On Tuesday, the second day of Steven Wiggins’s trial for killing 32-year-old Dickson County, Tennessee Sergeant Daniel Baker in 2018, jurors heard from the law-enforcement officers who found the slain sheriff’s deputy.
Drug Task Force (DTF) Agent Nathaniel Proctor of the 23rd Judicial District was the first to take the stand in the Charlotte courtroom, followed by his colleague Darren Adams.
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I have always admired the admonitory wisdom that Auric Goldfinger imparted to James Bond early in Ian Fleming’s novel named for the gold-loving villain: “Once is happenstance. Twice is coincidence. The third time it’s enemy action.”
I have thought often of that sage advisory in recent months as so many once-trustworthy institutions of American life seem to have been weaponized against the people they were meant to serve.
This is, alas, a huge topic, and today I will only scratch the surface.
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Tuesday morning on the Tennessee Star Report, guest host Ben Cunningham welcomed Davidson County GOP Chair Jim Garrett to the newsmakers line to discuss the 2022 election and his decision to push back on MNPS mask mandates.
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U.S. Representative David Kustoff (R-TN-08) on Tuesday introduced bipartisan legislation aimed to deter repeated robocalls to consumers.
The Deter Obnoxious, Nefarious, and Outrageous Telephone Calls (DO NOT Call) Act will create stricter penalties for companies and individuals who elect to engage in the intentional harassment of consumers.
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Alegal battle and war of words between Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and the federal government over COVID-positive migrants being released into Texas communities escalated over the weekend.
The U.S. Department of Justice sued the state of Texas Friday over an executive order Abbott issued restricting the transport of infected immigrants who entered the country illegally being released into the general population.
“The Biden Administration is knowingly admitting hundreds of thousands of unauthorized migrants, many of whom the federal government knows full well have COVID-19,” Abbott said in response to the lawsuit.
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New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo faces a renewed surge of calls for his resignation after an independent investigation released a report Tuesday finding the sexual harassment allegations against him credible and that his administration broke several laws in responding to some claims.
The report led President Joe Biden and other prominent national Democrats, such as House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer to say Cuomo needs to go.
“I think he should resign,” Biden told reporters Tuesday afternoon at the White House.
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Tuesday morning on the Tennessee Star Report, guest host Ben Cunningham welcomed Tennessee House Speaker Cameron Sexton to the newsmakers line to reiterate Monday’s press conference as Tennessee stands united on COVID and education.
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New York Attorney General Letitia James said there will be no criminal consequences for Gov. Andrew Cuomo despite her findings that he engaged in “unlawful” sexual harassment and retaliation against multiple women.
“Our work is concluded and the document is now public,” James said during a press conference Tuesday. “And the matter is civil in nature and does not have any criminal consequences.”
“We were tasked with the responsibility of engaging in an investigation. And we have concluded our investigation. And our work is done,” she added. “And so as it relates to next steps, that’s entirely up to the governor and or the assembly and the general public. But the work of the office of the Attorney General and these special deputies has concluded.”
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Fast food chain McDonald’s is requiring all its staff and customers, vaccinated and unvaccinated, to resume wearing masks in its restaurants in areas deemed high risk by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
The company first announced its new rules in an internal memo to franchisees and workers, CNBC reported. The rules, which went into effect Monday, follow updated guidance last week from the CDC, which recommended fully-vaccinated Americans wear masks indoors to prevent the spread of the delta variant of coronavirus.
McDonald’s told the Daily Caller News Foundation the change in policy was due to the CDC’s updated guidance, and said the company was following the science in making its decision.
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Tuesday morning on the Tennessee Star Report, guest host Ben Cunningham welcomed Mayor Andy Ogles and Grant Henry in studio to discuss Tennessee’s failing education levels and the silver linings of COVID.
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Tuesday morning on the Tennessee Star Report, guest host Ben Cunningham welcomed Maury County Mayor Andy Ogles in studio to discuss the tremendous growth all over Middle Tennessee and the large crowds showing up for the Freedom Matters Tour around the state.
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Metro Nashville Public School (MNPS) Board members will hold a special meeting later this week to discuss COVID-19 mask requirements, but one board member said Tuesday that it’s a waste of time. MNPS Board members have scheduled the meeting for 11 a.m. Thursday at the MNPS Central Administration Building on 2601 Bransford Avenue, said District Six Board Member Fran Bush.
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In recent years, an acute housing crisis has engulfed both America’s coastal metros and Rust Belt regions. California’s Bay Area, for example, confronts a crisis of affordability and limited supply that hastens a population exodus. Midwest cities like Detroit face low real-estate prices and low demand, intensifying urban decline.
Pennsylvania is a microcosm of such alarming housing trends, especially east of the Susquehanna River, which is seeing an influx of metro New Yorkers relocating to the area.
From the Keystone State’s middle-class suburbs to its post-industrial locales, the housing crisis is a major challenge. In the midstate, most notably in Harrisburg and Lancaster, housing has become significantly more expensive. In the northeast’s anthracite coal region, anchored by Scranton, rents are spiking. And in suburban Philadelphia’s Lansdale, a townhouse went for nearly $500,000.
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Two of the largest news publications in the country, the Associated Press (AP) and Reuters, have teamed up with one of the leading tech giants, Twitter, in a new partnership to crack down on “misinformation” and “elevate credible information,” the Daily Caller reports.
Twitter confirmed the new alliance in a blog post, saying that the two publications would be responsible for identifying “misleading” information, and to help Twitter expand its efforts to mediate trending stories, “especially where facts are in dispute.” The websites will also help Twitter staff whenever they lack “sufficient expertise or access to a high enough volume of reputable reporting.”
“This program is just part of our ongoing efforts to help people understand the conversation happening on our service,” the Twitter blog post continued. “People experience a range of public conversations on Twitter every day, and we’re committed to continuing our work to elevate credible information and context.”
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Carolyn Mullins and her son William “Larry” Mullins are charged with theft of $83,710.82 from Peakland Baptist Church in Decatur, Tennessee, state Comptroller Jason Mumpower announced Tuesday.
The church’s sanctuary area was consumed by fire on February 18th, 2019, according to the Comptroller’s Office. When insurance proceeds totaling $189,000 became available, members of the congregation—four altogether—decided to rebuild. Disbursement of the reconstruction funds was entrusted solely to Larry and Carolyn Mullins, then the treasurer and assistant treasurer of the church, respectively. They were the only authorized signers on the church’s bank accounts.
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A shibboleth among some progressives is that in its imperialistic foray, the United States historically has backed “right-wing” and opposed “left-wing” leaders around the globe based on an anti-Communist ideological tendency.
But more than intellectual McCarthyism, our opposition to nationalist and populist movements and individuals abroad has been motivated by whether and to what degree a group has opposed United States political-corporate interests. Better to be sovereign in one’s own country than to live beholden to satraps.
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It’s easy to dismiss happenings within the College Republicans organization as trivial college drama and beneath the notice of serious political observers. But the surprising amount of mainstream media coverage of the latest CR debacle is justified, as one of the top “conservative” student groups in the country reaches an existential crossroads.
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The federal eviction moratorium is over, but there’s still more than $400 million of rental aid available on the state level.
MI State Housing Development Authority (MSHDA) still has ample COVID Emergency Rental Assistance (CERA) funds available to help renters pay owed rent and assist landlords in recouping costs.
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Former President Donald Trump will hold a rally in conjunction with the Alabama Republican Party in Cullman, Alabama on August 21.
The rally will focus on “President Trump’s further support of the MAGA agenda and accomplishments of President Trump’s Administration.”
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Joining a growing and bipartisan list of governors, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine (R) said Sunday that he will not bring back lockdowns and mask mandates as cases of COVID-19 once again rise.
“We are seeing the virus go up,” DeWine told CNN’s Jake Tapper. “We think the delta variant is certainly the dominant one in Ohio yet, but the whole game today is vaccinations, and we have room to grow. We think that we can get more people vaccinated.”
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The same week an Ohio group announced its plans to start the formal process to put marijuana legalization in front of the General Assembly, two lawmakers introduced legislation to legalize its recreational use.
“It’s time to lead Ohio forward,” Rep. Casey Weinstein, D-Hudson, said. “This is a big step for criminal justice reform, for our veterans, for economic opportunity, and for our individual liberties.”
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Mike Carey, endorsed by former President Trump, won the Republican primary race in Ohio for a House special election on Tuesday.
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Florida State Sen. Joe Gruters (R-23) is filing a bill which would direct the Broward County School Board to pay out as much at $25 million to the victims and families of the 2018 Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting.
The bill would only allow for 51 people to be eligible to receive the payments, 34 survivors and 14 families of students and teachers killed.
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Florida Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried has claimed Florida Governor Ron DeSantis’ Department of Health (FDOH) is not reporting Florida’s COVID data to the CDC in a timely fashion.
Fried has since begun doing her own daily COVID briefings after DeSantis moved them to weekly occurrences.
The Florida Legislature’s Office of Economic and Demographic Research (EDR) reported just under $4.1 billion in general revenue (GR) for the month of June to cap off the 2020-2021 fiscal year (FY).
On Monday, the EDR released the report that shows $975.7 million (31.2%) more than the forecasted amount of $3.124 billion, which was updated on April 6th during the EDR’s last General Revenue Estimating Conference (GREC) for the 2020-2021 FY.
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With record heat and an open invitation from the White House, illegal alien migrants attempting to cross into the United States through the desert south of Arizona, continue to die in higher-than-usual numbers.
“A 45-year-old man died Sunday morning after a group of migrants got lost through the Southern Arizona desert,” KPNX reported.
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Juan Ciscomani, a native Arizonan and an advisor to Governor Doug Ducey, ignited a bid for Congress on Tuesday to represent Arizona’s 2nd Congressional District.
“Joe Biden & Nancy Pelosi are pushing failed policies that are hurting Southern AZ: An avoidable border crisis, efforts to force a federal takeover of our elections, crushing taxes & out-of-control spending that leave the American Dream out of reach for so many,” Ciscomani described as his reason for declaring his intent for the seat.
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The American Center for Law and Justice filed a lawsuit on Tuesday on behalf of a local church against Prince William County, Virginia, due to the government requiring a church to obtain a liquor license in order to use its own property.
The group alleges the county is discriminating against Alive Church of the Nazarene because of the regulation and the church’s belief against obtaining the license.
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A new poll from OH Predictive Insights shows former news anchor Kari Lake with the highest approval rate of Republicans running for governor of Arizona and Attorney General Mark Brnovich with the highest approval rate of Republicans running for the U.S. Senate. Lake scored 60% with Republican voters, well ahead of former Congressman Matt Salmon with 51% and former State Treasurer Kimberly Yee at 49%. On the Senate side, Brnovich has 61% compared to veteran Michael McGuire next with 43% and businessman Jim Lamon’s 39%. Blake Masters, a protege of GOP tech billionaire Peter Thiel, entered the race after the poll was conducted.
According to a general election matchup, Hobbs’ approval rating is slightly higher than Lake’s, 40% to 39%. Hobbs has very high name recognition due to her high-profile fight against the Maricopa County ballot audit. Hobbs also has a fairly high disapproval rating relative to the other candidates in the poll, 27%. She once referred to Donald Trump supporters as “neo-Nazis.” She also tweeted “The President is on the side of the freaking Nazis. Don’t just say stuff – DO SOMETHING!!!” She has not deleted the tweets.
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The Minnesota State Fair is still happening, but fair officials are anticipating that masks may be required to enter. While a decision has not been made yet regarding possible capacity limits and masking requirements, Jerry Hammer, the fair’s general manager, said, “Based on what we know today, that’s a likely scenario.”
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RICHMOND, Virginia – The House of Delegates voted against several Republican attempts to change proposals to allocate $4.3 billion in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds on Tuesday afternoon. House Republicans led by Delegate Todd Gilbert (R-Shenandoah) introduced an alternate bill, but it was defeated 53 to 43. House Democrats also defeated amendments from Delegate Glenn Davis (R-Virginia Beach) and attorney general candidate Delegate Jason Miyares (R-Virginia Beach).
“It is a shame that despite our concerns that this process was not opened up to the traditional committee vetting process, that members on this side of the aisle were told, and frankly on your side of the aisle were told, ‘Your input is not welcome.’ I would have hoped that in this process we would have at least been afforded the opportunity to explain our bill, but instead we are left with the inevitable two minutes,” Gilbert said.
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South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem (R) on Tuesday endorsed former Ohio Republican Party Chairwoman Jane Timken in the crowded GOP primary for U.S. Senate.
“I am proud to endorse Jane Timken for the United States Senate. I saw firsthand Jane’s leadership skills when she served as the first female Chairman of the Ohio Republican Party (ORP) and delivered the State of Ohio for President Trump by substantial margins in 2020,” Noem told Fox News when announcing the endorsement.
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Another Republican has thrown their hat in the ring for the 2022 Minnesota gubernatorial elections. Dr. Neil Shah’s campaign site says that he is a “husband, father, physician, business owner and son of immigrants.” In an email announcing his candidacy, he said that, “it’s time to remove the cancers of unilateral emergency powers and radical leftism.”
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Tuesday morning on the Tennessee Star Report, guest host Ben Cunningham welcomed Mayor Andy Ogles and Grant Henry in studio to discuss the indoctrination of young children and reversing the woke America.
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The Mankato Early Childhood Family Education (ECFE) program is having a “Parenting for Equity” course to teach parents “strategies for anti-racist parenting.” The class description says it’s for children between three and five years of age and their parents. The course description also says it will foster “brave conversations.”
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U.S. Magistrate Judge Elizabeth Stafford entered a not-guilty plea for a silent Detroit City Councilman André L. Spivey in U.S. District Court in Detroit Tuesday to accepting over $35,000 in exchange for council votes.
Spivey was released on a $10,000 unsecured bond. Stafford reportedly agreed to the release under the conditions that Spivey to give up his enhanced driver’s license, his passport and his expired concealed-carry permit.
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A group of about 30 Georgia residents who have formed the group Project Opal said this week they have identified certain irregularities in last year’s presidential election in Cobb County. Project Opal spokesman Paul Nally told The Georgia Star News Tuesday that group members are trying to determine if criminal acts took place.
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In a stunning development Wednesday, Fulton County has denied The Georgia Star News the same chain of custody documents for absentee ballots deposited into drop boxes during the November 2020 election, that they purportedly gave to Georgia Public Broadcasting (GPB) News on or before June 17.
Fulton County’s Legal Assistant Shana Eatmon’s emailed response informed The Star News said that there are no documents that meet our open records request.
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Phoenix was the most popular migration destination in the second quarter of 2021 for users of Redfin.com, a technology-powered real estate broker, who were looking to move to a different major city.
In Phoenix, institutions or businesses that purchase residential real estate, known by Redfin as investors, purchased 24.5% of homes sold in the second quarter of 2021. Redfin said that out of the 41 U.S. metropolitan areas analyzed, Phoenix had the highest percentage of home purchases by investors. The Valley was followed closely by Miami, Atlanta, Charlotte, North Carolina, and Las Vegas.
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As COVID cases surge around the nation, questions still remain around the origins of the virus, but one Republican study has put forth controversial answers.
Lead Republicans on the House Foreign Affairs Committee on Monday released the newest edition of their investigation into the origins of COVID. The report points to problems with the Wuhan lab in question, including lax safety protocols and ignored maintenance requests on the disinfectant and hazardous waste systems.
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The Virginia Senate GOP is questioning General Assembly Democrats’ commitment to campaign finance reform after the inaugural meeting of the Joint Subcommittee on Campaign Finance Reform was rescheduled from Monday morning while a Democratic fundraiser breakfast went forward.
“Evidently, Democrats are very enthusiastic about limiting campaign donations to politicians who aren’t Democrats,” Senate Minority Leader Thomas Norment, Jr. (R-James City) said in a Monday press release. “Today’s cancellation is a reminder of their true priorities related to campaign funding: raising as much money as possible to elect Democrats.”
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Club for Growth Foundation released exclusively to The Tennessee Star the Tennessee General Assembly Missed Votes Scorecard for the 2021 regular and special legislative sessions.
Club for Growth is the nation’s leading free-enterprise advocacy group focused on key economic policy and known for holding legislators accountable by publicizing their voting record.
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