Corey DeAngelis: Vermont Has Had a Successful School Choice Program Since 1869

School choice activist Corey A. DeAngelis joined Wednesday’s edition of The Tennessee Star Report with Michael Patrick Leahy to discuss the future of school choice in the U.S., specifically in Democrat-run states.

Leahy kicked off the segment by noting how Vermont has the oldest operating school voucher program in the country’s history with its Town Tuitioning Program.

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Roger Simon Analyzes RFK Jr.’s Campaign amid DNC’s FEC Complaint

RFK JR

Roger Simon, co-founder of PJMedia and current columnist for The Epoch Times, joined Friday’s edition of The Tennessee Star Report with Michael Patrick Leahy where he discussed the Democratic National Committee’s (DNC) latest attack on Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy (RFK) Jr. ‘s presidential campaign and the super PAC supporting him.

On Friday, the DNC filed a Federal Election Commission (FEC) complaint against RFK Jr.’s campaign and the American Values Super PAC on allegations the two are colluding to get the candidate ballot access.

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Roger Simon Calls Tucker Carlson’s Interview with Russian President Vladimir Putin a ‘Monument of Journalism’

Carlson Putin

Roger Simon, co-founder of PJMedia and current columnist for The Epoch Times, joined Friday’s edition of The Tennessee Star Report with Michael Patrick Leahy to discuss Tucker Carlson’s two-hour interview with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Simon said he was “absolutely riveted” by the interview, adding the amount of information discussed was “impossible to digest immediately.”

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Nashville Metro Councilman Jeff Eslick: Leftists are Using Public Comment Period to Advance Pro-Hamas Agenda During Meetings

Metro Council

Metro Nashville Council Member Jeff Eslick joined Thursday’s edition of The Tennessee Star Report with Michael Patrick Leahy to discuss the latest developments and work from the Metro Nashville Council.

Eslick said the council’s meeting on Tuesday consisted of some good discussions on issues; however, it was dragged out by council members trying to convince other members on how to vote on certain ordinances as well as activists taking advantage of the public comment period to speak on the current situation in the Middle East.

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Tom Pappert Analyzes ‘Massive’ Smuggling Problem at Federal Correctional Institute in Memphis Where J6 Defendant Stewart Parks is Serving Eight-Month Term

FCI Memphis

Tom Pappert, lead reporter for The Tennessee Star, joined Wednesday’s edition of The Tennessee Star Report with Michael Patrick Leahy to discuss the decades-long smuggling issue at the Federal Correctional Institution (FCI) in Memphis where January 6 defendant Stewart Parks self-reported on Tuesday to serve his eight-month prison sentence for being present at the U.S. Capitol on January 6.

Parks was sentenced in November 2023 to three years imprisonment on misdemeanor trespassing, disorderly conduct, and theft charges by D.C. Circuit Court Judge Amit P. Mehta, who has presided over several trials related to the January 6 Capitol riots. Parks, however, is serving his sentence concurrently, reducing his term to eight months behind bars.

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Metro Councilman Jeff Eslick Says He Expects Nashville Mayor O’Connell’s Multimodal Plan to Be ‘Bus Intensive’

Jeff Eslick

Metro Nashville Council Member Jeff Eslick joined Thursday’s edition of The Tennessee Star Report with Michael Patrick Leahy to discuss what may be included in Nashville Mayor Freddie O’Connell’s anticipated multimodal transportation plan.

O’Connell, who was elected mayor in last year’s runoff election, vowed during his campaign to address Nashville’s “infrastructure and transit concerns” and is expected to release a multimodal plan in the near future.

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Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti Joins Letter Warning the Biden Administration About Its Liquified Natural Gas Export Pause

DOE Biden

Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti joined a 23-state coalition in sending a letter to President Joe Biden and United States Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm regarding the administration’s pause on the export of liquified natural gas (LNG) in the name of climate change.

Last month, the Biden administration announced a temporary pause on pending decisions on exports of LNG to “non-FTA countries until the Department of Energy can update the underlying analyses for authorizations.”

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Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost Spearheading Effort Urging Congress to Stabilize Funding for the Federal Crime Victims Fund

Dave Yost Congress

Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost led a bipartisan coalition of 41 other state attorneys general in sending a letter to congressional leaders urging the authorization of bridge funding for the federal Crime Victims Fund, also known as the VOCA Fund.

Created by Congress in 1984, the VOCA Fund provides federal support to state and local programs that assist victims of crime.

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Matthew Giffin: Jon Meacham and Liz Cheney Refused to Take Questions at Polarizing Vanderbilt Event That Claimed to Be About ‘Unity’

Liz Cheney

Matthew Giffin, reporter at The Tennessee Star and student at Middle Tennessee State University, joined Wednesday’s edition of The Tennessee Star Report with Michael Patrick Leahy to discuss former Wyoming U.S. Representative Liz Cheney’s appearance at an event at Vanderbilt University this week.

On Tuesday, Cheney joined Jon Meacham, former MSNBC contributor and current co-chair of the Vanderbilt Project on Unity and American Democracy, for an event titled “Defending Our Democracy” where the pair discussed Cheney’s work on the January 6th Committee and the “health of democracy and the presidency.”

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Tennessee U.S. Rep. Andy Ogles Introduces the Send Them Back Act

Ogles Illegal Immigrants

Tennessee U.S. Representative Andy Ogles (R-TN-05) introduced a bill on Tuesday that would make all illegal aliens who have entered the U.S. since January 20, 2021 eligible for expedited removal from the country.

Ogles’ bill is titled the Sending Evading Non-Documented Threats Home Especially Migrants Biden Accepted Carelessly and Knowingly (SEND THEM BACK) Act.

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Democrat State Rep. Gloria Johnson to Run for Two Offices at Same Time: Re-Election to TN House and Longshot Bid for U.S. Senate

Democrat State Representative Gloria Johnson (D-Knoxville) intends to file for reelection to the Tennessee House of Representatives despite being five months into her longshot U.S. Senate bid to unseat incumbent Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), according to a report by Knox News.

Johnson is one of the “Tennessee Three” lawmakers who commandeered the House floor to demand gun control in the wake of the Covenant School last year.

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Billionaire Investor Scott Bessent: Stock Market ‘Looking Forward’ to Trump Victory in 2024

Trump Stock Market

Scott Bessent, billionaire investor and founder of Key Square Capital Management Fund, joined Wednesday’s edition of The Tennessee Star Report with Michael Patrick Leahy to discuss how the stock market’s rally coincides with former President Donald Trump being ahead in the 2024 presidential election polls.

In a letter to investors, which was recently leaked to Bloomberg, Bessent’s Key Square Capital Management Fund said it believes that equity markets are “in the midst of a ‘Trump Rally’ that will last as long as he remains ahead of Biden in the polls.”

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Corey DeAngelis Says Tennessee School Choice Bill Would Allow Students to Escape ‘One Size Fits All System’

Classroom Learning

School choice activist Corey A. DeAngelis joined Wednesday’s edition of The Tennessee Star Report with Michael Patrick Leahy to discuss a rally he, Robby Starbuck, and Americans for Prosperity (AFP) held in Nashville supporting Tennessee Governor Bill Lee’s universal school choice plan, known as the Education Freedom Scholarship Act.

On Tuesday, DeAngelis, Starbuck, AFP, and other school choice advocates held a Rally for School Choice & Parents’ Rights at the state Capitol in support of the governor’s school choice plan.

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State Senator Kerry Roberts Praises Governor Bill Lee’s State of the State Address

State Senator Kerry Roberts (R-Springfield) joined Tuesday’s edition of The Tennessee Star Report with Michael Patrick Leahy to discuss Governor Bill Lee’s State of the State Address delivered the prior night.

Throughout Lee’s address to state lawmakers and Tennesseans, he was repeatedly interrupted by hecklers, who first became vocal as the governor announced his plans to expand school choice and public education funding in the Volunteer State.

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Clint Brewer Says Tennessee’s Lawsuit Against the NCAA ‘Isn’t Just About College Sports’

UT Football

All-star panelist Clint Brewer joined Tuesday’s edition of The Tennessee Star Report with Michael Patrick Leahy where he offered his thoughts on Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti’s antitrust lawsuit against the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA).

Skrmetti joined Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares in filing the lawsuit against the NCAA last week, arguing the organization violates federal antitrust laws with its “anticompetitive restrictions on the ability of current and future student-athletes to benefit from their name, image, and likeness (NIL).”

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Michael Patrick Leahy on J6 Defendant Reporting to Memphis Prison: ‘What Kind of Safety Is Stewart Parks Going to Have There?’

Stewart Parks

Editor-in-Chief and CEO of The Tennessee Star Michael Patrick Leahy dedicated a segment during Tuesday’s edition of The Tennessee Star Report with Michael Patrick Leahy to discuss the imprisonment of January 6 defendant Stewart Parks, who self-reported for incarceration at the Federal Correctional Institution in Memphis on Tuesday to serve an eight-month sentence for being present at the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021.

D.C. Circuit Court Judge Amit P. Mehta, who has presided over several trials related to the January 6 Capitol riots, sentenced Parks in November 2023 to three years imprisonment on misdemeanor trespassing, disorderly conduct, and theft charges. Parks, however, will serve his sentence concurrently, reducing his term to eight months behind bars.

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Unjustly Convicted J6 Defendant Stewart Parks Enjoys Last Minutes of Freedom Before Reporting to Prison

Stewart Parks

Stewart Parks, a local entrepreneur and former candidate to represent Tennessee’s 5th Congressional District, joined the newsmaker line on Tuesday’s edition of The Tennessee Star Report with Michael Patrick Leahy one hour before reporting to the Federal Correctional Institution in Memphis to serve an eight-month sentence for being present at the U.S. Capitol on January 6.

Parks was sentenced in November 2023 to three years imprisonment on misdemeanor trespassing, disorderly conduct, and theft charges by D.C. Circuit Court Judge Amit P. Mehta, who has presided over several trials related to the January 6 Capitol riots. Parks, however, will serve his sentence concurrently beginning on Tuesday, reducing his term to eight months behind bars.

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Tennessee State Lawmakers Introduce Bill to Make Blocking a Highway a Class D Felony Offense

Tennessee State Senator Brent Taylor (R-Memphis) and State Representative Jody Barrett (R-Dickson) recently filed legislation to make blocking a highway a Class D felony.

Under current law, it is classified as a Class A misdemeanor when a defendant “intentionally, knowingly, or recklessly” obstructs a public highway, street, sidewalk, railway, waterway, elevator, aisle, or hallway.

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Tennessee State Senator Brent Taylor Urges TBI to Investigate, Arrest Pro-Palestine Protesters Who Blocked Traffic on I-40 in Memphis

Brent Taylor

Tennessee State Senator Brent Taylor (R-Memphis) joined Monday’s edition of The Tennessee Star Report with Michael Patrick Leahy to discuss a letter he sent to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) regarding its response to a group of pro-Palestine protesters that blocked traffic in both directions on I-40 in Memphis over the weekend.

On Saturday, a group of pro-Palestine protesters commandeered the Mississippi River Bridge on I-40 in Memphis, shutting down traffic in both directions for nearly two hours and leaving motorists with no way to cross the Mississippi River as the I-55 river bridge was under construction.

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Tennessee Rep. Andy Ogles Previews Upcoming Vote on Mayorkas Impeachment, Senate Border Deal Discussions

Rep. Andy Ogles

U.S. Representative Andy Ogles (R-TN-05) joined Monday’s edition of The Tennessee Star Report with Michael Patrick Leahy to discuss the Senate’s so-called “border deal” and the House of Representatives’ upcoming vote on two articles of impeachment against Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas.

On the upcoming impeachment vote against Mayorkas, Ogles said the votes in the House “should be there” to impeach the secretary, adding, “We have an obligation to move forward and hold him accountable and put on the record that you can’t just ignore our laws in this country.”

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Former Trump Campaign Spokesman Steve Cortes Calls Senate Border Deal a ‘Monstrosity’

Steve Cortes

Steve Cortes, former senior spokesman and strategist for the 2016 and 2020 Trump campaigns and current head of the League of American Workers, joined Monday’s edition of The Tennessee Star Report with Michael Patrick Leahy to discuss the Senate’s recently unveiled border deal.

On Sunday, the Senate Appropriations Committee announced the details of the $118.3 billion emergency spending package that would fund U.S. national security efforts in Ukraine, Israel, and at the U.S.-Mexico border.

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24 Hours Before Reporting to Prison Unjustly Convicted J6 Defendant Stewart Parks Says ‘Judicial Elites in DC Want to Stomp Me Down’

Stewart Parks, a local entrepreneur and former candidate to represent Tennessee’s 5th congressional district, joined Monday’s edition of The Tennessee Star Report with Michael Patrick Leahy to discuss his last-minute plans and overall thoughts before reporting to the Federal Correctional Institution in Memphis on Tuesday to serve an 8-month sentence for being present at the U.S. Capitol on January 6.

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Ohio U.S. Senator JD Vance Calls on the Biden Administration to Fund Health Screening Program for Residents of East Palestine

JD Vance in East Palestine

Ohio U.S. Senator JD Vance (R-OH) traveled to East Palestine on Friday to meet with residents and survey the status of the environmental cleanup of the area nearly one year after a Norfolk Southern train carrying hazardous materials derailed.

In remarks to the media, Vance called on the Biden administration to fund a long-term health screening program for residents despite revealing the administration’s refusal to provide the funding that has “already been appropriated” for such screenings.

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U.S. Rep. Andy Ogles Introduces Bill to Designate the United Nations Relief and Works Agency as a Foreign Terrorist Organization

Rep. Andy Ogles

U.S. Representative Andy Ogles (R-TN-05) introduced a bill on Thursday that would designate the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) as a Foreign Terrorist Organization.

Ogles’ bill, H.R.7206, comes after nine employees from the United Nations Relief Works Agency were fired last week after being accused of involvement in the terrorist group Hamas’ October 7 attacks on Israel.

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Ben Cunningham Says Light Rail from Downtown Nashville to the Airport May be Included in Mayor O’Connell’s Transit Plan

Music City Star

All-star panelist Ben Cunningham joined Friday’s edition of The Tennessee Star Report with Michael Patrick Leahy where he discussed what may be included in Nashville Mayor Freddie O’Connell’s anticipated transit plan.

O’Connell, who was elected mayor in last year’s runoff election, vowed during his campaign to address Nashville’s “infrastructure and transit concerns.”

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Gina Swoboda Explains Why She Was Reluctant at First to Run for AZGOP Chair

Newly-elected chair of the Arizona Republican Party (AZGOP) Gina Swoboda joined Thursday’s edition of The Afternoon Addiction with Garret Lewis on KFYI to discuss why she was reluctant at first to run as the AZGOP chair, explaining how a call from former President Donald Trump ultimately changed her mind.

“It was impossible to say no,” Swoboda said. “It was surreal. I think any one of us when called upon to serve is going to serve.”

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AZGOP Chair Gina Swoboda Explains Why Early Litigation ‘Has to Happen’ to Avoid Election Fraud This Election Cycle

AZGOP Chair Gina Swoboda

Newly-elected chair of the Arizona Republican Party (AZGOP), Gina Swoboda, joined Thursday’s edition of The Afternoon Addiction with Garret Lewis on KFYI to discuss how her extensive knowledge of election laws will benefit her in her new position as the party’s chair, in particular her strategy of litigating to protect the party against lawfare this election cycle before it’s “too late.”

Swoboda was elected at the annual AZGOP Mandatory Meeting of the State Committee last week following the resignation of former chair Jeff DeWit.

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Gina Swoboda Explains How Her Election Integrity Work Will Play a Role in Her New Position as AZGOP Chair

AZGOP Chair Gina Swoboda

Newly-elected chair of the Arizona Republican Party (AZGOP) Gina Swoboda joined Thursday’s edition of The Afternoon Addiction with Garret Lewis on KFYI to discuss her experience as an election official and how her extensive knowledge of election laws will benefit her in her new position as chair.

“One of the issues I think we have had historically is that there has not been a process expert, a subject matter expert, that works with the attorneys to explain to them, ‘this is what should be happening, this is not what’s happening, flag on the court.’ The election attorneys are great, but they are election attorneys, not election administrators,” Swoboda explained. “I’m a certified election official and I’ve helped administer elections…so I know what’s supposed to be happening, I know when things are not supposed to be happening, or when we should be doing things that we are not doing.”

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Neil W. McCabe Discusses James O’Keefe Going ‘Back to His Roots’ in Undercover Video of Top White House Cyber Official

James O'Keefe

National political reporter Neil W. McCabe joined Thursday’s edition of The Tennessee Star Report with Michael Patrick Leahy to discuss James O’Keefe’s recent undercover investigation involving a top White House Cyber Official’s depiction of the Biden administration.

O’Keefe, founder of O’Keefe Media Group, wore a disguise while on a “date” with Charlie Kraiger, cybersecurity policy analyst and foreign affairs executive office of the President, where Kraiger revealed the extent of the alleged coverup of President Joe Biden’s health and the tension between Vice President Kamala Harris and her staff.

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