The House Freedom Fund (HFF) announced Tuesday that it has endorsed current State Representative Timothy Hill (R-Blountville) for the Republican nomination for the U.S. House First District.
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Democratic Georgia state Rep. Vernon Jones announced that he is stepping down from office, citing attacks and harassment from his party following his endorsement of President Donald Trump for re-election.
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Two Ohio prisons are now home to the largest known clusters of COVID-19 in the nation, but the mortality rate for inmates with the virus is below one percent.
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The Michigan Department of State announced on Wednesday that it will be temporarily laying off more than 900 members of its staff. The layoffs will begin on April 26 and will last at least two weeks.
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Ohio’s prolonged lockdown is literally a life-and-death matter for an Akron barber battling a rare form of cancer as she cannot reach world-renowned Johns Hopkins Medicine for treatment.
Peggy Reed is a barber with Stage 4 Squamous Cell cancer of the nasal cavity. Much of her medical story is told on her GoFundMe page here.
Reed missed her appointment at Johns Hopkins on March 26 to see a specialist. Ohio’s stay at home order means no out of state travel is allowed. Maryland also has a stay at home order.
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The state Controlling Board voted to split $90 million of federal taxpayer money aimed to help combat the COVID-19 pandemic between the Ohio Health Department – which will receive $8.5 million – and rural transportation departments across the state, which will receive the balance of $81.5 million to “aid for rural transportation systems,” according to a statement released by Democrats Monday.
“We need to ensure health care workers and officials on the ground have the tools they need to detect, track and contain this virus before we begin to reopen our state. This funding is a step in the right direction to get us where we need to be, but we’re not there yet,” said Minority Leader Emilia Strong Sykes (D-Akron).
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Gov. Tim Walz announced Wednesday that Minnesota now has the capacity to test as many as 20,000 residents per day for COVID-19.
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Registered Ohio voters have not taken advantage of the extended primary election deadline as numbers released Tuesday by Ohio Secretary of State (OSOS) Frank LaRose shows low turnout.
With less than a week until the primary election deadline, only 1,667,883 Ohioans have requested a vote-by-mail absentee ballot. Ohio has 7.7 million registered voters, according to The Columbus Dispatch. This means that less than 22 percent of registered Ohioans have requested an absentee ballot.
Gov. Mike DeWine pushed back Ohio’s original primary election date from March 17 to April 28 after declaring a health emergency due to the coronavirus. People are expected to vote by mail rather than in-person. Only certain situations will allow Ohioans to vote in-person.
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Health officials revealed during a Tuesday press conference that nursing home residents account for slightly more than 70 percent of all COVID-19-related deaths in Minnesota.
Infectious Disease Division Director Kris Ehresmann said during a Tuesday press briefing that 113 of the state’s 160 deaths “are associated with long-term care.”
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Nashville Mayor John Cooper’s staff on Wednesday did not address the likely unintended consequences of raising property taxes by 20 percent to make up for the COVID-19 pandemic diminishing the city’s finances.
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Anyone in Chattanooga caught violating Mayor Andy Berke’s executive orders during a civil emergency would have to pay up to a $50 fine, plus court costs, according to a proposed city ordinance.
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A recent survey conducted by The Atlantic has revealed that a majority of Americans from both sides of the political aisle now support possibly unconstitutional government action to combat the continuing spread of COVID-19.
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The National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) Research Center released a survey Tuesday that said 80 percent of small business owners are still waiting to receive a loan from the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP).
“Small businesses were prepared and ready to apply for these programs, the only financial support options for most, and it is very frustrating that the majority of these true small businesses haven’t received their loan yet,” Holly Wade, NFIB Director of Research & Policy Analysis, said. “Small businesses make up nearly half of the economy and it’s crucial that their doors stay open.”
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SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA – South Korea’s government is disputing reports that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is seriously ill after undergoing heart surgery.
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Former Ambassador to Japan and TN Republican Senate Candidate Bill Hagerty joined 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. – Tuesday morning on the newsmakers line.
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From accusations of xenophobia, to claims that it’s a means to distract the public, Democrats and progressive organizations across the country are fuming over President Donald Trump’s anticipated ban on immigration.
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I am math-impaired, but I know enough to wonder if all the Wuhan virus “experts” yammering about “flattening the curve” understand the concept of the “area under the curve.”
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China, Russia and Iran are acting in tandem to promote propaganda suggesting coronavirus is an American bioweapon and that the U.S. economy is buckling under the strain of lockdowns, a State Department report shows.
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U.S. Senate candidate Manny Sethi this week applauded President Trump’s announcement that our nation will pause all immigration as we battle COVID-19 as a country.
Sethi said this in an emailed statement.
“Thank you President Trump. This is the right thing to do for America’s workers, the economy, and our public health,” Sethi said.
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All over the world – in China, Italy, the United States and Australia – many more men than women are dying from COVID-19.
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Live from Music Row Tuesday 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 on the line during the program’s second hour by Tennessee state Senator Kerry Roberts.
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Tuesday morning on The Tennessee Star Report with Michael Patrick Leahy – broadcasting live from Music Row on Nashville’s Talk Radio 98.3 and 1510 WLAC weekdays from 5:00 a.m. to 8:00 a.m. – Leahy was joined on the newsmakers line by all-star panelist and Thales Academy in Franklin’s Principal Rachael Bradley.
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Bill Hagerty announced this week he will host a telephone town hall with Larry Kudlow, President Donald Trump’s director for the National Economic Council.
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Former congressman and Ohio businessman Jim Renacci joined Newsradio WTAM 1100AM’s Mike Trivisonno – and his producer Angelo Carmen – Monday to discuss the state of business in Ohio in the wake of the coronovirus shutdown, and what working people can and should expect in the coming days and weeks as the state looks to re-open.
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Two state prisons in Ohio are now the largest reported sources of coronavirus infections in the United States, a New York Times database revealed this week.
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The Ohio doctor accused of ordering excessive painkiller doses for dozens of patients who died won’t face trial on murder charges until next year. Dr. William Husel was scheduled for trial in Columbus this June, but it was delayed by a ban on mass gatherings because of the coronavirus and related changes in court operations. Franklin County Common Pleas Judge Michael J. Holbrook rescheduled the trial to start May 10, 2021. “There’s no way we can do it this summer,” Holbrook said after the decision was made during a telephone conference with prosecuting and defense attorneys. Husel began working for Mount Carmel Health System as an anesthesiologist and ICU doctor in 2013 until he was fired in December 2018. Records say Husel administered at least 500 micrograms of the powerful painkiller fentanyl to each of his patients. Prosecutors say doses that large indicate an intent to end lives. As The Ohio Star previously reported, Its internal review concluded the 44-year-old doctor had ordered potentially fatal doses for 29 patients who died over several years, including five who it said might have received the drugs when there still was a chance of improving their conditions with treatment The 44-year-old pleaded…
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A prominent civil rights attorney and Black Lives Matter activist announced Monday that she is endorsing Rep. Ilhan Omar’s (D-MN-05) opponent in the DFL primary.
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Gov. Mike DeWine announced Monday that he created the Minority Health Strike Force due to the coronavirus disproportionately impacting minority groups.
Ohio Department of Health (ODH) data shows that 22 percent of Ohioans who have tested positive for the Chinese virus in Ohio are black, which makes up 14 of the state’s population, according to the governor’s press release.
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The Michigan Conservative Coalition recently issued an open letter to Lansing Mayor Andy Schor warning that upcoming protests in Lansing are not associated with the group. The MCC organized the “Operation Gridlock” car rally last week protesting Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s lockdown orders.
The rally drew thousands of cars to Lansing on April 15 to protest Whitmer’s most recent lockdown orders, which restrict travel within the state and the sale of items like gardening or flooring supplies in large stores. The protest also included several people on the lawn of the Capitol, which the MCC said was a different protest that co-opted their own.
“It’s unfortunate that an unrelated group chose to crash our vehicle rally and invite people to protest on the Capitol lawn,” the MCC said in its open letter. “However, those few hundred can’t take away from the tens of thousands who stayed in their vehicles. Our guidelines to participants were modeled after the ‘Stay Safe’ guidelines for social distancing.”
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The state of Michigan said on Tuesday that it had canceled a contract connected to its coronavirus contact tracing program after the state received backlash for the organization’s connection with Democratic campaigns.
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Mayor Jacob Frey announced Tuesday that he will allow a mosque in Minneapolis to broadcast the Muslim call to prayer over loudspeakers during the month of Ramadan.
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Nashville Mayor John Cooper said at a press conference Tuesday that he and other city officials will introduce their own plan to reopen the city’s economy after it closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Commissioner of Finance and Administration Butch Eley announced Monday that the Tennessee’s tax revenues exceeded budgeted estimates for the month of March by $62.1 million, despite the anticipated impact of the coronavirus.
Eley was named to the new post by Governor Bill Lee on April 15, while also serving as the Chief Operating Officer for the state. Prior to joining Governor Lee’s administration, he was a founder and CEO of Infrastructure Corporation of America, an infrastructure asset maintenance management company and a partner at the Ingram Group.
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Every day, the battle lines are drawn more clearly for what promises to be a memorable election. The Democrats infamously lumbered the president with an investigation into his relations with Russia that they knew to be unfounded. Then they attempted a completely spurious impeachment proceeding (with no believable evidence that he had committed the alleged offenses which, in any case, were not impeachable).
And now, in response to a fortuitous virus pandemic, they purport to require President Trump to commit political suicide by shutting down the economy for so long that the soon-to-be 30 million unemployed will turn him out on election day.
It is another phantasmagorical expedition of a desperate political elite playing its last card, but it is an engrossing spectacle.
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NASHVILLE, Tennessee – For the second time in as many days, Tennesseans rallied at the State Capitol in Nashville on Monday to tell Governor Bill Lee to reopen the state. About 100 people gathered on the sidewalks in front of and across the street from the Capitol Building, on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard in downtown Nashville, while others drove by honking horns. Murfreesboro-based DJ Steve Hasty provided music with his elaborate sound system and, acting as emcee for the event, stated repeatedly that it was a rally to reopen Tennessee and not a protest. After a prayer that asked for reopening, Hasty initiated the chant, “Hey Governor Lee, reopen Tennessee.” Governor Lee was encouraged to lead the country in the effort to reopen and show that it can be done in a safe way. Curtis Carney, owner of Nashville’s Off The Wagon tractor tours, who also spoke at the #FreeTN event, told rally-goers he made the decision Saturday to reopen his business. He said the longer the shutdown keeps going, the more people go hungry. Carney said Tennessee needs to reopen and it needs to be done now. A home health nurse named Misty said hospitals are…
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Senators Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) and Martha McSally (R-AZ) will introduce the Stop China-Originated Viral Infectious Diseases (COVID) Act to ensure the Chinese Communist Party faces consequences for its role in spreading the coronavirus.
This, according to a press release the two women put out Monday.
The two women said the Stop COVID Act will empower Americans to sue China in U.S. court and seek compensation for the harm the virus has caused to the economy and human life, the press release went on to say.
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Former 2020 Democratic presidential candidate Julian Castro said that those living unlawfully in the United States should be included in coronavirus relief packages doled out by the government.
Castro gave an interview to the Daily Kos divulging his thoughts on the recent coronavirus pandemic and how the United States should handle the crisis. Much like his time on the presidential campaign trail, Castro staked out progressive positions on the intersection of illegal immigration and role of American government.
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At least two State Representatives, Martin Daniel (R-Knoxville) and Bruce Griffey (R-Paris) wrote formal letters to Governor Bill Lee, urging him to reopen Tennessee immediately.
Representative Daniel, who will have served three terms in the Tennessee House of Representatives, announced last month that he will not seek reelection in 2020. Representative Griffey is currently serving his first term.
The Representatives wrote their letters based on the input of their constituents and in response to last week’s extension of Governor Lee’s stay-at-home order through April 30.
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Election officials recently determined all New Hampshire residents are eligible to cast absentee ballots for municipal, primary, and general elections to keep themselves and poll workers safe from COVID-19.
“New Hampshire is working to make sure a voter will not have to choose between their personal safety and exercising their right to vote,” David Scanlan, deputy secretary of state, told The Center Square.
Under the law, voters can cast absentee ballots due to a disability.
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by Chuck Ross It wasn’t long into his conversation with George Papadopoulos at a prestigious social club in London weeks before the 2016 election that FBI confidential informant Stefan Halper mentioned his links to several retired Russian spies. “I have a lot of friends in Russia,” Halper told Papadopoulos during their conversation, which occurred over drinks, and which the FBI recorded. “My point is that,” Halper said, “the Russians can be very helpful to us at this time and we’ve got some great information coming out.” Halper, a former Cambridge professor, rattled off the names of the Russians, Vyacheslav Trubnikov, Leonid Shebarshin, and Yuri Traughtoff, according to a transcript of the secretly recorded conversation released on Thursday. Halper was not bluffing about his friendship with at least one of the ex-Russian spies. He has collaborated with Trubnikov, the former head of Russia’s foreign intelligence service, the SVR. Halper hosted Trubnikov at two intelligence seminars at Cambridge in 2012 and 2015, and interviewed the former Kremlin insider for a 2015 study on China-Russia relations he did for the Pentagon’s Office of Net Assessment (ONA). Halper’s goal in bringing up his Kremlin links was to get Papadopoulos to reveal whether he or the Trump campaign were working…
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Facebook is not allowing anti-quarantine protesters to use the site to organize demonstrations in states that have enacted strict social distancing measures to combat the coronavirus pandemic.
The social media giant has already removed promotions for anti-quarantine events in California, New Jersey, and Nebraska in cooperation with those state governments.
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Governor Bill Lee said Monday that the state shutdown of restaurants to protect against the COVID-19 pandemic was necessary, even if members of the Memphis Restaurant Association reportedly described it as unconstitutional. A member of the media pressed Lee at a press conference Monday as to whether the shutdown could pass constitutional muster. Lee did not seem to answer, at least not directly. “What is most important is that these shutdowns occurred in order to save people’s lives. Tennesseans have done what Tennesseans needed to do. That was to put in place measures and to follow those measures to do just what was necessary to stop the spread of a deadly virus. They have done that,” Lee said at Monday’s press conference. “We certainly cannot entirely stop it, but we can slow it to a point that we can manage that spread and have the capacity in our health care system to take care of it and allow Tennesseans to operate and run their businesses at the same time. That is the goal, and I am grateful that Tennesseans have done what they have done to get us to the place where we are. We are encouraged to move…
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The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced that the ban on all non-essential travel along the Mexican and Canadian borders will be extended for an additional 30 days.
The governments of Mexico, Canada and the United States mutually agreed to keep their borders closed off to non-essential traffic for another month as they continue to fight the spread of coronavirus, acting DHS secretary Chad Wolf said Monday. The announcement came just two days after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said the U.S.-Canada border ban would be extended.
“In close collaboration, the US, Mexico, and Canada have each agreed to extend restrictions on non-essential travel across their shared borders for 30 additional days,” Wolf said in a prepared statement.
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On Monday, U.S. Rep. Green (R-TN-07) told the feds that coronavirus relief programs should follow past federal precedents and not exclude Tennessee’s small colleges, which are currently disqualified because of student workers.
Those federal programs, Green said, include the Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDLs) and Paycheck Protection Program (PPP).
Green said in a press release that he sent his request to the Treasury Department and Small Business Administration as it pertains to EIDLs and PPP.
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Americans are acquainted with predictable but ultimately failed progressive efforts to suppress free expression by preemptive invective and politically correct finger-pointing.
To believe that U.S. Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh’s accusers revealed too many contradictions, too many lacunae, too many episodes of timely amnesia, and too many unsubstantiated accusations in their testimonies was chauvinistically to attack/smear/silence all women’s voices – at least until the same sort of memory-repressed accusations focused on handsy Joe Biden.
To express skepticism that current global temperatures are uniformly rising almost entirely due to human carbon emissions, that this state of affairs poses catastrophic dangers that may end civilization as we know it, and that this emergency can only be addressed by the radical restructuring of global economies is to be rendered a denialist, a crank, a fool.
But these parameters of censorship have a logic and predictability, given their race/class/gender/environmental orthodoxy.
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On Monday’s Tennessee Star Report, host Michael Patrick Leahy was joined on the newsmakers line by War Room Pandemic host Steve Bannon to discuss the timeline of Communist China’s coverup of the coronavirus.
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Minnesota’s political establishment and mainstream media mocked and condemned the Trump-backed protesters who gathered outside the Governor’s Residence Friday, but were silent just two days later when hundreds gathered for a demonstration in Minneapolis.
According to the St. Paul Police Department, an estimated 800 people were in attendance at Friday’s “Liberate Minnesota” protest, which called for an end to Gov. Tim Walz’s stay-at-home order issued in response to the coronavirus pandemic.
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The federal government is sending more than $108.8 million to 97 airports in Ohio as part of a program to help them during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The money is part of the $2 trillion Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act Airport Grant Program. In total, the feds are doling out $10 billion to airports nationwide.
“This $10 billion in emergency resources will help fund the continued operations of our nation’s airports during this crisis and save workers’ jobs,” U.S. Transportation Secretary Elaine L. Chao said in a news release.
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President Donald Trump said on Twitter Monday morning that he received a “very nice call” from Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz.
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Ohio schools will stay closed through the rest of the school year, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine announced on Monday.
DeWine originally closed the schools starting at the end of March 16. He then extended the order, which was originally slated to end on April 3, to May 1. On Monday, he announced that schools would stay closed through the end of the school year.
“We’ve flattened the curve, but the virus remains. Also, to go back to school now with a relatively small amount of time left — many educators have expressed to me that this wouldn’t be a good idea even if the health situation was resolved,” DeWine said on Twitter. “We have to think about the risk to teachers, students, and our communities.”
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