Monday morning on The Tennessee Star Report, host Leahy welcomed War Room Pandemic’s Stephen K. Bannon to the newsmakers line to talk about their partnership with The Star News Network to bring hyperlocal news to the national level.
Read the full storyDay: March 7, 2022
Vanderbilt Professor Calls Parents ‘Ignorant Racist[s]’ for Opposing Critical Race Theory
A Vanderbilt University professor recently said that parents who oppose Critical Race Theory (CRT) are “ignorant racist[s].”
“Meanwhile, ignorant racist [sic] are worried about scaring their kids w CRT,” Gilman Whiting tweeted last month after a bomb threat against Howard University, an historically Black college in Washington, DC.
Earlier the same day, Whiting tweeted, “[S]chool boards across the country are banning teaching history while ignorantly calling it CRT.”
Read the full storyTennessee Congressman Mark Green Introduces Bill Requiring Hollywood to Disclose Ties to the Chinese Communist Party
Representative Mark Green (R-TN-07) has introduced a bill that would stop federal agencies from assisting Hollywood studios that co-produce films with a Chinese company that are subject to the Chinese Communist Party’s content restrictions. Green, in a statement, called his bill The Stopping Communist Regimes from Engaging in Edits Now Act (SCREEN Act).
Read the full storyNashville Man Faces Three Decades in Prison for Sex Trafficking a Minor
A Nashville man will spend 30 years in prison for sex trafficking a minor and transportation of a minor for the purpose of engaging in prostitution.
According to the release from the Department of Justice, Tavarie Williams was given the lengthy sentence by U.S. District Judge Eli J. Richardson after being convicted of the crime last year.
Read the full storyExclusive: Former Speaker of the Tennessee House Beth Harwell Announces TN-5 Campaign Team
In an exclusive release provided to The Tennessee Star, former Speaker of the Tennessee House of Representatives Beth Harwell announced her campaign team for her run in race for the GOP nomination in Tennessee’s Fifth Congressional district.
TLC Political’s Chasen Bullock and Alex Meyer are serving as the general consultants. Former Chairman the Williamson County Election Commission Bob Brown was tapped to serve as campaign manager. Rachel Barrett and Reid Witcher of Rachel Barrett and Company are serving as the campaign’s in-state fundraisers. TAG Strategies is handling the digital fundraising. 1892 LLC is the campaign’s pollster. FP1’s Chris LaCivita and Annie Kelly Kuhle are providing the advertising services.
Read the full storyCommentary: A Long-Term Prognosis of the Democratic Party
Two weeks ago, I provided a short-term prognosis for the Democratic Party. Assisted by the helpful Washington Times story, “Far Left Rejects Fears They Are Denting Democrats’ Midterm Hopes,” it seems clear the party’s various ideological factions in the short run have “little choice but to keep their progressive agenda, change their messaging, and hope to cut their losses.” I also noted how “the long-run is where things get really dicey for Democrats. . . .”
Read the full storyStephen K. Bannon’s WarRoom and The Star News Network Announce Strategic Partnership
The Star News Network and Stephen K. Bannon’s WarRoom Monday announced a strategic partnership to cover state, city and county news in battleground states ahead of the 2022 midterm elections.
“Our strategic partnership with The Star News Network will enable us to feature stories that highlight the hyper local nature of the precinct strategy, moms taking over school boards, and American patriots becoming election officials. The idea that everyday supporters of MAGA can become an increasingly powerful force within the Republican Party by engaging in the process of selecting committeemen has become a national movement,” Bannon said of the partnership.
Read the full storyGeorgia Attorney General Chris Carr Joins Lawsuit Challenging Biden Administration Concealing Federal Intimidation Tactics Against Parents
Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr said late last week that he has joined a lawsuit to force the Biden administration to release records that might reveal Biden’s attempts to intimidate parents. In a statement, Carr said these parents tried to speak out on issues concerning their children’s education. The lawsuit follows Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests filed last fall.
Read the full storyConservative Justices Question Racial Gerrymandering, Equal Protection in Wisconsin Map Ruling
Wisconsin’s Supreme Court has decided on a new political map, and it’s raising questions about race and judicial activism.
The court ruled 4-3 Thursday to adopt the maps drawn by Gov. Tony Evers.
Read the full storyProposal Would Let Connecticut Agencies Sue Employers and Bestow Proceeds on Unions
A bill in the Connecticut House of Representatives would allow the state to effectively nullify worker-employer agreements designed to prevent lawsuits and let state officials bestow some monetary awards on unions.
The legislation, sponsored by State Representative Michael Winkler (D-Vernon), would evade what it refers to as “forced arbitration agreements” and “allow employees to sue employers on behalf of the state after having waived their personal rights to sue.”
Read the full storyPhilly Weekly Apologizes for Allowing Conservatives a Voice
Philly Weekly’s brief, modest shift to the political center has ended and its new editor apologized on Friday for giving non-leftists a voice in its pages.
Josh Kruger, who also wrote for PW in its earlier days as a reflexively progressive tabloid, issued a note to readers lamenting that the Philadelphia, PA-based paper ever strayed from its longstanding party line. He blasted PW’s deviation from that line as “really offensive and, frankly, hurtful.” He recalled he “was sort of devastated” when, in autumn of 2020, the publication announced it would embrace “alt journalism that’s conservative” and sought financial support via Kickstarter.com so it could realize that vision.
Read the full storySt. Paul-Based Corporation Matched Donations to Minnesota Freedom Fund
A St. Paul-based corporation encouraged its employees to donate money to a nonprofit that has bailed out countless violent criminals.
In an email to Alpha News, a spokesperson with Ecolab confirmed that the Ecolab Foundation provided a 50% match for employee donations to the Minnesota Freedom Fund.
Read the full storyMike Allers Announces Run for State Senate 2023, with Potential to Face Either Sen. Reeves or Del. Freitas
Mike Allers, Sr. is seeking the GOP nomination for state senate district 28, he announced Tuesday, over a year before the November 2023 election.
Read the full storyCommentary: The Bear, the Lion and the Bunny Rabbit
The best way to understand the current extraordinarily dangerous tragedy in Ukraine is to imagine a fight between a bear, a lion, and a bunny rabbit.
The bear of course is Russia, as President Ronald Reagan brilliantly evoked in his 1984 re-election commercial “The Bear.” As the narrator said:
Read the full storyOhio Political Consultant Sentenced to Prison for Embezzlement of Congressional Campaign Funds
James Schwartz, a Cincinnati-based political consultant, was sentenced to two years in prison for embezzling roughly $1.4 million from the campaign of U.S. Representative Steve Chabot (R-OH-01).
According to a release from the Department of Justice (DOJ), Schwartz utilized his companies Fountain Square Group LLC and Prime Media LLC to conceal the improper payments from 2011 to 2019. Furthermore, he served as the “de facto treasurer” for the campaign.
Read the full storyFlorida Lieutenant Governor Jeanette Nuñez Responds to Biden Outreach to Venezuela Amid Rising Gas Prices
Florida Lieutenant Governor Jeanette Nuñez responded to a report Sunday that the Biden administration was beginning discussions with the government of Venezuela President Nicolás Maduro related to oil imports
“Rather than making America energy-independent, Biden wants to buy oil from Maduro — yet another murderous thug. Troubling pattern from this administration as they continue to embolden our enemies,” said Nuñez.
Nuñez was born in Miami and her parents lived under the reign of Fidel Castro. She was elected as Florida’s first Hispanic female lieutenant Governor of Florida in 2018.
Nuñez was referring to a New York Times report which indicated that senior U.S. officials with the Biden administration traveled to Venezuela on Saturday to meet with the government of President Maduro. The purpose of the meeting was to step up efforts to separate Russia from its remaining international allies amid a widening standoff over Ukraine.
The meeting was also related to oil.
Read the full storyPrecinct Strategy Founder: ‘I Am Shocked’ Arizona Decimated Precinct Committeemen Slots
In a shocking demonstration of bipartisan unity and dispatch, an emergency bill radically altering party precinct representation was filed, passed both GOP-controlled legislative chambers and was signed by Republican Governor Douglas A. Ducey Jr., all on Thursday.
The new law is a direct assault on the Precinct Strategy, which encourages conservative voters to get involved in their local Republican Party by becoming precinct committeemen, said Daniel Schultz, author of the 2017 book “How to Get Into the Real Ball Game of Politics Where You Live to Help President Donald J. Trump Make America Great Again” and the creator of the strategy.
Read the full storyMichigan Education Department Touts Video That Makes False Claims About School Funding
The Michigan Department of Education posted a document on its website that encourages people to watch a YouTube video about systemic racism, but it contains inaccurate information about finances in the state’s public school system.
The document was published in July 2020 by an entity called the Governor’s Educator Advisory Council two months after George Floyd was killed in Minnesota by a police officer, and while riots were taking place in many U.S. cities. The document promotes and links to a video titled “Systemic Racism Explained,” telling visitors it “is a good place to start.” But the video suggests that Michigan school districts which service low-income communities get less funding than others. The claim is not accurate; the reverse is true.
The video tells a story of two youths – an African-American child named Jamal and a white child named Kevin – and how their school districts are funded. The fictional students are said to live a few streets from each other.
Read the full storyFormer President Trump Endorses Moody, Patronis
Former President Donald Trump officially endorsed two incumbent Florida officials: Attorney General Ashley Moody and Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Jimmy Patronis. So far, both incumbent Republicans are facing challenges from notable Democrats.
Moody has two Democrat challengers: attorney Jim Lewis and former Florida State Attorney Ayala Aramis. Aramis was once a rumored challenger to Florida Senator Marco Rubio (R) for a Florida Senate seat.
Read the full storyConnecticut Attorney General William Tong Announces Historic Settlement with Purdue Pharma
Connecticut Attorney General William Tong on Thursday announced an historic settlement that will force members of the Sackler family and Purdue Pharma to pay out $6 billion for their role in the opioid epidemic.
The drug company, which distributed OxyContin, must be “dissolved or sold by 2024 and [ban] the Sacklers from the opioid business in the United States.”
Read the full storyCommentary: When I Met Putin
Going through Checkpoint Charlie into gloomy and dark, dank East Berlin was always frightening. The Wall itself was ominous, the guards were the fiercest looking on the planet, and the barbed wire and landmines were right there for everyone to see. All of us have seen jaw-dropping spy movies about the infamous Friedrichstrasse and what happened on the other side of it. They were commies, after all.
Read the full storyState Senator Kelly Townsend Drops Out of Congressional Race
State Senator Kelly Townsend (R-Mesa) dropped out of the Republican primary race for Arizona’s 6th Congressional District, citing the lack of an endorsement from former President Trump.
According to the state lawmaker, her criticism of State Senator Wendy Rogers (R-Flagstaff), who was censured by the Senate for her support of anti-Semitism, hurt her chances with Trump.
Read the full storyVaccine Manufacturer Moderna to Establish Presence in Georgia, Create 150 Jobs
Moderna, the developer of one of the key COVID-19 vaccines, will open a new Enterprise Solutions Hub in Atlanta, according to a release from Governor Brian Kemp’s office.
The biotechnology company will create at least 150 new jobs over the next two years, as operations begin later this year.
Read the full storyHoffman Wants New Law Gutting Precinct Committeemen Gone: ‘We Need a Full Repeal of This Thing – I Am Ticked Off’
The only Arizona House member with a 100 percent rating on the American Conservative Union scorecard told the Arizona Sun Times he is infuriated by the deceptive tactics used Thursday to pass an emergency bill decimating the state’s party precinct committeemen.
“I spent most of the day yesterday working on how to resolve the issue with HB 2839 and the insane provision to strip PCs of their elected status and totally circumvent the PC elections,” said State Representative Jake Hoffman (R.-12th District), who won his seat in 2020.
“Our PC’s are too darned important. We need a full repeal of this thing—I am ticked off.”
Read the full storyIRS Looks to Hire 10,000 Workers in Attempt to Resolve Tax Return Backlog
The Internal Revenue Service is hiring 10,000 employees as part of an attempt to address a backlog of nearly 24 million tax returns, most of which are outstanding from the 2020 tax season.
Read the full storyMinnesota State University Mankato to Open Rural Behavioral Center
Minnesota State University Mankato announced Thursday it will establish a rural behavioral center this fall to increase access to behavioral health care for residents in outstate Minnesota, including residents of reservations.
The Minnesota Department of Health’s 2021 Rural Health Care in Minnesota Chartbook indicated 80% of the North Star State’s counties are mental health professional shortage areas.
Read the full storyCommentary: Laser Communications Will Transform How Government and Industry Use Space
Space is definitely the high ground when it comes to many military, scientific and economic activities. As the world becomes more information-intensive, the ability to move data rapidly, reliably, and cheaply will be of enormous advantage. Governments, private companies, and scientific organizations are rushing to build large satellite constellations to enhance surveillance of the Earth, explore space, and improve the movement of data. Nations able to deploy robust space-based laser communications systems will reap military, scientific and commercial benefits.
Read the full storyEligibility, Timing in Question for PPP Loans; $1.2 Million Went to Pennsylvania Unions
The federal Payment Protection Program established in 2020 to help small businesses and protect the jobs of their workers eventually was allowed to include unions, and millions in forgivable loans ended up with them and other organizations.
Eligibility and timing are in question for many, according to a new report from the Freedom Foundation. Nationally, labor organizations received $36.7 million in PPP funds, and $1.2 million ended up in the hands of Pennsylvania unions.
Read the full storyAuthorities Confiscate 150,000 Fentanyl Pills in Largest Seizure in Oregon’s History
A joint federal and local law enforcement operation in Portland, Oregon, recently led to the largest single seizure of fentanyl in the state’s history, according to the Department of Justice (DOJ).
The March 1 seizure included around 150,000 counterfeit prescription pills containing fentanyl and 20 pounds of suspected bulk fentanyl, the DOJ said in a press release. The contraband reportedly had an estimated street value of around $4 million.
The drugs were confiscated as a result of the arrest of four drug traffickers, the DOJ said. The ringleader of the group, Ufrano Orozco Munoz, 27, was allegedly involved in a conspiracy to traffic fentanyl from Mexico and other areas for distribution and sale in Oregon.
Read the full storyGovernor of Iowa Signs Bill Banning ‘Transgender’ Individuals from Women’s Sports
On Thursday, Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds (R-Iowa) signed a bill that will completely ban so-called “transgender” individuals from competing in girls’ and women’s sports, forcing them to remain with the teams of their actual biological gender.
The Hill reports that the bill, House File 2416, had previously passed the Iowa State House in February and was passed by the State Senate on Wednesday. Both chambers are controlled by Republican majorities.
The new law declares that “only female students, based on their sex, may participate in any team, sport, or athletic event designated as being for females, women, or girls.” The bill clearly defines “sex” as the “biological sex” listed on the individual’s birth certificate, and encompasses sports teams at all levels of school, community college, and college.
Read the full storyTexas School District’s ‘Racial Equity Committee’ Blocks Parents from Attending Its Meetings Amid Public Backlash
A school district’s “Racial Equity Committee” has prevented members of the public from attending its previously public meetings for the first time since the governing body was created in 2016, according to reports.
A disabled Fort Worth, Texas, resident who tried to attend a Fort Worth Independent School District (FWISD) “Racial Equity Committee” (REC) meeting on Thursday was told he had to pull his vehicle “off of the district property” after trying to park in the parking lot of the school hosting the meeting.
Read the full storyOnce a Cable News Darling, Dr. Fauci Now Relegated to Local TV and YouTube Broadcasts
Until very recently, NIAID Director Dr. Anthony Fauci was a fixture on cable news, but all of a sudden, he’s all but disappeared from public view.
This has not gone unnoticed on social media.
Read the full storyRussell Brand Tells His Growing Audience to Question What They’re Told
Russell Brand sounds like Joe Rogan these days, or even Tucker Carlson.
The British comic came to fame stateside as the scene-stealing rocker in 2008’s “Forgetting Sarah Marshall.” Brand embraced a quasi-pundit status in the process, extolling socialism and smiting the West in books, documentaries and podcasts.
These days, his booming YouTube channel finds him questioning COVID-19 narratives, eviscerating the mainstream media and warning his 5 million-plus flock to question what they’re told. Always.
Read the full storyFive Attorneys Prepare to Represent Madigan in Wide-Reaching Corruption, Racketeering Case
Taxpayers could face a costly and lengthy path to justice as federal prosecutors work to convict one of the state’s most powerful politicians on corruption charges.
Prosecutors alleged in a 22-count indictment last week that former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan, D-Chicago, used his elected office and political operations as part of a years-long criminal enterprise for personal gain. In addition to the criminal charges, the indictment also seeks the forfeiture of $2.8 million in alleged illegal profits from Madigan and his confidante, former state lawmaker and ComEd lobbyist Michael McClain. If convicted of the most serious charge, Madigan could face up to 20 years in prison.
Read the full story‘Only Socialism Can Defeat COVID’ Flyers Found on University of Wisconsin-Madison Campus
Flyers posted around University of Wisconsin-Madison promising that “Only Socialism Can Defeat COVID” were promoting a Feb. 11 event held by the Madison, WI branch of the International Marxist Tendency (IMT).
According to the flyers, “capitalism offers no solutions” to COVID-19 and only makes things worse, as the organization criticizes solutions that involve “get[ting] back to work.”
As Campus Reform previously reported, The IMT is an organization that supports a “socialist transformation of society.” They have branches across the U.S. and other parts of the world.
Read the full story‘Tragic’: Border Officers Catch Several Female American Citizens Storing Nearly a Pound of Fentanyl in Their Bodies
U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers in El Paso, Texas, in the last two weeks have intercepted multiple American women carrying fentanyl concealed in their private areas.
“It is tragic that people are willing to put themselves in these dangerous situations,” CBP El Paso Director of Field Operations Hector A. Mancha said in a statement. “This synthetic opioid is so powerful that if a package were to rupture inside the body, the consequences could be life threatening.”
On Feb. 24 a 31-year-old woman, who is a U.S. citizen, was carrying .394 pounds of fentanyl that she removed from her inside private parts after a pat down, where CBP officers at the Port of Ysleta felt something foreign in her private area during a secondary search, according to CBP.
Read the full storyAnalysis: China Will Learn from Russia’s Invasion That ‘Decisive, Overwhelming Force’ Is the Surest Path to Victory
In light of the West’s united front against Russia amid its invasion of Ukraine, China will likely be forced to reexamine its plans for making Taiwan a part of the communist country, experts on the region told the Daily Caller News Foundation.
“I think that the military planners in Beijing, as well as politicians in Beijing, have to be very concerned at a deeper level about their assumptions and plans regarding Taiwan,” David Sacks, a research fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, told the DCNF. “The democratic world has really come together behind this and … the narrative would be very similar with a Chinese attack.”
Read the full storyDr. Oz’s Ties to Pharma, Tech Complicate Anti-Corporate Campaign Claims
While Republican Pennsylvania Senate candidate Dr. Mehmet Oz has billed himself as a staunch opponent of big corporations, his ties to major technology and pharmaceutical corporations complicate his campaign rhetoric.
Oz, who announced his candidacy in late November, is running for the empty Senate seat left by retiring Republican Pennsylvania Sen. Pat Toomey. The celebrity doctor has made opposition to major technology and pharmaceutical companies a hallmark of his campaign, pitching his experience working in television and exposing scams as an example of his anti-corporate positions.
Read the full storyVirginia Democrats Encourage House GOP to Back Felon Voting Rights Constitutional Amendment
Virginia House and Senate Democrats are urging House Republicans to support resolutions to allow voters to decide the fate of two proposed constitutional amendments: the automatic restoration of voting rights for felons and same-sex marriage rights.
To adopt a constitutional amendment, both chambers of the General Assembly must pass two identical resolutions two years in a row, with a House of Delegates election in between those years. If approved in the Legislature, the proposed amendment would appear on the general ballot during the fall elections. If supported by the majority of voters, the proposed amendment would be adopted.
Read the full storyShipping Company to Move Operations from Backlogged California to Florida’s Open Ports
While many businesses continue to leave California for Texas and elsewhere, international shipping companies have been increasing their operations in Florida, with one launching a new service on the East Coast, and its first port in Florida, bypassing the West Coast and California ports.
Sea Lead Shipping Pte Ltd, a privately owned global shipping line headquartered in Singapore, announced the launch of a new service linking ports in East Asia with ports on the East Coast of the United States – the first port being JAXPORT in Florida.
Sea Lead Shipping “will be moving part of their operations from California to JAXPORT in order to bypass heavy congestion at the Port of Long Beach,” Gov. Ron DeSantis’ office announced. It will be “the first U.S. East Coast container service for the company and JAXPORT will serve as the last port of call on Sea-Lead’s Asia East Coast rotation, connecting Jacksonville to 4 locations in Asia.”
Read the full story18 Individuals Now Collecting Petitions for Tennessee’s 5th Congressional District
Eighteen individuals are now collecting petitions for Tennessee’s 5th Congressional District race as of Friday, March 4.
Twelve people are collecting qualifying petitions for the GOP primary. Three are collecting petitions for the Democrat primary. Three Independents are also collecting petitions.
Read the full story