Tulsi Gabbard, Senator Marsha Blackburn, and More Set to Speak at the ‘Rally to End Child Mutilation’ Friday in Nashville

Author and journalist Matt Walsh released an updated list of speakers who will be attending the ‘Rally to End Child Mutilation’ Friday at the Tennessee State Capitol.

As previously reported by The Tennessee Star, Walsh announced the rally to “end child mutilation, sterilization, and abuse in Tennessee hospitals and beyond” earlier this month after he broke the story on how Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) was caught providing transgender surgeries to minors.

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Arizona Gov Ducey Won’t Comply with Biden Administration Request to Remove Stopgap Border Wall

Arizona GOP Gov. Doug Ducey reportedly will not comply with a Biden administration request to remove rail containers put along its southern border to fill gaps in the U.S-Mexico wall and stop the flow of illegal migration.

The Interior Department in a letter last week asked that the double-stacked containers be removed and that no new ones be added. It also stated some are on the edge of an American Indian reservation and that the federal government either has a contract to fill the gaps or plans to do so, and that the containers are in the way of those projects.

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Charter School Representative Reacts to TPCSC’s Rejection of Founders Classical in Williamson, Sumner Counties

A charter school representative Wednesday reacted to the Tennessee Public Charter School Commission’s (TPCSC) vote to reject applications for Founders Classical Academy in Williamson and Sumner Counties. 

Brian Haas works for Del Rey Education, which helps launch charter schools nationwide, and works with Founders Classical. 

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Commentary: The Central Importance of Infrastructure

After I’d chastised him repeatedly for being the spoiler in the November 2020 battle between Republican David Perdue and Democrat Jon Ossoff to represent Georgia in the U.S. Senate, Shane Hazel invited me to debate him on his podcast.

During our lengthy discussion, Hazel demonstrated a thorough knowledge of the U.S. Constitution, and we found ourselves in agreement on many if not most of the critical issues, starting with the First and Second Amendments. One topic I wish we could have spent more time discussing was the issue of infrastructure. As it was, I got nowhere with Hazel on that question.

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Ohio Secretary of State Pushes Prosecutions for Illegal Voters

Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose referred 75 people to the Ohio attorney general and county prosecutors for additional investigation and potential prosecution based on accusations that they illegally voted during the 2020 general election.

LaRose’s office states that individuals who allegedly voted in one state and then cast an additional vote in Ohio, violating state law, have been identified.

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Hispanic Group Demands Resignation of Hamilton County School Board Member over ‘Attacks on Marginalized Communities’

A left-wing Hispanic group is calling for the resignation of a member of the Hamilton County School Board after that school board member noted a vast increase in the number of Hispanic students enrolled in county schools.

“We had about 8,000 Hispanic students last school year, and at last count the number was 8,671 this year,” Peggy Thurman told The Chattanoogan in August. “They arrive every day at schools like Howard in groups of five or more. It is mind-boggling to me the burden it puts on the schools, the teachers and the taxpayers.”

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Tennessee Collects Record $8.7 Million in Taxes on September Sports Betting After June Rule Change

Tennessee collected $8.7 million in taxes on $336.9 million in sports wagers in September, according to new numbers from the state’s Sports Wagering Advisory Council.

The taxes are more than the state has collected in a month since wagering opened in November 2020. The previous high was $5.9 million collected in November 2021.

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Hamilton County Mayor and Commissioners Clash over Removal of County Attorney

The Hamilton County, Tennessee Commissioners on Wednesday unanimously acted to continue the jurisdiction’s relationship with County Attorney Rheubin Taylor.

In so doing, the legislative body countermanded Mayor Weston Wamp’s (R) decision against reappointing Taylor to the job. Following the commissioners’ meeting, Wamp held a press conference to address the uncertain status of the county lawyer. He expressed displeasure with the commissioners’ actions which took place after they sought the advice of outside legal counsel to determine how to keep Taylor on staff. 

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2022 Changes Made Virginia’s Tax Policy More Progressive

Virginia’s tax code is now more progressive than most states, meaning that taxes impact higher income brackets more than lower income brackets, after the General Assembly increased the standard income tax deduction from $4,500 to $8,000 for individuals, and made the Virginia Earned Income Tax Credit 75 percent refundable.

“Taken together, these changes will make Virginia’s income tax 45 percent more progressive than in 2021 (as measured by change in the ‘Suits’ progressivity index, which measures the progressivity of taxes on all income groups), and more progressive than most other states’ income tax,”  a Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission report states.

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Northeast Ohio School Districts Add Cameras to Catch Motorists Illegally Passing Buses

School districts in Northeast Ohio are adding cameras to their buses to increase precautions for student safety.

School bus cameras typically attach to the outside of the bus next to the stop sign that swings outward to alert motorists that children are either boarding or unboarding the bus. These cameras encompass two lenses one facing to the back and one to the front of the bus so they can record any motorist who illegally passes. Some buses also have a camera mounted on the inside of the bus to read license plate numbers.

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Abrams Suggests Abortion Is ‘Economic Imperative,’ Particularly Now amid High Inflation

Stacey Abrams on Wednesday implied that abortion can and is used by women to help keep costs down amid rising inflation.

During an interview on MSNBC with “Morning Joe’s” host Mike Barnicle remarked that abortion “nowhere reaches the level of interest to voters” as does sky-high inflation prices for groceries, gas and other consumer products.

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Judge Rules Pennsylvania County Does Not Have to Provide In-Person Monitoring of Ballot Boxes

A Pennsylvania judge this week ruled that a major state county does not have to provide in-person monitoring of ballot boxes there, declaring that the boxes are secure and that electronic oversight of the locations is sufficient. 

Judge Thomas Capehart in his Tuesday night ruling turned down all four requests made by the plaintiffs, four Lehigh County voters, specifically that the county “provide in-person monitoring” of its ballot boxes, that the county locate its boxes “in buildings,” and that the boxes only be available for deposits during certain hours of the day. 

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Connecticut Gubernatorial Race Is a Re-Match of 2018

Four years ago, Democrat Ned Lamont and Republican Bob Stefanowski faced off in Connecticut’s gubernatorial race.

The same scenario is playing out this fall with incumbent Lamont, seeking a second term in office, facing off against Stefanowski, the opponent he defeated four years ago. Also throwing his hat into the ring this fall is independent gubernatorial candidate Robert Hotaling.

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Ohio Legislative Committee Passes Rule Defining Fetal Heartbeat

An Ohio legislative committee passed a rule on Monday regarding methods to identify a fetal heartbeat despite a court case holding back the abortion ban and Democratic objections.

The Joint Committee on Agency Rule Review (JCARR) passed an administration rule from the Ohio Department of Health (ODH) known as “appropriate methods for determining presence of fetal heartbeat,” despite the fact that the rule matched language in a previously passed abortion law and that the law is not currently enforceable.

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Generation Z May Save This Country, Says Blake Masters

While at the Arizona Young Republicans Engagement Forum, Republican Senate nominee Blake Masters said he sees promise in the next generation of Americans to put this country back on track from the dark place it has fallen.

“Young people today, if you poll them, expect to be worse off than their parents, if you can believe that — what a bizarre inversion of the American dream. The American dream is supposed to be things get better and better each generation. You’re supposed to reasonably expect to do better than your parents did. But now, especially after the last 21 months of Joe Biden’s crazy agenda, that’s all under assault,” Masters said. “Our message is not one of resentment. It’s one of hope. 2022 and 2024, if we elect the right Republicans, young Republicans especially, we can save this country. This country is too great to let it slip away from us, so we’re not going to let that happen.”

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SMART Union Delivers First-of-Its-Kind Endorsement to Kari Lake

Arizona’s Republican Gubernatorial nominee Kari Lake has received a history-making endorsement from the Sheet Metal, Air, Rail, and Transportation (SMART) Union Transportation Division of Arizona, marking the first time the union has supported a Republican running for a governor’s seat.

“We are confident that Kari Lake will be a champion for transportation workers and do everything she can to support our members and make Arizona’s rail industry the safest in the nation,” said Scott Jones of the SMART Transportation Division in a statement shared with the Arizona Sun Times. “Railroad safety is not a partisan issue, it’s our livelihood. So no matter who you choose, choose to vote in the 2022 general election.”

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Commentary: Rural Backlash Against ‘Renewables’ Surges

The hype about wind and solar energy keeps colliding with the hard reality of land-use conflicts. Nowhere is that more obvious than in Ohio, where 41 townships have rejected or restricted the expansion of wind and/or solar projects since last November. In addition, at least eight Ohio counties have implemented restrictions on Big Wind and Big Solar over that same time period. 

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Early Voting Higher in Ohio than in 2018

More Ohioans have requested absentee ballots and voted early in-person as of the close of business Tuesday than at the same point in the state’s 2018 gubernatorial election, Secretary of State Frank LaRose announced.

“While not a significant increase over the same point in the 2018 election, Ohioans are showing confidence in Ohio’s abundant early voting opportunities,” said LaRose. “Our bipartisan boards of elections have done an incredible job making their early voting centers ready, and lines are short for anyone who wants to make sure their voice is heard.” While combined the number of ballot requests and in-person early voting totals pass the 2018 total 21 days before the election, the jump comes from in-person early voting.

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Commentary: The Embarrassing Rhetoric on Russia

The Ukraine-Russia conflict has spurred debate on how to best resolve the crisis. One thing most people can agree on is that nuclear war could happen. In response, most would hope that the risk of nuclear destruction would bring about grounded debate. Unfortunately, the conflict has brought out name calling and baseless allegations. Much of this coming from people currently in charge of policy or who helped shape policy in the past. The juvenile rhetoric on Ukraine-Russia is undermining the debate and could have grave consequences.

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Major Newspaper Publishes ‘Misleading’ Photos on First Trimester Abortion

The Guardian published images of gestational tissue from the first 9 weeks of pregnancy without clarifying that the embryo had been removed, giving the impression that no embryo was present, an OB-GYN told the Daily Caller News Foundation.

The article showed eight photos of the gestational sac — a thin, white tissue that supports a pregnancy — and suggested first trimester abortions only removed this tissue in a Wednesday article titled “What a pregnancy actually looks like before 10 weeks – in pictures.” The embryos had been removed from the tissue, according to OB-GYN Christina Francis, but the article made no mention of that.

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Commentary: Liberal Arts Colleges Are More Liberal than Universities

Students often approach me to share the experiences they are having with other faculty on campus. They talk of being deeply uncomfortable asking questions in seminars and share with me how intimidated they are to challenge their professors. They often have real difficulty in sharing views that may run against the progressive, even Marxist, ideas that tend to dominate my campus.

I have been a professor at Sarah Lawrence College—one of the nation’s more elite and politically active campuses—for over a decade now. Liberal activism and ideological infusion into classes have become standard here and at many other liberal arts schools.  

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Biden to Pay Nearly Three Times More than Trump Would Have Paid to Refill Strategic Oil Reserves

President Joe Biden will buy oil to refill the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) at a price that is nearly three times higher than the price the Trump administration would have paid.

Biden’s Energy Department (DOE) aims to buy back crude oil at a price of $67 to $72 per barrel after selling 15 million barrels in December to complete the largest series of SPR releases in the nation’s history, according to a White House fact sheet. Former President Donald Trump proposed in March 2020 to refill the strategic reserves at a price of $24.49 per barrel; however, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer helped block the proposal, calling it a “bailout for big oil.”

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IRS Makes Highest Deductible Hike on Record Due to Inflation

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) increased the individual tax deductible for 2023 at the highest rate in more than 35 years due to inflation.

Individual tax deductibles increased by $900 to $13,850, up $1,800 to $27,700 for married couples filing jointly, a roughly 7% increase compared to tax year 2022, the IRS announced Tuesday. This increase is the largest hike since 1985, when tax brackets were first tied to inflation, The Washington Post reported.

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