The Tennessee State Board of Education made substantial changes to graduation requirements and grading protocols during a special meeting Thursday.
Read the full storyMonth: April 2020
Bill Barr Says Evidence from Durham Probe Is ‘Troubling,’ Report of Investigation Is ‘Likely’
Attorney General William Barr believes that U.S. Attorney John Durham is likely to produce a report of his investigation into the origins of the Trump-Russia probe, he said in an interview with Fox News that aired Thursday.
Read the full storyNational Security Expert Nadia Schadlow Discusses Her Recent Article on China
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 a.m. to 8:00 a.m. – host Michael Patrick Leahy was joined on the line by Nadia Schadlow who is an American academic and defense-related government officer who briefly served in 2018 as an assistant to the President and Deputy National Security Advisor for Strategy in the Trump administration.
Read the full storyGov. Walz Faces Backlash Over Controversial COVID-19 Model
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz called a press conference Friday afternoon to discuss the modeling the state is using in its coronavirus response, but faced harsh criticism for closing the briefing to the public.
Read the full storyNorm Partin Commentary: Don’t Be Fooled by Republican Establishment Again in Tennessee
Every election matters; every vote matters. Every election cycle conservatives line up like sheep and support the Republican heir apparent — a pipeline of candidates that spent years prepping for the next open seat.
Read the full storyDeWine Announces Ohio Manufacturing Alliance to Help the State’s PPE Shortage
A day after Gov Mike DeWine said Ohio had a personal protective equipment (PPE) shortage, he announced a partnership with manufacturers that will address it.
Read the full storyCommissioner Malcolm Responds to Concerns About Reporting of COVID-19 Deaths
Minnesota Department of Health Commissioner Jan Malcolm responded Thursday to concerns about the accuracy of the number of deaths caused by COVID-19.
Read the full storyNew Update to IHME Model Shows Both the Peak Day for Hospital Resources and Fatalities Have Passed in Ohio
The University of Washington’s Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) model has updated its Ohio projection to show that both the peak hospital resource day and highest fatality day have already happened.
Read the full storyMichigan Conservative Coalition to Host Vehicle Rally to Protest Stay-at-Home Orders
The Michigan Conservative Coalition (MCC) will be hosting a rally to protest what they call “erratic, unilateral orders” to stay at home and for non-essential businesses to be shut down.
Read the full storyMajority White Executive Committee Ousts Respected Black Christian State Legislator from Tennessee Democrat Party
The State Executive Committee of the Tennessee Democratic Party, which is majority white, voted Wednesday to oust respected State Representative John DeBerry, Jr. (formerly D-Memphis, now I-Memphis), who is a strong Christian and black, from the Party. DeBerry has served in the Tennessee General Assembly as the Representative for House District 90 for 26 years, since he was first elected in 1994. Of the 66-member State Executive Committee (SEC), 41 voted for the removal of DeBerry, while 18 voted against and 2 abstained, WREG reported. There are currently five vacancies on the committee. More than two-thirds of the current Tennessee Democratic Party SEC membership is white. While the SEC is designed to have one committeewoman and one committeeman for each of the state’s senatorial districts, the current makeup of the SEC is skewed toward women because four of the five vacancies are committeeman seats. The vote on DeBerry’s status within the TNDP was apparently triggered by a 29-page complaint dated April 1 submitted by a Janeita “Jan” Lentz, an attorney according to her Avvo profile. Ms. Lentz, who appears to be white, also identifies herself as the Co-Chair of Memphis-Midsouth DSA, which is the Democratic Socialists of America. In…
Read the full storyUnemployment Claims Jump to More Than 112,000, Northern-Middle and East Tennessee Hardest Hit
The Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development reported on Thursday that over 112,000 Tennesseans filed unemployment claims this past week.
Read the full storyCommentary: Let Our People Work
We are cowering from fear of COVID-19, but quarantine is not a cure to end the virus.
Read the full storyUnemployment Spikes Amid Governor Lee’s ‘Stay-at-Home’ Order
Tennessee saw 112,438 people file for unemployment benefits last week, according to the state’s department of labor.
Read the full storyZoom Recruits Former Facebook Security Chief as Critics Bash the Tech Firm for Privacy Lapses
An upshot tech company recruited Facebook’s former security chief to help fix glitches in the firm’s video chat app that reports say are leaving customers vulnerable to hackers and spammers.
Former Facebook executive Alex Stamos announced Thursday that he is joining an effort to help Zoom right the ship after reports revealed problems in its security system. Stamos made the decision to help after CEO Eric Yuan contacted him after he tweeted out some advice on the topic.
Read the full storyTennessee Democrat Party Not Reflecting Its Vision or Bylaws in Removing Representative John DeBerry From the Democrat Primary Ballot
The decision to remove long-serving House member John DeBerry, Jr. from the 2020 Democratic primary ballot is not reflective of the vision or bylaws of the Tennessee Democratic Party.
Read the full storyU.S. Rep. Mark Green Says He Wants Gov. Bill Lee to Allow Non-Emergency Medical Procedures
U.S. Rep. Mark Green (R-TN-07) said Thursday he has contacted Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee and suggested he now restore to doctors their previously-held right to perform non-emergency medical procedures.
Read the full storyBill Hagerty: China Guilty of ‘The Greatest Cover-Up in Human History’
Bill Hagerty, a Republican candidate for U.S. Senate in Tennessee, called China’s role in concealing the Wuhan Virus “the greatest cover-up in human history.”
Read the full storyArizona Lawmakers Duke It Out Over Transgender Athlete Bill
The Arizona House Republicans approved a bill to ban transgender women, those born as biological males, from competing in women’s sports.
Rep. Nancy Barto, a Phoenix Republican, is the sponsor of the Save Women’s Sports Act which prevents transgender women from participating in women’s sports because of the inherent biology of “chromosomal” and “hormonal” differences between males and females.
Read the full storyJudge Tosses Out ACLU’s Attempt to Stop a County from Cooperating with ICE
A judge in Colorado dismissed a lawsuit by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) against the Teller County Sheriff’s Office that argued it was breaking the law by cooperating with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
Read the full storyGov. Bill Lee Outlines Three Things That Will Determine If He Lifts Stay at Home Order
This is a transcript of the interview Nashville’s Morning News with Brian Wilson – 99.7 WTN did with Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee.
Read the full storyCommentary: The Republican Party Must Not Betray Their Base in the Coming Economic Recovery
As we contemplate a possible end to the ongoing pandemic shutdown, several questions lie ahead for us.
First – and foremost on everyone’s minds – is when will the lockdown end? And when it ends, what will be left of our economy?
One thing is certain now: The national lockdown is crushing small businesses.
Read the full storyCarol Swain: ‘We Must Never Allow Fear and Panic About an Uncertain Future to Cause us to Relinquish our National Sovereignty. In Christ, There is Security’
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 a.m. to 8:00 a.m. – Leahy was joined on the newsmakers line by all-star panelist Dr. Carol Swain.
Read the full storyThales Academy-Franklin Principal Rachael Bradley Talks About Discount Tuition and High Quality Education
Thursday 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.
Read the full storyKnox County Mayor Glenn Jacobs Questions Bill Lee’s Stay-at-Home Order
Knox County Mayor Glenn Jacobs said in a video response on Twitter that although he appreciated Gov. Lee living up to the courage of his convictions, he “cannot applaud government monitoring the movements of its people” and that with this economic crisis as a result of Tennessee’s statewide shutdown, a mental health crisis will follow.
As The Tennessee Star reported, Gov. Bill Lee signed Executive Order 23, which requires Tennesseans to stay home through April 14th unless they engage in essential activities to reduce the spread of COVID-19.
Read the full storyThe State Department Rescued Over 50,000 Americans Since Coronavirus Crisis Began
The State Department has repatriated more than 50,000 U.S. citizens stranded around the world since the coronavirus began, the administration revealed on Wednesday.
Read the full storyTennessee State Representative John DeBerry Removed from August Ballot in Secret Coup by Democratic Executive Committee
Live from Nashville, Tennessee 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. Memphis, Tennessee state Representative John DeBerry joined host Michael Patrick Leahy on the newsmakers line.
Read the full storyUnclassified: Ex-Trump Aide Papadopoulos’ Secret Conversation with an FBI Informant
Former Trump campaign aide George Papadopoulos told an FBI informant in late October 2016 that he did not believe the Trump campaign was working with the Russian government to influence the 2016 election, according to a 171-page transcript of the secretly recorded conversation obtained exclusively by the Daily Caller News Foundation.
Read the full storyThe DeWine Depression: Unemployment Filings in Ohio Almost Double This Week
Jobless claims in Ohio through the first week of April have nearly doubled what was filed during all of 2019, WKRC reported.
Read the full story‘Stay Home, Stay Safe’ Order Extended Until May 1
Michigan’s “Stay Home, Stay Safe” order has been extended through the end of April, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer announced on Thursday.
In addition to continuing the banning of non-essential businesses and travel, the new order also prohibits gathering of people of more than one household and imposes new restrictions on stores to help customers maintain social distancing.
“Michigan has the third highest number of COVID-19 cases in the country, and we’re still on the upswing. We must continue to do everything we can to slow the spread and protect our families,” Whitmer said in a statement. “Data shows that most Michiganders are doing their part by staying home and staying safe. That’s good, but we must keep it up.”
Read the full storyPeople Protest at Ohio’s Capitol the State’s Handling of the Coronavirus Pandemic, Call on Acton to Resign
People gathered in front of the Ohio state capitol to protest the way the state has handled the coronavirus pandemic.
Currently, Ohio is under a “Shelter-at-Home” order until May 1, which it has been under since March 23.
Around 100 people came to Ohio’s capital Columbus Thursday to protest, according to Tom Bosco, an ABC6 journalist. On their way to the building, Bosco said people were chanting “Open Ohio.”
Read the full storyMore Than 380,000 Michigan Residents Filed for Unemployment Last Week
A record 384,844 Michigan residents filed for unemployment benefits between March 29 and April 4, according to data released by the Department of Labor on Thursday.
The number passes up data from the previous two weeks, which saw 128,006 people file between March 15 and March 21 and 304,335 people file between March 22 and March 28. That brings the three-week total to 817,185 for those filing for unemployment benefits in the state.
Read the full storyRepublicans Call Extension of Minnesota Stay at Home Order ‘Seriously Disappointing’
Some Republican lawmakers were disappointed in Gov. Tim Walz after he announced Wednesday that his stay-at-home order will be extended until May 4.
Read the full storyOhio Plain Dealer Lays Off More Staff Due to Ongoing Financial Challenges
Cleveland’s Plain Dealer announced the layoff of 22 more journalists Friday, and said more could be gone in the weeks to come due to the “ongoing financial challenges in the newspaper business.”
Additionally, the paper said it will no longer be covering Cleveland or the state of Ohio generally, but instead it will become a bureau of Cleveland.com covering five counties: Geauga, Lake, Lorain, Medina and Portage.
Read the full storyMinnesota Unemployment Claims Up to 385,000
Minnesota has seen 385,318 new applications for unemployment insurance since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic, Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) Commissioner Steve Grove said Thursday.
Read the full storyTennessee Dem House Chair Wants ‘Statewide System to Trace the Steps’ of COVID-19 Patients
Tennessee House Democratic Caucus Chair Mike Stewart (D-Nashville) called on Gov. Bill Lee to create a “statewide system to trace the steps of those testing positive for COVID-19.”
“I call on Gov. Lee to use state resources to create a statewide contact tracing system including testing where necessary,” Stewart said in an interview with WKRN.
Read the full story6.6 Million More US Workers Claim Jobless Benefits
Another 6.6 million U.S. workers filed for unemployment compensation last week as the coronavirus pandemic continues to wreak havoc on the American economy, the U.S. Labor Department reported Thursday.
The new figure pushed the three-week total to more than 16 million workers looking for financial assistance, with millions more laid-off employees expected to file claims in the coming weeks as businesses large and small shut their operations or severely limit them.
Read the full storyCoronavirus in Tennesse Shows Sign of Slowing Down, According to New IHME Model
Tennessee has brighter days coming in the future as the coronavirus model used by the White House has lowered its projections for the state’s COVID-19 peak. The University of Washington’s Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) model has pushed up Tennessee’s projected coronavirus peak for hospital resources by one day from April 18 to April 17. Last week, the IHME model said the Volunteer State would see its peak for hospital resources on April 26. Based on the previous April 26 projection, Tennessee was expected to need 3,494 beds for its hospitals, including 525 beds for the intensive care unit (ICU). However, the updated IHME projection displays Tennessee needing 1,244, which is a decrease of 2,250 beds. In terms of death, the older IHME model had Tennessee experiencing 1,067 fatalities. But one week later, the new model sees Tennessee having 617 deaths. It must be noted, the projection on Monday anticipated Tennessee having 584 deaths. Between April 17 to April 20, the updated projection shows an average of 25 Tennesseans dying. Previously, the IHME projection had April 26 through April 28 as the stretch were the highest daily death rates. IHME predicts Tenneesse’s fatality rate will flatline around…
Read the full storyCommentary: President Trump’s Leadership in Pandemic Paves Way to Reelection
One of the characteristics of the coronavirus pandemic in the United States is its unique political explosiveness. In order to deal effectively with it, President Trump has had to show a good deal of dexterity, which his always numerous and vocal critics have assailed as incoherence, or insincerity.
Read the full storyGrocery Stores in Middle Tennessee Still Working to Replenish Toilet Paper and Hand Sanitizer
Middle Tennessee grocery store employees are restocking most of their shelves with essential items as the COVID-19 pandemic continues, although some shoppers wonder why the toilet paper and hand sanitizer aisles, among others, still remain empty.
Read the full storyMark Green Says There Is a Coming Shortage of Sedatives Used for Patients on Ventilators
U.S. Rep. Mark Green (R-TN-07), a physician, expressed concern in a recent interview about a potential shortage of sedatives for COVID-19 patients on ventilators.
Read the full storyFederal Court Cites Emergency Powers, Backs Texas Abortion Ban
by Mary Margaret Olohan A federal appeals court backed Texas’s right to ban abortions during the coronavirus crisis. A three-judge panel of the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed the state’s right to temporarily prohibit abortions until April 21 during the coronavirus pandemic in a Tuesday ruling, Politico reported. The court threw out a previous ruling from a lower court blocking Republican Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s order that all non-essential medical procedures temporarily cease — including abortions. “I thank the Fifth Circuit for their attention to the health and safety needs of Texans suffering from this medical crisis,” Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton said in a statement. “Governor Abbott’s order ensures that hospital beds remain available for Coronavirus patients and personal protective equipment reaches the hardworking medical professionals who need it the most during this crisis.” He added: “Texans must continue to work together to stop the spread of COVID-19, and we must support the health professionals on the frontlines of this battle.” But acting Planned Parenthood president Alexis McGill Johnson called the decision “unconscionable” in a Tuesday statement. “Patients are already being forced to put their lives in harm’s way during a pandemic, and now will be forced to continue doing so…
Read the full storyPresident Trump Calls TVA Leader’s Salary ‘Ridiculous’
U.S. Republican President Donald Trump said Wednesday that Tennessee Valley Authority CEO Jeffrey Lyash receives “ridiculous” compensation.
Read the full storyColorado Dad Handcuffed in Front of Young Daughter for Allegedly Violating ‘Social Distancing’ Rules
A father was arrested and cuffed in front of his 6-year-old daughter at a park in Brighton, Colorado, Sunday afternoon, after he allegedly violated the state’s social distancing guidelines and refused to show his identification to the police.
Now Matt Mooney, 33, thinks the police owe him an apology, according to FOX31.
Read the full storySen. Graham: ‘No More Money For WHO’ Until They Have New Leadership
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) on Tuesday vowed to strip funding for the World Health Organization from the next appropriations bill because of its pro-China virus.
During an appearance on Fox News’ “The Story,” Graham agreed with President Trump’s view that W.H.O. under the current leadership has become “very China-centric” and unworthy of the United States’ funding.
Read the full storyMajor League Baseball Eyeing an Arizona Comeback in May: Report
Officials within Major League Baseball (MLB) – along with the players – are working on a plan to return for a 2020 season as early as May, according to ESPN Monday.
Read the full storyCommentary: How Extreme Is Too Extreme for Dems and Mail-In Voting Schemes?
Lay the groundwork. According to the Wiktionary, the phrase is a verb which means, “To create a foundation; to provide the basics or fundamentals… (Example) The introductory mathematics courses will lay the groundwork for all your subsequent engineering studies.”
We all do it — lay the groundwork, that is. It’s what planning people do, prepare for the future. With all the recent establishment news media fixation on the Chinese Communist Party (or Wuhan, whichever you prefer) virus, there’s been a heck of a lot of chatter about organization and speed and whether the Trump administration acted quickly enough in the beginning to stem the spread of the twenty-first century plague in the United States. Liberal talkers and Democrats have made much hay over purported delays in the federal government’s efforts to deal with the budding outbreak in February and March.
Read the full storyMcCabe and Leahy Discuss Trump Administration Change as Grisham Moves Out and McEnany In
On Wednesday’s 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. – Michael Patrick Leahy spoke with special guest Neil McCabe who is a former Breitbart colleague and Washington journalist.
Read the full storyMoments After Sanders Suspends His Campaign, Biden Appeals Supporters: ‘You’re Needed’ To Beat Trump
Former Vice President Joe Biden appealed to Sen. Bernie Sanders’s supporters Wednesday to get behind his presidential campaign ahead of the November election.
The movement Sanders helped create will become an indispensable tool to help change in the future, Biden wrote in a Medium post, which was published after the senator dropped his White House bid. The olive branch represents a departure from what Biden was saying earlier in the primary.
Read the full storyState Officials Warn Tennesseans Not to Waste COVID-19 Stimulus Money on Scams
Treasury Department and Internal Revenue Service officials will distribute COVID-19 Economic Impact Payments in the next few weeks, but Tennessee officials warned state residents Wednesday to use caution as they get this money.
Read the full storyICE Officers Arrest Illegal Alien Gang Member Wanted for Murder
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers arrested a gang member living in the United States unlawfully shortly after an arrest warrant was issued on him for capital murder.
ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) officers on Thursday apprehended Jonathan Alexander Gonzalez-Rosales, a 25-year-old Salvadoran national and illegal alien, according to a press release from the agency. A member of the 18th Street Gang — a transnational criminal organization — Gonzalez-Rosales had been on the run from U.S. authorities for nearly two years.
Read the full story