Day: April 14, 2019

Davidson County Woman Must Repay TennCare in Fraud Plea Deal

Chris Butler

A Davidson County woman is ordered to repay the state after she entered a plea agreement on charges involving TennCare fraud. This, according to a press release from the Tennessee Department of Finance and Administration. The Office of Inspector General this week announced that 38-year old Heather Ann Pitts of Nashville pleaded guilty to charges stemming from allegedly claiming a minor child as a dependent in order to qualify for healthcare insurance benefits through TennCare. Without a child as a dependent, she would not have been eligible for the program. She pleaded guilty to TennCare fraud, theft of services over $10,000 and theft of services over $60,000. In exchange for the plea, Pitts is ordered to pay TennCare $18,000.00 in restitution and she received three consecutive sentences of 11 months and 29 days of supervised probation, according to the press release. “Providing false information in order to receive TennCare benefits is a crime,” Inspector General Kim Harmon said in the press release. “The Office of Inspector General works diligently to preserve the integrity of TennCare benefits, so that those truly deserving of and eligible for TennCare have the best resources.” TennCare fraud is now a class D felony punishable by…

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Commentary: Once Again, a Liberal Activist Judge Is Halting a Sensible Immigration Policy

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If you look up the phrase “activist judge” in the liberal lexicon, one of the names that will no doubt appear at the top of the list is Richard Seeborg, a federal district court judge in San Francisco appointed by President Barack Obama. Earlier this month, Seeborg issued a nationwide preliminary injunction against the Trump administration’s sensible asylum policy. This isn’t Seeborg’s first act of judicial activism: he is also the judge who issued a similar injunction against reinstating a citizenship question on the U.S. Census based on the claim that to do so would violate the Constitution. That case is now before the U.S. Supreme Court. When it comes to judge shopping, it is no wonder liberal advocacy groups keep going to his courtroom. The Trump administration is now fighting Seeborg: A few days after the injunction, the Justice Department appealed to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals and filed an emergency motion asking for a stay of Judge Seeborg’s order pending the appeal. Seeborg’s Argument In Innovation Law Lab v. Nielsen, Seeborg held that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) cannot enforce its “Migrant Protection Protocols” (MPP). The Protocols say that non-Mexican asylum seekers – with certain exceptions…

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917 Society Honors Supporters in Nashville this Week

Chris Butler

NASHVILLE — Members of the 917 Society held a luncheon at the Cordell Hull Building in Nashville this week to honor and recognize supporters. As reported, the 917 Society exists to help improve constitutional literacy among Tennessee eighth graders. And because of the 917 Society, every eighth-grader in Tennessee gets a copy of the U.S. Constitution. At their luncheon last week, in the Cordell Hull Building, members recognized, among many others, State Sen. Joey Hensley, R-Hohenwald, State Sen. Ed Jackson, R-Jackson, State Rep. Terri Lynn Weaver, R-Lancaster, and State Sen. Dawn White, R-Murfreesboro. Meanwhile, State Sen. Kerry Roberts, R-Springfield, presented a 917 Society Founders Club Award to State Sen. Janice Bowling, R-Tullahoma. Members of the group also recognized Angie McClanahan, an eighth-grade teacher at Whitmore Middle School in Columbia. “Your generous gifts have made it possible for my eighth-graders to have their own copies of the Constitution,” McClanahan told the crowd. “Our kids don’t have a workbook or a textbook to take home with them. I actually have children who say ‘You mean we get to keep this. One child even said ‘It’s like having knowledge in your pocket.’” Joni Bryan launched the 917 Society just a few years ago.…

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Roger Stone Asks Judge to Dismiss Case, Wants Unredacted Copy of Mueller Report

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by Chuck Ross   Roger Stone is calling on a federal judge to dismiss charges against him stemming from special counsel Robert Mueller’s Russia probe, while also demanding an unredacted copy of the final report. Stone’s lawyers made the demands in a flurry of court motions filed on Friday, days ahead of the expected release of a redacted copy of Mueller’s report. “Only by reviewing the full, unredacted Mueller Report can Roger Stone be assured of his rights to due process, to compulsory process, to know the exculpatory evidence, to determine whether or not he is being selectively prosecuted,” Stone’s lawyers said. “The Special Counsel Report may be of political interest to many. It may be of commercial interest to others. It may be of public interest to some. But for Roger Stone, the Special Counsel’s Report is a matter of protecting his liberty.” Stone, a longtime confidant of President Trump’s, was indicted on Jan. 24 on seven counts, all related to the House Intelligence Committee’s Russia probe. Stone is accused of making false statements about communications with associates and the Trump campaign regarding WikiLeaks. He is also accused of obstructing the committee’s investigation and of witness tampering. Stone’s indictment…

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Lamar Alexander Wants More Tax Credits for Electric Cars, Despite Opposition from Donald Trump

Chris Butler

U.S. Republican Sen. Lamar Alexander of Tennessee is co-sponsoring a bill that would extend tax credits for electric car manufacturers, according to Green Car Reports. This, despite Republican U.S. President Donald Trump wanting to do away with them. As The Tennessee Star reported in February, research shows manufacturers of electric cars wouldn’t make a tidy profit in a pure free market system because, at least right now, there isn’t enough demand for that product. So that’s why government gets involved. According to Green Car Reports, this legislation has many sponsors, Republican and Democrat. “The Driving America Forward Act counts among its key sponsors Michigan Democrats Debbie Stabenow and Gary Peters, Tennessee establishment-Republican Lamar Alexander and Maine Republican-centrist Susan Collins. Michigan Democratic Rep. Dan Kildee signaled his support in the House as well. Automakers including General Motors, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, Tesla, Honda, Toyota, Ford, Nissan, and Volkswagen have supported the effort,” according to the website. “Unlike partisan Democratic proposals that would simply extend the tax credit for 10 years for all automakers, before ending them abruptly, the Driving America Forward Act would boost all automakers’ available credits from 200,000 (which Tesla and GM have already surpassed) to 600,000, but lower the…

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Commentary: Game of Thrones Might Be the Greatest Advertisement for Capitalism Ever Written

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by Barry Brownstein   Consider these numbers. The final season of Game of Thrones cost about $100 million to film. In 1300, the entire medieval English real GDP was only 40 million English pounds. Game of Thrones doesn’t hide the desperate poverty of common people living in a fantasy version of medieval times. We see rulers indifferent to the filth, disease, and starvation endured by the average individual. Citizens are treated as objects put on earth to better the lives of their rulers. Game of Thrones could be the greatest advertisement ever written for capitalism. For the curious, an obvious question is, How did we progress from the poverty of Westeros to modern society? Redistribution of Wealth Game of Thrones poses a few answers to that question. Thrones is mostly about conquest and the redistribution of wealth, not the creation of wealth. Sadly, that is what modern politics has become. Politicians battle over how to legally steal from one group to benefit government and those they favor. The end of grinding poverty didn’t occur when a medieval version of “Bernie Sanders” redistributed wealth from the rich to the poor. What, then, has improved the lives of billions since medieval times?…

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Kim Says He’s Open to Third Summit With Trump

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North Korean leader Kim Jong Un says he will give the U.S. until the end of the year to make a “courageous decision” on stalled nuclear talks, warning of “very bleak and very dangerous” consequences if Washington does not change its approach. Speaking to a session of North Korea’s rubber-stamp parliament, Kim also said he is open to meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump “one more time,” but only if the U.S. changes its attitude, according to North Korean state media. President Trump responded Saturday morning via Twitter. “I agree with Kim Jong Un of North Korea that our personal relationship remains very good, perhaps the term excellent would be even more accurate, and that a third Summit would be good in that we fully understand where we each stand. North Korea has tremendous potential for extraordinary growth, economic success and riches under the leadership of Chairman Kim. I look forward to the day, which could be soon, when Nuclear Weapons and Sanctions can be removed, and then watching North Korea become one of the most successful nations of the World!” Trump this week said he is considering another meeting with Kim, but insisted the U.S. will not relax sanctions…

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Dan Crenshaw Scolds Omar and Ocasio-Cortez for Their ‘Dishonest Attack’: ‘I’m The Guy Who Went Overseas’ After 9/11

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by Molly Prince   Republican Texas Rep. Dan Crenshaw responded to Democratic Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York and Ilhan Omar of Minnesota on Friday after the duo criticized him for taking offense to Omar’s description of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. “It’s terrorists who killed almost 3,000 Americans, we should talk about it that way,” Crenshaw told NBC News. “We should talk about it with deference.” Omar delivered the keynote speech at a fundraiser for the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) on March 23, where she was recorded describing the Sept. 11 attacks as merely an event where “some people did something.” After the Crenshaw replied that it is “unbelievable” that a member of Congress would describe “terrorists who killed thousands of Americans” in such a manner, Omar called on leaders of both parties to join her in “condemning” Crenshaw’s “dangerous incitement.” “All Rep. Omar had to do was … explain herself,” Crenshaw said. “Say whatever she wants. Say she didn’t mean it … diffuse the situation, but don’t double down, alright? Don’t play the victim card and don’t start making accusations of me — I just think that was uncalled for.” Ocasio-Cortez immediately came to Omar’s defense and accused…

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Wilson County Residents Reportedly Want to Know When Yearly Vehicle Emissions Tests Will Stop

Chris Butler

Wilson County residents are wondering when they can finally stop paying for yearly vehicle emissions tests, according to this week’s Lebanon Democrat. State Rep. Clark Boyd, R-Lebanon, reportedly said his constituents ask about that all the time. “One of the most common questions that I get from constituents in Wilson County is about the timeline for ending the vehicle emissions testing,” the paper quoted Boyd as saying. “Although we moved quickly last year to pass legislation at the state level, we are now discovering that the wheels of bureaucracy move somewhat slower as we wait on the various stages before going to the federal government for final approval.” Boyd co-sponsored a bill, which former Republican Gov. Bill Haslam signed into law, to end vehicle emissions testing if the Environmental Protection Agency approved. “Although all 95 counties have reached attainment status related to ozone, the state must maintain air quality and demonstrate to the EPA that elimination of the testing program will not interfere with the National Ambient Air Quality Standards,” according to The Lebanon Democrat. “Currently, the Tennessee Department of Environment & Conservation is finalizing its analysis of whether the elimination of testing will interfere with NAAQS. Once the phase…

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Notoriously Liberal Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals Sides With Trump on Immigration

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by Kevin Daley   The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals temporarily lifted an order suspending the Migrant Protection Protocols (MPP), a Trump administration policy that requires Central American asylum-seekers to remain in Mexico before their appearance in immigration court. Though the Friday evening stay is not indicative of the government’s future prospects in this case, it was a rare victory for an administration that has often struggled before the left-leaning court. “Finally, great news at the border!” President Donald Trump tweeted Friday night. Former Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen began implementing the MPP in December 2018 following negotiations with the Mexican government. The government claimed the program was authorized by a provision of federal law allowing the attorney general to return aliens arriving from neighboring countries. The provision provides: “In the case of an alien…who is arriving on land from a foreign territory contiguous to the United States, the attorney general may return the alien to that territory,” pending further proceedings before an immigration judge. A coalition of immigrant advocacy groups sued, arguing the MPP deprives migrants of “a meaningful opportunity to seek asylum” since they are returned to violent areas without resources to fully prepare their case. U.S.…

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US House Panel Chairman Gives IRS April 23 Deadline on Trump Taxes

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The Democratic chairman of the U.S. House Ways and Means Committee on Saturday set a new April 23 deadline for the Internal Revenue Service to comply with his request for six years of President Donald Trump’s personal and business tax returns. In a letter to IRS Commissioner Charles Rettig, Ways and Means Chairman Richard Neal said the tax agency’s failure to comply with the new deadline would be interpreted as a denial of his request. The Trump administration has already failed to comply with an earlier April 10 deadline set by Neal. Democrats want to review Trump’s taxes as part of their investigations into possible conflicts of interest posted by his continued ownership of extensive business interests, even as he serves the public as president. Trump broke with a decades-old precedent by refusing to release his returns as a presidential candidate in 2016 and continues to do so as president, saying his tax returns are under IRS audit. Neal, a Massachusetts Democrat, is the only House lawmaker authorized to request taxpayer data from the Treasury, which oversees the IRS. The law says simply that the Treasury “shall furnish” such data when requested. But the White House has said the documents…

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Federal Judge Compares Trump to George Wallace and the KKK in Stunning Speech

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by Kevin Daley   A federal trial judge delivered a stunning rebuke of President Donald Trump on Thursday, comparing the president’s “assault on our judiciary” to the Ku Klux Klan and segregationist George Wallace. U.S. District Judge Carlton Wayne Reeves of the federal trial court in southern Mississippi launched those broadsides during remarks at University of Virginia Law School, where he was accepting the Thomas Jefferson Foundation Medal. “When politicians attack courts as ‘dangerous,’ ‘political,’ and guilty of ‘egregious overreach,’ you can hear the Klan’s lawyers, assailing officers of the court across the South,” Reeves said. “When the executive branch calls our courts and their work ‘stupid,’ ‘horrible,’ ‘ridiculous,’ ‘incompetent,’ ‘a laughingstock,’ and a ‘complete and total disgrace,’ you can hear the slurs and threats of executives like George Wallace echoing into the present,” the judge added. Reeves took particular exception to the president’s remarks respecting Judge Gonzalo Curiel, who presided over a civil fraud action against the now-defunct Trump University. The president called Curiel “biased” and “a hater,” and suggested the judge should be conflicted out of the case because of his hawkish immigration positions. Curiel is of Mexican descent. “I know what I heard when a federal judge…

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Cincinnati Mayor Silent on Trump’s Latest Sanctuary City Proposal

Anthony Gockowski

Cincinnati is one of two self-declared sanctuary municipalities in Ohio, but its mayor has been silent thus far on President Donald Trump’s latest immigration proposal. The Washington Post reported last week that Trump was reconsidering a plan to place migrants in sanctuary cities, such as Cincinnati and Franklin County. Trump later confirmed the report on Twitter Friday morning. “Due to the fact that Democrats are unwilling to change our very dangerous immigration laws, we are indeed, as reported, giving strong consideration to placing illegal immigrants in sanctuary cities,” Trump said. “Only the radical left always seems to have an open borders, open arms policy—so this should make them very happy.” But when The Cincinnati Enquirer called Mayor John Cranley’s office for comment on how the city would respond to Trump’s proposal, he didn’t respond, nor has he released any public statements on the matter. Cranley first declared Cincinnati a sanctuary city in 2017, and said it was something he would wear as a “badge of honor.” According to The Enquirer, Cincinnati and Franklin County are the only sanctuary cities in Ohio, Kentucky, and Indiana. Julie LeMaster, executive director of the Ohio-based Immigration and Refugee Law Center, called Trump’s proposal a…

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New Ohio Bill Proposed to Overhaul Controversial ‘State Takeover’ of Local Public Schools

Andrew Shirley

A new Republican-backed bill is being considered that would dramatically undo a major and controversial education initiative that was supported and signed by former Gov. John Kasich. In 2015, Ohio was facing an epidemic of failing schools. An Ohio Department of Education report for 2014-2015 found that only six of the 607 school districts received an “A rating,” while the majority averaged a “C.” In response to this growing epidemic, Kasich backed a controversial solution. The “Youngstown Plan,” as it’s called, established a system by which any school that receives consistently failing grades would immediately be taken over by a five-person “Academic Distress Commission.” This commission then appoints a “CEO,” who has “complete operational, managerial and instructional control of the district.” This authority includes the ability to hire or fire individuals at will, close schools and allocate funds. On June 24, 2015, House Bill 70 (HB 70) was rewritten, introduced, and passed by both the House and Senate in one day. It was signed later that year. At the time of its passage, a Kasich spokesperson stated the governor’s feelings: Gov. Kasich had been vocal about the need to improve the Youngstown School system in light of the fact that they had been failing for nearly 10…

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Christian Employers Alliance to Launch First State Chapter in Ohio

Anthony Gockowski

  The Christian Employers Alliance (CEA) announced Saturday that it will launch its first state-level chapter in Ohio after a kick-off event scheduled for May 6. The organization was founded when the Little Sisters of the Poor and other religious organizations were forced to defend their freedom of faith and conscience against the Obama-era Department of Health & Human Services (HHS). In the wake of the years-long court battle, a national network of business owners launched the Christian Employers Alliance, a national network of “Christian business owners who are committed to running their businesses in line with their faith, serving their hopeful worldview in word and deed.” On Saturday, the organization announced that it would be starting a state chapter in Ohio and holding a kick-off event on May 6, which will feature several prominent speakers, including Ohio Rep. Warren Davidson (R-OH-08) and Citizens for Community Values President Aaron Baer. “Christian business owners face unique and increasing challenges in America today,” the group said in a press release. “Christian business owners in Ohio are coming together to launch CEA’s first state chapter.” According to the press release, the organization will help business owners “connect with other Christian business owners throughout…

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Minnesota Politicians Come to Omar’s Defense After Trump Tweet

Anthony Gockowski

Innumerable politicians and commentators came to Rep. Ilhan Omar’s (D-MN-05) defense Saturday morning after President Donald Trump tweeted out a video of her controversial remarks at a recent CAIR fundraiser. As The Minnesota Sun reported, Omar delivered the keynote address at CAIR’s March fundraiser in Los Angeles, and faced criticism last week after video from the event showed her describing the 9/11 terror attacks as “some people did something.” On Friday, Trump tweeted a video of Omar’s remarks that was spliced together with footage from the attacks, captioning his tweet with “we will never forget.” WE WILL NEVER FORGET! pic.twitter.com/VxrGFRFeJM — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 12, 2019 By Saturday morning, Omar was trending on Twitter along with the hashtag “IStandWithIlhanOmar.” “The video that Donald Trump posted is dangerous, reckless, and I would say criminal,” DFL Chairman Ken Martin said. “For a president to target Ilhan, a member of Congress, is abhorrent to the values of our democracy. No member of congress should have to fear for their safety and his actions cross the line.” The video that @realdonaldtrump posted is dangerous, reckless & I would say criminal. For a President to target @Ilhan, a member of congress, is abhorrent…

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Graceland Reportedly Recipient of ‘Ridiculous Corporate Welfare’

Chris Butler

Graceland in Memphis is a part of “one of the most ridiculous corporate welfare deals in quite some time,” according to Slate.com. As many news outlets reported this past week, the people who oversee Graceland threatened to disassemble the mansion and relocate it to Nashville or even Asia if they didn’t get their way on corporate welfare. Graceland, of course, was the home of entertainer Elvis Presley for nearly 20 years. According to Slate.com, city officials and Graceland personnel have a preliminary agreement whereupon Graceland gets a bigger cut out of city and county property and sales tax revenues for a new expansion project. “So why, you might ask, is a city that regularly ranks among the nation’s poorest giving several hundred million dollars in tax breaks to a long-dead rock star’s house museum where the cheapest ticket costs $41?” asked Henry Grabar, writing for the website. “The company and the city came to a preliminary agreement in February that approves those plans and dedicates even more tax revenue to the Graceland master plan, which the company claims will involve $100 million in investment, and includes an agreement to grant $150,000 a year in local community groups for five years.”…

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