Rubio: ICE Arrests Sister of Communist Running Cuba’s Tourism Cash Cow, in U.S. Since Biden Era

BREAKING NEWS

Breitbart   U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Thursday announced the arrest of Adys Lastres Morera, sister of the recently sanctioned President of the Cuban communist regime’s GAESA conglomerate, Ania Guillermina Lastres. Adys Lastres Morera was arrested in Florida and will remain in the custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) pending deportation proceedings after Sec. Rubio issued a determination of deportability under applicable U.S. law. She entered the United States as a “lawful permanent resident” on January 13, 2023, during the administration of former President Joe Biden. Sec. Rubio terminated her U.S. Green Card. READ THE FULL STORY     

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Gov. Bill Lee Signs PBM Bill Backed by Tennessee’s Pharmacist Lawmakers amid ‘Pending’ Legal Challenge from CVS

Bill Lee

Governor Bill Lee on Friday signed Senate Bill (SB) 2040, the Freedom, Access, and Integrity in Registered Pharmacy (FAIR Rx) Act into law. Once fully active in January 2028, it will prohibit vertical integration between pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) and pharmacies in Tennessee. It will force divestment from any already vertically integrated companies by January 1, 2027.

The legislation was passed with the support of the Tennessee Pharmacists Association (TPA), and chief executive officer Dr. Anthony Pudlo recently commended the pharmacists elected to the General Assembly for successfully pushing the legislation through.

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Trump Directs Legal Migrants to Return to Home Country to Apply for Green Cards

BREAKING NEWS

The Hill   The Trump administration on Friday announced prospective immigrants would need to return to their home country to apply for green cards, a move that would stifle the most common pathway used for legal immigration. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) portrayed the new policy memo as “returning to the original intent of the law,” while immigration advocates said the change was a cruel and disruptive move targeting those in the country legally. Under the new USCIS policy, those who have already legally lived and worked in the U.S. for years would have to return to their home country to apply to return. READ THE FULL STORY   

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Tennessee Judges Signal Swift Ruling in Congressional Redistricting Lawsuit, Pappert Says

Tom Pappert

A three-judge Tennessee panel is expected to issue a rapid decision in the lawsuit challenging the state’s newly approved congressional districts, The Tennessee Star’s lead reporter Tom Pappert detailed during Friday’s edition of The Michael Patrick Leahy Show.

The lawsuit, filed by the Tennessee Conference of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and its president Gloria Sweet-Love, argues lawmakers exceeded the authority granted by Governor Bill Lee during the recent special legislative session by modifying state law governing redistricting timelines.

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New Lawsuits Against Trump’s DOJ ‘Lawfare’ Fund

BREAKING NEWS

CNBC   Two new lawsuits challenging the creation of the controversial $1.8 billion ’lawfare” fund by the Department of Justice were filed Friday in federal courts in Washington, D.C. and Virginia. The civil complaints come as several members of Congress have introduced legislation to block the fund, and as President Donald Trump and acting Attorney General Todd Blanche have defended it. The two suits say the so-called Anti-Weaponization Fund, which was set up as part of a settlement of a $10 billion lawsuit by Trump against the Internal Revenue Service, violate the federal Administrative Procedure Act. One also alleges that it violates the U.S. Constitution, while the other says it violates the Freedom of Information Act. READ THE FULL STORY   

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EJ Haust Highlights Cuba’s Untapped Economic Potential in Post-Communist Future

Raul Castro

Following the U.S. Department of Justice’s (DOJ) newly unsealed indictment against former Cuban leader Raul Castro and several co-defendants over the 1996 Brothers to the Rescue shoot-down, EJ Haust, official guest host of The Michael Patrick Leahy Show, said the case highlights growing pressure on Cuba’s communist regime and renewed American attention on the island nation.

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DOJ Promises Appeal After Obama-Appointed Judge Tosses Abrego Garcia Case Despite Insufficient Evidence of Vindictive Prosecution

Kilmar Abrego Garcia

The federal human smuggling indictment against Kilmar Abrego Garcia, the citizen of El Salvador accused of participating in a human smuggling ring for years, was dismissed for vindictive prosecution on Friday by U.S. District Judge Waverly Crenshaw, who was appointed by former President Barack Obama.

A spokesman for the U.S. Department of Justice told The Tennessee Star on Friday that the federal government intends to appeal Crenshaw’s decision. 

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Iran, Oman in Talks About Passage Fees in Strait of Hormuz, Rubio Says ‘Not Acceptable’

Marco Rubio

Iran is in discussions with America’s Gulf ally Oman over a possible partnership to make vessels passing through the Strait of Hormuz pay a fee, but it’s not clear that it would be legal or that it would receive much support from countries using the waterway. 

Secretary of State Marco Rubio warned Friday that “no country” should accept any tolling system. 

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Despite High Gas Prices, Memorial Weekend Travel Expected to Break Records, AAA Forecasts

gas station

Americans will travel at least 50 miles from home between Thursday and Memorial Day Monday – a distance slightly higher than last year when gas prices were considerably lower, according to AAA. 

“Travel demand remains strong, and despite higher fuel prices, many people are prioritizing leisure travel during holiday breaks,” Stacey Barber, vice president of travel for AAA, said in a statement. 

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Phill Kline: DOJ Indictment of Raul Castro Signals Major Shift in Trump’s Cuba Policy

Raul Castro

A newly unsealed U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) indictment charging former Cuban leader Raúl Castro and five co-defendants in the 1996 shoot-down of two Brothers to the Rescue aircraft represents an escalation in U.S. efforts to hold Cuba accountable for the deaths of four men, according to former Kansas Attorney General Phill Kline.

The DOJ announced Wednesday that Castro and five alleged Cuban regime co-conspirators were charged with conspiracy to kill U.S. nationals, destruction of aircraft, and murder for the February 24, 1996, destruction of two unarmed civilian planes operated by Brothers to the Rescue over international waters.

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Phillips, Leahy Say Nashville ‘Needs Its Own Spencer Pratt’ Ahead of 2027 Mayoral Race

Spencer Pratt

Tea Party Nation Founder Judson Phillips and The Tennessee Star’s CEO and Editor-in-Chief Michael Patrick Leahy argued that Nashville could become fertile ground for an “insurgent” political campaign modeled after the AI-driven strategy used by Los Angeles mayoral candidate Spencer Pratt.

Speaking during Wednesday’s edition of The Michael Patrick Leahy Show, Phillips praised Pratt’s unconventional campaign style, saying, “Pratt’s campaign, anybody who’s thinking about running as a Republican, particularly if you’re running for a significant office, you need to emulate Spencer Pratt’s campaign.”

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Commentary: Harvard Joins the ‘Right-Wing Conspiracy’, Declares College Grades Have Been a Joke for Decades

Outside of Harvard Law School

So, it turns out that the little boy was right all along about the emperor’s new clothes.

In an effort to restore grading standards, Harvard’s Faculty of Arts and Sciences is conducting an email ballot on the administration’s proposal to limit solid A grades at 20% of students per course (plus up to four additional A’s, if merited).

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