Americans for Prosperity – Tennessee (AFP-TN) State Director Tori Venable sat down with the Editor-in-chief and CEO of The Tennessee Star Michael Patrick Leahy in the latest episode of the Tennessee Star Extra to discuss Governor Bill Lee’s legislative push for universal school choice.
Read the full storyDay: November 30, 2023
Tennessee Appeals Court Rules Covenant Parents May Intervene in Lawsuit Seeking Audrey Hale Manifesto
The Tennessee Court of Appeals ruled in Nashville on Thursday that a group of parents can intervene in the lawsuit seeking to compel the release of the manifesto written by Audrey Elizabeth Hale, the Covenant School killer, affirming a lower court’s ruling. The parents wish to prevent the manifesto’s release.
In a 17-page order released Thursday afternoon, the appeals court ruled to “affirm the trial court’s judgement allowing intervention,” and sent the case back to the Davidson County Chancery Court for further proceedings. That court’s previous decision to allow the parents to intervene prompted the appeal.
Read the full storyHouse Panel Chairman Says January 6 Videotapes of Witness Interviews Missing
Videotapes of witness interviews that the Democrat-led Jan. 6 congressional committee conducted have vanished, raising concerns for the chairman of the successor House panel that is now examining security failures related to the Capitol riot as well as possible implications for upcoming criminal trials.
Read the full storyMarjorie Taylor Greene Reveals What Made Her the ‘Biggest Threat to Republicans’ on Episode 43 of ‘Tucker on X’
In episode 43 of his newest production, “Tucker on X,” host Tucker Carlson interviewed U.S. Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA-14) about her outsider approach to handling her job in Congress.
Carlson said the first time he heard of Greene was through a string of news stories calling her a “crazed Nazi, anti-Semite” and attaching her to the phrase “Jewish Space Lasers,” which he noted was a “very obvious smear job” against the Georgia congresswoman.
Read the full storyJordan Issues Subpoenas to Ex-Biden White House Officials in Probe into Government Censorship
House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan issued subpoenas Thursday to two former Biden White House officials demanding information on any role they played in censoring American’s opinions on social media.
The subpoenas went to White House Senior Advisor for the COVID Response Team, Andrew Slavitt and Robert Flaherty, the former Director of Digital Strategy for the Biden administration.
Read the full storyDemocratic Arizona AG Kris Mayes Gets Grand Jury to Indict Two Cochise County Supervisors With Felonies Over Delaying Certification of Election
Democratic Attorney General Kris Mayes, who narrowly won her election by only 280 votes, the closest statewide race in Arizona’s history, has convinced a grand jury to indict two Cochise County Supervisors for briefly delaying certification of the 2022 election in order to investigate the laws that were broken. Cochise County Supervisors Tom Crosby and Peggy Judd, both Republicans, also unsuccessfully attempted to conduct a hand count of the election. Mayes sued them over the delay last November.
“The repeated attempts to undermine our democracy are unacceptable,” Mayes said in a press release. She said the indictment alleged that “on or between October 11, 2022, and December 1, 2022, Judd and Crosby conspired to delay the canvass of votes cast in Cochise County in the November 2022 General Election.” She said this also interfered with the Secretary of State’s statewide canvassing.
Read the full storyU.S. Rep. Mark Green Introduces the Protect American Gun Exporters Act
Tennessee U.S. Representative Mark Green (R-TN-07) introduced a bill Wednesday that would ensure the Department of Commerce follows the typical rulemaking procedure prior to any decision-making under Section 553 of the U.S. Code.
On October 27, the Department of Commerce announced an immediate pause on commercial firearm exports without prior notice.
Read the full storyU.S. Rep. Chuck Fleischmann ‘All In’ for Trump, Promises to Do ‘Everything Possible’ for 2024 Re-Election
U.S. Representative Chuck Fleischmann (R-TN-03) reportedly told the Hamilton County Pachyderm Club in Chattanooga on Monday that he is “all in” for former President Donald Trump in 2024, and pledged to support his 2024 campaign for re-election.
Fleischmann told Republicans on Monday that he is “all in for Donald Trump,” according to The Chattanoogan, which reported that the congressman told attendees he recently visited Mar-a-Lago and told the former president he will do “everything possible” to aid his re-election.
Read the full storyKnoxville City Council Rejects Far-Left Councilwoman’s Anti-Israel Resolution
Knoxville City Council did not pass a resolution condemning Israel and calling for a ceasefire between Israeli and Hamas forces during its Tuesday council meeting.
The resolution, according to its broad text, “calls on the U.S. Federal Government to urge an immediate de-escalation and ceasefire in Israel and occupied Palestine and to express the Council of the City of Knoxville’s support and solidarity with the people of Palestine facing genocidal levels of violence at the hands of the state of Israel.”
Read the full storyTrad Catholic Family Dragged Out of Home at Gunpoint, Locked in Van After FBI ‘Goaded’ Teen to Post Offensive Memes, Dad Says
A traditional Catholic family was allegedly “dragged out of their home at gunpoint, handcuffed and locked in a van” earlier this year after the FBI “goaded” their 15-year-old son to post “offensive memes” online. The teen, a volunteer firefighter and altar boy, was then hospitalized on mental health pretenses, according to his father, Jeremiah Rufini.
The FBI’s aggressive “investigation” only resulted in a misdemeanor conviction against the boy for breach of peace, but financially devastated the family with substantial legal expenses.
Read the full storyInflation Has Cost Average Americans over $11,000 per Year Under Biden
Just to maintain the same standard of living that Americans had at the beginning of President Joe Biden’s term, households have to spend an additional $11,434 per year, according to CBS News.
Since January 2021, when Biden first took office, inflation has risen 17%, far outpacing the 2% per year that the Federal Reserve aims for, while average hourly wages have only increased 13.6%, according to the Congressional Joint Economic Committee’s (JEC) state inflation tracker. As a result, more Americans reported that they are struggling financially than they did before the COVID-19 pandemic as persistent inflation continues to take its toll, according to CBS News.
Read the full storyDOJ Announces New Resources to Help Memphis Fight Violent Crime
The Department of Justice (DOJ) announced that it will provide more resources for Memphis, which is battling a wave of violent crime and has already broken its annual homicide record.
“Violent crime deprives communities of a fundamental sense of security in their own homes and neighborhoods,” said Acting Assistant Attorney Nicole M. Argentieri of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division in a DOJ press release. “This violent crime initiative will bring additional tools and resources used to investigate and prosecute violent crime and apply those tools to gangs and groups who are harming and disrupting communities here in Memphis.”
Read the full storyBiden Clocks in Biggest Regulatory Burden in Recent Memory, Report Says
The Biden administration has outpaced other recent presidents in issuing significant regulations that place a financial burden on taxpayers, according to a report from the Competitive Enterprise Institute.
Under President Joe Biden, the federal government completed 89 economically significant rules in 2022, defined as those with at least a $100 million economic impact, which is higher than any point in the Bush, Obama and Trump administrations when deregulation is accounted for, according to CEI’s “Ten Thousand Commandments Report.” Regulations as a whole resulted in $1.939 trillion in added costs for the average American in 2022, exceeding every form of tax except income tax, which it rivals at $2.263 trillion.
Read the full storyTennessee Rep. Kustoff Introduces Resolution Condemning Rising Antisemitism
U.S. Representative David Kustoff (R-TN-08) joined Representative Max Miller (R-OH-07) this week in introducing a resolution condemning and denouncing antisemitism in the United States and around the world.
Kustoff and Miller, the only Republican Jewish members of the House, said it’s time to stand up to surging antisemitism infecting communities and institutions, including Congress.
Read the full storyTrump Seeks Dismissal of Georgia Election Case Citing First Amendment, Notes DA Willis’ Election Claims in Indictment
Attorneys for former President Donald Trump submitted a legal filing in Fulton County Superior Court on Monday arguing the First Amendment protects Trump from prosecution for the statements he made during his contest of the 2020 election results in Georgia.
Trump’s lead attorney, Steve Sadow, wrote in the filing that Trump genuinely believes he won the 2020 election in Georgia, despite Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis’ repeated claims he “falsely” made statements to that effect.
Read the full storyYoungkinWatch: Virginia Democrat Declines House Race, Cites ‘Slim Majorities’ in Legislature as Party Looks to Block Governor with ‘Brick Wall’
Virginia State Senator Jeremy McPike (D-Prince William) confirmed on Wednesday he will not run for the U.S. House seat being vacated by Representative Abigail Spanberger (D-VA-07), who earlier this month announced she would not seek re-election and would instead run for governor. McPike noted Virginia Democrats’ “slim majorities” in the Virginia General Assembly amid Democrats’ promises to be a “brick wall” preventing the agenda of Governor Glenn Youngkin (R).
In a post to X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, the senator said he looks “forward to continuing to serve and fight for Virginians in the Senate.” Revealing he was urged to enter the House race, McPike (pictured above) stated “for now, with our slim majorities in the General Assembly, I will continue to fight to improve the lives of everyday Virginians.”
Read the full storyCommentary: Hispanics Reject Biden’s Agenda
Joe Biden and the Democrats hemorrhage Latino support into 2024. In fact, the trend grows into perhaps the biggest single liability for the Left into next year’s election. The liberal site Axios sent up a warning flare, declaring the breakdown in Biden’s Hispanic support as “an alarming, re-election-threatening, full-blown crisis for the White House.”
The latest battleground state polling from my organization, the League of American Workers, validates that assessment, and points to potential seismic gains for the cause of patriotic populism among Hispanics this election cycle. Specifically, the latest survey highlights massive Hispanic dissatisfaction with Biden and leftist policies in the key battleground of Arizona, one of the most Hispanic states in America.
Read the full storyFive Ohio Public Employees Appeal to Stop Paying Union Dues
Five Ohio public employees appealed a ruling that allowed union dues to be taken from their paychecks for months.
A lower court ruling said the issue is an unfair labor practice, giving jurisdiction to the State Employment Relations Board rather than a court.
Read the full storyArizona Ends Contract with Private Prison, Saying It Will Save $15 Million
The state of Arizona ended its contract with a company that operated a correctional facility in Marana.
Gov. Katie Hobbs praised the move of the Arizona Department of Corrections Rehabilitation and Reentry, arguing that it will save roughly $15 million — $5 million in fiscal year 2024 and $10 million in fiscal year 2025, according to the news release.
Read the full storyCommentary: Outlaw Public Sector Unions
Money doesn’t guarantee victory in political campaigns. For proof, look no further than Meg Whitman, the California billionaire who in 2010 squandered $179 million in her futile campaign to beat Jerry Brown and become that state’s next governor.
When money is married to institutional power, however, it makes all the difference. This is why, 10 years after the Whitman debacle, Mark Zuckerberg was able to purchase the presidential election outcome in 2020 for $419 million. Whitman’s money paid consultants and bought ads on television. Zuckerberg’s money went to supplement the activities of election offices in swing states – election offices that employed workers represented by unions that overwhelmingly favor Democrats over Republicans.
Read the full storyJudge Recuses Himself from X Suit Against Media Matters
U.S. District Judge Mark Pittman on Tuesday announced that he would recuse himself from a lawsuit against Media Matters for America (MMFA) filed by social media company X.
Pittman did not state a reason for his recusal, The Hill reported. Elon Musk’s X sued the watchdog group over an article in published that featured images of ads for the platform’s major advertisers next to antisemitic and pro-Nazi content.
Read the full storyDemocrats Versus Muslims: Liberal States Back School District’s Ban on Opt-Outs for LGBTQ Lessons
A wealthy suburb of Washington, D.C., doesn’t inherently object to shielding even older students from sexually mature material. It just doesn’t want to give the choice to parents.
Maryland’s Montgomery County Public Schools pulled a novel that celebrates a promiscuous gay teen sex columnist from high school libraries even as the district was arguing in court that parents cannot opt out their pre-kindergarten children from LGBTQ “storybooks” that portray sex workers, kink, drag, elementary-age romance and gender-identity transitions.
Read the full storySpotlight Artist Grace Leer Costars in Hallmark Movie
Music Spotlight artist Grace Leer made her acting debut in a Blake Shelton-produced new Hallmark Movie, Time For Her To Come Home For Christmas. Leer costars alongside Shenae Grimes-Beech and Chris Carmack in a holiday romance mystery that is airing during Hallmark’s annual “Miracles of Christmas” programming event.
To many, the words “Hallmark Movie” and “Blake Shelton” don’t appear to belong together, but this movie is the sixth installment of the popular movie franchise based upon the book Time for Me to Come Home by Dorothy Shackleford and Travis Thrasher and Shelton’s song of the same name. Leer performs Shelton’s hit “Time for Me to Come Home” in the movie as well.
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