Month: August 2023

Commentary: Presbyterianism Lost Its Clout When It Embraced Modernism

Admin

Rev. Dr. Rebecca Todd Peters, an ordained minister of the Presbyterian Church-USA (PC-USA), recently treated a Unitarian Universalist congregation to a fiery sermon. Was it about heaven, hell, salvation, and the need to repent and believe the Gospel — messages that one would think members of a non-Christian group such as the latter would need from a Christian minister? No. Instead, she thundered from the pulpit that abortion, all abortion, anytime up through birth, is essentially good, including her own two abortions, for which, she assured everyone, she “felt no guilt, no shame, no sin.”

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Commentary: A Case for the Lost Art of Memorization

Admin

Memorization and recitation became part of my life through a club I was part of in middle and high school. With the club, I had the opportunity to recite patriotic speeches and poems along with chapters from the Bible in front of an audience of veterans, law enforcement officers, and first responders just about every month. I loved seeing how the words recited touched the people listening.

Almost without fail, after we spoke, adults would come over to thank us, amazed by the fact that we could remember so much and recite it with such confidence. Often, people said something along the lines of “I never thought kids could do that” or “That’s more than I would ever be able to do.”

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Workers at Nancy Pelosi Federal Building in San Francisco Told to Work from Home Due to Crime

Just the News

The Department of Health and Human Services is telling hundreds of California-based employees to work from home for the foreseeable future due to rising crime in the area surrounding the Nancy Pelosi Federal Building in San Francisco.

The 18-story building also houses the Labor and Transportation separtment and the office of former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif.

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Gaetz Moves to Censure Trump’s January 6 Judge

Just the News

Florida Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz on Friday introduced a resolution to censure U.S. District Court Judge Tanya Chutkan over claims she has shown “blatant political bias from the bench.”

“Judge Tanya Chutkan’s extreme sentencing of January 6th defendants, while openly supporting the violent Black Lives Matter riots of 2020, showcases a complete disregard for her duty of impartiality and the rule of law,” Gaetz said, according to The Hill. “Justice may be blind, but the American people are not – we see Judge Chutkan for her actions, and we rebuke them in the greatest possible sense.”

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Knoxville Mayor Urges General Assembly to Pass Red Flag Laws During Special Session

Kaitlin Housler

Knoxville Mayor Indya Kincannon released a statement on Thursday in support of Governor Bill Lee’s call for a special session in the General Assembly, set to convene on Monday.

“As Mayor of Knoxville, public safety is my top priority. I support the Governor’s call for a Special Session to consider legislative measures to make our communities safer,” Kincannon’s statement said. “While there are many perspectives on how to accomplish these goals, the conversation must continue to include all parts of our state and all communities.”

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Pseudonym Joe: How Biden Used Personal Email to Share Some Government Business with Son Hunter

Just the News

In late November 2014 — before the rest of the world knew that American Martin O’Connor was about to be released from detention in Turkey — the U.S. embassy in Istanbul sent an email to the State Department that was then forwarded to senior advisers to then-Vice President Joe Biden, the Obama White House point man for many foreign policy crises.

“The lead attorney for Mr. O’Connor reports that the court granted the detention appeal and he expected Mr. O’Connor to be released from jail today, barring any unforeseen problems,” the U.S. embassy in Istanbul wrote in an email that got forwarded to top Obama administration security and diplomacy officials, including current Undersecretary of State Victoria Nuland. “Mr. O’Connor will not be allowed to leave the country until his next hearing which is set for December 11, 2014. The lawyer expressed confidence that he will be able to leave after that hearing. The attorney is handling his release arrangements, pick up and temporary housing near his law firm’s office. Istanbul consular plans to speak with Mr. O’Connor after his release.”

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Chinese Solar Companies Have Been Dodging Tariffs, Biden Admin Says

Admin

The Department of Commerce (DOC) determined Friday that five Chinese solar panel companies have been dodging U.S. tariffs by directing their operations through other Asian countries not subject to the import restrictions.

The DOC found in its probe that Trina Solar, Canadian Solar, BYD and Vina Solar have all used other countries in Southeast Asia, such as Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia and Cambodia, as conduits to evade tariffs designed to protect the relatively young American solar industry from Chinese competitors that can undercut them with a cost advantage, which in some cases may be derived from the use slave labor of detained Uyghur Muslims in supply chains. The findings may complicate the Biden administration’s plans to rely on solar panels as a key pillar of its sweeping climate agenda, which aims to have the U.S. economy reach net-zero carbon dioxide emissions by 2050.

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Major Donor-Advised Fund Manager Allegedly Blocked Anonymous Gifts to Conservative Orgs, Complaint Says

Admin

Donor-advised fund Fidelity Charitable (FC) is being accused of blocking account holders from sending anonymous donations to certain conservative non-profits that appear on the Southern Poverty Law Center’s (SPLC) hate group list, according to a consumer complaint obtained by the Daily Caller News Foundation.

Account holder Dawn Manning’s requests to send anonymous grants to four conservative groups were marked “awaiting information” for over a month, with three still not approved, while her requests to send grants to three left-leaning organizations were quickly approved, according to a July 19 consumer complaint filed with the Louisiana attorney general. In the complaint, Manning raised concerns that grants to the organizations — which include the Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF), Family Research Council (FRC), Center for Security Policy (CSP) and Pacific Justice Institute (PJI) — are being withheld because they are marked as hate groups by SPLC.

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Slew of New Bills Introduced for Special Session

Peter D'Abrosca

A slew of new bills have been introduced by Tennessee legislators ahead of the special session of the General Assembly that begins on Monday.

State Representative Mark Cochran (R-Englewood) (pictured above, right) introduced HB 7016 on Wednesday, which creates criminal penalties for “recklessly, by any means of communication, threatening to commit an act of mass violence,” and “requires the court to determine whether a defendant charged with threatening to commit an act of mass violence is a threat to the public prior to release on bail.”

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Conservative Political Commentator Tucker Carlson to Headline Ohio Christian Fundraiser

Hannah Poling

Conservative political commentator, writer, and television personality Tucker Carlson will deliver the keynote address at a gala fundraiser thrown by the Center for Christian Virtue (CCV) in Cleveland, Ohio, next month.

The Cleveland Celebration Gala for the Center for Christian Virtue, Ohio’s largest Christian public policy organization, will take place at the Cleveland Marriott Downtown at Key Tower, on September 21st. According to the Center for Christian Virtue, it will be an evening of music, inspiration, and fellowship. 

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Georgia School Board Fires Teacher Who Read Book on Gender Identity to Fifth Graders

Admin

A Georgia school board voted Thursday to fire a teacher who read her fifth-grade students a book on gender identity, according to The Associated Press.

In March, Katie Rinderle, a fifth-grade teacher at Cobb County School District, says she got in trouble for reading her class “My Shadow is Purple,” a picture book about a child who discovers they are neither a girl or a boy, according to the AP. The Cobb County School Board voted 4-3 to fire Rinderle, finding that the teacher had violated the state’s divisive concepts law, which bars educators from giving lessons on race and “espousing personal political beliefs.”

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Judge Rules Against ACLU Requesting to Block Florida Chinese Land Ownership Law

Just the News

A federal judge ruled not to block the new Florida law that restricts Chinese nationals and some nationals from other countries from purchasing land in the state

U.S. District Judge Allen Winsor on Thursday denied an injunction requested by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), which was representing four Chinese citizens and a real estate firm that wanted the law overturned. 

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Commentary: President Trump Can Use Political Pressure to Defeat the Biden Witch Hunt

Admin

President Trump, as well as his base of tens of millions of supporters, need to prepare themselves for chaos in 2024. The witch hunt directed against President Trump and his supporters is a sign of the insanity and hysteria infecting the Democratic Party. No matter how the 2024 election turns out, it will be destabilizing for the country. 

More importantly, Trump simply cannot trust the courts in any Democrat controlled state or the Biden regime’s Department of Injustice to treat him fairly. President Trump’s legal problems require political solutions. 

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Former DFL Legislator Who Helped Flip State Senate Hired as Chief Capitol Lobbyist at University of Minnesota

Admin

A former DFL legislator credited with leading a campaign to help Democrats recapture the state Senate in 2022 has landed a new job as a top lobbyist for the University of Minnesota.

Melisa Lopez Franzen, who served in the Minnesota Senate for a decade before choosing not to seek re-election last year, was announced as the U of M’s new executive director of government and community relations on Wednesday.

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Wisconsin Congressman Bryan Steil Hosts Roundtable on Combatting the Scourge of Fentanyl

M.D. Kittle

As the scourge of fentanyl continues to rack up victims across the nation, U.S. Rep. Bryan Steil (R-WI-01) was joined on Thursday by local and national law enforcement officials in Milwaukee County for a roundtable discussion on combatting the deadly drug.

The event, held in the suburban Milwaukee community of Franklin, included officials from U.S. Customs and Border Protection and North Central High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas (HIDTA),  state legislative leaders, and medical experts.

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Arizona Could Be the Next State to Indict Trump, Others

Rachel Alexander

Former President Donald Trump has been indicted by grand juries in Washington, D.C. and Georgia over his efforts to challenge election fraud after the 2020 election, and an indictment in Arizona may be next.

As concerns spread that Arizona could soon indict Trump, Arizona Republican Party Chair Jeff DeWit denounced recent news that Democratic Governor Katie Hobbs urged Democratic Attorney General Kris Mayes to charge Trump.

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Summit Reveals Complications with Broadband Deployment Funds in Virginia

The Center Square

Virginia’s Director of the Office of Broadband, Tamarah Holmes, spoke this week at the National Conference of State Legislatures’ annual legislative summit about the benefits and challenges of the federal government’s Broadband Equity Access and Deployment Program.

The BEAD Program apportions $42.5 billion to the states to develop programs to deliver high-speed internet access to areas without an internet connection or where the internet functions more slowly.

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Arizona Education Superintendent Tom Horne Advises Schools to Not Permit Biological Males in Biological Females Restrooms

Hannah Poling

Arizona Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne (R) released a statement on Thursday “strongly advising” all schools statewide not to enact policies that permit biological males from using biological females’ restrooms, locker rooms, and showers.

According to Horne (pictured above), his statement was prompted by recent questions and concerns from outraged parents about school policies permitting biological males to use biological females’ restroom facilities, saying they may remove their children from schools that allow this in Arizona.

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Commentary: The Danger of Driver Equity Laws in Pennsylvania

RealClearWire

In the early morning hours of March 30, 2022, an innocent victim was suddenly attacked while he was putting the trash out at his place of work in Bensalem, along Street Road. The victim ran for his life but was eventually caught by his attacker. He was viciously stabbed over fifty times as he tried to resist. The assailant fled as the victim struggled to stay alive in the parking lot. He then returned in a vehicle, ran the victim over twice, abducted him, and drove off.  

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More Voters Say Biden Untrustworthy, a Poor Leader

The Center Square

President Joe Biden is underwater on nearly every descriptor offered to judge a president, according to a new poll.

The Center Square Voters’ Voice Poll, conducted in conjunction with Noble Predictive Insights, found that 49% of voters say Biden is not a strong leader compared to 36% who say the opposite. The survey also found that 49% say Biden does not have the judgment to serve effectively, while 40% say he does.

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Michael Patrick Leahy: Bill Lee’s ‘Laundry List Red Flag Law Special Session’ Is a Dramatic Break from the Modern Political Tradition of Tennessee

Tennessee Star Staff

Host Michael Patrick Leahy lays out why Gov. Bill Lee’s “Laundry List Red Flag Law Special Session’ breaks with modern political tradition in Tennessee.  He also explains the surprising reason his ‘Red Flag’ law is doomed to fail in court on Friday’s episode of The Tennessee Star Report.  TRANSCRIPT Michael Patrick Leahy: Well, we’re looking at this special session call Governor Bill Lee had – his ill-advised call [for a special session that will convene on Monday, August 21.]It’s going to be an opportunity for the Left wing to descend upon the capital on Monday and try to intimidate Tennessee General Assembly members to adopt gun control measures and a Red Flag law. We’ll get to those details here in just a minute, but let’s talk about the history of special sessions. It’s supposed to be on extraordinary occasions. The modern political tradition here in the state of Tennessee is to take care of the business of the state during the general session of the Tennessee General Assembly, which convenes in January and typically runs to April or May. And when you have an opportunity for committee hearings and for more deliberate consideration of a wide array of laws…

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Crommentary: The Runaway Left Wields Power Through the Tyranny of the Minority

Tennessee Star Staff

On Friday’s episode of The Tennessee Star Report, original all-star panelist Crom Carmichael noted three seemingly unrelated stories in the news today to illustrate how the Left is effectively dominating critical sectors of life across across the country.  TRANSCRIPT Crom Carmichael: Michael, like so many of my recent commentaries, it’s kind of a theme – pulling from a bunch of different stories on seemingly unrelated topics. But this is a headline from the Wall Street Journal, James Freeman, “Has the Bay Area Hit Bottom?” and what it goes on to point out is just how terrible things are in San Francisco and in Oakland. And there’s one there’s one quote in here. It’s by Mr. Chachas acquired Gump’s department stores following a chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2018. And here’s what he wrote – and it was published in the local paper there. San Francisco now suffers from a tyranny of the minority behavior and actions of the few that jeopardize the livelihood of the many. The ramifications of COVID policies advising people to abandon their offices are only beginning to be understood. Equally devastating had been a litany of destructive San Francisco strategies, including allowing the homeless to occupy our…

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Jeffrey Clark First Defendant to Oppose March 4 Trial Date in Georgia Elections Case

Admin

Epoch Times Former Justice Department (DOJ) official Jeffrey Clark filed a motion to oppose the proposed March 4, 2024, trial date requested by the prosecution in a racketeering case brought by Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis over former President Donald Trump’s contesting of the 2020 election results. His lawyer called Ms. Willis’s proposed date “highly premature” (pdf). “The indictment was filed at approximately 10:30 PM on Monday August 14, 2023, while the Motion was filed at 12:49 PM on August 16, 2023,” the motion reads, pointing out that not one of the 19 defendants named has even yet “been served with any warrant, taken into custody, had a first appearance, or been arraigned, or waived arraignment.” READ THE FULL STORY            

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Metro Nashville Police Department Says 777 Guns Stolen from Vehicles in Nashville This Year

Peter D'Abrosca

The Metro Nashville Police Department (MNPD) said in a press release this week nearly 8000 firearms have been stolen from vehicles in the city this year, a crime that has plagued Nashville for years. 

“So far this year, 777 guns have been stolen from vehicles in Nashville, 24 were taken from autos just last week,” the release says. “The total number of guns stolen this year in Davidson County is 978, which means that nearly 80% of guns stolen so far in 2023 have been taken from automobiles.”

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Musk’s X Seeks Job Applicants to Stop Disinformation, Promote ‘Credible’ Election Stories

Just the News

Elon Musk purchased Twitter vowing to make it friendlier to free speech, and repeatedly aired its dirty laundry through the release of the Twitter Files that chronicled past censorship efforts. But months later with the 2024 election on the horizon, the company now known as X is in the market for applicants for some disinformation-fighting jobs.

And that has some free-speech advocates alarmed.

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Illegal Chinese Marijuana Grow Operations Are Taking over Blue State, Leaked Memo Says

Admin

Lucrative Chinese illegal marijuana grow operations are popping up all over Maine, according to a federal memorandum distributed within Border Patrol that was obtained exclusively by the Daily Caller News Foundation.

Law enforcement in Maine identified 270 suspected properties used for Chinese illegal marijuana grow operations that could produce an estimated $4.37 billion in revenue, the July memo states. Chinese nationals who either have resident status in the U.S. or asylum claims that prevent them from being removed from the country tend to operate such grows, a federal law enforcement source, who requested anonymity because they weren’t authorized to speak publicly, told the DCNF.

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Schools Struggle to Get Students to Class amid Learning Loss

Admin

Schools across the country are struggling to get kids to class while still recovering from the learning loss following the COVID-19 pandemic, according to The New York Times.

The National Assessment of Educational Progress released a report this month showing that students who missed three or more days of school had lower math scores than those who were not absent. Schools, however, are having trouble finding bus drivers to get children to class, with some districts delaying their start times each day and others forced to postpone school for a week, according to the NYT.

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U.S. Cracking Down on EV Batteries Tied to Chinese Slave Labor

Admin

The federal government is cracking down on electric vehicle (EV) and solar panel components with links to Chinese Uyghur slave labor, Reuters reported Thursday.

Items such as lithium ion batteries, tires and key raw materials like aluminum and steel are facing increased rates of confiscation at the border and ports of entry, according to Reuters. The clamp down under the auspices of the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Action (UFLPA) targets minerals, materials and batteries that the Biden administration plans to rely heavily on for producing EVs and solar panels as part of its massive green energy push.

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‘Your Luck Will Run Out’: Tennessee Sheriff Sends Message to Criminals Coming to His County

Kaitlin Housler

Tipton County Sheriff Shannon Beasley warned individuals crossing county lines to commit crimes, saying such actions will not be tolerated.

“I will say this again, if you bring it to us we are going to bring it back at you! If you think we are going to let you run back to Memphis, or anywhere else, without any consequences…you’ve got us confused,” Beasley said in a Facebook post last week.

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Democrat Gun Control Bus Tour Stops in Chattanooga Ahead of Special Session

Peter D'Abrosca

Democrat Tennessee lawmakers Wednesday stopped in Chattanooga on their gun control bus tour, which began two weeks ago and will end in Nashville on August 21, the day the special session of the General Assembly, focused on gun control, will begin. 

The tour has been led by State Rep. John Ray Clemmons (D-District 55), and has been supported by likely U.S. Senate candidate and current State Rep. Gloria Johnson (D-District 90), who appeared at Wednesday’s event. 

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Michigan Utilities Focus on Trees to Trim Power Outages

The Center Square

Multiple times in 2021, Michigan’s utilities left more than 100,000 people in the dark after powerful storms uprooted trees and left inches of ice coating power lines – more than its Midwest neighbors, according to federal data. 

The U.S. Energy Information Administration’s annual 2021 electric power report says Michiganders faced more than 800 minutes of electric interruptions in 2021 that lasted longer than five minutes – nearly double the national total and more than its Midwest neighbors.

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Undone Pennsylvania Budget Leaves Struggling Schools Empty-Handed

The Center Square

As the first day of school nears across Pennsylvania, the undone budget will leave the poorest districts without the earmarked funds the state promised.

Teachers, administrators, and advocates recently told the House Education Committee that without the money, schools can’t address worker shortages, or provide mental health support, programs for pandemic-induced learning loss, technology upgrades, and building maintenance.  

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Hamadeh Vows He ‘Won’t Stop Fighting’ as Top Arizona Republicans, America First Legal Rally Behind Election Challenge

Tom Pappert

Leading Republicans in the Arizona Legislature, alongside America First Legal (AFL), lodged amicus briefs on Wednesday, throwing their support behind Abraham Hamadeh’s petition to the Arizona Supreme Court for a retrial of his 2022 election contest. Hamadeh is petitioning for a fresh trial citing newly surfaced evidence, purportedly dubious rulings from the presiding Mohave County judge, and an effort to stave off protracted legal disputes over his election that could last well into 2024.

Arizona Senate President Warren Petersen and House Speaker Ben Toma filed an amicus brief in support of Hamadeh on the same day AFL filed its own. Hamadeh, whose race against Attorney General Kris Mayes was the closest in Arizona history with only 280 votes now stand between the candidates, celebrated the development.

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Arizona Public School Funding per Student to Hit Record Level

The Center Square

New numbers from the Arizona Joint Legislative Budget Committee paint a clearer picture in the ongoing debate on school choice and funding for public education.

When funding at the state, local and federal levels are combined, the average Arizona K-12 student has an estimated $14,673 allocated toward them in fiscal year 2024. This reflects a steady increase from fiscal year 2015, which was $9,124.

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Minnesota Restaurant Owner Says New State Mandates Will Be a ‘Nightmare’ for Small Businesses

Admin

A lifelong dream to have his own place hasn’t exactly gone as planned for Kent Bergmann behind Campanelle in Lino Lakes.

“The name of the restaurant is nothing more than a noodle. We make those noodles fresh every single morning. It’s a Campanelle noodle is what it’s called. It’s like baked mac and cheese on steroids,” Bergmann explained.

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DeSantis’ Travel, Security Cost Florida Taxpayers $8 Million over Past Year amid Presidential Bid

Just the News

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ travel and security costs have cost state taxpayers over $8 million to Florida taxpayers over the past year as he tours the United States for his campaign to win the 2024 Republican nomination for president.

Over the 2022-2023 fiscal year, which in Florida is from July 1 to June 30 of the following, DeSantis’ travel and security expenses cost $8,073,607, according to data from the state Department of Law Enforcement cited by The Miami Herald in an article Wednesday.

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Ohio Appeals Court Upholds Preemption Firearms Laws

Hannah Poling

The Ohio Tenth District Court of Appeals ruled to uphold state law on firearms uniformity overturning a ruling by Franklin County Common Pleas Judge Stephen McIntosh who previously granted an injunction to the city of Columbus blocking the state of Ohio from enforcing “preemption” firearms laws.

According to Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost, the court’s ruling is a win for the state of Ohio.

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Georgia State Senator Asks for Emergency Session to Investigate Fulton County DA Fani Willis

Kaitlin Housler

Georgia State Senator Colton Moore (R-Trenton) sent a letter to Governor Brian Kemp calling on him to convene an emergency session to investigate Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis.

“We, the undersigned, being duly elected members of the Georgia House of Representatives and Georgia Senate, and comprising 3/5 of each respective house, pursuant to Article IV, Section II, Paragraph VII(b), hereby certify to you, in writing, with a copy to the Secretary of State, that in our opinion an emergency exists in the affairs of the state, requiring a special session to be convened under that section, for all purposes, to include, without limitation, the review and response to the actions of Fani Willis,” Moore wrote in his letter on Thursday.

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New Arizona Law to Help Reporting Missing Foster Care Child Cases to Take Effect This Fall

Hannah Poling

A new Arizona law requiring mandatory 24-hour reporting with detailed deliverables and protocols for each situation of missing, abducted, or runaway children within foster care is to take effect this fall.

House Bill (HB) 2651 sponsored by State Representative Barbara Parker (R-Mesa) received bipartisan support in both the State House and Senate when it passed the legislature. Democratic Governor Katie Hobbs signed the bill into law on June 19th, 2023.

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