Day: November 1, 2020

The Prize for the Ukrainian Prosecutor Who Settled Burisma Case Was a Meeting with the Clinton Campaign

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A few months after Joe Biden forced the firing of Ukraine’s chief prosecutor, his son’s company Burisma Holdings courted the replacement with a promise to bring him to Washington to meet with Hillary Clinton’s campaign in the final weeks of the 2016 election, newly released State Department memos reveal.

Burisma’s effort to woo — through its Democrat-tied U.S. lobbying firm — newly installed Ukraine Prosecutor General Yuriy Lutsenko raised concerns at the highest levels of the U.S. embassy in Kiev, where officials tried to talk the prosecutor out of the trip given the fact he was overseeing a probe of the gas company.

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Cumberland County Board of Education Chairman Shrugs off Question About Lifting Mask Mandates in Schools

Jason M. Reynolds

Cumberland County students and teachers are stuck wearing facial coverings for the foreseeable future after the local school board chairman cited procedure as a reason not to reconsider their mask mandates.

During an October 22 Board of Education meeting, member Anita Hale asked if the body would ever reconsider its mask mandate. A recording of the board’s videoconference meeting is available on the Cumberland County Board of Education’s Facebook page here.

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Trump to Hold Ten Rallies in the Final Two Days Before the Election

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President Donald Trump will speak at 10 rallies in the two days before the election, according to his campaign website.

The president will also speak at three rallies on Saturday while Vice President Mike Pence will speak at one rally on Saturday, according to his campaign schedule. Pence will speak in North Carolina while Trump will speak in Pennsylvania on Saturday.

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Never Flagged as a Danger, Nice Attacker Traveled Unimpeded

The Associated Press

The 21-year-old Tunisian behind the attack that killed three in a Nice, France, church had small-time run-ins with the law as a teen, but nothing that alerted Tunisian authorities to possible extremist leanings.

That missing red flag meant that when he eventually was served an expulsion order from Italy, which he reached illegally by boat, he was basically free to go where he pleased. So Ibrahim Issaoui then traveled apparently unimpeded to France.

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Sean Connery, the ‘Original’ James Bond, Dies at 90

The Associated Press

Sean Connery, the charismatic Scottish actor who rose to international superstardom as the suave secret agent James Bond and then abandoned the role to carve out an Oscar-winning career in other rugged roles, has died. He was 90.

Connery’s wife and two sons said he “died peacefully in his sleep surrounded by family” in the Bahamas, where he lived. Son Jason Connery said his father had been “unwell for some time.”

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Convicted Felon in Memphis Used a Firearm to Traffic Drugs, Feds Say

Chris Butler

Federal officials in Memphis have sentenced a man, already a felon, to prison for possessing a firearm, possessing a controlled substance with intent to distribute, and possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.

This, according to a press release that officials with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Tennessee published on their website this week.

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Illinois Authorities Extradite Kyle Rittenhouse to Wisconsin

The Associated Press

A 17-year-old from Illinois accused of killing two demonstrators in Kenosha, Wisconsin, has been extradited to stand trial on homicide charges, with sheriff’s deputies in Illinois handing him over to their counterparts in Wisconsin shortly after a judge on Friday approved the contested extradition.

In his afternoon ruling that rejected Kyle Rittenhouse’s bid to remain in Illinois, Judge Paul Novak noted that defense attorneys had characterized the Wisconsin charges as politically motivated.

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Rep. Steve Cohen and Democrats Accuse White House Press Secretary of Violating Hatch Act

Corinne Murdock

Representative Steve Cohen (D-TN) and other Democrats have accused White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany of violating the HATCH Act. Cohen retweeted an article from The New York Times that accused McEnany of breaking the law.
“Kayleigh McEnany’s violations of the #HatchAct would be a scandal in any other administration,” wrote Cohen. “Grifters and miscreants. Utterly appalling. #CultureOfCorruption”

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Governor Northam to Sign Bill Giving Earned Sentence Credits to Violent Offenders and Sexual Predators

Corinne Murdock

Governor Ralph Northam will sign a bill granting earned sentence credits to violent offenders and sexual predators. Certain inmates will be eligible to reduce their sentencing by up to fifty percent.
The bill, House Bill (HB) 5148, includes those sentenced for certain classifications of murder, rape, robbery, abduction, kidnapping, lynching, terrorism, domestic assault, strangulation, genital mutilation, child pornography, and stalking.

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Biden Calls Trump Supporters ‘Ugly Folks’ at Minnesota Rally

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Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden referred to a large group of pro-Trump counter protesters as “ugly folks” during a rally Friday evening in Falcon Heights, Minnesota.

“Dr. Fauci called for a mask mandate last week. This isn’t a political statement like those ugly folks over there beeping the horns,” said Biden, who has been running on a platform of unifying the country.

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Michigan Fraternity Sued Over Nonbinary, Female Members

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An all-male fraternity at the University of Michigan is being sued by its national organization after accepting nonbinary and female  members.

ABC News reports the lawsuit, which was filed by Sigma Phi Society on Oct. 20 in the U.S. District Court in Detroit, alleges that the conduct of members at UM’s chapter of Sigma Phi has caused “irreparable harm to the valuable Trademarks, including infringement and dilution thereof, and to National Sigma Phi’s image, identity, and goodwill.”

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Ohio Governor Says Guard Will be Ready If Asked on Election Day

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Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine did not hesitate when asked if the Ohio National Guard would be used on election day to help keep the peace. Troops will provide support, although DeWine hopes a need doesn’t arise.

Speaking this week at a news conference to announce $5 billion of help for businesses across the state during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, DeWine said guard troops could be used in the same roles as during summer protests in some cities, as support for local law enforcement.

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Sean Perryman: It’s Time For a New Generation of Leaders to Emerge

Jacob Taylor

Virginia Lieutenant Governor candidate Sean Perryman does not want to use the position as a stepping stone or to be just another cog in the political machine. Instead, he is aiming to lead the Commonwealth by solving key issues currently facing the majority of Virginians.

“Sometimes people look at lieutenant governor as a role where if you sit quietly and don’t offend anyone then you can become governor. I have no interest in that,” Perryman said in an interview with The Virginia Star. “I am going to be very vocal on a set of policies and values that we should be championing, and let the chips fall where they may. I am not going to stifle myself or take a position to further political ambitions, I am going to do what I think is right.”

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Governor Lee Extends State of Emergency Through End of Year

Corinne Murdock

Governor Bill Lee has officially extended the state of emergency for the remainder of 2020.
The executive order followed Lee’s own quarantine due to exposure from the coronavirus. The extension of the order means that Tennessee will receive further federal funding, mayors can continue to implement their own guidelines, and government officials can continue to meet virtually.

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