Day: April 22, 2019

Rep Steve Cohen of Memphis Wants to Formally Censure Donald Trump

Chris Butler

U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen, D-Memphis, wants to formally censure U.S. Republican President Donald Trump, according to The Memphis Commercial Appeal. This, after federal officials this week released Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s report about alleged Russian interference and alleged collusion with Trump in the 2016 U.S. presidential election, the paper reported. “This illegal, unethical and immoral conduct by Donald Trump and misleading information by Attorney General (William) Barr needs to be sanctioned by our legislative bodies, and the way we can do that is through a censure resolution,” The Commercial Appeal quoted Cohen as saying. “There’s too much there not to see there’s a connection between Trump and Russia that is not healthy for the United States of America.” In his report, Mueller said he could not establish the Trump campaign colluded with the Russian government — but he also said the Russian government would rather have Trump as president instead of his Democratic opponent Hillary Rodham Clinton. Mueller also said he could not conclude whether Trump obstructed justice. “I think it’s pretty clear that what the Mueller report has presented is damning evidence that the president did in fact obstruct justice,” Cohen reportedly said. “The problem with impeachment is the Senate would…

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Tennessee Pastors Network and 162 Pastors Urge Support for Rule 63 Heartbeat Bill Vote

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Tennessee Pastors Network President Dale Walker released a letter at a press conference outside the Senate Chambers Monday afternoon signed by 162 pastors and faith leaders across Tennessee urging Governor Bill Lee and legislative leaders to speak up and support State Senator Mark Pody’s (R-Lebanon) “Rule 63” motion. Walker was joined by Pody, pro-Life Dr. Brent Boles, and Moms for Tennessee founder Cecelia DeSonia at the press conference. The Rule 63 motion is expected to be heard Monday night. If it wins 17 Senate votes the Heartbeat Bill (SB 1236) would be permitted to go to the Senate floor for a full vote. Earlier in the day Pody told the Tennessee Star that he had only secured 8 firm votes for the measure. Pody sought to have the legislation reheard in the Judiciary Committee in order to avoid bypassing the committee process and forcing a floor vote vote under Senate rules. However, Senate leadership has been unwilling to allow the bill to be brought back to life in the Judiciary Committee. In the letter, Walker and his fellow pastors ask that Lee and Legislative leadership recognize that: Leaders across Tennessee are faced with a clear choice to either support or…

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Commentary: Teachers Unions Are Like Overbearing Mothers

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by Daniel Buck   Every year, the union reps make their rounds and talk to every teacher in the district. This year, my building’s representative sat in a student desk across from mine and asked if I had any feedback or thoughts I’d like to share. I summarized my discontent, to which she gave a thoughtful rebuttal. The conversation proceeded as expected – respectful but unfruitful. As she walked out, she apparently could not resist a quip: Since other teachers paid union dues, but I didn’t, she said, perhaps I should consider that I profit at my colleagues’ expense. That jibe is a common refrain in defense of unions. They provide a common good, the argument goes, defending worker rights and bargaining for compensation. Thus, I have an obligation to provide money from my paycheck. Another snide remark directed at me phrased it as “all the benefits I reap from the unions I so disdain.” It’s a deft little guilt-trip that crumbles with the slightest application of pressure. Needing to Be Needed In his book The Four Loves, while discussing familial love, C.S. Lewis provides a fictional anecdote that works to frame a rebuttal to this argument. I am thinking of Mrs. Fidget, who…

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Commission Declares Polk County to Be Gun Sanctuary to Protect Second Amendment Rights

Jason M. Reynolds

Polk County has declared itself to be a sanctuary – not for illegal immigrants, but for law-abiding gun owners. At Thursday evening’s Polk County Commission meeting, the County Commission voted 8-1 to adopt a resolution declaring Polk a gun sanctuary to protect citizens’ Second Amendment rights, according to a story by the Cleveland Daily Banner. The county is the first in the state to do so. The resolution is based on one passed by in neighboring Cherokee County, North Carolina in March. More than 200 counties in nine states have vowed not to enforce new state measures that restrict gun access, and 132  have voted to become gun sanctuaries despite questions of the measure’s constitutionality. [pdf-embedder url=”https://tennesseestar.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/REYNOLDS_Polk-County-Gun.pdf” title=”REYNOLDS_Polk County Gun”]   Polk County Sheriff Steve Ross, who supported the resolution, spoke to Chattanooga’s NewsChannel 9. “The vast majority of America feels that we have a second amendment right to bear arms, and we have a right to protect our family and our homes,” Ross said. “We don’t feel the government has a right to come in and take guns from law abiding people that have done nothing wrong.” The resolution does not protect law-breaking citizens with guns, but instead protects…

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Trump Attorney General Barr Cracks Down on Phony Asylum Seekers

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by CHQ staff   Attorney General William Barr has ruled that some illegal aliens who are about to be deported must be held without bond as their deportation cases play out. According to a Department of Justice decision document released on Tuesday, Barr concluded that illegals who fit certain criteria after applying for asylum will not be eligible for release during the deportation process. The decision reverses a George W. Bush-era ruling dating back to 2005 that allowed bond to be instituted if the deportation subjects could demonstrate a legitimate fear of either persecution or danger should they leave the United States. “An alien who is transferred from expedited removal proceedings to full removal proceedings after establishing a credible fear of persecution or torture is ineligible for release on bond,” Barr wrote. “Such an alien must be detained until his removal proceedings conclude, unless he is granted parole.” “I order that, unless DHS paroles the respondent under section 212(d)(5)(A) of the [The Immigration and Nationality] Act, he must be detained until his removal proceedings conclude,” Barr wrote. Attorney General Barr’s decision has attracted broad support, even from more moderate Republicans, such as New York’s Representative Peter King (NY-2). Attorney General William Barr…

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Commentary: Today’s European Climate Marchers Will Be Tomorrow’s Yellow Vest Protesters

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by Bill Wirtz   For months, young climate marchers have taken over Europe and the US. Now we know what they actually want – and it’s exactly what we thought it would be. Why They March If you’re unfamiliar with the “Youth4Climate” or “Fridays for Future” movement, it’s probably because, despite having existed in the United States since earlier this year, the phenomenon is more widely covered in Europe. Sixteen-year-old Greta Thunberg skips school in protest on Fridays, demanding that politicians do much more to fight against climate change. Reporters have latched on to her appeal, making her the poster child of a (very) young environmentalist generation. For weeks now, newspapers have been inundated with pictures of large protests for climate action, featuring the funniest signs and leading politicians to describe it as inspirational. Up until now, it wasn’t entirely clear what the climate marchers were actually hoping to achieve. For the most part, activists would merely bemoan the fact that politicians and the rich are standing idly by as the planet moves towards its inevitable collapse in 12 years. But with Greta getting closer to the age of 18, when she would officially be allowed to run for parliament…

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Nashville May Reportedly Use Taxpayer Money on NASCAR

Chris Butler

There is talk of using taxpayer money to bring NASCAR to Nashville, according to NobleNashville.com. The website reported this week that Speedway Motors has met with Nashville Mayor David Briley since February of this year to discuss options. “Over the past few months, outrageous proposals have been made such as using $54 million in public taxpayers’ money, and $2 million in cash from the city. Of course, Mayor Briley continues to deny proposals that involve using taxpayers’ money,” NobleNashville.com reported. “This is where we have to ask, is it really worth it? The public and the fair board have no knowledge of the talks between Briley and Speedway Motors. What is known is that the Mayor continues to deny each proposal given to him.” The website went on to say the idea is “horribly expensive and it would be a nuisance to all those living in the area. In the end, it may be best to leave things as they are.” As reported in January, Nashville’s debt continues to climb, so much so it’s at its highest point in 10 years and city officials spent one out of every $10 of taxpayer money to pay off debt the last fiscal…

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Obama-Era Judge Slams the Brakes on Trump Order to Open Fed Lands to Coal Mining

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by Tim Pearce   A federal judge in Montana delayed a Trump administration attempt to open up more federal lands to coal mining Friday, The New York Times reported. U.S. District Court Judge Brian Morris ruled that the Trump administration illegally overturned a moratorium placed on coal mining on federal lands by former President Barack Obama. Obama instituted the policy in 2016 as part of his administration’s environmental agenda to cut coal usage. Morris’s decision states that former Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke did not consider the full environmental effects of overturning the coal mining ban and ordered the Department of the Interior (DOI) to redo and expand environmental studies on the matter. The DOI is looking into the court decision before taking further action, The NYT reported. “Federal Defendants’ decision not to initiate the [National Environmental Policy Act] process proves arbitrary and capricious,” Morris, who was nominated to the federal bench by Obama in 2013, wrote in his decision. The next push to overturn Obama’s moratorium on selling coal mining leases for federal land will fall to Interior Secretary David Bernhardt. Bernhardt took charge of the DOI as acting secretary after Zinke left the department in January. The Senate confirmed Bernhardt’s nomination on April 11. Trump…

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Trump Continues to Hammer Mueller Report as a ‘Total Hit Job’

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President Donald Trump is continuing to lash out at special counsel Robert Mueller’s report, a few days after a redacted version was released to the public, calling it a “total hit job.” “The Trump Haters and Angry Democrats who wrote the Mueller Report were devastated by the No Collusion finding! Nothing but a total “hit job” which should never have been allowed to start in the first place!,” Trump said Sunday, adding in a separate tweet that “Despite No Collusion, No Obstruction, The Radical Left Democrats do not want to go on to Legislate for the good of the people, but only to Investigate and waste time.” The Trump Haters and Angry Democrats who wrote the Mueller Report were devastated by the No Collusion finding! Nothing but a total “hit job” which should never have been allowed to start in the first place! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 21, 2019 The 448-page report outlined the findings of the 22-month probe into Russian interference in the 2016 election and if Trump . Investigators determined no one on Trump’s campaign knowingly conspired with Russia, however they declined to exonerate the president on charges that his actions obstructed justice. The report describes…

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Trial Date Set for President Obama’s White House Counsel Gregory Craig Ensnared in Mueller Probe

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by Kevin Daley   Former White House counsel Gregory Craig (pictured right) will stand trial in a Washington, D.C., federal court Aug. 12 on charges that he made false and misleading statements to the Department of Justice regarding work he performed for a foreign government. U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson set the date in a Friday scheduling order. The order provides that Craig has until May 10 to file a motion to dismiss the charges. Jackson said any changes to the schedule are unlikely. “Given this compressed schedule, which the parties have considered and requested, the court will not be inclined to grant any motions to extend the deadlines set forth above absent exigent circumstances,” Jackson’s order reads. Craig served as the White House’s top lawyer under former President Barack Obama. After leaving the Obama administration, he joined Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom to lead a global policy and litigation group. Skadden Arps worked with former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort on behalf of former Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych beginning in 2012. Manafort and the firm prepared and promoted a report concerning Ukraine’s prosecution of former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko, one of Yanukovych’s domestic political adversaries. The Tymoshenko prosecution…

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Black Hole Photo Confirms Einstein’s Theory of Relativity

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by Kevin Pimbblet   Black holes are long-time superstars of science fiction. But their Hollywood fame is a little strange given that no-one has ever actually seen one – at least, until now. If you needed to see to believe, then thank the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT), which has just produced the first ever direct image of a black hole. This amazing feat required global collaboration to turn the Earth into one giant telescope and image an object thousands of trillions of kilometres away. As stunning and ground-breaking as it is, the EHT project is not just about taking on a challenge. It’s an unprecedented test of whether Einstein’s ideas about the very nature of space and time hold up in extreme circumstances, and looks closer than ever before at the role of black holes in the universe. To cut a long story short: Einstein was right. Capturing the uncapturable A black hole is a region of space whose mass is so large and dense that not even light can escape its gravitational attraction. Against the black backdrop of the inky beyond, capturing one is a near impossible task. But thanks to Stephen Hawking’s groundbreaking work, we know that the colossal…

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Committee on Foreign Investment May Not Be Able to Handle Its Exploding Caseload

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by Riley Walters   The Committee on Foreign Investment in the U.S. is often compared to a black box. Investors may be aware of what it does, but few know what really goes on inside. The nine members of the committee, drawn from various federal agencies, are in charge of reviewing foreign investments to determine whether or not they may pose a threat to U.S. national security. Glimpses of the committee’s activities are largely limited to what’s reported in its annual publications and the occasional breaking news story – such as the recent report that the committee wants Beijing Kunlun Tech Co. Ltd. to sell its dating application, Grindr. It can be difficult to keep up with the committee given limitations on the information that is shared publicly – especially given its obligation to protect investors’ proprietary information as well as information sensitive to U.S. national security. Still, the limited information that becomes available can help inform investors of potential hurdles and costs they may face when seeking the committee’s blessings. [ The liberal Left continue to push their radical agenda against American values. The good news is there is a solution. Find out more ] Over the last few years, the number of…

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DeWine Claims Vaping Isn’t Safer Than Smoking Cigarettes

Anthony Gockowski

Gov. Mike DeWine joined Ohio Department of Health Director Amy Acton Wednesday for a press conference to warn parents against the dangers of vaping. DeWine’s first budget proposal for the 2020-2021 biennium calls for increasing the age to purchase tobacco and vaping products to 21. On Wednesday, DeWine said that e-cigarette marketers “are convincing some people that their product is a safer alternative than smoking, and that’s simply not the case.” “With sleek, fun packaging and flavors like ‘candy crush’ and ‘watermelon wave,’ these products are clearly being marketed to kids. We should work to ensure kids don’t start using e-cigarettes in the first place,” DeWine continued. “It is our duty to warn parents of the risks of e-cigarettes and help families realize the long-term consequences of vaping may be no safer than smoking.” According to DeWine’s office, 350 kids in the United States under the age of 18 become daily smokers, while the rate of e-cigarette use among high-school kids increased from 11.7 percent to 20.8 percent, a 78 percent spike. That means that more than 3 million high-school students have used e-cigarettes in the past month. “We are seeing an explosive increase in vaping among our youth, and…

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FBI Arrests Member of New Mexico Group that Stops Illegal Border Crossers at Border

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Reuters   The FBI on Saturday said it had arrested Larry Hopkins, a member of an armed group of U.S. citizens who have been stopping migrants illegally crossing the U.S.-Mexico border in New Mexico. Hopkins, 69, also known as Johnny Horton, was arrested in Sunland Park, N.M., on a federal complaint charging him with being a felon in possession of firearms and ammunition, the Federal Bureau of Investigation said in a statement. Hopkins had represented himself as the commander of the United Constitutional Patriots (UCP), a volunteer group camped out near Sunland Park since late February. The UCP has posted videos showing its members holding migrants, many of them Central American families with children seeking asylum, until U.S. Border Patrol arrives to arrest them. Migrants’ surrender on video The group drew a complaint from the American Civil Liberties Union, and widespread media attention, after an April 16 video showed a group of around 300 migrants surrendering to the UCP at its camp. New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham on Friday said citizens had no authority to arrest or detain anyone and police and justice officials were looking into the UCP’s activities. Hector Balderas, New Mexico’s attorney general, described Hopkins as…

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Poll Finds Minnesotans Overwhelmingly Oppose 20-Cent Gas Tax Increase

Anthony Gockowski

A new poll released last week by the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce found overwhelming opposition to an increase in the state’s gas tax. The poll, conducted in conjunction with the Minnesota Business Partnership, discovered that nearly two-thirds of voters statewide oppose Gov. Tim Walz’s proposed 20-cent gas tax hike. The results of the poll show that 65 percent of respondents oppose the increase, while 54 percent are “strongly” opposed. Those numbers are even higher for Greater Minnesota respondents. Seventy-five percent of those surveyed in Greater Minnesota oppose a 20-cent increase, and 63 percent said they were strongly opposed. That’s compared to 57 percent of Twin Cities respondents who said they were opposed, while 40 percent in the metro area support the increase. As an alternative, 64 percent of Minnesotans said they are in favor of dedicating the auto parts sales tax to the transportation budget. Minnesota’s gas tax is currently the 24th highest in the country, and was last raised in 2008. A poll from The Star Tribune in October found that 56 percent of Minnesotans actually support a gas tax increase. That poll, however, asked about a 10-cent increase, as opposed to the 20-cent increase mentioned by the Minnesota…

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Ohio’s Unemployment Rate Drops to 4.4 Percent from February to March

Mitch Shirley

Ohio’s state unemployment rate is at an 18 year low even after General Motors closing down its Lordstown factory. The Buckeye state’s unemployment dropped from 4.6 percent in February to 4.4 percent in March. The last time Ohio’s unemployment reached 4.4 percent back was in August of 2001. Despite this decrease in unemployment, Ohio is still behind the national average of 3.8 percent. The 0.2 percent shift from was partly the result of a reduction of 7,000 citizens unemployed, bringing the state unemployment from 265,000 to 258,000 between February and March. This growth is slightly contingent on the state’s strong agricultural and seasonal workforce. Andrew J. Kidd, PhD and economist with The Buckeye Institute, stated in on Friday that “spring has brought a rebirth to job growth in Ohio with 6,200 new private sector jobs, a falling unemployment rate of 4.4 percent, and a growing labor force participation rate of 62.7 percent. All these are positive signs for Ohio’s economy.” With a labor force participation rate of 62.7 percent, Ohio is quickly catching up to the national average of 63 percent. The closing of the General Motors Lordstown factory did some damage, contributing to a drop of 2,400 in manufacturing,…

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Senator Mark Pody Plans to Bring Rule 63 Heartbeat Bill Resolution to the Senate Floor Monday

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State Senator Mark Pody (R-Lebanon) has announced he plans to invoke “Rule 63” Monday night (April 22, 2019) to have the Heartbeat Bill (SB 1236) heard directly on the Senate floor. Pody sought to have the legislation reheard in the Judiciary Committee in order to avoid bypassing the committee process and forcing a floor vote vote under Senate rules. However, Senate leadership has been unwilling to allow the bill to be brought back to life in the Judiciary Committee. The Heartbeat bill has already passed in the full House by a significant margin but has been sent to “summer study” by the Senate Judiciary committee.  “Summer study” is regularly used as a tactic to kill legislation without having legislators expose themselves to criticism and scrutiny for voting against particular legislation. A Tennessee Star/Triton poll indicates that Senators opposing the Heartbeat Bill may face consequences with Republican Primary voters.  In fact, nearly two thirds are less likely to support a candidate who opposes the Heartbeat Bill. While the Senate is refusing to bring the Heartbeat Bill back to life in the Judiciary Committee, the House is reviving another Pro-life bill, the “trigger bill,” in a House committee. Pro-life activists are expected…

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