Preliminary data from the Department of Labor and Workforce Development (TDLWD) indicated Tennessee’s unemployment rate for May 2022 increased slightly from March and April’s record-breaking rate of 3.2%.
Read the full storyDay: June 19, 2022
North Carolina Lt. Governor Mark Robinson Says ‘The American Dream Is Absolutely Not Dead’
NASHVILLE, Tennessee – North Carolina Lt. Governor Mark Robinson told The Tennessee Star at the Faith and Freedom Road to Majority Conference on Friday that the “American Dream is absolutely not dead.”
“It’s like I said to a group today, they say that the American Dream is dead. People will tell me that to my face,” he said. “I’m living the American Dream. I’m literally the guy that’s from the wrong side of the tracks with all the so-called strikes against me. Here I am, making history in North Carolina, the first black Lt. Governor of North Carolina.”
Read the full storyFormer President Trump Plays Golf with Senator Bill Hagerty While in Tennessee
Former President Donald Trump spent time with Senator Bill Hagerty (R-TN) while visiting Tennessee over the weekend. Previously, Hagerty traveled to Florida to visit Trump.
According to a tweet from the lawmaker, the duo played a round of golf and discussed “the future of our country and the type of strong leadership we need.”
Read the full storyExecutive Director Timothy Head Talks Faith and Freedom Coalition’s Midterm Elections Activities
NASHVILLE, Tennessee – Faith and Freedom Coalition Executive Director Timothy Head spoke with The Tennessee Star about the impact he expects the organization to have on the 2022 midterm elections on Thursday.
“We now have a national database of faith-based conservative voters that’s about 43 million people. What we’ll do in the fall in election cycles is we’ll target those voters,” he said.
Read the full storyNew Security Breach: Capitol Police Arrest Seven People Tied to Comedian Colbert for ‘Unlawful Entry’
In a major security breach in the shadows of the Jan. 6 hearings, Capitol Police alerted Congress on Friday that at least seven individuals tied to comedian Stephen Colbert’s TV show were arrested for “unlawful entry” to the Capitol Police, according to authorities and lawmakers.
Rep. Rodney Davis, R-Ill., the top Republican on the House Administration Committee that oversees Capitol security, confirmed the arrests Friday evening after his staff received a briefing from police. “The only people arrested by Capitol Police for touring the House office buildings are the people that work for Stephen Colbert,” he said.
Read the full storyCommentary: As Great as a Mom May Be, Kids Still Need Their Dads
by Christopher Becker “Smokin’ Joe,” a biography of late heavyweight boxing champion and 3-time Muhammad Ali foil Joe Frazier, was recently reviewed by Gordon Marion in The Wall Street Journal. Among the notable details is the fact that five different women gave birth to Frazier’s eleven kids. This occurrence is not uncommon among celebrities. Muhammad Ali, actor and director Clint Eastwood, and comedian Eddie Murphy are just a few who have fathered children with multiple women. Politicians fall prey to this problem as well, with San Antonio mayoral candidate Greg Brockhouse – who has four children with four mothers – being one of the most recent examples. The ideal arrangement for children is that they live with both biological parents 24/7. When two people accept the duty that comes with parenthood, no one else has the same vested interest in the health, well-being, and success of their children. Life happens, though. Some spouses commit acts of inexcusable betrayal. Domestic violence could enter the picture. Non-violent clashes of principle can also make continued cohabitation untenable. Relationships can break down over time and marriages are not immune. Nevertheless, parental breakups don’t absolve us of the responsibility we owe our children. Spending…
Read the full storyNew Study, Experts Debunk Trans Activists’ Child Suicide Claims in Puberty Blocker Debate
“Would you rather have a dead daughter or a living son?”
That’s the question that transgender activists and “gender-affirming” therapists and physicians often hold over parents’ heads when they refuse to allow their gender-dysphoric child to take experimental puberty blockers and long-term cross-sex hormones.
Read the full storyRick Morton of Lifeline Children’s Services Talks Calling to Adopt Children and Human Cost of Ukraine Conflict
NASHVILLE, Tennessee – The Tennessee Star spoke with the Vice President of Engagement for Lifeline Children’s Services, Rick Morton, at the Faith and Freedom Coalition’s Road to Majority Conference about his family’s adoption of children from Ukraine and how the current situation is affecting children in that nation.
Rick and his wife Denise have been married for over 26 years, and they have 3 children, all of whom became part of their family through international adoption.
Read the full storySupreme Court Dismisses GOP Lawsuit to Make It Harder for Migrants to Stay in the U.S.
The Supreme Court dismissed a lawsuit Wednesday that sought to increase restrictions on illegal aliens entering or seeking to stay in the U.S.
The lawsuit argued that Republican Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich and 12 other states suing had the right to defend the rule, which was reversed by the Biden administration. The Supreme Court’s dismissal means the high court is not willing to weigh in on whether the states can fight to reinstate the Trump-era rule, leaving in place a lower court ruling that favored the Biden administration.
Read the full storyOhio Business Startups Dip Again; LaRose Blames Inflation
Inflation is taking a toll on startup businesses in Ohio, dropping the state’s new business filings by more than a quarter from a year ago, according to Secretary of State Frank LaRose.
LaRose pointed to two surveys from the National Federation of Independent Business that show inflation continues to be a significant factor for small business and small business optimism both nationwide and in Ohio.
Read the full storyGeorgia Ports Authority Moved Record Number of Containers in May from Port of Savannah
The Georgia Ports Authority moved a record number of twenty-foot equivalent container units in May, eclipsing the previous record set in October 2021.
The movement of 519,388 TEUs at the Port of Savannah in May topped the 504,347 TEUs moved in October 2021. GPA’s May volumes grew by 40,768 TEUs, or roughly 8.5%, compared to May 2021.
Read the full storyWisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce Boss: Energy Policies Driving Record-High Inflation
The latest inflation snapshot has the head of Wisconsin’s largest business group talking about energy policy.
Kurt Bauer, Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce president and CEO, on Wednesday said the latest numbers show the Producer Price Index is up almost 11% year-over-year. He said that’s not sustainable for manufacturers and producers in Wisconsin.
Read the full storyWhitmer Signs Bill to Require High Schoolers Take Personal Finance Class
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed a bipartisan bill requiring Michigan high schoolers to take a financial literacy class before graduating.
“As a mom, I want every kid who graduates in Michigan to enter the world with a diverse set of skills and knowledge, and that must include financial literacy,” Whitmer said in a statement. “I am proud to sign this bipartisan bill requiring all public school students to take a personal finance course. Every young Michigander deserves to know how to budget, save, and invest their money wisely so they can get off a great start after high school, whether they go to college, start working, or open a small business.”
Read the full storyConnecticut Governor Signs Consumer Data Privacy Act into Law
Greater safeguards to personal data are the focus of legislation that has now become law in Connecticut, Gov. Ned Lamont said.
The governor announced Public Act 22-15 has been signed. The legislation creates a comprehensive set of protections designed to help consumers by creating a stronger ability to safeguard personal data that is collected with online businesses.
Read the full storySheriff’s Office Says Disney Worker Arrested in Child Sex Crackdown
A Florida sheriff’s department says it arrested a Disney employee as part of a larger sting in which it nabbed a dozen suspects in a child sex crackdown.
The Polk County Sheriff’s Office said in a press release on Friday that in early June it “conducted a two-week-long undercover operation ‘Operation Child Protector II’ during which detectives posed as children on social media platforms, mobile apps, and online dating sites to investigate those who prey upon and travel to meet children for unlawful sexual activity.”
Read the full storyEight Philadelphia City Workers Charged in $300,000 Unemployment Scheme
The attorney general’s office has charged eight Philadelphia municipal workers, alleging they claimed more than $300,000 in pandemic-related unemployment funds.
Thanks to a referral from Philadelphia’s Office of Inspector General, the eight were found to have received payments from the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance program while still on city payroll. Each worker received between $20,000 and $60,000 in PUA benefits.
Read the full storyCourt Allows Envigo to Complete Contracts for Dogs Amid Ongoing Federal Lawsuit
U.S. District Court Judge Norman K. Moon granted beagle-breeder-for-testing Envigo a partial win on Friday, allowing the facility to complete contracts for more than 500 dogs while a Department of Justice lawsuit against the Cumberland facility proceeds.
“Those dogs have been abused, and the right thing to do would be to let them be adopted and have a loving home like those who have been adopted,” Senator Jennifer Boysko (D-Fairfax) told The Virginia Star.
Read the full storyRadical Group Claims Responsibility for Attack on Minneapolis Pro-Life Office
The radical abortion group Jane’s Revenge has apparently claimed responsibility for a vandalism attack on a Minneapolis pro-life office.
On Wednesday, the Minnesota Citizens Concerned for Life (MCCL) office sustained shattered windows and red graffiti that spelled out “abortion is liberation.” It’s the second time MCCL was targeted. The first attack happened several weeks ago after the Roe v. Wade draft opinion was leaked.
Read the full storyNew Arizona Law Aims to Require Anti-Communist Civics Education in Arizona High Schools
Gov. Doug Ducey signed a bill into law Friday that requires anti-Communist civics education to be taught in Arizona high schools.
House Bill (HB) 2008 directs the State Board of Education to update its high school social studies academic standards, which only included personal finance and American civics education. The update will consist of a comparative discussion of political ideologies, such as communism and totalitarianism, in opposition to the freedom and democracy essential to the United States’ founding principles.
Read the full storyAtlanta Wins Bid as Host City for 2026 FIFA World Cup
City of Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens announced on Wednesday that Atlanta, Georgia is one of 16 cities across North America that have a won bid to be a host city for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
“We have the pleasure of celebrating Atlanta’s selection as a host city of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, because of our strong, bipartisan public-private partnerships and many who have been working for years to put Georgia on the map since we hosted the 1996 Olympics,” Governor Brian P. Kemp said.
Read the full storyCommentary: ACLU Features Man Who Says the Words ‘Girl,’ ‘Woman,’ and ‘Wife’ Were Historically Used to Demean Women as ‘Sluts’
The American Civil Liberties Union hosted a podcast earlier this month in which a man who identifies as non-binary, Alok Vaid-Menon, argued that society should discard the “gender binary.” People who do not affirm transgender and non-binary identity, the mixed-media artist and activist argued, are acting out of grief over being forced by society to be either masculine or feminine.
Read the full story‘Sexualization of Children’: Feminists Join Christian Conservatives to Stop Biden LGBTQ Order
President Biden has strengthened the growing coalition between social conservatives and gender-critical feminists against transgender ideology by issuing an executive order on “advancing equality” for people who are not heterosexual or don’t identify with their sex.
While they disagree on abortion rights and same-sex attraction, this ideological odd couple shares common ground on the primacy of sex-based rights, the harm of pornography and even the “sexualization of children” through exposure to adult themes such as drag.
Read the full storyNashville Could Commission $200K Study on Titans’ Stadium Lease Obligations
Nashville will consider spending $200,000 on a “stadium study” to evaluate the Tennessee Titans’ claim that the city would owe $1.839 billion under the terms of the team’s current lease if Nissan Stadium in Nashville was renovated instead of having a new estimated $2.2 billion stadium built.
The line item called “study of Nissan Stadium obligations” appeared on a revised city budget from Metro Nashville Budget and Finance Chair Burkley Allen. The amendments will be discussed at Tuesday’s council meeting.
Read the full storyCommentary: Pregnancy Care Centers in the Crosshairs
What would it be like to go to work in the morning and find a death threat spray-painted across the façade of your office? What would it be like knowing that a facility just like yours was recently fire-bombed near Buffalo, New York? Would you keep showing up? Would you continue to put yourself in danger?
Read the full storyCalifornia Pet Store Bans Second Amendment Supporters from Adopting Pets
A pet store in California is facing intense backlash after announcing it would not allow any supporters of the Second Amendment to adopt animals from their shop.
Fox News reports that Shelter Hope Pet Shop, in Thousand Oaks, released a statement on their website declaring that “we do not support those who believe that the 2nd Amendment gives them the right to buy assault weapons.”
Read the full storyMore Teachers, Fewer Students Nationwide Despite Claims of Teacher Shortage
The number of teachers in the U.S. has increased from 2013 to 2020 while the number of students has decreased, according to data from the National Education Association, the nation’s largest public-school union.
While total enrollment has dropped 1.4% over those seven years, there has been a 2.3% increase in the number of public-school teachers.
Read the full storySecretary of State Tre Hargett Charged with DUI After Attending Bonnaroo Music Festival
Tennessee Secretary of State Tre Hargett was charged with a DUI after attending the Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival in Coffee County on Friday.
According to The Tennessee Journal, the secretary was at the event “from Friday afternoon through around 11:30 p.m. when he was stopped by Tullahoma police. He was given a blood test and charged with DUI.”
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