Month: June 2022

Mexican National Charged with Tax Fraud in Tennessee Arrested After Six Years on the Run

Peter D'Abrosca

After six years on the run, a Mexican man who lived in Nashville when he allegedly defrauded the U.S. government has been captured by authorities. 

“Claudio Juarez, 40, was arrested at his residence in Bowling Green, Kentucky, this morning and transported to the Middle District of Tennessee.  He will appear before a U.S. Magistrate Judge later this afternoon,” according to the Department of Justice (DOJ). “Juarez and others were charged in 2016 with conspiracy to file false claims against the United States, wire fraud, and theft of more than $1,000 of public money.”

Read the full story

Blackburn Unveils New Legislation That Disallows Federal Funds from Being Used to Force National Guard Members to Get COVID Vaccine

Aaron Gulbransen

NASHVILLE, Tennessee – U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) announced in a statement to The Tennessee Star that she will introduce new legislation to prohibit federal funds from being utilized to implement any requirement that a member of the National Guard receive a vaccination against COVID-19.

Blackburn’s legislation is unveiled as up to 40,000 U.S. Army National Guard members nationwide are set to be fired on Thursday, June 30 for refusing the COVID-19 vaccine unless the Biden administration reverses course.

Read the full story

Tennessee National Guard Members, Supporters, and Representative Jerry Sexton Deliver Letter to Governor Lee’s Office Asking for His Help and Special Session

Aaron Gulbransen

NASHVILLE, Tennessee – A group of off-duty National Guard members and supporters were led by Captain Mickey Shelton and State Representative Jerry Sexton (R-Grainger) in delivering a letter to Governor Bill Lee’s office imploring him to take meaningful action to save the jobs of guardsmen who are about to be fired for refusing the COVID-19 vaccine after the “Guard Freedom” event that was held at Legislative Plaza midday on Wednesday.

Read the full story

Congressman Mark Green’s Office Accepting Applications for Military Service Academies

Cooper Moran

Congressman Mark Green’s office encouraged constituents in Tennessee’s 7th Congressional District to submit applications for nominations to United States Military Service Academies.

Federal lawmakers are allowed to nominate individuals to four of the five military academies: the U.S. Military Academy (USMA), the U.S. Naval Academy (USNA), the U.S. Air Force Academy (USAFA), and the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy (USMMA).

Read the full story

Rep. Fleischmann Battles with Democrats over Wall Funding, Disinfo Board

Peter D'Abrosca

A U.S. Congressman from Tennessee battled with Democrats on the Fiscal Year 2023 budget in an attempt to stop them from misdirecting funds appropriated for border wall construction, and to stop them from pursuing their “disinformation governance board.” 

“Rep. Fleischmann believes that both President Biden and [Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro] Mayorkas cannot be trusted not to try to restart any version of the disinformation board, which is why he offered an amendment to ban any funds in the Fiscal Year 2023 funding bill from establishing a disinformation board at DHS,” Justin Doil, the Communications Director for Rep. Chuck Fleischmann (R-TN-03), told The Tennessee Star. 

Read the full story

Tennessee National Guard Soldiers and State Legislators Ask Governor Lee to Intervene at Public Event

Aaron Gulbransen

NASHVILLE, Tennessee – Tennessee National Guard soldiers and several state legislators held an event at Legislative Plaza right in front of the state capitol asking Governor Bill Lee to intervene on behalf of the soldiers who are about to lose their jobs over noncompliance with a COVID-19 mandate.

The National Guard soldiers that spoke and attended the event were off duty and spoke as private citizens, not on behalf of any government entity. Their ranks were stated for identification purposes only.

Read the full story

Jody Barrett Talks Importance of Saving Tennessee National Guard Soldiers’ Jobs

Aaron Gulbransen

NASHVILLE, Tennessee – The Tennessee Star spoke with Jody Barrett, the John Rich-endorsed candidate for Tennessee State House District 69 at the “Guard Freedom” event held by state legislators and off-duty guardsmen in support of soldiers who are about to lose their jobs due to their refusal to comply with a COVID-19 vaccine mandate.

Barrett expressed his hope that Governor Bill Lee and Attorney General Herb Slatery III will take action to save the guardsmen’s jobs.

Read the full story

Davidson County GOP Demands Governor Lee Stand Up for Tennessee National Guardsmen

Aaron Gulbransen

Following an executive meeting of the Davidson County Republican Party (DCRP), Chairman James Garrett issued the following statement upon news that up to 10 percent of Tennessee Guardsmen face being discharged for refusing a COVID-19 vaccination.

“As the Republican Party of the State Capital, our leadership and members call upon Governor Lee to step-up and order Major General Holmes to halt the discharge of our Guardsmen,” he said.

Read the full story

Americans for Prosperity Gives 31 Florida Legislators an A-Plus

Steve Stewart

Americans for Prosperity-Florida (AFP-FL)  unveiled its 2022 Florida Legislative Scorecard Wednesday highlighting Florida’s elected officials who, according to AFP-FL, “championed solutions that will create more opportunity for all Floridians while standing up against harmful public policy change.”

AFP-FL stated that the scorecard “lets you know which lawmakers have championed policies that empower all Floridians to realize their potential, help others, and achieve their version of the American dream. It’s a tool for activists, the media, and the general public to learn how each senator and representative has voted and hold them to account for their decisions.”

According to the scorecard, 31 lawmakers scored an A+, 72 received an A, 35 received a B, 17 received a C, 3 received a D, and 2 lawmakers –Rep. Jervonte Edmonds and Sen. Perry Thurston— received an F.

The Florida lawmakers to receive an A+ in 2022 are all Republicans.

Read the full story

ACLU and Planned Parenthood File Lawsuit in Ohio Supreme Court to Block Enforcement of Heartbeat Law

Susan Berry, PhD

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), Planned Parenthood, and a group of Ohio abortion facilities filed a lawsuit Wednesday in Ohio Supreme Court that seeks to overturn the state’s heartbeat law which began being enforced soon after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey.

The pro-abortion groups claim in the lawsuit Ohioans have a “fundamental right to abortion” under the Ohio Constitution, “as guaranteed by the Ohio Constitution’s broad protections for individual liberties under Article I, Sections 1, 16, and 21, and the equal protection guarantee under Article I, Section 2.”

Read the full story

Wolf to Veto Pennsylvania Poll Watcher Legislation

Bradley Vasoli

A Pennsylvania Senate bill to allow a voter to act as a poll watcher outside of his or her own county passed the state House of Representatives this week, though Gov. Tom Wolf (D) said he will veto it.

Sponsored by Sen. Doug Mastriano (R-Gettysburg), the “Poll Watcher Empowerment Act” received the support of every Republican and no Democratic representative. When it passed the Senate earlier this month, every Republican voted for it and every Democrat voted against it except for Sen. Lisa Boscola (D-Bethlehem).

Read the full story

Children’s Biography of Drag Queen RuPaul Temporarily Removed from Connecticut Town Library After Complaint by Parent

Susan Berry, PhD

A children’s biography of LGBTQ activist and drag queen RuPaul was temporarily removed from the children’s section of the public library in Colchester, Connecticut, after a parent complained about a “sexually provocative graphic” in the book, town First Selectman Andreas Bisbikos (R) told The Connecticut Star.

Bisbikos explained the book, Who Is RuPaul?, has been temporarily removed until the Cragin Memorial Library director can assess the best location for it.

Read the full story

Youngkin, Virginia Republican Congressmen Call on Defense Secretary Austin to Delay COVID-19 Vaccine Mandate

Eric Burk

Facing a July 1 national deadline for members of the military to comply with a COVID-19 vaccine mandate, Governor Glenn Youngkin and Virginia’s Republican congressmen sent a letter to Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin asking him to permanently delay the mandate.

“[T]his directive will unnecessarily impact troop readiness, at a time when the Virginia National Guard has substantial deployments and as our nation enters hurricane season. These guardsmen deserve the opportunity to continue to serve, and we need them,” the letter states.

Read the full story

102 Georgia Sheriffs Sign Letter Condemning Stacey Abrams as ‘Soft on Crime’

Peter D'Abrosca

More than 100 Sheriffs in Georgia signed a letter blasting Democrat gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams as “soft on crime.” 

“Over the last four years, Governor Kemp and his family stood shoulder to shoulder with the men and women serving in Georgia’s law enforcement community,” the letter, touted on incumbent Gov. Brian Kemp’s website, says. “Working alongside our departments, Governor Kemp has championed legislation to recruit and retain more officers into the profession, strengthen penalties for criminals and help keep Georgia’s streets safe, and prevent rogue local governments from stripping critical funding and resources from police.”

Read the full story

Neil W. McCabe Comments on Testimony of Cassidy Hutchinson, January 6th Committee, and the Forced Retirement of National Guardsmen

Julie Carr

Wednesday morning on The Tennessee Star Report, host Leahy welcomed The Tennessee Star’s national political editor Neil McCabe to the newsmaker line to weigh in on the testimony of White House staffer Cassidy Hutchinson, J6 hearing, and the forced retirement of National Guardsmen who refuse the COVID-19 vaccine.

Read the full story

Kari Lake Challenges Fox News Host Bret Baier for Not Covering Election Fraud: ‘Mama Bear Takes Down a Fake News Baier’

Rachel Alexander

Leading Arizona gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake came from the media, where she was a local anchorwoman for KSAZ-TV, so has considerable knowledge of how the media works. Since she started running for governor over a year ago, she frequently turns interviews around and puts the interviewer in the hot seat. During an interview with Fox News host Bret Baier on June 27, she turned the focus to Fox News’ lack of coverage of fraud in the 2020 presidential election. Baier has consistently expressed skepticism of former President Donald Trump’s belief that there was significant election fraud in the 2020 presidential election.

Baier already interviewed the other main candidate in the race, Karrin Taylor Robson, who is polling much lower than Lake, a week previously, and he failed to mention that Lake was endorsed by Trump when he introduced her.

Read the full story

Trump Advisor Stephen Miller’s Legal Organization Sues Loudoun County Public Schools

Eric Burk

America First Legal, helmed by former Trump advisor Stephen Miller, announced a lawsuit against Loudoun County Public Schools (LCPS)on Wednesday, alleging that district policy takes away parental rights.

“The Defendants’ policies and practices are intended to force or have the effect of forcing Plaintiffs into choosing between their fundamental right to direct the education, moral instruction, and upbringing of their children, and their right to free public elementary and secondary education,” the complaint states.

Read the full story

Matt Salmon Drops Out of Arizona Governor’s Race, Immediately Endorses Karrin Taylor Robson

Neil Jones

Former Rep. Matt Salmon ended his bid for Arizona Governor’s chair in a statement released Tuesday, and not 24 hours later, endorsed Republican candidate Karrin Taylor Robson.

“To the Arizonans who supported my campaign: We may not have won this Republican primary, but our shared values can still emerge victorious if we stand behind a candidate with the temperament and experience to govern Arizona. Karrin Taylor Robson is that candidate,” said Salmon.

Read the full story

Andy Biggs Sends Letter to Department of Agriculture Challenging Gender Policy Changes

Neil Jones

Arizona Rep. Andy Biggs (R-AZ-05) recently sent a letter to the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Tom Vilsack, challenging woke gender policy changes that threaten school meal plan funding.

“In an effort to appease the Left’s woke gender agenda, the USDA is now attempting to hold American schools hostage,” Biggs said in a press release. “USDA’s definition changes of ‘sex discrimination’ would only harm American students. The department is coercing American schools to adopt the Biden Administration’s radical gender equality platform or else it will strip student benefits from these schools.”

Read the full story

Biden Pledges Thousands of Troops to Boost NATO Defenses

Admin

President Biden vowed to increase U.S. troop presence in Europe in a meeting with North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) leader Jens Stoltenberg on Wednesday, according to a transcript of his remarks.

U.S. support for NATO intends to bolster the alliance’s eastern defenses in response to Russia’s aggressive actions against Ukraine, according to the transcript. Biden claimed the troop deployments would “fend off threats from all domains,” according to The Hill.

Read the full story

Atlanta Police Got More Money, Not Less, After George Floyd’s Death

The Center Square

The head of an Atlanta suburb made national news when he said that his neighborhood is considering seceding from Atlanta due, in part, to the “defund the police” movement’s impact on public safety.

Buckhead City Committee CEO Bill White said June 28 on Fox & Friends First that an increase in crime was the reason for wanting to leave and criticized then-Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms for supporting the defund the police movement. Buckhead has a population of approximately 100,000 people.

Read the full story

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Pledges to ‘Turn Out the Vote’ for Democrats in Key Battleground States

Cooper Moran

Progressive Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY-14) encouraged individuals to support three Democrats in battleground states.

In an appearance on “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert” and in a subsequent social media post, the New York lawmaker advocated that winning U.S. Senate elections in Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Wisconsin would allow Democrats to expand the Supreme Court and abolish the filibuster.

Read the full story

SCOTUS Returns Oklahoma’s Right to Prosecute Crimes on Native American Land

Admin

The Supreme Court ruled in favor of the state of Oklahoma Wednesday in a case that weighed whether a state can prosecute crimes committed by non-Native Americans against Native Americans on reservation land.

Oklahoma v. Castro-Huerta involved a non-Native American defendant Victor Manuel Castro-Huerta, who admitted to “severely” under nourishing his 5 year-old stepdaughter, a Cherokee citizen. The state charged Castro-Huerta and his wife for child neglect. Castro-Huerta’s sentence was 35 years in prison with a possibility of parole.

Read the full story

Commentary: Yes, Taxes Can Drive People to Move

RealClearWire

Many people will tell that people choose to live somewhere based on factors like the weather or proximity to family, and that taxes don’t enter into the equation. While there is a lot of truth to that understanding, when taxes reach a certain point, they can cause people to alter their behavior. Have you heard of voting with your feet? Here’s how that exact concept is playing out for two Iowa families.

Read the full story

Congress Addresses Private Equity, Corporations’ ‘Predatory Purchasing’ of Homes as Americans Struggle with Rising Prices

The Center Square

Americans are finding it increasingly difficult to purchase an affordable home as large investors increase their market share. The House Financial Services Committee held a hearing Tuesday to address private equity ownership of single-family rentals and the impact it’s having on average Americans. 

“Today’s hearing will examine troubling issues regarding the mass predatory purchasing of single-family homes by private equity firms,” said Rep. Al Green, D-Texas.

Read the full story

Biden’s Department of Health and Human Services Launches Abortion Access Website Following Far-Left Backlash

Admin

On Tuesday, the Biden Administration’s Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) rolled out a new website aimed at helping people find access to contraceptives and abortions, following the Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe v. Wade.

According to Politico, the website, ReproductiveRights.gov, was launched after the administration faced criticism from the far-left over its response (or lack thereof) to the historic ruling by the Supreme Court, with progressives claiming that the Biden White House wasn’t doing enough to shore up abortion protections. The new website shares links and information regarding options for abortion and contraception.

Read the full story

Jim Renacci: I Will Lead the American Greatness Fund to Make Sure ‘the MAGA Movement Continues’

Neil W. McCabe

Neil W. McCabe, the national political editor of The Star News Network, interviewed former Republican Ohio congressman Jim Renacci about his new position leading the American Greatness Fund. Renacci said he was joining the fund so that he could help revive the MAGA movement, and create scorecards to hold politicians accountable to the voters.

Read the full story

Federal Court Lifts Injunction Against Tennessee Heartbeat Bill, Legislation Allowed to Take Effect

Cooper Moran
Close up of baby feet lying in bed

A federal court lifted an injunction against Tennessee’s “heartbeat bill” that will implement a six-week abortion ban throughout the state.

The ruling follows a request from Attorney General Herbert Slatery to lift the measure, after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled to overturn Roe v. Wade. The landmark decision previously established a constitutional right to abortion.

Read the full story

Governor Lee Says ‘We’ll See’ as Hundreds of Tennessee National Guardsmen Are Set to Be Fired over Vax Mandate

Aaron Gulbransen

Several outraged Tennessee National Guard members reached out to The Tennessee Star Wednesday morning immediately after Governor Bill Lee’s (R-TN) interview earlier in the day on Supertalk 99.7 on Nashville’s Morning News with Dan Mandis.

A message delivered by one guardsmen on behalf of several was simple: “We are even more outraged at Governor Lee’s lack of support and action than we were before he opened his mouth full of hot air on the radio. He doesn’t seem to care about us.”

Read the full story

Tennessee COO and Potential Attorney General Brandon Gibson Refuses to Offer Support for National Guardsmen

Aaron Gulbransen

Brandon Gibson, the rumored frontrunner to succeed Attorney General Slatery, Governor Bill Lee’s Chief Operating Officer for the state of Tennessee, refused to comment when The Tennessee Star asked her to comment on the pending firings of many National Guardsmen due to their refusal to comply with a COVID-19 vaccine mandate.

The Star reached out to Gibson on Monday morning.

Read the full story

Democrats Trying to Make Inroads in Republican-Controlled Sumner County

Laura Baigert

While every office in Sumner County in which a partisan election has been held is currently controlled by Republicans, Democrats are making a run at several seats during the 2022 election cycle.

On the August 4 combination ballot that includes the general election for county offices and a primary for state and federal offices, Democrats are vying for eight of the four dozen total seats electors will be voting on.

Read the full story