Friday morning on The Tennessee Star Report, host Leahy welcomed Fox News contributor and financial guru Liz Peek to the newsmaker line to give her outlook for Wall Street and the economy for 2023.
Read the full storyDay: January 20, 2023
Attorney Braden Boucek Comments on the U.S. Supreme Court So-Called Investigation into the Dobbs Decision Leak
Friday morning on The Tennessee Star Report, host Leahy welcomed attorney Braden Boucek of the Southeastern Legal Foundation in studio to analyze the so-called investigation into the U. S. Supreme Court document leak in response to the Dobbs decision in February 2022.
Read the full storySoutheastern Legal Foundations’ Braden Boucek Talks SCOTUS Clerks’ Invocation of Self-Incrimination Surrounding Press Leak
Friday morning on The Tennessee Star Report, host Leahy welcomed all-star panelist, Braden Boucek in studio to discuss the details of the SCOTUS leak investigation and Penn Biden Center classified docs.
Read the full storySoutheastern Legal Foundation Litigation Director Braden Boucek Weighs in on AG Skrmetti’s Veteran Affairs Amicus Brief
Friday morning on The Tennessee Star Report, host Leahy welcomed attorney Braden Boucek of the Southeastern Legal Foundation in studio to weigh in on Tennessee AG Jonathan Skrmetti’s recently filed amicus brief with the Department of Veteran Affairs.
Read the full storyTennessee Congressman David Kustoff Reacts to 15 Ballot U.S. House Speaker Election Process and Double Standard Justice
Friday morning on The Tennessee Star Report, host Leahy welcomed Tennessee Congressman (R-TN-08) David Kustoff to the newsmaker line to give his reaction to 15 ballots needed to elect a new Speaker of the U.S. House and the current double standard justice system.
Read the full storyNew Jersey Rep. Chris Smith at March for Life: ‘Pro-Abortion Culture’ Is a ‘Modern-Day Flat Earth Society’
The co-chair of the Congressional Pro-Life Caucus told thousands of advocates for life on the National Mall in Washington, DC, that the “pro-abortion culture of denial” is a “modern-day flat earth society” that “continues to deny, devalue, and disrespect unborn baby girls and boys and trivialize the harm suffered by women.”
On Friday, Representative Chris Smith (R-NJ) spoke at the 50th annual March for Life – the first since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade.
Read the full storyCollege Math a ‘White, Cisheteropatriarchal Space,’ Vanderbilt Professor Says at Major Conference
An education professor delivered a lecture in early January at a major mathematician meeting that described college math as “white” and “cisheteropatriarchal.”
“Undergraduate Mathematics Education as a White, Cisheteropatriarchal Space and Opportunities for Structural Disruption to Advance Queer of Color Justice” was the full title of the lecture given by Luis Leyva, associate professor of mathematics education at the Peabody College of Education and Human Development at Vanderbilt University.
Read the full storyMetro Nashville Public Schools Limits What the Public May Say at Board Meetings
The Metro Nashville Public School Board is changing the way that it hears from its constituents. In Chairwoman Rachael Elrod’s view, this is less a change in policy and more of enforcing a policy already in existence. As a result of this new interpretation, the public will be granted more opportunities to publicly address board members but less leeway in what they can talk about. Public participation is scheduled at every meeting, but the only topics open during public participation, are those included in the published agenda.
In a Facebook post dated January 10, Elrod lays out her reasoning to constituents. She writes, “Our public participation policy has been in place since 2017 (before I was on the board) and was most recently updated in March 2022. It has said, since 2017, that public participation should “address the board on an item on the agenda,” she continues with, “After making sure that internal teams could manage this change in enforcement and with no colleague proposing changes to the policy, I announced that I will begin enforcing this policy in 2023.”
Read the full storyU.S. Hits $31.4 Trillion Debt Ceiling as Treasury Announces ‘Extraordinary Measures’ to Avoid Default
The United States reached its debt ceiling of $31.38 trillion on Thursday, forcing the Treasury Department to implement “extraordinary measures” to avoid defaulting on bonds.
Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen wrote how the U.S. had reached the debt limit in a letter Thursday to members of Congressional leadership.
Read the full storyNYC Aims to Give 10,000 Free Abortions a Year Through New Program
New York City began offering free chemical abortions through a Bronx clinic Wednesday as part of a new program, which is slated to expand to several other boroughs this year, Democratic New York City Mayor Eric Adams announced Wednesday.
The city already offers abortion pills at some hospitals, but will be expanding the program to clinics in the Bronx, Queens, Harlem and Brooklyn in the coming year, according to Adams. The program will aim to provide 10,000 free abortions by pill each year, according to CNN.
Read the full storyZLINE Kitchen and Bath Announces Multimillion-Dollar Expansion Project in Gibson County
On Wednesday, ZLINE Kitchen and Bath announced a multimillion-dollar expansion in its Northwest Tennessee distribution operations by locating a new facility in Milan.
Read the full storyHunter Biden’s China-Linked Company Paid $49,910 Security Deposit for Washington D.C Office at the House of Sweden
The monthly rent Hunter Biden listed on a background screening form in 2018 exactly matches the security deposit he paid for an office at the House of Sweden in Washington D.C. the year before. In the 2018 document, the younger Biden listed Joe Biden’s Delaware mansion as his residence, and claimed that he was paying a whopping $49,910 a month in monthly rent.
Joe Biden stored a number of classified documents in the library and alongside his Corvette in the garage of his house in Greenville, Delaware, an upscale suburb of Wilmington.
Read the full storyTemporary Victory Achieved in the Goldwater Institute’s Free Speech Lawsuit Against Phoenix
The Goldwater Institute (GI) announced Wednesday that its lawsuit against the City of Phoenix has resulted in a judge barring it from enforcing its “Clean Zone” law, at least for the next week.
“Phoenix residents and business owners shouldn’t have to beg the NFL for permission to freely communicate with the public on their own property. Yesterday’s temporary injunction ensures they don’t have to — and we hope that city leaders will do the right thing and repeal this unconstitutional mandate at next week’s City Council meeting,” said GI Staff Attorney John Thorpe in a statement emailed to The Arizona Sun Times.
Read the full storyOhio Attorney General Sues Fake Home Warranty Company After over 1,200 Consumer Complaints
Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost is suing a “home warranty” firm and its administrator due to misleading and unethical business tactics.
Since 2018, more than 1,200 consumers combined have filed complaints with the Better Business Bureau and the Ohio Attorney General’s Office about Amazon Home Warranty, a Wyoming company based in New Jersey that uses a Columbus customer-service address, and Amazon Warranty Administrators, which lists a Dublin address but is not, as required by state law, registered with the Ohio Secretary of State’s Office.
Read the full storyTennessee Attorney General Skrmetti Files Amicus Brief Against the Department of Veterans Affairs New Abortion Rule
Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti joined a coalition of 17 attorneys general in filing an amicus brief in the Western District of Texas in the case of Carter v. McDonough.
Read the full storyOhio Casino Control Commission Considers Banning Sports Bettors Who Harass College Athletes Online
According to its executive director, the Ohio Casino Control Commission (OCCC) may examine the prospect of banning Ohio sports gamblers who harass college athletes over gambling losses on social media.
OCCC Executive Director Matt Schuler said he would ask the commission to look into adding any Ohio sports bettor to a sports betting exclusion list if they harass college athletes based on the outcome of a sports bet.
Read the full storyAmid Renewed Controversy, Penn Scholars Defend Opposition to China Initiative to Catch Spies
Revelations that President Joe Biden kept classified federal documents at his University of Pennsylvania office in Washington, D.C., have brought renewed scrutiny to his relationship with the university — and the role many Penn professors had in persuading his administration to kill a Justice Department project combatting Chinese espionage.
Read the full storyAttorney General Carr: In First Six Months, Gang Prosecution Unit Indicted 50 Alleged Gang Members
Attorney General Chris Carr touted the work done by his new Gang Prosecution Unit launched in July; since then, the unit has indicted 50 alleged gang members across 13 counties, he told legislators on Wednesday.
The Georgia gang investigators estimate that 60 percent of violent crimes are gang-related, so this unit’s creation is perfectly timed to be a force multiplier in this fight,” Carr said in a presentation to the money committees. “With the new unit, we’ve been working hand-in-hand with local, state, and federal law enforcement to ensure that violent criminals are aggressively prosecuted and put behind bars.”
Read the full storyYoungkin Felt Rejected Ford Battery Plant Deal Was ‘Deceptive’ Effort to Dodge Intent of Inflation Reduction Act
RICHMOND, Virginia – Governor Glenn Youngkin said Thursday that he felt that Ford’s partnership with Contemporary Amperex Technology Co., Ltd. (CATL) to build a battery factory potentially sited in Virginia seemed like an effort to dodge the intent behind the Inflation Reduction Act, and accused The Richmond Times-Dispatch of ignoring facts in reporting on his decision to block the economic development opportunity from going forward in the Commonwealth.
Read the full storyCommentary: Mexico Is Not Really an American Friend
Left-wing Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador recently praised a visiting Joe Biden: “Just imagine: There are 40 million Mexicans in the United States—40 million who were born here in Mexico, [or] who are the children of people who were born in Mexico!”
Why wouldn’t Obrador be delighted? Since Biden took office in January 2021, America has allowed some 5-6 million illegal entries across its southern border.
Read the full storyOhio State Representative Merrin Unveils Proposal of Ethics Reform Package
Republicans in the Ohio House are pushing to modify the state’s ethics laws to, among other things, limit elected officials’ ability to serve on corporate boards and require more transparency from lobbyists and utility board applicants.
Representative Derek Merrin (R-Monclova Township), flanked by 11 of the 43 Republicans who backed him for speaker, unveiled proposed legislation, called the “Ohio Ethics and Financial Disclosure Reform Act,” which would make lobbyists disclose all of the money they receive from each client and forbid elected officials from serving on corporate boards of directors after being elected.
Read the full storyLamont Pitches Plan to Overhaul Connecticut’s Pass-Through Tax Credit
Gov. Ned Lamont wants to update Connecticut’s pass-through entity tax credit, which he says will save business owners, and the state more money.
The plan, a key component of Lamont’s yet-to-be-unveiled budget proposal, calls for restoring Connecticut’s pass-through entity tax credit back to its original level of 93.01%, allowing certain business owners to claim a larger credit on personal income tax returns.
Read the full storyFlorida’s Renner Files Education Savings Account Expansion Bill
Florida House Speaker Paul Renner announced on Thursday that he’d filed school choice legislation that would provide education savings accounts and expand eligibility to children with unique abilities.
House Bill 1, which is sponsored by Choice & Innovation Subcommittee Chairwoman Kaylee Tuck, R-Lake Placid, would expand the state’s ESA program, known as the Family Empowerment Scholarship Program. It would allow the money to be used for tuition at a home education or private school, private tutoring or an approved online course.
Read the full storyLiberal Wisconsin Supreme Court Candidate Protasiewicz Learned from ‘Progressive Justice’ DA John Chisholm
Liberal Wisconsin Supreme Court justice candidate Janet Protasiewicz says she’s not hiding from the “progressive label.”
The Milwaukee County judge has surrounded herself with liberal legal activists, perhaps none more controversial than her old boss, Milwaukee County District Attorney John Chisholm.
Read the full storyReport: Michigan Legislature Gave Private Company $4 Million
The Michigan Legislature is supposed to make laws and spend taxpayer money wisely and transparently.
But a report from the Detroit News says the GOP-led Legislature gave $4 million to a for-profit company, with an unclear return on investment for taxpayers. The details of the corporate handout weren’t discovered until months after the appropriation.
Read the full storyPennsylvania Drops College Degree Mandate for State Jobs
In his first executive action since becoming governor, Josh Shapiro abolished college degree requirements for state job listings in hopes of expanding economic opportunity.
The executive order signed Wednesday instructs the state to prioritize skills and experience over credentials for 65,000 positions, according to a press release.
Read the full storyNew Survey Shows Wisconsin Businesses See Recession Ahead
Battered by ongoing high inflation, a majority of Wisconsin businesses see a recession ahead, according to Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce’s latest Wisconsin Employer Survey.
WMC’s survey finds 60 percent of businesses believe the Badger State economy is headed for a recession this year. On the surface, the number appears to be an improvement from last summer’s survey when 71 percent of respondents worried a recession was looming. But Nick Novak, WMC’s vice president of communications and marketing, said more employers moved from being sure about a recession to uncertain about the economy.
Read the full storyGeorgia’s Unemployment Rate Was Unchanged to Close Out 2022
Georgia’s December unemployment rate was 3%, unchanged from November’s revised rate.
Additionally, state officials said job numbers increased by nearly 6,000 from November, hitting an all-time high. Georgia’s unemployment rate remained lower than the national unemployment rate of 3.5% in December.
Read the full storyWe the People AZ Alliance Says No to Stephen Richer’s Elections Improvement Plan
Shelby Busch, chairman of the We the People AZ Alliance (WTPAZ), released a statement Tuesday, picking apart and rejecting a proposal introduced by Maricopa County Recorder Stephen Richer, which presented ideas on improving elections in Arizona.
“I encourage Maricopa County voters to immediately reject this plan and tell Mr. Richer that we deserve secure elections not convenient elections,” said Busch.
Read the full storyPennsylvania School District Policy Advises Teachers to Avoid Informing Parents of Children’s Gender Identity Changes
The Upper Moreland School District in Pennsylvania proposed a new policy that advises teachers and staff to avoid telling parents their children’s gender identity or pronoun preferences, and to focus specifically on school-related, not gender, issues when speaking with parents.
The school district discussed its proposed policy related to “Transgender and Gender Diverse Students at a board meeting on Tuesday.
Read the full storyFormer Arizona AG Attorney Joins Abe Hamadeh’s Election Challenge Team Due to New AG ‘Targeting’ Her
The former Election Integrity Unit civil attorney for the Arizona Attorney General’s Office is making it clear she does not believe the new Attorney General is rightfully in office. Jennifer Wright, who resigned before Democrat Kris Mayes took office — but who Mayes’ office claimed was fired to journalists, causing Wright to start the process for a libel lawsuit — has joined the legal team of Mayes’ opponent, Republican Abe Hamadeh, who is challenging the results of the extremely close election.
Wright tweeted that she initially turned down Hamadeh’s offer, but changed her mind “after @krismayes targeted me by falsely and unlawfully planting a hit on me on @azcentral.” She said “it became clear that left unchecked, the new admin intended to abuse their power.”
Read the full storyCalifornia: 10.8 Million Mail-In Ballots ‘Disappeared’ in 2022 Election
According to research by the Public Interest Legal Foundation (PILF), more than 10.8 million mail-in ballots “disappeared” in California’s midterm elections last year.
California election officials mailed more than 22.1 million ballots to registered voters, but 10.8 million “disappeared.”
Read the full storyDumped Professor Sues Minnesota College for Calling Her Muhammad Depiction ‘Islamophobic’
A small liberal arts college with social-justice roots. A community member accused of career-ending discrimination against a minority. And an administration that repeatedly trumpets those accusations, which were made by student activists and hinged on an extreme interpretation of a largely undisputed factual record.
Those circumstances cost Ohio’s Oberlin College over $36 million in damages, interest and legal fees last year in a defamation lawsuit brought by a family-owned bakery accused of racial profiling for tackling a black student shoplifter.
Read the full storyCommentary: New Abortion Numbers Don’t Show Whole Picture, Especially with Do-It-Yourself Abortions on the Rise
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the pro-abortion Guttmacher Institute each released new reports last November about abortion data for 2020, showing conflicting reports of a decrease in abortions versus a significant increase. While the lack of clarity in the number of abortions is alarming, the spread of do-it-yourself at-home abortions means that neither report is telling the whole story.
Read the full storyCDC Regularly Called the Shots on Facebook’s COVID-19 Censorship Decisions, Docs Show
Facebook routinely took direction from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) regarding COVID-19 moderation and fact-checking policies throughout 2021, according to documents published Thursday by Reason.
Facebook regularly reached out to CDC staff throughout the year, requesting guidance on the accuracy of claims about both COVID-19 vaccines and the disease itself, in addition to guidance on whether the claims might “cause harm,” according to Reason. The social media titan would regularly make decisions based on this communication, notably reversing its monthslong prohibition on users claiming that COVID-19 leaked from a Chinese laboratory on May 26, 2021, after a conversation with CDC staff the week prior informed the company that, while “extremely unlikely,” the virus having a man made origin was “theoretically possible.”
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