Thursday morning on The Tennessee Star Report, host Leahy welcomed country music legend, Gary Chapman, singer-songwriter Chris Wallin, and new country music artist Alexis Wilkins in studio to discuss the songwriting community in Nashville.
Read the full storyDay: December 15, 2022
Country Music Songwriters Alexis Wilkins, Chris Wallin, and Gary Chapman: Leave Politics Outside the Writing Rooms
Thursday morning on The Tennessee Star Report, host Leahy welcomed singer-songwriters Alexis Wilkins, Chris Wallin, and Gary Chapman in studio to talk about working with liberal songwriters and keeping politics out of the writing rooms.
Read the full storyChris Wallin on the Confluence Between Authentic Country Music and Constitutional Conservative Populism
Thursday morning on The Tennessee Star Report, host Leahy welcomed Nashville singer-songwriter Chris Wallin in studio to discuss the confluence between authentic country music and constitutional conservative populism.
Read the full storyChris Wallin Discusses Nashville’s Conservative Music Culture and the Craft of Songwriting
Thursday morning on The Tennessee Star Report, host Leahy welcomed Baste Records own Chris Wallin in studio to discuss how Los Angeles has influenced Nashville’s music culture and the craft of songwriting.
Read the full storyBrewer: The ‘Perplexing’ Angle Used by Local MSM Reporting DCS Employment Retention Issues
Thursday morning on The Tennessee Star Report, host Leahy welcomed recovering journalist Clint Brewer in the studio to comment upon the local mainstream media reporting of the scathing DCS report released by Tennessee comptroller.
Read the full storyGary Chapman, Alexis Wilkins, and Chris Wallin on the Importance of the Songwriters’ Camaraderie
Thursday morning on The Tennessee Star Report, host Leahy welcomed country music singer-songwriter Gary Chapman in studio to talk about the importance of maintaining the camaraderie within the songwriter community for up and coming musicians.
Read the full storyTrump Reveals ‘Digital Trading Card Collection’ Featuring Art from His Life, Career
Former President Donald Trump on Thursday announced the rollout of a digital trading card line featuring fantastical artwork depicting his “life and career,” a collection the Republican president predicted would sell out “very quickly.”
Trump had earlier in the week teased the announcement, which he rolled out on Thursday morning via his social networking site Truth Social.
Read the full storyZuckerbucks-Backed Group Back in Wisconsin
The liberal voting activist group that dumped $350 million of Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg’s money on local election offices during the 2020 presidential election is back again with another $80 million to give over the next five years.
And Wisconsin once again will be front and center in the Center for Tech and Civic Life’s “generosity.”
Read the full storyTennessee House Speaker Cameron Sexton Announces New Staffing Changes
Tennessee House Speaker Cameron Sexton (R-Crossville) announced four new changes to his staff on Wednesday.
Read the full storyReligious Liberty Christian Group: Same-Sex Marriage Bill Will ‘Create Perfect Scenario’ for Supreme Court to Overturn Obergefell Ruling
President Joe Biden signed the Democrats’ same-sex marriage bill amid fanfare and celebration, but an attorney-led Christian ministry that says it won nearly 50 cases defending marriage as between one man and one woman before the Obergefell decision asserts the passage of the legislation can now “actually create the perfect scenario to overturn” the Supreme Court’s 2015 5-4 ruling.
Biden signed the Respect for Marriage Act (RFMA) Tuesday.
Read the full storyBiden Admin Weighs Asylum Ban in Preparation for Flood of Illegal Immigrants: Report
The Biden administration is considering imposing a roughly five-month asylum ban to curb illegal immigration ahead of an expected surge in migrants crossing the border, Axios reported Tuesday.
The proposal, which applies to families and single adults, would only grant asylum eligibility to those who applied for legal entry into the US, first sought protection in a country on the way to the U.S., scheduled a meeting with border authorities at a port of entry or have dire circumstances, according to Axios. The Biden administration is considering the plan amid a record influx of illegal immigration at the U.S.-Mexico border, where federal authorities encountered more than 2.3 million migrants in fiscal year 2022, and ahead of the expected end of Title 42, a major border expulsion policy.
Read the full storyReport: Largest Illegal Alien Caravan Yet Crosses the Border into El Paso
On Sunday, a new caravan of illegal aliens that might be the largest in modern history crossed the Rio Grande River from Mexico into El Paso, Texas.
According to the Washington Free Beacon, the caravan of over 1,000 illegals crossed the river into the United states with the assistance of Mexican police; images from the scene showed Mexican authorities “escorting nearly 20 buses filled with migrants into Ciudad Juarez,” which is directly across the border from the city of El Paso.
Read the full storyHispanic Media Cover Elon Musk Negatively and Remain Silent About Twitter Files and Freedom of Expression
America’s increasingly powerful Spanish-language media outlets have largely ignored coverage of critical free speech issues, such as Twitter’s censorship of the New York Post ‘s investigation into Hunter Biden’s laptop, and in instead they have focused on stories that negatively expose Elon Musk’s purchase of Twitter, according to an analysis of ADN America.
Read the full storyNew Sports Stadium Plans in Tennessee Wins Beacon Center’s ‘Pork of the Year’
In its annual Pork Report highlighting waste, fraud, and abuse of Tennessee taxpayer money, the Beacon Center of Tennessee identified 2022’s ‘Pork of the Year’ – the biggest waste of taxpayer money – as the funding and proposals of many sports stadiums across the state.
Read the full storyFederal Reserve Raises Rates by Half Percentage Point, Signaling Slowing of Rate Hikes
The Federal Reserve on Wednesday announced a reduced but still notable hike in U.S. interest rates, with the central bank moving to hike rates by half a percentage point as part of its ongoing efforts to tamp down inflation.
The hike, which comprises 50 basis points, is less than the three-quarter-point hikes the bank has enacted every month for the last several months, though it still represents a significant raise at a time when the economy remains fragile after years of turmoil and unertainty.
Read the full storyTennessee to Receive $265 Million from Opioid Crisis Settlement with Walgreens, CVS
Tennessee will receive $265 million in opioid crisis funds from a settlement with Walgreens and CVS, according to Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti’s Office.
The state’s settlement with the two companies is a part of a national multistate settlement which will see Walgreens and CVS paying more than $10.7 billion combined.
Read the full storyRaffensperger Calls for Election Reform That Includes More Early Voting Locations, ‘Instant Runoffs,’ and More
Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger wants the General Assembly to end or reform general election runoffs, suggesting a lower threshold for candidates to win outright and instant runoff using ranked-choice voting that wouldn’t require voters to return to the polls.
Read the full storyState Rep. Sonny Borrelli Files Lawsuit Contesting Maricopa County’s Election Results
Candidates and other interested parties have started filing lawsuits contesting the election results in Arizona, particularly in Maricopa County, where 59 percent of the vote centers were plagued with ballot tabulation problems, causing long lines in heavily Republican areas forcing some voters to leave without voting. One of those lawsuits was filed on Monday by State Senator Sonny Borrelli (R-Lake Havasu), challenging the use of AI to verify signatures, which Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich has stated is illegal.
Attorneys for the election integrity organization True the Vote drafted the complaint. It asserted, “Maricopa County ran 1.3 million images, on monitors, past the eyes of a few dozen of its Signature Verifiers at such a rapid clip that it was physically impossible for them to verify the Delegated Software’s adjudications about those images reliably.” True the Vote founder Catherine Engelbrecht told The Arizona Sun Times, “Many voters in Mohave County reported concern that their votes were being diluted by events in Maricopa County. We listened, retained counsel, and got to work. This litigation seeks to uncover the source of their concerns. We look forward to seeing it tried in court.”
Read the full storyGeorgia Transportation Officials Award More than $152.4 Million During October
The State Transportation Board awarded more than $152.4 million for 25 projects during its October 2022 meeting.
So far in fiscal 2023, the board has awarded more than $573.2 million in construction contracts. The total includes “Design-Bid-Build,” Transportation Investment Act and locally administered projects.
Read the full storyCommentary: The Wasteland of Leftist Compassion
Compassion is one of the greatest of human virtues. But effective compassion comes with an obligation to do more than what merely feels and sounds good. Public policies motivated by compassion must also consider the full complexity of the challenge—the unintended consequences and the reality of human nature—and strike a balance between what is desired and what is possible. Often the most beneficial expressions of compassion appear harsh and punitive, yet in offering more lasting and comprehensive solutions, do more to alleviate human suffering.
Read the full storyOhio Board of Education Approves Resolution to Reject LGBTQ Additions to Title IX
The Ohio Board of Education passed a resolution Tuesday that rejects proposed changes to broaden the definition of sex-based harassment and discrimination to include gender identity and sexual orientation for LGBTQ students.
In a 10-7 vote, board members passed the resolution to “support parents, schools, and districts in rejecting harmful, coercive, and burdensome gender identity policies and to protect federal funding subject to Title IX.”
Read the full storyDeSantis Announces Plan to Empanel Grand Jury to Investigate Wrongdoing Linked to COVID-19 Shots
Gov. Ron DeSantis announced on Tuesday that he has petitioned the Florida Supreme Court to empanel a statewide grand jury to investigate “any and all wrongdoing” linked to the COVID-19 shots to bring accountability to those who have engaged in misconduct.
In its petition to the state Supreme Court, the DeSantis administration said that the “pharmaceutical industry has a notorious history of misleading the public for financial gain” and the grand jury will probe “the development, promotion, and distribution of vaccines purported to prevent COVID-19 infection, symptoms, and transmission.”
Read the full storyAfter Warnock Win, Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger to Propose Ranked Choice ‘Instant Runoff’ System
Controversial Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger (R) is planning to present several electoral system proposals, including ranked choice voting, to state lawmakers following the runoff between Senator Raphael Warnock (D) and Herschel Walker (R), which handed a win to Warnock.
In an interview with the New York Times following the runoff election, Raffensperger said he would offer three proposals to Georgia lawmakers, including one to establish a “ranked-choice instant runoff” system, whose main goal would be to eliminate having voters return to the polls after the general election, and the costs associated with doing so.
Read the full storyMichigan Governor Signs $575 Million Bill Aiming to Address Teacher Shortage
Michigan taxpayers are on the hook for another $575 million after Gov. Gretchen Whitmer announced new programs on Tuesday aimed at boosting the number of teachers in the state’s traditional public schools.
The fiscal year 2023 budget was approved by the state Legislature and signed by the governor.
Read the full storyVirginia JLARC: Grants More Efficient than Tax Incentives for Economic Development
Virginia spent $3.2 billion on economic development incentives between fiscal year 2012 and fiscal year 2021, about 1.6 percent of total spending from the Commonwealth’s general fund, according to an annual update from the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission.
According to the report, seventy-two percent of the $3.2 billion in development incentives spending was on tax incentives, including $1.6 billion, 51 percent, in sales and use tax exemptions over the study period. Tax incentives saved businesses $2.3 billion during the ten-year study period, and annual tax savings for those businesses doubled from FY 12 to FY 21.
Read the full storyWisconsin’s Gallagher and Illinois’s Krishnamoorthi File Bipartisan TikTok Ban Legislation
A bipartisan group of federal lawmakers this week filed legislation in the House of Representatives to ban the TikTok video-sharing application nationwide.
Congressmen Mike Gallagher (R-WI-8) and Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL-8) submitted their bill in the House of Representatives while Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) introduced companion legislation in his chamber. They call their measure the Averting the National Threat of Internet Surveillance, Oppressive Censorship and Influence, and Algorithmic Learning by the Chinese Communist Party Act (ANTI-SOCIAL CCP Act). It is written broadly enough to possibly prohibit use of other platforms operating under the influence of “a country of concern” such as China or Russia.
Read the full storyMinneapolis Police Ask Kia, Hyundai Owners to Take Precautions amid 900 Percent Increase in Thefts
Minneapolis police are urging the owners of Kias and Hyundais to protect their vehicles after reporting a nearly 900% spike in thefts of those makes from last year.
In a Monday press release, the Minneapolis Police Department (MPD) reported that 2,166 thefts of Kia and Hyundai vehicles have taken place in 2022, up from 218 at this time last year.
Read the full storyLawmakers Look to Ban Gas Chambers for Pets and Increase Animal Cruelty Penalties in Ohio
A bipartisan bill in the Ohio House aims to classify the crime of animal cruelty as an act of violence and increase the penalties in animal abuse cases.
Senate Bill (SB) 164, sponsored by State Senators Jay Hottinger (R-Newark) and Kenny Yuko (D-Richmond Heights), would enhance Goddard’s Law that was passed in 2016, classifying serious physical harm of a pet as a fifth-degree felony.
Read the full storyOhio Bipartisan Bill Aims to Allow Teenagers to Work Late on School Nights to Help with Staffing Problems
Teenagers in Ohio could be permitted to work until 9:00 p.m. on a school night if a bipartisan bill progressing through the Statehouse passes.
Senate Bill (SB) 251, sponsored by State Senators Tim Schaffer (R-Lancaster) and Tina Maharath (D-Columbus), aims to allow kids as young as 14 to work late during the school year if their parents give permission, to help with “staffing problems.”
Read the full storyArizona Attorney General’s Office Issued Warnings Months Before the Election About Maricopa County Ballot Signature Verification
Correspondence from Arizona’s Office of the Attorney General months before the November 2022 general election warned of issues with Maricopa County’s signature verification of mail-in ballots.
The first letter came from Attorney General Mark Brnovich on April 16, 2022, and was directed to Senate President Karen Fann as an interim report of the Maricopa County November 3, 2020, general election.
Read the full storyOhio State University’s Medical Center Gets an ‘A’ for Wokeness in Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Survey
The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center detailed in a survey how it incorporates diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) into its hiring and admissions practices, according to materials obtained in a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request by Do No Harm, an education watchdog group.
The survey, obtained by the Daily Caller News Foundation, was administered by the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) and asked the school to detail how it commits itself to DEI standards in categories including leadership and mission, faculty and staff, students and communication and engagement. It shows the center has made diversity “central” to its mission as “a driver of institutional excellence.”
Read the full storyPhoenix Allows NFL to Determine What Residents Can Display on Their Property During Super Bowl
The Arizona-based Goldwater Institute (GI) has called out the city of Phoenix for imposing free speech restrictions on residents in a “Special Promotional and Civic Event Area” (Clean Zone) leading up to and through the 2023 Super Bowl.
Read the full storyPhillip Kline Says Kari Lake’s Lawsuit Reveals ‘Serious Flaws’ in Maricopa County’s Handling of Election
Former Kansas Attorney General Phillip Kline (R) shared his thoughts on Republican Kari Lake’s lawsuit contesting the 2022 General Election, saying the allegations shed light on severe issues in Maricopa County’s handling of the election.
“Despite media claims, Lake’s lawsuit reveals serious flaws in Maricopa’s handling of mail-in ballots-violations of procedures and possibly law. If the suit is dismissed it is due to gaps in AZ law, not lack of substance,” Kline tweeted in response to a New York Times article covering Lake’s lawsuit.
Read the full storyParents Demand Loudoun County School Board Members Resign Following Grand Jury Report
LOUDOUN COUNTY, Virginia — Parents demanded Loudoun County School Board members resign on Tuesday following the release of a special grand jury report, the Daily Caller News Foundation observed.
Loudoun County parents urged members of the school board to step down and resign over the special grand jury report, which found the district “dropped the ball” on student safety after failing to alert the community of multiple sexual assaults that took place within the district. The comments come after former Loudoun County Public Schools (LCPS) Superintendent Scott Ziegler was indicted Monday on three misdemeanor charges, including penalizing an employee for a court appearance.
Read the full storyPhoenix Area Has Nation’s Highest Inflation
The Phoenix metropolitan area has the highest annual inflation rate in the nation.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics released the November consumer price index data on Tuesday, showing the rest of the nation that didn’t receive data in the first batch of cities that included Phoenix.
Read the full storyMusic/Author Spotlight: Aiden Adams
I’ve featured hundreds of artists and even a few authors. But when I got the email about Aiden Adams, I found that he has written six books and several songs. And he is eight years old.
The first book that he wrote is titled “There Are No Sheep In New York City.” His dad, Neal Adams, is an author and illustrator.
Read the full storyBiden’s DOJ Tried to Seize Pennsylvania GOP Lawmaker’s Texts: Report
The Justice Department (DOJ) has sought to access text messages on Republican Pennsylvania Rep. Scott Perry’s cell phone as part of a 2020 election interference probe, having confiscated it in August, CNN reported
FBI agents seized Perry’s phone Aug. 9, he confirmed to the Daily Caller News Foundation that day, ostensibly as part of a federal criminal investigation into the Jan. 6 Capitol riots and efforts to hinder the transfer of power to President Joe Biden, CNN reported. The DOJ’s approach to Perry’s phone seizure involved using one warrant to image the phone and pursuing a data access warrant in confidential proceedings, sources familiar with the investigation and public filings indicated, according to CNN.
Read the full storyNearly 200 North Alabama Churches Leave United Methodist Church over Disputes Between Traditional Christians, Progressives
Nearly 200 Alabama churches officially seceded from the United Methodist Church (UMC) last weekend following years of conflict over social and theological issues.
Members of the UMC’s North Alabama Conference (NAC) approved the decision to leave at their meeting on Saturday at the Birmingham Jefferson Convention Center (BJCC).
Read the full storyCommentary: With Passenger Mask Mandate Gone, Flight Turbulence Stats Improve Markedly
The friendly skies too often resembled “season’s beatings” shopping brawls during the pandemic, as the number of arguments and even fistfights surged on-board. Viral videos of the flight-and-fight mayhem frequently had a common denominator – the federal government’s mask requirement.
So it may come as little surprise that disruptions on commercial domestic flights have plummeted by 74% since the Biden administration’s mask mandate was  overturned by a federal judge in April. The current rate is 1.7 unruly passengers per 10,000 flights, down from 6.4 per 10,000 in February.
Read the full storySEC Charges Eight ‘Social Media Influencers’ with Securities Fraud
The Securities and Exchange Commission on Wednesday announced charges against eight “social media influencers” in what the agency said was a coordinated effort to manipulate stocks via multiple Internet platforms.
The agency said in a press release those charged where involved in a $100 million securities fraud scheme in which they used the social media platforms Twitter and Discord to “manipulate exchange-traded stocks.”
Read the full story