Month: February 2019

Was Ilhan Omar Scheduled to Speak Alongside Anti-Semite from Islamic Relief USA?

Anthony Gockowski

Rep. Ilhan Omar’s (D-MN-05) communications director is denying reports that his boss was scheduled to speak alongside Islamist Relief USA’s Yousef Abdallah, a flagrant anti-Semite. The Jerusalem Post first reported that Omar would be keynoting Islamist Relief USA’s upcoming fundraiser for Yemen taking place in Tampa, Florida. Abdallah was allegedly listed as a speaker for the event, and images screen captured by The Post show that he was. Abdallah has shared several anti-Semitic posts on his social media account, as documented by the Middle East Forum’s Islamist Watch Blog. In one case, Abdallah shared a “very beautiful” story about the killing of “more than 20 Jews.” He’s referred to Jews as “stinking,” and liked another comment that called for “revenge on the damned rapists Zionists.” The story was quickly picked up by several national outlets, including Washington Examiner and The Daily Wire, and came amid reports about Omar’s own anti-Semitic comments. A spokesperson for Omar, Jeremy Slevin, took to Twitter to deny the reports that Omar would be speaking alongside Abdallah. “He was never scheduled to speak with the Congresswoman. The flyer is inaccurate,” Slevin wrote on Twitter. “Yousef Abdallah will not be speaking or attending the event with Rep.…

Read the full story

The Tennessee Education Association Teachers Union Spent More Than $500,000 on 2018 State Elections

Laura Baigert

The Tennessee Education Association, the teachers union in the state, spent more than $500,000 between January 1, 2017 and December 31, 2018 on political activities, according to its filings with the Tennessee Bureau of Ethics and Campaign Finance, most of which went to candidates for state offices. The Tennessee Education Association (TEA) is the state affiliate of the National Education Association (NEA), the largest teachers union in the country with a reported three million members. TEA membership is a fractional one percent of NEA’s total membership with about 30,000 members according to the organization’s most recent Form 990 filing with the IRS available through Foundation Center. A review of all the filings of the Tennessee Education Association Fund for Children & Publication Political Action Committee (PAC) with the TBECF revealed that the organization spent $529,000 during this two year period, the majority of which was spent on direct financial contributions to state political party organizations,  state legislative candidates and gubernatorial candidates. The breakdown by category is: $274,000 was donated to or on behalf of state legislative candidates and state gubernatorial candidates $138,000 was donated to state political parties or political action committees associated with state political parties $73,000 was spent…

Read the full story

Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation Employee Reportedly Removed for Misconduct

Chris Butler

Officials with the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation reportedly removed a deputy commissioner this week after investigating alleged workplace misconduct, according to the Nashville-based WSMV. That now former deputy commissioner, Brock Hill, was a political appointee under former Republican Gov. Bill Haslam. Hill oversaw Tennessee’s 56 state parks and 85 state natural areas. Hill was also the Cumberland County mayor for 16 years, according to The Chattanooga Times Free Press. Neither WSMV nor The Times Free Press elaborated as to why officials removed Hill. Anne Marshall will serve as interim Deputy Commissioner of Parks and Conservation, WSMV reported. This is not the first time people have accused TDEC officials of misconduct on the job. As the Nashville-based FOX 17 and Tennessee Watchdog reported in 2014, then-TDEC Commissioner Bob Martineau chartered a plane to Athens to give a brief speech. But to travel there in a vehicle would take no more than three hours. That flight cost taxpayers $1,517 dollars. Also as Tennessee Watchdog reported that year, one of TDEC’s deputy directors, Britton Dotson, scolded water quality inspectors in an email for supposedly not paying attention to their jobs. “There are a number of staff that can’t get everything done…

Read the full story

Commentary: The False Promise of an ‘Ultramillionaire’ Tax

Admin

by Dylan Pahman   Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) is running for president in 2020, and she has gained attention for proposing an “ultramillionare” tax: a 2 percent tax on households with a net worth over $50 million and an additional 1 percent on households worth over $1 billion. Warren’s proposal has more popular support than Rep. Ocasio-Cortez’s (D-NY) proposal to raise the marginal income tax rate on top earners to 70 percent, according to FiveThirtyEight. Indeed, Warren’s proposal has support among a majority of Americans across the political spectrum according to recent polling. In practice, however, both proposals may turn out to be better at raising poll numbers for their advocates than revenue for the federal budget. Regarding Warren’s wealth tax, in particular, economist Timothy Taylor notes, when countries impose a wealth tax, they often typically create a lot of exemptions for certain kind of wealth that aren’t covered by the tax. Each of these exemptions has a reasonable-sounding basis. But every exception also creates a potential loophole. “Back in 1990,” according to Taylor, “12 high-income countries had wealth taxes. By 2017, that had dropped to four: France, Norway, Spain, and Switzerland.” Why? Because despite including a broader base of wealthy households…

Read the full story

Huge Turnout at Williamson County GOP Victory Party

Tennessee Star Staff

FRANKLIN, Tennessee–A huge crowd turned out for the Williamson County GOP Victory Party held at the Cool Springs Marriott in Franklin on Saturday night. More than 300 people attended the event, which featured speeches from Rep. Mark Green (R-TN-07), Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), Speaker of the Tennessee House of Representatives Glen Casada, and State Senate Majority Leader Jack Johnson (R-Franklin), among others. Blackburn, Casada, and Johnson are all residents of Williamson County. Though not a resident of Williamson County, Green is a resident of the 7th Congressional District he represents in Congress, which includes much of Williamson County. The event’s success was a tribute to the organizational leadership of outgoing Williamson County Republican Party Chairman Debbie Deaver, a grassroots conservative leader who began her tenure with a stunning victory two years ago over a more established opponent in February 2017. Deaver’s victory was one of the first stories reported by The Tennessee Star, which launched just days before, on February 6, 2017. Musical entertainment for the event was provided by State Sen. Johnson and his band, the Austin Brothers.    

Read the full story

Trump Was Sued Over His National Emergency Declaration in Less Than Six Hours

Admin

by Kevin Daley   Public Citizen, a Washington-based consumer group, filed the first lawsuit challenging President Donald Trump’s national emergency declaration concerning the southern border Friday night. The complaint, lodged in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, says the president’s declaration violates the separation of powers principles because there is no emergency at the southern border justifying the invocation of extraordinary powers. “Every halfhearted and palpably fabricated rationale to justify claims of emergency has been thoroughly and embarrassingly debunked,” said Public Citizen president Robert Weissman. “Unauthorized immigration is not surging. Terrorists are not invading from Mexico. Illegal drug traffic is coming primarily through legal ports of entry, not open border areas.” The plaintiffs are three Texas landowners who were informed that the government will construct border barriers on their property. They are joined by the Frontera Audubon Society, an environmental group that operates a 15-acre nature preserve in the Rio Grande Valley. The landowners say they will lose the use of their property if the wall is built, and fear damage to their homes during the course of construction. The Frontera Audubon Society warns of lasting damage to a critical animal habitat and claims its members will…

Read the full story

Report on Covington Students Finds ‘No Evidence’ of ‘Offensive or Racist Statements’

Admin

by Rachel del Guidice   A report that examined the January encounter between students from Covington Catholic High School and a Native American activist near the Lincoln Memorial in Washington found “no evidence” of “offensive or racist statements.” “We see no evidence that students responded with any offensive or racist statements of their own,” the report dated Feb. 11 from Greater Cincinnati Investigation read. The report was commissioned by the Catholic Diocese of Covington, which is located in Kentucky. Nick Sandmann and other students of Covington, who were in Washington, D.C., to attend the March for Life in January, faced harsh criticism in mainstream and social media based on a video showing a portion of their encounter Jan. 18 with Nathan Phillips, 64, on the National Mall. “The immediate world-wide reaction to the initial video led almost everyone to believe that our students had initiated the incident and the perception of those few minutes of video became reality,” wrote Bishop Roger Foys of the Covington Diocese in a letter earlier this week. A report that examined the January encounter between students from Covington Catholic High School and a Native American activist near the Lincoln Memorial in Washington found “no evidence”…

Read the full story

Last Defenders of Islamic State’s Caliphate Surrounded

Admin

by Jeff Seldin   The last defenders of the Islamic State terror group’s self-proclaimed caliphate are surrounded in a small neighborhood in the eastern Syrian village of Baghuz, facing imminent defeat. The assessment Saturday, from a commander of the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces, follows days of slow and difficult fighting as IS fighters cling to an ever-shrinking sliver of land, pausing only for intermittent negotiations over a possible surrender. “In a very short time, we will spread the good tidings to the world of the military end of Daesh,” Jiya Furat, the SDF commander leading the final assault, told reporters during a news conference outside Baghuz. Furat said the self-proclaimed caliphate, which once covered large swaths of Syria and Iraq, had been reduced to an area covering no more than about 600 square meters, and that IS fighters were coming under fire from every direction. But efforts to finish off the final IS enclave have been slowed due to concerns about civilians, including the wives and children of the terror group’s fighters, trying to escape to safety. “There have been some lapses in the battle as we continue to see hundreds of civilians still attempting to flee,” coalition spokesman, Col.…

Read the full story

Audit Finds Signs of Fraud in New Mexico House Race

Admin

by Fred Lucas   An audit of absentee ballots suggests fraud may have occurred in one of the closest House races in the country, The Daily Signal has learned. Democrat Xochitl Torres Small squeaked by Republican Yvette Herrell in the final results of the Nov. 6 election. On election night, Herrell declared victory in the race to represent New Mexico’s 2nd Congressional District. But as more votes were counted, Torres Small secured the win. The roughly 3,500-vote victory for Torres Small—out of about 200,000 cast in the southern New Mexico district—relied heavily on absentee ballots from Doña Ana County, the largest county in the district, including the Las Cruces area. A new audit report obtained by The Daily Signal alleges a “concerted effort” to push for absentee votes where New Mexico voter ID laws are not enforced. It also points to potential fraud in applying for absentee ballots, and says a significant number of absentee ballots were time-stamped after the 7 p.m. deadline election night. The report was prepared for the losing Herrell campaign by Full Compliance Consulting LLC and Herrell campaign lawyer Carter B. Harrison. Herrell’s campaign is not contesting the outcome of the 2018 contest, but sought the…

Read the full story

Hamblen County Under Investigation, Yet Again

Chris Butler

Tennessee Comptrollers are investigating the Hamblen County Trustee’s Office, according to a document they released this week — but they won’t talk specifics. Comptrollers would only say they are investigating the county’s Trustee Department. They said they will publish any findings in a future report. County Mayor Bill Brittain told The Tennessee Star Thursday he had no comment. “We have been advised not to discuss the situation further because it is an on-going investigation,” Brittain said in an emailed statement. Brittain attached a document to the email he sent The Star. The document was a letter from County Trustee John Baskette saying the investigation “relates to the timeliness of deposits made by the office.” “It is an ongoing investigation and no conclusions have been reached,” Baskette said. “The Trustee’s Office is fully cooperating with it.” This is not the first time Comptrollers have taken Hamblen County to task for alleged wrongdoing. As The Tennessee Watchdog reported in 2015, Ronald Brady, the county’s former solid waste director, allegedly took more than $227,000 from taxpayers and spent it on, among other things, a trip to Disney World. “Brady admitted to also using the money for other personal expenses, including service on his…

Read the full story

Sen. Alexander Questions President Trump’s Emergency Declaration on Wall, While Experts Say He Has Constitution, Precedent on His Side

Jason M. Reynolds

President Donald Trump’s declaration of a national emergency to build the border wall was “unnecessary, unwise and inconsistent with the U.S. Constitution,” U.S. Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-TN) said. Trump on Thursday evening declared a national emergency in the southern border crisis, The Tennessee Star reported. He signed a spending bill lacking the wall funds to avert a second government shutdown. Alexander is joined in his disapproval by none other than ultra-liberal U.S. Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA-43). Alexander criticized the president’s action in a press release Friday. He said: It is unnecessary because significant additional money already has been approved by Congress that he could spend on border security without declaring a national emergency. In fact, the president announced today that he would spend $3 billion of this additional funding to fund construction of the border wall. This $3 billion is in addition to the $22 billion Congress appropriated on Thursday for detention beds, technology, border patrol agents, ports of entry, replacing existing wall and 55 miles of new wall. It is unwise because if this president can declare a national emergency to build a wall, the next president can declare a national emergency to tear it down; or declare a climate change emergency to…

Read the full story

Stacey Abrams Claims Voter Suppression Is Legal in the US

Admin

by Jason Hopkins   Failed Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams claimed that voter suppression is legal throughout the country during her speech at the Democratic National Committee’s winter meeting. “Here’s the thing about voter suppression: Voter suppression is legal in the United States right now,” Abrams said Friday to a crowd of Democrats in Washington, D.C. “We’re used to fighting against enemies that are supposed to be unlawful, but the problem with a lot of what they do is they take legal actions and bastardize them and manipulate them until the rights they are supposed to protect are no longer visible.” The comments followed a consistent complaint Abrams has made since losing her gubernatorial bid to then-Georgia Secretary of State Brian Kemp in November. Kemp, a Republican, defeated Abrams by a margin of over 54,700 votes on Election Day, but Abrams maintains he was only able to do so by suppressing black and Democratic voters. During her speech to DNC members, Abrams backed up her claims by citing four black people in the state who waited a long time to vote. “What we do know is that in the state of Georgia, four black men and women stood in line…

Read the full story

Commentary: 2020 Democrats to Run the Impossible Gamut of Past and Present

Admin

by Jeffrey A. Rendall   It could easily be argued the greatest threat to President Donald Trump’s reelection chances next year is a sane, middle-of-the-road and likable Democrat opponent. Good luck finding one. As the party hubbub over Virginia’s trio of politically correct absconders (Governor Ralph Northam, Lieutenant Governor Justin Fairfax and Attorney General Mark Herring) demonstrated, there’s no easy way to meet the impossible lasting purity standards of today’s race/sex/gender/national origin/gender identity obsessed Democrat base. Tasteless and patently offensive but basically harmless blackface moments from the 80’s and a probably unprovable (in the criminal sense) he said/she said sexual assault claim from 2004 (there are others, too) are apparently enough to sidetrack any serious contenders for the Democrat elites’ favor in the Old Dominion and elsewhere. Unless you’re a Clinton. But that’s another story. Too bad, you chuckle, what comes around goes around, even for Democrats. Republicans and conservatives still smart from last fall’s open mic inquisition of now Justice Brett Kavanaugh, and the Democrats’ moment of reckoning couldn’t come fast enough for most of us — though Speaker Nancy Pelosi says what happens in Virginia stays there and Northam’s, Fairfax’s and Herring’s problems don’t translate to the national…

Read the full story

Nashville Metro School System Reportedly Has More Morale Problems

Chris Butler

More problems are reportedly unfolding at the Metro Nashville School System, according to various reports. According to The Tennessean, more inquiries into Nashville’s school spending are likely. “Board member Amy Frogge said during a Tuesday night board meeting she has plans to craft a motion outlining next steps to address further allegations of misspending by Director Shawn Joseph’s administration,” the paper reported. Frogge, the paper went on to say, asked for an independent investigation. “While the Metro Audit investigation was able to debunk many of the numerous allegations of district misspending, it also left open some questions that Metro Auditor Mark Swann said weren’t part of his investigation,” the paper reported. The Nashville-based NewsChannel 5, quoting a confidential report, said the school system, under Schools Director Shawn Joseph “faces seriously low morale and other issues that threaten the district’s ability to keep qualified employees.” “The 11-page report, prepared by the Nashville law firm of Bone McAllester Norton, also warns that a key Human Resources official hired by Joseph is viewed as ‘extremely divisive, dismissive and, in their belief, incompetent,’” the station quoted the report as saying. “It suggests Sharon Pertiller either be terminated, transferred or retrained.” The law firm, according to the…

Read the full story

Court Filing Shows Manafort Faces More Than 19 Years in Prison

Admin

Paul Manafort, the one-time chairman of Donald Trump’s presidential campaign, could spend more than 19 years in prison on tax and bank fraud charges, according to court papers filed Friday. Documents filed by special counsel Robert Mueller’s office reveal that Manafort faces the lengthiest prison term imposed in the Russia investigation if a federal judge agrees to it. It would also place the 69-year-old Manafort at serious risk of spending the rest of his life in prison. The potential sentence stems from Manafort’s conviction last year on eight felony charges that accused him of carrying out an elaborate scheme to conceal from tax authorities the millions of dollars he earned overseas from Ukrainian political consulting. It is one of two criminal cases pending against Manafort in which he faces prison time. Though Mueller’s office did not recommend a precise sentence for Manafort, prosecutors said they agreed with a calculation by federal probation officials that his crimes deserve a punishment of between 19 and 24 years. They also lay out in great detail for U.S. District Judge T.S. Ellis III how they say Manafort’s greed drove him to disregard American law. “In the end, Manafort acted for more than a decade…

Read the full story

Group That Spent Millions to Help Elect Michigan’s New Governor Forced to Dissolve for Campaign Violations

Anthony Gockowski

A political group that helped elect Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D-MI) was recently required to pay a $37,500 and dissolve within 60 days after being found responsible for violating campaign finance laws. Whitmer’s own campaign committee was also found guilty of coordinating with Build a Better Michigan on advertisements, though it’s yet unclear what specific penalties it will face. According to Bridge Michigan, Democratic Secretary of State Joceyln Benson concluded that Build a Better Michigan engaged in “express advocacy” in certain advertisements rather than the “issue advocacy” the ads claimed to be. The specific examples cited by Benson in her letter to Build a Better Michigan’s attorney include the use of “candidate” in front of Whitmer’s name in one ad, and encouraging voters to take specific actions in another. “The closing line of both ads, ‘tell your legislators, let’s get it done,’ does not satisfy the above definition of ‘issue advocacy.’ At no point does the content of the ad take a position on a specific issue. Instead the ads clearly identified then-candidate Gretchen Whitmer by name as a candidate for the office of Governor, rendering them express advocacy,” Benson explains in a letter to attorney Graham Wilson. As such, the…

Read the full story

Minnesota Union Calls for Taxing the Rich to Pay for ‘$4 Billion Infusion’ in Public Schools

Anthony Gockowski

One of Minnesota’s largest teachers unions wants to tax the state’s wealthiest residents to fund a “$4 billion infusion” for public schools over the next two years. Education Minnesota, which boasts a membership of 80,000, called a press conference at the Minnesota Capitol Friday to lay out its vision for fully funding public schools. “These stories remind us that inventive solutions to the challenges facing Minnesota schools cost money, and there’s a price paid in lost learning and burnt-out educators when our society neglects the schooling of its children,” Education Minnesota President Denise Specht told reporters Friday. She said her organization ran “the numbers on what it really means to fully fund K-12 public education,” and found that it would cost “$3.7 billion to $4.3 billion for the next biennium.” “That’s a lot of money. The government will need to raise revenue from the richest Minnesotans and corporations to pay for it, and we believe that the public is on our side,” Specht continued, citing a New York Times poll that found three out of four voters support higher taxes on the wealthy. “Why? It’s probably because the richest one-percent now own 40 percent of our country’s wealth, and the…

Read the full story

Klobuchar Campaigns as the ‘Senator Next Door’ During First Stop in Wisconsin

Anthony Gockowski

Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) made her first campaign stop Saturday morning in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, a state 2016 Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton skipped visiting. Klobuchar spoke to a crowd of about 300 supporters at SHIFT Cyclery and Coffee Bar where she repeated several themes from her announcement address, but also promised to bridge the rural-urban divide. “That was one of the points I wanted to make by coming to Eau Claire. Eau Claire is a place of a great university and education. It is also in the middle of a rural area,” she said, calling herself the “Senator next door.” Packed house ahead of @amyklobuchar’s first campaign stop at an Eau Claire bicycle and coffee shop pic.twitter.com/i9NiYm4W15 — Torey Van Oot (@toreyvanoot) February 16, 2019 “I came here because I am the ‘Senator next door’ and I will be traveling to every single state in the Midwest,” Klobuchar said, according to the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, and touted her family’s roots in Wisconsin. “I am so pleased to be in Wisconsin, the state where my mother was born,” she said. “And my mother’s parents, actually, both came here from Switzerland. My grandma came here when she was three. And what do you…

Read the full story

THEC REPORT: Tennessee Students Unprepared for College

Chris Butler
college students

A new report from the Tennessee Higher Education Commission (THEC) presented to the Legislature earlier this week has the education community scrambling to explain how, despite hundreds of millions of dollars in new spending over the past eight years, Tennessee schools are not adequately preparing college-bound students for college work. New state data reveals about half of Tennessee students enrolled in higher education during the 2016-2017 school year needed remedial classes in math or reading, or both, during their fist year of college. According to the THEC report, 46 percent of Tennessee high school graduates enrolled in state colleges or community colleges needed math remediation; 30 percent of enrollees needed reading remediation during their first year of college. Students must take remedial classes if they score 18 (out of a top score of 36) or below on an ACT subtest in math or reading. The disturbing data revealing the lack of readiness by college-bound students does not include Tennessee high school students that did not seek to pursue higher education opportunities. The percentages of those students who would need remedial work in math and reading after completing K-12 but did not enroll in Tennessee colleges and universities would almost certainly…

Read the full story

State Rep. William Lamberth Responds to Outcry on Public Records Bill By Promoting More Transparency

Chris Butler

House Majority Leader William Lamberth (R-Portland) said in a statement released late Friday afternoon he wants Tennessee’s state and local governments to make more public records available online for the sake of what he called “greater government transparency.” The statement released by his office continued: I am calling on both state departments and local governments to evaluate all records that may be placed online and to explore ways to increase availability,” said Leader Lamberth. “Republicans in the legislature stand for more transparency for our citizens,” said Tennessee House Speaker Glen Casada (R-Franklin). “I am fully supportive of Leader Lamberth’s efforts, and I appreciate his desire to lead on this issue.” Lamberth is currently working with all interested parties and constituents on an amendment to House Bill 626 in efforts to streamline the process of open records requests, protect record custodians, increase online accessibility, and to enhance government transparency. “In this day and age with all of our technology, we should be able to fulfill open records requests online,” added Lamberth. Some people who were angry with him Friday morning might never have guessed he’d say such a thing later in the day. After all, these were the same folks who took to social media…

Read the full story

Commentary: President Trump and Texas Governor Greg Abbott Can Use the Constitution to Build The Wall

Admin

by George Ralsey   It is clear to us that President Trump will get no help to secure the southern border from Capitol Hill’s Republican “leadership” and if the Wall is to be built it will only be accomplished through executive action. Much ink and hot air have been expended by pundits and Members of Congress debating whether the President has the authority to declare an emergency and use the military to build the Wall and other needed border security enhancements, or to fund wall construction by formally “reprogramming” funds already appropriated to the executive for other purposes. Much of the debate has focused on the Constitution’s Article I, Section 9, Clause 7 language that states, “No Money shall be drawn from the Treasury, but in Consequence of Appropriations made by Law…” with those opposing executive action to build the Wall arguing that after a lengthy voyage through the courts, the Supreme Court would likely find that the President lacked the constitutional authority to build the Wall without a congressional appropriation for that purpose. Others argue that the President’s inherent power under Article II gives him the authority to reprogram funds in exigent circumstances. As Kate Stith, Lafayette S. Foster…

Read the full story

Metro Nashville School Board Passes Resolution Opposing School Vouchers

Chris Butler

Add the Metro Nashville School Board to the list of people who have voted to formally oppose school vouchers. Seven board members present at this week’s meeting unanimously went along with this. Two board members — Jill Speering and Anna Shepherd — were absent, school system spokeswoman Dawn Rutledge told The Tennessee Star. None of the nine Metro Nashville School Board members returned The Star’s repeated requests for comment Friday. Rutledge said the school system will not make minutes of the meeting available for another week. According to the resolution, vouchers are “controversial, unproven and unpopular.” They also “eliminate accountability by channeling taxes to private schools without the same academic or testing requirements.” “Underfunded public schools are less able to attract and retain teachers,” according to the resolution. As The Star reported this week, school boards in Madison and Houston counties have passed similar resolutions, as did the Oak Ridge School Board. Wilson County commissioners also passed a resolution, which they will forward to state legislators. Tennessee Republican Gov. Bill Lee stated in the past that he supports vouchers. Lee, however, has used ambiguous language of late on the matter and has issued no firm statement to describe what, precisely,…

Read the full story

Taxpayers May Have Given Van Buren County Library Director Money She Didn’t Earn

Chris Butler

The director of a public library in Van Buren County may have received more than $10,000 of taxpayer money for work she did not perform, according to an audit Tennessee Comptrollers released this week. Van Buren County taxpayers fund the library under the county’s general fund, according to the audit. Auditors said they focused on the director of the Van Buren Memorial Library in Spencer and her activities between January and May of last year, when, due to flooding damage, the library closed for repairs. Comptrollers said the library director, whom the audit did not identify, submitted time sheets that did not reflect actual time worked. While the library was closed, the library director submitted time sheets indicating she worked her regular full-time 32 hours per week. When investigators met with the library director to discuss her time reporting during the library’s closure, the library director stated her hours worked varied, Comptrollers wrote. “The library director explained there were days she was not at the library, and there were days she was at the library. The library director detailed that the week of gluing new carpet down, she was at the library approximately 20 hours.” “The former librarian also stated…

Read the full story

10 States Now Offer Dreamers Financial Aid for College

Admin

The state of New Jersey has awarded $1.63 million in financial aid for higher education to more than 500 undocumented students, new government data showed Wednesday. New Jersey’s Higher Education Student Assistance Authority (HESAA) reported that 513 students received the aid to cover university and college expenses starting with the 2018 fall semester. “This financial assistance offers these New Jersey students a life-changing opportunity,” David J. Socolow, HESAA’s executive director, said in a statement. “The successes of these first 513 students, who are now attending county colleges, state colleges and universities, and independent institutions around the state, will have a positive impact on countless additional lives.” To be eligible for the financial assistance, students must have attended a New Jersey high school for at least three years and graduated from one, or received the equivalent of a high school diploma in the state. They must also file an affidavit stating that they have filed or will file an application to legalize their immigration status. Male applicants are also required to register for selective service. New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy signed the controversial measure into law last May, making New Jersey the 10th state to provide state aid to undocumented college…

Read the full story

DeSantis Wants Grand Jury to Look Into Broward County School Failures One Year After Shooting

Admin

by Neetu Chandak   Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis announced Wednesday he wants a grand jury to look into possible mistakes made by Broward County Public Schools in addressing the Parkland, Florida, shooting. The grand jury would have more subpoena power and a greater scope compared to the Marjory Stoneman Douglas Public Safety Commission, which released a January 2019 report detailing the missteps during the shooting in 2018. The Florida Supreme Court will need to accept DeSantis’s petition in order for the grand jury investigation, the South Florida Sun Sentinel reported. It is clear more needs to be done to keep our students safe. The statewide grand jury will consider whether refusal to follow mandates of school-related safety laws resulted in avoidable risk for students. More info on my request to the FL Supreme Court: https://t.co/qWq6jKh0ju pic.twitter.com/KHNVf7m56a — Ron DeSantis (@GovRonDeSantis) February 13, 2019 The grand jury would have to look at actions of all school districts in the state, however, DeSantis was clear the move was aimed for Broward County Public Schools (BCPS), the Sun Sentinel reported. “There’s more evidence in Broward than other districts,” DeSantis said, according to the newspaper. The grand jury would examine whether: School officials…

Read the full story

Rep. Angie Craig Issues Joint Letter to Trump Admin to Oppose Funding of Christian Foster Agencies

Anthony Gockowski

Rep. Angie Craig (D-MN-02) recently issued a joint letter to Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar in response to his department’s decision to allow a South Carolina foster-care agency to refuse housing children with same-sex couples. In January, Azar granted a waiver to Miracle Hill Ministries, a Christian agency that requires foster parents to be Christian and of the opposite sex. President Donald Trump said during last week’s National Prayer Breakfast that his administration would continue to provide agencies such as Miracle Hill Ministries with federal funding so that they can “help vulnerable children find their forever families while following their deeply held beliefs.” Craig and fellow LGBTQ colleague Rep. Sean Maloney (D-NY-18) sent a letter to Azar on February 13 to protest his decision. “We write to you to express strong opposition to a waiver you department granted to South Carolina from nondiscrimination requirements for its state-contracted child welfare agencies,” the letter begins. “This harmful decision allows federally-funded child welfare agencies in South Carolina to discriminate on the basis of religion—an egregious violation of the very principles our nation and our child welfare system were founded upon.” The letter was co-signed by 95 House members, and concludes by…

Read the full story

Smith County Must Pay $35,000 for Not Complying with Obamacare, Audit Says

Chris Butler

The federal government assessed the Smith County School System more than $35,000 for not complying with Obamacare, according to a state audit released this week. Smith County taxpayers, of course, will have to pick up the slack and pay that fine. The audit, however, did not offer specifics. “During the year, the School Department paid a penalty of $37,180 to the Internal Revenue Service for failure to comply with the Affordable Care Act for 2015,” according to Tennessee Comptrollers. “The School Department provides health insurance coverage to its employees; however, this coverage was not in compliance with federal regulations for certain employees. This deficiency resulted from a lack of management oversight.” Smith County Mayor Jeff Mason, in an email, deferred all The Tennessee Star’s questions to Director of Schools Barry Smith. Smith, on the phone, however, deferred all questions to the school system’s Chief Financial Officer Norma Mitchell. Mitchell did not return two requests seeking comment. Other county governments in Tennessee have had their finances suffer due to Obamacare. As The Tennessee Watchdog reported in 2015, an audit from Tennessee Comptroller Justin Wilson said Obamacare might have forced Robertson County officials to choose between raising taxes and breaking the law.…

Read the full story

Spending Bill Gives $35 Billion in Raises to Federal Workforce

Admin

by James D. Agresti   The spending bill just passed by Congress—which President Trump says he will sign—grants an across-the-board pay raise of 1.9% to federal civilian employees. This will cost taxpayers about $3.7 billion in 2019 and $35 billion over the next 10 years. According to data from the White House Office of Management & Budget, federal civilian non-postal employees were slated to earn about $196 billion in salaries and $85 billion in benefits during 2019. Hence, the 1.9% increase in their salaries will cost taxpayers about $3.7 billion in 2019. The salary increase also establishes a new baseline going forward. Over 10 years—the standard timeframe for Congressional Budget Office analyses—a 1.9% raise will cost taxpayers roughly $35 billion. For a point of comparison, this is 25 times more than the $1.375 billion that the bill provides for new border barriers. The $35 billion estimate assumes that the federal workforce doesn’t grow, and it discounts the value of their raise for inflation. The Consumer Price Index rose by 1.9% in 2018, so this increase merely keeps pace with inflation. However, most federal employees are paid substantially more than their counterparts in the private sector. A 2017 Congressional Budget Office study…

Read the full story

GOP Pushes Innovation, Natural Gas As Counter-Offers to Green New Deal

Admin

by Michael Bastasch   Louisiana Republican Sen. Bill Cassidy says he has an answer to Democrats’ Green New Deal resolution that will grow the economy and cut greenhouse gas emissions — natural gas. Cassidy put forward a white paper Thursday making the case that private sector-led investments in natural gas extraction have allowed the U.S. to lead the world in reducing carbon dioxide emissions. Cassidy wants to see that trend continue. “This is a pro-jobs approach to lowering greenhouse gas emissions,” Cassidy said in a statement. “Instead of pie-in-the-sky, feel-good pipe dreams, let’s do what data and science say actually works.” Democratic New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s and Democratic Massachusetts Sen. Ed Markey’s recently introduced Green New Deal resolutions call for “meeting 100 percent of the power demand” with renewables and zero-emissions energy sources within 10 years. The World War II-style mobilization the bill calls for also includes retrofitting every building in the U.S. to be more energy efficient and also cutting emissions as much as possible from every sector of the economy. The Green New Deal also demands a slew of welfare programs, from universal health care to job guarantees, and outlines social justice goals. Republicans panned the plan…

Read the full story

Commentary: After the Coup Is Over

Admin

by Julie Kelly   As the perpetrators of one of the most shameful scandals in American political history begin slowly to retreat, we are left to ponder one overarching question: What now? The tale we’ve been told for more than two years—that Donald Trump’s campaign team, possibly even the candidate himself, colluded with the Kremlin to influence the outcome of the 2016 presidential election—has been exposed as a lie. Various investigations into this alleged conspiracy are coming up empty and the accomplices are trying to change the subject. Even more pathetically, some still are clinging to the farce, desperate to salvage whatever still remains of their already sketchy credibility. To describe it as a witch hunt, the president’s preferred term, is too generous. The American public has witnessed a seditious attempt by powerful interests garrisoned throughout our political complex to overthrow a sitting U.S. president. The orchestrated and failed coup has exceeded the routine combat of our two-party system, where out-of-power partisans disrupt and agitate the other side. No, this has been a full-scale insurrection that has violated the boundaries of law, normalcy, and civility in an unprecedented way. Both Democrats and Republicans have been complicit. The national news media…

Read the full story

Dershowitz Compares 25th Amendment Attempts Against Trump to a Coup

Admin

by Nick Givas   Harvard Law professor Alan Dershowitz compared attempts to use the 25th Amendment against President Donald Trump to a coup d’etat and said Thursday the measure is being abused. “If [former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe’s claims are] true, it is clearly an attempted coup d’etat,” Dershowitz said on “Tucker Carlson Tonight.” Dershowitz said the 25th Amendment has nothing to do with special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into Trump’s possible ties to Russia and said critics of the president are conflating the issues in an attempt to remove him from office. “Let’s take the worst case scenario. Let’s assume the president of the United States was in bed with the Russians, committed treason, committed obstruction of justice — the 25th Amendment simply is irrelevant to that. That’s why you have an impeachment provision,” he said. “The 25th Amendment is about [former President] Woodrow Wilson having a stroke. It’s about a president being shot and not being able to perform his office. It’s not about the most fundamental disagreements. It’s not about impeachable offenses.” Dershowitz accused Justice Department personnel of committing crimes against the Constitution by trying to shape the 25th Amendment to fit their political agenda. “Any…

Read the full story

Montgomery County Has Documented History of Theft Among County Employees

Chris Butler

A former employee of the Montgomery County School System used his school system- issued procurement card to make more than $1,000 in personal purchases, according to a state audit released this week. The Montgomery County Grand Jury indicted that former employee last December on one count of theft over $1,000 and one count of fraudulent use of a credit or debit card, Tennessee Comptrollers said. The audit did not identify that former employee. Comptrollers said they found inappropriate charges while going over county records. A search through the Tennessee Comptrollers’ website also showed improprieties in last year’s Montgomery County audit. “On December 22, 2017, a taxpayer visited the Trustee’s Office to verify his 2017 property taxes were correctly posted in the office’s accounting system as having been paid; however, the property taxes were not reflected as paid,” according to the 2018 audit. “The taxpayer then presented a receipt verifying the payment had been made with cash. When questioned, the deputy clerk who issued the receipt admitted stealing the cash. The trustee then terminated the deputy’s employment and contacted the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Department. After learning about the theft, the Director of Accounts and Budgets filed a Fraud Reporting Form with…

Read the full story

Beto Says He Would Take Down Border Wall in El Paso

Admin

by Molly Prince   Former Democratic Texas Rep. Beto O’Rourke said Thursday he would remove the existing border barrier in his hometown of El Paso if he had the ability to do so, a question proposed to him by his fellow Texan, Republican Rep. Dan Crenshaw. Prior to President Donald Trump’s rally in El Paso on Monday, Crenshaw tweeted at O’Rourke, asking “if you could snap your fingers and make El Paso’s border wall disappear, would you?” .@BetoORourke should answer a simple question tonight with respect to the border debate: If you could snap your fingers and make El Paso’s border wall disappear, would you? Because this DHS graph shows that when the wall was built, illegal crossings dropped significantly. pic.twitter.com/JgquXfw2Ee — Dan Crenshaw (@DanCrenshawTX) February 11, 2019 “Yes, absolutely. I’d take the wall down,” O’Rourke responded to MSNBC’s Chris Hayes when presented with Crenshaw’s question. O’Rourke said since a barrier was constructed on the border through the Secure Fence Act, Americans have not “in any demonstrative way” been made safer. However, Crenshaw’s tweet provided data from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which showed illegal border crossings reduced significantly since the wall was in place. He also provided data…

Read the full story

North Carolina Economic Report Highlights $150 Million Revenue Surplus, ‘Solid Employment and Wage Growth’

A.P. Dillon

In the most recent N.C. Consensus Revenue Forecast, the Tarheel state boasts a revenue surplus of $150 million as well as “solid employment and wage growth.” “Results for the public and private sector are what really matter,” State House Speaker Tim Moore (R-District 111) said in a statement. “People are paying lower taxes in North Carolina and benefitting from a smart approach to state government and economic growth.” Highlights from the report: General Fund revenue is expected to increase by $1.7 billion and reach $25.8 billion by the end of FY 2020-21 Consistent, solid economic growth will continue throughout the upcoming biennium FY 2018-19 collections are expected to be above the budgeted amount by $150.8 million (0.6%) Stable, modest growth is expected to continue during the upcoming biennium General Fund revenue is forecast to increase by 2.2% over the amount collected in FY 2017-18 Employment should increase during both years of the 2019 biennium The state’s economy has made steady gains since the end of the Great Recession in 2009 by adding 75,000 to 95,000 jobs per year Strong sales tax growth; Partial credit is given to the June 2018 U.S. Supreme Court ruling (Wayfair) about online sales tax collection…

Read the full story

Half-a-Million Low-Income Ohioans With Suspended Licences Could Be Eligible for Relief With New Program

Andrew Shirley

For many low-income Ohioans who have lost their drivers licenses for minor or unintentional offenses, there is no greater frustration than paying your debt to society, only to be denied your ability to drive legally because you can’t afford a government fee. Thankfully, relief is in sight for thousands of these individuals. House Bill 336 (HB 336), passed late last year, officially went into effect January 31. The bill established the Reinstatement Fee Amnesty Initiative, a six-month program intended to reduce or waive reinstatement fees in certain conditions. This program could remove a tremendous burden for more than 400,000 Ohioans. To even be considered for the program, the charge that led to the loss of your license cannot involve “alcohol, a drug of abuse, combination thereof, or a deadly weapon.” In addition, the individual must have completed any and all court requirements related to the offense beyond the fee. This could be anything required by the court from a mandatory driver’s improvement program to community service. Lastly, it must be at least 18 months since the end of any court-ordered suspension. This program, however, will only wave all fees in specifics instances. If an individual completed all of the above requirements and can prove that they are “indigent,” in a state of…

Read the full story

Wisconsin Legislators Spent Two Days Debating About Colin Kaepernick

Anthony Gockowski

Wisconsin legislators spent Tuesday and Wednesday arguing over whether or not ex-NFL star Colin Kaepernick’s name should be included in a resolution honoring Black History Month. According to The Capital Times, the Wisconsin Legislature’s Black Caucus had included Kaepernick’s name in a ceremonial resolution, which honored African Americans who have “made measurable differences in their respective communities.” Republicans objected to his inclusion on the list, and instead put forward an alternative resolution that didn’t include his name. That resolution, which ultimately passed along party lines, replaced Kaepernick with the state’s first black lieutenant governor and first black secretary of state, among others. “The Wisconsin Legislative Black Caucus unanimously agreed upon the names to honor in our resolution. It is beyond disappointing and offensive that Wisconsin Republicans are choosing not to respect the leadership of Wisconsin’s Legislative Black Caucus on this issue,” Rep. Shelia Stubbs (D-Madison) said. State Sen. Lena Taylor (D-Milwaukee) criticized her Republican colleagues for telling “the entire country” that a “white Republican legislator” is “best suited to decide for African Americans what we should value, who we should honor.” “You don’t have to understand. It’s not your lens. It’s not your story. It’s ours. Who are you to…

Read the full story

Minnesota GOP Has Harsh Words for Walz After Pipeline Appeal: ‘This Is a Big Mistake’

Anthony Gockowski

Republican members of the Minnesota House and Senate called a joint press conference earlier this week to condemn Gov. Tim Walz’s (D-MN) decision to re-appeal the Enbridge Line 3 pipeline replacement project. “The science is sure that this would be environmentally much safer to replace a 51-year-old pipe with a new pipe, so on every issue there he was wrong,” Senate Majority Leader Paul Gazelka (R-Nisswa) said in response to Walz’s announcement. “Lawsuits and appeals do not have to be part of the process, and normally shouldn’t be part of the process.” Walz announced Tuesday morning that he would refile an appeal against the controversial project after an appeal submitted by his predecessor, former Gov. Mark Dayton (D-MN), was dismissed by the Minnesota Court of Appeals. “Walz and [Lt. Gov. Peggy] Flanagan are the only ones left in the state that need clarity on this project. It has met every test,” Gazelka added. “Delays are not fair to the workers that want these jobs. Frankly, Gov. Walz, on this issue you’re not listening. This is an issue we’ve had a lot of conversation about. It needs to go forward, and there’s a lot of people that are very upset that…

Read the full story

Tennessee Star Report EXCLUSIVE: Vet Brian Kolfage Says WeBuildtheWall.US Will Build 10 Miles of Border Wall on Private Land in Arizona

Julie Carr

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 Veteran and the Trump Wall point man, Brian Kolfage about he and his teams new position on how to get the wall built. The men when into detail and touched upon how the funds would be transferred via a 501 (c) (4) non-profit initiative, who’s involved, and the price it would cost to get it done and the new position to build it instead of fund it. Kolfage also described how he was impressed by those conservatives billionaires who have donated their money and want to support and help push through this goal of a border wall. “None of us are being paid. We’re knocking this out and doing it for the American people,” confessed Kolfage. Gill: A guy who’s not willing to be patient and wait for the government to move things ahead on securing America’s borders, Brian Kolfage. He started a GoFundMe account to do the private sector construction of some wall and he’s joined us on the phone lines this morning. Brian…

Read the full story

Commentary: Amazon’s New York Reversal Shows Exactly Why Crony Capitalism Fails

Admin

by Rachel Greszler   Just months after announcing it would locate one of its headquarters in New York City, Amazon has announced that it’s pulling the plug on the Big Apple. Based on Amazon’s public statement, it seems the company couldn’t rely on the deals it had cut or the political support it had received to last beyond the next election. And businesses can’t base long-term decisions like this on shifting political sand. That’s part of the problem with crony capitalism. It may procure short-term wins for a select few politicians and for businesses that can afford to pay to play, but it’s not a strategy for long-term success. Employers want to set up shop in places where they can grow and succeed. The best environment for that is a level playing field with minimal government interference and low, broad-based taxes—not picking winners and losers through special-interest subsidies. A favorable business environment is one where local leaders work to help all businesses equally, not a select few. Employers want leaders who can listen to their needs without telling them how to run their business, and they want communities and leaders that welcome the jobs and economic growth that employers bring,…

Read the full story

Amazon Pulls Plug on New York Headquarters, Promises to Continue With Nashville, Virginia Sites

Jason M. Reynolds

The Big Apple has taken a big bite out of big tech, with the world’s largest e-commerce site announcing Thursday it would not build its second headquarters in New York City. The massive retailer/cloud computing firm faced a battle from some politicians and others in New York over nearly $3 billion in tax incentives, Breitbart said. Amazon was poised to bring 25,000 jobs to New York with a $2.5 billion investment in offices. The decision will not affect the planned office space for Arlington, Virginia, and the center in Nashville, Breitbart said. New York Mayor Bill de Blasio tweeted, “You have to be tough to make it in New York City. We gave Amazon the opportunity to be a good neighbor and do business in the greatest city in the world. Instead of working with the community, Amazon threw away that opportunity.” You have to be tough to make it in New York City. We gave Amazon the opportunity to be a good neighbor and do business in the greatest city in the world. Instead of working with the community, Amazon threw away that opportunity. — Mayor Eric Adams (@NYCMayor) February 14, 2019 Amazon said in a statement it would…

Read the full story

Commentary: Amazon’s New York Reversal Shows Exactly Why Crony Capitalism Fails

Admin

by Rachel Greszler   Just months after announcing it would locate one of its headquarters in New York City, Amazon has announced that it’s pulling the plug on the Big Apple. Based on Amazon’s public statement, it seems the company couldn’t rely on the deals it had cut or the political support it had received to last beyond the next election. And businesses can’t base long-term decisions like this on shifting political sand. That’s part of the problem with crony capitalism. It may procure short-term wins for a select few politicians and for businesses that can afford to pay to play, but it’s not a strategy for long-term success. Employers want to set up shop in places where they can grow and succeed. The best environment for that is a level playing field with minimal government interference and low, broad-based taxes—not picking winners and losers through special-interest subsidies. A favorable business environment is one where local leaders work to help all businesses equally, not a select few. Employers want leaders who can listen to their needs without telling them how to run their business, and they want communities and leaders that welcome the jobs and economic growth that employers bring,…

Read the full story

State Rep. William Lamberth Seeks to Limit Public Records Access to as Little as Three Requests a Year

Chris Butler

If government officials accuse you of filing one too many public records requests, then they could use the courts to penalize you under a proposed bill at this year’s Tennessee General Assembly. State Rep. William Lamberth (R-Cottontown) introduced the bill this session. As written, a government official could seek an injunction to keep people “from making records requests that constitute harassment.” If an injunction goes through, then the person requesting government records could make no further requests for one year, according to the bill. That person, though, could ask a court to reverse the decision – but only if he or she shows “the public records request does not constitute harassment.” “Harassment” means three or more public records requests within a period of one year that are made in a manner that would cause a reasonable person, including a records custodian or any staff of the public entity in control of the public records, to be seriously abused, intimidated, threatened, or harassed,” according to the bill, as currently written. “For which the conduct in fact seriously abuses, intimidates, threatens, or harasses the person; and that are not made in good faith or for any legitimate purpose, or are made maliciously.”…

Read the full story

Former West Virginia Supreme Court Justice Gets Two Years in Prison for Fraud and Lying

Admin

by Kevin Daley   Allen Loughry, a former justice of the West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals, was sentenced to a two-year prison term Wednesday, following his conviction for fraud and lying to federal investigators. U.S. District Judge John Copenhaver assessed penalties in excess of the federal sentencing guidelines, finding an enhancement appropriate because of the gravity of the offenses. The guidelines called for a 10 to 16 month sentence. The sentence … “His damage can’t be measured in dollars and cents but the damage to the Supreme Court and the state is perhaps immeasurable,” assistant U.S. Attorney Philip Wright said during Wednesday’s proceedings, according to local press. Loughry was suspended from the state Supreme Court in June 2018 after West Virginia’s Judicial Investigation Commission cited him for 32 alleged violations of the state judicial ethics code. During Loughry’s tenure, the justices undertook a lavish renovation of their chambers, spending hundreds of thousands of taxpayer dollars on opulent furnishings for their exclusive use. Among the most notorious purchases was a $32,000 suede sectional sofa for Loughry’s office. An ensuing criminal inquiry found that Loughry used state transportation resources for personal travel, fraudulently procured reimbursement for travel, removed a $50,000 antique…

Read the full story

Commentary: Is Diversity an Enemy of Excellence?

Admin

by John Staddon   The National Science Foundation (NSF) was created by Congress in 1950 “to promote the progress of science….” Following a 2012 recommendation, NSF now has an Office of Diversity and Inclusion (D&I). NSF was just following the crowd, for almost every academic and research institution now has a D&I program. No one wants to exclude people or not be diverse. So, what’s wrong with D&I? Could D&I perhaps interfere with “the progress of science”? John Rosenberg, in a much-commented Martin Center piece, describes a number of problems, such as the injection of “diversity” into curricula and the creation of “professors of diversity.” Two recent Chronicle of Higher Education articles illustrate another serious problem: corruption of the educational process itself. The first piece, Against Diversity Statements, by Jeffrey Flier, former dean of Harvard Medical School, is a gentle critique. The second article, In Defense of Diversity Statements, by Professor Charlotte Canning and Associate Professor Richard Reddick, is a reaction to Flier’s mild objection (which Canning and Reddick stigmatize as “scaremongering”). Diversity statements are an accelerating trend, urging not just sympathy with diversity and inclusion, but active involvement. College faculty are asked or required to include in their hiring, promotion,…

Read the full story

Armed Combat Veterans to Patrol Florida School After Mass Shootings in the State

Admin

by Grace Carr   Another Florida school is actively taking precautions against shooters by hiring armed combat veterans to patrol its campus, a year after the tragic Parkland shooting. The Manatee School for the Arts, a charter school, will employ two combat veterans to protect the school and prevent any persons attempting to shoot up the school, according to HuffPost. The guards will both carry a handgun and military-style long gun, WWSB TV reported. “If someone walks onto this campus, they’re going to be shot and killed,” said school principal Bill Jones, according to the Bradenton Herald. “We’re not going to talk with them. We’re not going to negotiate. We are going to put them down, as quickly as possible.” One guard with 15 years of infantry experience has patrolled the campus for a number of months, HuffPost reported. A second guard will patrol the campus starting at the end of February. The hires coincide with the one year anniversary of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School massacre in Parkland. Former student Nikolas Cruz entered the high school on Feb. 14, 2018, and methodically walked through the school and opened fire on students in hallways and hiding in classrooms. Cruz…

Read the full story

2020 US Presidential Race Will Be Costliest in History

Admin

by Rob Garver   In 1895, Mark Hanna, a U.S. senator from Ohio, explained how politics worked in his times: “There are two things that are important in politics,” he said. “The first is money, and I can’t remember what the second one is.” Nearly 125 years later, things haven’t changed much. In every two-year federal election cycle in the U.S., candidates and their supporters spend billions of dollars to raise their public profiles, get their messages out, and discredit their opponents. By the best available estimates, the 2016 presidential elections cost $2.4 billion when spending by candidates and various interest groups are combined. And, by all accounts, it would have been much more except for Donald Trump’s unique campaign strategy, which relied in large part on “earned” (read: free) media coverage rather than paid advertisements. That’s an astounding amount of money — larger than the economies of dozens of countries around the world in that same year, including Lesotho, Bhutan and Belize. If you add in spending by candidates for other federal offices — members of the House of Representatives and the Senate — the total figure skyrockets to about $6.5 billion. Surge in campaign spending Historically, this is…

Read the full story

Former FBI Chief McCabe Says Law Enforcement Officials Mulled Ousting Trump

Admin

Andrew McCabe, a former FBI acting director, says two years ago, top U.S. law enforcement officials considered invoking a constitutional amendment to remove President Donald Trump from office after he fired then-FBI director James Comey. At the time, Comey was heading the agency’s investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 election. McCabe, who himself was later fired from the FBI, told CBS News in an interview that aired Thursday morning that the officials in May 2017 discussed whether to invoke provisions of the 25th Amendment, which allows a vice president and a majority of the 15 Cabinet members to declare a president incapable of handling the duties of the presidency, making the vice president the acting president. The officials ultimately did not move to oust Trump. But McCabe, then the No. 2 official in the Federal Bureau of Investigation, said soon after he discussed Comey’s firing with Trump, he ordered the bureau to begin an obstruction of justice investigation of Trump and a counterintelligence probe involving the president and his ties to Russia. A short time after the McCabe interview, Trump called him “a disgrace to the FBI and a disgrace to our Country.” Trump also recalled his 2016 election…

Read the full story

Tennessee Star Report EXCLUSIVE: Congressman Mark Green Discusses the ‘Constricted and Restricted’ Bill on the Table Facing President Trump

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 and Michael Patrick Leahy spoke with Congressman, Mark Green about the current bill on the table regarding border security and how it can only be done in the Rio Grande border of Texas. The men further discussed the details  of the deal and how it is fundamentally constricted by both Rhino’s and Democrats however may offer the President a substantial reason to declare a national emergency. Gill: Congressman Mark, good to have you back with us. Green: Hey, it’s great to be on the show Steve, Michael. How are ya’ll today? Gill: Doing good. It’s a decent deal maybe? Not a great deal, not what we would want but it’s a step in the right direction. Would that sum it up? Green: Oh gosh, I hate to even say that. You know, there are some things in it that are better than what the offers were on the table before. for example, the fifty five miles, are, that’s actually new mileage of wall. But…

Read the full story

Confirmed: William Barr Is Now the Attorney General of the United States

Admin

by Kevin Daley   The Senate confirmed William Barr as the new attorney general Thursday afternoon, returning Barr for a second tour atop the Department of Justice. The confirmation vote largely followed party lines — GOP Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky voted against confirmation given Barr’s views on domestic surveillance and the Fourth Amendment. Democratic Sens. Joe Manchin of West Virginia, Doug Jones of Alabama, and Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona broke with their party and supported Barr. Barr previously served as attorney general in the George H. W. Bush administration from 1991 to 1993. White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders called Barr’s confirmation “a major victory for justice and the rule of law in America” in a Thursday afternoon tweet. Conservative groups were equally enthusiastic. The Judicial Crisis Network’s Carrie Severino predicted Barr would serve “with integrity and independence, bringing a wealth of experience to this position.” Democratic opposition to Barr was largely a function of his refusal to commit to releasing the special counsel’s comprehensive report of his two-year probe of Russian meddling in the 2016 election. Democrats fear Barr could redact significant portions of the report, or support White House efforts to invoke executive privilege over other…

Read the full story

Trump Speech to Warn of ‘Dangers of Socialism’

Admin

by Katherine Gypson, Margaret Besheer, and Steve Herman   White House officials say U.S. President Donald Trump will warn of “the dangers of socialism” in a speech Monday in support of Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido, who is recognized by the United States as the South American nation’s interim president. Trump will make remarks at Florida International University, as his administration continues to speak out against Venezuela’s socialist President Nicolas Maduro.The school is in a Miami neighborhood that has the largest concentration of Venezuelans in the U.S. While Trump has refused to rule out a U.S. military intervention in Venezuela, Congressman Eliot Engel, the Democratic chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said during a congressional hearing Wednesday that lawmakers would not support such a move. “I do worry about the president’s saber-rattling, his hints that U.S. military intervention remains an option,” Engel said. “I want to make it clear to our witnesses and to anyone else watching: U.S. military intervention is not an option.” Trump was among the first of 51 world leaders to recognize the head of the nation’s national assembly, Guaido, as the interim president. Guaido declared himself the country’s leader following mass protests against Maduro. Venezuela suffers…

Read the full story