Day: June 8, 2023

Tennessee U.S. Senators Blackburn, Hagerty React to Indictment of Former President Trump

Kaitlin Housler

U.S. Senators Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) and Bill Hagerty (R-TN) both accused the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) of being “two tiered” after it was revealed that former President Donald Trump had been indicted following the FBI’s seizure of materials from his Mar-a-Lago estate last August.

On Thursday, Trump confirmed his indictment, writing on Truth Social, “The corrupt Biden Administration has informed my attorneys that I have been Indicted, seemingly over the Boxes Hoax, even though Joe Biden has 1850 Boxes at the University of Delaware, additional Boxes in Chinatown, D.C., with even more Boxes at the University of Pennsylvania, and documents strewn all over his garage floor where he parks his Corvette, and which is “secured” by only a garage door that is paper thin, and open much of the time.”

Read the full story

Vivek Ramaswamy Calls DOJ Indictment of Former President Trump ‘An Affront to Every Citizen,’ Commits to Pardon Him on January 20, 2025

M.D. Kittle

GOP presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy released a statement on the campaign trail in Manchester, New Hampshire late Thursday, just an hour after former President Trump announced that he has been indicted by the Department of Justice.

Ramaswamy called the indictment “an affront to every citizen,” and added, “I commit to pardon Trump promptly on January 20, 2025 and to restore the rule of law in our country.”

Read the full story

Trump Says the DOJ Has Indicted Him in ‘DARK DAY’ for the Country

Just the News

Former President Donald Trump on Thursday announced that the Department of Justice has indicted him and that he must appear at a Miami courthouse on Tuesday. “The corrupt Biden Administration has informed my attorneys that I have been Indicted, seemingly over the Boxes Hoax, even though Joe Biden has 1850 Boxes at the University of Delaware, additional Boxes in Chinatown, D.C., with even more Boxes at the University of Pennsylvania, and documents strewn all over his garage floor where he parks his Corvette, and which is ‘secured’ by only a garage door that is paper thin, and open much of the time,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.

Read the full story

Clint Brewer: ‘There’s This Collective Delusion That Nashville Is This Freestanding, Autonomous Entity Sitting Smack Dab in The Middle of Tennessee’

Tennessee Star Staff

Thursday morning June 8, 2023 on The Tennessee Star Report with Michael Patrick Leahy, broadcast weekday mornings on TalkRadio 98.3 and 1510 WLAC. 6:30 am      TRANSCRIPT Michael Patrick Leahy:  Clint, so we’re talking about the Nashville mayoral race. There was a poll released a couple days ago by the Commercial Real Estate Development Association. And well, it’s interesting because when the polls and there are polls, this is a poll of 400 likely Davidson County voters. What’s the margin of error on a poll like that? Clint Brewer:  I think normally it’d be like four to five percent. Michael Patrick Leahy: Four to five percent. Got it. Okay. I mean, that’s a pretty small sample. Clint Brewer: It’s a sample size many would use for a city.  But still small. Michael Patrick Leahy: You’re quite right. If it were a state, you’d probably get minimum 700 for your sample size, or more. But with the city being smaller, it’s harder to get a good sample. So the margin error is four or five percent. There are two things that struck me about this poll. And we’ll get to the horse race here in just a second. 45…

Read the full story

Gavin Newsom Proposes 28th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution to Restrict Gun Rights

Just the News

California Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom on Thursday said he is proposing the 28th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which will restrict gun rights. 

The proposed amendment would raise the minimum age to purchase firearms to 21, implement universal background checks, create what Newsom called a “reasonable waiting period for gun purchases” and ban civilians from buying so-called “assault weapons,” according to the governor’s announcement on Twitter.

Read the full story

Supreme Court Strikes Down GOP-Drawn Alabama Congressional Map in Support of Voting Rights Act

Just the News

The Supreme Court on Thursday struck down an Alabama congressional district map drawn by the state’s Republican-controlled legislature in a decision that the Court’s majority says upholds the Voting Rights Act. 

Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Brett Kavanaugh sided with the court’s three liberals in the 5-4 ruling against Alabama. State officials will now have to redraw the congressional map to correctly reflect that the state is 27% black.

Read the full story

Jobless Claims Soar to Highest Levels Since 2021

Admin

The number of Americans who filed new unemployment claims increased more than expected to 261,000 in the week ending June 3, the Department of Labor (DOL) reported Thursday.

Claims rose 28,000 compared to the previous week’s revised level, the highest number since October 2021, when it was 264,000, according to the DOL. This substantially exceeded the median forecast, which was 236,000, according to MarketWatch.

Read the full story

Plainclothes Police Officers at Capitol During January 6 Riot, One on Video Exhorting Crowd, Key Lawmaker Says

Just the News

The Metropolitan Police Department in Washington D.C. has confirmed to Congress that it had plainclothes officers at the Capitol during the Jan. 6 riot and that at least one was captured on video exhorting the crowd, a key House investigator told Just the News.

Rep. Barry Loudermilk, R-Ga., the chairman of the House Administration Subcommittee on Oversight, said in wide-ranging interview Wednesday night that MPD body cam video that leaked onto the video platform Rumble is authentic and confirms that officers in plainclothes were at the riot.

Read the full story

Evangelist Pat Robertson Has Died

Just the News

Pat Robertson, a conservative Christian television host, died early Thursday morning at his Virginia Beach home. He was 93. He is best known for his prayer and commentary for “The 700 Club” and for founding The Christian Broadcasting Network in 1960. Robertson also ran for the Republican presidential nomination in 1988, but he lost the primary to President George H.W. Bush. 

Read the full story

Attorney for Parents of Covenant Killer Notifies Court They Intend to Transfer Ownership of Manifesto to Children of Covenant School

M.D. Kittle

In a new twist in the legal battle over the release of the Covenant School killer’s manifesto, the parents of Audrey Elizabeth Hale are asking the court to give them assigning rights so that they may turn the deadly records over to the children of the school. 

Attorneys for Star News Digital Media, parent company of The Tennessee Star, and the other plaintiffs suing the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department to release the records related to the March 27 mass shootings at Covenant Presbyterian School, were in court Thursday arguing against multiple parties intervening in the lawsuit. 

Read the full story

Missouri Governor Signs Bills Protecting Women’s Sports and Minors from Experimental Transgender Drugs and Surgeries

Susan Berry, PhD

Missouri Gov. Mike Parson (R) signed two bills Wednesday, one that blocks biological males from competing in women’s sports and another that protects minors from experimental transgender drug treatments and surgeries.

“Today, in an effort to protect the integrity of female sports and Missouri children from potentially harmful experimental surgeries and treatment, I have signed Senate Bill (SB) 39 and SB 49 into law,” Parson posted to Twitter.

Read the full story

U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn Re-Introduces Bill to Require Familial DNA Testing at the U.S.-Mexico Border

Kaitlin Housler

Tennessee U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn re-introduced a bill requiring a DNA test to determine the relationship between illegal immigrants and any accompanying children crossing the U.S.-Mexico border.

Blackburn’s End Child Trafficking Now Act comes as the Biden administration reportedly ended all DNA familial testing at the border last week on May 31, according to a memo obtained by Just the News.

Read the full story

Parental Rights Groups Added to Southern Poverty Law Center’s ‘Hate and Extremist’ List

Admin

Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) added two prominent parental rights in education groups to its 2022 hate and extremist list on Tuesday.

The group lists 1,225 groups or organizations that Southern Poverty Law Center deemed hateful and against the government. Moms for Liberty, a coalition of parents fighting for transparency in education and Parents Defending Education (PDE) were noted as hateful and/or extremist.

Read the full story

TBI Cracks 37 Year Old Cold Case with New DNA Technology

Peter D'Abrosca

The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) Wednesday announced that it identified human remains from a cold case murder from 1986.

“On August 24, 1986, skeletal remains were discovered by hunters along an isolated and abandoned trail in the Caney Valley area of Claiborne County. TBI agents began working alongside the Claiborne County Sheriff’s Office in investigating the death,” TBI said. “Forensic anthropologists determined that the skeletal remains were those of a white male, likely between the age of 30 and 40. The victim had been shot, and his death was ruled a homicide.”

Read the full story

Poll: Tennesseans Want Dangerous People Removed from Community Instead of More Gun Laws

Peter D'Abrosca

According to a poll published by co/efficient, the vast majority of Tennesseans would prefer that dangerous people are removed from society, rather than removing guns from the hands of potentially dangerous people. 

“In the poll, Tennessee voters dramatically retreat from their soft support of proposed Red Flag Laws and do not see this as the solution to their safety concerns when informed that Red Flag Laws merely take guns away from dangerous individuals but do nothing to prevent them from causing harm by some other means. Red Flag Law support erodes even further when informed that there are existing laws to take threatening individuals out of the community right now,” the poll said. “Tennesseans largely support recently passed legislation that puts police officers in schools and believe enforcing the current laws on the books is an effective solution to keeping their families, communities, and state safe.”

Read the full story

Gov. Ron DeSantis Visits the U.S.-Mexico Border, Touts Florida’s Approach to Tackling Illegal Immigration

Kaitlin Housler

Florida Governor and Republican presidential candidate Ron DeSantis traveled to the U.S.-Mexico border in Arizona on Wednesday and held a roundtable discussion on border security efforts with sheriffs from across the nation.

During his visit, DeSantis touted efforts taken by Florida to combat illegal immigration within the state and along the southern border, such as relocating illegal aliens who wish to be transported to sanctuary states and cities.

Read the full story

Pennsylvania Committee Passes Pro-Marijuana Resolution, Calls for New Federal Law

Bradley Vasoli

Pennsylvania’s House Judiciary Committee on Wednesday passed a resolution calling on the federal government to remove marijuana from the top section of its controlled-substances list. 

Called House Resolution 420 — an allusion to 4/20, a day of celebration for many pot smokers — the measure sponsored by state Representative Chris Rabb (D-Philadelphia) asks federal officials to move cannabinoid products off of Schedule I. The topmost of five illicit drug categories, Schedule I includes substances the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) characterizes as having “no currently accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse.” 

Read the full story

Connecticut LGBTQ Activists Lure Children and Teens with ‘Pride’ Month Events

Susan Berry, PhD

The LGBTQ activist group known as Stamford Pride is offering events over the next several weeks to further draw children, teens, and their families into acceptance of gender ideology.

In partnership with professional association for design AIGA, Stamford Pride will host events such as the “Rainbow Rave” on Friday night, a “Drag Brunch” on June 17, and “Gayme Night” on June 27.

Read the full story

Electric Vehicle Parts Manufacturer Announces $18 Million Investment in Dublin-Laurens County

Kaitlin Housler

Woory Industrial Company, Ltd., an automotive parts manufacturer, recently announced that it will establish a new manufacturing facility in Dublin as its first U.S. manufacturing location.

Woory is a Korea-based company that develops and produces HVAC auto components for all types of vehicles, including electric and internal combustion engine vehicles, and eco-friendly and hydrogen-fueled cars.

Read the full story

Pence Launches Presidential Campaign in Iowa, Skewering Former Running Mate in Partial Break from Trump

M.D. Kittle

Former Vice President Mike Pence launched his long-anticipated run for the White House Wednesday in suburban Des Moines by taking aim at his old boss, former President Donald Trump, the leading candidate in the race for the Republican Party presidential nomination. 

Pence laid out his vision for America, but he also used his campaign launch in Ankeny to differentiate himself from Trump — and to explain to conservative voters why he believes the former president let him and the country down on Jan. 6, 2021. 

Read the full story

New Report Shows Wisconsin Getting Older, Worsening Labor Shortage Crisis

M.D. Kittle

A new report finds Wisconsin’s median age is rising, a bad sign for the Badger State’s labor shortage crisis, a workforce expert said.

And Governor Tony Evers has been a sleep at the switch in meeting the crisis, according to Rachel Ver Velde, senior director of Workforce, Education & Employment Policy at Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce, the combined state chamber and manufacturers’ association. 

Read the full story

Arizona’s Fastest-Growing City Not Worried About New Water Restrictions

The Center Square

Despite warnings about water shortages and a new edict from the state, one of the fastest-growing cities in the nation says the new rule won’t have a significant effect on its future.

Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs announced last week the latest results of the state’s 100-year groundwater research. Most notably, it found the Phoenix area would fall short of the demand for water by 4% if nothing is done. 

Read the full story

Virginia Senators Announce $22 Million for Abandoned Mine Lands Projects

The Center Square

Virginia Sens. Tim Kaine and Mark Warner have announced $22.78 million in federal funding to reclaim abandoned mine lands in the commonwealth – supporting projects eliminating dangerous environmental hazards and redevelopment.

The senators touted the funding as part of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act passed in 2021, saying the money would boost the commonwealth’s economy while improving the environment.

Read the full story

Michigan Bill Aims to Make All Copays Count Toward Deductible, Out-of-Pocket Max

The Center Square

Legislation unveiled Tuesday aims to prevent insurance companies and pharmacy benefit managers from using “copay accumulator adjuster programs” that exclude copay assistance payments from counting toward the patient’s deductible or out-of-pocket maximum.

Rep. Carrie Rheingans, D-Ann Arbor, said her bill would help chronically ill people afford medicine, including individuals living with rare conditions such as cancer, hemophilia, and arthritis.

Read the full story

Minnesota Teachers Union Boycotting Annual Education Conference

Admin

St. Paul Federation of Educators (SPFE) is boycotting the National Education Association’s (NEA) annual meeting, which will be held in Florida, claiming Florida is hostile towards minority and LGBTQ communities.

The SPFE urged the NEA to cancel the 2023 Representative Assembly (RA) or convert to a virtual format. The RA is where delegates annually vote on issues that will nationally impact education and the teachers unions.

Read the full story

Commentary: Globalists Refuse to Acknowledge Their Grasp on Young People Is Weakening

Admin

The self-congratulating globalists controlling the Democratic Party persist in perpetuating the outdated notion that “young people” are predominantly aligned with leftist ideologies, even when all data points to the contrary.

Not only are Millennials growing more conservative as they age – the oldest Millennials are in their early forties and many of them are now parents with mortgages, crime concerns, and increasing tax burdens – but certain members of Gen Z are becoming conservative in a reaction to cultural Marxism.

Read the full story

Ohio to Award $30 Million in COVID-19 Funding to Support Minor League Sports Teams

Hannah Poling

The Ohio Department of Development along with director Lydia Mihalik announced that Ohio is awarding $30 million in American Rescue Plan Act funding to support minor league sports teams statewide.

Eight minor league sports teams across the state will receive grant funding totaling $30 million as part of the Minor League Relief Grants administered through the Ohio Department of Development. Six of the state’s seven minor league baseball teams and two of the state’s minor league hockey teams are to receive the funding.

Read the full story

Commentary: White-Collar Radicals Take Over the ‘Working Man’s Party’

Admin

The left’s fondness for autocratic regimes is well chronicled. Seminal works such as Friedrich Hayek’s “Road to Serfdom” (and a briefer indictment, “The Intellectuals and Socialism”) analyzed totalitarianism’s appeal to Western elites, while George Orwell’s “1984” captured the dystopian reality of the mass surveillance state.

Yet despite these (and numerous other) compelling indictments, the progressive movement’s fascination with central control has been an undeniable calling card for generations. Simply put, our academic, political, entertainment and cultural leadership regularly falls in love with the latest iteration of socialism — Soviet gulags, Cambodian killing fields, Cuban prisons and Chinese reeducation camps notwithstanding. A common refrain: the next autocratic regime’s assault on personal freedom will be more benign … just trust us.

Read the full story

Biden Leaves Key Federal Watchdog Positions Vacant, Grabbing Attention of Congress

Just the News

The Biden administration is garnering some negative attention from Congress for leaving  the chief taxpayer watchdog positions vacant at the Department of State, the Department of Treasury and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).

House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) addressed a letter to President Joe Biden seeking answers why the key  Inspectors General jobs are still open.

Read the full story

Critics Blast DOJ Funding for Projects Tailored to Gender, Sexuality Politics

The Center Square

A taxpayer-funded grant from the Department of Justice distributed $150,000 to “amplify the voices” of transgender people in New Orleans who are accusing the police of discrimination.

Based on the assumption that LGBT people of color are discriminated against by police, Rutgers University researchers pledged to find 25 subjects and “conduct narrative interviews” to document their experiences. This study is one of many examples of taxpayer-funded federal research dollars going to projects tailored to progressive gender and sexuality politics.

Read the full story

Biden Energy Official Under Scrutiny for Family Ties to Environmental Lobby

The Center Square

Republican lawmakers are raising concerns about a Biden administration official’s questionable family ties to far-left groups lobbying lawmakers.

U.S. Rep. Bruce Westerman, R-Ark., chair of the Committee on Natural Resources, sent a letter to U.S. Department of Interior Secretary Deb Haaland this week demanding records, communications, documents and more related to allegations that Haaland’s family members may be unethically connected to anti-fossil fuel groups.

Read the full story

Commentary: Two Tiers of Justice Aren’t Democrats v. Republicans, But Bureaucratic Insiders v. the Rest of Us

RealClearWire

The elite set of individuals that sit atop our federal agencies have completely weaponized our entire government apparatus. It is no longer a one-off “mistake,” but rather the intentional creation of a two-tier system of justice that has gone unchecked. The resulting impact is a death knell for American faith in all three branches of government.

Allow me to preface with one important factor: This is not an indictment of the men and women who are our “boots on the ground.” They remember every day why they signed up to serve. They investigate real crimes, protect the public from acts of terror, and root out rampant corruption. These men and women across the country serving in all agencies remain heroes and are equally as frustrated with the leadership at the top of our federal government.

Read the full story