Nashville Mayor John Cooper has proposed a $474.6 million budget for the next fiscal year, and he said that two-thirds of it will address education and transportation needs. Cooper, in a press release, said this budget “brings overdue investment in the needs of a growing city.”
Read the full storyDay: February 7, 2021
Commentary: How ‘Flatten the Curve’ Became Flatten America
Joe Biden’s prediction of a dark winter is upon us as many Americans struggle under oppressive Covid lockdowns with no end in sight. How did we go from a common-sense plan to “flatten the curve” to the White House calling for continued restrictions even after Americans are vaccinated? In a word: politics. From the moment the virus arrived on our shores, Democrats used it to their political advantage. They have shown by word and deed that they care less about public safety, and more about control.
Read the full storyWhite House Confirms That Hunter Biden Will Divest from Chinese Private Equity Firm
Hunter Biden is in the process of divesting his ownership stake in the Chinese private equity firm BHR Partners, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki confirmed Friday.
The confirmation follows a report from the Daily Caller News Foundation in January that Hunter Biden continues to hold a 10% stake in the firm despite multiple promises from President Joe Biden during his campaign that no one in his family would engage in foreign business if he won the election.
Read the full storyDemocrat-Sponsored PRO Act Would Invalidate Right-to-Work Laws in 27 States
U.S. House and Senate Democrats have reintroduced the PRO ACT, a sweeping pro-union bill that would wipe out right-to-work labor laws in 27 states.
Democrats argue the PRO Act will create safer workplaces and increase employee benefits by expanding union organizing. Those opposed to it argue it will force small businesses to close, cost an untold number of jobs and worsen the economy, and “impose a laundry list of other union boss power grabs.”
Read the full storyMSNBC’s Nicolle Wallace Paints Trump Supporters as Domestic Terrorists; Points Out That Americans Were Droned During GWOT
MSNBC host Nicolle Wallace on Friday likened President Trump and millions of his supporters to domestic terrorists while fondly reminiscing about the days when American citizens overseas were killed by drone strikes during the global war on terror.
Wallace, who served the Bush White House as Communications Director in 2005 and 2006, made the comments during an MSNBC panel discussion about the impeachment trial of former President Trump.
Read the full storyCommentary: Polling and the Truth
The Berlin Tagesspiegel recently went after a young Protestant theologian whom naïve readers might have mistaken for a polite, unassuming scholar. This figure was outed by an academic colleague who discovered that he wrote for “new Right” publications, a term that in the German context should be understood quite broadly.
One of the venues of this putative extremist is Cato, which is a classical liberal magazine known for making fun of political correctness; his other preferred site is Blaue Narzisse, an educational website on which I, too, have discoursed on literary and philosophical topics. One would have to hang out for several years with the squad in order to be inclined to locate either of these literate publications somewhere on the far-Right. But then the German government and German media apply an expansive definition of the enemy—namely anyone not in line with Islamic, feminist, and LGBT activists or who fails to hate the German language and Western culture sufficiently.
Read the full storyFox News Cancels Lou Dobbs’ Nightly Business Show, Lou Dobbs Tonight
Fox News has canceled Lou Dobbs’ show on the Fox Business Network, Lou Dobbs Tonight, and will replace him with a group of rotating hosts.
Dobbs’ show, which has been on since 2011, has been the highest rated show on Fox Business, and had higher ratings than its competition on CNBC.
Read the full storyMusic Spotlight: Becca Bowen
NASHVILLE, Tennessee- Becca Bowen is an up-and-coming country artist whose Southern Belle exterior and tomboy personality have earned her the nickname “Country Barbie.” This personal fitness instructor is the single mother of two teenage girls.
Raised in South Carolina, as a child, she participated in pageants and talent shows – but her weekends were spent fishing and enjoying the outdoors with her grandfather. She is a true tomboy with a tiara.
Read the full storyFormer Knox County Court Clerk Pleads Guilty to Theft
A former employee of the Knox County General Sessions Court Clerk’s office has pled guilty to theft of more than $1,000 after an investigation by the Tennessee comptroller’s office.
The comptroller investigation revealed former deputy clerk Steve Harmon stole at least $6,577 from the office between January and October 2019. Harmon was placed on administrative leave in October 2019 and was fired in November 2020.
Read the full storyAmazon Loses Bid to Delay Unionization Vote at Its Alabama Warehouse
The National Labor Relations Board denied Amazon’s request to delay a unionization vote in its Bessemer, Alabama warehouse and ensure it’s conducted in-person.
In January, Amazon requested that the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) delay the unionization election, arguing that the proposed mail-in ballot election would disenfranchise up to 1,700 workers. The Bessemer, Alabama warehouse’s nearly 5,800 total workers will begin voting in favor or against unionization on Monday.
Read the full storyHawley Amendment Suggests Giving Planned Parenthood’s Federal Funds to Adoption
Republican Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley introduced an amendment Thursday that would transfer federal funds given to Planned Parenthood to federal adoption and maternal health programs instead.
“Instead of abusing obscure Senate rules and procedures to give handouts to their favored constituents, why don’t Democrats work across the aisle to help mothers and children in need,” Hawley asked. “If Democrats are serious about unifying the country, then now is the time to drop divisive, partisan agendas and come together on an issue that all Americans can agree with.”
Read the full storyLaw Firm That Employs Bart Gordon Opens Nashville Office
K&L Gates LLP, the global law firm that employs former U.S. Representative Bart Gordon (D-TN-06), has opened a Nashville office.
K&L Gates announced it has set up a Nashville law office with more than 25 lawyers handling health care, litigation, corporate, intellectual property, finance, and construction, and other specialties.
Read the full storyDemocrats Unveil Bill That Would Limit Section 230 Protections
Democrats have unveiled a bill that would limit Section 230 liability shields for social media companies, Reuters reported.
The SAFE Tech Act, proposed by Sens. Amy Klobuchar, Mazie Hirono and Mark Warner, aims to hold social media companies accountable such as Alphabet Inc’s Google, Twitter and Facebook for “enabling cyber-stalking, targeted harassment, and discrimination on their platforms,” according to a statement, Reuters reported.
Read the full storyGeorgia Legislator Pushes Bill to Preserve Female-Only Sports
Georgia State Rep. Phillip Singleton (R-Sharpsburg) has submitted legislation that he said will preserve female-only sports in Georgia. Specifically, Singleton’s bill would outlaw schools from allowing students whose gender is male from participating in an athletic program designed for females.
Read the full storyVirginia House Passes Bill Hamstringing Landlords
The Virginia House of Delegates Friday passed a bill that will bind landlords to tenants who do not pay rent.
The text of HB 2014, sponsored by Rep. Marcia Price (D-VA-95) says the following:
Read the full storyGov. DeWine Can’t Say When Most Ohioans Can Expect to be Vaccinated
The pace of coronavirus vaccinations is accelerating in Ohio, but Gov. Mike DeWine on Thursday said it was still too early to say when non-priority Ohioans can expect to get a shot in the arm.
There was good news on the vaccine front, DeWine said during one of his regular coronavirus press conferences.
Read the full storyReport: Atlanta’s Debt Burden at $1,900 Per Resident
A recent report found Atlanta’s budget deficit would cost each of the city’s 500,000 residents $1,900 to balance, representing the 26th-lowest tax burden among the 75 most-populous cities in the U.S.
Truth in Accounting (TIA) released its fifth annual Financial State of the Cities analysis last week, examining the financial health of 75 of America’s most-populous cities and calculating how much each resident would have to pay to cover all of their city’s bills.
Read the full storyMinnesota Sees Boom in Gun Sales as New Regulations Loom
The FBI processed 55% more firearm background checks from Minnesota in January 2021 compared to the same month last year.
In the first month of 2020, the Federal Bureau of Investigation processed 56,561 background checks for gun sales through its National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) in Minnesota. In January 2021, that number jumped to 87,538 amid a record-breaking increase in gun-buying around the country.
Read the full storyVirginia House Passes Repeal of Adoption Conscience Clause
The House of Delegates approved Delegate Mark Levine’s (D-Arlington) HB 1932 on Wednesday in a 53 to 43 vote. The bill would remove the child-placement conscience clause which protects child-placement agencies from being forced to place children where it would violate the agency’s moral or religious convictions. Supporters of the bill say it ends discrimination currently protected by the Commonwealth, but Catholic adoption agencies and Republican legislators warn that removing the protection could effectively eliminate thousands of potential homes for children in foster care and adoption programs. The bill is now in committee in the Senate.
Read the full storyVirginia GOP Candidates Start to Collect Endorsements
As the 2021 campaigns accelerate, Virginia’s GOP gubernatorial candidates have started to pick up some big name endorsements, including from two former governors for Delegate Kirk Cox and from influential grassroots organizer Martha Boneta for Pete Snyder.
“Pete is the trusted, proven conservative that we need to battle career politicians in Richmond that failed us when we needed them most. I want all Republicans to support Pete for governor,” Boneta said in her endorsement Thursday.
Read the full storyMichigan House Passes COVID-19 Recovery Plan, Would Also Limit Whitmer’s Powers
The Michigan House on Thursday approved a $3.5 billion bill that would make $2.1 billion in federal education funding contingent on Gov. Gretchen Whitmer relinquishing her power to shut down schools to local health departments.
The Republican’s COVID-19 recovery plan includes $33 million for vaccine distribution and $144 million for COVID-19 testing, allocated quarterly.
Read the full storyShelby County Schools Introduces Updated Plan for Re-Entry, Still No Date Established
Shelby County Schools (SCS) unveiled a detailed plan for in-person learning – but they haven’t offered any reopening dates or criteria. These updates were shared on Thursday by SCS Superintendent Dr. Joris Ray.
SCS also created several simulation videos for what their in-person schooling and transportation would look like. Masked students engaged in all their school activities socially-distanced, including meals. And, students who opt for in-person schooling would still have to learn through virtual instruction.
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