Day: May 26, 2021

Bill Lee Does Not Enforce a Conservative Refugee Policy, Tennessee Stands Warns

Chris Butler

Members of Tennessee Stands told supporters in a newsletter this week that Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee is weak on immigration and refugee resettlement issues. “We have a crisis at the border and it’s undeniable. And while there are many areas we could point to regarding the Lee administration where things are not always what they seem, one of the most glaring for most of his time in office has been immigration and refugee resettlement. Lee is weak on enforcing a conservative immigration policy and has a propensity to use the guise of Christianity to support refugees pouring into our state,” according to the newsletter.

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EXCLUSIVE: Unaccompanied Migrant Children Also Flew On Commercial Airlines Into Chattanooga: ‘They Had New Cell Phones, Backpacks, and Clothes’

Corinne Murdock

The Tennessee Star discovered that unaccompanied migrant children were flown May 11 on a commercial flight – three days before flights documented by initial breaking news. Previous reports discovered that the unaccompanied migrant children were flown into a private airport on May 14 – Chattanooga’s Wilson Air Center. It is unclear how many other flights carrying migrant children came into Tennessee prior to these documented incidents on May 11 and 14. A source who was on the flight informed The Star that they encountered a man chaperoning 10 to 15 migrant children between the ages of 10 and 14 onto an American Airlines flight. The chaperone was described as a bilingual Hispanic male wearing street clothes, speaking fluent Spanish to the children and English to the source – he’d chatted with our source for around 45 minutes at a ticket counter. The chaperone informed our source that he was “escorting all these young men to Chattanooga for a shelter.” The group of migrant children reportedly had new-looking cell phones, clothes, shoes, and backpacks. The source added that some of the children were playing games or talking in Spanish on their phones.

The group of migrant children and their chaperone reportedly boarded the plane first and went to the back of the plane. They flew from Dallas Fort Worth Airport to Chattanooga Metropolitan Airport, also known as Lovell Field on American Airlines flight number 3901. They arrived around 1 a.m. EDT on May 12.

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Commentary: How the Biden-Harris Migration ‘Fix’ Would Throw Good Billions After Bad

Admin

The journey of Central American migrants to the U.S. border—a perilous trip across thousands of miles of mountains and deserts—starts in places like the dry corridor in western Honduras.

Many of the region’s one million small farmers still live in adobe huts with no running water. Corrupt Honduran officials have invested too little in stabilizing or modernizing the region, allowing violent gangs to extort families. Recent droughts and hurricanes have created widespread hunger.

These longstanding problems throughout Central America are driving the current crisis on the southern U.S. border, where more than 170,000 migrants arrived in March in search of jobs and asylum. As the Biden Administration grapples with this mounting surge, it’s proposing a $4 billion long-term plan (the biggest ever for the region) to attack the root causes of migration—corruption, violence, and poverty—in Honduras, El Salvador, and Guatemala.

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Tennessee to Launch 225 Years of Statehood Celebration June 1

Corinne Murdock

Tennessee will be celebrating 225 years of statehood under the theme “Untold Tennessee,” starting on its founding date – June 1. The very first celebrations for Tennessee Statehood Day will take place that day at Nashville’s Bicentennial Capitol Mall State Park, Knoxville’s Blount Mansion, and a live music performance in historic downtown Jonesborough. Following that, Governor Bill Lee will embark on a 95-county tour, visiting each grand division throughout June.

At Nashville’s Bicentennial Capitol Mall State Park, the Tennessee State Museum will unveil a new, self-guided tour and online exhibition of 100 artifacts representing art, community, innovation, service, and transformation. The museum will maintain this exhibit until May 31 of next year. Knoxville’s Blount Mansion will commemorate the 55 men who pushed for Tennessee’s statehood with a parade from the nearby James White’s Fort to the mansion, historical reenactments, and remarks from Lee and other state leaders. Historic sites surrounding the museum continue to celebrate with a months-long series of special events. In historic downtown Jonesborough, Country Hall of Fame members The Oak Ridge Boys will perform after a speech from Lee at the Washington County Courthouse.

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1776 Commission Urges States: Oppose Biden Funding for ‘Teaching of Racial Discrimination’ in K-12

Admin
Girl at school desk with bow in hair, writing

A Trump administration commission tasked with promoting “patriotic education” is calling on the Biden administration to withdraw a proposal to fund history and civics programs informed by critical race theory (CRT).

The 1776 Commission met in D.C. Monday despite being disbanded by President Biden on his first day in office. It published its final report just two days before the presidential transfer of power.

The proposed federal rule would prioritize funding for history and civics curricula that consider “systemic marginalization, biases, inequities, and discriminatory policy and practice in American history” and incorporate “racially, ethnically, culturally, and linguistically diverse perspectives.” It favorably cites Boston University professor Ibram Kendi, the foremost popularizer of “anti-racism,” and the New York Times’ 1619 Project.

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Demographers Warn of ‘Epochal Fall in Fertility’ Across the Globe

Admin
Baby covered with blanket

An “avalanche” of “expanding and accelerating” demographic forces is driving global birth rates down at alarming rates, demographers warned The New York Times.

“A paradigm shift is necessary,” German demographer Frank Swiaczny, former United Nations chief of population trends and analysis, told the Times. “Countries need to learn to live with and adapt to decline.”

The publication described ghost cities in northeastern China, South Korean universities scrambling for students, hundreds of thousands of demolished properties in Germany, and shut down maternity wards in Italy, and warned that countries like Hungary, China, Sweden and Japan are already pushing to balance the combination of “swelling” older populations with the needs of young people.

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Whitmer’s Administration Rescinds COVID Rule She Broke Days Earlier

Admin
Gov. Whitmer at restaurant with large group

Democratic Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s administration has rescinded the rule that Whitmer broke over the weekend.

Whitmer apologized Sunday after photos posted over the weekend showed her dining with at least a dozen others at The Landshark Bar & Grill in East Lansing, Michigan. Breitbart News first reported the news on Sunday.

Michigan’s May 15 order formerly mandated that no more than six people may be seated at the same table, and the governor has faced heavy criticism throughout the pandemic for strict COVID restrictions that have forced many Michigan restaurants and businesses to shutter their doors.

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Media Dismissed Lab Leak Theory Because Trump Talked About It, According to a Senior Washington Post Reporter

Admin
Doctor with protective gloves handling vaccine

The corporate press spent much of the pandemic dismissing the theory that COVID-19 could have accidentally leaked from the Wuhan Institute of Virology because former President Donald Trump talked about it, according to Washington Post senior reporter Aaron Blake.

“It has become evident that some corners of the mainstream media overcorrected when it came to one particular theory from Trump and his allies: that the coronavirus emanated from a laboratory in Wuhan, China, rather than naturally,” Blake wrote in an analysis piece published Monday. “It’s also true that many criticisms of the coverage are overwrought and that Trump’s and his allies’ claims invited and deserved skepticism.”

Blake explained that the media was justified in being skeptical of the lab leak theory because Trump and former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo had leaned in “hard” to the theory without providing “even piecemeal evidence” to support their claims.

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U.S. Rep. Mark Green on ‘End Washington Waste’ of Joe Biden’s $4 Trillion Infrastructure Plan at Americans For Prosperity Event in Nashville

Laura Baigert

Congressman Mark Green (R-TN-07) was the featured speaker along with Americans For Prosperity (AFP) President Tim Phillips at an “End Washington Waste” event hosted by AFP-Tennessee Monday evening.

The discussion focused on President Joe Biden’s $4 trillion infrastructure proposal, which was called out several times throughout the evening for being a “tax and spend” bill.

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More Americans Lack Confidence in U.S. Economy

The Center Square
Joe Biden on the phone

As economic figures cast doubt on a post-COVID economic boom, the latest polling data show Americans lack confidence in the economy under President Joe Biden.

New polling data released by Gallup Monday shows Americans are not confident in the economy and are largely unhappy with the nation’s current trajectory.

The poll found only 36% of Americans are “satisfied with the way things are going.” Specifically on the economy, Americans also are pessimistic.

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Commentary: Time to Confront the U.S. Capitol Police About Its January 6 Lies

Admin

The body of U.S. Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick wasn’t even cold before his employer leveraged his untimely death to stoke more outrage about the events in the nation’s capital on January 6.

“At approximately 9:30 p.m. this evening . . . United States Capitol Police Officer Brian D. Sicknick passed away due to injuries sustained while on-duty,” read a press release issued January 7. “Officer Sicknick was responding to the riots [and] was injured while physically engaging with protesters.  He returned to his division office and collapsed.  He was taken to a local hospital where he succumbed to his injuries. The death of Officer Sicknick will be investigated by the Metropolitan Police Department’s Homicide Branch, the USCP, and our federal partners.”

The agency intentionally included the word “homicide” to suggest Sicknick was killed by homicidal Trump supporters. The next day, the New York Times, citing two anonymous law enforcement officials, claimed “pro-Trump rioters . . . overpowered Mr. Sicknick, 42, and struck him in the head with a fire extinguisher.”

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Florida Ends Federal Pandemic Unemployment Benefits

Peter D'Abrosca
Help wanted sign

Amid an ongoing labor shortage that has hit the service industry particularly hard, Florida has become the twenty-third state to reject the federal government’s supplemental $300 per week in COVID-19 unemployment benefits. 

“Florida will end its participation in the Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation program, the $300 per week supplemental FPUC payment, effective June 26, 2021, as part of DEO’s ‘Return to Work’ initiative,” the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity (DEO) said in a Monday press release. 

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Georgia Election Official Gabriel Sterling Complains ‘Trump Supporter-ish Kind of People’ Behind Fulton County Vote Audit

Chris Butler

One of Georgia’s top election officials said “Trump supporter-ish kind of people” prompted the audit of Fulton County’s absentee ballots, and he also suggested those individuals are biased and cannot inspect ballots in an honest manner. That man, Gabriel Sterling, is Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger’s chief operating officer.

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St. Cloud Bishop Requires Vaccine for Those Participating in Church Camps, Programs

Admin
Bishop Donald J. Kettler

A St. Cloud Catholic bishop is requiring participants, including children, who attend church camps to be fully vaccinated.

Bishop Donald Kettler of the Diocese of St. Cloud sent a letter to pastors last week outlining his requirements for day camps, overnight gatherings, and similar events.

The bishop is requiring all “staff, volunteers, and participants attending these programs to be fully vaccinated as a condition of participation.” Proof of vaccination will also be required.

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Gov. Kemp Bans Vaccine Passports in Georgia

Cooper Moran
Passport

Georgia Governor Brian Kemp signed an executive order on Tuesday banning the use of vaccine passports throughout the state. 

The order explicitly states that no state agency, provider of state services, or state property is allowed to implement any vaccine passport program or require proof of vaccination in order to enter the premises of a location or conduct business. Additionally, vaccination will not be required to enter the state of Georgia.

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Former Trump Appointee Declares Candidacy for State Representative in Ohio’s 85th District

Jack Windsor

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Republican Nick Davis announced his State Representative candidacy for Ohio District 85 Monday.

Davis is a former Trump appointee seeking to fill a seat that will be vacated by Nino Vitale (R-Urbana) who will term out at the end of 2022. Representatives serve two-year terms and may serve no more than four consecutive terms – Vitale assumed office in 2015.

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FSU Announces Richard McCullough as New President

Grant Holcomb

Earlier this week, Florida State University (FSU) announced the Board of Trustees unanimously voted for Richard McCullough to be the next president. The Florida Board of Governors still has to approve the verdict.

McCullough currently serves as Vice Provost at Harvard University, as well as being the strategic developer for the university’s research initiatives. Specifically, the university’s website dictates his role as to ““encourage, cultivate, and coordinate high impact academic research across all of Harvard’s schools and affiliated institutions.”

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Youngkin, Miyares, and Sears Call on Northam to End State of Emergency, Relax COVID-19 Business Requirements

Eric Burk

Governor Ralph Northam has rescinded most mask requirements for fully-vaccinated people and is expected to end all social distancing and capacity restrictions on Friday, but Virginia’s GOP candidates for governor, attorney general, and lieutenant governor are calling for an end to the state of emergency and COVID-19 workplace safety regulations.

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Nashville DA Refuses to Enforce Tennessee’s Transgender Bathroom Sign Law

Corinne Murdock

Nashville’s District Attorney Glenn Funk won’t enforce Tennessee’s new transgender bathroom signage law, posing a direct challenge to the state legislature and Governor Bill Lee. The governor signed the bill into law last week; it will go into effect on July 1. In a statement shared with The Tennessee Star, Funk asserted that the law represents hate.

“I believe every person is welcome and valued in Nashville,” asserted Funk. “Enforcement of transphobic or homophobic laws is contrary to those values. My office will not promote hate.”

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