Nashville Committee Receives Overview of Legal Obligations for Tennessee Titans Stadium Repairs

Metro Nashville’s East Bank Stadium Committee heard an overview of its obligations for stadium repairs, including the legal department’s definition of the key “first-class condition” term at its most recent meeting.

The terminology is key as the committee evaluates the city’s options related to the current Nissan Stadium and the Titans’ proposal for a new $2.2 billion stadium, which could include as much as $1.5 billion in public funding.

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Commentary: Who Is To Blame If Nashville Doesn’t Get the 2024 Republican Convention It So Richly Deserves?

The two finalists in the competition for the 2024 Presidential Convention are Nashville, TN and Milwaukee, Wisc0nsin.

As of July 15, 2022, Milwaukee is very much in the lead.

“Today, the Site Selection Committee voted to recommend Milwaukee to host the 2024 Republican National Convention and it is a testament to the forthright and professional behavior embraced by Milwaukee’s city leaders throughout the process,” RNC Senior Advisor Richard Waters said in a statement. “A final decision will be made by Chairwoman [Ronna] McDaniel and the full RNC in the coming weeks.

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Thunderstorm Wind Damages Ten Helicopters at Norfolk Naval Station

Straight line winds damaged ten helicopters at Norfolk Naval Station on Tuesday, according to Military.com. A National Weather Service meteorologist said storm winds weren’t unusually strong.

“Known damages to the aircraft span from broken tail and rotor blades to structural dents and punctures in the airframes,” spokesman Lt. Cmdr. Rob Myers said in a statement to Military.com.

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Miyares, 22 Other Attorneys General Sue USDA

Attorney General Jason Miyares is one of 23 attorneys general suing the USDA over expanded guidance adding discrimination based on sexual orientation and identity to its application of Title IX rules for the Food and Nutrition Service (FNS), which provides federal funding for food assistance programs including school meals.

“The Biden Administration is attempting to use the power of the federal government to force Virginia to choose between nutrition assistance for vulnerable children or advancing an extremist agenda,” Miyares spokesperson Victoria LaCivita said in a statement.

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In Just One Week, Border Patrol Arrested over 100 Felons Illegally Crossing the Border

Border agents in a single border sector arrested 104 convicted felons in one week, according to Yuma Sector Chief Patrol Agent Chris T. Clem.

The felons were apprehended between July 17 and 23, a period when agents encountered over 5,600 migrants from 46 different countries, according to a tweet Clem posted Tuesday. During the same period, agents encountered over 120 unaccompanied minors, prosecuted 57 migrants and intercepted nine human smuggling cases, according to Clem’s tweet.

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TikTok Intentionally Downplayed Ties to China, Documents Reveal

TikTok intentionally directed its staff to de-emphasize the app’s connection to Beijing, according to leaked internal documents acquired by Gizmodo.

TikTok’s public relations (PR) team was specifically instructed to  “downplay the China association,” when asked about connections to the Chinese Communist Party, according to Gizmodo. The “Tik Master Messaging” and “TikTok Key Messages” documents reveal the company’s PR tactics during a time when ByteDance, the Chinese parent company of TikTok, came under attention from regulators, politicians and the media.

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Commentary: The 13th Amendment Doesn’t Provide Basis for National Abortion Protection

After Dobbs, where can pro-choice advocates look in the Constitution to support abortion? One professor believes she has found the answer in the Thirteenth Amendment, the provision banning slavery that was ratified in the immediate aftermath of the Civil War. Lisa Crooms-Robinson, a professor at Howard University School of Law, reasons out of a wish for Congress to pass the Women’s Health Protection Act of 2021. The bill, among other provisions, would codify the abortion protections found in Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey, both of which the court just overturned.

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Spalding County Sheriff Presents Herschel Walker with a Sheriff’s Office Badge as a Token of Thanks

Spalding County Sheriff Darrell Dix, presented Georgia GOP Senatorial nominee Herschel Walker, with an official Sheriff’s office badge as a token of thanks for the candidate’s support of law enforcement.

“Spalding County Sheriff Darrell Dix made @HerschelWalker an honorary deputy to thank him for his commitment to backing the blue. #gapol” Walker campaign spokeswoman Mallory Blount said on Friday.

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DOJ Official Named in FBI Politicization Allegations Played Role in Lois Lerner IRS Scandal

A senior Justice Department official recently flagged by a U.S. senator in an FBI whistleblower probe into alleged politicization of prosecutions played a key role in the Lois Lerner IRS scandal a decade ago in which conservative Tea Party groups were improperly targeted for scrutiny, government emails and congressional evidence shows.

Richard Pilger, the current chief of the DOJ Elections Crime Branch of the department’s Public Integrity Section, engaged in discussions in 2010 and 2013 with Lerner and other IRS officials about ways to pursue criminal prosecutions of conservative nonprofits, the records show.

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I-75 in Hamilton County Set to Be Reduced Down to Two Lanes for One Month Beginning August 1st

I-75 to Chattanooga

The Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) announced that beginning Monday, August 1st at 9:00 p.m. ET, I-75 in Hamilton County will be reduced to two lanes in each direction for one month from mile marker 7 (near the Bonny Oaks Drive exit) to mile marker 10 (between the Volkswagen Drive exit and the Ooltewah exit). The lane closures come as the interstate is undergoing repair for damaged concrete slabs, bridge repairs, and new pavement markings.

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Brian Kemp Extends Lead Over Abrams to Eight Points in Latest Poll

A poll published Friday by Beacon Research, found that Governor Brian Kemp (R) has extended his lead over Democrat nominee for Governor, Stacey Abrams, by eight points.

“I’m not surprised about his lead over Abrams. I know for a fact a lot of people are disgusted about the Democrat policies,” Barrow County GOP Executive Committee Rep. Laura Petcu (04) told The Georgia Star News on Friday.

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Commentary: The MAGA Book of Political Offense

by Theodore Roosevelt Malloch   Too many conservatives constantly stay on the defensive. They have no strategy, let alone tactical plans or a complete gamebook to go on offense and run up points. You don’t win by playing defense. You win by scoring points and controlling – dominating – the opponent or opposing team. In recent articles in this publication, I have suggested we need to get serious and take back the four corners of deceit we have been dealt by progressive liberalism: in government, academia, media, and science. Precisely how should we go about doing that? Here is the beginning of a plan to do nothing less than dominate, starting in January 2023 and earnestly after the 2024 presidential election. Doing this, as someone you all remember once said, “will make you get tired of winning.” Let’s start with a definition, so we are all on the same page. In sports and in politics, offense, from Latin offendere, means to attack or strike against. It is the action of attacking or engaging an opponent. Republicans, at least conservative ones, need to capture and live by this definition. By going on the attack, we can pick our battles and accomplish our goals. This is not a…

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Freedom From Religion Foundation Files Complaint With IRS Against Mesa Church After GOP Candidate Addresses Event

The Wisconsin-based, “freethought” watchdog Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF) filed a complaint with the IRS against the Redeemer Apostolic Church in Mesa after pastor and CD 4 candidate Jerone Davis appeared at a prayer revival event hosted by America’s Revival, which is separate from the church. Davison was endorsed there by the founder of America’s Revival, Pastor Joshua Feuerstein. The FFRF wants the church’s tax-exempt status revoked, asserting that it crossed the line into the type of political activity that nonprofit 501(c)(3)s are prohibited from engaging in.

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Virginia School Board Members Support Firing West Point Public Schools Teacher over Pronoun Dispute

Eight school board members from five school divisions filed a brief with the Virginia Supreme Court in support of West Point Public Schools after the district fired a teacher who refused to use a student’s preferred pronouns.

High school French teacher Peter Vlaming lost his job for refusing to use male pronouns to refer to a biologically female student who requested he use male pronouns. The school board claimed his refusal to use male pronouns was transgender discrimination on the basis of gender identity.

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Federal Funding Kept Pittsburgh Transit Running During Pandemic

Pittsburgh Regional Transit agency’s annual increase in federal money in 2020 was nearly 75%, following similar trends in transit agencies across the country.

This financial support by the federal government was an important part of maintaining service throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, at a time when ridership dropped significantly, according to the transit agency. 

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Republican Gubernatorial Hopeful Jensen Calls for Family Leave Program, Lowering Adoption Costs in New Proposal

As the issue of abortion remains a hot topic throughout the midterm campaign season, Republican gubernatorial candidate Dr. Scott Jensen has released a comprehensive plan on how he would support Minnesota women and children.

“You and I are both pro-life, but I think there’s some misconceptions out there about what that actually means. It means a lot more than just not liking abortion and it’s not about jamming legislation down people’s throats,” Matt Birk, Jensen’s running mate, said in a video discussing the plan.

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‘It’s An Absurd Argument’: Economists Take Apart One of Biden’s Favorite Talking Points

The Biden administration’s oft-touted talking point that employment has boomed under the administration is misleading and instead simply a natural recovery from pandemic losses, economists told the Daily Caller News Foundation.

Facing consecutive quarters of negative gross domestic product (GDP) growth, sky-high inflation and plummeting consumer sentiment, the Biden administration has routinely cited a low unemployment rate and strong on-paper jobs creation as positive results of President Joe Biden’s economic stewardship. But the notion that these figures represent booming job creation is misleading since the economy has merely rebounded by adding back jobs that were lost during the pandemic and has still yet to reach pre-pandemic levels, economists told the DCNF.

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Air Force Diversity Festival to Include Drag Show

Joint Base Langley-Eustis will host a “Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Summer Festival” on Saturday, which will reportedly include a drag show.

Joshua Kelley, whose stage name is Harpy Daniels, will headline the drag show, according to the Daily Wire. The event’s planners have advertised it as being family friendly, listing bouncy houses and face painting among the activities for children.

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Democrats Propose Spending $80 Billion to Expand the IRS

Democrats in Congress have proposed a new spending bill that would allocate $80 billion for the sole purpose of expanding the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), ostensibly to fight inflation by raising government revenues.

As reported by The Daily Caller, the bill is called the “Inflation Reduction Act of 2022.” The bill would see the size of the IRS increase as part of a broader effort to increase “taxpayer compliance.” Under the new bill, the IRS would spend an additional $80 billion over the course of the next 10 years, up significantly from its current budget of $13.7 billion, with a primary focus on hiring thousands of new agents, and expanding operations, facilities, and services.

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President Biden Tests Positive for COVID-19 Again

President Biden on Saturday tested positive for COVID-19 again, the White House state in a statement.

A statement was from the White House physician and said the 79-year-old president tested positive “late Saturday morning” after multiple negative tests earlier in the week. He returned to in-person work Wednesday, after having tested positive days earlier. The situation of getting COVID soon after having already contracted the virus is frequently referred to as “rebound” COVID.

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Tennessee Announces Statewide Teacher of the Year Finalists

The Tennessee Department of Education (TDOE) announced Thursday the nine finalists for the statewide Teacher of the Year award.

“The nine finalists represent each of the eight Center of Regional Excellence (CORE) areas in the state, as well as the Shelby County-Municipals area,” according to the TDOE. “The 2022-23 Tennessee Teacher of the Year, and winners for each grand division of the state, will be selected from this group and announced during an honorary banquet this fall.”

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Appalachia Service Project Hosts Home Dedication Ceremony in Humphreys County for Survivors who Lost Their Homes During the August 2021 Flooding

On Tuesday, Appalachia Service Project (ASP) hosted a Home Dedication ceremony for five new, mortgage-free homes in Humphreys County for five flood survivors who lost their homes during the August 2021 flooding. The five homes completed are a part of ASP’s 25-home commitment to help low-income residents of Humphreys County recover after the flooding, according to a press release by the organization.

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Customs and Border Patrol to Fill Holes in the U.S. Southern Border Wall Near Yuma

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced Thursday that Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas (D) gave U.S. Customs and Border Protection the authorization to execute the Yuma Morelos Dam Project and close four gaps along the border wall.

“These projects address operational impacts, as well as immediate life and safety risks, and will be funded with DHS’s Fiscal Year 2021 appropriations,” according to a DHS statement.

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New Questions Surround Possible Wisconsin Nursing Home Voting Violations

There are new questions about the opportunity for voter fraud in Wisconsin.

The Thomas More Society this week released its findings into people who are under “no vote” guardianship orders in the state. Those orders come from a judge after someone has been found “incapable of understanding the objective of the elective process,” according to state law.

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Ohio Takes Lead in Class Action Lawsuit Against Facebook

The Ohio Employees Retirement System will lead the effort in a class action lawsuit that seeks to recover millions of dollars from Facebook and force the company to reform its internal practices.

A federal judge in the U.S. District Court of Northern California on Wednesday chose Ohio to be lead plaintiff in the securities case Attorney General Dave Yost originally filed in November 2021, according to a release from Yost.

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The Fed’s Preferred Inflation Metric Just Surged in Another Warning Sign for the Economy

The Federal Reserve’s preferred inflation gauge, the Personal Consumption Expenditures (PCE) price index, continued to surge in June, according to data released Friday by the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA).

The PCE index was up 6.8% for the year ending in June, an increase from the 6.3% that it was at in both April and May, the BEA announced. PCE is the Fed’s preferred measure of inflation because it is “just better at capturing the inflation people actually face in their lives,” and the central bank endeavors to keep it at 2%, Federal Reserve chair Jerome Powell said Wednesday.

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Report: Alzheimer’s Drug Manufacturer Under Federal Investigation for Allegedly Falsifying Research

Pharmaceutical company Cassava Sciences is being investigated by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) for allegedly falsifying research, according to Reuters.

The DOJ began investigating the company after it allegedly potentially manipulated the clinical trial data, sources familiar with the situation told Reuters. The sources did not provide specific information on the focus of the department’s probe and whether the department was investigating any individuals.

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Biden’s EPA Will Use New Regulations to Bury Coal Industry

President Joe Biden’s Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is placing new emissions regulations on coal plants to shut down the nation’s remaining coal-fired power stations, according to a Reuters interview with EPA Administrator Michael Regan published on Friday.

The EPA will implement regulations on coal ash and ozone to further target coal plants’ carbon emissions and environmental pollution, according to Reuters. Regan’s strategy is part of the Biden administration’s ambitious climate plan to decarbonize the power sector in the face of the Supreme Court’s recent decision to limit the regulatory powers of the EPA.

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Federal Court Orders Air Force to Not Impose Vaccine Mandate on Coast Guard Members Who’ve Filed Religious Exemptions

A federal court in Ohio entered a nationwide preliminary injunction Thursday prohibiting the U.S. Air Force from enforcing its COVID-19 vaccine mandate against religious objectors.

The U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio’s order in Doster v. Kendall remains effective until a full trial is held. It follows the temporary restraining order the court issued July 14 when it granted class action status for all Air Force plaintiffs nationwide. Class status protects all active-duty Airmen, active reserve, National Guard, Air Force Academy cadets, the Air Force Reserve Command, and Space Force members.

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Tennessee Extends State Drug Rehab Clinics to More Rural Counties

Tennessee is expanding its drug rehabilitation footprint into more rural counties, according to the Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuses (TDMHSAS).

“Tennessee’s Project Rural Recovery is growing.  Thanks to $6.3 million budgeted in the current fiscal year by Governor Bill Lee and the Tennessee General Assembly, Project Rural Recovery is expanding to ten new counties,” said a Thursday release. 

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Kari Lake Files Complaint Against Gov. Doug Ducey for Flying Her Opponent from a Joint Campaign Event in a Taxpayer-Funded Jet

Trump-endorsed Arizona gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake has filed a complaint with Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich against Gov. Doug Ducey for using a state government helicopter to fly back from a campaign event with her opponent Karrin Taylor Robson after he hosted a campaign event with Robson. 

The complaint letter from Lake’s attorney Tim La Sota stated, “The state airplane is not a shuttle service that can be rented out by wealthy politicians when the private jet they normally use is unavailable. And the Governor has no power under the law to permit such effective rental agreements to those he favors politically. Surely after over a decade in public office he must know this.”

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Community Violence Top Public Health Concern for Virginia Voters

A Virginia Hospital and Healthcare Association poll found that community violence and crime is the top public health concern for Virginia voters.

“In the public opinion survey from Mason-Dixon Polling and Strategy, 51 percent of respondents cited community violence and crime as the top public health concern for their families. Health care workforce shortages, which have been intensified as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, was the second most commonly cited public health concern with 25 percent of those polled listing it as their primary concern,” a VHHA release states.

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Former Vice President Mike Pence Endorses Kleefisch for Governor, Sets Up Additional Contest Against Trump

Former Vice President Mike Pence endorsed Wisconsin gubernatorial candidate Rebecca Kleefisch ahead of the state’s August 9th GOP primary.

Pence supported Kleefisch over businessman Tim Michels and state Rep. Timothy Ramthun. The decision puts Pence at odds with former President Donald Trump, who backed Michels earlier this year.

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