Month: July 2019

Failed Tennessee Mayoral Candidate Convicted of Making a Pipe Bomb

Chris Butler

  Authorities have reportedly convicted a failed mayoral candidate in Tennessee of making a pipe bomb. This comes after he reportedly threatened townspeople on social media. That man, Jonathan Edward White, who ran for mayor in Hardin County, faces up to 10 years in prison, according to a new article from the Associated Press. “Prosecutors said Tennessee Bureau of Investigation agents began investigating White after he wrote a Facebook post last August that ‘a war is coming’ and that he’d be going after people he accused of being corrupt,” the Associated Press reports. “Authorities said White met with undercover agents and gave them a pipe bomb.” White is a bail bondsman who got only a few hundred votes as an also-ran mayoral candidate and was involved in a custody dispute over a child. Authorities are scheduled to sentence White in federal court on October 10, according to The Jackson Sun. “This office, along with our law enforcement partners, takes all bomb threats seriously, and we are vigilant to protect and prevent property damage, bodily injury, and death from any explosive device in West Tennessee,” U.S. Attorney D. Michael Dunavant stated in a news release. “We commend the quick, thorough, and coordinated response of all of…

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Mark Green of Tennessee Explains to Democrats Why Obamacare Is Doomed to Fail

Chris Butler

  U.S. Republican Congressman Mark Green of Tennessee’s Seventh Congressional District explained during a hearing on Obamacare this week how his experiences in an emergency room turned him against socialized medicine. Green made his remarks during a House Oversight Committee hearing. “My first patient was a gang member. He’d been shot in the lower abdomen. The guy was punching at the staff and yelling at us all. Meanwhile, we’re trying to save his life,” Green said. “After giving this guy world-class care I walked out thinking at least with government payer I’d get paid for the risks taking care of this patient.” Near the end of his shift, however, Green said he had another patient, a 35-year-old woman on chemo with a lowered immunity system. The woman’s infections had threatened her life. “With her were two children and a worried husband. The woman was only 35 years old. She didn’t have insurance. As we stabilized her, I realized that early detection saved this young woman’s life. In Europe, socialized medicine has delayed early detection as care is rationed, and that is why mortality rates for specific illnesses are far better in the United States than they are in Europe and…

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Tennessee Police Chief Arrested for Alleged Financial and Sexual Misconduct

Chris Butler

  Agents with the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation have obtained an indictment for a former police chief accused of misconduct and sexual impropriety. This week the Monroe County Grand Jury returned an indictment against former Tellico Plains police chief James Russell Parks, Jr., according to a TBI press release. Officials charged Parks with one count of official misconduct and book him into the Monroe County Jail on a $6,000 bond, the press release went on to say. “On February 14th, at the request of 10th District Attorney General Steve Crump, TBI Agents began investigating missing funds from the Tellico Plains Police Department’s drug enforcement fund, which totaled approximately $840. During the course of the investigation, agents developed information that James Russell Parks, Jr., the department’s police chief, was responsible for the missing funds,” the press release said. “The investigation further determined Parks, 44, was involved in a sexual relationship with an informant paid out of the department’s drug enforcement fund. Parks resigned from the department when the allegation surfaced.” TBI spokesman Josh DeVine told The Tennessee Star Friday he could divulge no further information about the case. As The Star has reported, this is not the first time authorities have accused Tennessee law enforcement…

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Michigan Breweries Sue Liquor Commission Over ‘Vague’ Laws

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by Scott McClallen   When Michigan government officials raided Greenbush Brewing Co. on June 19, seized wine and cider, and shut down their sales, owner Scott Sullivan was more than 750 miles away. “Someone called me later, and said the liquor commission raided us, then asked to look around,” Sullivan said. “No one knew enough to tell them ‘No way’. People thought, ‘Oh, the liquor commission is here, we have to let them in the back’.” Greenbush Brewing has since filed a lawsuit against the Michigan Liquor Control Commission. The seizure caused about $7,200 in lost revenue from products Greenbush can’t touch until the lawsuit concludes, according to court documents. The Fourth of July is the brewery’s busiest week of the year. Sullivan said he thinks a potential violation that resulted in the raid stemmed from an issue with the bond and transfer process for wine, but the MLCC hasn’t officially ticketed him 22 days after raiding his store. Sullivan said Greenbush had a small winemaker and microbrewery license before the raid. State law changed last year to ease the bond and transfer process, but the MLCC has shut down other breweries over the bond and transfer process since last fall.…

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The Tennessee Star Report Speaks to Dr. Tim Hall of Thales Academy and Their Approach to an Affordable Classical Education Coming to Nashville in 2020

Julie Carr

  On Friday’s Tennessee Star Report with Steve Gill and Michael Patrick Leahy – broadcast on Nashville’s Talk Radio 98.3 and 1510 WLAC weekdays from 5:00 am to 8:00 am – the Report welcomed Thales Academy’s Dr. Tim Hall to the show to talk about the type of education they offer and how they are bringing it to the Nashville, Tennessee area in 2020. As the segment came to a close, Dr. Hall described the curriculum offered at Thales Academy in more detail, noting that it’s a direct instruction and classical education that has proven to show it’s students testing higher than other students from both the private and public sectors. Leahy: We are joined now by Dr. Tim Hall, the Chief Academic Officer of Thales Academy, a high quality affordable private school. Has eight schools and three thousand students. Been in business in North Carolina for eleven years. And they’re coming to Nashville. Dr. Hall, welcome to the Tennessee Star Report. Hall: Well thank you for having me. I appreciate the opportunity to be here. Leahy: So you’re coming to Nashville and you will be here in Nashville a week from today from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. for an informational meeting at the West…

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‘Helping People Avoid Justice’: Border Patrol Union President Reacts to Clinton’s Advice to Illegal Aliens

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by Jason Hopkins   National Border Patrol Council President Brandon Judd blasted Hillary Clinton for publicly coaching illegal immigrants how to avoid apprehension from Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents. “I’m amazed that somebody that somebody that ran for president of the United States — that was willing to promise to uphold the laws of the United States, the Constitution of the United States — is now actively helping people avoid justice,” Judd, who leads the Border Patrol’s union of nearly 20,000 members, said Friday on Fox News. Judd’s comments follow a tweet Clinton sent Thursday. The former first lady and Democratic presidential candidate published an image that contained a list, written in Spanish, of recommendations for illegal aliens to follow in order to avoid apprehension and deportation from ICE agents. The instructions advised illegal aliens “not to open the door” for agents and to report their badge number, type of vehicle they are driving, and where they were seen. Clinton’s tweet was in response to President Donald Trump’s planned immigration raids. ICE agents are expected to target roughly 2,000 illegal immigrants across 10 U.S. states Sunday, the first day of an ongoing operation by the agency to apprehend and deport…

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Analysis: Contrary to Popular Belief, Schools Are Not Becoming More Segregated

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by James D. Agresti   A new frequent allegation of progressive politicians and media outlets is that America’s schools are becoming more racially segregated. They then argue that government must do something about it, like for example, go back to the forced busing policies of the 1970s. According to Bernie Sanders, Kamala Harris, the New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, the Washington Post, ABC News, CBS News, Politico, etc., America’s schools have grown increasingly segregated since the 1990s. They all base this claim on a report from the UCLA Civil Rights Project. However, buried 21 pages deep in that report is the fact that “the share of intensely segregated white schools, that is, schools that enroll 90–100% white students, has declined from 38.9% in 1988 to 16% in 2016.” In plain language, “white” schools have become more integrated. Yet, the report begins by claiming that “intense levels of segregation” are “on the rise once again.” The basis for this is its finding that “the share of intensely segregated minority schools” has increased from 6% in 1988 to 18% in 2016. What explains these divergent trends? As the report states, “the driving force” is “an enormous increase in the Latino…

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Trump Did Exactly What Opponents of the Census Citizenship Question Said He Should Do

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by Kevin Daley   President Donald Trump’s executive order on citizenship data collection lays out a plan that hostile judges and opponents of the census citizenship question urged the government to follow from the start of the legal fight. Indeed, the steps outlined in Thursday’s order were previously repudiated by the president’s own senior aides and lawyers. “This is brutal,” an administration official told the Daily Caller News Foundation. “Democrats are cheering now and it was a totally winnable issue the timid lawyers fumbled.” Thursday’s executive order directs government entities to assist the Commerce Department in calculating the number of citizens and non-citizens present in the country. For example, the order requires the State Department to make passport application data available to Commerce officials. The Census Bureau urged Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross to follow that very plan as he contemplated adding a citizenship question to the census form. Career officials at the Bureau said that approach would yield more precise results than responses to a question on the census form. Ross rejected the idea in a March 2018 decision memo, saying “administrative records alone … would provide an incomplete picture.” After the 2010 census, the Bureau was able to match…

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People Can Sue Steve Cohen of Memphis for Blocking Them on Twitter

Chris Butler

  Donald Trump and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez are in legal trouble because they’ve reportedly blocked people on Twitter, but some Tennesseans might not realize Tennessee Congressman Steve Cohen has done much the same thing. Cohen, a Democrat, represents Tennessee’s Ninth Congressional District. As The Epoch Times reported, some people are suing Cortez for blocking them on Twitter. Members of Cohen’s office did not return The Tennessee Star’s request for comment Friday as whether anyone has sued him for blocking people on Twitter. The Star also wanted to know how many people Cohen has blocked on Twitter and whether he would reconsider his policy of blocking people. According to The Epoch Times, “an appeals court ruling has spurred multiple lawsuits against Cortez from people who say the lawmaker blocked their accounts on Twitter.” “One of the plaintiffs, Republican congressional candidate Joseph Saladino, is seeking ‘injunctive relief from the court’ so that he could be unblocked by the congresswoman’s official account,” the website reported. “I have officially filed my lawsuit against AOC for blocking me on Twitter.” Also, according to the website, The Second Circuit Court of Appeals ruled this month that U.S. Republican President Donald Trump violated the First Amendment when he blocked users from viewing…

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Trump to Lean on Social Media Giants to Curb Censorship

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by Fred Lucas   President Donald Trump, during a free-wheeling speech Thursday, said he would be bringing top social media executives to the White House to push them to stop censoring conservatives and try to ensure free speech for everyone’s opinion. “On behalf of the nation, it’s very important what you’re doing,” Trump said. He praised them for going around the media “gatekeepers” and “getting the honest word out.” Trump spoke in the East Room to digital media journalists, commentators, talk show hosts, and activists. President Donald Trump, during a free-wheeling speech Thursday, said he would be bringing top social media executives to the White House to push them to stop censoring conservatives and try to ensure free speech for everyone’s opinion. “On behalf of the nation, it’s very important what you’re doing,” Trump said. He praised them for going around the media “gatekeepers” and “getting the honest word out.” Trump spoke in the East Room to digital media journalists, commentators, talk show hosts, and activists. 🤳 iPhones fully charged (✅) at the @WhiteHouse #SocialMediaSummit🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/SlJOM1j0aT — Independent Women's Voice (@IWV) July 11, 2019 In calling for the giant social media platforms to be more transparent, Trump talked about how…

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Volkswagen of Chattanooga Reportedly Does Not Pay School Property Taxes

Chris Butler

  Government officials have reportedly given Volkswagen of Chattanooga a mind-boggling and generous incentives package, so much so it does not even have to pay school property taxes. This, according to Helen Burns Sharp, founder of the Chattanooga-based Accountability for Taxpayer Money. According to ATM’s website, members of the group want local elected officials to reform the current system for granting property tax breaks. “Did you know that Volkswagen does not pay its school property taxes in full because of a sweetheart arrangement whereby its storm water fee is paid from those school taxes?” Sharp asked in a column published in The Chattanooga Times Free Press. Sharp called the Volkswagen package “overly generous.” “Land, site preparation and cash grants of more than $50 million are part of the deal, in addition to a tax break agreement that lasts a very long time (until 2040.) Last year alone, our local governments abated $17.5 million in property taxes. VW will not pay any taxes to support police, fire, streets, parks, etc. until 2040,” Sharp wrote. “By 2040, the total amount of VW tax incentives the city and county will have granted could approach $500 million in lost property tax revenue. The state…

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The Tennessee Star Report: Rep. Mark Green Discusses How Democrats Want a ‘Different Country’

Julie Carr

  During a discussion Friday morning on The 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 spoke to Congressman Mark Green about how he will not be running for the Tennessee Senate seat and how the Democrats are working against the American people and themselves in their hopes of creating a different country. Towards the end of the segment, Congressman Green talked about how the Republicans are ahead of the game with candidates in an effort to take back the House and how they are instituting a similar system to the Democrats to raise funds, called Win Red. Gill: Big news this week as governor Bill Haslam, former governor Bill Haslam announces he will not seek the US Senate seat being vacated by Lamar Alexander which immediately turns speculation to congressman Mark Green. Would he run for the seat? Congressman Mark Green yesterday announcing he will not seek that Senate seat but will instead focus his attention on making sure that President Trump gets re-elected. Making sure that Republicans re-take the house and take that gavel back from Nancy Pelosi and her…

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Commentary: How Technicalities Ended the Census Case

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by GianCarlo Canaparo   Speaking from the Rose Garden on Thursday, President Donald Trump and Attorney General William Barr accepted that they couldn’t put the citizenship question on the 2020 census. Barr said that the administration would have won the lawsuits, but that “logistical impediments” made it impossible to win the cases in time for the census. For two examples of these logistical impediments, have a look at these unusual orders by Judge Jesse Furman and Judge George Hazel, who are overseeing the census lawsuits. In their orders, they ruled that the Department of Justice can’t use the lawyers of its choosing unless they comply with legally dubious requirements. Last month, the Supreme Court blocked, at least temporarily, the Commerce Department from adding the citizenship question to the census because it suspected Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross’ stated reasons for doing so had been “contrived.” It sent the case back to the lower courts to investigate that issue. When the case got back to the lower courts, the Department of Justice attorneys representing the government defendants initially said they were giving up the fight and that the Commerce Department would begin printing the census forms without the citizenship question. But the president…

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Ohio AG to Review Federal Access to Driver’s License Photo Database

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by Tyler Arnold   Ohio Attorney General David Yost is directing a systematic review of databases under his office’s control, including the driver’s license database that stores photos and other identifiable information about Ohioans. This announcement came after the Washington Post reported how the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Immigration and Customs Enforcement have been using facial recognition software to search through state databases that contain photos of residents. The information was obtained through a public records request by the Georgetown Law’s Center on Privacy and Technology and then provided to The Washington Post. Ohio permits federal law enforcement agencies and law enforcement in other states to access the state’s license database if they demonstrate that they need specific information about a person. According to state regulations, an inquiring agency can gain access to the database for facial recognition searches only if it is being used for an ongoing criminal matter to solve or prevent a crime, to reduce an imminent threat to health, or to identify a person who cannot identify himself or herself. This review will provide a systematic overview of the databases, evaluate the access to outside agencies and evaluate the statutes and memoranda that regulate how…

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Commentary: Boycott Culture Is All the Left Has Left

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by Christopher Gage   The boycott was once preserved for the most diabolical of political regimes. In decades of old, activists with an actual enemy to slay used the boycott to hasten the demise of the inhumane apartheid regime of South Africa. Remarkably, those activists made history without Twitter or a single self-titillating hashtag. This week, in clownish post-serious once-Great Britain, a family-owned sausage company flickered under the impotent flame of Twitter’s brightest sparks. Boris Johnson’s folksy campaign visit to Heck Foods involved the likely next prime minister making and packing sausages. The point perhaps being to show that the man charged with finally dragging us from the European Union is listening to the people such a momentous decision most greatly would affect. Of course, the sight of Boris performing probably the most innocuous of exercises shook the patrons of Twitter into a wholly predictable fit of fashionable rage. One devotee of that digital asylum claimed they’d never eat Heck sausages again, and “hoped” (ever the emotion) that all “fair-minded” people would follow suit. Radical conformists parroted the silly sentiment. All, unsurprisingly, having adorned their Twitter bios with demented and bunny-boiled declarations of love for the European Union that Boris…

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Meet Alex Acosta’s Replacement, Acting Labor Secretary Patrick Pizzella

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by Shelby Talcott   Patrick Pizzella, formally the United States Deputy Secretary of Labor, will now be the Acting Secretary of Labor as Alex Acosta steps down over his role in the light sentencing of billionaire Jeffrey Epstein in 2008. Pizzella was nominated by President Donald Trump to be the Deputy Secretary of Labor, and was sworn in for the position in April 2018, according to the U.S. Department of Labor. The nomination passed narrowly with a vote of 50-48, the Washington Examiner reported. He was previously nominated by former President Barack Obama as a member of the Federal Labor Relations Authority (FLRA) in 2013. He became chairmen of FLRA in 2017 after Trump took office. Pizzella was also an assistant secretary at the Labor Department between 2001 and 2009 when former President George W. Bush was in office, the Washington Examiner reported. Trump announced Friday that Pizzella will be the acting secretary of labor after Acosta steps down next week. Acosta is stepping down after facing fire for giving alleged child sex trafficker Epstein a 13-month sentence in 2008 for two counts of soliciting prostitution, one with a minor. Acosta was the U.S. state attorney in Florida at the…

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Climate Experts Admit to Republican Congressman That Humans Aren’t Responsible for Past 20,000 Years of Global Warming

Anthony Gockowski

  During a Thursday hearing before the U.S. House Science, Space, and Technology Committee, Rep. Mo Brooks (R-AL-05) got a panel of climate science experts to admit that “humans are not responsible for the Earth’s global warming that has occurred over the past 20,000 years.” All four of the experts who testified agreed that humans didn’t cause the global warming that began 20,000 years ago and continues through today. Additionally, Brooks pointed out that sea levels have risen an average of two feet per century over the past 20,000 years, which is “double the global warming enthusiasts’ claimed average sea level rise rate of one foot per century since 1993,” Brooks said. “The gist of the experts’ opinions is that the Earth was too lightly populated by humans to make humanity responsible for the Earth’s global warming that began 20,000 years ago,” Brooks sarcastically touted in a press release. During his line of questioning, Brooks asked the panel of experts if, in their judgment, human beings caused “the global warming that began 20,000 years ago during the last glacial maximum.” “No, no. Absolutely not. It is an example of spontaneous natural variability, one of the many ways that this whole…

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‘New and Improved NAFTA’ Known as USMCA Would Prevent Outsourcing of Jobs, Steve Gill Tells Fox News

Jason M. Reynolds

  President Donald Trump’s replacement for NAFTA continues to draw opposition from Democrats, something that Star News Political Editor Steve Gill discussed Friday on Fox News. Video of the interview is available here. Trump headed to Milwaukee to push for the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), a replacement for the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). Trump made his appeal for the USMCA to a friendly crowd in at Derco Aerospace, a Lockheed Martin-owned company, in Milwaukee, CBS News reported. The company provides logistics and technical support for fixed-wing aircraft. Gill spoke to Fox News about the president’s Wisconsin visit and the opposition he is facing from Democrats, which includes a claim by the president of the Wisconsin Fair Trade Coalition that Trump’s plan fails to prevent the outsourcing of jobs. However, Gill said, “This was one of President Trump’s key promises on the campaign trail that they would fix NAFTA, and that’s what this NAFTA 2.0, this new and improved NAFTA will do.” The new plan will benefit the agricultural and automotive industries, Gill said. Mexico has approved it and Canada is ready to approve it. “The only thing holding it up right now is the House Democrats, and frankly,…

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Democrats Turn National Defense Authorization Act Into Partisan Issue That Barely Passes House, Rep. DesJarlais Says

Jason M. Reynolds

  Democrat infighting nearly prevented passage of the 2020 National Defense Authorization Act in the House of Representatives Friday, U.S. Rep. Dr. Scott DesJarlais (R-TN-04) said in a press release. The annual defense policy bill, which for 58 years has passed with bipartisan support, instead passed in the House on a party-line vote. It survived only because of concessions to far-left socialists, insisting on the elimination of programs critical to defending the United States from Russia, China, Iran and other adversaries, the congressman said. The House on Friday approved the bill after adopting a progressive amendment including a prohibition on deploying lower-yield nuclear weapons and a ban on sending new prisoners to the Guantanamo Bay detention center, Roll Call said. The final vote on the fiscal 2020 bill was 220-197. No Republicans supported the typically bipartisan measure that traditionally has earned more than 300 of the 435 available House votes. A video of DesJarlais addressing the House on the matter is available here. “The legislation simply doesn’t provide our military men and women with the resources needed to adequately protect the homeland and could negatively impact facilities in and around the Fourth District of Tennessee, including Arnold Air Force Base,…

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Ambassador to Japan Bill Hagerty Endorsed by President Trump for U.S. Senate Seat

Anthony Gockowski

  President Donald Trump has endorsed Bill Hagerty, the current ambassador to Japan, in the U.S. Senate race in Tennessee. “Tennessee loving Bill Hagerty, who was my Tennessee Victory Chair and is now the very outstanding Ambassador to Japan, will be running for the U.S. Senate. He is strong on crime, borders and our Second Amendment. Loves our military and our vets. Has my complete and total endorsement,” Trump wrote on Twitter Friday afternoon. Tennessee loving Bill Hagerty, who was my Tennessee Victoy Chair and is now the very outstanding Ambassador to Japan, will be running for the U.S. Senate. He is strong on crime, borders & our 2nd A. Loves our Military & our Vets. Has my Complete & Total Endorsement! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 12, 2019 The announcement comes a day after both former Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam and Rep. Mark Green (R-TN-07) announced that they would not be entering the race. Hagerty will run for the seat currently held by Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-TN), who announced in December that he would not seek reelection in 2020. On Thursday’s Tennessee Star Report, Club for Growth Chairman David McIntosh discussed a potential Hagerty candidacy with the hosts.…

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Labor Secretary Acosta Resigns Amid Epstein Controversy

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by Fred Lucas   Unable to put to rest questions of his handling of the Jeffrey Epstein case, Labor Secretary Alex Acosta resigned Friday after serving more than two years in the position. “A Cabinet position is a temporary trust. I must set aside a part of me that wants to continue my service with thousands of talented professionals at the Department of Labor,” Acosta says in the letter to President Donald Trump. “Therefore, I am offering, and wish for you to accept, my resignation as the United States Secretary of Labor effective one week from today.” Deputy secretary Patrick Pizzella will serve as the acting secretary of labor after Acosta exits next week, Trump said. On Monday, federal prosecutors in the Southern District of New York charged Epstein, a 66-year-old billionaire financier, with the sex trafficking of dozens of young girls, some as young as 14. In 2008, Epstein reached a deal with federal prosecutors in the Southern District of Florida, run by then U.S. Attorney Acosta at the time, that allowed Epstein to avoid federal prosecution in a case involving multiple charges of sexual abuse, in exchange for pleading guilty in a Florida state court to charges of…

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Sen. Blackburn Addresses Senate on Her Concerns About Snapchat and Sexual Predators Targeting Children

Jason M. Reynolds

  U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) on Thursday again raised the topic of Snapchat and her efforts to urge the company to protect minors from sexual predators. Blackburn addressed the Senate about a letter she wrote Monday to Snapchat CEO Evan Spiegel urging him to protect children from sexual predators and from being exposed to explicit content while using the platform. The Tennessee Star reported on the letter on Tuesday. Blackburn said in the letter, “Snapchat’s app rating—rated age appropriate for children ages 13 and up—fails to provide parents with adequate warnings about the platform’s dangers. The Wall Street Journal recently highlighted some of the ancillary risks associated with allowing such young children on the platform. ’13 has become the internet’s age of adulthood,’ when it should instead be 18.” Blackburn gave Spiegel a deadline of July 29 to respond to a list of questions. Video of Blackburn’s speech is available here. Blackburn’s remarks as prepared were as follows: Thank you, Madam President. In 2017, ICE agents arrested Francisco Javier Soledad on charges of producing child pornography using the popular social media app Snapchat. He assumed a variety of false identities, first a teenage boy, later an adult woman, and…

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Commentary: Tired, Irrelevant Democratic Candidates Point to Trump Reelection

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by Conrad Black   It is easier to notice the drift of American political public opinion after being away from it in England for six weeks. It is obvious that President Trump is steadily gaining ground. The human wave of kooks and retreads seeking the Democratic nomination have been shooting furiously inside their 360-degree firing squad and some of the 1 percent group will have to be carried out soon to make it a tighter circle. (The most irritating loudmouth of all of them, Representative Eric Swalwell of California, had the honor of being the first to fold on Monday.) The Democrats’ major problems are that almost all the president’s policies are working. The collapse of the Russian collusion fraud has created an eerie silence as the country awaits possible indictments of the Democrats responsible for that outrage, and the Democrats themselves are completely unfeasible. All the economic news is positive: 83 percent of taxpayers have had their taxes reduced and those who have not are the citizens of chronic Democratic states where the state governments have been so incompetent they have laid on higher state income taxes that the administration no longer will deduct from federal taxes. Why should…

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Trump Administration Preparing to Arrest Illegal Immigrants in Nationwide Raids

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by Jason Hopkins   The White House is reportedly picking plans back up to apprehend and deport thousands of illegal immigrants who have ignored court orders to leave the country. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on Sunday will launch raids across major U.S. cities, according to Homeland Security officials who spoke with The New York Times and NBC News. The Sunday raids will target roughly 2,000 illegal aliens who, despite court orders to leave, continue to remain in the U.S. Targeted cities include Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, Miami and other areas. President Donald Trump in June announced plans to deport “millions” of illegal immigrants, but he later postponed those plans, telling the public he wanted to allow time to negotiate with congressional Democrats on a solution to the immigration crisis. However, it is likely that the plans were also scrapped because key details were leaked to the media. The president has since said his administration was ready to renew the operation. “These are people where we have their papers, we’ve gone through the court system. [The deportations will] be starting fairly soon, but I don’t call them raids. We’re removing people that have come — all of these people…

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Commentary: Tucker Carlson Is Right, But Who Is Responsible for This Disaster?

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by George Rasley, CHQ Editor   Tuesday night Fox News’ Tucker Carlson had a great monologue about immigration, especially from Muslim countries and he singled-out freshman Democrat Representative Ilhan Omar (MN-5), who came to the U.S. as a refugee from Somalia, is “living proof” that U.S. immigration laws are “dangerous.” “No country can import large numbers of people who hate it and expect to survive. The Romans were the last to try that with predictable results. So be grateful for Ilhan Omar, annoying as she is. She’s a living fire alarm, a warning to the rest of us,” Carlson said during his monologue. “Omar is now at the age of only 36, one of the most powerful women in America. It’s an amazing story really. Only in this country could it have happened,” he said. “Ilhan Omar has an awful lot to be grateful for, but she isn’t grateful. Not at all,” Carlson then said. “After everything America has done for Omar and for her family, she hates this country more than ever.” “Omar isn’t disappointed in America. She’s enraged by it,” he continued. “That should worry you, and not just because Omar is a sitting member of Congress. Ilhan…

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Immigrant Activists Storm Biden Headquarters, Demand He Apologize for Deportations

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by Jason Hopkins   Immigrant rights activists protested inside Joe Biden’s campaign headquarters in Philadelphia, demanding the former vice president apologize for the deportations that took place during the Obama administration. “We are here with families who have had their families separated both under the Obama and Trump administrations, and we are demanding that Biden apologize for overseeing 3 million deportations under the Obama administration, and we are calling for Biden and 2020 Democratic candidates to commit to ending deportation and detention in their first day in office,” said a spokeswoman Wednesday during the Facebook live coverage of the protest. The group behind the rally, Movimiento Cosecha — which translates to “Harvest Movement” in English — has been behind other immigration-related protests, such as a push to give illegal immigrants driver’s licenses. Members of the organization wanted to bring attention to the Obama administration’s record on immigration enforcement. The protest highlighted a seemingly incongruous fact: Deportations were higher during the Obama administration than they are under the Trump White House. Norma is currently shutting down @JoeBiden's campaign office to share her story. Her son, who came at the U.S. at age 10, would have qualified for the "Obama-Biden DACA program"…

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Acosta Defends Role in Epstein Deal

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by Fred Lucas   Fending off calls for his resignation or firing, Labor Secretary Alex Acosta on Wednesday defended his role as a federal prosecutor in Florida more than a decade ago in what is widely viewed as a plea deal with billionaire sex offender Jeffrey Epstein that resulted in a lenient sentence. He said a federal trial would have been “a roll of the dice,” with no guarantee of a more severe punishment, and put most of the blame on the Palm Beach County State Attorney’s Office. “The goal here was straightforward: Put Epstein behind bars, ensure he registered as a sexual offender, provide victims with the means to seek restitution, and protect the public by putting them on notice that a sexual predator was in their midst,” Acosta said at a press conference Wednesday. Acosta was the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of Florida in 2008, when the plea agreement was reached. On Monday, federal prosecutors in the Southern District of New York charged Epstein, 66, with the sex trafficking of dozens of young girls, some as young as 14 years old. During Wednesday’s nearly hourlong press conference, Acosta dodged questions as to whether he would apologize…

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The Tennessee Star Report Talks to Club for Growth’s David McIntosh About Tennessee Senate Race and the Freshman Democrats Running to the Left

Julie Carr

  On Thursday’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 chatted with long time friend, David McIntosh, chairman of Club for Growth, about Bill Haslam’s decision not to compete in Tennessee’s Senate race and who the front runners might be. Towards the end of the show, McIntosh and Gill discussed how the new freshman Democrats have voted nearly one hundred percent of the time with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Gill: David McIntosh is the chairman of Club for Growth. Former Congressman from Indiana. Former candidate in Indiana is now heading up Club for Growth. And David, we wanted to talk about the new study that you all have done. And we’re going to talk about all these Democrats that ran claiming to be a new kind of Democrat have turned out to be exactly like the liberal whack jobs of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ilhan Omar, Nancy Pelosi. They’re voting alike about 91 percent of the time. But before we get to the study. Breaking news this morning, Governor Bill Haslam deciding not to run for the US Senate. I…

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Ocasio-Cortez Implies Pelosi Is Racist for Singling Out ‘Newly Elected Women Of Color’

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by Chuck Ross   New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez implied Wednesday that Nancy Pelosi is racist and said the House speaker has been “disrespectful” toward “newly elected women of color” in Congress. Ocasio-Cortez addressed in an interview with The Washington Post the growing rift between Pelosi and the progressive wing of the Democratic Party. Pelosi was quoted in a New York Times article on July 6 taking a thinly veiled shot at Ocasio-Cortez and several other freshman Democrats who voted against a bill to help migrants at the border. “All these people have their public whatever and their Twitter world, but they didn’t have any following,” Pelosi said to The Times’ Maureen Dowd. “They’re four people and that’s how many votes they got.” Pelosi was referring to Ocasio-Cortez and Reps. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts and Rashida Tlaib of Michigan, who are all minority women. Ocasio-Cortez told The Post that she initially believed Pelosi was employing a strategy to protect moderate Democrats. But she suggested she believes there could be a racial tinge to Pelosi’s repeated rebuke of Ocasio-Cortez and her fellow freshmen. “When these comments first started, I kind of thought that she was keeping the…

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Over Half of Hispanic Voters Support Citizenship Question on Census

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by Carmel Kookogey   A poll released earlier this month includes a finding that may surprise those who say adding the citizenship question to the 2020 census will result in minority communities not being properly counted. Among the Hispanic registered voters polled in the survey sample for Harvard University’s latest national monthly public policy poll, 55% say they are in favor of adding a question about whether a census respondent is a citizen to the 2020 census. Additionally, the poll, released by the Harvard’s Center for American Political Studies and the Harris Poll, found 67% of all registered U.S. voters say the census should include a citizenship question. There were reports Thursday that President Donald Trump planned to announce an executive order to include a citizenship question on the census. Trump added to the speculation with a tweet: The White House will be hosting a very big and very important Social Media Summit today. Would I have become President without Social Media? Yes (probably)! At its conclusion, we will all go to the beautiful Rose Garden for a News Conference on the Census and Citizenship. — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 11, 2019 Mike Gonzalez, senior fellow at the Allison…

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Michigan’s New Marijuana Laws: What Consumers, Business Owners Should Know

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by Scott McClallen   The agency that regulates the marijuana market in Michigan has clarified rules to sell product legally to adult residents, making it easier for small businesses to enter the market. Michigan’s Marijuana Regulatory Agency said it plans to accept business applications through Nov. 1 and are required to begin approving businesses by Dec. 6. Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer established the MRA to regulate medical and recreational marijuana in the state and to implement a fair and effective market for Michigan residents. The MRA set no capital minimums for the adult-use market after several citizens complained that small businesses don’t have enough startup capital to compete with corporate companies. Medical marijuana licensees previously had to prove they had $200,000 to $500,0000 in assets, with one-fourth liquidity. The new laws give new license types for temporary events, micro-businesses, and social-use facilities. “The race to be the first to get applications submitted and approved has now officially begun,” said Josh Hovey, spokesman for the Michigan Cannabis Industry Association. “Every business in the state that is looking at this industry … they’re putting on their running shoes.” There’s no legal way for the general public to purchase cannabis without a medical marijuana…

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Omar and ‘the Squad’ Reportedly Isolated by Pelosi, Saddled With Work to Avoid Spotlight

Anthony Gockowski

  Tensions between House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA-12) and the freshmen progressives in her party are starting to boil over. It was clear from the beginning that “the squad,” comprised of Reps. Ilhan Omar (D-MN-05), Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY-14), Rashida Tlaib (D-MI-13) and Ayanna Pressley (D-MA-07), wasn’t going to make things easy for Pelosi. For one thing, she’s repeatedly had to defend Omar and Tlaib against claims of anti-Semitism. The squad wants impeachment proceedings, while Pelosi would prefer to wait things out. Some members of the squad called for new leadership and would’ve liked to see Pelosi go. The Pelosi-squad schism has been the subject of several articles out of The New York Times and The Washington Post in the past few days. The squad’s vote against the House’s border-funding bill, which Pelosi called “our bill,” plus an “offensive” tweet from Ocasio-Cortez’s chief of staff that compared moderate Democrats to segregationists, are both factors that are threatening to bring the spat over the edge. “All these people have their public whatever and their Twitter world,” Pelosi said of the squad in a recent interview with The New York Times. “But they didn’t have any following. They’re four people and that’s how…

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Mark Green Files Legislation to Allow Taxpayers to Designate Funds on IRS Form to a Border Wall Trust Fund to Build a Wall

Jason M. Reynolds

  U.S. Rep. Dr. Mark Green (R-TN-07) announced he introduced legislation Thursday that would replace the Presidential Election Campaign Fund checkbox on the IRS 1040 with a Border Wall Trust Fund checkbox to allow taxpayers to designate their tax money toward building a southern border wall. “Taxpayer dollars should never be used to advance political campaigns,” Green said in a press release. “But, keeping Americans safe must be our #1 priority. My bill will give every American the opportunity to directly help President Trump build the wall.” Green tweeted, “Americans spoke loud and clear in 2016 that we want a wall to secure our southern border. Congress has clearly been unable to get the job done. My new bill will give every American the opportunity to directly help @realDonaldTrump #BuildTheWall.” Americans spoke loud and clear in 2016 that we want a wall to secure our southern border. Congress has clearly been unable to get the job done. My new bill will give every American the opportunity to directly help @realDonaldTrump #BuildTheWall. https://t.co/UYCbynv1AT — Rep. Mark Green (@RepMarkGreen) July 11, 2019 The current IRS 1040 form allows taxpayers to check a box to direct $3 (or $6 for married filing jointly)…

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Rep. Mark Green Will Not Run for U.S. Senate in 2020

Tennessee Star Staff
Mark Green

Rep. Mark Green (R-TN-7) announced on Thursday morning that he will not be a candidate for the Republican nomination for the U.S. Senate seat opening up next year in Tennessee due to the retirement of Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-TN). Former Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam announced earlier in the day that he would not be a candidate for the U.S. Senate in 2020 which immediately generated speculation about Green’s plans. Green made the announcement in a released statement: “Since I was 17 years old on The Plain at West Point taking the Oath of Office to serve our nation, I’ve dedicated my life to serving the ideals of our great country, its people, and its greatest needs. Over the past several months, I’ve been honored and humbled by everyone asking me to run for the U.S. Senate. As Camie and I have prayed about how to best use our time and resources, I do not plan to seek election to the U.S. Senate in 2020. Over the next two years, the most important fight for the future of our country is helping our President win re-election. The second most important fight will be winning back Republican control of the U.S. House of…

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Oak Ridge High School Student Gets Gold at the USA Biology Olympiad National Finals

Chris Butler

  Oak Ridge High School student Henry Shen is one of four students who earned gold medals at the 17th Annual USA Biology Olympiad National Finals. This, according to The Center for Excellence in Education. UC San Diego hosted the finals June 22-July 3.  Nearly 10,000 students from 498 schools and 45 states registered in the nationwide high school competition. “Congratulations to all of the USA Biology Olympiad students for participating in a memorable event hosted for the second year at UC San Diego’s biology laboratories and teaching facilities,” said Kit Pogliano, Dean of UC San Diego’s Division of Biological Sciences, in a statement. “We are indebted to Associate Professor Scott Rifkin for his development of the curriculum and to all of the faculty and staff who made this event a success. We are confident in Team USA’s preparation here and wish them all the best as they head to the international competition.” During the 10 days of the National Finals, 20 students participated in intensive theoretical and practical tutorials. The high school students studied with leading U.S. biologists who are experts in the fields of cellular and molecular biology, plant anatomy and physiology, animal anatomy and physiology, genetics and evolution, ecology,…

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BREAKING: Former Governor Bill Haslam Will Not Run for U.S. Senate

Tennessee Star Staff
Tennesse Star

  Former Gov. Bill Haslam announced on Thursday morning that he will not seek the Republican nomination for the U.S. Senate in Tennessee to replace Sen. Lamar Alexander, who announced earlier this year he will not be seeking re-election in 2020. The news came in an exclusive letter to the USA Today Network in Tennessee, the details of which were published in The Tennessean on Thursday morning: For the second time in 21 months , Gov. Bill Haslam has declined to run for the U.S. Senate, the Knoxville Republican said in an exclusive letter submitted to the USA TODAY Network-Tennessee. The former governor’s decision, which came after U.S. Sen. Lamar Alexander said in December he will not seek reelection in 2020, immediately bolsters the chances of a contested Republican primary. “While I think serving in the United States Senate would be a great privilege and responsibility, I have come to the conclusion that it is not my calling for the next period of my life,” Haslam, 60, said in the letter. “This is a difficult decision because I have loved my time in public service and I believe so deeply in the importance of our political process.” Haslam’s decision breaks…

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Alveda King Commentary: Let’s Look at the Facts About the History of the Democrats and Republicans

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by Alveda King   During this time in our nation’s history, there is a heightened demand to redefine America’s concepts of liberty, freedom, and justice. Independence Day is just behind us and before that, Juneteenth 2019. We are currently celebrating 400 years of African American history, so it’s likely not by accident that the “reparations debate” is rapidly gaining traction on the left. For those wondering, the proper response to liberal demands for “reparations” is not to say that slavery ended 150 years ago, as though the passage of time negates the whole debate. Instead, the right answer is to relate the historical facts and argue from the position of moral authority that the Republican Party has always held on the issues of abolishing slavery and repairing the damage it inflicted on our society. The GOP was explicitly founded as the anti-slavery party in 1854, and a majority of its first presidential campaign platform dealt with stopping the spread of slavery and extending civil rights to emancipated slaves. Four years later, Abraham Lincoln became the first Republican president, and the Democrats chose to divide the nation rather than accept limits on the expansion of slavery to new territories. After their…

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Ilhan Omar Launches Ad Hominem Attack After Tucker Carlson Says She’s Enraged by America

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by Molly Prince   Democratic Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar reacted to Tucker Carlson’s criticism of the freshman congresswoman being “enraged” by America, saying it’s “fun watching a racist fool weeping” about her presence in Congress. “Not gonna lie, it’s kinda fun watching a racist fool like this weeping about my presence in Congress,” Omar tweeted, adding laughing emojis. “No lies will stamp out my love for this country or my resolve to make our union more perfect. They will just have to get used to calling me Congresswoman!” Not gonna lie, it’s kinda fun watching a racist fool like this weeping about my presence in Congress 🤣🤣 No lies will stamp out my love for this country or my resolve to make our union more perfect. They will just have to get used to calling me Congresswoman! https://t.co/nRS13yWivK — Ilhan Omar (@IlhanMN) July 10, 2019 Omar’s comment was in response to a segment on “Tucker Carlson Tonight” in which Carlson contended hours earlier that the Minnesota congresswoman is a “living fire alarm” and a warning for America to “change our immigration system immediately or else.” “Ilhan Omar has an awful lot to be grateful for, but she isn’t grateful, not…

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AOC Open to Abolishing the Entire Homeland Security Department

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by Jason Hopkins   New York Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said she is open to abolishing the Department of Homeland Security, suggesting its creation by the Bush administration was an “egregious mistake.” “Because the core structure of ICE, I believe — and frankly the entire Department of Homeland Security — this was established by George Bush right in the wake of 9/11, right as the Patriot Act and all of these different institutions that were frankly very large threats to American civil liberties started to get established,” Ocasio-Cortez said during a radio interview published Tuesday with the New Yorker’s David Remnick. Remnick, wanting clarification, asked Ocasio-Cortez if she would do away with the Department of Homeland Security. “I think so,” she answered. “I think we need to undo a lot of the egregious … a lot of the egregious mistakes that the Bush administration did.” “I feel like we are, at a very, it’s a very qualified and supported position, at least in terms of evidence, and in terms of being able to make the argument that we never should of created DHS in the early 2000s,” the self-identified Democratic socialist continued in the interview. When asked what a “sane”…

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PJTN’s Laurie Cardoza-Moore Joins The Tennessee Star Report Live From Florida to Discuss the Insufficient ‘Reassignment’ of Holocaust Denier, Principal William Latson

Julie Carr

  On Wednesday’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 spoke with Laurie Cardoza-Moore from Proclaiming Justice to the Nations about William Laston the principal, who at Spanish River High School in Boca Raton Florida decided to teach that the Holocaust did not exist in his school curriculum. Towards the end of the segment the Tennessee Star Report discussed her current petition which can be found online at PJTN.org. asking for the resignation of Ilhan Omar. Gill:  A Florida principal came under fire for saying he can’t say the Holocaust is factual or a historical event. He denied the Holocaust. William Latson wrote in emails last year that were published in the Palm Beach Post on Friday, a week ago. The comments came after a mother of a student inquired how the Holocaust was being taught at the school. The guy had been the principal at Spanish River High School. The curriculum included education on the Holocaust but the lessons could not be taught in a factual or historical basis according to the principal. Laurie Cardoza-Moore…

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FCC Dings Left-Wing Non-Profits For Using Federal Program To Finance Pet Projects

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by Chris White   A commissioner with the Federal Communications Commission wants to know why two liberal nonprofit groups are using revenue from a federal program designed to give poor children internet access on various progressive pet projects. Organizations involved in a FCC-program dolling out broadband internet for kids might be siphoning off millions of dollars for their own purposes, according to FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr. The Educational Broadcast Service (EBS) licenses are intended to help schools, but Carr believes revenue from the program is going to political causes. “In addition to letting schools use it, we opened it up to allow qualifying nonprofits to hold these licenses,” he told his Twitter followers on July 3. “They had to be nonprofits for the purpose of providing educational material. Then we allowed these entities to lease out their commercial spectrum to commercial entitles like Sprint.” The FCC lets schools use valuable spectrum – a public resource – for free to offer students educational programming. Turns out that national organizations may be siphoning off millions of dollars for their own purposes, including political activity. I’ve asked for answers. pic.twitter.com/JyE3LjtlEZ — Brendan Carr (@BrendanCarrFCC) July 3, 2019 Carr sent letters to the three…

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Trump Signs Executive Order on Kidney Disease Care

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by Evie Fordham   President Donald Trump signed an executive order Wednesday morning that he called “groundbreaking action” on treating kidney disease, including through organ transplants. “Many, many people are dying while they wait,” Trump said. “We’ll do everything we can to increase the supply, and we’ll be able to do that very substantially … getting Americans off these wait lists.” Chronic kidney disease affects an estimated 37 million U.S. adults. The Trump administration’s plan emphasizes transplants over dialysis as a more cost-effective solution for patients. Trump said the initiative includes “very substantially incentivizing” organ donation to offset costs to donors like child care and lost wages, as well as revising rules governing organ procurement organizations to “ensure available kidneys reach waiting patients as quickly as possible.” The federal government expends more than $100 billion a year on kidney transplants and treatment, reported Politico. The plan includes treating patients at home in an attempt to cut costs and trying to catch kidney disease earlier with better screening. Roughly 12 percent of people begin dialysis treatment at home, according to the Department of Health and Human Services. On the prevention front, nine out of 10 adults with chronic kidney disease do…

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Commentary: Put the Citizenship Question on the Census

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by CHQ Staff   After a Supreme Court majority led by Chief Justice Roberts flubbed the ruling on the Democrats’ lawfare attack on including the citizenship question on the census Attorney General William Barr said Monday he sees a way to legally require 2020 census respondents to declare whether or not they are citizens. In an interview with the Associated Press, Barr said the Trump administration will take action in the coming days that he believes will allow the government to add the controversial census query. Barr would not detail the plans, though a senior official said President Donald Trump is expected to issue a memorandum to the Commerce Department instructing it to include the question on census forms. To that end the Justice Department is replacing the legal team that has been pursuing Trump’s efforts, putting in place a new team consisting of both career and politically appointed attorneys. The new team, named in court papers, includes Deputy Assistant Attorney General David Morrell, a former Trump White House lawyer and law clerk to Justice Clarence Thomas; Christopher Bates, who previously worked for Republican Sen. Orrin Hatch of Utah, and four career Justice Department attorneys, Glenn Girdharry, Colin Kisor, Christopher…

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California Governor Signs Illegal Immigrant Health Care Bill Into Law

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by Jason Hopkins   California Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom officially made his state the first in the U.S. to offer government health care benefits to adult-aged illegal immigrants. Newsom signed SB-104 into law Tuesday, cementing it into the state’s 2020 budget. The legislation extends taxpayer-funded health care to low-income adults aged 19 to 25, regardless if they are living in the country illegally or not. Officials expect the plan will cover about 90,000 people and cost $98 million to implement in its initial year, The Associated Press reported. The new law will not cover all 19- to 25-year-olds, but will cover those with a low enough income to qualify for the state’s Medicaid program. California already provides government health care to undocumented children 18 and younger. “Young people feel the crunch of the cost crisis acutely — from high rents and student debt. Health care shouldn’t be one more worry,” Newsom said when the plan was being debated earlier in the year. “We are helping young adults when they come off their parents’ plan and assisting those who may not be able to join onto a parents’ insurance policy.” In order to keep the program financially afloat, California will implement…

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CEO Sues Tennessee Rep. John Mark Windle for $100,000

Chris Butler

  The CEO of Rennova Health is reportedly suing Tennessee Rep. John Mark Windle (D-Livingston) for $100,000, alleging Windle called him an “Irish gangster.” This, according to several news outlets, which reported that CEO Seamus Lagen alleges Wingle is out to destroy Lagen’s personal and professional reputation. “Seamus Lagan, who court documents identify as a citizen of Northern Ireland living in the Bahamas, alleges in the suit filed in the Middle District of Tennessee federal court that Rep. John Mark Windle, D-Livingston, attacked him through numerous ‘derogatory and false’ statements made to media outlets in the aftermath of the closure of Rennova’s Jamestown Regional Medical Center,” according to the Knoxville-based WBIR.com The station’s website went on to say the hospital closed last month after the Federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services discontinued paying for Medicaid patients’ treatment because hospital staff did not comply with program standards. “In the federal court lawsuit, Lagan said he never served as CEO of the Jamestown Regional Medical Center so ‘it cannot be said he ‘mismanaged’ the facility.’ The suit also said Lagan never personally failed to pay any state or federal taxes,” according to the station. “The lawsuit cites an interview with a television…

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Confederate Railroad Asks Fans to Attend Illinois State Fair, Despite Getting Kicked Out

Chris Butler

  Members of the country music group Confederate Railroad are asking fans to still attend the Illinois State Fair, even though event organizers booted them because of the band’s name. This, according to a press release band members put out Tuesday. “It has been brought to my attention that several people have asked both Restless Heart and Shenandoah to cancel their shows in protest of our cancellation. I have spoken to both acts and encouraged them to perform as scheduled,” said Danny Shirley, speaking for the band. “Live concerts are how we pay our bills and feed our families. I would never want to see another act lose a payday because of this. Please go out to hear these two great bands.” As various news outlets have already reported, members of Confederate Railroad were scheduled to perform at the Illinois State Fair in Du Quoin on August 27 along with members of Restless Heart and Shenandoah. Members of the Illinois Department of Agriculture, however, removed the group from the show because the band has the name “Confederate.” “This was very disappointing as we have played this fair before and enjoyed it very much. The outpouring of support from Confederate Railroad fans,…

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Commentary: Conservatives and Labor Unite Against H.R. 1044 Green Card Expansion Bill

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 by CHQ Staff   As early as today, the House is set to vote on HR 1044, the so-called Fairness for High-Skilled Immigrants Act or FHSI. The FHSI, a long-sought legislative goal of the cheap labor wing of the US Chamber of Commerce and the globalist tech industry, is nothing but a green-card giveaway to 300,000 low-wage Indian contract-workers employed by U.S. companies. Passage of HR 1044 will mean cheaper workers for investors but lower wages for American STEM grads, especially those in computer science and engineering. A loose coalition of economic nationalist conservatives and pro-labor progressives is working to defeat HR 1044, but the bill’s author, Rep. Zoe Lofgren is a senior House Democrat and close ally of Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Joe Guzzardi, of Progressives for Immigration Reform, says “Lofgren is the notoriously awful, vigorously anti-U.S. tech worker, H-1B advocate who, in her 25-year congressional career, has voted more than 30 times to increase high- and low-skilled visas.” Mr. Guzzardi says the House version of HR 1044 has 291 cosponsors, mostly Democrats, and has been referred to the Subcommittee on Immigration and Citizenship. Both bills increase the per-country cap on family-based immigrant visas from 7 percent of the total…

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Commentary: The White Supremacist Bogeyman

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by Julie Kelly   They are everywhere. I am talking, of course, about white supremacists. The news media, Democrats, and NeverTrump Republicans would have us believe the country is under siege by a sinister cabal of Americans who want to return to the days of Jim Crow, or better yet, the era of slavery. Since the election of Donald Trump, white supremacists, we are warned, occupy the White House and control the Republican Party. The signs are everywhere. A MAGA hat is the new white hood. A common hand signal for “OK” actually is a way to send a message of solidarity to other white supremacists. So is drinking a glass of milk. Or owning a dog. Or selling an athletic shoe embossed with an American flag designed by Betsy Ross. Public schools can now access a “toolkit” with lots of advice about how to combat the “rise” in white nationalism. (It is important to note that the terms “alt-right,” “white nationalist,” and “Nazi” are interchangeable with white supremacist.) Last March, Facebook announced “a ban on praise, support and representation of white nationalism and white separatism” and will offer its own kind of virtual intervention by “connecting people who search…

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Trump: Will Look ‘Very Carefully’ at Labor Secretary’s Role in Prosecuting Child Sex-Trafficking Case

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by Ken Bredemeier   WASHINGTON – U.S. President Donald Trump said Tuesday he will be looking “very carefully” at how his labor secretary, Alexander Acosta, agreed to a light sentence in a child sex trafficking case against billionaire hedge fund manager Jeffrey Epstein more than a decade ago when he was a federal prosecutor in Florida. As demands from lawmakers for Acosta’s resignation grow in Washington, Trump defended him, saying he has been “an excellent secretary of labor” for the last 2 1/2 years. The U.S. leader said that “many people” were involved in the Epstein case, but that in hindsight “what happened 12, 15 years ago…I would think maybe they wish they’d done it a different way.” “We’ll be looking at it very carefully,” the U.S. leader said. Trump spoke a day after federal prosecutors in New York brought new sex trafficking charges against the 66-year-old Epstein that could, if he is convicted, send him to prison for 45 years. Acosta, when he was the U.S. attorney in Miami, agreed in 2008 to an Epstein guilty plea agreement under which he served 13 months in a local stockade, but was freed half of most days to go to work at…

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