Day: January 3, 2024

Acclaimed Black Scholar Accusing Claudine Gay of Plagiarism Sics Lawyers on Harvard Board, Demands ‘Remedies’ School Will Make in Wake of Scandal

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New York Post An acclaimed African-American scholar who has accused Harvard’s outgoing president Claudine Gay of ripping off her work is demanding to know how the school will fix its approach to plagiarism after it’s board stood by the embattled academic.  Attorneys representing Carol Swain, a former political science professor at Vanderbilt University, sent a letter to the Harvard Corporation, the school’s highest governing body,  requesting to know what “remedies” the Ivy League institution seeks to make for the unauthorized use of her work. “Through its acts, omissions, and public statements surrounding the use of Dr. Swain’s work, the Harvard Corporation is now invested in this matter and its subsequent outcome,” attorney Robert Kleinman wrote on behalf of Swain. READ THE FULL STORY    

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Rep. Mark Green on Report Value of His Stock Portfolio Doubled in 2023: All Stock Trades Made by Broker, ‘Only Notified After They Occur’

Tom Pappert

Representative Mark Green (R-TN-07) issued a statement on Tuesday in response to a report of 2023 congressional stock trades, which found his stock portfolio increased in value by 122 percent in 2023. Green stated that he has no knowledge of trades made in his name until after they are made, and revealed that he instructed his broker to “disregard any instructions” about trades should he provide them.

Green said in a statement on his website, “In fact, in my first year in Congress, to go above and beyond even the hint of impropriety, I instructed my broker in writing to manage my family’s investments and to disregard any instructions from me should I try to provide input (which I have not).”

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Former Editor of MTSU Student Newspaper: I Resigned After Board Issued ‘False Misrepresentation’ of Reason I Took Down Article About One Student’s Reaction to Hamas Invasion of Israel

Tennessee Star Staff
Matthew Giffin

Matthew Giffin, the newest member of The Tennessee Star team of journalists, joined The Tennessee Star Report with Michael Patrick Leahy in-studio to discuss the controversy surrounding his resignation as editor-in-chief of MTSU Sidelines, Middle Tennessee State University’s official student newspaper.

Giffin brings listeners into the room and shares the events leading to his resignation, triggered by the publication of an article covering a student’s concern for family and friends in Tel Aviv during a conflict. The story faced intense backlash on social media, leading to threats against the interviewed student.

Giffin details the editorial board’s decision to take down the article, the subsequent false statement issued, and his decision, ultimately, to walk away from the outlet.

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Donald Trump: This Is How I Will End Joe Biden’s Border Disaster on Day One

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Des Moines Register The most urgent task facing the next president is to end Joe Biden’s nation-wrecking nightmare on our southern border. I am the only candidate who will stop this invasion — and I will do it on day one. Under the Trump administration, we had the most secure border in U.S. history. We ended catch-and-release, and removed over 1 million illegal aliens in my first term. I negotiated unprecedented agreements with Central American nations and brokered “Remain in Mexico” to stop the flow of migrants to our border. I also got the Mexican government to deploy tens of thousands of soldiers to the border free of charge. Every step of the way, we fought obstructionist left-wing judges and radical Democrat activists who tried to stop us — and we won. READ THE FULL STORY           

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Thousands of American Women Hoarded Abortion Pills After Dobbs Leak, New Study Shows

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Thousands of American women stocked up on abortion pills after the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade was leaked in 2022, according to a new study published Tuesday by the JAMA Network.

Aid Access, a European nonprofit that delivers the abortion pill through the mail, started its service to the U.S. in September 2021 and averaged 25 requests in advance per day for the abortion pill, according to The New York Times. After the Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Center was leaked in May 2022, however, the study found that the number of requests skyrocketed to 118 per day.

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Three Years Later, Fewer Americans Think Trump Was Responsible for Capitol Riot: Poll

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January 6

Fewer Democrats and Republicans today than in 2021 think that former President Donald Trump was responsible for the events of Jan. 6 of that year, at the U.S. Capitol, according to a new poll published on Wednesday.

Trump was impeached for a second time by the House of Representatives on Jan. 13, 2021, for “incitement of insurrection” after, on Jan. 6, a mob of his supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol building to disrupt the counting of electoral votes for the 2020 presidential election, following a “Stop the Steal” rally that Trump hosted at the Ellipse. Despite being uniformly blamed by Democrats for the event, fewer Americans in both parties think that Trump was responsible for the events at the Capitol building, according to a poll conducted by the University of Maryland for The Washington Post, published Tuesday.

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Senators Blackburn and Hagerty Demand Transparency After Federal Agency Removes Web Page on Taxpayer-Funded Union Work Hours

Tom Pappert
Blackburn Hagerty

Both of Tennessee’s U.S. senators were part of a letter that questioned the removal of an Office of Personnel Management (OPM) web page that formerly provided the number of work hours used as “official time” for union activities since 2013.

Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) led a group of 10 senators in a letter sent December 14, 2023, “to express concern” over OPM’s decision “to remove a page from its website that has documented, for over a decade, the amount of ‘official time’ taken by employees of federal agencies.”

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Number of EVs Eligible for Tax Credits Plummet as U.S. Seeks to Shrink Reliance on China’s Supply Chain

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EV VW

The number of electric vehicles (EV) that qualify for tax credits fell from 43 to 19 on Monday following new rules about the number of components in the vehicle that can be made by China and other foreign entities, according to Reuters.

On Dec. 1, 2023, the Treasury Department released guidance for which EVs are eligible for its $7,500 tax credit, requiring vehicles to have at least 60% of battery components and 50% of total critical minerals used not be from a foreign entity of concern like China starting in 2024. Vehicles that are impacted by the changes include the Volkswagen ID.4, Tesla Model 3 Rear Wheel Drive, BMW X5 xDrive 50e, Audi Q5 PHEV 55, Cadillac Lyriq and Ford E-Transit, losing eligibility for the credit, according to Reuters.

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Biden Admin Is Deporting Far Fewer Chinese Nationals amid Record Border Crossings

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The Biden administration has removed comparatively low numbers of Chinese nationals in recent years despite record levels of migrants from China crossing the southern border illegally, according to federal data.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) recorded 288 removals of Chinese nationals in fiscal year 2023, 127 in fiscal year 2022 and 138 in fiscal year 2021, according to the data. All the while, Border Patrol recorded 24,000 encounters of Chinese migrants crossing the southern border illegally in fiscal year 2023, 1,970 in fiscal year 2022 and 323 in fiscal year 2021, according to CBP data.

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Republican Tennessee State Senator Plans Bill to Allow More Abortions

Tom Pappert
Richard Briggs

Tennessee State Senator Richard Briggs (R-Knoxville) plans to introduce a bill that would expand abortion access in Tennessee. He claims his bill would allow mothers to have an abortion if it is believed carrying their child to term would later result in the mother becoming “sterile and unable to bear children” in the future.

In a Tuesday interview with WKRN News 2, Briggs revealed he seeks to create a new legislation enabling pregnancies “where either the child cannot survive outside of the womb, or it’s a condition where, if the woman is not treated properly, that she could end up unable to have children” to be aborted. Briggs argued the bill is necessary because of Tennessee’s 2019 abortion law, which became active in 2022 when the Supreme Court effectively overturned Roe v. Wade.

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Virginia Economy Grew in 2023, but Failed to Match Growth of Neighboring States, Saw More Residents Leave

Tom Pappert
Woman Working

Old Dominion University released its annual State of the Commonwealth Report on December 18, 2023. While the authors found Virginia’s economy improved in 2023, they also found that people continued to leave the commonwealth, the economy grew slower than in neighboring states, and the economic activity was not evenly dispersed.

Economic “good news” offered by the report includes a “record number of Virginians” who were “at work or looking for work,” with workforce “participation increased above pre-pandemic levels.” Virginia’s hotel industry also saw growth, with revenues surpassing those of 2019.

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Poll: Trump Leads Biden Among Hispanics and Younger Voters

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Students for Trump

A new poll suggests that President Donald Trump is gaining significant ground with two key voter blocs that he previously lost in 2016 and 2020, improving his odds of a comeback victory in 2024.

As reported by The Hill, the poll was conducted by USA Today and Suffolk University. Its findings reveal that in a hypothetical rematch between Trump and Joe Biden, Trump receives 39% of Hispanic support while Biden is at 34%. The same poll showed President Trump with 37% support among voters under the age of 35, whereas Biden is supported by 33% of the same group; in 2020, Biden’s margin against Trump with this demographic was 24%.

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Convicted Arizona Ballot Harvester Appointed San Luis Vice Mayor Despite Sentence Keeping Her from Public Office

Tom Pappert
Gloria Torres

San Luis City appointed city Council Member Gloria Torres as the city’s new vice mayor on December 14, 2023, representing her first promotion since her conviction for a misdemeanor ballot harvesting scheme in June of last year. Her colleague and longtime critic, Council Member Gary Garcia Snyder, told The Arizona Sun Times his constituents “are at a loss” following Torres’ appointment.

Torres (pictured above) pleaded guilty to her role in a ballot harvesting scheme after she was indicted following the release of camera footage obtained by Garcia Snyder and David Lara, a San Luis Republican who was elected to a school board seat in 2016, as the result of a “sting” operation.

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CNN Reveals Who Qualified for Iowa Debate Ahead of Caucus Day

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RNC Debate

Former President Donald Trump, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley are the only candidates who qualified for CNN’s Republican primary debate in Des Moines, Iowa, on Jan. 10, the outlet announced Tuesday.

The three exceeded the debate criteria, garnering more than 10% support in at least three separate national or Iowa polls that met the outlet’s standards, according to CNN. Trump opted instead for a counter-programming event on Fox News, while conservative businessman Vivek Ramaswamy, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson did not meet the outlet’s requirements.

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Minnesota Mom Slams ‘Two-Tiered Justice System’ Ahead of Family’s January 6 Trial

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Rosemarie Westbury

A Minnesota family is facing an uncertain future as their trial dates move closer in connection to the Jan. 6 U.S. Capitol breach.

On the latest episode of Liz Collin Reports, Rosemarie Westbury of Lindstrom, Minn., spoke out about the pre-dawn raids that rattled her family’s quiet community as her husband and three sons prepare for their Feb. 12 trial dates.

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State Rep. Brandtjen Doesn’t Trust Wisconsin to Count Absentee Ballots Due to Milwaukee’s Past ‘Election Shenanigans’

The Center Square

The Republican who led the first investigation into Wisconsin’s 2020 election says she does not trust the effort to count the state’s absentee ballots early because she doesn’t trust election officials in Milwaukee.

State Rep. Janel Brandtken told The Center Square there are serious security concerns with the Monday Count plan moving ahead at the Wisconsin Capitol.

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Atlanta Road to Remain Closed Up to 10 Weeks After Possible Homeless Fire Under Cheshire Bridge

Tom Pappert
Cheshire Bridge

A section of the Cheshire Bridge Road will remain closed to traffic for up to 10 weeks after a fire that may have started in a homeless encampment under the bridge, an Atlanta City Council member confirmed in a December 29 newsletter to his constituents.

Atlanta City Councilmember Alex Wan told his constituents in his newsletter that the bridge is slated to be repaired, all at once, over a period that may take up to 10 weeks. Wan explained, “it has been determined that it is better long term to complete the entire rehab work at once” rather than partially opening the bridge to accommodate some traffic while repairs are finished.

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Censorship Concerns Rise over State and Local Governments Registering Their Domain Names with CISA

Rachel Alexander

Pinal County’s website, Maricopa County’s website, and other government websites across the country recently switched their registrars from the federal government’s General Services Administration to a new registrar started by the federal Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA).

CISA has come under heightened scrutiny in recent years for targeting “disinformation” through its Disinformation Governance Board. The board works with Big Tech to shut down unpopular information about COVID-19, elections, and other controversial topics.

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CCP-Tied EV Manufacturer Dethrones Tesla as Global Industry Leader

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BYD

A Chinese Communist Party (CCP)-tied electric vehicle maker dethroned Tesla as the worldwide industry leader in the last quarter of 2023, according to stock exchange filings.

BYD and Tesla both posted record sales for battery electric vehicles in the final quarter, according to the filings. BYD sold 526,409 vehicles in the quarter while Tesla sold 484,507, with the Chinese company achieving its highest-ever car sales in 2023, according to The Wall Street Journal.

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Commentary: Pediatrician Is Fighting Back as Her Medical License Is Being Investigated for COVID-19 ‘Misinformation’

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Renata Moon

Once she saw the data, pediatrician Dr. Renata Moon knew she had to speak out. Over her more than 20 years of practicing medicine, including more than 17 years of treating high-risk patients, Dr. Moon had never been anti-vaccine—until she saw what was happening with the COVID-19 vaccines.

In Dr. Moon’s words: “As the data rolled out on the vaccine and COVID-19, it became clear that children had basically a zero risk of death from infection by COVID [whereas] they have potential serious risk from taking the COVID-19 shots.”

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