Police: Protest Outside Hawley Home Not ‘That Big of a Deal’

The Vienna Police department who responded to protestors who gathered outside of Sen. Josh Hawley’s (R-Mo.) Virginia home Monday evening said “people were peaceful” and left after officers explained local picketing laws, contradicting Hawley who said protesters had threatened his family and “vandalized” his door.

Protesters gathered outside Hawley’s Northern Virginia home in response to his announcement that he would be opposing President-elect Joe Biden’s Electoral College victory, The Hill reported.

Read the full story

University of Tennessee at Chattanooga Assistant Football Coach Fired for Tweet Criticizing Stacey Abrams

University of Tennessee at Chattanooga’s (UTC) assistant football coach, Chris Malone, was fired for a tweet criticizing Democratic activist Stacey Abrams. Due to her voting rights organizations and work mobilizing voters, Abrams was given much of the credit for the projected wins of Georgia’s two Democratic Senate candidates during the runoff elections this week. 

The tweet was published just before midnight on Tuesday. Malone’s Twitter account has since been deactivated.

Read the full story

Paul’s Annual Report Details More Than $54B in Wasteful Federal Government Spending

Congress “spent as never before, doing so ostensibly without a care” in 2020, greatly contributing to what is now a $3.1 trillion deficit, Sen. Rand Paul, R-Kentucky, argues in his annual wasteful spending report.

At the same time, initial 15-day lockdowns to stop the spread of the coronavirus turned into nearly year-long lockdowns, Paul said, “wreaking havoc on Americans’ health, sanity, and economy, while also empowering petty tyrants across the country.”

Read the full story

Tennessee Senate Considers Bill to Allow First Responders to Live Outside the Jurisdictions They Serve

State Senator Brian Kelsey (R-Germantown) on Wednesday filed SB 29 which would allow first responders to live where they choose, the Tennessee Senate Republican Caucus said in a statement.

Kelsey posted on the caucus’ Facebook page, “This is a public safety bill. It will enable us to hire more police officers, which will help us fight our rising crime rates.”

Read the full story

Capitol Police Say Four Dead, 52 Arrested at Wednesday’s Massive ‘Stop the Steal’ Rally

Washington, D.C. police announced Wednesday that four people died during riots following the Stop the Steal rally on Capitol Hill.

Rioters stormed the United States Capitol building Wednesday, committing acts of vandalism and postponing the certification process as members of Congress were forced to evacuate the building.

Between Wednesday night and Thursday morning, authorities have made at least 68 arrests, police announced Thursday. Five of these arrests were for illegal possession of firearms, and two people were arrested for other weapons, police said. Police also said they arrested 28 additional people for violating curfew.

Read the full story

New Jobless Claims Come in at 787,000, Economists Expected 815,000

The number of Americans filing new unemployment claims stayed at 787,000 last week as the economy continued to suffer the effects of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, according to the Department of Labor.

The Bureau of Labor and Statistics (BLS) figure released Thursday represented no change in the number of new jobless claims compared to the week ending Jan. 2, in which there were also 787,000 new jobless claims reported. Roughly 19.2 million Americans continue to collect unemployment benefits, according to the BLS report Thursday.

Read the full story

Rollout Leaves More Than 70 Percent of COVID-19 Vaccines Unused

More than 70 percent of COVID-19 vaccines have gone unused, still sitting in freezers US health officials said on Monday.

In Daytona Beach, hundreds of senior citizens camped out in their vehicles in chilly overnight temperatures in the low 40s to secure a place in a vaccination line Tuesday morning, a day after seniors jammed the roads to the vaccination site,  NBC Miami reported.

Read the full story

Biden Says Black Lives Matter Protesters Would ‘Have Been Treated Very Differently’ Than Capitol Rioters

President-elect Joe Biden on Thursday said Black Lives Matter activists would “have been treated very, very differently” if they had stormed the Capitol instead of President Donald Trump supporters.

“No one can tell me that if it had been a group of Black Lives Matter protesting yesterday, there wouldn’t — they wouldn’t have been treated very, very differently than the mob of thugs that stormed the Capitol,” Biden said during a speech in Wilmington, Delaware.

Read the full story

Commentary: It’s Time for Mitch to Go

Senator Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), who currently holds what I suppose we now call the Office of the Outgoing Senate Majority Leader, has to go. He’s a man unsuited for the times. The results prove it.

It is McConnell who has been the architect of Republican defeat in the Senate. Heading into the 2016 election, there were 54 Republican senators. After the election there were 52. Then, in 2018, McConnell backed the disastrous candidacy of Martha McSally for an open seat in Arizona. It was McConnell who picked her and crowded out other viable candidates. That year McSally lost by 2.4 percentage points to Kyrsten Sinema while, at the same time, Republican Doug Ducey cruised to a nearly 15-point win as Arizona’s governor. 

Read the full story

Senator Kelly Loeffler Concedes to Raphael Warnock

United States Senator Kelly Loeffler (R-GA) conceded her race to Democrat challenger Rev. Raphael Warnock Thursday evening. 

“I want to thank every Georgian, and every single American who believed in me and our campaign,” Loeffler said in a video posted on her Twitter page. “We accomplished so much in a short time. From delivering relief to hard-working Georgians during this pandemic, to funding our rural hospitals and healthcare, advocating for our farmers, our veterans, for school choice and families, for standing up for conservative American values.” 

Read the full story

Senator Kelly Loeffler Reversed Decision to Object to Electoral College Results Following Capitol Riots

Senator Kelly Loeffler reversed course following the riots at the Capitol, accepting rather than objecting as promised to the Electoral College certification. Her acceptance of the results also followed her projected loss to Democratic candidate Raphael Warnock in their runoff election.

Loeffler shared that the protestors who breached the barricaded Capitol grounds and infiltrated the Capitol itself were the reason why she changed her decision.

Read the full story

Jim Renacci Holds Town Hall Meeting to ‘Plan Ohio’s Future’

  Former United States Representative from Ohio’s 16th congressional district, Jim Renacci, held a special town hall meeting on Thursday to “plan Ohio’s future.” “I want to talk about yesterday,” began Renacci.  “As someone who served in the House, and even though I wasn’t there yesterday, it is a moment I will never forget.”  The former congressman continued by saying people who broke the law weren’t Trump people, Biden supporters, Democrats or Republicans, they were “criminals who broke the law and should be prosecuted to the fullest extent.” Renacci, a Republican, is Chairman of Ohio’s Future Foundation, a policy organization he began after the 2018 election.   Renacci began the 2018 election by competing for the Republican nomination for Governor but left that race to compete for one of Ohio’s seats in the U.S. Senate. Despite winning the GOP nomination, Renacci lost the general election to current U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown (D). “Many are concerned about DC,” said Renacci, who spent eight years in the U.S. capital city but left because he realized “it was broken.”  The state gives the federal government excess power and the primary reason, according Renacci, is that Ohio borrows money from the feds. The Ohio Checkbook,…

Read the full story

All Four Virginia Republican Congressmen Challenge Pennsylvania’s Electors

All four of Virginia Republican congressmen voted in support of objections to at least one state’s electors, joining 147 Republican representatives from across the country, according to The Washington Post. Congressmen Ben Cline (R-VA-06), Bob Good (R-VA-05), Morgan Griffith (R-VA-09), and Rob Wittman (R-VA-01) all voted to support objections to Pennsylvania’s electors. Of the four, Wittman was the only one who did not also support a challenge to Arizona’s electors. The objections for both states were defeated, and objections to other states did not have enough support in the 117th Congress to go to a vote.

Read the full story

Retired Judges Select Eight Citizens to Serve on Virginia Redistricting Commission

A selection committee of five retired judges on Wednesday chose the eight citizens who will serve on the Virginia Redistricting Commission, completing the membership determination process for the newly-implemented body tasked with proposing plans for redrawing the Commonwealth’s 111 congressional and legislative districts.

The judges met for several hours on Wednesday morning and had to come up with the eight names from a pool of 62 finalists.

Read the full story

Dominion Energy Announces Equity Scholarship for Minority College Students

Utilities provider Dominion Energy has announced $500,000 in 2021 scholarships aimed at helping underrepresented minority high school seniors or graduates enrolling in college or vocational schools for the upcoming academic year.

“We have partnered with historically black colleges and universities for nearly 40 years, offering volunteer and financial support,”  Dominion Energy’s Executive Chairman Thomas F. Farrell, II, said in a press release. “This scholarship program is another way for us to support the students who will one day lead our nation.”

Read the full story

Five Virginians Arrested for Alleged Involvement in Wednesday D.C. Unrest

Five Virginians were arrested Wednesday for involvement in unrest at the nation’s capital on Wednesday. A U.S. Capitol Police (USCP) press release states that Cindy Fitchett and Douglas Sweet, both from Virginia’s Middle Peninsula, were arrested for alleged unlawful entry. According to a list from the department, Washington D.C. Metropolitan Police  (MPD) arrested three other Virginians, including Daniel Clavijo for an alleged curfew violation and Julian Snell and Timothy Wolfe for allegedly carrying a pistol without a license. The USCP have jurisdiction over Capitol grounds, while the MPD has jurisdiction over the rest of the city.

Read the full story

Henrico Public Schools Delay Return to In-Person Learning Because of COVID

Henrico County Public Schools (HCPS) announced on Tuesday that the division is delaying the return to in-person learning for pre-kindergarten and elementary school students until the end of January because of the area’s current COVID-19 numbers.

HCPS Superintendent Amy Cashwell made the announcement and discussed the subsequent changes to the timeline for returning to the classroom in an online message to families.

Read the full story

Georgia House Speaker Announces New Special Election Integrity Committee; Fellow Legislator Questions Motives

Georgia House Speaker David Ralston (R-Blue Ridge) will select a committee to address election integrity, but a fellow legislator questioned his motives. 

During a press conference on Thursday, Ralston revealed that the General Assembly would address election law reforms as early as next week. He noted that he would appoint a special committee to undertake election integrity reforms and investigations to ensure confidence in future elections.

Read the full story

Analysis: How the GOP Lost Control of Washington, and What Comes Next

Washington DC

ow that Democrats are poised to control the White House, Senate and House, the traditional game of finger-pointing and recrimination will begin inside the GOP.

The first instinct for politicians will be to assign blame, call names and jockey for position. But the 2020 election wasn’t just an election, it was a political watershed in which the rules and strategy for winning were rewritten.

Read the full story

Congress Affirms Biden Electoral College Votes; Trump Agrees to ‘Orderly Transition’

A joint session of Congress, completing its work in the early morning hours of Thursday after lawmakers had been forced to flee their chambers by a violent invasion of the Capitol, affirmed that Joe Biden will be the next president of the United States.

The proceedings concluded shortly after 3:30 a.m. EST, drawing to a close an chaotic day in the nation’s house of laws that saw one person shot dead inside the building after some rioters breached its security during a massive rally to support President Trump.

Read the full story

Star News Network Working to Restore Tens of Thousands of Posts Deleted from Facebook

Tens of thousands of posts containing news stories from The Star News Network’s Facebook pages were temporarily deleted Wednesday. 

“Hi, we are currently experiencing an issue with Facebook and because of that the sharing is stopped and your Facebook accounts are paused,” a third party software used by The Star News Network to schedule and post stories to social media said by email.

Read the full story

Commentary: Win or Lose on the Electoral College, President Trump Showed America How to Get Tough with China

The House and the Senate will convene in a joint session of Congress on Jan. 6 to hear any and all objections to the Dec. 14 outcome of the Electoral College in favor of Joe Biden, with challenges expected in Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.

This is President Donald Trump’s last chance to reclaim the White House, but win or lose on Wednesday, the President has already served America with one of the most consequential single terms in our country’s history.

Read the full story

‘Burn It Down’: Rioters Threaten to Light Portland Precinct on Fire, Damage Police Cruisers

A group of rioters in Portland threatened to burn down a law enforcement precinct, hurled projectiles at officers and damaged police cruisers on Wednesday, authorities said.

Roughly 50 violent demonstrators, some of whom donned gas masks and shields, chanted “burn it down” in reference to a law enforcement headquarters in the city, according to a press release. Members of the crowd destroyed surveillance cameras outside of the precinct, tried to rip down a fence and used spikes to slash the tires of cop vehicles, the Portland Police Bureau (PPB) wrote.

Read the full story

Federal Operation to Remove Violent Criminals in Memphis Deemed Success

The U.S. Justice Department has announced the results of Operation LeGend, which first launched in Missouri and then expanded to several cities, including Memphis. “Operation Legend removed violent criminals, domestic abusers, carjackers and drug traffickers from nine cities that were experiencing stubbornly high crime and took illegal firearms, illegal narcotics and illicit monies off the streets,” said former Attorney General William Barr, in a press release that the U.S. Justice Department released Wednesday.

Read the full story

FEMA Approves Disaster Declaration for Nashville After Christmas Day Bombing

Tennessee will receive federal assistance in response to the bomb that exploded in downtown Nashville on Christmas morning after the Federal Emergency Management Agency approved a disaster declaration Tuesday.

Gov. Bill Lee formally requested a disaster declaration in a letter to President Donald Trump dated Dec. 25. Lee told reporters last week President Trump called him to express concern about the bombing and he intended to approve the disaster request.

Read the full story

Apple CEO’s Pay Increased by Nearly 30 Percent During Pandemic

Apple Chief Executive Officer Tim Cook’s annual compensation increased by 28% in 2020 even as the coronavirus pandemic sparked a recession, according to filings.

Tim Cook’s 2020 compensation totaled $14.7 million, which was mainly comprised of performance-based pay, according to Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filings released Tuesday, Business Insider reported. While the coronavirus pandemic sparked a recession in the spring, Apple consistently reported positive financial figures including increased revenue and growth throughout 2020.

Read the full story

Virginia Progressive Prosecutors for Justice Call for More Criminal Justice Reform

A group of Commonwealth’s Attorneys has released a letter to the General Assembly calling for more criminal justice reform. In the letter, the Virginia Progressive Prosecutors for Justice (VPPFJ) call for automated expungement of criminal records, ending mandatory minimum sentences, ending cash bail, abolishing the death penalty, and ending the “three-strikes” felony enhancement for petty larceny.

Read the full story

Commentary: Is Biden’s Team Rooting for Red China?

What if the real winner of November’s presidential election was Red China?

China apparently sees it that way. Its Global Times mouthpiece rejoiced that Joe Biden had selected “a group of ‘elites’” who would be “very ‘predictable’ in foreign policy with a multilateral mind-set.” A prominent Chinese professor, in a now-purged speech, lamented China’s loss of influence during Donald Trump’s presidency – but enthused, “now we’re seeing Biden was elected, the traditional elite, the political elite, the establishment, they’re very close to Wall Street,” and noted that “Biden’s son has some sort of global foundation. . . . There are a lot of deals inside all these.”

Read the full story

Biden to Pick Merrick Garland for Attorney General

Joe Biden will nominate federal appeals court judge Merrick Garland to serve as attorney general, according to Politico.

Biden’s decision comes after Democrats appear in striking distance of taking control of the Senate following runoff elections in Georgia on Tuesday. Raphael Warnock is projected to defeat Republican incumbent Kelly Loeffler. Democratic candidate Jon Ossoff is currently leading David Perdue, a Republican incumbent who holds the other seat in Georgia.

Read the full story

Despite Heavy Left-Wing Credentials, Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff Say They Will Serve All Georgians

Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff, despite their connections to socialists and other members of the political left, told Georgians this week that they will act in all state residents’ best interests. Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger’s website reported that, with 100 percent of the vote collected, incumbent U.S. Sen. David Perdue (R-GA) lost to Democratic challenger Jon Ossoff. Perdue got 49.79 percent of the vote, or 2,195,755 votes. Ossoff got 50.21 percent or 2,214,178 votes.

Read the full story

Virginia State Senator Amanda Chase on D.C. Rally: ‘It Was Very Heartwarming’

State Senator Amanda Chase (R-Chesterfield) was present at the Washington, D.C. rally on Wednesday morning, and she told The Virginia Star that it was a historic day after historic voter fraud.

“It was very heartwarming,” Chase said. “The people that were there, they were good people. They were patriots, they love their country, they were there to peacefully show support. They weren’t there for destructive purposes at all.”

Read the full story

Minnesota Gov. Walz to Loosen COVID-19 Restrictions; Gazelka Previews 2021 Session Priorities

Lawmakers kicked off the 2021 legislative session at noon on Tuesday, one day before Gov. Tim Walz is expected to announce loosening restrictions on indoor dining and other settings after an improvement in the state’s number of COVID-19 cases.

Senate Majority Leader Paul Gazelka, R-East Gull Lake, told The Center Square in a phone interview one priority is to craft a new two-year state budget without raising taxes on gas, sales, or income. 

Read the full story

Virginia 30 Day Fund Partners with Barstool Fund, Providing Support to Struggling Businesses

Pete Snyder’s Virginia 30 Day Fund has a new partner, the Barstool Fund, which is funding businesses who are still paying their employees even though they aren’t making enough to stay open.

“I’ve been ranting and raving lately about the plight of small businesses in the United States,” Barstool Sports Founder David Portnoy said in a video. “New York City just shut down in door dining. It’s like, ‘How do you expect these people to survive? How are restaurants going to survive?'”

Read the full story

Governor Northam Appoints Dr. Danny Avula to Lead Virginia’s Vaccination Program

Virginia Governor Ralph Northam has appointed Dr. Danny Avula, director of the Richmond City and Henrico County health departments, to lead the Commonwealth’s ongoing COVID-19 vaccination program.

Northam made the announcement during a coronavirus press briefing on Wednesday afternoon, the first time he has provided updates on the virus to the public in the new year.

Read the full story