Day: April 10, 2019

Bill to Rein in Tennessee School Boards Association May Get New Life

Chris Butler

Wednesday afternoon, members of a Tennessee House Education Committee may revive a bill designed to rein in the Tennessee School Boards Association and its alleged financial abuses, according to a source. More than 90 percent of the TSBA’s $2.2 million revenue in 2016 came from Tennessee taxpayers through dues and no-bid contracts from local school districts. Members of the TSBA, however, won’t abide by the state’s open records laws. They have also shown the public little to no transparency in how they spend money. The most recent information available is three years old. State Rep. Andy Holt, R-Dresden, sponsors the bill, HB 1276. According to the Tennessee General Assembly’s website, the bill would require that local school system personnel post their adopted school budget on the school board’s website before the start of each new school year. That bill failed in an Education Administration Subcommittee last week, according to the General Assembly’s website. But a source told The Tennessee Star Wednesday morning that efforts are afoot to recall that bill today. Exactly 50 percent of the full committee members must agree to recall it. If that happens then committee members will hear the bill again for an up or down…

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State Senate Committee Votes to Send the ‘Heartbeat Bill’ to Summer Study

Laura Baigert

NASHVILLE, Tennessee – The State Senate Judiciary Committee voted on Tuesday to send the heartbeat bill, which would ban abortions in the state of Tennessee after a fetal heartbeat is detected, to summer study. After hearing about an hour and half of testimony and questions and answers from expert witnesses, Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Mike Bell (R-Riceville) made the unusual move to make a motion to send the bill to summer study which passed by a vote of 5 Ayes, 3 Noes and 1 Pass. Even for the late hour that the meeting went to – after 7 p.m. – there were still more than two dozen people in the audience, primarily pro-life supporters. The move appeared to take pro-life committee members, testifying witnesses and those in the audience by complete surprise. After meeting for nearly three hours on other bills, Senator Mark Pody (R-Lebanon) came to the podium to present the Heartbeat Bill under SB 1236. In introducing SB 1236 bill, Sen. Pody said that in the nine years he had been in the legislature, “This is probably the most important piece of legislation I’ve brought this far.” To demonstrate the gravity of the situation, Sen. Pody listed the…

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Commentary: Same People Behind Iraq War Lies Pushed Russian Collusion

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by Julie Kelly   For more than two years they misled us. Exploiting fear and confusion after a shocking event, they warned that our country was in imminent danger at the hands of a mad man. They insisted that legitimate intelligence, including a CIA report issued a month before a national election and a dossier produced by reliable sources in the United Kingdom, proved the threat was real. The subject monopolized discussions on Capitol Hill, in the White House, and in the press. They argued that the situation was so dire that it was straining our relationship with strategic allies. Any evidence to the contrary was readily dismissed. And anyone who questioned their agenda was ridiculed as a coward, a dupe, or a conspiracy theorist. The news media dedicated endless air time and column inches to anyone who wanted to repeat the falsehood. But an investigative report released two years after the propaganda campaign began found no evidence to support their central claim. The CIA report was highly flawed. The official dossier, some concluded, was deceptive and “sexed-up.” No, I’m not referring here to the Trump-Russia collusion hoax, although the similarities are nearly identical. I’m talking about the period between…

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Special Interests in Auctioneering World Want to Use Tennessee Government to Regulate Their Competitors, Experts Say

Chris Butler

Members of the Tennessee General Assembly will likely pass a bill into law that would require certain types of online auctioneers in the state to get a license to do business, said a state legislator. That man, State Rep. Martin Daniel, R-Knoxville, and others told The Tennessee Star this week that legislators are acting at the behest of special interest groups and other lobbyists. These groups compete with online auctioneers and want the government to either regulate their rivals or possibly snuff them out of business outright, said Daniel and other experts, including a Tennessee-based online auctioneer. “This thing got out of committee, so I would assume the chances (of it passing into law) are pretty good,” Daniel said. “As far as the special interest groups are concerned, online auctioneers are diminishing their business and their very lives.” Meanwhile, online auctioneer Will McLemore told The Star those special interest groups include the Tennessee Auctioneers Association. Members of the Tennessee Auctioneers Association did not return our repeated requests for comment Tuesday. According to that group’s website, members of the group represent auctioneering interests throughout the state. McLemore said members of the group have tried hard to get the state government to…

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US Senators Introduce Social Media Bill to Ban ‘Dark Patterns’ Tricks

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Two U.S. senators introduced a bill on Tuesday to ban online social media companies like Facebook Inc. and Twitter Inc. from tricking consumers into giving up their personal data. The bill from Mark Warner, a Democrat, and Deb Fischer, a Republican, would also ban online platforms with more than 100 million monthly active users from designing addicting games or other websites for children under age 13. The bill takes aim at practices that online platforms use to mislead people into giving personal data to companies or otherwise trick them. The so-called “dark patterns” were developed using behavioral psychology. “Misleading prompts to just click the ‘OK’ button can often transfer your contacts, messages, browsing activity, photos, or location information without you even realizing it,” Fischer said in a statement issued by both senators. Restrictions on how social media companies collect information about users could hurt their ability to sell advertisements, a key source of profit. A website aimed at tracking dark patterns identifies behavior, such as a website or app showing that a user has new notifications when they do not. Warner said in an interview on CNBC that the legislation could be included in a federal privacy bill that lawmakers…

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Here Is When the FISA Abuse Investigation Will Be Done

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by Chuck Ross   Attorney General William Barr said Tuesday that an inspector general’s investigation into whether the FBI abused the surveillance court process during the Russia probe will be completed by May or June. Barr also told lawmakers during a House Appropriations Committee hearing that he is reviewing how the FBI handled the counterintelligence investigation of the Trump campaign that began in summer 2016. “The office of the inspector general has a pending investigation of the [Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act] process in the Russia investigation. I expect that that will be complete, probably in May or June, I am told,” said Barr. “More generally, I am reviewing the conduct of the investigation and trying to get my arms around all of the aspects of the counterintelligence investigation that was conducted during the summer of 2016,” he added. Michael Horowitz, the Justice Department’s inspector general, began investigating on March 28, 2018 whether the FBI mislead the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court in applications for FISA warrants against Carter Page, a Trump campaign adviser. The FBI relied heavily on the Democrat-funded Steele dossier to obtain four FISA warrants against Page. The dossier, authored by a former British spy, alleged that Page acted…

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State Rep. Robin Smith on The Tennessee Star Report: Georgia Is Trying to Take Our Water Resources by Moving State Line

Julie Carr

In an interview on The Tennessee Star Report with Steve Gill and Michael Patrick Leahy – broadcast Wednesday on Nashville’s Talk Radio 98.3 and 1510 WLAC weekdays from 5:00 am to 8:00 am – Steve Gill spoke to State Representative of House District Twenty Six Robin Smith about Georgia’s desire to move the border in order to get some of Tennessee’s water. Towards the end of the show, the team discussed with Smith’s recent victory in passing the e-verify bill and how this will lead the way to making sure only legal immigrants are able to work in the state. Gill: Robin Smith is on our news-makers line and a lot of stuff going on. Two big bills we want to get her to update us on. State Representative from the Chattanooga area. The bottom line is Georgia wants our water. Georgia wants to take a mile of our property. And Robin says not only no but hell no. Maybe not in those exact terms. Good morning Robin. Smith: Good morning Steve. Good morning Nashville. I’m fascinated by the fact that Georgia has pretty much put their foot in the ground that their not going to move their historical monuments…

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Trump: US to Put Tariffs on $11B in EU Goods

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President Donald Trump says the United States will impose new tariffs on more than $11 billion worth of exports from the European Union, after the World Trade Organization ruled last year the EU was illegally subsidizing aircraft maker Airbus. The WTO, in a decision last May, ruled the European countries had given $22 billion in state aid to Airbus to help build its A380 and A350 jets, damaging its U.S. rival, Boeing. Trump said Tuesday that since the WTO had ruled that the subsidies had “adversely impacted the United States,” it “will now put Tariffs on $11 Billion of EU products! The EU has taken advantage of the U.S. on trade for many years. It will soon stop!” Trump’s declaration aside, the new list of tariffs would not take effect until after a WTO arbiter rules on the allowable size of the tariff package, a decision not expected for several months. The European Union and the United States have for years disputed each other’s reciprocal subsidies to Airbus and Boeing, long predating Trump’s 27-month presidency. At various times, the WTO has ruled against both. In first announcing the proposed $11.2 billion in U.S. tariffs on European exports on Monday, U.S.…

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Trump Is Preparing to Implement His Toughest Immigration Plan Yet

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by Jason Hopkins   President Donald Trump is preparing to roll out new executive orders to help the government better manage the record influx of illegal immigration at the southern border. The White House is looking to make it more difficult for low-skilled migrants to gain entry into the U.S. while making it easier for high-skilled migrants who are more likely to be self-sufficient, according to sources who spoke with Axios. The administration also wants to make it harder for asylum seekers to claim fear of returning to their home country, and it wants the ability to detain migrant children longer than the current 20-day limit. The proposed changes come after Trump ousted Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen and pulled Ron Vitiello’s nomination to lead Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The president was frustrated with Nielsen’s handling of the immigration crisis at the southern border, and he told reporters he nixed Vitiello’s nomination because he wants to go in a “tougher direction.” “[Vitiello is] a good man,” the president told reporters on Friday. “But we’re going in a tougher direction. We want to go in a tougher direction.” Other immigration overhauls are also under consideration. The president’s aides have reportedly…

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One America News Network’s Neil McCabe Explains Why President Trump Has Said ‘You’re Fired’ So Often This Past Week

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 recent Trump Administration firings and why they didn’t last. Further into the segment the men talked about the leaks coming from the White House and the non-committed holdovers from Obama’s administration that are allegedly sabotaging the Trump agenda. Leahy: We are joined now on the line as we are every Tuesday morning at this time by our very good friend Neil McCabe the Washington correspondent from One America News Network. Welcome Neil! McCabe: How you doing men? We’re all very excited about what’s going on in DC this week. (Leahy laughs) Leahy: Has anyone been fired in the last twelve hours? (Laughing) McCabe: You know I think it’s interesting that in the first few years of a presidential administration, doesn’t matter who it is, there’s a lot of people who get white house jobs because they did a great job on the campaign. Leahy: Hmmhm.. McCabe: And they were sort of like loyal soldiers. And then they…

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Murfreesboro to Spend $150,000 of Taxpayer Money to Fight Homelessness

Chris Butler

Murfreesboro officials will use $150,000 of federal taxpayer money to address homelessness, although, when asked, city officials did not describe their specific goals or how they plan to use this money to get results. City Council members voted this month to use a federal HUD grant to tackle homelessness in the city, according to a press release. The $150,000 in grant funding plus an $11,250 administrative allowance allocation comes from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development through the Tennessee Housing Development Agency. The City of Murfreesboro was one of four jurisdictions in Tennessee eligible to apply, the press release said. City spokesman Mike Browning did not tell The Tennessee Star specifically how city officials plan to use this money to get results. The press release went on to say that on related grant funding, HUD also awarded an $18,503 grant to the city to support the Executive Director of the Housing, Health and Human Services Alliance of Rutherford County in planning initiatives such as coordination of activities and project monitoring. H3ARC, through its member agencies, provides services to homeless individuals or individuals in danger of becoming homeless, the press release said. As The Star reported last year, similar…

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Democratic Congressman Swalwell Joins White House Race

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U.S. Representative Eric Swalwell said on Monday he would seek the Democratic nomination for president, joining a crowded field seeking to take on Republican Donald Trump in the 2020 election. Swalwell, a third-term congressman from a California district south of San Francisco, made the announcement during a taping of CBS’s “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert,” which airs later on Monday. The program tweeted a clip of Swalwell saying he was running for president. Swalwell said tackling student debt and gun violence were among the reasons he jumped into the Democratic primary race. “None of that is going to change until we get a leader who is willing to go big on the issues we take on, be bold in the solutions we offer, and do good in the way that we govern. I’m ready to solve these problems. I’m running for president,” Swalwell said. Swalwell, 38, is now among the youngest candidates vying for the 2020 Democratic nomination, along with Pete Buttigieg, the mayor of South Bend, Indiana, and Representative Tulsi Gabbard from Hawaii, both of whom are 37. Thirty-five is the minimum age to serve as U.S. president. Swalwell cited his work on the House Intelligence Committee and…

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Commentary: The Truth About How Much Americans Are Paying in Taxes

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by Adam Michel   As Americans file their taxes this April, they might be in for a surprise: Most Americans got a tax cut last year. It shouldn’t be a surprise given the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017, but unfortunately, the media have produced a never–ending deluge of misleading or inaccurate reporting on the issue. Last year, The Heritage Foundation studied how the tax cuts would affect Americans in every congressional district across the country. We found that each of the 435 districts got a tax cut and that the average American household paid about $1,400 less in taxes as a result in 2018. Americans with children also benefit from the tax cuts. A married couple filing jointly with two children saw their tax bills fall by an average of $2,917. Depending on how much you make, where you live, and how many kids you have, the numbers can look different. You can check out the average tax cut in every congressional district here. Americans don’t just benefit from the lower taxes. They benefit a second time from higher wages generated by a faster-growing economy. Lower taxes for businesses and individuals help fuel more investment and innovation, which…

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Here’s What Facebook And Google Did Not Discuss During Hearing on White Nationalism

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by Chris White   Google and Facebook executives were grilled Tuesday over their inability to govern white nationalism on their platforms, but they gave few answers about why their algorithms are dinging conservative content. Neil Potts, Facebook’s director of public policy, and Alexandria Walden, counsel for free expression and human rights at Google, spoke to the House Judiciary Committee alongside activists of the Anti-Defamation League, among other groups. House lawmakers asked the two executives about the effectiveness of their artificial intelligence. “That’s why hate speech and violent extremism have no place on YouTube,” Walden said during the House Judiciary Committee, noting what Google is doing to combat white nationalism on its platform. Walden and Potts also noted that their algorithms sometimes have a difficult time fleshing out the difference between legitimate forms of speech and language that is not permitted. “We don’t and we won’t always get it right, but we’ve improved significantly,” Potts added, referring to Facebook’s new stance on nixing white nationalism. He noted that the company is not prohibiting people from expressing their love for country and community, but it does not permit bigotry and hatred. Walden made similar comments. “Hate speech removals can be particularly complex…

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Grassley Sends The White House a Warning on Immigration

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by Jason Hopkins   Iowa Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley warned the Trump administration to end its purge of top immigration officials, arguing that the changes risk destabilizing the Department of Homeland Security. “The president has to have some stability and particularly with the number one issue that he’s made for his campaign, throughout his two and a half years of presidency,” Grassley said Monday during an interview with The Washington Post. “He’s pulling the rug out from the very people that are trying to help him accomplish his goal.” Grassley’s tough comments come after President Donald Trump not only pulled Ron Vitiello’s nomination to permanently lead Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on April 4, but also accepted Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen’s resignation on Sunday. The senior senator from Iowa said he was “very, very concerned” about reports that Lee Francis Cissna, the director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), was next on the chopping block. There is also speculation that John Mitnick, Homeland Security Department’s general counsel, may also be axed. “One, those are good public servants,” he said of the immigration officials. “Secondly, besides the personal connection I have with them and the qualifications they have, they…

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Attorney General William Barr Will Release Mueller Report ‘Within a Week’

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by Chuck Ross   Attorney General William Barr told Congress Tuesday that the process of reviewing the Mueller report is going along “very well” and that he plans to release the document “within a week.” In testimony before the House Appropriations Committee, Barr also dealt a blow to a Democratic talking point regarding a letter he sent to Congress on March 24 laying out special counsel Robert Mueller’s conclusions. Barr told lawmakers that the Justice Department offered Mueller’s team an opportunity to review his letter to Congress but that the special counsel “declined” the offer. “The letter of the 24th, Mr. Mueller’s team did not play a role in drafting that document, although we offered him the opportunity to review it before we sent it out and he declined that,” Barr said. In that letter, Barr said that Mueller did not find evidence of collusion between the Trump campaign and Russian government. “The investigation did not establish that members of the Trump campaign conspired or coordinated with the Russian government in its election interference activities,” Barr’s letter read. He also said that Mueller was unable to make a case that President Donald Trump obstructed justice, but that the special counsel…

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Police Foil Possible Terror Truck Attack Outside Washington

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A man in the U.S. state of Maryland has been arrested for an alleged Islamic State-inspired terror plot to run down pedestrians with a truck. Federal prosecutors are set to argue in a court appearance Tuesday that 28-year-old Rondell Henry should remain in detention pending trial. They said in a court filing ahead of the hearing that there are no conditions under which Henry could be freed and be assured of returning for future court appearances, and that he represents a threat to the community. Prosecutors allege Henry stole a truck from a suburban Washington shopping mall last month and drove around looking for terror targets. After failing to breach security at Dulles International Airport, Henry is accused of driving to the National Harbor in Maryland — a Potomac River walkway lined with shops and restaurants, highly popular with tourists. But in the court filing, the prosecutors say Henry did not find a large enough crowd for his desired act and decided to wait until later. Police arrested Henry the next morning after he climbed out of a docked boat in which he hid all night and jumped over a security fence. The government says Henry planned to drive the…

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Guatemalan Migrant Recruiter: It’s ‘Never Been Easier’ to Get Illegals Into the US

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by Jason Hopkins   Word is spreading among Central Americans that, if one reaches the U.S.-Mexico border with a child and claims asylum, it’s fairly easy to evade deportation. “It’s never been easier for us to get families in,” Germán, a client recruiter for human smugglers, said in an interview with The Guardian. Germán works in Huehuetenango, a Guatemalan district that has experienced the highest rate of migration in the country. “People want to leave, and we help them,” said Germán, 34. “And I happen to make money in the process.” Migrant apprehensions at the U.S.-Mexico border have reached their highest in over a decade, causing what the Trump administration has dubbed an “emergency crisis.” Unlike years prior, the vast majority of the foreign nationals currently trying to get into the country hail from Central America and belong to family units. Originally intended to manage mostly adult, Mexican men traveling alone, the U.S. immigration system has buckled under the weight of Central American families and unaccompanied alien children arriving at the border — many of them actively seeking out border agents and immediately requesting asylum. A major motivation for migrants to make the dangerous trek across Mexico has been the…

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Two Ohio-Based Nuclear Power Plants Will Receive Bailouts Under Legislators’ New Plan

Andrew Shirley

Ohio legislators revealed Monday their latest plan to save Ohio’s only two nuclear power plants from bankruptcy. As previously reported, FirstEnergy Solutions, a subsidiary of FirstEnergy that manages several power stations across the Midwest, announced that it was closing all three of the nuclear plants it owns and operates throughout the region. Two of these plants are located in Ohio, with the third in Shippingport, Pennsylvania. Due to its close proximity to the Ohio border, many of the Pennsylvania plant’s employees hail from the Buckeye State, meaning that the overwhelming majority of the 2,300 employees set to be laid off from all three plants would be native Ohioans. The organization’s subsequent moves sparked national outrage and condemnation from Democrats, Republicans, and environmental groups: Energy companies like FirstEnergy and its subsidiaries are required to keep enough money in reserve to cover the cost of environmental cleanup should it be necessary. When FES filed for bankruptcy, FirstEnergy, the parent company, immediately began filing extensions with the federal government to discuss these requirements. Simultaneously, they met with private creditors to ensure all personal debts were either paid, nullified, or managed. When this was completed, FirstEnergy then decided to “spin-off” FES and act as if they were a wholly independent…

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Jim Jordan Calls Out Democrats for Having No ‘Legislative Initiatives’ Apart from Attacking Trump

Anthony Gockowski

Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH-04) tore into his Democratic colleagues Tuesday for having no “legislative initiatives” apart from attacking President Donald Trump. The comments came during a contentious House Oversight Committee hearing on climate change and its impact on national security. Former Secretary of State John Kerry was called before the committee as a witness, and criticized the Trump administration for the alleged committee it plans to create to study climate change. Kerry called the task force a “council of doubter and deniers,” though Jordan pointed out that it hasn’t even been formed yet. “I’m just asking the fundamental question: how can it be a council of doubters and deniers when it hasn’t even been formed?” Jordan asked. .@JohnKerry calls the President's climate change task force "a council of doubters and deniers." Apparently Mr. Kerry can foretell the future! The task force hasn't even been formed yet! But @OversightDems just spent 4 hours talking about it. pic.twitter.com/6AIX3Tn8It — Rep. Jim Jordan (@Jim_Jordan) April 9, 2019 “Well, it would be,” Kerry responded, to which Jordan jokingly said the former Obama diplomat “can foretell the future.” “You already know who’s on the council and you already know the conclusion they’re going to reach…

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Trump and Omar Exchange Jabs After Minnesota Congresswoman Calls Jewish Adviser a ‘White Nationalist’

Anthony Gockowski

Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN-05) and President Donald Trump are feuding on Twitter again, this time after the Minnesota congresswoman called White House policy adviser Stephen Miller a “white nationalist.” “Stephen Miller is a white nationalist. The fact that he still has influence on policy and political appointments is an outrage,” Omar wrote on Twitter Monday night. Stephen Miller is a white nationalist. The fact that he still has influence on policy and political appointments is an outrage. https://t.co/7NyMDgojd7 — Ilhan Omar (@IlhanMN) April 8, 2019 The comments sparked criticism from Omar’s GOP opponents, who claimed that she was once again targeting Jewish politicians. Trump himself tweeted a video of Jeff Ballabon, a Jewish political strategist and CEO of B2 Strategic, discussing the comments on Fox Business. “What’s completely unacceptable is for Ilhan Omar to yet again target Jews. In this case, it’s not just Stephen Miller, but she’s doing this by declaring a Jew, someone who’s known to be Jewish, a white nationalist. She’s saying, ‘Oh, Jews. You’re not minorities.’ In other words, this is a way of taking away our right to speak out in their culture, in this leftist culture that says only certain kinds of people have…

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Ohio Democratic Catholic Reps Tout Faith in Opposing Heartbeat Bill Before it Clears Committee

Anthony Gockowski

The House version of Ohio’s heartbeat bill passed out of committee Tuesday, but not before a final round of impassioned debate. The House Health Committee heard from four final witnesses, some of whom represented religious organizations opposed to the bill. Gaby Garcia-Vera with Catholics for Choice, for instance, claimed during his testimony that the “majority of Catholics” support abortion. “Catholic teaching reveres individual conscience as the final arbiter in moral decision-making. As Catholics, we are called by our faith to follow our consciences when we make moral decisions about our lives. We also deeply respect the right of others to do the same,” he said. “Catholics support each woman’s ability to make personal choices that are right for herself and her family, including whether to become or remain pregnant, according to her own beliefs and based on her own conscience. Rather than respecting women’s consciences, as our Catholic faith compels us to do, SB 23 would allow politicians to decide whether and when a woman can access abortion care.” Elaina Ramsey, executive director of the Ohio Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice, said during her testimony that the heartbeat bill “does not reflect the values of the majority of Ohioans and…

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Shawn Joseph Pockets $261K Plus $10K in Legal Fees to Exit Metro Nashville Schools

Jason M. Reynolds
Shawn Joseph

Dr. Shawn Joseph is out as Metro Nashville Schools superintendent — and you can take that to the bank, or at least, Joseph can take more than $261,000 to the bank. The school board voted 5-3 Tuesday to buy Joseph’s contract out, according to NewsChannel 5. Board members Dr. Sharon Gentry, Rachel Anne Elrod, Christiane Buggs, Will Pinkston, and Gini Pupo-Walker voted for the buyout. Jill Speering, Amy Frogge, and Fran Bush voted against the deal. Dr. Joseph did not attend the school board meeting, nor did Anna Shepherd, who was out sick. … The buyout would have Joseph earn his normal salary through July 31st, 2019, in addition to being paid for any accumulated vacation time, and potentially sick time. He would then be cut a check for $261,250. The board would also pay for up to $10,000 in attorney fees for Joseph in the defense of his license by the Tennessee State Board of Education. The board has proposed a one-year suspension for failing to reporter teacher misconduct cases. (sic) Joseph last month told the board it needed to discuss terms of his departure, NewsChannel 5 said, even as the station revealed the State Board of Education wanted…

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