TennesseeCAN has released The 2019 Tennessee Policy Report Card, scoring Tennessee on 26 education policies that group members say ensure every student receives a high-quality education through access to “great teachers and great schools.”
Read the full storyMonth: December 2019
Jack Wilson, Who Shot and Killed Fort Worth Church Gunman, Is County Commission Candidate Whose Slogan Is ‘Make Sure Your Vote Is on Target’
Jack Wilson, the man who used his gun to save his Fort Worth congregation from a shooter Sunday, is a county commission candidate whose slogan is, “Make sure your vote is on target.”
Read the full storyTennessee Comptrollers Blast Roane County in New Audit
Roane County School System officials took nearly $80,000 of taxpayer money to create a new position for their Career and Technical Education program even though it was not budgeted, and county commissioners did not approve it.
Read the full storyCommentary: The Real Cause of Deep State Corruption
What could possibly explain the transparent nonsense that is the attempt to impeach and remove President Donald Trump? The farrago of exaggerations and outright lies that the leadership of the Democrats in the House of Representatives are currently peddling makes little sense.
Read the full story2019: The Year Stock Market Records Broke Their Own Records and Made History
Since the 2016 election, the U.S. stock market has produced historic records.
Read the full storyCommentary: Virginia’s Would-Be Gun Grabbers Likely to Face Blowback
Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam apologized for his medical school blackface stunt, but he will have much more to apologize for if he signs into law a bill that attacks Virginia residents’ Second Amendment rights.
Read the full storyTrump Campaign Launching ‘Evangelicals for Trump’ at Majority-Hispanic Megachurch
The Trump campaign announced Friday that it will be launching “Evangelicals for Trump” at a Hispanic megachurch Jan. 3.
Read the full storyThe IRS Placed Lien on Hunter Biden for More than $112,000 in Unpaid Taxes From Year He Served on Burisma Board
The IRS placed a tax lien on Hunter Biden seeking $112,805 in unpaid taxes from 2015, according to records the Daily Caller News Foundation obtained.
Read the full storyUS Airstrikes on Iran-Backed Militia Kill 25
An Iran-backed militia threatened revenge Monday in response to U.S. airstrikes against its positions in Iraq and Syria, which killed at least 25 people.
Read the full storyPriest Imprisoned for Nine Years After Calling Chinese Communist Party ‘Morally Incompatible With the Christian Faith’
A Chinese court sentenced a priest to prison for nine years Monday after the priest called the Chinese Communist Party “morally incompatible with the Christian faith.”
Read the full storyReport: Majority of Schools Surveyed Don’t Provide Students With Basic Due Process Rights
According to a new report published by the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE), 49 out of 53 of the top universities surveyed don’t provide students with basic due process protections.
Read the full storyJobsOhio Charts Future Without Gov. Kasich as Patron
Even as John Kasich took over the governor’s office in January 2011, he had his eyes set on privatizing the State of Ohio’s economic development functions. A year after he left office, his brainchild, JobsOhio, sails ahead to new frontiers.
Read the full storyReview: ‘Richard Jewell’ Is Clint Eastwood’s Latest Portrayal of the Greatness of Ordinary Americans
Something really interesting is happening at Malpaso Productions, Clint Eastwood’s movie production company. Eastwood’s films, especially in recent years, portray the best in the American character through real stories of ordinary Americans called by events to stand up and shine. In his latest, “Richard Jewell,” Eastwood continues exploring a theme I’ve called “American Greatness in the Shadow of 9/11.” The result is a body of work that is awe-inspiring and unlike anything we have seen before in American cinema.
Read the full storyColumnist Quits Minneapolis-St. Paul Magazine Because of Garrison Keillor Cover Story
Nora McInerny, a popular Minnesota-based author and host of the “Terrible, Thanks for Asking Podcast,” recently resigned from Minneapolis St. Paul Magazine because of its new Garrison Keillor cover story.
Read the full storyRutherford County and Somerville Women Charged with TennCare Fraud
Tennessee officials have arrested women from Rutherford County and Somerville and charged them with TennCare fraud.
Read the full storyCommentary: Nancy Pelosi and Her ‘Standing Committee on Impeachment’
You might think that what House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) called the “sad” and “solemn” pre-Christmas impeachment special was a one-off. The Democrats owed it to the country, you see – they had (are you sitting down?) a “duty to the Constitution” to impeach Donald Trump, otherwise (as Representative Al Green of Texas put it) he might well be re-elected. We certainly can’t have that! Hence the show of those “sad, very sad” faces Pelosi described and the memo from headquarters with the instructions, “Don’t cheer. Keep it solemn.”
Read the full storyLongtime US Congressman John Lewis Says He Has Pancreatic Cancer
Democratic congressman John Lewis, an icon in the fight for civil rights, announced Sunday he has stage 4 pancreatic cancer.
Read the full storySalon Writer: Hallmark Christmas Movies Are ‘Fascist Propaganda’
Amanda Marcotte, a feminist writer for liberal news and opinion site Salon argued “Hallmark movies are fascist propaganda” in an op-ed written on Christmas day. She followed up her attack on Christians who wish each other “Merry Christmas,” by directly comparing Hallmark Channel Christmas specials to Nazi propaganda, The Blaze reports.
Read the full storyChina Nearly Doubles US Soy Bean Imports as Trump and Beijing Hammer Out Trade Deal: Report
Chinese imports of soybeans nearly doubled in November as the communist nation seeks a trade deal with the U.S., one of its biggest suppliers of the staple agricultural product, AP reported Thursday.
Read the full storySan Francisco’s Public Works Department Responded to Over 30,000 ‘Human Waste’ Calls in 2019
San Francisco residents reported more than 30,000 cases of poop to authorities in 2019, city records show.
Read the full storyNo Longer Enamored, Washington Looks Critically at Silicon Valley
SAN FRANCISCO – The era of Silicon Valley operating largely free from government regulation may be coming to an end.
Read the full storyCommentary: Gary Larson’s ‘The Far Side’ Is Returning, But Can the PC Crowd Handle It?
Remember “The Far Side” cartoons? They were at their peak when I was in grade school, plastering calendars and t-shirts with an offbeat humor that left fans clutching their sides with laughter.
Read the full storyTwo Dead in Shooting at Texas Church
Two people are dead and a third critically wounded after a gunman opened fire during services at a church near Fort Worth, Texas, Sunday.
Read the full storyLawyers Will Ask Supreme Court to End Mandatory Membership and Financial Support of State Bars
Wisconsin lawyers Adam Jarchow and Michael Dean will ask the Supreme Court to end mandatory bar association fees, which are common to the regulation of legal practice in at least 30 states.
Read the full storyMexican Police Chief Arrested in Connection to Massacre of American Mormon Family
In a shocking development in the hunt to locate those responsible for the massacre of nine U.S. citizens at the hands of suspected cartel gunmen, authorities arrested a Mexican police chief.
Read the full storyAmerican Universities Are Using Chinese-Style Social Credit Systems to Track Students
A handful of U.S. colleges are employing a type of social credit system through various technologies designed to track students as they attend courses and walk across campus.
Read the full storyTlaib Calls for Resignations of Barr and Durham Because They ‘Questioned Legitimacy of Justice Department’
Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI-13) recently joined several of her Democratic colleagues in calling for the immediate resignations of U.S. Attorney General Bill Barr and U.S. Attorney John Durham.
Read the full storyOhio Refugee Resettlement Up 22 Percent Under Gov. Mike DeWine, Including Hundreds From Countries With ‘High Burdens’ of TB
Refugee resettlement in Ohio is up 22 percent under Gov. Mike DeWine, including hundreds from countries with “high burdens” of tuberculosis.
DeWine is one of more than 30 governors who have agreed to accept more refugees under a plan put forth by President Donald Trump in which a governor has to opt in for resettlement, the Associated Press reported.
Read the full storyFinance Commissioner McWhorter Releases Tennessee’s Annual Financial Report
“Tennessee’s annual financial report provides detailed analysis of the state’s financial transactions, and reflects the state’s commitment to accountability and transparency,” Commissioner Stuart McWhorter said in a statement.
Read the full storyNew Concealed Carry Handgun Permit Takes Effect in January, Offering 90-Minute Online Class
A new concealed carry handgun carry permit for Tennesseans takes effect Jan. 1 and includes the option for online training.
Read the full storyCommentary: Don’t Believe 2020 Landslide Rhetoric
As we head into the most consequential election in our republic’s history, you can listen to what you want to hear, or what you need to hear.
Read the full storyReport: US Officials Consider Using a Russian-Style Misinformation Campaign Targeting Moscow’s Elites
U.S. officials are considering employing a Russian-style misinformation campaign targeting members of the Moscow elite, effectively turning the tables on Russia, The Washington Post reported Wednesday.
Read the full storyIn Trump’s Economy, Working Class Employees Are Getting Bigger Raises Than Their Bosses
Wages for working class Americans are increasing faster than for their bosses as the U.S. economy keeps humming and unemployment rates stay low, The Wall Street Journal reported Friday.
Read the full storyDenver Sticking to Sanctuary Policy Following Arrest of Hit-and-Run Suspect Who Was Already Deported Six Times
Denver officials do not plan on fully cooperating with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) if they release an illegal alien who was deported six times before getting arrested for fleeing the scene of a deadly hit-and-run accident.
Read the full storyFormer Hawaii Governor Calls on Tulsi Gabbard to Resign
Hawaii Rep. Tulsi Gabbard is facing pressure from the Democratic former governor of her state Neil Abercrombie to resign from Congress over concerns that she cannot fully represent her district as she carries out her presidential campaign.
Read the full storySomalia Bomb Death Toll Rises to at Least 80
The death toll from a suicide bomb attack at a busy checkpoint in Somalia’s capital, Mogadishu, has risen to at least 80.
Read the full storyUnemployment Sits Below 5 Percent in Nearly Every Tennessee County
Unemployment dropped in more than one-third of Tennessee’s 95 counties in November, according to newly released data from the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development.
Read the full storyCommentary: Do We Own Our Military?
The preamble to the Constitution lists a number of core functions for the American government. Any American who has ever listened to “Schoolhouse Rock” (or maybe just an obsessive listener like yours truly) can name them all:
Read the full storyForbes Exposes Nashville’s Financial Problems to a Global Audience
Forbes.com, which caters to millions of readers worldwide, has just reported on and explained Nashville’s financial woes. In a recently-published article, Tennessee-based businessman Tim Pagliara wrote about state Comptroller Justin Wilson’s displeasure with Metro Nashville’s finances and the threat of the city potentially falling into a receivership. “Back in October, a month after taking office, Mayor (John) Cooper talked to The Wall Street Journal about his mandate to pull the city’s economy back from the brink by (among other things) curbing financial incentives and relocation deals to corporations. After the prior administration had awarded $167,000,000 in economic incentives in exchange for 13,000 new jobs and $1.2 billion in capital investments, the city could not balance the budget without selling assets like the Nashville Thermal Plant. Which, IMHO, is like selling your living room furniture to pay your electric bill. Tennessee has a unique set of checks and balances. State law mandates a balanced budget,” Pagliara wrote. “In preparing this piece, I looked at recent articles about the increased flight of people and companies from NYC. Some surveys show that over 30 percent of the New Yorkers are considering moving out of state because of the high cost of living, complexity of life, and…
Read the full storyNew Right to Shop Transparency Law Takes Effect in Tennessee January 1
Legislation establishing a consumer-driven program that provides patients with more transparency regarding the costs of health care services in their network will take effect on January 1 in Tennessee.
Read the full storyCommentary: The FBI’s Darkest Hour
by Adam Mill One can imagine the unspoken question hanging in the darkness during the January 2017 ride back to the airport. A small gaggle1 of FBI agents had just concluded their long-overdue interview with Christopher Steele’s primary sub-source. The silence must have been deafening. Steele had tried to conceal2 his source from the FBI. But the FBI knew his identity and set up an interview behind Steele’s back, and the interview contradicted several Steele assertions. The downcast agents waited for somebody to ask the question on all of their minds: “Now what?” The right answer would have been to admit to the court that Steele was an unreliable source who exaggerates and lies and put an end to spying on Americans in pursuit of the mirage of Trump’s alleged collusion with Russia. When presented one last opportunity to do the right thing, the FBI instead pushed harder for their now-discredited hypothesis justifying the investigation. Peter Strzok had promised his lover, Lisa Page, he would “save” the country from Donald Trump. Given a choice between bringing the FBI back into the light of the Constitution or the darkness of blind hatred of Donald Trump, the conspirators choose darkness. It was at…
Read the full storyMan Arrested in Deadly Hit-and-Run Accident Had Been Deported Six Different Times
The man arrested for a deadly hit-and-run accident in Colorado is not only living in the United States illegally, but has been deported six different times in the past two decades.
Read the full storyJudson Phillips Commentary: The 2020 Redistricting Question No One in Tennessee Is Asking
The 2020 question no one in Tennessee is asking.
Read the full storyFree Speech Organization Defends Turning Point USA Group That Was Denied on PA Campus
A nonpartisan free speech group alleged that a Pennsylvania university engaged in viewpoint discrimination when it denied status to a conservative student group.
Read the full storyCommentary: The Tortoise and the Hare of Modernity Reconsidered
ot to be overly paradoxical about it, but the names Donald Trump, Adam Schiff, and Jerry Nadler will not appear in this essay. Like you, I am weary of that shrill and unproductive static. Let us, then, take a brief holiday and consider a different sort of problem, a problem that stands behind—admittedly pretty far behind—that static I mentioned and which we might do well to think about. Let us, for lack of a better phrase, call it “Modernity and Its Discontents.”
Read the full storyAnalysis: Average Salaries for Professors by Rank
Faculty salaries at public universities vary widely by rank and by institution type. The widest range of salaries occurs at doctoral universities with the highest amount of research activity (like the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill or North Carolina State University.)
Read the full storyCommentary: Big Tech Censorship Enters Dangerous New Phase
Do non-conforming voices have a prayer against Silicon Valley in November’s critical election? Before the cycle even begins, disturbing new developments show how conservatives and others already may have been marginalized by Big Tech behemoths.
Read the full storyEnd of Year Review: National Debt Growth in 2019 Unprecedented, Unsustainable
The national debt in 2019 reached its highest level relative to the size of the economy since 1948, the Peter G. Peterson Foundation (PGPF) said in its end-of-year review of the national debt.
Read the full storyHamilton County Debates Wisdom of Using Taxpayer Money on Charities
Hamilton County commissioners are reportedly considering whether it’s wise to take taxpayer money and donate it to various charities.
Read the full storyICE Acting Deputy Director Sets the Record Straight on Fraud Investigations Involving Undercover Schools
Acting Deputy ICE Director Derek Benner this week addressed public misconceptions about ICE Homeland Security Investigations’ use of undercover schools.
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