March 19, 2019 - Tennessee Star

Tennessean Reporter ‘Rage Tweets’ Because of Tennessee Star Article ‘Discrediting My Story About the Racist Wall Incident at Sunset Middle’

March 19, 2019March 19, 2019 Steve Gill

Amelia Knisely, the Tennessean reporter whose March 8 story titled “Racist incidents are occurring in Williamson schools,” was discredited by the subsequent Tennessee Star article on March 15, “Williamson County Parent of Sunset Middle School Student Says Alleged ‘Racist Incident’ at School Claimed by Tennessean Never Happened,” went on a self described “rage tweet” on Monday morning about the two stories. “A thread of Monday rage: I don’t normally feel inclined to respond to @tnstar “reporting,” but a story has come out discrediting my story about the racist ‘wall incident’ at Sunset Middle,” Knisely, who “Prior to moving to Tennessee, Amelia was a television reporter and producer in West Virginia. She holds a master’s degree from Marshall University,” according to her Tennessean bio, tweeted. Her bio also notes that, “She previously served as editor of The Contributor in Nashville, and she has written extensively on poverty and homelessness.” At the end of her “rage tweets,” Knisely apologized for directing her tweets to @tnstar, rather then the Twitter account of The Tennessee Star, which is @TheTNStar. “Ah, yes, sorry @tnstar as you are not the @TheTNStar. Never rage tweet before coffee, y’all,” Knisely tweeted. Between those two tweets, Knisely added a…

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Nashville Democrat Judge Dismisses Justin Jones Criminal Case on Paperwork Technicality

March 19, 2019March 19, 2019 Admin

Leftist activist Justin Jones had charges related to his disruption of a Marsha Blackburn campaign rally last October dismissed on Tuesday based on a discrepancy in the documents between the date of his arrest and the date of his subsequent warrant. Democrat General Sessions Judge Diane Turner determined that the paperwork error justified dismissal of the criminal trespass and resisting arrest charges. The criminal warrant issued against Jones three days after his initial arrest contained the date that the warrant was issued rather than the date of the initial arrest, causing Judge Turner to determine that the warrant was flawed and that the DA would have to proceed to the Grand Jury to pursue the charges against Jones. Jones still faces other criminal charges related to his assault of House Speaker Glen Casada and Representative Debra Moody late last month. Prior to the dismissal of the case, Jones was facing possible revocation of his bond pending a hearing on the February assault charges. Jones is scheduled to be back in General Sessions Court before Judge Turner on March 22 for a preliminary hearing on the assault charges. Since his initial arrest last October, Jones sought to provoke a confrontation with…

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State Rep. Scott Cepicky a ‘No’ Vote on Gov. Bill Lee Education Savings Account – But That Could Change

March 19, 2019September 20, 2019 Chris Butler

Right now, State Representative Scott Cepicky, R-Culleoka, says he’s a ‘no’ vote on Tennessee Republican Gov. Bill Lee’s Education Savings Account bill. But that is subject to change, Cepicky told The Tennessee Star Monday. “Right now the governor is working on the legislation. I voiced some concerns about it, and he will get with his staff and look at my concerns and it will be used to tighten up the bill a little bit. As of right now, I am a no vote,” Cepicky said. Lee is adding various amendments to address Cepicky’s concerns, the state representative said. “I had some concerns with some of the language about income limitations. I had some concerns about the districts that are affected and students that are in that district as a whole, whether they went to a priority school or not and would have access to the ESA program. I was trying to figure out where he was coming from on that,” Cepicky said. “It is a very complex bill, and we are trying to work through it because there are so many different parts to this bill. With the conversations I had with the governor today he was very informative. He was very…

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Commentary: Free Judge Jeanine

March 19, 2019March 18, 2019 Admin

by George Rasley Judge Jeanine Pirro’s show, “Justice with Judge Jeanine” did not air Saturday on Fox after the Judge, during her March 9 show, questioned whether Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar, a Muslim who wears a hajib adheres to Shariah law, a set of Muslim doctrines that are antithetical to the Constitution of the United States. “Think about it: Omar wears a hijab… Is her adherence to this Islamic doctrine indicative of her adherence to Shariah law, which in itself is antithetical to the United States Constitution?” Pirro said of Ilhan, who was born in Somalia. In a statement, reported by Mark Moore of the New York Post, Fox News criticized her for the comment. “We strongly condemn Jeanine Pirro’s comments about Rep. Ilhan Omar,” the network said. “They do not reflect those of the network and we have addressed the matter with her directly.” Moore reports Pirro dismissed claims that her comments about Omar were meant to paint the congresswoman as being “un-American.” “My intention was to ask a question and start a debate, but of course because one is Muslim does not mean you don’t support the Constitution. I invite Rep. Omar to come on my show…

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Nashville Promises, Once Again, to Give Rank and File Workers Cost of Living Adjustment Increase

March 19, 2019March 18, 2019 Jason M. Reynolds

Metro Nashville’s rank and file workers may receive a cost-of-living raise that the city has long promised but failed to deliver after a contentious budget process last year. Nashville Mayor David Briley on Monday announced a cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) of 3 percent for all Metro employees in FY 2020, starting with the new budget on July 1. “After a year when we had to put out a tight budget – which was a disappointment to me – I am proud to say that we can now give Metro employees the cost-of-living adjustment they deserve,” Briley said. “I would like all the men and women who work for our city to know that I deeply appreciate everything they do for residents throughout Nashville and Davidson County.” Briley said he will recommend funding step and open-range increases in the budget he will submit to Metro Council by May 1. If the rank and file employees do receive the COLA, they will be playing catch-up with Briley’s inner circle. The Tennessee Star reported last September that Briley gave merit raises to 20 members of his own staff. Two of the mayor’s staff received 6 percent increases. Briley said in his press release that…

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Bipartisan ‘Kids to College Act’ Introduced in Response to College Admissions Scandal by Reps. Green, Gonzalez

March 19, 2019March 18, 2019 Jason M. Reynolds

U.S. Reps. Dr. Mark Green (R-TN-07) and Vicente Gonzalez (D-TX-15) on Monday introduced a bipartisan bill to allow prospective students to reach agreements with colleges to pay for tuition with future earnings. The “Kids to College Act” bill is a response to the recent college admissions scandals. It authorizes “income share agreements,” where students borrow money from the school to pay tuition and repay the college or university with a percentage of future earnings, according to a press release from Green’s office. This way, colleges and universities are incentivized in helping students secure good paying employment after they graduate. Green’s and Gonzalez’s bill comes in response to multiple media outlets, including The New York Times, last week reporting a major federal sting that resulted in at least 50 people being arrested. Officials said the scheme revolved around a college admissions company allegedly being bribing university officials to admit students on false pretenses as members of sports teams or allegedly cheating on standardized tests, according to The Times. Those who were busted included actress Lori Loughlin, famous for “Full House,” Loughlin’s husband and fashion designer J. Mossimo Giannulli, and actress Felicity Huffman, according to a story by the Los Angeles Times. Green tweeted,…

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Indiana’s Senator Mike Braun Wants to Get Congress Out of a Rut by Taking Away a Prized Cash Cow

March 19, 2019March 18, 2019 Admin

by Evie Fordham Republican Indiana Sen. Mike Braun, co-sponsor of a recently introduced bill banning ex-members of Congress from lobbying Congress, told The Daily Caller News Foundation in an interview that his bill would help get Congress out of a “rut” — but he’s not expecting the legislation to gain traction anytime soon. “I think that here you’d attract better people if you didn’t have them make a career out of it,” Braun said. “But so many incentives are put in place with pensions, the ability after you’re done to become a lobbyist, so you do nestle in and then you start maybe not making the right long-term decisions. You basically make a decision: what will be best for me to nestle in further, be around here longer.” Braun and Republican Florida Sen. Rick Scott are the cosponsors of the Banning Lobbying and Safeguarding Trust (BLAST) Act, introduced Feb. 28. Braun connected the legislation to his reform agenda, including doing away with taxpayer-funded pensions for members of Congress. Although the lawmakers are “barking up the right tree,” their solution might not be realistic, a government transparency expert told TheDCNF. “You generally do see more of a reform agenda from some of the newer members…

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Commentary: Socialists Don’t Really Believe in Socialism

March 19, 2019March 18, 2019 Admin

by Rich Logis Can we dispel, once and for all, the idea that socialists, “democratic” or otherwise, actually believe in the socialism they peddle? “Socialists” love money, guns, walls, fossil fuels, Amazon, meat, private jets and cars, luxury apartments, and paying low taxes just like everyone else. What sets “socialists” apart is a certain desire for control. Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) owns multiple houses, has a seven-figure net worth, and collects a salary of $14,500 a month. Do you really think a guy like that truly believes the “free stuff” balderdash he’s regurgitated for decades? He admires Fidel Castro because he wants to be like him, and he’s enamored with bread lines because Sanders knows that government dependency is a helluva drug. I’m reminded of this every day when I look at the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics rationing ticket from my wife’s childhood in Poland. Newsflash: neither Lenin nor Stalin believed in socialism, either. They believed in power. Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) wasted no time getting a fancy pad in a tony Washington, D.C. neighborhood. Rumor has it the building’s energy sources are electricity and oil. Aaahhh, first-world living in Washington, D.C., where average monthly rents are higher only in 10 other cities across the globe.…

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Minnesota Democrats Reportedly Want Rep Ilhan Omar Out – She Blames Trump

March 19, 2019March 27, 2019 Admin

by Molly Prince Democratic Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar blamed President Donald Trump on Sunday after reports members of the Minnesota Democratic Party are considering removing her from congressional office for her repeated anti-Semitic statements. I am sorry Mr. @realDonaldTrump 🎶 I am for real, you can’t #MuslimBan us from Congress! pic.twitter.com/EX1KNeUPiA — Ilhan Omar (@IlhanMN) March 17, 2019 Minnesota Democrats are reportedly dismayed that Omar has made a string of bigoted comments about Jews, which have received massive condemnation from both sides of the aisle. Consequently, members of the state party are looking for someone to contest her nomination in 2020 and run a different candidate in her place. Rather than blaming the Minnesota Democrats, Omar focused the backlash on Trump’s 2017 executive order, which has been referred to as a Muslim ban. The executive order suspended U.S. entry of those whose counties do not meet adjudication standards under federal immigration law for 90 days and included exceptions on a case-by-case basis. Omar, along with fellow Democratic Rep. Rashida Tlaib of Michigan, became America’s first Muslim congresswomen when sworn into office in January. Both congresswomen’s time in office has been embroiled in allegations of anti-Semitism. Omar has defended the anti-Semitic statements, such as ones invoking…

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Eco-Activist’s Sordid History Sheds Light On Parents’ Role In Children’s Climate Crusade

March 19, 2019March 18, 2019 Admin

by Chris White A parent of one of the children suing the U.S. government for not doing enough to confront climate change has a long criminal record connected to her attempts to derail energy projects. Her legal history has flown under the radar as the litigation gains more media traction. Jayden Foytlin is among 21 young people suing the U.S. federal government for not doing more to address global warming. Media reports discussing Jayden’s story have not fleshed out the role her mother, Cherri Foytlin, played in a growing anti-pipeline movement. Cherri has been arrested at least three times during direct action protests, according to copies of her arrest records obtained by The Daily Caller News Foundation. Cherri has become a major actor in the environmental movement, opposing a number of pipeline projects over the past eight years, including the Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL). She is focused on scuttling the Bayou Bridge Pipeline in southern Louisiana, even as the project nears completion. Many of Cherri’s protests and arrests have been caught on video and used to promote her demonstrations. She can be seen in online videos resisting arrest, arguing with government authorities and refusing to leave a local sheriff’s office after…

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OPEC Scraps April Meeting but Keeps Oil Cuts in Place

March 19, 2019March 18, 2019 Admin

Reuters Oil producer group OPEC on Monday scrapped its planned meeting in April and will decide instead whether to extend output cuts in June, once the market has assessed the impact of U.S. sanctions on Iran and the crisis in Venezuela. A ministerial panel of OPEC and its allies recommended that they cancel the extraordinary meeting scheduled for April 17-18 and hold the next regular talks on June 25-26. The energy minister of OPEC’s de facto leader, Saudi Arabia, said the market was looking oversupplied until the end of the year but that April would be too early for any decision on output policy. “The consensus we heard… is that April will be premature to make any production decision for the second half,” the Saudi minister, Khalid al-Falih, said. “As long as the levels of inventories are rising and we are far from normal levels, we will stay the course, guiding the market towards balance,” he added. The United States has been increasing its own oil exports in recent months while imposing sanctions on OPEC members Venezuela and Iran in an effort to reduce those two countries’ shipments to global markets. Washington’s policies have introduced a new level of…

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Former California GOP Chairman Lists Nine Ways America Is Moving Towards Socialism

March 19, 2019March 18, 2019 Admin

by Nick Givas Former California GOP Chairman Tom Del Beccaro listed nine ways in which America is moving towards socialism during an appearance on “Fox & Friends” Monday. Del Beccaro said increased government spending and inflated tax codes are just the beginning and claimed they’ll have a domino effect on the rest of the country. “We do have massive [spending],” he said. “We are going to spend $7.6 trillion as a society in this upcoming year which is roughly four times what Reagan’s era spent when he said government was the problem.” “We have massive tax systems,” Del Beccaro continued. “And hallmarks of socialist societies are poor incentives where there is weak economic growth. And that comes from tax systems. Trump did a good job beginning with the business tax code. He’s got to do better with personal so we have better growth.” He then moved to reduced economic growth through government interference and cited the EU as a prime example. “[The EU] had zero economic growth over the last 20 years and government is about 60, 70 percent of their economies,” Del Beccaro said. “In the United States we’re about 36 [percent]. With regulations closer to 50. Our growth has slipped…

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The Tennessee Star Report: Gill and Leahy Discuss WCS Video Series and the Forced Education of Global Citizenship

March 19, 2019March 18, 2019 Julie Carr

On Monday’s Tennessee Star Report with Steve Gill and Michael Patrick Leahy – broadcast on Nashville’s Talk Radio 98.3 and 1510 WLAC weekdays from 5:00 am to 8:00 am – Gill and Leahy talked in depth about the Williamson County school districts “Cultural Competency” video training series that have been forced upon teachers and hence their students. Towards the end of the segment, the men asked the question of why nobody is speaking up about this. They begged the question of where are the parents, the administrators, the Governor who in his State of the State address promised that Tennessee schools would be teaching American Exceptionalism. The duo expressed concern for the lack of basic skills being taught and lack of Americanism and push of Globalism centered agenda. (Audio plays) Gill: How about the test of any school system being the ability to teach children to read, write, do arithmetic, to learn the basic skills so that they can for a lifetime pursue learning because they’re going to have those fundamental skills of reading, writing, and arithmetic. Leahy: Oh Steve. (Chuckles) Gill: How about if that is the fundamental schools and tests instead of this double speak educrat speak that…

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Rick Manning Commentary: President Trump Versus Washington’s Spending and the Constituencies Who Fight for Them

March 19, 2019March 18, 2019 Admin

by Rick Manning In Washington, D.C., every spending program and tax break has a constituency that fights for it. This is why they exist, because somewhere, someone believes that Warren Buffett needs a wind production tax credit, and that opera programming should be taxpayer funded. These constituencies are tightly organized and connected into the D.C. power centers to continue and if possible expand the favored spending. Do you know who doesn’t have a well-funded lobbying arm? Why, it is the actual taxpayers and limited government conservatives who fight against the tide of the ever expanding government. Groups like Americans for Limited Government, which I head, depend upon the raw power of truth to stand up to the D.C. government growth machine, and the election of Donald Trump to the presidency shows that winning is possible. In spite of growing deficits, the Trump presidency gives us reason for hope that fiscal sanity may be restored, as for the third year in a row, they have released a budget which provides a pathway to balance. While the fifteen-year time frame may seem like a long time, by comparison, so-called budget cutter Paul Ryan’s proposals often had a four-decade timeline to reach balance.…

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New Details Emerge of the Path the Steele Dossier Took through Media and the Government

March 19, 2019March 18, 2019 Admin

by Chuck Ross Court documents released last week in a lawsuit involving the Steele dossier revealed new details about the campaign to disseminate the infamous anti-Trump report to the press and within the U.S. government. Much was already known about Fusion GPS and dossier author Christopher Steele’s efforts to seed the dossier with reporters and government officials. Fusion GPS founder Glenn Simpson orchestrated several meetings between Steele and Washington, D.C.-based journalists prior to the 2016 election. It has also been widely reported that Steele and Simpson met with government officials in an attempt to ensure that Steele’s unverified findings landed on the government’s radar. A deposition given by David Kramer, a longtime associate of former Sen. John McCain, shed light on even more contacts with reporters and government officials. Kramer’s Dec. 13, 2017 deposition was released on March 14 along with a batch of other documents from a dossier-related lawsuit against BuzzFeed News. By giving the dossier to government officials, Fusion GPS and Steele were able to create news hooks for journalists to write stories airing the dossier’s unverified allegations. That was the case with Yahoo! News, Mother Jones, CNN and BuzzFeed News, all of which published stories not about…

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Amidst Rocky Campaign Rollout, 2020 Hopeful Beto O’Rourke Comes to Cleveland

March 19, 2019March 18, 2019 Andrew Shirley

Monday, 2020 presidential candidate Beto O’Rourke made his first appearance in the Buckeye State. It’s safe to say that former Congressman was hoping the visit could shake off what has been somewhat of a mixed campaign rollout. The Republican National Committee (RNC) Spokesperson Mandi Merritt was quick to note that: It’s been a rough few days for 2020 candidate Beto O’Rourke. From his campaign turning into an apology tour less than 48 hours after announcing, to flip-flopping on the issues and his past GOP ties, O’Rourke is going to have a tough time living up to his party’s litmus tests and convincing the progressive base that he should be their nominee. While the RNC has made their feelings about Beto’s presidential campaign clear, the onetime Senate candidate has now earned bipartisan criticism. Within the first few days of announcing his campaign, Beto committed a litany of gaffes, political faux pas, and some minor scandals. His campaign announcement, coinciding with what was intended to be a glowing Vanity Fair cover story about his intent to run. He stated “I’m just born to be in it,” which was met with widespread criticism from progressive opinion leaders, accusing him of abusing his “privilege.” Many criticized the media for sexist coverage, as he received a far more positive media…

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Former Congressman Renacci Calls for Smarter Government Spending During Forum on Gas Tax

March 19, 2019March 18, 2019 Anthony Gockowski

Ohio’s Future Foundation Chairman and former Congressman Jim Renacci hosted a forum on the gas tax Monday evening with Greg Lawson of The Buckeye Institute and Paul Lewis of the Eno Center for Transportation. Gov. Mike DeWine (R-OH) has been pushing for an 18-cent gas tax increase, which Monday night’s panelists think might be too high. Although a controversial subject, the panelists were in agreement on one thing: the state government needs to be smarter with how it spends its money. “I think the real opportunity is to focus on trying to make our transportation institutions more efficient and a lot of that has to do with investing smartly, not necessarily focusing on big, expansive projects, but more doing the things that voters are actually looking for, which is roads that are well maintained, buses that run on time—kind of the run-of-the-mill stuff that isn’t as exciting as a new highway or some kind of new big project, but it’s the thing that people care about everyday. It’s really kind of focusing on asset management and taking better care of what we have,” Lewis said. Lawson agreed with the sentiment, and encouraged politicians not to get “hung up” on the…

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Minnesota DHS Inspector General Placed on ‘Investigative Leave’ After Release of Child Care Fraud Report

March 19, 2019March 18, 2019 Anthony Gockowski

Department of Human Services Inspector General Carolyn Ham confirmed Monday that she was placed on “investigative leave” following the Office of the Legislative Auditor’s report on fraud in the Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP). Ham is the only inspector general in Minnesota, and her office is housed under the Department of Human Services. As such, she is responsible for investigating the DHS’s programs, like CCAP. Last week’s report from the Office of the Legislative Auditor confirmed that millions of dollars in government payments went to fraudulent child care centers, and described a “serious rift” among officials overseeing CCAP. It also revealed that some “child care center owners have recruited CCAP eligible mothers by offering to pay kickbacks to entice the mothers to advise county CCAP staff that their children are attending a particular center.” The report prompted multiple efforts from Republican legislators to subpoena Ham for testimony, but those efforts were repeatedly blocked, as The Minnesota Sun previously reported. Other Republican lawmakers called for Ham’s resignation, and raised questions about why her office reports to the DHS, since her main task is to investigate the department’s programs. “The child-care rip-off is the biggest scandal in Minnesota history, and the state…

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