Month: April 2019

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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Tennessee Officials Who Fight School Vouchers Can’t Use Proper Grammar in Written Communications

Chris Butler

Public school officials in Tennessee who protest school vouchers insist public schools are by far the best option for children, especially versus charter schools or private schools. Yet in their written communications some of them can’t seem to put a proper sentence together. Take Etowah City School Principal Brian Trammell, for instance. Trammell’s email to his teachers and other staff members this month begging them to lobby against school vouchers contained almost a dozen grammatical errors. Examples, with The Tennessee Star’s corrections in parenthesis: • “Yesterday Senate Bill 795(,) the Education Savings Account Bill (the alternative name for Vouchers to make the general public feel good about the Bill) (,) passed the Senate Education Sub-Committee.” • “The response from our Senators and Representatives will be that it will not effect (affect) McMinn County/Etowah City School students and families, but it will.” • “Once (a) pandoras (Pandora’s) box is open, parent groups, such as, (no comma needed) Homeschool parents start suing (comma needed) wanting the same “benefit” in every district in the state.” • “What is being communicated is ‘the folks in favor of this Bill are out numbering (outnumbering) the opposition.” • “If you have time(,) please email Representative Mark Cochran…

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Commentary: End Times for the Collusion Cult?

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by Thaddeus G. McCotter   Long have we dwelt upon how many of those who eschew revealed religion, instead have turned and clung to the left-wing’s regressive “civil religion.” Among these secular believers, one of the fastest growing sects was the Russian Collusion Cult. As with the overarching intellectual fraud, Collusion Cult members derived their benighted world view and unwarranted sense of self-worth from this ideological cesspool; however, unlike the larger practitioners of the civil religion who believe they ultimately would somehow coerce a change in human nature to erect an earthly Eden (a.k.a., “workers’ paradise”), the Collusion Cult had a less ambitious, more immediate Parousia: the impeachment and imprisonment of President Trump. Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s final report was supposed to commence the Collusion Cult’s end times. Trump would be removed from office and frog marched to a federal penitentiary (for violent offenders, not some country club); then, Vice President Mike Pence would be impeached for abetting Trump in his crimes and on general principles (c.f., Mayor Pete); and the first female commander-in-chief, Nancy Pelosi, after taming that pesky Russian runt Vladimir Putin, would regressively govern the country while the slack-jawed corporate left-wing media drooled over the next “The…

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In Wisconsin, School Choice Has Unexpected Benefits

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by Joshua Nelson   Elisha Doerr would not have had an opportunity to attend Wisconsin Lutheran High School, a Milwaukee-based private boarding school, if it weren’t for a school choice program. The school’s excellent curricula and the religious community were valuable to Doerr, 18, who now attends Harvard University and is deciding between majoring in government or computer science. Raised in rural Waupun, Wisconsin, with six younger siblings, Doerr’s choice for a superior education in his hometown appeared limited. His parents, who had homeschooled Elisha, looked at Wisconsin Lutheran High School for its religious affiliation, but they needed financial assistance to send their son there. Elisha Doerr would not have had an opportunity to attend Wisconsin Lutheran High School, a Milwaukee-based private boarding school, if it weren’t for a school choice program. The school’s excellent curricula and the religious community were valuable to Doerr, 18, who now attends Harvard University and is deciding between majoring in government or computer science. Raised in rural Waupun, Wisconsin, with six younger siblings, Doerr’s choice for a superior education in his hometown appeared limited. His parents, who had homeschooled Elisha, looked at Wisconsin Lutheran High School for its religious affiliation, but they needed financial…

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The Financial State of Unions After Janus

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Mark Janus

by Brittany Hunter   The Supreme Court made history last summer in the case of Janus v. American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) reaffirmed an individual’s First Amendment right to freedom of association. In a 5-4 ruling, SCOTUS ruled that labor unions could not force government employees to pay union dues. In the aftermath of Janus, labor unions have been holding their breath waiting to see how this landmark case would impact both their funding and their membership. Now, nearly a year later, reports filed with the US Department of Labor show that two giant public sector unions are reporting major decreases in agency payers, demonstrating just how significant a blow the ruling was to unions. The news should be celebrated as a victory over union intimidation; truly good ideas, after all, do not require force. However, despite the tremendous strides that have been made over the last year, the battle for the right to work has not been won quite yet. Janus and Agency Fees Prior to the Janus case, the courts ruled that government employees could not be forced to join labor unions. They could, however, be forced to pay union agency fees. A fundamental…

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Easter, Eostre, and the Unexpected Origins of Christians’ Celebration of Jesus’ Resurrection

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by Brent Landau   Christians across the globe are celebrating Easter today – the day on which the resurrection of Jesus is said to have taken place. The date of celebration changes from year to year. The reason for this variation is that Easter always falls on the first Sunday after the first full moon following the spring equinox. So, in 2019, Easter will be celebrated on April 21, and on April 12 in 2020. I am a religious studies scholar specializing in early Christianity, and my research shows that this dating of Easter goes back to the complicated origins of this holiday and how it has evolved over the centuries. Easter is quite similar to other major holidays like Christmas and Halloween, which have evolved over the last 200 years or so. In all of these holidays, Christian and non-Christian (pagan) elements have continued to blend together. Easter As A Rite Of Spring Most major holidays have some connection to the changing of seasons. This is especially obvious in the case of Christmas. The New Testament gives no information about what time of year Jesus was born. Many scholars believe, however, that the main reason Jesus’ birth came to…

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Memphis IKEA Reportedly Fails to Live Up to Promises Made to Get Tax Incentives

Chris Butler

Memphis officials gave IKEA nearly $10 million in incentives to set up shop there, but company officials reportedly can’t do what they promised. So, IKEA officials are giving up some of their previously approved 11-year tax abatement, according to The Daily Memphian. IKEA did not hire the number of jobs or pay the level of wages it promised city and county officials in exchange for lesser property tax payments, the website went on to say. “As was indicated in IKEA’s most recent Annual Report to EDGE for the year-ending Dec. 31, 2018, while IKEA met the Capital Investment commitment, it was unable to meet the Job and Wage commitment,” The Daily Memphian quoted attorney Chad Wilgenbusch as saying. “IKEA ended 2018 with 147 employees on site, 28 jobs short of its commitment to bring 175 new jobs to Memphis. Employees were making a median average wage of $36,944 at the end of 2018, $4,067 short of the IKEA’s commitment to pay employees $41,011 without benefits.” According to localmemphis.com, the Economic Development Growth Engine, which awarded the incentives, says “process standards would reduce their 11-year PILOT by a year.” “IKEA was originally awarded a PILOT for 11 years, 10 months for real…

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Tennessee Legislators Reportedly Put off Open Records Law Until Next Year

Chris Butler

Legislators have put off a bill designed to ward off people who supposedly make one too many open records requests, according to the Tennessee Coalition for Open Government. The legislation, Senate Bill 590 and House Bill 626, permits people who work for Tennessee government entities to seek an injunction against anyone who seeks public records requests “in a manner that would cause a reasonable person, including a records custodian or any staff of the public entity in control of the public records, to be seriously abused, intimidated, threatened, or harassed.” “The bills’ sponsors, Rep. William Lamberth, R-Portland, and Sen. Ferrell Haile, R-Gallatin, offered different amendments to their bills before asking to defer committee action until the first calendars of 2020,” according to the TCOG’s website. “Both said they filed the bills at the request of the city of Gallatin who had been overwhelmed by requests to inspect records from one particular public records requester.” As the TCOG went on to say, an amendment made exceptions for journalists and anyone who wanted to gather government information for mass audiences. That activity does not constitute harassment. Government entities would also have to file a report with the state’s Office of Open Records…

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Mike Huckabee Criticizes Romney for Trump Remarks

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by Mary Margaret Olohan   Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee responded to criticisms of President Donald Trump by Republican Utah Sen. Mitt Romney in a tweet Friday. “Know what makes me sick, Mitt?” Huckabee tweeted. “Not how disingenuous you were to take @realDonaldTrump $$ and then 4 yrs later jealously trash him & then love him again when you begged to be Sec of State, but makes me sick that you got GOP nomination and could have been @POTUS.” Know what makes me sick, Mitt? Not how disingenuous you were to take @realDonaldTrump $$ and then 4 yrs later jealously trash him & then love him again when you begged to be Sec of State, but makes me sick that you got GOP nomination and could have been @POTUS https://t.co/dmidOraRGQ — Gov. Mike Huckabee (@GovMikeHuckabee) April 19, 2019 Know what makes me sick, Mitt? Not how disingenuous you were to take @realDonaldTrump $$ and then 4 yrs later jealously trash him & then love him again when you begged to be Sec of State, but makes me sick that you got GOP nomination and could have been @POTUS https://t.co/dmidOraRGQ — Gov. Mike Huckabee (@GovMikeHuckabee) April 19, 2019 Huckabee was responding…

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Elizabeth Warren Is First 2020 Democrat to Call for Impeachment

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Sen. Elizabeth Warren on Friday became the first 2020 Democratic presidential candidate to make a full-throated call for the House of Representatives to begin impeachment proceedings against President Donald Trump after the release of special counsel Robert Mueller’s redacted report. Mueller, who investigated whether Trump’s campaign coordinated with Russia during the 2016 election and whether the president tried to interfere with the inquiry, found no evidence of a conspiracy between Russia and the Trump campaign and offered no verdict on obstruction of justice. Mueller did find, however, that Trump made numerous attempts to interfere with the investigation but was largely foiled by those around him. In a series of tweets, Warren said it would be damaging to “ignore a president’s repeated efforts to obstruct an investigation into his own disloyal behavior” and would give license to future presidents to act in the same way. ‘Constitutional duty’ “The severity of this misconduct demands that elected officials in both parties set aside political considerations and do their constitutional duty. That means the House should initiate impeachment proceedings against the president of the United States,” Warren, a senator from Massachusetts, tweeted. Other 2020 Democratic presidential candidates, while supportive of the idea of impeachment,…

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FBI Investigated Michael Flynn Over Russia Ties Earlier Than Previously Known

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by Chuck Ross   The FBI was investigating Michael Flynn’s possible relationship with the Russian government much earlier than previously known, the special counsel’s report revealed. Flynn, who served as President Donald Trump’s national security adviser, was also under investigation for four separate sets of allegations, says the report, which was released Thursday. It was already known that Flynn was under investigation over phone calls he had with Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak in late December 2016, during the presidential transition period. Flynn pleaded guilty in the special counsel’s investigation on Dec. 1, 2017 for making false statements about those phone calls. But special counsel Robert Mueller’s report reveals for the first time that Flynn was a target of the FBI’s Russia probe before the Kislyak calls. “Previously, the FBI had opened an investigation of Flynn based on his relationship with the Russian government,” reads the report, which cited FBI interviews given by former Justice Department official Mary McCord and former FBI Director James Comey. “Flynn’s contacts with Kislyak became a key component of that investigation,” it said. It is unclear what would have prompted scrutiny of Flynn’s ties to Russia prior to his Kislyak calls. Flynn was reportedly one of…

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Philadelphia’s Soda Tax Already Is Facing Threat of Repeal – from Democrats

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by Jon Miltimore   Philadelphia’s soda tax is barely two years old, but many local lawmakers are saying they’ve seen enough. The hotly debated tax survived a legal battle last year, but the court of public opinion appears to be another matter. Maria Quiñones-Sánchez, a member of Philadelphia’s city council, introduced a bill last month that would phase out and potentially eliminate the soda tax (which includes other sugary drinks such as almond milk, sports water, and some teas). A separate resolution would authorize the Council to hire a consultant to study the tax’s economic impact. “I would be up for a total repeal of it,” Quiñones-Sánchez told The Philadelphia Inquirer. “I’m against a regressive tax. … What the polls are showing is that people aren’t happy with this.” Quiñones-Sánchez is not alone. Her bill enjoys support not just from the Council’s three Republicans but also from three Democrats. All three Democrats, The Inquirer notes, voted in favor of Philadelphia’s soda tax, Mayor Jim Kenney’s signature tax measure. A National Trend? Soda taxes aren’t new. In fact, they’re becoming increasingly popular. More than 40 countries around the world tax sugary drinks. The US has largely bucked this trend. No state…

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Justice Department Seeks 18-Month Prison Sentence for Russian Agent Maria Butina

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by Chuck Ross   The Justice Department recommended an 18-month prison sentence Friday for Maria Butina, a Russian national who prosecutors claim helped the Russian government by reporting back to Moscow on key political figures in the U.S. Prosecutors said in their court filing that Butina “was not a spy in the traditional sense” and is not a trained intelligence officer of the Kremlin. Instead, the government claims that Butina took part in a “spotting and assessing” operation on behalf of the Russian government to identify potential intelligence assets in the U.S. Butina worked with a Russian government official identified as Alexander Torshin to infiltrate conservative groups like the National Rifle Association and to establish contacts with Republican presidential campaigns, according to prosecutors. “Acquiring information valuable to a foreign power does not necessarily involve collecting classified documents or engaging in cloak-and-dagger activities,” prosecutors said in Friday’s filing. “Something as basic as the identification of people who have the ability to influence policy in a foreign power’s favor is extremely attractive to those powers,” it said. “This identification could form the basis of other forms of intelligence operations, or targeting, in the future.” Butina was indicted on July 17, 2018 and…

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Joe Biden Expected to Launch Presidential Campaign Next Week

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Former Vice President Joe Biden is expected to join the crowded 2020 Democratic presidential race next week. The decision answers one of the most significant outstanding questions of the early presidential primary season, which has already seen announcements from 18 high-profile Democrats. Biden, 76, would be the oldest and most experienced politician in the race. His plans were confirmed by three people with knowledge, who insisted on anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly. The announcement is expected as early as Wednesday and would cap months of deliberation over his political future. The specific launch date and location is unclear. Biden is likely to quickly make visits to early-voting states. One person said Biden’s advisers are also considering an early event in Charlottesville, Virginia, the site of a deadly clash between white supremacists and counterprotesters in 2017. The location would be intended to draw a contrast between Biden and President Donald Trump, who initially said there were some “very fine people on both sides” of the violent confrontation. Biden has been particularly outspoken against the rise of white supremacy in the Trump era. One of the most recognizable names in U.S. politics, Biden served as Barack Obama’s two-term…

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Ilhan Omar Joins Freshmen Democrats in Calling for Impeachment

Anthony Gockowski

Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN-05) has joined the chorus of Democrats calling for the impeachment of President Donald Trump in the wake of Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s report being released to the public. “Impeachment is part of our constitutional responsibility,” the freshman Democrat wrote on Twitter this week. “We have an obligation to investigate whether the president committed impeachable offenses, including: obstruction of justice, violating the emoluments clause, collusion, [and] abuse of power.” Impeachment is part of our constitutional responsibility. We have an obligation to investigate whether the President committed impeachable offenses, including: -Obstruction of justice-Violating the Emoluments Clause-Collusion-Abuse of power https://t.co/Sq907gs7eF — Ilhan Omar (@IlhanMN) April 18, 2019 Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI-13) has been calling for Trump’s impeachment ever since she first entered Congress, and introduced a resolution last month that urges the House Judiciary Committee to investigate whether Trump committed any impeachable offenses. “Everything outlined in the Mueller report is further proof of what I’ve been saying for a long time: it’s time to impeach. The first step? The House Judiciary Committee launching an investigation into whether Trump committed impeachable offenses,” Tlaib wrote on Twitter after Mueller’s report was released. Everything outlined in the #MuellerReport is further proof of…

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Federal Judge Blocks Part of Ohio Law Banning Second Trimester Abortion Procedure

Andrew Shirley

A Federal Judge has ruled that portions of an abortion-limiting bill, signed into law late last year, cannot be enforced as the law is written. As previously reported: On December 13, 2018, then-Governor John Kasich signed Senate Bill 145 (SB 145), commonly referred to as a Dismemberment Abortion Ban into law. It is, as reported at the time, “an act that restricts one of the most common methods in which second-trimester abortions are performed.  The Dismemberment Abortion Ban, as the bill is known, restricts doctors from performing procedures in which dismemberment of the fetus occurs. The law also made it a “fourth-degree felony” for a doctor to perform the procedure. Should a doctor do so, they could face up to 18 months in prison and the loss of their license to practice medicine. The procedure can only be performed if the mother’s life is at serious risk or if the doctor causes “fetal demise” before the procedure. In late March, Senior U.S. District Judge Michael Barrett in Cincinnati placed a temporary hold on the bill. This was placed as the result of a lawsuit filed by Planned Parenthood against the bill on the grounds that the law was unconstitutional. “They…

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Task Force Busts Ringleaders of Central Ohio Sex Trafficking Operation

Anthony Gockowski

Attorney General Dave Yost along with law enforcement partners announced Friday that two individuals behind a human sex-trafficking ring in central Ohio were convicted and sentenced. The Central Ohio Human Trafficking Task Force charged Curtis Gossett and Jeffrey Bagley in the bust. The two men led an operation that involved recruiting women from the streets and jails, and drugging them with narcotics to maintain control over them. They trafficked dozens of women for commercial sex in Columbus, according to a press release from Yost’s office. “Women who are sold in the sex trade often think no one will believe them. These convictions are proof positive that there is justice,” Attorney General Yost said. “Our work here is not done.” Gossett received a 13 year sentence while Bagley was handed down a sentence of 10 years. Both will be required to register as sex offenders upon release. “I am very proud of the efforts of the Human Trafficking Task Force,” Columbus Police Deputy Chief Deputy Tim Becker said. “The outcome of this investigation demonstrates the commitment of the Columbus Division of Police to actively support the eradication of trafficking humans in our community and CPD will collaborate with our partners to…

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Tim Ryan Says It Is ‘Intellectually Dishonest’ to Call Obama-Turned-Trump Supporters ‘Racist’

Zachery Schmidt

Ohio’s Rep Tim Ryan (D-OH-13) once again went against traditional Democratic talking points by saying it is “intellectually dishonest” to call 2016 Trump voters “racist.” The Presidential hopeful made these remarks in a recent appeal to people in Iowa who were Obama and Trump supporters, according to the Iowa Gazette. “I think it would be helpful for us to say why did they vote for Trump. They voted for Obama twice. So I think it’s intellectually lazy to say everyone’s a racist,” Ryan said. “There are people who are hurting and hurting economically.” Ohio Representative Tim Ryan (D-OH-13) believes he can win back the Barack Obama voters who voted for Donald Trump in the 2016 presidential election,  according the Gazette. “Trump did well in my district. I did well in my district. I believe I can communicate to a lot of people who voted for Donald Trump that I have a plan that will actually get us home,” Ryan said. “I think communicating with people in Youngstown, Ohio, is not much different than Davenport or Dubuque or Des Moines or Sioux City. These are working-class towns, working-class people. They want to trust you, and they want to know you have a plan.…

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SHOCKER: 150 Tennessee So-Called ‘Faith Leaders’ Tell Governor Bill Lee They Support Unrestricted Abortion Access

Laura Baigert

In a letter addressed to The Honorable Governor Bill Lee, more than 150 self-proclaimed people of faith said they oppose all attempts to criminalize and restrict abortion access. While the correspondence is not dated, it appears by the mention of “HB77 and SB1236” in the letter, that the legislature’s consideration of the Heartbeat Bill was the impetus for the letter. The Heartbeat Bill, HB0077 and SB1236, sponsored by Representative Micah Van Huss (R-Jonesborough) and Senator Mark Pody (R-Lebanon), would ban abortion when a fetal heartbeat is detected by ultrasound, usually at about six weeks after conception. HB0077 passed the state House on March 7 by a vote of 65 Ayes, 21 Nays and 7 Present Not Voting. SB1236 failed to advance in the Senate, when it was deferred to Summer Study by the Judiciary Committee on April 9. As reported by The Tennessee Star, Senate bill sponsor, Mark Pody has filed a request invoking Senate Rule 63 for the bill to be recalled so that it may be reconsidered. The faith leaders’ letter to Governor Lee was published on April 17 by LifeNews.com, an independent news agency devoted to reporting news that affects the pro-life community, according to its website.…

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Tennessee Health Department Confirms Measles Case in East Tennessee

Jason M. Reynolds
"Measles" by Dave Haygarth

The Tennessee Department of Health has confirmed the first 2019 case of measles in East Tennessee. The department said is investigating after the State Public Health Laboratory confirmed a positive test for the illness in a resident of East Tennessee. While the investigation is currently centered in East Tennessee, all Tennesseans should be aware of measles and its symptoms, the Health Department said. These symptoms may include fever, runny nose, body aches, watery eyes and white spots in the mouth. The illness is typically accompanied by a red, spotty rash that begins on the face and spreads over the body. Nearly one in three measles patients will develop ear infections, diarrhea or pneumonia. Measles can be fatal in about one to two out of every 1,000 cases. “Our efforts are focused on preventing the spread of illness to others,” said State Epidemiologist Dr. Tim Jones. The measles virus is highly contagious and can stay airborne or live on surfaces for up to two hours. People recently infected with measles may not have any symptoms of illness, but can transmit the virus for about five days before the typical measles rash appears. “Most people in Tennessee are vaccinated against measles and…

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Bradley County Schools Wants $362 for Simple Open Records Request

Chris Butler

Members of the Bradley County School System will not comply with an open records request unless The Tennessee Star pays them $362.54. This week The Star submitted open records requests to officials at several school districts throughout Tennessee. Specifically, we requested copies of any emails any school principals sent since Jan. 1 of this calendar year that mentioned vouchers, Educations Savings Accounts, or Senate Bill 795. Bradley was one of several county school districts The Star contacted. Members of the Tennessee General Assembly are currently debating the bill. As The Star reported, SB795 is Republican Gov. Bill Lee’s Education Savings Account bill. In an emailed statement, Director of Schools Linda Cash said that by Tennessee law a records custodian may require payment for actual costs incurred in making copies of public records. “It has been determined that the cost to produce the records you requested is estimated at $362.54,” Cash wrote. “This letter should also serve as notification that upon receipt of payment, additional time will be necessary to ensure that any confidential information contained within the requested documents has been removed. The review of the records for confidential information may take at least three days.” [pdf-embedder url=”https://tennesseestar.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/BUTLER_TNStar-records-request-cost-estimate_4-19-19.pdf”] Cash did…

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Commentary: The Lies, Clichés, and Hypocrisy of Bernie Sanders

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by Conrad Black   There is something seriously disconcerting about the sight of the leading declared Democratic presidential candidate, Bernie Sanders, embracing the most imperishable charlatan in American political history, the supposedly reverend Al Sharpton. This most improbable clergyman, although he is only 64, is so worn down by what Dr. Johnson called the “disingenuousness of years,” he now looks like an ambulatory waxwork dummy. He has been exposed countless times for scams, falsehoods, and incitements to violence. Of all prominent African-Americans, only Louis Farrakhan is more odious. Now that Sanders is the front-runner, with the possible exception of Joe (Hamlet) Biden, it is time to start taking a closer look at him. I’ve always been curious why he would have worked for a time on a Stalinist Kibbutz after the 20th Communist Party Congress where Stalin’s infamies and atrocities were publicly denounced by Nikita Khrushchev. Sanders apparently was a renegade Communist as a youth, regarding Khrushchev as a mealy-mouthed compromiser. It was eccentric that he spent his honeymoon in Moscow, but that, I suppose, is the business of no one but the then-newlyweds. Our country has seemed benignly incurious about a man running officially as a socialist with a…

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Commentary: The Left Wants to Stop Census Citizenship Question to Destroy Representative Government

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by Bill Wilson   The rising chorus of the leftist meme reveals the legitimate fear they have for the move by the Trump Administration to ask one simple question on the upcoming Census; are you a citizen of the United States? To hear the horde of so-called “progressive” mouthpieces you would think the act of asking this question is tantamount to renouncing both the Magna Carta and the Declaration of Independence. The hyper-ventilating was on full display on April 15 by Catherine Rampell in the Pravda (Washington) Post in her piece, “The Trump administration’s census question degrades our data — and our democracy.” According to Comrade Rampell, asking if a person is a citizen will accomplish two vile goals of the Trump dystopia. It will degrade the data collected by the Census and, of course, it will be a spike into the heart of our cherished mythological democracy. Unfortunately, on both counts the radical anti-American Left are dead wrong. In fact, they are aggressively demonstrating their long-term goals on destroying both honest data analytics and any semblance of representative government. In the 15 Censuses conducted since 1870, the question has been asked in all but three cases. So, far from…

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Facebook ‘Unintentionally’ Uploaded Email Contacts of 1.5 Million Users

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Facebook Inc said on Wednesday it may have “unintentionally uploaded” email contacts of 1.5 million new users since May 2016, in what seems to be the latest privacy-related issue faced by the social media company. In March, Facebook had stopped offering email password verification as an option for people who signed up for the first time, the company said. There were cases in which email contacts of people were uploaded to Facebook when they created their account, the company said. “We estimate that up to 1.5 million people’s email contacts may have been uploaded. These contacts were not shared with anyone and we are deleting them,” Facebook told Reuters, adding that users whose contacts were imported will be notified. The underlying glitch has been fixed, according to the company statement. Business Insider had earlier reported that the social media company harvested email contacts of the users without their knowledge or consent when they opened their accounts. When an email password was entered, a message popped up saying it was “importing” contacts without asking for permission first, the report said. Facebook has been hit by a number of privacy-related issues recently, including a glitch that exposed passwords of millions of users…

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Eight Things You May Not Know About Leonardo da Vinci, On The 500th Anniversary of His Death

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by Richard Gunderson   This year marks the 500th anniversary of Leonardo da Vinci’s death. Widely considered one of the greatest polymaths in human history, Leonardo was an inventor, artist, musician, architect, engineer, anatomist, botanist, geologist, historian and cartographer. Though his artistic output was small, Leonardo’s impact was great, reflecting his deep knowledge of the body, his extensive studies of light and the human face, and his sfumato (Italian for “smoky”) technique, which allowed for incredibly lifelike images. Leonardo regarded artists as divine apprentices, writing “We, by our arts, may be called the grandsons of God.” Twenty-first-century scholars at MIT ranked him the sixth most influential person who ever lived. Like Rembrandt and Michelangelo, he is so renowned that he is known by only his first name. Yet despite his fame, there are things about Leonardo that many people today find surprising. Shady parentage Leonardo was born out of wedlock on April 15, 1452. His father, Piero, was a wealthy notary, and his mother, Caterina, was a local peasant girl. Although the circumstances of his birth would place Leonardo at a disadvantage in terms of education and inheritance, biographer Walter Isaacson regards it as a terrific stroke of luck. Rather…

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Commentary: Arizona Takes Unprecedented Step on the Long Road to Occupational Freedom

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by Nicolas Anthony   In an unprecedented move, Arizona has become the first state to recognize occupational licenses from every state. As ABC 15 first reported, Governor Doug Ducey signed the legislation last Wednesday in an effort to reduce the cost for skilled workers to enter Arizona. Governor Ducey told reporters, You don’t lose your skills simply because you pack up a U-Haul truck and make the decision to move to Arizona. But not everyone has supported Governor Ducey’s decision. Critics have expressed concern that workers from states with lax requirements will flood in. Representative Pamela Powers Hannley went so far as to ask, “[Why] should we dumb down our standards when it’s really not necessary to build up the workforce?” Is it this black and white? Have states become so adept at certification that one license could apply in all states as this legislation suggests? Or are modern industries so fragmented and specialized to specific state needs that a Maryland worker could never perform their job safely in Arizona? If presented with these questions, I would have to say no to all of them, but let’s take these issues one at a time. One License to Rule Them All?…

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Perrysburg High School Student Arrested in Connection With Disparaging Twitter Account

Anthony Gockowski

A Perrysburg High School student was arrested this week in connection to a Twitter account that contained disparaging comments about his female peers. The student, 18-year-old Mehros Nassersharifi, was charged with telecommunications harassment for a Twitter account he started called “Perrysburg Girls Ranked.” All of the tweets have since been deleted, except for one. “We are going to start releasing the first wave. 64 hottest girls at Perrysburg will be ranked from worst to first. Personality, face, and body have all been accounted for and a description for their ranking is also provided. If you didn’t make the list, you’re just fat and fried,” the tweet states. Nassersharifi was charged Wednesday by Perrysburg Police Department, according to a press release from the school. “We are pleased to share that more than 100 students reported this Twitter account to teachers and administrators last week, which enabled us to quickly respond and begin our investigation in partnership with Perrysburg Police Department,” the school said. “Our disciplinary process has been initiated. In a serious situation like this, discipline may include expulsion,” the statement continued. “School districts are very limited with what we may share with the public in these situations.” According to The…

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Man Charged with Attempted Arson After He Walked Into a New York City Cathedral With Gasoline

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A 37-year-old man was charged Thursday with attempted arson, reckless endangerment and trespassing after he walked into St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York City on Wednesday with two full gasoline cans, lighter fluid and lighters, police said. The incident occurred two days after a massive fire severely damaged the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, causing global shock and sorrow. That blaze was most likely the result of an accident though a major investigation is underway. A New York City Police Department official said Marc Lamparello was charged with second-degree attempted arson, second-degree reckless endangerment and trespassing on Thursday after he entered the Roman Catholic cathedral in midtown Manhattan just before 8 p.m. EDT (0000 GMT) on Wednesday and was confronted by a security guard. As the man turned to leave, gasoline spilled onto the floor and the guard alerted police officers stationed outside. Lamparello is a resident of New Jersey and a faculty member in the philosophy department at the City University of New York, according to the university’s website. Local media reported that he has previously been arrested in New Jersey for trespassing. He has no arrest record in New York, a New York Police Department official said. It…

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Some Democrats Are Returning Donations from Ilhan Omar

Anthony Gockowski

Rep. Ilhan Omar’s (D-MN-05) campaign committee raked in an impressive $832,024 during her tumultuous first quarter as a member of Congress. Some of Omar’s donations to fellow Democrats, however, are being returned. Dan McCready, a North Carolina Democrat currently running in a special election, announced on Twitter Wednesday that he had returned Omar’s $2,000 donation. “Some folks are asking why I directed the return of Rep. Omar’s donation. I did this weeks ago because I vigorously disagree with any anti-Semitic comments,” he said. “Since this time, dangerous and hateful attacks have started against her. I condemn in the strongest terms the hateful rhetoric against her, the Muslim community and people of color.” Some folks are asking why I directed the return of Rep. Omar’s donation. I did this weeks ago because I vigorously disagree with any anti-semitic comments. Since this time, dangerous and hateful attacks have started against her… (thread) — Dan McCready (@McCreadyForNC) April 18, 2019 The Washington Free Beacon later reported that Reps. Lucy McBath (D-GA-06) and Jahana Hayes (D-CT-05) failed to disclose large contributions from Omar’s campaign. After The Free Beacon’s report, McBath revealed that the contribution from Omar was not accepted, according to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.…

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Mueller Report Laid Out a Road Map for Dems’ Midterm Misinformation Campaign

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by Chris White   Special counsel Robert Mueller’s report suggests Russia’s troll job likely paved the way for Democratic officials who would eventually go on to create a similar campaign ahead of the 2018 midterm elections. The size, scope, and tactics the Internet Research Agency (IRA) used to troll social media users in the U.S. leading up to the presidential election are virtually identical to those a slew of Democratic operatives allegedly used before a 2017 midterm election in Alabama. The IRA kicked off its ploy in 2014, when operatives focused on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube users to tilt them toward polar political positions. IRA created Twitter accounts in the names of fictitious U.S. grassroots groups and used them to pose as anti-immigration groups, Tea Party activists, Black Lives Matter protesters, among other conservative advocates, according to the report. The technique, which included creating conservative-sounding accounts like @TEN_ GOP, was designed to get some groups within the U.S. animated as elections neared. IRA ultimately worked to support then-presidential candidate Donald Trump at the expense of the president’s 2016 opponent, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, the report notes. The group’s reach was expansive and required a mixture of trolling and…

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Unions Have Lost Hundreds of Thousands of Members Since SCOTUS Decision on Forced Dues

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by Tim Pearce   Three of the largest public sector unions in the United States have lost hundreds of thousands of members and agency fee payers since the Supreme Court banned forced dues last year, according to data reviewed by the Mackinac Center. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled on June 27, 2018, in the case Janus v. American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees ruled that forcing an employee to pay dues to a union in order to hold a government job violates that employee’s First Amendment rights. The court ruling freed millions of public employees from having to pay union dues and fees in order to hold a job working for the government. Federal filings reviewed by the Mackinac Center suggest that public sector unions have taken a significant hit from losing members and fee payers since the decision. Annual federal filings show that the National Education Association (NEA); American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME); and Service Employees International Union (SEIU) have lost a combined 278,804 members and fee payers from each organization’s last report before the Janus decision to the first report after it. The NEA’s membership and fee-payer count dropped from 2,666,339 on…

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Amy Hardesty on the Common Sense Weight Loss Approach of Hope 80/20

Julie Carr

  On Friday’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- the team spoke to long time friend Mark West about his new business called Hope 80/20 which focuses on health and weight loss, and Amy Hardesty, who has a personal weight loss story and is a coach of the new Hope 80/20 program. Leahy: We are joined now by our good friend Mark West and Amy Hardesty. And they’re with a new company called Hope 80/20. Not actually a new company but they’re doing something of interest to me. It’s a weight loss company and Mark, you and I have known each other for a dozen  years and became very involved in the Tea Party back then. And we had you on the air here when you, after ten years as a leader of the Chattanooga Tea Party, you resigned to go on back to you’re business roots and you’ve been very successful in business. And I just got curious about your new business, Hope 80/20. On the web at Hope 80/20.com. Mark welcome! West: Hi thanks Michael and Steve…

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Minneapolis Bans ‘Fear-Based’ Police Training

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by Whitney Tipton   Minneapolis police officers will no longer be allowed to attend training based on the “warrior style” philosophy, Mayor Jacob Frey announced Thursday. The controversial instruction, available through private seminars, teaches officers to be aware of the threats around them and overcome the fear of taking a life in order to preserve their own, according to the Minneapolis Star Tribune. Moving forward, officers who wish to pursue any training related to use-of-force must first submit the course for approval from Minneapolis Police Chief Medaria Arradondo, KARE11 is reporting. “Fear-based training violates the values at the very heart of community policing,” said Frey. “Our officers have no business at a training that conflicts with those provided by Minneapolis on use of force and deescalation.” Effective today, @MinneapolisPD will become the 1st major department that we know of to prohibit this kind of fear-based training. Attending or instructing an external training that relates to use-of-force will now require approval from our Chief. #mplsSOTC — Jacob Frey (@Jacob_Frey) April 18, 2019 The President of the Police Officers Federation of Minneapolis, Lt. Bob Kroll, disagreed with Frey’s characterization of the training, which he said has existed for while, calling it “excellent.”…

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Migrant Smugglers Used a Drone to Sneak Illegals Through the Border at Night

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by Jason Hopkins   Illegal migrants were spotted using a drone for the first known time to help them cross the U.S. southern border. U.S. Border Patrol agents near El Paso, Texas, monitoring the area with an infrared camera spotted a small airborne object traveling over the U.S.-Mexico border in the early hours of Tuesday morning. The object flew about 100 yards north, entering U.S. soil, then returned back. The object, which was determined to be a drone, repeated this pattern three different times. Ten illegal immigrants were spotted passing the border in the same vicinity the drone had monitored roughly two minutes after the drone retreated back into Mexico territory for the third time. “This is the first known time in recent history that a drone has been utilized as a ‘look-out’ in order to aid in illegal entries in the El Paso Sector,” Customs and Border Protection (CBP) said in a press release. The Border Patrol agents were able to “quickly” apprehend the migrants and take them into custody. Beyond encountering a drone, agents in the El Paso Sector dealt with an “unprecedented number” of illegal migrants at the border that same day. El Paso Sector officials made…

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Labor Union Representing Lordstown Auto Workers Rocked By Scandal

Andrew Shirley

The labor union solely responsible for the future of Ohio’s Lordstown Auto Complex was blasted Wednesday in Tennessee for the myriad of scandals that have plagued the organization over the past several years. The International Union, United Automobile, Aerospace, and Agricultural Implement Workers of America, commonly known as the United Automobile Workers, or UAW, is one of the largest international labor unions in the country. For more than five years, the union has been lobbying for the unionization of a Volkswagen plant, based in Chattanooga. The plant currently employs more than 3,500 workers. In 2014, the plant held a vote among eligible workers on the weather on not they should unionize. The vote failed by a total of 712-626. On April 29th and 30th, a new vote will be held and the UAW has been heavily focused on ensuring that the plant votes for unionization this time. In response to this, a nonprofit organization ran a full-page ad in the Detroit Free Press blasting the UAW, citing statements made by the U.S. Department of Justice and a local law professor, noting, among other things, the union had “…a culture of corruption among senior leadership….”. The ad doesn’t directly acknowledge the upcoming…

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Cincinnati Food Truck Association Reportedly Suspends Company for Insensitive T-Shirts

Anthony Gockowski

A northern Kentucky-based barbecue food truck that frequents the Cincinnati area is facing backlash for what some are calling “bigoted” T-shirts. Belle’s Smoking BBQ sells t-shirts that state: “I support LGBTQ: Liberty, guns, bible, Trump, and BBQ.” Owner Jamie Smith said he has been selling the shirts for nearly two years, but wasn’t criticized for them until he posted a picture of one on the company’s Facebook page. According to The Cincinnati Enquirer, the Facebook post went viral and the company received several messages calling the T-shirts bigoted and insensitive. “Simple bigotry … sad commentary for business good luck going broke,” one person responded in outrage. “Wearing that shirt is f—ing offensive,” another added. The Cincinnati Food Truck Association said in a Thursday statement that it “has come to our attention that a member has posted some distasteful content on their business page.” “We would like to reiterate to all of our followers that CFTA relies on and appreciates the support of all members of our community. We support positivity and building a united community. We are currently taking internal appropriate action,” the group wrote on Facebook. By Friday morning, Belle’s Smoking BBQ was allegedly “suspended” pending “a full review…

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Legislature Approves Bill to Create Charter School Authorizing Commission

Jason M. Reynolds

The Tennessee Senate on Thursday approved legislation creating an independent state commission to approve public charter schools in Tennessee. Sen. Brian Kelsey (R-TN-31) is the sponsor of SB0796. The tracking information is here. The bill, which also passed the House of Representatives on Wednesday, is a key part of Governor Bill Lee’s education initiatives designed to improve education opportunities for Tennessee students. Lee worked with local school districts to incorporate changes to the legislation. “I am pleased that Governor Lee worked with local schools districts and charter schools to gain unanimous support for the bill,” Kelsey said. “The new commission will ensure that charter school denials will be reviewed by a commission with expertise on quality schools. This law will help ensure that our children will have quality charter schools to attend in Tennessee.” The legislation creates the Tennessee Public Charter School Commission, whose core mission will be authorizing high-quality charter schools, which is currently administered by the State Board of Education, according to a press release from the Tennessee Senate Republican Caucus. Commission members will be appointed by the governor and approved by the Legislature, WATE said. At least five members must come from school districts that have charter schools. Sen. Jeff…

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Tennessee Star Poll: Will Republicans Continue to Take Toxic Teachers’ Union Political Contributions?

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A new Tennessee Star Poll reveals that Republicans who accept contributions from the Tennessee Education Association (TEA) may face a backlash in a primary contest. The survey asked whether voters would be more or less likely to vote for a candidate who accepts funding from the TEA. An overwhelming number of 75.6% indicated that they would be LESS likely to vote for a candidate receiving funds from the teachers union; a mere 8.5% would be MORE likely; and 15.9% indicated that they didn’t know. The Triton Polling survey was conducted over four days (April 13-16) and polled 1003 likely Republican Party primary voters statewide. It has a margin of error of 3.1%. The poll results almost exactly mirror responses to the same question of 1000 likely GOP primary voters that was conducted by Triton December 12-18, 2017. In that poll GOP primary voters were asked: The Tennessee Education Association and National Education Association are unions that use Tennessee teachers’ dues to oppose the Second Amendment, support Planned Parenthood, and attempt to elect political candidates like Hillary Clinton. Would you be more likely or less likely to support a Republican candidate for the state house or senate who accepts money from…

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Tennessee Star Poll Shows Haslam Leads Green by 9 Statewide Among GOP Primary Voters in U.S. Senate Matchup, But Green Has Lead in Middle Tennessee

Julie Carr

On Friday’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 – the duo dissected the recent Tennessee Star Triton poll numbers which show former Gov. Bill Haslam leads Rep. Mark Green (R-TN-07) by 9 points statewide among likely GOP primary voters in a potential 2020 Republican U.S. Senate primary matchup. Green, however, leads Haslam in the three Middle Tennessee Congressional districts. Here is the transcript of that discussion: Gill: We’ve been talking a little bit about the Tennessee Star Triton poll that we did over the last week. Friday through Monday. A thousand three likely Republican primary voters were polled. And the reason that we polled frankly likely Republicans is whether you are looking at issues that will be moved through or blocked in the state legislature. The Republicans have super majorities in the state House and the state Senate.  What’s going to move those legislators to have concerns is going to be what do Republican primary voters think because that’s the only way most of these guys and ladies could get beat. Also when you look at the political reality…

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Commentary: The Aiding and Abetting of Migrant Caravans

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by Hector Garza   The crisis at the southern border is no accident. It’s the intentional result of deliberate efforts by liberal activists to encourage illegal immigration on a massive scale. Right now, the “mother of all caravans” is reportedly forming in Central America, with the Mexican government predicting that more than 20,000 people will eventually join the human convoy as it traverses thousands of miles in the rising springtime temperatures of Mexico on its way to the U.S. border. The anticipated mass of illegal immigrants in that caravan will only exacerbate an already-dire situation for our Border Patrol agents, whose resources have already been stretched to the “breaking point” by a surge of border-crossers. More than 100,000 illegal immigrants were apprehended in March alone, and at the current pace, at least 1.2 million people will have crossed the border illegally by the end of 2019. Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen said that DHS is treating the situation as a “Cat 5 hurricane disaster.” Even Barack Obama’s right-hand man on immigration recently labeled the situation as a crisis. “By anyone’s definition, by any measure, right now we have a crisis at our southern border,” former Department of Homeland Security Secretary…

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Kentucky Governor Matt Bevin Joins Governor Bill Lee for Criminal Justice Reform Symposium in Nashville

Laura Baigert

NASHVILLE, Tennessee – A symposium on criminal justice reform held in Nashville featured an hour-long conversation between Governors Bill Lee of Tennessee and Matt Bevin of Kentucky. The symposium was held in the “appellate courtroom” at the Randall and Sadie Baskin Center of the College of Law, located on the beautiful campus of Belmont University in downtown Nashville. While the event was free, seating was limited, so advanced registration through EventBrite was required. Still, the venue ended up standing room only. Hosts of the symposium were Men of Valor and Right on Crime. Men of Valor offers in-prison ministry in the form of a voluntary program to participants who have applied and been selected based on having the time to complete the full six-month program and exhibiting a sincere desire to change. Programs emphasize the participants’ need for restoration with God, family, community and society, according to the organization’s website. Additionally, Men of Valor offers aftercare and re-entry care and services to men released from prison, to help in overcoming the tremendous obstacles they face with regard to housing and even the most basic of other needs such as food, clothing, transportation, identification and employment. Governor Lee, who spoke of…

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Mike Looney Reportedly Will Do Away with Cultural Competency Training Videos

Chris Butler

Williamson County School Superintendent Mike Looney has reportedly decided to never again show the controversial Cultural Competency videos to teachers, according to Nashville Public Radio. This information was revealed during an interview The Tennessean reporter Amelia Knisely gave to the station Wednesday. Knisely also said district officials will roll out a new social studies curriculum in August. What she called “extensive training” to teachers on issues like slavery and race will accompany that curriculum, she said. As reported, the Cultural Competency videos preached “white privilege” and America’s supposed dysfunctional history. The Tennessee Star broke the story, something Knisely alluded to during her on-air interview with Nashville Public Radio’s Jason Moon Wilkins. “The [online conservative news outlet] Tennessee Star filed an open records request with the district about the videos,” Knisely said. “That was how the Williamson County Republican Party picked up on them and that language of ‘indoctrinating students’ and teachers, which is what the Republican Party accused the district of doing, kind of came out of those Tennessee Star stories.” Knisely, who covers education for The Tennessean, went on to say a group of parents approached Looney with concerns about school field trips to local plantations. As The Tennessee Star reported last month, slavery…

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Democratic Lawmaker Says AG William Barr Is Acting Like Trump’s ‘Fixer’

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by Chris White   Democratic Rep. Madeline Dean of Pennsylvania likened U.S. Attorney General William Barr to President Donald Trump’s fixer as her party colleagues react to the publication of the report on the Russian investigation. “I think that what we’re seeing is with Attorney General Barr confusion. He’s not acting as the attorney general. In fact, he’s acting, again, maybe like another fixer for the president, like a president’s attorney. And that is not his role,” Dean said Thursday on CNN’s “New Day.” She was reacting to Barr’s decision to conduct a press conference detailing elements of special counsel Robert Mueller’s nearly two-year probe. Barr noted at Thursday’s press conference that Mueller’s team found no evidence showing Trump or members of his campaign colluded with Russians to influence the 2016 election. “After nearly two years of investigation, thousands of subpoenas, and hundreds of warrants and witness interviews, the special counsel confirmed that the Russian government-sponsored efforts to illegally interfere with the 2016 presidential election but did not find that the Trump campaign or other Americans colluded in those schemes,” Barr said at a press conference. Barr said Mueller investigated whether members of Trump’s campaign or Trump associates helped in…

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Democrat Senator Sinema Bucks Party, Calls on Lawmakers to Better Secure the Border

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Krysten Sinema

by Jason Hopkins   Arizona Democratic Sen. Kyrsten Sinema on Wednesday echoed the White House in calling for immigration enforcement to be aided with additional resources and staff. Arizonans bear the brunt of Washington’s failure to address our broken immigration system. We must secure the border with a comprehensive, smart, bipartisan approach – we’re calling on @DHSgov to send additional resources and staff to AZ ports. pic.twitter.com/qZGq3LgLmF — Kyrsten Sinema (@SenatorSinema) April 17, 2019 “Arizonans bear the brunt of Washington’s failure to address our broken immigration system. We must secure the border with a comprehensive, smart, bipartisan approach – we’re calling on [the Department of Homeland Security] to send additional resources and staff to AZ ports,” the first-term senator tweeted Wednesday. Sinema’s call for better border security was a far cry from what many of her colleagues in the Senate are demanding. Nineteen Senate Democrats, including every Democratic presidential candidate in the upper chamber of Congress, sent a letter to appropriation leaders demanding a reduction in funding for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and President Donald Trump’s immigration agenda. The group of Democrats made four specific requests of the appropriations committee: Less funding for beds in immigration detention centers,…

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