Former State Rep Nina Turner Announces Ohio Congressional Bid

Former state representative and Sen. Bernie Sanders ally Nina Turner officially announced her bid to succeed Ohio Democratic Rep. Marcia Fudge Tuesday.

Turner, a native Ohioan who has held multiple elected offices in her home state, developed a national profile after backing Sanders during his first presidential bid. Fudge was recently nominated to serve as the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development in President-elect Joe Biden’s administration, and if confirmed by the Senate she will vacate her Cleveland-based congressional seat.

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Georgia’s Ossoff Says Feds Should Ensure Illegal Immigrants Aren’t Paid ‘Less Than Minimum Wage’

Democratic Georgia Senate candidate Jon Ossoff in a Monday campaign video called on federal immigration authorities to ensure illegal aliens aren’t being paid “less than minimum wage.”

“In Georgia’s agricultural sector, the campesinos (farm workers) who work in the fields, enduring some of the most brutal conditions of labor anywhere in this country to keep America fed, paid less than the minimum wage, [are] often subject to abuse by employers,” Ossoff told a group of supporters on the video call.

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Commentary: Taxing Workers for Staying Home Is a Policy Rooted in Envy

Ever since the beginning of the pandemic, working from home is the new normal.

In 2018, just 5.4 percent of the US’s working population worked remotely. By mid-2020, it had turned into reality for 56 percent of the workforce. While not all workers forced to stay home were quick to welcome the change, many learned to enjoy it over time. With state governments beginning another round of lockdowns, it isn’t shocking to see many companies choosing to carry on with remote work.

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‘Vindictive’ Americans for Prosperity Foundation FOIA Lawsuit Targets Conservatives Working to Repeal Section 230

The Koch-backed Americans for Prosperity Foundation (AFPF) has filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) against the U.S. Department of Commerce seeking access to communication records of conservative individuals and groups that are fighting to repeal Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act.

Their FOIA request with Department of Commerce sub-agency, the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) targets “emails,  text messages, and other communications from NTIA Deputy Assistant Secretary of Commerce Adam Candeub, who was recently named to a senior position at the Department of Justice, and others.”

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Here’s Everything We Know About the Hunter Biden Investigation

Hunter Biden, the son of President-elect Joe Biden, is the subject of a probe into possible connections to a prominent Chinese energy firm as well as an investigation into his tax affairs.

The President-elect’s son announced on Dec. 9 that federal authorities in his home state of Delaware were conducting an inquiry into his finances. Hunter Biden’s business dealings with China remains the primary focus of the investigation, which began in 2018, CNN’s Shimon Prokupecz reported.

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Texas Electors Pass Resolution Condemning Supreme Court Ruling as GOP Electors Cast Votes for Trump in Five Swing States

Presidential electors met across the U.S. Monday to cast their vote for president and vice president. In Austin, while Texas electors cast their vote for President Donald Trump, they also approved a resolution to “condemn the lack of action by the United State Supreme Court” for refusing to hear a lawsuit brought against four states by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton.

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Top Silicon Valley Company Leaves California for Nashville

Revance Therapeutics (Revance), a premiere biotechnology company, announced its plans to relocate its headquarters from Newark, California to Nashville. It is the fourth prominent company to depart from Silicon Valley this month.

Governor Bill Lee and Department of Economic and Community Development Commissioner Bob Rolfe shared the news in a joint press release with Revance. According to them, the company will invest over $10 million and create approximately 150 jobs.

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Acclaimed Director and Producer Robby Starbuck to Run Against Representative Jim Cooper in 2022

Robby Starbuck intends to become 2022’s leading Republican candidate, challenging Congressman Jim Cooper (D-TN-05) for his long-held seat. Starbuck is the son of Cuban refugees, husband to musical artist and anti-human trafficking activist Landon Newsom Starbuck, and father of three young children.

Starbuck was the first to announce a campaign run for the 2022 election, just two days after Election Day. This year, no Republican candidates contested Representative Cooper during the election. In an interview with The Tennessee Star, Starbuck explained that he’s running to put working families first in all policies, preserve individual freedoms, and improve Tennessee’s educational system.

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DeKalb County Fails to Produce Drop Box Absentee Ballot Transfer Forms Required by State Election Board Emergency Rule

With the January 5 run-off election for two U.S. Senate seats underway and election practices in Georgia for the November 3 presidential election remaining under intense scrutiny, DeKalb County has failed to produce the drop box absentee ballot transfer forms that are required under a State Election Board emergency rule.

Absentee ballot transfer forms are a critical piece in the chain of custody for votes deposited into the approximately 300 drop boxes deployed throughout the state of Georgia for the November election.  DeKalb County, with its 34 drop box locations, accounted for more than 10 percent of Georgia’s absentee ballot drop boxes.

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The Selection Process for Virginia GOP Delegates, Explained

To vote in the Republican Party of Virginia’s (RPV) nomination of its 2021 candidates, citizens will have to be delegates to the nomination convention. Selecting delegates is a process controlled by local branches of the GOP, called units.

Former Chair of the Republican Party of Norfolk Pam Brown said the easiest way to start the process is to contact the local unit chairman. She said, “You can find that on the RPV site, they have linked email addresses to all the local unit chairmembers, and there’s 110 of them to contact.”

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Fulton County Whistleblower Barred by Officials from Serving as Poll Management or Worker for Georgia Runoff Election

The Fulton County whistleblower who alleged improper ballot processing in an affidavit was removed from working as a poll manager or in any polling positions for the runoff election. It is unclear whether this decision will extend to future elections.

The affiant, Bridget Thorne, appeared on Fox News earlier this month to discuss her allegations of improper vote processing. Thorne worked the election as a Dominion Voting Systems (Dominion) certified technician. In the preceding paragraphs notifying her of the officials’ decision, the letter thanked and commended Thorne for her service.

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Ohio Gov. DeWine, Who Owns Pfizer Stock, Has Received $22,700 in Contributions from the Drug Company Since 2018

  Governor DeWine unexpectedly called a press conference on Monday.  It was the day the Pfizer vaccine arrived in Ohio and DeWine called it “historic,” our “hope” and the “beginning of the end” of COVID.  A video of he and First Lady Fran DeWine can be viewed below as the vaccine shipment arrives via UPS. During the Monday briefing, The Ohio Star asked DeWine about his alleged ties to drug maker Pfizer. The Star asked: Governor, from a viewer, a two-part question regarding your potential ties to drug makers: First, do you own stock in Pfizer and Moderna – and did these companies contribute to your campaign pre, and post, gubernatorial fund? Second, many people have diversified holdings in pharma, so that would be understandable but in the past as a U.S. Senator you received criticism for approving immunization for drug makers from accountability for harm their drugs do – while holding pharma stock. As Ohio Attorney General you received criticism for stock in companies that an AG’s legal action could affect the value of – now as governor, do you see it as a conflict of interest – holdings and contributions – since you are a primary policymaker and…

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Amid Extended School Closures, Athletic Programs to Cautiously Eye Reopening

  Athletic programs and sporting events will be starting back up in the spring sports season– baseball, football, track and additional sports – with strict COVID-19 guidelines in place. In mid-March, Governor Brian Kemp signed an executive order closing all schools for the 2019-2020 school year. The Georgia High School Association (GHSA) published a statement, made by Kemp, postponing the State Literary competitions, which includes extracurricular activities like speech, debate, and theatre. In addition to the suspension of in-person learning in schools, athletic programs, and other competitive events, Kemp’s order – originally set to end at the end of March 2020 – was extended through the end of the 2019-2020 school year. Students’ prom, senior nights, and award ceremonies were cancelled as well. The GHSA published a statement on March 12 from comments, made by Executive Director of the GHSA Dr. Robin Hines about the final decisions to proceed with sports. Hines stated it was up to the local school systems but encouraged to follow guidelines made by the GHSA. By June of 2020, the GHSA released recommendations to open conditioning – which is exercise training to enhance physical performance – for member schools, with restrictions in place, stating, “There…

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Princess Blanding Slams Virginia Governor, Legislators Over Marcus Alert Bill

Princess Blanding, the sister of Marcus-David Peters who was shot and killed by Richmond Police during a mental health crisis, blasted Virginia Governor Ralph Northam and Democratic lawmakers over legislation named after her brother during the bill signing ceremony on Tuesday.

In attendance alongside Northam were the three legislative sponsors of the bill: Senators Jennifer McClellan (D-Richmond City) and Jeremy McPike (D-Prince William) and Delegate Jeff Boure (D-Richmond City).

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Richmond City Council Votes to Rename Jefferson Davis Highway

Following a summer of racial tension and civil unrest in Virginia’s capital, the City of Richmond is continuing its efforts to remove or change public honors related to the Confederacy. 

On Monday night, the Richmond City Council voted to adopt an ordinance renaming a portion of the Jefferson Davis Highway, otherwise known as U.S. Route 1, to the Richmond Highway. 

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Gov. Bill Lee’s Staff Declines to Offer Their Side of the Story on Controversial Nomi Health Contract

The Nashville-based NewsChannel 5 reported this week that Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee wasted millions of dollars of taxpayer money on COVID-19 testing that, ultimately, did not benefit the state. State officials awarded the contract to Nomi Health. NewsChannel 5 reported this as a $26.5 million, no-bid contract. In their report, the station quoted several people who questioned Nomi’s credentials.

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