Former AllianceBernstein COO Jim Gingrich Calls for More Transparency in New Titans Stadium Negotiations

In an open letter written and delivered to the entire Nashville Metro Council on July 5, former AllianceBernstein COO Jim Gingrich expressed his concern about negotiations over a new Titans stadium and called for more transparency for the process.

“The time has come for the Council to assert its leadership, bring transparency to the negotiation, and prioritize taxpayers and Titans fans,” Gingrich said.

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MNPD Suggests It Won’t Investigate Felony Abortion Crimes as City Council Passes Supporting Resolution

The Metro Nashville Police Department (MNPD) suggested in a recent interview that it won’t investigate abortion crimes. 

“We are not abortion police. We are focused on safety and quality of life in our city through community engagement, precision policing, and organizational excellence,” Don Aaron, an MNPD spokesperson, reportedly said. “There are other entities in government, particularly at the state level, that are more equipped to address issues such as this.”

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TN-5 Candidate Andy Ogles Calls for Special Legislative Session to Address Dismissal of National Guard Soldiers

In a statement obtained by The Tennessee Star, Maury County Mayor Andy Ogles, a candidate in the Republican primary for Tennessee’s 5th Congressional District, called upon Tennessee legislative leaders to immediately issue a call for a special legislative session in order to focus on reinstating any Tennessee National Guard personnel who have been dismissed for declining to accept the COVID vaccines and boosters.

Ogles also called for steps to be taken in order to prevent any future dismissals for the same reasons.

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Commentary: The Deep State and Its Ghost Budgets

You thought this last Supreme Court term rocked the political world? The next term threatens to blow up a system of “ghost” funding that the administrative state uses to run operations without voter accountability.

Over the last several decades, government agencies have discovered ways to fund operations without congressional appropriations, further fraying the already weak connection between the ballot box and real power in Washington, D.C. What’s worse, the “ghost” budgets go a long way in explaining the runaway inflation under which we all now suffer.

Article I of the U.S. Constitution states, “No Money shall be drawn from the Treasury, but in Consequence of Appropriations made by Law.” This key clause has come back into focus because of a lawsuit challenging the Consumer Financial Protection Board (CFPB) which funds its operations directly from money printed by the Federal Reserve and not through appropriations.

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Source: More than 500 Unvaxxed Tennessee Guardsmen Enter No-Pay Status, Await Loss of Health, Life Insurance

A Tennessee National Guard source told The Tennessee Star that more than 500 guardsmen remain without a COVID-19 vaccine past Big Army’s June 30 deadline.

“The number that I got about a month ago was 400; however, I have now heard it is actually 585-some,” the source said.

These are straight-refusals, the source said, not guardsmen awaiting the adjudication of their request for a religious or medical waiver. Those guardsmen continue in their service until and when their cases are resolved.

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National Rifle Association Endorses State Representative Scott Cepicky

In a statement released by his campaign, the National Rifle Association (NRA) endorsed State Representative Scott Cepicky (R-Culleoka) for re-election in the race for Tennessee’s House District 64.

Speaking about the NRA endorsement, Cepicky said, “I am honored that the NRA recognizes my commitment to protecting our Second Amendment rights. I will continue to vehemently oppose any legislation that tries to strip away your constitutional rights, and I remain committed to our conservative values and the individual rights of the people of District 64 – and all Tennesseans.”

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Sen. Richard Blumenthal Urges Biden Administration to Declare ‘Public Health Emergency’ After Supreme Court’s Decision Overturning Roe v. Wade

Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) was at a Planned Parenthood abortion clinic in Waterbury, Connecticut, Tuesday to urge Biden Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra to declare a “public health emergency” in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling that returns issues about abortion to the states.

“We’re pressing President Biden to use whatever authority he has, to the maximum extent to explore the possibility of a national emergency that would enable telemedicine prescription, which could then result in medication abortion through the mail,” Blumenthal said, according to the Stamford Advocate.

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Pennsylvania Bill Would Raise Firearm Purchasing Age to 21

State Rep. Darisha Parker (D-PA-Philadelphia) this week began asking fellow lawmakers to cosponsor a bill to raise the minimum firearm purchase and possession age in Pennsylvania from 18 to 21. 

The freshman representative cited data from the San Francisco-based Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence indicating that U.S. residents ages 18 to 20 account for 17 percent of confirmed murderers despite being only four percent of the population. She also noted that those ages 14 to 21 have the highest propensity toward suicide or attempted suicide among all Americans. 

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Youngkin’s Middle Road on Environment Frustrates Environmentalists and Hard-Line Republicans

Governor Glenn Youngkin’s environmental policy is frustrating both environmentalists and hard-line Republicans. Since he took office, Youngkin has touted a middle road on energy policy although some Republicans think solar and wind are harmful for Virginia. On the other hand, Youngkin has reversed a plan to phase out single-use plastics for state agencies and tried unsuccessfully to withdraw from a regional greenhouse gas cap-and-trade program.

“We were obviously very disappointed in the direction that the administration is taking regarding offshore wind, but we’re not the only ones,” SUVGOP Senior Advisor Terry Johnson, a former Bush appointee, told The Virginia Star.

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Mark Brnovich Fires Back After Department of Justice Threatens to Sue Arizona over Election Integrity Law

Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich

Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich (R) recently fired back after receiving a letter from the Department of Justice (DOJ) stating they are prepared to file a lawsuit against Arizona over an election integrity law.

“In addition to free rooms and transportation for those illegally entering our country, the DOJ now wants to give them a chance to vote. It’s another round of Brnovich v. Biden. I will once again be in court defending Arizona against the lawlessness of the Biden administration,” Brnovich shared with the Arizona Sun Times via email.

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Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis Exposes John Cornyn-Sponsored Civics Bill Expanding Critical Race Theory in Public Schools

A bill that would actually allow Critical Race Theory (CRT) to be pushed on every public school in the country has finally been exposed for what it is by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (R).

In a statement June 30, DeSantis’ office released the positive results of Florida’s 2022 civics assessments since a major update to the state’s civics standards emphasizing the exceptional nature of the American founding and Constitution.

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Nikki Fried’s Republican Donations Complicate Attacks on Charlie Crist

Less than two months out from the Democratic primary for Florida governor, Fried’s attacks on Charlie Crist for his time as a Republican has become complicated due to Fried’s own campaign donations to GOP candidates.

Crist, who served as a Republican governor in Florida from 2007 to 20011, changed parties and won the Democratic nomination for governor in 2014 and lost to then-Gov. Rick Scott. Crist now serves as a Democratic member of Congress.

Fried’s message to Democratic voters has attempted to take advantage of Crist’s past ties to Republican causes.

“They’re tired of recycled politicians especially people that haven’t delivered for Democrats ever,” Fried stated. She also said that Crist needs to be held “accountable” for his past “destructive” record assisting Republicans.

Specifically, Fried has highlighted Crist’s past positions on guns and abortion.

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Georgia Guidestones Partially Destroyed in Apparent Explosion

An apparent explosion has partially destroyed the Georgia Guidestones, a mysterious landmark in Elbert County.

“The GBI and Elbert County Sheriff’s Office are investigating an explosion that destroyed the Georgia Guidestones near Elberton, GA,” the Georgia Bureau of Investigation said. “The preliminary information indicates that unknown individuals detonated an explosive device at around 4:00 a.m. on Wednesday, July 6th.”

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National Political Editor Neil W. McCabe on National Guardsmen Now on the Precipice of Losing Pay and Health Benefits for Rejecting Vaccine

Wednesday morning on The Tennessee Star Report, host Leahy welcomed The Tennessee Star’s national political editor Neil McCabe to the newsmaker line to discuss the current situation of National Guardsmen across the country and the leading governors who are taking action against the possible Republican, conservative, Trump-supporting guardsman that refuse COVID-19 vaccine mandate.

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Democrats’ January 6th Committee Quietly Collaborating with the Left’s ‘Top Censor’

A left-wing nonprofit that labels conservative and Christian groups “hateful” is reportedly funneling research to the committee probing the Jan. 6 Capitol riot — which claims to be “nonpartisan.”

The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), a legal advocacy group with former employees President Joe Biden has handpicked for federal roles, is collaborating with the committee, Politico reported. The group has provided roughly 40 pages of research and written testimony to the committee to facilitate its investigation of the riot, an SPLC lawyer told the outlet.

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No Judge Has Ever Declared Invasion Before in U.S. History: Cuccinelli

U.S. judges declaring an invasion at the southern border hasn’t occurred before until this week, Ken Cuccinelli, former U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services director and deputy secretary of Department of Homeland Security, said.

On Tuesday, four county judges in Texas declared an invasion citing Article 4, Section 7 of the Texas Constitution and Article 1, Section 10, Clause 3 of the U.S. Constitution. They called on Texas Gov. Greg Abbott to “immediately prevent and/or remove all persons invading the sovereignty of Texas and that of the United States.”

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‘Coordinated Campaign on a Grand Scale’: US, UK Spymasters Issue Dire Warning on Chinese Espionage

by Micaela Burrow   Heads of intelligence agencies in the U.S. and UK warned against a widespread Chinese espionage campaign in a unique joint statement Wednesday. FBI Director Christopher Wray and MI5 Director General Ken McCallum addressed an audience of leaders in business and academia outside of the MI5 headquarters to rally against what McCallum called a “coordinated campaign on a grand scale.” The two warned of escalating Chinese attempts to steal data and technology from UK and U.S. innovators and disrupt the nations’ economies. “The most game-changing challenge we face comes from the Chinese Communist Party,” said McCallum. “The Chinese government is set on stealing your technology—whatever it is that makes your industry tick—and using it to undercut your business and dominate your market,” said Wray, according to The Wall Street Journal. “They’re set on using every tool at their disposal to do it.” Wray said in February that the FBI opens a new investigation into alleged Chinese espionage every 12 hours, according to NBC News. China represents the “biggest long-term threat” to security for the U.S. and its western allies, Wray said, according to Fox News. #FBI, @CISAgov, and @NSAGov issued a #CybersecurityAdvisory about the ways in which People’s Republic of China state-sponsored #cyber…

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