recently participated in Leadership Tennessee, and now serves on its Advisory Council — with former Haslam Chief of Staff Mark Cate — whose wife is the executive director of the group. While the release announcing her appointment touts her as a “principled conservative” there seems to be scant evidence of any conservative political…

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Tennessee Star Report EXCLUSIVE: Ann Coulter Talks About Why Donald Trump Needs to Deliver on His Campaign Promise to Build a Border Wall

January 10, 2019January 9, 2019 Julie Carr

In an interview on The 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 – Steve Gill spoke to good friend Ann Coulter about the issues facing the border wall, and why the Democrats want the illegal immigration. She explained during the interview that this is not just about a chant but a “serious compassionate policy” and that after two years, it’s time to deliver. Gill: As we get ready to further analyze the President’s speech and his upcoming trip to the border. We’re pre-taping this with the woman who’s being blamed by some on the left for causing President Trump to step up, stand up, and shut down the government to fight for the wall. She and Rush Limbaugh getting the blame. I’m sure my friend Ann will take the credit, along with the blame. And Ann first of all, thank you, for nudging the President into doing the right thing. Coulter: Well let’s hope (Laughter) by the time your listener’s hear this he’s still on the track to do the right thing. I won’t believe it until I see it. …

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James Smallwood Commentary: Following Vital Police Training Is Never a Crime

January 10, 2019January 10, 2019 Admin

by James Smallwood This week, Americans showed their respect and support of local police by celebrating National Law Enforcement Appreciation day. Many government officials recognized this celebration by issuing proclamations, offering tributes, and declaring their admiration for the men and women who keep us safe. Here in Nashville, District Attorney Glenn Funk celebrated by comparing Metro police to Nazis. While outrageous, that slur isn’t the worst of his actions toward police. His politically motivated decision to charge Metro Nashville Police Officer Andrew Delke with a crime for doing precisely what he and every other police officer in Tennessee are trained to do is an attack on law enforcement itself. Sadly, Mr. Funk’s decision may result in more police officers being hurt and killed in the line of duty. Punishing – in this case prosecuting – an officer who follows official training guidelines leads to danger, even disaster. In 2016, a female Chicago police officer was savagely beaten and had her face smashed repeatedly into the pavement by a man high on the drug PCP. While she believed she was going to die from the horrific beating, the officer ignored her training and didn’t shoot the man because “she didn’t…

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U.S. Rep. DesJarlais Supports President Trump’s Border Policy ‘100 Percent’

January 10, 2019January 9, 2019 Admin

U.S. Rep. Dr. Scott DesJarlais (R-TN-04) said he supports stronger border and immigration security in the wake of President Donald Trump’s Oval Office address to the nation. On Tuesday, Trump said, “This is just common sense. The border wall would very quickly pay for itself. The cost of illegal drugs exceeds $500 billion a year vastly more than the $5.7 billion we have requested from Congress. The wall will also be paid for indirectly by the great new trade deal we have made with Mexico.” In a statement, DesJarlais said: Weak border security and bad laws are causing a humanitarian crisis at the southern border and in our local communities. Erecting more effective physical barriers would prevent drug and human smuggling into the U.S. We need more border agents and ICE officers, too, but Democrats oppose a wall, a fence and even ICE itself. But over ninety percent of heroin crosses into the U.S. from Mexico, killing Americans, and cartels and gangs are also smuggling women and children. Illegal immigration is overwhelming our court system. “The President presented these clear facts, including his offers to sign legislation Democrats supported until he took office. Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer are now describing…

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Tennessee State Comptroller and Treasurer Re-Elected To Their Posts

January 10, 2019January 9, 2019 Laura Baigert

NASHVILLE, Tennessee – On the second day of the 111th Tennessee General Assembly in a joint session of the Senate and House of Representatives, the state’s Comptroller and Treasurer were re-elected to additional two-year terms. Justin P. Wilson, Comptroller of the Treasury, and David H. Lillard, Jr., Treasurer, were both unanimously re-elected by voice vote to their respective posts, after having served in them since 2009. The offices of Secretary of State, Comptroller and Treasurer are called for in the Constitution of the State of Tennessee and are elected by the General Assembly. The Comptroller and Treasurer are elected every two years and the Secretary of State, a position held by Tre Hargett also since 2009, is elected every four years. Hargett is currently in the middle of his third term. According to the December 2018 Guide to the Office of the Tennessee Comptroller of the Treasury, the General Assembly approved legislation in January 1836 to create the office for the purpose of ensuring state and local financial integrity, as well as bringing a sense of order to the state’s finances. In 1870, the position was added to the state’s Constitution as a constitutional officer voted on by both houses…

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Questions About North Carolina Governor’s Pipeline Fund Persist

January 10, 2019February 2, 2019 A.P. Dillon

Questions persist about the $58.7 million dollar fund tied to the Atlantic Coast pipeline permit process and the North Carolina Governor’s office. Over a year has passed since the fund’s existence was made public. Questions from lawmakers and the media have gone largely unanswered by North Carolina’s Democratic Governor Roy Cooper. The latest question being asked about this fund comes from Dan Way, a staff writer at Carolina Journal: If Gov. Roy Cooper felt so strongly he had legal authority to create the unusual $57.8 million Atlantic Coast Pipeline mitigation fund, then why didn’t he sue to prevent the General Assembly from commandeering the money? “That’s a good question. I don’t know,” said Pat Ryan, spokesman for Senate leader Phil Berger, R-Rockingham. “Maybe [the governor and his staff] didn’t think they had a strong enough case.” What is this multi-million dollar fund all about? In 2017, officials involved with the Atlantic Coast Pipeline project and the Cooper administrations engineered an agreement that include monies to be directly controlled by Cooper. The payment information in the amount of $57.8 million was couched in a memorandum of understanding (MOU) and expressly states the funds would be deposited into the bank of Cooper’s…

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Democratic Operatives Used Misleading Facebook Pages to Suppress GOP Turnout in Midterms

January 10, 2019January 9, 2019 Admin

by Peter Hasson Democratic operatives funded by left-wing tech billionaire Reid Hoffman ran a widespread campaign using misleading Facebook pages in the run-up to the 2018 midterm elections, The Daily Caller News Foundation has found. American Engagement Technologies (AET), which was founded by former Obama administration official Mikey Dickerson, bought ads for two Facebook pages, “The Daily Real” and “Today’s Nation,” encouraging Republican voters to stay home in the midterm elections, Facebook’s ad archives show. Both pages appear to be designed to give the impression that they were operated by frustrated conservatives rather than by Democratic operatives. The American flag-adorned pages encouraged conservative voters to either stay home in November or vote for Democrats to punish Republicans for being insufficiently conservative. Other ads called polls predicting a “blue wave” in the 2018 elections “unreliable” and downplayed the election’s importance. The misleading ads collectively garnered millions of impressions on Facebook, TheDCNF’s review of Facebook’s archives found. Hoffman, a co-founder of LinkedIn and an early investor in Facebook, previously acknowledged funding AET after both he and the group came under fire for running a self-described “false flag” campaign during the 2017 Alabama special election. That misinformation campaign was intended to falsely…

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