Month: May 2020

State Rep. Bruce Griffey Requests AG Opinion on Constitutionality of Governor Lee’s COVID-19 Executive Orders

Laura Baigert

In a five-page letter to the state’s attorney general dated May 12, state Representative Bruce Griffey (R-Paris) requested a legal opinion as to the constitutionality and authority of Governor Bill Lee in issuing executive orders in response to COVID-19.

In a press release about his inquiry, Griffey explained, “When I ran for office, I ran on a platform of small government, limited government – a campaign platform I intend to honor. Moreover, when I took my oath of office, I swore to not only support the Tennessee Constitution but also to not consent to any act or thing that shall have a tendency to lessen or abridge the rights and privileges of the people of this state as declared by the Constitution of this State. I intend to uphold my oath of office, and defend the Constitutional rights of Tennesseans and protect them from government over-reach.

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University of Minnesota Students File Civil Rights Complaint Against School Alleging Misuse of Student Fees

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Two students filed a civil rights complaint against the University of Minnesota for misuse of student fees and “worship[ing] the great god of political correctness.” Along with a student group called Viewpoint Neutrality Now!, students Evan Smith and Isaac Smith claim student fees being used to fund nine cultural centers in Coffman Union with subsidized space is unconstitutional, reported the Minnesota Daily.

Viewpoint Neutrality Now! is not officially recognized as a campus organization at UMN, but it is an association of students who pay student fees and “support and advocate for viewpoint neutrality and other reforms.” The students say that the current system has offered “preferential treatment” to nine cultural groups receiving student fees in that they are offered free lounge space in the student union.

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Democrats’ $3 Trillion ‘Relief’ Package Declared Dead-on-Arrival, Republicans Say

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A new Democratic bill proposed by U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), without input from Republicans or the Trump administration is “dead on arrival,” top Republican leaders say.

The White House has said it wants to wait and see how the $3 trillion Congress already allocated will impact the economy and help Americans suffering from the economic shutdown due to the coronavirus.

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Emory Professor Xiao-Jiang Li Admits to Chinese Spy Ring Involvement

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A former professor at Emory University pleaded guilty to filing false tax returns by failing to disclose $500,000 in income from Chinese sources.

The professor, Xiao-Jiang Li, worked at two Chinese universities as part of China’s Thousand Talents Program, according to the Department of Justice. Li was ordered to pay $35,089 in restitution and sentenced to one-year probation.

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Author Ben Teitelbaum Discusses the Reception of His Book ‘War for Eternity’

Julie Carr

In a special interview 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.- Leahy and Carmichael welcome back Ben Teitelbaum who wrote the book called “War for Eternity: Inside Bannon’s Far-Right Circle of Global Power Brokers.”

During the third hour, Teitelbaum described his personal politics and admitted that because of its complex nature it was difficult for him to find a home within one political ideology. He went on to describe how his book has been received by different political points of view noting that it was the Jeb Bushes and Paul Ryans of the world that particularly seemed disturbed with Steve Banon.

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Facebook Is Giving $1,000 to Content Moderators Who Said Online Trolls Turned Them into Conspiracy Theorists

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Facebook agreed to pay out a $52 million settlement to thousands of current and former content moderators who said they are suffering from post-traumatic stress syndrome after viewing upsetting content on the job, The Verge reported Tuesday.

Each moderator will receive a minimum of $1,000 and will be eligible for additional compensation if they are exhibiting other trauma due to the kind of content they regularly view, the report noted. The settlement applies to 11,250 moderators, some of whom told The Verge in 2019 that they became conspiracy theorists while moderating content people post online.

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Conservatives Say Obhof’s Canceling Session Before Acton Vote is ‘Betrayal’

Jason M. Reynolds

Conservatives are using words like “betrayal” to describe Ohio Senate President Larry Obhof’s late-night move to kill a vote on a bill to curb Dr. Amy Acton’s unrestrained powers in shutting the state down, and suggests he had an ulterior motive.

The Senate will not act this week on Senate Bill One pulling back the Health Department director’s powers, meaning it will likely fail, Fox 19 Now reported. The Senate is only having committee meetings this week and will hold a session next week.

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Ohio Supreme Court Upholds Law on Takeovers of Underperforming Schools

Jordyn Pair

The Ohio Supreme Court recently upheld a law that changed how the state intervenes with schools that consistently perform poorly. The court ruled on Wednesday in favor of the constitutionality of a law that shifts the operational control of a poorly-performing school from the elected school board to unelected CEOs hired by state-appointed academic distress commissions.

Youngstown, Ohio, argued that the law stripped school boards of its power, according to AP News. The court said the school boards are currently set up in a way that does not require school board to receive any specific power.

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Gov. Tim Walz Signs Six Bills, Skips Mail-in Election Bill

Jordyn Pair

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz signed six bills into law on Tuesday on legislative topics ranging from health to underage marriage.

One law extends the funding used to increase testing capacity for the coronavirus pandemic, as well as ensure there are hospital beds and personal protective equipment. Another requires drug makers to provide a “detailed rationale to the state” for large price increases for drugs that cost $100 or more for a 30-day supply. A third prohibits marriage by residents in the state under age 18.

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Gov. Tim Walz Extends Peacetime Emergency Order Until Mid-June

Zachery Schmidt

Gov. Tim Walz announced late Wednesday that he will extend Minnesota’s peacetime emergency order for thirty days.

“Our actions have saved lives, but the threat of COVID-19 remains,” Walz said. “The next stages of this pandemic are going to challenge us – an extension of Minnesota’s peacetime emergency will allow us to protect Minnesotans’ health and wellbeing and continue to respond effectively to this rapidly-evolving situation.”

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Nashville Has Reportedly Suffered the Steepest COVID-19 Consumer Spending Drop in the Nation

Laura Baigert

Nashville has suffered the steepest drop in consumer spending of any major metropolitan area in the U.S due to COVID-19, according to a report Wednesday in the Nashville Business Journal.

The Journal used information obtained from Harvard’s new Opportunity Insights Economic Tracker, working with Brown University and the Bill & Melinda Gates foundation to pull data from a variety of sources.

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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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Commentary: It Was President Barack Obama Who Targeted Michael Flynn

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Obama targeted Flynn

From the beginning of the Russia – Trump collusion hoax we have had the somewhat contrarian view that the entire operation was as much or more about Obama and his people getting back at LTG Mike Flynn than it was about stymieing the Trump agenda.

General Flynn’s must-read book, Field of Fight, is a searing indictment of Obama’s policies in the Near East and Afghanistan. It was also a damning indictment of Obama’s pro-Muslim supremacist policies that downplayed the cultural and constitutional threat of importing vast numbers of Muslims to America.

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Crom Carmichael: Nashville is Heading the Wrong Way by Following the Disastrous Financial Route of Democrat Controlled Illinois

Julie Carr

Monday 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 in studio by all-star panelist Crom Carmichael.

At the end of the third hour, Carmichael discussed how Illinois is a government fiscally out of control even though it is one of the highest taxed states in America. He warned that if Nashville doesn’t fix its obvious ails that the city will go by the way of Illinois’s financial ruin.

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Bill Hagerty Releases Video Critical of the World Health Organization

Chris Butler

U.S. Senate candidate Bill Hagerty has released a video critical of the World Health Organization.

This, after President Donald Trump announced he’s halting all funding for the group.

Hagerty said in a statement that the video features a timeline exposing the WHO’s efforts with the Communist Chinese regime to hide valuable information related to the Wuhan coronavirus and calling for a full investigation.

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Report: DNI Grenell Wants to Unmask the Obama Officials Who Unmasked Michael Flynn

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Richard Grenell, the acting director of national intelligence, visited the Justice Department last week seeking to declassify documents related to Obama administration officials’ unmasking of Michael Flynn in transcripts of phone calls he had with Russia’s ambassador, ABC News is reporting.

Grenell is asking the Justice Department to declassify a list of names of officials involved in the unmasking process, a senior intelligence official told ABC.

Unmasking refers to a process where top U.S. government officials can request information on American citizens picked up during electronic surveillance of foreigners. Flynn was unveiled as taking part in a Dec. 29, 2016 phone with Sergey Kislyak, the Russian ambassador.

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Eighteen Attorneys General Call for Congressional Probe into China’s Efforts to Mislead the World About Coronavirus

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Eighteen Republican attorneys general called for a congressional probe on Friday into China’s deliberate concealment of the severity of the coronavirus outbreak at its onset.

“Recent reports suggest that the communist Chinese government willfully and knowingly concealed information about the severity of the virus while simultaneously stockpiling personal protective equipment,” stated the letter from South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson, which 17 other state attorneys general cosigned.

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New American Populist Founder Jeff Webb Criticizes Governor Lee’s Decision to Give COVID-19 Patient Data to Law Enforcement: It’s a Pattern of Government Overreach

Julie Carr

Live from Memphis on the newsmakers line Monday morning, New American Populist founder Jeff Webb 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.– to discuss his concerns about government overreach amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Pennsylvania Counties Go Rogue, Ignore State Shutdown Orders

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Officials from several counties across central Pennsylvania said over the weekend they likely will lift pandemic restrictions against Gov. Tom Wolf’s orders.

The news follows the governor’s decision Friday to transition 13 counties in the southwestern region of the state – including the Pittsburgh metro area – to the yellow phase of his economic reopening plan after showing signs of slowing community spread and ramped up testing and contact tracing abilities.

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Cherry Health, CBS News Slammed for Adding Staffers to Coronavirus Testing Line

Jordyn Pair

A Michigan health system and CBS News have come under fire after Project Veritas revealed that a line for a COVID-19 testing site was staged for television cameras.

Cherry Health and CBS News denied directing staffers to form a line to appear as patients for a coronavirus testing site before later reversing their statement and saying that the staffers were in line to “provide a visual backdrop.”

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Whitmer Extends Driver’s License, Vehicle Registration Expiration for Second Time

Jordyn Pair

  Gov. Gretchen Whitmer temporarily extended the expiration of various identification and vehicle-related documentation during the pandemic for the second time, the governor announced late last week. The order extends the expiration of state identification cards, driver’s licenses, operator endorsements and vehicle registration to July 31. The documentation must be originally set to expire between February 1 and July 30 to fall under the extension. “Nobody should have to stress about renewing their drivers license or state ID card, or worry about their auto insurance coverage during a global pandemic,” Whitmer said in a statement. “By extending this executive order, we’re lifting that burden off Michiganders’ shoulders so they can focus on staying home and staying safe.”  The order protects Michigan residents from penalties for driving on expired licenses or permits, Whitmer’s office said. The protections do not extend to drivers with suspended or revoked licenses or those whose diagnoses have changed or expanded since their last medical certificate was issued. The order also requires that drivers complete driver’s license or vehicle registration renewals online “to their best of their ability.” Friday’s order is a continuation of a previous order in mid-April that also extended the expiration of licenses and registrations. That order was originally set to end…

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