Day: May 1, 2019

Left-Wing Activist Justin Jones Harasses Tennessee Legislators at Nashville Restaurant, Video Shows

Chris Butler

  No longer able to confront Tennessee legislators at the state capitol, Vanderbilt Divinity School student and left-wing activist Justin Jones now badgers them at restaurants as they try to eat. Last week Jones uploaded a Facebook video of himself and an unidentified woman as they lectured State Rep. Justin Lafferty, R-Knoxville, State Rep. Micah Van Huss, R-Jonesborough, and three unidentified men about school vouchers and Medicaid. Jones said in his post that he approached these men at a restaurant in north Nashville, which he did not name. The unidentified woman held the camera and spoke some. The woman used various profanities while addressing the men. Authorities arrested Jones earlier this year for allegedly throwing a cup of coffee at Tennessee Speaker of the House Glen Casada at the state capitol. As The Tennessee Star reported, authorities banned Jones from the state capitol and from having further contact with Casada because of that alleged incident. As for what happened last week, Jones said the following on his personal Facebook page: “We were sitting in a restaurant when Rep. Micah Van Huss and other representatives walked in to eat. As they joked about that morning’s vote which passed their controversial voucher bill (diverting funds from…

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Vanderbilt Poll Raises Questions About Methodology and Credibility of the Political Science Department

Steve Gill

  Vanderbilt University regularly conducts polling of Tennessee political and cultural issues through their Center for the Study of Democratic Institutions. Their most recent poll has just been released and is getting a lot of media attention. Sadly, the new poll reveals the same pattern of questionable methodology, inaccuracy and political irrelevance that should actually embarrass the University. Previous polls have focused on registered voters rather than likely votes, have been constructed with a favorable tilt towards Democrats in statewide polling despite Tennessee being a solid Republican state, and have usually polled for ridiculously long periods of time that no credible pollster would consider reasonable. For example, their last poll had a scant 7 point margin for Republicans over Democrats and was conducted over eighteen (18) days! Accuracy? In October 2016, just a few weeks before the Presidential campaign concluded, Vanderbilt claimed Trump was leading Clinton by an 11 point margin (44-33 percent). Trump won by 26. In May 2012 Vanderbilt claimed Mitt Romney had a tiny one-point lead over incumbent President Barack Obama in Tennessee; Romney carried the state by over 20 points. In 2018, Vanderbilt said Bredesen had a one-point lead over Blackburn in their poll just two…

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Commentary: The Real ‘Bombshells’ Are About to Hit Their Targets

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by Julie Kelly   The next bombshell report to drop from the Justice Department likely will earn none of the breathless fanfare and media coverage that Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s report received, but it could be far more incriminating. In the next several weeks, Inspector General Michael Horowitz is expected to issue his summation of the potential abuse of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act by top officials in the Obama Administration and holdovers in the early Trump Administration who were overseeing the investigation of Donald Trump’s presidential campaign. And the perpetrators of the so-called FISAgate scandal now are scrambling for cover as the bad news looms. Horowitz announced last March that his office would examine the Justice Department’s conduct “in applications filed with the U.S. Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court (FISC) relating to a certain U.S. person.” That U.S. person is Trump campaign associate Carter Page. In October 2016, just two weeks before the presidential election, the Justice Department submitted an application to the FISC seeking authorization to wiretap Page. The court filing accused Page, a Naval Academy graduate and unpaid campaign advisor, of being an agent of Russia. The application cited the infamous Steele dossier—unsubstantiated political propaganda that had been…

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Bill to Permanently Establish Daylight Saving Time in Tennessee Heads to the Governor for Signature

Laura Baigert

A bill that establishes Daylight Saving Time as the standard time for the entire state, having passed the state Senate on Tuesday, will go to Governor Bill Lee for his consideration. By a vote of 29 to 1, the Senate passed the House version of the bill, HB 0247. The House passed the bill on April 22 by a vote of 86 Ayes, 5 Nays and 5 Present and Not Voting. The measure was sponsored by Senator Steve Dickerson (R-Nashville) and Representative Rick Tillis (R-Lewisburg). Before going into effect, three conditions must be met: U.S. Congress amending or repealing that portion of the Uniform Time Act; Tennessee’s Commissioner of Transportation certifying in writing to the Speakers of the Senate and the House of Representatives the Congressional action; and by joint resolution, the Tennessee General Assembly confirming the Congressional action and authorizing the year-round implementation of the State’s observation of Daylight Saving Time Both sponsors of the Tennessee bill said during its course through the legislative process that the passage is largely a symbolic message to Washington, D.C., joining with numerous other states that have taken similar measure in hopes of prompting a response. The U.S. Department of Transportation oversees the…

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Trump Wants Migrants to Pay a Fee to Request Asylum

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Illegal Alien Detention center

by Jason Hopkins   The Trump administration proposed a policy that slaps asylum applicants with a fee and places greater restrictions on their work permits. In a memorandum delivered to Attorney General William Barr and Acting Homeland Security Secretary Kevin McAleenan on Monday night, President Donald Trump asked to move forward with new asylum restrictions. The requests include imposing a fee for making an asylum request and barring people who tried entering the country illegally from getting a work permit until their case is adjudicated. The directive also seeks to expedite the asylum process by requiring immigration courts to settle cases within 180 days. “The purpose of this memorandum is to strengthen asylum procedures to safeguard our system against rampant abuse of our asylum process,” read a portion of the memo from Trump, who added that the “security and humanitarian crisis” at the U.S. southern border “undermines our nation’s security and sovereignty.” The White House has not yet established a specific fee for asylum claims, and the memo does not ask that the orders be followed on immediately. Officials have been given a 90-day window to formulate a game plan. The memorandum comes as the number of illegal migrants appearing…

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New York Is Illegally Targeting the NRA, Trump Says

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by Fred Lucas   President Donald Trump on Monday called the New York state attorney general’s newly announced probe of the National Rifle Association illegal, and an expert on laws regarding nonprofits contends that the probe is at minimum improper. Trump said it was a concerted effort to “take down and destroy” the NRA. “When a state attorney general uses the power vested in the attorney general’s office to improperly use [it] against organizations for political purposes, it could be illegal,” Cleta Mitchell, a Washington lawyer who advises nonprofits and was co-counsel to the NRA in a 2002 Supreme Court case, told The Daily Signal. “The NRA, in court, would have a good predicate to argue political bias against the organization to show that hostility toward the organization’s existence,” Mitchell said. Over the weekend, the attorney general’s office announced it commenced an investigation into the NRA’s nonprofit status and would be subpoenaing financial records. The announcement came in the midst of turmoil in the organization after the NRA ousted Oliver North as president in what became a public dispute between North and NRA Chief Executive Wayne LaPierre. North reportedly said he was forced out because he alleged financial improprieties. New…

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Commentary: Why Are Clapper and Brennan Not in Jail?

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by Angelo Codevilla   The clearest of all the laws concerning U.S. intelligence is Section 798, 18 U.S. Code—widely known in the Intelligence Community as “the Comint Statute,” or “the 10 and 10.” Unlike other laws, this is a “simple liability” law. Motivation, context, identity, matter not at all. You violate it, you are guilty and are punished accordingly. Here it is: (a) Whoever knowingly and willfully communicates, furnishes, transmits, or otherwise makes available to an unauthorized person, . . . any classified information— (1) concerning the nature, preparation, or use of any code, cipher, or cryptographic system of the United States or any foreign government; or (2) concerning the design, construction, use, maintenance, or repair of any device, apparatus, or appliance used or prepared or planned for use by the United States …or (3) concerning the communication intelligence activities of the United States or any foreign government; or (4) obtained by the processes of communication intelligence . . . Shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than ten years, or both. On Dec. 9 and 10, 2016, the New York Times and the Washington Post independently reported that anonymous senior intelligence officials had told them that,…

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There’s Been a Three-Fold Jump in Democrats Who Believe There’s a Border Crisis

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by Jason Hopkins   A newly-released survey shows a dramatic increase in the percentage of Democrats who believe the situation at the U.S.-Mexico border constitutes a “crisis.” Thirty-five percent of self-identified Democrats said that they believed the situation to be a crisis, according to a Washington Post-ABC News poll conducted between April 22 and 25. The number is a more than three-fold rise from the last time the question was asked in January, when only seven percent of Democrats agreed that it was a crisis. Concern for the border increased across all partisan demographics in the past three months. Forty-nine percent of Republicans polled in January believed there was a border crisis. That number jumped to 56 percent in April. Independents also rose from 21 to 30 percent, and more adults overall agreed that there was a crisis at the U.S. southern border. The survey also asked who was to blame for the immigration situation: President Donald Trump or Congressional Democrats? A slightly higher number of respondents chose Democrats, with a breakdown of 35 percent to 32 percent, but the result was largely split along partisan lines. The Washington Post-ABC News survey contacted 1,001 adults via cellphone and landline telephones,…

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Commentary: Democrats, Republicans and Canada Team Up to Deny Trump Trade Victory on U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement

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by Robert Romano   Congressional Democrats are threatening to derail the new U.S-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) trade deal that is supposed to replace the North America Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), saying that enforcement of Mexican labor provisions in the deal are inadequate. Under the new deal, Mexico would recognize the right of collective bargaining and all parties agreed that “40-45 percent of auto content be made by workers earning at least $16 per hour,” according to the U.S. Trade Representative. In 2016, average pay in Mexico for manufacturing was $3.91 an hour. “No matter how good a deal looks on paper, it doesn’t mean much if you can’t make sure the other countries live up to their end of the bargain,” Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Oreg.) declared in February. In the meantime, both Canada and now Senate Finance Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) are demanding that the 10 percent aluminum tariffs and 25 percent steel tariffs against Canada and Mexico, which were levied on national security grounds by the Trump administration in May 2018, be lowered as a condition for ratifying the agreement. At first blush, the twin challenges appear to make ratification less likely, since both sets of demands by each…

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Davidson and Gibson County Residents Busted for Allegedly Stealing from TennCare

Chris Butler

  State officials have arrested three more people for alleged TennCare fraud, according to new press releases from the Tennessee Department of Finance and Administration. The people arrested are from Davidson and Gibson counties, the press releases said. Authorities charged the Davidson County resident, Robert Lee Nesbitt, Jr. 54, with TennCare fraud for allegedly posing as the spouse of a TennCare enrollee in order to pick up her prescription for the painkiller Oxycodone. Authorities said he went to a pharmacy and claimed he was the enrollee’s spouse so he could obtain the painkillers.  They charged Nesbitt with one count of TennCare fraud for making a false statement and receiving benefits he was not entitled to receive, according to the press release. Meanwhile, authorities charged two Gibson County residents with using the identity and TennCare benefits of each other’s minor children in nearby Madison County, a press release said. The Office of Inspector General, with the assistance of the Gibson and Madison County Sheriffs’ Offices, arrested Bertha Campos, 30 and Maria Vega, 42 both of Trenton. Authorities charged them with two counts of TennCare fraud and two counts of identity theft. “Authorities say that initially, Ms. Campos’ child broke an arm and then used the TennCare benefits…

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Former Minnesota Policeman Convicted in Fatal Shooting of Australian Woman

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  A former Minneapolis police officer was found guilty on Tuesday of murder for fatally shooting an Australian woman from his patrol car while responding to her 2017 report of a possible sex assault near her home. Mohamed Noor, 33, was convicted of third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter for killing 40-year-old Justine Ruszczyk Damond outside her home near Minneapolis, in an incident that drew international criticism including from Australia’s prime minister, who called the incident “shocking.” He was acquitted of second-degree intentional murder. Noor sat silently through the entire reading of the verdict with his hands cupped, breathing heavily. The packed courtroom remained silent. Noor was handcuffed and taken into custody. Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman said he expected Noor to face 12-1/2 years in prison for the murder charge and four years for the manslaughter charge when he is sentenced. A wave of killings of black men and teens by U.S. police prompted street protests with this case providing a mirror image since Damond was white and Noor is a black Somali immigrant. Minneapolis Police Chief Medaria Arradondo apologized to Damond’s friends and family in a statement released after the verdict was read. “This was indeed a sad and…

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Pelosi, Schumer Say They’ve Reached Deal with Trump on $2 Trillion Infrastructure Bill

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by Henry Rodgers   House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer say they have reached a deal with President Donald Trump in regards to a $2 trillion infrastructure bill after meeting with Trump Tuesday. While departing the West Wing after their meeting with the president, Pelosi and Schumer told reporters that they have agreed on a number for the infrastructure bill and that they would be meeting again soon to discuss how it will be paid for. Although they did not agree on how it will be funded, Schumer said they agreed on the $2 trillion and another meeting with Trump in three weeks to work out specifics. PELOSI to reporters outside the West Wing after Trump mtg: "We agreed that we would meet again to talk about how it would be paid for." SCHUMER: "We agreed on a number: $2 trillion for infrastructure." pic.twitter.com/T6WSYSZ8dw — Jennifer Jacobs (@JenniferJJacobs) April 30, 2019 This comes as North Carolina Republican Rep. Mark Meadows said Monday night that he is doubtful Pelosi and Schumer will be successful in reaching a deal with Trump at the White House Tuesday. Pelosi was reportedly the person who requested the meeting with Trump. –…

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Trumps Sue Banks to Keep Them from Complying with Congressional Subpoenas

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by Chuck Ross   President Donald Trump, his three oldest children, and their companies sued Monday to prevent their two banks from complying with congressional subpoenas for personal and business financial records. The Trump lawyers argued in the lawsuit that the subpoenas, which were issued to Deutsche Bank and Capital One on April 15, “have no legitimate or lawful purpose.” “The subpoenas were issued to harass President Donald J. Trump, to rummage through every aspect of his personal finances, his businesses, and the private information of the President and his family, and to ferret about for any material that might be used to cause him political damage,” reads the lawsuit, which was filed in the Southern District of New York. “No grounds exist to establish any purpose other than a political one.” The House Intelligence and House Financial Services committees issued the subpoenas, which seek a variety of financial records from the president, Donald Trump Jr., Ivanka Trump, Eric Trump, several of their companies, and a joint trust. House Democrats have ramped up their campaign to obtain Trump’s financial records in recent weeks. On April 3, Massachusetts Rep. Richard Neal, the Democratic chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee,…

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Reports: Mexican Gov. Official Says MS-13 Infiltrated Caravans Headed for US

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MS-13

by Peter Hasson   Mexican authorities have found members of the violent gang MS-13 among migrant caravans headed towards the United States, multiple Mexican media outlets quoted a high-ranking government official as saying. Enrique Cárdenas del Avellano, the Ministry of Interior’s northeastern regional delegate, said that authorities have deported some MS-13 gang members they detected in migrant caravans, Mexican media outlets La Prensa, El Mañana and La Verdad de Tamaulipas reported over the weekend. Cárdenas del Avellano told the Spanish-language outlets that he doesn’t know how many MS-13 members are in the region. MS-13 members are in “the minority” among caravan members but “do exist” and “seek to extend their networks, especially to the United States,” Cárdenas del Avellano told the outlets. The transnational gang was launched in California by Salvadoran immigrants but has a formidable presence in other parts of the U.S. as well, particularly Long Island, New York. The gang’s informal motto is “Mata, roba, viola, controla,” which translates to “kill, steal, rape, control.” – – – Peter Hasson is a reporter for the Daily Caller News Foundation. Follow Peter on Twitter.               Content created by The Daily Caller News Foundation is…

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House May Vote Today on Green’s Resolution to Force Vote on Whether to Refer Cohen to Justice Department for Perjury Investigation

Jason M. Reynolds

U.S. Rep. Dr. Mark Green (R-TN-07) filed a motion in the House Tuesday to force a vote on referring Michael Cohen to the Justice Department for a perjury investigation, with a showdown coming as early as today. Cohen is President Donald Trump’s former lawyer. House Resolution 304 is meant to hold Michael Cohen accountable for his alleged lies to the House Oversight and Reform Committee, Green said in a press release. “The integrity of the Oversight Committee and entire House is at stake. We must defend our honor, refer Michael Cohen’s testimony to the Justice Department for a perjury investigation and show the American people that the People’s House will not tolerate a man lying under oath,” said Rep. Green. “Sixty-two days ago, Chairman Cummings welcomed convicted liar Michael Cohen to testify before the House Oversight Committee. Republicans warned the Democrats against giving Cohen a platform and in return Chairman Cummings promised that if Cohen lied again, the Chairman would hold him accountable. During Cohen’s testimony he lied at least seven times and yet the Chairman has yet to uphold his pledge of maintaining the integrity of our Committee in the face of these false statements that were given under oath.…

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Gov. Lee Plans to Allow Online Sports Gambling Bill to Become Law Without Signing It

Jason M. Reynolds

  Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee plans to let an online sports gambling bill become law without signing it, multiple news outlets are reporting. The Tennessee Journal: On the Hill reported: “The governor has said he does not believe that the expansion is best, but he recognizes that many in the legislature found this to be an issue they want to explore further,” Lee spokeswoman Laine Arnold said in a statement. “He plans to let this become law without his signature.” The Tennessee Education Lottery will be responsible for carrying out the online sports betting program, the Chattanooga Times Free Press said. There will be a 20 percent tax, which is expected to generate $41 million for the lottery, $7.6 million for local government revenue and $2.5 million to provide anti-gambling addiction programs through the Tennessee Department of Mental Health. The original version of the bill would have permitted gambling shops in physical locations but that provision was dropped after the governor opposed it, the Times Free Press said. The bills are HB0001 in the House and SB0016 in the Senate, according to the tracking information, which is available here. The Senate on Tuesday passed the bill, with three amendments, by…

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Stacey Abrams Bows Out of 2020 Senate Run

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by Jason Hopkins   Failed Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams has decided against a campaign for the state’s Senate seat in the 2020 election cycle. “I am grateful for all the encouragement I received to run for U.S. Senate, and I’m committed to doing everything I can to help elect a Democrat to that seat next year,” Abrams said in a social media post announcing her decision on Tuesday morning. The news follows months of speculation that Abrams, fresh off her gubernatorial loss, would use her newfound name recognition in the state to launch a campaign against Georgia GOP Sen. David Perdue. National Democrats believe the first-term Republican senator is vulnerable, and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer pulled all the stops to coax Abrams into running. In addition to meeting with Abrams multiple times, Schumer gave her the honor of delivering the Democratic response to the State of the Union address in February. Nevertheless, Abrams has opted to not move forward with a senatorial bid. The decision is seen as a major win for the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC), which will now likely face a less competitive race in Georgia. Former Columbus Mayor Teresa Tomlinson is the only notable…

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’60 Minutes’ Discovers Opioid Silk-Road From China to Akron

Mitch Shirley

  The CBS weekly show 60 Minutes recently discovered a drug route leading into Ohio. The CBS team found that fentanyl plants in Shanghai have been trafficking their product through Akron. Guanghua Zheng, a free citizen of Shanghai, is a wanted man in America. Zheng illegally imported fentanyl and other related narcotics into the U.S, which led to two known deaths. Tom Rauh and Carrie Dobbins were two Ohioans who overdosed and died on substances from Zheng’s supply. 60 Minutes producer Bob Anderson located Zheng outside a grocery store in Shanghai to question him about his illegal operation. “Are you still selling fentanyl in the U.S?” Anderson asked Zheng, who responded, “No, no.” “Will the Chinese Government ever arrest you?” Anderson then asked. “The Chinese government has nothing to do with this,” Zheng replied. Anderson continued to question Zheng, but the woman standing with him outside the grocer was emphatic that he not answer any more questions. “Don’t speak, don’t speak,” she repeated to Zheng. She then turned her attention to the CBS crew. “Don’t come back,” the woman said. Matt Cronin, an Ohio assistant U.S. attorney, notified U.S. authorities of Zheng’s trafficking scheme, known as the Gordon Jin drug trafficking organization,…

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Minnesota House Approves 20 Cent Gas Tax Hike, Likely DOA in Senate

Anthony Gockowski

  The Minnesota House approved a 20-cent gas tax increase Monday in a vote along party lines, but the proposal is likely dead-on-arrival in the Republican-controlled Senate. “We’re not going to do a gas tax. I’ve made it very clear that is not a direction we’re going to go,” Senate Majority Leader Paul Gazelka (R-Nisswa) said Monday, according to The Star Tribune. The transportation bill passed the House in a 74 to 58 vote. Under the bill, the state’s gas tax would jump from 28.5 cents per gallon to 48.5 cents, which is a 70 percent increase. The bill also included a metro-wide sales tax to help fund Light Rail, a vehicle registration tax increase, and a new vehicle tax increase. “The House DFL’s plan to raise excessive tax and fees, including a 70 percent gas tax increase, a metro area sales tax, and more expensive tab fees is reckless and will cause serious financial harm to Minnesota families,” Rep. Jon Koznick (R-Lakeville) said. “Their plan puts Minnesota drivers in reverse.” DFL legislators staunchly defended the tax increases during a Monday press conference held before the vote. “This morning we are joining Gov. [Tim] Walz in offering Minnesotans a choice.…

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Ohio’s Buckeye Institute Continues to ‘Fight Relentlessly’ in Minnesota Professor’s Union Case

Mitch Shirley

  Robert Alt, president of The Buckeye Institute, recently called on the U.S. Supreme Court to put an end to states forcing non-union members to pay union dues. The institute issued a press release after the Supreme Court denied to hear Kathy Uradnik’s case. After the certiorari was denied by the Supreme Court, Alt stated that his organization will take Uradnik’s case back to the U.S. District Court in Minnesota’s 8th district. “Unfortunately, today the high court passed on the opportunity to hear her case immediately, but it has given us another opportunity to seek justice by sending it back to the U.S. District Court where The Buckeye Institute will continue to fight relentlessly on Kathy’s behalf,” said Alt. The Public Employment Labor Relations Act (“PELRA”) has been in effect in Minnesota for over 20 years. The law requires that public employees pay union dues, even if they have opted to not be apart of said union. PELRA also asserts that any public employee is subject to representation by a chosen union representative and that no employee can confer with upper management. Liaisons may only occur between upper management and the union representative. Uradnik, a political science professor at St.…

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Cleveland Heights City Council Calls Heartbeat Bill ‘Intrusion’ on ‘Liberty’ in Letter to DeWine

Anthony Gockowski

  Cleveland Heights Mayor Carol Roe and members of the city council have issued a letter to Gov. Mike DeWine to warn that “all options” are on the table in response to the controversial heartbeat bill. The letter begins by expressing “concern and disappointment” with DeWine for signing the heartbeat bill, which bans abortions in the state after a fetal heartbeat is detectable in unborn children. “This law, known as the ‘heartbeat bill,’ amounts to a virtual ban on abortion. As you know, this bill would go into effect prior to when most women realize they are pregnant,” the letter states. The letter was signed by Roe, Vice Mayor Melissa Yasinow, and Council Members Craig Cobb, Michael Ungar, and Kahlil Seren. They argue that the restrictions imposed by the heartbeat bill wouldn’t allow “anywhere near a sufficient amount of time” to overcome the state’s current barriers to abortion, such as its “24 hour, two-visit requirement.” “That is why this law is an effective ban on any safe and legal abortion in Ohio. This law’s intrusion into a person’s right to liberty, bodily autonomy, and privacy is unacceptable,” they write. The letter takes issue with the heartbeat bill for not providing…

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