Month: June 2019

U.S. Guarantees Hormuz Shipping Passage

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  The United States says it will “guarantee freedom of navigation” for shipping through the Strait of Hormuz through diplomatic talks or military intervention, contending again that it was “unmistakable” that Iran launched last week’s attacks on two tankers sailing through the narrow passage. “These were attacks by the Islamic Republic of Iran on commercial shipping on the freedom of navigation with the clear intent to deny transit through the Strait,” Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told Fox News Sunday. The top U.S. diplomat said the United States does not want war with Tehran, but it will ensure passage through the chokepoint that links the Persian Gulf and Gulf of Oman, a hook-shaped body of water through which as much as a third of the world’s oil supply is shipped. “The United States is going to make sure that we take all the actions necessary, diplomatic and otherwise, that achieve that outcome,” he told Fox. Pompeo told another Sunday news talk show, CBS News’ Face the Nation, that military intervention would be employed if necessary. Iran has rejected the U.S. accusation it is responsible for the attacks on the Norwegian and Japanese ships, one transporting oil and the other chemicals.…

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Department of Education Going After Elite Colleges for Allegedly Taking and Hiding Foreign Cash

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by Luke Rosiak   The Department of Education is going after U.S universities over supposed ties to foreign governments, after some allegedly took huge quantities of foreign cash and hid it from regulators. At the top of the list are Georgetown University and Texas A&M, which have taken hundreds of millions of dollars from the government of Qatar, a middle eastern nation with suspected links to international terrorism. Both schools received letters from the Department of Education Thursday saying they should have disclosed that funding but their filings “may not fully capture” the activity, the Associated Press reported. The letter warned that they could be referred to the attorney general to “compel compliance.” Georgetown was also asked about possible ties to Russian cybersecurity firm Kaspersky Lab, as well as Saudi Arabian money. Both schools were ordered to disclose funding from Huawei and ZTE, Chinese firms suspected of spying. Top Foreign Funders of U.S. Universities, 2011-2016 (Source: Department of Education) Country Amount Qatar $1,024,065,043 England $761,586,394 Saudi Arabia $613,608,797 China $426,526,085 Canada $402,535,603 Hong Kong $394,446,859 China In February, a Senate investigative subcommittee released a bipartisan, 100-page report that found that not only had China been pouring money into the U.S. for a…

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India Hikes Tariffs on U.S. Goods Amid Deepening Trade Friction

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  India has hiked tariffs on 28 goods imported from the United States as a trade spat between the two countries intensifies. The retaliatory move came days after Washington removed New Delhi from a list of countries that have preferential access to its market. “India has put its cards on the table,” says trade expert Biswajit Dhar at Jawaharlal Nehru University in New Delhi. “The U.S. has upped the ante and it is also threatening to take further action. This required India to respond.” The trade spat has escalated ahead of a visit later this month to New Delhi by U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo who has pushed India to allow American companies more access to its markets and to lower barriers. Experts fear the growing tensions could cast a shadow over a deepening India-U.S. strategic partnership that aims at countering China’s growing influence. The American goods that attract higher tariffs beginning Sunday include almonds, apples, walnuts, chickpeas and lentils, as well as some stainless steel products. New Delhi is the largest importer of U.S. almonds and the second largest buyer of apples. The total impact of the Indian tariffs is estimated to be about $240 million. Increased deferred…

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Decision to Vacate DOJ’s Wire Act Reinterpretation a Big Win for Online Poker

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by Johnny Kampis   A U.S. District Court ruling that said the Wire Act only applies to sports betting not only staves off a Department of Justice effort to end interstate online poker efforts,  it will also help facilitate the growth of poker gaming across the country. Earlier this month, U.S. District Court Judge Paul Barbadoro in New Hampshire ruled on a challenge by the New Hampshire Lottery Commission that the 1961 Interstate Wire Act applies only to sports betting. Barbadoro said the opinion by the DOJ in November 2018 that the Wire Act applied to other forms of gambling is set aside. States were supposed to comply by June 14, but the district court ruling removes that obligation for now. That decision “represents just about the greatest win imaginable” for poker operators, wrote Mark Edelman in Forbes. Edelman, a law professor of Zicklin School of Business in New York City focusing on issues of gaming and antitrust, said the decision “clearly supports the legality of interstate poker compacts, paving the way for online poker’s further growth on a national or semi-national basis.” So far, Delaware, New Jersey, Nevada, Pennsylvania and West Virginia have legalized online poker, with the last two now attempting to…

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Commentary: The American Founding’s High-Minded Purposes

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by Edward J. Erler   James Madison is justly celebrated for his frequently stated opinion that “all power in just and free Government is derived from compact.” But Madison’s view is not endorsed by all purported champions of the founders. A recent article, “Our Unwritten Constitution: Orestes Brownson and the Foundation of American Liberty,” published as part of the RealClearPolicy series on the American Project and co-authored by Richard M. Reinsch II and the late Peter Augustine Lawler, argues that Madison is utterly mistaken in his claim. In fact, the authors claim that reliance on “Lockean contract theory” produced a constitution that was “devised solely in the interest of the rights of individuals” and was “based on the unrealistic abstraction of unrelated autonomous individuals.” Lawler and Reinsch claim that autonomous individuals – that is, human beings abstracted from real life – cannot provide the appropriate material for political life. They are not “parents, creatures, [or] even citizens. Lockean thought, thus, isn’t political enough to be the foundation of government, and it isn’t relational enough to articulate properly the limits of governments or the roles of family and organized religion.” Reinsch and Lawler rely heavily on Orestes Brownson’s criticism of Locke’s influence on the…

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New Video Shows Students Stunned to Learn Biden – Not Trump – Made Racially Charged Remarks

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by Cabot Phillips   With the 2020 presidential election just 16 months away, former Vice President Joe Biden holds a commanding lead over his Democrat counterparts. Leading in every national poll, Biden has billed himself as relatable, likable, and perhaps above all else, without scandal. And, despite Sen. Bernie Sanders’ popularity with young voters, Biden has even managed to build a lead among younger voters, according to numerous polls. But would those young voters feel the same way if they’d heard some of the former vice president’s controversial comments – many of which garnered little attention at the time they were spoken? To find out, Campus Reform’s Cabot Phillips headed to Marymount University in Virginia to ask Biden supporters to choose who they think a series of quotes belong to, Joe Biden or President Donald Trump. Student after student confidently claimed the quotes they were hearing were the words of Donald Trump. All, however, were spoken by Biden. “You cannot go into a 7-11 or a Dunkin Donuts unless you have a slight Indian accent. I’m not joking,” was the first quote. “They’re going to put y’all back in chains,” was the second quote, which was spoken to a largely African-American audience. “I mean, you…

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Ridgetop Police Still Exist Because of Judge’s Order, But No One Knows for How Long

Chris Butler

  The Ridgetop Police Department isn’t finished serving and protecting just yet. According to The Associated Press, Robertson County Judge Bill Goodman has signed a temporary restraining order that will allow the Ridgetop Police Department to resume operations. “Ridgetop Mayor Tony Reasoner announced the dissolution in a special-called meeting last week, saying the city of 1.4 square miles (3 square kilometers) and about 2,000 residents just couldn’t afford a police department anymore,” according to The AP. “The plaintiffs in the civil suit against the city include Ridgetop Police Department Chief Bryan Morris and two police officers. A preliminary hearing on the restraining order was set for July 1. City officials have scheduled a meeting on Monday.” As The Tennessee Star reported last week, people in Ridgetop say the mayor’s allegedly hurt ego and personal vendetta against Morris led to this situation. In March, The Star reported Morris said Reasoner and Vice Mayor McCaw Johnson were out to cripple his department. Morris said the two men demanded his officers issue a certain number of tickets every month to generate revenue for the town. Morris then made this information public. “It’s retaliation,” Morris told The Star last week, before Judge Goodman’s ruling. “They took all…

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Volkswagen Chattanooga Workers Vote No on United Auto Workers

Chris Butler

  Southern Momentum, a grassroots group of Volkswagen Chattanooga workers who oppose the United Auto Workers, has released a statement concerning the results of the election at the facility. Workers rejected the UAW this week by a vote of 833 to 776. “We could not be more excited about the outcome of the election,” the workers said. “We are happy for our families, for Volkswagen Chattanooga, and for our community. What started as just a handful of us grew into a force of hardworking employees determined to better educate voters about the decision before them. And now all of us have spoken. We are grateful for those in the community who rallied behind our efforts and thankful to our fellow workers who joined us along the way. We will continue to advocate for the best interests of our families and for the future of Volkswagen Chattanooga and look forward to getting back to what we do best: working as one team to build quality cars.” As The Tennessee Star reported, one of the primary people fighting for the United Auto Workers to set up shop at Volkswagen Chattanooga reportedly had to settle a slander suit for his part in a nasty mudslinging campaign…

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Commentary: Here’s How the 2020 Election Could Be Stolen

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by Adam Mill   Errant flashlight beams occasionally escape the basement window of the courthouse as off-book campaign workers carefully replace another seal on a box of completed ballots. At two minutes a ballot, the team will barely finish in time to slip away before the early shift opens the building so the sheriff’s deputy can load the boxes to transport for final counting. Suddenly the snap of a light switch drowns the flashlight beams in merciless fluorescent light. The conspirators freeze as a pair of legs descends the stairs. “What are you doing?” A voice asks, half puzzled and half accusing. “Making corrections.” One of the workers responds as he brushes No. 2 pencil eraser crumbs from a ballot. “This is a waste of time.” The consultant tells the workers. “I have a better way.” Such is the scene that might play out in the hours after a future presidential election. Why would workers toil for hours to change individual ballots? The same result was achieved in 2016 when only two people were persuaded to change their votes. These two people, who were totally anonymous and unelected, nullified hundreds of thousands of lawfully cast ballots as they succumbed to…

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USDA Workers Turn Backs to Sonny Perdue After Announcing Relocation from D.C. to Kansas City

Zachery Schmidt

  American Federation of Government Employees turned their backs on Agricultural Secretary Sonny Perdue Thursday while he spoke after the USDA announced its plan to relocate workers from Washington D.C. to the Kansas City region. Perdue announced the same day the reason for moving the Department of Agriculture’s research agencies – the Economic Research Service (ERS) and the National Institute of Food and Agriculture – was to be closer to prominent farming areas, according to Politico. “Following a rigorous site selection process, the Kansas City Region provides a win-win: maximizing our mission function by putting taxpayer savings into programmatic outputs and providing affordability, easy commutes, and extraordinary living for our employees,” Perdue said. American Federation of Government Employees members from NIFA snd ERS turn backs on Agriculture Secretary Perdue at session on their unwanted relocation from DC to Kansas City area. #USDA pic.twitter.com/40JlVtuXFl — Jerry Hagstrom (@hagstromreport) June 13, 2019 The USDA believes Kansas City is the “hub” of the agricultural industry, and the move will save taxpayers money. The government agency believes it can save “nearly $300 million nominally over a 15-year lease term on employment costs.” These predicted savings will allow for funding of critical agricultural areas, according to…

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DOJ Says House Democrat’s Request for Trump Taxes Raises ‘Serious Risk of Abuse’

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by Chuck Ross   The Justice Department on Friday backed Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin in a battle with Congress over the release of President Donald Trump’s tax returns. In a 33-page opinion, the head of the Justice Department’s Office of Legal Counsel, Steven A. Engel, said a request made by the House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Richard Neal on April 3 for Trump’s tax returns “raised a serious risk of abuse.” “The Chairman’s request that Treasury turn over the President’s tax returns, for the apparent purpose of making them public, amounted to an unprecedented use of the Committee’s authority and raised a serious risk of abuse,” wrote Engel. Neal, a Massachusetts Democrat, asked Mnuchin for the past six years of Trump’s tax returns as well as records from eight of his companies. One of his arguments was that the returns would serve a legislative purpose of some sort. “This request is about policy, not politics; my preparations were made on my own track and timeline, entirely independent of other activities in Congress and the Administration,” Neal said. He said in the request that he wanted to investigate the IRS’s policy regarding to auditing of presidents’ and vice-presidents’ tax returns.…

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US Reliance on OPEC Oil Hits 30-Year Low

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by Michael Bastasch   U.S. crude oil imports from the Saudi Arabian-led OPEC fell to a 30-year low, according to the latest federal figures. OPEC imports fell to 1.5 million barrels per day in March, which is the lowest level since March 1986, the U.S. Energy Information Administration reported Thursday. EIA said OPEC imports fell “as domestic crude oil production has increased.” “Americans are no longer dependent on foreigners for their energy, and Americans are getting good jobs producing that oil and gas right here at home,” Dan Kish, a distinguished senior fellow at the Institute for Energy Research, told The Daily Caller News Foundation. “The threat against American energy security has shifted from OPEC to the halls of Congress, where members talk of the Green Raw Deal and carbon taxes that could torpedo our energy miracle,” Kish said. The last time Americans were this independent from OPEC oil former President Ronald Reagan was in office and Halley’s Comet was visible in the night’s sky. EIA also noted that U.S. sanctions on Venezuela drove imports to a record low, including periods when the U.S. took no oil from it. The U.S. also imported less from Iraq. Other OPEC members shipped…

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US-Guatemala Talks on Central American Asylum Seekers Hit Impasse

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  Major differences have surfaced between the United States and Guatemala over a proposed agreement to block Central Americans from seeking asylum in the U.S., dashing the Trump administration’s hopes for a quick resolution of talks, according to an internal U.S. State Department report on the first full day of talks Thursday in Guatemala. A three-member State Department delegation traveled to Guatemala in search of approval of a seven-page draft White House agreement that would establish a “safe third country” protocol between the U.S. and Guatemala, as VOA first reported Thursday. Under the terms of the proposed deal, migrants fleeing persecution in El Salvador and Honduras would be forced to request asylum in Guatemala, a gateway to Mexico and the United States. In all but rare exceptions, those migrants who chose to continue north to the United States without first exploring their chances in Guatemala would be returned to their home country by U.S. immigration forces. The pending agreement with Guatemala, if signed, would be the first such agreement between the U.S. and a Latin American country in U.S. history. But the State Department readout on the first day of talks suggested that there had been a “complete misinterpretation” by…

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Commentary: As Great as a Mom May Be, Kids Still Need Their Dads

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by Christopher Becker   “Smokin’ Joe,” a biography of late heavyweight boxing champion and 3-time Muhammad Ali foil Joe Frazier, was recently reviewed by Gordon Marion in The Wall Street Journal. Among the notable details is the fact that five different women gave birth to Frazier’s eleven kids. This occurrence is not uncommon among celebrities. Muhammad Ali, actor and director Clint Eastwood, and comedian Eddie Murphy are just a few who have fathered children with multiple women. Politicians fall prey to this problem as well, with San Antonio mayoral candidate Greg Brockhouse – who has four children with four mothers – being one of the most recent examples. The ideal arrangement for children is that they live with both biological parents 24/7. When two people accept the duty that comes with parenthood, no one else has the same vested interest in the health, well-being, and success of their children. Life happens, though. Some spouses commit acts of inexcusable betrayal. Domestic violence could enter the picture. Non-violent clashes of principle can also make continued cohabitation untenable. Relationships can break down over time and marriages are not immune. Nevertheless, parental breakups don’t absolve us of the responsibility we owe our children. Spending…

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Democrat-Appointed Judges Reverse Deportation Order for Illegal Immigrant

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by Jason Hopkins   A federal court has reversed an illegal alien’s deportation order, a ruling that could have significant implications on how Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) conducts apprehensions. A three-judge panel on the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Thursday that Gregoria Perez Cruz, an illegal immigrant from Mexico, should not be deported. Perez was among many illegal employees who were arrested at a work site and ordered to leave the U.S. The court, however, found that his apprehension was outside the parameter’s of ICE’s search warrant, according to The Associated Press. The subject of Perez’s arrest and deportation order dates back over a decade. ICE received an anonymous tip in 2006 that Micro Solutions Enterprises, a company that makes printer cartridges, was employing 200 to 300 illegal aliens. The agency conducted a raid of their Los Angeles plant after it was able to obtain an arrest warrant for eight employees and a search warrant for employment-related documents. At the time of the raid, around 100 armed agents stormed the plant, blocked all exits, and ordered everyone not to use their cellphones. While women were taken to a cafeteria, men were told to form two lines: One line…

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Sumner County Proposed Budgets Will Require a Property Tax Increase

Laura Baigert

  As budgets for the operation of Sumner County government and schools are set to be approved by the Board of County Commissioners at the regularly scheduled monthly meeting on Monday, June 17, the proposed spending plan will require an increase in the property tax rate. While the amount of the property tax increase has not yet been established, it is clear through discussions by several of the County Commissioners as well as the County Finance Director that an increase is imminent. A property tax increase would be the second for Sumner County in less than five years, with the last set into place in November of 2014. Both times, the property tax increases coincided with a property reappraisal which happens every five years in Sumner County. All of Tennessee’s 95 counties are on a four-, five-, or six-year reappraisal cycle. Upon the completion of the appraisal of all properties in a county, no matter the length of the reappraisal cycle, the county’s Assessor of Property determines and certifies a property tax rate that provides the same revenue for the County as was levied during the previous year. This is otherwise known as a certified tax rate (CTR) or revenue-neutral…

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WHO Says Ebola Outbreak Not Yet Global Emergency

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  The World Health Organization decided on Friday not to declare an international public health emergency over the Ebola outbreak, despite its recent spread from the Democratic Republic of Congo to Uganda. The WHO’s emergency committee described the outbreak as “an extraordinary event” of deep concern, but said it does not yet meet the criteria to be designated an international emergency. The panel has only used the label “public health emergency of international concern” four times since the committee was formed in 2005. Those included the swine flu pandemic of 2009, the spread of poliovirus in 2014, the Ebola epidemic in West Africa that begin in 2014, and the Zika virus in 2016. The designation usually triggers more funding and political awareness about the situation. The current Ebola outbreak in DRC has killed more than 1,400 people since it emerged last year in August. This week the virus spread to Uganda and there are worries the outbreak, which is also close to the borders of Rwanda and South Sudan, could spread to further countries. The acting chair of the WHO emergency committee, Preben Aavitsland, said Friday that as long as the outbreaks continues in Congo, “there will be a risk…

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Tim Ryan Says Trump ‘Hasn’t Done a Damn Thing’ for the Economy

Anthony Gockowski

  Rep. Tim Ryan (D-OH-13) said during a Thursday night appearance on The Daily Show with Trevor Noah that President Donald Trump “hasn’t done a damn thing” for the economy. Noah began the interview by congratulating Ryan for making the first Democratic debate, scheduled for June 26 and 27 in Miami. “Most people would’ve never given me a chance to get on the debate stage, and here we are. And that’s kind of the beginning of the game. We’re in the game and we’re excited to get our message out,” Ryan said. “Do you really believe you have a shot in this game?” Noah responded. “I know you don’t believe you’re out of it, but why?” “Where I come from—I represent the forgotten communities of the country, and I think if you look at the history of these races—Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton, Barack Obama, Donald Trump—the winner usually comes out of nowhere,” Ryan said, emphasizing throughout the interview that he represents “the forgotten people.” “I think the shine’s coming off the apple,” Ryan said in regards to Trump’s economic policies. “I think people are saying you made all these promises and you haven’t delivered. And so my argument to the…

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Warren Leading in Minnesota, Klobuchar Polling in Fourth in Home State

Anthony Gockowski

  A new poll shows Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) leading the field in the 2020 Democratic presidential primary in Minnesota. According to the recent Change Research poll, Warren attracted the support of 21 percent of respondents, while former Vice President Joe Biden came in second with 20 percent of the vote, and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) placed third with 19 percent. Sixteen percent of respondents said they would vote for Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) in Minnesota’s Democratic primary, putting her in fourth place in her home state. That puts her in front of South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg and Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA), who polled at 11 percent and four percent, respectively. Younger voters between 18 and 49 preferred Sanders over Warren, while voters between the ages of 50 and 64 preferred Biden as the nominee. Klobuchar polled stronger among older voters as well, receiving 19 percent of the vote among respondents aged 50 to 64. Female voters selected Warren, Biden, and Klobuchar as their top candidates, while male voters preferred Sanders, Biden, and Buttigieg. Ohio Rep. Tim Ryan (D-OH-13) polled at zero percent in Change Research’s poll, along with Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-HI-02) and Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY). “Polling…

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Bill Lee Will Call Special Session to Replace Casada

Anthony Gockowski

  Gov. Bill Lee told reporters Saturday night that he plans to call a special session so the Tennessee House can elect a new speaker. Current Speaker of the House Glen Casada (R-Franklin) announced his resignation from the speakership on June 4, saying he would be stepping down effective August 2. He intends to keep his seat in the House of Representatives, however. In his resignation letter, Casada requested that Lee “call the General Assembly into a special session for legislative business” on the his resignation date, as The Tennessee Star reported. “During the special session, the House may take up the procedural matter of electing a new speaker to lead the chamber,” Casada added. While speaking with reporters at the Tennessee Republican Party’s annual Statesmen’s Dinner, Lee revealed that he plans to call a special session in mid-to-late August. “I’ve spoken with many of the folks in the legislature, and we agree that it’s time to move forward, and the best way to do that is to go ahead and call a session and have a date so we can start making plans to get a new leader,” Lee told reporters, according to The Tennessean. He went on to say…

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Lamar Alexander Talks Health Care Reform on Twitter

Chris Butler

  Republicans and Democrats in the U.S. Senate have proposed nearly three dozen specific bipartisan provisions that will reduce the cost of what Americans pay for health care, according to U.S. Republican Sen. Lamar Alexander of Tennessee. Alexander made this announcement Thursday on his Twitter page and posted a video to go along with it. The video touted “Better Outcomes, Better Experiences” and “Lower Cost.” Specifically, Alexander said the bill will do the following: • Stop Surprise Medical Bills – so Americans don’t get an unexpected $3,000 bill from an out-of-network doctor after a hospital visit. • Lower the cost of prescription drugs – for example, by bringing low-cost drugs to market faster for patients by increasing competition. • Restore discipline to the health care market– for example, by banning gag clauses that prevent employers from letting their employees know that a knee replacement might cost $15,000 in one hospital and $35,000 at another hospital. • Help Americans lead healthier lives – for example, by making it easier to access specialty care, especially for those living in rural areas. • Make it as easy to get your personal medical records as it is to book an airplane flight – Improving…

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Commentary: A Conservative Resistance?

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by Angelo Codevilla   Leftists in America treat conservative voters, elected officials, and policies as illegitimate. Should conservative Americans return the favor? Could they? Few outside the corporate leftist media took seriously Hillary Clinton’s accusation that Donald Trump might refuse to accept defeat in the 2016 election. Though Americans’ sociopolitical divisions had already become irreconcilable, no one really believed that a major party would rebel against the voters, and hence against our constitutional republic—yet. And yet the Democratic Party and the ruling class that it represents did just that, and decided never again to concede legitimacy to any serious opponents’ victory. #TheResistance began as an attempt by Clinton and her staffers to explain why their unexpected electoral defeat had to be illegitimate. It burgeoned quickly into rejection of rule by voters because so many on the Left and in the ruling class rallied to it, having already decided that ordinary Americans have no right to stand in their way. Clinton’s characterization of Trump voters as “deplorables” and “irredeemables” and Barack Obama’s description of rural Republican voters as “clingers” to Bibles, guns, and racism, has long been ruling-class conventional wisdom. This attitude is what crossed the threshold of revolution. Because the Resistance…

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Male Women’s Track Champion Says Female Competitors Actually Have Advantage

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by Peter Hasson   The male track athlete who won an NCAA women’s national championship denies having an unfair advantage over female runners. “If anything, me competing against cisgender females is a disadvantage because my body is going through so many medical implications, like it’s going through biochemistry changes,” Franklin Pierce University runner CeCe Telfer told ESPN’s “Outside The Lines” in a feature that aired Thursday. "If anything, me competing against cisgender females is a disadvantage.."@FPUathletics track star CeCe Telfer talks about the physical challenges she faces while competing as a transgender woman. pic.twitter.com/9VhlOVA70V — Outside the Lines (@OTLonESPN) June 13, 2019 “So being on hormone replacement therapy, your muscle depletion, your muscle is deteriorating, you lose a lot of strength because testosterone is where you get your strength and agility and all that athletic stuff, so I have to work twice as hard to keep that strength,” Telfer said in the interview. “And if I slack a day that’s like three days set behind.” Telfer, a biological male who identifies as a transgender woman, won the NCAA DII women’s 400-meter hurdles championship last month, besting the second place finisher by more than a second. Telfer previously ran a variety…

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Audit: Tennessee Government Employee Pampers Herself with $150,000 of Taxpayer Money

Chris Butler

  A Tennessee government employee who spent almost $150,000 of taxpayer money on luxuries for herself will face sentencing next month, said her former boss. According to an audit Tennessee Comptrollers released this week, a former Oliver Springs Housing Authority employee spent, among other things, more than $16,000 on herself at Amazon.com and nearly $3,500 on her personal property taxes. “This employee admitted to investigators that she used her OSHA credit card and the executive director’s OSHA credit card to make the purchases,” auditors wrote. Auditors said they reviewed OSHA accounting records, bank statements, credit card statements, and supporting documentation to make their findings. Comptrollers did not identify the woman. Oliver Springs Housing Authority Executive Director Karen Leffew told The Tennessee Star Friday the former employee is Melissa Eula May. May, the audit went on to say, gave more than $26,000 of that money to her boyfriend. She also paid nearly $8,000 for two jet skis and nearly $10,000 for a 2001 Tahoe Boat and a trailer. Other expense included the following: • More than $42,000 on Carnival Cruise and plane tickets, jewelry, and sporting goods. • Nearly $4,500 in vehicle repairs. • Exactly $15,000 for a 2015 Sportsman Travel…

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Bernie Will Take on Biden During the First Round of Democratic Debates

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by Molly Prince   Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders is slated to go up in a debate against the only Democratic opponent who has consistently been polling ahead of him, former Vice President Joe Biden. The Democratic National Committee (DNC) announced Thursday the 20 presidential candidates invited to participate in the first round of primary debates, and a day later the DNC revealed the break out of who is scheduled to appear on which of the two debate stages. The two frontrunners, Biden and Sanders, will noticeably appear on the same stage during the June 27 debate. The other candidates who will be at a podium include Colorado Sen. Michael Bennet, South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg, New York Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, California Sen. Kamala Harris, former Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper, California Rep. Eric Swalwell, entrepreneur Andrew Yang and author Marianne Williamson In order to score one of the debate podiums, candidates must have either received donations from at least 65,000 unique donors (with a minimum of 200 donors in more than 19 states) or received at least 1 percent support in three DNC-approved polls. Who gets a spot at which debate was reportedly determined by a random draw of the qualifying…

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Florida Governor Ron DeSantis Signs Anti-Sanctuary Bill Into Law

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by Jason Hopkins   Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis signed legislation into law Friday that bans “sanctuary cities” in the state, fulfilling a pledge he made while on the campaign trail. DeSantis — at a ceremony in the Okaloosa County Board of Commissioners alongside Florida GOP Rep. Matt Gaetz — added his signature to SB 168. The bill requires state and local governments to honor retainers made by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and to cooperate with federal immigration authorities. Furthermore, the bill prohibits local governments from adopting “sanctuary” policies that protect illegal immigrants, requiring them to notify ICE when an individual subject to a detainer is released from their custody. “Earlier this year, Governor DeSantis asked the Florida Legislature to present him with meaningful legislation to uphold the rule of law and ensure that no city or county jurisdiction can get in the way of Florida’s cooperation with our federal partners to enforce immigration law,” Helen Ferre, a DeSantis spokeswoman, wrote in a Thursday email, according to Wesh 2. “Public safety is paramount and local law enforcement agencies can and should work with the federal government to ensure that accountability and justice are one in our state,” Ferre continued.…

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US Blames Iran for Attacks on Two Tankers in Gulf of Oman

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  The U.S. Navy has released video it says shows an Iranian patrol boat removing an unexploded limpet mine from the hull of one of two tankers carrying petroleum products that were attacked in the Gulf of Oman Thursday. One of the tankers is Norwegian-owned and the other is owned by Japanese Kokuka Sangyo shipping company. Photographs also released by the U.S. military show the removed mine had been attached to the Japanese tanker, slightly forward of a mine that had already exploded. Bellingcat's @Timmi_Allen made the following video that enhances the original video, and makes it somewhat easier to see what is going on. It does look like an object is removed. But we still have to confirm this is the Kokuka Courageous. https://t.co/TIJvfegVWl pic.twitter.com/DpdPS927kg — Bellingcat (@bellingcat) June 14, 2019 The Norwegian tanker was set on fire and sent up smoke thick and black enough to be seen by satellites in space. The head of the Kokuka Sangyo shipping company which operates the tanker Kokuka Courageous said their ship had been attacked twice, with one explosion near the engine room and another on the right-hand side, near the back. Speaking to reporters Friday, Yutaka Katada, said the crew…

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Democrat’s Debate Lineups for June 26-27 Are Set: Four Highest Polling Dems In Second Night Faceoff

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  With 20 candidates qualifying for the first debates over two consecutive nights in Miami later this month, the Democratic National Committee decided to use a “lottery” process to divide the qualifiers into two ten candidate groups. The idea was to avoid a “varsity and junior varsity” division where the top candidates debate each other and the lesser-known candidates are relegated to the “kids table.” But despite the DNC’s hopes to sprinkle the top polling candidates into both pools, the process has four of the top five in the second-night event while only one will be appearing on the first night. Former Vice President Joe Biden, Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Senator Kamala Harris (D-CA), and South Bend, Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg are four of the highest polling candidates at this point…and all will face off with six other contenders on the second night of the debates. The fifth, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), will appear on the first night. The second night of debates will also include Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Sen. Michael Bennett (D-CO), former Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper, Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA), entrepreneur Andrew Yang, and spiritualist Marianne Williamson. Joining Warren in the first round will be Sen. Cory…

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Human Trafficking Investigation Leads to Four Businesses Being Raided

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by Shelby Talcott   Four Virginia Beach business were raided in connection with possible human trafficking Thursday, according to authorities. One of the locations was a massage parlor that has been open for about seven or eight years, local outlet Wavy reported. People in the area were not surprised to hear of alleged human trafficking at this location, with one woman saying most business owners in the area had an idea something was up. “Yeah, well I think most of the business owners they had a feeling that something was going on,” said Tiffany, who works near the parlor, according to Wavy. “It was pretty noticeable that there was just gentlemen going in and out. No women of any kind.” “I mean it’s very apparent, you know, the girls will sometimes walk the gentlemen out as they leave the parking lot, you see only gentlemen going in and out,” Tiffany said. “You never see female. I know across, the business across the sidewalk here, one of her girls tried to go get a massage and they turned her down and told her they don’t. You know ‘we don’t service females.’” Human trafficking is a worldwide, multi-billion dollar illegal industry and…

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China Holding Over 1 Million Uighurs in Internment Camps

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by Carmel Kookogey   If you’re Muslim living in China today, turning down alcohol, refusing to smoke, or wearing a beard could be treated as a crime. To date, China’s internment camps, which they call “re-education camps,” contain over 1 million Uighurs, who are a minority group made up of mostly Muslims living in the autonomous regions of Xinjiang and Tibet. They have long been in conflict with the Chinese Communist Party, whose camps are operated with the end goal of Sinicizing religious beliefs, or making them conform to the party’s ideology. The Heritage Foundation held an event last week titled “The Crisis in Xinjiang” to discuss the injustice being perpetrated by the Chinese Communist Party and why those who treasure religious freedom should care. Olivia Enos, a foreign policy analyst for the Institute for National Security and Foreign Policy at The Heritage Foundation, said that Uighurs who visibly live out their religious life are the very reason the Chinese government deems them suspicious. Their religious expressions act as cultural red flags to government authorities, Enos said, and for this reason, the current Uighur crisis in Xinjiang is a repetition of the Chinese Cultural Revolution of the 1960s and ’70s.…

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Ocasio-Cortez Has Ties to a Dark Money Group

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by Andrew Kerr   Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has ties with a dark money group that trains progressive organizers on how to lead grassroots political campaigns across the country. The group, Organize for Justice, is a 501(c)(4) nonprofit organization, meaning it can raise unlimited sums of money without having to disclose the identity of its donors to the public. Organize for Justice’s website states that it is the “sister organization” of Justice Democrats, the PAC that, according to corporate filings, Ocasio-Cortez and her chief of staff have held control over since December 2017. Ocasio-Cortez has frequently decried the use of dark money in politics. During her primary campaign, she said dark money was an “enemy to democracy” and that it poses a “very real danger” of silencing grassroots candidates. Dark money is used to manipulate electorates. It is the enemy to democracy. Period. When politicians and corporations weaved their dark web of campaign finance, they created a ticking time bomb for foreign adversaries. To make our democracy safer, we need to get big money OUT. https://t.co/OYX62jboZH — Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) February 17, 2018 Organize for Justice was founded by former Ocasio-Cortez campaign volunteers in November, according to corporate documents obtained by…

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Commentary: The Seven Worst Ideas for Regulation This Century

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by David R. Henderson   Many good things have happened both in the United States and worldwide this century. In the U.S., we have the lowest unemployment rate in half a century. Worldwide prosperity is growing so fast that the rate of extreme poverty fell by half between 1990 and 2015, five years ahead of the World Bank’s optimistic goal. The bad news is that along with great economic performance has come a good bit of silly, one might even call it stupid, regulation and proposals for regulation. Here are my top seven for the United States, although I’m open to hearing about other, even stupider ones. 1. Interest rate cap on credit cards. Senator Bernie Sanders and Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez want the federal government to cap interest rates charged by credit card companies at 15 percent. The likely results will be that people with no credit history or poor credit will have more difficulty getting credit cards and will, instead, resort to layaway plans, pawn shops, payday loans, and even loan sharks. 2. Rent control. Oregon’s government recently passed a statewide rent-control law. It is hard to find an economist not currently living in a rent-controlled apartment who will…

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More Than 200 Attend ‘Squash Amash’ Rally Outside Congressman’s Grand Rapids Office

Abigail Nobel

  GRAND RAPIDS, Michigan — Flag-waving patriots flocked to the “Squash Amash” rally Friday outside the Grand Rapids office of Rep. Justin Amash (R-MI-03). The congressman has faced backlash from his Trump-supporting constituents after announcing on Twitter that he thinks President Donald Trump committed impeachable offenses. One Amash voter told The Ohio Star Friday that he had difficulty understanding Amash’s position. “The Mueller Report was a set-up, the majority of them are Hillary-supporters and Democrats,” he said of the Mueller investigation. The rally drew participants from West Michigan and beyond. Hosted by the Michigan Trump Republicans, event organizers hailed from nearby Muskegon County and Oakland County in southeast Michigan. Leading the crowd in chants of “Lock her up!” and “Squash Amash!” organizers kicked off the presidential campaign season in Michigan with a rendition of “Happy Birthday” in celebration of President Trump’s 73rd birthday, which was Friday. Event supporter Jeff Webb, founder of The New American Populist PAC, addressed the crowd briefly on supporting the president and America’s middle-class. The short podium presentation concluded with requests to visit the “No Justin Amash” website. Estimates of crowd size Friday were 200-300. A wide variety of residents from Michigan’s Third Congressional District were represented, from lifelong GOP…

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Experts Say UAW Treats Volkswagen Chattanooga as Adversary

Chris Butler

  Southern Momentum, a grassroots group of Volkswagen Chattanooga workers who oppose the United Auto Workers, this week responded after Automotive News reported the UAW is “disputing whether the automaker is maintaining its neutrality.” This, according to a press release the group put out this week. “Here we go again,” said Maury Nicely, a Chattanooga-based lawyer for Evans Harrison Hackett PLC, who has worked with anti-UAW team members since 2014. “While the UAW has tried to distance itself from attacks on the company by the Center for VW Facts, the union itself is treating Volkswagen as an adversary. The UAW has been provided with an unprecedented hands-off approach from Volkswagen, yet they are still attacking the company. We are glad voting is underway and are hopeful workers have seen that the UAW is not here to be a partner to the company and our community. They are simply here to knock Volkswagen down and collect membership dues to send back to Detroit.” As of 8 p.m. Central Friday night, a final vote tally was not officially announced. As The Tennessee Star reported, one of the primary people fighting for the United Auto Workers to set up shop at Volkswagen Chattanooga reportedly had to…

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Loudon County Commissioners May Raise Property Taxes at Sheriff’s Request

Chris Butler

  Loudon County commissioners may raise property taxes to pay for Sheriff Tim Guider’s proposed new budget. Members of the Loudon County Commission Budget Committee are scheduled to hold a public hearing on the proposed 2019-2020 proposed budget at 6 p.m. Monday, June 17, at 6:00 pm at the Courthouse Annex, according to news release. Guider was unavailable for comment Thursday. County Commissioner Kelly Littleton Brewster told The Tennessee Star that Guider wants more taxpayer money to hire 42 new employees, some for the new county jail scheduled to open next January. The county needs a new jail because the current facility is overcrowded. The current jail has 80 employees, she added. Guilder also wants that money to hire to new patrol officers, Brewster said. “Right now, we don’t want to raise property taxes, but we’re also looking at other possibilities,” Brewster said. “Right now, county commissioners have offered 15 new employees to the sheriff. Doing that would not consist of a property tax increase.” But 42 new employees would require a property tax hike, Brewster said. County Commissioner Harold Duff, meanwhile, said he is not on board. “I have a problem supporting it like it is written,” Duff said.…

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Commentary: The Trump Tariffs Could Help Prevent Another Great Depression by Talking Currency with China

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Donald Trump, Xi Jinping

by Robert Romano   A long-standing bit of conventional wisdom holds that the Great Depression, which began in 1929, was worsened and made global by tariffs in the Smoot-Hawley tariff act of 1930, and that it was not until the 1934 Reciprocal Trade Act that recovery was possible. But this is a caricature, for it leaves out a critical element of the Great Depression that separates it from normal recessions: Deflation. An example of this myopic caricature can be found at History.com’s article, “The Great Depression Lesson About ‘Trade Wars’,” which follows this narrative but does not mention deflation. It does not even mention unemployment, which should tell you a thing or two. It solely examines the implementation of tariffs, and their impacts, which grossly simplifies the matter and ignores why tariffs were resorted to. Deflation in the U.S. began after the great inflation of World War I and the ensuing credit expansion had a brief respite in the 1920s before beginning again in 1927. It then slowed in 1929, and then went crazy starting in 1930 as banks began failing en masse. Inflation was marked at -2.7 percent in 1930, -8.9 percent in 1931, -10.3 percent in 1932 and…

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Movies to Watch This Weekend

Zachery Schmidt

  The summer is in full swing and that means a variety of movies are rolling out to audiences across the globe. This weekend, a couple of remakes of popular movies are set to be released today nationwide. Men in Black: International This movie is the fourth installation of the Men in Black series, which dates back to 1997. Chris Hemsworth and Tessa Thompson star as two agents who fight aliens on Earth with advanced weaponry. But in the heat of battle, the duo discover they must face a far more dangerous foe – within the ranks if their own MiB. This science fiction movie has not done well with the critics. Rotten Tomatoes’ movie critics scored this a 27 percent rating while the audience gave it a 70 percent rating.   Shaft: Forty-eight years after the original Shaft movie came out, the fifth movie in this series hits theaters today. Shaft takes place in Harlem, New York and is about an FBI cyber security expert (Jessie Usher) who joins forces with his estranged father (Samuel L. Jackson) to investigate a friend’s mysterious death. This action comedy has received mixed reviews so far. Rotten Tomatoes scored this movie a 37…

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Sanders: Socialism Will Spike Taxes, But Americans Will Be ‘Delighted’ to Pay Extra

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by Jake Dima   Democratic presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders acknowledged a tax increase from his policies and said Americans would be “delighted” to pay extra, in a CNN interview with Anderson Cooper Wednesday. “I suspect that a lot of people in this country would be delighted to pay more in taxes if they had comprehensive health care as a human right,” Sanders said. The Vermont senator also went on to tell Cooper that he bases his principles on his 50-mile proximity to the Canadian border, where universal health care is law. What Sanders did not include in his statement was the cost of his programs. The Mercatus Center at George Mason University released a study in 2018 saying Americans can estimate to foot a $32.6 trillion bill over a 10-year period for “Medicare for All,” Fox News reported. Sanders has also omitted cost information on his campaign website. The 10-year cost breaks down to $3.26 trillion per year, according to the report. The current U.S. federal budget stands around $4.7 trillion. Sanders also told Cooper Wednesday that housing, retirement, education and a clean environment are among his staples of “human rights.” President Donald Trump was a subject of discussion in…

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Commentary: That Star-Spangled Banner Yet Waves

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Tennessee Star

by Ashley Hamilton   To fly the flag is to honor the mystic chords of memory. It is to hear not a harmonious hymn of battle but the disharmony of peaceful dissent. It is to record the jangling discords of the march of freedom, not a symphony of complacency nor an orchestration of complicity in the slow undoing of those human rights to which this nation has always been committed, and to which we are committed today at home and around the world. To fly the flag—to raise it on this day, Flag Day—is to celebrate the greatness of America. We are a great nation, not because we have always been good, but because we have never failed to try to do good; to right the wrongs of America as God gives us the firmness to see the right; to see to it that we are true to what we said on paper, so every American will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood; to see a sea of flags—from sea to shining sea—where liberty is our birthright and life itself is an unalienable right. To see our flag is to feel what no other flag…

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House Committee Holds Barr, Ross in Contempt of Congress

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  A day after the U.S. House passed a resolution authorizing its committees to take the Trump administration to court and pursue criminal contempt cases to enforce their subpoenas, the House Oversight Committee took the next step. The House Oversight Committee on Wednesday voted in favor of holding Attorney General William Barr and Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross in contempt of Congress because of the Trump administration’s refusal to comply with the committee’s subpoena for information about why a U.S. citizenship question was added to the 2020 census. Republican Rep. Justin Amash of Michigan, a vocal supporter of impeaching U.S. President Donald Trump, voted with Democrats. Trump claimed executive privilege Wednesday in refusing to hand over documents to Democratic lawmakers investigating the census question. “I think it’s ridiculous that we would have a census without asking” about citizenship, Trump told reporters at the White House. The House panel’s chairman, Rep. Elijah Cummings of Maryland, delayed the contempt vote until later in the day to give the committee’s 42 members time to consider Trump’s executive privilege claim. But he questioned why Trump was asserting executive privilege just before the contempt vote when the subpoenas for information were issued two months ago. ‘Blanket…

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Challengers to Citizenship Question Ask Supreme Court to Delay Census Ruling

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by Kevin Daley   Civil rights groups urged the Supreme Court to postpone its decision on the census citizenship question case late Wednesday, asking the justices to return the dispute to a lower court for review of new evidence. The plaintiffs said in late May that they uncovered evidence showing the Trump administration hopes to use granular citizenship data from the census to help Republicans during the redistricting process. That evidence, as well as claims that senior administration officials made false statements in official proceedings, needs to be reviewed by a trial court, the plaintiffs say. “If ever there were a case that should be decided on the basis of a true and complete record, it is this one,” the plaintiffs wrote in a Wednesday filing with the high court. “The decennial census is one of the U.S. government’s most important constitutional responsibilities, and even an appearance that the government has manipulated the census for partisan and racially discriminatory purposes would undermine public confidence in our representative democracy.” “This Court should not bless the [government’s] decision on this tainted record, under a shadow that the truth will later come to light,” the filing adds. Such suggestions are highly unusual at…

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Trump Eyes More US Troops for Poland, Easing Poles’ Visa Travel to US

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by Fred Lucas   President Donald Trump announced plans Wednesday to possibly station 2,000 more U.S. military troops in Poland and to add the country “fairly soon” to the Visa Waiver Program. “It’s a complex situation, as you know,” Trump said of finalizing a decision on the Visa Waiver Program. “But we are getting very close. We allow very few countries to join, but Poland is one we are thinking about allowing in, probably in about 90 days.” Polish President Andrzej Duda held a joint news conference with Trump on Wednesday in the White House Rose Garden. The Visa Waiver Program allows the citizens of the current 38 member states to travel to other participating countries for up to 90 days without having to obtain a visa. If approved, individuals are authorized to travel within a two-year period for up to 90 days at a time. Duda said he was optimistic this time, inasmuch as previous administrations have considered adding Poland to the list. “This is the first U.S. administration that has treated this in such a serious way and such a comprehensive way,” Duda said. “Covering Poles with the Visa Waiver Program is going to be possible before the…

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Federal Watchdog Recommends Kellyanne Conway Be Fired Over Hatch Act Violations

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by Chuck Ross   A federal watchdog agency has recommended that Kellyanne Conway, a senior counselor to President Trump, be removed from public service for violating the Hatch Act. The Office of Special Counsel (OSC), an independent federal watchdog, said in a letter Thursday to Trump that Conway is a “repeat offender” who has committed “numerous violations” of the Hatch Act by making disparaging remarks about Democrats during media appearances. The Hatch Act bars government employees from making statements for or against political candidates. “OSC respectfully requests that Ms. Conway be held to the same standards as all other federal employees, and, as such, you find removal from federal service to be the appropriate disciplinary action,” wrote special counsel Henry Kerner. “If Ms. Conway were any other federal employee, her multiple violations of the law would almost certainly result in removal from her federal position by the Merit Systems Protection Board,” Kerner continued. The OSC, which is not affiliated with the Justice Department’s special counsel’s office, investigated Conway’s statements and interviews regarding the 2020 election. The letter says that since Feb. 1, Conway has “repeatedly” violated the Hatch Act in media appearances by touting Trump’s reelection campaign while criticizing Democrats…

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US, Guatemala Close to Deal to Block Central American Asylum-Seekers

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  The Trump administration hopes within days to conclude a deal with Guatemala that would block Central Americans from seeking asylum in the U.S. VOA has obtained an unsigned copy of a seven-page draft White House agreement which would establish a “safe third country” protocol between the U.S. and Guatemala. The draft is set to be presented to the government in Guatemala City this week. Under the terms of the agreement, migrants fleeing persecution in El Salvador and Honduras would be required to seek asylum in Guatemala, a gateway to Mexico and the United States. With few exceptions, those who continue north to the U.S. without testing their chances in Guatemala would be sent back to Guatemala by U.S. immigration authorities. Mexico has resisted entering a “safe third country” agreement as part of its recent deal with the Trump administration to avoid punishing tariffs. But talks of a regional pact emerged shortly after President Donald Trump revealed he had agreed to terms with Mexico to curb migration levels through increased Mexican enforcement. In May, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) registered the highest monthly total of southwest border apprehensions in 13 years, setting up Trump’s most recent showdown with his…

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New Photos and Videos Show Congressman Mark Green in Normandy

Chris Butler

  U.S. Rep. Mark Green of Tennessee’s Seventh Congressional District has uploaded several new videos and photos to his Facebook page from his recent trip to Normandy to observe D-Day celebrations. To commemorate the 75th anniversary of D-Day, Green joined some of his colleagues on a bipartisan delegation trip to France last week. U.S. Republican President Donald Trump and a bipartisan Congressional delegation honored the men who served in the largest amphibious invasion ever. In one video, Green captured scenery of Normandy Beach. In another video, Green stood atop a cliff at Normandy Beach. “Today I get to stand here and look at these cliffs and understand more than ever before the incredible bravery it took to come up these cliffs while the enemy fired at almost point blank range,” Green said while speaking directly into the camera. Other photos show Green aboard a military transport while flying over Normandy. Additional photos show other battlefields nearby and French planes overhead offering tribute to D-Day’s heroes. As The Tennessee Star reported last week, during his trip Green mingled with some of the surviving men who participated in that historic event. He also took time to reflect upon why we must never forget…

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Commentary: Bible Verses Now ‘Unsafe’ on Social Media

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by CHQ Staff   Our friend James O’Keefe and his team at Project Veritas have obtained a massive “Sensitive Terms List” from a Pinterest insider, which revealed the social media giant manipulates search results for “Bible verses,” “Christian Easter,” and other Christian terms. The terms on the list are marked as “brand unsafe.” What this means is such terms are removed from auto-complete, trending, recommended, etc. thus depressing the page views and connections of individuals whose posts include those terms. The communications obtained from an industry whistleblower show media giant Pinterest also labeled pro-life activist organization ‘Live Action’ under its “pornography” category; claiming the group was distributing “misinformation related to conspiracies and anti-vaccination advice.” The documents, which include product code, Slack messages, and internal policies, reveal terms and websites that Pinterest apparently censors. In an interview with Project Veritas, the Pinterest insider who leaked the documents explained how the company censors pro-life and Christian content on the website. “I was pretty surprised,” said the Pinterest insider in an interview, when s/he discovered that pro-life group LiveAction.org was added to a “porn domain block list.” The insider explained that the “block list” was intended to be a collection of pornographic websites…

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Oberlin College Hit With Maximum Punitive Damages, Must Pay $33 Million to Gibson’s Bakery

Anthony Gockowski

  A jury ordered Oberlin College to pay $33 million in punitive damages Thursday to Gibson’s Bakery, an on-campus business that the school falsely accused of racial profiling. As The Ohio Star reported last week, the Gibson family was awarded $11 million in compensatory damages. State law caps punitive damages at twice the amount of compensatory damages awarded, meaning the figure will likely be reduced to $22 million, according to Legal Insurrection. At the end of the day, the Gibson family will walk away with at least $33 million in total damages ($11 million in compensatory, and $22 million in punitive after state caps). “Oberlin College tried to sacrifice a beloved fifth-generation bakery, its owners, and its employees at the altar of political correctness to appease the campus ‘social justice warfare’ mob,” said Legal Insurrection CEO and Cornell law professor William Jacobson. “The jury sent a clear message that the truth matters, and so do the reputations and lives of people targeted by false accusations, particularly when those false accusations are spread by powerful institutions.” As of June 30, 2018, Oberlin College reported that it had an endowment of $887.4 million. “Throughout the trial the Oberlin College defense was tone-deaf…

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Emails Show Omar’s Committee Boasting of Being Able to Shut Down Stories in Star Tribune

Anthony Gockowski

  Internal emails released this week show members of Rep. Ilhan Omar’s (D-MN-05) 2016 Minnesota House campaign committee attempting to “shut down” a story “as we do with the Strib.” “Strib” refers to the nickname used for The Star Tribune, Minnesota’s largest newspaper. The shocking emails were obtained by Powerline from the Minnesota Campaign Finance Board, which discovered the emails during its investigation into Omar’s campaign finance violations. As Powerline notes, the emails were written following the outlet’s publication of an August 12, 2016 story questioning Omar’s marital status—the first story discussing Omar’s alleged marriage to her brother. In response, Omar’s campaign committee temporarily hired Ben Goldfarb as a crisis communications manager. “Does anyone on the team have a relationship with Blois?” Goldfarb wrote in an August 15 email, referring to Blois Olson, best known in media circles for his popular newsletter, Morning Take. That morning, Olson had linked to Powerline’s article in his newsletter. “Someone should probably reach out to talk off the record and shut it down with him as we do with the Strib,” Goldfarb continued. “I don’t know him, but can do it if nobody has a relationship. And we can tighten up the statement today…

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