Day: August 9, 2023

Foreign Oligarchs Moved Millions to Biden-Tied Firms Before Meeting Joe Biden, Investigators Say

Just the News

Firms tied to the Biden family collected more than $20 million from foreign sources, including big payments from controversial oligarchs who afterwards had private dinners with Joe Biden as vice president, congressional investigators disclosed Wednesday.

In its third memo analyzing bank records, the GOP-led House Oversight and Accountability Committee reported it had found a clear pattern of the Biden family and its partners doing business with Russian, Ukrainian, Kazakh, Chinese and Romanian figures who had legal and other troubles and then collecting money around the times of gaining access to Joe Biden.

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Hundreds of New Yorkers Protest Planned Migrant Tent Shelter

Admin

Hundreds of New Yorkers protested a plan to house migrants in the parking lot of a local psychiatric center, according to NBC 4 New York.

The city already began construction on the tent facility next to the Creedmoor Psychiatric Center for roughly 1,000 migrants, NBC 4 New York reported. The city is caring for more than 57,000 migrants, Democratic New York City Mayor Eric Adams’ office said Monday.

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State Rep. Scott Cepicky on Special Session: ‘I Will Be a Firm No Vote’ on Any Legislation that Restricts Tennesseans’ Constitutional Rights

Tennessee Star Staff

State Representative Scott Cepicky (R-Culleoka) joined host Michael Patrick Leahy on the newsmaker line on Wednesday’s episode of The Tennessee Star Report to discuss the special session Gov. Bill Lee formally called in a proclamation last night. Cepicky broke down the steps ahead and shared his thoughts about the fate of Lee’s “Red Flag” law aspirations. TRANSCRIPT Michael Patrick Leahy: 6:18 a.m. – we are joined on a newsmaker line right now by our very good friend, State Representative Scott Cepicky. Good morning, Scott. How are you today? Scott Cepicky:  Good morning, Michael. How’s everybody doing today? Michael Patrick Leahy: Well, I was doing fine until I saw the governor last night release this proclamation for a special session, which will be held Monday, a week from Monday at 4:00 p.m. in the state Capitol. What’s your reaction to this laundry list of 18 things that he wants you to pass in a special session? Scott Cepicky: Well, Michael, the first thing I wanna say is I swore an oath to uphold the constitution of Tennessee and pass no bill or vote for any bill that is injurious to the citizens of the state. So I take that very seriously and…

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Special Counsel Got a Search Warrant for Trump’s Twitter Account

Admin

Washington Times Special counsel Jack Smith sought and obtained a search warrant for former President Donald Trump’s Twitter account in January, according to court documents released Wednesday. Twitter initially resisted complying with the warrant, resulting in a federal judge fining the company $350,000 for contempt. The prosecutor’s search was secret, and Twitter, since rebranded as X, was barred from telling Mr. Trump about the search warrant. READ THE FULL STORY

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Gun Control Leftists Plan to Disrupt Faith and Freedom Coalition Anti-Human Trafficking Event Featuring Rep. Andy Ogles and State Sen. Jack Johnson

Peter D'Abrosca

The Tennessee Faith and Freedom Coalition released a lengthy statement to The Tennessee Star Tuesday afternoon after a far-left gun control group directed its supporters to protest an event where the nonprofit’s Williamson County chapter will focus on eradicating human trafficking in the Volunteer State.

Representative Andy Ogles (R-TN-05) and State Senator Jack Johnson (pictured above, left) (R-District 27) will attend.

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As Indictments Pile Up, Trump Running Even or Better with Biden in New Polls

M.D. Kittle

Despite facing three criminal indictments, former President Donald Trump is crushing his GOP presidential nominee competitors and running neck and neck with President Joe Biden, according to the latest polls.

In battleground Arizona, a new Emerson College poll finds Trump leading Biden by 2 percentage points in a hypothetical rematch of the 2020 presidential election.

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Major Union Slams Biden over Electric Vehicle Goals

Admin

United Auto Workers (UAW) President Shawn Fain criticized President Joe Biden on Tuesday for pushing electric vehicle goals that UAW believes do not result in great enough compensation for workers, according to The Washington Post.

Fain is still withholding an endorsement for the president by UAW after criticizing Biden for low wages at the new Ultium Cells plant, General Motors’ electric vehicle battery project that is jointly owned with LG Energy Solutions, according to the Post. UAW is currently in negotiations with top automakers Ford, GM and Stellantis over a possible strike for the 150,000 U.S. hourly workers represented by the union.

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Under New State School Funding Formula, Metro Nashville Taxpayers Responsible for a Larger Portion of the Bill

TC Weber

Data released on Friday by the Tennessee Department of Education (TDOE) released last week shows that Metro Nashville taxpayers are paying roughly $120 million a year over the state’s contribution to fund city schools.

Under Tennessee’s new public school funding formula – Tennessee Investment in Student Achievement (TISA) – most local school districts, except Nashville Sevier County, can expect to pay one-third of the local education cost, with the state paying the other two-thirds for two districts.

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TBI Busts Alleged Human Traffickers in Blount County

Peter D'Abrosca

The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) busted seven men in connection with human trafficking, according to the agency’s website. 

“Over a two-day period beginning August 4th, as part of an undercover investigation aimed at addressing human trafficking in East Tennessee, authorities placed several decoy advertisements on websites known to be linked to prostitution and commercial sex cases,” according to TBI. “The focus of the operation was to identify individuals seeking to engage in commercial sex acts with minors. As a result of the operation, authorities arrested seven men.”

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Openly ‘Marxist’ Library Group Chief Stunned by Backlash, Withdrawal of Funding

Admin

After the head of the American Library Association (ALA) declared herself to be an open “Marxist,” the group has faced severe backlash that has led to at least one state pulling its funding altogether.

As reported by Fox News, Emily Drabinski celebrated her own election as head of the ALA last year by tweeting “I just cannot believe that a Marxist lesbian who believes that collective power is possible to build and can be wielded for a better world is the president-elect of @ALALibrary. I am so excited for what we will do together. Solidarity! And my mom is SO PROUD. I love you mom.”

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Yet More Indictments: Prosecution of 2020 Alternate Electors in Six of Seven States Likely

Just the News
Polling Place

In Special Counsel Jack Smith’s indictment of former President Donald Trump regarding the 2020 presidential election and Jan. 6, the issue of alternate electors from seven states has become another focal point, as officials – all Democrats – from six of those states determine whether to prosecute.

In the federal indictment of Trump last week, Smith charged the former president with four counts, including conspiracy to defraud, conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding, obstruction of, and attempt to obstruct an official proceeding, and conspiracy against rights. The indictment also acknowledges six unnamed co-conspirators with whom Trump allegedly did “conspire, confederate, and agree” to defraud the country.

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Governor Bill Lee Issues Proclamation Calling Special Session of Tennessee Legislature to Take Up Red Flag Bill

M.D. Kittle

Governor Bill Lee has issued a proclamation calling for a special legislative session to take up gun-control measures, including a controversial “red flag” bill that many of his GOP allies in the Republican-controlled Tennessee General Assembly say is a non-starter.

The long-expected proclamation was apparently leaked to the liberal Tennessee Lookout late Thursday afternoon before it’s official release.

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Report: Tennessee Titans’ Value Rose 33 Percent to $4.37 Billion Following $2.1 Billion Stadium Deal

The Center Square

The estimated value of the Tennessee Titans franchise rose 33% to $4.37 billion in the new Sportico National Football League valuations list.

The increase came despite the Titans missing the playoffs but came in a year when Tennessee and Nashville taxpayers signed up to fund $1.2 billion of a new Titans stadium set to open in 2027. The deal includes an estimated $3.1 billion tax fund to pay off sports authority bonds on the project along with infrastructure around the stadium and future capital expenses at the stadium during the new lease.

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Ohio State Issue 1 Defeated

Hannah Poling

After a long campaign season for and against Ohio State Issue 1 to raise the threshold to amend the state constitution, voting numbers from county boards of elections are pouring in and being added to the unofficial results on the Ohio Secretary of States Website.

As of 10:00 pm on election day, the trending unofficial outcome is that voters have defeated Ohio State Issue 1.

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State Representative: Georgia Lawmakers Might Act on Property Tax Increases

The Center Square

Earlier this year, Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp signed House Bill 118 and House Bill 622 to triple Bartow County’s homestead tax exemptions for school and county ad valorem taxes.

But property owners across the Peach State have seen their property tax bills balloon. State Rep. Matthew Gambill, R-Cartersville, spoke with The Center Square recently about property taxes and what action state lawmakers might take.

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Appeals Court Upholds Connecticut Ban on Religious Exemptions

The Center Square

A federal appeals court has upheld a 2021 Connecticut law banning religious exemptions for immunization requirements for schools, colleges and early education, but critics of the restrictions are vowing to take their case to the Supreme Court.

In the 2-1 ruling issued on Friday, the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit affirmed a lower court ruling that rejected a lawsuit challenging the repeal of the state’s long-held religious exemptions to childhood vaccines. 

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Virginia Paid for Medicaid Services for over 12,000 Deceased Enrollees

The Center Square

The U.S. Office of Inspector General audited Virginia’s Medicaid program from 2019-21 and estimated the commonwealth paid managed care organizations at least $20.8 million in capitation payments for more than 12,000 deceased Medicare enrollees during those years.

As Medicaid is a government-provided benefit, whereas individuals or their employers typically pay a monthly health insurance premium for coverage, Virginia pays that amount on behalf of the enrollee to managed care organizations and is reimbursed a percentage by the federal government.

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Federal Court Dismisses Lawsuit over Bethel School District Transgender Bathroom Policy

Hannah Poling

A federal judge in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio dismissed a lawsuit on Monday challenging Bethel Local School District’s policy to permit students to use bathrooms according to their gender identity rather than their biological sex.

The Bethel School board adopted a new policy last January that allowed students to use bathroom facilities according to their gender identity. Before the policy change, transgender students predominantly utilized a gender-neutral bathroom.

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Commentary: Trump Indictment Is a Mockery of Common Sense

Admin

At the end of the classic independent film Reservoir Dogs, the characters end up in a Mexican standoff. The criminal gang’s ringleader, Joe, insists that Mr. Orange is working with the police, even though he is dying on the floor, having been shot during a failed jewelry store heist. Mr. White – the crooks use aliases – insists that Joe is wrong. Guns get drawn. Mr. White demands some proof for Joe’s claim about Mr. Orange. Joe angrily responds, “You don’t need proof when you have instinct!” You can watch the (admittedly brutal) scene here.

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Florida Board of Governors to Vote on Use of Classical Learning Test for College Admissions

Susan Berry, PhD

The Florida Board of Governors is expected to vote at the end of August on whether to offer the Classical Learning Test (CLT) along with the SAT and ACT for public college admissions, a move that would make the Sunshine State the first in the nation to offer a test based specifically on the foundations of Western civilization and a “back to basics” education model.

A committee of the board of governors already met in June and approved the CLT as an option for the 12 schools in the State University System, the Tampa Bay Times reported at the time. After a two-week public comment period, the full board of governors will take its final vote August 30.

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Accusations of Fraud and Illegal Activity Pile Up Regarding Arizona’s Elections

Rachel Alexander

Kari Lake and Abe Hamadeh continue to contest their election losses in the 2022 election for governor and attorney general respectively, producing ongoing new evidence of irregularities and possible wrongdoing in the election. Much of the evidence has taken months to come out, including evidence related to the problematic 2020 presidential election, due to stonewalling by Maricopa County and other government agencies at turning it over. Maricopa County mostly ignored four repeat requests for data and equipment regarding the 2020 election from Jennifer Wright, the Election Integrity Unit civil attorney for the Attorney General’s Office, who resigned at the end of 2022 and now represents Hamadeh in his election contest. 

Much of the evidence appears to show violations of the state’s Election Procedures Manual, which are Class 2 misdemeanors. While not all of the alleged violations can be described as fraud, many of them can be characterized as alleged criminal activity. Here is a look back at some of the most serious complaints regarding alleged wrongdoing during Arizona’s 2020 and 2022 elections. 

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Parents Reclaim Libraries with Christian Story Hour Events Across Minnesota

Admin

More than a dozen communities across the state participated in Brave Books’ first annual “See You at the Library” event over the weekend, a national movement to “bring traditional Christian and American values back into the public space,” local event organizers told Alpha News.

“When we saw Brave Books was looking for people to host story hours at their local libraries, we thought it would be an awesome way to connect with the community, educate parents how low our literacy rates are, and bring an hour of fun to families right in their local library,” said Britni Granquist with Dakota County Moms for Liberty, which helped organize five story hours across the south metro attracting more than 600 attendees.

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Trump Leads Biden in Swing State of Michigan for 2024 Election: Poll

Just the News

Former President Donald Trump is ahead of President Joe Biden in a hypothetical 2024 presidential election in Michigan, according to a new poll.

Trump received 43% support, while Biden came in at 41% and Green Party candidate Cornel West is at 4%, while 4% support someone else and 7% are undecided, according to a survey of registered voters released last week by Emerson College Polling.

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Significant Majority of New Hampshire Republican Primary Voters Say They’d Vote for Trump If He Was Serving Time in Prison

M.D. Kittle

Former President Donald Trump’s support among New Hampshire Republicans remains solid.

A significant majority — 62 percent — of Republican primary voters say they would vote for Trump even if he’s convicted of a felony by the time they cast their ballots for president, according to a new NHJournal/co-efficient poll.

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Arizona Republicans Prefer Kari Lake for Senate in Poll Showing Sheriff Lamb Trails Rep. Gallego

Tom Pappert

Kari Lake, the former gubernatorial candidate, has emerged as the preferred choice for U.S. Senate among a plurality of Arizona Republicans, with a 31-point lead over Pinal County Sheriff Mark Lamb in a recent poll. The data also showed Representative Ruben Gallego (D-AZ-03) winning a three-way contest between Lamb and Senator Kyrsten Sinema (I-AZ).

Lake was the first choice of 42 percent of Arizona Republicans, according to a recent Emerson College Polling survey. Pollsters found just 11 percent of respondents preferred Lamb. An additional 7 percent of Republicans support former Senate candidate Blake Masters, 2 percent support businessman Jim Lamon, and 2 percent support Brian Wright.

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Arizona Republican Lawmaker Criticizes Democrats for Refusing to Attend Meeting in Opposition of a New National Monument Near Grand Canyon

Hannah Poling

An Arizona Republican lawmaker criticized Democrats for refusing to attend an emergency joint committee meeting in Kingman in opposition to creating a new national monument near the Grand Canyon.

According to State Representative John Gillette (R-Kingman), Democrats need to be voted out of the state legislature after refusing to attend Monday’s emergency meeting to oppose the “Biden Land Grab” and allow for public comments.

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Army Touts Success of Fat Camp And Academic Prep Course After One Year, But Recruiting Still Lags Behind Goals

Admin

One year after implementation, the Army’s fitness and academic prep course has produced nearly 9,000 graduates, a 95% success rate that chips away at the Army’s recruiting struggles, the Army said Tuesday.

The Army brought an initial 1,900 potential recruits who couldn’t meet academic or physical fitness standards through a pilot program that began in August 2022 to boost test scores, and expanded the program to a second training base in January. Service leaders have also increased recruitment bonuses for soldiers to hopefully provide more incentive for prospective servicemembers to enter high-skilled military occupations, and over the past 12 months the Army gave out more than $15.5 million in bonuses to prep course graduates, according to an Army news article.

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Commentary: Suit Against Tech Giant Shines Light on U.S. Complicity in Chinese Torture

RealClearWire

The wheels of justice often turn slowly, but when it comes to U.S. corporate complicity in China’s record of religious persecution, human rights activists say they are finally picking up speed and moving in the right direction.

Top reformers in Washington, D.C., are heralding a recent twist in a 12-year legal battle that could have far-reaching implications for all U.S. companies that have sold surveillance or tracking technology to China.  

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Biden’s Burdensome Regulations Are Contributing to Lackluster Economic Productivity, Experts Say

Admin

Labor productivity remains below COVID-19 pandemic levels after its first increase year-over-year was announced Thursday since 2021, with experts citing Biden administration regulations as one of the causes for the lackluster results.

Nonfarm business labor productivity reached 1.3% growth year-over-year for the second quarter of 2023 after declining for five straight quarters starting with the first quarter of 2022, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The Biden administration has imposed a large amount of regulations that have hindered productivity, and the recent return to modest growth is in spite of these costly regulations , experts told the Daily Caller News Foundation.

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‘Jesus Revolution’ Immediately Lands in Netflix’s Top Ten

Susan Berry, PhD

The faith-based film Jesus Revolution soared to popularity on the big screen in early 2023, and now has become an immediate hit on Netflix, landing in the streaming service’s Top 10 in the United States.

The film, which first hit theaters February 24, debuted on Netflix on July 31 and, by the next morning, was ranked in the number 8 spot of the top 10 movies viewed in the United States, reported What to Watch.

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