Day: December 21, 2023

City Council Votes to Give Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium to University of Memphis Without Government Oversight

Tom Pappert
Memphis City Council

The Memphis City Council voted on Tuesday to pass a resolution to formally transfer the Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium to the University of Memphis, but the vote was only held after Memphis City Councilor JB Smiley withdrew a second resolution that would have established city oversight over the stadium under the university’s ownership.

Additionally, Memphis will direct $120 million of funds granted by the Tennessee General Assembly to the university to improve the stadium’s facilities.

The Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium hosts the University of Memphis Tigers, Southern Heritage Classic, and AutoZone Liberty Bowl. 

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Behind the Conviction: Stewart Parks’ Legal Ordeal and the Fight for Truth in J6 Capitol Trespassing Case

Tennessee Star Staff

Stewart Parks, a former congressional candidate from Tennessee’s 5th District, finds himself in the crosshairs of a harrowing legal battle following his participation in the January 6 events at the Capitol. Convicted in a bench trial by Judge Amit Mehta, Parks disputes charges of misdemeanor trespassing, disorderly conduct, and theft and is in the early stages of pursuing an appeal.

Parks updated listeners on Thursday’s episode of The Tennessee Star Report with Michael Patrick Leahy on the latest developments in his plight and he details his concerns about potential prejudice against those with conservative ideologies and the need for a fair legal defense.

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Family of Autistic Jewish Teen Who Had Swastika Carved on His Back by Classmates Sues School

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The New York Post The family of an autistic Jewish high school student who had a swastika carved on his back in a cruel antisemitic attack by classmates is suing his Las Vegas school. The abused teen and his mom, identified only as S.K. and C.K. in court papers, claim the Clark County School District not only failed to protect the 18-year-old, but dropped the ball on providing him a proper education. “At the outset, the district failed to provide [the student] a safe school environment that was free from harassment, intimidation and bullying,” according to the complaint filed Nov. 13 with the Nevada Department of Special Education. READ THE FULL STORY                     

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Democrats Say New Cash-on-Hand Record Set

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The Hill The Democratic National Committee (DNC) is reporting $20 million cash on hand, the most it’s ever had heading into an election year.  The DNC brought in $12.3 million in November, according to filings with the Federal Election Commission (FEC), including direct fundraising to the committee and transfers of funds from its joint fundraising and affiliated committees.  At the same time, the Republican National Committee (RNC) reported around $8 million for November, and just under $10 million cash on hand at the close of the month, according to the FEC receipts. READ THE FULL STORY    

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U.S. House Quietly Investigated Separate Sex Tape Scandal

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SEMAFOR The high-profile Senate sex scandal that rocked Washington, D.C. this month, was, in fact, the second time in less than two years that sexually explicit videos filmed in the U.S. Capitol prompted an investigation. A spokesperson for Rep. Dan Newhouse, R-Wash. confirmed that reports of “purported, unbecoming behavior” by a senior staffer in their office triggered an investigation last year. They added that “no conclusive evidence” was found. The staffer, who Semafor is not naming, denied he participated in explicit videos, and disputed elements of the office’s characterization of the episode in a telephone interview and a series of text messages. He said he was informed of the investigation in June 2022, but told by the Congressman in July that it had ended with “no evidence to the allegation.” He said he left in the fall of 2022 on good terms for unrelated reasons to take a job outside of Washington, D.C. The Congressman praised his work in material announcing his hire. READ THE FULL STORY    

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Ten Dead, Dozens Wounded, Shooter ‘Eliminated’ in Prague University Shooting

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Daily Mail At least ten people have been killed and dozens more injured in a mass shooting at a top university in Prague. Terrified students and tourists were seen fleeing from the Charles University Faculty of Arts building as gunshots rang out at around 3pm today in what is one of Europe’s top tourist hotspots.  A chilling image shared on local media purports to show the man dressed in black aiming a rifle at people below while standing on top of a faculty building, with witnesses saying the gunman was picking off his victims one by one.  READ THE FULL STORY    

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Lewis County Deputy Accused of Money Laundering, Theft After Allegedly Purchasing Police K9 for Personal Use

Peter D'Abrosca
Brandon Grady

According to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI), a Lewis County Sheriff’s Department (LCSD) deputy has been arrested for theft and money laundering related to the purchase of a police K9. 

“On September 13th, at the request of 32nd Judicial District Attorney General Hans Schwendimann, TBI special agents began investigating a complaint of theft against Lewis County Deputy Brandon Grady,” TBI said in a release. 

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Tennessee Supreme Court Justice Applicant Biography Series: Van Douglas McMahan

Peter D'Abrosca
Van McMahan

As Tennessee Supreme Court Justice Roger A. Page plans to retire at the end of August, six judges from around the state are vying to replace him. The Tennessee Star plans to profile each of the applicants before they are interviewed for the position in January.

Van Douglas McMahan is a McNairy County General Sessions Judge and McNairy County Juvenile Court Judge. 

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Lawmakers Sue Oregon to Block ‘Misinformation’ Contract to Counter Election-Related Claims

Just the News

Oregon is trying to silence “criticism of its election system” through a contract to “identify and mitigate” purported mis-, dis- and malinformation (MDM) related to its elections, surveilling those whom the state deems “misleading,” according to a First Amendment lawsuit against Democratic Gov. Tina Kotek, Secretary of State LaVonne Griffin-Valade and Elections Director Molly Woon.

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U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn Leads Colleagues in Condemning the United Nations’ Response to Hamas’ Sexual Violence Against Israeli Women

Kaitlin Housler
Marsha Blackburn

U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) led a bipartisan group of colleagues in sending a letter to United Nations (UN) Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urging he open an independent investigation into the UN’s lack of action in response to the sexual violence against Israeli committed by the terrorist group Hamas on October 7.

The UN Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women), which, according to its website, is “dedicated to gender equality and the empowerment of women,” failed to immediately condemn the rape and mutilation of Israeli women committed by Hamas.

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Border Patrol Surpasses 23,000 Migrants in Custody, Releases Thousands into the Country with Court Dates

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Illegal Immigrants

Border Patrol had more than 23,000 migrants in custody as of Tuesday evening while releasing more than 6,000 others into the interior of the country, according to internal Customs and Border Protection (CBP) data obtained by the Daily Caller News Foundation.

The latest data provide a window into a record daily totals of illegal immigration at the southern border in recent days. Three border sectors, Del Rio, Rio Grande Valley and Tucson, exceeded capacity as of Tuesday night, according to the data.

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Report: Sixty Percent of Illegal Alien Households are Supported by Taxpayer-Funded Welfare

Admin
Illegal Immigrants

A new analysis by the Center for Immigration Studies (CIS) reveals that almost 60% of all illegal aliens households in the United States are benefiting from at least one form of taxpayer-funded welfare benefits.

Breitbart reports that the study, written by CIS’ Steven Camarota and Karen Zeigler, found that illegal aliens households, as well as legal immigrants, use “significantly more” welfare than actual American citizens. Of illegal aliens currently occupying land in the U.S., 59% are on welfare that is funded by legal American citizens; 52% of legal immigrants are also using welfare. Meanwhile, less than 40% of American citizens use welfare.

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Meet the Four Judges Who Kicked Donald Trump Off the Colorado Ballot

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Colorado Supreme Court Justices

Former President Donald Trump was barred from appearing on the state’s 2024 ballot thanks to four Democrat-appointed justices.

Colorado Supreme Court Justices Melissa Hart, Monica Márquez, William Hood and Richard Gabriel comprised the one-vote majority that found on Dec. 19 that Trump engaged in an insurrection on Jan. 6, 2021 and was therefore disqualified under the Fourteenth Amendment from appearing on the Colorado ballot.

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Georgia Sec of State Raffensperger Sounds Alarm on Border Crisis’ Impact on Election Integrity

Just the News
Georgia Sec State Brad Raffensperger

Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger is sounding an alarm that the crisis at the southern U.S. border may eventually cause an election integrity crisis in America, imploring lawmakers in Congress and his state Legislature to pursue constitutional amendments to permanently ban noncitizen voting before liberal activists try to secure voting rights for the millions flooding into the county under President Joe Biden.

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Tennessee Attorney General Skrmetti Reveals Google Will Pay $700 Million to Settle Monopoly Lawsuit

Tom Pappert
Skrmetti Google

Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti revealed on Wednesday that a bipartisan coalition of attorneys general announced a $700 million agreement with Google to settle their lawsuit alleging the technology company engaged in anticompetitive practices to stifle competitors to its Google Play Store.

Skrmetti stated that “Google will no longer profit from the inflated app costs it forced through its abuse of market power,” and said the settlement “will reduce app prices and increase consumer choices on the Android platform. Our office is proud to protect consumers, secure $700 million in financial relief, and be a part of this bipartisan effort to ensure one of the most powerful companies in the world follows the law.”

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Democrat Election Attorney Marc Elias Joins ‘Stop Cop City’ Effort to Prevent Atlanta Public Safety Building

Tom Pappert
Marc Elias

Democrat election attorney Marc Elias is throwing his support behind the “Stop Cop City” referendum to prevent the construction of the Atlanta Public Safety Training Facility where a protester shot a Georgia State Trooper in January, a Wednesday report confirms.

Elias has decided to throw “his political weight behind a proposed ordinance that aims to upend Atlanta’s petition review process,” according to Atlanta Black Star. The petition review process memo was sent by the Vote To Stop Cop City Coalition, reported left-leaning Mother Jones.

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YoungkinWatch: Governor’s Virginia Budget Proposes Income Tax Cut, Sales Tax Hike

Tom Pappert
Youngkin Virginia

Governor Glenn Youngkin (R) on Wednesday proposed a two-year budget that will see Virginia’s income tax rate decrease, but paired the cut with a sales tax increase that will see some parts of the commonwealth pay nearly 8 percent sales tax.

Youngkin presented his “Unleashing Opportunity Budget” before the Virginia House of Delegates by noting migration trends within the United States that show Americans moving to states with lower taxes and more jobs.

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Arizona State Senate Sues Gov. Katie Hobbs over Refusal to Nominate Agency Directors

Tom Pappert
Peterson Hobbs Courtroom

The Arizona State Senate and Senate President Warren Petersen (R-Gilbert) took legal action against Governor Katie Hobbs (D) on Tuesday. The governor faces legal action for her attempt to bypass the normal Senate confirmation process for the directors of Arizona’s state agencies, which she started after one of her nominees was rejected for alleged plagiarism.

A summary of the Senate lawsuit was posted to X, formerly Twitter, by State Senator Wendy Rogers (R-Flagstaff). Rogers noted that Arizona law requires “agencies be led by Senate-confirmed directors,” and wrote that she is “proud” the Arizona Senate GOP “is committed to upholding the law to protect Arizonans’ liberty.”

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AIG Travel Guard Insurance Refuses to Reimburse Families Forced to Cancel Trips to Israel, Claims the Conflict Isn’t an ‘Act of Terror’

Rachel Alexander
Hathaway Family

At least two families were denied reimbursement by their travel insurance company when their trips to Israel were canceled due to the attacks by Hamas. AIG Travel Guard Insurance representatives told the would-be travelers that its policy didn’t cover war, or acts of war, only “acts of terror.” Arizona’s Family On Your Side (AFOYS) interviewed the families and aired coverage of a video showing that Secretary of State Anthony Blinken referred to the violence as a terrorist attack, specifically distinguishing it from war. However, AIG will not backtrack on what it told the families, even after AFOYS contacted the company.

Sheri Hathaway, who was denied reimbursement along with her husband and children, told The Arizona Sun Times that she would never use AIG again. They spent nearly $12,000, excluding airfare. “Hamas is a terrorist organization,” she said. “This happened as a terrorist attack on Israel by Hamas and clearly states in their policy that they do cover terrorist incidents, which this clearly was.”

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Commentary: Some Observations on My Nine-Week Christmas

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This year, the Christmas spirit knocked at my door two weeks before Thanksgiving, smiled coyly, and settled in like some stray feline who’s struck gold with a warm hearth and a bowl of Friskies Seafood Sensations. Never before had this spirit arrived so early and so unexpectedly.

It started with a review copy of Faith Moore’s Christmas Karol, a novel that copycats the plot of the Charles Dickens classic, A Christmas Carol. Here we meet Karol Charles, an attorney obsessed with success and money to the detriment of her husband, her two young children, her sister, and her employees. Like Ebenezer Scrooge, Karol is visited on Christmas Eve first by her deceased partner and then by three spirits of the season. Most of the action takes place in a hospital, a stroke of inspiration on Moore’s part as hospitals serve both the dying and the recovering. When we meet her, Karol’s soul is most decidedly on the critical list.

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Colorado GOP to Have Caucus Instead of Primary If Trump Ballot Decision Stands

Just the News
Trump Colorado

The Colorado Republican Party said it would start using a caucus system rather than participating in a primary election if the state supreme court’s decision banning former President Donald Trump from the primary ballot remains in place.

After GOP presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy said Tuesday evening on X, formerly Twitter, that he would withdraw from Colorado’s primary ballot if Trump is not allowed on, the state Republican Party responded: “You won’t have to because we will withdraw from the Primary as a Party and convert to a pure caucus system if this is allowed to stand.”

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Commentary: Straw Poll Shows Young Trump Voters Want Carlson or Vivek as VP

RealClearWire
Tucker Vivek

Young Republican voters overwhelmingly want Donald Trump to be the GOP nominee in 2024, and they only disagree on whether he should choose Tucker Carlson or Vivek Ramaswamy as his running mate, according to a straw poll of participants who attended Turning Point Action’s annual AmericaFest.

Obtained exclusively by RealClearPolitics, the results provide a snapshot of the youth vote just weeks before the Iowa caucuses. The online poll was conducted by Turning Point Action Dec. 17-18 and surveyed 1,113 attendees at the TPUSA conference in Phoenix, Ariz.

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