The Ohio Department of Health announced this week the opening of a health clinic in East Palestine to assist with those harmed by the toxic chemicals from the Norfolk Southern train derailment. “Registered nurses and mental health specialists will be on hand. A toxicologist will either be on site or available by phone,” the Ohio Department of Health said in a statement.
Read the full storyDay: February 20, 2023
James O’Keefe Confirms Departure from Project Veritas in Emotional Video Statement from Headquarters
James O’Keefe, the undercover journalist and founder of Project Veritas, posted a video to the website Vimeo on Monday, announcing he would be leaving PV amid a dispute with the nonprofit’s board of directors. One America News (OAN) reporter and Veritas-linked journalist Neil McCabe tweeted out the announcement late Monday morning.
Read the full storyOpenthebooks CEO Andrzejewski on California’s ‘Newsom Inc.’ Pushing Porn in Nations K-12 Public Schools
Monday morning on The Tennessee Star Report,host Leahy welcomed CEO Adam Andrzejewski of Openthebooks.com to the newsmaker line to reveal the Governor of California and First Parnter’s pay-to-play using pornography in K12 public schools nationwide.
Read the full storyNewly Elected State Rep Jody Barrett Takes on Role as Freshman Leader, Doubles Down on His Commitment to Reject Federal Education Dollars
Monday morning on The Tennessee Star Report, host Leahy welcomed Tennessee State Representative (R-TN-69) Jody Barrett in studio to discuss his new role within the Tennessee General Assembly as freshman leader and reconfirm his decision to support the rejection of federal education money.
Read the full storyCrom’s Crommentary: Ohio Train Derailment, a Metaphor for the Incompetent Biden Administration as Cracks in National Economy Show
Monday 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 storyFreshman State Representative Jody Barrett of Dickson County Describes New Role as Legislator
Monday morning on The Tennessee Star Report, host Leahy welcomed Tennessee State Representative (R-TN-69) Jody Barrett in studio to describe what it is like in the Tennessee General Assembly as a freshman legislator.
Read the full storyTrump Blasts Biden for Choosing Ukraine on President’s Day Over Ohio: ‘They Were Abandoned’
Former President Donald Trump on Monday blasted Joe Biden for spending President’s Day with Ukrainians rather than the victims of a devastating train wreck in Ohio, suggesting it sent a powerful message of neglect to voters in a key election battleground state.
Read the full storyHouse Speaker Releases Thousands of Hours of January 6 Surveillance Video to Tucker Carlson: Report
According to an exclusive posted on Axios today, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) has turned over the full trove of surveillance video captured by Capitol police security cameras on January 6 to Fox News host Tucker Carlson.
“Carlson TV producers were on Capitol Hill last week to begin digging through the trove, which includes multiple camera angles from all over Capitol grounds,” Mike Allen reported. “Excerpts will begin airing in the coming weeks.”
Read the full storyTennessee’s First Safe Haven Baby Box Installed in Knoxville
The first Safe Haven Baby Box in Tennessee has been installed at a Knoxville fire station. A blessing ceremony for the new community resource was held on Friday.
Read the full storyU.S. Trade Deficit Grew Last Year
It is growing relentlessly. The U.S. trade deficit, the gap between what the nation imports and exports in goods and services, increased to $67.4 billion in December, an increase of $6.4 billion from $61.0 billion in November, revised, according to the U.S. Census Bureau and the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis. The month-over-month figures on the deficit are part of a long-term trend in America.
For 2022, the deficit in goods and services hit $948.1 billion, rising $103.0 billion from 2021. “Exports were $3,009.7 billion, up $453.1 billion from 2021. Imports were $3,957.8 billion, up $556.1 billion from 2021,” the Census Bureau and BEA reported.
Read the full storySumner County Elections Hires Attorney Whose Lobbying Firm Represents MicroVote Election Equipment Used in Sumner County
GALLATIN, Tennessee – The Sumner County Election Commission (SCEC), on a 3 to 2 voice vote, decided in its regularly scheduled meeting Tuesday to engage the services of legal counsel to represent them against the County Commission. The attorney specifically named in the motion is a principal with the law firm’s lobbying affiliate that represents MicroVote General Corporation, makers of the voting machines used in Sumner County elections.
In his motion, Republican-appointed SCEC member Mike Fussell made the unusual move of specifically naming attorney Tom Lee to provide the legal services as one “who is very familiar with the workings of Sumner County government.”
Read the full storyNot a Single Student Is Proficient in Reading or Math at 55 Chicago Schools: Report
In 55 Chicago Public Schools, not one student met grade level expectations in either math or reading during the 2021-2022 school year, according to a Wirepoints report.
Out of 649 Chicago Public Schools, 22 schools have zero students who met grade level expectations for reading while no students were proficient in math in 33 schools during the 2021-2022 school year, according to a Wirepoints report. The data analyzed is from the Illinois State Board of Education annual report which details how schools within the state are performing.
Read the full storyIRS Leaked Thousands of Americans’ Tax Filings; Congress Demands Answers
The new head of the powerful House Ways and Means Committee blasted the Biden administration for giving few answers after thousands of taxpayer files were leaked to an outside group.
House Ways and Means Chairman Rep. Jason Smith, R-Mo., sent a letter to Russel George, the Treasury Department’s Inspector General for Tax Administration, raising concerns about the leak of “confidential tax information” and the lack of accountability over that leak.
Read the full storyFormer Metro Nashville Public School Board Member Fran Bush Announces Run for Nashville Mayor
Former Metro Nashville Public Schools (MNPS) School Board member Fran Bush celebrated her 49th birthday Friday by announcing her intent to run for Nashville Mayor in the upcoming election. In her video announcement, Bush touted her record as a school member as the impetus for her mayoral run.
“While serving my time as a school board member for Metro Nashville Public Schools for four years, I was able to work on behalf of 80,000-plus students, their families, teachers, support staff, and bus drivers,” she said. “My work also included being the only board member who championed getting our students back in the classroom during an unprecedented time during COVID-19.”
Read the full storyState Senate Attorney Tells Green Bay It’s About to be Sued for Bugging Citizens
An attorney for the Wisconsin State Senate is warning Green Bay city officials not to destroy documents related to its use of audio recording devices at city hall. He said a lawsuit is coming.
Ryan Walsh, with the Eimer Stahl law firm, sent a letter to Green Bay Mayor Eric Genrich late Friday after city officials all but ignored a warning letter demanding they remove the three recording devices.
Read the full storyMemphis Police Officer Succumbs to Injuries Weeks after Library Shooting
The Memphis police officer left in critical condition after a shooting at the Poplar-White Station library earlier this month has succumbed to his injuries, the Memphis Police Department (MPD) announced over the weekend.
Read the full storyEvers Budget Hurts Wisconsin Job Creators, Middle Class, Think Tank Says
The nonprofit Institute for Reforming Government (IRG) on Friday issued a comprehensive analysis of Democratic Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers’s 2023-25 state budget and bemoaned the proposal’s likely impact on job creators and the middle class.
Evers’s spending plan totals $104 billion, $16 billion more than the budget on which the Badger State now operates. If enacted, the new proposal would be the first state budget exceeding $100 billion. It includes massive spending increases in such areas as public education, childcare assistance, “affordable housing” and broadband expansion. Republican lawmakers, who object to the extent of the spending hikes and the governor’s refusal to devote more of the state’s $7.1 billion surplus to tax cuts, promised last week to thoroughly rewrite the plan.
Read the full storyGeorgia Law Would Allow School Librarians to Face Prosecution for Distributing Obscene Material
A new bill in the Georgia legislature would, if passed, make school librarians liable for distribution of obscene materials to students, the latest shot in the ongoing culture wars over controversial materials in schools.
The bill, SB 154, would mandate that the “sale or distribution of harmful materials to minors” would be “applicable to libraries operated by schools.”
Read the full storyMinnesota Democrats Introduce Physician Assisted Suicide Bill
Democrats in the Minnesota Legislature are sponsoring a bill to allow terminally ill adults to end their lives by assisted suicide.
On Thursday both HF 1930 and its companion SF 1813 were introduced in the Minnesota House of Representatives and Senate, respectively. If passed, the legislation would permit adults with a terminal illness (6 months or fewer left to live) to request “medical aid in dying” medication.
Read the full storyCommentary: A Modest Proposal for Transforming the Universities
As the plague of woke totalitarianism continues to besiege American universities, I note that we are finally beginning to see a little pushback. Public universities in Texas offer typical examples of this yin-yang process.
Read the full storyTaxpayer Cost Unknown for Detroit’s Commissioning of 200 ‘Blight to Beauty’ Murals
Taxpayers’ potential cost is unknown for Detroit’s commissioning of 200 murals to be painted by local artists.
The commissions are part of Mayor Mike Duggan’s 2022 Blight to Beauty campaign and will be funded by the city’s Public Art Fund as well as potentially by the Ford and Kresge foundations.
Read the full storyGov. Shapiro Emboldens Pennsylvania Death Penalty Abolitionists
Pennsylvania Democratic Governor Josh Shapiro’s recent declaration that he will sign no death warrants is emboldening lawmakers who want to abolish executions in the Keystone State.
To that end, state Representative Chris Rabb (D-Philadelphia) is circulating a memorandum asking colleagues to cosponsor a measure he plans to offer ending the state’s death penalty.
Read the full storyMore Than 200 People Arrested in Human Sex Trafficking Ring in Florida
A multiagency operation led to the arrest of more than 200 people allegedly engaging in human trafficking in Polk County, Florida. More than half of the victims were smuggled into the U.S. illegally through the southern border, Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said.
Of the 24 victims identified as being trafficked, “14 of these females are illegally in this country,” Judd said. “Did you hear that? Did you hear clearly what I said?
“Fourteen of them are here illegally in the country. To me the bombshell is 13 of them are Cuban, one is Mexican, all of them came to us through the southern border.”
Read the full storyBusy Week In Iowa as Parade of GOP Presidential Contenders Calls on the Caucus State
Home of the first-in-the nation caucuses, Iowa takes center stage in the 2024 presidential nomination chase this week, with stops from GOP heavyweights either in the race or seriously mulling over a run.
Fresh off announcing her presidential bid in her home state South Carolina and in first primary state New Hampshire, former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley is slated to make two campaign stops in Iowa this week.
Read the full storyMusic Industry Spotlight: Crowd Surf Founders Cassie Petrey and Jade Driver
NASHVILLE, Tennessee – One of the things that has most surprised me as an entertainment journalist is how many people it takes for a song or singer to become notable. Besides the artist and the songwriter (who may or may not be the same person) there are backup bands, producers, and music engineers. To make sure the song gets proper copyrighting and credit, there are publishers. For anyone to even know the song/artist exists, there are PR agents, marketing, and promotions. And let’s not forget accountants who make sure money earned goes to the correct places. If one is lucky enough, they may sign to a label that will take over some of these duties but if you aren’t making money for that label, your contract will soon end. However, since the early 2000s, there is another caveat that must be acknowledged: social media. Social media is vital to an artist’s existence and success and even more so if one is independent. Cassie Petrey and Jade Driver are co-founders and co-CEOs of the leading social media and artist management firm, Crowd Surf. They are the company behind some of the most iconic artists’ social media marketing including Backstreet Boys, Camila Cabello, Eric Church,…
Read the full storyCommentary: ‘Economist’ Krugman’s Accounting of the National Debt is Jailworthy
The national debt has risen at a blistering pace over recent decades and is now higher than any era of the nation’s history—even when adjusted for inflation, population growth, and economic growth (GDP).
Denying this reality, Nobel Prize-winning economist Paul Krugman recently wrote two columns for the New York Times in which he claimed that the debt is an “overhyped issue” and “isn’t all that unusual” from a historical perspective. His attempts to support these assertions employ the kind of fraudulent accounting that could land a corporate executive in jail.
Read the full storyCongress Takes First Shot at Federal Censorship: A Moratorium on DOJ Payments to Social Media
Stunned by a growing body of evidence showing federal pressure to silence Americans’ voices online, House Republicans have unleashed their first legislation to slow government requests to Big Tech to censor content.
The ELON Act, introduced this month by Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.) and backed by nine other cosponsors, would impose a one-year moratorium on taxpayer payments from the Justice Department to social media firms as well as require an audit on how much money changed hands since the start of 2015 between DOJ and Big Tech firms.
Read the full storyAmericans Still Agree Race Should Not Be Factored into College Admission: Poll
A majority of Americans still oppose using race as a factor in college admissions, according to a new Reuters/Ipsos poll reported by Reuters on Wednesday.
The poll, which surveyed 4,408 adults from Feb. 6-13, revealed that 62% of Americans agree that race should not be considered when reviewing a college applicant, Reuters reported. The results precede the Supreme Court’s anticipated decision on whether affirmative action, which considers race as an admission factor, can be used by colleges and universities to make admission decisions.
Read the full storyNonprofits Urge More Controlled Burning to Prevent Wildfires in 11 Western States
A new report by two nonprofit organizations is advocating 11 western states change local and state policies to increase controlled burning on private lands to stem wildfires.
“Modern wildfires are not only burning larger areas but are also more harmful for people, forests, and the environment,” according to the publication “Burn Back Better,” produced by the Property and Environment Research Center and Tall Timbers. The 38-page report, subtitled “How Western States Can Encourage Prescribed Fire on Private Lands,” recommends immediate policy changes to address the wildfire crisis in the western U.S.
Read the full storyCommentary: The Case for Defunding a New FBI Headquarters
The Biden Administration is readying to choose a location for a gigantic new FBI headquarters as the central government continues to expand.
Virginia and Maryland are competing for the project, with Democrats and Republicans of each state uniting against the other state, as they generally do with pork-barrel spending, to host the multibillion-dollar FBI complex.
Read the full storyIn Possible 2024 West Virginia Senate Race, GOP Gov. Justice over Incumbent Democrat Manchin, Poll
West Virginia Republican Gov. Jim Justice is the only potential nominee who could beat Democrat Sen. Joe Manchin in the 2024 Senate race, according to a GOP poll.
Justice, a Democrat-turned-Republican, has not formally entered the race, but in a hypothetical matchup, the two-term governor beat Manchin 52% to 42%, according to the poll conducted by The Tarrance Group, a GOP strategic research and polling firm.
Read the full story