Day: March 30, 2019

Williamson County School Board Member Rick Wimberly Passes the Buck to Mike Looney on Cultural Competency Committee Questions

Chris Butler

If you live in Williamson County and have questions or misgivings about the school system’s Cultural Competency video series then, like most people, you’re likely to contact your school board representative. And you would expect your school board representative is on top of things and knows just as much as the superintendent. If you’re in Williamson County, however, assume nothing. Your local school board representative might just pass the buck to Superintendent Mike Looney. Franklin resident Christine Deekens said she learned that lesson this week when she tried to reach out to school board member Rick Wimberly about the videos. Teachers in the school district must watch these videos, which preach “white privilege” and America’s supposed dysfunctional history. Deekens said she met with Wimberly for an hour but, afterwards, said he still didn’t address her concerns. “His responses to me were outright copouts,” Deekens told The Tennessee Star this week. So, she sent Wimberly an email recapping their meeting and all her questions that remain unanswered. Deekens forwarded those emails to The Star, which, among other things, communicated the following to Wimberly: “As I reflect on our meeting, however, I am troubled by what you supposedly DIDN’T know – given…

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Commentary: ‘Russiagate’ Is Now a Three-Time Loser of an Investigation

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by Tony Shaffer   The Mueller Report marks the third time that an investigation has cleared the Trump campaign of allegations that it “colluded” with the Russian government. They had their three swings…and they have struck out. The Special Counsel investigation received by far the most media attention, but it’s just the culmination of one in a series of progressively more farcical and politically motivated investigations, all of which have failed to achieve their true goal: overturning the result of the 2016 presidential election. The origins of which were developed using political weaponization of process, procedures and tools of a very powerful national security infrastructure. First, the FBI conducted its own regular investigation into supposed Russian collusion. Even Peter Strzok — the FBI agent so hell-bent on taking down Trump that he talked of the investigation as an “insurance policy” — admitted he was hesitant to join Mueller’s team because he felt there was “no big there there” based on his role in the FBI’s collusion probe. Lisa Page, the former FBI attorney who was once Strzok’s mistress and temporarily worked with him on the Mueller probe, also told Congress it was possible this investigation found “literally nothing” linking Donald…

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Trump Threatens Southern Border Closing ‘Next Week’

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by Evie Fordham   President Donald Trump threatened to close the U.S. southern border in a tweet Friday if Mexico “doesn’t immediately stop” illegal immigration into the U.S. “If Mexico doesn’t immediately stop ALL illegal immigration coming into the United States throug[h] our Southern Border, I will be CLOSING … the Border, or large sections of the Border, next week,” Trump wrote on Twitter. “This would be so easy for Mexico to do, but they just take our money and ‘talk.’ Besides, we lose so much money with them, especially when you add in drug trafficking etc.), that the Border closing would be a good thing!” The DEMOCRATS have given us the weakest immigration laws anywhere in the World. Mexico has the strongest, & they make more than $100 Billion a year on the U.S. Therefore, CONGRESS MUST CHANGE OUR WEAK IMMIGRATION LAWS NOW, & Mexico must stop illegals from entering the U.S…. — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 29, 2019 ….through their country and our Southern Border. Mexico has for many years made a fortune off of the U.S., far greater than Border Costs. If Mexico doesn’t immediately stop ALL illegal immigration coming into the United States throug our…

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Dick’s Sporting Goods Lost Millions Over Anti-Gun Policies

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by Molly Prince   Dick’s Sporting Goods took a loss of an estimated $150 million in sales last year after the company heavily restricted firearm purchases and began advocating anti-gun propaganda. The company made various policy changes after a school shooting in Parkland, Florida, left 17 dead. It announced it would no longer sell modern sporting rifles or high-capacity magazines, and increased the purchase age for all firearms to 21. Dick’s also hired anti-gun lobbyists to promote gun restriction legislation, despite saying it still supports the Second Amendment. “The system does not work,” said Edward Stack, Dick’s CEO. “It’s important that when you know there’s something that’s not working, and it’s to the detriment of the public, you have to stand up.” The anti-gun shift made massive waves when it was first announced in February 2018 and Stack was accused of violating fiduciary duties by knowingly and purposely giving up money. Some gun manufacturers cut ties with Dick’s and the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) expelled the company from its membership. The loss of customers was also almost immediately felt. “Sales are so anemic and relations with gun manufacturers such as Mossberg so poor right now that you’ve even indicated…

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HHS Makes $5.1 Million Grant to Pro-Life Community Clinics

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by Rachel del Guidice   The founder of an organization of community care clinics that cater to women praises the Trump administration for deciding to give her group $5.1 million over three years for use in California, a grant that once might have gone to Planned Parenthood. “With this grant, the administration has opened up a new avenue of health care choices for low-income and underserved women and their families in California,” Kathleen Eaton Bravo, CEO and founder of The Obria Group Inc. and Obria Medical Clinics, said in a prepared statement provided to The Daily Signal. Obria, which operates 21 health clinics and 11 mobile clinics in five states, does not perform abortions. “Many women want the opportunity to visit a professional, comprehensive health care facility—not an abortion clinic—for their health care needs; today, HHS gave women that choice,” Bravo said. The founder of an organization of community care clinics that cater to women praises the Trump administration for deciding to give her group $5.1 million over three years for use in California, a grant that once might have gone to Planned Parenthood. “With this grant, the administration has opened up a new avenue of health care choices for…

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Trump Administration Asking Congress to Make It Easier to Deport Migrant Children

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by Jason Hopkins   Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen is requesting Congress pass a legislative measure that gives her department greater authority to address the growing migrant crisis at the U.S. southern border. Nielsen asked lawmakers to make it easier for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to deport unaccompanied alien children (UAC), to allow migrants to file asylum requests within their home countries, and for the authority to keep families requesting asylum in detention facilities until their cases are complete, according to a letter first obtained by NBC News. The measures would help alleviate what Nielsen describes as an “emergency situation” at the U.S.-Mexico border. “We are grappling with a humanitarian and security catastrophe that is worsening by the day, and the Department has run out of capacity, despite extraordinary intra-Departmental and interagency efforts,” Nielsen’s letter to Congress read. “Accordingly, DHS requests immediate Congressional assistance to stabilize the situation.” The requests come as the country’s southern border is witnessing record levels of illegal border crossings. The DHS apprehended 50,000 to 60,000 illegal migrants a month in late 2018. More than 75,000 apprehensions and encounters were made in February — the highest volume in over 10 years. DHS forecasts March…

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Barr To Release Mueller Report ‘By Mid-April, If Not Sooner’

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U.S. Attorney General William Barr said on Friday the Justice Department is preparing a redacted version of the special counsel’s nearly 400-page confidential report on the Russia investigation and will be in a position to release it by mid-April, if not sooner. In a letter to the chairmen of the House and Senate Judiciary committees, Barr wrote that Special Counsel Robert Mueller is assisting the Justice Department in scrubbing the report of secret grand jury material and other confidential information. “Our progress is such that I anticipate we will be in a position to release the report by mid-April, if not sooner,” Barr wrote in a letter to House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler, Democrat of New York, and Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham, Republican of South Carolina. But Barr said he does not plan to share the report with the White House to get President Donald Trump’s greenlight, noting that Trump has left it up to him to release it in whatever form he deems appropriate. “Although the president would have the right to assert privilege over certain parts of the report, he has stated publicly that he intends to defer to me and, accordingly, there are no…

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US Holds ‘Constructive’ Trade Talks With China

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American and Chinese trade negotiators made progress during “candid and constructive discussions” in Beijing Friday, said the White House, and will continue talks in Washington next week. The two sides are working to strike a deal to lift eight-month-old tariffs affecting $250 billion of Chinese imports to the U.S., and about $110 billion of American exports to China. The latest round of talks comes amid a report by the Bureau of Economic Analysis that the U.S. trade deficit with China again rose in 2018. “The 2018 goods and services trade deficit with China alone was $379 billion. That’s $70 billion, or 23 percent, higher than in 2016. It’s more than 3 times the size of the 2018 deficit with the entire European Union. China by itself contributed 61 percent of the total US deficit both in 2016 and last year,” according to Derek Scissors, Resident Scholar of American Enterprise Institute. U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, who is in Beijing, posted on Twitter that the talks will continue next week. .@USTradeRep and I concluded constructive trade talks in Beijing. I look forward to welcoming China’s Vice Premier Liu He to continue these important discussions in Washington next week. #USEmbassyChina pic.twitter.com/ikfcDZ10IL —…

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Chicago Seeks $130K from Smollett for Cost of Investigation

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The Chicago city government will seek $130,000 from Jussie Smollett to cover the cost of the investigation into his report of an attack that police say was staged to promote his career, city officials said Thursday. A spokesman for the city’s legal department, Bill McCaffrey, confirmed the amount after Mayor Rahm Emanuel said the city would try to recoup the money from the “Empire” actor. Hours earlier, President Donald Trump tweeted that the FBI and the Department of Justice would review the “outrageous” case, calling it an “embarrassment” to the country. Prosecutors infuriated Emanuel and the police chief this week when they abruptly dropped 16 felony counts that accused Smollett of making a false police report about being the target of a racist, anti-gay attack in January. Smollett has maintained his innocence and insisted that the attack was real. The prosecution offered little explanation for the dismissal and sealed the case, but authorities still say the actor concocted the assault. Prosecutors offered no additional information Thursday during a court hearing where media attorneys argued that the public has a right to know what happened. FBI & DOJ to review the outrageous Jussie Smollett case in Chicago. It is an embarrassment…

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Commentary: Brennan the Menace

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by Julie Kelly   John Brennan was nervous. Under intense questioning by Representative Trey Gowdy (R-S.C.) in May 2017, Brennan squirmed and stammered and twirled his pen as Gowdy demanded to know why the former CIA chief concluded in mid-2016 that the Trump campaign was conspiring with the Russians to manipulate the outcome of the presidential election. “I encountered and am aware of information and intelligence that, um, revealed contacts and interactions between Russian officials and U.S. persons involved in the, uh, Trump campaign that, um, I was concerned about because of known Russian efforts to suborn such individuals and it, uh, raised questions in my mind, again, whether or not the Russians were able to gain cooperation of those individuals,” Brennan told the House Intelligence Committee. He rambled on: “I don’t know whether or not such ‘collusion,’”—Brennan used air quotes—”and that’s your term, existed. I don’t know. But I know there was a sufficient basis of information and intelligence that required further investigation by the [FBI] to determine whether or not U.S. persons were actively conspiring, colluding with Russian officials.” Not exactly a convincing explanation—and Gowdy was having none of it. It was clear that Gowdy, who left office…

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Students Stack Chairs to Block Erik Prince From Speaking at College

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by Neetu Chandak   A Wisconsin college canceled security company Blackwater’s founder Erik Prince from speaking after students banged drums and stacked chairs on stage to prevent the speech from happening Wednesday. Cecil Youngblood, interim dean of students, announced to the group that the event has been cancelled for safety reasons. pic.twitter.com/JbswaF98sE — Angela Major (@angela_major_) March 28, 2019 Beloit College interim dean of students Cecil Youngblood said the college canceled Prince’s speech, which was already delayed by at least 40 minutes, according to Inside Higher Ed on Friday. Protesters responded to cheers, according to video shared on Twitter by Gazettextra staff photographer Angela Major. “I believe that if a critical mass of students object to a speaker’s presence or a speaker’s platform, they should have a say in whether or not that speaker is welcome in our home,” student Rose Johnson said, Gazettextra reported. The college condemned the protesters and will investigate the situation, according to a statement. “Due to disruptive protests and safety concerns, the event hosted by the Young Americans for Freedom featuring speaker Erik Prince had to be canceled to ensure the safety of all participants,” the college told The Daily Caller News Foundation over email.…

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Marijuana-Related ER Visits Triple in Colorado

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by Joshua Nelson   A toxicology specialist has found a connection between legalized marijuana and a threefold increase in related visits to emergency rooms in Colorado for heart and other issues, confirming that cannabis poses health risks. Marijuana may be a recreational activity for many, but marijuana-infused “edibles” in particular have been subject to scrutiny because of their ties to a jump in patients seeking medical treatment. The new study from researchers with the University of Colorado School of Medicine found that marijuana-related ER visits tripled between 2012 and 2016. The study also found that people consuming marijuana edibles suffer from toxic reactions at higher rates than those who simply smoke the drug. These edibles typically include brownies and other baked goods. Dr. Andrew Monte, an associate professor at the medical school’s Anschutz campus, was lead author of the research paper published Tuesday in the Annals of Internal Medicine, touted as the first study to show an increased rate of adverse health events linked to marijuana edibles. “Some patients will have psychosis, hallucinations, or they will hear things,” Monte, also an emergency medicine and toxicology specialist at the UCHealth University of Colorado Hospital, told the website UCHealth. “The more common…

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Nellie Ohr: ‘I Favored Hillary Clinton’

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by Chuck Ross   Nellie Ohr, a former Fusion GPS contractor and wife to Justice Department official Bruce Ohr, told Congress that she “favored” Hillary Clinton during the 2016 presidential campaign, and would not have researched the Democrat as she did Donald Trump. “I would probably have been less comfortable doing opposition research that would have gone against Hillary Clinton,” Nellie Ohr told a congressional task force on Oct. 19, according to a transcript released Thursday. “And why is that?” a congressional staffer asked Nellie Ohr. “Because I favored Hillary Clinton as a presidential candidate,” said Nellie Ohr. Nellie Ohr gave research she did on Trump and his associates to her husband, Bruce Ohr, in hopes that he would provide it to the FBI. Bruce Ohr did exactly that. He testified during his own congressional hearing that he provided a flash drive containing his wife’s research to the FBI. What the bureau did with the information remains a mystery, but it is another example of potentially biased information being provided to investigators working on a probe of the Trump campaign. Republican lawmakers interviewed the Ohrs and several Justice Department and FBI officials as part of an investigation into the FBI’s…

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Senate Intelligence Member Angus King Says He Still Does Not Accept Mueller Report of No Collusion

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by Henry Rodgers   Senate Intelligence Committee member Angus King said he does not accept special counsel Robert Mueller’s findings of zero collusion between Russia and the Trump campaign, saying the Senate has not completed their investigation. In a Friday interview, which is set to air on “Firing Line” with Margaret Hoover on PBS, the Maine Democrat says the committee is still looking into collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia, hinting their investigation is not “criminal.” “I’m not prepared to, because we’re not finished with our investigation. And you have to understand there are two very different missions of these two investigations,” King said. “Robert Mueller’s investigation was a criminal. He was looking for breaches of criminal law: conspiracy, obstruction of justice. That was his, that’s his focus as a prosecutor.” King also said the committee is near the end of it’s investigation, and are now focusing on the “collusion cooperation” aspect. Mueller submitted his completed report to Attorney General William Barr, who said he will be done vetting Mueller’s report sometime in April. “Our investigation is, what happened? We’re after the facts and the circumstances, not necessarily was a crime committed, or was it can you prove it…

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Commentary: Five House Republicans Who Need Conservative Primary Opponents

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by CHQ Staff   Sometimes there are issues upon which conservative opinion and principle diverges and the conservative movement has no consensus – what constitutes “free trade” might fall into that category. However, we can find no divergence of principle on the issues raised by the Democrats’ recent passage of H. Res. 124, a bill urging the military hierarchy to disobey lawful presidential directives on transgenderism and military service. Five House Republicans joined Democrats in voting for this abomination of constitutional order, military discipline and common sense. Republican Representatives Fitzpatrick, Hollingsworth, Hurd (TX), Katko and Reed all voted with the Democrats to strongly urge the Department of Defense to not reinstate President Trump’s ban on transgender members of the Armed Forces and “to maintain an inclusive policy allowing qualified transgender Americans to enlist and serve in the Armed Forces.” Never mind that courts have found there is no right to serve in the military. This is nothing less than Democrats urging an overthrow of the constitutional order that provides for civilian control of the military through the Article II designation of the President as Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces. That five Republicans would join Democrats in such an anti-constitutional usurpation…

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Congressman Ryan Slams GM for Displaying Foreign-Made Car on Opening Day

Anthony Gockowski

General Motors is taking some heat after it decided to display a foreign-made car in center field of Comerica Park ahead of the Detroit Tigers’ home opener. Cranes were spotted lifting a 2019 Chevrolet Blazer RS onto an outfield display on Tuesday. Chevrolet is owned by General Motors, and its Blazer RS model is currently manufactured in Mexico. According to MLive, Chevrolet has been the automotive sponsor of the Tigers since 2010, and rotates in a set of new vehicles at the start of each new season. But not everyone was happy with this year’s vehicle choice, since General Motors is in the process of closing down multiple plants in the U.S., including two in Detroit and one in Lordstown, Ohio. One local Detroit outlet said it was contacted by several frustrated residents who wanted to spread the word about General Motors’ decision to display the Chevy Blazer. General Motors, however, claimed in a statement that it selected the Blazer because it’s returning to the market after a 14-year hiatus. Ohio Rep. Tim Ryan (D-OH-13), who represents the Lordstown area, called the move “a slap in the face for American workers.” “In the wake of GM closing five plants across…

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Ohio Senate Passes Bill to Outlaw Practice of Dumping Aborted Fetal Remains in Public Landfills

Anthony Gockowski

The Ohio Senate passed a bill Wednesday that would require abortion providers in the state to either cremate or bury the fetal remains from an abortion rather than sending them to public landfills, which is the current practice. Senate Bill 27 was sponsored by State Sen. Joe Uecker (R-Miami Township) and passed in a 24-7 vote. “Final disposition of fetal remains from a surgical abortion at an abortion facility shall be by cremation or interment,” the bill states. Additionally, it would give women who have abortions the right to decide “whether the final disposition will be by cremation or interment,” as well as the “location for the final disposition.” “An abortion facility shall develop and maintain a written list of locations at which it provides or arranges for the final disposition of fetal remains from surgical abortions,” the bill adds. After its passage, Uecker said the bill “takes steps to help protect the dignity of babies whose lives ended too soon as a result of abortion.” “Sending dead babies to be cold-heartedly discarded into landfills further demonstrates the total lack of respect for the sanctity of human life that is shown,” he continued. “I also hope to see the recently…

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Ohio Attorney General Opposes Scrapping All of Obamacare, Breaking With President Trump

Andrew Shirley

Ohio Republican Attorney General Dave Yost announced Wednesday he would oppose President Donald Trump’s plan to completely repeal the Affordable Care Act (ACA), better known as Obamacare. On December 14, 2018, shortly before the 2019 open enrollment period ended, a contentious and controversial case was finally ruled on by the U.S. Supreme Court. Texas v. Azar challenged that the entire Affordable Care Act was unconstitutional. The case noted that the Supreme Court previously ruled “the Individual Mandate was unconstitutional under the Interstate Commerce Clause but could fairly be read as an exercise of Congress’ Tax Power because it triggered a tax.” However, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act “eliminated that tax,” and “thus compels the conclusion that the Individual Mandate may no longer be upheld under the Tax Power.” “And because the Individual Mandate continues to mandate the purchase of health insurance, it remains unsustainable under the Interstate Commerce Clause—as the Supreme Court already held,” the case added. Based on this, Texas Federal District Court Judge Reed O’Connor made three conclusions: First, the Court finds the Parties satisfy the applicable standing requirements. Second, the Court finds the Individual Mandate can no longer be fairly read as an exercise of Congress’s Tax Power and is…

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Vanderbilt Should Hire Drew Maddux for Basketball Coach

Scott Wallace

Former Commodore star calls this his dream job. For years, Vanderbilt University has been one of the toughest places to play for opposing teams. Their arena, Memorial Gym is the most unorthodox venues in college basketball in the country. Opposing coaches must get used to their bench being behind a basket instead of on the sidelines. Also, the floor is elevated so the game looks like a Broadway production. Through the years, Vanderbilt teams have enjoyed beating top teams because of their advantage. “Memorial Magic” has been witnessed many times on West End. Recently, Vanderbilt fired their head men’s basketball coach Bryce Drew. Drew came in as an up and coming coach from a mid-major program in Indiana, Valparaiso University. At his opening press conference, Drew discussed coaching a Vanderbilt team to a Final Four. Three years later, the Commodores are looking for a new coach. National names have been rumored to be front runners for the job. Former Georgetown University coach John Thompson III, University of Central Florida coach Johnny Dawkins, Murray State University head coach Matt McMahon and Lipscomb University’s head coach Casey Alexander to name a few have been discussed. All have great resumes, but they all…

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Minnesota Democrats Introduce $53 Million Omnibus Bill to Tackle Climate Change

Anthony Gockowski

Minnesota House Democrats on the Energy and Climate Finance and Policy Committee unveiled a $53 million omnibus bill this week to tackle climate change in the state. According to a House press release, the omnibus package incorporates elements of 16 different bills that have been introduced this session and is sponsored by Rep. Jean Wagenius (DFL-Minneapolis), chair of the committee. While introducing her bill, Wagenius claimed that research from the U.N. shows that “the world only has the next dozens years to sharply reduce carbon dioxide emissions to head off the most catastrophic impacts of climate change.” “The bill before you is a down payment on an effort to give young Minnesotans the kind of future they want and we want for them,” she said. “Dr. Mark Seeley said that Minnesota has experienced the most profound changes in the country due to climate change. He said the pace of change is unprecedented and well documented by science, and he said he could not overstate the problem.” A new $16 million “Solar for Schools” program would receive the most funding from the $53 million bill. The program, initially proposed in a bill sponsored by Rep. Patty Acomb (DFL-Minnetonka), would provide grants…

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Nashville Mayor Briley Announces Desire to Seize Control of School Board Operations Over Its Handling of Superintendent Joseph

Jason M. Reynolds

Nashville Mayor David Briley says he plans to effectively seize control of the school board and lambasted board members who are trying to remove embattled Superintendent Dr. Shawn Joseph, Fox 17 said. Briley then turned his ire to the Metro Nashville School Board, saying he “will use all my legal authority to influence the school board functions from this day forward.” … Dr. Joseph has previously stated he will not seek to extend his contract when it expires in 2020. Mayor Briley said he plans to be involved in the search for a new director as well as how the school board handles operations and finances. According to NewsChannel 5, Briley called school board members racist but tried to deny it. “Some of our school board members have not acknowledged why their actions are seen through a racial lens. They’ve failed to acknowledge the legacy of racism and the legacy of systemic racism in Nashville, the legacy of inequality that this city is still trying to overcome today,” he said. Briley went on to say that he’s not calling anyone “a racist” and added he knows most people in leadership have “good intentions” and “good hearts.” Metro Nashville Schools have…

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