U.S. Rep. Andy Ogles Stands Firm on ‘Death to Hamas’ Comment, Says ‘These Terrorists Deserve to Die’

Andy Ogles

Tennessee U.S. Representative Andy Ogles (R-TN-05) is standing firm on comments he issued in response to an activist who pressed him on the situation unfolding in the Middle East between Israeli and Hamas forces in Gaza.

Footage shared on social media shows the activist pressing Ogles while walking through a corridor in the U.S. Capitol.

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Roger Simon Says Trump Is a ‘Force of Nature’ Following Nashville Speech

Donald Trump Speaking

Roger Simon, the co-founder of PJMedia and current columnist for The Epoch Times, attended former President Donald Trump’s speech at the National Religious Broadcasters International Christian Media Convention in Nashville on Thursday,

Simon, noting how Trump was nearly two hours late to the event after having delivered a speech at an earlier fundraiser event, said the former president was a “force of nature,” proving those who believe he has “lost a step” wrong.

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Neil W. McCabe: ‘Trump is Flourishing in a Political Era That Should Have Been Dominated by Democrats’

Donald Trump

National political reporter Neil W. McCabe said the tone of this year’s Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) is “completely Trump,” noting how the “Trump-hating corporate conservative establishment” is not present this time around.

“It’s completely Trump,” McCabe explained on Friday’s edition of The Tennessee Star Report with Michael Patrick Leahy. “In the past you would kind of have sort of the Trump-hating corporate conservative establishment, but they’re not here.”

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U.S. Rep. Andy Ogles Sends Four Letters to the House Appropriations Committee

Tennessee U.S. Representative Andy Ogles (R-TN-05) sent four letters to the House Appropriations Committee on Friday advocating for the defunding of “America-last directives” as the committee works on funding accounts for the remainder of fiscal year (FY) 2024.

In one letter to the Subcommittee on Homeland Security, Ogles requests that a provision be added to any upcoming spending legislation prohibiting President Joe Biden’s recent executive order granting Deferred Enforced Departure to Palestinians in the U.S. for 18 months.

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Center for Immigration Studies Senior Fellow Todd Bensman Says the ‘Entire World’ Knows of the Biden Administration’s Catch and Release Policy

Illegal Immigrants

Todd Bensman, senior national security fellow at the Center for Immigration Studies, said the U.S. is on track to encounter more than 600,000 illegal aliens that have traveled through the Darién Gap, which is the only land path connecting Central America and South America, to get to the U.S.-Mexico border this year.

The Darién Gap between Colombia and Panama consists of more than 60 miles of dense rainforest, steep mountains, and vast swamps. Illegal immigrants from South America and other parts of the world use the land path as a passageway to get to North America.

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Federal Court Bars NCAA from Enforcing NIL-Recruitment Ban After Legal Challenge by AGs of TN and VA

Skrmetti UT

The Eastern District Court of Tennessee granted Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti’s preliminary injunction request in his lawsuit against the National Collegiate Athletic Association’s (NCAA) illegal name, image, and likeness (NIL)-recruitment ban on Friday.

Through its NIL recruitment ban, the NCAA prohibits prospective student-athletes from discussing potential NIL opportunities with schools and collectives prior to enrolling. Specifically, the ban prohibits student-athletes from negotiating with collectives, reviewing NIL offers before making enrollment decisions, and adequately considering the full scope of NIL-related services a school might offer upon enrollment.

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Center for Immigration Studies Executive Director Mark Krikorian: There’s Very Little Screening of Incoming Illegal Aliens for Health Problems or Criminal Behavior

Illegal Immigrants

Mark Krikorian, the executive director of the Center for Immigration Studies, said migrants who are crossing illegally into the U.S. are not being thoroughly screened for illnesses or criminal backgrounds.

“They often screen them before they go to detention, but they’re not being detained,” Krikorian explained on Thursday’s episode of The Tennessee Star Report with Michael Patrick Leahy. “As far as criminal behavior, they do run their names through some databases before they let them go, but that only works if we have records of them having committed crimes in the United States. The problem always with vetting is garbage in, garbage out. Do you think that the Somalia DMV or the medical records office or whatever in Venezuela is going to tell us anything about people? Of course not. So, yes, there is some kind of pro forma screening but it doesn’t really screen very much.”

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VoterGA’s Garland Favorito Slams Georgia Secretary of State’s Request for Funds to Audit Ballots

Georgia Voting Machines

VoterGA, a nonprofit election integrity organization, spoke out against Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger’s request for more taxpayer funds from the Georgia Legislature to implement an audit of Georgia’s QR-coded Dominion Democracy Suite 5.5 voting system.

On Monday, Raffensperger called on the Georgia State Senate to “agree to funding for new technology approved by the House that would give election officials the ability to audit the text of every choice on every ballot, in every contest – without the use of QR codes.”

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Tennessee State Rep. Scott Cepicky Says Full Text of Governor Lee’s Universal School Choice Bill Expected to be Unveiled Next Week

Scott Cepicky

Tennessee State Representative Scott Cepicky (R-Culleoka), who chairs the Education Instruction Subcommittee, said Governor Bill Lee’s universal school choice bill, known as the Education Freedom Scholarship Act, will likely be revealed next week.

Cepicky said there was a meeting on Wednesday for the committee chairs and caucus members to go over the bill’s language, making tweaks to ensure the bill will “function properly” and is “constitutional.”

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Tennessee State Senator Bill Powers Passes on Bid for TN-07 U.S. House Seat

Bill Powers

Tennessee State Senator Bill Powers (R-Clarksville) has announced he has “no plans” to run for Congress in Tennessee’s 7th Congressional District amid the announcement of incumbent U.S. Representative Mark Green’s (R-TN-07) retirement.

“For me, family is more important than any congressional title in Washington DC. I’m honored to be your state senator and have no plans to run for congress,” Powers wrote in a Facebook post on Thursday.

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U.S. Rep. Andy Ogles Says J6 Defendant Stewart Parks’ Case ‘Should Trouble Everyone’

Andy Ogles

Tennessee U.S. Representative Andy Ogles (R-TN-05) said he has received a response from the Federal Correctional Institution (FCI) in Memphis in regards to his request for inmate Stewart Parks, who is serving his eight month sentence for being present at the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021, to be moved to the prison’s minimum security satellite camp.

On February 13, Ogles sent a letter to Warden F.J. Bowers of the FCI in Memphis requesting that Parks be moved to the satellite camp for the duration of his incarceration, as previously reported by The Tennessee Star.

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New Report on Connecticut’s Social Studies Standards Details Troubling Effect on Students

The National Association of Scholars’ Civics Alliance coalition released a comprehensive report critiquing Connecticut’s social studies standards, which is the state’s guide for teachers detailing what students should be learning from Pre-K through 12th grade.

The 34-page report, titled “Disowned Yankees: How Connecticut’s Social Studies Standards Shortchange Students,” details how the Connecticut State Department of Education (CSDE) produced the curriculum, the result of implementing the curriculum, as well as “recommendations for how to fix the adoption process and the substance of Connecticut’s social studies instruction, by substantive revision of the Standards.”

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Nashville-Based Beacon Center of Tennessee Sues the U.S. Department of Labor

The Nashville-based Beacon Center of Tennessee filed a lawsuit on behalf of two freelance journalists against the U.S. Department of Labor’s Independent Contractor Rule on Wednesday.

The think tank is representing Tennessee freelance journalists Margaret Littman and Jennifer Chesak in the suit, arguing that the department’s updated rule “threatens to destroy the livelihoods of freelancers” by “forcing freelancers into employment relationships that they neither want nor need.”

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Head of School at Rutherford Classical Academy Phillip Schwenk Announces New Charter School Will Be Located in La Vergne

Phillip Schwenk

Phillip Schwenk, the founding head of school at Rutherford Classical Academy, announced that the charter school will be located in La Vergne on Ingram Boulevard, close to I-24, and will accept 340 students the first school year.

The Rutherford County School Board voted last April to approve the building of the charter school by a vote of 5-2.

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Tennessee State Rep. William Lamberth Files Resolution Condemning Neo-Nazism

William Lamberth

Tennessee State Representative William Lamberth (R-Portland) filed a resolution on Tuesday condemning neo-Nazism and the National Socialist Movement in the Volunteer State.

“God is the creator of all humans and races,” the resolution reads. “Racism and hatred in any form are repugnant and sinful…There is an intentional effort by neo-Nazis to ignite racial animosity and divide neighbors, friends, and communities by promoting a message of hatred and ethnic cleansing…Neo-Nazis wish to further spread a dangerous ideology rooted in Holocaust Era fascist movements and socialism through their affiliation with the National Socialist Movement.”

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Almost 200 Voter Registrations in Pima County Canceled for Lacking U.S. Citizenship, New Data Shows

Vote Sign

A new summary by the Public Interest Legal Foundation (PILF) found that 186 voter registrants have been “involuntarily purged” for citizenship issues in Pima County, Arizona, since 2021.

The PILF summary, citing records released by Pima County election officials, found that seven individuals within the group of 186 canceled voter registrations had a history of casting ballots across two federal and local elections.

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U.S. Senator Bill Hagerty Travels to the U.S.-Mexico Border

Senator Bill Hagerty at Southern Border

Tennessee U.S. Senator Bill Hagerty (R-TN) traveled to the U.S.-Mexico border on Tuesday with Tennessee sheriffs and mayors to meet with law enforcement and property owners.

“I’m back at the southern border here in Texas,” Hagerty said in a video message posted to X. “We’re just in the outskirts of Eagle Pass right now. I brought another delegation of sheriffs and mayors and law enforcement from Tennessee just like I did two years ago. What we’re seeing is even worse than it was two year ago.”

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Michael Patrick Leahy and Crom Carmichael Debate Bill That Would Allow State Attorneys General to Sue DHS

Editor-in-Chief and CEO of The Tennessee Star Michael Patrick Leahy and Crom Carmichael, original all-star panelist of The Tennessee Star Report with Michael Patrick Leahy, discussed on Monday a bill recently introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives that would give state attorneys general a greater standing to sue the Department of Homeland Security when it fails to enforce existing immigration laws passed by Congress.

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Michael Patrick Leahy: John Fredericks Owns the Only Independent ‘America First’ Radio Network in the Country

Michael Patrick Leahy and John Fredericks

Editor-in-Chief and CEO of The Tennessee Star Michael Patrick Leahy said the John Fredericks Radio Network is the only radio network left in the country that hosts independent, America First personalities as other networks, like Audacy, are being bought out and transformed into left-wing outlets by the likes of George Soros.

Leahy, who hosts The Tennessee Star Report with Michael Patrick Leahy on 760 AM WENO “The Flame,” Nashville’s only America First Newstalk station, said Soros, a Democrat mega-donor, is buying up radio networks across the country as a “2024 campaign contribution for the Democrats.”

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Dr. Omar Hamada Will Decide on Possible Bid for TN-07 U.S. House Seat ‘Sooner than Later’

Omar Hamada

Former chair of the Williamson County Republican Party, Dr. Omar Hamada, said he plans to decide on launching a bid for Tennessee’s 7th Congressional District “sooner than later” following incumbent U.S. Representative Mark Green (R-TN-07) announcing his retirement.

Hamada, who said he spoke with  Green shortly after he announced his retirement, explained how he feels he is being “thrust” into the race in a way, adding, “I feel like the Lord is leading me in that direction.”

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Laura Loomer Details Trip to the Darién Gap to Document ‘Most Dangerous’ Passageway for Illegal Aliens Crossing into North America

Laura Loomer

Investigative journalist Laura Loomer is traveling to the Darién Gap between Colombia and Panama for a week-long trip to document how illegal aliens and other dangerous groups utilize the only land path connecting Central and South America to get to North America.

The Darién Gap, which consists of more than 60 miles of dense rainforest, steep mountains, and vast swamps, is not only a passageway for migrants from South America, Loomer said, but a hotspot for Hamas and Hezbollah networks, drug cartels, and human trafficking groups.

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Former Trump Campaign Spokesman Steve Cortes Skeptical of Classified National Security Threat

Mike Turner

Steve Cortes, former senior spokesman and strategist for the 2016 and 2020 Trump campaigns and current head of the League of American Workers, said Chairman of the House Intelligence Committee Mike Turner’s (R-OH-10) Wednesday statement warning of a “serious national security threat” was “vague,” adding it “smells bad for a lot of reasons.”

On Wednesday, Turner released a statement urging the Biden administration to “declassify all information” related to the “serious national security threat,” so that the appropriate parties can “discuss the actions necessary” in response.

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Tennessee GOP Chairman Scott Golden Explains Delegate Process

People Voting

With early voting underway for the March 5 Presidential Preference Primary and County Primary Elections, Tennessee Republican Party Chairman Scott Golden explained how voters elect delegates in the Volunteer State.

In addition to the presidential and county candidates, two types of delegates are elected by Republican voters on the primary ballot – at-large delegates, which represent the entire state and appear on the ballot in every county, and delegates that represent each congressional district.

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Nashville Mayor O’Connell Announces November Transportation Referendum but Offers No Plan Details

Nashville Transit

Nashville Mayor Freddie O’Connell officially announced Thursday that there will be a public transit referendum on the November 5 ballot, however, did not reveal any specifics to his awaited transportation plan.

“After getting the green light on both legal and financial aspects of the process, the administration is putting a referendum in front of the voters on November 5,” O’Connell’s office said in a press release.

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Allen Jackson Ministries to Host ‘Culture and Christianity’ Conference in April Featuring Kayleigh McEnany, Kirk Cameron, and More

Pastor Allen Jackson

Allen Jackson Ministries will host a Culture and Christianity Conference at World Outreach Church in April built around the theme “Lead with Faith.”

The Culture & Christianity Conference, according to Allen Jackson Ministries, is designed to “help equip, prepare, and embolden the rising generation of Americans to be voices for God’s Truth, wherever He leads.”

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Tennessee GOP Chairman Scott Golden Assesses 7th Congressional District Race amid U.S. Rep. Mark Green’s Retirement

Scott Golden

Tennessee Republican Party Chairman Scott Golden said he was surprised when Tennessee U.S. Representative Mark Green (R-TN-07) announced his retirement from Congress.

Green, chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, announced his retirement on Wednesday, just one day after leading the House in a historic vote to impeach Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas.

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Amy Miller Details Work with the Children’s Health Defense Reform Pharma Initiative

Reform Pharma

Activist Amy Miller with Reform Pharma, the newest initiative of Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s non-profit organization Children’s Health Defense, said she is a “mama bear on a mission” to remove the “corruption of Big Pharma.”

“Children’s Health Defense has a new initiative called Reform Pharma, and that’s who we are. We’re systematically removing the corruption of Big Pharma. It’s a large project to tackle. They’ve been doing this for decades, you know, interweaving their so-called help and corruption into our education system, our government, just basically any part of your life, but we want to remove and basically separate pharma and state. It’s, it’s much needed,” Miller explained during Wednesday’s episode of The Tennessee Star Report with Michael Patrick Leahy.

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Tennessee State Senator Brent Taylor Sponsors Several Crime-Related Bills in Effort to ‘Make Memphis Matter’

State Senator Brent Taylor

Tennessee State Senator Brent Taylor (R-Memphis) announced he is sponsoring several crime-related bills this legislative session in an effort to fight crime and “Make Memphis Matter.”

In a letter to his colleagues in the Tennessee State Senate, Taylor detailed 13 pieces of legislation he is sponsoring and asked his colleagues to consider sponsoring the bills as well.

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Tennessee U.S. Rep. Mark Green Announces Retirement from Congress

Mark Green Retiring

U.S. Representative Mark Green (R-TN-07) announced his retirement from Congress on Wednesday, just one day after leading the House in a historic vote to impeach Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas.

Green, who served as chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, said he is “ready to return home” after delivering on his promise to “pass legislation to secure our borders and to hold Secretary Mayorkas accountable” by leading the passage of H.R. 2 and two articles of impeachment against Mayorkas.

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House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Mark Green Calls on the Senate to Hold a Trial and Convict DHS Secretary Mayorkas

In one of his last actions before announcing his retirement from Congress, Tennessee U.S. Representative Mark Green (R-TN-07) urged lawmakers in the U.S. Senate to hold a trial and convict Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas.

“Last night, the House of Representatives voted to impeach DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas for high crimes and misdemeanors, specifically for his willful and systemic refusal to comply with the law and his breach of public trust. This action—the culmination of nearly a year’s worth of investigations and hearings—was necessary to deal with a rogue DHS secretary whose lawless actions have caused and perpetuated the worst border crisis in American history,” Green said during a press conference with House Republican leadership.

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Co-Founder of AbleChild Sheila Matthews Details Work on Tennessee Bill to Help Determine Link Between Psychotropic Drugs and Mass Shooters

Sheila Matthews

Sheila Matthews, co-founder of the national non-profit parent organization AbleChild, detailed her work on crafting an “outstanding” bill recently filed in the Tennessee General Assembly that is focused on reforming the process medical examiner’s offices must follow in terms of testing for psychotropic drugs when performing autopsies on the bodies of mass shooters.

HB 2933, if enacted, would require a medical examiner’s office or regional forensic center to determine and document current both psychotropic and prescription drug use from the past 10 years by a deceased individual who died under “suspicious, unusual, or unnatural circumstances.”

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