Day: September 4, 2020

Constitutional Experts to Joint Ad Hoc Committee on Emergency Powers: The Legislature is the Check on Executive Powers

Laura Baigert

In Thursday’s meeting of the Joint Ad Hoc Committee to Study Emergency Powers, two experts on constitutional law said, that with the deference the courts afford the executive branch, it is up to the Tennessee General Assembly to put checks on the broad powers of the governor during an emergency.

In the second of three meetings, committee members heard testimony from seven individuals:  Glenn Reynolds, Professor of Law, University of Tennessee; Larry L. Crain, Crain Law Group; Herbert H. Slatery III, Attorney General of the State of Tennessee; Patrick Sheehan, Director TEMA; Dr. Lisa Piercey, Commissioner, Tennessee Department of Health; Clark Milner, Deputy Counsel to Governor Bill Lee; Brent Easley, Legislative Director to Governor Bill Lee.

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Commentary: Antifa Aren’t Revolutionaries -They Serve the Powers That Be

Admin

Antifa rules the streets of Portland and sows chaos in many other American cities. Millions of Americans don’t like Antifa, but many struggle to figure out who these black-masked radicals really are.

Conservatives like to call Antifa “fascist” or the modern-day successor to the Ku Klux Klan. Liberals will insist either that Antifa is a nonexistent, right-wing fantasy or that they’re secret white supremacists out to discredit the “peaceful” protesters. 

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Oregon Coronavirus Fund May Violate Constitution by Excluding Non-Black Applicants, Experts Say

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A COVID-19 relief fund for African-Americans operated out of Portland, Ore., with federal tax dollars may run afoul of both the Constitution and 1964 Civil Rights Act if it excludes non-black applicants, legal experts warn.

The Oregon Cares Fund for Black Relief + Resiliency said it seeks to offer “economic relief for the Black community, who are among Oregon’s most vulnerable groups due to systemic divestment and disparities widened and exacerbated by COVID-19.” The program is administered by two local nonprofits, the Contingent and the Black United Fund of Oregon.

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Operation Legend Made 2,000 Arrests, Seized Around 182 Pounds of Drugs Since July, DOJ Says

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Operation Legend, a federal initiative to combat murder and violent crime in major U.S. cities, has recorded over 2,000 arrests and seized large quantities of narcotics since the program’s July inception, according to the Department of Justice.

A total of 147 people have been arrested for homicide, 544 firearms have been seized and around 182 lbs (83 kilograms) of narcotics, including heroin, cocaine, meth and fentanyl, have been removed from the streets during the operation, according to a Thursday Department of Justice press release.

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Majority of Voters Prefer Pandemic Decisions be Made at the Local and State Levels

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A majority of registered voters in America favor pandemic-related policy decisions be made at the state and local levels, according to a new Just the News Daily Poll with Scott Rasmussen.

Just over 50% of voters would prefer “letting state and local officials determine the appropriate policies for their communities,”  while 37% favor “a national shutdown of the economy that closed all but essential businesses.”

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Facebook Will Ban New Political Ads One Week Before the Election to Curb Misinformation

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Facebook announced Thursday that it would bar any new political ads from its platform in the final week before the election.

The social network also said that it would remove any measures attempting to dissuade people from voting and would block any candidate’s attempts to claim false victories before official results have been reported, The New York Times reported.

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House Committee Advances Bill Allowing for Early Release of Violent Offenders Through Earned Sentence Credits

Jacob Taylor

The House Committee on Courts of Justice advanced a bill Wednesday that would allow for the early release of violent offenders by implementing a new earned sentence credit program.

The bill bars prisoners convicted of capital murder and most acts of violence involving minors from earning credits, but, conversely, includes first-time offenders convicted of first-degree murder, kidnapping, carjacking, rape and child pornography, among others.

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Ohio FEMA Camps – Still More Questions Than Answers

Jack Windsor

The Ohio Star reported on September 3 that Ohio Department of Health (ODH) Interim Director Lance Himes released an order on August 31 – an order creating Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) shelters and legalizing their use for people who “are unable to safely self-quarantine in their place of residence and to isolate those diagnosed with or showing symptoms of COVID-19.”

The non-congregate FEMA sheltering will be utilized throughout the state for people, according to the examples given by Himes, who “test positive for COVID-19 who do not require hospitalization but need isolation (including those exiting from hospitals); those who have been exposed to COVID-19 who do not require hospitalization; and asymptomatic high-risk individuals needing social distancing as a precautionary measure.”

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Michigan Conservative Coalition to Host ‘Back the Blue’ Event in Frankenmuth

Jordyn Pair

The Michigan Conservative Coalition (MCC) will be holding a MAGA Back the Blue event on September 13 that will feature a classic car and biker cruise and a flyover in Frankenmuth, Michigan.

The event, which will run from noon to 4 p.m., will be raising money for the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund and local law enforcement K-9 Units. The Trump Unity Bridge, a touring support team for President Trump, will also be in attendance.

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Del. Rob Bloxom Commentary: Virginia Democrats’ Bill Proposals Are ‘Nothing Short of Shocking’

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The Virginia House of Delegates was under Republican control for more than twenty years. This year, the Democratic party is in control of the House of Delegates, along with the Senate, and the Governor’s Mansion. This is the first time in three decades in which one party has had complete control.

The Republicans left the present Democrat controlled house with the title of being the number one rated state to do business, according to CNBC. We were also rated the third safest state in which to live and first in recidivism in the United States.

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COVID-19 Precautions Might Help Prevent the Flu, Experts Say

Eric Burk

Winter is ending in the Southern Hemisphere and country after country — South Africa, Australia, Argentina — had a surprise: Their steps against COVID-19 also apparently blocked the flu.

“Both seasonal flu and COVID-19 are spread by droplets and both have a respiratory impact,” explained Julie Grimes, Public Information Officer for the Virginia Department of Health.

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State Rep. London Lamar Says She Knows Who Really Vandalized Graceland, but She Refuses to Say More

Chris Butler

State Rep. London Lamar (D-Memphis) said this week that Black Lives Matter and groups wanting to defund the police did not vandalize property in Memphis — presumably referring to Graceland — and she knows who really did it.

The Tennessee Star contacted Lamar’s office by phone and email Thursday and asked who she thinks really vandalized Graceland and what evidence she had to back that up.

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