Day: March 10, 2019

Snopes Gets Key Facts Wrong on Ocasio-Cortez Campaign Finance Scandal

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by Andrew Kerr   The left-leaning fact-checking website Snopes butchered facts about a PAC controlled by Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and her top aide in a story published Thursday. Ocasio-Cortez and Saikat Chakrabarti, her former campaign chair and current chief of staff, obtained majority control of Justice Democrats in December 2017. The PAC, which had raised more than $1.8 million before her June 2018 primary, has been widely credited with manufacturing her upset victory over incumbent Democrat Joe Crowley. Snopes writer Dan MacGuill falsely claimed in his story that Chakrabarti, who served as executive director of Justice Democrats in 2018, “was not an official agent or officer” of the PAC. He also failed to acknowledge the fact that he and Ocasio-Cortez are members of the PAC’s three-member board of directors, according to archived versions of the Justice Democrats website and corporate filings obtained by The Daily Caller News Foundation. Justice Democrats’ board of directors on March 23, 2018. (Screenshot/Wayback Machine) Former Federal Election Commission member Brad Smith told TheDCNF that Ocasio-Cortez and her top aide “could be facing jail time” if they knowingly and willfully withheld their control over Justice Democrats from the commission in order to bypass campaign contribution…

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Williamson County Schools Spending 22 Percent More on In-Service Training for Teachers This Academic Year

Chris Butler

The Williamson County School System is serious about prioritizing its In-Service teacher training, so much so administrators spent 22 percent more on it for this 2018-19 school year versus the prior one. According to the school system’s budget, administrators spent $689,989 on their In-Service/Staff Development training this school year. For the 2017-18 school year, administrators budgeted $564,508. This school year’s budget for the In-Service teacher training is a 57 percent increase over what it got in the 2013-14 school year, $439,847. Other budgeted items, including materials and supplies, got less than a 1 percent budget increase over the previous school year, while workers compensation insurance got a 2 percent increase. Budgeted liability insurance costs remained the same, while the school system’s building and contents insurance got a 17 percent decrease. You can see the budget breakdown for In-Service training expenditures by Williamson County Schools from the 2013-2014 academic year to the 2018-2019 academic year here: As The Tennessee Star reported this week, as part of this In-Service teacher training, Williamson County School System officials made teachers watch a video that tried to instruct them on how to teach students about “white privilege.” The 26-minute in-service training video, the third in…

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Commentary: Telling the Truth About Islam Always Gets You in Trouble with Democrats

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by George Rasley   Recently, 12 pro-Israel organizations signed a letter addressed to Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Rep. Eliot Engel, chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, calling on them to remove Rep. Ilhan Omar (MN-5) from the Foreign Affairs Committee after she espoused a series of anti-Semitic tropes. The Endowment for Middle East Truth (EMET), a longtime pro-Israel advocacy group, spearheaded the effort. While some of the groups are avowedly conservative, most of the organizations that signed on are either Jewish groups or groups that have close ties to the Jewish community. The reaction from the Left and from Left-aligned Islamists was swift and vicious. Emily Kopp, a former press intern for House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, used an op-ed in Capitol Hill’s Roll Call newspaper to describe ACT for America and our friends at the Center for Security Policy as “anti-Muslim hate groups” that “peddle anti-Muslim conspiracy theories.” Kopp also accuses ACT for America of having ties to a neo-Nazi, based on disinformation published by the Southern Poverty Law Center. Wrote Kopp: But the coalition behind the letter — described by conservative media to be “leading Jewish organizations” — includes groups that maintain no relationship to the American Jewish community…

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Nashville Metro Council Opposes Civil Asset Forfeiture Without Criminal Conviction As State House Prepares for Hearing on Reform Bill

Laura Baigert

The Nashville Metropolitan Council approved a resolution opposing civil asset forfeiture without a criminal conviction on Tuesday, just as a bill aimed at reforming state civil asset forfeiture laws is scheduled to be heard in a House committee meeting this coming week. Nashville Metropolitan Council Resolution RS2019-1628 directs that the Metropolitan Clerk send a copy of the Resolution to the Davidson County delegation of the Tennessee General Assembly. As The Tennessee Star previously reported, Representative Martin Daniel (R-Knoxville) and Senator Frank Niceley (R-Strawberry Plains) are the sponsors of a civil asset forfeiture reform bill, filed under HB 0340 and SB 0362, respectively.  It is the only reform bill filed this year under the subject of forfeiture of assets. Civil asset forfeiture laws are intended to assist law enforcement officials in seizing assets illegally obtained by criminals to defund their criminal enterprise and to help fund law enforcement’s future efforts. The civil asset forfeiture process, though, has been turned against innocent citizens and has received national attention, because assets have been seized that weren’t directly involved in the commission of a crime, assets are not necessarily returned even though the owner was never convicted of a crime, and the rightful owner has…

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Nicholas Sandmann’s Lawyer Says He’s Likely Going After CNN Next, And the Stakes Could Be Higher

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by Evie Fordham   The lawyer for Covington Catholic High School student Nick Sandmann will likely sue CNN next, and the stakes could be higher than their suit against The Washington Post. L. Lin Wood is representing Sandmann in another suit against WaPo calling for $250 million in compensatory and punitive damages over its coverage of the student’s interaction with Native American activist Nathan Phillips, according to Fox News. “I expect because of the way [CNN] went after Nicholas so viciously, that the claim for his reputational damage will be higher than it was against The Washington Post,” Wood told Fox News host Mark Levin. “CNN was probably more vicious in its direct attacks on Nicholas than The Washington Post. And CNN goes into millions of individuals’ homes,” Wood continued during an interview that will air on Fox News Channel Sunday. The suit will likely be issued Monday or Tuesday, Wood told Levin. Wood said that Sandmann did “absolutely nothing wrong.” “But you have a situation where CNN couldn’t resist the idea that here’s a guy with a young boy, that Make America Great Again cap on. So they go after him,” he said, adding, “The CNN folks were online…

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Ocasio-Cortez Has Racked Up Three Major Ethics Complaints During Her First Months in Congress

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by Chris White   Democratic New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has racked up several ethics complaints since she began her first congressional term. She has yet to address one of the most damning reports about her campaign team’s actions during the election. Two watchdog groups have filed ethics complaints against Ocasio-Cortez for misusing her resources as a congresswoman with the Office of Congressional Ethics, while another group filed a complaint with Federal Election Commission (FEC) alleging she and her chief of staff set up a million-dollar private slush fund. Ocasio-Cortez’s term officially began in January. Ocasio-Cortez “improperly converted U.S. House resources to her non-official, personal use by obtaining an official ‘@mail.house.gov’ e-mail address for her boyfriend, despite the fact he was not employed by her congressional office,” the Coolidge-Reagan Foundation claimed in a complaint Thursday. She also falsely designated her boyfriend, Riley Roberts, a “staff” member to help secure the address, the group noted. The Coolidge-Reagan Foundation’s website champions itself as a first amendment watchdog group that defends, protects and advances “liberty.” News of the email address first appeared after political consultant Luke Thompson posted a screenshot of a House directory on Feb. 15 showing Roberts listed under “staff,” alongside…

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OxyContin Makers’ Opioid Trial to Begin on Schedule

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OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma LP and two other drugmakers Friday lost a bid to delay a landmark trial set for May in a multibillion-dollar lawsuit by Oklahoma’s attorney general accusing them of helping fuel an opioid abuse and overdose epidemic in the state. Cleveland County District Judge Thad Balkman’s decision was a win for the state, even as one of the lawyers for the state said Purdue had threatened to file for bankruptcy rather than face the first trial to result from around 2,000 lawsuits nationally. “This case needs to get to trial because people are dying every day,” Reggie Whitten, the lawyer for the state, said during a hearing in Norman, Oklahoma. Bankruptcy threat Reuters, citing people familiar with the matter, Monday reported that Stamford, Connecticut-based Purdue, owned by members of the wealthy Sackler family, was exploring filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. Doing so would allow it to address potential legal liabilities while halting the cases. Eric Pinker, Purdue’s lawyer, made no mention of a potential bankruptcy while arguing that the May 28 trial in the lawsuit brought by Oklahoma Attorney General Mike Hunter against it, Johnson & Johnson and Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd should be delayed. He…

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DOJ Official’s Testimony Highlights Why One GOP Lawmaker Believes Glenn Simpson Faces ‘Real Legal Jeopardy’

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Glenn Simpson, Bruce Ohr

by Chuck Ross   Justice Department official Bruce Ohr’s congressional testimony undercuts testimony given by Glenn Simpson, the founder of the opposition firm that commissioned the infamous Steele dossier. Ohr’s testimony, a transcript of which was published Friday, also confirms reports that Simpson was the source of a heavily disputed allegation about conservative attorney Cleta Mitchell. Ohr told lawmakers in an Aug. 28, 2018 hearing that he met Simpson prior to the 2016 election to discuss information gathered by Christopher Steele, the former British spy who authored the dossier. That conflicts with Simpson’s testimony to the House Intelligence Committee that he met Ohr only after the election and at Ohr’s request. Ohr also revealed Simpson provided him during a meeting in December 2016 with a seemingly false lead about Mitchell that ended up in a news article published in 2018. Both of Simpson’s inaccurate claims have been reported in the past, but they were not officially confirmed until Friday, when Georgia GOP Rep. Doug Collins released a transcript of Ohr’s testimony before the House Judiciary and House Oversight Committees. In his interview, Ohr discussed his interactions with Simpson and Steele, a former MI6 officer. Ohr served as a back channel…

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What Sherrod Brown Refusing to Run Means for 2020 and the Future of Ohio

Andrew Shirley

Ohio’s only potential 2020 contender announced Thursday that he wouldn’t run for president. After taking a three-month tour of key battleground states, dubbed the “Dignity of Work” Tour, Democratic Senator Sherrod Brown’s decision shocked many who saw him as one of the best chances to defeat President Trump. No one can say for certain why he chose not to run, but a great deal can be said about what his not running means. As previously reported, Sherrod Brown’s entire campaign strategy revolved around him being able to harmonize a message that would appeal to the blue-collar working class that turned away from Democrats in 2016, with the recent Democratic-Socialist philosophy that currently dominates that 2020 Democratic political conversation. His plan was to reach out to blue-collar workers across America and declared; “dignity of work means hard work should pay off for everyone, no matter who you are or what kind of work you do.” That having a job wasn’t enough; one must have security and prosperity. From here, he inferred that he would tack into Democratic-socialist programs like major healthcare expansions, free college tuition, and a $15 minimum wage. This would give him a cross-base advantage as he would be able to appeal to…

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Will Steve Cohen Succeed in Impeaching Trump? Not So Fast, Memphis Columnist Says

Chris Butler

The Daily Memphian columnist Michael Nelson has some discouraging words for U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen, D-Memphis, on his quest to impeach U.S. Republican President Donald Trump. Cohen might not attain his goal, Nelson said in a column published this week. “Cohen’s efforts to force the president from office began in August 2017, barely six months after Trump began his term. He first argued that because ‘high crimes and misdemeanor’ – the Constitution’s definition of an impeachable offense – are anything Congress says they are, Trump theoretically could be impeached ‘for jaywalking,’” Nelson wrote. “The congressman from Memphis got a bit more serious – but only a bit – in November 2017, when he and five other Democrats introduced an impeachment resolution charging Trump with, among other things, firing FBI director James Comey, calling a federal judge ‘a so-called judge’ and the media ‘fake news,’ and violating the Constitution’s emoluments clauses through continued ownership of rental properties in New York and Washington.” Since the Democrats won control of the House of Representatives last November, Cohen has renewed his call, Nelson wrote. But there’s a problem. Members of the U.S. House impeached former presidents Andrew Johnson and Bill Clinton — but members of…

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HPV Strikes Men as Well as Women

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The HPV virus is so common that the U.S. Centers for Disease Control says nearly all sexually active men and women get it at some point in their lives, unless they are protected by vaccination. The HPV virus can lead to cancer in both men and women. That’s why those who have gotten cancer caused by HPV are trying to get the word out to parents to get their children vaccinated. “Anytime you can fish is a good time,” Ward said. Fishing is Scott Ward’s way of relaxing. He didn’t have any risk factors that he knew of for cancer so he ignored the lump on his neck until he couldn’t ignore it anymore. Dr. Donald Doll, an oncologist at the University of Missouri Cancer Center, treated Ward for his cancer. “We’re seeing more and more younger and healthier patients,” Doll said. “They’re not smokers or drinkers. It’s HPV-related.” Smoking and drinking can cause oral cancers.But Ward’s cancer was caused by HPV, the human papillomavirus. “Normally, you think HPV, you think of women — cervical cancer,” Doll said. HPV does cause cervical cancer, but Doll says it’s a misconception that only women have to be concerned with cancers caused by…

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Commentary: Government Does Not Create Jobs

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by Rick Manning   Government does not create jobs, the private sector creates jobs. This is the basic rule that gets obscured in the political back and forth over the economy. And truthfully, it is very tempting to forget when you work for the government focused upon trying to increase opportunities for Americans in a changing workforce. What government policies can do is create or undermine the conditions upon which the private sector operates in the hopes that the overall net of the millions of decisions made each month on whether to increase or reduce the payroll will be a net plus, but apart from directly hiring new employees, government has very little immediate direct impact on the unemployment numbers. This is why President Obama’s shovel ready jobs stimulus package was such an abysmal failure. The presumption that if you pump almost a trillion dollars into the economy you are going to jump-start the workforce simply did not work because government, particularly the federal government, is anguishingly slow in action. From the identification of target sectors and the grant application preparation to the evaluation of thousands of requests to the awarding of the money by the government takes months, if…

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Immigrant Deaths Under Trump Virtually Unchanged Since Obama Era

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by Jason Hopkins   Immigrants detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) under the Trump administration are dying at virtually the same rate as they did during the Obama administration. During former President Barack Obama’s first year in office, 10 foreign nationals died in ICE custody. Five passed away in 2012, and 12 died in 2016, according to ICE data obtained by the Washington Examiner. The numbers are not far removed from President Donald Trump’s first two years in office. Ten detainees died in 2017 and 12 died in 2018, according to the American Immigration Lawyers Association. There have been no reported deaths in the fiscal year 2019 as of March 5. Not only are current deaths on par with the Obama administration, but they remain far lower than the numbers from about 15 years ago. Thirty-two people died in the calendar year 2004, and 20 died in 2005. A far larger number of foreign nationals were caught crossing the U.S.-Mexico border during the 1990s and early 2000s, which led to more immigrants being detained than is currently the case. The data contradicts a narrative pushed by many Democrats that the current administration is less humane to foreign nationals that…

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Dean Phillips Jokes About Giving Guest ‘Chocolate Cake’ to Celebrate ‘Diversity’

Anthony Gockowski

Rep. Dean Phillips (D-MN-03) hosted a town hall Saturday in Minnesota where he joked about giving a guest a piece of “chocolate cake” in the “spirit of celebrating diversity.” The town hall was called to discuss HR 1, or the For the People Act, a radical election-reform package introduced by House Democrats and a key piece of legislation to Phillips’ campaign success. Phillips made campaign-finance reform the cornerstone of his 2018 campaign and relentlessly clamored against the influence of money in politics. One of his guests for his Saturday town hall was Tiffany Muller, president of End Citizens United, who was celebrating her birthday. “In the spirit of celebrating diversity, there’s a piece of chocolate cake,” Phillips said before orchestrating a rendition of the happy-birthday song. The For the People Act passed the U.S. House Friday in a 234-193 vote. The bill, among other things, declares Election Day a federal holiday, mandates automatic voter registration, restores the right to vote for convicted felons, and requires nonprofit organizations to disclose donor names if they contribute $10,000 or more. “It’s a statement of principles. It’s a statement of values. In my estimation, it’s foundational,” Phillips said Saturday, saying the American people are…

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Governor Bill Lee’s Education Savings Account Plan Will Offer School Choice to Less Than One Percent of Tennessee Students in 2020

Jason M. Reynolds

Gov. Bill Lee is moving forward on his campaign pledge of school choice in the form of Education Savings Accounts (ESAs) available in 2020, although only about one-half of one percent of the state’s students would qualify to participate in the program’s first year. The governor delivered his first State of the State address Monday, as reported by The Tennessee Star. Lee said: I know there’s concern that programs like this will take money away from public schools, but my ESA plan will invest at least $25 million new dollars in public schools in the first year to fill the gap when a student transfers to another school. The Tennessee Department of Education referred a request for more information to the governor’s office. Lee spokesperson Laine Arnold did not reply to requests for comment. The proposal would only be provided to five county school districts: Davidson, Hamilton, Knox, Shelby and Madison (including the city of Jackson). Also included would be the state’s Achievement School District of failing schools, the Chattanooga Times Free Press said. Only 5,000 students in fall 2020 would be eligible, or only about one-half of one percent of the state’s 975,000 students. Qualifying students would be eligible for…

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