Economists Believe Ohio Must Do More to Help COVID-19 Recovery

A large majority of a panel of Ohio economists believes the $1 billion in spending proposed by Gov. Mike DeWine to lift the state from the COVID-19 pandemic will not be enough.

In a survey published by Scioto Analysis, a Columbus-based policy analysis organization, 20 of 23 Ohio economists believe the state needs to invest more to support small businesses, bars, restaurants, local infrastructure and residential broadband.

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Huge Rise in Failing Grades in Lynchburg Blamed on Remote Learning

An investigative report shows a massive uptick in failing grades in Lynchburg high schools, which parents are blaming on remote and hybrid learning during the COVID-19 school shutdowns. 

ABC13 asked Lynchburg City Schools for grade reports from the first quarter of the 2019-2020 school year, and grade reports for the same time period during the 2020-2021 school year.

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Bill Aims to Add Michigan to Nurse Licensure Compact

Rep. Mary Whiteford, R-Casco Township, introduced a bill that aims to allow nurses who meet uniform licensing requirements to work in person or through telemedicine in more than 30 states.

“If Michigan were to become a part of the compact, only one license would be necessary for nurses to practice in Michigan or in any of the many other states in the compact,” Whiteford, a former nurse, said in a statement. “State-by-state licensure is incredibly time-consuming, especially for multiple license holders who wish to use telemedicine.”

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Metro Nashville City Council Votes Exclusively for Social Justice Proponents to Serve on Community Oversight Board

The Community Oversight Board (COB) received four new members – all bringing similar perspectives and agendas concerning police. Metro Nashville City Council voted on the nominees during a meeting on Tuesday.

None of the nominees from the Fraternal Order of Police (FOP) – former mayoral candidate Dr. Carol Swain, former FOP President Mark Wynn, community members Mary Byrd and Brandy Holloway – were selected. Of all the votes cast, Holloway received no votes, Byrd only received one, Swain only received two, and Wynn received ten.

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Nashville Announces Closures for Tuesday as Major Winter Storm Hits Middle Tennessee

Metro Nashville Schools and many other facilities within the city will remain closed Tuesday due to inclement weather. This, as a major winter storm impacts the Tennessee Valley. This storm system was expected to bring freezing rain, sleet, and snow throughout the state, with the greatest impacts in West Tennessee and Middle Tennessee. These weather conditions caused significant impacts to roadways, according to the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency.

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The Confederate Monument in Centennial Park Isn’t Sam Davis, Historians Say and Primary Sources Concur

Contrary to certain government historical records, the Confederate Private Monument doesn’t depict Boy Hero of the Confederacy Sam Davis. In a previous report, The Tennessee Star relayed information provided by the archives of the Nashville Public Library and the Smithsonian Institution. Both resources concurred that the seated statue atop the monument was a likeness of Sam Davis sculpted by famed artist George Julian Zolnay.

However, several historians contended that this information was inaccurate – that Davis wasn’t the statue subject. The Star confirmed those assessments through the original news publication documenting the monument’s dedication, as well as a contemporaneous history book written on the subject of Confederate monuments.

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Rep. Swalwell Pushes for a ‘White Nationalism Task Force’

Democratic California Rep. Eric Swalwell on Monday called for “a white nationalism task force” at the Department of Justice.

“They’re going to need, I believe, at the Department of Justice, a white nationalism task force to make sure that they’re understanding at the earliest of ages how people are being radicalized, if there are in fact training camps,” Swalwell said on “MSNBC Live With Katy Tur.”

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Texas Minor League Baseball Announcer Tim Hagerty Receives Hateful Tweets Aimed at U.S. Senator Bill Hagerty of Tennessee

In an unfortunate case of mistaken identity, a Minor League Baseball radio announcer in Texas named Tim Hagerty is receiving hateful social media comments intended for a U.S. Senator of a similar name from Tennessee over the acquittal of President Donald Trump.

Tim Hagerty recently tweeted, “I continue getting tweets intended for US Senator Bill Hagerty.

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Tennessee Signed Contract With Consulting Firm While Also Investigating it for Role in Opioid Epidemic

Tennessee entered into a consulting contract with Washington-based McKinsey & Company consulting firm while the state attorney general was investigating the firm for its role in the opioid epidemic, state records show.

Tennessee Attorney General Herbert Slatery recently announced the state would receive more than $15 million from a multistate lawsuit settlement with McKinsey over the firm’s role in consulting opioid manufacturers on how to best market and profit from opioid drug sales.

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Biden Upset Trade Unions by Scrapping the Keystone Pipeline, but Sided with Teachers Unions Against the Reopening of Schools

President Joe Biden campaigned on his strong union ties, but some of the policies his administration has adopted — ones he promised he’d adopt during the election — have outraged those that supported him.

Biden pledged throughout his campaign that he would scrap the Keystone XL pipeline if elected, and his doing so angered trade, labor and pipefitter unions, some of whom have already lost jobs as a result. But while Biden has called for nearly all schools to reopen within the first 100 days of his presidency, his administration has sided with teachers unions across the country, some of which have refused to revert to in-person learning despite recent studies that show it is safe if proper precautions are followed.

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Lindsey Graham Says VP Harris Could be Impeached if GOP Takes Back House

Lawyers for Donald Trump said it over and over: Impeaching and convicting the former president would set a terrible new precedent ripe for abuse.

Before the trial began, Trump lawyer Bruce Castor laid out his team’s arguments.

“We will argue that the entire proceeding is unconstitutional, bad public policy, and is setting a bad precedent for the nation,” Castor said. “We will argue that every person in the United States is entitled to due process of law, even if it is the president of the United States. And the president of the United States during the House impeachment was afforded no due process of law.”

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Support Grows for 9/11-Style Commission into Capitol Riot Following Trump Acquittal

More lawmakers are backing an independent 9/11-style commission into the Capitol riot on Jan. 6 following the Senate’s acquittal of former President Donald Trump on a charge of inciting the deadly insurrection that took place.

Congressional investigations were already scheduled after this week’s recess, but lawmakers from both parties have called for a holistic investigation following Trump’s acquittal on Saturday afternoon. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi also asked retired Army Gen. Russel Honoré in January to lead oversee a thorough review of the Capitol’s security in order to prevent something similar from occurring in the future.

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Gender and Sexuality Studies Professor Applies Critical Race Theory to the Lives of Shelter Dogs

A professor of gender and sexuality studies at the University of California Riverside claims in a recent book that dogs end up being killed in shelters due to “capitalism, anthroparchy, white supremacy and patriarchy.”

Katja Guenther’s “The Lives and Deaths of Shelter Animals” also says that allowing your dog(s) to sleep inside your house is actually a manifestation of white privilege, reports Areo Magazine.

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Huawei Employee Allegedly Wrote MIT Professor’s Pro-China Editorial

A Huawei employee allegedly ghostwrote an op-ed on behalf of a Massachusetts Institute of Technology professor, who defended Huawei’s ties with American universities, according to a report from the Washington Free Beacon. 

In 2019, Nicholas Negroponte — the co-founder of the MIT Media Lab — wrote a defense of the Chinese company’s partnership with MIT and other post-secondary institutions. He argued that the United States “should collaborate with leading technology companies and their research labs, rather than banning them.”

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Commentary: Koch Proxies Threaten to Destroy Conservative Populism

A recent guest column in the Dallas Morning News offers new evidence that Conservatism, Inc. is bent on destroying conservative populism. The piece also underscores the primary streams of money in American politics: Trillions of dollars flow to progressives, billions flow to libertarians, and millions—on a good day—flow into the conservative populist movement.

The column is headlined “By supporting Trumpism, the GOP is in danger of losing libertarian support,” with the subtitle adding that “Many libertarians split from the party to vote for Biden.” The authors are Daniel Smith, an associate professor of economics at Middle Tennessee State University and director of the Political Economy Research Institute, and Alexander Salter, an associate professor of economics at Texas Tech University and a research fellow at Texas Tech’s Free Market Institute. But these two professors are not some random intellectuals. They are part of a billion-dollar machine, built to produce paid-for ideas.

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Ohio Lawmakers Want School Assessment Testing Waived this Spring

Two Ohio lawmakers want students to concentrate on learning and not testing as they continue to return to the classroom.

State Reps. Adam Bird, R-New Richmond, and Kyle Koehler, R-Springfield, have introduced a bill that removes the requirement for schools to administer state mandated tests this year. It follows similar bills that were passed last year that addressed the same issues during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

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Whitmer Proposes Firearms Ban at State Capitol in Michigan Budget Bill

ust a month after a group of unelected officials in Michigan banned the open carrying of firearms from the state Capitol, Michigan’s Democrat governor is attempting to codify that policy into law via the state’s budget bill.

The measure, which faces an uphill battle in the Republican-controlled state legislature, also includes five million taxpayer dollars to fund extra security at the Capitol, according to Associated Press.

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General Assembly Votes to Give Virginia Teachers a Raise, Senate Passes In-Person Learning Bills

The House of Delegates and the Senate both voted to give Virginia teachers’ a pay raise in the budget bills passed with bipartisan support Friday. HB 1800, passed 68 to 30, features a five percent teachers’ raise for Fiscal Year 2022, while its counterpart SB 1100, which features a three percent teachers’ raise, passed 31 to eight. The Senate also passed an amendment to the budget that requires schools to provide in-person learning options in 2021-2022; however, the House defeated a similar floor amendment on Friday.

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State Senators Dunnavant, Petersen Call for Education Reserve Corps to Address Looming School Staffing Shortage in Virginia

Citing school staffing shortages, Senators Chap Petersen (D-Fairfax) and Siobhan Dunnavant (R-Henrico) are proposing the creation of an Education Reserve Corps in Virginia.

“As we’ve known, other than getting people vaccinated and keeping them alive, the most important issue, and we’ve been consistent about this, is reopening schools,” Petersen said on the Senate floor on Monday. He pointed to staffing parallels in the medical field.

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Bill to Ban Guns at Polling Places Passes Virginia Senate Committee

A bill that would ban guns within 40 feet of any polling place in Virginia passed the Senate Judiciary Committee Monday. 

“My Safe Elections Bill (HB2081), banning guns at polling places and vote counting centers, just passed the Senate Judiciary Committee! This bill protects both voters and election workers from intimidation. Those with guns don’t make the rules. Voters do,” Delegate Mark Levine (D-VA-45) said on Twitter.

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Georgia State Senators Push for Council to ‘Reform’ the Way State Collects Taxes

Nearly 40 Georgia state senators from both political parties might change certain aspects of the state’s tax system, and whatever they agree to may force you to pay higher taxes on certain commodities. Those state senators filed a bill late last week to create a Special Council on Tax Reform and to also create a Special Joint Committee on Georgia Revenue Structure.

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State Senator Pody Introduces Constitutional Amendment to Limit Government Overreach During Emergencies

State Senator Mark Pody (R-Lebanon) proposed a constitutional amendment to limit governmental power during emergencies. Tennessee Stands, a nonprofit social advocacy organization, instigated the proposal of this amendment. 

“No declaration of emergency by the federal government, the governor of this state, or any agent or political subdivision of this state shall be construed to lessen or abridge the rights and privileges of the citizens of this state guaranteed by this Constitution or lessen or diminish the controlling authority of this Constitution,” read the amendment. “In all circumstances, the departments of the government shall be bound to and shall not exceed or delegate, their respective duties and powers as defined in this Constitution.” 

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Parler Resumes Social Media App After Securing New Computer Servers

Parler, the upstart social media platform silenced last month by big-tech censorship, said Monday it is resuming operations under new leadership and with new computer servers.

Parler moved to a new computer server farm, and the 20 million users on the platform when Amazon Web Services shut off the social media platform on Jan. 11 can begin using their old app and logins Monday, Interim CEO Mark Meckler told Just the News.

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DOJ Investigating Traders Who Triggered GameStop Frenzy: Report

The Department of Justice has opened a probe into the stock market frenzy that led to the meteoric rise of “meme stocks” such as GameStop, according to The Wall Street Journal.

Federal investigators are reportedly looking into whether market manipulation played a role in the increased volatility and meme stock surge, The Wall Street Journal reported. As part of the investigation, the Department of Justice (DOJ) subpoenaed information from stock market brokers including Robinhood, the popular investment platform that many investors used to buy GameStop, AMC Entertainment and others.

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Poll: 70 Percent of Republicans Would Leave GOP for a Pro-Trump Third Party

A CBS News poll suggests that almost three-fourths of Republican voters would, in some capacity, be prepared to leave the GOP in favor of a third party founded by President Donald Trump, as reported by the Epoch Times.

The poll found that 33 percent of respondents said that they would definitely join such a party, while another 37 percent answered that they would “maybe” do the same. The remaining 30 percent said that they would remain with the GOP. The findings are similar to a HarrisX-Hill poll which reported that 64 percent of Republicans would join a third party led by President Trump.

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Biden Resurrects Faith-Based White House Office to Combat Racism, Political Polarization

President Joe Biden on Sunday ordered the recreation of a White House office intended to promote partnerships between religious and secular groups to address several key issues.

The White House Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships will seek to address the coronavirus pandemic, combat systemic racism, increase opportunity, advance global humanitarian work and strengthen pluralism, according to Biden’s executive order.

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Biden Should Stick with Trump’s Agreement to Withdraw from Afghanistan, Veteran and Foreign Policy Expert Says

President Joe Biden should adhere to the agreement former President Donald Trump made with the Taliban to completely withdraw American forces from Afghanistan, a veteran of the war and foreign policy expert told the Daily Caller News Foundation Thursday.

Biden should stick with the agreement because it is good for America and because he could face political backlash for making the war his own by keeping troops in Afghanistan, Foreign Policy expert at Stand Together William Ruger told the DCNF. Stand Together is a non-profit organization based in Arlington, Virginia.

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Drug Companies Could Get Millions in Tax Refunds for Opioid Settlement Costs

Pharmaceutical companies are planning to deduct restitution payments from opioid lawsuit settlements from their tax filings and will get back around $1 billion each, The Washington Post reported Friday.

Johnson & Johnson, McKesson, AmerisourceBergen and Cardinal Health paid around $26 billion for their role in the opioid crisis and plan to receive tax benefits from the settlement, The Post reported. The settlement requires the companies to each pay between $5 and $8 billion to communities for the cost of the health crisis.

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CBO Says Budget Deficit Will Hit $2.3 Trillion in 2021

The U.S. budget deficit will be larger than expected because of the $900 billion stimulus bill passed in December, a whopping  $448 billion larger than was projected in September, the Congressional Budget Office said Thursday.

According to Breitbart, the CBO forecasts that the federal government will borrow $2.26 trillion this year making it the second-largest deficit since World War II. Last year’s $3.1 trillion was the biggest in absolute numbers and also the largest as a share of gross domestic product.

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The New York Times Retracts the Story Asserting Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick was Killed by a Trump Supporter

In a quiet but stunning correction, the New York Times backed away from its original report that Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick was killed by a Trump supporter wielding a fire extinguisher during the January 6 melee at the Capitol building. Shortly after American Greatness published my column Friday that showed how the Times gradually was backpedaling on its January 8 bombshell, the paper posted this caveat:

UPDATE: New information has emerged regarding the death of the Capitol Police officer Brian Sicknick that questions the initial cause of his death provided by officials close to the Capitol Police.

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Commentary: History of Presidents Day

“This is Washington’s Birthday,” sings Fred Astaire in the movie classic Holiday Inn, “And I can’t tell a lie.” Americans of a certain age no doubt can remember when the day we now know as Presidents Day was called Washington’s Birthday, invariably celebrated on February 22.  George Washington was officially born on February 11, 1731 according to the old Julian calendar; February 22, 1732 according to the Gregorian calendar now in use.  In the early days of our nation Washington was universally revered for his role in the Revolution and the founding of the Republic; unofficial celebrations to mark his birthday were held throughout the nineteenth century.

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Chattanooga Fires Library Activist Who Allegedly Burned Books Written by President Donald Trump, Ann Coulter

The City of Chattanooga reportedly fired a worker for allegedly burning books written by conservative authors, including President Donald Trump.

Officials said part-time library specialist Cameron Dequintez Williams took the books and burned them in December, WDEF reported last week. Williams led several protests last year in Chattanooga and was charged with blocking streets.

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San Francisco Board of Education Votes to End Merit-Based Admission Due to ‘Racism’

The San Francisco Board of Education voted on Tuesday to replace its long-standing merit-based admission system with a random lottery, accusing the former of being racist, as reported by the Washington Free Beacon.

Included in the board’s jurisdiction is Lowell High School, which is widely considered one of the most prestigious public high schools in the nation. The resolution passed by the board claims, without evidence, that merit-based admission “perpetuates the culture of White supremacy and racial abuse towards black and Latinx students.” This is despite the fact that currently over 75 percent of Lowell’s students are already non-White students.

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Public Notice to GOP Senators, Congressman: State Parties Will Rebuke You for Disloyal Votes Against Trump

Republican lawmakers, who voted to impeach or convict President Donald J. Trump, earned rebukes from their home states – a new trend of holding GOP legislators accountable for their actions in Washington.

“Wrong vote, Sen. Burr,” Tweeted former congressman Mark Warner. “I am running to replace Richard Burr because North Carolina needs a true conservative champion as their next senator.”

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New Poll Results, GOP Candidates Hit The Campaign Trail, and Democrats Hit Zoom: A Virginia Gubernatorial Update

An independent YouGov gubernatorial poll of 508 internet respondents was released Friday. Senator Amanda Chase (R-Chesterfield) leads the GOP pack with 19 percent, with Pete Snyder at 10 percent and Delegate Kirk Cox at six percent. In the poll, first reported by The Virginia Scope, former Governor Terry McAuliffe leads Democratic candidates with 33 percent. The other leading Democratic candidates are well behind McAuliffe and are effectively tied given a five percent margin of error. Jennifer Carroll Foy and Senator Jennifer McClellan (D-Richmond) come in at six percent each, with Delegate Lee Carter (D-Manassas) just behind at five percent and Lieutenant Governor Justin Fairfax at four percent. Both races are still marked by high amounts of undecided voters.

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