Day: May 21, 2025

Nashville Announces End to Pandemic-Era Rental Assistance as DOGE Cuts $48 Billion Program

Tom Pappert
Budget and Finance

The Metro Council Committee on Budget and Finance determined on Monday that a rental assistance program, created with federal funding sent to help Americans avoid eviction during the COVID-19 pandemic, will come to an end on June 30, as the result of steps by the U.S. Department of Government Efficiency to cut wasteful spending.

Explaining that DOGE recommended the U.S. Department of the Treasury (USDT) terminate its Emergency Rental Assistance program, which has doled out tens of billions since it was authorized in 2021, the Metro Council urged residents in need of assistance to contact the Metropolitan Action Commission (MAC) prior to June 30.

Read the full story

Homeland Security Says Tennessee Lawmaker Aiding ‘Vicious Cartels, Human Traffickers, and Violent Criminals’

Tom Pappert
Aftyn Behn

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) on Wednesday said that State Representative Aftyn Behn (D-Nashville) was providing aid to criminals earlier this month, when the Nashville Democrat claimed to follow Tennessee Highway Patrol (THP) vehicles during their joint immigration enforcement operation with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. 

“This Administration is not playing games with the lives and safety of our ICE officers,” wrote DHS in a post to the social media platform X. “People doxxing our officers and impeding ICE operations are siding with vicious cartels, human traffickers, and violent criminals.”

Read the full story

Trump Confronts Ramaphosa with Footage of South African Leaders Calling for Genocide

Just the News
Trump and South Africa president

President Donald Trump on Wednesday confronted South African President Cyril Ramaphosa with footage of South African politicians advocating for violence against the white population of the country after he attempted to deny claims of a genocide in his country.

The United States recently welcomed a small number of white South Africans as refugees as scrutiny over the nation’s plans for land reform, including via the seizure of farmland without compensation, fuels further fears of discrimination.

Read the full story

‘Deeply Unserious’: Reporter Criticizes Nashville Democrat for Stunt Seeking to Obstruct Immigration Enforcement

Kaitlin Housler
Tom Pappert and MPL

Tom Pappert, lead reporter at The Tennessee Star, said Tennessee State Representative Aftyn Behn (D-Nashville)’s livestream of what appears to be impeding the recent joint immigration enforcement operation by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Tennessee Highway Patrol (THP) shows that that the state lawmaker is “deeply unserious.”

Behn is accused of interfering with a joint operation between ICE and THP as she and another female individual followed law enforcement vehicles across Nashville and even pulled into a gas station as officers attempted to refuel, which prompted officers to initiate a traffic stop on Behn’s vehicle.

Read the full story

DOJ Investigating Andrew Cuomo for Allegedly Lying About COVID-19 Actions

The Daily Signal
Andrew Cuomo

President Donald Trump’s Department of Justice is launching a criminal investigation into former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, accused of lying about his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Washington opened the inquiry into Cuomo close to a month ago after senior officials in the DOJ called for the corruption charges against New York City Mayor Eric Adams to be dismissed, The New York Times reported.

Read the full story

U.S. Bombed Somalia During Month-Long Houthi Barrage in ‘Largest Airstrike in the History of the World’

Daily Caller News Foundation
USS Truman

The USS Harry Truman aircraft carrier and strike group was also relentlessly bombing targets in Somalia while also attacking Houthi threats in Yemen, a top admiral revealed Monday.

The aircraft carrier and its strike group dropped 125,000 pounds of ordinance on ISIS targets in Somalia in addition to its main mission in Yemen, Acting Chief of Naval Operations Adm. James Kilby said at the Council on Foreign Relations according to Stars and Stripes. ISIS has bolstered its presence in Somalia, growing from about 500 fighters to 1,500 over 18 months, with roughly 60% being of foreign origin, a U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) spokesperson told Stars and Stripes.

Read the full story

Pittsburgh Mayor Loses Primary Race

Daily Caller News Foundation
Corey O Connor

Democratic Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey lost Tuesday’s mayoral primary election to the comparatively moderate Democratic Allegheny County Controller Corey O’Connor, dealing a blow to the Democratic Party’s left flank.

Gainey, who took office in January 2022, conceded the race on Tuesday night after projected results showed O’Connor as the winner, according to The Associated Press. Gainey centered his campaign around priorities that included opposing the Trump administration, hiring more black people to the police force and making the city use only renewable energy by 2030.

Read the full story

5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals Judge Criticizes SCOTUS for Blocking Trump Deportations Under AEA

Just the News
deportation flight

A 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals judge is criticizing the Supreme Court for blocking President Trump’s deportations of two allegedly illegal Venezuelan migrants under the Alien Enemies Act.

Judge James Ho, a Trump appointee, wrote a concurring opinion Tuesday in which he argued the high court reversed the appeals court’s unanimous decision that ruled the illegal immigrants, “identified as members of Tren de Aragua, a designated foreign terrorist organization, should not be allowed to proceed in this appeal” because of the court’s lack of jurisdiction.

Read the full story

Commentary: I’m Proud to Be a Grassroots Conservative Republican Leader with the Williamson County Conservatives

Admin
Kimberly Calcote

As a dedicated member of the Williamson County Conservatives’ advisory board, I am deeply honored to stand as a grassroots leader in the fight to preserve the values that make our county, our state, and our nation strong. Being part of this movement is not just a political stance—it’s a commitment to the principles of liberty, limited government, and the right of every citizen to have their voice heard. It is about ensuring OUR Right to Vote and Election Integrity. Our work in Williamson County is about empowering Tennesseans, protecting our constitutional freedoms, and ensuring that the Republican Party remains a beacon of conservative ideals.

Read the full story

Decade After Tea Party Movement, Conservatives Still Unable to Meaningfully Cut Debt

Just the News
Tea Party Protest

As President Donald Trump’s “big, beautiful bill” moves toward a final vote in the House, conservative budget hawks are livid that it largely fails to offer spending cuts to their satisfaction, marking the latest in a long line of punts for the House GOP that has repeatedly vowed to address the national debt.

Republicans have long campaigned on addressing the debt, with the Tea Party movement notching historic election wins under President Barack Obama. In 2010, Republicans won control of the House and reduced the Democratic majority in the Senate. Yet, even when Trump first took office, Congress did not pass a balanced budget. 

Read the full story

Arizona Town Fails to Annually Review Contract with Town Attorney, Resulting in Alleged Unnecessary Overpayment

Rachel Alexander
Gayle Earle

New Fountain Hills Council Member Gayle Earle reviewed the town’s finances after assuming office this year, and discovered that the town may have unnecessarily overpaid $321,154 to their town counsel, Pierce Coleman PLLC by not doing their “due diligence.”

When she brought up her concerns, instead of addressing them, the firm canceled its contract. However, there was a vote in executive session to retain the firm for an additional 60 days.

Read the full story

Commentary: Trump’s Polling Better than Media Thinks

RealClearWire
Donald Trump

The dispersed shot-pattern of President Trump’s approval ratings proves he’s still confounding pollsters. For weeks, and especially since Trump’s announcement of sweeping tariffs on what he dubbed Liberation Day, the establishment media’s prevailing narrative has been that the president is plummeting in the polls. However, a closer look at today’s polling reveals a far different story.

There is no avoiding the fact that Donald Trump is a divisive politician. RealClearPolitics’ historical average of his national favorability polling shows his first (7/16/16) favorability reading as 26.3%-61.3%. On Jan. 1, 2017, just days before he took office following his November 2016 upset win, he was still underwater by nearly 4 percentage points. Even around the time of his 2025 inauguration, Trump’s favorability was barely positive at 48.1%-47.9%.

Read the full story

Commentary: Trump Tells GOP Obstructionists That He Has a Phone, a Pen, and a PAC

John Fredericks
Donald Trump

President Trump stormed Capitol Hill today, delivering an ultimatum to the GOP’s fractious factions: vote for his “big beautiful bill” or face the consequences.

Gone was the dealmaker’s smile. In its place—raw political muscle. Trump confronted the conservative hardliners in the Freedom Caucus with unmistakable clarity: he’ll slash waste from Medicaid but won’t tolerate benefit cuts. His message boiled down to six words: “We are NOT ‘f-ing’ cutting Medicaid.”

Read the full story

Nebraska Becomes First State to Ban Food Stamps for Soda, Energy Drinks

Just the News
junk food

Nebraska became the first state to ban the use of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or food stamps, for soda and energy drinks after receiving a waiver from the Agriculture Department.

Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins on Monday signed the first waiver in U.S. history to amend the statutory definition of food for purchase with SNAP in Nebraska, which will take effect on Jan. 1, 2026. SNAP already cannot be used for alcohol, tobacco and hot foods.

Read the full story

Commentary: Wasting Away in Wind-and-Solarville

RealClearWire
Solar Panel Installation

While green advocates commonly use the terms renewable, sustainable, and net zero to describe their efforts, the dirty little secret is that much of the waste from solar panels and wind turbines is ending up in landfills. 

The current amounts of fiberglass, resins, aluminum and other chemicals – not to mention propeller blades from giant wind turbines – pose no threat current to local town dumps, but this largely ignored problem will become more of a challenge in the years ahead as the 500 million solar panels and the 73,000 wind turbines now operating in the U.S. are decommissioned and replaced.

Read the full story