June 2019 - Page 6 of 9 - Tennessee Star

U.S. Marshals Fight to Contain Riot in Memphis After Suspect Fatally Shot

June 14, 2019June 13, 2019 Chris Butler

Riots erupted in Memphis’ Frayser community Wednesday after U.S. Marshals shot and killed a man wanted on multiple warrants, according to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation. According to a TBI press release, multiple officers with the United States Marshals Service – Gulf Coast Regional Fugitive Task Force encountered the man as he got inside a vehicle. “While attempting to stop the individual, he reportedly rammed his vehicle into the officers’ vehicles multiple times before exited with a weapon,” according to the TBI press release. “The officers fired striking and killing the individual. No officers were injured.” According to the Nashville-based WKRN, a crowd formed and people threw rocks and bricks. Twenty-five officers suffered mostly minor injuries. Officers had to use tear gas and cordon off several blocks nearby. Officers reportedly arrested three people. “Officers on horseback patrolled the area, and lines of police cars with flashing blue lights were parked along the street. An ambulance could be seen at the outer edge of the scene,” WKRN reported. “A helicopter flew overhead as police cars trickled away. Residential streets were blocked, and a heavy police presence remained in the area Thursday.” Memphis Police and members of the Shelby County Sheriff’s…

Read the full story

Same Google Employee Who Called Marsha Blackburn a Terrorist Allegedly Got Conservative Co-Worker Fired

June 13, 2019June 13, 2019 Chris Butler

The same Google employee who described U.S. Republican Sen. Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee as a terrorist reportedly had a role in firing a conservative co-worker, according to various news agencies. As The Tennessee Star reported last year, Blake Lemoine, a senior software engineer at Google, has a problem with Blackburn. Also, as reported, Lemoine is part of a cult under the tutelage of a former porn star. According to Fox Business, Google recently fired software engineer Mike Wacker for complaining about an anti-conservative bias within the company. “They just basically hauled me in front of a kangaroo court, basically called into this meeting with no notice,” Wacker told the network. “They asked me a bunch of random questions and I’m still trying to get my bearings, I’m like trying to figure out why I’m being investigated.” Google officials, however, told Fox Business that Wacker threatened co-workers, and the firing was justified after multiple warnings. But Wacker said the company still tolerates threats from left-leaning employees. “In the final written warning one of the allegations they had against me was that someone had called me rude, disrespectful and intellectually dishonest — well this was the same person who had referred to Sen. [Marsha] Blackburn as…

Read the full story

Sarah Huckabee Sanders to Leave White House at the End of the Month

June 13, 2019June 13, 2019 Zachery Schmidt

White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders is stepping down at the end of June, President Donald Trump announced on Twitter Thursday. “After 3 1/2 years, our wonderful Sarah Huckabee Sanders will be leaving the White House at the end of the month and going home to the Great State of Arkansas . . . She is a very special person with extraordinary talents, who has done an incredible job! I hope she decides to run for Governor of Arkansas – she would be fantastic. Sarah, thank you for a job well done,” Trump wrote. ….She is a very special person with extraordinary talents, who has done an incredible job! I hope she decides to run for Governor of Arkansas – she would be fantastic. Sarah, thank you for a job well done! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 13, 2019 Sanders thanked the President on Twitter after he announced her resignation. “I am blessed and forever grateful to Donald Trump for the opportunity to serve and proud of everything he’s accomplished. I love the President and my job. The most important job I’ll ever have is being a mom to my kids and it’s time for us to…

Read the full story

Commentary: K-12 Education Has Become Progressive Sunday School

June 13, 2019June 12, 2019 Admin

by Hezekiah Kantor As an adolescent, just beginning my education as a Catholic, I had Catechism classes. There, for usually an hour, we learned some of the basic tenets of the Roman Catholic faith. In other denominations, this is known as Sunday School. I suppose the true purpose of Sunday School is edification and the equipping of the pupils with a solid foundation in religious faith. Progressive Liberals have their own Sunday School. Of course, given that they tout a Trojan Horse religion, they get away with not calling it what it is. As a teacher and a former public school student, I have become intimately acquainted with the inner workings of the Progressive Liberal Sunday School catechizing the youth of America. Over 50 million young people attend the public schools every year where—to an overwhelming extent—their minds are prepared to accept and think uncritically about basic Progressive Liberal doctrines by the priests and priestesses who teach their classes. Within the schools that teach the teachers, Social Sciences—which the University Schools of Education fall under—registered Democrats outnumber Republican Professors by a margin of over 10 to 1. Even in my Jesuit School of Education, we were heavy on social justice…

Read the full story

International Commission Says It Will Lock Private Border Gate at Night But Unlock It During the Day for Maintenance of Federal Dam

June 13, 2019June 12, 2019 Jason M. Reynolds

The U.S. section of the International Boundary and Water Commission (IBWC) announced Tuesday it will lock We Build the Wall’s private gate at night “due to security concerns” but open it during the day. “Our border wall & gate are secure again and we still have not had a single breach. I want to thank the IBWC for acting swiftly and we look forward to working with you on our future projects,” We Build the Wall founder Brian Kolfage tweeted. https://twitter.com/BrianKolfage/status/1138629318270226432 Kolfage also tweeted, “Thank you IBWC for your dedication to allow us to protect the citizens of sunland park and El Paso.” https://twitter.com/BrianKolfage/status/1138836897680285701 The IBWC’s press release is here. It adds: The USIBWC is continuing to work with We Build the Wall regarding its permit request. Until this decision, the private gate was in a locked open position. We Build the Wall, a private organization, built a gate on federal land in Sunland Park, N.M., near El Paso, Texas, without authority, and then locked the gate closed on June 6, 2019. The private gate blocks a levee road owned by the U.S. Government. After repeated requests to unlock and open the private gate, the United States Section of…

Read the full story

Solar And Wind Produced Just Three Percent of Global Energy

June 13, 2019June 13, 2019 Admin

by Michael Bastasch Wind and solar energy generation is growing, but it’s still an incredibly small part of the global energy mix, according to statistics compiled by the oil giant BP. Meanwhile, fossil fuels — coal, natural gas and oil — accounted for 85% of global energy consumption in 2018, BP reported Tuesday as part of its annual energy report. In fact, BP reported the U.S. led the world in oil and natural gas production growth. U.S. petroleum output saw the biggest annual growth ever recorded in any country, BP said. In other words, shale is booming. The U.S. surpassed Saudi Arabia and Russia in 2018 to become the world’s largest oil-producing nation. “Oil remains the most used fuel in the energy mix,” BP reported in its annual energy review. “Coal is the second largest fuel but lost share in 2018 to account for 27%, its lowest level in 15 years. The share of natural gas increased to 24%, such that the gap between coal and gas has narrowed to three percentage points.” “The contribution of hydro and nuclear remained relatively flat in 2018 at 7% and 4%, respectively,” BP reported. “Strong growth pushed up renewables share to 4%,…

Read the full story

Trump Escalates Standoff with House, Claims Executive Privilege Over Census Records

June 13, 2019June 12, 2019 Admin

by Kevin Daley President Donald Trump is claiming executive privilege over administration documents regarding the addition of a citizenship question on the 2020 census form, as House Democrats prepare to hold two cabinet secretaries in contempt over the dispute. The move comes after Attorney General William Barr warned that Trump would assert privilege over the census records if the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee proceeded with plans to hold Barr and Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross in contempt. “The [Department of Justice] has explained to the committee on several occasions that these identified documents consist of attorney-client communications, attorney work product, and deliberative communications, and a federal court has already held many of these documents to be privileged in litigation,” Assistant Attorney General Stephen Boyd told House Oversight and Government Reform Committee chairman Elijah Cummings in a Wednesday letter. “By proceeding with today’s vote, you have abandoned the accommodation process with respect to your requests and subpoenas for documents concerning the secretary’s decision to include a citizenship question on the 2020 census,” Boyd added. The committee’s vote, which was delayed following issuance of the letter, will need to be ratified by the full House before Cummings can ask a…

Read the full story

Democrats Move to Make Gun Makers Liable for Gun Crimes

June 13, 2019June 12, 2019 Admin

by Whitney Tipton Democratic lawmakers introduced legislation Tuesday to hold gun manufacturers liable for crimes committed with their products. The measure, introduced in both the House and Senate, seeks to repeal legislation passed in 2005 that enacted litigation protections for the gun industry, National Public Radio (NPR) reported. “Responsible actors in the gun industry don’t need this limitation on liability. And the irresponsible ones don’t deserve it,” California Democratic Rep. Adam Schiff, one of the bill’s co-sponsors, said at a press conference Tuesday. Victims of gun violence deserve their day in court. Watch as @SenBlumenthal and I, alongside activists with @MomsDemand, @NewtownAction, @bradybuzz & @GiffordsCourage, introduce legislation to hold the gun industry accountable: https://t.co/qmPp8mH9XF — Adam Schiff (@RepAdamSchiff) June 11, 2019 “All we’re doing through this proposal is giving victims of gun violence their day in court,” said Connecticut Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal, co-sponsor of the bill’s Senate version. The NRA and the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) oppose the bill. “It’s like blaming Ford or General Motors for the negligent use of their cars,” Lawrence Keane, senior vice president of government affairs for the NSSF, told The Daily Caller News Foundation. “It is wrong to hold the gun…

Read the full story

Justin Amash Joined Democrats in Vote to Hold Barr And Ross In Contempt

June 13, 2019June 12, 2019 Admin

by Evie Fordham Republican Michigan Rep. Justin Amash joined with Democrats on the House Oversight Committee to hold Attorney General William Barr and Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross in contempt of Congress Wednesday. Amash was the lone Republican to vote to hold them in contempt for failing to comply with subpoenas related to the contentious citizenship question that the Trump administration wants to add to the 2020 census, reported CBS News. The Department of Justice sent a letter announcing its plans to invoke executive privilege Wednesday morning, so the committee chair, Democratic Rep. Elijah Cummings of Maryland, delayed the vote until the afternoon according to CBS Morning. The Supreme Court is considering the question of whether the government may add the citizenship question to the census form. The Trump administration blasted accusations that senior government officials used deception to hide the origins of the citizenship question. Wednesday’s vote was Amash’s latest break with his party. Amash resigned Monday from the House Freedom Caucus even though he was one of its founding members. Amash cited his efforts to not be “a further distraction for the group,” presumably after he said on May 18 that President Donald Trump “engaged in impeachable conduct”…

Read the full story

Trump Warns of ‘Phase Two’ If Mexico Deal Doesn’t Adequately Stop Immigration Crisis

June 13, 2019June 12, 2019 Admin

by Jason Hopkins President Donald Trump on Wednesday warned of implementing a “phase two” if the immigration deal with Mexico does not yield satisfactory results. “Now, Mexico is moving 6,000 troops to their southern border. That’s a lot of troops. That’s a lot more — we never even heard of a number like that,” Trump said at the White House alongside Poland President Andrzej Duda. The two leaders met Wednesday for a bilateral meeting. “That’s a lot of troops. But that’s what they want to do because they want to produce. I think Mexico really wants to produce.” The president then made a somewhat ominous warning to the press. “If Mexico does a great job, then you’re not going to have very many people coming up. If they don’t, then we have phase two. Phase two is very tough, but I think they’re going to do a good job,” he said. When asked for clarification on what a “phase two” would entail, Trump repeated it was a “much tougher” phase. The president’s comments follow a major deal reached between U.S. and Mexican officials. In return for the U.S. agreeing not to slap their goods with a 5% tariff, Mexico…

Read the full story

Commentary: Washington State May Have Triggered the Next Major Religious Liberty Case

June 13, 2019June 12, 2019 Admin

by John Bursch One year ago last week, in a major religious liberty case, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of Christian cake artist Jack Phillips. Yet just one year later, a floral artist in Washington state now finds herself in similar circumstances to Jack. Her case could prompt the U.S. Supreme Court to revisit the matter. In the Supreme Court’s 7-2 ruling in Masterpiece Cakeshop v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission, the court rebuked the state of Colorado for its hostility toward Masterpiece Cakeshop owner Jack Phillips and his religious beliefs. Though the court’s decision spelled a needed victory for Jack, it stopped short of addressing a broader constitutional question: Are creative professionals like Jack, who gladly serve everyone but simply decline to express certain messages or celebrate certain events, free to live according to their faith without fear of government coercion? Rather than wading into that question, the high court ruled in Jack’s favor because of the hostility Colorado had shown throughout a six-year ordeal that left Jack no option but the highest court in the land. The state’s unelected civil rights commission openly compared Jack’s attempts to protect his religious freedom to the actions of slaveholders and…

Read the full story

Tennessee State University Gets $1 Million in Taxpayer Money to Study Climate Change

June 13, 2019June 12, 2019 Chris Butler

A Tennessee State University agriculture professor will use nearly $1 million of taxpayer money to study how local crops adapt to climate change, according to a university press release. The federally-funded National Science Foundation recently bestowed the money on Jianwei Li, the press release went on to say. The press release quoted Chandra Reddy, dean of TSU’s College of Agriculture, as saying the grant is “very timely.” “The climate change is there, whether politically some of us believe it or not,” Reddy said. “It is a reality.” The NSF may have a pro-climate change bias in how it dispenses taxpayer money. Last year, according to The Huffington Post, four Republican senators demanded officials investigate NSF grants. These senators reported accused the federal agency of “‘propagandizing’ by supporting a program to encourage TV meteorologists to report on climate change.” Those senators, Ted Cruz of Texas, Rand Paul of Kentucky, James Lankford of Oklahoma, and Jim Inhofe, also of Oklahoma, all Republicans, said the NSF was acting out bounds with its $4 million Climate Matters program. According to the website, the program “sponsors classes and webinars for meteorologists and provides real-time data and graphics with TV stations, went beyond the scope…

Read the full story

Ohio’s Marcia Fudge Shared Letter on House Floor Calling Trump Supporters ‘Racist’ and ‘Just Plain Dumb’

June 13, 2019June 12, 2019 Anthony Gockowski

On the House floor Tuesday morning, Rep. Marcia Fudge (D-OH-11) shared a letter she received from a constituent that calls for the impeachment of President Donald Trump and describes his supporters as “racist” and “just plain dumb.” According to Fudge, the letter was written by Dr. Ronald S. Williams, who serves as the senior pastor of Mount Zion Fellowship in Highland Hills, Ohio. “A mobster, a conman, gangster in the White House? I think so,” the letter begins, asking why the U.S. Congress hasn’t “started a formal impeachment investigation.” “Nancy Pelosi is a woman who I respect, however, I do believe her hesitancy to impeach this president is her opinion based upon polls and her belief that it would further polarize the country. However, the country is already divided and polarized,” it continues. The letter, written by a Christian pastor, goes on to belittle Trump supporters for having views that are “steeped in religious beliefs.” “It is glaringly apparent that many who support the present administration are either racist, steeped in religious beliefs, ignorant or, as my mother used to say, just plain dumb,” the letter states. “They have chosen to support a president who has a proven record…

Read the full story

Chase Rice Celebrates First Number One Hit with ‘Eyes on You’

June 13, 2019June 12, 2019 Bethany Bowman

Written by Chase Rice, Ashley Gorley and Chris DeStefano, “Eyes On You” becomes the first number one song for Chase Rice as an artist.

Read the full story

Ohio Lt. Gov. Husted Urges Congress to Act on Trade Agreement

June 13, 2019June 12, 2019 Admin

by Todd DeFeo The United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) will benefit Ohio’s economy, and Congress should proceed with ratifying the deal, the state’s lieutenant governor said in a letter to federal officials urging them to act. Lt. Gov. Jon Husted sent a letter to members of Ohio’s congressional delegation expressing his support for the trade deal and urging them to ratify the agreement this year. He also sent the letter to President Donald Trump, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Kentucky, and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-California. Canada and Mexico are Ohio’s two biggest export markets, accounting for more than 51 percent of the state’s total exports, Husted said in his letter. In 2018, Ohio sent $21 billion in goods to Canada and nearly $7 billion to Mexico. “It is necessary that the United States implement an updated trade agreement with Mexico and Canada to reflect the dramatic technological changes that have occurred since ratification of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA),” Husted wrote. “The new agreement will better serve the interests of American innovators, workers, farmers and job creators. Mutually beneficial trade leads to freer markets, fairer trade, and greater economic growth in the United States and across North…

Read the full story

Andy Schlafly: It’s Terrible to See Such a Misuse of the ‘Right To Life’ Name

June 13, 2019June 12, 2019 Laura Baigert

“It’s terrible to see such a misuse of the Right To Life name,” says conservative activist Andy Schlafly, attorney and son of Eagle Forum founder Phyllis Schlafly, in regards to organizations that, instead of being strongly pro-life, interfere with strong pro-life legislation. Andy Schlafly is the fifth child of John Fred and Phyllis Schlafly, who was politically active for decades before she took on the fight against the Equal Rights Amendment in 1972, which was narrowly defeated after five states rescinded their ratification. Mrs. Schlafly is widely recognized as a key player in the defeat of the ERA. The younger Schlafly graduated from Harvard Law School after receiving an engineering degree from Princeton University. As the organization’s General Counsel, Schlafly represented the Association of American Physicians and Surgeons, Inc. – “a voice for private physicians since 1943” – in a 2010 lawsuit against ObamaCare. Schlafly also founded Conservapedia, an alternative to the left-leaning online encyclopedia Wikipedia and is a political columnist and commentator. In a telephone interview, Schlafly told The Tennessee Star that it is “unfortunate and surprising to some people that organizations with the [Right To Life] name and appear that they will be strongly pro-life, but are there…

Read the full story

We Build the Wall Declares End to Standoff With Government Bureaucracy, Which Locks Gate at Private Border Wall

June 12, 2019June 11, 2019 Jason M. Reynolds

The private builders of a border wall in New Mexico say their standoff has ended with a government bureaucracy to secure a gate and keep criminals out of the border. We Build the Wall founder Brian Kolfage on Tuesday night posted the last of several updates by press release. He said: The IBWC has decided to close and lock the Border Wall gate we built tonight and every night going forward! They will only be opening the gate at intermittent times during the day as necessary going forward. Further calls to the IBWC are no longer necessary and WeBuildTheWall looks forward to working with them as we continue to secure other segments of the border that they operate on. “Our border wall & gate are secure again and we still have not had a single breach. I want to thank the IBWC for acting swiftly and we look forward to working with you on our future projects!” Kolfage also tweeted. That news was a turnaround from Tuesday morning, when Kolfage announced in a press release that, “yesterday our wall and our nation came under attack by a globalist bureaucracy called the IBWC (International Boundary and Waterway Commission). This group which is half…

Read the full story

Commentary: How Open Borders and Sanctuary Policies Victimize (and Kill) Americans

June 12, 2019June 12, 2019 Admin

by Hans von Spakovsky The supporters of open borders and sanctuary policies that obstruct enforcement of our immigration laws must be overjoyed by the latest report from the Department of Homeland Security. The Border Patrol intercepted more than 144,000 illegal aliens at the southwest border in May, the largest monthly total in more than a dozen years. Those who push these policies should be ashamed of themselves. As a gruesome murder in Maryland of a 14-year-old girl demonstrates, they are allowing dangerous criminals into the country and are creating sanctuaries for them to repeatedly victimize Americans and endanger the safety of the public. There are literally hundreds of thousands of individuals who are being killed, raped, assaulted, robbed, beaten, and kidnapped by criminal illegal aliens in this country, aliens who are protected by sanctuary jurisdictions, such as Prince George’s County, Maryland. In one of the latest tragedies caused by these reckless policies, on April 18, Ariana Funes-Diaz (who went missing from a group home for girls) was forced to strip and was then beaten with a baseball bat, slashed with a machete, and slain. Three teenagers are in custody, accused of this heinous crime, at least two of whom…

Read the full story

OAN’s Neil McCabe on Back Story of Decision by Obscure Agency to Open Gate at Privately Built Wall on Border

June 12, 2019June 11, 2019 Julie Carr

On Tuesday’s Tennessee Star Report with Steve Gill and Michael Patrick Leahy – broadcast on Nashville’s Talk Radio 98.3 and 1510 WLAC weekdays from 5:00 am to 8:00 am – Michael Patrick Leahy spoke with special guest and his former Breitbart colleague, Iraq war veteran and current Army Reserve Sergeant Neil McCabe. Now a Washington-based reporter for One America News Network, McCabe spoke to Leahy and Gill about current efforts at the We Build the Wall site to keep the gates open by an obscure group called the International Boundary and Water Commission led by Jayne Harkins. Gill: We’ve been keeping an eye on the whole order dispute particularly down in the El Paso/New Mexico area where Kolfage and the We Build the Wall crew built about a mile of wall and one of the guys that’s been keeping his eye on that has been Neil McCabe from One America News Network. And Neil good to have you back with us. McCabe: Hey good morning good to be with you. Leahy: Neil can you explain to us apparently what appears to be an entirely crazy decision by the commissioner of the obscure agency I had never heard of, the…

Read the full story

Chemical Castration Becomes Law for Certain Sex Offenders in Alabama

June 12, 2019June 11, 2019 Admin

by Shelby Talcott Republican Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey signed a bill into law Monday that will require some sex offenders to undergo chemical castration. This new law requires convicted sex offenders who have committed acts against a child under the age of 13 to begin chemical castration a month before they are released from custody. They will have to pay for the treatment themselves and it will continue until a court decides that treatment isn’t necessary anymore. Convicted sex offenders can’t be denied parole because they don’t have the funds to pay for castration, CNN reported. The law states that if a sex offender stops treatment before being legally allowed to, they will violate the terms of their parole and be returned to custody. The bill is for people who commit these sex crimes after Sept. 1, 2019, according to CBS News. Chemical castration is defined as “the receiving of medication, including, but not limited to, medroxyprogesterone acetate treatment or its chemical equivalent, that, among other things, reduces, inhibits, or blocks the production of testosterone, hormones, or other chemicals in a person’s body,” according to the legislation. It is taken through injections or tablets and makes it impossible for…

Read the full story

Bannon Says Biden Is Making ‘Happy Talk’ to Hide His Financial Ties to Chinese Communist Party

June 12, 2019June 12, 2019 Jason M. Reynolds

Joe Biden is “a useful idiot” for the Chinese Communist Party, Steve Bannon told The John Fredericks Radio Network. The full interview with Bannon is available here. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=vz2H25yyIBo&feature=youtu.be Bannon, with Citizens for the American Republic, has long said it is globalists like Biden who are managing the decline of economies all over the world, Fredericks said. Bannon criticized a story by The Hill as “an outrageous attack” on Trump concerning China. Biden, in Iowa, is trying to “happy talk his way past China.” However, Biden has not addressed his being compromised by China’s communist government and how his son Hunter allegedly took $1.5 billion from the Bank of China. “That’s how the Chinese Communist party does influence peddling,” Bannon said. The Community Party provides capital for politicians. Yet Biden blames Trump for China’s economic war against America, Bannon said. Biden supported NAFTA and every trade deal to destroy middle-class jobs. Trump is the first president to engage the Communist Party in an economic war and bring the supply chain back to the U.S., Bannon said. “He’s the only president who stood up for the middle-class people.” In The Hill story, Biden called Trump an “existential threat” to the nation,…

Read the full story

YouTube CEO Explains Why She Didn’t Nix Steven Crowder

June 12, 2019June 11, 2019 Admin

by Chris White YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki apologized Monday to people who were offended that the company did not harshly punish conservative pundit Steven Crowder for using gay slurs in his videos. “I know the decision we made was very hurtful to LGBTQ community,” Wojcicki said during a Code Conference. “That was not our intention at all.” She was responding to a question from a reporter who wanted to know if the company was genuinely sorry if people were offended that YouTube did not outright ban Crowder. “I am really personally very sorry,” Wojcicki added in her lengthy apology before trying to explain why the company does not regret its decision. “If we took down that content, there would be so much other content that we would have to take down.” "Are you really sorry for anything that happened to the LGBTQ community? Or are you just sorry they were offended?" Watch @SusanWojcicki's response at #CodeCon: pic.twitter.com/5MqJxL8QVS — Recode (@Recode) June 10, 2019 Google employees are also criticizing the platform for failing to ban Crowder, a comic and commentator who has repeatedly posted videos referring to Vox journalist Carlos Maza as a “gay Mexican.” Employees are dinging YouTube, a…

Read the full story

Rashida Tlaib Gave Every Freshman Congressman an Anti-Trump Welcome Gift

June 12, 2019June 11, 2019 Admin

by Molly Prince Democratic Michigan Rep. Rashida Tlaib revealed on Tuesday that she gave every freshman member of Congress a book on impeaching President Donald Trump when she arrived in Washington, D.C., for orientation week in November. “It was such a great gift,” Tlaib told interviewer John Nichols on The Nation’s “Next Left” podcast. The episode was titled “There’s a Real Human Impact of Doing Nothing.” “It was orientation week and all of a sudden I was getting [gifts],” she explained. “I think Speaker [of the House Nancy] Pelosi sent chocolates and every person that was in some sort of [inaudible] role was sending stuff to our hotel so we would come in and there was stuff right already in our hotel room.” The Michigan congresswoman explained that after her chief of staff confirmed that she could give presents to her fellow freshman lawmakers she sent them each a copy of “The Constitution Demands It: The Case for the Impeachment of Donald Trump” by Ron Fein, John Bonifaz and Ben Clements. Nichols, who also wrote the introduction to the book, noted that he was “amused” by the gift. Only hours after Tlaib was sworn into Congress in January, she…

Read the full story

Christian Cake Baker’s Attorney: Third Lawsuit Is ‘Rehash’ of ‘Old Claims’

June 12, 2019June 11, 2019 Admin

Jack Phillips

by Rachel del Guidice A Colorado baker is being sued for a third time for refusing to design custom cakes that he says run contrary to his religious beliefs. Jack Phillips, the owner of Masterpiece Cakeshop in Lakewood, Colorado—first sued in 2012 for declining to create a custom cake for a same-sex wedding because of his traditional Christian beliefs—is being sued again, this time for not baking a “birthday cake” to celebrate the gender transition of Autumn Scardina, who now identifies as a transgender woman, according to The Christian Post. In June 2018, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in favor of Phillips 7-2, holding that the Colorado Commission of Civil Rights—which had ruled that Phillips had discriminated unlawfully—demonstrated “clear and impermissible hostility” toward Phillips and his Christian belief that marriage is the union of one man and one woman, as The Daily Signal previously reported. After Phillips’ Supreme Court win, he was sued a second time by the state, this time on Scardina’s behalf, but the suit was dropped when Phillips countersued. A Colorado baker is being sued for a third time for refusing to design custom cakes that he says run contrary to his religious beliefs. Jack Phillips,…

Read the full story

City of Ridgetop Does Away with its Police Department, Allegedly Out of Spite

June 12, 2019June 11, 2019 Chris Butler

Ridgetop City Council members voted to do away with the city’s police force Monday because of what some people say is the mayor’s hurt ego and his vendetta against the now-former police chief. As The Tennessee Star reported in March, then-Police Chief Bryan Morris said Mayor Tony 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. No one at the Ridgetop City Hall answered the phone Tuesday to offer their version of events. But when this new week started the fix was already in, Morris said. “It’s retaliation,” Morris said. “They took all our guns, our badges, our cars and our equipment — and then they booted us out.” What’s more, city officials began changing the locks on the police department’s front doors before city council members even gathered to take their vote, Morris said. With the police department a thing of the past, Rutherford County sheriff’s deputies will respond to any and calls for law enforcement out of Ridgetop. But the community’s safety is now at risk, Morris…

Read the full story

Trump Threatens New China Tariffs If Xi Doesn’t Talk Trade with Him

June 12, 2019June 11, 2019 Admin

Donald Trump, Xi Jinping

U.S. President Donald Trump threatened Monday to impose tariffs on another $325 billion worth of imported goods from China if Chinese President Xi Jinping does not engage in new trade talks with him later this month. Trump told CNBC he expects to meet with Xi in Osaka, Japan at the G-20 meeting of the leaders of the world’s largest economies on June 28-29, but Beijing has not publicly confirmed the meeting. Trump said he would impose the new tariffs, on top of tariffs he already has levied on $200 billion worth of Chinese exports, if Xi skips the meeting. “I think he’ll go,” Trump said. “We’re expected to meet.” The U.S. leader said, “China very much wants to make a deal, more than I do.” But months of trade talks between the world’s two largest economies have stopped, at least for the moment. Washington has accused Beijing of reneging on various terms the United States thought they had agreed on, although China has rejected the claim. China’s Foreign Ministry said, “We do not want a trade war, but we are not afraid of fighting one. If the U.S. is ready to have equal consultations, our door is wide open.…

Read the full story

Study: Traffickers Earned Up to $2.3 Billion Smuggling Migrants Into the US

June 12, 2019June 11, 2019 Admin

by Jason Hopkins Research estimates how much human smugglers make from transporting illegal migrants to the U.S.-Mexico border, revealing just how profitable the industry has become amid the current immigration crisis. Human traffickers made anywhere from $200 million to $2.3 billion in 2017 from smuggling migrants to the U.S., according to a study by the Rand Corporation and commissioned by the Department of Homeland Security. The study, titled Human Smuggling and Associated Revenues, sought to uncover more details about the revenue made by the transnational criminal organizations that bring individuals from Central America over to the U.S.-Mexico. The report found that the majority of illegal immigration to the U.S. is fueled by criminal organizational efforts, with more than 60% of illegal migrants estimated to be paying a human trafficker for help. Migrants will pay anywhere from $3,000 to over $11,000 in smuggling fees, depending on what type of route and service they request. Customers are given an array of choices for their journey, such as more expensive routes that are safer and less physically demanding, or routes that are cheaper, but more dangerous and taxing to cross. “[U]nlawful migrants generally are required to pay taxes, or pisos, to drug-…

Read the full story

Commentary: President Trump’s Deal with Mexico on Illegal Immigration Proof That Tariffs Work

June 12, 2019June 11, 2019 Admin

by Robert Romano President Donald Trump and the State Department hammered out a deal with Mexico on June 7 that Mexico would do much more to prevent illegal immigrants from crossing the country into the U.S. on the southern border. The last-minute agreement avoided a 5 percent tariff by Trump on goods from Mexico that was set to go into effect on June 10 — and proves that the credible threat of tariffs worked in spite of naysayers who predicted there could be no resolution. The Wall Street Journal editorial board on May 31 confidently predicted, “The first problem here is that Mr. Trump is blaming Mexico for a mess it can’t solve… Perhaps it could better control its border with Guatemala, but the caravans north are often led by gangs that know how to bribe or avoid police.” The Council on Foreign Relations on June 5 complained, “President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador of Mexico can’t staunch the flow of people from his neighbors to the south.” This is merely a lack of vision. Automatically, Trump’s critics assumed that nothing could be accomplished and therefore nothing should be tried. Also, note all the groveling. They do not put America…

Read the full story

New York Lawmakers Introduce Decriminalizing Sex Work

June 12, 2019June 11, 2019 Admin

by Mary Margaret Olohan New York lawmakers introduced groundbreaking legislation to legalize sex work in the state of New York on Monday. The legislation, titled Stop Violence in the Sex Trade Acts, covers a variety of topics related to sex work. Lawmakers say that the bill would decriminalize sex work and guard against human trafficking within the sex working industry, according to The Hill. “Sex work is work and should not be criminalized by the state,” said lead sponsor of the bill Democratic New York Sen. Julia Salazar. “Our current policies only empower traffickers and others who benefit from keeping sex work in the shadows,” Salazar added. “New York State needs to listen to sex workers and make these common-sense reforms to keep sex workers safe and empower sex workers in their workplaces.” Decrim NY, the coalition backing the bill, said in a press release that Stop Violence in the Sex Trade Acts is the first statewide bill of it’s kind in United States history. The coalition is a group of more than 30 organizations working on topics such as LGBTQ, racial justice, har reduction, and immigrant rights spaces. Lawmakers emphasized that the bill decriminalizes sex work only between…

Read the full story

Cleveland Agrees to $225,000 Settlement With Communist Who Believes ‘America Was Never Great’

June 12, 2019June 11, 2019 Anthony Gockowski

Cleveland has agreed to pay $225,000 in a settlement with a second protester who was arrested outside of the 2016 Republican National Convention for burning the American flag. As The Ohio Star reported in April, the city agreed to a $50,000 settlement with Steven Fridley, who was also arrested for partaking in the protest. This time the money is going to Gregory “Joey” Johnson, the same Gregory Johnson who was the defendant in the U.S. Supreme Court’s 1989 Texas v. Johnson decision. That case found that burning the American flag was protected by the First Amendment. Johnson and Fridley both had their criminal charges dismissed by the Cleveland Municipal Court, and sued the City of Cleveland for violating their First Amendment rights. “Instead of protecting RNC protesters’ constitutional rights, Cleveland police stalked them, literally extinguished their speech rights, and then arrested and prosecuted them—violating 30-year-old Supreme Court precedent taught to schoolchildren,” said Subodh Chandra of Chandra Law Firm, which represented both Johnson and Fridley. Chandra criticized city leaders for failing to “hold officers accountable for lying” about Johnson, whom police officers claimed was on fire and setting others on fire during the protest. Video of the incident, however, contradicts…

Read the full story

State Sen. Gardenhire Wants to Create Incentives for Grocery Stores to Open in Urban Areas, So Called ‘Food Deserts’

June 12, 2019June 11, 2019 Jason M. Reynolds

State Sen. Todd Gardenhire (R-TN-10) wants to boost inner-city and rural access to fresh food to fight “food deserts,” The Chattanoogan reports. Gardenhire made the announcement Monday to the Hamilton Place Rotary Club. The Hamilton County senator said he wants to provide incentives for grocery stores to open in the inner-city. The senator made reference to a Tennessee Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental Relations report from January that found 21 percent of Tennesseans live in an area considered to be a food desert. Fifteen percent live in an urban food desert, while 6 percent live in rural food deserts. The TACIR report is available here. Residents in “food deserts,” or areas with lowered access to healthy food, “tend to have a less nutritious diet and poorer health outcomes than those living in other communities,” the report says. Also, according to the report: While not always limited to food deserts, a variety of policy alternatives have been implemented in states and communities around the US to both improve access to and encourage the consumption of healthy food, including improving transportation to and from healthy food retailers, bringing the food to the customer through mobile markets or food delivery, providing vouchers for…

Read the full story

Left-of-Center Companies and Philanthropies Fund Nashville Diversity Effort

June 11, 2019June 10, 2019 Chris Butler

Citibank, Bank of America, and The Ford Foundation are among some of the non-profit and commercial entities funding an effort to make Nashville more inclusive when handing out city contracts to women-and-minority-owned businesses. Those entities fund a New York City-based philanthropy called Living Cities. Living Cities recently bestowed 10 U.S. cities with grants, including Nashville. With this money, Living Cities have tasked Nashville officials with making extra efforts to hire women and minorities for city contracts, said Ashford Hughes, Metro Nashville’s chief diversity and equity officer. Hughes said his job is to make sure the city’s policies and practices don’t exclude women and members of all races and religions. He also told The Tennessee Star that Metro officials will not use this money to hire women and minorities just for the sake of hiring them — at the expense of hiring the most qualified person or people for the job. “You have to look at it in a more nuanced manner. Nothing is guaranteeing anyone a contract,” Hughes said. “What this is guaranteeing is that there will be a level playing field and that now these vendors will have a fair opportunity to at least get their foot in…

Read the full story

Commentary: Attorney General Barr’s Intelligence Review Should Include the DNC Servers

June 11, 2019June 10, 2019 Admin

by Robert Romano The Hill’s John Solomon made big news on June 6 when he reported that Ukrainian businessman Konstantin Kilimnik, said in Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s report to be a Russian agent, was an intelligence source for the U.S. State Department. “In a key finding of the Mueller report, Ukrainian businessman Konstantin Kilimnik, who worked for Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort, is tied to Russian intelligence… What it doesn’t state is that Kilimnik was a ‘sensitive’ intelligence source for State going back to at least 2013 while he was still working for Manafort, according to FBI and State Department memos I reviewed.” This is as startling revelation as any that has been discovered, since it calls into question whether somebody purported to be a Russian intelligence officer by the Justice Department really was. It also calls into question other contacts Trump campaign officials were said to have had with supposed Russian agents, and other actions said to have been perpetrated by supposed Russian agents. Kilimnik was practically the entre basis for saying that Paul Manafort had at least been in touch with somebody connected with Russian intelligence. The Mueller report stated, “[O]n August 2, 2016, Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort met…

Read the full story

We Build the Wall Founder Brian Kolfage Posts Plethora of Tweets Showing Immigrants Crossing Border, Including Armed Men He Says Are Cartel Members

June 11, 2019June 10, 2019 Jason M. Reynolds

We Build the Wall founder Brian Kolfage is pulling out all the stops in reporting on the flood of illegal aliens pouring through the southern border, including providing shocking video and photos of armed alleged cartel members. Kolfage on Sunday tweeted a link to a story by KTSM showing an alleged armed cartel member leading immigrants across the border two miles from the wall he built. He said, “Hats off to our videographer our Phil, he sits out in the desert in a ghillie suit all day getting our incredible video! We’ll keep exposing the crisis until it’s resolved. We have many more breaking videos to release and won’t stop!” https://twitter.com/BrianKolfage/status/1138136267496054784 The KTSM story is available here. We Build the Wall finished the first half-mile section of the border wall in Sunland Park, New Mexico on June 2, Battleground State News reported. The organization has published a map showing where its wall closes off an easy route in Sunland Park. The video was reportedly captured to the west of the mountains (see the red arrow). Kolfage on Sunday tweeted another video of a man he claims was a cartel member crossing a border barrier. He said, “Another video…

Read the full story

Blackburn, Other Senators Introduce Bill to Crack Down on Fentanyl Drug Traffickers, Dealers

June 11, 2019June 10, 2019 Jason M. Reynolds

U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) is tackling the fentanyl crisis. Last week, Blackburn and Sens. Tom Cotton (R-AR), John Kennedy (R-LA) and Ben Sasse (R-NE) introduced he Ending the Fentanyl Crisis Act of 2019, the Tennessee senator said in a press release. The bill aims to ensure that sentencing penalties for trafficking fentanyl reflect the deadliness of the drug. This legislation marks a major step toward addressing the nation’s opioid epidemic, Blackburn said. “Fentanyl is deadly, and it is killing Americans every single day,” Blackburn said. “It’s time the punishment fit the crime for these drug traffickers.” The bill reduces the amount of fentanyl that drug traffickers and dealers must be caught with in order for mandatory sentencing minimums to apply. Under current sentencing guidelines, a trafficker with 2 grams of fentanyl is treated the same as a trafficker with 5 grams of heroin even though fentanyl is 50 times deadlier than heroin. Cotton and the other senators joined Blackburn in discussing their reasoning for introducing the bill. “Fentanyl is one of the most dangerous drugs there is,” Cotton said. “It killed nearly 30,000 Americans last year and has been a driving force behind the opioid crisis in the…

Read the full story

Trump Officially Taps Immigration Reformer Ken Cuccinelli to Lead Citizenship and Immigration Services

June 11, 2019June 10, 2019 Admin

by Jason Hopkins Former GOP Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli officially began leading the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) on Monday, making him a key player in the Trump administration’s immigration agenda. “I am honored to be given the opportunity to lead U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services at this critical time and serve alongside this agency’s dedicated workforce,” Cuccinelli said in a Monday statement distributed by the agency. “USCIS has the extraordinary responsibility to administer and protect the integrity of our nation’s lawful immigration system. Our nation has the most generous legal immigration system in the world and we must zealously safeguard its promise for those who lawfully come here.” USCIS, an agency with in the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), is tasked with managing the country’s legal immigration system. Cuccinelli is expected to hit the ground running on a number of policies backed by the White House – such as finalizing the public charge rule, which blocks visa applicants who are determined to be likely dependent on public safety net programs, and implementing reforms to the country’s guest-worker program. The now-acting director of the agency has long been known as an immigration hardliner. He has publicly opposed birthright citizenship and unemployment benefits…

Read the full story

Commentary: The Rise of Administrative Law Over Legislative Law

June 11, 2019June 10, 2019 Admin

by William Haupt III “We the people are the rightful masters of both Congress and the courts, not to overthrow the Constitution but to overthrow the men who pervert the Constitution.” – Abraham Lincoln Administrative law is the procedure of creating laws by bureaucratic bodies in our municipal, state and federal governments. It is “mandated law,” made by appointed officials who have been given authority to make decisions for us without our consent. It is illegitimate law being forced upon us with no regard for constitutional protocol. This capricious practice dilutes the fundamental concept of U.S. republicanism. James Madison, a supporter of a powerful federal government, reminded us, “Federal power left unchecked would silently abridge our freedom more than violent usurpations.” Our Constitution clearly defines who is responsible for making laws. “All laws are to be written and passed by representatives approved by the people in federal and local government.” It is difficult to fathom Congress freely delegates powers to administrative agencies that grant them adroitness to rule our lives. How can our Constitution delegate us with an autocratic right, yet allow men we elect and agencies the government invents claim authority over us under the penalty of law? How…

Read the full story

Warren Challenges Sanders’ For Progressives’ Support

June 11, 2019June 10, 2019 Admin

As a Michigan field organizer for Bernie Sanders’ 2016 presidential campaign, Mike McDermott trained volunteers to knock on doors and call voters, helping the Vermont senator upset Hillary Clinton in a crucial Midwestern state. But as the 2020 campaign heats up, McDermott is all-in for Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, creating a Michigan for Warren PAC to raise early money for her efforts and promoting her campaign through a website and Facebook page. While he’s still a Sanders fan, McDermott sees Warren as a fresher face who’s more electable and doesn’t have the baggage of a 2016 loss. “It’s really 1a and 1b for me,” McDermott said. “With Warren, I think there’s more crossover appeal. She doesn’t have 2016 branded on her.” That sentiment represents the new challenge facing Sanders, who is in second place in most national polls behind Joe Biden. The former vice president has eaten into Sanders’ base with appeals to blue-collar union voters. But Warren is emerging as another threat, winning over voters such as McDermott with a raft of proposals that sometimes go further left than those backed by Sanders. Warren and Sanders are vying to become the progressive alternative to Biden, a competition that’s…

Read the full story

California Set To Give Full Health Care Benefits To Low Income Illegal Immigrants

June 11, 2019June 10, 2019 Admin

by Molly Prince California lawmakers released a final draft of the state’s 2020 budget late Sunday evening that would expand health care to illegal immigrants and cost taxpayers nearly $100 million per year. Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom reached an agreement with Democrats in the state legislature to become the first state in the nation to provide full health care benefits to tens of thousands of illegal immigrants. As part of a larger $213 billion budget, low-income illegal immigrants under the age of 26 will be eligible for California’s Medicaid program, Medi-Cal, reported The Sacramento Bee. Under the agreement, approximately 90,000 new individuals would qualify with an estimate price tag of $98 million annually. California will begin taxing residents who don’t have health insurance in order to help ease the program’s financial burden, creating an individual-mandate penalty. Initially implemented under the Obama administration to help pay for the federal Affordable Care Act, more commonly referred to as Obamacare, Republicans rolled back the federal individual-mandate penalty in 2017. California Democrats contend that an individual mandate fine will prevent premiums from skyrocketing. “The budget agreement we’re finalizing tonight builds on the strong budget proposal of the governor, while adding significant legislative priorities,” said Democratic state…

Read the full story

Mexico Claims Funding for Migrant Caravans Came from Some Accounts in U.S.

June 11, 2019June 18, 2019 Anthony Gockowski

The Mexican government recently claimed that some funding for the “illicit support of migrant caravans” came from individuals within the United States. In a June 6 press release, Mexico’s Finance and Tax Secretariat announced that it has “blocked the bank accounts of various individuals and corporations that allegedly participated in the trafficking of migrants and the illegal organization of migrant caravans.” As Breitbart first reported, the Mexican government identified 26 individuals who made “several questionable financial transactions from the cities of Chiapas and Queretaro during the times that the migrant caravans were moving through those places.” The press release states that “illegal payment for migrant smuggling” came from individuals in El Salvador, Honduras, Guatemala, Cameroon, the United States, and England. Mexico’s Financial Intelligence Unit froze the accounts of 26 unnamed people for their “probable link with migrant smuggling and illicit support of migrant caravans.” The press release states that complaints have been presented to Mexico’s Attorney General’s Office for prosecution. Breitbart points out that the action came at “a time when Mexican officials are meeting with their U.S. counterparts in an attempt to keep the Trump administration from levying tariffs on international commerce as a punitive measure over the…

Read the full story

Vietnam Says Some Chinese Exporters Are Using Fake ‘Made-In-Vietnam’ Labels To Avoid US Tariffs

June 11, 2019June 10, 2019 Admin

by Shelby Talcott Some Chinese exporters are putting fake “Made in Vietnam” stickers to try to avoid U.S. tariffs, Vietnam alleged Sunday. Vietnam said in a government statement that it found dozens of cases where Chinese exports, including textiles, iron, steel, and aluminum, are being illegally transferred to Vietnam where fake stickers are then placed on them so China can skirt the recent tariffs imposed by the U.S. The Vietnamese government also stated it is planning to increase the penalties on trade fraud and is developing an inspection process for goods that are particularly at risk. U.S. customs officials have uncovered Chinese plywood shipped to America through a Vietnamese company with “Made in Vietnam” stickers, according to the statement. These shipments are “relatively small” when compared to China’s overall exports, Bloomberg reported. “A cottage industry for circumventing U.S. tariffs will likely bloom, given the high tariff rates and huge potential profit,” said Chua Hak Bin, a senior economist at Maybank Kim Eng Research Pte. in Singapore, according to Bloomberg. Goods on China now have a 25% tariff. The U.S. raised the tariffs from 10% to 25% in May, increasing tariffs on about $200 billion worth of Chinese goods. Beijing then increased tariffs on…

Read the full story

Wisconsin Panel Recommends Historic Funding Increases for Health Services, Nixing Medicaid Expansion

June 11, 2019June 10, 2019 Admin

by Bethany Blankley The Republican-led Joint Finance Committee (JFC) is recommending a record $1.63 billion two-year budget for the state’s Department of Health Services – an increase of $588 million in state General Purpose Revenue (GPR) than under former Gov. Scott Walker. The cornerstone of Gov. Tony Evers’ budget proposal, Medicaid expansion, was squashed. Medicaid expansion was one of the first non-fiscal policy items the JFC nixed, at the bewilderment of Democrats. State Rep. Evan Goyke, D-Milwaukee, said Republicans were “screwing over” his city. “The Medicaid expansion is intimately tied to the Democrat’s proposal and how it plays with federal funding,” he said. Republicans disagreed. “We have said all along expanding Medicaid wasn’t necessary based on where we were,” JFC co-chair Rep. John Nygren, R-Marinette, said. “The Republican legislative leadership acted in the best interest of the state of Wisconsin when it rejected, once again, the effort to expand Medicaid,” CJ Szafir, executive vice president at the Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty (WILL), told The Center Square. A WILL study concluded that Medicaid expansion would result in increased costs to Wisconsin families with private insurance by $177 per year, up to $700 for a family of four, and cost…

Read the full story

A Michigan Hotel Wants to Help Out-of-State Women Get Abortions

June 11, 2019June 10, 2019 Admin

by Shelby Talcott The manager of a small-town Michigan hotel is offering a free room for women looking to get abortions, particularly from states that have recently restricted or banned access. Shelley O’Brien, the manager of the Yale Hotel in Yale, Michigan, posted the offer on Facebook in May. The post offers several free nights at the hotel plus a transportation service to and from the abortion for women in states that have recently made measures to ban abortion. The offer also “extends to anybody” trying to get an abortion who may need help, which includes people from Michigan, O’Brien told the Detroit Free Press. There are not abortion services in the town of Yale, but there are some about an hour away. “This is important,” O’Brien said according to the Free Press. “This is my line. There’s no coming back from this. You start taking away the right for women to control their own bodies, and we’re done for as a civilization. I can’t stop what’s happening, but I have the resources to maybe help someone in that position, and especially knowing that women are coming from other states already.” O’Brien, 55, is a grandmother of seven and a mom of three.…

Read the full story

Michigan House GOP Pushes Own Infrastructure Plan, Rejecting Whitmer’s 45 Cent Gas Tax Hike

June 11, 2019June 10, 2019 Admin

by Tyler Arnold Michigan House Republicans unveiled an infrastructure funding plan that would divert all revenue generated from sales taxes paid on gasoline purchases to fund road improvements, rejecting Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s plan to increase road funding through a 45-cent gas tax hike. The Republican plan would provide about $800 million annually in additional funds for roads once fully phased in, which is far less than Whitmer’s plan crafted to generate about $2.5 billion. “It’s our duty to do the best job we can to provide an effective, efficient and accountable state government with the money taxpayers already provide,” Rep. Shane Hernandez, R-Port Huron (pictured above), said in a news release. “We have gone through the budget line-by-line to find savings and set priorities that reflect what matters most to Michigan taxpayers and families,” Hernandez said. “That’s the approach we should take – rather than asking taxpayers for more money.” Currently, the sales tax paid at the pump is used mostly to fund schools and local governments, rather than roads. Hernandez’s plan would divert all of this money to infrastructure, but would do so without sacrificing money for schools and local governments. Money will be diverted back into schools and…

Read the full story

Ohio House Bill Would Kill American Government and History Testing

June 11, 2019June 10, 2019 Anthony Gockowski

The Ohio House is currently considering a bill that would reduce the number of state-mandated standardized tests students are required to take by eliminating four end-of-course exams, including the American history and American government exams. House Bill 239, referred to as the Testing Reduction Act, was introduced by Reps. Gayle Manning (R-North Ridgeville) and Erica Crawley (D-Columbus), and is scheduled to receive its third hearing Tuesday in the House Primary and Secondary Education Committee. “During my 37 years in an elementary school classroom, I experienced first-hand how stressful standardized testing can be for students. In order to prepare students for the standardized test, teachers often give local diagnostic assessments. I believe so much weight is placed on a score of a standardized test, and creativity in the classroom is dwindling. Every student is different and not every student will excel on a standardized test,” Manning said when testifying on the bill. In 2012, the Ohio Legislature passed into law Senate Bill 165, which required schools to teach America’s founding documents, like the U.S. Constitution, the Declaration of Independence, and the Bill of Rights. In her testimony, Manning maintained that these documents will still be taught even if the American…

Read the full story

Stewart County Superintendent Leta Jo Joiner Will Resign After DUI Arrest, Sources Say

June 10, 2019June 9, 2019 Chris Butler

According to sources, Stewart County Director of Schools Leta Jo Joiner will resign after a drunk driving arrest, but the public does not know when, specifically. School board members last week formally accepted Joiner’s resignation and discussed the process of searching for a new director, sources said. Joiner did not attend last week’s meeting. She submitted her resignation by letter, sources said, adding they do not know if the resignation is effective immediately or if she will remain as director until a set date. Board members will now look locally for a new superintendent, sources said. As The Tennessee Star reported, members of the Stewart County School Board appointed an interim director last month. Members of the Tennessee School Boards Association recommended Stewart County School Board members appoint an interim director of schools now, regardless. Tracy Watson, a retired school administrator, accepted the position as interim director of schools. Watson said she only wants to serve as interim director and will not accept a job as Joiner’s permanent replacement. As The Star reported, authorities arrested Joiner and charged her with driving under the influence. The Clarksville-based LeafChronicle.com said Joiner took the position in Stewart County in 2014. Certain members of the…

Read the full story

Commentary: Justice Thomas on the Dynamite That Is Natural Right

June 10, 2019June 9, 2019 Admin

by Ken Masugi If it’s true that “natural right is dynamite,” as political philosopher Leo Strauss wrote, then Justice Clarence Thomas just went nuclear on the abortion debate. While Thomas’s concurring opinion in Box v. Planned Parenthood has received considerable commentary, his deepening of the judicial and, hence, the political debate over abortion demands further elaboration. His reply to the leading threat to the principles of the Declaration of Independence is his latest attempt in a career of restoring its authority. Thomas had argued, “this [Indiana] law and other laws like it promote a State’s compelling interest in preventing abortion from becoming a tool of modern-day eugenics.” The Indiana law had barred abortion for the purposes of sex and race selection, and for fetal disabilities. Thomas critics contend he wrongly introduced elements of the now-(justly) maligned eugenics movement into the abortion debate. But recall that Justice Blackmun in Roe v. Wade observed (as Professor David Bernstein reminded me), “population growth, pollution, poverty, and racial overtones tend to complicate and not to simplify the problem.” I would argue instead that Blackmun was trying to obfuscate the issue, whose terrible clarity Thomas was trying to highlight: “From the beginning, birth control and abortion were promoted as means of effectuating…

Read the full story

Nashville Mayoral Race Reportedly Prompts New PAC

June 10, 2019June 9, 2019 Chris Butler

A new Political Action Committee has reportedly formed in Nashville, and the people behind it want to use it to influence this year’s Metro election. This, according to a new article in The Tennessean. According to the website, the group consists of “several of Nashville’s business heavyweights” who want “good governance, a collaborative spirit, a pro-business mindset and visionary planning.” “The group, A Better Nashville, was registered on March 29, according to records. Filing documents list Gus Puryear — general counsel for Asurion — as chairman and Paula Harris — chief marketing officer for Barge Design Solutions Inc. — as treasurer,” according to The Tennessean. “The Nashville Business Journal first reported on the committee on Friday, reporting that the group has ties to the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce.” The Tennessean reported that John Ingram of Ingram Industries is involved with A Better Nashville. The Tennessee Star, in 2017, identified Ingram as the lead investor on a 27,500-seat soccer stadium in Nashville that would cost $250 million. This was a project former Mayor Megan Barry championed and supported. Mayor David Briley is scheduled to face off against State Rep. John Ray Clemmons, D-Nashville, Metro Council member John Cooper and former Vanderbilt professor Carol…

Read the full story