Former President Donald Trump claimed vindication Monday after new evidence released by Congress undercut two sensational claims Democrats made about him during the Jan. 6 investigation, including that he tried to commandeer his Secret Service vehicle that day to go to the Capitol and never offered National Guard troops for extra protection ahead of the fateful event.
Read the full storyDay: March 11, 2024
State Senator Mark Pody ‘Much Happier’ with Senate Version of Governor’s School Choice Bill Compared to House Version
Tennessee State Senator Mark Pody (R-Lebanon) said he is “much happier” with the Senate’s version of Governor Bill Lee’s universal school choice bill compared to the House’s version, which includes additional incentives not particularly related to school choice.
Read the full storyCongo Tops National Origin List for Refugees Resettled in Tennessee this Year
According to a summary of refugee arrivals for the first portion of fiscal year 2024, the Democratic Republic of Congo tops the list of refugees resettled in Tennessee in terms of national origin.
The report says that the total number of Congolese refugees resettled in the Volunteer State from October 1 through February 29 is 264.
Read the full storyMask Mandate Ban Signed into Law
When President Joe Biden signed a package of bills over the weekend to avoid a government shutdown, he also made law Sen. J.D. Vance’s legislation to stop federal mask mandates from the Department of Transportation.
The law stops the Transportation Department from using federal funds to enforce mask mandates on passenger airlines, commuter rail, rapid transit buses and any other transportation program funded through fiscal year 2024.
Read the full storyFormer Trump Aide Peter Navarro Ordered to Report to Prison Next Week
Former Trump White House aide Peter Navarro was ordered to report to prison on March 19 to start his four-month sentence after he was convicted on two counts of congressional contempt.
Navarro’s conviction came after he defied a subpoena from the now-dissolved House select committee that investigated the Jan. 6, 2021, U.S. Capitol riot.
Read the full storyTitans Seat License Bill Would Cap Increase at 20 Percent for 10-Year License Holders
A bill intending to cap increases on the cost of personal seat licenses at the new Nissan Stadium in Nashville would now put a 20% cap on those price increases for 10-year seat license holders at the Tennessee Titans’ current stadium.
The bill initially was written to block any increase in those prices but Rep. Larry Miller, D-Memphis, said he was planning to amend the bill to be more reasonable to the Titans.
Read the full storyHouse Republicans Demand Answers Over 320,000 Illegal Immigrants Flown Into the U.S.
House Republicans are demanding answers from the Biden administration after newly surfaced documents show that about 320,000 illegal immigrants from Latin America were flown into cities across the United States amid already record-high numbers of migrant encounters at the southern Border.
Read the full storyTowing Company Behind Racism Lawsuit Against Memphis Now Accused of Racketeering
A towing company that sued the City of Memphis last year over racism allegations is now a defendant in a lawsuit which asserts it is engaged in a racketeering scheme to squeeze owners 18-wheelers with excessive, duplicative and illegal fees for parking. The plaintiffs also claim the company engages in illegal towing, booting or impounding of vehicles.
The lawsuit claims the owner of A1’s Towing and Hauling of Memphis, Colton Ahmad Cathey, is the co-creator of an illegal network of towing and booting companies that lure unsuspecting drivers to their lots then charge excessive fees to remediate illegal booting and towing of their vehicles.
Read the full storyTeam Biden Rolls Out Massive $30 Million Ad Campaign to Capture Crucial Voting Blocs
President Joe Biden’s campaign is rolling out a new $30 million six-week ad buy in several swing states in a bid to capture crucial voting blocs ahead of November.
The ad campaign will air in Michigan, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Arizona, Georgia, Nevada and North Carolina, according to Politico, and aims to tout several Biden initiatives on “climate change” and abortion, as well as address concerns surrounding the president’s mental fitness. The ad campaign parallels a wider administration effort to gain support among African Americans and young people as the president continues to lag behind former President Donald Trump in the polls.
Read the full storyTwo More Texas Counties Declare Invasion, Bringing Total to 55
Two more Texas counties declared an invasion at the southern border, bringing the total to 55.
Denton and Williamson counties declared an invasion on March 5, passing short, one-page resolutions.
Read the full storyGovernment Report Could Lead to an Infestation of Federal Regulation into Youth Sports, Experts Say
A key report recently released by a federal government commission could result in a slew of new regulations being pushed onto youth sports, experts told the Daily Caller News Foundation.
The Commission on the State of U.S. Olympics & Paralympics, which was established by Congress in 2020 to address concerns about the U.S. Olympic Commission, including the handling of sexual abuse cases, outlines several key policy changes that it believes the government should pursue, including expanding the reach of government in youth sports at the grassroots level, according to the report. The injection of federal oversight and government into an already functioning youth sports system could create undue regulations on leagues and possibly force diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives in local areas, hurting young athletes while also forcing Americans to pay into a sports league that they may not be interested in, experts warned.
Read the full storyState Court Postpones Trial of Police Officers Charged with Killing Tyre Nichols Until Federal Trial Concludes: Report
A Memphis judge on Friday postponed the state court trial of four former Memphis police officers charged in the killing of Tyre Nichols until a federal trial against them concludes, the Associated Press reported.
The delay comes after the former officers’ attorneys requested the judge postpone the state trial so as not to “hinder the officers’ rights to defend themselves in both cases,” the outlet continued. The federal trial is set for September 9, 2024.
Read the full storyMoon May Be Next Frontier in U.S. Competition with Russia, China for Nuclear Superiority
The battle for global dominance pitting the U.S. against China and Russia may soon become otherworldly – after the United States’ two largest rivals announced plans to collaborate on building a nuclear power plant on the moon.
Though such a plan might seen farfetched, it’s certainly not new.
Read the full storyTennessee Unemployment Rate Rises in 93 of 95 Counties
Ninety-three of the 95 counties in Tennessee had unemployment rates rise in January.
The state Department of Labor and Workforce Development said the increase comes due to the end of some holiday employment.
Read the full storyCommentary: Unemployment Up Another 760,000 Since December 2022 as Unemployment Rate Jumps to 3.9 Percent
Don’t look now, but U.S. labor markets appear to be churning in the wrong direction, as the unemployment rate jumped to 3.9 percent in February, and the unemployment level hit a new high for this cycle at almost 6.5 million, up 760,000 from its low this cycle of 5.7 million in Dec. 2022, according to the latest data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Read the full storyFormer Georgia Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan Reportedly Considered for No Labels Presidential Run
A news report broke Friday claiming former Georgia Lt. Governor Geoff Duncan is under consideration by the No Labels party to be its presidential candidate in November.
Duncan is the current top pick by No Labels to lead a “unity” presidential ticket, according to the Wall Street Journal.
Read the full storyJust the News’ John Solomon: Republicans are ‘Playing the Long Game’ on Biden Crime Family Probe
John Solomon, editor-in-chief of Just the News, explained how Republicans in Congress are “playing the long game” when it comes to bringing accountability for the acts of the “Biden crime family.”
Read the full storyYoungkin Signs 64 Bills, Vetoes Eight as Path for Potomac Yards Arena Approval Narrows
Governor Glenn Youngkin on Friday acted on more than 80 bills approved by the Virginia General Assembly. In total, the governor signed 64 new bills into law, amended 12 and vetoed eight.
Youngkin called the 64 bills he signed into law “bipartisan” and “a clear demonstration of what can be achieved when we set politics aside and work together for Virginians” in a statement.
Read the full storyLeader of Human Smuggling Organization that Held Illegal Immigrants in Phoenix Sentenced to Four Years Prison
The Department of Justice (DOJ) announced on Friday the sentencing of a Phoenix man who led a human smuggling ring which moved illegal immigrants from Central America and held them in Arizona before driving them to destinations across the United States.
Tony Cardenas, a 36-year-old man from Phoenix, was sentenced to four years in prison and three years of supervised release earlier this month for his role as “the leader of a Phoenix-based human-smuggling operation” involving a total of at least 19 criminals, the DOJ announced. Cardenas is of no known relation to U.S. Representative Tony Cardenas (D-CA-29).
Read the full storyMaricopa Community Colleges District Library Provides Critical Race Theory Resources for Students
The Maricopa Community Colleges District (MCCCD) library houses an online collection of Critical Race Theory articles, videos, and guiding questions about white privilege, social justice, and racism that are made available for community college students.
The materials are not labeled as Critical Race Theory (CRT) curriculum but as “Cultural Diversity Resources.” In a statement on the Arizona Department of Education’s website explaining Critical Race Theory, Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne said, “Critical Race Theory is real, no matter what it’s called.”
Read the full storyFormer Arizona Department of Public Safety Director Frank Milstead Enters Race for Maricopa County Sheriff
The Republican primary for Maricopa County Sheriff just became a lot more interesting, with a second heavy-hitter entering the race, former Arizona Department of Public Safety (DPS) Director Frank Milstead. Jerry Sheridan, who served as chief deputy under former Sheriff Joe Arpaio, is already in the race, along with several lesser known candidates. Current Democratic Sheriff Paul Penzone is not running for reelection.
Milstead told The Arizona Sun Times that the reason he is running is because as a police officer, he saw how bad the crime is in Maricopa County and felt he needed to do something about it. “I live by the rule that if I’m going to complain about something, I’d better step up and do something about it,” he said.
Read the full storyPompeo Blames Biden ‘Appeasement’ for Iran’s Expanding Aggression in Speech to Tehran Opposition
Rising levels of global violence are helping to highlight the rogue and destabilizing role that Iran plays on the world stage, supporters of the main Iranian opposition movement declared Saturday.
Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, retired Generals Wesley Clark and Jim Jones, and Robert Joseph, under-secretary of state for arms control and international security, spoke Saturday at a Washington hotel at an event hosted by the Organization of Iranian American Communities.
Read the full storyTaxpayers to Pay $3 Million for Mayorkas Impeachment Defense
The Department of Homeland Security so far has spent $3 million of taxpayer money to defend embattled Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas against impeachment by the House of Representatives, according to documents obtained by The Heritage Foundation’s Oversight Project.
The DHS contract with a law firm was to cover the cost of a failed attempt to stave off a House impeachment, as well as to defend President Joe Biden’s homeland security secretary in a possible Senate trial.
Read the full storyAnother Elite University Will Reinstate Standardized Testing for Admission
Brown University will reinstate a policy requiring standardized testing as part of the admissions process, according to a Tuesday news release.
First year applicants for next year’s admissions cycle will be required to submit standardized test scores, like the SAT or ACT, in their applications, according to the university news release. Brown suspended its testing policy in the summer of 2020 citing “unprecedented obstacles to testing” during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Read the full storyReport: Post-Pandemic Remote, Hybrid Work Will Impact Businesses near Offices
Remote and hybrid workers will impact more than office vacancy rates, according to an analysis by the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City.
The report, “Hybrid Work May Pose Challenge To Bars and Restaurants in Parts of the Tenth Federal Reserve District,” stated hybrid work arrangements and a preference for remote work are here to stay. It quoted research suggesting approximately 30% of working days in 2023 took place at home and office occupancy is down at least 40% compared to pre-pandemic levels.
Read the full storyJudge Allows Biden Admin Program That Lets in 30,000 Asylum-Seekers a Month
A federal judge on Friday dismissed a challenge from 21 states against a Biden administration program that allows 30,000 asylum-seekers into the U.S. from four countries each month.
U.S. District Judge Drew B. Tipton ruled that Texas and 20 other Republican-led states didn’t have legal standing in the lawsuit because they didn’t demonstrate suffered financial harm from the federal program, the Associated Press reported. The program lets a total of up to 30,000 asylum-seekers enter the U.S. each month from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela.
Read the full storyCommentary: Traditionalist Books for Your Kids You’ve Never Heard Of
Your kids are (finally!) reading on their own . . . Now what?
Well, now is when we parents face the often-herculean task of trying to verify which books are safe and fit for our kids to read—not to mention supportive of traditional values!
Read the full story