In Tennessee, Joe Biden Has Yet to Replace Donald Trump-Appointed U.S. Attorneys He Forced Out Several Months Ago

President Joe Biden asked U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Tennessee Don Cochran — a Trump appointee — to resign in February, but nine months later Biden still hasn’t nominated Cochran’s replacement.

David Boling, spokesman for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Tennessee, told The Tennessee Star on Monday that he is not aware if Biden has nominated someone to take the position.

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Metro Nashville At-Large Council Member Steve Glover ‘Sickened’ by Metro Health Department Email About Kyle Rittenhouse

Staff at the Metro Nashville Health Department on Wednesday confirmed that their Director of Health Equity Stephanie Kang told department employees via email that the not guilty verdict in the Kyle Rittenhouse trial was an injustice. Metro Nashville Health Department spokesman Brian Todd told The Tennessee Star that the email, which WTN host Brian Wilson read on his radio show Tuesday, was authentic.

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Commentary: The Border Is a Major Problem for Biden and America

The Biden administration is drowning on issue after issue, and many of the bubbles are coming from the Rio Grande River. The problem, which dare not speak its name, is illegal immigration. The administration, its political party, and the mainstream media refuse to say the very word “illegal.” For a while, they called it “undocumented,” pretending the migrants somehow forgot their papers in the top dresser drawer in Guatemala or Haiti. Now, even that bland phrase is deemed too clear and honest. The new woke term is “irregular immigration.” Anything to minimize the problem, sway public opinion, and avoid plain talk.

The obfuscation goes much further than a few phrases. Consider Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas’ testimony to Congress last week, where he faced awkward questions about the administration’s decision to stop building the border wall, including portions that had already been contracted and paid for. Mayorkas’ reply, “We are not going to construct a border wall along the ragged and jagged cliffs along certain parts of the border.”

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Alaska Governor Sees ‘Red Wave’ Coming If Biden, Democrats ‘Keep Doing What They Are Doing’

The governor of Alaska told The Star News Network that Alaskans, and other Americans, will punish at the polls President Joseph R. Biden Jr., and Democrats, whose policies are not aligned with their interests and values.

“I think if the national Democrats in Congress and the Biden administration keep doing what they are doing, I think you are going to see a Red Wave,” said Republican Gov. Michael J. Dunleavy, who, like the president grew up in Scranton, Pennsylvania.

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Tennessee Restaurant Saved by Barstool Sports Mogul Will Pay It Forward on Thanksgiving

A Tennessee restaurant that was saved from going out of business during the COVID-19 pandemic by wealthy media and sports gambling mogul Dave Portnoy says it will give back this Thanksgiving. 

Portnoy, the founder of Barstool Sports, bailed out Nick’s Family Restaurant in Kingsport in January. “The Barstool Fund” raised more than $40 million for small businesses that applied for relief and were selected by Portnoy, who promised to keep them afloat throughout the pandemic. 

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Metro Nashville Health Department Sends Letter Addressing the ‘Injustice’ of Kyle Rittenhouse’s ‘Not Guilty’ Verdict: Report

On his radio program Tuesday morning, Brian Wilson, the host of 99.7 FM WTN’s Nashville’s Morning News, discussed a recent letter distributed by the Metro Health Department addressing the ‘BIPOC’ community encouraging those that have been affected by the Kyle Rittenhouse ruling to seek remedy due to the injustice suffered by the jury and court ruling of the case.

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Peter Buckley Recommended to Serve as University of Tennessee Health Science Center Chancellor

The University of Tennessee System on Tuesday recommended Peter F. Buckley to be the next chancellor of the University of Tennessee Health Science Center (UTHSC).

Buckley, who serves as the dean of the School of Medicine at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) and executive vice president of medical affairs for the VCU Health System, will now be considered by the UT Board of Trustees. 

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January 6th Committee Acknowledges It Made False Accusation Against Witness Bernard Kerik

The Democrat-led congressional committee investigating the Jan. 6 Capitol riots acknowledged Tuesday it made an error in a subpoena that falsely accused former New York Police Commissioner Bernard Kerik of attending a secret meeting in Washington to allegedly discuss overturning the November 2020 election results on behalf of then-President Donald Trump.

The committee chaired by Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.) acknowledged the mistake in a communication to Kerik’s lawyer just hours after Just the News reported that Kerik could not have attended the meeting in Washington on Jan. 5 as alleged in the subpoena because he was in New York City for a family emergency, according to his own phone and tollbooth records.

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Internal Poll Shows Trump up in Five Pivotal Swing States

An internal poll shows former President Donald Trump up in the five states that President Joe Biden flipped as he flirts with a third White House bid in 2024.

Biden flipped Wisconsin, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Arizona and Georgia in 2020, handing him a decisive 306-232 Electoral College victory over Trump. But Trump’s internal poll shows him up in all five and leading in some by double-digits.

Trump leads Biden by 10 points in Wisconsin, 12 points in Michigan, six points in Pennsylvania, eight points in Arizona and three points in Georgia, according to the poll. Biden won all five states by less than three points in 2020.

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World-Renowned Producer Fred Mollin Releases ‘It’s Great to be a Kid’

NASHVILLE, Tennessee –  Fred Mollin is an award-winning American and Canadian record producer, musician, film and TV composer, music director, music supervisor, and songwriter whose discography spans 35 years. He has produced records for Jimmy Webb, Johnny Mathis, Billy Ray Cyrus, Lamont Dozier, and America, and has composed music for Beverly Hills, 90210, Friday the 13th (movies and television), Forever Knight, Hard Copy, and many more. Mollin rose to prominence early in his career by co-producing (with Matthew McCauley) Dan Hill’s international hit record, “Sometimes When We Touch”, in 1977.

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Twitter’s Response to the Kyle Rittenhouse Verdict

Kyle Rittenhouse

Kyle Rittenhouse was found not guilty on all charges on Friday, ending the highly publicized trial in Madison, Wis. On Aug. 25, 2020, Rittenhouse, 18, fatally shot two men and wounded a third during protests in Kenosha, Wis. Jury selection began on Nov. 1, 2021, and the final verdict has come after four days of jury deliberation. Rittenhouse was acquitted on all seven counts, which included the serious first-degree reckless homicide, primarily claiming self-defense. This high-profile case has become the center of the political and cultural discourse surrounding self-defense, guns, racism, media, and the judicial system. Here are ten responses to the Kyle Rittenhouse verdict.

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Head of Envoy Sage Promises Unbiased Investigation of Pennsylvania Elections

Woman voting at booth

In a call with reporters this week, the president of the firm selected to conduct a probe of recent elections in Pennsylvania promised a nonpartisan effort to determine what facets of election security in the Keystone State need improvement.

“We have no preconceived notions of what we will or will not find,” said Steven Lahr, president of Dubuque, IA-based Envoy Sage. “The facts, as they are gathered, both digital and physical, will drive our investigative services. We will handle all concerns, data or information presented by the citizens of the Commonwealth through the [investigation] website, or to us by the committee, with fidelity, due diligence and the utmost discretion.”

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Two Black Men Made Self-Defense Claims Against Police This Year and Won

Kyle Rittenhouse was acquitted in the deaths of Joseph Rosenbaum and Anthony Huber (both white men) because of white supremacy, according to left-wing politicians and journalists.

Rittenhouse shot three people (all white), killing two, in a claimed self-defense incident after he was charged by left-wing rioters during unrest in Kenosha last year. A jury cleared him of all charges on Friday.

According to people like Rep. Cori Bush, Rittenhouse’s acquittal was “white supremacy in action.”

“This system isn’t built to hold white supremacists accountable. It’s why Black and brown folks are brutalized and put in cages while white supremacist murderers walk free,” she said on Twitter.

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California’s Gavin Newsom Goes on Vacation to Mexico After Extending ‘State of Emergency’ Order

Gavin Newsom

Just one week after declaring that he would extend a statewide “state of emergency” order, California Governor Gavin Newsom (D-Calif.) left for a vacation to Mexico with his family, as reported by the Daily Caller.

Newsom, his wife Jennifer, and their children left the state on Monday, and will not return until November 28th. On November 15th, Newsom signed another executive order extending numerous restrictions and other “emergency” measures that he first implemented in March of 2020, as the Chinese coronavirus first began to spread in the United States. Under his latest order, the rules and restrictions now will not expire until March of next year, with the added possibility that they may be arbitrarily extended again.

Despite some of the heaviest restrictions in the nation, including mask and vaccine requirements, California continues to see some of the highest rates of COVID-19 cases out of all the other states. In early November, California saw twice as many new cases as Florida, a state with virtually no restrictions remaining.

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Andrew Cuomo Personally Made Changes to Report Downplaying COVID-19 Nursing Home Deaths

Andrew Cuomo

On Monday, an explosive report by the New York State Assembly revealed that former Governor Andrew Cuomo (D-N.Y.) himself made direct edits to the initial report on how many senior citizens died of the Chinese coronavirus in New York nursing homes, as the Daily Caller reports.

The report from the Assembly’s Judiciary Committee is the culmination of an eight-month impeachment investigation against the disgraced former governor. The report says that Cuomo directed the New York Department of Health (DOH) to reduce the total number of fatalities by thousands so as to push back on criticism of Cuomo’s decision in March of 2020 to force COVID-positive patients into nursing homes, which infected and killed thousands of other senior citizens.

The original draft of the report prepared by DOH officials showed over 10,000 total nursing home deaths, but upon Cuomo’s insistence, it was reduced to about 6,500.

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Commentary: Select Committee Covering Up Police Brutality on January 6th

The family of Rosanne Boyland, one of two female Trump supporters who died at the Capitol on January 6, just announced they have hired a lawyer to investigate the suspicious circumstances of her untimely death. Boyland, 34, traveled with her friend Justin Winchell from Georgia to Washington to hear President Trump’s speech.

The pair then walked from the Ellipse to Capitol Hill; a photo published in a local Georgia newspaper shows Boyland smiling, wearing Old Glory sunglasses and carrying a “Don’t Tread on Me” flag that day.

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‘A Celebration of the Ongoing Genocide’: Workshop Suggests ‘Reparations,’ ‘National Day of Mourning’ to ‘Decolonize’ Thanksgiving

Two University of Oregon alumni spearheaded an hour-long discussion Thursday titled “Thanks, But No Thanks-giving: Decolonizing an American Holiday.”

The event description promoted the virtual workshop as a discussion about how we can “continue to show gratitude while raising our critical consciousness and identifying ways to decolonize the holiday.”

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Seventh Congressional Race Update: McGuire Decides to Run, Reeves Calls for Reinstatement of Officer Who Donated to Rittenhouse’s Legal Fund

Delegate John McGuire (R-Henrico) has been gradually ramping up his campaign for the GOP nomination for Virginia’s seventh congressional district: touting his fundraising totals, asking supporters for money, and beginning to file necessary federal paperwork for the campaign. That’s not a surprise, and McGuire joins the list of candidates entering the race despite a lack of clarity about what the district will look like after redistricting. McGuire, Senator Bryce Reeves (R-Spotsylvania), and Senator Amanda Chase (R-Chesterfield) are the heavyweights at this point in the race.

“Over the past year, I’ve had countless Virginians tell me I need to run for Congress to help save our country from the radical left leaders in Washington. Well, after our major win on November 2nd, and a lot of prayer with my wife, we’ve decided it’s our time to get into this race to take back the House in 2022,” McGuire said in a statement to The Virginia Star.

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Michigan Senate Republicans Urge State’s School Board Association to Break with National Organization

Senator Jim Runestad

A group of Republican lawmakers in the Michigan State Senate signed a letter written by Senator Jim Runestad (R-White Lake), urging the Michigan Association of School Boards (MASB) to withdraw its membership and affiliation from the National School Board Association (NSBA).

In the letter, the state lawmakers expressed concern over the direction of local schooling and the role parents are allowed to play in their children’s education.

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Student, Alumnus Speak Out Against Catholic University’s Paintings of George Floyd Depicted as Jesus

An outside shot of a large building, trees, blue sky

A student and an alumnus at Catholic University of America (CUA) told The Star News Network that they are unhappy with the school’s paintings that depict George Floyd as Jesus Christ. 

“George Floyd obviously didn’t deserve to die, but he’s not Jesus Christ,” Blayne Clegg, a junior at the school and President of the CUA College Republicans, told The Star. 

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Georgia Congressional Candidate Says He Knows How to Repair America’s Trucking Industry Troubles

A Republican who wants to replace U.S. Representative Jody Hice (R-GA-10) and owns a Jackson-based trucking company said it wouldn’t take much for the government to increase productivity within that industry, especially with current driver shortages. But government officials would have to have enough willpower to make those changes.

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Two Minnesotans Banned from School District After Asking About Sexual Abuse Scandal

A Minnesota school district banned parents and residents from school grounds for one year after they complained about an alleged sexual abuser in the building with their children. Now a local legal nonprofit says it will pursue action unless the district reverses this decision.

Maria Isabel Harju, a resident, and Cassandra Bonine, a parent, were both banned from school property after attempting to speak out at a school board meeting about how students felt uncomfortable with an accused sexual deviant, who is apparently male, attending class at their high school. Although the accused student has not been convicted, students are uncomfortable enough with his presence that they staged a walkout, demanding his removal while court proceedings are ongoing.

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Federal Judge Rules Against Sports Betting Agreement with Seminole Tribe

Sports Book Betting

Late Monday, U.S District Judge Dabney Friedrich ruled the deal allows online sports betting through the Seminole Tribe violates the federal law that regulates gambling on tribal lands.

Governor DeSantis and the Seminole Tribe of Florida celebrated the approval of the historic Seminole Gaming Compact in August after a 45-day review of the agreement was completed by the U.S. Department of Interior. The agreement included online sports betting that took place off of tribal lands but was processed on tribal property.

“The final approval of this historic gaming compact is a big deal for the State of Florida,” said Governor DeSantis in the release. “This mutually-beneficial agreement will grow our economy, expand tourism and recreation and provide billions in new revenue to benefit Floridians. I again want to thank Seminole Tribe of Florida Chairman Marcellus Osceola Jr., Senate President Wilton Simpson and House Speaker Chris Sprowls for their part in getting this done for our great state.”

However, Friedrich ruled that the deal violates the federal Indian Gaming Regulatory Act, or IGRA. The IGRA requires gambling activity take place on tribal lands. Friedrich wrote that, “over a dozen provisions in IGRA regulate gaming on ‘Indian lands,’ and none regulate gaming in another location.”

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Latest Polls Show DeSantis, Rubio Outperforming Democratic Challengers

In a newest poll from St. Pete Polls, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is outperforming his likely Democratic challengers in a hypothetical head-to-head general election. According to the poll, DeSantis would defeat Congressman Charlie Crist (D-FL-13) 50.6-44.8 percent. DeSantis would also defeat Florida Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried (D) 51.2-42.3 percent.

Surprisingly, in the matchup between DeSantis and Crist, DeSantis outperformed Crist among young voters by carrying 57.5 percent of likely voters aged 18-29. The youngest age bracket saw the most swing in favor for DeSantis.

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Phoenix City Councilman Sal DiCiccio Demands Vote on City of Phoenix Vaccine Mandate for Employees

Phoenix City Councilman Sal DiCiccio is requesting a meeting and vote on the City of Phoenix’s new COVID-19 vaccine mandate. In a letter sent to the mayor and other members of the city council on November 22, he expressed concerns over public safety, employee retention, and whether the Biden’s administration mandate even applies.

“This decision will compromise vital citywide services to our residents, including public safety, which this Council has been aware of the alarming crime data and how the city is struggling to hire and retain personnel,” he wrote. “A more thorough determination needs to be made on whether, under federal law, the City of Phoenix and its 13,000 employees are considered ‘federal contractors’ for the purposes of this mandate,” he wrote.

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Renacci Urges Ohio Gov. DeWine to Stop Using Taxpayer Funds for ‘Wasteful’ Vaccine Lotteries

Mike DeWine and Jim Renacci

Former congressman and GOP candidate for governor Jim Renacci urged Governor Mike DeWine to stop using taxpayer money to fund “wasteful” vaccine lotteries.

Currently, the state is conducting a lottery-style giveaway called Vax2School, which will distribute $2 million on scholarships to school-aged children who receive the coronavirus vaccine.

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Ohio Gov. DeWine and Other Republican Governors Call on Biden to Ease Supply Chain Regulations

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine wants the Biden administration to ease restrictions on the trucking industry to help small businesses and consumers get access to goods during the holiday season.

DeWine has joined 14 other Republican governors in asking the federal government to suspend what they called burdensome regulations and make immediate changes to federal law that could relieve supply chain backlogs.

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Georgia Rep. McBath’s Move to New Congressional District Highlights Republican Strength, Says Candidate Jake Evans

U.S. Representative Lucy McBath (D-GA-06) on Monday announced that she will run in a different district established by Georgia’s redistricting process, abandoning her current district.

Republican Jake Evans, a candidate for Congress in the Sixth Congressional District, argued the move by McBath highlights growing support for the GOP as the 2022 elections approach.

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Ohio’s New Congressional Districts Map Gets First Legal Challenge from Eric Holder-Affiliated Group

A national liberal organization has challeged Ohio’s recently approved congressional redistricting maps in a lawsuit filed with the Ohio Supreme Court, contending the new “gerrymandered” maps violate redistricting reforms added to the Ohio Constitution in 2018.

The National Redistricting Action Fund affiliate of the National Democratic Redistricting Committee said the map passed last week in the Ohio General Assembly “undluly favors the Ohio Republican Party” and minimized the political power of Democrats, particularly minorities.

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New Minnesota House Republican Caucus Raises Concerns About New K-12 Standards in Social Studies

Boy sitting in a library, reading a book

  Minnesota’s New House Republican Caucus raised concerns about the Minnesota Department of Education’s (MDE) newly released draft of their K-12 Academic Standards about social studies. They took issue with the curriculum outlined under the social studies section titled “Ethnic Studies.” One statement, categorized under the heading “resistance,” says that students will “organize with others to engage in activities that could further the rights and dignity of all.” According to the proposed academic standards, “The student will describe how individuals and communities have fought for freedom and liberation against systemic and coordinated exercises of power locally and globally, identify strategies or times that have resulted in lasting change.” “Which ‘systemic and coordinated exercises of power’ will be discussed? Does identifying strategies to ‘organize with others to engage in activities’ mean social and political protests taking place during school hours?” The New House Republican Caucus asked in a Facebook post. Another category under Ethnic Studies, titled “identity,” says that students will “analyze the ways power and language construct the social identities of race, religion, geography, ethnicity, and gender.” The standard continues, “The student will apply understandings to one’s own social identities and other groups living in Minnesota, centering on stories and…

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Bill Lee Office Not Saying How Media Rapidly Obtained Email from Within His Office Warning Against New Tennessee COVID-19 Law

A new Tennessee law prohibits COVID-19 mask mandates in schools, but Governor Bill Lee’s legislative counsel warned in a recent and now heavily publicized email that the law violates the Americans with Disabilities Act. Legislative Counsel Liz Alvey sent the email October 30. The AP obtained Alvey’s email through a public records request.

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