Day: January 24, 2024

Kari Lake Holds Press Conference Discussing Newly Resigned AZGOP Chair’s Financial Offer to Get Her Out of Politics

Rachel Alexander

Kari Lake held a press conference on Rumble Wednesday evening to discuss revelations from a newly released recording of a conversation last March between herself and former Arizona Republican Party Chair Jeff DeWit, who was forced to resign after it came out. In the recording, DeWit is heard attempting to convince Lake to drop out of politics for a couple of years in exchange for a well-paying job, prompting an outcry that forced his resignation on Tuesday. Lake fielded questions from both reporters and other viewers during her talk, which lasted around half an hour.

One of the questions asked of Lake was whether she knew who DeWit was referring to when he told her “very powerful people” “Back East” were behind the offer. Lake said she didn’t know, but said D.C. was so corrupt it would be possible to come up with a list of 400 to 500 people or groups that could be behind it.

Read the full story

Tennessee House Democrats Want Education Commissioner Lizzette Reynolds to Resign over Lack of Classroom Qualifications

Tom Pappert

Tennessee Commissioner of Education Lizzette Reynolds is facing calls to resign over her appointment allegedly failing to comply with the Tennessee law governing her office, which was originally written in 1925 which specifies commissioners must be qualified to teach in the state’s classrooms.

A collection of Tennessee Democrats and the statewide party held a press conference on Monday to call for Renyolds’ resignation, claiming she is not legally qualified for her position, citing Tennessee Code Section 4-3-802, which specifies the Tennessee Department of Education (TDOE) must be overseen by a commissioner who “shall be a person of literary and scientific attainments and of skill and experience in school administration” who is also “qualified to teach in the school of the highest standing over which the commissioner has authority.”

Read the full story

Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee Fails to Join 16 GOP Governors Who Told Biden to Drop Electric Vehicle Mandate

Tom Pappert
Bill Lee Evs

Tennessee Governor Bill Lee was not among the 16 Republican governors who sent a letter to President Joe Biden demanding his administration drop its controversial electric vehicle mandate that would force two-thirds of automobiles sold to be electric by 2032. Lee’s office did not respond to a press inquiry from The Tennessee Star seeking information about why he did not represent Tennessee in the letter.

The letter, revealed on Monday by the Republican Governors Association (RGA), includes signatures from Republican governors representing four of Tennessee’s neighboring states, namely Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders of Tennessee, Governor Glenn Youngkin of Virginia, and Governor Mike Parson of Missouri.

Read the full story

BlackRock Touting Tennessee Investments in X Advertisement

Peter D'Abrosca
Blackrock Ad

In an advertisement on X, formerly Twitter, the hedge fund BlackRock is touting its investments in the state of Tennessee.

“BlackRock invested in the future of Tennessee,” the ad says. “On behalf of our clients, BlackRock has invested over $36.5 billion in public companies across Tennessee and nearly 1 in 12 Tennesseans benefit from the public pensions we manage.” 

Read the full story

Biden Admin Spent $20 Billion for Refugee Resettlement in Just Two Years

Admin
Refugees

The Biden administration has poured billions of taxpayer dollars into the Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) since October 2022, according to a new report from Open the Books.

The Biden administration spent $8.925 billion in fiscal year 2022 and $10.928 billion in fiscal year 2023 on the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) at ORR to accommodate, transport, and provide migrants with various other services like medical care and loans, according to the report, which was released Tuesday. In recent months, HHS has faced scrutiny for ORR’s alleged mishandling of cases of unaccompanied migrant children, some of whom have been released to poorly vetted sponsors where they are used for child labor, according to The New York Times.

Read the full story

Biden Admin Allowed More than 3 Million Migrants into U.S. in 2023

Admin
Illegal Immigrants

There were 3.3 million people who came to the U.S. illegally, were released into the country via parole or overstayed their permission to remain in the country in fiscal year 2023, according to a recent report from the Congressional Budget Office (CBO).

The number includes 1.1 million who were released by federal authorities after entering illegally, 900,000 who were released at ports of entry, 860,000 who are known to have evaded arrest and 430,000 who overstayed their temporary residency in the country, according to the report. Federal authorities at the southern border recorded more than 2.4 million encounters in fiscal year 2023, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP).

Read the full story

Leahy and Brewer Discuss Gov. Bill Lee’s Absence from GOP Governors Letter Demanding Biden Drop EV Mandates

Kaitlin Housler
EVs charging

All-star panelist Clint Brewer joined Tuesday’s edition of The Tennessee Star Report with Michael Patrick Leahy where he discussed the reasoning behind Tennessee Governor Bill Lee’s exclusion from a letter sent by Republican governors to President Joe Biden in regards to his administration’s “mandates” electric vehicle (EVs) mandates.

Read the full story

Tennessee U.S. Senate Candidate Gloria Johnson Was Only Lawmaker to Vote Against Giving Death Penalty to Child Rapists

Tom Pappert
Gloria Johnson

U.S. Senate Candidate Gloria Johnson (D-Knoxville) on Tuesday was the only member of the Tennessee State House Criminal Justice Subcommittee to vote against legislation that would allow prosecutors to pursue a death penalty sentence for convicted child rapists.

After an exchange with Representative William Lamberth (R-Portland) over his bill, HB 1663, which amends existing law to authorize “the death penalty as a punishment for rape of a child, aggravated rape of a child, or especially aggravated rape of a child,” Johnson quietly voted against the legislation and was seen on video verifying her “no” vote would be recorded by making a thumbs down gesture.

Read the full story

Fulton County Commissioner Demands Answers from Fani Willis over Alleged Affair as Georgia State Senator Files Legislation to Investigate

Tom Pappert
Willis Ellis

Fulton County Commissioner Bob Ellis, in his capacity as the chair of the Fulton County Audit Committee, sent a letter on Monday demanding answers from District Attorney Fani Willis over her alleged affair with special prosecutor Nathan Wade, who she appointed to prosecute her case against former President Donald Trump and has compensated more than $650,000 in taxpayer dollars.

Ellis wrote in his letter to Willis that he “must reasonably inquire” about the allegations she “misused county funds and accepted valuable gifts and personal benefits from a contractor/recipient of County funds.”

Read the full story

Minnesota Supreme Court to Hear Challenge of New Felon Voting Law

The Center Square
Inmate

The Minnesota Supreme Court will hear a challenge to a new law that automatically restores voting rights to people convicted of a felony who are still on parole, probation, or supervised release in the state.

On March 3, 2023, Gov. Tim Walz (D) signed House File 28 into law. Previously in Minnesota, the state restored voting rights to people convicted of a felony after they completed all aspects of their sentence, including parole or probation. The new law restored voting rights to these individuals upon completion of incarceration, regardless of other conditions of their sentence.

Read the full story

Virginia State Senate Unanimously Passes Bill to Ban Universities from Giving ‘Special Treatment’ to Legacy Admissions

Tom Pappert
College Students

The Virginia Senate unanimously passed on Tuesday a bill that would ban colleges and universities in the state from giving preferential treatment or consideration to legacy admissions, which are typically the family members of graduates.

Passed with 39 votes in favor and one senator not voting, the summary for SB 46 reveals the lawmakers voted to prohibit “any public institution of higher education from providing any manner of preferential treatment in the admissions decision to any student application on the basis of such student’s legacy status,” which the bill defines as those students with a familial connection to either an alumnus or a donor.

Read the full story

Florida Bill Would Give Ex-Convicts Better Shot at Employment

The Center Square
Fork Lift

Ex-offenders in Florida could have an easier time gaining work licenses, permits and other certifications after a new bill passed through committee on Monday.

Senate Bill 1012 is sponsored by state Sen. Alexis Calatayud, R-Miami and would assist ex-offenders in getting a license, permit, or certification for employment. Calatayud stated during the bill’s introduction to the Senate Committee on Regulated Industries that the bill protects individuals who happen to have a criminal history from being “blanket denied” by agencies.

Read the full story

Report: Wisconsin Choice Schools Score Better in Reading, Math

The Center Square
School Work

The latest report on school choice in Wisconsin again shows choice schools outperform public schools in Milwaukee’s biggest cities and rural areas.

The Apples to Apples report from the Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty compares proficiency rates in math and English language arts in public schools, charter schools and private schools part of Wisconsin’s voucher program.

Read the full story

Audio Recording: AZGOP Chair Jeff DeWit Allegedly Attempted to Offer Money to Kari Lake to Stay Out of Politics

Rachel Alexander
Dewit Lake

The Daily Mail released an audio recording of Arizona Republican Party Chair Jeff DeWit allegedly trying to convince Kari Lake to stay out of politics for two years by suggesting he could find her a well-paying nonpolitical job in the private sector. He said during the call, which was reportedly recorded at the beginning of March last year, “So the ask I got today from back East was, ‘Is there any companies out there or something that could just put her on the payroll to keep her out?’”

Lake responded and declined, ”’This is about defeating Trump and I think that’s a bad, bad thing for our country.” Later, he brought it up again, “Just say, is there a number at which….” he began. Lake cut in, “I can be bought? That’s what it’s about.” DeWit responded, “You can take a pause for a couple of years. You can go right back to what you’re doing.” She continued to object, “This is not about money, it’s about our country,” and said she wouldn’t even take a billion dollars. She said she would not be “bought,” calling it “immoral.” 

Read the full story

Commentary: Ruling Class Disturbance

Admin
WEF

The last few months have been interesting. We have started to see some very public disagreements among the world’s ruling classes. The gathering of elites at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, has long fascinated observers and become a lightning rod for criticism, becoming a bogeyman of the right, as well as the hardcore, anticapitalist left. It is a front-row seat to the thinking and priorities of the world’s most powerful people.

In Davos, the world’s media, academic, political, and financial elites spend a few days in luxurious surroundings, praising themselves and forming a consensus on solutions to what they deem to be the problems of the world. This includes everything from facilitating mass migration, tackling global warming by moving away from fossil fuel energy, and the need for economic redistribution to the poor and the third world, all through the corporatist idea of “stakeholder capitalism.”

Read the full story

Chinese Man Illegally in the U.S. Indicted on 309 Felony Charges in Ohio for Role in Gift Card Counterfeiting Scheme

Kaitlin Housler
Gift Cards

A Chinese man who entered the U.S. illegally has been indicted by a Coshocton County grand jury on 309 felony charges related to a gift card counterfeiting scheme, according to Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost’s office.

Ming Xue, 32, of Hunan, Fujian – a province on the southeastern coast of China – faces 308 counts of counterfeiting and one count of engaging in a pattern of corrupt activity, according to Yost’s office.

Read the full story

Republicans Now Have Most Registered Voters in Arizona as Democrats Lose Nearly 60,000

Tom Pappert
Voter Registration

A plurality of Arizona voters are now registered Republican, becoming the dominant political structure in the state and reversing a previous trend that saw the majority of Arizona voters registered independent.

Data published by the Arizona Secretary of State for January shows 34.58 percent of the state’s voters are now registered Republican, followed by 34.38 percent who are registered “Other” or independent, and 29.55 percent who are registered Democrats.

Read the full story

Concerns Arise over Maricopa County Recorder Stephen Richer Using Taxpayer Funds to Feature Himself in Election Year Ad Campaign

Rachel Alexander
Stephen Richer

Maricopa County Recorder Stephen Richer launched a taxpayer-funded ad campaign about voting featuring himself earlier this month.

The ads discuss the county’s voter dashboard, beballotready.vote, and assert that his office will clean up voter rolls. The ads were placed on broadcast TV, radio, and YouTube — including during conservative podcasts — Facebook, X, Instagram, and Reddit.

Read the full story

Supreme Court Rejects Appeal from Former Hunter Biden Business Partner Devon Archer

Just the News

The Supreme Court rejected former Hunter Biden business partner Devon Archer’s appeal of his criminal conviction in connection to a scheme to defraud a Native American tribe. 

Archer was convicted in 2018 and sentenced to just over a year in prison in 2022 for defrauding a Native American tribe of $60 million in bonds. The Supreme Court refused to hear Archer’s appeal challenging his sentence on Monday.

Read the full story

Obama, Bush and Clinton Have Started an NGO to Fly Migrants into America

Just the News
Obama Bush Clinton

American Express Global Business Travel and Welcome.US have reportedly teamed up with former Presidents Obama, Clinton and George W. Bush’s nongovernmental organization (NGO) called Miles4Migrants to fly migrants to communities across the U.S.

Welcome.US is an NGO that was initially launched to work with President Joe Biden’s administration to facilitate some of the 85,000 Afghans who came into the U.S. in 2021 and 2022 after the debacle created when the U.S. evacuated from Afghanistan, according to Breitbart.

Read the full story

Over 25 Percent of Gen Z Now Say They’re Queer: Poll

Admin
Gen Z

Over 25% of Americans born between 1997 and 2012 identify as LGBTQ, significantly higher than previous generations, according to a Tuesday poll from the Public Religion Research Institute.

The poll found that nearly 50% of Gen Z are more likely to identify as liberal and tend to be less religious than their millennial, Gen X or baby boomer counterparts. Meanwhile, 28% of Gen Z consider themselves LGBTQ, compared to only 16% of millennials, 7% of Gen X and a mere 4% of baby boomers.

Read the full story

Commentary: Tennesseans Deserve Investment Transparency

Admin

For the first time in the United States, an investment firm is being sued for its misleading Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) investment strategies, and our state is leading the charge.

Tennessee State Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti accused BlackRock, Inc. of deceiving Tennesseans by downplaying their ESG-related investment goals and pressuring corporate boards to do the same.

Read the full story

Commentary: Public Education’s Alarming Reversal of Learning Trend

RealClearWire
School Work

Call it the big reset – downward – in public education.

The alarming plunge in academic performance during the pandemic was met with a significant drop in grading and graduation standards to ease the pressure on students struggling with remote learning. The hope was that hundreds of billions of dollars of emergency federal aid would enable schools to reverse the learning loss and restore the standards.

Read the full story

DHS Warned of Integrity of Mail-In Voting in 2020 Election but at the Same Time Censored Questions

Just the News
Mail In Ballot

The Department of Homeland Security’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) was aware of the issues with mail-in voting during the 2020 election cycle but censored social media narratives about the risks as alleged disinformation, according to agency documents.

CISA documents were released on Monday by America First Legal, showing the agency’s concerns about mail-in voting while it was also monitoring online opinions about such concerns.

Read the full story