Rick Murphy, who represented the areas around Glendale and Peoria in the Arizona Legislature from 2005 to 2014, passed away on Thursday, leaving behind his wife, Penny Murphy, their five children, and many foster children. Born with hemophilia, he received a tainted blood transfusion as a child that led to hepatitis and finally liver disease, which ultimately took his life at age 50.
Read the full storyMonth: September 2022
Commentary: Biden’s Proposed Public Benefits for Aliens Rule Unwisely Removes Obstacle to Green Card
In its latest effort to “remove barriers” to immigration, the Department of Homeland Security is finalizing the long-awaited public charge rule, codifying a weak standard that upends congressional intent, decades of precedent, and the core American value of self-reliance.
The term “public charge” first appeared in statute in 1882, when Congress barred the admission of “any person unable to take care of himself or herself without becoming a public charge.”
Read the full storyAppeals Court Hands Air Force Class Action Plaintiffs a Win in Vaccine Mandate Lawsuit
A panel of three Sixth Circuit judges have denied the Air Force’s attempt to overturn class certification granted to all members of the Air Force by a federal district court judge in July. In doing so, they handed another win to roughly 10,000 airmen and women fighting against the Department of Defense’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate.
The appeals court judges denied an emergency motion made by the Air Force requesting it stay the class certification and injunction granted in Hunter Doster, et al. v. Hon Frank Kendall, et al., by U.S. District Judge Matthew W. McFarland of the Southern District of Ohio. In July, McFarland granted class status and issued a preliminary injunction preventing retaliation against those in the Air Force who don’t comply with the mandate as the lawsuit continues. His order remains in effect.
Read the full storyNew Gun Sales Tracker Opens the Door to ‘Privatized Government Surveillance,’ Experts Say
A newly approved code for the financial services industry to track gun store purchases could open the door to “privatized government surveillance,” experts told the Daily Caller News Foundation.
The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) approved the creation of a new merchant code for firearms stores to use when processing credit and debit card transactions, Reuters reported Friday. However, the code could lead to innocent Americans being surveilled should companies coordinate with the government to probe sales, experts say.
Read the full storyFood Prices Hit 40-Year High, Keep Breaking Records Every Month
Food prices have increased every month of 2022, with each month since February breaking 40-year records, according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).
The price of food at home increased 13.5% year-over-year in August, the highest it’s been since May 1979, according to the BLS Consumer Price Index (CPI) report. Since February, when the year-over-year cost of food at home increased by 8.6% — at the time the highest level since 1981 — grocery prices have increased every month, first breaking a 10% year-on-year increase in March, according to archived CPI reports by the BLS.
Read the full storyNew Durham Bombshell: FBI Paid Russian Accused of Lying as a Confidential Informant Against Trump
In a bombshell revelation, Special Prosecutor John Durham revealed Tuesday in court filings that the FBI paid a Russian businessman as a confidential human source in the investigation of Donald Trump’s 2016 campaign even though it had prior concerns that businessman was tied to Moscow’s intelligence services.
Read the full storyYour 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 and on demand.
Read the full storyState Senator Joey Hensley Explains Age-Appropriate Materials Act
Tuesday morning on The Tennessee Star Report, host Leahy welcomed State Senator Joey Hensley (R-TN-28) to the newsmaker line to explain the Age Appropriate Materials Act and his stance on whether or not the state of Tennessee should continue to receive monies from the federal Department of Education.
Read the full storyDr. Murray Sabrin Talks About His New Book, Background, and Solutions to America’s Current Economy
Tuesday morning on The Tennessee Star Report, host Leahy welcomed libertarian, professor, and author Dr. Murray Sabrin to the newsmaker line to discuss his new book The Finance of Health Care and his thoughts on how to fix the American economy.
Read the full storyLeahy and Gulbransen Weigh In on Tennessee AG Skrmetti’s Position on Title IX, Redefining the Word ‘Sex’
Tuesday morning on The Tennessee Star Report, host Leahy welcomed all-star panelist Aaron Gulbransen in studio to comment upon recent public statements made by newly elected Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti regarding Title XI and redefining the word “sex.”
Read the full storyFaith and Freedom Coalition’s New Tennessee Director Aaron Gulbransen Talks About the Group’s History, Roe v. Wade Significance
Tuesday morning on The Tennessee Star Report, host Leahy welcomed all-star panelist, official guest host, and Faith and Freedom Coalition’s State of Tennessee Director, Aaron Gulbransen in-studio to describe the group’s origins and relation to Roe v Wade.
Read the full storyLeahy and Gulbransen Discuss Biden Administration’s Attempt to Federalize Elections
Tuesday morning on The Tennessee Star Report, host Leahy welcomed all-star panelist, official guest host, and Faith and Freedom Coalition’s State of Tennessee Director, Aaron Gulbransen in-studio to discuss the Biden administration’s executive order in an effort to federalize elections.
Read the full storyClinton Investigator Kenneth Starr Dies at 76
Former U.S. Solicitor General Kenneth Starr died on Tuesday at the age of 76.
Starr died at a hospital in Houston, Texas, according to the New York Post.
Read the full storyFor First Time in History Chinese People Are Living Longer than Americans
As life expectancy declines in the United States, life expectancy in China has continued its steady climb, potentially surpassing the U.S., according to certain recent data sets.
The U.S.’s Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently estimated that life expectancy at birth had fallen nearly a year to 76.1 years in 2021, while the Chinese National Health Commission estimated that life expectancy in China had risen to 78.3 in 2021, according to The State Council Of The People’s Republic of China. However, this data is disputed, with Chinese state estimates of life expectancy in 2020 nearly a year higher than estimates by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), or by the World Bank.
Read the full storyEliza Fletcher Murder Suspect Charged with Kidnapping, Rape in Unrelated Case
New details have emerged about more alleged crimes committed by the suspect in Eliza Fletcher’s brutal kidnapping and murder.
Cleotha Abston has been charged separately in an aggravated rape and aggravated kidnapping case stemming from September of 2021. He is also charged in that case with unlawful carrying or possession of a weapon.
Read the full storyGOP Senators Claim Biden Appointee Has Turned Consumer Protection Bureau into a ‘Lawless and Unaccountable’ Agency
Republican senators claimed in a Monday letter to Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) Director Rohit Chopra that he has returned the federal agency to its “lawless and unaccountable” Obama-era “roots.”
Led by Pennsylvania Sen. Pat Toomey, the 12 senators are taking aim at Chopra’s alleged “abuses of power” that are a “serious concern.” Chopra should “reverse course” and ensure the CFPB “stay[s] within the boundaries of law,” the senators wrote.
Read the full storyReport: Record 63 Percent of Small Businesses Freeze Hiring
Small businesses are increasingly unwilling to hire because they can’t afford to take on new costs, according to a newly released survey.
The small business network company Alignable released the survey Wednesday. It found that 63% report putting hiring on hold “because they can’t afford to add staff, and 10% of that group is laying off workers.”
Read the full storyAnother Memphis-Shelby County School Administrator Placed on Administrative Leave
The Memphis-Shelby County Schools (MSCS) confirmed that its Deputy Superintendent for Strategic Operations and Finance, Dr. John Barker, was placed on paid administrative leave due to an “employee complaint.”
Read the full storyGOP Governors to Biden: Student Loan Plan Will Be Costly for American Taxpayers
President Joe Biden’s student loan forgiveness plan will be costly for American taxpayers, a coalition of GOP governors said in a letter sent Monday to the White House.
The letter, signed by 22 GOP governors, tells Biden to “withdraw” the plan, citing cost estimates of up to $600 billion, or $2,000 per American taxpayer.
“As governors, we support making higher education more affordable and accessible for students in our states, but we fundamentally oppose your plan to force American taxpayers to pay off the student loan debt of an elite few,” the coalition wrote.
Read the full storyProject Veritas Exposes New York City Middle School Teacher Encouraging Children to ‘Throw Bricks’ at People Who Oppose Her Political Agenda
A New York City middle school English teacher told a Project Veritas (PV) undercover journalist she encourages her students to engage in political violence by teaching them “to throw bricks,” not to “black and brown communities,” but at “the people that are actually doing the things that [need to] change.”
In the fourth video of its education series titled “The Secret Curriculum,” New York City Department of Education middle school teacher Ariane Franco is heard telling the PV journalist she teaches her students “there’s strategic ways” to engage in violent protests against the people who oppose her political agenda.
Read the full storyMusic Spotlight: Drake Milligan
Not only is Drake Milligan a finalist on American’s Got Talent, his full-length debut album Dallas/Fort Worth’ is coming out September 15th.
Read the full storyJanuary 6 Committee Investigates Newt Gingrich for Allegedly Attempting to Overturn 2020 Election
The House Select Committee investigating the Jan. 6 Capitol riot is trying to probe former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, reportedly finding he was involved in efforts to overturn 2020 election results, according to The Hill.
A committee member said Gingrich seems to have participated in an effort by various allies of former President Donald Trump to establish fake electors in states Trump claimed to have won, the outlet reported. Committee chair Bennie Thompson’s recent letter requesting Gingrich’s “voluntary cooperation” indicated he communicated with Trump advisors like Jared Kushner, Mark Meadows and Jason Miller about election outcome reversal tactics.
Read the full storyTennessee Investigation Found Madison County Commissioner Unlawfully Charged $115K in ‘Gratuities’ for Officiating Marriages
A Madison County commissioner was found to have collected more than $115,000 in fees from 1,970 marriages unlawfully, according to an investigation from the state of Tennessee’s Comptroller office.
The commissioner would charge a $60 fee for marriages even though commissioners “may not charge a fee or demand any other form of compensation.”
Read the full storyCommentary: Accreditation Is a Means of Government Control in Education
Accreditation pervades American education from kindergarten through graduate school. It has become a means through which the government enforces subpar educational outcomes and increases its power.
Of course, it didn’t start out that way.
Primary and secondary accreditation began in the 1880s as a voluntary method to improve quality among schools and establish standards for students preparing for college.
Read the full storyState Education Commissioner Penny Schwinn Welcomes First Lady Jill Biden and U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona to Tennessee
Tennessee Department of Education (TDOE) Commissioner Penny Schwinn met First Lady Jill Biden and U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona to the University of Tennessee (UT) on Monday as the pair kicked off the Road to Success Back to School Bus Tour.
Read the full storyMemphis Science Museum to Host ‘Family Friendly’ Drag Show
A Tennessee science museum is hosting its first ever “family friendly” drag show as a part of its “Summer of Pride” program, according to the museum website.
The Museum of Science and History in Memphis, Tennessee, which is a “place to explore, discover and experience history, science, culture and nature” is promoting its “Memphis Proud Drag Show And Dance Party” on Sept. 23 to be “family friendly” and open to all ages, according to the museum website. The event will feature seven performers including “drag clown” Barbie Wyre, who is hosting the event, Angel Fartz and Siren Moss, who will “manifest the art of drag.”
Read the full storyMichigan Taxpayers Footing $27 Million for Hemlock Semiconductor Expansion
Michigan taxpayers are footing $27 million for a Hemlock Semiconductor Operations project that the company says will create 170 jobs at its Saginaw County headquarters.
The company says it is spending $375 million on a new project to meet the increasing global demand for hyper-pure polysilicon in the semiconductor and solar industries.
Read the full storyKatie Hobbs’ Education Plan Bashes School Vouchers
Democrat Secretary of State Katie Hobbs, running for Arizona’s highest office, released an education plan that bashes school vouchers and calls for tighter restrictions on charter schools.
“Katie continues to oppose the universal expansion of school vouchers. As governor, she will work to roll back universal vouchers, which the legislature enacted against the will of voters this year,” according to the plan. “Vouchers should not have been expanded to provide an unaccountable means of enriching private schools and defunding our local public schools.”
Read the full storyConnecticut High School English Teacher’s Woke Worksheet Draws Outrage
A Southington High School English teacher’s student worksheet that defined terms often associated with the concepts of Critical Race Theory (CRT) and radical gender theory drew anger from parents, students, board of education officials, and members of the community.
School board members said they were unaware of the three-page worksheet packet until they read about it on social media.
Read the full storyBuckeye Institute Cautiously Lauds Ohio’s Credit Rating Rise, Warns Ongoing Discipline Will Be Crucial
Ohio Governor Mike DeWine’s announcement last week that Fitch Ratings upgraded the state’s credit rating from AA+ to AAA elicited both praise and caution from the Columbus-based Buckeye Institute.
Greg Lawson, research fellow at the center-right think tank, called the budgetary management to which state officials ascribed Fitch’s decision on Ohio’s long-term issuer default rating (IDR) “a mixed bag.” (The state has also seen its general-obligation bond rating rise from AA+ to AAA, its appropriation-backed bonds move to AA+ from AA, the Ohio School District Credit Enhancement Program Rating go to AA+ from AA and the Ohio Department of Transportation’s Portsmouth Bypass project obligations rating move to A+ from AA-.)
Read the full storyElection Integrity Measures Advance in Pennsylvania
A trio of bills are working their way through the Legislature to enhance the security of election ballots and remove deceased residents from the voter rolls.
The House State Government Committee met on Monday to vote on House Bill 34, House Bill 143, and House Bill 2484, advancing all three of them past first consideration. The bills will need to get through three considerations before a final vote can be held.
Read the full storyMilwaukee ARPA Commission Turns Down Request for Repairs to Landmark Mitchell Park Domes
There is, apparently, a limit to what Milwaukee County considers coronavirus-related relief.
Milwaukee County’s American Rescue Plan Act Task Force last week unanimously rejected a proposal to spend $19 million of ARPA dollars to rehabilitate the Mitchell Park Domes.
“This Task Force has spent millions of dollars on initiatives to ensure that houses in suburban Milwaukee aren’t falling into disrepair, potentially rushing foreclosures.
Read the full storyDeSantis Activates Florida National Guard to Assist Corrections Officers
Gov. Ron DeSantis activated the Florida National Guard in an effort to provide ongoing assistance to the state’s corrections officers.
Activating the guard will help reduce overtime for corrections officers and provide temporary staffing relief as the state continues to fill vacancies. They were activated immediately as of Sept. 9 for a period of nine months or until they are no longer needed.
Read the full storyCourt Recuses Commonwealth’s Attorney Biberaj in Criminal Case Against Parent Arrested at 2021 Loudoun School Board Meeting
Loudoun County Circuit Court Judge James Plowman recused Commonwealth’s Attorney Buta Biberaj from prosecuting a criminal case against Scott Smith, a parent who faces a disorderly conduct charge after being arrested at a June 2021 Loudoun County School Board meeting. While Plowman disagreed with Smith’s defense’s argument that there was a conflict of interest mandating removal of Biberaj, he granted the motion to recuse her and wrote in an order, “The concerns about the public confidence in the integrity of the prosecution as well as the Defendant’s concerns regarding the impartiality of the Commonwealth’s Attorney are sufficiently grounded.” In May 2021, one of Smith’s children was allegedly assaulted on school property; the school board’s handling of that situation has generated frustration among Republicans and a grand jury investigation. A month later, Smith was arrested at a rowdy school board meeting where officials seemed to deny the existence of assaults in district bathrooms and locker rooms. He faced an obstruction of justice charge and a disorderly conduct charge. In May 2022, Smith and his attorney State Senator Bill Stanley (R-Franklin) announced that a court had dropped the obstruction charge. In May, Stanley also argued that Biberaj should be recused; Plowman’s September…
Read the full storyUniversity of Minnesota Professors Call Abortion Restrictions an ‘Assault on Racial Equity’
Two professors and one graduate researcher at the University of Minnesota have called the Supreme Court’s ruling on Dobbs v. Jackson — which overturned the constitutional right to an abortion — a “direct assault on efforts to improve racial equity in health care.”
Published in the New England Journal of Medicine on Wednesday, the article, titled “Abortion Access as a Racial Justice Issue,” argues that lawmakers and health care workers ought to treat restrictions on legal abortion as “fundamentally a racial justice issue,” the Star Tribune first reported.
Read the full storyKatie Hobbs Officially Declines to Debate Kari Lake
After the Arizona Clean Elections Commission rejected Democrat Secretary of State Katie Hobbs’s proposal for dueling town halls with Republican gubernatorial opponent Kari Lake, Hobbs has officially declined a formal debate.
“We must respectfully decline the invitation,” said a statement from Hobbs’s campaign.
Read the full storyArizona Latinos Most Concerned About Inflation, Jobs, Crime and Bipartisanship, New Poll Shows
Arizona Latinos are most concerned about inflation, jobs and rising crime, according to a new poll published by UNIDOS US, a research and policy analysis organization that has focused on Hispanic American issues since 1968.
The poll, taken between July 20 and August 1 ranked 14 issues in terms of priorities for Arizona based Latinos, finding that of those categories 49% considered inflation the most pressing concern. Thirty four percent focused on jobs and 27% on crime.
Read the full storyState Flags to Fly at Half-Mast to Honor Loss of Arizona Former Mine Inspector Joe Hart
Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey announced Monday that all flags at state buildings would fly at half-mast on Tuesday following the passing of former State Mine Inspector and Representative Joe Hart Sunday.
“We are deeply saddened by the loss of former Arizona Representative and State Mine Inspector Joe Hart,” said Ducey. “A pillar of state government, he was a dedicated advocate for the mining industry and played a critical role in overseeing the safety at Arizona’s mines. A lifelong Kingman resident, Inspector Hart proudly served the people of Arizona for decades. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and loved ones during this time.”
Read the full storyYuma County District Supervisor Blasts Vice President for Saying Border Is Secure
Yuma County District Two Supervisor Jonathan Lines spoke with Trump-endorsed Arizona Attorney General nominee Abe Hamadeh at the Yuma border Monday morning, saying that recent comments from Vice-President Kamala Harris about America having a secure border are not true.
“Absolutely and emphatically, there is no way that that is a true statement,” Lines said in reference to Harris’s comment.
Read the full story‘More American Tax Dollars’: Jim Jordan Calls Out Biden Admin for Prioritizing Ukraine Aid
Republican Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio blasted the Biden administration for what he viewed as prioritizing aid to Ukraine during a Monday appearance on Fox Business Network.
“I’m all for helping Ukraine, I just don’t think it should be the American taxpayer continuing to give and give and give,” Jordan said. “So you know, again, let’s hope he moves in the right direction as it seems to be doing and we want Ukraine to prevail in this — in this war, but let’s be supportive but I don’t know that we need to be sending a bunch of more American tax dollars there.”
Read the full storySouthern Poverty Law Center’s Action Fund Launches Two Organizations to Push for Diversity in Local Government
The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) Action Fund announced on Monday the formation of two PACs to promote diversity in local government candidates across the South.
The New Southern Leaders federal Political Action Committee (PAC) and the New Southern Majority federal Independent Expenditure Committee (Super PAC) will “help recruit, support and drive greater diversity among political candidates running for local offices throughout the South,” according to an emailed press release.
Read the full storyLos Angeles Homeless Population Jumps to over 69,000
The total number of homeless people in Los Angeles County has skyrocketed over the last few years, reaching a staggering new total of over 69,000.
Fox News reports that the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority (LAHSA), which released its updated report on Thursday, found an increase of 4.1 percent since 2020. In the entirety of the county, approximately 69,144 people are now homeless; in just the city of Los Angeles alone, there are 41,980 homeless people.
Read the full storyConnecticut AG Threatens Project Veritas with Subpoena over Video Exposé of Public School Hirings
Project Veritas, the investigative journalism group, was put on notice by the state of Connecticut with a records hold request and an indication of potential subpoenas coming their way as part of an investigation into discriminatory hiring practices at Greenwich Public Schools.
Veritas in late August published a secretly recorded interview with Cos Cob Elementary School Assistant Principal Jeremy Boland in which he appeared to admit to discriminatory hiring practices against Catholics and conservatives.
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 storyHost Michael Patrick Leahy Dissects the Unseating of District 2 SEC-Elect Mark Pulliam and Encourages Committee to Appoint Him
Monday morning on The Tennesse Star Report, host Leahy unravels the misinterpretation of Republican Party state bylaws in the unseating of District Two SEC committeeman elect Mark Pulliam of Blount County.
Read the full storyCrom’s Crommentary: The Dangers of Government-Allocated Capital and the Coming Collapse of Europe
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 storyAuthor of ‘The Abolition of Sex,’ Kara Dansky Discusses the Motivation and Harm of the Transgender Movement
Monday morning on The Tennessee Star Report, host Leahy welcomed author Kara Dansky of the book, The Abolition of Sex: How the Transgender Agenda Harms Women and Girls to the newsmaker line to discuss the transgender movement, who is behind it, and why it is dangerous.
Read the full storyCommentary: Talking Heads Push One Predictor to Key Elections but Ignore the Raw Numbers Behind Them – and That Changes Everything
There has been a lot of talk during this election cycle about “voter enthusiasm;” which side has it, what are its causes, and what might it all mean for the final result. Much of it is propaganda that should be ignored, but there are some numbers and data that can help illuminate the terrain. All that attention is appropriate, given that each and every election depends entirely on who shows up to vote.
Let’s start with the propaganda.
Read the full storyTennessee Tech Investigating On-Campus Child Drag Show
After a video depicting children participating in an on-campus drag show was widely shared around the internet, Tennessee Tech University President Phil Oldham said he was offended, and that the school is investigating.
The video was first posted to Twitter by Landon Starbuck, wife of former Tennessee congressional candidate Robby Starbuck.
Read the full storyCommentary: Heritage Foundations’ Election Integrity Scorecard Misses the Mark in Tennessee
Imagine going for a physical and after checking your pulse, the doctor pronounces you in tip-top condition. No checking your blood pressure or respiration; no examination of your heart, vision, hearing or reflexes; no lab work, or x-rays, etc.
“Trust me, everything is fine,” the doctor says.
If you believe that having a strong pulse is all you need to ensure your entire body is healthy, you would leave the doctor’s office with a false sense of security that all is well, when, in reality, a serious disease may be lurking undetected.
Read the full story