Blackburn Bill Aiming to Hold China Accountable for Coronavirus Passes Through the Senate Judiciary Committee

U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) said in a statement that a bill she is sponsoring that would allow Americans to sue China over its role in COVID-19 has passed the Senate Judiciary Committee.

The bill, called the Civil Justice for Victims of COVID Act, would allow suits to be brought in federal court over China’s role in spreading the Chinese coronavirus.

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Rep. Green Selected to Serve on House Foreign Affairs Committee

U.S. Rep. Dr. Mark Green (R-TN-07) was selected by the House Republican Steering Committee to serve as a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee.

Green said in a tweet, “I’m honored to be selected by the Steering Committee to join the House Foreign Affairs Committee. I look forward to working with @RepMcCaul and the committee to confront the global challenges facing the US during this difficult time.”

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GOP Senate Candidate Dr. Manny Sethi Received Grants from Anti-Gun Rights Foundation for Violence Prevention and Conflict Resolution Programs

Dr. Manny Sethi has ties with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF), an organization that does not support gun rights. But, the NRA considers the GOP Senate candidate to be pro-gun and he has made statements against gun control.

Sethi and former Ambassador to Japan Bill Hagerty are competing for the Republican nomination to succeed retiring Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-TN) in the U.S. Senate. Election day is next Thursday, August 6.

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Conservative Organizations Call For Next Ohio House Speaker to Have Character, Be Supporter of Faith and Family

Even as the Ohio House of Representatives looks to replace disgraced Speaker Larry Householder, a coalition of conservative organizations is urging lawmakers to be thoughtful in how they do so.

Householder and four others were arrested July 21 in connection with a $60 million federal bribery probe in connection with the Legislature’s 2019 bailout of FirstEnergy and its nuclear power plants.

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Manny Sethi Gains Endorsement From Former U.S. Sen. Jim DeMint of South Carolina

Tennessee Republican Senate candidate Dr. Manny Sethi said in a statement he was endorsed Friday by former U.S. Sen Jim DeMint (R-SC).

Sethi tweeted a quote from DeMint: “I am endorsing Dr. Manny because Tennessee needs to send a rock solid conservative to DC who will take on the Swamp, fight Amnesty, and stand with President Trump. Dr. Manny is a proven fighter, with the courage to not cave to the Washington Establishment.” – Senator @jimdemint”.

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Mortality Rate Not Listed as Factor in Davidson County’s Reopening Metrics Plan

Davidson County has a plan for reopening the city from COVID-19. This plan uses a number of data points including the status of transmission rate, 14-day new case trend, public health capacity, testing capacity, and the number of regular hospital beds and ICU beds.

However, a key metric that is missing from the county’s reopening plan is mortality rate.

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Michigan Investigates Alleged Shakedown By Unemployment Agency Workers Accused of Stealing Benefits

The State of Michigan is investigating whether new employees of the Unemployment Insurance Agency (UIA) are stealing funds from jobless residents, multiple media outlets report.

The workers are accused of stealing and charging clients to receive their benefits more quickly, WDIV reported. This is happening even as Michigan is among several states experiencing fraudulent claims being submitted, and they temporarily stopped payments.

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Lawyers Help Ohio Business Owners Organize Lawsuits Into Class Action to Take on DeWine’s Shutdown Regulations

Ohio business owners who are fed up with Gov. Mike DeWine’s ever-lasting shutdown regulations are joining their lawsuits together into a class action against the state.

Three lawyers are working together to help combine existing lawsuits and are looking for other owners whose livelihoods are being threatened by what they say are unconstitutional orders. The suit against the DeWine administration and other government agencies was filed in the Ohio Court of Common Pleas in Lake County.

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Friends Petition President Trump to Help Serbian Orthodox Priest in Nashville Who Faces Deportation Over Immigration Lawyer’s Error

  A Serbian Orthodox priest in Nashville is trying to stop the deportation of himself and his family that is happening because his lawyer allegedly failed to update his green card application on time. Father Aleksandar Vujkovic is the parish priest of the St. Petka Serbian Orthodox Church in the Germantown-Salemtown community of Nashville. He and his wife and their three young children — born in America — are facing deportation by Aug. 16. The family will leave for Serbia unless President Donald Trump intervenes, Robert Blagojevich, president of the church’s board of directors, told The Tennessee Star. The priest’s supporters from around the United States are engaging in a campaign to draw the president’s attention. Vujkovic is a law-abiding person and will not hide illegally, Blagojevich said. In Serbia, he will reapply to return to America. Following the law is important to the St. Petka congregation, Blagojevich said. The church was formed in the early 2000s by members of the Serbian Orthodox Church, mainly Serbian and Bosnian refugees from that nation’s war. They also have Russian members who are here legally, as well as Greeks and American converts. Many also are second-generation Americans whose parents emigrated to the United…

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Conservative Clergy of Color Defends Sen. Blackburn After Democratic Strategist Calls Her ‘Inbred Racist Trash’ For Standing Up to Black Lives Matter

Conservative Clergy of Color’s Chairman Bishop Aubrey Shines denounced an attack lobbed at U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) Wednesday for speaking out against Black Lives Matter.

Blackburn tweeted, “The life of every African American matters. But Black Lives Matter is a 501 (c)(3) organization run by “trained Marxists.” We cannot allow our great country to be destroyed under the pretense of social justice.”

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White Singing Group Formerly Known as Lady Antebellum Seeks Legal Ruling to Confirm Appropriation of Name ‘Lady A’ from Black Singer

The white country band formerly known as Lady Antebellum has chosen to show racial “sensitivity” by suing to appropriate the name “Lady A” from Anita White, a black singer who has used the moniker for decades.

Lady Antebellum on June 11 said they would start going by the name Lady A since “antebellum” carried racial connotations, Billboard said. The suit was filed July 8 in Nashville’s U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee.

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Board Members of Nonprofit Founded by Dr. Sethi Attacked Sen. Blackburn in Ads, and One Oversees Mayor Cooper’s COVID-19 Task Force

One board member of nonprofit Healthy Tennessee, founded by Dr. Manny Sethi, has taken positions excusing protestors for spreading the coronavirus, and he and another director have attacked U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn.

Alex Jahangir and Jesse Ehrenfeld were listed as directors of Healthy Tennessee on the nonprofit’s 2018 Form 990EZ, available here.

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DeWine’s Baseball Team’s Paycheck Protection Program Loan Nets Millionaire Governor $189K of Forgivable Taxpayer Handout

With news that Gov. Mike DeWine’s minor league baseball team cashed in on the Paycheck Protection Program, one may ask how Ohio’s top executive came to own a team in North Carolina or why he needed a taxpayer handout.

DeWine has a 32 percent stake in the Asheville Tourists minor league team, The Ohio Star reported this week.

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Buckeye Institute Sues Over Law Allowing Columbus to Collect Income Taxes From Commuters Despite Emergency Order Preventing Them from Working in the City

The Buckeye Institute said that it and three employees filed a lawsuit over the taxing of workers’ income in Columbus since they do not live in the city and were not allowed to work there during Ohio’s Stay-at-Home order.

The lawsuit, which is available here, was filed in the Court of Common Pleas in Franklin County.

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Ohio Republican Party Frays, Leadership Falters As 2020 Election Heats Up

  Is Jane Timken the leader the Ohio State Republican Party needs to help President Donald Trump win re-election when her party seems to be engaged in a civil war? The stakes are high in the Buckeye State. Trump and Biden are locked in a dead heat, according to a poll available here by RealClearPolitics. GOP insiders say the number of Republican-registered voters in the state has fallen from 2.2 million in June 2016 to 1.9 million last month. Meanwhile, Timken and Gov. Mike DeWine went on a state tour early this year to say how great things are, The Ohio Star reported. They touted the pre-pandemic economy, government spending and children’s programs while ignoring the governor’s red flag laws, his policy to allow dangerous refugees into the state and primary endorsements that the two have drawn heat on. Since then, DeWine and Timken have not addressed conservatives’ concerns over Ohio Senate President Larry Obhof’s late-night move to kill a vote on a bill to curb Dr. Amy Acton’s unrestrained powers in strangling the economy. Now, conservative-leaning county parties are showing their displeasure with state leadership by sending strongly worded letters to DeWine. It may be that letters are the…

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Nashville Police Arrest Protesters in Connection with Skateboard Assault on Influential Real Estate Developer

Metro Nashville Police say they arrested a man in connection with an assault on influential real estate developer Tony Giarratana during the May 30 protests.

Nicholas Barrett, 25, on Wednesday was charged with felony aggravated assault for allegedly striking Giarratana from behind with a skateboard outside 505 Church St. during the protest.

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Judge Rules Nashville Soccer Stadium Vote Violated Open Meetings Act, Requires Revote

A Chancery Court judge ruled that Metro Nashville’s contract to build the Major League Soccer stadium on The Fairgrounds Nashville is invalid because the meeting approving it violated the Tennessee Open Meetings Act, WSMV reported.

The Sports Authority gave only 48 hours’ notice before holding a special meeting to sign off on the $192 million contract with M.A. Mortenson Co./Messer Construction Co. on November 1, 2018.

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Police Push Protesters Back From Andrew Jackson Statue in Front of White House as They Attempt to Pull it Down

The attack against American history continued Monday evening as police blocked protesters attempting to tear down a statue of Andrew Jackson in front of the White House.

Reporter Shomari Stone tweeted, “BREAKING: Metropolitan Police and US Park Police move demonstrators back from Lafayette Square Park. Two separate protesters tell me the groups want to tear down the Andrew Jackson statue near the White House. @NBCNews@MSNbc @nbcwashington”.

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DeWine Opines on ‘Fast Reopening’, Walks With His Dog in Exclusive Dispatch Interview

What’s a newspaper to do when given an exclusive interview with the governor during a pandemic that has ravaged the state’s economy and rioting that has ravaged the capital city? Would you push against answers that are not true?

If you’re The Columbus Dispatch, you allow Gov. Mike DeWine to talk about the “quick” reopening of the state, his walks with his dog Dolly and how he social distances with his grandkids.

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Gov. Lee Considers Calling Special Session of Legislature to Pass Bill Giving Businesses Protection From COVID-19 Lawsuits

Gov. Bill Lee is thinking about calling the Legislature in for a special session to pass a bill to provide retroactive COVID-19 legal protection for businesses, the Chattanooga Times Free Press said.

The General Assembly ended their session on Friday without the House passing the Tennessee Recovery and Safe Harbor Act. It received 46 of 50 votes needed. House Majority Leader William Lamberth (R-Portland) questioned whether the measure was legal under Tennessee’s Constitution regarding the impairment of contracts. (The Senate had approved the bill.)

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Citizens for Community Values Pushes Back Against Hit Piece in The Columbus Dispatch

Citizens for Community Values is pushing back against a “blatantly biased” story in The Columbus Dispatch newspaper attacking them for working with the state to help people during the COVID-19 pandemic.

CCV says it is “Ohio’s Family Policy Council” and “We endeavor to create an Ohio where God’s blessings of life, family, and religious freedom are treasured, respected, and protected.”

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Ohio GOP Central Committee Censures Former Chairman Matt Borges for Supporting Biden

Matt Borges has been censured by the Ohio Republican Central Committee for working to defeat President Donald Trump and ensure Joe Biden wins the election.

Borges is the former chairman of the Ohio Republican Party. However, he has been running the Right Side PAC to support Biden, The Plain Dealer reported. The party said they took the action as well due to an FEC violation and Borges’ continued criticism of Trump. They also stripped his “chairman emeritus” status. 

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Tennessee State Senate Hurriedly Approves Major Abortion Bill Just Before Legislature Adjourns, Gov. Lee Says He Will Sign into Law

Major pro-life legislation was approved by the Tennessee Legislature in Friday’s early morning hours just before legislators wrapped up their year.

Passage — and the end of the session — came as a surprise because Senate leaders had said they would not take the abortion measure up in this condensed year, according to a story by The Tennessee Journal: On the Hill. The publication also reported the Senate did this to persuade the House to back off of making changes to the budget proposal the Senate had approved.

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Revival with Miracles Breaks Out in Spot Where George Floyd Died in Police Custody

Christian media outlets report a revival filled with miracles has been happening in the spot where George Floyd died in the custody of the Minneapolis Police Department.

CBN News reports salvations, baptisms, worship and healings are taking place. The movement began with Dr. Charles Karuku and Pastor Lindsey Karuku of International Outreach Church, CBN News said. They told CBN’s The Prayer Link that they felt a call from God.

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Rep. Green Questions Security of Military Program That Recruits Non-Citizens For Vital Defense Work

U.S. Rep. Mark Green (R-TN-07) is questioning the security of a program that helps the military recruit foreign citizens for vital jobs.

Green said he sent a letter to National Security Subcommittee Chairman Stephen Lynch (D-MA-08) calling for a hearing to examine vulnerabilities in the Department of Defense’s MAVNI (Military Accessions Vital to the National Interest) program.

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Lorain County Commission Candidate Sues to Overturn Primary Results, Saying Thousands of Republican Voters Were Disenfranchised

A Lorain County commission candidate who lost his race is suing to have the results from Dr. Amy Acton’s delayed primary election set aside, citing about 90 violations of state election law and the Ohio Constitution.

The candidate, Gerald W. Phillips, filed the election contest complaint in the Court of Common Pleas for Lorain County. 

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Eight Bars, Restaurants Sue Acton, DeWine Over ‘Constitutionally Vague’ Restrictions

A lawsuit has been filed against Ohio Health Director Dr. Amy Acton and Gov. Mike DeWine in Lake County Common Pleas Court over “constitutionally vague” restrictions on restaurants and bars, The News-Herald reported.

The case has been assigned to Lake County Common Pleas Court Judge John P. O’Donnell. The plaintiffs are eight bars and restaurants, all but one being located in Northeast Ohio.

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Five Democratic Senators Kneel at George Floyd Memorial

Five Democrat senators knelt during a moment of silence for George Floyd in a caucus meeting on Capitol Hill Thursday afternoon.

Sens. Tim Kaine (D-VA), Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Martin Heinrich (D-NM) and Michael Bennet (D-CO) knelt, which lasted for eight minutes and 46 seconds, The Hill reported. That was the length of time fired Minneapolis officer Derek Chauvin pressed his knee on Floyd’s neck before he died. Chauvin faces a second-degree murder charge over the incident.

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