Tennessee Supreme Court Opens Comments for Bar Association Requirements in Tennessee

A women’s group is vying for the state of Tennessee to change its rules about admitting recently relocated lawyers to the State Bar Association, claiming that the current rules are not amenable to mothers who wish to work part-time. 

State Bar Associations often have agreements with other states allowing reciprocity for lawyers who relocate to be admitted to the Bar in their new state. 

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Biden Attempts to Undermine Supreme Court by Imposing Full Access to Abortion Nationwide With Executive Order

Joe Biden attempted to undermine the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision two weeks ago in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization by signing an executive order Friday that seeks to impose abortion on demand on the nation.

Pressed by radical pro-abortion leftists still reeling after the Court overturned Roe v. Wade, the White House has produced a “fact sheet” about the executive order it claims will “protect access to reproductive health care services” until Congress enshrines the tenets of Roe into federal law.

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Exclusive: Beth Harwell Says ‘Joe Biden is Destroying America’ in New TN-5 Campaign Ad

In an exclusive obtained by The Tennessee Star, former Speaker of the Tennessee House of Representatives Beth Harwell says that “Joe Biden is destroying America,” in her latest television ad for the August 4 Republican primary in the race for Tennessee’s 5th Congressional District seat.

The ad begins with a voiceover from a narrator that says, “Chaos at the border, crime in our neighborhoods, runaway inflation – Joe Biden is destroying America.”

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Maury County Mayor Andy Ogles Vetoes Budget Citing Negative Impact of Tax Increase

Maury County Mayor Andy Ogles sent a letter to Maury County Commission Chairman Don Morrow in which he vetoed the proposed Maury County budget for the next fiscal year citing the negative impact of the proposed tax increase as citizens deal with the Biden administration’s inflationary policies.

“I have spent a great deal of time reviewing the budget in context of the greater economic factors that are occurring in United States, from record fuel prices, inverted yield curve, collapse in commodities such as copper, and record low consumer sentiment just to name a few; some analysts are speculating that the impending recession could be worse than 2008,” said Ogles in his letter.

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Club for Growth-Affiliated Super PAC Launches $400K in TV and Radio Attack Ads Against Kurt Winstead and Beth Harwell in TN-5 Race

On Friday, a Club for Growth-controlled federal super PAC, the School Freedom Fund PAC, launched a nearly $400,000 television and radio attack advertising blitz against Kurt Winstead and Beth Harwell in the August 4 Republican primary in the race for Tennessee’s 5th Congressional District seat.

The ads attack Winstead’s Democrat voter and donor history as well as Harwell’s endorsement in the 2018 Tennessee governor’s race from a teacher’s association that endorsed in both the Republican and Democrat primaries.

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Commentary: Biden’s Border Policies Guarantee Death and Destruction

It’s no secret that President Biden has been dismantling the U.S. immigration system since he took office. Under his all-but-named open-border policies, an estimated 794,112 illegal immigrants have escaped into the United States. The crisis is accelerating as roughly 476,000 such crossings have been in the first six months of 2022.

The “successful” crossings at the U.S. border will continue to skyrocket, as more immigrants attempt to enter, with agents encountering a record 239,416 migrants in May alone.

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Tennessee Identifies First Monkeypox Case

Tennessee has identified its first case of Monkeypox, a rare affliction that can be deadly. 

“Monkeypox is a rare but potentially serious viral illness. Although infection may begin with fever, headache, muscle aches, and exhaustion before the development of rash, many of the cases associated with the 2022 outbreak have reported very mild or no symptoms other than rash,” according to the Tennessee Department of Health (TDOH).

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Harwell Scorches Liberal Prosecutors and Defund the Police Movement in Comments on Jose Alba Self Defense Situation

TN-5 candidate and former Speaker of the Tennessee House of Representatives Beth Harwell castigated liberal prosecutors and the defund the police movement in comments that she made on the case of Jose Alba where he was charged with second-degree murder that even New York City Democrats said was a clear instance of self defense.

“It seems liberal prosecutors and district attorneys are more focused on cracking down on law abiding citizens than criminals.” Said Beth Harwell.

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Charlotte Board of Supervisors Approves Permit for Largest Solar Facility in Virginia (So Far)

The Charlotte County Board of Supervisors approved a use permit for an 800 megawatt solar facility — the largest in Virginia so far, according to SoVaNow. That moves the Randolph Solar Project close to its sale from developer SolUnesco to Dominion Energy, which needs to reduce carbon emissions after the General Assembly passed the Virginia Clean Economy Act in 2020.

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Pennsylvania Senate Bill Would Give Voters Say in Abortion, Voter ID

A late-night Republican push for a constitutional amendment declaring no right to an abortion has caused controversy.

The resolution would also change elections to require voter ID, raise the voting age to 21, and allow gubernatorial candidates to pick their running mate for lieutenant governor, rather than have two separate races.

Senate Bill 106 would amend Article I of the Pennsylvania Constitution to read: “This Constitution does not grant the right to taxpayer-funded abortion or any other right relating to abortion.”

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‘Launch Michigan’ Wants an Extra $3.8B for Schools Statewide

A school advocacy group called Launch Michigan wants an additional $3.8 billion for Michigan schools disbursed statewide, funded by an undisclosed new tax.

The group released its report in June, prior to state lawmakers passing a 2023 $19.6 billion School Aid Fund, which includes record education spending of $21.3 billion, or 27% of the entire state budget for the year.

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Ohio Lawmakers Push Suing Men for Pregnancy, ‘Life Day’ after Roe Ruling

One Ohio senator wants women to be able to sue men for causing unintended pregnancy, while another wants the state to declare June 24 “Life Day,” all coming in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision that overturned Roe v. Wade and the state’s now six-week ban on abortion.

Sen. Tina Maharath, D-Canal Winchester, used both the Supreme Court decision and the state’s new ban as her push to introduce Senate Bill 262 that would allow a civil action against any person causing an unintended pregnancy or any person aiding or abetting someone to have caused an unintended pregnancy.

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Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey Signs Most Expansive School Choice Program in Nation

Governor Doug Ducey (R) said Thursday Arizona is now the “top state for school choice” and the “first state in the nation to offer all families” school choice options.

Ducey signed into law House Bill 2853, which allows all K-12 students in Arizona to be eligible for scholarship funds so they may access the education setting that best fits their needs.

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Georgia House Speaker Calls on MLB to Award Atlanta All-Star Game After 2021 Cancelation

Georgia’s House Speaker this week turned the heat up on Major League Baseball (MLB), which moved its All-Star Game from Atlanta to Denver last year in protest of Georgia’s SB 202 election integrity law. 

“Earlier this week, I wrote to [MLB] Commissioner [Rob Manfred] and called on him to announce a future All-Star Game in Atlanta,” said Georgia Speaker of the House David Ralston (R-District 7). “Georgia’s Election Integrity Act made voting more accessible and secure. False claims to the contrary have been proven wrong. Time for him to make this right.”

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Settlement Forces Electric Companies out of Connecticut Market

A parent company and three additional electric companies will be exiting the market in Connecticut, Attorney General William Tong said.

A $3 million settlement, the attorney general announced, has been reached with Public Power to resolve litigation that the company did not publish next cycle rate information as required. The company also is to have alleged denying customers a chance to switch to another provider to avoid increased charges.

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America Rising PAC Slams Mark Kelly for Supporting a Gas Tax Holiday which Would Undermine Infrastructure Funding for Arizona

The America Rising PAC (ARPAC) recently spoke with the Arizona Sun Times via email, criticizing Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ) for supporting a federal gas holiday that would ultimately, the say, undermine infrastructure funding for Arizona.

“This is another example of why Mark Kelly shouldn’t be sent back to Washington. Not only does his ineffective gas tax suspension undermine the one legislative accomplishment he’s writing home about – Arizona wouldn’t even need a gas tax holiday if it wasn’t for the Democrats’ anti-American energy agenda that drove gas prices to record-breaking levels in the first place,” said ARPAC Press Secretary Whitney Robertson.

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Youngkin Raises over $1.5 Million in Second Quarter

The deadline for second quarter finance reports isn’t until July 15, but Governor Glenn Youngkin’s Spirit of Virginia PAC has already reported $1.5 million in donations of $10,000 or more, which are required to be reported within three days of receipt, according to the Virginia Public Access Project. That exceeds his previous three predecessors by about $1 million at this point in their terms, even accounting for inflation.

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Mark Brnovich Announces Two Multistate Settlements with Four Pharmaceutical Companies for Their Roles in the Opioid Crisis

Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich (R) recently announced two historic multistate settlements, totaling $26 billion, with four pharmaceutical companies over their roles in the opioid crisis.

“We are working to get these opioid abatement funds to local communities as quickly as possible,” Brnovich said in a press release. “They will help facilitate more effective treatment, education, and prevention as our state continues to tackle this heartbreaking crisis.”

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Arizona Republican Gubernatorial Primary Race Reveals Divide Between Moderates and Conservatives as Ducey Endorses Robson

The race for the Republican gubernatorial nomination has intensified over the recent days, as key candidates and political players make their moves to influence the outcome of the upcoming primary election. Former Congressman Matt Salmon’s exit and subsequent endorsement of Karrin Taylor Robson was followed by Gov. Doug Ducey, who offered the Phoenix-area businesswoman a full-throated statement of support of his own.

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Elon Musk Cancels Bid to Buy Twitter

Twitter logo

Tesla CEO Elon Musk on Friday announced that he was canceling plans to purchase social media giant Twitter, citing the company’s failure to produce information on fake accounts.

Musk sent a letter to Twitter’s board of directors on Friday announcing he would not acquire the company. He told the Securities and Exchange Commission that Twitter has “not complied with its contractual obligation,” according to the Associated Press.

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Google Offers to Break Up to Prevent Antitrust Lawsuit

Google has offered to break apart in a bid to avoid greater punishment for antitrust violations from federal regulators, The Wall Street Journal reported Friday.

The tech giant has raised the prospect of separating a major business operation off from Google—the auctioning and placing of online advertisements—to form a separate entity also under the umbrella of Google’s parent company, Alphabet, people close to Google reportedly told the WSJ. It was unclear if the offer would satisfy the Department of Justice (DOJ), which declined to comment on the story, according to the WSJ.

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Commentary: Butler County, Ohio Bans Wind and Solar Projects in a Dozen Townships

The backlash against the encroachment of wind and solar projects continues. On June 23, the Butler County (Ohio) Board of Commissioners adopted a measure that designates a “restricted area” that prohibits “the construction of an economically significant wind farm, a large wind farm, and/or a large solar facility.” The measure, which passed unanimously, covers all unincorporated areas within a dozen townships in the county.

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Commentary: Four Years after Landmark Janus Decision, Connecticut Teachers’ Unions Membership Dropping

Mark Janus

While the media breathlessly covered the final two weeks of this year’s term at the U.S. Supreme Court, an important anniversary quietly came and went — the fourth year of freedom from forced union participation by public-sector employees.

On June 27, 2018, the justices banned mandatory union membership, dues and fees for government employees, overturning more than 40 years of court precedent that required government employee union participation as a condition of employment.

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Shock: Trump, Hagerty Salute, Mourn Shinzo Abe After Gunman Strikes Down Former Japanese Premier

President Donald J. Trump and his ambassador to Japan, and now GOP senator for Tennessee, expressed shock and sadness today at the death of former Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe, killed by a gunman while campaigning Friday in Nara, Japan.

“The world today tragically lost a leading statesman, a tireless champion of democratic values, and the greatest Prime Minister in modern Japanese history, my friend Shinzo Abe,” said Sen. William F. Hagerty IV, who serves on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

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