Month: December 2020

Teachers and Educational Staff Moved Up into First Phase of Vaccine Priority List

Corinne Murdock

The Tennessee Department of Health (TDH) announced Wednesday that it would be moving teachers and educational staff up on the vaccine priority list. TDH estimated that teachers and educational staff may receive vaccines starting around February or March of 2021.

This updated plan for vaccine distribution occurs in months-long waves: Phases 1a1, 1a2, 1b, 1c, 2a/b, and 3. Teachers and educational staff fall into Phase 1b. The last several phases don’t have projected dates as of yet. Those who qualify solely through age-based criteria will be eligible to receive their vaccine beginning in Phase 1a2, starting with those over 75 years old.

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McConnell Ties $2,000 Checks to Section 230 Repeal, Voter Fraud Investigation

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Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell introduced legislation authorizing direct cash payments of $2,000 Tuesday, but with a catch to which Democrats will likely object.

The bill combines $2,000 payments with a repeal of Section 230, a provision that grants social media companies liability protections against content users post on their platforms, and the establishment of a commission to study allegations of voter fraud in the 2020 election.

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Feds at Nashville Bomb Site Announce Plans to Finish Crime Scene Work

Chris Butler

Federal officials said they may soon complete the crime scene where a massive Christmas Day explosion damaged at least 41 businesses on Second Avenue and collapsed one building. “FBI Evidence Response Teams and the ATF National Response Team members continue to recover evidence at the blast scene in downtown Nashville,” sad FBI Special Agent Jason Pack in a press release that Metro Nashville officials published Wednesday.

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ER Nurse Tests Positive for COVID-19 After Receiving Pfizer Vaccine

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An emergency room nurse tested positive for COVID-19 over a week after getting the Pfizer vaccine, an ABC affiliate reported Monday.

A 45-year-old ER nurse identified as Matthew W., works for two hospitals San Diego, California, tested positive for COVID-19 eight days after receiving the vaccine, though experts say he could have been exposed prior to receiving the vaccine, 10 News reported.

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Analysis: Federal Tax Overhaul Increased Taxes on Wealthy in Many Blue States

The Center Square

The 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, harpooned by progressive Democrats as a handout to wealthy corporations, turned out to be more progressive in practice, new data from the federal government revealed. 

The federal tax reform measure supported by President Donald Trump increased taxes on some wealthy property owners in high-tax jurisdictions such as Illinois and New Jersey and decreased tax burdens on the middle class. 

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United Kingdom Approves AstraZeneca Coronavirus Vaccine

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The United Kingdom became the first country to approve AstraZeneca’s coronavirus vaccine as the nation combats a sharp spike in confirmed cases.

The vaccine, developed in partnership with Oxford University, can be stored at much warmer temperatures than other approved candidates. Its approval followed an official recommendation from Britain’s Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency, and the country has already purchased 100 million doses, the company said in its statement.

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Questions Surrounding Administration of ‘Rollover’ Absentee Ballots in Fulton County Remain Unanswered Days Before Georgia U.S. Senate Runoff Elections

Peter D'Abrosca

Just days before the statewide U.S. Senate runoff in Georgia, confusion over obtaining absentee ballots remains. 

“Georgians who are over the age of 65, members of the military or are physically disabled have the option of receiving absentee ballots for an entire election cycle by submitting a single application,” Atlanta radio station WABE reported in November. 

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Georgia Milestones End-of-Course (EOC) Exams Not Weighed During COVID-19 School Year, But Will for 2020-21

Tiffany Morgan

  The Georgia Department of Education (GDOE) unanimously voted to approve State School Superintendent Richard Woods’ recommendation of a .01 percent course grade weight for Georgia Milestones End-of-Course (EOC) exams for the 2020-21 school year. The exam is a part of state and federal requirement. According to Meghan Frick of the GaDOE Communications Office, it is a federal requirement to take one-time exams – from third grade to senior year – in math, English language arts, science, and social studies. Woods proposed earlier in the year to relax federal requirements for standardized tests due to the pandemic but was denied by U.S. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos. Due to the impact COVID-19, students and teachers had to adapt to the new regulations and procedures to focus on new ways of learning and teaching in a virtual manner; instructed by the state and DOE. “I wish to thank the State Board of Education for their unanimous support of this proposal,” Superintendent Woods said. “I firmly believe this is the right thing for kids – we must ensure students and teachers are not penalized for circumstances beyond their control.” A public survey was conducted by the Department and participants had a total of…

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Michigan Gov. Whitmer Signs $106 Million COVID-19 Relief Bill

The Center Square

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer on Tuesday signed the $106 million Enrolled Senate Bill 748, which includes $55 million to assist the state’s small businesses and $45 million for laid off and furloughed workers.

Whitmer also signed bipartisan Senate Bill 604, which extends unemployment benefits for Michiganders from 20 to 26 weeks until the end of March 2021. SB 604 was sponsored by state Sen. Curtis Hertel.

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Princess Blanding Announces Third-Party Run for Virginia Governor

Jacob Taylor

Community activist and mental health advocate Princess Blanding, whose brother was fatally shot by Richmond Police in 2018, announced her entrance into the 2021 Virginia governor’s race on Tuesday as a third-party candidate, joining a group of hopefuls featuring former and current state politicians.

Blanding, 38, will be running as an independent candidate under the Liberation Party, whose mission to advance equity by uplifting traditionally underserved and oppressed communities, according to a press release.

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Ohio AG Yost Files Brief in Favor of Religious Schools, Says Health Department Orders Unconstitutional

Jack Windsor

Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost filed an amicus curiae brief with the United States 6th Circuit Court of Appeals backing three Ohio Christian Schools and a community organization who brought a lawsuit against the Toledo-Lucas County Health Department.  The department issued an order barring in-person learning for all students in grades 7-12 from December 4 to January 11.

Monclova Christian Academy, Emmanuel Christian, St John’s Jesuit and Citizens for Community Values (CCV) are the plaintiffs.    The Court demanded a response from Toledo-Lucas County Health Department on Tuesday, December 29.

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Biden and Harris to Stump for Warnock, Ossoff in Georgia Ahead of Senate Runoffs

Corinne Murdock

Democratic candidates Joe Biden and Kamala Harris will visit Georgia to support the Senate election runoff candidates, Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff, next week.

Biden and Harris will arrive in the days preceding the runoff elections, according to a press release from their team. Harris will precede Biden by a day, showing up to Savannah on Sunday. Biden will arrive on Monday in Atlanta. 

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$50 Insulin Co-Pay Cap Goes into Effect in Virginia in 2021

Eric Burk

Monthly co-pays for insulin will be capped at $50 on January 1 in Virginia, thanks to HB 66, which the General Assembly passed in Spring of 2020. Politicians from both parties have called for strategies to make insulin more affordable. Delegate Lee Carter (D-Manassas) introduced the bill, initially calling for an even lower co-pay cap of $30 that was later amended to $50.

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Georgia Senate Hearing on Election Integrity Concludes with Order for Fulton County to Turn Over All Absentee Ballots to Investigators

Corinne Murdock

Georgia State Senate Judiciary Subcommittee held another hearing on election fraud on Wednesday. Chairman William Ligon (R-GA-White Oak) oversaw the hearing.

Witnesses testified to multiple variants of election integrity issues, including the voting machines, voting systems, poll workers and adjudicators, and even the printed QR ballots themselves. A consistent message throughout the testimonies reflected a lack of helpfulness from the secretary of state’s office.

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More Than 1,200 Citizens Apply for Virginia Redistricting Commission

Jacob Taylor

The application window for citizens to apply for the Virginia Redistricting Commission closed on Monday and a final tally from the Virginia Public Access Project (VPAP) showed that 1,238 Virginians are interested in serving on the extremely important and influential panel.

Just two weeks ago, however, only 88 citizens had applied for the commission since November 30 and Virginia Division of Legislative Services (DLS) Director Amigo Wade said they received 600-650 applications during the final days before the deadline.

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Georgia GOP Alleges Jon Ossoff Promoted Chinese Propaganda Outlet After Stint as National Security Aide

Chris Butler

Members of the Georgia Republican Party alleged this week that U.S. Senate candidate Jon Ossoff’s ties to China run deeper than originally thought. Specifically, Georgia GOP officials, citing a new article in The Washington Free Beacon, said Ossoff once encouraged Twitter users to follow China state media. This happened in November 2012, according to Ossoff’s own Twitter feed.

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Sen. Josh Hawley Announces He Will Contest Electoral College Certification Next Week

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Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) announced Wednesday that he will object on Jan. 6 when Congress meets to certify the results of the Electoral College vote.

“At the very least, Congress should investigate allegations of voter fraud and adopt measures to secure the integrity of our elections,” said Hawley in a statement. “But Congress has so far failed to act.”

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Mimi Groves’ Lawyer Contradicts University of Tennessee Over Viral Video: ‘She Was Forced Out’

Corinne Murdock

Mimi Groves is the epicenter of a social media backlash over a three-second video taken three years ago. According her new lawyer, Groves was forced by the University of Tennessee (UT) to withdraw, and the person who originally posted the viral video was her friend.

CNN legal analyst and former federal prosecutor, Shanlon Wu, defends college students in university proceedings. He took on Groves as a client this past summer, long before The New York Times released their article on the incident the day after Christmas. The renewed focus centered on Galligan’s role in making the clip go viral.

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Commentary: Heroes, Villains, and Victims of the 2020 Horror Show

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The year began with so much optimism.

Record low unemployment, rising wages, and a strong stock market buoyed the outlook for business owners and consumers alike. The president earned all-time high approval ratings following the Democrats’ impeachment farce. In February 2020, Republicans enjoyed a seven-point lead over Democrats in party affiliation, an advantage the GOP hadn’t seen in at least 15 years. The Democratic presidential primary field was a clown show; party elders publicly worried that none of the candidates could prevail over President Trump in November.

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Supreme Court to Hear Challenge to California Farmers’ Case Against Government-Sanctioned Invasion of Private Property

The Center Square

The U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to hear a case brought by the Pacific Legal Foundation on behalf of Cedar Point Nursery and Fowler Packing Company asking it to invalidate a California regulation requiring union employees to enter private property for roughly 360 hours a year.

The plaintiffs are suing the California Agricultural Labor Relations Board (CALRB), its chairman, two board members and executive secretary, arguing a state regulation allowing union organizers to access private property for the purposes of soliciting support violates the Fourth and Fifth Amendments to the U.S. Constitution. When doing so, the unions are authorizing “a seizure and taking of possessory interests in private property, including the right to exclude others,” the plaintiffs argue.

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Tennessee’s Representatives Split on Party Lines for $2K CASH Act: Republicans Vote No, Both Democrats Vote Yes

Corinne Murdock

The U.S. House passed the Caring for Americans with Supplemental Cash (CASH Act) last evening; Tennessee’s representatives faced a partisan split on the bill. The act tacks on $1,400 to the $600 payments within the massive year-end package signed by President Trump on Sunday.

The CASH Act passed in the House with a majority of 275 to 134, and 21 abstained from voting. One of the representatives who abstained their vote was Representative David (Phil) Roe (R-TN-01). Of all House Republicans, 44 voted for the act, and 130 voted against it.

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Bernie Sanders to Filibuster Defense Bill Override Unless Senate Votes on $2,000 Checks

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Vermont Independent Sen. Bernie Sanders said that he will filibuster a Senate override of President Donald Trump’s military bill veto unless the chamber votes on legislation providing $2,000 checks to Americans.

“McConnell and the Senate want to expedite the override vote and I understand that,” Sanders told reporters Monday evening. “But I’m not going to allow that to happen unless there is a vote, no matter how long that takes, on the $2,000 direct payment.”

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Commentary: New COVID Checks Could Lead to End of Work as We Know It

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The House has voted to expand direct payments to the American people from $600 per adult and $600 per child in the year-end Covid relief legislation signed into law by President Donald Trump, to $2,000 per adult and $600 per child, a move the President supports.

Under the newly signed law, an average family of four will be receiving a $2,400 check via direct deposit from the U.S. Treasury, coming atop the $3,400 they received in the CARES Act in the spring — a combined $5,800 in 2020 alone.

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In Another Effort to Challenge Electoral College Votes, Rep. Gohmert Sues Vice President Mike Pence

The Center Square

U.S. Rep. Louie Gohmert, R-Texas, sued Vice President Mike Pence in an attempt to challenge the results of some states’ Electoral College votes.

Another attempt is being made by U.S. Rep. Mo Brooks, R-Alabama, who says he and “dozens” of House members plan to challenge some of the Electoral College votes on Jan. 6 when the Joint Session of Congress meets to certify the votes and ratify the president-elect.

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Judge Who Reversed Controversial Voter Roll Cleanup Ruling Is Stacey Abrams’ Sister

Corinne Murdock

Judge Leslie Abrams Gardner blocked two counties from purging over 4,000 voters from the rolls for Georgia’s upcoming runoff elections. Gardner is the sister of Democratic activist and failed gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams. Abrams is the leader of Fair Fight Action, a voter rights organization, and the founder of New Georgia Project, which is under investigation currently by the secretary of state’s office. 

The defendants requested that Gardner recuse herself due to her relationship with Abrams and Fair Fight. Their reasoning concerned Fair Fight’s current engagement in a similar federal court-level lawsuit, filed on the same day last week as their lawsuit. The defendants noted that the lead counsel in both cases are also the same.

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Richmond, Virginia to Start Accepting Proposals for Resort Casinos, Releases Expectation Document

Jacob Taylor

With the release of the Request for Qualifications/Proposals (RFQ/P) document, Richmond can now begin accepting submissions from established operators to build a resort casino in Virginia’s capital city.

Monday’s release of the RFQ/P marks the official start of the months-long competitive process to potentially bring a resort casino to Richmond in the coming years. The document outlines what the city expects from a proposal.

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Stafford County, Virginia Uses Federal Grant to Provide Restaurant Vouchers to SNAP Recipients

Eric Burk

Stafford County is sending some extra cash to its 3,900 Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP) recipients in the form of $150 worth of restaurant vouchers to one of 100 local restaurants. County Board of Supervisors Chair Meg Bohmke said the nearly $800,000 program is the first part of the Stafford Cares initiative, a series of programs aimed at helping the county recover physically, mentally, and financially from COVID-19.

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Senator Mark Obenshain Still Wants More Transparency from Virginia Parole Board

Jacob Taylor

When the Virginia Senate convenes next month in Richmond for its 2021 regular session, Senator Mark Obenshain (R-Rockingham) will continue to push legislation that brings greater transparency and accountability to the state parole board.

With 14 days left until the session starts on January 13, Obenshain has already pre-filed two bills this month relating to the parole board.

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Minnesota Department of Health Guidance Says Masks Will be Required at All Times for Youth Sports

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The Minnesota Department of Health released guidance for youth and adult sports Dec. 28, announcing that games and scrimmages will be able to take place starting on Jan. 14, in addition to practices being allowed beginning on Jan. 4.

Masks will be required at all times for players during both practices and games, with very few exceptions. According to the guidelines, “People are not permitted to remove their face coverings during activities that involve a high level of exertion.”

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Fewer COVID Patients in Hospitals, ICUs and on Vents in Almost Every Region in Ohio

Jack Windsor

  Governor DeWine or Chief Medical Officer Dr. Bruce Vanderhoff spend a portion of press briefings discussing the issue of hospital capacity, often warning Ohioans that if cases continue to climb, hospitals around the state will be overrun and care for other non-COVID patients may be crowded out. Consequently, The Ohio Star dug into the data to unearth the trend in statewide hospital capacity and in each of Ohio’s eight Hospital Preparedness Regions. Based on numbers found on the COVID Dashboard, between December 1 and December 15 cases dropped statewide by 23%, hospitalizations dipped 1% and deaths decreased 35%. The percentage change was not calculated beyond December 15 as the Ohio Department of Health (ODH) has repeatedly advised that numbers take about two weeks to settle – except for numbers reported on the Hospital Key Indicator page, which updates daily. According to the data found on the state website (specifically under the “Key Metrics” tab, then “Hospitalizations” in the drop-down menu) total utilization statewide per inpatient beds, ICU beds and ventilators, is as follows: Inpatient Beds: decreased 1% ICU Beds: increased 1% Ventilators: increased 1% And, the number of COVID patients in hospitals, ICUs and on ventilators between December 16…

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Despite Bravery by Nashville Law Enforcement, Expert Explains Why Public Will Continue to Hear ‘Defund the Police’ Rhetoric

Chris Butler

Certain Nashville activists will continue their “defund the police” rhetoric despite the bravery that law enforcement officers displayed before and after last week’s explosion downtown, said Nashville Fraternal Order of Police President James Smallwood. As reported, a massive Christmas Day explosion damaged at least 41 businesses on Second Avenue and collapsed one building. Nashville Mayor John Cooper praised six uniformed Metro Nashville Police officers who he said saved several lives after they determined that a parked RV in that area was about to detonate.

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Tennessee Man Arrested After Feared Copycat Vehicle Attack

Peter D'Abrosca

Police in Rutherford County arrested a man Sunday afternoon when they feared he was about to perpetrate a copycat attack similar to the Christmas day bombing in downtown Nashville.

“Sheriff’s deputies in Rutherford and Wilson Counties are investigating a box truck parked at a store playing audio similar to the Christmas explosion in Nashville. The driver was stopped by deputies and detained. Residents evacuated. Investigation active,” the Rutherford County Sheriff’s Office (RCSO) said on Twitter.

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Commentary: What’s Next in the Liberal Lockdown Playbook?

Admin

by Tom Rabbe   Count me among the Pollyannas who was sure that when the election was done the pandemic would be “done,” too. November 4 would dawn bright and clear, the thunderheads of contagion looming on the horizon dissipated by a dry air mass of political reality. And I was not alone. None other than President Trump was with me, as were pols and pundits across the conservative landscape who speculated that the draconian restrictions on liberty were as much a political tactic employed by the Left as they were a public prophylactic against viral pestilence. If Biden won, the Democrats would stumble into sanity and downplay the potency of the virus — we need only protect vulnerable populations, those with comorbidities, they would say; everybody else can return to normal. Or they would adopt more amenable metrics for analyzing the crisis — the number of cases doesn’t matter, because practically everybody recovers; it’s deaths caused by COVID alone that are important. They would urge a return to normalcy, and a few months later claim credit for a booming economy. If Trump won, the Dems would see the futility of their political gambit and back off — I told…

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