A wooden monument mocking President Trump in Slovenia – the birthplace of his wife, Melania Trump – has been burned to the ground, with an alleged arsonist reportedly starting the fire
Read the full storyMonth: January 2020
Commentary: Nationalism Is Looking Pretty Normal Right Now
The recent troubles with Iran highlight the problem with America First nationalism: it would mean placing the interests of regular people at home before transnational “interests” like foreign wars that have no bearing on middle-American life.
Read the full storyProtests in Iran Shatter Image of a United Country
The outrage was aired first of all on social media forums — before spilling chaotically on to the streets with Saturday’s mass protests catching Iranian authorities off-guard and exposing how many Iranians hold the country’s embattled regime in disdain.
Read the full storyBabson Professor Fired for Joking That Iran Should Target Mall of America
A Babson College professor was fired last week after joking on social media that Iran should target the Mall of America in retaliation for the killing of Qasem Soleimani.
Read the full storyDuluth Snow Plow Drivers Reject County’s Offer, Will Strike As Early As This Week
A Teamsters union in Duluth mostly comprised of snow plow operators will likely go on strike this week after it voted Saturday to reject a final offer from St. Louis County.
Read the full storySt. Paul Experiences Overdose Spike over Last Few Weeks
St. Paul saw 34 suspected overdoses from December 27 through January 3. Two overdoses were fatal, Minnesota Public Radio reported.
Read the full storyThe Battleground State Report: Leahy Describes Two Factors Influencing the Rise of Grassroots Conservative Populism in the USA
During the show, Leahy went into detail about the two factors that are directly influencing the rise of a conservative populism movement. He noted that recent threats to second amendment rights in Virginia and the refugee resettlement issue in Tennessee are fueling the anti-big government push back.
Read the full storyWhitmer Approval Rating Drops, James in Dead Heat with Peters in New Michigan Poll
A new survey of Michigan voters found that Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s approval rating has dropped by more than seven percentage points since June.
Read the full story‘USMCA is a Win For Ohio,’ U.S. Rep. Wenstrup Says
“USMCA is a win for Ohio,” U.S. Rep. Brad Wenstrup (R-OH-02) says.
Wenstrup made the statement in an email newsletter to constituents last week.
“After months of delay, the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) finally passed the House, clearing a major hurdle toward adoption,” Wenstrup wrote.
Read the full storyGov. Bill Lee Silent on Report His Decision Allows Federal Government to Send Middle East Refugees to Tennessee That Australia Has Refused
Gov. Bill Lee’s decision on December 18 to say yes to more refugees in Tennessee allows the federal government to resettle refugees from any country it wants into the state, including an estimated 300 to 720 refugees from Middle East countries that the government of Australia has refused to accept.
Read the full storyOver $31.4 Million Located, Returned to Tennessee Consumers in 2019, State Agency Says
The Tennessee Department of Commerce & Insurance said this week that more than $31.4 million was located and returned to Tennesseans in combined life insurance benefits and annuities and monies returned through the department’s mediation efforts in 2019.
Read the full storyCommentary: Republican Governors’ ‘Tolerance’ Will Kill Us All
We’re tolerating ourselves to death. There is no other way to say it, especially when it comes to immigration, specifically anchor babies, chain migration, and refugee resettlement. It’s as though our “leaders” have been fed stupid pills and chased them down with healthy quantities of idiocy.
Read the full storyWhy Canadian-Style Health Care Would Not Cut Costs in America
One common claim by supporters of single-payer health care is that it would ultimately save money while providing universal health coverage for all. Having one centralized bureaucracy, they say, would eliminate complicated administrative inefficiencies that waste enormous sums of money each year.
Read the full storyJustice Ginsburg, a Four-Time Cancer Survivor, Says She’s ‘Cancer Free’
Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is opening the new decade with a positive health prognosis.
Read the full storyLetter to the Editor: An Armed School Staff Is Neccessary
As the recent shooting at the West Freeway Church of Christ in Texas shows, a good person with a gun is a valuable asset when a bad guy wants to do harm. When the madman pulled out a shotgun and started shooting an armed parishioner terminated the threat in less than six seconds. This is fact.
Read the full storyDark Money Has Bolstered Bernie’s Campaign From the Start
An outside dark money group has boosted presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders since announcing his campaign last February.
Read the full story‘Fast And Furious’ Gunman Who Killed US Border Patrol Agent Is Sentenced to Life in Prison
One of the Mexican gunmen who killed a U.S. Border Patrol agent, consequently sparking the Obama administration’s “Fast and Furious” scandal, was sentenced to life in prison.
Read the full storyHouse Democrats Vote Against Recognizing Unborn Babies as ‘Vulnerable Populations’
House Democrats voted against a motion to recognize unborn babies as “vulnerable populations” Friday.
Read the full storyIranian Military Apologizes for Shooting Down Ukraine-Bound Flight, Cites ‘Human Error’: Report
The Iranian military apologized Friday for shooting down a commercial airliner bound for Ukraine, and blamed “human error” for launching the missile that took down the airplane, according to Iranian state media.
Read the full storyMaryland Legislator Wants to Steer Low-Income Housing to Affluent Suburban Neighborhoods
A Maryland legislator wants to identify affluent suburban neighborhoods and target them for low-income, high-density housing.
Read the full storyOmar Leads Colleagues in Calling for Extension of TPS for Somalis
A group of 50 House Democrats led by Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN-05) sent a letter to U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo last week asking for an extension of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Somalis.
Read the full storyLawmaker Calls Minnesota’s New Five-Year Probation Cap a ‘Major Overreach’
A Minnesota lawmaker plans to introduce legislation that would reverse the Minnesota Sentencing Guidelines Commission’s recent decision to cap probation for most felonies at five years.
Read the full storyEffort to Recall Larry Inman Officially Over After Coming Up Short on Signatures
The Michigan Bureau of Elections announced Friday that a group seeking to recall Rep. Larry Inman (R-Grand Traverse County) from office did not submit enough valid signatures, officially ending the months-long effort.
Read the full storyDeWine Remains Against Legalizing Marijuana
Gov. Mike DeWine told Ohio Public Radio in an interview this week that he is still opposed to legalizing marijuana.
Read the full storyPhil Roe Wants to Tackle Surprise Medical Billing, Veterans Suicides Before He Leaves Office
U.S. Rep. Phil Roe, (R-TN-01) says one of his goals before he retires is to pass bipartisan legislation to resolve the issue of surprise medical billing.
Read the full storyTexas Gov. Greg Abbott Says No to Refugee Resettlement
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott told U.S. Secretary of State Michael Pompeo Friday that the Lone Star State would not be taking in any refugees.
Read the full storyCommentary: Listen to Trump, Not Democrats on Foreign Policy Matters
The predicted has happened in Iran and more quickly than had been expected. On the evening of the day on which the Iranian authorities managed to bungle the funeral of their late terrorist chief, Qasem Soleimani, at least 50 people were trampled to death in their grief, and the crisis over the supposed escalation of hostilities subsided. (At least, unlike during the funeral of the Iranian theocracy’s founder, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the coffin did not fly open, spilling the corpse on the mourners.)
Read the full storyOcasio-Cortez Refuses to Pay Party Dues, Angering Some of Her Democratic Colleagues
New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is one of the most prolific Democratic fundraisers in the House, but she’s refusing to pay any dues to the Democrats’ House campaign organization.
Read the full storyCommentary: ‘We’ Should Not Regulate Homeschooling
The desire to control other people’s ideas and behaviors, particularly when they challenge widely-held beliefs and customs, is one of human nature’s most nefarious tendencies. Socrates was sentenced to death for stepping out of line; Galileo almost was. But such extreme examples are outnumbered by the many more common, pernicious acts of trying to control people by limiting their individual freedom and autonomy. Sometimes these acts target individuals who dare to be different, but often they target entire groups who simply live differently. On both the political right and left, efforts to control others emerge in different flavors of limiting freedom—often with “safety” as the rationale. Whether it’s calls for Muslim registries or homeschool registries, fear of freedom is the common denominator.
Read the full storyUS Imposes New Sanctions on Iran
WASHINGTON – The U.S. placed more sanctions on Iran Friday in response to its missile attack on U.S. military troops in Iraq last week, and it threatened further action to weaken Iran’s economy if Tehran continues to carry out what it considers terrorist actions.
Read the full storyAudit: Tennessee Department of Correction Leaders Must Improve Oversight
Tennessee Comptrollers released an audit Friday that, among other things, blasted the Tennessee Department of Correction for poor management of prisons and not reporting things they were supposed to report.
Read the full storyPelosi Caves: House to Transmit Impeachment Articles Next Week
Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) appears to gave buckled under pressure and has finally agreed to send the articles of impeachment to the Senate, Fox News is reporting.
Read the full storyTrump Officials to Announce: 100 Miles of Border Wall Completed
Trump administration officials plan to announce today that they have completed construction on 100 miles of new barriers along the border with Mexico, but their benchmark underscores how far construction crews still have to go to fulfill the president’s pledge to finish 450 miles by the end of 2020, according to The Hill.
Read the full storyRecommended: Great Books to Resist Cultural Indoctrination
Those classics that are called the Great Books are most closely associated with Mortimer J. Adler and Robert Hutchins.1 When Hutchins became president of the University of Chicago in 1929, he hired Adler to teach philosophy in the law school and the psychology department. Upon arriving, Adler, rather brashly he admits, recommended to Hutchins a program of study for undergraduates using classic texts. Adler had taught in the General Honors program at Columbia University begun in 1921 by professor John Erskine. Hutchins asked him for a list of books to be read in such a program. When Hutchins saw the list, he told Adler that he had not encountered most of them during his student years at Oberlin College and Yale University. Hutchins later wrote that unless Adler “did something drastic he [Hutchins, referring to himself] would close his educational career a wholly uneducated man.”2 Hutchins remained president for 16 years before serving as chancellor until 1951, and the following year, they did something drastic.
Read the full storyDecember Jobs Report: 145,000 Jobs Added, Unemployment at 3.5 Percent
The U.S. economy added 145,000 jobs in December, while the unemployment rate remained at 3.5%, according to Department of Labor data released Friday.
Read the full storyMcCain Called Slotkin, Sponsor of House War Powers Resolution, ‘Unqualified’ for National Security Position
The late Sen. John McCain repeatedly called Rep. Elissa Slotkin (D-MI-08) “totally unqualified” to serve in a national security position in President Barack Obama’s administration.
Read the full storyIlhan Omar Goes After Rural Minnesota County for Rejecting Refugees
Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN-05) accused Beltrami County of “denying refugees a chance at a better life” after it voted to opt out of refugee resettlement.
Read the full storyCity of Westerville, Ohio Approves Refugee Resettlement
Westerville City Council unanimously passed a resolution this week that says the city will allow refugees to resettle within their community.
Read the full storyMinnesota State Senator ‘Deeply Disturbed’ by DFL Leader’s Threat to Cut Funding from County Over Refugees
A Minnesota senator said he is “deeply disturbed” by House Majority Leader Ryan Winkler’s (DFL-Golden Valley) threat to cut state aid from Beltrami County after it voted to opt out of refugee resettlement.
Read the full storyScott DesJarlais and Phil Roe Speak Out on Iranian War Powers Resolution
Two Tennessee congressmen have weighed in on the Iranian War Powers Resolution.
Read the full storyOmar Says She Feels ‘Stricken with PTSD’ Over Iran Tensions, Then Laughs and Jokes While Colleague Discusses Dead Soldiers
Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN-05) said she feels “ill” and “stricken with PTSD” in response to the conflict with Iran before she laughed and joked with her peers while a colleague discussed U.S. casualties in Iraq just moments later.
Read the full storyCommentary: Sorry Democrats, There Is a Trump Doctrine, And It’s a Good One
For the Democrats, the killing of Iranian terrorist General Qassem Soleimani offered a great opportunity to tout the risk of having Donald Trump as commander in chief, and they were, as usual, extremely disciplined in maintaining that narrative.
Read the full storyTrump: Soleimani Was Planning to Blow Up US Embassy in Baghdad
WASHINGTON – U.S. President Donald Trump said Thursday that Qassem Soleimani, the Iranian general that he ordered killed with a drone strike, had been planning to blow up the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad.
Read the full storyGOP State Executive Committee Members Nicholson and Foreman Criticize Gov. Lee’s Decision to Bring More Refugees to Tennessee
During a specific discussion, 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 a.m. to 8:00 a.m.– Leahy welcomed Terri Nicholson and Michelle Foreman of the Republican State Executive Committee to the show.
Read the full storyFive Top Iranian Officials You Should Know
Tensions between the United States and Iran seem to be deescalating again, but the countries clearly are still at loggerheads.
Read the full storyIran May Have Accidentally Shot Down Passenger Jet
WHITE HOUSE – U.S. President Donald Trump is publicly voicing suspicion that Iran may have accidentally shot down a Ukrainian airliner.
Read the full storyCommentary: Realignment and Race in the Anglosphere
Two national elections, one decisive and the other a cliffhanger, have shaken the politics of the West to its core. In the United Kingdom, just last month, Conservative candidate Boris Johnson won a resolute victory for himself and his party. In the United States, barely three years ago, Republican candidate Donald Trump won the presidential election in a stunning upset where he narrowly lost the popular vote but logged a solid victory in the Electoral College.
Read the full storyMusic Spotlight: Aubrie Sellers
Even though everyone in her family is from Texas, this daughter of country music royalty was born in Nashville. Aubrie Sellers’ father is artist/songwriter Jason Sellers and her mother is Lee Ann Womack. Her step-father for most of her life has been Carnival Music owner/producer Frank Liddell.
Read the full storyCommon Sense from New American Populist’s Jeff Webb: Resettle Refugees in Countries Similar to Their Own Culture, not Tennessee
Live from Memphis on the newsmakers line 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 a.m. to 8:00 a.m.– Leahy was joined by the New American Populist founder, Jeff Webb to speak about the refugee resettlement issue facing Tennessee and his common-sense solution.
Read the full storyJustice Sotomayor Sends Best Wishes to New Progressive Prosecutor Tied to Hugo Chavez
Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor delivered congratulatory remarks to San Francisco District Attorney Chesa Boudin Wednesday night, as the self-proclaimed progressive prosecutor with ties to the late Venezuelan strongman Hugo Chavez took office.
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