Month: January 2019

Democratic Responses to Trump’s Speech Highlight a Divided Party

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by Joe Simonson   While the media has focused on the official Democratic Party response to President Donald Trump’s Oval Office remarks given by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, two other prominent lawmakers on the left shared their thoughts in what further emphasized a party being pulled in separate directions. Though not televised, Sen. Bernie Sanders live streamed his own nine-minute reply to the president on various social media platforms. In his speech, the self-proclaimed socialist and failed presidential candidate contrasted the priorities of Trump with what he saw as the most dire issues facing the country like climate change. “The scientific community has made it very clear in telling us that climate change is real and is causing devastating harm to our country and the entire planet,” the Vermont senator said. “They have told us in no uncertain terms that if we do not transform our energy system away from fossil fuel, our nation and our planet and the planet we will be leaving our kids and grandchildren may well become unhealthy and even uninhabitable in the not-so-distant future.” Sanders also dismissed the idea of a crisis on the southern border as “artificial” and…

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Commentary: Anti-Semitism Just Gained a New Foothold in Congress

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by Joel Griffith   In 1948, the Jewish people secured sovereignty over their ancestral homeland for the first time in nearly 2,000 years. Once again, they could thrive—religiously, economically, culturally—in the home their ancestors were forced to flee. But more than 70 years after the rebirth of the Jewish nation, enemies of her very existence are using boycott, divestment, and sanctions (BDS) to economically harm and morally impugn one of our closest allies. Unfortunately, several newly elected members of Congress are vocal advocates of BDS—particularly Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., and Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn. Following her election victory, Tlaib said, “Americans should not be aiding any country that doesn’t support human rights. I’ve been very clear. I will not support racist countries that pick and choose who gets access to justice.” She further claims that Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is pursuing “apartheid policies.” During Israel’s 2012 war against Hamas (an entity designated a Foreign Terrorist Organization), Omar claimed, “Israel has hypnotized the world, may Allah awaken the people and help them see the evil doings of Israel.” She has also claimed that Israel is an “apartheid … regime.” Following her election victory in November 2018, her campaign said she…

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State Rep. London Lamar Reportedly Gets Leniency from State Board Over Campaign Violations

Chris Butler

New State Rep London Lamar, D-Memphis, who made headlines last fall for calling Tennessee Republicans racist and uneducated, has reportedly gotten leniency from the state’s Registry of Election Finance for filing her disclosures late. Lamar was originally supposed to pay $8,175 in fines, as registry officials decreed in November, according to The Memphis Commercial Appeal. Lamar reportedly told registry officials this was her “first rodeo.” But registry officials reduced her fine to $300, the paper went on to say. “Lamar cited her inexperience in running for office, adding that her campaign treasurer ‘stopped coming around,’ which led to her disclosures being filed late,” The Commercial Appeal reported. “Lamar said she did not know about the delayed disclosures or the fines she was facing until she read her name in the newspaper. She vowed to file her future reports on time and noted that she was actively looking for an accountant.” As The Tennessee Star reported in November, Lamar said on a Facebook livestream that “Tennessee is racist, period.” On that video, she also complained about a base of people in the state who “don’t believe in sharing their wealth” and “believe you need to work for your own.” Newsweek, FOX News, The British Daily…

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Lt. Gov. McNally Congratulates Comptroller Wilson, Treasurer Lillard on Re-elections to Their Constitutional Offices

Jason M. Reynolds

Lt. Gov. Randy McNally (R-TN-0-5) said he was pleased to see Comptroller of the Treasury Justin Wilson and Treasurer David Lillard re-elected to their offices. McNally, who also serves as Speaker of the State Senate and was re-elected to those positions Tuesday, said Wednesday in a statement: I was pleased to see Comptroller Wilson and Treasurer Lillard win re-election overwhelmingly. As Comptroller of the Treasury, Justin Wilson keeps his eagle eye out for waste, fraud and abuse of public money wherever it occurs. Tennessee taxpayers are well-served with “The Wonderful One” as our money cop. As State Treasurer David Lillard manages the state’s money with great skill and expertise. Due to his hard work, Tennessee’s pension system is fully-funded and recognized as one of the best run in the nation. This state could not ask for a better individual to oversee the treasury. Our constitutional officers are the unsung heroes of our Tennessee success story. I continue to be grateful for their willingness to serve.” Gov.-elect Bill Lee tweeted, “Congratulations to Comptroller Justin Wilson and Treasurer David Lilliard on your re-elections today! These two men have been exceptional public servants for our state, and I look forward to working alongside…

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The Climate Paper Most Widely Covered by the Media in 2018 was Actually a Call for Global Socialism

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by Michael Bastasch   The most popular climate paper of 2018 called for “collective human action” to keep global warming from turning Earth into a “hothouse,” according to media tracking data. The so-called “Hothouse Earth” paper, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences in August, sparked a wave of alarming media coverage the planet was “dangerously close” to reaching “unstoppable” warming. “The paper was the fifth most talked-about of all journal papers published last year,” and the most talked about paper related to global warming, according to the website Carbon Brief. “It was the subject of 460 news stories in 326 outlets, including the Guardian, BBC News, Sky News, New Scientist, Al Jazeera and the Sydney Morning Herald. Links to the paper were also included in 5,392 tweets and 34 Facebook posts,” Carbon Brief reported Tuesday. Carbon Brief ranked climate papers based on data from Altmetric, a group that tracks papers mentioned in “news articles and blogs and shared on social media sites, such as Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and Reddit.” The paper, co-authored by a group of prominent scientists, called for a “deep transformation based on a fundamental reorientation of human values, equity, behavior, institutions, economies, and…

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Commentary: Market Fundamentalism or Love of Country?

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by Henry Olsen   Tucker Carlson’s much-discussed monologue last week leaves much to be desired. But factual errors or rhetorical excesses are not why it attracted vociferous criticism on the American Right. What really set the critics off is Tucker’s underlying moral premise: American republicanism sometimes requires public restraint of private vice, even in the sphere of economics. The fact that this is even a debatable premise speaks volumes as to why American conservatism has struggled to become a majority for nearly 90 years. And the fact that this is the bottom line of President Trump’s approach to economics speaks more volumes as to why he swept the Republican field and won the White House. Carlson and Trump agree that American business owners have long since stopped thinking they owe anything to American workers or communities because they are American. They contend too many American executives, responsible only to shareholders who in turn value only the highest monetary return possible, are unconcerned about whom they contract with so long as the contracts are upheld. Nearly everyone concedes this is how business operates today; the question is whether correcting or influencing this is a proper matter for public action. Conservative dogma…

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Students Stunned to Find Out Dems Actually Once Supported Building a Wall

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by Neetu Chandak   Campus Reform asked American University students for their thoughts on President Donald Trump’s statements on immigration and building the wall in midst of the partial government shutdown. The only catch being that the quotes were actually said by Democratic politicians. Students were given the following quotes: “We simply cannot allow people to pour into the United States undetected, undocumented and unchecked,” former President Barack Obama said in 2005. “I voted numerous times… to spend money to build a barrier to try to prevent illegal immigrants from coming in. And I do think you have to control your borders,” 2016 Presidential nominee for the Democratic party Hillary Clinton said in 2008. “Illegal Immigration is wrong, plain and simple. Until the American people are convinced we will stop future flows of illegal immigration, we will make no progress,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said in 2009. Many described the statements as “divisive,” “hateful,” and “dehumanizing.” Reactions were different when finding out the statements were made by Democrats with some speechless and shocked. “That’s a very good surprise by the way,” one student said. “If this were a Trump quote, I believe it would be maybe a lot less…

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Audit: Clarksville School System Employee Stole from Taxpayers

Chris Butler

A maintenance employee with the Clarksville-Montgomery County School System stole money from the school system, according to an audit Tennessee Comptrollers released Thursday. That employee, Shay Patterson, stole at least $1,750. Patterson used his school system-issued procurement card to make personal purchases. With that card he bought, among other things, materials for fuel, cigarettes, personal auto insurance, and a driver’s license renewal, according to the audit. “In addition, Patterson inappropriately used the school system’s government tax-exempt status on his personal purchase of remodeling supplies for a private project,” auditors wrote. “As noted, he was not charged the required taxes.” This is the first Comptroller audit to report alleged government theft in 2019. “The Comptroller’s Office initiated the investigation after officials with the school system reported questionable transactions related to a maintenance employee’s procurement card,” auditors said in a press release. In May of last year, Patterson paid $1,750 to the school system for personal charges on his school system procurement card, claiming a family member mistakenly used it. Patterson later admitted to investigators he used his procurement card for personal purchases without the knowledge or the authority of school officials. “Patterson stated that he used the procurement card as a…

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Kasich Launches Broadside Against Trump After President’s Prime-Time Speech

Andrew Shirley

Following President Donald Trump’s prime-time address to the nation Tuesday, Gov. John Kasich (R-OH) issued a blistering rebuttal of the president over his handling of the current government shutdown.  Though he was also critical of Democrats and Republicans, he specifically stated the problem was the result of a lack of “leadership.” The President needs to put the country ahead of politics. pic.twitter.com/ZyXZilJdfs — John Kasich (@JohnKasich) January 9, 2019 Kasich began by noting: The President and the Democrats need to learn how to compromise and put the American people first. It starts with the President putting the country ahead of his politics and being more flexible with his goals. The majority of media outlets have interpreted these comments as a direct attack on Trump. Though Kasich does go on to reaffirm his commitment to having “a secure border,” he ends his statement by saying that “our country needs real leadership to solve our problems. Right now it doesn’t look like that leadership exists in Washington, DC.” The president’s Tuesday night address was a brief and direct appeal to the American people to support his effort to secure funding for a border wall. He outlined the many lives that have been affected by illegal…

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Multimillionaire Dean Phillips Won’t Take Pay During Shutdown, 0.2 Percent of His Net Worth

Anthony Gockowski

Rep. Dean Phillips (D-MN-03) announced Wednesday that he will forego his congressional salary during the government shutdown “in solidarity with hard-working federal employees who are working without pay or on furlough.” “I have officially requested that my salary be withheld until the shutdown ends. I’ll divide my shutdown pay equally, and contribute it to 2harvest, CornerstoneMN, and VVAmerica,” Phillips wrote on Twitter, saying he would donate the money to three different charities, including one that works with victims of domestic violence. In solidarity with hard-working federal employees who are working without pay or on furlough, I have officially requested that my salary be withheld until the shutdown ends. I’ll divide my #shutdownpay equally, and contribute it to @2harvest, @CornerstoneMN and @VVAmerica. pic.twitter.com/JDHhV4FYPO — Rep. Dean Phillips 🇺🇸 (@RepDeanPhillips) January 9, 2019 It’s now well-known that Phillips is the heir to the Phillips Distilling Company, and has started several successful businesses of his own, including Talenti Gelato and Penny’s Coffee. His personal financial disclosure forms show that he has an estimated net worth of up to $77 million, meaning the average congressional salary of $174,000 is just 0.22 percent of his projected net worth. His wealth was the subject of a…

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Fifty-Five Years into the Great Society, Tennessee Still Plagued with Poverty

Chris Butler

As of Tuesday, poverty still exists in Tennessee and elsewhere around the nation. But former President Lyndon Johnson promised us this wouldn’t happen. Tuesday was the 55th anniversary of the day Johnson announced government would end poverty as we know it and he would thus begin his Great Society programs, costing the country trillions of dollars. According to the most recent U.S. Census figures, Tennessee’s poverty rate is about 15 percent. According to the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Institute for Research Poverty as well as Statistica.com, those numbers in Tennessee have remained almost level since the 1970s. Memphis, meanwhile, is one of the poorest and most dangerous cities in the nation, according to media reports. Johnson was unavailable for comment Tuesday to defend his actions —he died in 1973. But if Johnson was still alive, The Tennessee Star would have a lot to ask him, especially about the taxpayers’ return on investment. We’d ask him to defend the perverse incentives the feds taught poor people, thus changing some of their very natures. We’d ask him about the spike in illegitimacy rates and, by extension, the number of people in jail because of his policies. According to Forbes, since the mid-1960s federal…

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NC State House Democrat to be Seated Despite Absentee Ballot Objections

A.P. Dillon

A newly elected North Carolina State House representative will be installed despite objections made by the North Carolina Values Coalition of absentee ballot irregularities. Similar issues with absentee ballots have kept Mark Harris, the winner of North Carolina’s Ninth Congressional district, from taking his seat in Congress. Rachel Hunt, a Democrat and daughter of former North Carolina Democratic Governor Jim Hunt, defeated Rep. Bill Brawley (R-Mecklenburg) by an extremely narrow margin of just 68 votes or .08 percent. Brawley led by 52 votes on election night, but when absentee ballots were counted in the days that followed, Hunt took the lead. By the end of the week following election day, Hunt led Brawley 19,134 to 19,064. The District 103 race was the last Mecklenburg County area race to be certified sometime after a recount held on Tuesday, November 13.  The final vote tally was Hunt 19,133 and Brawley 19,065. While Brawley led in-person voting,  absentee-one-stop and absentee mail-in ballots favored Hunt with 12,427 and Brawley at 10,676. The NC Family Values Coalition issued a letter to Speaker Tim Moore on Tuesday, January 8 requesting that the General Assembly refuse to seat Hunt until an investigation into absentee ballot irregularities could be…

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Governor-Elect Lee Appoints Judge Brandon Gibson as Senior Advisor

Jason M. Reynolds

Tennessee Governor-Elect Bill Lee announced his appointment Wednesday of Court of Appeals Judge Brandon Gibson to serve as a Senior Advisor in the Office of the Governor, a cabinet-level position. “Brandon is a principled conservative with deep rural roots in our state,” Lee said in a statement. “She is widely respected for her service on the Court of Appeals and I am honored that she will continue her commitment to public service in this administration.” Lee has drawn sharp criticism from some for the lack of conservatives in positions of authority in his administration. The Tennessee Star has pointed out that perhaps the only other conservative so far, Courtney Rogers, has limited authority as Commissioner of Veterans Affairs. Tennessee Star Political Editor Steve Gill recently told Fox 17 News that while Rogers was a good appointment, the “power positions” are the chief of staff (which went to an out-of-stater), the chief of operations (a Democrat) and the finance commissioner (a Democrat). There are also a lot of holdovers from Gov. Bill Haslam’s staff, none of whom support President Donald Trump or will hire conservatives, Gill said. Lee’s newest appointment, Gibson, of Crockett County, serves as a judge on the Tennessee Court…

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Beth Harwell Hands the Gavel to New Speaker of the Tennessee House Glen Casada As 28 New State Representatives Are Sworn In

Laura Baigert

NASHVILLE, Tennessee – In the first phase of new leadership in the State of Tennessee, 28 new Representatives were sworn in to the 111th Tennessee General Assembly and the speaker’s gavel was handed from the first female Speaker, Beth Harwell, to Glen Casada. Tennessee’s leadership transition will be complete when Governor-elect Bill Lee is inaugurated on January 19. In front of a capacity crowd on the floor and in the galleries consisting largely of their families, the duly elected state representatives made their oath of office. The next order of business was to elect a new Speaker of the House, which started with a motion by House Majority Leader William Lamberth (R-Cottontown) nominating Republican Speaker-elect Glen Casada (R-Franklin). Karen Camper (D-Memphis) was the Democrat nominee for Speaker. A roll-call vote resulted in 75 votes for Casada to Camper’s 22 with one “present not voting” and one representative absent. In his acceptance speech which he began near tears, Casada recognized former House Speakers Bill Jenkins, Kent Williams and Jimmy Naifeh. Casada also expressed his appreciation for his immediate predecessor, Beth Harwell, calling her “a woman of character” and a “true class act,” which was punctuated by a standing ovation. With Harwell…

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Carol Swain Commentary: Race-Baiting Democrats Losing Respect

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by Carol M. Swain   Two senior Democratic Party leaders have separately offered advice that Democratic activists would do well to heed. Outgoing California Gov. Jerry Brown and defeated Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.) have warned of impending dangers to a political party that seems a bit too cocky and way too secular. Democrats have become the party that pits racial and ethnic groups against each other in the name of equality, and openly disdains Bible-believing Christians. Brown and McCaskill recognize the dangers of pursuing ideological agendas that ignore the issues and concerns of mainstream Americans. Brown, whose state in 2018 had no Republicans elected statewide, recently affirmed his belief in the necessity of a strong two-party system. Democrats need Republicans to keep them honest and on their toes. In a recent NPR interview, Brown postulated that “the weakness of the Republican Party has let the Democratic Party … get further out [on the left] than … the majority of people want.” Wow! This coming from “Governor Moonbeam.” McCaskill’s 2018 defeat was partially linked to her decision to vote against the confirmation of Justice Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court. She has blamed pro-choice progressives for their refusal to give their…

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Trump Asks Dems ‘How Much More American Blood’ They’re Willing to Shed in Oval Office Address

Anthony Gockowski

In a highly anticipated prime-time event, President Donald Trump delivered his first Oval Office address Tuesday night to discuss the continued battle over funding for his border wall. “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,” Trump said. He also pointed out that Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) has “repeatedly supported a physical barrier in the past along with many other Democrats.” “How much more American blood must we shed before Congress does its job? To those who refuse to compromise in the name of border security I would ask: imagine if it was your child, your husband, or your wife whose life was so cruelly shattered and totally broken. To every member of Congress: pass a bill that ends this crisis,” Trump said. Schumer and Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA-12) responded to Trump in their own address Tuesday night. “I appreciate the opportunity to speak directly to the American people…

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OFF THE RECORD: Is Bill Lee Closing in on an Education Commissioner?

Zachery Schmidt

Rumors out of the Bill Lee Transition Office are circulating that his list of possible Education Commissioners is being narrowed as they are apparently wrapping up interviews this week. In the next week the Lee team plans to wrap up their selection of Commissioners. Some of the names that continue to be mentioned as potential contenders for Education Commissioner include: – Former House Speaker Beth Harwell – Athens City Schools Superintendent Melanie Miller – Maryville City Schools Director Mike Winstead – Interim Ed. Commissioner Lyle Ailshie – Former Achievement School District Supt. Malika Anderson – Former Asst. Ed. Commissioner Kathleen Airhart – Louisiana Commissioner of Education John White – Professional Educators of Tennessee Exec. Dir. JC Bowman – Former State Rep. Eddie Smith (Knoxville) Former Tennessee Education Commissioner Kevin Huffman, who actively promoted Common Core, oversaw and essentially created Tennessee’s testing nightmares, and who admittedly voted for Barack Obama before being tabbed by Governor Haslam for the top Education job in Tennessee, is reportedly NOT on the short list. However, the large number of Bill Lee insiders who previously worked for Huffman’s ex-wife Michelle Rhee at StudentsFirst, may be a red flag that anything is possible.        …

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Tennessee Star Report EXCLUSIVE: Congressman Mark Green Discusses the National and Humanitarian Crisis at the Border

Julie Carr
Steve Gill, Mark Green

On Tuesday’s Tennessee Star Report with Steve Gill and Michael Patrick Leahy – broadcast on Nashville’s Talk Radio 98.3 and 1510 WLAC weekdays from 5:00 am to 8:00 am – Gill and Leahy talked to recently elected Congressman from Tennessee, Mark Green about his recent rise to fame of Congress’s Freshman class, the transition, and how he’s leading the way in declining a paycheck while the government is in a shutdown. During the course of the interview, Green gave his thoughts and opinions about the border wall’s national security and humanitarian crisis and his strategy to create a cultural change within the House. Gill: Congressman Mark Green has kicked things off with a flurry of activity.  He’s on what, CBS, Fox News every time you turn on the TV he’s making headlines and leading the way. He was one of the first, if not the first to say I’m not going to take my paycheck while the government is shutdown. So he’s the pro bono Congressman from Tennessee at this point. I’ve worked free for clients a lot of times.  I didn’t intend to, they just didn’t pay.  But in this case, Mark Green has continued to show up for…

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Trump Team Holds China’s Feet to the Fire on Trade Negotiations

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Donald Trump, Xi Jinping

by Jason Hopkins   As the Trump administration continues trade negotiations with China, the U.S. delegation is taking additional steps to make sure the Communist country follows through on its pledges. U.S. and Chinese officials met Monday in the Commerce Ministry in Beijing to begin their two-day trade negotiations. The meeting marks the first face-to-face talks between the two governments since Chinese President Xi Jinping and President Donald Trump agreed to a tariff truce when they met during G-20 summit. During that G-20 meeting — which took place in the early days of December in Buenos Aires — Xi agreed to a number of concessions in exchange for Trump agreeing to postpone a round of tariffs on Chinese goods. Among many things, the Communist leader pledged to buy more U.S. agricultural and industrial products, allow increased access to Chinese markets, and abide by more cybersecurity and property theft rules. In return, Trump promised to wait 90 days before hiking tariffs to 25 percent on $200 billion worth of Chinese imports — the three-month timeline is indented to give both breathing room to cement a detailed agreement. However, China has a history of not keeping its word. The Communist country has,…

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Parents File Suit Against School District That Wants to Allow Teachers to Carry Guns

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by Neetu Chandak   Parents and a grandparent filed a lawsuit against a Pennsylvania school district on Thursday over a policy allowing teachers to carry guns in school. Tamaqua Area School District in Tamaqua, Pennsylvania, approved the policy in September 2018, according The Associated Press reported Friday. The policy allows teachers, staff and administration to carry district-issued guns after going through the appropriate training. The lawsuit claims approving the policy “endangered their community” and broke state law. “It’s uncharted territory, but there is no law that says we can’t have legally trained armed staff,” school board member Nicholas Boyle said, WHYY reported. State law allows campuses to have trained school resource officers or school police, The AP reported. Executive director for gun control group CeaseFirePA, Shira Goodman, said she found the district’s interpretation of the law questionable, WHYY reported. “I would say it’s not at all clear that they can be doing this,” Goodman said, according to WHYY. Boyle said that the initiative would make the rural school district less vulnerable against an attacker, according to WHYY. “The rationale for the policy is to prevent the apocalypse,” Boyle said, The AP reported. “When we have a shooter in the building,…

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Commentary: Now That School Security is a Multi-Billion Dollar Industry, is There a Better Way to Protect Children?

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by Kerry McDonald   U.S. taxpayers spend nearly $700 billion each year on K-12 public schooling and that eye-popping sum shows no sign of slowing. In fact, as more non-academic programs get adopted in schools across the country, the price-tag for mass schooling continues to swell even as achievement lags. One ballooning school expenditure is the vast amount of money allocated to school safety. U.S. schools now spend an estimated $2.7 billion on security features, from automatically locking doors, to video surveillance and facial recognition software. That amount doesn’t include the additional billions of dollars spent on armed guards at schools. Federal spending on school security is also rising, with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security recently awarding a $2.3 million grant to train high school students how to act like first responders in the event of a mass casualty, like a school shooting. These enhanced security and training mechanisms may seem justified, particularly in the wake of deadly mass school shootings like the massacre in Parkland, Florida that left 17 people dead. But school shootings are exceedingly rare. As Harvard University instructor, David Ropeik, writes in the Washington Post: “The chance of a child being shot and killed in…

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Chicago Police Chief Making Officers Read Nearly 500-Page Report on Florida’s Stoneman Douglas High School Shooting

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By Neetu Chandak   A Chicago suburb police chief is making his officers read the nearly 500-page Marjory Stoneman Douglas shooting report to prevent the same mistakes made in Florida. The Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Public Safety Commission released the initial report, which made recommendations like arming teachers and investing more into mental health programs, on Jan. 2. Missteps included officers not confronting suspected shooter Nikolas Cruz immediately, the school lacking a clear lockdown plan and inefficient communication systems. “This report on the shooting in Parkland is a game-changer for law enforcement,” Riverside Police Chief Tom Weitzel said, WBBM Newsradio reported Monday. https://t.co/zRlnekaDMe — Riverside Police (@PDRiverside) January 7, 2019 Weitzel added that while there were officers who were heroic, there were also “large failures.” He felt the report addressed the mistakes, according to WBBM. “We must learn from our mistakes and others mistakes,” Weitzel said to The Daily Caller News Foundation over email. “It’s the only way we can improve our response and tactics.” The Parkland shooting left 17 people dead on Feb. 14, 2018. Officers have a month to read the report and will be followed up with a discussion, the Chicago Tribune reported. Weitzel will have…

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Judge Says Christian Baker Jack Phillips’ Lawsuit Against Civil Rights Officials Can Proceed

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by Kevin Daley   A federal judge in Denver rejected Colorado’s bid to dismiss a lawsuit alleging that state civil rights officials are waging a campaign of harassment against Jack Phillips, the Christian baker at issue in the landmark Masterpiece Cakeshop case. Three weeks after Phillips prevailed at the Supreme Court, a state anti-discrimination panel issued a new probable cause finding against him, arising from his refusal to create a gender transition cake for a would-be patron called Autumn Scardina. In turn, Phillips’ attorneys charged the panel with acting in bad faith, and asked a federal court to stop the new prosecution. “Colorado is acting in bad faith and with bias toward Jack,” said Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) attorney Jim Campbell, who represents Phillips. “We look forward to moving forward with this lawsuit to ensure that Jack isn’t forced to create custom cakes that express messages in conflict with his faith.” The state asked U.S. District Judge Wiley Daniel to dismiss the lawsuit on three grounds: First, the state argued that the case should be dismissed because of legal rules that forbid federal courts from intervening in ongoing state court proceedings. Second, Colorado said that the 11th Amendment — which…

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EPA Climate Model Shows ‘Green New Deal’ Would Avert a ‘Barely Detectable’ Amount of Global Warming

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by Michael Bastasch   Democrats are increasingly lining up behind New York Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s call for a “Green New Deal,” but few, if any, have talked about its actual impact on global warming. Even if all the Green New Deal’s goals were achieved, it would have a negligible, and likely immeasurable, impact on projected global warming, according to climate model simulation provided by a libertarian think tank. “I seriously think the effect would — at best — be barely detectable in the climate record,” Patrick Michaels, a climatologist with the Cato Institute, told The Daily Caller News Foundation. Cato developed its own “Carbon Tax Temperature-Savings Calculator” to estimate the amount of warming that might be averted through reducing greenhouse gas emissions, like carbon dioxide. The carbon calculator is based on the so-called “MAGICC” climate model simulator, developed by the National Center for Atmospheric Research with funding from the Environmental Protection Agency. So, how much warming would a “Green New Deal” avert by the end of the century? Slightly under 0.14 degrees Celsius, according to Cato’s temperature calculator. “The year-to-year variation is very close to the total amount of warming that would be ‘saved’ by 2100, according to EPA’s own…

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McNally Re-elected Tennessee Lt. Governor and Speaker of the State Senate

Jason M. Reynolds

State Sen. Randy McNally (R-TN-05) was re-elected to a second term as Speaker of the Senate, and thus Lieutenant Governor, Tuesday. State senators met at noon Tuesday, the first organizational day of the 111th General Assembly to elect their speaker, according to a press release from McNally’s office. By state statute, the Speaker of the Senate holds the title of Lieutenant Governor. McNally has served in the positions since January 2017. Mark Norris, a federal judge in Memphis, swore in McNally as speaker and the members who were elected, WBIR reported. Norris was formerly the Senate Majority Leader until the U.S. Senate voted 51-44 in October to appoint him as a judge. Gov.-elect Bill Lee tweeted, “Congratulations to @ltgovmcnally and @GlenCasada.  I am honored to have the opportunity to work with both of you this session, and I look forward to what we can accomplish together to make this state an even better place for all Tennesseans.” Congratulations to @ltgovmcnally and @GlenCasada. I am honored to have the opportunity to work with both of you this session, and I look forward to what we can accomplish together to make this state an even better place for all Tennesseans. — Bill…

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Wisconsin Governor Issues Executive Order on ‘Gender Identity or Expression’ on First Day in Office

Anthony Gockowski

In one of his first acts in office, Gov. Tony Evers (D-WI) signed an executive order seeking to prohibit discrimination on the basis of “gender identity or expression” in state agencies. Executive Order #1 states that it “is the expressed policy of my administration that the executive branch should prevent discrimination and harassment against any class of citizens because of age, race, religion, color, disability, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression,” and so forth. The order is not yet available online, likely because Evers was just sworn in Monday, but he posted a picture of it to his Facebook page. “In addition to the excitement of taking the oath of office today, I had the opportunity to sign my first two executive orders as governor. These orders prevent discrimination in state agencies and recognize the importance of state employees,” Ever said in a Facebook post. “Each person deserves to be treated with dignity and respect. This fosters sound government, society, and business, and it’s just the right thing to do.” According to The Capital Times, the order states that any recipients of government contracts or grants can only hire on the basis of merit, and requires the Equal Employment…

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SCOTUS Will Hear North Carolina Partisan Gerrymandering Case

A.P. Dillon

The U.S. Supreme Court announced last week that in March it will hear partisan gerrymandering cases involving North Carolina and Maryland. These partisan gerrymandering cases are the first of their kind to be heard since Justice Brett Kavanaugh replaced Justice Anthony Kennedy on the court. The decision to hear these cases will likely have ramifications for a suit filed last November by Common Cause and the North Carolina Democratic Party. The case, Common Cause v. Lewis, alleges partisan gerrymandering in district maps drawn by the Republican majority-held legislature.  The case was recently denied a delay and remanded back to North Carolina Superior Court by Federal District Judge Louise Flanagan. Filed in Wake County court, the complaint demands the maps be redrawn for use in 2020 and alleges that the districts violate the state’s constitution in three areas: The Equal Protection Clause, the Free Elections Clause, and the Freedom of Speech and Freedom of Assembly clauses. The suit also alleges that the current districts are “intentionally burdening the protected speech and/or expressive conduct of Plaintiffs and other Democratic voters, including members of Common Cause and the NCDP, based on their identity, their viewpoints, and the content of their speech.” “Because lawmakers…

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As US Economy Swells, Ohio Gets Left Behind

Andrew Shirley

2018 was one of the best economic years for America in decades. The coup de grâce came in December with a jobs report that shattered the most generous expectations by more than double. 312,000 new jobs were added to the US economy. While unemployment rose slightly, this was primarily due to more people getting back into the job market after giving up hope of finding work. In total, more than 2.6 million jobs were added in 2018; the fastest job growth in decades. So how did Ohio fare? Not great. Ohio undoubtedly had some noteworthy achievements. 2018 was Ohio’s ninth consecutive year of record-breaking new business filings with 125,000 new businesses created. In July, Ohio’s jobs growth pace actually exceeded the national pace. Overall, Ohio added jobs and employment grew. Sadly, in some of the most key indicators, Ohio continued to lag behind the nation. In November, while the national unemployment rate rested at 3.7% (its lowest rate in 2018), Ohio’s unemployment rate was 4.6%. Ohio’s best month for unemployment (4.3%) didn’t even beat the nation’s worst month (4.1%). From January to November of 2018, Ohio’s total number of unemployed went from 271,269 to 263,197, a net employment of only 8,072 jobs. While some…

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Tim Walz Confronted by Pipeline Protesters at Capitol Hours After Inauguration

Anthony Gockowski

Gov. Tim Walz (D-MN) faced his first test Monday just hours after being sworn in when protesters opposed to the Enbridge Line 3 Pipeline project disrupted his reception at the State Capitol. This isn’t the first time anti-pipeline activists have caused a public disruption. In November, they shut down a performance in Minneapolis after the Public Utilities Commission voted unanimously in favor of approving the project to replace Line 3. Activists say that replacing the aging pipeline, which crosses through northern Minnesota, could present the risk of an oil spill in the Mississippi River, and will contribute to climate change by adding high rates of carbon to the atmosphere. Now former Gov. Mark Dayton (D-M) made a last minute appeal of the project in December through his Department of Commerce, which said that Enbridge “failed to provide a future demand forecast for its product.” On Monday, activists with Stop Line 3 and Cooperation Northfield disrupted Walz while he delivered a speech to a crowd gathered at the State Capitol after his inauguration. The protesters began by draping banners from the Capitol rotunda containing riffs on his campaign slogan of “One Minnesota.” “Hey, Tim. We only have one Minnesota. Stop Line…

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Rep. Green, Sen. Blackburn Back Trump’s Call for Border Security From Primetime Oval Office Address

Jason M. Reynolds

Two of Tennessee’s newest members of Congress, U.S. Rep. Dr. Mark Green (R-TN-07) and U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), backed President Donald Trump’s statements on border security in Tuesday night’s primetime address from the Oval Office. Green is a former special operations flight surgeon and veteran who did tours in both the Iraq and Afghanistan. The freshman congressman appeared on “Fox News Sunday” this past weekend and said he would support Trump on improving border security. Green said in a statement Tuesday: Tonight, a lot of Americans learned, perhaps for the first time, there is really an urgent crisis and it involves our southern border. The crisis is causing human suffering and death, and it is heartbreaking. One of the more another alarming stats shared – 90% of the heroin in our country comes across our southern border. Heroin, in turn, kills 300 Americans each week. As a veteran of the War on Terror, I know that if we were losing 300 Americans a week in the field of battle, Americans and our leaders in DC would be strategizing how to win the war and limit casualties. In this case, the strategy is simple – we secure our border, and…

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Lamar Alexander Supports Federal Funding for the Wall (In Iowa)

Chris Butler

After years of debate, U.S. Republican Sen. Lamar Alexander of Tennessee has finally and successfully helped acquire federal money for a wall — in Iowa. We’re talking about a $117 million flood wall in Cedar Rapids. Alexander, according to that city’s primary newspaper, The Gazette, has political connections to Cedar Rapids’ former mayor Ron Corbett. When asked Monday, Alexander’s spokesman Ashton Davies did not comment to The Tennessee Star on whether her boss is committed to federal funding for another type of wall. This is a wall many of his Tennessee constituents have long clamored for. That other wall, of course, is one along the Mexican border. But Alexander was reportedly happy to push for the wall in Iowa. According to The Gazette, a 2008 flood caused $5.4 billion in damages to Cedar Rapids. Federal aid was not immediately forthcoming. Over the years, federal representatives worked with a lobbyist to help get the money. But, as the paper went on to say, assistance did not come through until last July. The Gazette then reported that Corbett knew Alexander, who chairs the U.S. Senate’s Energy and Water Development Appropriations Subcommittee. “When Alexander ran for president in 1996, Corbett campaigned for him…

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Commentary: By Declaring a National Emergency, President Trump Could Use Defense Department Funding to Build the Border Wall Now

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by Harlan Hill President Trump has given the Democrats every reason to compromise with him on ending the partial government shutdown, yet they still cling grimly to their obstructionist tactics. Congressional Democrats have maintained that a border wall would be both “ineffective” and “immoral,” yet insist that they support the broader goal of border security. Every part of that argument has now been exposed as a lie. Immigration enforcement officials have repeatedly stated that they believe a wall is crucial to achieving real border security, but Democrats have not been willing to listen, with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi even reportedly telling Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen that “I reject your facts” during a recent briefing. As the shutdown enters its third week, with Democrats still refusing to provide the necessary funding for border security, the President is further demonstrating his willingness to come to a reasonable compromise while making it clear that we must have proper border security. Since the left has refused to listen to the experts who say that a wall would be the single most effective element of a comprehensive border security strategy, he’s now appealing to liberals’ sense of morality. Over the weekend, the…

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Heidi Shafer Talks to the Tennessee Star Report About Her Bid for GOP Nomination in Special State Senate Election

Julie Carr

In a specific discussion on Monday morning’s Tennessee Star Report with Steve Gill and Michael Patrick Leahy – broadcast on Nashville’s Talk Radio 98.3 and 1510 WLAC weekdays from 5:00 am to 8:00 am – the duo spoke to Heidi Shafer, candidate for the GOP nomination in the State Senate special election in the Memphis area to replace Mark Norris and specifically about how she’s running her campaign and what makes her a stand out candidate from the others. Leahy: We have on the line now, Heidi Shafer who is a candidate for the special election Republican primary in state senate district thirty-two in the Memphis area that former state senator Mark Norris, who’s now a federal judge resigned from. Heidi, welcome to the Tennessee Star Report! Gill: Hey Heidi. Shafer: Good morning. Happy New Year everybody! Gill: Now early voting started Friday so the voting has already started right? Shafer: Yes, and because this is a special election it’s the only thing on the ballot. The voting is going to be slow, turnout is going to be minimal, which means that every single vote is going to matter more than ever. Leahy: So you’re running against a couple other…

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Commentary: Tucker Carlson, the Deep State Establishment, the Tea Party, and Modern Populism

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Tennessee Star

by Thaddeus G McCotter   I listened the other day to Tucker Carlson’s populist dirge on what’s ailing America. Then I perused some rejections, critiques, and commendations of it. Then I shrugged. To be charitable, it certainly wasn’t their fault. It’s the fruit of our communication revolution, wherein the head rush from new media’s immediacy renders antiquated the sober digestion of more lengthy philosophical debates. Small wonder, then, one so frequently searches for abiding comfort in these trying times by, again, turning back the dog-eared pages written by Burke, Kirk, Buckley, Röpke, and Nisbet, among so many other titans of conservative thought. But I digress . . . Or do I? In what does the current debate instruct us that aforementioned works haven’t already? The predatory economy Carlson describes is not market capitalism; it is the “business-government model” of crony capitalism long ago defined and decried by Belloc and Chesterton. Its remedy was found in the “German Miracle” outlined in Röpke’s A Humane Economy. One would also know from Burke, Kirk, and Buckley that, since the French Revolution, it is not greed but ideology—the Enemies of the Permanent Things’ lust to desecrate all you hold dear in order to remold humanity according to their own insidious whims—that has…

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Commentary: An Epidemic of Erasures, Redactions, Omissions, and Perjuries

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by Victor Davis Hanson   Imagine the following: The IRS sends you, John Q. Citizen, a letter alleging you have not complied with U.S. tax law. In the next paragraph, the tax agency then informs you that it needs a series of personal and business documents. Indeed, it will be sending agents out to discuss your dilemma and collect the necessary records. But when the IRS agents arrive, you explain to them that you cannot find about 50 percent of the documents requested, and have no idea whether they even exist. You sigh that both hard copies of pertinent information have unfortunately disappeared and hard drives were mysteriously lost. You nonchalantly add that you smashed your phone, tablet, and computer with a hammer. You volunteer that, of those documents you do have, you had to cut out, blacken or render unreadable about 30 percent of the contents. After all, you have judged that the redacted material either pertains to superfluous and personal matters such as weddings and yoga, or is of such a sensitive nature that its release would endanger your company or business or perhaps even the country at large. You also keep silent that you have a number…

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Two GOP Reps Who Retired In 2018 Join DC Lobbying Firm

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by Henry Rogers   Two former Republican representatives who retired in 2018 have decided to stay in Washington, D.C., both joining a big name lobbying firm Monday. The Akin Gump, a well-known lobbying firm with offices across the world, sent out a joint press release, addressing both of its new hires, former Florida Republican Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen and former Texas Republican Rep. Lamar Smith, who will both be joining the firm’s D.C. office, which focuses on “business, law and policy.” “As a firm that operates at the intersection of business, law and policy, we recognize the valuable skills, knowledge and perspectives that Reps. Ros-Lehtinen and Smith bring to our clients,” Akin Gump chairperson Kim Koopersmith said in a statement on the firm’s website. “They will be great additions to our top-tier policy practice, and I am very proud to welcome two individuals with such long and distinguished careers on Capitol Hill to the firm.” Ros-Lehtinen said she hopes to continue on the work she accomplished in Congress by working for the lobbying firm, mentioning trade matters and its domestic and foreign client base. “As home to the largest public policy practice in Washington, Akin Gump has always been a successful advocate on behalf of its clients,…

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Ocasio-Cortez Issues an Apology to Donald Trump Jr. for Subpoena Threat

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by Nick Givas   Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York issued an apology to Donald Trump Jr. on 60 Minutes Sunday, after implying she’d use her congressional powers to subpoena him. Ocasio-Cortez originally tweeted about the president’s son on Dec. 7 and said it was unwise of Trump Jr. to tweet negatively about her. I have noticed that Junior here has a habit of posting nonsense about me whenever the Mueller investigation heats up. Please, keep it coming Jr – it’s definitely a “very, very large brain” idea to troll a member of a body that will have subpoena power in a month. Have fun! https://t.co/oQ6MsdJYCk — Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) December 7, 2018 Host Anderson Cooper said some people saw her comments as an abuse of power and Ocasio-Cortez said she was sorry if it made Trump Jr. feel threatened. “Well, if he felt genuinely threatened by me, I apologize,” she said. “But I think, frankly, it’s legal advice that any person would give him.” "If he felt genuinely threatened by me, I apologize." @AOC discusses her Twitter dispute with Donald Trump Jr. https://t.co/HUub7Y0xF6 pic.twitter.com/8ih11Wa0uI — 60 Minutes (@60Minutes) January 7, 2019 “You do know that most politicians don’t apologize for anything?” Cooper replied. “You’ve…

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The Tennessee Star Report Talks with Dr. Manny Sethi About ‘My Healthy Tennessee’

Julie Carr

On Monday’s Tennessee Star Report with Steve Gill and Michael Patrick Leahy – broadcast on Nashville’s Talk Radio 98.3 and 1510 WLAC weekdays from 5:00 am to 8:00 am – Gill and Leahy chatted with My Healthy Tennessee founder and Tennessee native, Dr. Manny Sethi, about his non-for profit community based health care fairs.  The men discussed the current situation for Tennessee’s healthcare, it’s fiscal downfall, and accountability of patients. Sethi stressed throughout the segment that there was a great need to “re-think” the current healthcare delivery standard. Gill: Everybody’s had their new year’s resolution’s now at play for a week or so. You know the gyms have been packed. By next week you’ll be able to shoot a canon in the gym and not hit anybody. But everybody starts the new year with a commitment to you know better fitness, better nutrition, better health. And we just thought we would at least help you go into yet one more week of trying to stick to that commitment. Dr. Manny Sethi has launched a website, MyHealthyTennessee.com, it’s a non-profit that he and his wife, Maya founded in 2011 to promote healthier living, healthier lifestyles. They’ve done dozens of health fairs…

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City of Memphis Employees Allegedly Steal Gas

Chris Butler
Gas up

Employees who work for the City of Memphis are using taxpayer money to fill up their personal vehicles with gasoline, according to that city’s CBS affiliate WREG. No word yet on whether Tennessee’s fuel tax increase drove those city employees to do this. City officials, the station went on to say, have launched an internal investigation. “According to that investigation, the city doesn’t do a good enough job of tracking who’s getting gas and where it’s going. That’s largely because some fuel stations don’t have an effective way of doing it,” WREG reported. “Two city employees have been fired for filling up their personal cars with city gas, purchased with taxpayer dollars. Security at city-owned pumps varies. Some are padlocked, requiring a special key. Others are automated, unlocked using electronic key fobs.” The audit, the station went on to say, says those pumps track gas usage easily. The others, however, typically require manual logs that don’t always exist. “The issue increases the potential for fraud. The city’s General Services Division says it’ll fix the problem by putting devices to unlock pumps directly into city vehicles,” WREG reported. “They’re designed to track who’s driving, how much gas they’re getting and when…

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American Militia Catch Texas School Teacher Allegedly Fighting for ISIS in Syria

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by Grace Carr   American-backed forces say they apprehended a former Texas school teacher Sunday who was fighting for the Islamic State. U.S.-supported militia apprehended the Houston man, Warren Christopher Clark, 34 (pictured left), fighting on a battlefield in Syria, The New York Times reported. He allegedly previously sent a résumé and cover letter to ISIS, seeking to teach young students about the group’s violent ideology. “Dear Director, I am looking to get a position teaching English to students in the Islamic State,” Clark allegedly wrote in a letter to ISIS, according to documents recovered by American forces. Clark has reportedly been associated with ISIS since after June 2015, according to The NYT. Prior to pledging allegiance to ISIS, Clark taught English in Saudi Arabia and Turkey, documents reveal. Clark previously substitute-taught at Fort Bend Independent School District in Sugar Land, Texas. Roughly 250 Americans have traveled to Syria or Iraq to join ISIS since fall 2015, according to a December 2015 report from George Washington University’s Program on Extremism. U.S. authorities have charged 71 Americans with ISIS-related activities since March 2014, according to the report. Few Americans who defected to ISIS have been caught and brought back to the U.S. Only four Americans have been captured fighting in Syria and Iraq,…

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Enviros Launch Campaign Against Trump’s Pick To Replace Scott Pruitt At EPA

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by Michael Bastach   Environmentalists kicked off the new year with a campaign to derail the nomination of Andrew Wheeler, President Donald Trump’s pick to head the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). “Make no mistake — to protect our health, planet, economy, and national security we must #StopWheeler from being permanently confirmed as @EPA administrator,” the Sierra Club tweeted Monday. Make no mistake – to protect our health, planet, economy, and national security we must #StopWheeler from being permanently confirmed as @EPA administrator. https://t.co/CMhvJBHlkY — Sierra Club (@SierraClub) January 7, 2019 The tweet linked to an Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) blog post calling Wheeler “unfit to lead EPA.” “Andrew Wheeler has ramped up Scott Pruitt’s relentless attack on public health and environmental safeguards,” EDF’s Martha Roberts wrote in her Jan. 3 blog post. Wheeler, a former coal industry lobbyist, took over as EPA’s acting administrator in 2018 after former Administrator Scott Pruitt resigned. Wheeler was confirmed by the Senate in April 2018 as EPA’s deputy administrator, making him Pruitt’s number two at the time. Pruitt resigned in July amid a slew of ethics allegations and negative media coverage. Democrats and environmentalists also opposed Pruitt’s pushing Trump’s “energy dominance” agenda. Wheeler, so far, has continued Pruitt’s…

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Ruth Bader Ginsburg to Miss Arguments Following Lung Cancer Procedure

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by Kevin Daley   Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg missed oral arguments Monday as she recuperates from cancer surgery. It’s not clear when the 85-year-old justice will return to work, though the Supreme Court’s public information office said she will continue to participate in official business from her home in Washington. Despite Ginsburg’s absence, a Court spokeswoman said the justice would participate in Monday’s cases by reading transcripts of the proceedings, then voting as normal. Monday is the first time that Ginsburg has missed arguments since she joined the high court in 1993. Surgeons at the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York removed two cancerous nodules from Ginsburg’s lungs on Dec. 21. She was discharged on Dec. 26. The justice’s doctors said the surgery was successful and there are no signs of disease elsewhere in her body. The growths were detected when Ginsburg was hospitalized for a rib fracture in November 2018. On that occasion, the justice fell in her chambers and was admitted to a Washington-area hospital after experiencing discomfort in her chest. In a public appearance just days before December’s procedure, Ginsburg said her health was “fine”, and made no mention of the pending surgery. The justice has been diagnosed…

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Mark Dayton Slams Trump’s ‘Destructive Nature’ in Final Interview As Governor

Anthony Gockowski

Now former Gov. Mark Dayton (D-MN) officially left office Monday afternoon as moving trucks were spotted outside the Governor’s Mansion over the weekend. In his final exit interview with TPT Almanac, Dayton was asked by host Mary Lahammer for his opinion on the divisiveness in American politics today. “So much of it now is one man’s destructive nature. It’s not the way government should be. This guy tweeting at 3 o’clock in the morning. I mean, it’s just—it’s frightening,” Dayton responded. Dayton also addressed his declining health, which hospitalized him for a month in October. His administration was criticized for waiting several weeks to inform the press in November that he was still hospitalized after undergoing surgery. During his hospital stay, his administration sent out press releases stating that he was meeting with staff and top officials. “Well, I’ve been having trouble with my spine for a few years now, and I got a couple surgeries, which improved things. But it was deteriorating so I realized I had to deal with it again. So in October I had another spinal surgery, which had a bad after effect. It damaged my lungs, which has had the most limiting effect in terms…

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Ohio Governor Kasich Signs Occupational Licensing Reform Bill, Increasing Market Competition

Andrew Shirley

Governor John Kasich signed Senate Bill 255 (SB 255) Friday, reforming Ohio’s occupational licensing laws, some of which are considered to be the most economically crippling in the country. The law will require Ohio’s state legislature to examine every occupational licensing board in the state, assess their value and utility, then decide if they serve an essential function. If not, they will be disbanded. The legislatures have a five-year window to complete the examination. In addition, the Legislative Service Commission will review every future proposed board to ensure they are fair and not economically detrimental to citizens. The Buckeye Institute, a non-partisan, free-market think tank “whose mission is to advance free-market public policy in the states,” was the primary force advocating for and encouraging passage of the bill. Following it’s signing, Buckeye Institute Research Fellow, Greg R. Lawson celebrated the decision, stating: With the signing of Senate Bill 255, Ohio has gone from being one of the very worst states in the nation on occupational licensing to the very best…Through the extraordinary leadership of Senate President Larry Obhof, Senator Rob McColley, and Representative Ron Hood, Ohio can now rightly claim its place at the top of the list of states on occupational licensing,…

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Elizabeth Warren Looped Video of Line Outside Iowa Rally to Create ‘Overflow’ Impression

Anthony Gockowski

Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) campaigned in Iowa over the weekend after announcing an exploratory committee for a 2020 presidential campaign. Her first stop was in Council Bluffs where she posted a video of an “overflow line” of supporters gathered outside the event. The video, however, was sped up and looped, meaning it begins playing again from the beginning of the line once it reaches the end. “First event in Iowa, first overflow line in Iowa,” Warren tweeted on Friday. First event in Iowa, first overflow line in Iowa! pic.twitter.com/VGLKONVxoJ — Elizabeth Warren (@ewarren) January 4, 2019 One twitter user slowed down the video and showed that about 85 people were standing in line for Warren’s event. Here is the video slowed down 1/1024 speed. As you can see there's about 86 people. pic.twitter.com/tbjpaS8NQx — Mike (@Fuctupmind) January 5, 2019 As Battleground State News reported, Warren was asked at one event about her 2018 DNA test that contradicted her claims of Native American heritage. “I’m glad for us to have a chance to talk about it. I am not a person of color. I am not a citizen of a tribe,” she responded. “Tribal citizenship is very different from ancestry. Tribes…

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Former North Carolina Governor Pat McCrory Eyes 2020 and 2022 Races

A.P. Dillon

During his weekly radio show last week, Former North Carolina Governor Pat McCrory went on the record about possible future runs for political office. McCrory specifically spoke about running for governor again in 2020 and possibly the U.S. Senate in 2022. “I’m going to do a thorough assessment on whether or not I want to run for governor again between now and December,” McCrory told WBT listeners. “I’m also going to do an assessment of whether or not I could make a positive difference possibly in running for the U.S. Senate in 2022. But I’m not ready to make either decision.” McCrory said he wasn’t going to make a quick decision and wanted to discuss ‘reentering politics’ with his family and friends first. “I want to go through a thorough examination with my family and my friends and supporters on whether or I should reenter into politics in 2020 or 2022,” said McCrory. “I’m not ready to make that political announcement, because I have other goals and aspirations,” McCrory said. “And plus, I’d be getting right back into the game that I’ve been criticizing – the game of groveling for money two years before an election even occurs.” McCrory was…

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Virginia Governor Aims To Repeal Voter ID Law

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by Luke Rosiak   Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam on Monday announced proposed legislation to repeal the state’s requirement that voters show photo ID. “Participation makes our democracy strong—we should encourage every eligible voter to exercise this fundamental right, rather than creating unnecessary barriers that make getting to the ballot box difficult,” Northam, a Democrat, said in a statement. Delegate Kaye Kory, a sponsor of the measure, said in a statement, “The photo ID requirement prevents the most vulnerable Virginians from voting and silences the voices of those who most need to be heard.” The proposal would also allow people to vote absentee without providing a reason why they could not make it to the polls. Democrat Terry McAuliffe beat Republican Ken Cuccinelli for the Virginia governorship in 2013 by only 56,000 votes. In 2014, Democrat Mark Warner squeaked by against Republican Ed Gillespie in a Senate race decided by less than a percentage point, or 18,000 votes. The attorney general’s race came down to a mere 165 votes. Then, just before the 2016 election, McAuliffe restored the right to vote for 60,000 felons using an unorthodox procedure. McAuliffe had sought to allow all of Virginia’s estimated 200,000 felons to vote, but state courts said…

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Gov. Haslam Grants Clemency to Cyntoia Brown, Sets Aug. 7 Release Date for Woman Convicted of Murder at Age 16

Jason M. Reynolds

Retiring Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam on Monday gave executive clemency to convicted murderer Cyntoia Brown by commuting her life sentence. Brown will be released on Aug. 7 to parole supervision for a period of 10 years, Haslam said in a statement. She served 15 years in prison. She was convicted as a teenager of killing a man while she said she was a sex trafficking victim at age 16, NBC News said. In 2006, Brown was convicted by a Davidson County jury of first-degree murder and aggravated robbery for the 2004 murder of 43-year-old Nashville real estate agent Johnny Allen, the governor’s office said. The incident occurred when Allen took Brown to his home. She received a life sentence with the possibility of parole after serving a minimum of 51 years in prison, which means she would not have been eligible for parole consideration until 2055, at the earliest, without the governor’s action. Brown said that she feared for her life and pulled a gun from her purse and shot Allen while in bed with him because she believed he was going for a gun, NBC News said. Brown, a runaway, lived with her 24-year-old boyfriend, a pimp known as…

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Latest Nashville Plan for Affordable Housing ‘A Double-Edged Sword,’ Metro Council Member Steve Glover Says

Chris Butler

One day Nashville gives away a certain sum of economic incentives to major corporations to get them to come to the city. The next day, as part of one proposal Metro Council members will soon consider, the city would then have to hand out an equal sum of money for more affordable housing units. Nashville Metro Council members Fabian Bedne and Colby Sledge are reportedly pushing the idea. But their fellow council member Steve Glover said the city is broke and taking even more money out of the city’s operations budget is “a double-edged sword, no matter how you slice and dice it.” “We are to the point where I don’t think we can afford many more incentives,” Glover told The Tennessee Star. “Frankly all we have done is give away incentives and not had anything in return to be prepared for all those incentives.” Mark Cunningham, spokesman for the Nashville-based Beacon Center of Tennessee, a free market think tank, said city officials have identified the right problem — but they have the wrong solution. “The whole idea of these incentives is to make your economy better. A lot of times you can make it more affordable for people to…

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Police May Have to Get Counseling, Per Nashville Community Oversight Board

Chris Butler

Members of Nashville’s new Citizen Oversight Board will have access to police files. They can interview witnesses and police officers. They can send reports with recommendations about allegedly problematic officers to Metro Nashville Police Chief Steve Anderson, according to a new report in The Tennessee Tribune. “Those recommendations could be counselling or something stronger like a letter of reprimand, suspension, or even firing,” the website went on to say. “Anderson is required to respond to the COB but under the City Charter he retains authority to discipline members of MNPD. While the COB’s powers to investigate are considerable, it’s power to enforce any resolution to a particular complaint or enact policy changes remain advisory.” Nashville Mayor David Briley has selected former state Democratic Attorney General Bob Cooper and American Baptist College administrator Phyllis Hildreth to serve on the COB, the website said. Members of the Metro Council will select nine more members from a pool of nearly 200 applicants. Board members will then hire an executive director to select six staffers to investigate complaints and review police policies and procedures, The Tennessee Tribune reported. Also needed are two research analysts, a legal advisor, three investigators, and one community engagement liaison, according…

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