In a 6-3 vote, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld on Thursday two Arizona rules that were implemented in an attempt to increase overall election security.
Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich celebrated the decision handed down by the court. “I am thankful the justices upheld states’ ability to pass and maintain commonsense election laws, at a time when our country needs it most.”
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As of Thursday, Tennessee will now require the remains of certain aborted children to be either buried or cremated. The Unborn Child Dignity Act, passed by the Tennessee legislature in April, applies to those children aborted in ambulatory surgical treatment centers, private offices, or other in-person facilities outlined in Tennessee Code. The new law wouldn’t extend to those children aborted through at-home procedures like abortifacient drugs taken orally.
Under the law, the mother of the aborted child will have the right to determine how and where the child is buried. If the woman is under 18 years of age, then she must obtain parental consent unless a court says otherwise. The mother may also waive her right to determine the child’s final disposition. Documentation, arrangement, and costs of the burial or cremation will be the responsibility of the abortion facility.
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An interview between The Georgia Star News and Georgia Public Broadcasting (GPB) News revealed that they had received Fulton County’s drop box absentee ballot transfer forms from the Secretary of State’s office in April. GPB News, however, did not report on their findings until after The Star News report in June.
Stephen Fowler of Georgia Public Broadcasting (GPB) News requested an interview with John Fredericks, which also included Laura Baigert, of The Georgia Star News, as part of his fact-check for a story and to get comments from everyone involved.
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Wokeness might do to the American military what no foreign enemy ever could: Fracture the world’s greatest armed forces from within, through divisive political indoctrination and controls.
Wokeness—extreme ideological intolerance of opposing views and the imposition of life-destroying punishments for the insufficiently woke—is organized fratricide.
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A grand jury in Manhattan on Wednesday filed criminal indictments against the Trump Organization and its chief financial officer Allen Weisselberg, according to reports.
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Dozens of left-wing activists from a climate change political action group were arrested by Secret Service agents on Monday after they marched to the White House and blocked entrances as part of a #NoClimateNoDeal protest. Agitators from the far-left, Soros-funded Sunrise Movement were reportedly demanding that Joe Biden stop negotiating with Republican politicians, meet with Sunrise executive director Varshini Prakash, and include a fully funded “Civilian Climate Corps” in the infrastructure bill.
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Wednesday morning on the Tennessee Star Report, host Michael Patrick Leahy welcomed Washington Correspondent for the Star News Network Neil McCabe to the newsmakers line to discuss the mechanics of an infrastructure bill passing and cognitive abilities of Joe Biden.
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House Democrats proposed a new spending bill that would cut funding to immigration enforcement agencies and rescind funds allocated to the border wall.
The bill, which makes appropriations for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), allocates $14.1 billion in net funding to Customs and Border Protection (CBP), $927 million less than the previous year’s budget, according to a press release from the House Committee on Appropriations. The bill also rescinds $2.1 billion in funds from last year intended to go towards the border wall, and provides Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) with $1.55 million less than the previous fiscal year.
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Virginia’s Department of Education is urging school districts throughout the state to work to end as many sex-segregated activities and programs as possible as part of a recently promulgated set of rules aimed at accommodating transgender students statewide.
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A Hendersonville man charged last year with the malicious destruction of property at the Metro Nashville Courthouse pleaded guilty this week in U.S. District Court. This, according to a press release for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Tennessee.
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There can be little doubt the United States is now in a contest with China over which will be the most important country in the world. In important respects, we are replicating the German challenge to the United Kingdom prior to World War I and the renewed German challenge of the 1930s, or the Soviet challenge for 45 years after World War II. As China grows stronger and bolder, and especially as the United States fumbles its way through periods of great distraction and internal political strife, the Chinese—like Hitler—become more brazen and provoking.
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Wednesday morning on the Tennessee Star Report, host Michael Patrick Leahy welcomed State Senator Jack Johnson to the newsmakers line to explain the structure of school boards and the value of local board elections.
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A homeless encampment that has been located in West Nashville for years is still growing and it’s making local business owners concerned. As was reported on Fox 17, “One restaurant manager says people from the camp are coming in and begging dinner-goers for food.”
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Tennessee’s Education Commissioner, Penny Schwinn, wants to award another no-bid contract – this time, $7.5 million in federal funds over 3 years for a variety of services from NCS Pearson. These services would entail a K-3 Early Grade Universal Screening and Monitoring System (EGUSMS), which would include universal screening for literacy and math, dyslexia screening, mental health screening, progress monitoring, and data organization. Pearson’s EGUSMS would also provide the online reporting tools, training resources, and technical support for educators implementing the EGUSMS tools. If all options to renew are exercised for a 5-year term, then the cost would total $12.5 million.
Schwinn justified the decision to make NCS Pearson the sole source by claiming that none of the other vendors met the state’s minimum requirements. Schwinn added that the Tennessee Department of Education (TDOE) hadn’t put forth a complete request for proposal (RFP) out due to the short notice and prompt need for schools to obtain these services.
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On Tuesday, the Supreme Court ruled that illegal aliens who have been detained in the country after having already been deported do not have the guaranteed right to a court hearing to determine their fate, the New York Post reports.
The 6-3 ruling came down along strictly ideological lines, with the court’s three left-wing justices – Stephen Breyer, Sonia Sotomayor, and Elena Kagan – dissenting. The decision determined that even detainees who claimed that they feared persecution or violence in their home countries are not automatically allowed a court hearing, which would normally determine whether or not they are allowed to be released from jail while their legal proceedings are underway.
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Wednesday morning on the Tennessee Star Report, host Michael Patrick Leahy welcomed Cornell University Professor Dr. William Jacobson to the newsmakers line to talk about his website Criticalrace.org and the underlying mechanisms behind critical race theory and its mission.
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Without disclosing his decision, former President Donald Trump on Wednesday told Fox News host Sean Hannity that he has made up his mind about whether he will run for president in 2024.
The audience cheered when Hannity asked whether they would like Trump to run in 2024.
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Former President Donald Trump said football legend Herschel Walker told him that he would run for Georgia’s Senate seat in 2022 on the Clay Travis & Buck Sexton Show Tuesday.
“He told me he’s going to, and I think he will,” Trump said on the show. “I had dinner with him a week ago. He’s a great guy. He’s a patriot. He’s a very loyal person. They love him in Georgia.”
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Wednesday morning on the Tennessee Star Report, host Michael Patrick Leahy welcomed the original all-star panelist Crom Carmichael in studio to weigh in on the 135,000 mistaken ballots that were counted in the New York City Democratic primary.
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Wednesday morning on the Tennessee Star Report, host Michael Patrick Leahy welcomed Tennessee Senate Majority Leader Jack Jonson to the newsmakers line to outline his concern over the inappropriate wit and wisdom curriculum in Williamson County and the importance of parent involvement with local school boards.
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The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) wrote a letter cosigned by a coalition of 113 groups to President Joe Biden Wednesday, demanding he stops “lethal” airstrikes.
The U.S. airstrike program has resulted in wars, violent conflicts, civilian casualties, human displacement and indefinite military detention, the groups wrote in the letter addressed to President Joe Biden. The letter demanded the president end the program roughly two decades after it was initiated.
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As Americans prepare to hit the road for Independence Day weekend, gas prices hit a seven-year high.
An expected 43.6 million Americans are set to hit the road this holiday weekend, and they’ll pay the most they have to fill up their tank since 2014, the American Automobile Association (AAA) says.
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Tucson will side with the federal government over state law when it comes to gun regulations, according to its city council’s latest resolution.
According to the resolution, passed last Tuesday, states don’t have the right to reject federal law. The city council directed the city manager to continue using city personnel and financial resources to carry out any federal actions or programs regulating guns. It also directed the city attorney to engage in litigation concerning Second Amendment sanctuary laws or proclamations.
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The Arizona Legislature wrapped up this year on Wednesday with a nearly record-long session, reaching 171 days. Lawmakers came to an agreement on most of the budget last Friday that contained historic tax cuts. Governor Doug Ducey signed that bill, HB 2900, also on Wednesday.
During the last few hours, the legislature approved the education budget bill, HB 2898, which included an expansion of the school voucher program. It reduces the length of time children must attend a public school before they are eligible for vouchers to use at a private school. Low-income children who live near poorly-rated schools will be eligible immediately, and others will only have to spend 45 days in the school, down from 100 days.
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A bill introduced to the Michigan Legislature aims to stop the black-market sale of Secretary of State (SOS) appointments.
When SOS Jocelyn Benson in May said the state would permanently end walk-in service, arguing the walk-in system was inefficient, the announcement sparked a black market of Michiganders so desperate for an appointment some chose to pay for an otherwise free service.
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A recent audit of the Minneapolis police department shared areas in need of reform. Minneapolis city officials and Minneapolis Police leaders made up the audit committee and they presented the findings this week. City Council Member Linea Palmisano said, “Today’s report offers a path forward for ensuring influential Field Training Officer roles are staffed by officers who embody core community values.” She went on to say that the findings of the report and the resulting action will work to create “meaningful change.”
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Timber is one of Georgia’s largest industries, but some aspects of the industry are suffering, which prompted U.S. Rep. Jody Hice (R-GA-10) to participate this week in a forum on lumber prices. Republicans on the U.S. House Committee on Natural Resources held the forum. Their purpose was to examine the rising prices of lumber and home production, as well as the closing of more than 1,000 sawmills between 2004 to 2018, Hice told his constituents in an emailed newsletter.
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Right-leaning students at a Virginia institute of higher learning are petitioning the school against its policy of mandatory vaccinations.
“Virginia Tech students delivered a petition with about 500 signatures that urges Virginia Tech to end a policy requiring students to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 to take classes in the fall,” according to The Center Square.
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The Arizona House of Representatives passed a sentencing reform bill on Monday, but due to a Senate committee chair failing to bring a similar bill up for a vote in the Senate earlier this year, SB 1064, it’s not clear whether it will make it through the Senate. SB 1064 would relax sentencing laws, which are some of the strictest in the nation. According to Arizona Prison & Sentencing Reform, the state has the fourth highest incarceration rate. Inmates are currently required to serve 85% of their sentences, but the bill would reduce that to as little as one third of their sentences. Inmates who complete self-improvement programs such as substance abuse treatment and maintain good behavior while in prison can receive time off their sentences.
The bill received overwhelming bipartisan support in the House, with legislators voting 50-8 in favor. The previous version of the bill, HB 2173, didn’t get very far in the Senate, since Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Warren Petersen (R-Gilbert) declined to hear the legislation in his committee. The sponsor of the bill, Rep. Walt Blackman (R-Snowfake), decided to get around Petersen with the new legislation by using a strike-everything amendment. He amended a bill that had already passed out of the Senate, so it can go straight to the Senate floor for a vote. However, it is up to Sen. President Karen Fann (R-Prescott) to bring it up for a vote. There is little time left, since the legislative session will likely end this week, according to the AZ Mirror.
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A paper in Mankato took issue with the Center for the American Experiment’s Raise Our Standards tour. The Raise Our Standards tour has been traveling around to various towns in Minnesota. The tour has already undergone much scrutiny and at one stop protesters showed up. As was reported on The Minnesota Sun, a Black Lives Matter activist was arrested for ripping an “All Lives Matter” button off a participant at the Moorhead stop of the Center for the American Experiment Raise Our Standards tour. They also ran into issues with their venue for the Duluth stop.
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On Thursday, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis announced he vetoed four bills. The bill most notably being struck was SB 54, a bill related to motor vehicle insurance due to the bill potentially having “unintended consequences,” the DeSantis team said.
The bill was a repeal which would have eliminated no-fault PIP system and would have required more than $25,000 worth of mandatory bodily injury coverage. Florida’s lawmakers supported the legislation, but the insurance lobby argued the repeal could lead to more uninsured drivers.
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In response to a motion to drop criminal charges against former Florida Department of Health (FDOH) employee Rebekah Jones, Leon County circuit judge Francis Allman denied dismissal of the charges.
Jones is being charged for illegally accessing a FDOH computer system and sending a group message encouraging other employees to accuse DeSantis and the FDOH of covering up COVID-19 data regarding cases and deaths.
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The Minnesota Senate voted 45-21 to pass a public safety bill that included police reform. The reforms are part of a bigger public safety budgeting bill. The omnibus bill had Republican support in both the House and the Senate, but some Democrats who said it didn’t go far enough voted against it.
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Defining a clear line between the progressive and moderate wings of the Democrat Party, the third-highest ranking member of the U.S. House endorsed a primary opponent of frontrunner Nina Turner in Ohio’s 11th District special election.
“What I try to do is demonstrate by precept and example how we are to proceed as a party,” Rep. James Clyburn (D-SC-06) said after his endorsement of Shontel Brown. “When I spoke out against sloganeering, like ‘Burn, baby, burn’ in the 1960s and ‘defund the police,’ which I think is cutting the throats of the party, I know exactly where my constituents are. They are against that, and I’m against that.”
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President Joe Biden will travel to Miami-Dade County, Florida on Thursday to examine the site of the muti-story building that collapsed to ruble — leaving nearly a dozen dead and over 100 still missing.
Further, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said that Biden will thank first responders for sacrifices and attempt to comfort families who have fallen victim to the tragedy.
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After an alleged coach-led pre-game prayer by the Graham High School “G-Men” Boys Soccer Team at the state championship game, an out-of-state atheist organization threatened to file a lawsuit against the school system. The local news reported that the prayer was led by the coaches of the team, but one of the coaches denies this accusation.
The Tazewell County School System “has been cautioned” by the Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF), a Wisconsin-based anti-religion group. The Bluefield Daily Telegraph reports that “coaching staff for the Graham High School soccer team led students in prayer before a game on June 10, the FFRF alleges, saying it was reported by a concerned area resident.”
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Gov. Brian Kemp this week named members of the Georgia Jobs and Infrastructure Committees, responsible for receiving applications and making recommendations regarding federal COVID-19 relief funds allocated to the state through the American Rescue Plan. State government entities and units of local government, as well as industries and nonprofits are eligible to apply, Kemp said in an emailed press release.
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A Minnesota professor recently debated in an editorial published by The New York Times whether it is “fair” to read his daughter classic children’s books because they are set in a natural world that is now “vanishing.”
Paul Bogard, an associate professor of English at Hamline University in St. Paul, wrote in a recent opinion piece, “The wild world my favorite books had encouraged me to love has been under assault.”
The books he refers to are “Where the Wild Things Are,” “Swimmy,” “The Story of Babar,” “A Snowy Day,” and “Make Way for Ducklings.”
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Nearly a month after news broke that the Biden administration is quietly resettling migrant children in Tennessee, more questions than answers remain.
“I’m pushing hard for transparency on this and the Biden administration is blocking us,” Sen. Bill Hagerty (R-TN) said in an interview with Fox News. “You notice they move these planes in the dead of night. They’re coming in both by commercial airlines as well as private air, and the planes that we’ve found out about at least, are landing after midnight. They’re dispersing the people coming in. We’re hearing they’re unaccompanied minors. They could be adults.
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