Star News Network Chief Meteorologist Daphne DeLoren shares her weather forecast for Monday.
Read the full storyYour Middle Tennessee Fresh Forecast with Chief Meteorologist Daphne DeLoren for Monday
Month: June 2022
Exclusive: Beth Harwell Releases Border Security Plan After Visit to U.S. Southern Border in May
In an exclusive document provided to The Tennessee Star, TN-5 candidate and former Speaker of the Tennessee House of Representatives Beth Harwell announced that she visited the U.S. southern border in May and released her border security plan.
Harwell’s campaign confirmed that she visited the U.S. southern border on May 26, likely making her the first TN-5 candidate to make that trip.
Read the full storyMoms for America Launch MomVote Initiative During Press Conference in Nashville
Moms for America launched its new initiative, MomVote, during a press conference in Nashville Saturday. The group’s newest initiative “empowers moms around the country to find voter information quickly and easily.”
Moms for America, founded in 2004, is a nonprofit educational corporation with a mission to “empower moms to raise patriots and promote liberty for the healing of America.”
Read the full storyCommentary: A Mastery of the Skilled Trades Is Essential for a Free People
The Government Accountability Office on Wednesday revealed that Boeing is having trouble finding qualified workers for its nearly $5 billion Air Force One project. Thanks to COVID-related delays and retirements, the project is understaffed and behind schedule. The aviation giant has already lost $1.1 billion on the deal, which was contracted in 2018 at a fixed price of $3.9 billion and may not be finished until mid-2025.
Not just any warmblood with a wrench can walk in and get a job assembling the president’s jet. Due to the top-secret nature of the aircraft – actually, two specially converted 747-8s that the Air Force officially designates as the VC-25B – anyone working on the project needs to undergo an in-depth background check for a security clearance.
Read the full storySocialists Offer Six-Week Training for College Students to Unionize for Social Justice
This summer, Young Democratic Socialists of America (YDSA) is conducting a six-week summer session that trains college students to unionize for social justice in their workplaces.
Titled “Red Hot Summer,” the training will give “give young workers the tools to organize their workplace and discuss how the labor movement can play a role in winning fights against racism, sexism, homophobia, climate change, and imperialism,” according to the YSDA website.
Read the full storyTennessee Representative David Kustoff Selected to Serve on Ways and Means Committee
Tennessee Representative David Kustoff (R-TN-08) announced Saturday that he was selected to serve on the Ways and Means Committee.
“I am honored to be on this committee, & I look forward to advancing policies that will get our nation’s economy back on track,” Representative Kustoff wrote on Twitter.
Read the full storyAmericans Could See Grocery Store Prices Skyrocket Even Higher: Report
Food prices in the U.S. may get worse in the coming months as European Union countries predict a dismal wheat harvest on top of the loss in Ukraine’s wheat exports, The Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday.
The EU may produce 5% less wheat than 2021 because of dry weather, agriculture consulting firm Strategie Grains told the WSJ.
Read the full storyMetro Council Meeting Agenda Includes Nearly $17 Billion in Requests for Fiscal Year 2023 Capital Improvements Budget
The Nashville Metro Council agenda for its Tuesday meeting includes $16.9 billion in requests for the Fiscal Year 2023 Capital Improvements Budget, which is an ordinance on third reading.
BL2022-1268 is an “ordinance adopting the 2022-2023 through 2027-2028 Capital Improvements Budget for The Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County as the official Capital Improvements Budget of The Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County for Fiscal Year 2022-2023.”
Read the full storyState Department to Announce Global ‘Racial Equity’ Chief, Leaked Email Shows
The Biden Administration’s State Department is soon going to announce the establishment of a “Special Representative for Racial Equity and Justice” on June 17th, a leaked email reveals.
According to the Daily Caller, the position was first announced in April by the State Department’s own “Equity Action Plan. But the newly-obtained email reveals more details about the power that the position will have, including “institutionaliz[ing] an enterprise-wide approach to integrating racial and ethnic equity.” The email also declares that “advancing equity, addressing systemic racism, and strengthening democracy worldwide” will be considered “national security imperatives and core tenets of President Biden’s foreign policy.”
Read the full storyEnvironmentalists Applaud DeSantis Veto of Everglades Related Bill
Supported by environmentalists, Governor Ron DeSantis (R-FL) vetoed a controversial measure (SB2508) tied to Everglades restoration last week. In the veto letter, DeSantis noted the possibility that the legislation could have a negative impact on Everglades restoration projects.
“While the bill that was ultimately passed by the Legislature is an improvement over what was initially filed, SB 2508 still creates unnecessary and redundant regulatory hurdles which may compromise the timely execution and implementation of Everglades restoration projects, water control plans and regulation schedules,” DeSantis wrote in the letter submitted to Secretary of State Cord Byrd.
Read the full storyOhio Attorney General David Yost Attending NAAG Globalist London Retreat on Taxpayer Dime
David Yost, the Republican attorney general of Ohio, is on the participant list of the National Association of Attorneys General (NAAG) globalist retreat to London, The Ohio Star has learned.
Along with Yost, the attorneys general of Idaho, Vermont, Nebraska, Hawaii, and Mississippi are scheduled to attend on the dimes of their respective taxpayers.
Read the full storyTrans Prisoner Sues State, Wants to Get ‘Bottom Surgery’ in Prison
An activist law firm is helping a transgender Minnesota inmate sue the Department of Corrections partly because authorities aren’t letting the prisoner pursue “gender-affirming” genital surgery.
Christina Lusk is the name of a male-to-female transgender person who is incarcerated at the Minnesota Correctional Facility in Moose Lake, serving time for a drug offense until early 2024. Lusk is suing the DOC with help from the law center Gender Justice, seeking financial compensation and other objectives. Lusk is upset about being housed in a male prison, suffering harassment from male prisoners, and being prevented from pursuing further transgender operations.
Read the full storyPennsylvania Senate Passes Bill Against Biological Males Competing in Women’s Sports
Pennsylvania’s Senate voted 30-20 last week to approve legislation banning biological males from competing in females’ school and college sports programs.
Sens. Judy Ward (R-Hollidaysburg) and Kristin Phillips-Hill (R-Jacobus) offered the measure so that female athletes need not compete against males who, they noted, have “distinct and meaningful physical advantages over women” including greater height, bone density, heart size and lung size.
Read the full storyVirginia Budget Proposal Includes $3 Billion in Education Spending, Including Lab Schools
House Republicans are touting $3 billion of direct aid for education in the Fiscal Year 2023-2024 budget that Governor Glenn Youngkin is currently reviewing. Key education items include over $1 billion in grants and loans for school construction and modernization, and two five-percent raises for teachers and other state employees. It also includes $45 million for school resource officers.
House Appropriations Chair Barry Knight (R-Virginia Beach) said education spending in the budget is higher than pre-recession levels, even accounting for current inflation levels.
Read the full storyGeorgia Attorney General Chris Carr Picks Head of State Gang Prosecution Unit
Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr has hired Fulton County Deputy District Attorney, Cara Convery, to head the state’s first Gang Prosecution Unit, per a Wednesday press release from the Office of the Attorney General.
“Cara Convery has established herself as a force in the field of criminal gang prosecution and is a proven leader in Georgia’s legal community,” Carr said.
Read the full storyConnecticut Governor Ned Lamont Signs Bill Establishing Juneteenth as a State Holiday
Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont signed SB 350 into law Friday which establishes Juneteenth Independence Day as an official, legal state holiday.
Read the full storyCity of Phoenix to Vote on Increasing Phoenix Police Officers’ Starting Salaries by 40 Percent
The Phoenix City Council is set to vote next Wednesday on a salary hike for new recruits that would lift their base pay from $48,942 (or $51,459 if they have college degrees) to $68,661. Officers making less than the new minimum base pay would be brought up to $72,779, and pay grade steps from recruits to assistant chiefs would increase. Other Phoenix Police Department (PPD) employees would receive a 3% pay increase in October.
Read the full storyUniversity of Michigan Creates Abortion Task Force in Wake of Potential End to Roe v. Wade
The University of Michigan has created an abortion task force following the leaked Supreme Court draft opinion suggesting that Roe v. Wade may be overturned.
The move was announced in the university’s faculty newspaper, The University Record.
Read the full storyOhio’s Portman Is Among Senators Backing Gun Control Deal
On Sunday, twenty U.S. senators, including Sen. Rob Portman (R-OH), announced they arrived at a proposal containing gun control and other measures they believe will curb violence in America.
The emerging legislation comes as pressure mounts on lawmakers to act in response to mass shootings like the recent ones in Buffalo, NY and Uvalde, TX.
Read the full storyKari Lake Sits Down with Brandon Straka to Discuss Plans If Elected as Arizona Governor
SCOTTSDALE, Arizona – Kari Lake, the Trump-endorsed Republican candidate for Arizona governor, sat down for a Saturday interview with #WalkAway Campaign PAC (WACPAC) founder Brandon Straka about how she will handle important policies if elected. It was the first-ever such event.
“It’s like we’ve [America has] got wounds and we’re bleeding; we’ve got to stop the bleeding. But the thing that caused the wounds and the bleeding is a stolen election,” Lake said when asked by Straka about election integrity. “Let me tell you, none of these people I’m running against on the Republican ticket even wanted to touch that. It’s the third rail. And I even had people in politics say, ‘Don’t mention the 2020 election.’ I said, ‘Are you kidding me?’ I went out, I touched that rail, and I have not stopped talking about it because that’s the reason we have the problems we have.”
Read the full storyBurt Jones States Intent to Fight Inflation with Tax Cuts for Georgia
Republican Candidate for Lieutenant Governor, Burt Jones, took to Twitter on Friday to propose a possible solution to Bidenflation, which recently peaked at a record 8.6%.
“Inflation is out of control—and it’s making virtually everything more expensive for Georgia families. As Lieutenant Governor, I’ll be focused on continuing to cut taxes, lower costs, and put more money back into the pockets of hardworking Georgians,” the Trump-endorsed Jones said.
Read the full storyBiden’s Education Secretary Calls Arming Teachers ‘One of the Stupidest Proposals’ Ever
Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona criticized proposals to arm teachers to stop school shootings during a Thursday appearance on “The View.”
“Those are some of the stupidest proposals I’ve heard in all my time as an educator,” Cardona said when asked about arming teachers by co-host Sunny Hostin. “So that’s my answer to that. Listen. We need to make sure we’re doing sensible legislation, making sure our schoolhouses are safe as much as possible, but to say that we’re going to arm teachers to protect students, what happens when a teacher goes out on maternity leave?”
Read the full storyCNBC’s Rick Santelli Hammers Biden’s Inflationary Energy Policies
CNBC editor Rick Santelli unloaded on the Biden administration on CNBC’s “Squawk Box” Friday morning, saying anti-fossil fuel policies helped to spur inflation.
“What was the forward guidance with this administration on energy?” Santelli asked. “We know the answer. Maybe they can’t get things to happen faster, but by giving positive forward guidance, by not closing pipelines, by not talking pre-election about how much they don’t like fossil fuel, maybe things would have turned out a bit different.”
Read the full storyForeign Investment in U.S. Farmland May Be a National Security Issue, According to Expert
Foreign investment in U.S. farmland has tripled in the past 10 years, reporters at a non-profit investigative journalism group found.
Investigate Midwest used U.S. Department of Agriculture data to call attention to this trend. Farmer Joe Maxwell, co-founder of the group Farm Action, told The Center Square that control of U.S. farmland by foreign investors is worrisome on a number of fronts.
Read the full storyPentagon May Allow HIV-Positive Recruits, After Mass Firing of Unvaccinated
On Wednesday, he Department of Defense (DOD) announced recently that it had updated its guidelines regarding the recruitment of potentially HIV-positive individuals, now opening the door to letting people with the deadly disease serve in the military.
As reported by the Daily Caller, the DOD said that any members who test positive for the virus may continue to serve so long as they do not display any clear symptoms, according to a department memo that was recently made public.
Read the full storyTaxpayer Funding for NFL, Other Pro Sports Stadiums Grows Exponentially
Over the next nine years, more than half of the stadiums in the National Football League will reach 30 years of age, or the age at which stadiums are generally replaced, according to economist J.C. Bradbury of Kennesaw State University in Georgia.
The model for replacement is trending more toward the taxpayer-supported efforts being pitched for the Tennessee Titans and Buffalo Bills than it is strictly team-owner funded stadiums such as the $5 billion SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles, home of the Chargers and Super Bowl-champion Rams.
Read the full storyUnfunded State Pension Liabilities Grow to $8.28 Trillion
Unfunded state pension liabilities have climbed to $8.28 trillion, or nearly $25,000 for every person in the United States, according to a new report from the American Legislative Exchange Council.
The American Legislative Exchange Council released the latest edition of its report on pensions in all 50 states Thursday. The report, “Unaccountable and Unaffordable 2021,” shows just a handful of states with outsize pension liabilities account for a large share of overall pension debt in the U.S.
Read the full storyCommentary: Oberlin Learns a $31 Million Lesson for Falsely Accusing a Local Family Business of Racism
On March 31, 2022, an Ohio Appeals Court upheld a lower court verdict against Oberlin College awarding $31.2 million to a local bakery on the grounds that, among other things, the College and its Dean of Students defamed the business.
There has been much reporting about the incident that sparked the lawsuit against Oberlin and the potential negative impact of the court’s decision on the rights of students to engage in free speech and protest.
Read the full storyPalin Leads Alaska GOP Primary, Will Advance to General Election to Fill Rep. Don Young’s Seat
Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin finished atop the Alaska special Republican congressional primary in early results released Sunday, advancing to the general election in the race to succeed the late Rep. Don Young.
Palin, who was endorsed by former President Donald Trump, finished atop the field of 48 candidates with nearly 30% of the early ballots counted, followed by fellow Republican Nick Begich at 19.3%, surgeon Al Gross, an independent, and Democratic state legislator Mary Peltola at about 7.5%.
Read the full storyCommentary: The Senate Seats Most Likely to Flip in 2022
The 2022 United States Senate elections can best be thought of as the classic battle between the irresistible force and the immovable object. The irresistible force is the playing field. President Joe Biden’s job approval in the RCP Average is currently 39.7%, the lowest of his presidency. That’s about 3.5 points lower than Barack Obama’s job approval was on (midterm) Election Day 2010. President Obama’s job approval only dipped to 40% briefly, in the immediate aftermath of the botched Obamacare rollout, and it never dropped below 40%. President Donald Trump’s job approval spent much of 2017 below this mark, but in the terrible Republican election year of 2018, it never fell this low.
In other words, this is shaping up to be a worse environment than either of the last three midterms, all of which were nightmares for the party in power.
Read the full storyPrestigious Nursing School Adds ‘Transgender Non-Binary Health Care’ Program
Columbia University’s School of Nursing certificate program in “Transgender Non-Binary Health Care for Advanced Practice Nurses and PAs” is launching for the fall 2022 semester.
Students will learn “pubertal suppression, hormone therapy, gender affirming surgical care, sexual health and fertility, as well as writing letters of support, and care planning for surgery,” according to the university website.
Read the full storyTeachers’ Union Boss Raked In Massive Six-Figure Salary While Fighting to Close Schools
American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten was paid nearly half a million dollars during the 2021-2022 school year, a report from Americans for Fair Treatment stated Wednesday. Weingarten raked in six-figures while simultaneously pushing for schools to stay shutdown during the COVID-19 pandemic.
With teacher’s union dues, Weingarten is paid $449,562, the Americans for Fair Treatment report stated. Weingarten’s salary is about seven times more than the average high school teacher makes as of 2021, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor.
Read the full storyGeorgia Tax Revenues Continue to Climb as Tax Collections Up by $5.8 Billion
Georgia saw its May tax revenues increase by 1.6% from a year ago as tax collections approached $2.7 billion for the month.
This fiscal year, state general fund receipts exceeded $30.2 billion. That represents a 23.9%, or more than $5.8 billion, increase over collections last fiscal year, which exceeded $24.3 billion at the same point.
Read the full storyReport: Tennessee Stadium’s Proposed $1.5 Billion Public Subsidy Far Surpasses Any Prior NFL Stadium
A new report from Sycamore Institute shows that the proposal for a new Tennessee Titans stadium includes the highest total amount of public subsidies for an NFL stadium at a proposed $1.5 billion while bringing limited public benefit in return.
That commitment was part of $1.5 billion in total stadium commitments lawmakers have made in the past 18 months. In a comparison of 10 new NFL stadium proposals since 2008, the new Nashville stadium includes more total public funding than any previous NFL stadium proposal and includes an estimated 68% public financing, which is higher than any proposal since the $700 million Lucas Oil Stadium built in Indianapolis in 2008, which relied on 86% public financing.
Read the full storyFive Republicans Voted for Democrats Gun Control Bill
Five House Republicans voted with Democrats to pass a gun control package Wednesday evening that would raise the purchasing age to buy a semi-automatic firearm to 21 if signed into law.
The majority of House Republicans voted against the Protecting Our Kids Act introduced by Democratic Rep. Jerry Nadler of New York, which sought to raise the purchasing age of people buying semi-automatic rifles to 21, mandate gun owners store their firearms in a safe and increase regulation on bump stocks. Republican Reps. Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania, Anthony Gonzalez of Ohio, Chris Jacobs of New York, Adam Kinzinger of Illinois and Fred Upton of Michigan joined Democrats in voting to pass the bill.
Read the full storyRock Legend Jim Seals of ‘Seals and Crofts’ Dies at 80; Leaves Behind Musical Legacy That Honors Family, Affirms Life
Jim Seals, co-founder of internationally successful soft-rock duo Seals and Crofts (pictured above, left), died on Monday, after a lingering illness following a stroke in 2017. Seals, who had homes in Costa Rica and Hendersonville, Tennessee, is believed to have been at his Tennessee home at the time of his passing.
The duo’s primary success came in the years between 1972 and 1977, though hits such as “Get Closer,” “Diamond Girl,” and “We May Never Pass This Way Again” have since become woven into the fabric of popular culture, continuing to permeate classic-pop formats across the board.
Read the full storyReport: The U.S. Military Is Almost Completely Dependent on China for Key Mineral Used in Ammunition
The U.S. military depends almost completely on China for a mineral essential to the production of ammunition and other defense products, Defense News reported Wednesday.
The House Armed Services Committee released draft legislation on Wednesday which would require a briefing on the antimony supply by October and a five-year outlook on supply chain vulnerabilities, Defense News reported. The U.S. has no domestic mine for the mineral antimony, which is reportedly used in the production of night vision goggles, armor-piercing bullets, explosives and nuclear weapons.
Read the full storyTennessee State University Represented on Successful Six-Day Space Mission of Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner
Items representing Tennessee State University (TSU) were part of the cargo aboard a Boeing spacecraft that recently returned to earth after a successful six-day mission to the International Space Station, the university announced in a press release.
Read the full storyCommentary: The Subordinate Citizen
I recently led a group of about 100 citizens to tour Israel for nearly two weeks. Before returning to the United States, all participants had to indicate their vaccination status and take a COVID-19 test for reentry.
Anxieties swept the group as Israeli testers swabbed them.
Read the full storyMetro Nashville Police Recover Massive Load of Narcotics, including 18,000 Fentanyl Pills, from Donelson Apartment
Metro Nashville Police recovered a large haul of illegal drugs and a loaded weapon Thursday evening at a Donelson apartment while following up on a routine service call.
Read the full storyCommentary: Five Reasons America’s Birthrate Is Plummeting
Elon Musk recently tweeted, “population collapse is the biggest threat to civilization.”
Read the full storyArizona Judge Rules in Favor of Starbucks in Suit over Termination of Employees Trying to Unionize
Mega coffee chain Starbucks on Thursday praised an Arizona federal judge’s decision not to reinstate several former employees who argued they lost their positions for helping to organize a labor union in their coffee shop.
The decision was handed down Wednesday by U.S. District Judge John Tuchi in a Phoenix district court.
Read the full storyMinnesota Supreme Court Hears Arguments on Minneapolis Police Staffing Lawsuit
The Minnesota Supreme Court heard arguments Thursday in a lawsuit that claims the Minneapolis City Council and Mayor Jacob Frey violated the law by understaffing the city’s police department.
The lawsuit, filed by eight north side residents in 2020, outlines a city charter requirement which states in part that the council “must fund a police force of at least 0.0017 employees per resident, and provide for those employees’ compensation.”
Read the full storyNational Integrated Ballistic Information Network Aids ATF-led Operation United Front in Multiple Convictions
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Georgia announced on Thursday that The National Integrated Ballistic Information Network (NIBIN) has aided the undercover law enforcement effort, dubbed “Operation United Front,” in the indictment of a third person that was involved in narcotics distribution and the illegal possession of weapons.
“Addressing violent crime in Middle Georgia means utilizing every asset at our disposal, including high-level ballistics technology like ATF’s NIBIN,” said U.S. Attorney Peter D. Leary.
Read the full storyReeves Leads in Latest VA-07 GOP Fundraising
Senator Bryce Reeves (R-Spotsylvania) is leading in the latest fundraising reports in the VA-07 GOP primary. In reports earlier this spring, Derrick Anderson led the field, showing him to be a serious contender, but Reeves is now at $680,511, while Anderson is at $599,324, according to data compiled by The Virginia Public Access Project.
Read the full storyWhitmer Vetoes Bipartisan Michigan Tax-Cut Bills
Michigan’s personal income tax will remain 4.25% for the foreseeable future after Gov. Gretchen Whitmer on Friday vetoed a bipartisan bill that would have lowered it to 4.0%.
House Bill 4568 and Senate Bill 784 were vetoed or, in the case of SB784, vetoed in effect on Friday. The bills were tie-barred, which means neither bill could pass without acceptance of the other bill under consideration.
Read the full storyPennsylvania’s Political Leaders Line Up Behind Hydrogen Hub to Grab Federal Dollars
While Pennsylvania’s Republican-controlled General Assembly has been at odds with Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf on spending and budget priorities, both parties have shown bipartisan cooperation for billions in energy-related federal funds.
Pennsylvania’s congressional delegation, along with Wolf, issued a letter lending their support for a hydrogen hub in the state that would “modernize our industrial and manufacturing base with less carbon intensive forms of energy,” according to the letter.
Read the full storyDeWine Pushes Biden on Solar Panel Tariffs for Ohio Manufacturers
Ohio solar manufacturers want to be on equal footing with foreign competition, and Gov. Mike DeWine is pushing President Joe Biden not to give other countries an “unfair advantage” over American businesses.
In a letter to Biden, DeWine called a decision this week to ban new tariffs for two years on solar panels imported from Cambodia, Malaysia, Thailand and the Socialist Republic of Vietnam a mistake and nod to China.
Read the full storyLGBTQ Group Urges Wisconsin Schools to Continue Misgendering Investigation
There is a call for more gender, harassment, bullying, and Title IX investigations in Wisconsin schools.
The group Fair Wisconsin, which calls itself the leading statewide organization advocating for LGBTQ+ people, on Thursday said local schools need to be supported after what happened with the misgender/sexual harassment investigation into three middle schoolers in Kiel.
Read the full storyCommentary: Westerns Are Us
In 1939, William S. Hart, a Shakespearean actor from New York who had been a key player in the making of Hollywood 20 years earlier, and for a time was considered its biggest silent star by virtue of filming “western” melodrama in a signature gritty and realistic style, re-released his 1925 silent epic “Tumbleweeds.” With it he offered a spoken introduction that was a sad farewell to both his own career and to the genre he had helped establish. This same year also saw the release of “Stagecoach,” John Ford’s benchmark. “Tumbleweeds” was a depiction of the actual opening of the Cherokee Strip in Oklahoma by the U.S. government only 50 years before and, to Hart’s mind, the end of the Western epoch. But the “western,” as we now know it, had just been re-born.
Read the full story