Month: July 2023

Minnesota Lawmakers Pledge to Fix $352M Mistake

The Center Square

Minnesota lawmakers say a $352 million mistake in a recently passed tax bill shouldn’t affect residents, as long as they update the tax bill in the 2024 legislative session.

In 2019, lawmakers doubled the standard deduction and set the amount for a married joint filer at $24,400 and a single filer at $12,200. The law directs the commissioner for each subsequent year to adjust those amounts for inflation. After four years of inflation adjustments, the 2023 standard deduction for a married joint filer is $27,650 and $13,825 for a single filer.

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Commentary: Censorship Is More Dangerous Than Disinformation

Admin

The First Amendment is under assault by the very people entrusted to protect it. The Biden administration and the corporate media removed any doubt about this after a July 4 ruling by U.S. District Court Judge Terry A. Doughty. Evidence revealed during the discovery process in Missouri v. Biden convinced the judge that administration officials illegally pressured social media platforms to censor disfavored views. Doughty issued a 155-page opinion and an injunction prohibiting federal officials from “pressuring or coercing social-media companies in any manner to remove, delete, suppress, or reduce posted content of postings containing protected free speech.”

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State Board of Education Approves Core Instructional Programs for K-3

The Center Square

The Virginia Board of Education took another step in its efforts toward improving students’ literacy when it approved a new list of core instructional programs for grades K-3 on Thursday.

“I believe that the Board of Education’s vote to approve these research-based literacy programs will prove to be one of the most consequential actions of my seven years on the board,” said Board President Dan Gecker.

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Analysis: Kennedy’s Polling Numbers Trump Biden’s in New Poll

Admin

A recent Economist/YouGov poll shows Robert F. Kennedy Jr. with a significantly higher favorability rating than President Joe Biden. The survey found 49 percent of respondents expressed a positive view of Kennedy, while 30 percent held an unfavorable opinion of him, giving Kennedy a net favorable rating of 19 points. Biden on the other hand holds a favorability rating of -11 points.

This comes on top of a recent Emerson Poll showing Kennedy at 15 percent among Democratic Primary voters, up from 10 percent two months ago in another poll.

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Ohio House Speaker Stephens Asks State Representative Bob Young to Resign Amid Domestic Violence Charges

Hannah Poling

Ohio House Speaker Jason Stephens (R-Kitts Hill) requested that State Representative Bob Young (R-Green) resign as State Representative and as Chair of the Ohio House Pensions Committee due to alleged domestic violence charges.

On July 6th Young held a fundraiser with Speaker Stephens as the guest of honor. According to a statement from Stephens, he attended the fundraiser and afterward went to Young’s home to spend time with his friends and family. According to Stephens, the alleged incident occurred after he left the Young home.

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Federal Judge Denies Biden Admin’s Request to Keep Coordinating with Big Tech to Censor Americans

Admin

A federal judge denied the Biden administration’s attempt to pause an injunction that bars federal officials from communicating with social media companies for the purposes of censoring protected speech on Monday.

The Biden administration appealed Western District of Louisiana Judge Terry A. Doughty’s July 4 injunction on Wednesday, also requesting an emergency order to pause the injunction while the appeal is pending on Thursday night. Doughty denied the administration’s emergency order Monday, finding that plaintiffs would likely succeed in proving the government colluded with social media companies “to engage in viewpoint-based suppression of protected free speech.”

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Federal Judge Approves Seattle’s Multi-Million Dollar Suit Against Monsanto for PCB Contamination

The Center Square

A federal judge will allow the city of Seattle’s multi-million dollar case against Monsanto for PCB contamination of the Duwamish River to move forward.

The decision comes in the footsteps of the Washington state attorney general’s office, which three years ago received a $95 million dollar settlement from the same corporation.

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Watchdog Files Complaint over Concerns on Top Air Force Gen. Brown’s Diversity Hire Priorities

Just the News

A top U.S. Air Force official is making hiring decisions based on race and ideology, in possible violation of the U.S. Constitution, according to a complaint filed Monday by a nonprofit watchdog.

The complaint is being filed by the American Accountability Foundation is in response to public comments made by Air Force chief of staff Gen. Charles Q. Brown about his hiring policies.

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NATO Can Consider Membership for Ukraine After War with Russia Ends, Biden Says

Just the News

President Joe Biden says that Ukraine is not ready to join NATO because the country’s war with Russia must end before the military alliance can consider allowing Kyiv to join. 

“I don’t think there is unanimity in NATO about whether or not to bring Ukraine into the NATO family now, at this moment, in the middle of a war,” Biden told CNN in an interview aired Sunday. “We’re determined to commit [to] every inch of territory that is NATO territory. It’s a commitment that we’ve all made no matter what. If the war is going on, then we’re all in war. We’re at war with Russia, if that were the case.”

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Leahy and Carmichael Discuss the Vast Donor Group Funding Far-Left Causes Across America and Right Here in Tennessee

Tennessee Star Staff

Original all-star panelist Crom Carmichael and host Michael Patrick Leahy discuss the origins and activities of arguably the largest donor group actively funding far-Left causes throughout the U.S. and Tennessee on Monday’s edition of The Tennessee Star Report with Michael Patrick Leahy.  TRANSCRIPT Michael Patrick Leahy: 6:50 AM broadcasting from our studios on Music Row, Nashville, Tennessee. Crom Carmichael in-studio. Crom, you know, in 1630, John Winthrop – who became a Puritan leader – and this was when Massachusetts Bay Colony was just being started. He became the first and most prominent governor of Massachusetts Bay Colony. He arrived from England on a ship called the Arabella. Twenty years ago a wealthy Leftist started a group called Arabella Advisors to try to kind of co-op this concept of America. And Winthrop actually wrote a letter while he was about to disembark from the Arabella back in 1630 saying we’re trying to build a ‘shining city on the hill’ phrasing that has been used, of course, by Ronald Reagan. So the Left is co-opting that. You sent me this fascinating article. I’ve been familiar with this group for some time. Headline: ‘Documents provide rare glimpse into how Arabella Advisors exerts…

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New Tennessee Education Commissioner Lizzette Reynolds Sworn Into Office

TC Weber

Tennessee officially has a new State Commissioner of Education. Lizzette Reynolds, a Texas native, was sworn in last week as the latest head of the Tennessee Department of Education. She replaces Penny Schwinn, who resigned effective June 1.

“I am excited and humbled by having the opportunity to serve Tennessee’s families to ensure they get the best possible education for their children,” said Commissioner Reynolds. “I look forward to meeting with educators, families, elected officials, and stakeholders throughout the state and continuing the great work already happening on behalf of kids in Tennessee.”

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19 State Attorneys General Sue Biden Admin over Electric Trucking Rules

Admin

Nearly 20 state attorneys general are filing a lawsuit against the Biden Administration’s Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) over regulations it has attempted to implement demanding that the trucking industry shift towards electric vehicles.

In an op-ed for Fox News, Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird (R-Iowa) refers to policies first enacted back in March, in conjunction with an effort by the state of California to ban gas or diesel trucks in favor of electric trucks, ostensibly in the name of reducing so-called “global warming.”

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Air Force Embraces DEI as Recruitment Falters

The Center Square

The U.S. Air Force has become increasingly focused on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion efforts, and critics say it is hurting recruitment.

Chief of Staff of the Air Force Charles Q. Brown has been a major backer of the DEI efforts. Brown said in the fall of 2020 that DEI was a key focal point of recruiting and a factor in promotions. The Air Force launched a Diversity and Inclusion Task Force in September 2020.

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GOP Targets Three Vulnerable Democrats in Quest to Win Senate, House Control Too Early to Predict

Just the News

Republicans would need to win three of the 2024 toss-up Senate races to retake control of the chamber but appear to be facing a more uphill battle to keep control of the House.

Thirty-three of 100 Senate seats are up for grabs next year. Right now, Democrats have a 51-49 majority, which includes 48 party members and three independents who caucus with them.

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‘Truly Unprecedented:’ Donald Trump Is Dominating the Early Primary Season Like Nothing in Modern History

Admin

Former President Donald Trump continues to dominate the early primary season in an unprecedented third bid for the White House, polling experts told the Daily Caller News Foundation.

This Republican primary cycle is like none other as the frontrunner is a former president, has a massive lead in the polls, his former vice president is running against him and Trump has two federal indictments under his belt. Polling analysts stressed to the DCNF the stark difference between this GOP primary season and previous cycles, arguing that it’s difficult to draw comparisons in modern history.

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U.S. Citizenship Test May Soon Require Migrants to Speak English

ADN America
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is considering significant changes to the citizenship test, possibly adding an English-speaking section and multiple-choice civics questions, making it harder for would-be Americans.

Currently, the citizenship test does not evaluate the applicant’s English skills. The only time the applicant’s English skills are put to the test is during the eligibility interview the candidate has with an immigration officer. An officer would show photos of ordinary scenarios to the test takers, which they would have to describe orally.

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Tennessee Agency Recommends State Add Memphis-Nashville-Chattanooga Passenger Rail

The Center Square

Tennessee should move forward on plans to pursue a passenger rail line from Nashville to Chattanooga to Atlanta, according to a new report from the Tennessee Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental Relations.

The TACIR report asked the Tennessee Department of Transportation to move forward to determine the cost and engineering of adding that rail service.

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New Bill Would Cut Down the Number of Members on Ohio Board of Education

Hannah Poling

A Republican Ohio lawmaker introduced a bill into the Ohio House of Representatives to reduce the size of Ohio’s State Board of Education and remove governor-appointed positions.

House Bill (HB) 235 sponsored by State Representative Sarah Fowler Arthur (R-Ashtabula), and former state education board member, looks to downsize the 19-member Board of Education to fifteen members by 2027. It also aims to remove the eight positions appointed to the Board of Education by the governor beginning in 2025.

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‘Off-Year’ Minnesota School Board Elections Offer Challenges, Opportunities for New Candidates

Admin

Despite the vibe you may be getting from the national media, the presidential election is still more than a year away. But that doesn’t mean voters won’t have a ballot to fill out this November.

The 2023 election cycle in Minnesota won’t be eventful for most voters. There are no legislative seats or congressional or statewide offices on the ballot. But school district communities representing about 1.7 million residents across the state — which combined, steward well over $4 billion in tax dollars — will be holding elections this fall.

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Drought-Stricken Arizona Grapples with More Residents, Foreign-Owned Farms, Regulations

Just the News

Arizona, known from its beginnings as the “Desert State,” has long sought new ways to provide water for its residents. But a roughly 19-year drought has created a host of new, urgent problems including how to regulate foreign and out-of-state businesses trying to capitalize on the demand.

“Eighty percent of our water is for agriculture, and a lot of it is unregulated,” community organizer Jacob Martinez recently told Just the News. “A California company can come into Arizona, put in a well and grow crops and go back to California and reap the benefits of that. We have no regulations, which is a problem.”

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Commentary: The Left Fights Against Children, We Must Continue to Fight FOR Them

Admin

The Marxist Left, dedicated to undermining the liberties, traditions, and values that make America unique and exceptional, is waging a war on children – both born and unborn – in the United States and even right here in Tennessee.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Marxist Left fought to keep schools shuttered and to forcibly mask our kids, resulting in an anxious, confused, and undereducated generation.

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Commentary: As Hiring Slows Down, So Does the Economy

Admin

The U.S. economy added 209,000 jobs in June, according to the latest establishment survey by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, less than expected as 306,000 were added in May, as hiring slowed down nationwide. Meanwhile, the unemployment rate remained about the same at 3.6 percent.

Historically, when hiring slows down by establishments, that usually coincides with economic slowdowns and recessions. In the recent cycle, the 2020 and 2021 recovery from COVID notwithstanding, hiring peaked at about 5.2 percent annualized increase in Feb. 2022. Now, it’s down to 2.5 percent.

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Grand Canyon National Park to Get Electric, Natural Gas Busses

The Center Square

In the near future, visitors to Grand Canyon National Park could be transported around in a new electric bus.

The national park has been provided a $27 million grant to replace the current buses at the parks with ones that are “battery electric” and “compressed natural gas,” according to a press release from Arizona Sens. Kyrsten Sinema and Mark Kelly. The funding came from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act’s Nationally Significant Federal Lands and Tribal Projects Program. The act from 2021, also dubbed the bipartisan infrastructure law, has a total price tag of $1.2 trillion.

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Commentary: Bidens Do the Crime, But Not the Time

Admin

The family that skates together stays together.

The influence-peddling, money laundering, and foreign shakedowns encircling Hunter Biden, his uncle Jim, and The Big Guy in the Oval Office have received considerable attention, at least in the conservative media. But even Fox News addicts would be stunned ​by how many Bidens have T-boned into the law and ​waltzed away from the wreckage. The Biden family is an ongoing crime spree in which the word “consequences” might as well be in Swahili.

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Feds in Miami Arrest 18 Criminal Foreign Nationals, Target for Removal

The Center Square

Miami-based agents with Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations, working with Border Patrol agents, arrested 18 criminal foreign nationals who they say pose a danger to their communities.

The four-day operation was conducted from June 26 to June 30 by officials working in ICE ERO Miami Stuart suboffice. The majority arrested are Guatemalan citizens, followed by citizens of Mexico, Honduras, Brazil and Saint Lucia.

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Large Study Links Heavy Marijuana Use to Psychotic Symptoms, Bipolar Disorder, Depression

Admin

Cannabis use disorder, also known as marijuana addiction, was strongly tied to psychiatric problems, including psychotic symptoms and bipolar disorder, in a population-based study of Danish citizens’ medical records from 1995 to 2021.

The study, which analyzed data of about 6.6 million people aged 16 and up, was conducted by Dr. Oskar Hougaard Jefsen of Aarhus University and his colleagues. Individuals with prior diagnoses of cannabis use disorder were up to four times as likely to be diagnosed later on with bipolar disorder and psychotic symptoms, the study found.

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Americans Move to Red and Blue States as Polarization Deepens

Admin

As political polarization is on the rise in the United States, Americans are increasingly moving to either deep-red states or deep-blue states in order to live among others who share their political beliefs.

According to the Associated Press, 48 out of the 50 states have one party in control of their state legislature. In 28 of these states, the party in control has a veto-proof supermajority in at least one chamber. As a result, Republican-controlled states are implementing more conservative policies while Democratically-controlled states enact more left-wing policies.

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Commentary: The Question of Socialization in Homeschooling

Admin

Questions about the socialization of homeschooled children are by far the most frequently asked of a homeschooling parent. The misconception is that without the traditional school experience to provide social training, homeschooled children will grow up having no idea how to function and fit into society.

My own children have been peppered with questions about their socialization training, or lack thereof, by complete strangers while the adult doing the questioning ignores all social cues and boundaries about the appropriateness of such an inquisition of a child. I myself have also been questioned, sometimes quite aggressively, about the issue of socialization as it relates to my homeschooled children.

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CDC Admits Not Including Diagnostic Codes Showing COVID Vax as ‘Cause’ on Some Death Certificates

Just the News

The CDC’s explanation for leaving certain diagnosis codes off Minnesota death certificates that cite COVID-19 vaccines as a cause of death, allegedly hiding vaccine injuries in federal records, shows “intent to deceive,” according to a person who helped analyze the death certificates for the Brownstone Institute, a think tank that challenges the scientific basis for COVID conventional wisdom and policy.

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Commentary: Republicans Must Not Surrender to Bernie Sanders on Healthcare

Admin

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: the GOP needs an effective healthcare agenda. There are many policies and programs they could be championing to help families deal with rising costs — especially now with control in the House and a slim Democratic majority in the Senate — but unfortunately, they’ve failed to capitalize on this issue so far.

Republicans are missing an important opening; last year 90 percent of voters said a candidate’s plan for reducing the cost of healthcare would be important to them and 39 percent went so far as to say they would likely cross party lines to vote for a candidate who makes reducing healthcare costs their top priority!

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Tennessee Faith and Freedom Coalition Responds to the Rolling Stone’s Attack Piece on ‘Sound of Freedom’ Movie

Kaitlin Housler

The Tennessee Faith & Freedom Coalition (TNFFC) released a statement Saturday responding to a piece published by Rolling Stone magazine reviewing the newly-released movie Sound of Freedom.

The magazine’s piece, titled, “‘Sound Of Freedom’ Is a Superhero Movie for Dads With Brainworms,” describes the film as a “QAnon-tinged thriller about child-trafficking..designed to appeal to the conscience of a conspiracy-addled boomer.”

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GOP Lawmakers Introduce Bills to Disarm Federal Bureaucrats

Admin

Several Republican lawmakers have introduced legislation which would disarm enforcement agents from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Department of Labor (DOL) and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).

Republican Rep. Clay Higgins of Louisiana introduced the No Funds for Armed Regulators Act of 2023 on June 30, joined by seven co-sponsors. The bill would disallow the use of taxpayer dollars to hire or retain armed regulatory enforcement agents in the EPA, DOL and IRS if it becomes law.

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2022 National Food Stamp Payment Error Rates Hit Nearly 12 Percent

The Center Square

For the first time since the COVID pandemic, the U.S. Department of Agriculture released the fiscal year 2022 national payment error rate for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.

The PER measures how accurately SNAP agencies determine benefit amounts and eligibility. A payment error means the agency either underpaid or overpaid the recipient, which can result from an error by the agency or a recipient or fraud. 

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