The North Dakota man who admitted to mowing down a teenager with his SUV over politics early Sunday, was released on $50,000 bond, Tuesday, according to Townhall reporter Mia Cathell.
Read the full storyMonth: September 2022
New Docs and Whistleblowers Reveal Joe Biden’s Involvement with Selling U.S. Natural Gas to the ChiComs
Republicans on the House Oversight and Reform Committee have obtained bombshell documents proving that Joe Biden was deeply involved in the family business of selling American natural gas to the Chinese–while he was planning to run for President. According to multiple whistleblowers, the Biden family made promises to those who worked with them in 2017 and onward that they would “reap the rewards in a future Biden administration.” These explosive revelations “pose national security concerns,” Oversight Republicans proclaimed Tuesday night.
Read the full storyCommentary: The Middle Class Is Being Destroyed
Nearly 30 years ago, Richard Herrnstein and Charles Murray published “The Bell Curve,” which became notorious for its chapter that highlighted differences in IQ test results by race. But that controversy overshadowed the primary focus of the book, which was that the human race is dividing into a cognitive elite and everyone else.
Read the full storyExclusive: Senator Blackburn Completes Annual 95-County Tour of Tennessee
A U.S. Senator from Tennessee released a video recapping a 95 county tour of the state, which she does annually, meeting with members of local communities statewide.
“We just finished our annual 95 county tour, visiting with all our county mayors, elected officials, our business owners and citizens of this great state,” said U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn in a video uploaded to her YouTube page.
Read the full storyDisney’s ‘Dancing with the Stars’ Will Feature Drag-Queen Debut
Disney owned ABC has cast its first drag queen in its hit show Dancing With The Stars.
The drag queen, called Shangela, is known from the show RuPaul’s Drag Race.
Read the full storyCommentary: U.S. Farmers Grab the Lobbying Pitchforks as Greens Sow Costly New Reporting Mandates
Echoing conflicts from Sri Lanka to Canada to the Netherlands, tensions between farmers and green-minded government policymakers are building in the United States, where producers are squaring off against a costly proposed federal mandate for greenhouse-gas reporting from corporate supply chains.
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission in March proposed requiring large corporations, including agribusinesses and food companies, to report greenhouse gas emissions down to the lowest rungs of their supply chains as a means of combatting climate change, which environmental campaigners contend imperils the planet and life on it.
Read the full storyTennessee Committed to at Least $60 Million in Economic Incentive Grants This Year
Tennessee has committed to more than $60 million in FastTrack economic incentive grants to businesses this year after committing more than $200 million of the grants to businesses in 2021.
FastTrack grants are state grants sent to local governments for specific infrastructure improvements or to companies to help offset the costs of expanding or moving into the state with the goal of increasing the number of full-time jobs and the average wages of jobs available in an area.
Read the full storyNew York City Education Department Fires 850 More Teachers for Refusing COVID Vaccine
The New York City Department of Education has fired another 850 teachers and aides for refusing to comply with its COVID vaccine mandate, bringing the total number of school staff terminated over the mRNA shots that have not prevented the spread of infection to 2,000.
Some 1,300 department employees agreed to comply with the vaccine mandate by September 5 after taking a year of unpaid leave with benefits, the New York Post reported. The department informed personnel they would have to be vaccinated by that date or be “deemed to have voluntarily resigned.”
Read the full storyCalifornia Gov. Gavin Newsom Rents Billboards for Ads Attacking Pro-Life States
California Governor Gavin Newsroom (D) has fired up a new billboard campaign within pro-life states that promotes his state’s embrace of abortion.
The governor has rented billboards in seven states that have passed significant restrictions on abortion since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade.
Read the full storyFed Hikes Interest Rates for Third Time in Four Months
The Federal Reserve has raised target interest rates by 75 basis points for the third time this year following a Wednesday meeting of the Federal Open Market Committee.
The new target range for the federal funds rate is anywhere between 3% to 3.35% up from the current 2.37%, making it the most aggressive hike since the early 1980s. The Federal Reserve is expected to continue this trend into March of 2023 as an attempt to curb ongoing increases in inflation, CNBC reported.
Read the full story22 County Sheriffs Endorse Jim Schultz for Minnesota Attorney General
Jim Schultz, the Republican candidate for Minnesota attorney general, has received the endorsements of 22 county sheriffs throughout the state.
Schultz announced the endorsements at a Tuesday press conference, saying he is “beyond humbled” by the “unprecedented” show of support from law enforcement leaders.
Read the full storyVanderbilt University Selected to Host the Clinton Global Initiative University Annual Meeting in 2023
The Clinton Foundation’s Clinton Global Initiative University (CGI U) annual meeting will be held at Vanderbilt University on March 3-5th, 2023.
Read the full storyConnecticut Pension Funds to Benefit from $2.8 Billion Transfer
A historical payment is headed to Connecticut’s pension plan.
State Comptroller Natalie Braswell is in the process of transferring $3.1 billion from the state’s operating surplus into the rainy day fund, triggering a one-time, special payment of $2.8 billion into the state’s unfunded pension liabilities, Gov. Ned Lamont said.
Read the full storyCoalition Supports ‘Buy Michigan’ Plan
A bipartisan coalition is backing a bill known as the “Buy Michigan” plan.
House Bill 4902 and Senate Bill 117 aim to favor Michigan-based businesses in procuring state contracts.
Read the full storyGeorgia’s $130 Million Plan for Electric Vehicle Charging Stations Receives Federal Approval
The Federal Highway Administration has signed off on Georgia’s National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Plan, opening the door to millions in federal taxpayer dollars for the state.
With this approval, the Georgia Department of Transportation can start planning how the state will spend roughly $130 million to pay for electric vehicle charging infrastructure over the next five years.
Read the full storyFlorida School Board Implements Sex Ed Curriculum for 12-Year-Olds, Despite Parent Pushback
A Florida school board approved a new sexual education curriculum that teaches 12-year-olds about the purpose of condoms, despite push back from parents.
The Hillsborough School Board in Tampa, Florida, voted 5-2 Tuesday to implement a new sexual education curriculum for seventh graders. Parents pushed back against the proposed curriculum, saying the lesson plans are sourced by Planned Parenthood documents, according to the Tampa Bay Times.
Read the full storyYoungkin to Stump for Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp and Kansas GOP Gubernatorial Candidate Derek Schmidt
Governor Glenn Youngkin will attend a meet and greet in Kansas Thursday with gubernatorial candidate Attorney General Derek Schmidt, stop in Texas Friday for an appearance at the Texas Tribune Festival, and then headline an event for Georgia Governor Brian Kemp on September 27. Republican governors campaigning for other Republicans are a normal feature of an election year with a number of high-profile races, but Youngkin’s national appearances have also raised questions about Youngkin’s aspirations for higher office, which Youngkin himself has largely brushed off.
Read the full storyWisconsin Senator Questions Ethics, Ties of Governor to Voting Organization
There are new questions about Democratic Gov. Tony Evers’ ties to Milwaukee’s planned get-out-the-vote effort this fall.
Former Evers’ staffer Melissa Baldauff is listed as one of the principals at GPS Impact, the progressive group chosen by Milwaukee to get voters to the polls this November.
Read the full storyHold on Ohio Abortion Restriction to Last at Least Two More Weeks
Hamilton County Court of Common Pleas Judge Christian Jenkins (D) this week indicated he will extend his hold on a significant Ohio abortion-restricting law for two additional weeks.
Jenkins’s decision prolongs the effect of a decision he made last week to obstruct the Heartbeat Act’s implementation, with the initial freeze to last two weeks. The state General Assembly passed and Governor Mike DeWine (R) signed the bill (SB 23) in 2019. The legislation, which prohibits aborting unborn children who have detectable heartbeats, could not take effect until this year after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision that legalized abortion nationwide.
Read the full storyOwner of Historic Mall Struggles to Bring Property Up to Code Before Court Date
Central Ohio’s oldest mall faces demolition if it cannot be brought back up to code, owing to two years’ worth of accumulating citations and warnings by City Code Enforcement and a judge declaring it a public nuisance.
“The owner is working on improvements,” mall manager Nihal Weerasinghe told The Ohio Star. “He is committed to uplift the mall by the end of the year.”
Read the full storyParents Threaten Ohio School District with Federal Lawsuit After School Says It May Hide Gender Conversations Between Students and Staff
Parents of students in Hilliard City Schools are threatening to sue in federal court if the district fails to provide adequate answers by October 17 to several questions parents have about school policies.
Parents want to know if they will be made aware of gender and sex-related conversations between students and school staff. They also want to know if there is political activism going on inside Hilliard schools stirred up by an LGBTQ+ organization.
Read the full storyTrafalgar Group Chief Strategist: Most Other Pollsters Are ‘Usually Wrong’
Robert Cahaly, chief pollster and strategist with The Trafalgar Group, joined Liz Collin to weigh in on the recent Minnesota general election poll his firm conducted for Alpha News.
Read the full storyFetterman Being Outspent by Oz as Polls Show Narrowing Race
Allies of Republican Senate candidate Mehmet Oz in Pennsylvania have dramatically increased their funding for his candidacy in the state, with new polls released Tuesday suggesting that their contributions are impacting the race.
John Fetterman currently leads Oz by under 2%, gaining 47.7% of the vote to Oz’s 45.9%, per a September poll by the Trafalgar Group – within the margin of error of 2.9%. In July, the same poll showed Fetterman leading Oz by 5%, outside the margin of error.
Read the full storyTrump-Endorsed Mark Finchem Leads Adrian Fontes by over Six Points in Arizona Secretary of State Race: Poll
A new poll from The Trafalgar Group shows Trump-endorsed State Representative Mark Finchem (R-Oro Valley), who is running for Arizona secretary of state, more than six points ahead of his opponent, Democratic former Maricopa County Recorder Adrian Fontes. Conducted between September 14 and 17, the survey of 1,080 likely voters by the Republican-aligned pollster found that 47.5 percent chose Finchem and 41.1 percent chose Fontes.
Read the full storyMichelle Ugenti-Rita Fires Back at Save Our Schools Arizona Director After Being Called a ‘MAGA Extremist’
Arizona State Sen. Michelle Ugenti-Rita (R-Scottsdale) fired back at the Director of Save Our Schools Arizona (SOSAZ), Beth Lewis, after being called a ‘MAGA extremist’ Sunday.
“Expressing our beliefs is the foundation of democracy not interfering with it. Instead of name calling try using substantive and persuasive facts to sell your perspective. Otherwise you simply come off as a simpleton,” Ugenti-Rita tweeted.
Read the full storyGov. Doug Ducey Touts What Arizona Has Done Without the Federal Government’s Help
Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey (R) spoke at the Regan Foundation Tuesday about what he hopes to see for the Conservative movement as the county moves forward, giving state governments more power to enact policies that help the people.
“There is an exodus from the Golden State. Americans are voting with their feet. The conservative ideas applied outside of Washington, D.C. are winning and it’s not even close. Here is why I believe it’s happening: Conservative states have better policies, policies that are working for everyday Americans. There is far more freedom and opportunity in these states. And there is a sense of priority for personal safety in our states,” Ducey said.
Read the full storyOhio Debate Commission Director Donated to Democrats, Including Tim Ryan, Records Show
The leader of a “nonpartisan” group that schedules political debates in Ohio, including for the U.S. Senate race, has donated to Democratic candidates like Rep. Tim Ryan, according to federal records.
Jill Miller Zimon is executive director of the Ohio Debate Commission, a 501(c)(3) charity composed of “civic and media organizations” that hosts debates in the Buckeye State. But Zimon, a former Democratic U.S. House candidate in 2016 and 2014, contributed over $13,000 to Democratic causes and candidates between 2006 and 2018, records show.
Read the full storyMusic Spotlight: Chase Wright
NASHVILLE, Tennessee –In the past few years, a name that kept showing up in my feed was Chase Wright. (Not to be confused with another country singer/songwriter, Chase Rice.) Recently, as I was driving to work, I heard SiriusXM The Highway’s Storme Warren talking to Chase Wright. He invited him to become SXM The Highway’s next “Highway Find,” a platform that has launched many artists’ careers from Florida-Georgia Line to Carly Pearce.
Read the full storyGas Prices Rise for First Time Since June
Following nearly 100 days of declines, gas prices rose slightly Wednesday, and are forecasted to change little in the near future.
The national average price rose by about a cent to $3.68, snapping a 98-day streak of declines since prices peaked at $5.02 in mid-June, according to data from the American Automobile Association (AAA). A slight increase was expected to occur soon after prices fell only four cents last week, the smallest decrease in months, which the AAA attributed to the impacts of “war, COVID, economic recession, and hurricane season,” in a statement Monday.
Read the full storyJob Creators Network and Gingrich Call on Congress to Adopt Their ‘Small Business Prosperity Plan’
The Job Creators Network rolled out a “small business prosperity plan” endorsed by former House Speaker Newt Gingrich on Wednesday.
Job Creators Network President and CEO Alfredo Ortiz said small businesses need regulatory and tax policy certainty, and the prosperity plan gives lawmakers a roadmap to follow. He said that Congress and President Biden should make the Trump-era Tax Cuts and Jobs Act permanent.
Read the full storyAppeals Court Panel Allows DOJ to Continue Reviewing Documents from Trump Raid
A panel of three judges for the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals has allowed the Department of Justice to continue reviewing documents the FBI seized from Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate, upending part of an earlier ruling from the district court judge.
U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon earlier this month enjoined further federal review of the documents and appointed New York Judge Raymond Dearie as special master to independently review them.
Read the full storyYour Middle Tennessee Fresh Forecast with Chief Meteorologist Daphne DeLoren for Wednesday Night and Thursday
Star News Network Chief Meteorologist Daphne DeLoren shares her Middle Tennessee Fresh Forecast for Wednesday night and Thursday.
Catch Daphne’s Fresh Forecast weekdays at 5pm and on demand.
Read the full storyCrom’s Crommentary: Left-Wing Enterprises with No Economic Reason to Exist
Wednesday 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 storyAmerican Principles Project Policy Director Jon Schweppe Talks Saving the American Family from Left-Wing Institutions
Wednesday morning on The Tennessee Star Report, host Leahy welcomed Policy Director for the American Principles Project, Jon Schweppe to the newsmaker line to talk about the organization and its efforts to save the American family.
Read the full storyNeil W. McCabe Reacts to Martha’s Vineyard-DeSantis Migrant Relocation
Wednesday morning on The Tennessee Star Report, host Leahy welcomed national political correspondent for One America News, Neil W. McCabe, to the newsmaker line to weigh in on DeSantis sending illegal migrants to the liberal enclave of Martha’s Vineyard and his ability to reboot national politics and the news cycle.
Read the full storyAmazon Spends Big to Keep Drivers from Leaving
After years of high turnover that left some employees feeling expendable, Amazon is spending just shy of half a billion dollars for delivery partners to raise pay and provide benefits for drivers amid growing concerns of a labor shortage.
The $450 million investment into Amazon’s Delivery Service Partners (DSP) network gives money to partnered companies to offer drivers pay increases, alongside funding for new benefits such as a 401(k) plan and education and training programs, according to Amazon’s announcement. The announcement, which Amazon said is part of efforts to build and retain “great teams,” comes less than four months after internal documents were leaked revealing Amazon’s concern that if its current hiring practices and treatment of employees continued, it would run out of people willing to work for the company by 2024, according to Vox.
Read the full storyMcConnell to Fundraise for Blake Masters Despite Past Discord
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell is fundraising for Republican Arizona Senate candidate Blake Masters, according to Punchbowl News.
McConnell will be the special guest at a Wednesday fundraising event for Masters, according to Punchbowl. The news comes amid an apparent conflict between Masters and McConnell: the Senate Leadership Fund, which is affiliated with McConnell, pulled millions of dollars in ad buys for Masters in August after Masters publicly criticized him multiple times.
Read the full storyArizona’s Senior Voters Disapprove of Biden’s Student Loan Forgiveness Plan More than Younger Voters
What do Arizona voters think of President Joe Biden’s student loan forgiveness plan?
The answer depends on how old they are, according to OH Predictive Insights’ (OHPI) latest Arizona Public Opinion Pulse (AZPOP).
Read the full storyProfits Plummet, Vehicles Left Unfinished as Ford Struggles with Inflation
As Ford grapples with nearly $1 billion in elevated expenses from suppliers due to inflationary pressures, those same suppliers have been unable to provide parts for nearly 45,000 trucks and SUVs, forcing them to be left unfinished in the third quarter.
Read the full story‘Dismantling Capitalism’: California School District Sponsors Activist Training Facility
A California school district features a “social justice academy” to teach kids to be activists and challenge capitalism, homophobia and white supremacy, according to the academy’s website.
San Leandro High School in San Leandro, California, uses their Social Justice Academy to educate students on how to “disrupt systems of power and oppression,” according to the academy’s website. The academy is a three-year program aimed at students in 10th through 12th grade and requires the students to run an activist “campaign” as their final project.
Read the full storyReport Reveals ‘Shocking Long-Term Gaps in Federal Oversight’ over Prison Deaths
The Department of Justice’s tally of how many people died while in custody missed hundreds of deaths over the past couple of years, a 10-month U.S. Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations probe revealed.
The problems spanned many years over multiple administrations, and committee staffers said there is widespread blame for the oversight. The investigation found that changes to the methods for collecting the data and a transition of the agency within the Justice Department responsible for carrying out the act’s requirements led to the problems.
Read the full storyCalifornia Files Antitrust Lawsuit Against Amazon
California Democratic Attorney General Rob Bonta announced on Wednesday an antitrust lawsuit against Amazon, claiming that the retail giant “stifled competition and caused increased prices” in the state.
“Amazon coerces merchants into agreements that keep prices artificially high, knowing full well that they can’t afford to say no. With other e-commerce platforms unable to compete on price, consumers turn to Amazon as a one-stop shop for all their purchases,” Bonta said. “This perpetuates Amazon’s market dominance.”
Read the full storyCommentary: Advances in Medical Testing Making Health Challenges Easier to Diagnose
You may suffer from autoimmune pulmonary alveolar proteinosis, or aPAP, but you might not know it yet. Importantly, your doctor may not know it either.
Thousands of Americans suffer from aPAP, a rare autoimmune lung disease caused by the progressive build-up of an oily substance normally present in the lungs called surfactant. In healthy people, surfactant forms a thin layer that lines the tiny air sacs (alveoli) of the lungs and helps them function while we breath. In people with aPAP, the surfactant over-accumulates, making the layer thicker in some air sacs and filling others, blocking oxygen from moving out of the air sacs and into the bloodstream.
Read the full storyBreaking: New York Attorney General Files Fraud Lawsuit Against Trump, Three Eldest Children
New York Attorney General Letitia James (D) on Wednesday filed a civil fraud case against former President Donald Trump, court records show.
Read the full storyTennessee Attorney General Leading Opposition to Major Credit Card Providers’ Lists of Gun Purchasers
After last week’s news that American Express, Mastercard and Visa, plan to keep lists of those who purchase weapons using their credit card services, Tennessee’s Attorney General is leading a coalition of 24 of his peers from various states in opposition of that plan.
“Giant financial companies must not use their combined market power to circumvent our
representative democracy,” said Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti. “As Attorney
General, I protect the people of Tennessee from corporate collusion that threatens to undermine their constitutional rights. Working together with my colleagues from other states, we will marshal the full scope of our lawful authority to stop this abuse.”
Tennessee Starts New Fiscal Year $130 Million Above Expectations in Tax and Fee Collections
The total taxes collected by Tennessee in the first month of the new fiscal year continued last year’s increasing trend.
Tennessee collected $1.5 billion in August, which was $130.5 million more than what was budgeted and $100.6 million more than what the state collected in August 2021, despite a moratorium on personal care and autocycle registrations.
Read the full storyMemphis Record Pressing Predicted to Become North America’s Largest Producer of Vinyl Records
Memphis Record Pressing, located in Bartlett, Tennessee, is predicted to be North America’s largest producer of vinyl records by next year. Producing around 130,000 records a day, Memphis Record Pressing will produce over 10 million records this year.
Brandon Seavers, co-founder and CEO of Memphis Record Pressing, said, “It’s a humbling experience for me, and for Mark as well, to see where we are today. Literally every day when I drive up, I say, ‘This is not real. There is no way that we are manufacturing a legacy, analog format/medium in the 21st century, and we’re actually breaking ground and constructing a new facility to do this.”
Read the full storyVanderbilt Partners with NIH and INRB in the Democratic Republic of the Congo to Study Monkeypox
Researchers at Vanderbilt University are leading the development of an artificial intelligence algorithm that can track and count monkeypox lesions, the university recently announced in a press release.
Read the full storyCongressman John Rose Criticizes Democrat Majority in House Committee for Shielding Biden Administration from Oversight
Tennessee Representative John Rose (R-TN-06), member of the U.S. House Committee on Financial Services, criticized Democrats on the Committee for “shielding Biden Administration officials from proper oversight.”
Read the full storyProposed Constitutional Amendment Could Change Tennessee Governor’s Succession Line
A ballot initiative that will be voted upon this November could change the way Tennessee’s gubernatorial line of succession is structured.
” On the November 8 ballot, Tennessee voters will have the opportunity to weigh in on a proposed amendment to the state constitution that establishes a framework for a temporary transition of power for the highest elected official in the state,” said a press release from the Tennessee General Assembly. “If approved, the amendment would be invoked if the governor is temporarily incapacitated and unable to perform his or her duties, most likely due to a medical emergency. Tennessee is the only state that does not have a provision in its state constitution to address this issue.”
Read the full story