Staff at the Beacon Center of Tennessee on Wednesday bestowed the Metro Nashville Public School System (MNPS) with their yearly Pork of the Year Award, for more reasons than one. Beacon, a Nashville-based center right think tank, published their 2021 Pork Report on Wednesday.
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Yesterday, former Rep. Mark Meadows was held in contempt by the same House he once served in before his appointment as former President Donald J. Trump’s last chief of staff. Meadows had been complying with Nancy Pelosi’s appointed select committee tasked with looking into January 6 until it went too far.
Meadows is now suing Pelosi and the select committee.
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Tennessee Governor Bill Lee on Wednesday announced a pay raise for new Tennessee Department of Correction (TDOC) officers across the state.
Specifically, new correctional officers will receive a 37 percent salary increase, bringing the position’s starting salary to $44,500 per year. Current security staff members will also see a bump in salary, gaining a minimum 15 percent pay increase.
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In Memphis, a pair of armed carjackers have been sentenced to federal prison, according to a press release Monday by the United States Attorney’s Office Western District of Tennessee.
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Four FBI officials engaged in sexual intercourse with foreign prostitutes, according to an internal report.
The Department of Justice (DOJ) Office of the Inspector General (OIG) concluded an investigation into six FBI officials related to their involvement with foreign prostitutes, finding that four of the officials engaged in sexual intercourse, while a fifth solicited “commercial sex,” according to a report issued Tuesday by the DOJ OIG. A sixth official “committed misconduct” by failing to report the incidents, according to the report.
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Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) on Wednesday excoriated Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) for doctoring his text messages after the Democrat-led congressional committee investigating the Jan. 6 Capitol breach admitted to misrepresenting Jordan’s communications.
This is the second time in less than a month that the Jan. 6 committee has acknowledged a major blunder for pushing a false narrative of events.
“It was doctored,” Jordan told Just the News in his first public comments on the matter. “It was a text message that was forwarded on to Mark [Meadows]. This again shows how partisan, biased, and wrong this [Jan. 6] committee is. Who can trust anything they do? If they’re willing to doctor a document and mislead the American people, who can trust anything they do?”
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Wednesday morning on the Tennessee Star Report, host Michael Patrick Leahy welcomed Tennennee Fifth Congressional GOP Candidate Robby Starbuck to the newsmaker line to talk about his mission, national high profile, and local endorsements.
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Tea Party Patriots Action — the political action arm of the populist conservative movement that sprang up in 2009 — is calling upon House Republican leader Kevin McCarthy to strip GOP Reps. Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger of their conference memberships.
“As members of the January 6 committee, Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger have become willing agents of Speaker Pelosi’s war on President Trump, Trump administration officials and Trump supporters,” says Jenny Beth Martin, an honorary chairperson for the group and an early member of the grassroots Tea Party movement.
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During an interview on Tuesday, Joe Biden chastised unvaccinated Americans, accusing them of being irresponsible spreaders of disease, and suggesting they are unpatriotic if they don’t at least get tested before they go out in public.
Biden began his harangue by scoffing at the idea that people should feel free to refuse the experimental injections, even though they have led to an alarmingly high number of adverse events, including around 400,000 deaths according to some estimates.
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The U.S. Senate voted Tuesday to raise the debt ceiling $2.5 trillion, a move that would avoid a default on the nation’s debt payments likely until 2023, beyond the midterm elections.
The 50-49 vote along party lines now sends the measure to the U.S. House of Representatives.
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America’s largest bank, JPMorgan Chase & Co., told unvaccinated employees at the Manhattan offices that they must remain at home and work remotely, multiple sources reported.
Tuesday’s new rule allows only vaccinated employees and visitors to enter the bank’s Manhattan offices, a JPMorgan spokesperson told the Daily Caller News Foundation. Maks will be required when walking through lobbies, using elevators and in the company restaurants when not eating.
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Wednesday morning on the Tennessee Star Report, host Michael Patrick Leahy welcomed National Political Editor for The Tennessee Star Neil McCabe to the newsmakers line to weigh in on the status of the Build Back Better bill and the fate of Nancy Pelosi.
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Wednesday morning on the Tennessee Star Report, host Michael Patrick Leahy welcomed the original all star paneilstCrom Carmichael in studio for another edition of Crom’s Crommentary.
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Writing in the January/February 2022 issue of Foreign Affairs, the Hoover Institution’s Elizabeth Economy explores Chinese President Xi Jinping’s efforts to shape the international order by “fundamentally transforming the global system” to reflect Beijing’s interests and values. The leader of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), she explains, seeks nothing less than to replace the U.S.-led post–World War II global order with a “China-centric order with its own norms and values.” To understand what is at stake here, let’s talk geopolitics.
Since the end of the 19th century, the world has been what the great British geopolitical thinker Sir Halford Mackinder called a “closed political system.” The end of the age of discovery ushered in a post-Columbian world where, in Mackinder’s words, “Every explosion of social forces, instead of being dissipated in a surrounding circuit of unknown space and barbaric chaos, will be sharply re-echoed from the far side of the globe, and weak elements in the political and economic organism of the world will be shattered in consequence.” The events of the 20th century confirmed Mackinder’s observation — through two world wars and one cold war, the center of the world’s geopolitical landscape shifted away from Europe to North America and Asia. At the end of this “long war,” which lasted from 1914 to 1989, the formerly Euro-centric international system was at first temporarily replaced by America’s “unipolar moment,” which gradually receded with the emergence of today’s bipolar geopolitical contest between the United States and China.
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Bank of America has awarded $1.7 million to local nonprofits across Middle Tennessee in 2021, according to a Wednesday press release by the company. The company’s donation is part of their commitment to strengthening communities by addressing critical needs that help advance racial equality and economic opportunity.
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Trump Media & Technology Group (TMTG), former President Donald Trump’s media company, announced a partnership Tuesday with video streaming and hosting platform Rumble.
Rumble will provide TMTG’s social media network TRUTH Social with video and streaming services, according to a press release. TRUTH Social is already hosted on Rumble’s cloud infrastructure service Rumble Cloud as well as RightForge cloud servers.
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The House voted Tuesday to recommend criminal contempt of Congress charges against Mark Meadows, former President Donald Trump’s ex-chief of staff and a former House member, for defying a subpoena from the Jan. 6 Select Committee.
Meadows had originally cooperated with the committee, turning over thousands of texts, emails and other communications, but refused to meet with its members and to turn over direct communications with Trump after claiming executive privilege. The contempt motion passed 222-208 at about 11 p.m. with two Republicans voting alongside the unanimous Democratic caucus.
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Former President Donald Trump on Wednesday slammed Congressman Adam Schiff for changing the substance of a text message that he read during a January 6th Committee hearing.
Congressman Schiff (D-CA-28) allegedly altered a text message between White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows and Congressman Jim Jordan (R-OH-04), according to a report from The Federalist.
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Google told its employees that they would lose pay and eventually their jobs if they did not abide by the company’s COVID-19 vaccination policy, according to an internal memo obtained by CNBC.
Employees had until Dec. 3 to state their vaccination status to the company and upload the required documentation or to apply for a medical or religious exemption, according to the memo, CNBC reported.
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Nashville Mayor John Cooper and the Nashville Metro Department of Transportation and Multimodal Infrastructure (NDOT) announced they have finished the first draft of the ‘Vision Zero Action Plan.’ The plan aims to “achieve a goal of zero preventable roadway deaths” by keeping pedestrians, bikers, and motorists safe on Nashville streets.
“A great city is a walkable city and a bike-friendly city. That means – in a city that works for everyone – we must shape our transportation strategies and infrastructure around the safety and well-being of every person,” Cooper tweeted about the plan.
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Ohio’s state universities have implemented vaccine mandates, despite HB 244, which bans vaccine mandates for any vaccine that is not fully authorized by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
Ohio State University, Ohio University, and Wright State University all require students to be vaccinated against COVID-19.
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The Loudoun County School Board voted seven to one to elect former member Tom Marshall to the board. On Tuesday, the board left a closed meeting and immediately voted on the motion to appoint Marshall with little comment. Only Member John Beatty voted against Marshall, who was sworn in and seated immediately after the vote.
“The board has considered all criteria, including the public interest. Tom Marshall has served the district of Leesburg for over eight years, and has an extensive career in education, and will be able to return to his former seat knowing the staff and having firsthand experience with the budget cycle as well as strategic planning which we look forward to working on throughout the next year,” Member Denise Corbo said before the vote.
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Ohio plans to take the next step to reduce what Lt. Gov. Jon Husted called burdensome and costly regulations that could save the state millions of dollars.
New legislation, introduced at a Tuesday morning news conference, comes nearly two years after the state rolled out a new artificial intelligence tool that combed the Ohio Revised Code (ORC) and the Ohio Administrative Code (OAC) for regulations that could be streamlined or changed.
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The Ohio Senate on Wednesday approved a measure that will allow an individual to carry a concealed handgun without obtaining a concealed carry permit, also known as “constitutional carry.”
Specifically, Senate Bill 215, introduced by Senator Terry Johnson (R-McDermott), permits any individual aged 21 or over to carry the concealed firearm, making the class and license an optional decision for the state’s residents.
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As the Virginia General Assembly battles a ransomware attack, the Virginia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Systems (DBHDS) is dealing with impacts from a separate attack against timekeeping systems provider Ultimate Kronos Group (UKG).
“It is clear the global KRONOS ransomware attack and the ransomware attack experienced over the weekend in Virginia are not connected, and there is no indication that information was compromised or that any DBHDS systems have been compromised. Central Office staff are working with UKG to develop an interim situation and find out more information,” DBHDS Communications Director Lauren Cunningham told The Virginia Star. “State facilities have switched back to manual systems that are very time-intensive, but they will get the job done and ensure staff are paid.”
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Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) announced at a press conference yesterday the unveiling of new anti-woke legislation referred to as the Stop the Wrongs to Our Kids and Employees (WOKE) Act. After DeSantis banned Critical Race Theory (CRT) from Florida’s schools he said this is the next step in legislation to fight back against “woke indoctrination.”
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By a nearly party-line vote of 14 to 11, the Pennsylvania House State Government Committee voted Wednesday to advance a largely citizen-created map for congressional redistricting.
Lehigh County resident Amanda Holt submitted the map in its original form. The slightly modified version of the plan received the support of all committee Republicans except Rep. Ryan Mackenzie (R-Macungie) and no Democrats.
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A Soros-backed activist who allegedly lied about her Native-American heritage and headed the Minnesota Freedom Fund (MFF) during its most controversial moments currently sits on the Minnesota Sentencing Guidelines Commission (MSGC).
Tonja Honsey was removed from all her major leadership roles except for one after it was revealed that she allegedly lied to and defrauded those around her. Now, she only sits on the MSGC that Gov. Tim Walz appointed her to, helping to decide what punishments should be available for Minnesota judges to dole out. In this position, she’s presently advocating for a measure that would eliminate stronger sentences for criminals who commit more crimes while on probation or parole.
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In a Tuesday late-night session, The Michigan House approved a $1.5 billion spending plan to fight COVID-19.
The House passed House Bill (HB) 5523 on a vote of 98-4. The bill aims to spend $1 billion for COVID-19 treatment, testing, and workforce stabilizations. That includes:
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Every other year, the Arizona Secretary of State is required by statute to submit a draft of an updated election procedures manual to the Arizona Governor and Arizona Attorney General for approval. This year, Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich told Arizona Secretary of State Katie Hobbs that she needed to make several changes in order for it to be in compliance with the law, but she refused.
Brnovich responded to her in a letter on December 10, “As Arizona’s Chief Legal Officer, I have a responsibility to assure that the EPM conforms to the law. As a reminder, election officials who violate its provisions (which are hundreds of pages long) are guilty of a class 2 misdemeanor. Through the red-lined document provided to you yesterday, I have provided clear direction on what changes need to be made to assure the EPM does not unnecessarily expose election officials and workers to criminal penalties.”
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The state’s largest business group says Gov. Tony Evers’ could have done better with his latest workforce development effort.
The governor on Tuesday announced plans to spend $60 million in coronavirus stimulus money to try and get more people back to work in the state.
“There is no one-size-fits-all solution to addressing the workforce challenges across our state, so these funds are critically important to encourage regions and communities to develop cutting-edge, long-term solutions to the unique workforce challenges they face,” the governor said.
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A new poll released on Wednesday shows that a majority of Michigan voters believe that the state is on the wrong track, an increase from September.
The survey initiated by the Detroit Regional Chamber demonstrated that 52.8 percent of voters do not support the direction of the state, compared to 31.7 percent who believe it is on the right track.
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Florida Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried accused Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) of requiring prospective university board of trustee members to donate $100,000 to his campaign. In turn, he would grant appointments to university boards.
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Georgia Speaker of the House David Ralston (R-Blue Ridge) said this week that members of the state’s GOP will suffer a “bloodbath” in 2022 if they continue to allege voter fraud occurred during the 2020 elections. Ralston made those remarks to the Atlanta-based WABE, which is affiliated with National Public Radio.
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Wisconsin Senator Ron Johnson (R-WI) wrote a letter to United States Attorney General Merrick Garland asking for information regarding violent felons out on pretrial release. Johnson said that he found this information to be necessary following the “inappropriately low” bail of the Waukesha parade killer Darrell Brooks.
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Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul said in an interview with Associated Press that he would not enforce bans on abortion if Roe v. Wade gets overturned. Kaul said that he would not “investigate or prosecute anyone for having an abortion.” Wisconsin has an abortion ban law that is currently unenforceable under Roe v. Wade provisions, but that could change depending on if the Supreme Court decides to overturn the 1973 decision this summer.
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Mark Bishofsky, a former respiratory therapist as well as a medical freedom protest and rally organizer, announced his intention to run for the Minnesota State House of Representatives in district 39.
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ATLANTA, Georgia – Mark Meadows, Senior Partner with the Conservative Partnership Institute was introduced as the keynote speaker by Tennessee Congressman Mark Green at the State Freedom Caucus Network inaugural gala held Tuesday at the Grand Hyatt Buckhead with about 200 people in attendance.
As The Star News reported, the State Freedom Caucus Network (SFCN) launched earlier on Tuesday at the Georgia state capitol, with seven members of the state legislature publicly announcing their membership in the Georgia Freedom Caucus.
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Earlier this year, Floyd County School System officials invited a group of speakers to enter a school and ask students person questions about their sexual preferences and whether they or their families were racist. Amy Bergstrom, whose daughter attends Coosa High School in Rome, said the incident occurred in May.
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A member of the Tennessee State House of Representatives filed a bill Wednesday to repeal the state’s gas tax.
“The working people of Tennessee are getting hammered by inflation and horrendous energy policy that has caused gas prices to sky rocket! All thanks to the I’m competence of Joe Biden and the Democrats in DC,” Rep. Bruce Griffey (R-Paris) told The Tennessee Star. “Tennessee is currently running monthly budget surpluses is in the hundreds of millions of dollars over projected budgeted revenues. This gas tax repeal is a way to try to help working Tennesseans and all those Tennesseans paying bother prices at the pump.
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