Month: February 2019

Dr. Carol M. Swain Commentary: Democratic Party Leaders’ Flagrant Disregard for Human Life

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by Dr. Carol M. Swain   Many U.S. Democratic politicians present themselves to the world as Christians. But their Christianity is completely devoid of a biblical worldview. The most shocking statements come out of their mouths disguised as genuine concern for the suffering of the less fortunate. Consider the “gospel” of pro-abortion Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi. It contains her favorite scripture, which isn’t found in any known translation of the Holy Book. According to armchair theologian Pelosi: “The Bible tells us that to minister to the needs of God’s creation is an act of worship. To ignore those needs is to dishonor the God who made us.” This, from someone who hasn’t been shy about dishonoring the God who made us in His image. Offering her expert opinion about abortion, Pelosi has described herself as “an ardent, practicing Catholic” who considers herself knowledgeable about the issue because she has studied it. Based on her studies of conception and when life actually begins, which apparently equals her biblical knowledge, she argues, “Doctors of the church have not been able to make that definition. … St. Augustine said at three months. We don’t know. The point is, is that it…

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DNC Fundraises Off Of Parkland Shooting on One Year Anniversary

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by Peter Hasson   The Democratic National Committee (DNC) on Thursday used the one year anniversary of the Parkland, Florida, school shooting that left 17 people dead to push for campaign donations. The DNC sent out an email from Manuel Oliver, whose son died in the Parkland shooting, asking recipients to “stand with Democrats who will work to solve our nation’s gun violence epidemic” by giving the DNC their name, email address and zip code. “No other country has to live through mass shooting after mass shooting like the United States. It’s not just a coincidence. It’s what happens when [National Rifle Association]-backed politicians refuse to act while the gun lobby fills their pockets. It’s why we have to be doing everything in our power to elect Democrats who will finally act to make a change,” read the email from Oliver. Those who “stand with Democrats” by giving the DNC their personal information are immediately redirected to a page asking for money “to stand up against the GOP and the gun lobby.” Thursday wasn’t the first time that the DNC fundraised off of the Parkland shooting. The day after the shooting, the DNC sent out an emotional email, signed by…

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Youth Activists Call for ‘Minnesota Green New Deal,’ Pressure Walz to Petition Line 3

Anthony Gockowski

Several youth activism organizations gathered at the Minnesota Capitol Monday to protest the Enbridge Line 3 pipeline and call for a “Minnesota Green New Deal.” “We are changing the political landscape in Minnesota and although there is much more work to be done, we are so proud of what we have done. Youth voices matter, and we will continue to make that very clear to our state leaders this session,” a group called “Minnesota Can’t Wait” said in a statement. Video from Monday’s demonstration shows dozens of youth activists gathered in the State Capitol, holding signs that say, “We elected you, meet with us,” and “Minnesota Green New Deal.” “Even though they are not here right now, we’re going to make sure that they hear our message and that they hear our words, because they have to listen to us as public servants serving the state of Minnesota,” one speaker said during the event, referring to Gov. Tim Walz (D-MN) and Lt. Gov Peggy Flanagan (D-MN). The following morning, Walz announced that he would refile an appeal against the Enbridge Line 3 replacement project, as The Minnesota Sun reported. “We are extremely glad that the governor has acknowledged the importance…

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Omar Uses Backlash Over Anti-Semitic Comments to Ask for Donations

Anthony Gockowski

Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN-05) is running an advertisement on Facebook asking for donations in response to the criticism she received for making anti-Semitic comments. “Stand with Ilhan. We will not be silenced,” the advertisement states and quotes President Donald Trump calling for Omar’s resignation. https://twitter.com/RubensteinAdam/status/1095880581848666113 As The Minnesota Sun reported, Trump said Omar should resign from Congress during a Tuesday cabinet meeting. “One other thing I want to say is that anti-Semitism has no place in the United States Congress, and Congresswoman Omar is—terrible what she said. And I think she should either resign from Congress, or she should certainly resign from the House Foreign Affairs Committee,” Trump said. “What she said is do deep-seated in her heart that her lame apology—that’s what it was, it was lame, and she didn’t mean a word of it.” His comments came in response to widespread backlash Omar received after she suggested that Jewish money is influencing bipartisan support of Israel. “The notion that wealthy Jews are controlling the government is a longstanding anti-Semitic trope and one of the pillars of modern anti-Semitism, a retread of ideas spread by bigots from David Duke to Louis Farrakhan,” the Anti-Defamation League said in a statement.…

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Democrat Governor Roy Cooper On $15 Minimum Wage: ‘Admirable Goal’

A.P. Dillon

North Carolina’s Democratic Governor Roy Cooper recently said that a $15 minimum wage is an ‘admirable goal’, however, wants to see “how high we can get it.” WRAL reported: Gov. Roy Cooper called Wednesday for an increase in North Carolina’s minimum wage and said it need not be the $15-an-hour phase-in many Democrats have called for. “We need to work with the General Assembly to see how high we can get it,” Cooper told WRAL News. “$15 is an admirable goal.” According to the WRAL report, Governor Cooper made these remarks “in a morning speech to the AFL-CIO and from a brief conversation with WRAL News afterward.” The report by WRAL also states that Cooper “endorsed, in broad strokes,” the AFL-CIO’s legislative priorities and that he said that the AFL-CIO’s priorities list “align with the mission” he has established. It’s unclear exactly what “mission” Cooper is referring to, however, a set of incremental wage hikes he appears to endorse combined with the tax hikes he has called for would likely torpedo the promises made in his “jobs plan.” “What we need is a leader with a laser focus on creating good paying jobs and lifting wages,” Cooper’s campaign website reads.…

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Minnesota Bills Would Create Grant Program to Make ‘School Climate and Curriculum More Inclusive’

Anthony Gockowski

A set of companion bills were introduced in the Minnesota House and Senate last week that would establish “Inclusive School Enhancement Grants” to make “schools’ curriculum and learning and work environments more inclusive.” House File (HF) 824 and Senate File (SF) 1012 were introduced Feb. 7, and referred to their respective education policy committees. Of the four sponsors of the Senate version of the bill, just one is a Republican, while three of the 20 sponsors of the House bill are Republicans. Under the bills, the commissioner for the Minnesota Department of Education would be required to “establish a grant program” to support “collaborative efforts to make school climate and curriculum more inclusive and respectful toward all students, families, and employees, especially those of diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds.” “The grant program must provide funding that supports collaborative efforts to make schools’ curriculum, and learning and work environments more inclusive and respectful of students’ racial and ethnic diversity and to address issues of structural inequities in schools that create opportunity and achievement gaps for students, families, and staff who are of color or who are American Indian,” the bills state. Grant recipients would be required to submit an annual report…

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Governor DeWine Creates Task Force to Tackle the Over 300,000 Open-Warrants Issued in Ohio

Andrew Shirley

Thursday, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine signed Executive Order 2019-10D and officially established the Governor’s Warrant Task Force. The special committee has a wide mandate to investigate, analyze, and suggest solutions to Ohio’s deeply burdened and onerous open-warrant backlog. The move is the first step to fulfilling one of DeWine’s campaign promises. According to a recent study by the Columbus Dispatch, Ohio has more than 300,000 open arrest warrants. of these, 23,000 involve some form of violent act or weapons abuse. These numbers are so overwhelming that there is no effective way to analyze or, more importantly, prioritize which warrants should take the highest priority. This means that the most dangerous repeat violent offenders are buried beneath more ubiquitous and benign repeat parking offenders. The governor noted in his statement: New warrants are issued every day in this state, piling on top of a growing backlog of old unserved warrants. It is simply impossible for law enforcement to keep up, which threatens the safety of our residents and communities. I’m asking members of this task force to take a good look at this problem and identify options for improving this overwhelmed system. The task force is comprised of more than twenty members from a wide array of disciplines,…

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Tennessee Star EXCLUSIVE: State Rep. Micah Van Huss Introduces Bill to Protect the Unborn through a ‘Heartbeat’ Abortion Ban

Laura Baigert

NASHVILLE, Tennessee – State Representative Micah Van Huss (R-Jonesborough) is bringing forward a bill that will protect the unborn by banning abortions once a fetal heartbeat is detected. Van Huss told The Tennessee Star that his bill, HB 0077 – carried by Senator Mark Pody (R-Lebanon) in the Senate as SB 1236 – defines a viable pregnancy as opposed to a viable fetus. According to Van Huss’s amendment that makes the bill, the terms “viable” and “viability” mean the presence of an intrauterine fetus with a heartbeat. Van Huss explained to The Star, “After a viable pregnancy, there cannot be an abortion, and a viable pregnancy is after the heartbeat is detected.” As the sponsor of the bill, Van Huss said he believes the bill to be constitutional and added that the Supreme Court has only ever heard and argued a viable fetus – being able to live outside the womb – not a viable pregnancy. Should it be challenged after the bill passes, Van Huss said he is hopeful that the court “will err on the side of life, that they will see the rights that our unborn have.” Van Huss brought a Heartbeat Bill during the 110th Tennessee General Assembly…

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Tennessee Star Report Exclusive: Sen. Marsha Blackburn Calls Budget Deal ‘Incremental Win’ for Trump

Julie Carr

In an interview on The 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 spoke with Tennessee Senator, Marsha Blackburn Wednesday morning about the Democrat propsed Green New Deal and how it could effect Tennesseans by killing many of the industries found in both the state of Tennessee and nation wide. Towards the end of the show, Blackburn and Gill discussed the overall sentiment of the current deal on the table and whether or not this was a win for President Trump. They both agree that this was an ‘incremental win’ and could provide the opportunity to find additional funds to properly secure the border wall security issues. Gill: I’m sorry, I kind of have my mouth full I’m taking that last bite of steak before that green new deal goes into effect and Spartacus Booker takes my steak from my cold dead hands. Senator Marsha Blackburn with us to break down budget deals, green deals, and military explanations. Senator good to have you with us. Blackburn: It is so good to be with you. And I’ll tell you what,…

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McConnell: President Donald Trump Will Sign Funding Bill, Announce National Emergency for Border Wall

Zachery Schmidt

President Donald Trump is set to declare a national emergency Thursday evening to deal with the southern border crisis, a move that will come as he signs the bi-partisans border security legislation passed by the Senate earlier in the day and expected to be passed later in the day by the House, Majority Leader Mitch McConnell announced Thursday afternoon from the floor of the Senate. “He has indicated he is prepared to sign the bill. He will also be issuing a national emergency declaration at the same time,” Senator Mitch McConnell said. “I’ve indicated to him that I’m going to support the national emergency declaration. So for all of my colleagues, the President will sign the bill. We will be voting on it shortly.” The Senate voted 83-16 to pass the border security legislation today and the House will vote on the measure tonight. By declaring a national emergency, President Trump will move forward on the construction of a physical barrier along the country’s porous southern border to the extent that is lacking in Thursday’s bipartisan measure. Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders released a statement on Trump’s plan. Statement on Government Funding Bill: pic.twitter.com/DrNv9D4rEi — Kayleigh McEnany 45 Archived (@PressSec45)…

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Tennessee Star EXCLUSIVE: Governor Bill Lee Makes Special Guest Appearance At Conservative Grassroots Gathering

Laura Baigert

LEBANON, Tennessee – As conservative grassroots leaders gathered from across the state for a bi-annual meeting, Governor Bill Lee took time between speaking engagements to attend as an unannounced special guest. The all-day Tennessee Alliance of Liberty Groups’ summit was an invitation-only, no-media event, but this reporter from The Tennessee Star was allowed exclusive access. The group of about 75 conservative leaders and influencers came to middle Tennessee from as far as Mountain City and Somerville. While Alliance summit attendance varies in who comes and in what numbers, the core group of grassroots conservative leaders has been going strong and consistently since 2009. The announced program for the day-long summit included two segments on Islam from renowned expert on political Islam Dr. Bill Warner as well as author of the 2009 book “Muslim Mafia: Inside the Secret Underworld That’s Conspiring to Islamize America,” Chris Gaubatz. State Representative Bryan Terry (R-Murfreesboro) gave an hour-long presentation on proposed legislation dealing with medical cannabis. In addition, there were presentations on the Heartbeat Bill sponsored by State Representative Micah Van Huss (R-Jonesborough) and Senator Mark Pody (R-Lebanon), with the Senator joining the meeting for a good part of the day, as well as the…

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State Rep. Timothy Hill: Medicaid Block Grants Are the Conservative Way to Expand TennCare Coverage

Laura Baigert

NASHVILLE, Tennessee – State Representative Timothy Hill is sponsoring HB 1280, which is the first step in the process of requesting Medicaid block grants for the funding of TennCare. The main reason Representative T. Hill is bringing the legislation, he told The Tennessee Star, is that block grants are the conservative way to expand the coverage that TennCare provides. Senator Paul Bailey (R-Sparta) is sponsoring the companion bill SB 1428 in the State Senate, where the measure already has 22 Republican co-sponsors, including Lt. Governor McNally, of the potential 25 Republican State Senators. Representative T. Hill explained that, in doing research, “we found the block grant concept is not new – President Reagan tried it in 1981, Newt Gingrich in the 90’s and was almost successful, and now President Trump has expressed interest for this concept.” “So, Senator Bailey and I feel like it’s the right time to try it again and to try it from the State’s perspective,” continued Hill. Hill doesn’t know how many other states are attempting to take the block grant approach, which is “a fundamental shift in how you pay for the program,” as he put it. Hill said that with Tennessee being a very…

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Commentary: Imagine America Without Freedom

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by Rick Manning   Everyone is talking about the Green New Deal, and how it would end domestic airline travel, the internal combustion engine, fossil fuel usage, most electricity generation and even ban cow flatulence. You have groups guessing what the cost of the Green New Deal would be in terms of dollars on an annual basis coming up with figures in the trillions of dollars. To everyone seeking to normalize this Green New Deal, please just shut up. The Green New Deal is the baring of teeth by the new American communist. A new breed unleashed that we have seen to the streets attacking people attending Trump rallies, screaming at teenagers wearing Make America Great Again hats, shouting down and rioting against conservative speakers on college campuses. Here is the truth. Socialism and communism are evil. Putting a shroud of legitimacy and normalcy to the destruction of the American ideal is being a Menshevik in a Bolshevik Revolution, you cannot moderate the blood lust of those who seek to enslave you by trying to come up with common ground or discuss alternatives to meet their needs. The revolution demands immediate payment. So, let’s stop talking about the symptoms which…

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DNC Refused to Comply With Dossier-Related Subpoena, so BuzzFeed Sued

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by Chuck Ross   BuzzFeed News sued the Democratic National Committee (DNC) Tuesday to force the release of information that the news outlet hopes will help it defend against a lawsuit related to the Steele dossier. BuzzFeed is seeking digital information that could shed light on the cyber attacks against the DNC during the presidential campaign. The news outlet faces three separate lawsuits related to its publication of the dossier, which was written by former British spy Christopher Steele and financed by the Clinton campaign and DNC. The suit against the DNC seeks information that could help defend against a defamation lawsuit filed by Aleksej Gubarev, a Russian tech executive accused in the dossier of using his web hosting companies to hack into the DNC’s computer systems. Gubarev denies the allegations and has argued that BuzzFeed failed to verify the dossier before publishing the report in January 2017. Steele, a former MI6 officer, has acknowledged in a London court, where he is being sued by Gubarev, that the information about the tech executive had not been verified. “As part of the discovery process, BuzzFeed is attempting to verify claims in the dossier that relate to the hacking of the DNC,”…

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EXCLUSIVE Candace Owens Commentary: Ilhan Omar and AOC Are Forging ‘The Anti-American Party’

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by Candace Owens   The Democrat Party’s new standard bearers are dropping any pretense of patriotism. Representatives Ilhan Omar and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (“AOC”) have proudly positioned themselves as the leaders of an anti-American political faction that seeks its mandate not from American citizens, but from foreigners. In AOC’s nightmarish vision of a post-American society, the democratic will of the American people holds no force. Race — filtered through the lens of her bizarre, fantasy version of the demographic history of the American continent — is what determines a person’s right to be in the country and which laws can be applied to them. “We are standing on native land. And Latino people are descendants of native people. And we cannot be told, and criminalized, simply for our identity or our status. Period,” Ocasio-Cortez told her followers last week at a rally to highlight her call for Congress to cut funding for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Ilhan Omar was also on hand. The freshman Democrat congresswoman is no stranger to controversial and hateful comments, having recently equated the democratic Jewish state of Israel to the terror-supporting Islamist regime of Iran, repeatedly libeled a group of Catholic teenagers from Covington,…

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Laurie Cardoza Moore of PJTN Talks to the Tennessee Star Report About the Trending Anti-Semitism in Congress and Around the Globe

Julie Carr

In a specific discussion on Wednesday 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 – host Steve Gill talked in depth with Chairman of Proclaiming Justice to the Nations Chairman, Laurie Cardoza Moore about the myriad of anti-Semitic rhetoric spewing from the mouths of politicians and how we are headed down a dark path reminiscent of Germany’s history under Hitler’s rule. Gill questioned Cardoza about why many Jewish voters still support the Democratic party. Gill and Cardoza specifically discussed the recent Tweeting’s of Omar Ilhan and the anti-Semitic remarks of others in Congress. They especially brought to light the implications of the BDS and those groups which support it and how anti-BDS resolutions are being crafted to alter its progression on a national and international level. Gill: Laurie Cardoza Moore is the Chairman of Proclaiming Justice to the Nations. You can go to PJTN.org. And Laurie thanks for being with us to kind of help add some insight into the rise of anti-Semitism not only in Congress but as we’re seeing around the country. In the leftist media and certainly…

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Seven Things to Know About Rep. Ilhan Omar

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by Rachel del Guidice   President Donald Trump said Tuesday that Rep. Ilhan Omar should resign over anti-Semitic remarks the freshman lawmaker has made. “I think she should either resign from Congress, or she should certainly resign from the House Foreign Affairs Committee,” Trump said of the Minnesota Democrat during a Cabinet meeting. Here are seven things to know about Omar, who took office just last month. 1. She Faced Accusations of Anti-Semitism Over Tweets Omar, 37, has faced significant pushback for a tweet she posted Sunday saying that pro-Israel American politicians are supported by funding from a pro-Israel organization, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee. https://twitter.com/IlhanMN/status/1094761790595088384 Omar also tweeted on Sunday that support for Israel in the United States is “all about the Benjamins baby.” She apologized after being criticized by both Republicans and Democrats for anti-Semitic behavior. “Anti-Semitism is real, and I am grateful for Jewish allies and colleagues who are educating me on the painful history of anti-Semitic tropes,” Omar said in a statement posted Monday captioned “Listening and learning, but standing strong.” “My intention is never to offend my constituents or Jewish Americans as a whole. We have to always be willing to step back and…

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Trump ‘Looking for Land Mines’ in Proposed Border Wall Deal

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by Steve Herman   U.S. President Donald Trump said Wednesday that he has made no decision on whether to sign proposed bipartisan legislation for limited new barrier construction along the U.S.-Mexico border in order to avert another partial government shutdown Friday over the dispute. “We’ll be looking for land mines [in the bill]” but “we have not gotten it yet,” Trump said in response to reporters in the Oval Office during a meeting with Colombian President Ivan Duque. The president, however, indicated he was pleased with preliminary figures in the border security deal worked out by a committee of Republicans and Democrats, saying “total funding is almost up to $23 billion, it’s about 8 percent higher.” Trump called Democrats stingy when it comes to funding for the wall. “We’re building a lot of wall right now with money that we already have,” added Trump, explaining that there are “a lot of options” to complete the border barrier’s construction. “We’re going to have a great wall, it’s going to be a great, powerful wall” with technology, including drones, explained the president. “I don’t want to see a shutdown. A shutdown would be a terrible thing,” Trump said. The bipartisan agreement reached…

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The Real Life History of St. Valentine and His Unlikely Connection to Romance

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by Lisa Bitel   On Feb. 14, sweethearts of all ages will exchange cards, flowers, candy, and more lavish gifts in the name of St. Valentine. But as a historian of Christianity, I can tell you that at the root of our modern holiday is a beautiful fiction. St. Valentine was no lover or patron of love. Valentine’s Day, in fact, originated as a liturgical feast to celebrate the decapitation of a third-century Christian martyr, or perhaps two. So, how did we get from beheading to betrothing on Valentine’s Day? Early origins of St. Valentine Ancient sources reveal that there were several St. Valentines who died on February 14. Two of them were executed during the reign of Roman Emperor Claudius Gothicus in 269-270 A.D., at a time when persecution of Christians was common. How do we know this? Because, an order of Belgian monks spent three centuries collecting evidence for the lives of saints from manuscript archives around the known world. They were called Bollandists after Jean Bolland, a Jesuit scholar who began publishing the massive 68-folio volumes of “Acta Sanctorum,” or “Lives of the Saints,” beginning in 1643. Since then, successive generations of monks continued the work until…

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President Trump Pays a Surprise Visit to Rural West Virginia High School via Skype

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by Salena Zito   WEBSTER SPRINGS, W.Va.—No sitting president has ever visited here before. So it was a pretty big deal when 14 local high school students in a civics class had President Trump talking to them in their classroom Wednesday, all thanks to a Skype video call that Sen. Joe Manchin was having with them. Senior Brennan Williams, 18, is still grinning ear to ear a few days after the experience. “Well, I mean, I’ve never talked to somebody that important before, and it was just crazy,” he said of initially talking to Manchin. “Then, the president of the United States calls the senator and then decides he wants to talk to us, well, that was even crazier. I just couldn’t stop smiling; I still can’t.” His classmate Parker Stout, 18, says it was an honor he will never forget: “We prepared for our Skype call with Sen. Manchin by watching the State of the Union Address Tuesday night. What we never expected was that that would include talking to the president.” Manchin said the once-in-a-lifetime event was organized by Webster County High School Principal Stacey Cutlip and his office to discuss issues that came up during the State…

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Community Mourns Nashville Musician Allegedly Slain by 5 Youths in Robbery

Jason M. Reynolds

A memorial service was held Monday at Belmont University to honor alumnus Kyle Yorlets, a musician who was shot and killed during a robbery allegedly committed by five youths, one of them as young as 12. Yorlets, 24, allegedly was shot on Thursday, Feb. 7 by two boys and three girls after he refused to give them the keys to his car, NewsChannel 5 said. Yorlets was in the band Carverton. They posted a tribute on Twitter that said in part, “On February 7, 2019 we lost our brother, best friend, and bandmate Kyle Yorlets. We are in a state of shock and are having to grasp the reality that is now in front of us. We are heartbroken. Our condolences for his family and loved ones and all the lives that he touched. We will never forget Kyle, and though he is gone too soon his legacy is here to stay.” https://twitter.com/CarvertonBand/status/1093899923299405825 At the memorial service, people remembered Yorlets as someone full of wit and talent and who cared about people, Billboard said. The publication also reported: Michael Wiebell is the bassist for Yorlets’ band, Carverton. He said in an interview before the memorial that since Yorlets’ death, they…

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Ilhan Omar Snaps at CNN Reporter: ‘Are You Serious?’

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by Peter Hasson   Democratic Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar on Wednesday snapped at a CNN reporter who tried to ask her about the fallout over her recent comments blaming Jewish political donors for Republicans’ support of Israel. President Trump on Tuesday said Omar should step down either from Congress or the House Foreign Affairs Committee, and called Omar’s apology “lame.” The congresswoman on Wednesday shot back a tweet that accused the president of “trafficking in hate,” but then dodged questions twice when asked about it by CNN’s Manu Raju. “Rep. Ilhan Omar in no mood to talk about her controversies this week. First, she said: ‘No thank you’ when asked to comment on Trump saying she should resign. Second time I saw her, she yelled: ‘Are you serious?’ when I tried to question her,” Raju wrote on Twitter. ‘What’s wrong with you” the congresswoman reportedly asked him. Before I even got my question out the second time I saw her, Ilhan Omar angrily said: “Are you serious? What’s wrong with you.” https://t.co/uhQ2stdrsF — Manu Raju (@mkraju) February 13, 2019 Omar, who has been known to be cold towards reporters in the past, has come under fire for some of her…

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Toddler Dies After Drunk Driving Illegal Immigrant Smashes into Ambulance

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by Will Racke   A 3-year-old boy has died after the ambulance he was riding in was struck by a drunken illegal immigrant in North Carolina, police said Monday. Jose Duran Romero, 27, allegedly crashed his Honda Accord into the side of a Lifecare Ambulance in Winston Salem, N.C. early Sunday morning, reports the Charlotte News & Observer. A breathalyzer test administered two hours after the crash revealed Romero’s blood-alcohol content was 0.19 — more than twice the legal limit — according to Winston Salem police. The toddler had been in stable condition before the crash but suffered life-threatening injuries in the wreck, police Lt. Rick Newnum said Monday. Police did not have further information about why the boy, who has not been publicly identified, was being transported to the hospital. Police say Romero and his passenger, Andres Figueroa Leon, 33, attempted to run away after the crash. A witness prevented one of the men from leaving, while responding officers established a perimeter and caught the other man a few minutes later, Newnum said. Romero was initially held on $50,000 bail, which was revoked when Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials placed an immigration detainer on him, reports the Daily…

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Study Says Stricter Voter ID Laws Do Not Lead to Voter Suppression

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by Nick Givas   Former Department of Justice attorney J. Christian Adams said voter ID laws do not lead to voter suppression Wednesday on “Fox & Friends,” citing a study from The National Bureau of Economic Research. “This is a huge survey,” Adams said. “Fifty-thousand sampled. They discovered that voter ID has absolutely no negative impact on voters — something most of us already knew, a small fringe of dishonest people didn’t know. They make money off of this. They raise huge sums of money to pay lawyers to attack states that implement voter ID … This is something most Americans agree with, and now we know it doesn’t do any harm.” The study examined 10 states with voter ID laws, including Georgia and Wisconsin. It found minorities were not negatively affected by the measures, Adams said. “A huge survey found that it did not effect minorities negatively, which tells you they have been lying,” he added. “They have been scaring minorities in the worse possible ways about voter ID and election integrity laws. They use it to increase their own power, to create this hysteria, and frankly, Brian, the survey showed that if voter ID does anything, it increases…

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Scott DesJarlais Introduces Bill to Fund Defense, Reduce Non-Essential Federal Spending

Chris Butler

Various national security departments would stay open during a government shutdown under new legislation that U.S. Republican Rep. Scott DesJarlais of Tennessee’s Fourth Congressional District submitted this week. The Department of Defense, Homeland Security, and Veterans Affairs are among the agencies that would continue to receive funding. This, according to a press release DesJarlais’ office released this week. But, as Desjarlais’ spokesman Brendan Thomas told The Tennessee Star in an emailed statement, Congress must pass the bill first. “As things currently stand, a government shutdown would disrupt funding for DHS, responsible for elements of national security. Under Rep. DesJarlais’ bill that would never happen,” Thomas said. “Instead of zero, DHS would receive 100 percent of its current funding. It could continue normal operations. But some agencies would receive only 95 percent of funding.” The press release quoted DesJarlais as saying he supports “building additional physical barriers on the U.S.-Mexico border to deter illegal immigration, drugs and gang crime.” His legislation would pressure negotiators to fulfill promises both parties have made for decades, according to the press release. “Bad deals to end shutdowns have typically resulted in even higher levels of wasteful spending, while the border problem has become worse and worse. In Washington,…

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Commentary: What Game of Thrones Teaches Us about Government Spending and Crazy Tax Schemes

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by Jonathan Miltimore   I thought it was a joke when I saw a headline stating that Gavin Newsom, California’s new governor, was proposing a tax on drinking water. Surely this was a clever bit of satire penned by someone at The Babylon Bee or The Onion. Alas, the proposal is real, and the details of the tax can be found here and here. Taxing Human Nature Part of the reason I thought the headline was satire is that it reminded me of a line from George R.R. Martin’s book A Game of Thrones. In the series, we see at various times the rulers of King’s Landing (the capital of Westeros) attempt to deny or profit from people’s ordinary habits. Early in the story, King Robert’s brother, Lord Renly, mentions how his brother Stannis once proposed regulating prostitution, which Renly said prompted the king to jest that perhaps Stannis would like to regulate “eating, sh*tting, and breathing while he was at it.” To Robert, a man of great appetite, the idea of banning or taxing basic human functions is laughable and absurd. Yet later in the story (spoiler alert!), after Robert is dead, slain by the Lannisters, Tyrion Lannister, the clever…

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Nashville School Resource Officers Reportedly Pull Out of Two Schools Due to Students’ Verbal Abuse

Chris Butler

Metro Nashville Police officers will no longer serve as School Resource Officers at two Nashville schools because the students reportedly hurl a lot of verbal abuse their way. These are reportedly alternative schools — Bass W.A. Alternative School and Johnson Alternative Learning Center. This, according to news reports in both The Tennessean and the Nashville-based NewsChannel 5. Metro Police have reassigned them to “mainstream schools,” The Tennessean went on to say. “The officers don’t need to be subjected to that kind of abuse, they don’t need to be subjected to an environment where the students aren’t welcoming,” Metro Police spokesman Don Aaron reportedly told News Channel 5. Aaron reportedly went on to tell the station that “working in the alternative schools, if you’re a police officer, is not an ideal place to be.” MNPD spokesperson Kris Mumford told The Tennessean, meanwhile, that “officers did not feel they were able to do their jobs — including developing relationships with the students to mentor and educate them, as evidenced by the reported abuse.” The verbal abuse has been going on for a long time, the paper quoted Mumford as saying. “However, the exact length of that ongoing abuse, or the content of…

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Four Big Questions Still Hang Over the Las Vegas Police Mass Murder Report

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by Richard Pollock   Seasoned law enforcement and military experts contacted by The Daily Caller News Foundation have expressed serious doubts about the thoroughness of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department’s preliminary report about the deadliest mass shooting in American history. In releasing the interim report Jan. 18, Clark County Sheriff Joseph Lombardo stressed it was not his department’s “standard practice” to release a report on an open case, but he “felt it was important” to release an “overview” due to the high number of victims in the Oct. 1 mass shootings when Stephen Paddock killed 58 people and wounded more than 700. With an arsenal of 18 AR-10 and AR-15 rifles in two hotel rooms, Paddock targeted concertgoers attending an open-air country music concert across from the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino in Las Vegas. About 22,000 people attended the concert, which Paddock quickly turned into a killing ground. Lombardo added that the department’s findings are “not intended to be a comprehensive and final account of the facts and evidence gathered.” A final report will be released, but no date has been set. Larry Hadfield, a Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department (LVMPD) public information officer informed TheDCNF Jan. 30…

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Yet Another Tennessee PTO President Indicted for Theft

Chris Butler

Authorities have indicted the former president of the Jasper Elementary Parent Teacher Organization on a theft charge after school system officials found and reported questionable transactions. This, according to an audit Tennessee Comptrollers released Wednesday, referring to Amber Bailey. “Investigators determined that Bailey stole at least $5,590 from May 2017 through February 2018. Bailey made purchases, wrote and cashed PTO checks for her personal benefit, and failed to deposit money collected during fundraisers,” according to a Comptrollers’ press release. “She concealed her misappropriation by failing to turn over, or make available, PTO bank statements and other crucial financial information. This information should have been reviewed by other PTO officers.” During her tenure as president, Bailey maintained total control of the funds collected during PTO fundraisers and other events. Bailey used PTO funds to purchase or to reimburse herself for a folding canopy, drill, garment steamer, and folding tables, which she kept, according to the audit. The Marion County School System recognizes the Jasper Elementary PTO as a school support organization. The PTO’s fundraising efforts provide additional financial support for activities at Jasper Elementary School, auditors wrote. “Although the organization had multiple officers, the former president assumed responsibility for all financial…

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JC Bowman Commentary: Hail to the Chiefs

JC Bowman

The third Monday of February is recognized as Presidents’ Day in the United States. Established in 1885, the day was originally intended to celebrate the birthday of the first president of our country, George Washington. Today we use it to commemorate all 45 Presidents of the United States. However, no American president has ever enjoyed unanimous support from our citizens. So, the holiday is celebrated, but not universally beloved by all people. George Washington warned his countrymen of “the baneful effects of the spirit of party” in his Farewell Address as President of the United States. That advice fell on deaf ears, and as much as Washington was held in high esteem, it was neglected. It is worth noting that political parties in the United States stem partly from a political feud between Alexander Hamilton and Thomas Jefferson. The Federalists, led by Secretary of Treasury Hamilton, wanted a strong central government, while the Anti-Federalists, led by Secretary of State Jefferson, advocated for states’ rights instead of centralized power. The growth of political parties was an American response to political conflict. That explains a lot about where we are today, as Hank Williams Jr. might remind us, “it’s a family tradition.”…

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Omar Doesn’t Let Witness Respond to Attack During Hearing

Anthony Gockowski

Twitter was abuzz Wednesday afternoon after Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN-05) got in a heated exchange with Elliot Abrams, the special envoy to Venezuela. “I don’t understand why members of this committee or the American people should find any testimony that you give today to be truthful,” Omar said to Abrams, who pleaded guilty in the 1980s to withholding evidence from Congress about his involvement in the Iran-Contra affair. He was later pardoned by President George H.W. Bush. “If I can respond to that. It was an attack,” Abrams replied, but was cut off by Omar who said she reserves “the right” to her time. “That was not a question. Thank you for your participation,” Omar said. “On February 8, 1982, you testified before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee about U.S. policy in El Salvador. In that hearing, you dismissed as communist propaganda report about the massacre of El Mozote, in which more than 800 civilians, including children as young as two-years old, were brutally murdered by U.S.-trained troops. During that massacre, some of those troops bragged about raping a 12-year-old girl before they killed her. You later said that the U.S. policy in El Salvador was a fabulous achievement. Yes…

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New General Counsel Named By North Carolina Speaker Of The House

A.P. Dillon

On Tuesday, North Carolina Speaker of the House Tim Moore announced the addition to his legal staff of Neal Inman has General Counsel. “We are fortunate to retain Neal as our General Counsel to ensure we have another successful session serving the people of North Carolina,” said Speaker Moore in a press statement. We are fortunate to retain Neal Inman as our General Counsel this session advising House leaders on complex legal questions. Neal has earned the trust of legislators with his work ethic and impressive command of state law & constitutional matters. https://t.co/ucTZkdDp2B #ncpol — Speaker Tim Moore (@NCHouseSpeaker) February 11, 2019 Inman had worked with Representative David Lewis (R-District 53) as House Rules Committee Counsel between 2017 and 2018. “Neal played a vital role as Rules Committee Counsel advising House leaders on complex legal questions and litigation,” Moore said in a press release. “He has earned the trust of legislators with his work ethic and impressive command of state law and constitutional matters.” Inman, who received his law degree from the University of North Carolina School of Law, also worked as an Associate General Counsel for former Governor Pat McCrory. Included in the press statement was the transition…

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Governor DeWine Accelerates Gas Tax Planning with No Limits Set

Andrew Shirley

It’s safe to say that when Ohio Governor Mike DeWine appointed his “Governor’s Advisory Committee on Transportation” to develop solutions for paying for road and bridge repairs, citizens were hoping they’d come up was some creative answers. Instead, the committee reached a consensus last week that the primary means by which road repairs would need to be funded would be through raising gas taxes. During a meeting with the Canton Repository Editorial Board, Governor DeWine made it clear that he would be taking their advice. He noted that not only was raising the gas taxes essential to fixing the problem but that he couldn’t put a number on how high the hike would be. When asked how much the raise could be per gallon, he stated: Well I’m not going to talk about it yet. I’m not going to put a number on it…Just to maintain status quo, we’ve got to come up with $1.5 billion a year. So how we do that? I’ve been in discussions with the members of the leadership of the legislature of how to do that. Just doing the numbers, significant amount of that has to come from the gas tax. Many advocates note that there will never…

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CLAIM: Ilhan Omar Could Face Primary Challenge in Transgender Minneapolis City Council Member

Anthony Gockowski

Rumor has it that Minneapolis City Council Vice President Andrea Jenkins is being lobbied to run against Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN-05) in the 2020 primary for Minnesota’s Fifth Congressional District. “Breaking: I have heard a rumor that Andrea Jenkins of the Minneapolis City Council is being lobbied to run against Rep. Ilhan Omar in a primary next election. Game changer if true,” Minnesota attorney Nathan Hansen wrote on Twitter Wednesday. https://twitter.com/nathanmhansen/status/1095478515670175747 Jenkins is best known for being the first transgender African-American woman elected to public office in the United States. In January, she drew attention after calling a press conference to discuss her experience of being chastised at a Minneapolis coffee shop for handing out political literature. “We are not over racism, sexism, transphobia, and homophobia in this community by any stretch of the imagination. I want to be on the forefront of us as a community dealing with these issues head on,” Jenkins said, and announced that she would be hosting a forum on race. The claim comes at a time when Omar is facing substantial criticism over her anti-Semitic comments. Most recently, Omar suggested that Jewish money is to blame for bipartisan support of Israel, which was widely…

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Klobuchar Receives Bad Early Poll Numbers After Announcing Candidacy

Anthony Gockowski

Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) announced her presidential campaign Sunday, and her early poll numbers don’t look good. According to Morning Consult, Klobuchar is currently in seventh place among potential Democratic candidates with just three percent of the vote. She ranks behind, in order, Former Vice President Joe Biden, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA), Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), former Rep. Beto O’Rourke (D-TX-16), and Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ). She leads Michael Bloomberg and Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH), who both have just two percent of the vote. Morning Consult surveys 5,000 registered voters each day, and updates its polling on a weekly basis. Its latest numbers come just three days after Klobuchar announced her candidacy. As The Minnesota Sun reported, Klobuchar announced her run for the presidency at a rally Sunday on the banks of the Mississippi River. “So today, on an island in the middle of the mighty Mississippi, in our nation’s heartland, at a time when we must heal the heart of our democracy and renew our commitment to the common good, I stand before you as a granddaughter of an iron-ore miner, as the daughter of a teacher and a newspaper man, as the first woman…

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Jackson-Madison County School Board Members Oppose School Vouchers: ‘Is It Fair for Teachers . . . to Lose Their Jobs?’

Chris Butler

Yet another school district in Tennessee has formally opposed school vouchers. Members of the Jackson-Madison County Board of Education, the governing authority for the public schools in the West Tennessee city of Jackson and the parts of Madison County beyond the city limits, voted unanimously on January 28 to oppose vouchers. The vote came after statements of opposition to vouchers were made by school boards and county commissions in other parts of the state, all part of what appears to be an orchestrated and coordinated effort by the Tennessee School Board Association. School Board member Janice Hampton told The Tennessee Star Tuesday that the vote among board members for a resolution opposing school vouchers was unanimous, something Jacksonsun.com also stated in its reporting on the January 28 meeting. Superintendent Eric Jones was perhaps the most outspoken against vouchers, according to Jacksonsun.com The website went on to say board members adopted a “recommended resolution from the Tennessee School Boards Association.” A Matter of Standards Two of the school board members — including Hampton — told The Star Tuesday that charter schools don’t measure up to the same academic standards as public schools. Public schools, she said, are better suited to meet all students’…

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Commentary: The Democrats’ Real Motivation for Opposing the Wall

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by George Ralsley   Our friends at WND.com recently alerted us to the fact that privacy watchdogs are raising the alarm over the Democrats’ alternative to President Trump’s border-wall plan. They see the high technology “wall” that includes surveillance as another dangerous step toward the creation of a surveillance state, such as communist China. “Congressional Democrats, looking for alternatives to President Trump’s demand for a border wall, recently offered a border ‘security’ proposal that suggests expanding surveillance at the border. That could lead to new funding for technologies that invade the privacy of immigrants, travelers, and American citizens living near the border,” warned the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF). “Congress should not counter President Trump’s calls for a physical wall with a tech wall. Unchecked use of surveillance tech undermines everyone’s right to privacy, especially the most vulnerable members of society. We stand with more than two dozen civil liberties groups who have told Congressional Democrats that we oppose such measures,” EFF said. The privacy groups say new tech could include automated license-plate readers, which collect sensitive location data, or more biometrics. “The federal government already conducts face surveillance of all travelers (U.S. citizens and foreign nationals alike) on certain international…

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Blackburn, Alexander File Resolution to Honor the Late Capt. Rosemary Mariner, the Navy’s First Female Pilot

Jason M. Reynolds

U.S. Sens. Marsha Blackburn and Lamar Alexander (R-TN) have introduced a resolution to honor the late Capt. Rosemary Mariner, the Navy’s first female fighter pilot. S. Res. 61 was introduced in the Senate Judiciary Committee on Feb. 7. The resolution’s tracking information is available online here. Mariner was buried on Feb. 2 in Maynardville, Tennessee, Blackburn tweeted. She was honored with the first all-female-pilot flyover in Navy history. The Navy’s first female fighter pilot was laid to rest yesterday, and her life was celebrated with the first all-female flyover in her honor. Thank you, Captain Rosemary Mariner, for your service to our country.🇺🇸 https://t.co/VgwtZ7Xhnq via @knoxnews — Sen. Marsha Blackburn (@MarshaBlackburn) February 3, 2019 Mariner’s parents were a Navy nurse and an Air Force pilot who died in a plane crash, NBC News said. According to her obituary, Mariner, 65, died Jan. 24 after a five-year fight with ovarian cancer. Her husband of 40 years, Navy Cmdr. Tommy Mariner (ret.) was by her side. The Harlingen, Texas native graduated from Purdue University at age 19 with a degree in aeronautics. Mariner was one of the first eight women selected to fly military aircraft in 1973, her obituary says. She became…

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Senator Joni Ernst Commentary: We Must End the Killing of Late-Term Babies

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by Joni Ernst   At five months, an unborn baby can detect light, hear sounds, swallow, and even experience taste. These unborn babies have nails on their fingers and toes, and hair has just begun to grow on their heads. These babies feel pain. They scrunch their eyes, clench their hands, or pull back their limbs—just like any other child experiencing pain. They are even treated as patients during fetal surgery procedures, and giving them pain medication is standard practice. By any definition, unborn babies at five months’ development are in all ways babies. While modern medicine recognizes these unborn lives can experience pain, there is no federal law protecting these vulnerable humans from abortion. As a result, every year in our country, thousands of lives are painfully ended through this practice. This is unacceptable. Last week, during his State of the Union address, President Donald Trump called to pass legislation—the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act—which would recognize these unborn babies as the children they are. The bill would prohibit the abortion of unborn babies at 20 weeks post-fertilization and provide them the same protection from pain and suffering that all children deserve. Multiple states, including my home state of…

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Sherrod Brown Was Asked the Difference Between Him and Klobuchar – His Response Might Eliminate Him from a Presidential Run

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by Molly Prince   Washington, D.C. — Democratic Ohio Sen. Sherrod Brown was unable to explain on Tuesday what would differentiate his possible presidential candidacy from fellow Democratic Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar, who recently launched a bid for the presidency. “Well, I don’t know,” Brown replied when asked during a breakfast hosted by the Christian Science Monitor what would be the difference between his campaign and Klobuchar’s if they were to both seek the Democratic nomination in 2020. Brown, who like Klobuchar, hails from the midwest, was confronted with the similarities between the demographic that they both appeal to such as blue collared workers, white collared workers and anti-Trump Republicans. [ RELATED: Sherrod Brown Embarks On ‘Dignity Of Work’ Tour In Key Primary States ] “I will calculate all that but I um, I like Amy. I think Amy brings something, everybody brings something to the table. That’s not in any way to diminish her,” Brown said. “Um, she brings something to the table, a little different from, a little different and differently, from the others.” Brown noted that while Klobuchar has had electoral success, she is not from a swing state like Ohio because Minnesota has “gone to the Democrat…

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Retired Astronaut Mark Kelly Announces Run for McCain Senate Seat in Arizona

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Retired astronaut Mark Kelly, who rocketed to the national spotlight when his Congresswoman wife Gabrielle Gifford was shot in a failed assassination attempt, announced Tuesday he’s running to finish John McCain’s last term in the U.S. Senate. Kelly is a top Democratic recruit to take on Republican Martha McSally in one of the most closely contested Senate races of the 2020 election. McSally is a former Republican congresswoman who was appointed to McCain’s seat last year after she narrowly lost to Democrat Kyrsten Sinema. McSally leaned heavily on her record as the first woman to fly a combat mission as a fighter pilot, but she was hurt by her embrace of President Donald Trump. If Kelly is nominated, the race would pit a Navy veteran and astronaut against a trailblazing Air Force pilot in the contest to replace McCain, a legendary Navy flyer who was famously shot down and held captive. Democrats are eagerly watching the Arizona contest, having already defeated McSally in a Senate race just a few months ago. Kelly and Giffords have for years pushed Congress to enact gun control measures with little success. They shifted their focus to state legislatures in recent years, helping to strengthen…

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Republicans and Democrats Are Divided Over Wall Funding as Government Shutdown Is Just Days Away

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by Henry Rodgers   Democrats and Republicans in Congress are split on an “agreement in principle” regarding President Donald Trump’s proposed border wall funding after meeting Monday night as the government is days away from a potential shutdown. The agreement reportedly includes $1.375 billion for physical barriers, which would be bollard, or basically a concrete-filled barrier that protects office buildings and shopping malls across the U.S. It would also limit the number of beds in Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention centers for violent criminal aliens, which Democrats have been using as a bargaining chip. “This is not a CR, this is funding for the seven bills … We hope [the president will] sign it. He talked to me about it, gave us some latitude. I think we’re — overall — we’ve got a pretty good deal considering who we’re dealing with,” Alabama Sen. Richard Shelby told The Daily Caller News Foundation in the Capitol Tuesday. Republican South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham had a different message, telling TheDCNF it is likely the president will have to declare a national emergency, as he believes lawmakers will not be able to reach an agreement. “My whole construct was — open up the government…

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New York Mayor Bill De Blasio Heads for Early-Voting State New Hampshire Ahead of Potential 2020 Run

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by Evie Fordham   Democratic New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio is heading to the early-voting state of New Hampshire ahead of a potential 2020 presidential run, sources close to the mayor told Politico Monday. De Blasio’s plans include a classic voter meet-and-greet at a diner in Nashua, New Hampshire, Friday morning after a meeting with Mayor Jim Donchess, reported Politico. Then he will hop over to the state’s capital city of Concord to meet with organizers from the group Rights & Democracy, New Hampshire. The group’s website says its purpose is “sending the message to our elected officials that we want policies that lead to happy, healthy, and just communities for all Granite Staters.” “[De Blasio] wants to make sure ideas like pre-K for all, paid personal time and mental health are on the table as Democrats debate the party’s vision for the future,” City Hall communications director Mike Casca told Politico. De Blasio has been quietly tapping into City Hall staffers with national political experience like Casca, who worked on Independent Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders’s 2016 presidential campaign, reported Politico. De Blasio has also tapped experienced City Hall employees Jon Paul Lupo and Jaclyn Rothenberg for his…

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Pompeo Warns Central European Allies Over Russia, China Ties

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U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has warned during a trip to NATO allies Slovakia and Hungary that Russia and China are trying to fill a political vacuum in central Europe caused by what he described as the United States’ absence in the region over recent years. Arriving Tuesday in Bratislava, Pompeo said the United States had been a friend through three decades of post-Soviet independence. The warm sentiments echoed those given to Hungary during a visit Monday to Budapest, where he urged his Hungarian counterpart to offer more support to Kyiv following Russia’s forced annexation of Crimea and invasion of eastern Ukraine. “I spoke with the foreign minister about the urgent importance of supporting Ukraine in its quest for sovereignty and territorial integrity. We must not let [Russian President Vladimir] Putin drive wedges between friends and NATO. Hungarians know all too well from their history that an authoritarian Russia will never be a friend to the freedom and sovereignty of smaller nations,” said the top U.S. diplomat. Budapest is often accused by allies of being too close to Russia. Prime Minister Viktor Orban has regularly visited Putin in Moscow, while Russia is set to build two nuclear reactors in…

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Feminist Writer Sues Twitter Over Ban for Transgender Tweets

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by Peter Hasson   Canadian feminist writer Meghan Murphy is suing Twitter after she was banned for her tweets about transgender people. Attorneys for Murphy on Monday filed suit in the Superior Court of California for the County of San Francisco, accusing Twitter of deceptive trade practices and breach of contract. Twitter banned Murphy in November over a series of transgender-related tweets that included statements like “men aren’t women” and “How are transwomen not men?” “Twitter’s repeated representations that it would uphold the free speech rights of its users and not censor user speech were material to the decision of millions of users, like Murphy, to join,” Murphy’s lawyers wrote in court documents reviewed by The Daily Caller News Foundation. “Twitter would never have attracted the hundreds of millions of users it boasts today had Twitter let it be known that it would arbitrarily ban users who did not agree with the political and social views of its management or impose sweeping new policies banning the expression of widely-held viewpoints and perspectives on public issues,” the suit states. “While it is appalling that Twitter would ban a journalist for asking legitimate questions about an incoherent ideology, such as gender identity,…

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Klobuchar Says You Have to Go Where it’s ‘Uncomfortable,’ Like ‘Fox News’

Anthony Gockowski

Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) joined Bret Baier’s Special Report Tuesday night where she said candidates have to go where it’s “uncomfortable,” including Fox News. In response to whether or not she has the temperament to run for president, Klobuchar said that she believes she showed she does “during the Kavanaugh hearings.” “One of the reasons that I came on this show is that I believe that candidates for office, whether Democrat or Republican, have to go not just where it’s comfortable but where it’s unconformable. And, you know, I love you, but Fox may not be always comfortable for Democrats,” she said. Klobuchar discussed a number of other issues, including the Democratic Party’s growing appreciation for socialism. She responded by saying she believes “in capitalism.” “I believe in progress, and that’s being progressive. But what I really also believe in is that we really need to stop governing from chaos and move to opportunity,” she added. On the topic of immigration, Klobuchar said she would like to “see in the long term a path to citizenship.” “So that way if you don’t have people who have a criminal record, they wouldn’t be deported. And what’s bothering me right now, and…

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Governor Cooper Bypasses More Experienced Justices for Democrat Black Female Justice to Fill Chief Justice Spot

A.P. Dillon

North Carolina’s Democratic Governor Roy Cooper has bucked the tradition of elevating the next most experienced associate justice to be the interim Chief Justice of the state’s Supreme Court in favor of a black female associate justice from his own party. Cooper announced on Tuesday that he has chosen to put Associate Justice Cheri Beasley into Chief Justice spot that is being vacated by the current Chief Justice Mark Martin. In doing so, Cooper, in fact, bypassed not one, but two current Associate Justices with far more experience on the high court. Today, Gov. Cooper named Associate Justice Cheri Beasley as Chief Justice of the North Carolina Supreme Court. https://t.co/whIZkVFh7a pic.twitter.com/b4DHroboik — Governor Roy Cooper (@NC_Governor) February 12, 2019 Beasley will be the first black female Chief Justice on North Carolina’s Supreme Court and will begin her duties on March 1. North Carolina’s only other black chief justice was Henry Frye (1991-2001), but three women have served as Chief Justice in the state: Rhoda Billings, Sarah Parker, and Susie Sharp.  Lorna Lockwood in Arizona was the first woman in the country to serve as chief justice of a state supreme court in two one-year long terms during 1965 and 1970.…

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Trump Calls on Ilhan Omar to Resign After Anti-Semitic Comments

Anthony Gockowski

President Donald Trump called on Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN-05) to resign Tuesday during a cabinet meeting after she was once again condemned for making anti-Semitic comments. “One another thing I might want to say is that anti-Semitism has no place in the United States Congress, and Congresswoman Omar is—terrible what she said. And I think she should either resign from Congress, or she should certainly resign from the House Foreign Affairs Committee. What she said is so deep-seated in her heart that her lame apology—that’s what it was, it was lame, and she didn’t mean a word of it,” Trump said Tuesday. As The Minnesota Sun reported, Omar was widely condemned for using a common anti-Semitic trope by suggesting that Jewish money is influencing bipartisan support of Israel. “The notion that wealthy Jews are controlling the government is a longstanding anti-Semitic trope and one of the pillars of modern anti-Semitism, a retread of ideas spread by bigots from David Duke to Louis Farrakhan,” ADL CEO and National Director Jonathan Greenblatt said in response. Omar later issued an apology for her comments, but was again rebuked for seemingly doubling-down on her previous claims. “We have to always be willing to step…

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Keith Ellison Defends Virginia Governor Ralph Northam After Blackface Photo

Anthony Gockowski

Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison recently stated that he believes it would be best for Gov. Ralph Northam (D-VA) to stay in office. “If Virginia Governor Northam keeps his pledge to fight for racial reconciliation, I believe VA (and US) will be better served than if he just resigned. But let’s shape what ‘racial reconciliation’ looks like today,” Ellison wrote on Twitter Saturday. If Virginia governor Northam keeps his pledge to fight for racial reconciliation, I believe VA (and US) will be better served than if he just resigned. But let’s shape what ‘racial reconciliation’ looks like today. https://t.co/DM1CAMfXak — Keith Ellison (@keithellison) February 9, 2019 Ellison made the comments in response to an interview Northam gave in which he said he wants to focus the remainder of his term on racial equity. “It’s obvious from what happened this week that we still have a lot of work to do. There are still some deep wounds in Virginia, and especially in the area of equity,” Northam said. “There are ongoing inequities to access things like education, health care, mortgages, capital, entrepreneurship. And so this has been a real, I think, an awakening for Virginia. It has really raised the level…

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