Day: May 13, 2020

UNMASKED: Biden, Comey, Brennan, Plus 16 More Obama Insiders Requested the Identity of Michael Flynn

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Former Vice President Joe Biden and the directors of the three main U.S. intelligence agencies submitted so-called “unmasking” requests for information about Michael Flynn contained in highly classified intelligence reports, according to documents released Wednesday.

The documents show that an unmasking request was made in Biden’s name on Jan. 12, 2017. Similar requests were made under the names of James Comey, John Brennan and James Clapper, the former directors of the FBI, CIA and Office of the Director of National Intelligence, respectively.

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Commentary: Time for Trump and Barr to Declassify Everything the Obama White House Knew About Michael Flynn

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The Justice Department has dismissed all charges against former National Security Advisor Michael Flynn, after spying on his Dec. 22, 2016 conversation he had with Russian ambassador Sergei Kislyak, leaking it to the Washington Post on Jan. 12, 2017, sending the FBI to ask about it on Jan. 24, 2017—all resulting in Flynn’s firing, prosecution and guilty plea, that he has since motioned to withdraw.

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Michael Patrick Leahy Explains HIPAA and Questions the Legality of Governor Bill Lee’s Memorandum of Understanding Regarding Positive COVID-19 Patients

Julie Carr

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. – host Michael Patrick Leahy gave his commentary on Tennessee Governor Bill Lee’s recent order allowing COVID-19 test results of private citizens to be released to local law enforcement. He examined whether this was constitutional or a statutory violation of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) of 1996’s privacy rule.

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Biden Denies Knowing Anything About Flynn Investigation Before Admitting He ‘Was Aware’

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Presumptive Democrat Presidential nominee Joe Biden denied knowing anything about the investigation into Michael Flynn until he was reminded that he was in the room at the White House with other top Obama officials on the day the matter was discussed.

Biden’s memory was jogged by ABC’s George Stephanopoulos during an interview on “Good Morning America,” Tuesday.

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Tennessee Officials: April Revenues Decline Sharply, Likely Because of COVID-19

Chris Butler

Tennessee Department of Finance and Administration Commissioner Butch Eley announced Tuesday that revenues for April were less than the monthly revenues from the previous year. according to the department’s press release.

Overall state revenues for April were $1.3 billion, which is a negative growth rate of 39.75 percent compared to last year and $693.8 million less than the state budgeted, the press release said.

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Commentary: Minority Communities Stand to Lose the Most Because of Judge’s ESA Decision

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Next time you hear progressives talk about how they are the ones who are sticking up for minority communities, ask them to square their opposition to educational freedom – or the ability for families to customize their child’s education.

Progressives cheered this week as Nashville Chancellor Anne C. Martin ruled that the state’s education savings account program is “unconstitutional” because of an obscure section in our constitution where it talks about “home rule.”

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Trump Halts Federal Retirement Investments in Chinese Funds

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President Donald Trump will cut the federal government’s retirement fund investments in Chinese equities, according to a Monday letter obtained by Fox Business.

The White House does not want federal employee retirement funds to have money invested in Chinese equities, national Security Adviser Robert O’Brien and National Economic Council Chair Larry Kudlow said in a letter to U.S. Labor Secretary Eugene Scalia Monday.

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POLL: Biden’s Support Among Women Drops After He Denies Sexual Assault Allegations

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Former Vice President Joe Biden’s favorability rating is dropping among women amid an increase in media coverage of Tara Reade’s sexual assault allegations, a national poll found Tuesday.

Biden’s net favorability rating among women slid 6 points since April, leaving the former vice president with a 44% positive and 46% negative rating, according to a Morning Consult poll published Tuesday.

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Kerry Roberts: Now Is a Great Opportunity for Gov. Lee to Show Leadership by Un-Declaring the Tennessee State of Emergency and Put People Back to Work

Julie Carr

On Tuesday’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 welcomed his weekly regular guest and all-star panelist Tennessee state Senator Kerry Roberts (R-Springfield) to the newsmakers line.

During the second hour, Roberts weighed in on Governor Lee’s recent order which allowed law enforcement access to private citizens’ COVID-19 test results. He expressed his disagreement with the order and suggested Lee show leadership by undeclaring a state of emergency.

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Judge in Michael Flynn Case Isn’t Tossing Charges Just Yet

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The federal judge handling the case against Michael Flynn signaled Tuesday he is not yet ready to grant the Justice Department’s request to throw out charges against the former national security adviser.

Emmet G. Sullivan, a district judge in Washington, D.C., said that he will allow for the submission of amicus curiae briefs, in which individuals and organizations who did not take part in the case can argue for or against the Justice Department’s request to withdraw charges against Flynn.

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Speaker Pelosi’s Coronavirus Bill Includes Billions for Eligible Illegal Aliens

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Speaker Nancy Pelosi introduced her party’s coronavirus relief package, which includes billions of dollars in carve outs for illegal aliens, grants to sanctuary cities, and other protections for the undocumented community.

House Democrats released the HEROES Act on Tuesday, a bill that provides a total of $3 trillion in stimulus funds to state and local governments, along with other industries affected by the coronavirus pandemic. The legislation — which was not negotiated with the GOP or the Trump administration — includes $500 billion for state governments and $375 billion for local governments.

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Ohio Reevaluating Policy About Ohioans Who Refuse to Work Amid Coronavirus After a Recent Hack on Its Unemployment Website

Zachery Schmidt

Ohio officials are rethinking the policy of removing unemployment benefits for workers who refuse to work during the COVID-19 ordeal, according to the cleveland.com.

On Friday, VICE reported someone hacked into the state’s unemployment benefits system website. This hack allowed people to send “junk data” to part of the website where employers “can report employees who quit or refuse work when it is available due to COVID-19.”

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Knoxville Opts Out of Controversial Practice of Sharing Personal Data of COVID-19 Patients with Police

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The City of Knoxville said Tuesday it will opt-out of sharing the names and addresses of COVID-19 patients with law enforcement following a statewide controversy over the practice.

Mayor Indya Kincannon and Police Chief Eve Thomas said that the Knoxville Police Department will leave a state program that allows law-enforcement officers across Tennessee to access a database of persons who have tested positive for COVID-19.

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