Day: June 12, 2020

Nashville’s Recent George Floyd Rallies Could Spread COVID-19 Further, Medical Expert Warns

Chris Butler

The people in Nashville who either attended or marched at any of the recent rallies honoring George Floyd are at risk of catching COVID-19, according to Meharry Medical College President James Hildreth.

Hildreth said this at a press conference Thursday. Nashville Mayor John Cooper stood nearby as Hildreth said this. Two weeks ago, Cooper attended a George Floyd rally at Legislative Plaza and, in so doing, seemed to violate his own restrictions on how many people may gather in one place.

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Gov. Bill Lee Says He Will Not Tolerate Anarchy at Planned ‘Defund the Police’ Protest

Chris Butler

Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee said Friday afternoon that state officials will not entertain any criminal behavior at a demonstration scheduled for 5 p.m. today at Legislative Plaza.

Organizers have scheduled the event, which they call “Free Capitol Hill” at 5 p.m. Central today. In a Facebook flyer organizers do not address the venue as “Legislative Plaza.” Instead they refer to the landmark as the “Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone (Formerly Legislative Plaza).”

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Commentary: White America Reckons with Black Lives Matter

Admin

Scenes of largely white crowds across the world demonstrating in support of Black Lives Matter in the wake of George Floyd’s murder are reminiscent of another watershed moment in America – The 1960s civil rights revolution, in which white America finally awakened to the plight of blacks in this country. What followed was an upheaval in American society that forever changed the political landscape.

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Commentary: Defund Conservatism, Inc. to Make America Great Again

Admin

It was fascinating to watch Tucker Carlson call out Heritage Foundation President Kay James for her recent op-ed at Fox News. James added her voice to the politically correct chorus, informing us that racism is “a cancer in America” and “our Achilles’ Heel that has afflicted us for 400 years.” Some people, myself included, would like to know, who are these racists James speaks of? Are they the people on the Heritage board who appointed her? Are they people who work for Heritage or are in the conservative movement, even people who identify with the America First agenda? She should name names.

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Manny Sethi Releases New Ad Addressing What He Calls Liberal Hypocrisy on COVID-19 Restrictions

Chris Butler

U.S. Senate candidate Manny Sethi released a new ad Thursday entitled “Leftwing Lockdown.”

“For the last three months liberals said social distancing is so important, you deserve to be arrested if you go out to eat or go to church with too many people. They destroyed small businesses and ruined lives,” Sethi said in an emailed press release.

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Carol Swain Has a Direct Message for the President of the United States

Julie Carr

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. –  host Leahy welcomed Dr. Carol Swain to the studio.

During the second hour, Swain called on President Trump to listen to his gut and that only he can demand law and order now. She added that politically correct advisors in the White House have the president’s ear and that he needs better advisors in the next administration if he wants to protect America.

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Commentary: Defunding and Abolishing the Police Are Attempts to Overthrow the Government and Instill a New Order

Admin

America is on the brink.

In the wake of the murder and manslaughter of George Floyd by former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, and in the nationwide protests and sometime riots that have already claimed 21 lives, there is a growing movement to defund or even to abolish the police in municipalities across America in pursuit of “alternatives” to public safety.

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Cutting Police Funding Will Lead to Understaffing, Reduced Training, Union Official Says

Admin

A top official at a major police union said calls to defund the police will cause serious constraints on everything from department personnel to how officers are trained.

Vice President Emeritus of the International Union of Police Associations (IUPA) Dennis Slocumb said he’s concerned about additional burdens levied on departments that are already grossly understaffed in an interview with the Daily Caller News Foundation on Tuesday. The 32-year law enforcement veteran said more training is the answer to some police blunders, but adequate instruction is wishful thinking if departments don’t have the money to do it.

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Dem Leaders in Seattle Surrender to the Mob, Allow Antifa Goons to Take Over Part of the City

Admin

The weak Democrat leaders of Seattle have surrendered to the antifa mob, boarding up a police facility, allowing unruly radicals to flood a city council building, and even take over a large section of the city.

Hundreds of far-left agitators and at least one City Council member stormed Seattle’s City Hall Tuesday night to demand the mayor’s resignation if she refuses to defund the city’s police department.

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These Are the Police Officers Shot During the Riots

Admin

At least twelve police officers have been shot in the line of duty as riots and protests raged throughout the country following the death of George Floyd.

Floyd was a black man who died May 25 after a Minneapolis police officer knelt on his neck for several minutes, video of the incident showed. Derek Chauvin, the officer who knelt on Floyd’s neck, has been fired and arrested on second-degree murder and manslaughter charges.

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Declassified Intelligence Report Shows FBI Withheld Key Details About Steele Dossier

Admin

FBI officials left key details about former British spy Christopher Steele and his infamous dossier out of a newly declassified Intelligence Community Assessment regarding Russian interference in the 2016 election.

The two-page document, which Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe declassified this week, describes Steele’s allegations about possible links between the Trump campaign and Russian government. It says that an FBI source — Steele — had provided information thought to be credible regarding Russia’s goals in meddling in the election.

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Swain and Leahy Take Listener Calls Concerning Trial Suspension and Coordinated Election Year Chaos

Julie Carr

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. –  host Leahy welcomed former Nashville mayoral candidate and all-star panelist Dr. Carol M. Swain to the studio.

At the end of the third hour, Leahy and Swain took calls from a local attorney and a current high school student. Both callers had individual points to make in terms of trial suspensions and election-year Democratic dramatics.

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State Senate Ignores Millions of Dollars Disability Fraud in Tennessee

Laura Baigert

A bill that would make it a requirement for the state to cooperate in investigations of millions of dollars of disability fraud occurring within Tennessee was ignored this week by the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Disability fraud can involve exaggerating or faking an illness or disabilities, filing multiple applications, concealing work or other activities, all of which cost the state and the federal government millions of dollars every year.

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U.S. Senate Passes Marsha Blackburn Co-Sponsored Bill to Protect Free Speech on American College Campuses

Chris Butler

This week the U.S. Senate passed the Concerns Over Nations Funding University Campus Institutes in the United States (CONFUCIUS) Act by unanimous consent, which U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) co-sponsored.

The legislation addresses concerns about Confucius Institutes suppressing free speech on American college campuses. John Kennedy (R-LA), Doug Jones (D-AL) and Chuck Grassley (R-IA) also co-sponsored the bill.

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After Protesters Tear Down Columbus Statue, Minnesota Lt. Governor Welcomes Removal

Anthony Gockowski

The protesters and activists who tore down a statue of Christopher Columbus outside the Minnesota Capitol Wednesday faced virtually no resistance from state leaders or law enforcement.

In fact, after the statue was toppled over, Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan said Minnesota “is long overdue for a hard look at the symbols, statues, and icons that were created without the input of many of our communities.”

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Ramsey County Board Wants COVID Morgue Relocated, Worried About ‘Taboo of Dead Bodies’

Anthony Gockowski

The Ramsey County Board of Commissioners expressed its “alarm and concern” regarding the state’s recent purchase of a commercial facility in St. Paul for the storage of deceased COVID-19 patients.

“On behalf of the Ramsey County Board, we are writing to express our alarm and concern regarding your decision to purchase the former Bix site for use as a morgue during the COVID-19 emergency. We fear that this location will only exacerbate the challenges facing the surrounding community, which is already one of the poorest, most vulnerable, and most disinvested in Minnesota,” the board said in a letter sent last week to Homeland Security and Emergency Management Director Joe Kelly.

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Michigan Publishes Data on Coronavirus Cases in Long-Term Care Facilities

Jordyn Pair

The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services is now providing data about the confirmed cases of coronavirus in long-term care facilities such as nursing homes on its website.

During a reporting period between June 3 and June 10, 98 percent of skilled nursing facilities in Michigan gave reports on the number of confirmed coronavirus cases in their facilities, according to the MDHHS website. The numbers are expected to be updated daily.

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Ohio House Democrats Send a Letter to DeWine Asking for the Stoppage of Police Tear Gas Usage

Zachery Schmidt

Rep. Janine Boyd (D-Cleveland Heights) along with other Ohio House Democrats sent a letter on Tuesday to Gov. Mike DeWine asking that tear gas usage be banned.

“During the past week, tear gas, pepper spray and mace have all been used by police against peaceful protestors in Columbus, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Toledo, Dayton and Akron,” the letter says. “We are extremely concerned about the use of tear gas and other chemical agents, which are banned under the Geneva Protocol, on the general population and the dangerous impact these agents may have on public health.”

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Whitmer Touts Report Showing Stay-At-Home Order Decreased Infection Rate Even As Experts Warn of Second Wave

Jordyn Pair

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer touted her stay-at-home policies on Thursday after a new report showed a drop in infection rates after the implementation of the orders, even as the report itself warns that the pandemic is not yet over.

The Imperial College COVID-19 Response Team released a report on May 24 detailing how stay-at-home orders and other interventions impacted the infection rate in individual states in the U.S. The report shows that Michigan’s rate of infection fell as Whitmer instituted various polices such as closing restaurants and schools. It continued to fall when she instituted a stay-at-home mandate on March 23, crossing the threshold of infection rates fewer than one around March 30.

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Minnesota Unemployment Claims Continue Upward Trend

Admin

More than 29,209 Minnesota workers joined the ranks of the unemployed in the week ending June 6, bringing the total number of state residents filing unemployment claims to 439,782 since government restrictions were put in place to slow the spread of COVID-19.

Week-over-week, Minnesota witnessed an increase of nearly 7,555 new claims from the prior week, during which 21,654 new claims were reported.

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Liberal Group Calls on Nashville Police Chief to Resign, More Council Members Support Move

Anthony Gockowski

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Tennessee called on Metro Police Chief Steve Anderson to resign in a statement released Wednesday.

“Over the last ten days, tens of thousands of Nashvillians have stood together in peaceful protests to express their outrage over the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis. These powerful protests highlight the outrage over the enduring and deep-rooted problem of racist policing and structural racism in the United States,” the group said in its statement.

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