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 review the likely outcomes in the US House and Senate elections.
Read the full storyMonth: August 2022
Constitutional Attorney Jonathan Emord on Student Loan Forgiveness and Biden’s ‘Crass’ Political Motive Behind It
Tuesday morning on The Tennessee Star Report, host Leahy welcomed constitutional attorney Jonathan Emord to the newsmaker line to discuss his recent Townhall piece and the cancellation of student debt by the Biden administration.
Read the full storyElection Integrity Event Organizer Says Fake Police Showed Up at Her Home, Detained Her
A Gwinnett County woman who held an election integrity panel over the weekend to educate Georgians says men who she believes were impersonating police officers showed up at her home and detained her hours before the event began.
“The long and short of what occurred, is I had an encounter with the police right before I went to the event,” Surrea Ivey told The Georgia Star News. “Initially, I didn’t think anything about it. When somebody – I say somebody because I subsequently found out it was not the police – when these individuals knocked on my door, they were in police uniform and they said they had reason to believe I was in possession of government equipment.”
Read the full storyPoll: Republicans Favor Trump After FBI Raid
Republicans still hold largely positive views of former President Donald Trump and widely believe he can win the presidential election in 2024, an Ipsos/USA Today poll found.
The FBI’s Aug. 8 raid on Trump’s Florida residence at Mar-a-Lago does not appear to have hurt Trump’s popularity among Republicans, according to the poll, which was conducted Aug. 18-22. Republican voters in the survey were far more likely to support Trump running again in 2024 and to view him as possessing positive traits compared to Republicans who oppose him.
Read the full storySouth Korean Scientists Claim Eating ‘Worm Burgers’ Could Solve World Hunger
A bizarre assertion made by scientists in South Korea suggests that if the global population starts eating burgers and other food made out of earthworms, then world hunger would be greatly reduced.
The New York Post reports that Dr. Hee Cho of Wonkwang University led a research project which concluded that mixing cooked mealworms, or beetle larvae, with sugar can produce a substance that resembles and allegedly tastes like meat.
Read the full storySan Francisco Spends Millions to House and Then Evict Its Homeless
San Francisco, California, has spent millions of dollars housing the homeless before spending more to evict them, again, according to recent documents obtained by the San Francisco Chronicle.
Since 2019, the city has spent over $160 million every fiscal year on “permanent supportive housing” – i.e. single-room-occupancy hotels (SROs) across the city – as part of Mayor London Breed’s administration’s response to the city’s homelessness crisis, according to the documents obtained by the Chronicle.
Read the full storyCommentary: Teen Empowerment Can Help Combat the Youth Mental Health Crisis
Many children and teenagers were struggling emotionally before 2020, but the lockdowns, school closures, and overall societal disruption over the past two-plus years have left more of them confronting widespread anxiety, depression, and suicidal ideation.
Read the full storyJudge Issues Permanent Injunction on Biden Ban on New Oil and Gas Leasing on Federal Lands, Waters
A federal judge sided with Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry and 12 other plaintiff states in a Louisiana-led lawsuit, issuing a permanent injunction against the Biden administration’s moratorium on new oil and gas leases on federal lands and water.
U.S. District Court Judge Terry Doughty issued the permanent injunction, declaring that the president exceeded his authority when halting oil and gas leasing and drilling permits.
Read the full storyHeritage Foundation Ranks Tennessee Best in the Nation on Election Integrity Scorecard
The Heritage Foundation has ranked the state of Tennessee number one in the nation on its election integrity scorecard.
Tennessee received a score of 84 out of 100, beating out Georgia’s 83 out of 100 for the top rating by one point.
Read the full storySenator Blackburn Explains Why Taiwan Is a Sovereign Nation
On Monday, U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) posted a video of an appearance she made on Fox Business where she discussed her position that Taiwan is an independent country.
“What we are doing is working towards protecting the Pacific Island nations, Taiwan included, from the Chinese Communist Party’s aggression. They are intent on being globally dominant by the time we get to the midpoint of this century. They have been very aggressive in how they have chosen to move forward in the last 18 months. That’s of concern to us,” said Blackburn to the Fox Business host.
Read the full storyCongress Classifies UFOs as Not Man-Made
Congress claims that not all unidentified flying objects (UFOs) are man-made in a new budget for U.S. clandestine services.
In an addendum report to the Intelligence Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2023, Congress noted, “Temporary nonattributed objects, or those that are positively identified as man-made after analysis, will be passed to appropriate offices and should not be considered under the definition as unidentified aerospace-undersea phenomena.”
Read the full storyHome Sales Decline, Mortgage Payments Up 54 Percent
The National Association of Realtors released new data Wednesday reporting that mortgage payments have risen more than 50% in the last year. The increase hits on the heels of data from the U.S. Census Bureau showing that new home sales fell 12.6% in July, down 29.6% from a year ago.
Read the full storyNew Mexico Will Allow Illegal Migrants to Obtain Law Licenses
New Mexico will allow illegal migrants to obtain law licenses by waiving consideration of applicants’ immigration status, the state’s Supreme Court said Monday.
Applicants still have to graduate law school, pass the bar exam and undergo character vetting, according to the rule. Previously, applicants had to provide proof of citizenship, permanent resident status or work authorization for the licenses.
Read the full storyKnoxville Public Service Department to Host Job Fair on September 15
The city of Knoxville’s public service department announced that it will hold a job fair on September 15th, from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m., located at the Public Works Service Center.
The Public Service Job Fair is geared toward job seekers “looking for steady, satisfying outdoor work that helps keep Knoxville clean and operating efficiently,” the department wrote in a press release.
Read the full storyWarnock More than Doubles Income Since Becoming Georgia Senator
Georgia Democrat Sen. Raphael Warnock more than doubled his income after joining Congress, according to his financial disclosure records.
Most of Warnock’s income outside of his estimated $174,000 annual Senate salary comes from his book deal and the church in which has served as senior pastor for nearly two decades.
Read the full storyOhio GOP Vice Chair Williams Announces Bid for Chair, Voices Concern About ‘Unlawful’ Vote Postponement
Ohio Republican Party (ORP) Vice Chairman Bryan Williams on Monday announced he will seek election as the committee’s chairman at a reorganization meeting to be held on September 9.
It is widely anticipated within the party that incumbent Chairman Bob Paduchik will seek reelection as the ORP’s leader. Williams and other reform-minded conservatives close to the ORP anticipate, based on statements they say the’ve heard from Paduchik, that the chair will seek to defer the leadership elections to a meeting in January of next year, something party leaders have done in the past.
Read the full storyMassive Challenge to 2020 Election Results Filed in Gwinnett County
A group of Georgians still fighting for election integrity after President Joe Biden was declared the winner by a tiny margin in the Peach State Monday filed a massive challenge to the Gwinnett County Board of Elections.
“A stunning total of 37,500 affidavits are delivered to the Gwinnett County Board of Elections office in challenge of the voter rolls and handling of the 2020 Election,” said a press release from what is described as a group “team of patriotic Georgia residents.” “These affidavits include 20,000 challenges to actual votes that were certified just after the 2020 election. The submitted affidavits only include Gwinnett County vote challenges. Still, the number far exceeds the Presidential spread for the entire state of Georgia and confirms the 2020 election should not have been certified!
Read the full storyNew Poll Shows Kari Lake with Small Lead, Blake Masters Down Three Percent
A new poll released by the Trafalgar Group shows Republican gubernatorial nominee Kari Lake with a 0.7 percent lead over Democrat Katie Hobbs and GOP U.S. Senate nominee Blake Masters facing a 3.3 percent deficit to incumbent Democrat U.S. Senator John Kelly (D-AZ).
The poll was conducted from August 24 through August 27, had 1074 respondents that were likely general election voters, had a confidence rating of 95 percent, and had a margin of error of 2.9 percent.
Read the full storyA Story of Betrayal: Former Minneapolis Police Officer Tells All
Alpha News sat down with a former Minneapolis police officer for a candid conversation about the days after George Floyd’s death in 2020. She discussed the riots, the political messaging, and the decisions that were made in the days that followed.
Read the full storyViral Video: Yale’s Pediatric Gender Program Treats Toddlers
A viral video of Yale University’s Pediatric Gender Program Director has started a firestorm on social media after the Director revealed that children as young as three years-old are being treated with gender medical intervention.
In the video, Dr. Christy Olezeski, current Director of the program, reveals that the program “works with gender-expansive individuals 3 to 25 and their families,” and aims to “help individuals who are questioning their gender identity or who identify as transgender or non-binary.”
Read the full storyMichigan’s K-12 Education Enrollment Fell 25 Percent Between 2002 and 2020
Michigan’s K-12 education spending, per pupil and adjusted for inflation, increased by 10% between 2002 and 2020 because the state lost 25% of enrolled students, according to a new report.
The nonprofit Reason Foundation’s 2022 K-12 Education Spending Spotlight includes real and nominal U.S. Census Bureau data for all 50 states dating from 2002 through fiscal year 2020, the most recent available.
Read the full storyBrandtjen: ‘Mind-Boggling’ Decision Given Wisconsin Voter ID Law
Few answers, if any, are being given about the move from Wisconsin’s election managers to put inactive voters back on the state’s voter rolls.
“Why we are returning anyone to the rolls in a state where anyone can vote as long as you have a voter ID is mind-boggling,” said Rep. Janel Brandtjen, R-Menomonee Falls.
Read the full storyCBP in Arizona Rescues Infant, Toddler ‘Left to Die’ in Sonoran Desert
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) said over the weekend that it rescued two young children who were “left to die” by human smugglers in the scorching Arizona desert.
“Yesterday smugglers left an infant and a toddler in the Sonoran Desert to die. This is cruelty. And it is gut-wrenching. I commend our agents for their quick response to this dreadful incident and to every incident in which migrant lives are at stake,” CBP’s Chief Patrol Agent in the Tucson Sector John R. Modlin said.
Read the full storyFederal Government Announces New $1 Billion Grant Program for Appalachian Region Economic Projects
The 13-state Appalachian Region Commission announced on Monday that it will be spending $1 billion over the next five years on a grant program called the Appalachian Regional Initiative for Stronger Economies.
The spending was approved as part of the $1.2 trillion federal Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, which became law in 2021.
Read the full storyCommentary: The Deep State, Party Establishment, and the Left Accuse Trump of the Shameful Fascism They Proudly Practice
For the Left, Donald Trump is synonymous with “fascism” (or “semi-fascism,” as Joe Biden put it the other day). And for Liz Cheney and most of the NeverTrumpers, he remains an existential threat to democracy.
But to quantify those charges, what exactly has Trump done extralegally—as opposed to his bombast and braggadocio about what he might have wished to have done?
Read the full storyArizona Legislators Bash Biden over Student Loan Forgiveness
Following President Joe Biden’s recent announcement that his administration would forgive federal student loan debt, Arizona’s legislators quickly bashed the policy, including Rep. Paul Gosar (R-AZ-04), who called the action favoritism.
“You may ask, rightly, why you should pay your mortgage, rent or car payments? If some people get student loans written off, why can’t your mortgage or car loan be written off? I will not tolerate such inconsistent blatant favoritism. Either we all pay our debts or none do,” Gosar said. “There is no constitutional basis for any of these actions. The problem is not student loans. The problem is exorbitant college costs and useless college degrees.”
Read the full storyPennsylvania Program Sends Out 10,000 Anti-Overdose Medications
Pennsylvania has some of the highest rates of drug overdoses in the nation, and a program to distribute anti-overdose medication has hit a new milestone.
The Wolf administration announced that its mail-based naloxone program has filled 10,000 requests for naloxone, which helps reverse overdoses.
Read the full storyJudge Allows Antitrust Litigation Against Indivior to Go Forward
A federal court in Pennsylvania ruled that an antitrust lawsuit from 42 states against the Chesterfield, Virginia-based manufacturer of Suboxone can go forward, a “major victory” according to an announcement from Attorney General Jason Miyares.
“The intentional implementation of an illegal ‘product hopping’ scheme to block or delay generic versions of a medication used to help individuals recover from opioid addiction is a despicable exploitation of the opioid epidemic. The decisions made by Indivior Inc. caused purchasers to pay artificially high prices for a leading opioid addiction treatment, making access to recovery more difficult for Virginians while putting more money into the pockets of the manufacturers amid a national opioid crisis,” Miyares’ release states.
Read the full storyGov. Wolf Says State Funds Will Help Pennsylvania Manufacturers with New Candidates
Gov. Tom Wolf recently announced $80,058 in funding for Advance Central PA through the Pennsylvania Manufacturing PA Training-to-Career Program (MTTC).
The funds will be used to create five professional videos for students interested in enter a manufacturing career, a press release from the governor’s office said. The films are to create awareness for students about Career and Technology Education (CTE) programs. They will help students prepare, as well as educate guidance counselors and educators about how to show the ways CTE prepares students.
Read the full storyKari Lake Celebrates Momentum as New Poll Shows Her in Lead over Opponent Hobbs
The Trafalgar Group recently unveiled new survey results involving the Arizona governor seat race, showing Trump-endorsed Kari Lake with a slight lead over her gubernatorial rival, Democrat Katie Hobbs.
“Katie Hobbs had every advantage heading into this race after she faced an easy primary. Instead, despite a tough GOP primary, Kari Lake has seized the lead before Labor Day,” said the Lake campaign in a press release. “Katie Hobbs is simply too much of a Biden-supporting liberal extremist for Arizona. Our campaign will only continue to build on this momentum as Republicans keep uniting around Kari Lake, and Arizonans learn more about her plans to put Arizona First, fix our economy and secure the border.”
Read the full storyPeek: Georgia’s Record-High Natural Gas Prices Tied to Biden’s ‘War on American Energy’
President Joe Biden and his administration recently passed legislation that prioritizes clean and renewable energy instead of fossil fuels and older forms of energy.
Liz Peek, an opinion contributor at TheHill.com, said the country’s record-setting natural gas prices can be traced to the Biden administration’s push for alternative energy and efficiency and what many conservatives call a “war on American energy.”
Read the full storyMichigan Gov. Whitmer Says Skilled Workers Are ‘Powering Our Economic Growth’
The Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC) will award over $2.8 million to the Michigan Strategic Fund (MSF) in hopes of honing skills of prospective employees.
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D-MI) made the announcement Aug. 19, according to a press release from her office.
Read the full storyCommentary: Question Remains If Ohio Republican Chairman Paduchik Plans to ‘Unlawfully’ Deny a Vote That Could Replace Him at September Meeting
Ohio Republican Party Vice-Chairman Bryan Williams sent a letter to State Central Committee (SCC) members Monday congratulating them on their recent election and most notably to warn them of what he believes will be an attempt by current Chairman Bob Paduchik to deny the elected officials the “right and duty to elect five new officers including the chairman, in violation of Ohio [law].”
Read the full storyJustice Department Says ‘Limited’ Number of Potentially Privileged Documents Found in Trump Raid
The Justice Department said Monday that agents discovered a “limited” number of potentially privileged documents during the FBI’s raid of former President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate.
Read the full storyCommentary: Fathers Are Essential to Educating Children
In recent years, America has seen parents fighting back against the indoctrination of their children in public schools. School board members have been ousted from their positions, and bills combating the influence of political ideology in classrooms have been signed into law. Teachers’ unions longstanding monopolization of education policy looks like it could finally be coming to an end. With the midterms approaching, the parental-choice movement has reason to feel encouraged.
Read the full storyNearly 100 Republicans Urge Pelosi to Hold President Biden Accountable for Student Loan Plan
Nearly 100 Republican members of Congress have called on House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to hold accountable President Joe Biden for what they say is his “illegal $300 billion student loan giveaway.”
Initially, the cost estimate was $300 billion. However, since then, the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget (CRFB) projects that “cancelling up to $20,000 for some borrowers will cost taxpayers between $440 billion and $600 billion over the next ten years, with a central estimate of roughly $500 billion.”
Read the full storyMusic Spotlight Artist Devon Beck Releases ‘Homewrecker’
I first featured Devon Beck in April of 2021, after being immediately drawn to her developed sense of songwriting. At the time, she was 18 years old and had only been performing publically since she was 16. But to hear her songs, it was like she was born to be a singer/songwriter from the get-go.
Read the full story13 States May Tax Canceled Student Loans
Borrowers in thirteen states who have student debt canceled under the Biden administration’s plan may still be taxed hundreds of dollars next year on their forgiven loans.
Read the full storyInflation Is Harming Georgia’s Hispanic Community, Policy Group Says
A pro-economic freedom group targeting the Hispanic community is sounding the alarm on the harm of inflation.
According to a report from Republicans on the Joint Economic Committee, the cost of inflation in Georgia exceeds the national average, costing families 12.1% more to live. Households in Georgia are paying $598 more per month and $7,175 more per year.
Read the full storyFBI Special Agent Who Opened Trump Investigation Reportedly Escorted Out of Bureau Headquarters
Former Washington Field Office Assistant Special Agent in Charge Tim Thibault was reportedly escorted out of the Bureau’s headquarters on Friday, amid whistleblower allegations that he showed political bias in his handling of politically sensitive investigations.
Read the full storyWashington Will Ban Gas Cars, Copying California
Democratic Gov. Jay Inslee of Washington announced Wednesday that his state would be following California’s lead in banning the purchase of all gas-powered vehicles by 2035.
Inslee touted California’s new rule, which was approved on Thursday, and stated that Washington was ready to adopt the rule to prohibit the sale of new gas-powered cars by 2035 at the end of 2022, according to a tweet he posted. The governor also said that his state already set an unenforced goal for all new car sales to be zero emissions vehicles by 2030, a move that would attempt to phase out cars powered by an internal combustion engine.
Read the full storyNew Jersey’s Largest School District Mandates Masks for School Year
The largest school district in New Jersey is going ahead with plans to implement a mask mandate during the 2022-2023 school year, according to district policy.
Newark Public Schools in Essex County, New Jersey, is requiring students and educators to wear a mask on all school “locations and grounds” to combat COVID-19, according to the district policy. The school district also says educators and teachers should practice social distancing by remaining three feet away from one another, washing hands frequently and staying home if one has a fever of 100.4.
Read the full storyTexas ‘Kid-Friendly’ Drag Queen Grooming Event Protected by Armed ANTIFA Guards
A restaurant in Roanoke, Texas, held a controversial “kid-friendly” drag queen grooming event Sunday during which children of all ages were invited to participate in the show that featured vulgarity and partial nudity, while ANTIFA members, armed with AR-15s, protected the event.
Read the full storyGov. Bill Lee Announces More than 600 Applications for Tennessee’s Education Savings Account Program: ‘We’re Just Getting Started’
More than 600 applications for Tennessee’s new Education Savings Account (ESA) Program have been filed by Tennessee families, Governor Bill Lee (R) announced Thursday in a video message.
“We’ve been working overtime to get the ESA program up and running for this school year,” Lee said.
Read the full storyYour Middle Tennessee Fresh Forecast with Chief Meteorologist Daphne DeLoren for Monday Night and Tuesday
Star News Network Chief Meteorologist Daphne DeLoren shares her Middle Tennessee Fresh Forecast for Monday night and Tuesday.
Catch Daphne’s Fresh Forecast weekdays at 5pm and on demand.
Read the full storyJC Bowman Discusses Shelby County Schools Superintendent’s Firing and the Problems with Jamming Through ESAs
Monday morning on The Tennessee Star Report, host Leahy welcomed Professional Educators of Tennessee Executive Director and CEO JC Bowman to the newsmaker line to discuss the recent firing of Shelby County Schools Superintendent Dr. Joris Ray and the pitfalls of jamming through Educational Savings Accounts to parents and their students.
Read the full storyCrom’s Crommentary: Energy and Individual Prosperity
Monday morning on The Tennessee Star Report, host Leahy welcomed the original all-star panelist Crom Carmichael to the studio for another edition of Crom’s Crommentary.
Read the full storyIndependent Women’s Forum’s Angela Morabito on Poor and Minority Kids Trapped in Failing Schools
Monday morning on The Tennessee Star Report, host Leahy welcomed Visiting Fellow for the Independent Women’s Forum, Angela Morabito to the newsmaker line to explain how white Democratic liberals are trapping minority students in failing schools.
Read the full storyEconomist Borjas: Immigration Redistributes ‘Wealth from the Native Poor to the Native Rich’
In July alone, U.S. Customs and Border Protection made nearly 200,000 arrests at the southern border. President Biden’s push for looser border policies has welcomed an influx of migrants since the beginning of his presidency and, according to the deputy opinion editor at Newsweek, research shows an open border hurts low-income Americans the most.
According to a 2021 study, immigration accounts for a third of the decline in the Black employment rate over the last 40 years, Unherd reports. Newsweek’s deputy opinion editor backs her claim with an argument from economist George Borjas stating, “immigration primarily boosts the incomes of the immigrants themselves, while redistributing wealth from the native poor to the native rich.”
Read the full storyCivil Rights Experts Challenge Google Fellowship’s Race-Based Requirements
A fellowship hosted by Big Tech giant Google is facing heavy legal criticism due to its use of racial quotas, which critics say are unconstitutional.
Newsbusters reports that the prestigious fellowship, which offers $100,000 to students pursuing their doctorate in computer studies, requires that a certain number of students nominated for the fellowship by their university must be non-White.
Read the full story