Every year, the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) audits the Social Security Administration (SSA) and publishes its findings.
Read the full storyMonth: November 2019
Obama-Appointed Judge Blocks Trump’s Health Care Rule For Immigrants
A federal judge has, at least temporarily, blocked the Trump administration from implementing a rule that would require immigrants prove that they have health insurance or can afford to pay for it.
Judge Michael Simon of the federal district court in Portland, Oregon, issued a nationwide temporary restraining order Saturday, barring President Donald Trump from implementing his health care requirement for foreign nationals applying for legal permanent status.
Read the full storyTrump’s EPA Rolling Back Obama-Era Anti-Coal Regulation
The Environmental Protection Agency will propose easing rules on disposal of coal ash, the residue from burning coal, to make it less likely the federal government would shutter a coal-fired utility plant, in an announcement set for Monday.
Read the full storySources: US Opens National Security Probe of TikTok Owner’s Acquisition
NEW YORK / BEIJING / WASHINGTON – The U.S. government has launched a national security review of TikTok owner Beijing ByteDance Technology Co.’s $1 billion acquisition of U.S. social media app Musical.ly, according to two people familiar with the matter.
Read the full storyKamala Harris Admits Inconsistencies on Death Penalty During Iowa Visit
A Middle Tennessee State University student in Iowa said on Twitter Saturday that Kamala Harris admits she did not practice what she preaches on the death penalty.
Read the full storyMichigan Republican Introduces Bill to Hold Businesses Liable for Gun-Free Zones
A Michigan Republican introduced a package of bills that would hold businesses and government entities with gun-free zones liable if a shooting occurs on their grounds.
Read the full storyRep. Steve Cohen Calls Evangelicals Who Support President Trump ‘Deluded’
U.S. Rep. Steven Cohen, a Democrat representing Tennessee’s Ninth Congressional District, said demeaning things about evangelicals who voted for U.S. Republican President Donald Trump.
Read the full storyKnoxville City Council Candidates Endorsed by Democratic Socialists of America
Members of the Democratic Socialists of America have endorsed three candidates for the Knoxville City Council, apparently as part of a movement to get candidates elected in states that support U.S. Republican President Donald Trump.
Read the full storyCommentary: Joe Biden’s 2020 Nomination Acceptance Speech
MILWAUKEE (July 16, 2020)—Here is the text of 2020 Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden’s speech at the Democratic National Convention, as prepared for delivery:
Read the full storyLocal Daughters of the American Revolution Seek Help in Setting A Record for Wreaths Placed at Nashville National Cemetery
The General Daniel Smiths Rock Castle Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution is seeking help in setting a record for the number of wreaths placed at the National Cemetery in Nashville.
Read the full storyGoogle Agrees to Buy Fitbit for About $2.1 Billion
Google has agreed to purchase fitness watchmaker Fitbit for about $2.1 billion, the activity-tracking company announced in a Friday press release.
Read the full storyTrump Taps Chad Wolf as DHS Acting Secretary
President Donald Trump named Chad Wolf as the acting secretary of the Department of Homeland Security Friday, replacing Kevin McAleenan.
Read the full storyCreepy: Antifa Goons Show Up at Journalist Andy Ngo’s Home in Andy Ngo Masks on Halloween
A group of punks wearing print-out masks of Andy Ngo’s face, appeared outside the Portland-based journalist’s home Halloween night in a scene reminiscent of “The Purge.”
Read the full storyOnce Outspoken Fiscal Hawks, Republicans Quietly Watch as National Debt Hits $23 Trillion
Republicans who once criticized former President Barack Obama’s handling of U.S. debt quietly watched as the federal government debt hit $23 trillion for the first time in history.
Read the full storyCommentary: How Much of a Difference Does the Number of Kids in a Classroom Make?
Chicago’s teachers went on strike in October, suspending instruction for the city’s public school students for 11 days.
Read the full storyLewisburg Woman Charged with TennCare Fraud
Authorities have charged a Lewisburg woman with TennCare fraud for allegedly selling pills obtained using benefits of TennCare, the state’s healthcare insurance program.
Read the full storyElizabeth Warren’s ‘Medicare For All’ Plan Overlooks Cost of Illegal Alien Coverage
Democratic presidential candidate Elizabeth Warren said her “Medicare for All” plan won’t require a tax increase on the middle class and will return $11 trillion to American families, but her plan doesn’t factor in the cost of universal coverage for illegal aliens.
Read the full storyState House Subcommittee Studies Civil Asset Forfeiture Reform Widely Supported But Not Adopted During the 2019 Legislative Session
NASHVILLE, Tennessee – The House Civil Justice Subcommittee held a summer study of two bills related to civil asset forfeiture reform and reporting, the former having widespread and bi-partisan support although the legislation didn’t make it past its first stop in the Subcommittee.
Read the full storyMarsha Blackburn Files Legislation That Would Give Consumers Greater Control Over Digital Content
This week U.S. Republican Senator Marsha Blackburn was one of five senators who introduced legislation that, if passed into law, would affect Internet privacy.
Read the full storyCommentary: The Impeachment Schiff Show
After preparing a failed bill of particulars against the president—Russian election collusion, porn star payoffs, income tax evasion, obstruction of justice, the Emoluments Clause, the 25th Amendment, the Charlottesville rally, the two Michaels (Avenatti and Cohen), Deutsche Bank, Alfa-Bank, and Orange Man Bad—Representative Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) finally has Trump dead-to-rights: A quid pro quo without the quid, the pro, or the quo.
Read the full storyFour Keys to Understanding a Trump Impeachment Trial in the Senate
The focus of impeachment is now on the Democrat-controlled House and President Donald Trump, but the Republican-controlled Senate and Chief Justice John Roberts almost certainly will clear space on their calendar soon.
Read the full storySupporters Begin Flocking to New Islamic State Leader
WASHINGTON – Some Islamic State supporters are starting to rally around the terror group’s new leader, using social media to pledge their allegiance to a man whose true identity may not be known for some time.
Read the full storyNEED TO KNOW: Jeff Angelo Interviews Michael Patrick Leahy LIVE at WHO Radio in Des Moines, Iowa
In a special interview, Friday morning on the Need to Know with Jeff Angelo Show – broadcast on Des Moines, Iowa’s Talk Radio WHO 1040 AM weekdays from 9:00 am to 11:00 am – host Jeff Angelo sat down with Michael Patrick Leahy, CEO, and Editor-in-Chief of Star News Digital Media and discussed the recent fake news New York Times article about the Tennessee Star and also Leahy’s reasons for being in Iowa for the Democratic events. During the interview, Leahy expanded upon why Iowa was a great place to start the presidential election process because of it’s battleground state position and explained how it allowed people to get up close and personal with candidates. He states: “And Iowa is a battleground state. It has been of sorts Democrat and it’s gone Republican in the past 40 years. It’s a good place to start. It’s small enough where every candidate can go out and talk to people. If you want to talk to a candidate for president and they are looking for your support here in Iowa you can talk to them.” Angelo: Michael Patrick Leahy. He’s the CEO and editor and chief of Star News Digital Media which…
Read the full storyOctober Jobs Report: 128,000 Jobs Added, Unemployment at 3.6 Percent
The U.S. economy added 128,000 jobs in October, while the unemployment rate rose to 3.6%, according to Department of Labor data released Friday.
Read the full storyCommentary: How Trump Can Declare War on the Homeless-Industrial Complex
California’s homeless crisis is now visible to everyone living in the state. Along with tens of thousands of homeless who are concentrated in various parts of major cities, additional thousands are widely dispersed. If you drive into most major urban centers, you will see tent encampments along freeway junctions, under bridges, along frontages, and beside drainage culverts. In smaller towns, they congregate by the dozens in parks and parking lots, along the streets and in the alleys. And in the inland suburbs, they camp out in ravines and along flood-control channels. In California’s largest cities, by the tens of thousands, they erect makeshift housing along sidewalks, using tarpaulins draped over shopping carts, tents, boxes. It is completely out of control. Billions have been spent to ameliorate the situation, and these billions have only served to make the situation worse than ever.
Read the full storyTrump’s Campaign Says POTUS Raised $3 Million on Day Democrats Voted for Impeachment Inquiry
President Donald Trump’s campaign manager said the president raked in millions of dollars on the day House Democrats voted to support an impeachment inquiry Thursday.
Read the full storyLIVE FROM IOWA PART II: Jim Larew Further Details the Mechanics of the Iowa Caucus
On Friday’s Tennessee Star Report with Michael Patrick Leahy – broadcast on Nashville’s Talk Radio 98.3 and 1510 WLAC weekdays from 5:00 am to 8:00 am from the historic WHO radio studios in Des Moines, Iowa – Leahy was joined in studio with good friend and famed Iowan attorney Jim Larew to continue their discussion on the historical mechanics of the Iowa caucus. Towards the middle of the segment, Larew and Leahy discussed a few of the key players in molding the political dynamics in the Iowa caucus by citing Harold Hughes in a particular. “And Hughes’s insistence that we have new procedures and processes that would allow the cream to come to the top I think was a moral imperative. And the reform required that people be allowed to express themselves. That you do not have the unit rule. You do not have unit bosses controlling the outcome,” said Larew. Leahy: In the studio with me my good friend Jim Larew. A life long democrat. Knows Iowa backward and forwards. Welcome, Jim. Larew: Nice to be here with you Michael. Leahy: We were talking about why Iowa. Why is Iowa the first in the nation you’ve explained it a little bit…
Read the full storyActivists Want to Abolish Your Kid’s Honors Classes, Cite ‘White Toxicity’ and ‘Supremacist’ Values of High Achievement
School systems across the country are seeking to abolish honors classes, teach how math has been used to oppress people, and let truant students into gifted schools. Advocates say the moves are aimed at diminishing an achievement gap between demographic groups.
Read the full storyLIVE FROM IOWA: Jim Larew Explains Iowa’s First Place Standing in a Presidential Election and Defines Caucus vs Primary
Live from WHO studios in Des Moines, Iowa Friday morning on The Tennessee Star Report with Michael Patrick Leahy – broadcast on Nashville’s Talk Radio 98.3 and 1510 WLAC weekdays from 5:00 am to 8:00 am – Leahy was joined in studio by long-time good friend, Jim Larew and discussed Iowa’s political history while differentiating between caucus and primary in both New Hampshire and Iowa states. Leahy: I am broadcasting live from the studios of WHO radio in Des Moines, Iowa. And I am joined in the studio, we had a reunion last night, with my longtime friend, Jim Larew. Good morning Jim. Larew: Good morning Micheal. Leahy: And so Jim is, well, you’re a Democrat Jim, aren’t you? Larew: I am and I have been for a long time. Leahy: I’m just curious as to what you think is happening here in Iowa. Let’s see if we can go back to the original question. So you and I were roommates. We knew each other in college. We had a friend there, the late great Alan Brinkley. A historian. He was your thesis advisor. Larew: Yes, he was. Leahy: And you wrote a thesis on how Iowa in 1974 elected for the…
Read the full storyDIVISIVENESS: Leahy and Larew Talk About the Importance of Respecting Liberal and Conservative Differentiating Views
In a specific discussion Friday morning on The Tennessee Star Report with Michael Patrick Leahy – broadcast on Nashville’s Talk Radio 98.3 and 1510 WLAC weekdays from 5:00 am to 8:00 am – Leahy was joined live at WHO radio studios in Des Moines, Iowa with Democratic attorney Jim Larew to discuss the ability communicate although on different ends of the political spectrum. Towards the end of the segment, Leahy questioned Larew about the impeachment process creating a more divisional environment in the country. Larew responded by stating that Nancy Pelosi had expressed concern that the impeachment would create divisiveness and had been previously reluctant to pursue it. However, he also conceded: “the other side of it is if there is the behavior of a president that exceeds legal constitutional lines to the extent that Congress is almost required by law to at least examine it. If not to remove the president. Of course, the impeachment is just the process of one to examine the behavior of the president to see whether it constitutes a serious enough breach to result in his removal.” Leahy: You are life long Democrat. Do any of these arguments that the president is being denied due process…
Read the full storyICE and U.S. Marshals Respond to Nashville Order on Detainees
Members of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement along with members of the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS) have little to say about Nashville no longer housing ICE detainees.
Read the full storyTennessee Treasury’s Unclaimed Property Division Returned $65.4 Million
The Tennessee Department of Treasury’s Unclaimed Property Division returned $65.4 million of cash property to the rightful owners or their heirs, local governments, and reciprocal states during fiscal year 2019, according to the Tennessee Department of the Treasury’s website.
Read the full storyCommentary: Stapling Green Cards to Diplomas Is Stupid and Suicidal
I was flabbergasted to hear Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk telling students at a university campus lecture last week that “We should staple a green card behind your diploma.” He repeated this nonsense at Ohio State University during a “Culture War” tour stop this week, asserting that any foreign national who graduates from any “four-year college” should get a green card if any “American employer” needs to fill a job.
Read the full storyWhite House Official Testifies He Was ‘Not Concerned That Anything Illegal Was Discussed’ on Ukraine Call
The White House’s top official for European affairs told Congress on Thursday that he was not concerned that “anything illegal” was discussed during the July 25 phone call between President Trump and his Ukrainian counterpart that is at the center of Democrats’ impeachment inquiry.
Read the full storyState Lawmaker Calls a Miscarriage ‘Just Some Mess On A Napkin’ as She Scoffs at Bill Protecting Bodies of Aborted Babies
Democratic Pennsylvania state Rep. Wendy Ullman bashed a bill protecting the bodies of aborted babies Tuesday, calling an early miscarriage “just some mess on a napkin.”
Read the full storySenator Marsha Blackburn Discusses Her Illegal Immigration Legislation in Favor of ICE and Adam Schiff’s Basement Impeachment
In a special interview Thursday on the Tennessee Star Report with Michael Patrick Leahy – broadcast on Nashville’s Talk Radio 98.3 and 1510 WLAC weekdays from 5:00 am to 8:00 am – Leahy welcomed U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn to the show to speak about the current impeachment process and her progress with illegal immigration legislation.
Read the full storyBolton Called to Testify in Trump Impeachment Inquiry
House investigators called on former National Security Adviser John Bolton to testify in the presidential impeachment inquiry, The Associated Press reported Wednesday.
Read the full storyDr. Carol Swain: The Nations K-8 Report Card Shows No Improvement With Fourth and Eighth Grader Proficiency in the Basics
On Thursday’s Tennessee Star Report with Michael Patrick Leahy – broadcast on Nashville’s Talk Radio 98.3 and 1510 WLAC weekdays from 5:00 am to 8:00 am – Leahy talked in studio with all-star panelist Carol Swain in the second hour regarding the national K-8 report card and it’s less than favorable results.
Read the full storyCommentary: Can Federalism Survive? It’s Up to Congress
Under the original Constitution, and even with its subsequent amendments, power was supposed to be distributed between the federal and state and local governments, with the idea that the national government would have the fewest powers to affect local administration except in certain areas.
Read the full storyAndrew McCabe Flatly Refuses to Discuss FBI Verification of the Steele Dossier
Former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe refused to say Wednesday what parts of the Steele dossier the FBI verified before using the salacious document in surveillance warrant applications to spy on former Trump campaign adviser Carter Page.
Read the full storyTennessee Taxpayers Paying for Left-Wing Agenda-Driven Show with ‘Bluff City Law,’ Attorney Says
An attorney and native Tennessean has taken the NBC series Bluff City Law to task for not only taking taxpayer money from state residents but also for pushing a left-wing agenda.
Read the full storyOne of Erdogan’s Biggest Allies Contributed to Ilhan Omar’s Campaign
The co-chairman of a Turkish-American advocacy group with close ties to Ankara contributed $1,500 last month to the campaign for Rep. Ilhan Omar, who is under fire this week over votes she cast supporting Turkish government positions, campaign finance records show.
Read the full storyTN Congressman Scott DesJarlais: While Important Legislation is Neglected, Democrats Focus on Impeachment
Live from music row Thursday morning on The Tennessee Star Report with Michael Patrick Leahy – broadcast on Nashville’s Talk Radio 98.3 and 1510 WLAC weekdays from 5:00 am to 8:00 am – Leahy was joined on the newsmakers line by Representative Scott DesJarlais about the Soviet-style impeachment led by Adam ‘Shifty’ Schiff. During the show, DesJarlais made it clear that the goal post by Democrats continues to shift due to inter-party confusion potentially as a result of Republican agreement to allow a quick process. He also admitted concern for more important legislation that is being neglected at the expense of Americans, Mexico and Canada because the Democrats fear a win for the President. He stated, ‘I know the Democrats would vote for it. I know the people that are pushing it out there. They just don’t want Trump to get that win. they’d rather see America fail than Trump succeed. It’s hurting our farmers. It’s hurting our businesses. It hurts Canada. It hurts Mexico. Purely political and that’s a sham. We’ve got legislation to lower prescription drug prices. We’ve got to secure the border.’ Leahy: We are joined now by Representative Scott DesJarlais who represents the 4th congressional district in Congress.…
Read the full storyDip in Test Scores Correlates with Enactment of Common Core
Fourth and eighth grade students in the U.S. again showed no to little improvement in their average reading and mathematics scores, according to a report released this week, a decrease that correlates with the enactment of the Common Core.
Read the full story‘The Vote is Rigged, the Deck is Stacked,’ Rep. Green Says Before Voting ‘No’ on Impeachment Inquiry Resolution
U.S. Rep. Dr. Mark Green (R-TN-07) said in a press release that he voted “No” on the House’s resolution to formalize the impeachment process.
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