Month: August 2021

Commentary: Tennesseans Need to Drive Our Education Policies

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Every elected official knows the key to building a strong economy starts with education. Every single child in Tennessee deserves access to a high-quality public education. Local control is the best method to address those issues, and the power to make decisions should reside with those closest to the people. That is a principle held by most conservatives and most Tennesseans. Local school systems know what works or what doesn’t work in their schools. Yes, there has to be accountability for those decisions.

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Journalism Professor Deletes Tweet That Appeared to Advocate for Violence Against Rand Paul

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University of Wisconsin-Madison journalism Professor Mike Wagner appeared to encourage Republican Senator Rand Paul’s neighbor to assault him in response to the libertarian politician’s comments on COVID mandates.

Rene Boucher, the senator’s Kentucky neighbor, attacked Paul in 2017, allegedly over a dispute about a pile of sticks. Boucher had to pay damages to Paul and served home confinement and time in jail, according to NBC News.

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Biden Keeps Making the Same Dubious Jobs Claim

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President Joe Biden repeatedly mischaracterized the job growth that has occurred since he took office, saying it is a product of his administration’s economic agenda, multiple media fact checkers have reported.

While the Biden administration has overseen the economic recovery during a period of large gains in the labor market, the White House hasn’t acknowledged that states reopening and ending pandemic-related business restrictions is likely the main catalyst for such growth. The president has also credited without evidence the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan, which he signed into law in March, for driving job growth.

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States That Mandate Vaccine Passports Must Also Require Voter ID Under New Bill

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Republican lawmakers on Thursday introduced the Vaccine Passport and Voter ID Harmonization Act, legislation that would require states mandating vaccine passports to also mandate voter ID requirements.

The Daily Caller News Foundation first obtained the text of the bill, introduced by Kevin Cramer of North Dakota in the Senate and Nancy Mace of South Carolina in the House, “requiring states and local jurisdictions that institute vaccine passports to require voter identification in federal elections.”

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Williamson County Parent and Talk Show Host Clay Travis Describes the ‘Mom-Led Revolution’ With Tucker Carlson

Julie Carr
Clay Travis

Fox News host Tucker Carlson welcomed Williamson County, Tennessee parent and co-host Clay Travis of The Clay Travis and Bux Sexton Show Thursday morning regarding the outpouring of parental concern as local school boards push anti-American curriculum on elementary students. Travis stated that this was a “mom-led revolution” and hinted that it will grow with speed around the country.

Carlson: The speech that you gave and God bless you for doing it. And it was entirely fact-based. The reaction from the other people in the room really struck me. What is your sense of where parents are right now with what’s happening in schools?

Travis: First, Tucker, thanks for having me.

Carlson: Of course.

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Number of Homeschooled Students Has Doubled Since Pandemic, Continues to Rise

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Student working on school work at home.

As a direct result of the coronavirus pandemic, the total number of students being homeschooled in the United States has more than doubled from pre-pandemic levels, and continues to rise even as schools begin to slowly reopen, according to Fox News.

By March of 2021, the total number of homeschooled students in America stands at over 5 million, in comparison to just 2.6 million in 2020. Christopher Chin, president of Homeschool Louisiana, said that “interest has exploded,” and that although some students may ultimately return to regular schools after the pandemic, “many parents [are] finding this is a better way of life for them and their children.”

Additionally, Chin says the homeschooling model has proven successful even for households where both parents work, due to the rise in remote work at many companies and places of business.

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Commentary: American Armageddon

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Americans are growing angrier by the day in a way different from prior sagebrush revolts such as the 1960s Silent Majority or Tea Party furor of over a decade ago.

The rage at the current status quo this time is not just fueled by conservatives. For the first time in their lives, all Americans of all classes and races are starting to fear a self-created apocalypse that threatens their families’ safety and the American way of life.

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Biden ‘Inflation Tax’ Erases Gains in Workers’ Pay, as Democrats’ Own Economists Admit Fears

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Person using Apple Pay at cafe

One promise from the U.S. economy emerging from the pandemic was that American workers would benefit from a tight labor pool driving up salary and pay. And while that happened, the benefits have all been erased by the sudden surge of inflation on President Biden’s watch.

That means workers aren’t running in place, they are actually falling behind as rising prices force middle- and working-class families to make hard choices, like whether to fill the gas tank or the refrigerator.

Inflation topped out at 5.4% in July, the government reported Wednesday, the third straight month above 5%. When President Trump left office in January, inflation was in check at just 1.4%.

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Following 15-Hour Filibuster Texas Senate Passes Elections Legislation

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Carol Alvardo

The Texas Senate on Thursday morning passed the elections bill that state Democrats have attempted several times to prevent from becoming law.

Senate Democratic Caucus Chair Carol Alvarado filibustered the bill for 15-hours in the latest long shot attempt to prevent its passage, but the chamber endured and passed the legislation by a vote of 18-11 this morning. Filibuster rules required Alvarado to remain standing, addressing the chamber on exclusively the subject of the bill, without bathroom breaks or food.

The attempt came one day after Dade Phelan, the Republican Speaker of the Texas House authorized arrest warrants for the 52 Democrats who have failed to show up for the second special session this summer of the Texas legislature, thereby denying the chamber a quorum.

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Bipartisan Bill Targets Apple, Google for App Store Tactics

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Marsha Blackburn

Senators from both parties introduced a bill Wednesday targeting alleged anticompetitive conduct among Apple and Google app stores.

The Open App Markets Act, introduced Wednesday by Republican Sen. Marsha Blackburn along with Democratic Sens. Richard Blumenthal and Amy Klobuchar, would prevent app stores such as Google Play and Apple’s App Store from requiring developers to use the tech giants’ in-app payment systems as a condition of distribution. The bill would also stop Apple and Google from taking “punitive action” against developers who offer different pricing terms in other app stores.

“This legislation will tear down coercive anticompetitive walls in the app economy, giving consumers more choices and smaller startup tech companies a fighting chance,” Blumenthal said in a joint statement.

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Arrest Warrants Issued for Texas Dems That Fled State to Block Election Integrity Bill

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The 52 Texas House Democrats who fled the state last month to block election integrity legislation were declaring victory just a few days ago when an activist judge in Austin signed an order to block enforcement of the arrest warrants put out for them.

Judge Brad Urrutia signed the order Sunday night, thwarting Governor Greg Abbott plan to have the renegade lawmakers arrested as soon as they returned to Austin.

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Commentary: Medicine’s Getting Major Injections of Woke Ideology

RealClearWire

The national racial reckoning over reparations and Critical Race Theory is taking over the world of medicine and health care. Prestigious medical journals, top medical schools and elite medical centers are adopting the language of social justice activism and vowing to confront “systemic racism,” dismantle “structural violence” and disrupt “white supremacy” in their institutional cultures.

Some activist physicians describe the present-day health care system with such ominous terms as a “medical caste system” or “medical apartheid,” the latter locution taken from the title of a 2007 book about America’s history of medical experimentation on enslaved blacks and freedmen.

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Music Spotlight: Max Gomez

Bethany Bowman

Being a journalist from Nashville, there plenty of talented guitar players that I meet and interview. But I don’t find many traditional, western folk stylists who appreciate the old sound of blues mixed with some Americana. Max Gomez is the exception to the rule.

Gomez was raised in the rarefied musical micro-climate of northern New Mexico. He got a job playing guitar alone and singing when he was 15 in his hometown of Taos, New Mexico. His job was to play at this fancy steak house bar where people would come out to dance. He was supposed to play the guitar in such a way so they could dance.

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Prosecutors Claim Michigan Gov. Whitmer Kidnap Plotters Discussed Kidnapping Ohio Gov. DeWine

Peter D'Abrosca

Federal prosecutors now claim that the five men who allegedly plotted to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D) also discussed doing the same to Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine (R). 

“The DeWine connection to a high-profile federal criminal case involving alleged violent extremism has not been previously disclosed and reveals accused plotters discussed a broader, bipartisan attack on politicians from several states,” The Detroit News reported. “Prosecutors leveled the new allegation in a court filing Monday while fighting what has emerged as a central defense strategy that involves accusing the FBI of entrapment.”

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Florida Power and Light Faces Opposition for New Settlement Agreement That Raises Rates

Casey Owens

Three membership organizations in Florida joined together Wednesday to oppose a settlement agreement by Florida Power and Light (FPL) that increased base electricity rates for its residential consumers, as well as a plan to develop solar energy that is also paid for by residential consumers.

FPL is the largest retail energy company in the U.S. and serves more than 5.6 million customer accounts that represent over 11 million Florida residents, primarily along the east coast, but also in some parts of southwest and north central Florida.

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Minnesota Governor Walz to Require COVID Vaccine for Government Employees

Hayley Feland

Minnesota Governor Tim Walz announced that the COVID vaccine will be required for government employees in Minnesota. If employees choose not to be vaccinated and get an exemption, they will need to undergo weekly COVID testing. The State of Minnesota is the second largest business to require employees to be vaccinated, with over 40,000 employees, second to Mayo Clinic.

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Arizona Supreme Court: Schools Not Responsible for Students Off-Campus

The Center Square
Arizona Supreme Court

The Arizona Supreme Court has ruled that schools cannot be held accountable for off-campus incidents of violence between students. 

Diannah Dinsmoor, the mother of high school student Ana G., who was shot and killed by her classmate in 2014, brought claims for wrongful death, negligence, and gross negligence against the Deer Valley Unified School District and the City of Phoenix in Dinsmoor v. City of Phoenix. Dinsmoor argued that school officials knew that Ana and her classmate, identified by court records as Matthew B., were dating and that Matthew had a history of violence with an ex-girlfriend, known on court records as Raven. Ana met Matthew at a friend’s house after school where he shot and killed her and then himself.

The superior court ruled on Friday that the defendant did not owe Ana or Dinsmoor a duty as necessary to support Dinsmoor’s claims.

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Parents Launch Effort to Recall Mount Pleasant Public School Board Members Who Imposed Mask Mandates

Bradley Vasoli

Michigan voters upset with mask mandates and other school-board actions can organize recall efforts, as Mount Pleasant Public Schools parents are now doing. 

Three directors of that central-Michigan school district could be electorally removed owing to public backlash over a requirement that all students up to the age of 12 wear masks in school.

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Arizona Universities Mandate Masks, Setting Up Showdown with Governor’s Office

Peter D'Abrosca

In direct defiance of legislation banning vaccine passports and mask mandates, three major Arizona universities will require masks for students, setting up a showdown between the schools and the state government.

“All three Arizona universities said Wednesday they are going to require face masks on campus in certain situations, regardless of new state legislation apparently designed to preclude them from doing that,” Tuscon.com reported. “And more than half the Republican state legislators are asking Gov. Doug Ducey to withhold funds from schools who they say are violating a different ban on mask mandates and take the errant districts to court.”

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Arizona State Lawmakers Call on Ducey to Withhold Funding from Schools with Mask Mandates

Cooper Moran

A group of Arizona state lawmakers on Wednesday urged Governor Doug Ducey to take direct action against school districts that have seemingly ignored a new state law that prevents mask mandates.

In total, 26 legislators called on Ducey to withhold funding from school districts with mask mandates and authorize temporary school vouchers for students in the districts with mandates.

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Western Virginia, Southside Lost Population from 2010 to 2020 According to 2020 Census Data

Eric Burk

The U.S. Census Bureau released 2020 Census data on August 12; a key takeaway from the data is that metro areas across the U.S. are growing, but many counties are seeing their population decrease.

“Many counties within metro areas saw growth, especially those in the south and west. However, as we’ve been seeing in our annual population estimates, our nation is growing slower than it used to,” Census Bureau Senior Demographer Marc Perry said in a press release.

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Concerned Parent Files Complaint Against Atlanta Principal Separating Classes Based on Race

Cooper Moran

Kila Posey, a parent whose child attends Mary Lin Elementary School in Atlanta, filed a federal complaint with the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights, after discovering some classes were separated based on race.

According to Posey, the school’s principal, Sharyn Briscoe, was placing black and white students in separate classes with separate teachers.

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Brooklyn Park Mayoral Special Election Decided by One Vote

Hayley Feland

The Brooklyn Park mayoral special election was decided by one vote, with Lisa Jacobson winning the election with 3,415 votes, beating Hollies Winston who had 3,414 votes. Winston was backed by the Minnesota DFL and Governor Tim Walz. A vote canvass will be held on Friday night, but because the margin of votes was so small, a recount request is expected. The final results of the election will be certified by August 20. Winston said in a statement posted to Facebook that, “In the interest of respecting our democratic process we are going to see this through until the end. Every vote must be counted.”

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Moses Sanchez Announces Campaign for Phoenix City Council to Replace Term Limited Sal DiCiccio

Rachel Alexander

With popular conservative Phoenix City Councilman Sal DiCiccio term limited, local activist and professor Moses Sanchez, a Republican, announced he is running for the District 6 slot based in Ahwatukee. He ran unsuccessfully for mayor of Phoenix in 2018, a difficult race for Republicans since Phoenix has more Democrats, but District 6 leans Republican. 

“I’m proud to call Ahwatukee home,” he said in a statement on August 11. “I’ve raised my family in Phoenix, served on our local school board, run for Mayor, and worked to grow a small business. I’m running for Phoenix City Council to provide the same opportunities this city has given me and stand up for the most overlooked community in Phoenix.”

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Joe Biden and CNN Distort What Happened at Tuesday’s Williamson County School Board Meeting

Chris Butler

More than 1,000 parents who protested the Williamson County School (WCS) System’s new COVID-19 mask mandates attracted the attention of CNNThursday and, later, U.S. President Joe Biden, and not in a flattering way. An unidentified CNN anchor described the parents as “an angry minority.” The network showed footage of some, but not all, of the parents as they either attended this week’s meeting or, due to lack of space inside, protested outdoors.

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Biden Demonizes Williamson County, Tennessee Parents Protesting Mask Mandates for Elementary School Children

Cooper Moran

President Joe Biden on Thursday condemned concerned parents in Williamson County, after hundreds attended the local school board meeting to voice their opposition against a potential mask mandate.

In his remarks, Biden claimed that the parents and students who were against the additional measures were making the issue a “political dispute.”

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Recording Shows Dickson County, Tennessee Murderer Wiggins Telling Son to Be Violent Toward the Child’s Pregnant Mother

Bradley Vasoli

During sentencing for Dickson County, Tennessee murderer Steven Wiggins this week, prosecutors played a recording wherein Wiggins spoke to his 10-year-old son on the phone from prison and asked the child to “kick [the child’s pregnant mother] in the stomach.” 

The prisoner’s command of his son came in response to the child telling Wiggins about the mother’s pregnancy.

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Commentary: How States Could Assume Abandoned Responsibilities of the National Government

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The COVID pandemic has witnessed the exercise of state “police powers” on a scale and scope unprecedented in America’s peacetime history. Out of fear of contagion, massive amounts of private property in the form of shops, restaurants, bars, and other businesses were peremptorily seized and shuttered. The rights of landlords to collect rents and evict tenants were suspended. The ability of people to cross from one state to another was hobbled by regulations, quarantines, and delays. And most of this was accomplished by governors and mayors acting by decree, with only the most tenuous of statutory authorizations.

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Commentary: With Republicans Like These, Who Needs Democrats?

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Senator Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.) was challenged recently by a caller on the “Jay Thomas Show.” The caller asked Cramer to reveal the identity of the Capitol Police officer who shot and killed unarmed Air Force veteran Ashli Babbitt, on January 6. Cramer claimed he did not know the name of the officer, nor did he believe the public had any right to know that officer’s name because he had not been found guilty of any wrongdoing.

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GOP Senators Accuse Biden Officials of Working at the ‘Behest of the Abortion Lobby,’ Ignoring the Law

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Joe Biden at desk, looking over documents

U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland and Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra violated federal conscience-protection laws when they told the Department of Justice to drop a lawsuit against a hospital that forced a nurse to assist an elective abortion, Republican senators said in a Wednesday letter.

The Daily Caller News Foundation first obtained the letter to the high ranking Biden administration officials, which demands an explanation as to why Becerra and Garland acted to dismiss the lawsuit filed under former President Donald Trump’s administration in December 2020.

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Senate Unanimously Votes Against Defunding the Police

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The Senate early Wednesday unanimously approved an amendment to its proposed budget that opposed defunding the police.

The amendment, offered by Alabama Republican Sen. Tommy Tuberville, came during the Senate’s overnight vote-a-rama, a marathon session during consideration of Democrats’ $3.5 trillion budget where members can offer unlimited amendments. While the votes are non-binding, they can sometimes be politically tricky for senators as their colleagues force on-the-record positions on contentious issues.

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