Rep. Jim Jordan Subpoenas Former Manhattan Prosecutor in First Strike Against Office Prosecuting Trump

House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan on Thursday subpoenaed a former Manhattan prosecutor who openly campaigned to criminally charge Donald Trump in the first significant strike at the office that brought the historic indictment against the former president this week.

Jordan’s subpoena to former Special Assistant District Attorney Mark Pomerantz comes just days after Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg pointedly declined to provide documents and testimony to Jordan’s committee, calling it an interference in his investigation.

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Aaron Gulbransen Analyzes What to Do with Three Democratic State Lawmakers Who Participated in State Capitol Riot

Thursday morning on The Tennessee Star Report, host Michael Patrick Leahy welcomed Aaron Gulbransen, the Tennessee state director for the Faith and Freedom Coalition, in studio to give his position on the expulsion of  State Representatives Justin Jones (D-Nashville), Justin Pearson (D-Memphis), and Gloria Johnson (D-Knoxville).

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Breaking: Video Shows Tennessee House Reps Jones, Pearson, and Johnson Broke Rules, Dems Object

Tennessee State House members were shown a seven minute video Thursday taken on March 30 that shows State Representatives Justin Pearson, Justin Jones, and Gloria Johnson take over the Floor session in order to demand gun control. The trio face expulsion over their outburst that came in the wake of mass shooting of three children and three adults at The Coventry Presbyterian School. 

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House Education Administration Committee Passes Bill That Would Arm Teachers

The Tennessee House Education Administration Committee has passed a bill out of the committee that allows those teachers who wish to carry a firearm, to do so, provided their District Superintendent signs off, and they meet prescribed requirements. Current law allows teachers who have served as law enforcement agents, to carry firearms. This bill, HB1202,  would expand those eligible.

The vote passed, after nearly an hour of discussion, by a vote of 12-6. In opposition were three Republicans and three Democrats:

Representative Charlie Baum (R – Murfreesboro)
Representative John Gillespie (R-Memphis)
Representative Mark White (R-Memphis)
Representative Harold Love (D-Nashville)
Representative Antonio Parkinson (D-Memphis)
Representative Sam McKenzie (D-Knoxville)
Representative Kirk Heston voted present.

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Gov. Lee Suggests Labeling People as ‘Threats’ to Bar Them from Owning Guns

In a Monday press conference, Gov. Bill Lee (R) suggested that some people labeled as “threats” should not be able to own firearms. 

“What I expect is that there will be an opportunity to look at legislation [from] around the country, at ways that we can in fact do that very thing, which is mak[ing] sure that those who are a threat to our people, to our children, do not have access to weapons, protecting the constitutional rights of Tennesseans at the same time,” said Lee.

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DOJ Won’t Make Inmates Sent Home During COVID Go Back to Prison

Thousands of inmates sent home during the COVID-19 pandemic will be able to complete the rest of their sentences there as long as they remain compliant, the Department of Justice (DOJ) announced Tuesday.

A final DOJ rule released Tuesday clarifies that inmates placed on home confinement under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act will not be automatically sent back to prison when the Biden administration lifts the public health emergency, though the Bureau of Prisons retains discretion to impose sanctions on or return inmates who commit infractions. After multiple extensions, the Biden administration announced in January it would allow the public health emergency to expire on May 11.

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New Study Challenges Supposed Benefits of ‘Social Transition’ for Kids Who Think They’re Trans

A new study out of the U.K. found no significant difference in mental health outcomes between gender dysphoric children who did and did not undergo social transition, the process of changing one’s name, pronouns and clothes to present as the opposite sex.

Therapists often advise social transition as the first course of action for children who believe they’re transgender, viewing the intervention as a harmless and reversible way to explore one’s gender identity while alleviating the anguish of gender dysphoria. There were no significant differences in pathological indicators such as mood disorders, anxiety and suicide attempts between gender dysphoric adolescents who did and didn’t socially transition in the new study, which was published Tuesday in the Archives of Sexual Behavior.

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North Carolina to Have GOP Supermajority in Legislature as Democrat Expected to Switch Parties

North Carolina Republicans are slated to have a supermajority in the General Assembly if state Rep. Tricia Cotham, a Charlotte Democrat, switches parties as expected Wednesday.

Cotham is slated to announce her decision to join the GOP during a press conference, according to Axios. Republicans are one seat away from having the supermajority, and the switch would give the party more power to override any vetos from Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper.

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GOP Presidential Candidate Vivek Ramaswamy Says President Joe Biden Should Pardon Former President Donald Trump

Highly partisan Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg is setting a “dangerous precedent” that will likely lead to more “politically targeted prosecutions,” GOP presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy writes in a new op-ed published in the Wall Street Journal. 

If President Joe Biden wants to avoid this danger and truly unify the country, he will pardon his predecessor and potential challenger in 2024, Donald Trump. 

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Illegal Entries at U.S. Northern Border Continue to Surge

Temporary processing facilities in Donna, Texas, safely processes family units and unaccompanied alien children (UACs) encountered and in the custody of the U.S. Border Patrol March 17, 2021. The facility will bolster processing capacity in the RGV while the permanent Centralized Processing Center in McAllen is renovated. CBP Photo by Jaime Rodriguez Sr.

Federal agents patrolling the U.S.-Canadian border in Vermont, upstate New York and New Hampshire continue to apprehend record numbers of foreign nationals illegally entering the U.S. from Canada.

Last month, Border Patrol agents reported 816 apprehensions and 371 gotaways, according to preliminary data obtained by a Border Patrol agent on condition of anonymity for fear of retaliation. The data only represents Border Patrol data and excludes Office of Field Operations data, meaning the numbers are likely higher. Agents also reported 19 people they identified who illegally entered the U.S. but turned back to Canada.

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Nashville Council Delays Vote on New $2.2 Billion Titans Stadium, Adds Fee Increase

A second vote on the final documents for a potential $2.2 billion new Tennessee Titans stadium was delayed one meeting after discussion of some amendments early Wednesday morning.

That means the bill could get a second vote April 18 and then receive its final approval at a late April meeting. Metro Nashville has a rule it cannot approve bonds while the budget is on the table, which is expected to happen before the body’s first May meeting.

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County Commissions Could Choose Interim State Reps If Johnson, Jones, Pearson Are Expelled from Office

As Tennessee Republicans move forward with the attempted expulsion of three state representatives who led last Thursday’s riot at the State Capitol, questions linger about what will happen if those representatives are indeed expelled.

State Representatives Justin Jones (D-Nashville), Justin Pearson (D-Memphis), and Gloria Johnson (D-Knoxville) helped lead the riot, which was thwarted by the Tennessee State Troopers who guard the state capitol just before rioters could push their way out of the Capitol gallery and into the Tennessee House chamber, where state lawmakers have their offices.

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Wisconsin’s Pro-Life Movement Regroups After Tuesday’s Devastating Supreme Court Loss

Julaine Appling rejoiced in June when the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, a decision she had been praying for a long time. The victory for the unborn in Wisconsin, though, looks to be short-lived.

Appling, president of pro-life Wisconsin Family Action, says the shifting of power from right to left on Wisconsin’s Supreme Court will put life — and liberty — in peril in the Badger State. 

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Goldwater Institute Introduces Plan to Rid Universities of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Programs

The Arizona-based Goldwater Institute (GI) announced Monday that it, in collaboration with Speech First, is unveiling model legislation called the “Freedom from Indoctrination Act” (FFIA), which could ensure College students are not forced to receive instruction around activism ideology.

“This legislation would strengthen the Arizona Board of Regents’ existing requirements that Arizona public universities provide education in American Institutions by stressing the importance of the nation’s founding documents and principles. It would also build on the Goldwater Campus Free Speech Act, which the Arizona legislature enacted in 2018 to protect free speech on college campuses. Importantly—considering we’ve already seen Northern Arizona University require students to take classwork in Critical Race Theory (CRT)—this legislation would also ensure that no student attending an Arizona public university would ever be forced to take courses in ‘diversity, equity, and inclusion’ (DEI) or CRT as a condition of getting a degree,” a GI spokesperson said in an email to The Arizona Sun Times.

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Virginia Gov. Youngkin to Visit Taiwan, Japan, and South Korea

Amid speculation that he could be weighing a potential presidential run in 2024, Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin will travel to Taiwan, Japan and South Korea as part of his first intentional trade mission as governor later this month, his office announced Tuesday. 

While overseas, the governor is slated to meet with Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen, as well as other government officials, business associations, company executives and global industry leaders, according to Youngkin’s office. The trip is scheduled for April 24 through April 29. 

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Two-Time Georgia Governor Election Loser Stacey Abrams to Teach ‘Race And Black Politics’ at HBCU

Howard University announced on Wednesday that former Democratic Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams will join the faculty as the first Ronald W. Walters Endowed Chair for Race and Black Politics.

Abrams will join the faculty in September for a multiyear appointment, The Washington Post reported. She will “foster interdisciplinary collaborations across the University on critical issues of race and Black politics, especially those issues that affect Americans of the African diaspora,” “inspire research” about “societal problems that adversely affect African diasporic communities and other vulnerable populations” and lead a speaker series, according to the university announcement.

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Commentary: Prosecute Alvin Bragg

It’s Jim Crow Alabama. In an old plantation town, a young black man—a sharecropper’s son—wants change. He walks up great steps of the county courthouse to dead silence. Proudly he marches under the glare of a puff-chested man chewing on a piece of straw. Stoically, that young man arrives at the counter of the county clerk, and there drops his petition to make it official: He’s to run for mayor.

The straw-chewing man, the town’s current mayor—with thumbs hooked into his silver-plated belt and a hard face shadowed by a cowboy hat—resolves to stop him. So he calls central casting for an evil Southern sheriff.

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Arizona Election Attorney Says Trial Court Judge in Kari Lake’s Case Should Consider Recusing Himself from Hearing Case Again

The Arizona Supreme Court rejected part of the lower two courts’ rulings throwing out Kari Lake’s election contest, remanding it back to Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Peter Thompson for a new trial, but there are concerns Thompson will not provide a fair trial. An election attorney in Phoenix who prefers not to be identified due to fear of retaliation, told The Arizona Sun Times that due to the perception that Thompson might be biased, he should consider recusing himself if he cannot otherwise overcome that perception of bias.

The attorney said, “The courts rarely rule in favor of these Republican election challenges, so the fact that both the Arizona Supreme Court and the Arizona Court of Appeals reversed some of Thompson’s opinion raises a concern that Thompson may have overreached, overstepped, and some may believe that’s a sign of bias. And unless he believes he can overcome that concern with not only assurances of fairness, but actual rulings guaranteeing fairness to Lake including access to ALL requested signature verification discovery, then he should seriously consider recusing himself; otherwise, it may hurt the chances of him providing a fair trial if he doesn’t and it turns out he’s biased. Remember, everyone across the country is watching this case. He should do the right thing either by guaranteeing fairness, or put everyone at ease by removing himself.” 

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Ohio Ballot Board Requests State Supreme Court to Dismiss Abortion Amendment Lawsuit

The Ohio Ballot Board requested that the Ohio Supreme Court dismiss a lawsuit claiming that it erred in a decision to advance a proposed constitutional amendment to legalize abortion throughout the state.

Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost wrote a brief on behalf of the ballot board saying that the relators “fail to state a claim upon which relief can be granted” and the relators “do not have a clear legal right to the relief sought.” Additionally, the Ohio Ballot Board requested that the judge dismiss the relators’ claims.

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FIRE Presents ‘Free Cheesesteaks for Free Speech’ to Philadelphians

On Wednesday, hundreds stopped by Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE) tables on 9th Street in South Philadelphia this weekend for two things Philadelphia has generated lots of over the years: cheesesteaks and liberty. 

FIRE, a Philadelphia-based institution since its founding in 1999, held the “Free Cheesesteaks for Free Speech” event as part of a larger $3.1-million pro-free-expression campaign featuring broadcast ads, billboards and digital promotions. The group, which initially focused on fighting speech restrictions on college campuses and recently broadened its mission to include other forums, hopes the effort will raise awareness of ongoing battles to honor the text and the spirit of the First Amendment. 

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Ohio State Representative Calls on House Speaker Stephens to Move the Ohio Constitutional Protection Amendment to the House Floor

State Representative Scott Wiggam (R- Wayne County) sent a letter on Tuesday to moderate Republican House Speaker Jason Stephens (R-Kitts Hill) urging him to move the Ohio Constitution Protection Amendment to the House floor as soon as it passes out of committee for an August election.

This follows Stephens removing Wiggam from his position as chair of the House Constitutional Resolutions Committee and the committee all together due to Wiggam signing a discharge petition last week to accelerate the Ohio Constitution Protection Amendment, also known as House Joint Resolution (HJR) 1, which aims to alter the process of how initiative petitions can propose constitutional amendments.

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Wisconsin Republicans Secure Supermajority in Senate, Gain Super Power

It wasn’t all bad news for conservatives in Tuesday’s election. While the right lost control of the Wisconsin Supreme Court, Republicans gained two-thirds — or supermajority power— in the state Senate. 

State Representative Dan Knodl (R-Germantown) narrowly defeated environmental lawyer Jodi Habush Sinykin in the race for Wisconsin’s 8th Senate District Seat.

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Arizona GOP Caucus Questions Gov. Hobbs After She Vetoes Energy Affordability Bill

The Arizona Freedom Caucus (AFC) issued a statement on Tuesday critical of Governor Katie Hobbs’ veto of a bill that would have provided more energy choice. The group of conservative Arizona legislators accused Hobbs of being influenced by Arizona Public Service Co. (APS), the state’s largest electricity utility. APS was the largest donor to Hobbs’ inaugural festivities. 

“PAY TO PLAY?! @APSfyi, AZ’s largest electric utility company, donated $250K to @KatieHobbs in January,” the AFC tweeted. “Today @GovernorHobbs VETOED HB2440 which would’ve required the most affordable & reliable electric service be the priority. Hobbs just raised utility prices for everyone in AZ.”

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Commentary: Climate Alarmism Killed Real Environmentalism

The environmentalist movement is a political weapon. It unites the most powerful special interests in the world behind an agenda that will further centralize power and wealth, eliminate any hope of financial independence for the vast majority of people, and transition previously free and independent nations into managed, sham democracies that have lost their sovereign agency.

The overwhelming theme of environmentalism today, designed to obscure its true agenda, is the alleged “climate crisis.”

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Kansas Legislature Approves Bill That Would Bar Biological Men from Women’s Bathroom

The Kansas Senate passed a bill on Tuesday that would prohibit biological males from using the women’s bathroom.

In a 28-12 vote, the state Senate approved Senate Bill 180, which would require individuals to use any public bathrooms and locker rooms on the basis of biological sex rather than gender identity. The state House passed the legislation in March and the bill now heads to Democratic Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly’s desk.

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Johnson & Johnson Shells Out Nearly $9 Billion to Settle Cancer Allegations

Johnson & Johnson agreed to dole out $8.9 billion to numerous people who alleged the pharmaceutical giant’s talcum powder products led to cancer on Tuesday, according to a proposal released in filing Tuesday.

The plaintiffs include the relatives of people who perished from ovarian cancer and mesothelioma allegedly due to Johnson & Johnson products; if the settlement is approved, it will put an end to their long legal saga, according to The New York Times. Under Johnson & Johnson’s proposed settlement, the giant would pay the nearly $9 billion over the next 25 years to the plaintiffs.

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