Former Tennessee National Guard General Winstead Aligns with Gov. Lee’s Inaction on COVID-19 Mandate Soldier Firings

Tennessee 5th Congressional District candidate and former Tennessee National Guard General Kurt Winstead aligned with Governor Bill Lee’s inaction and disinformation on the guardsmen firings due to their refusal to accept the COVID-19 vaccine shot Thursday.

“I believe that the governor is working behind the scenes, doing everything in his power to help the Tennessee National Guard – no question in my mind,” said Winstead In an interview conducted by Matt Murphy on SuperTalk 99.7 fm WTN.

Winstead defended Lee’s inaction, insisting that there was nothing the governor can do to help the guardsmen, and that only the federal government can take action.

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Senator Blackburn Celebrates Roe Reversal, Looks to Shifts in State Laws to Limit Abortion

In an interview with The Tennessee Star, U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn shared her jubilance at the victory won by pro-life advocates when the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, what happens now in the wake of that decision, and what remains to be done at the federal level.

“First of all the overturning of Roe, setting that aside, is something that is a victory for all the pro-life volunteers that have worked tirelessly for decades. They have worked to create a culture of life. They have worked to educate people,” she said. 

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1,000 Guns Stolen in Nashville This Year, Mostly from Cars, Despite Police Warnings

The Metro Nashville Police Department (MNPD) is once again pleading with Nashvillians to be careful if they plan on leaving weapons in their cars. 

“MNPD’s continuing Park Smart message is to urge motorists to lock their automobile doors, secure any valuables—especially guns, and REMOVE THE KEYS,” MNPD spokeswoman Kristin Mumford told The Tennessee Star. 

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Confusion Clouds Michigan Abortion Legality as County Prosecutors Clash

Whether a Michigander woman can get an abortion without being criminally charged under a 1931 law might depend on the county prosecutor.

Confusion now abounds, which is why Gov. Gretchen Whitmer again urged the Michigan Supreme Court to hear her lawsuit to strike the 1931 law triggered by the United States Supreme Court overturning the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade decision.

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Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court Rules Against Tolling Plan

Pennsylvania’s Commonwealth Court on Thursday ruled to stop a tolling plan that would have affected nine bridges throughout the state.

In November 2020, the state Department of Transportation’s (PennDOT) Public-Private Transportation Partnership Board voted to open the door to tolling bridges on Interstate 78, Interstate 79, Interstate 80, Interstate 81, and Interstate 83 to fund their repair or replacement. Cumberland County, Bridgeville Borough, South Fayette Township and Collier Township eventually sued Gov. Tom Wolf’s (D) administration to prevent the state from establishing the collection booths.

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Minnesota Gov. Walz Falsely Claims ‘Women’s Rights to Work’ Are Among Next Targets After Roe Reversal

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz claimed that a whole host of “rights,” such as “women’s rights to work in the workplace,” may be targeted following the Supreme Court’s reversal of Roe v. Wade.

At a Tuesday press conference discussing the “future” of abortion with Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan, Walz stressed the importance of ensuring continued abortion access in Minnesota, vowing that the state will never curtail it under his leadership.

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Cincinnati-Area School District Sued for Dropping Racialist Instruction

Parents in the Forest Hills Local School District filed a lawsuit this week in response to school directors’ move on June 22 to ban the use of critical race theory and other identity-based teachings from curricula and hiring decisions.

In what school leaders titled a “Resolution to Create a Culture of Kindness and Equal Opportunity for All Students and Staff,” the majority of the School Board enacted a policy against the use of ethic, socioeconomic, gender or cultural identity in hiring or academic administration. The new rule also forbids requiring a student to take on assignments that prompt consideration of that child’s social or cultural identities as a “deficiency or a label to stereotype the student as having certain biases, prejudices or other
unsavory moral characteristics….”

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Youngkin Gets Majority on Board of Education, Appoints Coalition for TJ Co-Founder

Governor Glenn Youngkin filled five vacancies on the Board of Education, according to a Thursday afternoon announcement. Youngkin’s appointees include Suparna Dutta, Co-founder of the Coalition for TJ which has been working to protest and block Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology’s controversial new admissions policy. The appointments give him a majority on the board.

“I’m delighted to appoint this group of proven leaders in their respective fields to help ensure every student has a best-in-class education,” Youngkin said in a press release. “I have tasked these innovators to bring their expertise as parents, industry leaders, educators, and policymakers to ensure our classrooms and our campuses prepare students

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Supreme Court Grants Brnovich’s Request to Allow an Arizona Pro-Life Law to Go into Effect

The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) granted Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich’s (R) request that pro-life law Senate Bill (SB) 1457 go into effect during litigation.

“I am pleased with today’s ruling and proud to defend Arizona’s law that protects the unborn,” Brnovich said. “The best of any society can be seen in how it treats its most vulnerable.”

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Anti-CRT Bill Takes Effect Friday in Georgia

A bill that restricts schools from teaching “divisive concepts” like Critical Race Theory (CRT) will take effect Friday. 

HB 1084, which passed the Republican-controlled General Assembly in April and was signed into law shortly thereafter, “require[s] local boards of education, local school superintendents, and the governing bodies of charter schools to prohibit discrimination on the basis of race [and] require[s] that curricula and training programs shall encourage such employees not to judge others based on race,” according to the text of the bill. 

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On Salmon’s Exit, Founder of Arizona’s State House Freedom Caucus Urges ‘Principled, Stalwart Conservatives’ to Support Kari Lake for Governor

In the wake of Matt Salmon’s exit from the Republican gubernatorial nomination race, State Representative Jake Hoffman (R-Queen Creek) – founder of the Arizona Legislature’s House Freedom Caucus – issued a statement urging the former state representative’s supporters to switch their support to Kari Lake.

With Salmon out of the running, the Arizona race for governor is down to two major candidates on the Republican side.

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Florida Asks Judge to Dismiss Lawsuit Filed Against Parental Rights Bill

Attorney General Ashley Moody’s office filed a 60-page motion Monday arguing that U.S. District Judge Allen Winsor should dismiss a case filed by LGBTQ-advocacy groups Equality Florida and Family Equality related to the Parental Rights in Education legislation. 

The law (HB 1557) prevents instruction on gender identity and sexual orientation in kindergarten through third grade and requires that such instruction be “age-appropriate … in accordance with state academic standards” in older grades.

Attorney General Ashley Moody’s office called the provisions of the bill a “modest limitation … neutrally allowing all parents, no matter their views, to introduce those sensitive topics to their children as they see fit.” 

Monday’s motion to dismiss the lawsuit raised a series of arguments, including that the plaintiffs did not have legal standing and that the state has the right to set curriculums for public schools. It also took issue with the “Don’t Say Gay” moniker.

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Drug Arrests Down, Overall Incidents Down, Violent Crime Up in 2021 Crime in Virginia Report

Drug arrests in Virginia 2021 decreased 46.7 percent in 2021 from 2020, according to the Crime in Virginia 2021 report released Wednesday by the state police. Total incidents reported was also down: 324,558 in 2021 versus 338,784 in 2020, and 375,639 in 2019. Violent crime was up in 2021 with 16,823 incidents compared to 15,713 in 2020, and 17,993 in 2019.

“Drug arrests decreased by nearly half (46.7%) with the largest percentage decrease in arrestees under age 25 (67.6%). The number of reports of drugs seized decreased for nearly all drug types, especially marijuana (67%), due in part to decriminalization of possessing less than 1 ounce of the drug effective July 1, 2020 and Code of Virginia §18.2-250.1 being repealed July 1, 2021,” reported a Virginia State Police release.

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Congressman Chuck Fleischmann Says Border Tragedy That Left 51 Migrants Dead Is a Result of the Left’s ‘Devastatingly Horrible, Anti-American, Anti-Capitalist Principles’

Thursday morning on The Tennessee Star Report, host Leahy welcomed Tennessee Congressman Chuck Fleishmann (R-TN-03) to the newsmaker line to comment upon the recent deaths of 51 migrants in an abandoned trailer near the southern border and what he plans to do about securing it.

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Doug Ducey Orders Flags at Half-Staff to Honor Life of Fallen Yavapai County Sergeant

Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey (R) ordered flags to fly at half-staff at state buildings to honor the life of Yavapai County Sheriff’s Deputy Sgt. Richard Lopez, who was shot in the line of duty Tuesday.

“Arizona mourns Sgt. Richard Lopez, a man who answered the call of duty to protect and serve his community,” Ducey said. “This needless violence is truly terrible. Arizona will always stand with our brave law enforcement. Sgt. Lopez was an incredible community servant whose life was cut too short by a senseless act of lawlessness. Our prayers are with Sgt. Lopez’s wife and children, friends and Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office colleagues. In his honor, all state flags will be lowered to half-staff Friday, July 1.”

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SCOTUS Rules Biden Can Scrap Signature Trump-Era Immigration Policy

U.S. Customs and Border Protection operations following the implementation of Title 42 USC 265 at the northern and southern land borders. U.S. Border Patrol agents use personal protective equipment as they prepare to process a group of individuals encountered near Sasabe, Ariz. on March 22, 2020. CBP Photo by Jerry Glaser

The Supreme Court ruled Thursday that the Biden administration can stop the implementation of the Trump-era ‘Remain in Mexico’ policy.

The policy, formally known as the Migrant Protection Protocols, forces certain migrants to await asylum proceedings in Mexico. The Trump administration enacted the policy in 2019 to send certain migrants to Mexico to await their asylum proceedings. But, on his second day in office, President Joe Biden ended the policy, calling it both “dangerous” and “inhumane.”

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Four Charged in Connection to Botched Smuggling Operation That Killed Dozens

Four individuals are charged in connection with a deadly human smuggling event in San Antonio, Texas, where dozens of migrants were found dead in a tractor trailer, the U.S. District Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Texas announced Wednesday.

Homero Zamorano Jr., 45, of Brownsville, Texas, was arrested Wednesday and charged with one count of alien smuggling resulting in death, according to the U.S. attorney’s office. Christian Martinez, 28, was arrested Tuesday in Palestine, Texas, and charged with one count of conspiracy to transport illegal aliens resulting in death.

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Commentary: Feds Ignore Illegal Alien ID Theft Plaguing Americans as U.S. Coffers Fill

The historic surge of illegal immigrants across America’s southern border is fueling a hidden crime spree few in Washington seem willing or able to address: widespread identity theft by migrants who need U.S. credentials to work.

An extensive review of government reports, think-tank research, news accounts, and interviews with policymakers and scholars suggests the problem involves millions of people – though measuring it with precision is difficult because of the lack of data provided by authorities.

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CNN Promotes Overseas Abortion Pill Scheme

CNN promoted a website that connects women with overseas pharmacies to provide abortion pills Tuesday in the wake of the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade.

“Before Friday, we had about 3500 visitors in a day,” Elisa Wells, co-founder of Plan C, told CNN host Poppy Harlow. “On Friday, we had 209,000 visitors that day. And it since has remained increased. People are looking for this information. They want to know, ‘How can I have an abortion if I need one in a state that restricts access?’”

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Wisconsin Supreme Court Rules Against Evers’ Department of Natural Resources Board Lawsuit

Wisconsin’s governor is going to have to find a new way, or a new person, to change the make-up of the state’s Department of Natural Resources Board.

The Wisconsin Supreme Court on Wednesday ruled against a lawsuit from the governor to force Frederick Prehn off the board. Prehn, whose term expired in May of last year, was appointed by former Gov. Scott Walker.

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Gov. Bill Lee Inaction as COVID-19 Deadline Passes Angers Tennessee National Guard Members

As the final days and hours passed leading to the mandate deadline that requires 100 percent COVID-19 vaccine compliance by all federal personnel, including Tennessee Army National Guard members, Governor Bill Lee appeared to deflect when he spoke about his actual role in deciding the fate of those guardsmen, who are about to be fired due to their refusal of the injections.

The Tennessee Star confirmed the authenticity of a message it previously obtained from Lee’s office, which read:

We take seriously the religious and personal exemptions requested by members who are not part of the 93% who are vaccinated in accordance with DoD policy. We have no plans to terminate these members based on their status and have asked DoD to approve their individual exemption requests.

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