Tennessee Senators Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) and Bill Hagerty (R-TN) joined a group of Senate Republicans in filing an amicus brief to the Supreme Court pushing back on the Biden Administration’s student loan debt relief program.
Read the full storyDay: February 4, 2023
Memphis Mayor Announces Independent Review of MPD’s Special Units and Use of Force Policies
Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland announced the Memphis Police Department (MPD) will undergo an independent, third-party review following the beating death of Tyre Nichols on January 7.
Read the full storyTrump Delivers Plan to Protect Children From ‘Chemical, Physical, and Emotional Mutilation’ of Gender ‘Insanity’
Former President Donald Trump announced a plan Tuesday to protect the nation’s children from the “child abuse” of “chemical, physical, and emotional mutilation” at the bidding of radical gender ideology.
“The leftwing gender insanity being pushed on our children is an act of child abuse – very simple,” the 2024 presidential contender began laying out his vision. “Here’s my plan to stop the chemical, physical and emotional mutilation of our youth.”
Read the full storyU.S. Economy Adds 517,000 Jobs as Unemployment Drops to Lowest Since 1969
The U.S. economy added 517,000 jobs in January as the unemployment rate dropped to 3.4%, the lowest since May 1969.
By comparison, there were 260,000 jobs added in December 2022 and the 517,000 was the largest increase since 568,000 in July 2022, according to the latest report from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Read the full storyGOP Reps Push Bill to Ban China from Buying U.S. Farmland
Two Republican members of Congress introduced a bill Wednesday that would prohibit nonresident aliens, companies and other entities associated with the Chinese government from buying agricultural land in the U.S.
Washington Reps. Cathy McMorris Rodgers and Dan Newhouse’s Prohibition of Agricultural Land for the People’s Republic of China Act would also ban those interests’ participation in U.S. Agriculture Department (USDA) programs beyond food safety inspections, according to her press release. Chinese foreign investors held more than 191,000 acres of U.S. agricultural and non-agricultural land in 2019, the USDA indicated.
Read the full storyMemphis Fires Sixth Police Officer in Connection with Death of Tyre Nichols
Memphis has fired a sixth police officer in connection with the death of Tyre Nichols.
The decision to terminate Preston Hemphill stemmed from an internal investigation that ultimately found he violated multiple department policies during Nichols’s arrest, the Associated Press reported.
Read the full storyMajor Standardized Testing Origination Used by Catholic Schools Promotes Gender Ideology, Drag Queens, ‘Trans Kids’
by Mary Margaret Olohan The NWEA, which says it provides map-testing assessments to Roman Catholic dioceses and almost two thousand Catholic schools across the country, features articles on its website encouraging educators to help students to “come out” and promoting gender ideology to children. Formerly known as the Northwest Evaluation Association, the NWEA boasts of developing Pre-K through 12th grade assessments (Measure of Academic Progress or MAP tests) trusted by educators in almost 10,000 schools, districts, and education agencies in 145 countries. The organization’s website also notes that it partners with over 1,900 Catholic schools: “Nearly 400,000 Catholic school students benefit from MAP Growth data,” the NWEA says in a resource sheet. “Catholic schools nationwide in 84 dioceses trust NWEA for assessments.” [wonderplugin_pdf src=”https://tennesseestar.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/how-catholic-schools-partner-with-NWEA-for-student-success_NWEA_factsheet-1.pdf” width=”650″ height=”866px” style=”border:0;”] Literature on the organization’s website—written by NWEA staff—pushing gender ideology, drag queens, and other left-wing ideological content suggests that Catholic dioceses and schools might want to take a closer look at their MAP-testing assessments. Jeremy Tate, the founder and CEO of the Classic Learning Test (CLT), told The Daily Signal that his organization has been in contact with “numerous Catholic school administrators who are now refusing to administer NWEA MAPS assessments to their students. “ “Although MAPS claims that assessments used for Catholic…
Read the full storyRumors Growing on Gang Involvement of Former Memphis Officers Charged in Tyre Nichols’ Death
A long-time Memphis law enforcement source tells The Tennessee Star rumors about guards at the Shelby County Division of Corrections being involved in street gangs have been circulating for years, although he knows of no correction officer implicated such a crime.
“There have always been rumors about that, but they’ve never been substantiated that I know of,” the official with knowledge of the Shelby County criminal justice system told The Star. “The joke in Memphis criminal justice has long been the jailers are one step ahead of being in jail themselves.”
Read the full storyArticle III Project Founder Believes Jim Jordan Has No Intention of Holding Big Tech Accountable
Article III Project founder and President Mike Davis says he doubts House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan will hold Big Tech accountable for its abuse of power for colluding with the federal government.
“Jim Jordan has no intention of actually holding big tech accountable,” Davis said on the Wednesday edition of the “Just the News, No Noise” TV show. “He pretends like he is fighting against Big Tech, but behind the scenes he’s making these key decisions like opposing bipartisan reforms last Congress and appointing someone who is pro Big Tech.”
Read the full storyDavidson County GOP Chair Jim Garrett Endorses Lonnie Spivak to Succeed Him
Davidson County Republican Party Chairman Jim Garrett announced he will not seek chairmanship in the group’s upcoming reorganization meeting and endorsed Lonnie Spivak to succeed him as chairman.
Read the full storyWisconsin Congressman Mike Gallagher on China Spy Balloon: ‘They’re Mocking Us’
Wisconsin Congressman Mike Gallagher, chair of the House’s new committee on China, warns that a Chinese spy balloon spotted over U.S. airspace this week is the latest proof of the threat the People’s Republic of China poses at home.
And it won’t be the last time the communist nation attempts to mock and embarrass the United States under the Biden administration’s weak foreign policy, says Gallagher (R-WI-08).
Read the full storyVirginia Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin Has 56 Percent Approval Rating, New Survey
Virginia GOP Gov. Glenn Youngkin has a 56% approval rating among state voters, according to a recently released survey.
The Mason Dixon survey released Thursday shows Youngkin’s approval rating his highest since taking office last year.
Read the full storyGeorgia Struggles to Protect Residents from Debt Collectors
Georgia’s consumer protections against debt collectors are among the worst in the nation.
That’s according to a new report from the National Consumer Law Center, which gave The Peach state an “F” for its protections.
Read the full storyFlorida’s DeSantis Wants Special Session to Address Disney’s Status
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said Thursday he’s calling a special session that will deal with Disney’s autonomy and other issues “in a week or two.”
He made the announcement during a news conference in Milton concerning broadband infrastructure grants through the Department of Economic Opportunity for rural areas.
Read the full storyMinneapolis Transit Employees Got Pay Increases with Bus Drivers Making $200k
At a time when fare revenue and passenger trips have plummeted, the Minneapolis transit system has given its employees pay increases.
Top administrators at Metro Transit saw significant pay increases by as much as $55,000 in case from 2020 to 2022. Also, one bus driver made $201,853 and another bus driver made $195,717 last year. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median hourly wage for bus drivers in the United States is $23.37 which equates to $48,600 for a 40-hour a week position.
Read the full storyWhitmer Signs Bill to Move Presidential Primary to February 2024
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed a bill into law that aims to move the presidential primary to earlier in the 2024 primary season.
Whitmer said the change would boost the economy.
Read the full storyCommentary: America’s Race-Obsessed Society
Recently an unarmed 29-year-old African American, Tyre Nichols, was brutally beaten to death by five black Memphis police officers. They were charged with murder. All belonged to a special crime unit known as the Scorpions.
Both the victimizers and victim were black. The Memphis police chief is black. The assistant police chief is black.
Read the full storyOhio Woman Sues Columbus Hospital for Refusing Religious Exemption to COVID Vaccination
A Pickerington woman is suing Nationwide Children’s Hospital, saying she was wrongfully fired because she refused to get the COVID-19 immunization. She asserts that the hospital ought to have honored the request for a religious exemption she made as a Christian.
Invoking the violation of her civil rights, Tina Moore filed a federal civil complaint in U.S. District Court in Columbus.
She claims in the lawsuit that she was a surgical scheduler for the hospital for 24 years.
Connecticut Gov. Lamont Pitches Plan to ‘Erase’ Medical Debt
Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont is pitching a plan to tap into federal pandemic relief funds to “erase” an estimated $2 billion in medical debt owed by the state’s residents.
The plan, which will be included in Lamont’s preliminary two-year budget proposal to be unveiled next week, calls for using $20 million in American Rescue Plan Act funds to hire a nonprofit organization that buys medical debt and eliminates it “at a fraction” of the original cost.
Read the full storyPennsylvania Discusses What to Do with Its Inheritance Tax for Sibling
Pennsylvania remains one of six states that still levy an inheritance tax, but an old plan to gradually phase it out resurfaced last month.
Senate Bill 75, sponsored by Sen. Michele Brooks, R-Greenville, would reduce the sibling inheritance tax over seven years until it’s fully eliminated.
Read the full storyState Sen. Jake Hoffman to Lead New Senate Committee on Director Nominations
State Senate President Warren Petersen (R-Mesa) announced Thursday that there would be a new bipartisan Director Nominations Committee in the Senate to make decisions regarding Governor Katie Hobbs’s Executive Appointments.
“Agency directors have a tremendous responsibility to administer necessary government functions as directed by state law, without attempting to legislate from the executive branch or expanding the reach of big government,” said State Sen. Jake Hoffman (R-Queen Creek), who is appointed to lead the new committee.
Read the full storyArizona State University Student Finds Urinal in Women’s Restroom
An Arizona State University (ASU) student who serves as vice chair of the East Valley Young Republicans discovered a urinal in a women’s restroom and asserted ASU is “putting men’s urinals in the women’s restroom!”
Rachel Hope tweeted on Jan. 26, “ASU caves to the far left by putting men’s urinals in the women’s restroom!! 🤢🤡.” Along with the tweet she displayed a video of entering a women’s restroom and encountering a urinal inside a stall next to a toilet.
Read the full storyFormer Judge Russell Mock Elected Hamilton County GOP Chair
The Hamilton County Republican Party elected former Judge Russell Mock as its new chairman early on Thursday evening.
Green Township Trustee Triffon Callos, who has served as the temporary party chair for the previous month, said that Mock defeated former state representative Tom Brinkman at a closed-door meeting of the county party’s central committee at Clovernook County Club by a vote of 125 to 66.
Read the full storyRepublican Representative Introduces Sweeping Border Security Package to Stop Record Illegal Immigration
Republican South Carolina Rep. Jeff Duncan introduced a series of bills Thursday to secure the southern border and crack down on illegal immigration.
The package includes six bills introduced in the last Congress that seek to ban access to Social Security for illegal immigrants, allow authorities to deport illegal immigrants who are listed on the national terrorism database, permit funds from the cartels to be used to build a border wall, revoke passports from members of foreign terrorist groups, punish illegal immigrants who overstay visas and make sanctuary cities ineligible for federal funding, according legislation obtained by the DCNF. Duncan’s plan follows U.S. Custom and Border Protection’s (CBP) highest month on record for migrant encounters, which topped more than 250,000 in December.
Read the full storyCommentary: Cancelling Newsmax Is Cancelling Your Choice
Censorship of conservative voices by establishment media owners has hit a new low with the decision by AT&T and its subsidiary DirecTV to drop Newsmax from their offerings. One snide commenter was quoted as saying that conservatives have Fox News, why do they need Newsmax or OAN for that matter.
The answer is obvious. As Fox News pushes more and more to the left, viewers who want a variety of honest opinions and reporting are moving to Newsmax and where it is available One America News. With quality hosts like Sean Spicer (who I have known for more than fifteen years) asking tough questions of top quality guests, Newsmax keeps Fox News and their management team honest.
Read the full storyCommentary: Left Gaslights America over Its War on Gas Stoves
Southern Democrats attacked the U.S Army at Fort Sumter, South Carolina, on April 12, 1861. Having ignited the Civil War, these Southerners had the chutzpah to call it the War of Northern Aggression. In like fashion, Democrats unleashed today’s War on Gas. Inspired by their Confederate ancestors, they then blame their victims who complain that the Left is stealing their natural gas and gas-powered appliances.
Read the full storyKelsea Ballerini to Appear on CMT Storytellers on February 16th
NASHVILLE, Tennessee – CMT announced that GRAMMY®-nominated, multi-platinum country superstar and 2023 CMT MUSIC AWARDS co-host Kelsea Ballerini is set to headline the third installment of the famed music series “CMT Storytellers,” premiering Thursday, February 16th at 10p/9c with additional airings on Sunday, February 19th at 11a/10c (CMT) Friday, February 24th at 8p/7c (CMT Music) and Saturday, February 25th at 10a/9c and 6p/5c (CMT Music).
Read the full story