Day: February 7, 2024

Billionaire Investor Scott Bessent: Stock Market ‘Looking Forward’ to Trump Victory in 2024

Kaitlin Housler
Trump Stock Market

Scott Bessent, billionaire investor and founder of Key Square Capital Management Fund, joined Wednesday’s edition of The Tennessee Star Report with Michael Patrick Leahy to discuss how the stock market’s rally coincides with former President Donald Trump being ahead in the 2024 presidential election polls.

In a letter to investors, which was recently leaked to Bloomberg, Bessent’s Key Square Capital Management Fund said it believes that equity markets are “in the midst of a ‘Trump Rally’ that will last as long as he remains ahead of Biden in the polls.”

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Tucker Carlson Says His Putin Interview Will Be Shown on Thursday

Admin

The New York Times   Mr. Carlson, the former Fox News host, made the announcement in an Instagram post, which said the interview would be broadcast on tuckercarlson.com at 6 p.m. Eastern time. It would be Mr. Putin’s first formal interview with a Western media figure since the start of his full-scale invasion of Ukraine, despite multiple requests from a variety of news outlets. The interview was conducted on Tuesday, said a Kremlin spokesman, Dmitri S. Peskov. READ THE FULL STORY              

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Corey DeAngelis Says Tennessee School Choice Bill Would Allow Students to Escape ‘One Size Fits All System’

Kaitlin Housler
Classroom Learning

School choice activist Corey A. DeAngelis joined Wednesday’s edition of The Tennessee Star Report with Michael Patrick Leahy to discuss a rally he, Robby Starbuck, and Americans for Prosperity (AFP) held in Nashville supporting Tennessee Governor Bill Lee’s universal school choice plan, known as the Education Freedom Scholarship Act.

On Tuesday, DeAngelis, Starbuck, AFP, and other school choice advocates held a Rally for School Choice & Parents’ Rights at the state Capitol in support of the governor’s school choice plan.

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Tennessee House Staffer Suspended over Alleged Heated Exchange with State Rep. Justin Jones

Tom Pappert
Justin Jones Torrey Harris

A Tennessee House staffer for Representative Torrey Harris (D-Memphis) was suspended from her position as an Executive Legislative Analyst until after the 2024 legislative session concludes.

The Tennessee General Assembly Director of Legislative Administration confirmed in a January 30 letter that the staffer “had an inappropriate confrontation with a Member of the House of Representatives” and “failed to maintain a satisfactory and harmonious working relationship” and disrupting work in the Tennessee House.

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State Senator Kerry Roberts Praises Governor Bill Lee’s State of the State Address

Kaitlin Housler

State Senator Kerry Roberts (R-Springfield) joined Tuesday’s edition of The Tennessee Star Report with Michael Patrick Leahy to discuss Governor Bill Lee’s State of the State Address delivered the prior night.

Throughout Lee’s address to state lawmakers and Tennesseans, he was repeatedly interrupted by hecklers, who first became vocal as the governor announced his plans to expand school choice and public education funding in the Volunteer State.

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Clint Brewer Says Tennessee’s Lawsuit Against the NCAA ‘Isn’t Just About College Sports’

Kaitlin Housler
UT Football

All-star panelist Clint Brewer joined Tuesday’s edition of The Tennessee Star Report with Michael Patrick Leahy where he offered his thoughts on Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti’s antitrust lawsuit against the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA).

Skrmetti joined Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares in filing the lawsuit against the NCAA last week, arguing the organization violates federal antitrust laws with its “anticompetitive restrictions on the ability of current and future student-athletes to benefit from their name, image, and likeness (NIL).”

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Unjustly Convicted J6 Defendant Stewart Parks Now Inside FCI Memphis Prison, Which Boasts Decade-Long Smuggling Problem

Tom Pappert

January 6 defendant Stewart Parks surrendered at the Federal Correctional Institution (FCI) in Memphis on Tuesday to begin an eight month sentence for his peaceful actions on January 6.

FCI Memphis, where Parks was told he would be in the minimum security camp, regularly generates headlines due to smuggling of controlled substances and weapons into the prison.

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Liz Cheney Visits Vanderbilt, Warns Democracy in Danger by Trump Supporters

Matthew Giffin

Former U.S. Representative Liz Cheney (R-WY-at large) and former MSNBC contributor Jon Meacham warned their audience at Vanderbilt University of increasing support for former President Donald Trump as a threat to democracy ahead of the 2024 presidential election.

During the public conversation on January 6, titled “Defending Our Democracy,” Meacham and Cheney agreed that “Trumpism” is a cult and suggested the country may have to be recovered by “great violence and upheaval.”

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UAW Says Majority of Workers at Tennessee Volkswagen Plant Have Voted to Unionize

Peter D'Abrosca

According to a statement from United Auto Workers (UAW), more than half of the employees at Volkswagen’s Chattanooga, Tennessee plant have voted to unionize. 

“A majority of workers at Volkswagen’s Chattanooga, Tennessee plant have signed cards to join the UAW, less than sixty days after the workers announced their campaign to form a union at the German automaker’s only US assembly plant,” according to a UAW press release.

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Mainstream Science Mulls ‘Global Moratorium’ on COVID Vaccines as Cancers Rise, Boosters Flub

Just the News
COVID Vaccine

Calling for governments to enact a “global moratorium” on COVID-19 mRNA vaccines could have been a death sentence for a scientist’s career not long ago. Now it opens the door to a prestigious science publisher.

The Springer Nature medical journal Cureus, sibling to Nature and Scientific American, published a peer-reviewed paper by high-profile mRNA vaccine critics last month, showing the growing mainstream openness to data and arguments once nitpicked if not ignored by publishers and suppressed by academia and Big Tech.

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News Station Poll: 97 Percent Oppose Releasing Violent Criminals Without Bail

Peter D'Abrosca

According to a poll by The National Desk that is circulating on local Tennessee news websites, 97 percent of respondents said they believe that violent alleged criminals should not be released back onto the streets without bail.

The poll, which is running on WTCV in Chattanooga and WZTV in Nashville, asks respondents, “Do you think those arrested for violent crimes should be released without bail?”

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Michael Patrick Leahy on J6 Defendant Reporting to Memphis Prison: ‘What Kind of Safety Is Stewart Parks Going to Have There?’

Kaitlin Housler
Stewart Parks

Editor-in-Chief and CEO of The Tennessee Star Michael Patrick Leahy dedicated a segment during Tuesday’s edition of The Tennessee Star Report with Michael Patrick Leahy to discuss the imprisonment of January 6 defendant Stewart Parks, who self-reported for incarceration at the Federal Correctional Institution in Memphis on Tuesday to serve an eight-month sentence for being present at the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021.

D.C. Circuit Court Judge Amit P. Mehta, who has presided over several trials related to the January 6 Capitol riots, sentenced Parks in November 2023 to three years imprisonment on misdemeanor trespassing, disorderly conduct, and theft charges. Parks, however, will serve his sentence concurrently, reducing his term to eight months behind bars.

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Gender Doctor Says Parents Who Oppose Transitioning Their Kid Have ‘Mental Illness’

Admin
Harriette Wimms

Psychologist Dr. Harriette Wimms told attendees at a medical training summit in 2022 that parents who do not affirm their child’s gender identity have a “mental illness,” according to audio obtained exclusively by the Daily Caller News Foundation.

The discussion took place at the World Professional Association for Transgender Health’s (WPATH) 27th annual training symposium in Montreal, Canada, on Sept. 17, 2022. Wimms, clinical director for The Village Family Support Center of Baltimore, suggested in a WPATH lecture on autism that parents who don’t affirm their children’s decisions are “transphobic” and have a “mental illness,” according to audio obtained in a public records request.

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DOJ Advised DC Medical Examiner to Dispose of Aborted Baby Bodies, Lawyer Says

Admin

The Department of Justice reportedly advised the Washington, D.C. Medical Examiner to discard the remains of aborted preemie-sized babies, according to an attorney with the Thomas More Society.

Those baby remains are from an abortion clinic in Foggy Bottom, a neighborhood of D.C. Pro-life activists believe the baby bodies are evidence that a D.C. abortionist was performing illegal abortions, but for two years now, D.C. authorities have stonewalled any questions about the babies’ deaths.

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Chinese Solar Companies are Gearing Up to Cash in on Biden’s Signature Climate Bill

Admin
Solar Panel Installation

Chinese solar manufacturers are building factories in the U.S. to reap American subsidies created by the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), President Joe Biden’s signature climate bill, according to The Wall Street Journal.

Companies based in China are responsible for about 25% of the 80 gigawatts in new solar manufacturing capacity announced in the U.S. since the IRA became law in August 2022 and established robust tax credit programs to incentivize domestic green energy production, according to the WSJ. Assuming that the factory construction and expected outputs announced by these China-based solar companies stay on schedule, they could reap a combined $1.4 billion worth of value from IRA subsidies each year.

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Unjustly Convicted J6 Defendant Stewart Parks Enjoys Last Minutes of Freedom Before Reporting to Prison

Kaitlin Housler
Stewart Parks

Stewart Parks, a local entrepreneur and former candidate to represent Tennessee’s 5th Congressional District, joined the newsmaker line on Tuesday’s edition of The Tennessee Star Report with Michael Patrick Leahy one hour before reporting to the Federal Correctional Institution in Memphis to serve an eight-month sentence for being present at the U.S. Capitol on January 6.

Parks was sentenced in November 2023 to three years imprisonment on misdemeanor trespassing, disorderly conduct, and theft charges by D.C. Circuit Court Judge Amit P. Mehta, who has presided over several trials related to the January 6 Capitol riots. Parks, however, will serve his sentence concurrently beginning on Tuesday, reducing his term to eight months behind bars.

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Tennessee State Lawmakers Introduce Bill to Make Blocking a Highway a Class D Felony Offense

Kaitlin Housler

Tennessee State Senator Brent Taylor (R-Memphis) and State Representative Jody Barrett (R-Dickson) recently filed legislation to make blocking a highway a Class D felony.

Under current law, it is classified as a Class A misdemeanor when a defendant “intentionally, knowingly, or recklessly” obstructs a public highway, street, sidewalk, railway, waterway, elevator, aisle, or hallway.

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Arizona Bill Aims to Crack Down on Drug Enforcement in Homeless Service Areas

The Center Square
Matthew Gress

As Arizona continues to face homelessness issues, Rep. Matt Gress, R-Phoenix, is hoping to crack down on drug-related crime in areas where homeless individuals typically congregate.

House Bill 2782 would make it illegal to “sell or transfer dangerous drugs or narcotic drugs” in a homeless service zone, and would increase the minimum and maximum sentence for drug dealing by one year if it takes place in one of those “drug-free” zones, as well as impose a minimum $2,000 fine for those convicted.

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Connecticut to Wipe Out $1 Billion in Medical Debt

The Center Square
Gov. Ned Lamont

Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont plans to cancel up to $1 billion in medical debt for hundreds of thousands of residents, making it the first state to take the step.

Lamont made the announcement Friday during an appearance on ABC News, saying the plans call for leveraging $6.5 million in American Rescue Plan Act funds the state has received to wipe out the medical debt held by about 250,000 residents who meet the basic income qualifications.

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Lawsuit: Minnesota Education Department ‘Engaged in Deceptive Practices’

The Center Square
School Lunch

 A lawsuit in the Ramsey County Second Judicial Court claims Minnesota Department of Education employees “deleted large amounts of data and intentionally engaged in deceptive practices.”

The education agency sued nonprofit Feeding Our Future over a scheme from May 2020 through January 2022 in which three entities – ThinkTechAct Foundation, Empire Cuisine & Market and Empire Enterprises – collaborated to steal $250 million of Federal Child Nutrition Program money meant to feed hungry children and instead spent it on luxury cars, homes, and more.

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Gov. Evers Promises Help for Chippewa Valley Health Care Workers, Wisconsin Congressman Wants More

The Center Square
Derrick Van Orden

Western Wisconsin’s congressman wants the governor to help with the planned hospital closures in the Chippewa Valley.

Republican Congressman Derrick Van Orden asked Gov. Tony Evers to use any state or federal resources that can be tapped to make sure the people who use HSHS’ hospitals or Prevea’s clinics in and around Eau Claire and Chippewa Falls are not left without medical care.

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Pennsylvania Energy Policies Exacerbating Reliability, Blackout Concerns

The Center Square
Gene Yaw

Pennsylvania’s energy future isn’t only a question of renewables versus fossil fuels — it’s a question of whether the state can reliably provide enough energy to meet growing demand.

One problem is that power plants retiring is happening quicker than new, cleaner ones get built. The shuttering has been driven by state and federal rules to mitigate pollution, but getting projects approved and built takes years and years.

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Commentary: The Marxism Behind the Open Border

Admin
Illegal Immigrants

America’s illegal immigration problem created by President Joe Biden’s administration embodies an ideology and achieves a very specific purpose — one that receives nearly no mention because to note it would reveal the game. Illegal immigration is a classic Marxist redistributionist plot. In this case, what’s being redistributed is America’s wealth to third-world nationals with no discernible skills and no intention of becoming “American.”

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, acting on behalf of the Biden administration, worked tightly with Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell to craft a terrible piece of legislation meant to jam not only House Republicans (McConnell’s favored enemy) but the people the House members represent.

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Florida Nonprofit Begins Quest for 1 Million Signatures, Getting Medicaid on 2026 Ballot

The Center Square
Medicaid Expansion

A nonprofit group is gathering signatures to put Medicaid expansion in Florida on the ballot in 2026.

“Our mission is to let voters decide whether Florida should expand Medicaid, bring billions of our tax dollars home, increase jobs, grow our economy, and provide access to care to over one million people,” said the group, Florida Decides Healthcare. “Together, we can make health care a reality for all Floridians.”

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Anti-Bullying Virginia Bill Aims to Enhance Protections for Specified Classes of Students

The Center Square
Sad Person

 Virginia’s House of Delegates Education Committee voted on several influential bills Monday morning, including one on student bullying, the implications of which may be unclear.

The legislation was created with the belief that naming groups of students often targeted most by bullying would force schools to proactively develop a plan for responding to specific bullying situations quickly and appropriately.

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Commentary: When the State Turns Against Parents

Admin
Montana Family

A 14-year-old Montana girl has been taken from her family by the state’s child protective services after deciding to identify as a boy and will soon be sent to Canada, according to the family.

The harrowing story of Todd and Krista Kolstad’s custody battle for their troubled teen—who is Todd’s biological daughter and Krista’s step-daughter—was recently told at length by news site Reduxx.

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Ohio AG Dave Yost Sees No Need to Expedite Voter Rights Lawsuit

The Center Square

Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost does not believe a lawsuit challenging how he ruled on a potential ballot issue that would expand voting rights deserves an expedited trial.

Yost’s recent filing related to the suit dealt only with the time element and not about any legal challenges after he rejected a proposed constitutional amendment for an Ohio Voters Bill of Rights.

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Biden State Department Funds Program to Create Army of 2,5000 ‘LGBTQI+ Allies’

Admin
Washington State University

President Joe Biden’s State Department paid a public university to train a cohort of “master trainers” in India who will then go on to train more than two thousand people to become “LGBTQI+ allies,” according to a government spending database.

Washington State University received (WSU) $15,000 from the State Department in July 2023 to hold a three-day workshop aimed at training 30 individuals with the goal of them eventually training 2,500 people to become “LGBTQI+ allies” and to develop a “better understanding of diversity and inclusion,” according to a federal spending database. The trainings took place in India between Sept. 25 and Sept. 27, according to the university website.

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Music Spotlight: Josh Abbott Band

Bethany Bowman
Josh Abbott Band

One of the bands I have been wanting to feature for a while is the Josh Abbott Band. With multiple hit songs having multi-million streams, they are hugely popular in their home state of Texas and across the globe. You may be familiar with the perennial favorites, “Settle Me Down” and “She’s Like Texas.”

They have also teamed up with megastars like Kacey Musgraves in “Oh Tonight,” Carly Pearce in “Wasn’t That Drunk” and Pat Green in “My Texas” to bring their music to an even wider audience.

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Commentary: The Right Needs to Use Public Policies That Promote Family Values

Admin
Family of Four

It is a tale as old as time. Older generations criticize the young, usually following a particular formula. The seniors say that the young are wimpier, lazier, less ambitious, overly entitled, and have weaker characters. Examples are now easier to come by because of social media, which allows one to encounter different types of people without having to enter their social circles.

While there are many issues of concern among the young, last week a TikTok rant by a young lady about the difficulty of working and paying her bills went viral. She seemed sad and overwhelmed. Her income apparently could barely cover the rent. Of course, she probably needed a smaller place and a roommate, but her complaints are universal, even among those who are more frugal.

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