Day: July 17, 2019

Rutherford County Mayor Bill Ketron’s Daughter Reportedly Under Investigation

Chris Butler

  An elected member of the Tennessee Republican Party’s executive committee was reportedly accused of fraudulent practices at her Murfreesboro-based insurance company. This, according to the Nashville-based NewsChannel 5 and various other news outlets, which reported that Kelsey Ketron, daughter of Rutherford County Mayor Bill Ketron, is in potential legal trouble. Kelsey Ketron serves as vice president of Universal International Insurance agency. Bill Ketron owns the agency and is its president. According to NewsChannel 5, clients allegedly paid Kelsey Ketron for insurance policies, but they never got the coverage for which they paid. The station identified Susan Calvin of Shelbyville as one victim. “Calvin said she discovered she didn’t have a policy after a frozen pipe burst in her home and she filed a claim,” the station reported, adding that the same thing happened to Wade Hellemn of Lebanon. “He told police earlier this year that after his house suffered water damage last year, he filed a claim and found there was ‘no policy.’ Police called it ‘fraud’ and also mentioned theft of property and forgery in that report. Hellemn told police he had paid Ketron $4000 for that insurance policy that it turns out didn’t exist. And he’s not…

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Commentary: Who Is for Middle America?

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 by Pedro Gonzalez   The late Edward Abbey, an irascible and irreverent American environmentalist, took aim at the immigration ideologues in terms still relevant for our time: “The conservatives love their cheap labor; the liberals love their cheap cause.” In other words, if the Republican Party and the Democratic Party can silently agree on one thing, it is that immigration is good, and more is often better. But the latest report from the Federation for American Immigration Reform reveals just how costly inviting the world can be. The FAIR report reveals that “our economy is hemorrhaging much-needed cash each year as a result of money sent to other countries”—that is, remittances—“primarily by foreign-born workers in the United States,” to the tune of $150 billion. “The $150 billion a year sent out of the country each year is money that does not circulate through our own economy, support local businesses, create new jobs, or generate revenues for local, state, and federal governments.” But that massive figure, combined with the $50.1 billion in taxpayer dollars doled out as foreign aid by the U.S. government, is just the tip of the Third World iceberg. The line between charity and masochism has been long…

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Planned Parenthood Removes Leana Wen as President

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by Mary Margaret Olohan   Planned Parenthood removed Leana Wen from her position Tuesday after she had served less than a year as president. The Planned Parenthood board voted Wen out of her position Tuesday and temporarily replaced her with the co-founder of the progressive Perception Institute, Alexis McGill Johnson, according to the New York Times. McGill will temporarily serve as the acting president and chief executive of both Planned Parenthood Federation of America and the Planned Parenthood Action Fund. “I’m proud to serve as Acting President to facilitate a smooth leadership transition in this critical moment for Planned Parenthood and the patients and communities we serve. I thank Dr. Wen for her service and her commitment to patients,’’ McGill Johnson said in a tweet. “I thank Dr. Wen for her service and her commitment to patients.” Wen became president of Planned Parenthood of America in September, the Times reports. Since then, she has advocated for unrestricted access to abortion and fought back against many states’ restrictive abortion legislation. “I just learned that the @PPFA Board ended my employment at a secret meeting,” Wen tweeted Tuesday. “We were engaged in good faith negotiations about my departure based on philosophical differences…

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Commentary: Citizen, Legal Resident and Illegal Alien Populations Will Still be Determined Under 2020 Census via Trump Executive Order

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by Robert Romano   Under a July 11 executive order, President Donald Trump is mandating federal departments and agencies to provide records to the Department of Commerce and the U.S. Census Bureau to compile an accurate counting of citizen, legal resident and illegal alien populations for the 2020 Census — but without a citizenship question on the Census form for households to fill out. Instead, the Trump executive order requires “All agencies shall promptly provide the Department [of Commerce] the maximum assistance permissible, consistent with law, in determining the number of citizens, non‑citizens, and illegal aliens in the country, including by providing any access that the Department may request to administrative records that may be useful in accomplishing that objective.” In addition, the order specifically requires the following records to be furnished to the Census: “National-level file of Lawful Permanent Residents, Naturalizations” from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services, “F1 & M1 Nonimmigrant Visas” from DHS and Immigration and Customs Enforcement, “National-level file of Customs and Border Arrival/Departure transaction data” from DHS, “Refugee and Asylum visas” from DHS and Department of State, Worldwide Refugee and Asylum Processing System, “National-level passport application data”…

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Josh Hawley to Introduce Bill That Would Hold Universities Financially Liable for Defaulted Student Loans

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by Andrew Kerr   Republican Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri announced Tuesday he will introduce two pieces of legislation this week targeting institutions of higher education, one of which would put universities on the hook financially if its students are unable to repay their student loans. Americans hold nearly $1.5 trillion in outstanding student debt, 10.9% of which is over 90 days delinquent, according to the latest figures available by the New York Fed. Hawley’s proposal would require universities to pay off 50% of the debt incurred by their students facing default. The Missouri senator’s proposal would also prohibit universities from increasing their tuition rates to offset their increased liability. Fox News host Tucker Carlson explicitly called on congress in March to pass a law forcing colleges to shoulder a portion of the liability on defaulted student loans. “Colleges get all of the benefit and none of the risk,” Carlson, who is the co-founder of the Daily Caller News Foundation, said. “That’s the definition of a scam. It’s amazing it could even be legal. It shouldn’t be.” “Maybe congress could take twenty minutes from the Russia hoax and posturing about climate change and fix one of the biggest problems this…

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Trump Administration Ends Federally Funded Abortion Referrals

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by Mary Margaret Olohan   The Trump administration declared Monday that taxpayer-funded clinics must stop referring women for abortions effective immediately. Family planning clinics that refer women for abortions will be stripped of their Title X funding, according to a measure instigated by President Donald Trump’s administration as reported by CBS News. The Department of Health and Human Services has alerted clinics that they will be enforcing the Trump administration ban, according to CBS. The rules now require that organizations that perform abortions and make abortion referrals will have to do so in separate buildings from those that receive Title X federal funds – a move could potentially cost Planned Parenthood “tens of millions of federal family planning dollars,” according to Politico. “Our doors are still open,” said Planned Parenthood President Leana Wen in a statement. “We will not stop fighting for all those across the country in need of essential care.” “We thank President Trump and Secretary Azar for acting decisively to stop taxpayer funding of the abortion industry, as willed by the American people,” said Susan B. Anthony List President Marjorie Dannenfelser. “A strong majority of Americans have consistently voiced their opposition to taxpayer funding of abortion –…

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Trump On Pelosi’s Resolution: ‘I Don’t Have a Racist Bone in My Body’

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by Evie Fordham   President Donald Trump said he does not have a “Racist bone” in his body Tuesday on Twitter in a screed criticizing House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s plan to draft a resolution to condemn his tweets against freshman congresswomen. “Those Tweets were NOT Racist. I don’t have a Racist bone in my body! The so-called vote to be taken is a Democrat con game. Republicans should not show ‘weakness’ and fall into their trap. This should be a vote on the filthy language, statements and lies told by the Democrat […] Congresswomen, who I truly believe, based on their actions, hate our Country,” Trump wrote on Twitter. Those Tweets were NOT Racist. I don’t have a Racist bone in my body! The so-called vote to be taken is a Democrat con game. Republicans should not show “weakness” and fall into their trap. This should be a vote on the filthy language, statements and lies told by the Democrat….. — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 16, 2019 “Get a list of the HORRIBLE things they have said. [Democratic Rep. Ilhan] Omar [of Minnesota] is polling at 8%, [Democratic New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez] at 21%. Nancy Pelosi tried to…

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US Senator Says Bureau of Land Management Moving to Colorado

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  The Trump administration plans to move the headquarters of the Bureau of Land Management from its current home in Washington to a city in the western state of Colorado, one of the state’s U.S. senators said Monday. Sen. Cory Gardner released a statement saying the new headquarters would be located in Grand Junction, Colorado, and praised the move as a “victory for local communities, advocates for public lands and proponents for a more responsible and accountable federal government.” “The problem with Washington is too many policymakers are far removed from the people they are there to serve,” Gardner said. The Bureau of Land Management is part of the U.S. Interior Department and has about 9,000 employees. Currently about 400 of those employees work in Washington, and it is not clear how many would be shifted to the new headquarters. The bureau oversees 1 billion square kilometers of public land, of which 99% is located in 12 western states. Critics of moving the headquarters argue it will make officials less able to work with other federal agencies and members of Congress, and that part of the administration’s motivation is to shrink the number of federal workers through attrition when some…

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Former Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens Has Died

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by Kyle Daley   Retired Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens, the Republican corporate lawyer who became the leader of the Court’s liberal wing, died Tuesday night in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. He was 99. The Supreme Court’s public information office said Stevens died from complications of a stroke suffered earlier in the day. “A son of the midwest heartland and a veteran of World War II, Justice Stevens devoted his long life to public service, including 35 years on the Supreme Court,” Chief Justice John Roberts said in a statement. “He brought to our bench an inimitable blend of kindness, humility, wisdom and independence. His unrelenting commitment to justice has left us a better nation.” “We extend our deepest condolences to his children Elizabeth and Susan, and to his extended family. Steven’s 35 year tenure is the third longest in the Court’s history. When he retired in 2010 at age 90, he was the second oldest justice ever to sit on the high court. – – – Kyle Daley is a reporter for the Daily Caller News Foundation.           Content created by The Daily Caller News Foundation is available without charge to any eligible news publisher…

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OANN’s Neil McCabe Joins the Tennessee Star Report to Discuss the ‘Squad’ and Problems for Pelosi

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 – Gill and Leahy talked to One America News Network’s Neil McCabe about the “squad” and recent claims that Trump is a racist. The three also discussed the Democratic Party’s denial in accepting that Russian collusion didn’t exist, and their continued calls for an unwarranted impeachment. Towards the end of the segment, McCabe described how major Jewish donors of the Democratic Party are becoming upset with Speaker Pelosi and urging her to control AOC. He also noted that there has become a rival split within the Democratic caucus. Leahy: Our guest now, Neil McCabe, One America News Network with us every Tuesday morning at this time. Welcome, Neil. McCabe: Good morning men. Good to be with you. Leahy: So tell us the real story of how people in Washington, Washington insiders, how do they look at Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Ilhan Omar and her left-wing squad. McCabe: Well I think the President was doing master trolling. Obviously some of the cable networks, not One America News, but some of the others were sort of hyping this in the…

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With Budget Deadline Approaching, Ohio Senate GOP Expects a Compromise Vote

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by Tyler Arnold   Ohio Senate Republicans expect a budget bill compromise to be reached for a vote by Wednesday’s deadline, according to spokesperson John Fortney. “We are very close, and we expect the budget to be ready for a vote before the interim period ends,” Fortney told The Center Square via email. Republicans currently hold the leadership in both chambers of the state legislature, but feuds over what should be done with the budget surplus funds caused the legislature to miss a July 1 budget deadline. The two sides pushed through a temporary spending bill to keep the government open until Wednesday (July 17) so they could have more time to craft a bill that both chambers could support. The specifics surrounding this potential compromise have yet to be released, but both chambers previously passed bills that cut the state’s personal income tax and increased spending for environmental and educational wrap-around programs. One of the main points of contention between House and Senate leadership has been the small business tax credit. Gov. Mike DeWine and Senate Republicans want to maintain the current credit, but House Republicans want to scale it back. Current law provides a tax exemption on 75…

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St. Louis Park City Council Reinstates Pledge of Allegiance After Public Outcry

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by Whitney Tipton   A city council in Minnesota voted Monday to reinstate the Pledge of Allegiance after its ban sparked a national outcry, including criticism from President Donald Trump. The St. Louis Park City Council voted 7-0 to again recite the pledge before its bi-monthly meetings after voting on June 17 to abolish the practice, a move which drew local protests and the attention of national media outlets, the St. Paul Pioneer Press reported. Council members made it clear that their vote was intended to quell controversy as much as anything. “I’m genuinely concerned about the safety and the productivity of our city staff and our residents, and that is why I am making this motion,” said council member Thom Miller. “To be clear, I fully agree with the change that we made in June to eliminate the Pledge of Allegiance from our standard meeting agendas.” The Pledge of Allegiance to our great Country, in St. Louis Park, Minnesota, is under siege. That is why I am going to win the Great State of Minnesota in the 2020 Election. People are sick and tired of this stupidity and disloyalty to our wonderful USA! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July…

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Ilhan Omar Has Nine Percent Approval Rating Among Swing-State Voters

Anthony Gockowski

  An internal poll reportedly “making the rounds of some of the most influential Democrats in America” shows that Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN-05) has a nine percent approval rating among swing-state voters. The poll was obtained exclusively by Axios, which reports that the poll was conducted in May by Democratic leadership to assess the approval ratings of progressive Democrats among likely voters in swing states. The poll found that 22 percent of respondents had a favorable view of Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY-14), while just nine percent had a favorable view of Omar. “If all voters hear about is AOC, it could put the majority at risk,” a top Democrat involved in the 2020 congressional races told Axios. “She’s getting all the news and defining everyone else’s races.” According to Axios, the group that conducted the poll shared it with the outlet on the condition of anonymity because it has to work with all members of the Democratic Party. The poll surveyed 1,003 likely general-election voters who are white and have two years or less of college education. The survey also found that only 18 percent of swing-state voters had a positive view of socialism, compared to 56 percent who viewed…

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Maury County Mayor Andy Ogles Says He’ll Veto Any Property Tax Increase

Chris Butler

  Maury County Mayor Andy Ogles says he will veto any property tax increase county commissioners send to his desk. County commissioners are currently debating whether to raise property taxes by as much as 45 cents — or $120 per $100,000 in the value of a home. “That’s crazy,” Ogles told The Tennessee Star Tuesday. Maury County is one of the fastest-growing counties in the state, if not the country, because of people moving south, out of Nashville. Some people say this new tax revenue is needed to help pay for all the new growth. Instead of higher property taxes, Ogles said he and other local officials thought up an alternative solution to bring in more revenue. “We agreed as county mayor and city mayors to a sales tax referendum to help fund building projects for the schools,” Ogles said. “If you want new schools then we can raise the sales tax a half a penny to make it equivalent to Williamson County and, I presume, Rutherford County. That’ll be during the March presidential primary. The people will decide.” Ogles also told The Star he’s working with state officials so Maury County can eventually impose impact fees on new construction…

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