Gov. Haslam Delivers Final State of the State Address

Bill Haslam

NASHVILLE, Tennessee–Gov. Bill Haslam delivered his final “State of the State” address before a joint session of the Tennessee General Assembly on Monday evening. In a forty minute speech, Haslam recounted the highlights of his two terms as government, and called on state legislators to act on his recently announced plan to fight opioid addiction in the state. He received a standing ovation when he noted that his administration has cut $578 million in taxes. However, when he noted last year’s IMPROVE Act, which raised gasoline taxes by 6 cents per gallon and diesel taxes by 10 cents per gallon to fund highway construction, he received only lukewarm applause. His biggest standing ovation from the gathered state legislators came when he noted that the people of Tennessee want to work, and they want their government to work as well. Several legislators told The Tennessee Star that there were no surprises in the governor’s speech, and that it was more general in nature than his previous State of the State speeches. Predictably, Tennessee Democrats panned Haslam’s speech. “Sadly, the Governor’s paltry 25 million opioid plan represents a business-as-usual approach to the opioid crisis – our communities are facing a dire emergency…

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Americans More Satisfied with Military, Security, Economy Under Trump

Americans reported substantially higher levels of satisfaction with the country’s military, security from terrorism and the state of the economy under President Donald Trump than they felt under former President Barack Obama a year ago, according to a Gallup poll released Monday. Roughly 78 percent of Americans felt satisfied with the military’s strength and preparedness, up…

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George Rasley Commentary: Trump Immigration Plan – Making America Into California

by George Rasley, ConservativeHQ.com Editor   President Trump’s recently released immigration framework is a disaster for America and for the prospects of conservative government for a variety of reasons, not the least of which is that it sets millions of unassimilated foreigners on a path to citizenship and voting. Think California on steroids. About 6 in 10 illegal aliens in the United States live in one of 20 metro areas, with three regions in Southern California combining to make up the largest cluster of people living in the country illegally, according to a study by the Pew Research Center. Pew, which has tracked the undocumented population for several years, pegs the total number of aliens in the United States illegally at about 11.1 million nationwide. In Southern California, about 1.4 million illegal aliens live between the southern Ventura County border and the U.S.-Mexico border — the biggest concentration of undocumented people in the country, according to reporting by Grace Wyler of the Orange County Register. Given those numbers, it should surprise no one that the formerly “Golden State” is now officially the poverty capital of America. California — not Mississippi, New Mexico, or West Virginia — has the highest poverty…

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Poll: Black Leads Dean by 11 in Gubernatorial General Election Matchup; Harwell, Boyd and Lee Also Lead Dean

Tennessee Star Poll results released on Tuesday show that Rep. Diane Black (R-TN-06) leads Democratic front runner Karl Dean by 11 points in a head-to-head matchup in Tennessee’s general election for governor, 46 percent to 35 percent. Tennessee Speaker of the House Beth Harwell (R-Nashville) leads Dean by 10 points, 42 percent to 32 percent, and Knoxville businessman Randy Boyd leads Dean by 9 points, 43 percent to 34 percent. The two other potential Republican gubernatorial challengers fare less well. Williamson County businessman Bill Lee leads Dean by 4 points 38 percent to 34 percent, and former State Senator Mae Beavers (R-Mt. Juliet) is essentially tied with Dean, leading by two-tenths of one percent, 35.9 percent to 35.7 percent The automated (IVR) telephone survey of 1,003 likely Tennessee voters in the November 2018 general election was conducted for The Tennessee Star by Triton Research between January 21 and January 24 and has a 3.1 percent margin of error. “Because the poll included fewer African American respondents than the likely distribution in November 2018, I think it is safe to add about five percentage points to the results for Dean in each head to head matchup,” conservative political analyst and media consultant Steve Gill…

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Senator Lindsey Graham: We’re Not Going to Build a 1,900-Mile Border Wall

Sen. Lindsey Graham said Sunday that the $25 billion for a U.S.-Mexico border wall and other infrastructure in President Trump’s immigration proposal can be spent wisely, and that he doesn’t envision constructing a bona fide 1,900-mile wall. Mr. Graham said lawmakers included some $42 billion for border security in a 2013 immigration bill the U.S. Senate passed, so the $25 billion for a border wall and infrastructure in Mr. Trump’s proposal isn’t an “outrageous” number.

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New York City Mayor Bill De Blasio Admits He Wants To Kill the Oil Industry With Global Warming Lawsuit

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said his administration’s recent divestment action and lawsuit were meant to “help bring the death knell” to the the oil industry. But de Blasio’s remarks on killing off the oil industry directly contradict New York City’s statements to the court, filed in their lawsuit against five major oil companies.

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Poll: Blackburn Leads Bredesen by 11 in Tennessee U.S. Senate General Election Matchup, 50 to 39

A new Tennessee Star Poll released on Monday shows that Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN-07) leads former Gov. Phil Bredesen, a Democrat, in a head-to-head general election matchup for the Tennessee U.S. Senate seat currently held by Sen. Bob Corker (R-TN) by 11 points, 50 percent to 39 percent. The same poll shows that Bredesen leads former Rep. Stephen Fincher (R-TN-08) by 3 points, 41 percent to 38 percent in a head-to-head matchup, within the poll’s margin of error. The automated (IVR) telephone survey of 1,003 likely Tennessee voters in the November 2018 general election was conducted for The Tennessee Star by Triton Research between January 21 and January 24 and has a 3.1 percent margin of error. Forty-six percent of poll respondents were Republicans, 25 percent were Democrats, and 27 percent were Independents. “With Bredesen having served as a two term governor, he has a strong residual of name recognition across the state that currently gives him a slight advantage over Blackburn who is less well known outside of Middle Tennessee,” conservative political commentator and media consultant Steve Gill says. “In East Tennessee, for example, a strong base of Republican voters will almost certainly help her move more of the…

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Hillary Clinton Kept Adviser Accused of Sexual Harassment on Her 2008 Campaign: Report

Former Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton protected a top staff member accused of sexual misconduct during her first presidential campaign in 2008, The New York Times reported Friday. Burns Strider, senior faith adviser to Mrs. Clinton, was accused of sexually harassing a young female aide. Mrs. Clinton’s campaign manager, Patti Soles Doyle, recommended the campaign fire Mr. Strider, but when Mrs. Clinton was made aware of the situation she requested he stay on staff, The Times reported.

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Commentary: What We Know About #ReleaseTheMemo

by ConservativeHQ.com Staff   Democrats and their Lefty media allies would like the findings of the memo compiled by House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence Chairman Devin Nunes to never see the light of day, or, absent that, to be completely discredited as a partisan hit job or crazy conservative conspiracy theory. Here’s what we know so far and why it is so important that the memo and its sources should be released as Hillary ClintonSenator Chuck Grassley, Chairman of the Senate committee on the Judiciary has demanded. The Daily Beast’s Betsy Woodruff and Spencer Ackerman report that the memo specifically names FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe and Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein along with former FBI Director James Comey as complicit Obama-era surveillance abuse. Capitol Hill sources on both sides of the aisle say the memo’s release is only a matter of time. And when it comes out, these current and former officials are likely to face even more criticism from conservatives, libertarians and Republicans over their involvement in FBI counterintelligence work. While drawing considerable ire from Chairman Grassley, the Justice Department has continued to stonewall and express serious concerns about the memo’s potential release. In a letter sent…

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Illegals Commit Crimes at Double the Rate of Native-Born: Study

The crime rate among illegal immigrants in Arizona is twice that of other residents, Attorney General Jeff Sessions said Friday, citing a new report based on conviction data. The report, from the Crime Prevention Research Center, used a previously untapped set of data from Arizona that detailed criminal convictions and found that illegal immigrants between 15 and 35 are less than 3 percent of the state’s population, but nearly 8 percent of its prison population.

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Democratic Governors to Sue Trump Administration over Tax Plan Eliminating State and Local Tax Deduction

Cuomo

Democratic governors in three blue states announced Friday that they’re planning to sue President Trump over the tax plan passed late last year for the elimination of the state and local tax deduction. Gov. Andrew Cuomo of New York said the bill was a “fundamental violation of states’ rights” in a conference call, according to USA Today. Govs. Dannel Malloy of Connecticut and Phil Murphy of New Jersey, both of who plan to join Mr. Cuomo as a “coalition,” were also on the call.

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Senate Democrats Holding Up Trump Nominees for Top Jobs

Despite a change in how the Senate votes on presidential nominees, a large number of President Donald Trump’s key nominees are stuck in legislative limbo, blocked by tactics that mostly Democratic senators are employing. The White House says there are currently 262 pending nominations held in the Senate. At the Department of Labor, Secretary Alex Acosta has a solicitor and several other Senate-confirmed aides, according to Bloomberg News. But Trump’s and Acosta’s pick for deputy secretary at the Labor Department, Pat Pizzella, could be held up until spring, Bloomberg reports. His nomination is opposed by liberal activist groups that say he has lobbied for lower wages in the past.

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Oprah Winfrey Rules Out 2020 Presidential Run

The excitement of a run for the White House by media mogul Oprah Winfrey has come to an anticlimactic end. Winfrey tells InStyle magazine that running for president is not in her DNA. “It’s not something that interests me,” she said in an interview published Thursday. “I met with someone the other day who said that they would help me with a campaign. That’s not for me.”

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Watch Maria Bartiromo Take A Sledge Hammer To Union Organizer’s Hatred Of Trump

Fox Business Network host Maria Bartiromo got into a shouting match with a global union organizer after President Donald Trump’s speech in Davos, Switzerland, Friday. Peter Jennings, general secretary of UNI Global Union, argued that Trump has not been doing enough for workers because he is hampering regulations that union advocates pushed through during the previous administration.

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Bristol Motor Speedway Plans to Host Another Major College Football Game

Bristol Motor Speedway has big plans for the future and they don’t involve NASCAR. Speedway Motorsports President and CEO Marcus Smith and BMS Executive Vice President and General Manager Jerry Caldwell revealed plans to host another football game at Bristol Motor Speedway in the near future. No teams have been announced yet, but it would likely be another college football game rather than an NFL game. Virginia Tech and Tennessee played at the Battle of Bristol on Sept. 10, 2016 in front of the largest crowd in history to watch a football game. The Volunteers won the game 45-24 in front of 156,990 fans.

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Vince McMahon Announces XFL Will Compete with NFL in 2020 for Pro Football Fans: ‘It’ll Have Nothing to Do with Politics’

Vince McMahon has dominated the world of professional wrestling as the CEO of WWE for decades now, but he’s hoping to expand beyond the mat and into the gridiron. In a Thursday afternoon press conference, McMahon announced the return of the XFL, a football league that he and NBC tried for one season in 2001.

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Trump Plan Offers ‘Path to Citizenship Over 10 to 12 Years’ For 1.8 Million Illegal Immigrants in Return for End to Visa Lottery and Chain Migration

US President Donald Trump’s administration on Thursday unveiled a sweeping new immigration plan to Congress that offers 1.8 million young unauthorized immigrants known as “Dreamers” a path to citizenship over 10-12 years. Trump’s comprehensive plan — which will be formally presented next week — includes eliminating the popular “green card lottery” program and would severely restrict…

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Shane Reeves Easily Defeats Joe Carr in 14th State Senate District GOP Primary

Murfreesboro businessman Shane Reeves easily defeated former State Rep. Joe Carr (R-Lascassas) in the 14th State Senate District Republican special primary election on Thursday by almost a two to one margin. The final tally was 4,720 votes for Reeves to 2,556 votes for Carr, a 65 percent to 35 percent victory for Reeves. As was anticipated, the overall turnout of 7,276 voters in the Republican primary was low. Carr conceded and congratulated Reeves at about 8:55 p.m., a little less than two hours after the polls closed at 7:00 pm. Reeves now faces Gayle Jordan in the March 13 special general election. Jordan was unopposed in the Democratic primary, where she received 574 votes. Reeves is heavily favored to win the general election in this traditionally Republican district. Reeves’ victory was comprehensive and across the board, as he won all five counties in the district: In Bedford County, Reeves won 1,107 votes to Carr’s 405 votes, a 73 percent to 27 percent margin. In Lincoln County, Reeves won 696 votes to Carr’s 506 votes, a 58 percent to 42 percent margin. In Marshall County, Reeves won 606 votes to Carr’s 401 votes, a 60 percent to 40 percent margin. In…

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Trump Should Not Agree to Interview with Mueller, Legal Experts Say

President Donald Trump should not give special counsel Robert Mueller an interview in his investigation of allegations the chief executive’s 2016 campaign colluded with Russian interests to defeat Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton, according to multiple attorneys interviewed by LifeZette. Mueller recently interviewed Attorney General Jeff Sessions and has been in conversation with White House lawyers about…

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Media Networks Ignore FBI’s Missing Texts from Anti-Trump Agents

ABC News, CBS News and NBC News largely ignored revelations that the FBI “failed to preserve” five months’ worth of text messages between two anti-Trump employees during their Monday and Tuesday broadcasts, according to reports from the Media Research Center (MRC). The three networks failed to cover the missing trove of text messages between Peter Strzok…

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Former Judge Bob Corlew Announces Candidacy for GOP Nomination in 6th Congressional District

Former Chancery Court Judge Bob Corlew announced his candidacy for the Republican nomination for Congress in the 6th Congressional District on Wednesday. “I have dedicated my life to public service, not political service, serving my community and my country. I am a veteran, a teacher, a servant leader, but most importantly, I am a grandpa of eight wonderful grandchildren,” Corlew said in a statement released by his campaign. “I am a Christian Conservative who believes Tennessee’s values are worth fighting for. President Trump needs folks who will work with him, not against him, and I will work with President Trump to make our community and our country great again,” Corlew added. “In 2017, Corlew served as Lions Club International President after retiring from thirty years of service as a judge, most recently serving Cannon and Rutherford Counties as Chancery Court Judge,” the statement noted. A video of Corlew’s campaign announcement has been posted on his campaign website, and can be seen here as well: Corlew joins two other Republicans seeking the 6th Congressional District seat Rep. Diane Black (R-TN-06) has said she will not seek to retain in 2018 since she is a candidate for governor. Former Tennessee Agriculture Commissioner…

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Gubernatorial Forum on Education a Slow-Moving Draw Punctuated by Partisan Differences Over In-State Tuition for Illegals

NASHVILLE, Tennessee–The State Collaborative on Reforming Education (SCORE) Gubernatorial Forum on Education held at Belmont University’s Curb Center on Tuesday turned out to be a slow-moving draw punctuated by partisan differences between the three Republicans and two Democrats in attendance over in-state-tuition for illegals. Each of the five participating candidates made their points and none hurt themselves, for the most part restating positions they had staked out in pre-forum interviews with the Professional Educators of Tennessee. Tennessee Speaker of the House Beth Harwell (R-Nashville), Knoxville businessman Randy Boyd, and Williamson County businessman Bill Lee were the three Republican gubernatorial candidates in attendance. Former Nashville Mayor Karl Dean and Tennessee House Minority Leader State Rep. Craig Fitzhugh (D-Ripley) were the two Democratic gubernatorial candidates in attendance. Republican candidate Mae Beavers did not attend, due to the passing of her mother. Republican candidate Rep. Diane Black (R-TN-06) also did not attend, due to scheduling conflicts since Congress is currently in session. NewsChannel5, the media co-sponsor, broadcast the forum live for one hour. NewsChannel5’s Rory Johnson was co-moderator of the event, along with reporter David Plazas from media co-sponsor The USA Today – Tennessee. The moderators posed about a dozen questions to the…

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Debate Preview: GOP Gubernatorial Candidates Answer Five Questions on Education

The Gubernatorial Candidate Educational Forum will be held at Belmont University and broadcast on NewsChannel 5 from 7:00 pm to 8:00 pm tonight, Tuesday, January 22. The Tennessee Star will be there, along with six of the seven leading gubernatorial candidates from the Republican and Democratic parties. Republicans in attendance will be Randy Boyd, Bill Lee, Mae Beavers, and Tennessee Speaker of the House Beth Harwell (R- Nashville). Democrats in attendance will be Karl Dean and State Rep. Craig Fitzhugh (D-Ripley). Rep. Diane Black (R-TN-06) will be the only gubernatorial candidate not in attendance. Black is in Washington, where Congress is currently in session. Earlier this month, the Professional Educators of Tennessee (PET) asked all seven candidates five questions about education. PET has graciously shared their responses with The Tennessee Star. As a preview of tonight’s debate, we present the responses of the five leading GOP Gubernatorial candidates to those questions. QUESTION 1: Thank you for taking the time to share with our educators today. On behalf of our members, I would like to say we are grateful you are offering yourself for Governor. Please share with educators a little about who you are, and why you are running for…

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Trump Ad Says Democratic Foes Will Be ‘Complicit’ in Murders by Illegal Immigrants

The Trump campaign released a tough ad Saturday saying that Democrats who oppose the president’s border security policies will be “complicit for every murder committed by illegal immigrants.” “Build the wall. Deport criminals. Stop illegal immigration now. Democrats who stand in our way will be complicit in every murder committed by illegal immigrants,” says the ad by Donald J. Trump for President.

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Commentary: One Year Later the Donald Trump Experiment Is Working Like a Charm

by Jeffrey A. Rendall   As we reach the one-year anniversary of President Donald Trump’s inauguration, doubts persist within the pundit class about Trump’s relationship with members of Congress. Everyone knows the president’s tangled mightily with Democrats throughout those first twelve months, the most recent dust-up coming over Trump’s alleged “sh—hole countries” remark made during a meeting with senators from both parties at the White House last week. Trump denies ever making the comment and Georgia Republican Senator David Purdue backed up Trump’s claim to ABC News’ liberal George Stephanopoulos last Sunday. Regardless of Trump’s word usage he’d face a near impossible task in trying to mend fences with the Democrats. But there are also those who suggest Trump has a ways to go to shore up good feelings with his fellow Republicans too. If recent history is a guide, Trump’s attempting to do just that. Sarah Westwood of the Washington Examiner wrote, “Republicans who once questioned President Trump’s competence or called him a ‘jackass’ have spent recent weeks singing his praises and joining him on Air Force One as the president works to repair strained relationships on Capitol Hill ahead of the midterms. “Facing the prospect of a Democratic…

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The Obama Administration’s ‘Brazen Plot To Exonerate Hillary Clinton’ To Leak Out, According To Former Fed Prosecutor

A former federal prosecutor says the truth is starting to seep out about the Obama Administration’s “brazen plot to exonerate Hillary Clinton” and “frame an incoming president with a false Russian conspiracy,” according to an exclusive interview with The Daily Caller News Foundation. Joe diGenova, a former federal prosecutor, connects the dots on former Obama administration Justice Department and FBI officials who may have “violated the law, perhaps committed crimes” to politicize law enforcement and surveillance against political opponents.

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ICE Is Enforcing Deportation Orders Against High-Profile Illegal Immigrant Activists

Immigration authorities have detained in recent weeks two prominent activists who are themselves illegal immigrants, demonstrating the Trump administration’s commitment to expand the pool of deportable aliens. The arrested men have openly lived in the U.S. for years and have until recently enjoyed a de facto immunity from deportation, thanks to their status as high-profile immigrants’ rights activists. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials have denied the arrests are politically motivated, but they clearly show that immigration agents are now emboldened to arrest even the most connected of illegal immigrants.

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Laura Ingraham vs. Rob Reiner: A Conservative and a Liberal Have an Honest, Heated Conversation

It was refreshing, it was real, it was engaging. And the feisty face-to-face conversation on set at Fox News’ “The Ingraham Angle” Friday night between host Laura Ingraham and long-time director and actor Rob Reiner — live from California last night — could actually be a model for future dialogue between people on opposite ends of…

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NYT Changes Headline On Gov’t Shutdown To Lessen Blame On Dems For Impasse

The New York Times changed a headline in an article Saturday morning about the government shutdown that absolves Democrats of blame for the impasse. The original version of the NYT headline on an article reporting the news reads: “Senate Democrat Block Bill to Keep Government Open Past Midnight, Shutdown Looms” – which went through various changes as negotiations on the budget deal broke down.

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Joe Carr: Contribution to Shane Reeves Campaign Came from Tennessee’s Chief Lobbyist for Pro-Abortion Planned Parenthood

Shane Reeves, State Senate candidate in the GOP 14th District special Republican primary election on January 25th, filed his financial disclosure forms with the State of Tennessee yesterday and at least one of his contributions is raising eyebrows. A $500 donation is recorded as being received on November 16, 2017 from the lobbying firm of Smith, Harris & Carr PAC. According to  Reeves’ rival for the GOP nomination, former State Rep. Joe Carr (R-Lascassas),  one of the named principals in the firm, Anne Carr (no relation), is the registered lobbyist for Tennessee Advocates for Planned Parenthood. Joe Carr questioned Reeves’ pro-life claims when he was endorsed by the Tennessee Education Association (TEA). The TEA’s national affiliate, the National Education Association, which TEA helps fund, is a large donor to Planned Parenthood. During the 2014 election cycle NEA funneled over $790,000 in teachers’ dues money to Planned Parenthood. “Shane has shown a disturbing pattern throughout this campaign of saying one thing and doing another, which makes him completely unsuited to represent the conservative values of this district in the legislature,” Carr pointed out. “If we can’t trust him to MEAN what he says during the campaign, how can we trust him…

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Gingrich Mocks Flake, Says He ‘Probably Could Get a Job at CNN’

Former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.) ridiculed Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) for comparing President Donald Trump to Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin. Gingrich said Thursday on “Fox & Friends” that the retiring Arizona senator “probably could get a job at CNN.” Flake earned praise and intense coverage from mainstream media outlets and pundits when he…

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Commentary: GOP Tax Bill Looks To Boost Republicans’ Odds In 2018

Americans’ support for the recently signed Republican tax reform bill is soaring, growing nine percent in favorability since Christmas. Forty-six percent of Americans either strongly or somewhat approve of the law as of early January, compared to just 37 percent when the bill was entering the final stages of debate in late December, The New York Times reported Tuesday.

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