Day: March 13, 2024

Bureau of Prisons Tells Rep. Andy Ogles It Refuses to Transfer Unjustly Imprisoned J6 Defendant Stewart Parks to Minimum Security Satellite Camp

Tom Pappert
Stewart Parks FBI

A Federal Bureau of Prison (BOP) official on Wednesday formally refused the written request by Representative Andy Ogles (R-TN-05) to move unjustly imprisoned January 6 defendant Stewart Parks to the minimum security satellite camp located at the Federal Correctional Institution (FCI) in Memphis.

Despite Parks being a nonviolent, first-time offender convicted after he merely entered the U.S. Capitol on January 6, the letter by BOP Legislative Affairs Chief David Mapp claims the medium security prison is an “appropriate facility” for the Tennessee entrepreneur and former congressional candidate.

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Nashville, Memphis, and Chattanooga Will Receive Federal Funds Through Bloomberg’s American Sustainable Cities Initiative to Lobby for Billions from Biden’s Federal Slush Fund

Matthew Giffin
Mike Bloomberg

Bloomberg Philanthropies announced on Tuesday that three Tennessee cities will take part in an initiative that would use federal funds provided by the Biden administration.

Nashville, Memphis, and Chattanooga were selected for the organization’s American Sustainable Cities Initiative, which stated its focus would be on creating economic equity and green energy jobs, according to a Tuesday news release from Bloomberg Philanthropies. Mike Bloomberg, the former Democratic New York Mayor, founded Bloomberg Philanthropies.

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West Point Ditches ‘Duty, Honor, Country’ from Mission Statement

Admin

The United States Military Academy has removed the words “Duty, Honor, Country” from its mission statement, a move approved by Secretary of the Army Christine Wormuth and Army Chief of Staff Randy George.

The previous mission statement read “To educate, train and inspire the Corps of Cadets so that each graduate is a commissioned leader of character committed to the values of Duty, Honor, Country and prepared for a career of professional excellence and service to the nation as an officer in the United States Army.”

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State Senator Mark Pody Explains Why He Believes Not Many Illegal Alien Families Will Take Advantage of the School Vouchers Program

Kaitlin Housler
Class Work

Tennessee State Senator Mark Pody (R-Lebanon) confirmed that Governor Bill Lee’s universal school choice voucher program would be forced by a Supreme Court ruling to distribute scholarships to illegal alien students. However, he said he believes that not many will take advantage of the program because its application requires parents to provide their children’s social security numbers.

“Everybody has to fill out the form, including a social security number and so forth. If you don’t have a social security number, then anybody that doesn’t have one, we want to make sure that those authorities are aware that these students don’t have a social security number,” Pody said on Monday’s episode of The Michael Patrick Leahy Show.

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England Bans the Use of Puberty Blockers at Nation’s Gender Identity Clinics

Admin
Doctor Patient

England’s National Health Service (NHS) has banned the use of puberty blockers to treat children with gender dysphoria at the nation’s gender identity clinics, Sky News reported.

Taking a position at odds with the Biden administration, Health Minister Maria Caulfield said: “We have always been clear that children’s safety and wellbeing is paramount, so we welcome this landmark decision by the NHS. Ending the routine prescription of puberty blockers will help ensure that care is based on evidence, expert clinical opinion and is in the best interests of the child.”

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Report: Biden Staffers Allege Toxic Work Environment in Advance Office

Admin
Biden Cabinet Meeting

A new report claims that dozens of staffers in the Biden Administration have experienced an unhealthy and toxic work environment in the president’s Advance Office.

According to the Washington Free Beacon, the article from Politico featured over a dozen individuals who spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe what they have gone through. The focus is on former Associate Director Ian Mellul, who resigned on March 1st after the White House Counsel’s Office carried out an investigation into allegations of verbal harassment.

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RFK Jr. Considering Aaron Rodgers, Jesse Ventura for VP

Just the News
Ventura Rodgers VP

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has confirmed he is considering New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers and former Minnesota Gov. Jesse Ventura to serve as a running mate for his independent presidential bid.

Kennedy told the New York Times he is considering both to round out the ticket. Rodgers has previously expressed support for Kennedy, but has another year on his contract with the Jets, according to the New York Post.

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U.S. House Passes Bill to Require Tennessee Valley Authority Disclose Salaries for Top Executives

Tom Pappert

The U.S. House of Representatives on recently legislation filed by Representatives Steve Cohen (D-TN-09) and Tim Burchett (R-TN-02) that would require the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) to publish the salaries of its top executives, Cohen announced in a Monday press release.

Titled the TVA Salary Transparency Act, text of the two-page bill reveals new requirements would be posed for the TVA to provide annually “a report of the total number of employees at the management level or above, to include all executives and board members, that shall include the names, salaries, and duties” of employees “that are receiving compensation” higher than that allotted to the highest paid government employees.

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Court Upholds Rule Barring Gender Identity on Kansas Drivers Licenses

Admin
Kansas City road

A judge ruled Monday that barring Kansas drivers from identifying as transgender on their licenses did not violate their constitutional rights.

Republican Attorney General Kris Kobach filed a lawsuit against Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly in July 2023 after the governor’s office said that the state would continue to issue driver’s licenses reflecting a person’s gender identity despite the Kansas Legislature passing a bill requiring only biological sex on government IDs, according to the Kansas Reflector. Judge Teresa Watson upheld her previous ruling from last year barring the Kansas Department of Revenue from adding options other than a person’s biological sex to driver’s licenses and further stated that the law did not violate transgender individuals’ rights under the state constitution, according to court documents.

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Poll: Majority of Democrats Oppose Certifying Trump Victory in 2024

Admin
Trump Speaking

A new survey suggests that a clear majority of Democratic voters would be in favor of blocking the certification of the electoral vote in 2024 if President Donald Trump wins the election again.

As Breitbart reports, the new poll from Rasmussen Reports asked likely voters the following question: “Some Democrats in Congress have said that if Trump wins this year’s election, they will vote against certifying the election results because of Trump’s role in the January 6, 2021, Capitol riots. Do you support or oppose Democrats refusing to certify the election results if Trump wins?”

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MNPD Arrests Alleged Kidnapper After He Dropped His Wallet in Gas Station Parking Lot

Peter D'Abrosca

The Metro Nashville Police Department (MNPD) Tuesday announced the arrest of man with a lengthy criminal history after he left his wallet at the scene of an alleged kidnapping. 

According to an MNPD press release, convicted felon Jaymes Greer, 24, was arrested by local authorities for the kidnapping and assault of a female acquaintance after an attentive gas station employee witnessed the alleged crimes, and found that Greer had dropped his wallet in the parking lot. 

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Watchdog: Biden’s 2025 Budget Would Drive National Debt to $45 Trillion in 10 Years, 106 Percent of GDP

Just the News

The Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget (CRFB) a budget watchdog group, found that President Joe Biden’s fiscal year 2025 budget would drive the national debt to $45.1 trillion or 106 percent of the U.S. Gross Domestic Product (GDP) by 2034, from $27.4 trillion or about 97 percent of GDP at the present time.

The organization noted that those calculations are based on the Biden administration’s own internal figures. The current $27.4 trillion debt figure is the debt held by the public, not the total national debt including intragovernmental holdings.

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Knoxville to Consider Resolution Demanding Biden Admin End Support for Israel, Seek Ceasefire in Gaza

Tom Pappert
Amelia Parker

The City of Knoxville will consider on March 19 a resolution that would call for Tennessee’s U.S. Congressional delegation to join the city in demanding the Biden administration cease providing military support to Israel until the country agrees to a ceasefire with Hamas terrorists in Gaza.

Filed by Knoxville City Council At-Large Seat C Representative Amelia Parker, the resolution urges the United States act to force Israel to comply with an International Court of Justice (IJC) ruling that raised concerns about Israel’s practices in its defensive war against Hamas.

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South Carolina Lawmakers Start Debate on $40 Billion State Budget

The Center Square
South Carolina Capitol

South Carolina lawmakers are debating a roughly $40 billion fiscal 2024-25 state budget that anticipates more than $12 billion in state general funds and billions more in federal money.

Last month, the South Carolina Board of Economic Advisors voted to keep the fiscal 2023-24 revenue forecast estimate at nearly $12.9 billion and the fiscal 2024-25 revenue forecast estimate at more than $13.2 billion.

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Records Showing Nathan Wade Paid with Fulton County Confiscated Property Fund Are ‘Data Entry Error,’ Officials Claim

Tom Pappert
Nathan Wade Money

Fulton County officials on Monday claimed records that reportedly show special prosecutor Nathan Wade was paid using funds from confiscated property are a “clerical error” on behalf of the county government.

Multiple Fulton County spokesmen, including a member of Willis’ office, offered explanations to Newsweek when the publication asked about records it obtained that showed Wade was paid using the county’s confiscated property funds.

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Chilean Nationals Allegedly Behind String of Arizona Burglaries Came to America Using Tourist Visa Waiver

Tom Pappert
Scottsdale Police Department

Three Chilean nationals arrested by the Scottsdale Police Department (SPD) over a string of burglaries in Arizona and California were originally allowed to enter the United States as tourists.

Scottsdale Police Chief Jeff Walther confirmed in a Tuesday press conference that three Chileans the department arrested Sunday entered the country using the U.S. State Department’s visa waiver program, which allows citizens of other countries to remain in the United States for 90 days if the purpose for their travel is business or tourism.

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Republicans Introduce Bill to Ban Sanctuary Cities in Minnesota

Admin
Rasmusson Minnesota

Over two dozen Republicans in the Minnesota Legislature are supporting legislation that would prohibit Minnesota cities from becoming so-called “sanctuary cities.” Known as SF 4328, the proposed law would also increase penalties for human trafficking and fine employers who knowingly hire illegal immigrants.

SF 4328 is authored by Minnesota Sen. Jordan Rasmusson, R-Fergus Falls.

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Florida Parental Rights Law Upheld in Court

Admin
Ron DeSantis

On Monday, the state of Florida finally settled a lawsuit that had lasted for several years regarding the fate of a parental rights law that had come to be derogatorily known as the “Don’t Say Gay” law.

According to The Hill, the settlement agreement determined that the law, the 2022 Parental Rights in Education Act, will be kept in place but will tone down certain portions that were determined to be too close to violations of the First Amendment right to freedom of speech.

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Gov. Youngkin Calls Virginia Budget ‘Completely Backward,’ Hints at Showdown with Democrats in General Assembly

Tom Pappert
Glenn Youngkin

Governor Glenn Youngkin twice referred to the budget proposed by the Virginia General Assembly as “backward” in remarks made Monday, setting the stage for a showdown with Democratic lawmakers in April.

Youngkin first said the commonwealth’s lawmakers created a “backward budget” in a post to X, the platform formerly known as Twitter.

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Commentary: Trump Says No More ‘Free Milk’ for NATO Free Loaders

RealClearWire
Trump NATO

The mainstream media and political establishment are outraged over Donald Trump’s latest comments about NATO. Instead of all the dramatic pearl-clutching, they should be embracing his position.

Trump recently issued a stern warning to America’s NATO allies, specifically those who are still failing to uphold their commitment to spending at least 2 percent of GDP on defense. Recounting a conversation he had with the leader of a delinquent NATO member who sought reassurance that America would defend their country from Russian attack, Trump declared that he would let Russia do “whatever the hell they want” to NATO countries that refuse to make minimum expenditures toward their own defense.

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Commentary: Colleges Embrace ‘Deficit Framing’ to Justify Students’ Unpreparedness

Admin
College students in the library

It is an open secret among college professors and university administrators that college students aren’t what they used to be.

They struggle with lengthy reading assignments and basic vocabulary. They don’t know rudimentary algebra. They can’t add or subtract fractions. They complain that deadlines, hard exams, and required attendance are impediments to their success.

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Music Spotlight: Darci Lynne

Bethany Bowman
Darci Lynne

It’s hard to believe that I interviewed 13-year-old Darci Lynne six years ago. In 2018, she was the reigning winner of season 12 of America’s Got Talent proving her skills as an exceptional ventriloquist, puppeteer, and entertainer. Lynne was in town to perform at the Ryman and the Opry.

I remember thinking, “If she can sing that well with her mouth closed, how great she would be singing with her mouth open.”  The answer is, “Very well.”

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FBI Director: Smuggling Organizations Connected to ISIS Coming Through U.S. Border

The Center Square
FBI Director Christopher Wray

FBI Director Christopher Wray on Monday confirmed that a smuggling organization working with the terrorist organization ISIS is funneling criminals through the U.S. border. He also said the FBI is currently investigating its operations that ‘we’re very concerned about.’

In a U.S. Senate Select Committee on Intelligence hearing held on Monday on worldwide threats to the United States, U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Florida, asked Wray about threats coming through the U.S. border.

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‘Clearheaded Most of the Time’: Corporate Media Defends Biden’s Lucidity as Interview Transcript Reveals Memory Lapses

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Joe Biden and Jill Biden

Corporate media on Tuesday defended President Joe Biden’s lucidity after a transcript of his interview with special counsel Robert Hur was released, showing memory lapses.

Hur issued his report in February on Biden’s handling of classified documents, deciding not to pursue charges against the president and noting several memory lapses. The transcript released on Tuesday backed up the existence of these lapses, but several corporate media outlets attempted to make them seem less significant, reporting on the vast detail Biden went into on certain topics.

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