Day: March 1, 2019

Gov. Bill Lee Announces Criminal Justice Reform Proposal, May Include Free College Education for Felons in Prison

Jason M. Reynolds

“Free” college education is all the rage, and now it appears that felons are joining in as Gov. Bill Lee proposes to use taxpayers’ money to pay their way to a degree. Lee’s plan could join other “free” education programs. In December Metro Nashville announced a program to spend millions per year offering “free” college to select students, building on similar programs like Tennessee Promise and Tennessee Reconnect. Lee on Thursday announced a number of changes to the criminal justice system leading up to his State of the State address on Monday. A press release on his plan is here. “We must significantly improve public safety in our state and I believe that starts with our criminal justice system,” Lee said in the press release. “We will focus on helping individuals to ensure there is a pathway to a productive life beyond crime and ultimately make our state a safer place.” Laine Arnold, Lee’s press secretary, did not reply to questions asking these questions: What is the total cost to implement the criminal justice reforms? Will the inmates pay anything? How much will taxpayers pay for the bachelor’s degree program at Turney Center Industrial Complex and high school education? Lee’s…

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Sen. Alexander Hems and Haws on Whether President Trump Has Authority to Declare National Emergency at the Border But Asks Trump to Renege on Decision

Jason M. Reynolds

U.S. Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-TN) said he believes President Donald Trump should take it back on declaring a national emergency at the border, even as the Senate plans to vote against the president’s declaration. The Washington Examiner reported on Alexander’s remarks Thursday. He said the president should “ask his lawyers to take a second look at an existing funding authority that the president has to consider construction of the 234 miles of border wall that do not require a formal declaration of a national emergency.” Basically, it would set a bad precedent, he said. Part of Alexander’s argument seems to contradict something he said to The Tennessee Star Report recently about the president not having the authority to declare the emergency. He now seems to be arguing what Michael Patrick Leahy argued, that Trump has the authority. According to the Examiner: Alexander said Trump should use the authority (emphasis added) he has to use as much as $4 billion in Defense Department funding however he wants. Trump already identified $2.5 billion to use for the wall as part of his unilateral decision to build the wall on his own, and Alexander said Trump should use most of that authority instead…

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Democratic Senators Refuse to Say If Abortion Is Ever Immoral

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by Henry Rodgers   Democratic senators on Capitol Hill had mixed responses — from saying it’s a woman’s choice to dodging the question altogether — about whether they were comfortable with calling abortion immoral in any circumstance. The Daily Caller News Foundation asked nearly 10 Democratic senators about abortion and if there was a point at which it would be considered immoral Tuesday and Wednesday after the Republican-led Senate failed to pass a bill, which would mandate medical care and legal protections to infants born alive after an attempted abortion. Doctors who don’t comply would be punished. Republicans were only able to get three Democrats to vote in favor, crossing party lines to vote for the bill, while three Republican lawmakers did not vote. Republicans were seven votes short of passing the bill, in what President Donald Trump called “one of the most shocking votes in the history of Congress.” Democratic California Sen. Kamala Harris, a 2020 hopeful who voted against Republican Nebraska Sen. Ben Sasse’s bill, would not say if abortion was ever immoral. “I think it’s up to a woman to make that decision, and I will always stand by that,” she told TheDCNF. “I think she needs…

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Trump-Kim Summit Ends with No Agreement

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The table had been set for a celebratory lunch at the landmark Metropole Hotel and a ceremony prepared for U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un to sign agreements. But both events were hastily canceled just before noon Thursday, bringing a premature end to the second summit by the leaders of the two countries. “You always have to be prepared to walk,” Trump said, adding “I could have signed something today” and confirming, “we actually had papers ready to be signed.” The president added that Kim wanted sanctions lifted in their entirety and we couldn’t do that,” Trump explained at a news conference in the Hanoi, after the talks collapsed. “They were willing to denuke a large portion of the areas we wanted, but we couldn’t give up all the sanctions for that.” He said they discussed dismantling the Yongbyon nuclear complex, but a complicating matter was another uranium enrichment site. Kim, according to Trump, had promised at dinner the previous evening that North Korea would not conduct further nuclear or missile tests. The president described the Hanoi talks as productive and said he thinks the two sides will eventually reach an agreement about denuclearization of…

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Commentary: Progressive Leftists vs. Common Sense

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by Robert Curry   Have you heard this one? A federal judge has ruled that the all-male military draft is unconstitutional. How did you feel about this bit of news when you first learned of it? Did you think the ruling was ridiculous? An outrage? Did you feel hopeless about what is happening to our country? All of the above? Not long ago, another federal judge ruled that the Constitution requires that male prisoners who identify as female must be provided with sex-change surgery and hormone-replacement therapy at the taxpayer’s expense, and be transferred to a prison for women. There is so much to comment on here. For one thing, these rulings make it perfectly clear that we no longer live in a free, self-governing country. Instead of governing ourselves by means of our votes, increasingly we are subject to the dictates of judges who rule over us by managing to find the darnedest things in the Constitution. Like magicians pulling rabbits out of hats, judges can be counted on to astonish and amaze us with the wizardry by which they perform their conjuring tricks. Read and re-read the Constitution—please!—but you won’t find anything in it to support these rulings.…

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EXCLUSIVE Pastor Darrell Scott Commentary: On Race, Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson Proved to be Everything Jussie Smollett Is Not

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by Darrell Scott   Chicago Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson was the “hero” to hate crime hoaxer Jussie Smollett’s “zero” last week. While Smollett selfishly tried to exploit the country’s racial divisions for personal benefit, Johnson did everything he could to minimize the harm caused by Smollett’s made-up claim that he was the victim of a racially motivated attack. “Why would anyone, especially an African-American man, use the symbolism of a noose to make false accusations?” Johnson asked at his press conference detailing the evidence of Smollett’s hoax. As a child of the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s, our hope and dream for the future was birthed out of Dr. King’s vision of different races sitting together at the table of brotherhood; which vision I see manifest today in the lives of my grandchildren. We looked forward to a day when our children and grandchildren would live in a society free of racial oppression and negative stereotypes of other races. America has made tremendous strides toward racial reconciliation, and the last thing this country needs is for those who only READ about what SOME of us have actually LIVED through, to try to provoke Americans to re-visit and revive the…

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Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu to be Indicted

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by Joshua Gill   Benjamin Netanyahu is set to become the first sitting prime minister in Israel’s history to be indicted, according to Israel’s attorney general’s Thursday announcement. Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit said Thursday that his office will charge Netanyahu with one count of bribery and two counts of breach of trust and fraud, according to NBC. The charges come as the culmination of a two-year investigation at the recommendation of Israeli police. Israeli police alleged that Netanyahu’s confidants promoted changes to regulations that resulted in benefits worth hundreds of millions of dollars for Israeli telecom giant Bezeq. The controlling shareholder of Bezeq, Shaul Elovitch, shares a close relationship with Netanyahu, which police characterized as a “bribe-based relationship” that Netanyahu allegedly leveraged to get positive media coverage from Walla, a subsidiary of Bezeq. Police also alleged that Netanyahu offered legislation that would have benefited a particular newspaper in exchange for positive coverage and that he accepted gifts from billionaires in exchange for political favors. Netanyahu has denied all allegations of fraud and corruption and claimed that the investigation against him is merely a witch hunt. Mandelblit’s decision to announce the indictment of Netanyahu ahead of Israel’s April 9 general election…

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Ridgetop Police Chief Alleges Mayor and Vice Mayor Are Retaliating Against Him

Chris Butler

Ridgetop Police Chief Bryan Morris says the city’s mayor and vice mayor want to cripple his police department. This, Morris said, is their way to retaliate against him for telling the community about alleged ticket quotas. The mayor is Tony Reasoner. The vice mayor is McCaw Johnson. Morris told The Tennessee Star Thursday the two men demanded his officers issue a certain number of tickets every month to generate revenue for the town. According to the most recent U.S. Census figures, Ridgetop has about 2,100 residents. Ridgetop is in Robertson County. Morris said outsiders consider his city a speed trap. No one at the city mayor’s office returned The Star’s request for comment Thursday. “They (the mayor and vice mayor) want a self-sufficient police department. They don’t want to pay to have a police department,” Morris said. “Our payroll is usually around $260,000. They want us to write $300,000 worth of tickets. That will cover our payroll and a considerable amount of our budget.” As the Nashville-based FOX 17 TV station recently reported, Morris told the community about the mayor’s and vice mayor’s alleged demands. Residents were so angry they packed a town meeting Tuesday night. Thus, the reason why the…

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Nearly 40,000 Visas Were Denied in 2018 Under Trump Travel Ban

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by Jason Hopkins   President Donald Trump’s latest travel ban of mostly Muslim-majority countries led to over 37,000 visa applications getting denied in 2018. The “2017 Executive Order on Immigration” was cited as the reason for the denial of 15,384 immigrant visa applications and another 21,645 non-immigrant visa applications in 2018, according to government data released Tuesday. The State Department confirmed that the 2017 executive order refers to the president’s latest travel ban, which did not go into full effect until December 2017. The United States denies a large amount of visa applications a year — almost 4 million. Application denials can be for a host of reasons, including abducting children and practicing polygamy. However, the latest figures shine a light on how immigration has been affected from the countries targeted in the White House’s current travel ban. Trump issued two different travel bans in the beginning of his administration, but both were deemed unconstitutional by federal courts. The president’s third travel ban iteration, however, was able to go into effect by the tail end of 2017 and survived a Supreme Court ruling in June 2018. The latest ban slaps foreign nationals from eight countries with varying levels of travel…

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State Representative Andy Holt’s Bill for Two Types of Handgun Carry Permits Moves Forward in the House

Laura Baigert

NASHVILLE, Tennessee – A bill to create two types of handgun carry permits, sponsored by State Representative Andy Holt (R-Dresden) as HB 1264, passed out of the House Judiciary Committee this week. The bill, if it should become law, reclassifies current handgun carry permits as an “Enhanced Handgun Carry Permit” (EHCP), and creates a new “Concealed Handgun Carry Permit” (CHCP). The EHCP does not specify that the manner in which a handgun is carried, therefore allowing both concealed and open carry. EHCP holders will generally be exempt from current restrictions regarding carrying in public areas such as parks and education-related properties. The application fee for an ECHP is $100. The CHCP would allow handguns to be carried only in a concealed manner. There shall be no application fee for the CHCP and it shall be valid for eight years from the date of issuance. A CHCP applicant must provide proof of competence with a handgun through one of nine different avenues, with no expiration date on the proof of demonstrated competence, including: completion of hunter education or hunter safety course by the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency or similar agency of another state; completion of any firearms safety or training course…

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Prime Minister Trudeau Faces Calls to Resign Amid Growing Scandal

Anthony Gockowski

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is facing calls to resign after ex-attorney general Jody Wilson-Raybould testified that she was pressured to obstruct a criminal prosecution into one of Trudeau’s favored companies. In a hearing Wednesday before the House of Commons Justice and Human Rights Committee, Wilson-Raybould said she faced “a consistent and sustained effort” by many people in Trudeau’s administration, including the prime minister himself, to help construction firm SNC-Lavalin evade corruption charges. “Within these conversations, there were express statements regarding the necessity for interference in the SNC-Lavalin matter, the potential for consequences, and veiled threats if a DPA [Deferred Prosecution Agreement] was not made available to SNC,” she told the committee, noting that the agreement would’ve helped SNC-Lavalin officials avoid jail time in exchange for a hefty fine. “The Prime Minister asks me to help out—to find a solution here for SNC—citing that if there was no DPA there would be many jobs lost and that SNC will move from Montreal,” Wilson-Raybould said of a meeting she had with Trudeau. She said things went on like this for a period of four months between September and December of 2018 before she was ultimately forced out of her role. “In…

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Biden Consults With Twitter Execs About What Youngsters Like Nowadays As He Considers POTUS Bid

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by Chris White   Former Vice President Joe Biden is asking Twitter executives and other tech titans about how to appeal to young people as the Democrat prepares for a possible presidential run, CNBC reported Wednesday. Biden is talking to various social media companies about what appeals to young people, the report notes, citing an anonymous source who did not provide a name of the executives. Twitter refused to confirm the report, telling reporters instead that the company provides advice to anyone who asks. “We work with elected officials, candidates and former politicians regularly when it comes to them getting the most out of Twitter,” a Twitter spokesman said. Biden is 76 years old and has been a mainstay in American politics for more than four decades. He is also attempting to court a digital presence. Athan Stephanopoulos, the president of NowThis News, a liberal online news outlet, confirmed that Biden had indeed contacted his company. “We are trying to reinforce that outlets like NowThis are an important place to spend time and reach these audiences,” he told reporters, describing key issues that bring young voters to the ballot box. “Candidates will have to take a stand on these issues…

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State Revenues in Trump Economy so Strong They’re Giving Money Back to Taxpayers

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by Grace Carr   Several states are cutting taxes and putting money aside to protect themselves during future recessions as state economies continue to boom since President Donald Trump took office. Almost every U.S. state is experiencing a thriving economy; 48 states will meet or exceed revenue expectations, according to a survey from The National Conference of State Legislatures, The Wall Street Journal reported Thursday. “States have come off of a strong last fiscal year, and the economy is strong so they’re expecting it to continue,” Tax Policy Center senior fellow Kim Rueben said. “It could mean more spending or cutting taxes.” Republican Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson slashed the state’s top income tax rate to 5.9 percent from 6.9 percent over the next two years. “As we attract more business, we will create more jobs, and higher-paying jobs, which will lead to higher salaries and an improved quality of life for all Arkansans,” Hutchinson said after signing the bill, according to Banner News. “This reduction enhances Arkansas’s reputation as one of the most business-friendly states in the region,” he added. Arkansas has a long-term reserve fund balance of $125 million, according to TheWSJ. South Carolina is considering providing a tax…

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US CO2 Emissions Cuts Are ‘the Largest in the History of Energy,’ IEA Chief Says

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by Michael Bastasch   Over the last decade, the U.S. has been the largest cutter of carbon dioxide emissions in the “history of energy,” said Fatih Birol, the executive director of the International Energy Agency (IEA). “In the last 10 years, the emissions reduction in the United States has been the largest in the history of energy,” Birol said at a press conference in Washington, D.C., Thursday, standing alongside U.S. Energy Secretary Rick Perry. “Almost 800 million tons, and this is a huge decline of emissions,” Birol said, before going on to praise Perry for pushing carbon capture technology. Birol’s remarks reinforce a major Trump administration talking point — that greenhouse gas emissions are being driven down through innovation, not taxes and regulation. Experts say U.S. emissions cuts have largely been driven by a boom in natural gas production, which has supplanted coal-fired generation. The Trump administration has been cutting regulations on oil and natural gas production and plans on withdrawing from the Paris climate accord. “Like Dr. Birol has said many times, without carbon capture, any planned climate target is impossible to meet,” Perry said at the press conference. “We believe that you can’t have a serious conversation about…

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Graham Promises ‘Judges, More Judges, Then Some More Judges’ in Colorful CPAC Address

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by Jason Hopkins   Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, the newly-minted chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, told Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) attendees that his panel will move on judicial confirmations at an ambitious clip. “Judges, more judges, then some more judges,” Graham joked in a Thursday afternoon speech. “We’re going to process as many conservative judges as we can.” The senator opened his remarks with a paean to Justice Brett Kavanaugh’s bitter confirmation. “Why is Kavanaugh on the Court? Because Trump is tough,” Graham said. Earlier in the day, Graham and other Judiciary Committee Republicans voted to forward Neomi Rao’s nomination to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit to the full Senate. If confirmed, Rao would succeed Kavanaugh on a court often referred to as the second most powerful bench in the country. The Senate’s most recent judgeship vote came Wednesday with the confirmation of Eric Miller to the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. Miller is the president’s third appointment to that court, which has repeatedly stymied administration policy priorities. Four other nominations to the 9th Circuit are pending. Miller spent a decade as an attorney in the Department of Justice before…

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East Nashville and Pearl-Cohn To Play for Region Championship

Scott Wallace

Two storied high schools will battle for the right to host a sub-state game. Before the season started, not too many people would have predicted this match-up. The East Nashville Eagles were coming off an undefeated regular season in 2018 but fell short by one game of reaching the regional finals. That team graduated six of their top eight players. The Pearl-Cohn Firebirds ended the 2018 season in last place in District 10AA. New coach Terry Cole had a couple of nice pieces coming back but the resurgence was thought to be in the future. Both teams lost to Martin Luther King Academy I the district tournament but now they have clinched a berth to play at least two more games. “All I have to say is that we made it to Friday,” said Eagles head coach Jim Fey. Last year we had a good team. We didn’t make it this far. I knew this team had a chance because they play hard. I like our chances.” Eagles Hold Off MLK The Eagles and the Martin Luther King Academy Royals gave everyone in attendance at Pearl-Cohn their money’s worth in the first game with East holding on in a 54-51…

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Walz Will Reexamine Budget Proposal ‘Line By Line’ After Forecast Comes Up $492 Million Short of Previous Estimates

Anthony Gockowski

Gov. Tim Walz (D-MN) will have to reexamine his budget proposal “line by line” after Thursday’s budget forecast came up $492 million short of November’s estimated $1.5 billion surplus. It’s only been nine days since Walz unveiled his first budget proposal for the 2020-2021 biennium, which capped out at $49.5 billion. But after Thursday’s announcement, Walz will need to do some trimming. “Minnesota’s budget and economic outlook has weakened since November. The projected balance for the upcoming biennium is $1.052 billion, which is $492 million less than the November forecast,” Minnesota Management and Budget revealed in a press release. “Slower projected economic growth and lower observed collections compared to prior estimates result in a reduced revenue forecast throughout the budget horizon,” it adds. During a Thursday press conference, Walz acknowledged that he’ll need to “go back through line by line” with his commissioners, but insisted that “today’s forecast validates the approach we proposed in our One Minnesota budget.” “Our budget looks to the future—with investments in education, health care, and community prosperity—and that’s exactly what we need to do when facing slower economic growth,” he wrote on Twitter. Today's forecast validates the approach we proposed in our #OneMinnesota budget. Our…

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Ilhan Omar Says She’s Been Accused of Anti-Semitism ‘Because I’m Muslim’

Anthony Gockowski

Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN-05) is now suggesting that she’s been accused of anti-Semitism “because I’m Muslim.” As was widely reported, Omar faced significant backlash earlier this month after she suggested that Jewish money is influencing bipartisan support of Israel—a variation of a common anti-Semitic trope. She eventually issued an apology, called “lame” by the president, but is now claiming she was criticized for her comments because she’s Muslim. “But I think the theme here is because I’m Muslim. You know, there have been many members within journalism, within politics, within all kinds of aspects of our society who have spoken about the kind of influence that AIPAC [American Israel Public Affairs Committee] has on Congress and on our foreign policy. No one calls them anti-Semitic because they are Jewish but when it comes to someone like me, even the slight mention of them…,” she said before being cut off in an interview on the The Intercept’s Deconstructed podcast. She then repeated those claims during a Wednesday town hall at Busboys and Poets in Washington, D.C. with Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI-13) and other progressive colleagues. “What I am fearful of is that because Rashida and I are Muslim that a lot…

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Democrat Cummings Stands By Republican Meadows After Colleague Makes Racist Insinuations

A.P. Dillon

Democrat Representative Elijah Cummings stood up for his Republican colleague Mark Meadows of North Carolina after Rashida Tlaib (D-Michigan) made overtures in her remarks that Meadows was a racist. Tlaib’s remarks came during a hearing where former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen was giving testimony. Opening statements at the hearing from both Representatives Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) and Jody Hice (R-Georgia) pointed out that Cohen was headed to jail, in part, because he had lied to Congress. During that testimony, Cohen repeatedly claimed Trump had made racist remarks, yet could produce no corroborating evidence or recordings. In her comments during the hearing, Tlaib referred to the presence of Lynne Patton at the hearing as a “prop” which was a “racist act.” Patton was at the hearing of her own accord to refute Cohen’s claims. “Just because someone has a person of color, a black person, working for them does not mean they aren’t racist,” said Rep. Rashida Tlaib ( D-Michigan). “And it is insensitive … that someone would even say … the fact that someone would actually use a prop, a black woman, in this chamber, in this committee, is alone racist in itself.” Patton is a long-time friend of the Trump…

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The Tennessee Star Report: Neil McCabe Says Establishment Republicans Are Undermining Trump Agenda

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 One America News Networks Neil McCabe about the Democrat’s push of a unified agenda and the lack of a Republican direction. Further on in the discussion, the men touched upon the frustration that voters feel about the Republican candidates who are self-funded and who don’t have any interest in helping the little people as much as they do about getting power and staying in power. Gill: Neil McCabe with One America News is with us this morning as he is each Tuesday to bring us a little insight on the news around the country and around the world. And Neil good to have you back with us. McCabe: Hey, good morning good to be with ya. Gill: When is your brother Andrew going to go to jail by the way? (Laughter) McCabe: You know, I interviewed Robin Gritts who is the FBI sort of whistleblower who Andrew McCabe ran out of the FBI and she told me that you know the guy is behaving like…

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Ohio School District Clears the Way for Armed Teachers After Defeating Lawsuit

Anthony Gockowski

Madison Local School District of Ohio successfully defeated a lawsuit filed against it that sought to prevent a new policy of arming teachers and staff. The lawsuit was filed by five parents who argued that the policy was illegal because it didn’t guarantee that employees would be sufficiently trained. Under Ohio law, the decision of whether or not to arm teachers and staff is left up to local school boards so long as all armed staff are properly trained. But what exactly constitutes “proper training” was the central debate of the case, and was left vague by state legislators who wrote the law. The parents argued that any armed staff need to complete 700 hours of training, which is what’s required of police officers and security guards. In particular, they pointed to a section of Ohio code, which states: “No public or private educational institution shall employ a person as a special police officer, security guard, or other position in which such person goes armed while on duty, who has not received a certificate of having satisfactorily completed an approved basic peace officer training program.” Butler County Common Pleas Court Judge Charles Pater, however, found that this statute applies only…

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Williamson County School System Director Apologizes for ‘Gross Error in Judgement’ on Slavery Assignment

Chris Butler

As part of an assignment, eighth-grade social studies teachers at Brentwood’s Sunset Middle School asked students to pretend their family owns slaves. Students then had to create a list of expectations for the family’s slaves. The assignment didn’t sit well with Williamson County Schools Superintendent Mike Looney, who has publicly apologized for what he said was a “gross error in judgement from WCS personnel.” [Editors note: “Judgement” is not generally accepted as the proper spelling of ‘judgment” in American English, although it is considered acceptable in British English, primarily in legal documents.] “We have been providing professional training to our staff members on cultural awareness this year, but I admit that we have more work to do in this area,” Looney said in an email sent out to school parents Thursday. “Please know, we are absolutely committed to ensuring all of our students feel welcome, wanted and worthwhile.” Looney also tweeted a copy of his letter. School officials pulled the assignment, and they will not take grades on it, Looney went on to say. In the same email, school Principal Tim Brown said he was “very remorseful that this situation occurred.” “I recognize this assignment was inappropriate, and steps are…

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