Wyoming GOP Rep. Liz Cheney lost her bid Tuesday night for a fourth term, becoming the most high-profile Republican to vote to impeach former President Trump over the Jan. 6 Capitol riot and lose reelection this year.
Read the full storyDay: August 16, 2022
Your Middle Tennessee Fresh Forecast with Chief Meteorologist Daphne DeLoren for Tuesday Night and Wednesday
Star News Network Chief Meteorologist Daphne DeLoren shares her Middle Tennessee Fresh Forecast for Tuesday Night and Wednesday.
Catch Daphne’s Fresh Forecast weekdays at 5pm, during The Tennessee Star Evening News Update, and on demand.
Read the full storyAmy Wilhite Discusses Arizona’s Changing Political Landscape
Tuesday morning on The Tennessee Star Report, host Leahy welcomed former 2nd Vote executive director and former communications director for AZ senate candidate Jim Lamon, Amy Wilhite in studio to discuss the changing political landscape of Arizona.
Read the full storyAaron Gulbransen Recaps Premiere of ‘What Is a Woman?’ Documentary
Tuesday morning on The Tennessee Star Report, host Leahy welcomed official guest host and lead political reporter for The Tennessee Star, Aaron Gulbransen, in-studio to recap Monday nights premier of What is a Woman documentary by Matt Walsh of The Daily Wire.
Read the full storyInvestment Adviser Andy Puzder on Newly Created Anti-ESG Exchange-Traded Funds
Tuesday morning on The Tennessee Star Report, host Leahy welcomed Andy Puzder, former CEO of CKE restaurants and now investment advisor at 2nd Vote Advisors to the newsmaker line to discuss the creation of anti-ESG exchange-traded funds in response to woke corporations that push political agendas rather than profit shareholders.
Read the full storyPoll: Small Business Optimism Remains Near Record Lows
Small business optimism remains near record lows, as small business owners believe that inflation, supply chain problems and tax increases pose serious threats to small businesses, according to a Friday poll by the Job Creator’s Network Foundation (JCNF).
Read the full storyPoll: Americans More Worried About COVID, Less Confident in Vaccination
Newly released polling data shows Americans are more pessimistic about COVID-19.
Gallup released survey data Wednesday showing that 41% of Americans think the situation is improving, down from 63% who said the same in early May of this year.
Read the full storyTikTok’s Ties to Chinese Propaganda Machine Revealed
Three hundred employees at the parent company of ubiquitous social media app TikTok list Chinese state media outlets in their employment histories, a Forbes investigation of public LinkedIn profile information revealed Thursday.
The investigation may reveal Chinese Communist Party (CCP) ties to ByteDance, a Chinese technology company that operates several popular social media apps, through Chinese media organizations that generate CCP propaganda, according to Forbes. The profiles include 23 current directors of ByteDance responsible for “content partnerships, public affairs, corporate social responsibility and media cooperation,” and 15 who may still hold employment status with certain Chinese state-run media outlets, though it’s possible that the LinkedIn profiles were not updated after a change of job status.
Read the full storyAnalysis: The Reason Big Oil Is Backing Dems’ Climate Bill
Large oil and gas producers are lauding the Senate Democrats’ climate bill due to its green incentives and regulations on fossil fuels; however, smaller producers argue that the new taxes and fees included in the bill will kill their operations.
Big oil is hailing the $369 billion climate bill for its steps to regulate the fossil fuel industry and promote green energy, according to Bloomberg. However, smaller, independent oil and gas companies are arguing that the bill’s numerous, costly regulations will threaten their industry’s development, according to an industry letter that was sent Tuesday night to the House Ways & Means Committee.
Read the full storyRulemaking Approval Process Advances for New Tennessee School Funding Formula
Tennessee’s new public school funding program, the Tennessee Investment in Student Achievement, continues to move forward and soon rulemaking for the program will begin a review by Tennessee’s Attorney General before publication for 90 days on the Secretary of State’s website.
While many details of TISA were spelled out in legislation passed in April and signed into law in May by Gov. Bill Lee, rulemaking is required to give more detailed specifics on how the funding formula will operate. Those rules passed the Tennessee State Board of Education’s review before moving on to the Attorney General review.
Read the full storyCommentary: The FBI Is Now the ‘Federal Bureau of Intimidation’
Nothing symbolizes the decline of the American republic better than the weaponization of justice that we saw last week when the FBI raided the home of former President Trump.
And nothing better represents the divide that now exists between Democrats and Republicans than the fact that some people still have faith in the FBI.
Aren’t they paying attention? Heck, that’s like a citizen of the old Soviet Union saying they had faith in the KGB – yeah, to crush dissent and lock up opponents of the regime in a Siberian gulag.
Read the full storyBoston Children’s Hospital Gender Psychologist Asserts Many Children Know They Are Transgender ‘As Early as Seemingly from the Womb’
A psychologist at Boston Children’s Hospital’s Gender Multispecialty Service (GeMS) states in a video titled “Caring for Young Transgender Kids” that many children know they are transgender “as early as seemingly from the womb.”
“A good portion of children do know as early as seemingly from the womb,” says Kerry McGregor, PsyD in a Boston Children’s Hospital video from May 2021. “And they will usually express their gender identity as very young children, some as soon as they can talk. They may say phrases such as ‘I’m a girl,’ or ‘I’m a boy,’ or ‘I’m going to be a woman,’ ‘I’m going to be a mom.’”
Read the full storyBlackburn Hammers DOJ, Says It’s Targeting Conservatives
A U.S. Senator from Tennessee has been hammering the Department of Justice (DOJ) for nearly a week after news broke that the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) raided former President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago home.
“There are plenty of great people who work for the FBI and have worked for the FBI, but there is a cabal within the FBI that has politicized the agency, and they did this from the time Donald Trump came down the escalator and announced his campaign – they have been after him,” said Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) on Fox News. “So in some way, shape or form they cooked up this raid – they had [FBI Director] Christopher Wray agree with the raid – and of course [U.S. Attorney General] Merrick Garland signed off on this.”
Read the full storyTo Avoid Sanctions, Countries Are Ditching the U.S. Dollar
Russia, China and other countries have escalated efforts to ditch transactions made with U.S. dollars in 2022, helping them bypass Western sanctions and keep their economies afloat.
Since Western countries levied heavy sanctions on Russia in punishment for its invasion of Ukraine, India has increased its imports of Russian coal and natural gas, paying in Chinese yuan, United Arab Emirates dirham, Hong Kong dollar, and euro, Reuters reported Wednesday. Turkey and Iran have also forged agreements with Russia to base bilateral commerce on the Russian ruble, an effort to divest from dependence on the “toxic” U.S. dollar while easing the effect of sanctions on the Russian economy.
Read the full storyPetition Filed to Stop Harpeth Hall from Admitting Boys
After an elite all-girls school in Nashville decided that it would admit and retain any boy that identifies as a girl, a group of school community members have started circulating a petition in hopes that the school will reconsider.
“We are writing to you today on behalf of a significant number of current parents, former parents, and alumnae … Adopting a policy that invites application to Harpeth Hall by anyone other than females is a critical change in the structure of the school, and by extension, has a major impact on our daughters,” the petitioners said.
Read the full storyGovernor Bill Lee Announces New Governor’s Office Appointments
In a statement issued on Monday, Tennessee Governor Bill Lee announced new appointments to the Office of the Governor, including the appointments of Erin Merrick to succeed Jonathan Skrmetti as Chief Legal Counsel, effective September 1, and Casey Black Sellers to succeed Laine Arnold as Director of Communications, effective September 2.
The Tennessee Supreme Court announced last week that Skrmetti will assume the role of Tennessee Attorney General and Reporter, succeeding outgoing Attorney General Herb Slatery who did not seek re-appointment to the role.
Read the full storyHomicides Among Young African-Americans Soared in 2020, New Data Reveals
Recently released statistics by the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) showed a massive increase in youth homicides in 2020, of which African-American youth made up the largest margin.
Youth homicides were up 47% across the nation, the CDC reported Monday. The homicide rate among African-American youth was nearly 15 times higher than that of white Americans and five times the rate of Hispanics. Between 2019 and 2020, the homicide rate for African-Americans between the ages of 15-19 increased by 37.38%, according to CDC data.
Read the full storyOhio, Kentucky Officials Again Ask for Funding for Brent Spence Bridge Project
Ohio and Kentucky made a second request to a second federal grant program to cover the $1.66 billion needed to replace an Ohio River bridge that connects the two states at Cincinnati.
The second ask follows a May request for the 8-mile Brent Spence Bridge Corridor project from the Western Hills Viaduct in the Cincinnati area of Ohio to Dixie Highway in Kentucky. The May request is still pending.
Read the full storyAllan Domb Resigns from Philadelphia City Council, Anticipating Mayoral Run
Philadelphia City Councilman Allan Domb (D-At Large) announced this week he will leave his seat Tuesday as he considers a potential 2023 mayoral campaign.
The luxury real-estate executive submitted his letter of resignation to Council President Darrell Clarke (D-5) on Monday. Therein, he celebrated what he considered his successes while on the city’s legislative board, including wage and corporate tax reduction, fiscal waste mitigation and increased public-education funding. Yet, he lamented, the City of Brotherly Love has further strides to make particularly concerning public safety.
Read the full storyMinneapolis-Area Pride Celebration Billed as ‘Family-Friendly’ Featured Drag Queens Accepting Cash Tips, Condom Giveaways
The city of Bloomington’s second annual “Pride Celebration” — billed as a family-friendly event — saw drag queens receiving cash tips from young children and a giveaway of condoms and “Plan B” pills.
Minnesota photojournalist Rebecca Brannon posted to Twitter several pictures from the Saturday event, including three pictures showing kids tipping drag performers with cash.
Read the full storyRep. Brandtjen Turns Focus to Speaker Vos, Wisconsin Elections Commission
Now that Wisconsin’s special election investigator has been fired, one of the Republican lawmakers who led the investigation into the 2020 election wants to know what will happen with the Wisconsin Elections Commission.
Rep. Janel Brandtjen, R-Menomonee Falls, on Monday said Assembly Speaker Robin Vos needs to be as tough on the Commission as he was on former Supreme Court Justice Michael Gableman.
Read the full storyConnecticut Republican U.S. Senate Candidate Leora Levy: Sen. Richard Blumenthal ‘Laughs Off’ Concern over Biden’s Creation of 87,000 New IRS Agents to Target Americans
Connecticut GOP U.S. Senate candidate Leora Levy observed Senator Richard Blumenthal’s (D-CT) mockery of Americans expressing concern over Joe Biden’s creation of 87,000 new IRS Agents in his legislation that will increase taxes on middle-income Americans and will do nothing to reduce inflation.
“I think the IRS is going to target the highest income Americans,” Blumenthal minimized concern over the Inflation Reduction Act on CNN’s State of the Union recently. “As the saying goes, that’s where the money is. That’s where they’re going to look to collect. The idea that there’s going to be this army of IRS agents defending descending on the average American is just preposterous.”
Read the full storyReport: Michigan Among the Top Three Best ‘Free Speech’ States in the Union
Three Midwestern states scored best in the nation in analysis of laws restricting speech about government. Wisconsin, Michigan, and Iowa outranked every other state by wide margins.
That’s the conclusion of a report issued by the Institute for Free Speech, a national nonprofit research facility that focuses on First Amendment rights. Wisconsin’s score of 86% out of a possible 100% was followed by Michigan (77%) and Iowa (75%).
Read the full storyReport: Virginia Agencies Ignored Lessons from 2018 Snow Storm that Could Have Helped with January’s I-95 Traffic Jam
A new report on the January 2022 I-95 snow incident says that Virginia agencies failed to apply lessons from a December 2018 snow incident on I-81.
“VDOT needs to improve on applying what is learned from prior events and ensure it is applied to future events,” the Office of the State Inspector General (OSIG) recommended in an August report. “Lessons learned from the 2018 I-81 Snow Incident, as well as those from the 2022 I-95 Snow Incident, should be analyzed and incorporated into each agency’s policies and procedures.”
Read the full storyRepublicans Launch ‘Election Integrity Program’ in Georgia to Recruit and Train Poll Workers, Ensure Transparency at the Polls
A Republican National Committee (RNC) spokesman told The Georgia Star News that the RNC is “leading the way on ensuring that elections are free, fair, and transparent by building an unprecedented election integrity program” with a three-pronged approach.
Read the full storyReggie Gaffney Dominates Democratic Fundraising, Outraising Every Other State Senate Candidate and Officeholder in Florida
Florida Democratic State Senate candidates and officeholders have raised $3.8 million during the 2022 election cycle. Among state senators and candidates, Reggie Gaffney has raised more than any other Democrat.
Gaffney is running to represent Florida State Senate District 5 in 2022. Gaffney raised $582,744 and spent $252,856 between Jan. 1, 2021, and June 30, 2022. According to Florida Department of State reports, the following individual donors and PACs gave the most money to Gaffney.
Read the full storyU.S. Senate Hopeful Blake Masters: Mark Kelly Should Go Back to Space
PHOENIX, Arizona – Arizona Senate Republican nominee Blake Masters spoke at the recent “Unite and Win” rally in Phoenix, hosted by Turning Point Action, telling Arizonans it is time to get Mark Kelly (D-AZ) out of office.
“You know what, hey, we can respect that he [Mark Kelly] used to be an astronaut,” Masters said. “I’m sure he was really great at it. Doing all the experiments in space or whatever it is that astronauts do nowadays. Let him do that. Because here on earth, he’s failing. Here on earth, we have some big problems. Here on earth, we have massive inflation. Here on earth, in Arizona, there’s an invasion at our southern border.”
Read the full storyCharlie Kirk Calls Arizona the ‘Battleground That Can Determine the Future of America’
Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk spoke at an Arizona rally Sunday, telling the people that this is the battleground state that can determine the future of America.
“You live in the state that is now the battleground, 50-50, hundreds of millions of Democrat dollars are coming into this state because as Arizona goes, America goes,” Kirk said. “You live in the place where everything you do matters. You live in the state, where if America is going to survive as a Constitutional Republic, separation of powers, independent judiciary, respect for the unborn, protection of our children. It’s all going to happen here.”
Read the full storyGA-7 Nominee Mark Gonsalves Rejects Expansion of IRS, Calls for More Border Patrol Agents
Republican nominee Mark Gonsalves (R-GA-07) called the proposition for IRS expansion made by the Biden administration “the definition of runaway democracy” and criticized his opponent, Lucy McBath, for her support of the incumbent president.
“Tuesday Trivia fact that’s real, believe it or not. Under Joe Biden, the IRS staff will be larger than the combined totals of the FBI, the Pentagon, the Border Patrol, and the State Department. That is the definition of runaway democracy,” Gonsalves said in reference the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022.
Read the full storyViolent Crime in Minnesota Increased 21 Percent in 2021: Report
The Minnesota Department of Public Safety Bureau of Criminal Apprehension’s 2021 Uniform Crime Report shows a 21.6% increase in violent crime in the state.
Local law enforcement agencies submit the crime summary data to meet state and federal reporting requirements. A BCA crime data tool explores crime trends.
Read the full storyRep. Paul Gosar Slams Biden on One-Year Anniversary of Withdrawal from Afghanistan
Arizona Rep. Paul Gosar released a statement slamming President Joe Biden’s botched operation to withdraw American troops from Afghanistan on the first anniversary of the incident.
“One year ago today, Joe Biden, and his incompetent woke military leadership, made the disastrous decision to withdraw troops from Afghanistan and surrender over $80 billion in equipment to the Taliban,” Gosar said. “I mourn for the thousands of our soldiers who died valiantly in a two decade military campaign that was mishandled from the start by poor leadership.”
Read the full storyGOP Rep. Jordan: 14 FBI Whistleblowers Have Come Forward Since Trump Raid
Republican Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan on Sunday told Fox News that 14 whistleblowers from within the FBI have come forward with concerns about the Department of Justice’s alleged political bias following the FBI’s raid on former President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate last week.
“Fourteen FBI agents have come to our office as whistleblowers, and they are good people. There are lots of good people in the FBI. It’s the top that is the problem,” the Ohio Republican told the outlet. “Some of these good agents are coming to us, telling us … what’s going on… the political nature now of the Justice Department,” he added.
Read the full storyUniversity of Arizona Says Pandemic Is Not Over, Pushes Vaccines
The President of the University of Arizona is still pushing COVID-19 precautions, despite the fact that even the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has significantly reduced its COVID-19 guidelines.
“The pandemic is not over … though our situation is much improved over the start of last academic year,” University of Arizona President Robert Robbins said in an interview with the school newspaper. “While transmission of COVID-19 remains persistent around the nation, we have successfully navigated the past two years with continued innovation, support and cooperation from students, faculty and staff. We have the tools to continue our success and we know how to use them.”
Read the full storyHobbs Says November Election Choice Between ‘Sanity and Chaos,’ Lake Calls Comparison ‘Laughable’
Arizona’s secretary of state and current Democrat nominee for governor says November’s election is a choice between “sanity and chaos,” suggesting that Democrats are the “sane” party.
“First and foremost, this race for governor is, I don’t think, about Democrats or Republicans. It’s really a choice between sanity or chaos,” Secretary of State Katie Hobbs (D) said on Sunday. “I’m someone who’s battle-tested as a statewide leader, with a track record of working across the aisle to get the job done for Arizonans.”
Read the full storyTrump’s Lead Widens over DeSantis in 2024 Primary After FBI Raid: Poll
Former President Trump’s lead has grown by 12 points over Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis in a hypothetical 2024 Republican presidential primary, according to a survey conducted after the FBI raided the Trump’s Florida residence.
If the primary were held today, 58% of registered voters, according to the Morning Consult/Politico survey published Friday.
Read the full storyCommentary: It’s Time to Rediscover Our Roots as a Nation Founded as a Giant Middle Finger to Tyranny
Growing up in our house, Election Night was like the Super Bowl. We would stay up late into the night watching the returns. The 2020 election was no different. That night, I watched Donald Trump take state after state with ease. Then I watched as votes started to fluctuate, barely trickled in, and then, with only a handful of states to go, I watched as counting was halted altogether. A sinking feeling crept over me as I witnessed things I had never seen in my life.
Read the full storyNew Rail Regulation Rule Proposal Has No ‘Plausible Safety Justification’
A new proposed rule change to expand railroad regulations without any safety justification “prioritizes politics over sound, data-driven safety policy,” industry experts argue. If implemented, they warn, increased regulatory burdens could drive up shipping costs when consumers already are grappling with 40-year-high inflationary price increases.
Read the full storyCommentary: East Germany Had Worse Pollution than West Germany
At a July public screening of the documentary Life Behind the Berlin Wall, viewers were informed that citizens of East Germany had to wait 12 to 17 years for a Trabi (the worst car in the world), while West Germans could go to a car dealership and drive away in their new cars the same day.
Read the full storyBill Gates-Funded Scientist Claims Candy Is Healthier than Meat
A nutrition scientist who will soon be advising a White House conference on nutrition released a study last year claiming that candy such as Reese’s is actually healthier for people to eat than meat such as beef.
Read the full storyReport Finds That Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Have Taken Over the University of Tennessee
As part of a statement released on Tuesday, The National Association of Scholars (NAS) released a new report examining the implementation of the Diversity Action Plans at the University of Tennessee (UT).
The Anatomy of a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Takeover: A Case Study of the University of Tennessee “finds that the University of Tennessee’s series of plans further entrench the dominance of diversity, equity, and inclusion, espousing an ideology that makes narrow identity categories a central learning objective.”
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