Wednesday morning on The Tennessee Star Report, host Leahy welcomed State Senator Frank Nicely (R-TN-8) to the newsmakers line to help clarify the eligibility laws of GOP primary candidates in Tennessee.
Read the full storyDay: February 2, 2022
Tennessee Attorney General’s Office Tells Judge That COVID-19 Reports Must Remain Withheld from Public Access
Tennessee Deputy Attorney General Janet Kleinfelter argued in court last week that reports that a government-hired consultant filed regarding COVID-19 should remain exempt from the public. This, according to a new column that The Tennessee Coalition for Open Government (TCOG) recently published. The TCOG, according to its website, promotes open government and citizen access to public information.
Read the full storyPresident Trump Reiterates Support for Ortagus, Says He Didn’t Know Starbuck but Heard ‘He Voted for Obama’
President Donald J. Trump says he stands by his offered endorsement of Morgan Ortagus and that he didn’t know Robby Starbuck but heard that he voted for Obama.
President Donald J. Trump appeared on the Newsmax program Rob Schmitt Tonight on Tuesday. He was asked about the blowback his offered endorsement of potential candidate and former Trump Administration State Department spokesman Morgan Ortagus received.
Read the full storyCNN President Zucker Resigns, Citing Undisclosed Relationship with Senior Executive, Reports
CNN Worldwide president Jeff Zucker has resigned from the company due to an undisclosed relationship with his “closest colleague.”
In a memo to employees, Zucker wrote, “As part of the investigation into Chris Cuomo’s tenure at CNN, I was asked about a consensual relationship with my closest colleague, someone I have worked with for more than 20 years. I acknowledged the relationship evolved in recent years. I was required to disclose it when it began but I didn’t. I was wrong. As a result, I am resigning today.”
Read the full storyBill Filed Prohibiting Local Education Associations or Public Charter Schools from Doing Business with Entities That Perform Abortions
A Tennessee legislator has filed a bill prohibiting LEAs or public charter schools from doing business with entities that perform abortions.
This is the latest Pro-Life bill to be proposed during the current Tennessee General Assembly Session.
Read the full storySenator Hagerty Requests Export Controls on Semiconductor Producer in China
Senator Bill Hagerty (R-TN), in conjunction with Senator Tom Cotton (R-AR), asked the U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo to enhance export controls on a semiconductor producer in China.
According to the duo, the producer, Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corporation (SMIC), is a pride of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).
Read the full storyDespite Robby Starbuck’s Claims, Wilson County Republican Chair Says Starbuck Didn’t Send Him Anything About His Voting Record
Doubt continues to be cast on Robby Starbuck’s claims about his Republican primary voting record.
On multiple occasions, Starbuck claimed that he voted in the August of 2020 and March of 2020 Tennessee Republican primaries. Records provided by Williamson County election officials, where he lives and is registered to vote, contradict those claims.
Read the full storyCommentary: Biden Needs to Decide If COVID Is Still a ‘National Emergency’
The omicron variant may be nearing its peak in some states, but across the country it’s produced a dizzying array of conflicting signals on whether the nation should remain under a COVID national emergency or move on to an endemic “new normal.”
Comedian Bill Maher’s “I don’t want to live in your mask-paranoid world anymore” monologue went viral last week, just days after the Atlantic, the standard-bearer journal for the liberal intelligentsia, ran a story headlined: “COVID Parenting Has Passed the Point of Absurdity.” Accompanying the article was a black-and-white photo of a woman frozen in a more desperate and primal state of panic than the subject of Edvard Munch’s “The Scream.”
Omicron, for most people without co-morbidities, produces much milder symptoms than do the coronavirus’s previous variants, but it’s far more infectious, racing through schools, shutting down classrooms and forcing parents to consult their district’s ever-shifting COVID “decision trees” on a seemingly daily basis.
Read the full storySchweizer: McConnell Linked to Chinese Communist Party Through Wife’s Family
Investigative journalist Peter Schweizer, author of the new book “Red Handed: How American Elites Get Rich Helping China Win,” told The Star News Network that the leader of Senate Republicans, Kentucky’s Sen. A. Mitchell “Mitch” McConnell, is tied to the top leadership of the Chinese Communist Party through his wife’s family.
“When Mitch McConnell married Elaine Chao, he married into a family with very substantial connections on mainland China and the Chinese Communist Party,” said Schweizer, who is also the president of The Government Accountability Institute.
Read the full storyMajority of Americans Oppose Choosing Supreme Court Justices by Race and Gender: Poll
President Joe Biden’s commitment to only nominate a a new Supreme Court justice who is a Black female does not have broad support, a newly released poll suggests.
The ABC/Ipsos poll found that 76% of surveyed Americans say Biden should consider “all possible nominees” to fill Breyer’s seat while 23% say Biden should “consider only nominees who are Black women, as he has pledged to do.”
Biden promised several times during the campaign to nominate a Black female justice, saying he is “looking forward to making sure there’s a Black woman on the Supreme Court.”
Read the full story25 States Urge Biden to Rescind Fed Nominee over ‘Radical’ Climate, Social Views
A large coalition of state financial officers announced their opposition to one of President Joe Biden’s top nominees for the Federal Reserve over her “radical” policy positions.
Sarah Bloom Raskin would put U.S. financial and economic stability at risk to achieve her “preferred social outcomes” if confirmed, the top financial officers of 25 states wrote to Biden in a letter Monday. Raskin, the former deputy secretary of the Treasury Department during the Obama administration, has taken particular aim at addressing climate change through aggressive financial policies.
“As State Treasurers, Auditors, and financial officers, we write to express our strong disapproval of Sarah Bloom Raskin as your choice for Vice-Chair for Supervision at the Federal Reserve Bank. We urge you to withdraw her nomination,” the letter stated.
Read the full story‘Extreme Left-Wing Positions’: Biden’s ‘Activist’ Fed Nominee Lisa Cook Once Supported Reparations
President Joe Biden’s nominee to regulate the banking industry has previously expressed support for economic reparations to black Americans, Fox Business reported Monday.
Lisa Cook, a professor of international relations and economics at Michigan State University, has an extensive history of supporting “race-specific” financial compensation “because the injury was race-specific,” Fox reported. Cook was nominated on Jan. 14 to serve on the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System.
“Everybody benefited from slavery. Everybody. So, I think that we absolutely need some sort of reckoning with that,” said Cook on the EconTalk podcast in September 2020. “One thing I do support is H.R. 40 … I think that’s absolutely what needs to be done,” said Cook in a March 2021 talk at Berkeley Haas, referencing a bill that would establish a commission to study and develop reparation proposals.
Read the full storyTeachers Unions ‘Hold the Education of Kids Hostage,’ Worker Rights Group Says
A worker rights group is calling out two powerful teachers unions, claiming that they “hold the education of kids hostage” in a press release.
Mark Mix, president of the National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation (NRTWLDF), told the Daily Caller News Foundation that teachers unions like the National Education Association (NEA) and American Federation of Teachers (AFT) are taking advantage of a labor law provision passed in the 1930s for the private sector.
“In several states across the country, union officials, specifically teachers’ union officials, have been granted a really unique privilege called exclusive monopoly bargaining,” Mix said, adding that former President Franklin Delano Roosevelt opposed granting such privileges to public-sector unions while in office.
Read the full storyCommentary: New Washington Post National Editor Recused from FBI Coverage
The Washington Post has recused its new national editor, Matea Gold, from the news organization’s coverage of the FBI and Justice Department over a personal conflict of interest. A month before Gold was promoted, her husband, Jonathan Lenzner, was named FBI chief of staff.
A Post spokeswoman told RealClearInvestigations that the paper’s managing editor, Steven Ginsberg, will be overseeing coverage of the Justice Department and the FBI. Kristine Coratti Kelly, the paper’s chief communications officer, said the decision does not reflect on Gold’s objectivity or credibility.
“We have every confidence in Matea’s professionalism and high standards,” Kelly said. “She has recused herself from this area of coverage to avoid even the appearance of partiality.”
Read the full storyCommentary: The Russia Time Bomb
The crisis on the Russian-Ukrainian border has been a surreal spectacle for some weeks. This is not how invasions occur and wars begin. The potential aggressor does not mass large forces on the border of a possible target country before full international view and issue continuous statements to the international media about its intentions. And the senior military officials of great powers do not—as Chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff General Mark Milley ( leading man of the Afghan debacle) and some of his colleagues have done—publicly speculate on the psychology and likely intentions of the leader of the country implicitly threatening to start a war. Whatever Milley’s talents may be, there is no reason to believe that mind-reading is among them. It is, in any case, not part of his brief to give regular bulletins on what he thinks Russian President Vladimir Putin’s intentions may be.
This is Gilbert and Sullivan warmongering.
If Putin intended to invade Ukraine he would do so as he did with Crimea in 2008 and attempt to achieve some element of surprise. Instead he has made an international public spectacle of amassing six to 10 divisions on the Ukraine border, which every informed person in the world knows is inadequate to defeat and dominate a resistant country of 40 million people. This is theater: Russia pretends to threaten to be going to war; America pretends to react strongly, the NATO allies send forces to neighboring countries that are not under threat while asserting that they will on no account deploy forces into Ukraine, but will apply sanctions to Russia; some even propose preemptive sanctions against Russia although it has not actually done anything objectionable. (Russia could never be more than moderately inconvenienced by sanctions, especially if China and Germany ignore them.)
Read the full storyFormer President George W. Bush Donates to Pro-Impeachment Republicans
Former President George W. Bush’s most recent donations to Republican candidates included maximum contributions to the campaigns of two Republicans who voted in favor of impeaching President Donald Trump.
Politico reports that the only donations made by the 43rd president in the year 2021 were to the campaigns of Congresswoman Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) and Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska). Bush gave the maximum possible amount of $5,800 to Cheney in October, while also giving $2,900 to Murkowski’s campaign. According to FEC filings, Bush had also previously donated to Cheney’s first campaign for the House of Representatives in 2016; Cheney is the daughter of Bush’s former Vice President Dick Cheney.
Both represent small portions of each candidates’ respective war chests, with Cheney finishing the year with $1.9 million and Murkowski raising $4.7 million; but the symbolism of the former president only donating to Republicans who voted to impeach President Trump speaks volumes about the ongoing divide between the previous generations of Republican leadership and the rising “America First” movement, led by Trump.
Read the full storyU.S. Truckers Plan Their Own Freedom Convoy from California to Washington, D.C. to Protest Authoritarian COVID Mandates
Inspired by their Canadian brethren, American truckers have decided to form their own nationwide “Convoy to DC” in protest of the Biden regime’s authoritarian COVID policies.
The group’s Facebook page, Convoy to DC 2022, already has over 131,000 thousand followers.
“We are part of many large groups who believe in our founding fathers. We believe everyone has a voice. We support our freedom. Help us spread the word about this group and together we all can make it a better place. God Bless America,” the page reads.
Read the full storyNSA Inspector General ‘Concerned’ About Surveillance of Americans’ Communication Devices
On Monday, the office of the Inspector General at the National Security Agency (NSA) released a report showing that the agency failed to follow basic internal guidelines and court-ordered procedures in its surveillance of American citizens’ communications.
According to CNN, the report showed that the agency abused a loophole in Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA). While Section 702 allows the government to collect such communications of foreign citizens on foreign soil without a warrant, it prohibits the government from doing so with American citizens. The loophole allows the NSA and the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) to use this section to collect American communications without a warrant if they believe “a query is reasonably likely to return foreign intelligence information.”
The inspector general’s report “revealed a number of concerns involving [U.S. person] identifiers used as query terms against FISA Section 702 data.” Furthermore, some of these NSA queries “did not always follow NSA procedural and policy requirements.” Among other discrepancies, information gathered on “selectors,” or particular search terms in an investigation, were not properly documented; in addition, the NSA’s internal query tools designed to automatically prevent the processing of queries involving any Americans associated with the selectors ultimately failed to do so, thus allowing Americans to be investigated and monitored.
Read the full storyAnalysis: Coming to Grips with the Facts About Masks
Allegations that “masks work” and “don’t cause harm” have been enforced by governments and corporations around the world for more than 18 months through arrests, firings, censorship, fines, and denial of access to schools, supermarkets, hospitals, streets, and other public spaces. This has made it virtually impossible for many people to live without complying with mask mandates.
In recent weeks, however, more medical scholars and media outlets are coming to grips with facts about masks that Just Facts has been documenting for more than a year and painstakingly compiled in a September 2021 article sourced with more than 50 peer-reviewed science journals. Here’s a sample of people who are speaking up about the facts and their implications:
Dr. Vinay Prasad—an associate professor of epidemiology and biostatistics at the University of California, San Francisco—has written an article that examines the scientific evidence for masking children and concludes that:
Read the full storyMigration from Blue States to Certain Cities Spikes Cost of Living There
The cost of living is skyrocketing in certain “migration destination” cities where those fleeing mostly blue states are landing, according to a newly released report.
Redfin released the analysis, which shows that cities like Atlanta, Phoenix and Tampa have seen higher rates of inflation than the country overall. According to the report, those increases are “double the inflation rates in San Francisco and New York, places people are moving away from.”
“Migration into those places is one reason for rapidly rising prices of consumer goods and services,” Redfin said. “Because of high inflation, including rising home prices, the financial advantage of living in what are now relatively affordable places is likely to diminish.”
Read the full storyRNC Members Push Resolution to Expel Cheney, Kinzinger from House GOP Conference
A Republican National Committee member and former Trump adviser is asking the party to vote Thursday on a resolution demanding that House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy expel Reps. Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger from the House GOP conference for their participation on the Democrats’ Jan. 6 investigation committee.
Read the full storyLetter to the Editor: Robby Starbuck Misunderstands Tennessee Political Candidate Bylaws
Robby Starbuck is quoted as saying, “Party chairs in Davidson & Williamson have had my voter history from CA and TN for a long time. They’ve had zero issue with it. It’s been sent to the Wilson County GOP chair recently too. I called Williamson County GOP Chair Cheryl Brown last night to confirm that there’s no issue again. Cheryl confirmed again to me that there’s no issue with my eligibility.”
Read the full storyCongressman Mark Green Describes His ‘Sad but Historic’ Trip to Ukraine
Tuesday morning on The Tennessee Star Report, host Leahy welcomed Congressman Mark Green to the newsmakers line to inform of his recent visit to Ukraine.
Read the full storyGrant’s Rants: It Is No Longer Enough for Just You to Get Involved
Tuesday morning on The Tennessee Star Report, host Leahy welcomed official guest host, Grant Henry in studio for another edition of Grant’s Rants.
Read the full storyState GOP Chairman Scott Golden Unravels Tennessee Republican Party Bylaws for Qualifying Candidates to Run for Office
Tuesday morning on The Tennessee Star Report, host Leahy welcomed Tennessee Republican Party Chairman, Scott Golden to the newsmaker line to clarify bylaws and standards for candidates.
Read the full storyOgles and Leahy on the ‘Carpetbaggers’ Vying for the GOP Nomination in Tennessee’s New Fifth Congressional District
Tuesday morning on The Tennessee Star Report, host Leahy welcomed Maury County Mayor Andy Ogles to discuss the Constitution of the state of Tennessee, statutes, and bylaws of the Republican Party.
Read the full storyArizona Republican Electors Suddenly Under Attack Now for Choosing Trump in the 2020 Election
Democrats are suddenly now attacking 11 Republican Arizona electors for choosing Donald Trump to receive Arizona’s electoral votes over a year ago, shortly after the 2020 presidential election. The Democrat-controlled U.S. House committee investigating the raucous protest at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021 issued subpoenas on Jan. 28 for some of the Republican electors in seven swing states that submitted both a Republican slate of electors along with a Democratic slate, including two Arizona Republicans.
A few of the electors have spoken up publicly in the last few days after it was made an issue, explaining they cast their votes believing Trump would prevail, since the election results were challenged in multiple lawsuits due to widespread belief there was voter fraud in Arizona and other swing states. The Arizona Sun Times reached out to several of them requesting comment, but they declined to respond, citing the legal risks.
Read the full storyWisconsin Elections Commission Gives Election Managers Leeway to Add Information to Absentee Ballots
Local election managers across Wisconsin are being told to fill in missing information – a practice commonly referred to as “curing” – on absentee ballots if they can find it.
The Wisconsin Elections Commission on Monday night voted down a proposal that would instruct clerks to contact voters before making any changes to absentee ballots.
Commissioners then immediately voted to approve guidance that allows clerks to cure ballots on their own.
Read the full storyRepublicans Outpace Democrats in Maricopa County Voter Registrations
Republicans continue to outpace Democrats in changes to voter registrations, according to information released by the Maricopa County Recorder’s Office.
According to the data, more than 1,300 individuals in the country switched their party identification to “Republican,” compared to approximately 900 who changed to “Democrat.”
Read the full storyStates Should Follow Florida’s Holocaust Education Standards, Says Tennessee Textbook Commissioner Laurie Cardoza-Moore
Laurie Cardoza-Moore, a member of Tennessee’s Textbook and Instructional Materials Quality commission, argued that states should follow Florida’s approach to Holocaust education.
According to Cardoza-Moore, the curriculum supported by Governor Ron DeSantis gives Holocaust education and American history the high “level of instruction they deserve.”
Read the full storyWisconsin Gubernatorial Candidate Rebecca Kleeflisch Backs Plan to Break Up Milwaukee Public Schools
Wisconsin gubernatorial candidate Rebecca Kleeflisch on Monday backed a proposal to divide Wisconsin’s largest school district into multiple, smaller systems.
The plan, initiated by State Senator Alberta Darling (R-River Hills), would require the large district to dissolve into four to eight smaller ones within two years, if fully enacted.
Read the full storyAfter Settling Athlete Sex Abuse Case, University of Michigan Hit with Professor Sex Abuse Allegations
A prominent former professor at the University of Michigan (UM) has been accused by eight former students of sexual misconduct, ranging from groping to rape, according to reports.
University spokesman Rick Fitzgerald told The Michigan Star that Professor Bruce Conforth’s tenure at the school ended in 2017, when he admitted to allegations of sexual misconduct. Conforth resigned, and agreed to “a separation agreement outlined his permanent removal from the university, no contact with students and other requirements.”
Read the full storyCommentary: Wisconsin Consumers Will Be Shocked by Their Electric Bills If Lawmakers Insist on Pushing New Energy Legislation
With Wisconsinites increasingly worried about inflation and rising energy costs, you’d think state officials would be acting to alleviate the situation, not make it worse. But if legislation recently filed in Wisconsin goes into effect, residents may be in for another shock when they get their electric bills. The legislation would change the way electric transmission lines are built and operated in the state, eliminating competition and driving up costs for consumers to benefit a few established monopolies.
Read the full storyString of Columbus Mail Carrier Robbed over Universal Mailbox Keys
Columbus is facing a United States Postal Service (USPS) challenge as several mail carriers have now been robbed at gunpoint and their universal mailbox keys stolen.
“A gunman held up a letter carrier on Partridge Place in north Columbus on Jan. 27 when he was in the middle of his delivery route,” WTTE reported.
Read the full storyVirginia House of Delegates Passes Bills to Freeze Minimum Wage at $11 an Hour and Include Health Benefits in Legal Definition of Wage
RICHMOND, Virginia – The Republican-controlled House of Delegates passed two bills addressing the minimum wage, including a repeal of increases passed by Democrats in previous sessions. Delegate Nick Freitas (R-Culpeper) and Delegate Sally Hudson (D-Charlottesville) debated about the need for minimum wage increases on the House floor Monday.
“I have it on good theological guidance that nothing in this bill is going to cause you to be cast into eternal darkness and gnashing of teeth,” Freitas said, defending his HB 320 against a claim that eliminating minimum wage increases harms “the least among us,” a reference to Jesus’ teaching in the Bible.
Read the full storyGeorge Mason University Pulls Booster Mandate After Students Fight Back
After students at George Mason University (GMU) fought the school’s administration on mandatory booster shots for COVID-19, the school Monday announced that it has scrapped the mandate, though it did not credit the students for their efforts.
“George Mason University announced today it will strongly encourage students who remain unvaccinated to get the COVID-19 vaccine and booster, but no longer require it, in observance of Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares’ opinion,” the school said in a message written by President Gregory Washington.
Read the full storyOhio Proposes 10 Percent Cut to Workers’ Compensation Premiums
Private businesses in Ohio would save nearly $106 million over the next fiscal year if a proposal to cut the state’s workers’ compensation premiums by 10% is approved.
The reduction would follow a 10% rate reduction for public employers – counties, cities, schools and others – that went into effect Jan. 1. If approved at the Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation (BWC) board meeting Feb. 25, it would be effective July 1.
“At the request of Gov. [Mike] DeWine, we are proposing a new rate reduction for private employers,” BWC Administrator and CEO Stephanie McCloud said. “This proposed rate reduction confirms the dedication and hard work Ohio’s private employers have towards workplace safety.”
Read the full storyClermont County GOP Endorses Jim Renacci for Ohio Governor
The Clermont County Republican Party on Monday voted to endorse Ohio gubernatorial candidate Jim Renacci in his challenge to Governor Mike DeWine.
In total, Renacci won the endorsement with 77 of the possible 106 committee members’ votes. 22 individuals supported Governor DeWine.
Read the full storyFederal Trial Begins for Florida’s Election Integrity Law
The federal trial has begun for Florida’s election integrity law, signed by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) last May. Before the law came into effect, it was known by its legislative number, SB 90. After DeSantis signed SB 90, numerous legal challenges were filed immediately.
Read the full storyNew Poll Shows DeSantis Crushing Competition in Race for Reelection
A poll of 500 likely Florida voters that was conducted between January 26 and 29 via live telephone interviews has found that Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) is leading both his Democrat primary challengers in the 2022 election cycle.
The poll was conducted by Suffolk University/USA TODAY Network.
Read the full storyVirginia House of Delegates Passes Bill Rewriting Virginia Law Addressing Mandatory Reporting of Offenses Committed on School Property
RICHMOND, Virginia – The House of Delegates passed a bill significantly rewriting a section of Virginia law that handles crimes committed on school property and how officials report those offenses to law enforcement and parents. On Tuesday, eight Democrats crossed the aisle to help pass the bill, 59 to 40.
Read the full storyTwo Police Officers Killed in Virginia College Shooting
Two police officers have died following a shooting Tuesday afternoon at Bridgewater College in Virginia, authorities stated.
The shooting occurred at 1:20 p.m., and a male suspect was apprehended at 1:55 p.m., the college stated in a press release.
In an email sent to students and faculty shortly after 5:00 p.m., Bridgewater College President David Bushman identified campus police officer John Painter and campus safety officer J.J. Jefferson as the two casualties.
Read the full storyCommentary: 2022 Shaping to Be a Rough Year for Sanford Bishop and Georgia Democrats
It’s only January and 2022 is already giving us an idea as to what can be expected in this year’s midterms.
Democrats were delivered a body blow in last year’s elections. They suffered a historic loss in Virginia’s gubernatorial race and failed to secure victories against Republican-backed mayoral candidates in Georgia’s suburbs.
Read the full storyGeorgia Gubernatorial Candidate David Perdue Launches Statewide Tour, Promises Big Reforms
ALPHARETTA — Georgia gubernatorial candidate David Perdue on Tuesday launched a statewide tour to communicate his priorities to voters, and they include reforming the state’s election system and overhauling the way the state government collects taxes. Perdue launched his tour in Alpharetta. He said the Republican Party is currently divided. Perdue mentioned that former President Donald Trump endorsed him and added that Trump does not dispense such endorsements lightly.
Read the full storyNew Poll: Mike Gibbons Leading Race for Ohio GOP Nomination for U.S. Senate
Mike Gibbons, a Republican businessman and candidate for U.S. Senate, is in the lead for the GOP nomination, according to a new poll.
The survey, conducted by polling firm Cygnal, demonstrates that Gibbons, who sits at 16 percent, holds a 3 percent lead over the next closest opponent—former Ohio Treasurer Josh Mandel.
Read the full storyNew Report: Pennsylvania’s Government Spending Damaging Economy
A report released this week by the Commonwealth Foundation (CF), a Harrisburg-based think tank, underscores the drawbacks of lavish government spending for ordinary Pennsylvanians.
Inflation and the economic policies that fuel it have already weighed on the minds of Americans for months. Federal spending during the COVID-19 pandemic has skyrocketed to create a debt nearing $30 trillion, equating to 133 percent of the U.S. gross domestic product and amounting to $239,000 per taxpayer.
Read the full storySenate Committee Advances Minnesota Sen. Klobuchar’s Legislation to ‘Rein in Big Tech’
Sen. Amy Klobuchar appeared on Fox News’ Special Report Thursday night, primarily to promote an antitrust bill aimed at reforming laws that govern Big Tech and increasing competition.
A bipartisan U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee voted 16-6 Thursday to advance the legislation — The American Innovation and Choice Online Act — as bipartisan lawmakers seek to curtail the power and influence of Amazon, Apple, Facebook, Google, and others.
In short, the bill would prevent companies from “unfairly preferencing their own products and services” on their platforms while prohibiting “specific forms of conduct that are harmful to small businesses, entrepreneurs, and consumers.”
Read the full storyDeSantis Calls on Biden to Accelerate Everglades Project
In a press conference from South Florida, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) called on the President Joe Biden administration to accelerate funding for the Everglades Agricultural Area Reservoir project. The announcement came after the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers earmarked $1.1 billion in funding for the project. The money came from the infrastructure package Congress agreed upon last year.
Read the full storyMetro Nashville Council Passes Resolution Requesting Metro Employees Undergo Implicit Bias Training, Allocates over $20 Million in Taxpayer Funds for Economic Recovery
The Metro Nashville Council passed a resolution requesting that Metro Nashville employees undergo implicit bias training at their February 1, 2022 meeting.
A late resolution was filed by councilmembers Joy Styles, Sandra Sepulveda, Jennifer Gamble, and Brandon Taylor. It is a resolution “requesting the Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County to provide implicit bias training to all employees” and “employees of the Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County should be required to attend training on implicit bias and the promotion of bias-reducing strategies to address unintended biases regarding race, ethnicity, gender identity, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, or other characteristics.” There was no objection to the resolution coming to a vote. The resolution passed by voice vote with Councilmember Allen abstaining.
Read the full story