Judge Who Temporarily Released Alleged Cyberstalker Failed to Ask for Victim Statements

McKenzie McClure

Federal District Court Judge Alistair Newbern ordered the temporary release of transgender alleged cyberstalker McKenzie McClure on Monday but did not hear victim statements beforehand.

Newbern ordered McClure, who is charged with cyberstalking, to be released the same day to voluntary mental health in-patient treatment in Sevierville, Tennessee, rather than keep her in federal custody. Before Monday, McClure was held in solitary confinement.

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Psychologist Who Treated Covenant School Killer Audrey Hale Referred Patient to Vanderbilt After Violent Fantasies, Retired MNPD Officer Claims

Audrey Hale

A retired Metro Nashville Police Department (MNPD) officer told The Michael Patrick Leahy Show on Tuesday that the psychologist who treated Covenant School killer Audrey Elizabeth Hale referred her patient to Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) for treatment and involuntary commitment after Hale expressed violent fantasies.

Retired MNPD Lieutenant Garet Davidson, who recently filed a 61-page complaint against the department and claimed the FBI told MNPD not to release documents from the Covenant investigation, revealed the information to The Tennessee Star editor-in-chief Michael Patrick Leahy.

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Second Ethics Complaint Filed Against NY Judge Merchan as Concerns Increase over His Handling of Trump ‘Hush Money’ Case

Donald Trump

The unanimous jury verdict last week against former President Donald Trump in the “hush money” case involving porn star Stormy Daniels is prompting concerns about unethical behavior by New York Judge Juan Merchan. Representative Elise Stefanik (R-NY-24) filed a misconduct complaint against Merchan last week, alleging that he violated ethics rules by presiding over the case since his progressive activist daughter made money from the case.

The complaint Stefanik filed with the New York State Commission on Judicial Conduct (NYSCJC) stated that under Section 100.3(E)(1)(d)(iii) of the Rules of Judicial Conduct for the New York State Unified Court System, “a judge is disqualified from a case when the judge knows that a person known by the judge to be within the sixth degree of relationship to him ‘has an interest that could be substantially affected by the proceeding.’”

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RNC Prepares for Trump to Accept Nomination from Prison

Washington Examiner Republican National Committee Co-Chairman Michael Whatley said the RNC is prepared for the possibility Donald Trump may deliver his convention remarks from prison, noting the former president’s June 11 sentencing will come just days before the convention.  Trump is expected to accept the Republican Party’s nomination for the presidency at the Milwaukee convention, which will take place from July 15 to July 18. During an interview Tuesday, Newsmax host Rob Finnerty pressed Whatley on whether the RNC had contingency plans for Trump’s acceptance speech in the event Trump is sentenced to jail time. Following his guilty verdict last week, Judge Juan Merchan has scheduled sentencing for July 11, four days before the convention. READ THE FULL STORY                   

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Google Collected Children’s Voices, License Plate Numbers and Car Pool Routes, Privacy Breach Leak Reveals: Report

New York Post A trove of leaked internal documents shows that Google collected children’s voice data, and recorded license plate numbers and car pool routes including home addresses, according to a report. The privacy breaches included thousands of alarming incidents that were flagged by Google employees between 2013 and 2018, 404 Media reported Monday — and comes on the heels of the last week’s massive leak of some 2,500 internal documents related to its search engine’s mysterious algorithm. Incidents reportedly included logging audio from roughly 1,000 children who used the speech command function to access the YouTube Kids app. READ THE FULL STORY                     

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Thieves Hit Idaho Bar That Declared June ‘Heterosexual Awesomeness Month,’ Owners Say

Idaho News An Idaho bar said it was the victim of theft and other backlash after announcing drink specials commemorating its heterosexual patrons during Pride Month. Old State Saloon in Eagle, Idaho wrote via Facebook last week it would recognize June as “heterosexual awesomeness month.” The festivities would award free beer to “any heterosexual male dressed like a heterosexual male.” June will be OSS’s inaugural Heterosexual Awesomeness Month!” the bar wrote. “Come join us all month to celebrate heterosexuals, for without them, none of us would be here!” READ THE FULL STORY             

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Reporter Matt Giffin Recounts Being the Sole Reporter at Federal Hearing in Case of Transgender Alleged Cyberstalker McKenzie McClure

Matthew Giffin

Matt Giffin, reporter at The Tennessee Star, said he was the sole reporter that attended the federal hearing on Monday in the case of transgender alleged cyberstalker McKenzie McClure, who was ordered by the federal district court judge to be temporarily released to a residential mental health facility rather than stay in federal custody.

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Retired MNPD Lt. Garet Davidson Claims FBI Told Nashville Police Not to Release Documents from Covenant School Killer Audrey Elizabeth Hale Investigation, Pointed to Precedent for Document Destruction

A retired Metro Nashville Police Department (MNPD) lieutenant told The Michael Patrick Leahy Show on Tuesday that the FBI sent a memo to Police Chief John Drake in May of 2023, two months after Audrey Elizabeth Hale killed three students and three staff members at the Covenant School, instructing the department not to release certain materials from the Covenant School shooting investigation and instead pointed out to the MNPD the precedent for destroying such documents.

The information was divulged to Michael Patrick Leahy, the editor-in-chief of The Tennessee Star, by recently retired MNPD Lieutenant Garet Davidson, who filed the recent 61-page complaint against the department and made other claims about the status of the investigation of Covenant School shooter Audrey Elizabeth Hale to 99.7 WTN radio host Brian Wilson.

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House GOP Vows Consequences for Government Weaponization with Budget Cuts, Criminal Referrals

Rep Jim Jordan

After 17 months of relentless investigation, House Republicans are moving to impose consequences on federal bureaucrats they believe weaponized government for political purposes. The first round will come in the form of budget cuts and criminal referrals, key lawmakers tell Just the News.

House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan unleashed the first major strike of this new phase, submitting on Monday a sweeping roadmap to defund agencies and prosecutors who pursued conservatives, including former President Donald Trump.

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Tennessee AG Skrmetti Leads Coalition in Demanding the American Bar Association Stop Requiring Law Schools to Engage in Illegal Racial Discrimination

Tennessee A.G. Jonathan Skrmetti

Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti led a coalition of 20 other state attorneys general in sending a letter to the Council of the American Bar Association (ABA) on Monday demanding that it make changes to its accreditation process to comply with the Supreme Court’s ruling on affirmative in the case Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard.

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Judge Sets August Trial Date for Embattled Shelby County Clerk Wanda Halbert, Denies Motion to Dismiss

Shelby County Clerk Wanda Halbert

A trial date was set on Friday for the trial to determine whether Shelby County Clerk Wanda Halbert should be removed from her position due to an alleged willful neglect for her official duties.

Tennessee 30th Circuit Judge Felicia Corbin-Johnson set Halbert’s trial date for August 26. Halbert will additionally appear in court on June 25, according to The Commercial Appeal, which reported that Corbin-Johnson will determine whether the clerk should be suspended from the job for the duration of the trial on that date.

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Math Professor Fired After Criticizing Slavery Reparations Continues Legal Battle Pennsylvania College

Saint Joseph's University campus

A math professor’s two-year-old lawsuit against Saint Joseph’s University, filed in the wake of controversy over his social media posts criticizing slavery reparations and other comments, continues to wind its way through the court system.

Gregory Manco sued the institution he taught at for nearly two decades, as well as coached baseball for, alleging some administrators conspired with a few left-leaning alumni to effectively “cancel” him over tweets that ran afoul of progressive dogma.

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Tennessee ‘Furries’ Will Have Float in Nashville Pride Parade

People dressed up in furry suits

A group of Tennessee furries will have a float in Nashville’s 2024 gay pride parade. 

“Wowie! We’re so proud to be doing this again! If you guys remember from last year, we made international news and were seen by Jill Biden, First Lady of the United States! Pretty dang cool, huh?” said a group called MurfreesFurs on its website. “Well, now EVERY FURRY GROUP IN TENNESSEE is joining us! We are sponsoring and paying for everyone to get involved with us in unity, and we can’t wait to see the fandom united under a beautiful cause! Each furry group is going to get together in decorating and building the float with their own designs, and then we march or ride in the parade!”

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Eyes on Panama as Incoming President Promises Illegal Immigration Crackdown in Move Helping U.S.

Panama's president-elect, José Raúl Mulino

Panama’s president-elect, José Raúl Mulino, pledged to crack down on illegal immigration by closing the infamous “Darien Gap” migrant passageway to South America, in a move that is expected to benefit the U.S.

Mulino, who is set to be inaugurated as president and prime minister of Panama on July 1, previously served in high-ranking governmental positions, including as the Minister of Public Security and the Minister of Government and Justice.

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Reports: California Exodus Continues, Southeastern States as Primary Destinations

Austin, Texas

As the California exodus continues, a new migration trend is occurring, with southeastern and Appalachian states taking the top spots as inbound migration destinations, according to new reports.

According to a new Consumer Affairs 2024 Migration Trends report, “California’s mass exodus continues to ensue,” with the South and Southeast region of the country being the “hottest regions for people moving.”

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Nashville Market Closed by Court Order Due to Rampant Crime

Star Market Padlocked over Crime Concerns

The Metro Nashville Police Department (MNPD) announced Monday morging that it shuttered a market in North Nashville due to excessive violence. 

“MNPD officers & detectives now are raiding & padlocking Star Market, 1613 Buchanan St, after a prolonged disruption of quality of life in this area (drug deals, gunshots, fighting, drunkenness). This is a court ordered action under TN’s public nuisance law,” MNPD said on its X account. 

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One Pro-Palestine Protester Arrested at New Anti-Israel Encampment at University of Pittsburgh

University of Pittsburgh protesters

One pro-Palestine protestor was arrested on Sunday night after a new anti-Israel encampment was constructed at the University of Pittsburgh earlier that day.

The Office of Safety and Emergency Management at Pitt has confirmed on Sunday evening that the Cathedral of Learning remained “closed until further notice” on Monday due to “a protest in the vicinity” of the building.

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Commentary: A Spark In the Minds of the People

Thomas Jefferson and John Adams

What really happened in New York this past week in the prosecution of Donald Trump?  The breathless paid script readers of the controlled “press” wanted to gloat and heap disdain on the former President. Their glee was only matched by the vapid analysis of how the verdict might impact the election this year. And a few of the quislings of the Republican In Name Only (RINO) persuasion began to daydream about a return to the Republican Party that played the role of shill to the state, supporting ever more wars of imperial design and furthering the “project” of globalization.

But of course all of these things are mere momentary delusions.  In the scheme of things, the Soviet show trail in New York will have little impact on any of these things. It will, however, leave a lasting mark.

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Biden DOJ Claims Arizona Powerless to Stop 1 Million Acre Grand Canyon Monument

The Biden administration’s Department of Justice (DOJ) claimed in a legal filing the Arizona State Legislature is powerless to prevent the designation of nearly 1 million acres around the Grand Canyon as a national monument.

Federal prosecutor Michael Sawyer claimed to U.S. District Court Judge Stephen McNamee that a lawsuit launched by Arizona lawmakers, led by Senate President Warren Petersen (R-Gilbert), does not have standing because only the U.S. Congress could override President Joe Biden’s decision to create the monument, according to a report by Capitol Media Services.

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Commentary: The Consequences of Delaying Offshore Oil and Gas Lease Sales

Offshore oil rig

Offshore drilling has been a cornerstone of global energy production since the 1800s, fueling the American way of life and powering the global economy. From the early days of “on-water-drilling” to the advancement of the fixed platform units of today, offshore drilling has consistently contributed around 30 percent of global oil production. In the U.S., supply on federal offshore lands in the Gulf of Mexico alone accounts for approximately 15 percent of total crude oil production.

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Dozens of Energy Orgs Ask Congress to Kill Bill They Say Would ‘Inevitably’ Lead to Carbon Taxes

Utah Rep. John Curtis

Dozens of energy policy and advocacy groups signed a Monday letter to Congress to express their opposition to a bill they say could be the first step toward carbon taxes or tariffs.

The letter urges House lawmakers to vote against the PROVE IT Act, a bill that has not yet been introduced in the lower chamber but is expected to be soon. The PROVE IT Act — which has already been introduced in the Senate — would have the Department of Energy (DOE) study the carbon intensity of goods, including aluminum, steel, plastic and crude oil, produced in the U.S. and the carbon intensity of products from other countries, according to E&E News.

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Commentary: The Destructive Generation Proves America’s Weakest Link

Burning American Flag draped over fence

Governor Ronald Reagan, in his 1967 inaugural address, famously remarked, “Freedom is a fragile thing and it’s never more than one generation away from extinction.”

Reagan today might have expanded on his theme by declaring that civilization itself is both fragile and can lost by a generation that recklessly spends its inheritance while neither appreciating nor replenishing it—if not ridiculing those who sacrificed so much to provide it.

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‘Deeply Regressive’: Riley Gaines Slams Biden’s Title IX Rules at Pro-Women Sports Rally

Riley Gaines

The Biden administration’s changes to Title IX will reverse 50 years of progress for female athletes by allowing biological men to keep competing in women’s sports, pro-women’s sports leaders said Friday at an Our Bodies, Our Sports coalition rally.

The event in Lancaster, Pennsylvania was one of the first stops on the coalition’s Take Back Title IX bus tour, which calls on America’s leaders to ensure equal protections for female athletes under the federal regulation.

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Commentary: Republicans Vow to Scorch the Earth After Trump Conviction

Donald Trump

by Philip Wegmann   Spurred by the volcanic temper of their base, Republicans are now preparing to scorch the earth in the wake of former President Donald Trump’s conviction, potentially setting off a chain reaction that could fundamentally alter the American political system entirely. No one knows exactly how far they will go in their response. What is clear is that conservatives have no patience for President Biden’s argument Friday morning that justice was served in Manhattan, that “the American principle that no one is above the law was reaffirmed.” They see the conviction instead as unprecedented “lawfare” meant to interfere with the coming election and, some say, an unprecedented response is now in order. “The good guys must be as tough as the villains or freedom is doomed,” senior Trump advisor Stephen Miller told RealClearPolitics without offering exact details. Rep. Mike Collins, meanwhile, was explicit. “Time for Red State AGs and DAs to get busy,” the Georgia Republican said Thursday, floating the idea that Republicans should begin using the courts to pursue their political enemies. “Hillary Clinton’s campaign-funded Steele dossier is a good start,” Collins continued, referencing how the former Secretary of State’s presidential campaign misreported their spending on the…

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