House Majority Leader Steve Scalise on Thursday evening announced he was withdrawing from the race to become the next Speaker of the House.
Read the full storySteve Scalise Bows Out of Speaker’s Race, Says ‘Conference Still Has to Come Together’
Day: October 12, 2023
Steve Scalise Drops Out of Speaker’s Race
The Hill House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.) on Thursday dropped out of the race for Speaker, just one day after he won the Republican nomination for the role. Scalise narrowly prevailed in a secret ballot internal GOP election on Wednesday, but it was clear almost immediately that he would struggle to get the 217 votes needed on the House floor. Momentum swung further against him, and as Thursday progressed an increasing number of Republicans declared they would not cast their votes for him. READ THE FULL STORY
Read the full storyBiden’s VP Office Exchanged Emails with Hunter, His Brother Jim, and Both of Their Businesses over 29,000 Times
More evidence has come to light demolishing Joe Biden’s repeated denials that he ever discussed business with his son. New documents obtained by America First Legal (AFL) show that he emailed Hunter Biden, his brother James “Jim” Biden, and their respective firms tens of thousands of times while he was vice president.
The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) acknowledged in a joint status report published by the Washington D.C. District Court on Friday, that it knew of 4,243 emails between then-Vice President Joe Biden and his son Hunter, another 1,751 emails between Joe and Jim Biden, 19,335 emails between Joe and Hunter’s private equity firm Rosemont Seneca, and 3,738 emails between Joe and Jim’s Chinese-communist party connected consulting firm Lion Hall Group.
Read the full storyArroyo Set to Return to Nashville on Saturday to Launch New Book ‘The Magnificent Mischief of Tad Lincoln’
Author Raymond Arroyo joined host Michael Patrick Leahy on Thursday’s episode of The Tennessee Star Report to discuss the inspiration and behind-the-scenes story of his brand-new picture book, The Magnificent Mischief of Tad Lincoln. Arroyo is on his way to visit Brentwood on Saturday for a book-signing event.
Read the full storyTennessee State Rep and Far Left U.S. Senate Candidate Gloria Johnson Calls for Cease-Fire Following Brutal Hamas Terrorist Attack on Israel
Tennessee State Representative and liberal U.S. Senate candidate Gloria Johnson (D-Knoxville) has been relatively quiet on terrorist group Hamas’ horrifying attack on innocent Israeli civilians, but the Tennessee leftist’s first response was to call for a cease-fire.
Johnson (pictured above), who gained national attention as a member of the so-called “Tennessee Three” disorderly Democrat state lawmakers, fired off a message on her X account as Hamas members were systematically raping and murdering Jews.
Read the full storyDemocrat Sen. Menendez Charged with Conspiracy to Act as a Foreign Agent: Indictment
Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J., was charged with conspiracy to act as a foreign agent.
Read the full storyReport: Hamas Co-Founder Abu Osama Killed in Gaza
The Daily Beast A founding member of Hamas was killed in an Israeli airstrike on Gaza on Tuesday, according to a report. Abd al-Fattah Dukhan, also known as “Abu Osama,” was killed in the Nuseirat neighborhood, according to Israel’s KAN public broadcaster, which cited a Palestinian report. Dukhan, a former school principal, helped write the group’s charter back in 1987, which calls for the obliteration of Israel. The Israel Defense Forces have said two other top Hamas officials were also killed in recent airstrikes: Zachariah Abu Ma’amar, a senior member of the politburo, and Jawad Abu Shamala, the group’s economy minister. DEVELOPING… READ THE FULL STORY
Read the full storyMainstream Progressives Abandon Democratic Socialists of America over Palestinian Support in the Wake of Hamas Attack
Politico The Democratic Socialists of America is coming apart at the seams. Rep. Jamaal Bowman let his membership lapse. Colleague Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez ripped the New York chapter over a pro-Palestinian rally Sunday. And others on the left are struggling to reconcile their views with the group — even disavowing it amid criticism from across the political spectrum. The reckoning for the DSA in the wake of Hamas’ attacks on Israel could mark a realignment at the extreme end of the Democratic Party. Progressive politicians looking for an endorsement from the DSA have long faced a Middle East litmus test, answering questions about whether they’ll boycott Israel and if they back Palestinians “living under occupation.” READ THE FULL STORY
Read the full storyCenter-Right National Party Set to Win Majority in New Zealand as Voters Reject Liberals’ Tyranny
DNYUZ New Zealanders are exhausted. Their pocketbooks are threadbare, the dog years of the pandemic have dragged on, and there is a strong sense that the country has never been further off track. And so, when they head to the polls on Saturday, polls show, most will vote to punish the governing center-left Labour Party, which under Jacinda Ardern won a historic majority just three years ago. “There’s a real vibe around of tiredness, frustration,” said Bernard Hickey, an economic commentator. When New Zealanders last went to the polls, they were celebrating their coronavirus wins. From 2021, he said, “it was all downhill.” READ THE FULL STORY
Read the full storyTennessee AG Skrmetti Leads Letter Urging the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission to Scrap Abortion Rule
Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti led a coalition of 19 states in sending a letter to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) expressing opposition to a proposed rule regarding workplace abortion accommodations.
Read the full storyAmerican Colleges Are Partnered with Palestinian University That Praised Hamas as ‘Righteous Martyrs’
Several American colleges are partnered with Al-Quds Open University, a Palestinian university that called the Hamas terrorists who attacked Israel “righteous martyrs,” according to a Daily Caller News Foundation review of university web pages.
Al-Quds Open University declared Sunday, Oct. 8 as a day to “mourn the souls of the righteous martyrs and to denounce the occupation’s continuing crimes against our people in the West Bank and Gaza,” following Hamas’ invasion of Israel. Al-Quds Open University ended its announcement by stating “glory and eternity to our martyrs.”
Read the full storyHouse-Knesset Parliamentary Friendship Group, Chaired by Rep. David Kustoff, Releases Statement on Hamas’ Attack on Israel
The House-Knesset Parliamentary Friendship Group, chaired by Tennessee U.S. Representative David Kustoff (R-TN-08), released a statement this week in response to Hamas’ attack on Israel over the Yom Kippur holiday weekend.
Read the full storyTennesseans Required to Obtain Burn Permits for Upcoming Dry Season
In the coming days, Tennesseans will be required to obtain burn permits before burning leaf and brush piles as the state attempts to prepare for its dry season and prevent wildfires.
The directive came down from the Tennessee Department of Agriculture’s Division of Forestry (TDF), and residents of the Volunteer State will be required to obtain such burn permits by Sunday.
Read the full storyNashville Mayor Freddie O’Connell Offers Prayers for Israel, No Condemnation of Hamas in Statement ‘Distributed at Solidarity Event Hosted by the Jewish Federation’
Nashville Mayor Freddie O’Connell did not attend a Monday evening solidarity event held by the Jewish Federation of Greater Nashville at the Gordon Jewish Community Center in Nashville after Hamas terrorists attacked Israel over the weekend.
Governor Bill Lee (R-TN) spoke at the event and told the crowd of 700 people, “We have seen once again the persecution of the nation of Israel, but we will see once again the steadfast resolve of the people of this state and this nation to stand alongside the Jewish people and the nation of Israel.”
Read the full storyFreshly Minted Independent Presidential Candidate RFK Jr. Hits Campaign Trail
resh from declaring his independence from the Democratic Party, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is hitting the campaign trail as an independent candidate for president.
But don’t look for the Kennedy family scion to be laser-focused on the usual early nominating states.
Read the full storyVirginia School Board Adopts GOP Gov’s Parental Rights Policy After Parents Slap It with Lawsuit
The Virginia Beach School Board approved Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s gender transition notification policy Tuesday after being hit with a lawsuit from parents, according to The Virginia Pilot.
In August, the board voted on the policy but was deadlocked with five votes in favor and five against, effectively stalling the proposal, which prompted several parents to file a lawsuit in September demanding the district protect parental rights. The board took up the issue again this week, however, and voted 9 to 1 in favor of adopting Youngkin’s policy, with one member abstaining, according to The Virginia Pilot.
Read the full storyPoll Shows Trump Beating Biden in Michigan
Former President Donald Trump is leading President Joe Biden in the key battleground state of Michigan by 7 points, according to a poll reported by The Detroit News on Wednesday.
In the state that Trump won in 2016 but lost to Biden in 2020, he beat the president 42% to 35%, with 20% saying they’d vote for someone else and 3% opting not to pick a candidate, according to a Marketing Resource Group (MRG) survey. When the Democratic candidate was changed to Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, she beat Trump 46% to 40% — a 13-point swing from the matchup with Biden.
Read the full storyDeSantis Announces Plan to Expand Sanctions on Iran
Within days of Hamas attacking Israel, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said the state plans to increase sanctions against the Iranian regime. The new sanctions include expanding the industries on Florida’s scrutinized companies list and strengthening Florida’s position against states that sponsor terror.
DeSantis said that as the federal government has eased sanctions on Iran and funded state-sponsored terrorism by sending billions of U.S. taxpayer money to Iran and restoring hundreds of millions of dollars in aid to Palestinians that was previously halted by the Trump administration, Florida is taking the opposite approach.
Read the full storyTrump Leading Biden by 12 Points in Ohio, Poll Shows
An Emerson College Polling survey of 438 registered Ohio voters found former President Donald Trump leading President Joe Biden in a 2024 hypothetical presidential election matchup.
Read the full storyPennsylvania Policy Group Says $200 Million Rail Service Deal Picks Taxpayers’ Pockets
Though many celebrated expanded Amtrak service for Pittsburgh, critics cry foul, pointing to long-term trends that work against train travel in western Pennsylvania.
The Allegheny Institute for Public Policy warned the $200 million state investment announced in September to bring twice-daily service from Pittsburgh to New York City was a misuse of taxpayer dollars, benefiting Norfolk Southern and Amtrak more than residents.
Read the full storyCommentary: As Families Take to Charter Schools, Cities and Their Teacher Unions Throw Up Obstacles
A vote by the Los Angeles board of education vote last month to ban charter schools from sharing space at 300 district campuses is the latest big-city attack against alternatives to struggling traditional public schools.
With the strong support of United Teachers Los Angeles, school board members say the ban will protect black and Latino students from the disruption and harm that occurs when charters are placed in buildings used by other public schools. But charter advocates reject the board’s reasoning. Far from hurting disadvantaged students, charters in LA and other cities have established an outstanding track record in accelerating their academic performance compared with traditional schools, according to researchers.
Read the full storyArizona Democrat Silent After CAIR Group Photo Resurfaces Following Hamas Attack on Israel
Arizona State Senator Juan Mendez (D-Tempe) did not respond to a request by The Arizona Sun Times for comment on a photograph showing the legislator attending a meeting of the Arizona branch of the Council of American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) that featured Representative Ilhan Omar (D-MN-05), or a second photo depicting Mendez wearing a shawl that seems to feature the modern borders of Israel identified as Palestinian territory. The photos resurfaced on social media following the brutal Hamas attack on Israel that began last week.
The photos were shared by Republican Arizona House candidate Ari Daniel Bradshaw to X, formerly Twitter, on Monday. “Arizona can’t tolerate anti-semitic Hamas supporters like [Mendez] any longer,” wrote Bradshaw, who is Jewish. Bradshaw promised to support 2024 Arizona House candidate Caden Darrow, a Republican who unsuccessfully ran against Mendez’s wife, State Representative Athena Salman (D-Tempe), in 2022.
Read the full storyCharges: Minnesota Democrat Thought She Was in St. Paul but Was 50 Miles North During DWI
DFL Rep. Brion Curran was charged with two gross misdemeanor DWI counts Tuesday after she was arrested in Chisago County for driving twice the legal limit.
According to the charging document, a Chisago County Sheriff’s Deputy responded to a report around 2:05 a.m. Monday of an SUV “off the road” on I-35 in Harris, Minn.
Read the full storyFormer Iowa Democratic Party Chair Says Giving Up First Caucus Status Is a ‘Dark Day’ All Around
After signing the 1938 Munich Agreement that gave Nazi Germany the Sudetenland in western Czechoslovakia in exchange for Adolph Hitler’s promise that he had “no more territorial demands to make in Europe,” British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain said the deal had secured “peace in our time.”
Dave Nagle says Chamberlain’s spirit of appeasement lives on in the leadership of the Iowa Democratic Party.
Read the full storyWisconsin Public School Students Struggle with Reading, Math
Nearly 60% of students in Wisconsin’s Public Schools continue to be unable to read, write or do math at grade level.
The State’s Department of Public Instruction released the latest standardized test scores Tuesday, and they show 39.2% of public school students are proficient or better in reading, while 41.1% are proficient or better in math.
Read the full storyFani Willis Wants Former Wisconsin GOP Chair, Ronna McDaniel, and Alex Jones to Testify in Georgia Election Trial
Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis revealed three new witnesses she intends to call in the trial of pro-Trump attorneys Kenneth Chesebro and Sidney Powell in filings made on Tuesday. Willis’ office named Republican National Committee (RNC) chairwoman Ronna McDaniel, Infowars radio host Alex Jones, and former Wisconsin Republican Party chairman Andrew Hitt in documents requesting their testimony.
Hitt was a Republican alternative elector in Wisconsin, and Willis claims he received an email from Chesebro on December 10, 2020, then met with Chesebro on December 14, as Wisconsin Republicans signed a document identifying themselves as Republican Electoral College electors.
Read the full storyGovernor Mike DeWine and First Lady Fran DeWine Urge Ohioans to Vote No on Issue 1 This Election
Ohio Governor Mike DeWine and First Lady Fran DeWine appeared in a 30-second advertisement video released on Wednesday urging voters to vote against Issue 1 on the general election ballot next month.
Read the full storyWalmart, Archer Aviation Announce New Georgia Investments to Create 1,400 Jobs
Walmart and Archer Aviation both announced plans to invest in Georgia on Wednesday, and the companies’ plans will ultimately create more than 1,400 new jobs throughout the state.
A new milk processing facility was announced in the south Georgia city of Valdosta, and Walmart said the $350 million location will employ nearly 400 Georgians. Products bottled at the facility will include gallon and half gallon varieties of whole, 2 percent, 1 percent, skim, and 1 percent chocolate milk for the Great Value and Sam’s Club Member’s Mark brands, and they will be sold to 750 Walmart and Sam’s Club stores in Georgia and across the region.
Read the full storyU.S. Sheriffs: Open Borders Lead to Heightened Terrorist Threats
Members of the American Sheriff Alliance are calling for immediate action due to heightened terrorist threats they fear exist because of U.S. border policies.
Their call comes as a record number of known, suspected terrorist (KSTs) were apprehended by federal Customs and Border Patrol agents in fiscal 2023, the largest number in recorded history.
Read the full storyCommentary: Offshore Wind Is an Economic and Environmental Catastrophe
When it comes to “renewables” wreaking havoc on the environment, wind turbines have stiff competition. For example, over 500,000 square miles of biofuel plantations have already replaced farms and forests to replace a mere 4 percent of transportation fuel. To source raw materials to build “sustainable” batteries, mining operations are scaling up, with no end in sight, in nations with appalling labor conditions and nonexistent environmental regulations. But the worst offender is the wind industry.
Read the full storyHamas Leader Calls for Global Day of Rage on Friday: ‘This Is the Time for Jihad’
Khaled Mashal, a leader and founding member of the Islamic terror group Hamas, has called for a global Day of Rage this Friday, saying “this is the time for Jihad.”
Hamas, an Islamic political and military organization that governs the Gaza Strip, carried out a brutal, highly coordinated terror attack on Israel over the weekend, slaughtering more than 1,200 people—including fourteen Americans—and wounding more than 2,100, according to the latest reports. The Palestinian terrorists also took more than 130 civilians hostage and have threatened to execute them on live broadcasts.
Read the full storyD.C. Election Board Says Records Breached, Voter Data Purportedly Found on Dark Web
Washington, D.C.’s Board of Election says it is the victim of a data breach, potentially providing access to 600,000 lines of voter data.
The group RansomVC is claimed responsibility for the breach.
Read the full story