Day: August 4, 2020

Tennessee Will Host The National Constitution Bee, Grand Champion Set to Win $25,000 Education Scholarship

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The Star News Education Foundation announced Wednesday the first ever National Constitution Bee competition will take place on Saturday, October 24 in Brentwood, Tennessee, where the Grand Champion will be awarded an unprecedented education scholarship of $25,000.

In addition to the announcement, organizers have launched a new website, GuidetotheConstitution.org, where Bee contestants may review the new podcast series of the groundbreaking book, The Guide to the Constitution and the Bill of Rights for Secondary Students.

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Commentary: Thanks to Leftist Mob Violence, Gun Control is Dead

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This summer has answered the question, “why would somebody ever need an AR-15 or a high-capacity magazine?” As the Left continues to advocate for ending private ownership of military-style rifles, Americans can also see that powerful rifles are turning up in the possession of violent rioters and looters. In this video, one can clearly see Raz Simone, then a noted leader within Seattle’s “Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone”, handing out an expensive, tricked-out AR-15 to a complete stranger. Simone somehow went from an Airbnb host to a Tesla-driving, arsenal-distributing mogul in the space of a few weeks.

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President Trump Fires Tennessee Valley Authority Chair Over Hiring of Foreign Workers, Caps TVA CEO Pay at $500k

The Associated Press

President Donald Trump said Monday that he had fired the chair of the Tennessee Valley Authority, criticizing the federal-owned corporation for hiring foreign workers.

Trump told reporters at the White House that he was formally removing chair Skip Thompson and another member of the board, and he threatened to remove other board members if they continued to hire foreign labor. Thompson was appointed to the post by Trump.

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Manny Sethi Says Trump Should Fire Dr. Anthony Fauci; Bill Hagerty Says President Can Manage His Own Staff, Chinese Communist Party Responsible for COVID-19

Chris Butler

U.S. Senate candidate Manny Sethi on Monday called on U.S. President Donald Trump to fire Dr. Anthony Fauci, and he also blasted Facebook and Twitter for censoring information about the use of hydroxychloroquine.

This, according to a press release that Seth sent via email.

“I’ve had about enough of this guy Fauci. If I’m President Trump, I call Dr. Fauci into the Board room and tell him, ‘You’re fired,” Sethi said.

“Instead of having a plan to protect the most vulnerable among us and allowing us to get to herd immunity, he called for total lockdown. His plan did incredible damage to our economy. Fauci failed, and now he wants us to double down on failure again by completely destroying what’s left of our economy.”

U.S. Senate candidate Bill Hagerty, Sethi’s opponent, told The Tennessee Star in an email Monday that he does not believe Fauci has done a good job advising Trump.

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Commentary: TikTok is Just the First Chinese App the Trump Admin is Eyeing for Crackdown Over Spying

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TikTok Social Media

Two days after President Trump told reporters that he plans to ban TikTok from the United States, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo suggested in an interview with Fox News that executive action may soon be taken against many other apps owned by Chinese firms.

Trump remarked to journalists aboard Air Force One on Friday that he could ban TikTok “with an executive order,” suggesting that the president has made up his mind about the popular short video platform. TikTok, which is owned by Chinese tech conglomerate ByteDance, has been at the center of a months-long debate over whether the data that it collects from American users could be exploited by China’s government.

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Sen. Rand Paul Says Sen. Marsha Blackburn ‘Must be Confused’ About Ad He Cut for Manny Sethi

Chris Butler

U.S. Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) said Monday that U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) misunderstood him when he faulted Republicans who represent Tennessee in one or both houses of Congress and said they vote like Democrats.

Paul suggested to The Tennessee Star Monday that he had criticized another prominent Tennessee Republican —not Blackburn.

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Trump’s Campaign Manager Says Debates Should Happen Before Early Voting Begins: ‘We Want Them Sooner’

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President Donald Trump’s campaign manager called Monday for more presidential debates, saying that they should begin earlier than planned.

During an interview with “Fox & Friends” Monday morning, Bill Stepien said that the current debate schedule, which is set to begin Sept. 29, will prevent voters in early-voting states from seeing the two candidates go head-to-head before casting their ballots.

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Virginia Judge Bars Lee Statue Removal for 90 Days

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A judge on Monday dissolved one injunction preventing Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam’s administration from removing an enormous statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee in Richmond but immediately instituted a new one in a different lawsuit.

The new 90-day injunction issued by Richmond Circuit Court Judge W. Reilly Marchant bars the statue’s removal while the claims in a lawsuit filed by a group of Richmond property owners are litigated.

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Ohio Elections Chief Frank LaRose Seeks Openness for ‘Dark Money’ Groups

The Associated Press

The source of money contributed to so-called “dark money” groups operating in Ohio and trying to influence the political process should be disclosed, with possible penalties for violating this requirement including a low-level felony and a substantial fine, Ohio’s Republican elections chief said Monday.

The Secretary of State should also have subpoena power for campaign-finance related records and groups trying to block the gathering of ballot initiative signatures should be required to register with the state, said Secretary of State Frank LaRose.

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Governor Lee Signs Executive Order Allowing Contact Sports, Extending Local Authority to Mandate Masks

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Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee has signed an executive order that permits contact and noncontact sports in the state, extends the authority of local governments to mandate face coverings, and extends liability protections for health care providers.

No sports are now prohibited in Tennessee, as long as participants follow safety guidelines from their governing bodies or Tennessee Pledge COVID-19 safety guidelines.

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U.S. House Passes ‘Minibus’ Appropriations Bill that Includes Billions for Ohio and the Great Lakes Region

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A massive appropriations bill the U.S. House passed includes billions in federal spending proponents say will benefit Ohio and the Great Lakes region.

H.R. 7617, a $1.3 trillion “minibus” package, contains six appropriations measures for various federal agencies — including the defense, justice, transportation and energy departments — for the 2021 fiscal year. The House passed the bill by a vote of 217-197.

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Police Tell Minnesota Citizens to ‘Be Prepared’ as Two Prisons Close

Ben Kolodny

Citing financial woes The Minnesota Department of Corrections (MNDOC) will be closing two prisons.

Prisoners from the Togo and Willow River prisons will be transferred to other facilities and  100 employees will be laid off as a result of the move. These cuts come only a few weeks after 48 Department of Corrections Employees were let go in response to budget concerns resulting from the coronavirus. 

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Whitmer Closes Bars Statewide, Restricts Indoor Gatherings to 10 People

Jordyn Pair

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer on Thursday suspended indoor bar services statewide and limited indoor gatherings to 10 people, citing “super-spreading” events in Lansing, Saline and the Torch Lake area.

“After seeing a resurgence in cases connected to social gatherings across the state, we must further limit gatherings for the health of our community and economy,” Whitmer said in a statement. “By taking these strong actions, we will be better positioned to get our children back into classrooms and avoid a potentially devastating second wave.”

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Commentary: Your Family Won’t Be Safe in Joe Biden’s America

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America stands at a great crossroads, resting between two divulging paths in its journey. One of these pathways leads toward lawlessness, the path’s air filled with the smell of fire and sight of ash –  the guaranteed end of this path is the destruction of not only America’s heritage, but also her prosperous future. There is a second path, a road which has always guided America: the pathway of law and order.

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Minneapolis City Planning Commission Votes to Add Commemorative Sign for George Floyd

Corinne Murdock

The Minneapolis City Planning Commission voted unanimously Monday evening to add a commemorative sign reading “George Perry Floyd Jr. Place”, dedicating two blocks of Chicago Avenue to memorialize the May 25th killing. If fully approved by the city council, the sign will be placed between 37th Street East and 39th Street East. Along with the recent grant to preserve current George Floyd memorials throughout metro, many other memorial measures are occurring throughout the nation.
Guest speaker Matt Hanan with Minneapolis Public Works Transportation Engineering and Design introduced the proposal, along with its original applicant: Public Works’ Director Robin Hutcheson. Despite some news coverage that the two blocks along Chicago Avenue would be renamed “George Perry Floyd Jr. Place”, the application only proposes to add a secondary, distinctive sign for Floyd alongside the current street signage.

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Law Criminalizing Use of False Language in Campaign Literature Ruled Unconstitutional by Davidson County Judge

Sam Medley

A group that called a political candidate “literally Hitler” in a flyer won its case challenging a law that criminalizes the use of “false language” in campaign literature. The judge presiding over the case, which was heard Thursday, called the law “incompatible with the First Amendment.”

Tennesseans for Sensible Elections Laws (TSEL), an organization that describes itself as “a nonpartisan group of concerned citizens who care about protecting Tennessee’s democratic process,” was subject to criminal penalties for a political flier claiming that Representative Bruce Griffey was “literally Hitler.”

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