State Senator Frank Niceley Expects Senate-Passed Legislation Establishing Residency Requirements for Federal Candidates in Primaries to Pass in the House

Senator Frank Niceley expects his version of the bill establishing residency requirements for candidates in Tennessee primaries, which was approved by the Senate 31-1, to carry the day in the state House.

Senator Niceley told The Tennessee Star, “I expect when the House legislation reaches the floor, they’ll vote to substitute and conform to the Senate bill. That way it’ll be quick and painless. If its a good bill, its a good bill now.”

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Commentary: A Country Without Pity

A country without pity has lost its soul.

Sadly, that is the state of America in 2022. On the eve of the two-year anniversary—which is too celebratory a word to describe its aftermath—of useless, destructive lockdowns sold as a way to stop the spread of COVID-19, our country has been exposed as a place overpopulated with pitiless citizens gratified by the suffering of others. The common bonds that tether friendships and fellowship are in tatters, shredded by the nihilism of the ruling class, egged on by a mendacious corporate media, and amplified on ill-named “social” media platforms.

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Tennessee State Senator Brian Kelsey — Indicted Back in October — Announces He Won’t Seek Re-Election

State Senator Brian Kelsey (R-Germantown) told his constituents on Friday that he will not run for reelection, and he intends to spend more time with his family. “It has been a true honor to serve you for 18 years and to work with you to pass more constitutional amendments than any other Tennessee legislator in history — including one to forever ban the income tax,” Kelsey wrote on his Facebook page.

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Commentary: The Russia-Ukraine Conflict Has the Potential to Turn into Another Forever War

According to the criteria for their respective medals, the Iraq War that began in 2003 lasted more than eight years; yet the U.S. war in Afghanistan, which commenced just weeks after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, has lasted more than 20 years. And despite the U.S. withdrawal, the destruction of the U.S.-backed government in Kabul, and the loss of so much equipment to the Taliban, that war still has, at this writing, no official end date. 

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Athens’ Homeless Problem Could Lower University of Georgia’s Enrollment Numbers, One Resident Says

Athens-Clarke County officials use taxpayer money to lure in greater and greater numbers of homeless people from around Georgia, but the consequences to the county and to the University of Georgia (UGA) are too great to ignore. This, according to two Athens residents who said they have observed the city’s homeless epidemic up close.

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Virginia Gov. Youngkin Reiterates His Budget Priorities in New Letter to Money Legislators

As representatives from the General Assembly’s money committees begin work on a budget compromise, Governor Glenn Youngkin sent a letter to them reiterating his top priorities for the budget.

There’s a tension between the House of Delegates and the Senate proposals on how to spend revenue surplus and one-time resources. Both chambers’ proposals advance increased spending, but the House of Delegates prioritizes extensive tax cuts with more moderate new spending while the Senate includes more new spending but moderate cuts.

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Wisconsin Senate Candidate Mandela Barnes Struggles to Provide Examples of His Accomplishments as Lieutenant Governor

Wisconsin Senate Candidate Mandela Barnes struggled to name his own climate-related accomplishments when asked by a student at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls.

The question connected to the candidate’s role on the Governor’s Task Force on Climate Change, where he serves as the chair. Yet, he could not provide an example of successful implementation of the group’s recommendation.

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Florida Governor Ron DeSantis Tells Outraged Media Accusing Him of Bullying Students into Removing Masks They Are the True Bullies

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (R) told Fox News Channel host Tucker Carlson Thursday the media accusing him of “berating” students into removing their masks during a press conference are the true bullies for helping federal health officials over the past two years force children to wear cloth masks that have never been effective against the spread of COVID-19.

Appearing on Fox News Channel’s Tucker Carlson Tonight, DeSantis responded to critics in the media who accused him of “berating” and “scolding” students who appeared with him during a press conference Wednesday, wearing masks.

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Virginia Rep. Beyer Cosponsors Legislation to Block Washington Commanders from Federal Tax Exemption on Bonds Used to Finance a Stadium

Don Beyer

Representative Don Beyer (D-VA-08) is sponsoring legislation to eliminate the federal tax-exempt status of municipal bonds that are used to finance professional sports facilities. In an announcement, Beyer and cosponsors Representative Jackie Speier (D-CA-14) and Representative Earl Blumenauer (D-OR-03) explicitly identified the Washington Commanders, who are looking for a new stadium site in the greater Washington, D.C. area.

“Super-rich sports team owners like Dan Snyder do not need federal support to build their stadiums, and taxpayers should not be forced to fund them,” Beyer said in a February 22 press release. “Billionaire owners who need cash can borrow from the market like any other business. Arguments that stadiums boost job creation have been repeatedly discredited. In a time when there is a debate over whether the country can ‘afford’ investments in health care, child care, education, or fighting climate change, it is ridiculous to even contemplate such a radical misuse of publicly subsidized bonds.”

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Pennsylvania Universities Ask for More Funds, Talk Up Keeping Tuition Low

College costs and student debt remain high, and the Senate Appropriations Committee’s hearing with the leaders of Pennsylvania’s state-related universities was about how the General Assembly can help schools, rather than why its leaders aren’t doing more.

While leaders of Penn State, Temple, Pitt, and Lincoln universities noted more funding from the Legislature would cover more costs, they noted an emphasis on graduating students faster to lower student debt. 

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U.S. Senate Votes to Strike Down Biden’s Vaccine Mandate for Health Care Workers and COVID National Emergency

nurse with hairnet and mask on

The U.S. Senate on Wednesday voted to strike down Joe Biden’s vaccine mandate targeting healthcare workers at federally funded facilities. The measure passed on a party-line vote of 49 to 44.

No Democrat senators voted with Republicans to repeal the mandate, but GOP senators were able to get the resolution through the Senate because six Democrats missed the vote, The Hill reported.

The bill was sponsored by Senator Roger Marshall (R-Kan.), who physician, and former military officer.  Before voting began, Marshall argued that the CMS vaccine mandate is “not about public health or science.”

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Federal Court Rules in Favor of Navy SEALs Who Refuse to Take Vaccine

PORTSMOUTH, Va. (Dec. 15, 2020) – Hospitalman Roman Silvestri administers one of the first COVID-19 vaccines given at Naval Medical Center Portsmouth (NMCP) to Lt. Cmdr. Daphne Morrisonponce, an emergency medicine physician, Dec. 15. NMCP was one of the first military treatment facilities (MTF) selected to receive the vaccine in a phased, standardized and coordinated strategy for prioritizing and administering the vaccine. (U.S. Navy photo by Seaman Imani N. Daniels/Released)

On Monday, a federal appeals court ruled in favor of a group of Navy SEALs who defied the U.S. Navy’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate, dealing one of the biggest blows yet to the military mandate.

As reported by The Daily Caller, the court’s ruling was similar to a previous decision by a district judge in Fort Worth, Texas in January, who ordered a temporary halt to the Navy’s vaccine mandate while the case moved forward. The lawsuit was filed by a group of 35 Navy SEALs who all sought religious exemptions from being forced to take the vaccine.

The appeals court ruled that the Department of Defense failed to prove that the vaccine mandate served “‘paramount interests’ that justify vaccinating these 35 Plaintiffs against COVID-19 in violation of their religious beliefs.” The court noted that despite the Navy claiming to have a “compelling interest” in forcing all sailors to get vaccinated, it “undermined” its own mandate by preparing unvaccinated SEALs for deployment while the pandemic was still ongoing.

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Latest Candidate in the TN-5 GOP Primary Is Currently on Trial for Charges Related to January 6

Stewart Parks, the latest candidate to announce that he is actively running in the Republican primary ballot for Tennessee’s 5th Congressional District, is also currently facing charges stemming from the January 6 Capitol incident. Parks is also collecting qualifying petitions.

The Tennessee Star confirmed with Parks that he is indeed the individual that is facing federal charges in connection with the events of January 6, 2021. Parks told The Star, “I did nothing wrong.” He also said that he believes the charges will have no logistical effect on his ability to campaign for TN-5.

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