Day: March 11, 2022

Former Tennessee State Rep. Robin Smith Pleads Guilty to Wire Fraud in Connection to Alleged Conspiracy Involving Former Tennessee House Speaker Glen Casada

Aaron Gulbransen

Former Tennessee State Rep. Robin Smith pled guilty to one count of wire fraud in connection to an alleged conspiracy involving former Speaker of the Tennessee House of Representatives Glen Casada. Smith resigned effective Monday, March 7, after the charges were filed.

In a press release, the U.S. Attorney Mark H. Wildasin for the Middle District of Tennessee announced that Smith pleaded guilty to a single count of Honest Services Wire Fraud. She is scheduled to be sentenced on October 17, 2022.

Read the full story

Democrat Socialist Metro Councilman Sean Parker Dodges Questions About Dismissive Tweet as Gas Prices Soar

Aaron Gulbransen
Sean Parker of Tennessee

Metro Nashville Councilman and founding member of the Democratic Socialists of America – Middle Tennessee chapter Sean Parker posted an insensitive tweet Wednesday about rising gas prices.

When The Tennessee Star called Councilman Parker Thursday to ask his thoughts about soaring prices at the pump and its impact on Tennesseans, Parker declared he had no comment and abruptly ended the call.

Read the full story

Child ‘Grooming’ Summer Camp Teaches 3rd-5th Graders Gender ‘Spectrum,’ Sexual Kinks

Susan Berry, PhD

A “sexuality educator” is hosting what is advertised as a summer “sex ed camp” in Indianapolis for children in grades three to five, who will be instructed in the gender “spectrum,” sexual kinks, and condom usage, according to reports of the camp’s events page, which has now been taken down after much negative publicity.

“An entire summer camp devoted to Sex Education for 10-12 year olds,” Chalkboard Review Executive Director Tony Kinnett noted Monday on Twitter, and provided the camp’s Eventbrite ad, which, however, is no longer online.

Read the full story

Commentary: Ukraine Worked with Democrats Against Trump in 2016 to Stop Putin and the Bet Backfired Badly

RealClearWire
Joe Biden and Petro Poroshenko

Six years ago, before Russia’s full-scale invasion of their country, the Ukrainians bet that a Hillary Clinton presidency would offer better protection from Russian President Vladimir Putin, even though he had invaded Crimea during the Obama-Biden administration, whose Russian policies Clinton vowed to continue.

Working with both the Obama administration and the Clinton campaign, Ukrainian government officials intervened in the 2016 race to help Clinton and hurt Trump in a sweeping and systematic foreign influence operation that’s been largely ignored by the press. The improper, if not illegal, operation was run chiefly out of the Ukrainian Embassy in Washington, where officials worked hand-in-glove with a Ukrainian-American activist and Clinton campaign operative to attack the Trump campaign. The Obama White House was also deeply involved in an effort to groom their own favored leader in Ukraine and then work with his government to dig up dirt on – and even investigate — their political rival.

Ukrainian and Democratic operatives also huddled with American journalists to spread damaging information on Trump and his advisers – including allegations of illicit Russian-tied payments that, though later proved false, forced the resignation of his campaign manager Paul Manafort. The embassy actually weighed a plan to get Congress to investigate Manafort and Trump and stage hearings in the run-up to the election.

Read the full story

The Star News Network Interviews Author Peter Schweizer About Mitch McConnell’s Links to China

Julie Carr

  TRANSCRIPT: McCabe: In his new book Red-Handed, investigative journalist Peter Schweizer documents how the senate’s top republican, Kentucky Senator Mitch McConnell, is tied through his wife to the top leadership of the Chinese Communist Party. He also told The Star News Network that his wife, Elaine Chao, as transportation secretary, used her official position to help the shipping business of her father, James Chao. Schweizer: So when Mitch McConnell married Elaine Chao, he married into a family that had very substantial connections on Mainland China with the Chinese Communist Party. James Chao, who was Elaine’s father, that would be Senator Mitch McConnell’s father-in-law, grew up with Jiāng Zémín, who was the premier of China in the 1990s. McCabe: Schweizer said McConnell, in addition to receiving millions of dollars in political contributions from members of the Chao family, also received a massive gift from his billionaire father-in-law. Schweizer: When it comes to Mitch McConnell, it’s pretty clear his financial fortunes are fused with those of the Chao family. In fact, James Chao gave him a gift more than a decade ago of between $5 and $25 million dollars, and that, you know, basically quadrupled his net worth overnight. And when…

Read the full story

Schweizer: The Titans of Wall Street Are Among China’s Closest American Allies

Julie Carr

TRANSCRIPT: McCabe: One of the great ironies in investigative journalist Peter Schweizer’s new book Red-Handed is the degree to which the Chinese Communist Party has infiltrated the very heart of American capitalism on Wall Street. Schweizer told The Star News Network that the titans of Wall Street are among China’s closest allies. Schweizer: What China wants from Wall Street is access to Western capital with no questions asked. And unfortunately, the biggest firms on Wall Street are prepared to give it to them. So when the Trump administration pushed for tariffs and restrictions on Chinese economic activity in the United States, one of the first institutions to stand up and protest in the White House were the big firms on Wall Street. McCabe: Schweizer said one of the Chinese Communist Party’s biggest supporters on Wall Street is BlackRock and its CEO and co-founder Larry Fink. Schweizer: He basically runs a fund that that manages money that’s equivalent to half of the entire United States economy. So he has an enormous pull. McCabe: The investigative reporter said Fink is not shy about his support for the Chinese government. Schweizer: He has also praised the regime. He said that yes, you know,…

Read the full story

Kari Lake Joins Arizona GOP’s Lawsuit Against Secretary of State Hobbs to Stop Unmonitored Ballot Drop Boxes and Include Signature Verification Procedures

Rachel Alexander

Kari Lake may not be elected to office yet, but she is following through already on her vows to protect election integrity. The leading Arizona gubernatorial candidate filed an amicus curiae brief with the Arizona Supreme Court in the case Arizona Republican Party v. Hobbs, which asks the court to compel Arizona Secretary of State Katie Hobbs, a Democrat, to include signature verification procedures in the election procedures manual and remove the language she added authorizing the setup of unmonitored ballot drop boxes. Additionally, it challenges “no-excuse” early ballots as violating the Arizona Constitution. 

Lake said in a statement, “Voters have made it very clear that they are demanding nothing less than completely secure elections and we’re going to give it to them come hell or high water.” She said a forensic investigation earlier this year along with a canvass of absentee voters, which uncovered tens of thousands of irregularities with ballots cast in the 2020 general election, compelled her to enter the lawsuit.

Read the full story

Freedom Foundation Facilitating Exit of Ohio Union Members

Peter D'Abrosca

A nonprofit is making progress in Ohio in facilitating the exit of public sector union employees from those unions. 

“For some reason, the First Amendment right for people to leave public sector is the best kept secret,” Freedom Foundation Ohio State Director Lauren Bowen told The Ohio Star. “Their hard earned money does not have to be directed to union coffers via union dues.”

Read the full story

Programming at Hillsdale’s Blake Center for Faith and Freedom in Somers, Connecticut to Begin This Spring

Bradley Vasoli

Programming at Hillsdale College’s new Blake Center for Faith and Freedom in Somers, Connecticut is scheduled to start this spring. 

In 2019, the late Friendly’s Ice Cream co-founder S. Prestley “Pres” Blake and his wife Helen offered their property at 732 Hall Hill Rd., along with $25 million, to the Michigan-based Christian college to establish an educational center consistent with the values of the school. Their now-repurposed home is modeled after Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello and sits on about 100 verdant acres.

Read the full story

Florida Legislature Passes Illegal Immigration Crackdown Bill

Grant Holcomb

The Florida Legislature has passed SB 1808, known as an immigration crackdown bill, and it will be sent to the desk of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. The bill will keep ban the state from contracting with companies who transport illegal alien.

The bill was passed largely along party lines with two House Republicans joining Democrats and voting “No”: State Representatives Vance Aloupis (R-Miami) and Rene Plasencia (R-Orlando). The final House vote was 77-42 in the affirmative.

Read the full story

Pennsylvania Budget Secretary Defends Governor’s Budget That Lawmakers Say Overspends

Bradley Vasoli
Gregory Thall

Pennsylvania’s House Appropriations Committee ended hearings on next fiscal year’s budget on Thursday, with the governor’s budget chief defending a plan that many lawmakers fear significantly overspends.

Governor Tom Wolf (D) has asked the Republican-controlled General Assembly to consider a Fiscal Year 2022-23 budget that spends $43.7 billion, an increase of 16.6 percent over current expenditures. His proposal assumes the state will enjoy a revenue intake that surpasses that predicted by the nonpartisan Independent Fiscal Office (IFO) by $762 million.

Read the full story

Biden’s Policies Have ‘Emboldened’ U.S. Enemies, Says Sen. Ron Johnson

Cooper Moran

Wisconsin Senator Ron Johnson (R-WI) criticized the Biden administration for its foreign and domestic policy decisions, arguing the moves have “emboldened” enemies of the United States.

Over the past few weeks, Russian President Vladimir Putin has waged an unprovoked war against Ukraine. Despite economic sanctions from the U.S. and European allies, Putin has remained resolved in his attempts.

Read the full story

Virginia’s Entire Congressional Delegation Votes for Ban on Russian Energy Imports

Eric Burk

Virginia’s entire congressional delegation, Republicans and Democrats, voted Wednesday in favor of a ban on Russian energy imports. The bill passed 414 to 17, with two progressive representatives and several America-First Republicans voting against the bill.

“Tonight, I voted to send a unified message to Vladimir Putin that we do not wish to enrich Russia as it continues its unjustified invasion into Ukraine. Unfortunately, this legislation and President Biden’s ban will have little practical effect on Russia’s energy profits without a unified effort from our friends in Europe. I call on the Biden Administration to do more to rally the alliance he claims to have built to this cause and impose real economic sanctions on Russia,” Congressman Bob Good (R-VA-05) said in a press release.

Read the full story

Judge Expected to Render Opinion ‘Any Day’ on Moving Line 5 Case from Federal to Michigan Court

The Center Square

As gasoline prices soar and inflation seems poised to rise above 8%, Michiganders are squinting to detect any signs of economic hope on the horizon.

Among the variables drawing their attention is whether Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s administration is successful in closing the Line 5 pipeline across a five-mile stretch of the Straits of Mackinac. The Canadian energy company Enbridge is suing the governor to keep the pipeline open.

Read the full story

DeSantis Responds to Disney CEO; Cites China Connections, Woke Corporations

Steve Stewart
Ron DeSantis

One day after the Disney CEO came against the Parental Rights in Education bill, Gov. Ron DeSantis responded with references to China and Woke corporations.

On Wednesday, Disney CEO Bob Chapek addressed the parental rights legislation at a shareholders meeting by saying,  “I know that many are upset that we did not speak out against the bill. We were opposed to the bill from the outset, but we chose not to take a public position on it because we felt we could be more effective working behind the scenes. …”

Chapek said in a call to Governor DeSantis he expressed his disappointment and “concern that if the legislation becomes law it could be used to target LGBTQ+ kids and families. 

Chapek also noted that Disney is “reassessing our approach to advocacy, including political giving in Florida and beyond.”

Late Thursday Gov. DeSantis told supporters in Boca Raton there is “zero” chance he’s going to reverse his position on disallowing the instruction of “transgenderism in kindergarten classrooms.”

And then DeSantis responded to Chapek’s comments

Read the full story

As Budget Negotiations Continue, Gov. Youngkin and Virginia Legislators Make Last-Minute Pitch for Pet Proposals

Eric Burk

As legislators work towards a budget compromise balancing increased spending with revenue losses from tax cuts, Governor Glenn Youngkin and legislators are continuing to argue for their positions.

“The idea that we have to choose between tax relief and our shared priorities is a false choice. It is critical that we do our part to reduce the tax burden on our citizens, particularly at a time when present receipts continue to be as robust as they are,” Youngkin wrote in a Wednesday Richmond Times-Dispatch column.

Read the full story

Georgia Senate Ed Committee Passes School Choice Bill, Three of Four Dems Opposed Sent Their Children to Private Schools

Susan Berry, PhD

The Georgia Senate Education Committee approved a bill that would create education savings accounts for children across the state and, ultimately, fund students over government school systems.

The Georgia Educational Freedom Act (SB601) passed out of committee by a vote of 6-4, but, as the Daily Caller reported Wednesday, three of the four Democrats on the committee who voted down the bill sent their children to private schools.

Read the full story

Florida Legislature Discusses Gas Tax Break as Budget Negotiations Continue

Grant Holcomb

Florida Lawmakers, amid budget discussions, agreed to include $200 million in federal stimulus money to grant Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ (R) request for a state gas tax break. House Appropriations Chairman and State Rep. Jay Trumbull (R-Panama City) and Senate Appropriations Chairwoman and State Sen. Kelli Stargel (R-Lakeland) made the agreement late Wednesday night.

Read the full story

Commentary: The Green Immoralists

Admin
President Joe Biden, Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry participate in a virtual meeting of the Major Economies Forum on Energy and Climate, Thursday, September 17, 2021, in the South Court Auditorium of the Eisenhower Executive Office Building at the White House. (Official White House Photo by Adam Schultz)

Thousands are dying from Russian missiles and bombs in the suburbs of Ukraine.

In response, the Biden Administration’s climate-change envoy, multimillionaire and private-jet owning John Kerry, laments that Russian president Vladimir Putin might no longer remain his partner in reducing global warming.

“You’re going to lose people’s focus,” Kerry frets. “You’re going to lose big-country attention because they will be diverted, and I think it could have a damaging impact”

Read the full story

Lamont: Family First Prevention Plan Gains Federal Approval

The Center Square
Ned Lamont

A plan that provides greater access to mental health services and substance abuse treatment has received federal approval, Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont said.

The governor announced the Family First Prevention Plan was approved by the U.S. Children’s Bureau. The plan is drawn from the Family First Prevention Services Act that was signed into law as part of the U.S. Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018.

“This prevention plan is designed to enhance the well-being of all of Connecticut’s children, youth, and families,” Lamont said in the release. “I am very proud of the collaborative and deliberate approach taken by the Connecticut Department of Children and Families to lead this effort. This is Connecticut’s plan and one that will lead to our children having a brighter future.”

Read the full story

Wisconsin Dairy Farmers Want New State Water Officer to Help, Not Hurt

The Center Square
Gov. Tony Evers

There are some worries among dairy farmers in Wisconsin about a new water officer position that’s headed for Gov. Evers’ desk.

The Wisconsin Senate this week approved a plan, AB 727, that creates a new hydrologist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison Extension.

The Wisconsin Dairy Alliance and the Venture Dairy Cooperative released a joint statement pleading with the governor not to turn the new position into an environmental advocate.

Read the full story

Alexis Martinez Johnson Is Effectively the Republican Nominee for New Mexico’s 3rd Congressional District

Aaron Gulbransen
Alexis Martinez Johnson

Engineer and mom Alexis Martinez Johnson is effectively the Republican nominee for New Mexico’s 3rd Congressional District.

Martinez Johnson achieved over 87 percent of the vote in the recent 3rd-district GOP pre-primary convention. While Martinez Johnson still technically has to run in primary, because of her strong showing at the pre-primary convention, no other candidate is on the ballot.

Read the full story

Inflation Soars to Another Four-Decade High

Admin

The Consumer Price Index (CPI) increased 0.8% in February, bringing the key inflation indicator’s year-over-year increase to 7.9%, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported.

The core price index, which measures inflation of goods less food and energy, increased 0.5% in February, the BLS reported. Food prices reportedly grew 7.9% on a year-over-year basis as of February, the BLS reported, and energy prices soared 25.6%.

Read the full story

Proposed Law Would Stop Ohio Communities from Prohibiting Vacation Rentals

The Center Square
Sarah Fowler

Ohioans who want to rent their homes on a short-term basis as vacation rentals or an AirBNB could not be stopped by local governments if a bill recently introduced in the Ohio House becomes law.

House Bill 563 would prohibit local regulations that would place outright bans on short-term rentals and limit the duration of use. It would not stop local municipalities from regulating the rentals but would require those regulations are the same as long-term rentals.

“Ohioans should always have the right to use what is often their most valuable asset, their homes, as an investment to make money through short-term rental,” Rep. Sarah Fowler Arthur, R-Ashtabula, said. “Short-term rentals also help drive traffic to countless small businesses – restaurants, shops and tourist attractions – across the state. Eliminating short-term rentals hurts Ohio’s economy.” 

Read the full story

Democrats Block GOP Bill That Would Restart Keystone XL, Federal Oil Lease Program

Admin

Democrats voted down a motion to consider GOP legislation that would reverse several Biden administration energy policies, according to Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy’s office.

During the vote Wednesday evening, 219 Democrats voted against consideration of the American Energy Independence from Russia Act offered by Republican Texas Rep. Dan Crenshaw, McCarthy’s office said. The legislation was introduced by Energy and Commerce Committee Ranking Member Cathy McMorris Rodgers and Natural Resources Committee Ranking Member Bruce Westerman on Feb. 28.

Read the full story

New U.S. Solar Panel Installations Set to Crater Thanks to Inflation, Supply Chain Issues

Admin

Solar panel installations are set to decrease in 2022 off of major supply chain issues and rising prices caused by inflation, according to an industry report.

New utility or large-scale industrial solar installations are expected to experience a decline of 14% year-over-year in 2022, the report published Thursday by the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) and Wood Mackenzie showed. Utility-scale solar projects saw an average price increase of 18% over the last year.

Read the full story

Legislation Establishing Residency Requirements for Federal Candidates Scheduled for House Floor Vote

Aaron Gulbransen
Dave Wright

Tennessee House legislation establishing residency requirements for federal candidates is scheduled for a floor vote on Monday, March 14.

The companion bill, SB2616, has already passed the Tennessee Senate and is sitting on the House desk. The bills are currently markedly different in terms of effective date, but that conflict is expected to change when HB2764 comes to the floor.

Read the full story