Tennessee Supreme Court Hands Governor Lee Massive Victory on School Vouchers

The Tennessee Supreme Court ruled Tuesday that Governor Bill Lee’s school voucher program is constitutional. The voucher program only applies to failing schools in Davidson County and Shelby County.

The court said in a statement, “The Tennessee Supreme Court determined that, while two Tennessee county governments had standing to challenge the Education Savings Account Pilot Program (the “ESA Act”), the Act is not rendered unconstitutional by the Home Rule Amendment, article XI, section 9, of the Tennessee Constitution.”

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Records Show TN-5 Candidate Kurt Winstead Donated to Democrat Candidates for Federal Office

Gen. Kurt Winstead

Federal Election Commission records show that Tennessee Fifth Congressional District Republican primary candidate Kurt Winstead donated to federal Democrat candidates in addition to Republican ones.

Williamson County Election Commission records additionally show that Kurt Winstead voted in Democrat primaries in the past.

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Commentary: Democrats Deserve to Be Completely Destroyed in Upcoming Elections

The vital mission of everyone on the Republican-Right in the upcoming elections should be to demolish the Democrat Party and relegate it to the Smithsonian along with the relics of the Whig and Know Nothing parties.

This is no time for Republicans to squeak by at the polls. By heaping devastating defeats upon the Democrat Party, the GOP justifiably must treat this leftist force as a clear and present danger to the Republic. Everything the Democrat Party touches goes to hell. One would be hard-pressed to find a formerly GOP constituency where a Democrat win has made life better.

The Democrat Party of JFK, LBJ, and even Bill “Welfare Reform” Clinton is long gone. The Democrat Party of Joe Biden, Nancy Pelosi, AOC, and Gavin Newsom has nothing positive to offer and deserves to be voted into oblivion.

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The Tennessee Star Launches ‘Your Middle Tennessee Fresh Forecast’ with Chief Meteorologist Daphne DeLoren

The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network launched a new addition to their services for consumers across Tennessee—a weather forecast.

The new feature will allow Star News Network Chief Meteorologist Daphne DeLoren to provide a daily outlook of the conditions across Middle Tennessee.

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Civil Rights Commissioner Warns Schools Touting Segregated Programs and Graduation Ceremonies They Are in Violation of Civil Rights Act

U.S. Civil Rights Commissioner Peter Kirsanow has warned two schools that have announced programs or graduation exercises that intend to segregate students by race or other identifying feature they are in violation of the Civil Rights Act.

In recent letters to both California Polytechnic State University and Oakton Community College in Illinois, Kirsanow, writing as a single member of the commission, reminds the schools’ officials that they are “subject to Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

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Republican Mastriano to Face Democrat Shapiro for Pennsylvania Governor; Senate Race Too Close to Call

Pennsylvania Republicans on Tuesday gave State Senator Doug Mastriano (R-Gettysburg) the nod to face state Attorney General Josh Shapiro (D) in the race for governor this year.

The Democratic Party also nominated Lt. Gov. John Fetterman (D) for the Senate seat from which Republican Pat Toomey will retire at the end of 2022. At this writing, the GOP primary contest for that seat remains too close to call between top-tier candidates David McCormick and Mehmet Oz. 

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Wisconsin Senator Ron Johnson Joins Resolution Calling for Action on Border Crisis, Crime Spike

Senator Ron Johnson (R-WI) joined a resolution introduced by his Republican colleagues in the Senate to call on President Joe Biden to take action on border security and a spike in crime across the country.

Wisconsin has been subjected to a wave of violent crime that has included riots, a mass attack on a Christmas parade, and an arson attack on a pro-life group.

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Judge Lifts Stay in Florida Congressional Redistricting Case

Florida Judge Layne Smith lifted a stay on an injunction against his ruling related to Florida’s congressional redistricting case. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) and the State of Florida appealed Smith’s original ruling that said the proposed and passed congressional redistricting maps were unconstitutional.

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Connecticut Governor Signs Climate Change Legislation

Climate mitigation and expanding renewable energy programs are tucked inside two key pieces of climate change legislation that have now been signed, Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont said.

The governor announced early Tuesday afternoon that Senate Bill 10 and Senate Bill 176 which bring together the state’s commitment to decarbonizing the electric grid and widening renewable energy programs in an attempt to halt climate change.

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Michigan Judge’s Abortion Interests Called into Question

Controversy is swirling around Michigan Second District Court of Appeals Chief Judge Elizabeth L. Gleicher issuing a preliminary injunction Tuesday afternoon against the state’s moribund 1931 law criminalizing abortions.

Anti-abortion advocates, including Right to Life Michigan and the Michigan Catholic Conference, assert Gleicher should have recused herself in the case, Planned Parenthood v. Attorney General Dana Nessel, because Gleicher donates regularly to the organization. Additionally, Gleicher offered free legal services to the American Civil Liberties Union and its client Planned Parenthood in a late 1990s abortion case, Mahaffey v. Attorney General.

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Report: Yavapai County Has Unmonitored Ballot Drop Box Despite Arizona Attorney General Brnovich Stating Drop Boxes Violate Felony Law

State Rep. Shawnna Bolick (R-Phoenix) was driving through Skull Valley in Yavapai County, Arizona, two weeks ago when she noticed an unmonitored ballot drop box in the parking lot of the U.S. Postal Service. Unmonitored ballot drop boxes have become a big concern lately due to the new Dinesh D’Souza documentary 2,000 Mules, which traced GPS cell phone locations to show that around 2,000 people may have illegally transferred handfuls of ballots repeatedly from left-leaning nonprofits to these drop boxes in swing states including Arizona.

Bolick tweeted, “Why does the Skull Valley, AZ US Post Office have an unmanned drop box for mail-in ballots in its parking lot when it has a blue mailbox in front of the post office that can already receive mail-in ballots?” She told The Arizona Sun Times she has a call scheduled with the Yavapai County Recorder Leslie Hoffman to discuss them.

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Bar Praised for Trying to Revitalize Dangerous Downtown Minneapolis Reportedly Broken Into

A bar praised for trying to challenge the public’s perception of downtown Minneapolis as dangerous was broken into, early Monday morning.

Ties Lounge & Rooftop is a recent startup that features four floors where people can congregate to drink and enjoy food. “We really want this place to be a place of healing for people, where people can come back and sit back and enjoy themselves and meet new people, network” one of Ties’s five original cofounders said in a March interview with Fox 9. MinnPost has also profiled the establishment, explaining that the founders “were driven to action by the murder of George Floyd,” taking over a space left vacant after the previous tenants were run out of business by “perceptions of crime.”

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Policy Analysts: Claims of Impending Michigan Teacher Shortage Overstated

Amid calls from Gov. Gretchen Whitmer to remedy a perceived teacher shortage in Michigan, some of the leading policy analysts in the state claim the governor’s “one-size-fits-all approach” is based on faulty premises.

Those premises are echoed in a Monday report in the education journal Chalkbeat Detroit.

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Sec. of Finance Cummings Says Virginia Recovery Lags Behind Other Southern States

Virginia’s April revenues were strong, largely thanks to a shift in the tax due date, Secretary of Finance Stephen Cummings told the Senate Finance Committee on Tuesday. He said Virginia is under-performing in recovery after the start of the pandemic compared to some southern states. Cummings downplayed concerns about a…

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Governor Walz, Republican Legislators Reach Bipartisan Deal on $8 Million Investment and Tax Agreement

Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and Republican leaders in the legislature reached an agreement to invest $4 billion for education, public safety, and health care and an additional $4 billion for tax cuts.

The group worked together to reach the agreement as the term of the legislative session comes to an end. 

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Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty Defends Middle Schoolers Accused of ‘Misgendering’ in Kiel Schools

There’s now legal help for three middle school boys in Kiel who are facing a sexual harassment complaint that accuses them of misgendering another student.

The Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty on Monday announced that it is defending the three.

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Senator Bill Hagerty on the Biden Administration’s ‘Theology and Religion of Climate,’ Collapsing the Southern Border to ‘Transform’ America

Tuesday morning on The Tennessee Star Report, host Leahy welcomed U.S. Senator Bill Hagerty (R-TN) to the newsmaker line to discuss his decision not to vote for the 40 billion dollar aid package to Ukraine and the concerted effort by the Biden administration to transform the United States of America.

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Host Leahy and New Official Guest Host Aaron Gulbransen Discuss the Attorneys General Selection Process in Tennessee

Tuesday morning on The Tennessee Star Report, host Leahy welcomed official guest host Aaron Gulbransen in studio to review the process in which an attorney general is chosen in the state of Tennessee.

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DeSantis Signs Bill Banning Protests in Front of Private Residences

The governor of Florida Monday signed a bill into law that bans Floridians from protesting outside of private residences. 

“Sending unruly mobs to private residences, like we have seen with the angry crowds in front of the homes of Supreme Court justices, is inappropriate,” Gov. Ron DeSantis said just before signing HB 1571 into law. “This bill will provide protection to those living in residential communities and I am glad to sign it into law.”

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Host Leahy Welcomes New Official Guest Host Aaron Gulbransen to Review TN-5 GOP Candidates and Fundraising to Date

Tuesday morning on The Tennessee Star Report, host Leahy welcomed the new official guest host, Aaron Gulbransen in studio to weigh in on the TN5 GOP candidate field and fundraising efforts thus far.

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Perdue Announces Several Campaign Stops Across Georgia

Former U.S. Senator David Perdue’s Trump-endorsed campaign for Georgia Governor announced several upcoming stops around the state as the May 24 Republican primary draws near.

As of press time, the election is less than a week away and Perdue’s best hope at continuing his campaign appears to be an attempt to force incumbent Governor Brian Kemp into a June run-off election by holding him to under 50 percent of the vote.

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Trump-Endorsed Pennsylvania GOP Senate Hopeful Dr. Oz Reveals Family Secret Behind His Dual Citizenship

Neil W. McCabe, the national political editor of The Star News Network, covered a Bristol, Pennsylvania, town hall held by Dr. Mehmet Oz, the Senate GOP candidate endorsed by President Donald J. Trump, where the heart surgeon and former TV star addresses questions about his dual citizenship with Turkey.

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Company Focused on Viral Diagnostics and Treatment Expanding in New Prince William County Biotech Park

Virongy Biosciences, Inc., which develops anti-viral drugs and viral diagnostics, is expanding after recently relocating to the newly-opened Northern Virginia Bioscience Center in Prince William County. The $471,000 expansion may create up to 70 new jobs, and the company will use the site to develop diagnostics aimed at COVID-19 variants and other viruses. The announcement received praise from state and local officials.

“Prince William County has emerged as a hub for the life sciences industry, offering the infrastructure, R and D assets, and talent to attract and retain innovative biotech firms like Virongy,” said Governor Glenn Youngkin said in a press release announcing the expansion.

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Gas Prices Reach $5 Per Gallon for First Time in Phoenix

Phoenix residents are feeling the effects of the highest gasoline prices in American history, as Tuesday marked the first day that the city’s average price for a gallon per gas was $5. 

According to the American Automobile Association (AAA), the average price per gallon of gas in Phoenix Tuesday was exactly $5, an 11 cent jump from Monday’s average of $4.89, and a 28 cent jump from last Tuesday’s average of $4.72. A month ago, the average price of a gallon of gas in the city was $4.56. 

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Jake Evans Discusses Past Success Fighting for Election Integrity in 2020 in Georgia

Jake Evans, the 6th Congressional District candidate endorsed by Donald Trump, spoke with The Georgia Star News on Friday about his success fighting for election integrity in the 2020 elections in Banks, Stephens, and Habersham Counties.

Evans stated, “[I’m the] only lawyer in Georgia history to overturn two elections in the same race, and then I contested the other one down in Long County. So, we found people that voted twice. We found people voting in a district they didn’t live in. We found people that were wrongly assigned a district. We found people who hadn’t signed absentee ballots. There’s fraud out there. It’s a thing.”

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Virginia Department of Education Hosting Public Engagement Sessions Amid Restart of Math Standards Review

The Virginia Department of Education is announcing six public engagement sessions in May and June as it restarts its review of the Mathematics Standards of Learning.

Virginia is required to update the standards every seven years, with the next review due to be completed in 2023. But Governor Glenn Youngkin aborted the effort begun in 2020 after the Mathematic Pathways proposal was widely criticized by Republicans, who said it would gut advanced math programs.

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Tax Filings: Black Lives Matter Has over $42 Million in Assets

New tax filings from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) reveal that the official Black Lives Matter organization ended the last fiscal year with at least $42 million in assets.

According to the Associated Press, the 63-page Form 990 shows that Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation, Inc. peaked with over $90 million in donations in 2020, amid race riots that destroyed cities all across the country, which were largely orchestrated and led by BLM. Of that $90 million, the organization invested at least $32 million in stocks.

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Commentary: Joe Biden Is Threatening Our Freedom of Movement

The federal gov’t and silicon valley are looking to clamp down on your freedom of movement. Your ability to move about as you please does not fit with their goals for the future of our world. Automotive-related freedoms, including access to fuel, allow us to be free to move without the permission of silicon valley and the federal government. Automotive freedoms are not only hobby related; they are essential to preventing yet another step along the road to serfdom at the hands of woke corporations and federal bureaucrats.

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Kentucky, Ohio Officials Start to Identify Contractors for $2 Billion Brent Spence Bridge Project

Transportation officials in Kentucky and Ohio continue to work in concert on a new Ohio River bridge connecting Cincinnati with Northern Kentucky, and they hope construction on the more than $2 billion megaproject could start by the end of next year.

Besides building a companion bridge to the existing Brent Spence Bridge, officials in both states want to widen the interstate highways connected by the bridges. A 5-mile stretch in Kentucky and a 1-mile stretch in Ohio each would get one new lane in each direction across a 6-mile stretch.

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Commentary: Demons Have Captured the Naples United Church of Christ

It is hard to imagine how, other than through demonic influence, a Christian church and its pastor could come to be the force behind an effort to use the church and the public schools to recruit young people between the ages of 12 and 18 into a homosexual and transgender “pride conference.”

Florida’s Voice reported the event will feature a “drag show” as an “exploration of LGBTQ-related issues facing today’s youth.” Attendees are asked to enter their pronouns and the name of their school.

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Pennsylvania Rated Third for Drug Overdose Deaths Nationally

Drug overdose deaths were at a record-high in America in 2021, surpassing 2020’s by 15%.

Provisional data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimated that 107,622 Americans died from drug overdoses in 2021, with the majority of those deaths connected to synthetic opioids.

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Georgia Issues More than $415 Million in Federal COVID-19 Relief Funds for Nonprofit Recovery

Georgia is doling out more than $415 million in federal relief money as grants to help nonprofits recover from the COVID-19 pandemic.

The money, which goes to more than 30 recipients, is from the American Rescue Plan’s Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds.

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Majority of Americans Say They Are ‘Falling Behind’ Rising Cost of Living

The majority of Americans feel they cannot keep up with the cost of living as inflation and the price of goods continue to rise, according to new polling data.

A poll from NBC News asked Americans, “Do you think that your family’s income is … going up faster than the cost of living, staying about even with the cost of living, or falling behind the cost of living?”

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Court Blocks Biden Admin from Forcing Employers to Pay for Sex Changes That Violate Their Religious Beliefs

A federal district court temporarily blocked a Biden administration mandate that forced employers to pay for sex change surgeries against their religious beliefs, according to a court order.

District Judge Daniel Traynor of the U.S. District Court for the District of North Dakota, an appointee of former President Donald Trump, determined that the Christian Employers Alliance (CEA) will likely win its lawsuit, brought by the Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF), and issued an order temporarily blocking the Biden mandate while the lawsuit moves forward, according to the court order.

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Big Business Wins Again: Biden Climate Rules Will Hurt Small Companies Most

America’s top financial regulator issued climate disclosure rules that are more burdensome for smaller companies than large companies, according to the agency’s own analysis.

While the rules would cost large corporations $640,000 at first and $530,000 in subsequent years, they would cost smaller publicly-traded companies $490,000 initially and $420,000 in following years, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) said in its proposal. The regulator’s analysis suggests that smaller companies would feel a relatively larger financial burden as a result of the proposed disclosure rules.

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More Illegal Aliens Crossed the Border in April Than Any Month in Modern History

In the month of April, at least 234,088 illegal aliens crossed the border into the United States, smashing all previous records for the highest monthly total of illegal border crossings in modern history.

As reported by the Washington Examiner, the over 234,000 figure comes from successful interceptions by border authorities, and thus does not account for so-called “gotaways” who evaded the Border Patrol. The numbers were reported by a court document obtained by the Examiner on Monday.

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Newt Gingrich Urges GA-6 Voters to Support Jake Evans on May 24

Former Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives Newt Gingrich released a video on Facebook urging the voters of Georgia’s 6th Congressional District to vote for Jake Evans in the Republican primary that is scheduled for May 24.

“I’m Newt Gingrich. I was Speaker of the House and we developed the Contract with America to get America back on track with solid, conservative ideas – balancing the budget, reforming welfare, cutting taxes – and I wanted to take a minute or two just to share with you about a good friend of mine who’s running for Congress,” he said.

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TN-5 Candidate Andy Ogles on $40 Billion Ukrainian Aid Package: ‘It’s America First, Not Ukraine First’

Maury County Mayor Andy Ogles praised Tennessee U.S. Senators Bill Hagerty and Marsha Blackburn for their votes against H.R. 7691, known as the $40 billion Additional Ukraine Supplemental Appropriations Act of 2022.

In a statement, Ogles said, “It’s time we follow the words of President Trump and put America First.  At a time when mothers cannot find baby formula, we are facing runaway inflation and a disgraceful collapse of our southern border this inept Biden administration seems hellbent in destroying our economy and the middle class with it.”

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