After years of warnings about state-sponsored hackers and the contentious end of the 2020 election, the federal commission that sets the standards for American voting machines has made a major change rather quietly…
Read the full storyDay: September 8, 2021
DeSantis Dismisses Talk of 2024 Presidential Bid, but Continues to Campaign Across the Country
Florida GOP Gov. Ron DeSantis continues to dismiss the chatter about a run for high office in 2024.
“I just do my job and we work hard,” the governor said in a recent in-state press event. “I hear all this stuff,nand honestly it’s nonsense.”
He also said “speculation” to the contrary is “purely manufactured.”
Read the full storyLeft-Leaning Group in Nashville Says Anti-Black Policies Drive Poverty, and They Plan to Hand Out Massive Sums of Money to the Poor
Members of one organization said a shortage of cash and a surplus of anti-black policies generates poverty, and they want to prove that theory true by handing out generous sums of money throughout North Nashville. Members of that group, Moving Nashville Forward, said on their website that Nashville residents must reassess how they treat the destitute. They said they have raised more than $250,000 from Nashville residents and will use that money to create a Guaranteed Basic Income (GBI).
Read the full storyFormer President Trump to Host Rally in Georgia
Former President Donald Trump will hold a rally in Perry, Georgia on Saturday, September 25th, his super PAC announced on Tuesday.
The event, which will span a large part of the day at the Georgia National Fairgrounds, is scheduled to host multiple forms of entertainment and speakers, in addition to Trump.
Read the full storyCommentary: Biden Administration’s Fall from Grace
From the moment he was nominated until the last few weeks, the media carried a lot of water for Joe Biden. In spite of his apparent lack of energy or brains, we were regaled with tales of his experience, good judgment, and, above all, his empathy.
America was back. The adults were now in charge. No more “mean tweets.” Biden’s presidency would be a time of competence and compassion.
Read the full storyCommentary: What the Capitol Celebrity Police Officers Did to Roseanne Boyland
The most violent clashes between police and protesters on January 6 occurred inside and outside the west terrace tunnel. The tunnel leads to doors that open into the Capitol building; according to federal documents, “the Lower West Terrace Door was heavily guarded by U.S. Capitol Police and [D.C. Metro Police] personnel, who had formed a defensive line to prevent unauthorized access into the U.S. Capitol via the tunnel.”
Dozens of people have been arrested and charged with various offenses, including assaulting police, for their conduct at the tunnel that afternoon.
Read the full storyAbbott Signs Texas’ Voting Reform Bill into Law, Ending Intense Political Fight
Gov. Greg Abbott Tuesday signed Texas’ election reform bill into law, ending a months-long political fight over the controversial legislation.
Abbott, a Republican, traveled to Tyler, Texas to sign the Senate Bill 1, which repeals many of the voting measures that large cities in the state implemented amid the pandemic and overhauls the state’s mail-in voting and polling place systems.
Senate Bill 1 also bars election officials from sending voters unsolicited mail-in ballot applications to voters, threatening jail time if they do so.
Read the full storyCatholic Charities Official Invites Biden to Witness Border Crisis in Person
Catholic Charities of the Rio Grande Valley in southern Texas invited President Joe Biden to witness the migrant crisis for what would be his first trip to the southern border as president.
Thousands of migrants resorted to staying in dangerous tent cities in Mexican border towns after the Migrant Protection Protocols (MPP) were implemented in 2019 and the Supreme Court blocked the Biden administration’s efforts to repeal the policy, Catholic Charities Executive Director Norma Pimentel said in an op-ed Monday for The Washington Post.
Pimentel asked Biden to visit the Rio Grande Valley and negotiate with Mexican officials to secure more humane conditions for the migrants. She appealed to the president’s Catholic faith to provide humanitarian assistance to the migrants.
Read the full storyAmericans for Prosperity-Tennessee’s Grant Henry Talks Steve Cohen’s Texas Abortion Law Comments and the Lawsuit of Dr. Michelle Fiscus
Tuesday morning on the Tennessee Star Report, host Michael Patrick Leahy welcomed AMF’s Grant Henry to the studio to weigh in on Steve Cohen’s recent comments regarding Texas abortion law and the continuation of Dr. Michelle Fiscus’s lawsuit.
Read the full storyPennsylvania Senate Panel Wants Citizens to Testify If They Witnessed Election Malfeasance
The Pennsylvania Senate committee tasked with investigating instances of election malfeasance asked residents this week to submit their testimony for its review.
Intergovernmental Operations Committee Chairman Cris Dush, R-Wellsboro, said residents should only submit their stories if they are willing to sign an affidavit and potentially testify under oath, under penalty of perjury, before the panel during forthcoming hearings.
Read the full storyCommentary: New January 6 Stories That Complicate the Media Narrative
The Associated Press reported in August that Robert Reeder, a Maryland man, pleaded guilty to “parading, demonstrating or picketing in a Capitol building.” He argued for leniency because, “he is a registered Democrat who wasn’t a supporter of former President Donald Trump.” So why did he join the incursion into the Capitol building? Because, he says, he was an “accidental tourist” with nothing better to do.
But an online group that calls itself Sedition Hunters recently tweeted a picture it says shows that same “accidental tourist” attacking a police officer. Curiously, the “accidental tourist,” who didn’t support Donald Trump, happened to be wearing a red “MAGA”-style hat. His attorney argued in court, “Mr. Reeder is not politically active, is not and has never been a member of any right-wing or anti-government or extremist group and has, unfortunately, been publicly grouped with many others (whose) views he abhors.”
The story reminds one of John Sullivan, a Black Lives Matter activist who infiltrated the January 6 incursion to encourage violence, bully police officers, and generally stoke mayhem. While many of the trespassers remain locked up without bail, Sullivan mysteriously received pre-trial release.
Read the full storyU.S. Postal Service Data: 17K Nevada Voters Moved, But Cast Trump-Biden Ballots from Their Old Home Addresses
Nearly 17,000 Nevada voters moved but still cast their November 2020 general election ballots from their old home addresses.
That’s according to an analysis of U.S. Postal Service “National Change of Address (NCOA)” data by the Silver State Times.
Read the full storyVideo Game CEO Steps Down over Support of Texas Pro-Life Law
The head of a video game studio stepped down Monday evening after speaking out in support of the Texas Heartbeat Act on Saturday.
John Gibson left his position as chief executive of Tripwire Interactive following a Saturday tweet in which he voiced his approval of the Texas Heartbeat Act, a law banning abortions after the unborn baby’s heartbeat can be detected. The law was passed in May and the Supreme Court allowed it to go into effect last week.
Read the full storyCommentary: The Unchanging Telos of the Democrats
Watching the Biden Administration bring into the country tens of thousands of unvetted Afghans, who are neither U.S. citizens nor native Afghans who assisted American troops, I am coming to wonder whether Biden was actually wrong to describe the withdrawal of American forces as an “immense success.” It was, in fact, exactly what Biden, Secretary of State Antony Blinken, and other Democratic operatives said it was: a success that will move the Democrats toward their goal of creating a one-party state.
Like the illegal aliens streaming across our southern borders and the efforts to remove restrictions against voting fraud, the influx of Afghan refugees is intended to increase the number of votes that will likely go to the Democratic Party, no matter how badly they mismanage the country.
Looking at these coordinated steps, I am reminded of an idea put forth by Aristotle in book six of the Nicomachean Ethics. Aristotle famously insisted on a distinction between technical expertise (e.g., building a house) and deeper, more foundational forms of knowledge. The most primal wisdom is sophia, which deals with universal knowledge that underlies all other true modes of knowing. But Aristotle also raises the question of whether there are not forms of techne that are so well developed that they reflect sophia. The two examples that he cites are Phidias’s work as an architect and Polykleitos’s achievements as a sculptor. According to Aristotle, the excellence that characterizes their technical skills indicates their creators are truly wise.
Read the full storyTennessee Firearms Association Founder John Harris Encourages People to Run for Office, Offers Support
Tuesday morning on the Tennessee Star Report, host Michael Patrick Leahy welcomed Executive Director and Founder of Tennessee Firearms Association, John Harris in studio to offer support and training to those who would like to run for public office.
Read the full storyUniversity of California Doctors Challenge Its COVID Vaccine Mandate as ‘Irrational’
A new category of professional has joined the legal challenges to university vaccine mandates: doctors.
University of California Irvine (UCI) School of Medicine psychiatrist and medical ethicist Aaron Kheriaty is suing the university system to recognize his natural immunity from COVID-19 recovery, and he’s getting help from fellow UC medical professors.
Read the full storyEl Salvador Becomes First Country to Use Bitcoin as National Currency
El Salvador became the first country to adopt Bitcoin as legal tender Tuesday, allowing Salvadorans to use the cryptocurrency to purchase goods and services.
President Nayib Bukele officially announced the adoption of Bitcoin as a national currency in a press release late Monday, tweeting that the country had bought its first 400 bitcoins.
Read the full storyLawmakers Sound Alarm over Americans Stranded in Afghanistan
The State Department is endangering the lives of Americans and others still in Afghanistan, lawmakers and others allege, even as the State Department claims it has accomplished an unprecedented, global evacuation effort.
Military veteran Rep. Dan Crenshaw (R-Texas) who has called on President Biden to resign over Afghanistan, is calling on Americans to demand that Secretary of State Antony Blinken get stranded Americans out of Afghanistan immediately.
Read the full storyTennessee Firearms Founder John Harris Discusses the Need for His State Based Group and Nationwide
Tuesday morning on the Tennessee Star Report, host Michael Patrick Leahy welcomed Executive Director of the Tennessee Firearms Association, John Harris in studio to explain the importance of his organization and the need for similar state-based groups.
Read the full storyAmistad Project Files Lawsuit to Stop Pennsylvania School Mask Mandate
The Amistad Project, in conjunction with Pennsylvania Senate President pro tempore Jake Corman (R-Centre) and State Representative Jesse Topper (R-Bedford), filed a lawsuit against actions by Pennsylvania acting Secretary of Health Alison Beam.
In the lawsuit, the organization is challenging a new statewide school mask mandate, arguing the new restriction violates state law and is a broad overreach of governmental power.
Read the full storyTennessee Firearms Association Founder John Harris Gives Brief History of Tennessee’s Second Amendment Laws
Tuesday morning on the Tennessee Star Report, host Michael Patrick Leahy welcomed Tennessee Firearms Founder John Harris in studio to discuss a short history of Tennessee’s Second Amendment and the classic old-style Democrat of yesteryear.
Read the full storyNewly Released Documents Show Fauci Was ‘Untruthful’ About Wuhan Coronavirus Research, Infectious Disease Expert Says
A trove of newly released documents detailing U.S.-funded coronavirus research in China prior to the COVID-19 pandemic shows that Dr. Anthony Fauci was “untruthful” when he claimed that his agency did not finance gain-of-research in Wuhan, an infectious disease expert said Sunday.
Documents published by The Intercept on Sunday show that Fauci’s organization, the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), provided federal funds to the U.S. nonprofit group EcoHealth Alliance and the Wuhan Institute of Virology to construct laboratory-generated SARS and MERS-related coronaviruses that demonstrated enhanced pathogenicity in humanized mice cells, according to Rutgers University professor of chemical biology Richard Ebright.
“The documents make it clear that assertions by the [National Institutes of Health] Director, Francis Collins, and the NIAID Director, Anthony Fauci, that the NIH did not support gain-of-function research or potential pandemic pathogen enhancement at WIV are untruthful,” Ebright said in a tweet Sunday evening.
Read the full storyBoosted Unemployments Benefits End, Unclear Whether Michigan Labor Shortage Will Ease
About 442,196 unemployment claimants saw their pandemic unemployment assistance benefits end on Sept. 4, but it’s unclear if that will ease Michigan’s labor shortage.
The federal Pandemic Unemployment plus regular unemployment benefits let recipients receive up to $662 weekly.
Read the full storyTexas Abortion Law Pushes Pro-Life vs. Abortion Debate into Virginia Campaigns
Voting in Virginia begins in less than two weeks, and abortion law is taking center stage in Virginia’s statewide races. Democratic candidates are highlighting a controversial Texas law as an example of what Republicans would push for, while Republicans point to a late-term abortion bill that Virginia Democrats pushed for in 2019. On Friday, GOP lieutenant governor candidate Winsome Sears said on Newsmax that she would support a heartbeat bill in Virginia.
Sears said, “Here’s the thing: when did it become the wrong thing for us to support the babies in the womb?”
Read the full storyCenter for Union Facts Launches Campaign to Call Out Teachers Unions for ‘Anti-Student Agenda’ in New Video, Website
The Center for Union Facts on Tuesday launched a new campaign to question the actions of teachers’ unions, specifically during the coronavirus pandemic.
The organization highlights how many of the large teacher unions fought to keep schools closed and remain in an online learning environment, a move that seemingly hurt students’ learning.
Read the full storyHuman Rights Campaign Fires Alphonso David for Advising Cuomo on #METOO Allegations
The nation’s largest LGBTQ rights advocacy group has fired its president for advising Democratic New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo on the #METOO allegations against the governor.
The two Human Rights Campaign (HRC) boards terminated Alphonso David “for cause” Monday evening, The New York Times reported. David called his termination unjust in a Monday evening statement and accused the HRC board of lying to him about its investigation.
“As a black, gay man who has spent his whole life fighting for civil and human rights, they cannot shut me up,” he said. “Expect a legal challenge.”
Read the full storyDemand for Gov. Ducey’s School Vouchers to Leave Arizona Schools That Mandate Masks or Require Unvaccinated Students to Quarantine Exceeds Funds
Just three weeks after Gov. Doug Ducey announced that school districts issuing mask mandates or requiring vaccinated students to quarantine would be penalized by diverting money to students to use as school vouchers to attend elsewhere, demand has exceeded the $20 million he allotted by twice the amount. Ducey announced on August 17 that money the state received from the federal government through the pandemic-generated American Rescue Plan to boost per-pupil spending would not go to any of those schools.
Ducey made the announcement immediately following a demand on August 11 from Republican state legislators to take action regarding those school districts. They suggested that Ducey could withhold federal funds and offer vouchers, which he did, but he did not go so far as following their recommendation of suing the school districts.
Read the full storyEthics Complaint Filed Against Florida Rep. Wasserman-Schultz over Alleged Insider Trading
A complaint has been filed against Florida Rep. Debbie Wasserman-Schultz (D-23) by the Foundation for Accountability and Civic Trust (FACT). The complaint is calling on the Office of Congressional Ethics to launch an investigation into Wasserman Schultz “for violating federal law and House ethics rules.”
The complaint alleges Wasserman Schultz failed to disclose financial transactions on time, along with a dependent child’s financial transactions.
Read the full storyBattle Lines Drawn Ahead of Ohio GOP State Central Committee Meeting
Sept. 10 meeting of the Ohio Republican Party’s State Central Committee offers the first opportunity for reform-minded members to press their agenda for changes in the governance and policies of the GOP ahead of the 2022 election for five statewide officeholders and the congressional mid-terms.
Whether the voices for reform first heard in a series of stories The Ohio Star published in late July and early August carry the day at the meeting depends upon the willingness of central committee members on the sideline to consider whether to follow the bylaws of the organization representing nearly 2 million Ohio voters registered as Republicans or falling in line behind GOP Chairman Bob Paduchik.
Athens-Clarke County School Board Member Dismisses Critical Race Theory as a ‘Dog Whistle’
A Clarke County School Board member said Georgians exaggerate the influence of Critical Race Theory (CRT) and that no one in her school district teaches it as the subject is too complex for K-12 public schools. That board member, Patricia Yager, talked to The Georgia Star News on Tuesday.
Read the full storyFairfax County Parent Organizes Protest Against Student Athlete COVID-19 Vaccine Mandate
Some parents are protesting the Fairfax County Public Schools COVID-19 vaccine mandate for student athletes. On Tuesday afternoon, a group of a little more than 20 parents protested outside the FCPS Gatehouse Administration Center. FCPS parent Missy Pratt began organizing the protest after Braband’s announcement. Pratt said she’s focused on the vaccine mandate, but she’s also opposed to mask mandates.
“‘No vax, no mask, we push back,’ that was our chant all day long at the rally,” Pratt told The Virginia Star
Read the full storyFormer President Trump Endorses Kristina Karamo for Michigan Secretary of State
Former President Trump on Tuesday endorsed GOP candidate Kristina Karamo in her campaign for Michigan Secretary of State.
Karamo, an educator, is running for the GOP nomination to challenge Democratic Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson for the state’s top election post.
Read the full storyJudge Strikes Down Ballot Language in Minneapolis Effort to Replace Police
After a legal challenge, a ballot question on Minneapolis’ November election ballot has be struck down in court.
“Tuesday morning, a Hennepin County judge tossed the initially approved language by the Minneapolis City Council to be on the November ballot regarding the public safety charter amendment,” KTSP said.
Read the full storyU.S. House Armed Services Committee Proposes $600 Million for Military Projects in Northwest Florida
Funding for military projects out of Eglin Air Force Base in Ft. Walton Beach, Florida, may get a boost after a bill by the U.S. House Armed Services Committee (USASC) was approved on Friday and sent to the House floor.
After applauding the passage of the 2022 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), a press release by Congressman Matt Gaetz (R-FL-01) – member of the USASC – says that the proposal includes a $600 million in defense spending, with $359 million being construction projects.
Read the full storyFormer President Trump Endorses Michigan State Rep. Steve Carra in Congressional Campaign
Former President Donald Trump on Tuesday endorsed Michigan State Representative Steve Carra (R-Three Rivers) in his campaign to represent Michigan’s 6th Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives.
Carra has launched a GOP primary challenge against Representative Fred Upton (R-MI-06), one of the ten lawmakers in the House to vote to impeach Trump.
Read the full storyWisconsin Rep. Gallagher Opposes Using Photos in Navy Promotion Decisions to Enhance Diversity
Wisconsin Representative Mike Gallagher (R-08-WI) wrote a letter to Vice Admiral John Nowell opposing the use of photographs when making decisions about promotions in the Navy. Gallagher and five other members of Congress wrote the letter because he believes that basing a decision about giving a naval officer a promotion on their headshot is not a good criteria.
Read the full storyBishop Sycamore Saga Ends with Coach Admitting School Is Not Real
Bishop Sycamore is not a real high school.
That has now been confirmed by the “school’s” football coach, Tyren Jackson, after a wild saga that has played out over a number of weeks.
Read the full storyDaily Caller News Foundation Interview: Iranian Immigrant Parent Dimis Christophy Encourages Others to Speak Out and Not Be Intimidated
The Daily Caller News Foundation interviewed Iranian-Christian Dimis Christophy, a Loudoun County, Virginia parent who unleashed on his child’s woke public school board during a meeting on August 10th. TRANSCRIPT: Christophy: Just to clear up, I know, King and Queen are not pronouns. I get it. Okay. There’s a lot of people that go, they’re not pronouns. I know that. But you have to realize if because it’s not just pronouns. People are coming out telling me, hey I’m a Mermaid. I’m a cat. I’m a dog. I’m this, I’m that. Who says there’s a limitation on the pronouns at this point or what to be called? So I was like, hey, if that’s what you’re going to do, this is how you’re going to address my kids. And this is how you’re going to address me if you’re hearing my speech. And I said these are not your children. These are my children. My kids don’t go to school to sit in a classroom and the teacher be their parents. That’s not their job. And now this was a month ago, almost a month ago. And now we’re seeing stuff coming out on video. You have an Antifa…
Read the full story‘Dramatic Declines’ in Michigan Student Test Scores After Gretchen Whitmer-Induced ‘Disrupted Learning’
Test scores of Michigan students fell dramatically after Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D) responded to the coronavirus pandemic by banning in-person learning for much of last school year.
Whitmer sided with union bosses in keeping schools closed for much of 2020, but then recommending reopening in 2021, only to suggest they go virtual again after spring break, according to ABC 13. Test results show the reversals and upheaval affected student performance:
Read the full storyJury Trial Delayed in Loudoun County Trans Pronouns Lawsuit
A trial over whether teachers will be required to use their students’ preferred gender pronouns will have to wait for now.
“A Virginia judge postponed Tuesday a trial in a lawsuit brought by three teachers challenging Loudoun County Public Schools’ policy requiring staff to use transgender students’ chosen pronouns,” The Washington Times reported. “Loudoun County Circuit Judge James E. Plowman Jr. decided to delay the trial after he granted a motion last week to let two of the teachers join the lawsuit and allow their amended complaint. He has not yet set a new date for the trial.”
Read the full storyGov. Tim Walz Driven from Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party Fundraising Event by Line 3 Protesters
Governor Tim Walz (D) was driven from a Democrat fundraising event in Alexandria, Minnesota by Line 3 protesters just minutes into his speech. Several protesters marched into the outdoor area where the event was taking place and began shouting at Walz while he made some introductory remarks.
Read the full storyTwitter Suspends Ohio Senate Candidate J.D. Vance’s Campaign Press Account
Twitter on Tuesday suspended the official press account of Ohio GOP Senate candidate J.D. Vance.
Vance, using his primary account, alleged that Twitter provided no warning or explanation as to why the account was disabled.
Read the full storyFormer Minnesota GOP Chair Jennifer Carnahan Hints at Gubernatorial Bid
The former Minnesota GOP chair, Jennifer Carnahan, hinted at the possibility of a gubernatorial bid in a Facebook post. Carnahan resigned about a month ago after allegations surfaced about harassment, abuse, and ties to a child sex trafficker.
Read the full storyWisconsin Democrat Candidate for Senate Charged with Theft and Fraud
A Wisconsin candidate for U.S. Senate was charged with theft and fraud after violating campaign finance laws. Chantia Lewis, a current Milwaukee city council member, allegedly used over $21,000 improperly. As was reported by the Houston Chronicle, Lewis used over $21,000 of campaign finances on “car payments, family trips, a worship conference and other personal expenses.” The Milwaukee county attorney’s office filed a total of four felonies and one misdemeanor against her.
Read the full story43 Members of Tennessee General Assembly Request the Governor and Attorney General to Oppose New ATF Rules
The letters, spearheaded by Second Amendment advocate and Chair of the House Criminal Justice Committee Representative Clay Doggett (R-Pulaski), state that the ATF rule changes would “violate state and federal Second Amendment rights and arbitrarily transform thousands of law-abiding Tennesseans into felons.”
Read the full story