An Iranian official is blaming “foreign agents” for the shooting deaths of two protesters during widespread anti-government demonstrations Saturday. “No shots were fired by the police and security forces,” Habibollah Khojastehpour, a deputy governor of the province where the protesters were killed.
Read the full storyAuthor: Tennessee Star Staff
Another Ship Bringing Oil to North Korea Has Been Stopped by a United States Ally in the Region
Kim Jong Un South Korea seized a Panamanian-flagged vessel after it was suspected of illegally selling oil to North Korea, CNN reported Sunday. It was the second ship seized in what South Korea called an ongoing effort to monitor North Korea’s attempts to circumvent United Nations sanctions.
Read the full storyCalifornia Prosecutes Man For Posting Anti-Muslim Messages On Facebook
California has leveled misdemeanor charges against 41-year-old Mark Feigin after he sent five anti-Muslim posts to the Islamic Center of Southern California’s (ICSC) Facebook page in 2016.
Read the full storyLiberal Media Giant Headquartered in Washington DC Area Names Anti-Trumper Bob Corker ‘Person of the Year’
The Gannett-owned USA Today-Tennessee network named Senator Bob Corker (R-TN), the compromised retiring junior senator from Tennessee, its “2017 Person of the Year” for his constant bashing of President Trump on Sunday. The big announcement from the Tysons Corner, Virginia based mainstream media newspaper giant came just weeks after a Tennessee Star Poll that showed Corker has an astonishingly low 22 percent approval rating among Tennessee Republicans, and a record-high 60 percent disapproval rating. It also comes barely a week after a devastating blast of Corker’s business ethics by Rolling Stone’s Matt Taibbi, who posed this question: How did Corker go from “dead broke” to a net worth of $68 million during his eleven years in the U.S. Senate? But the anti-Trump liberally biased Tennessean –part of the USA Today-Tennessee network that also includes the Memphis Commercial Appeal and the Knoxville News Sentinel–sees all of Corker’s attacks on Trump–who won the state of Tennessee by an overwhelming 60 percent to 36 percent margin over Hillary Clinton–as praiseworthy. “In October, he responded very publicly and forcefully to President Donald J. Trump’s bullying and insults on Twitter, calling the White House an ‘adult day care center,’” the Tennessean wrote of Corker, adding: In…
Read the full storyBob Corker’s Attacks and President Trump’s Punch Backs on Twitter Listed as ‘Sixth Biggest Feud of 2017’
Donald Trump has taunted world leaders, criticized football players and picked fights with members of his own party. After a year in office, one thing is indisputable with this unconventional president: He relishes the battle.
Read the full storyElizabeth Warren Gets Decimated After Claiming To ‘Believe In Science’
Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts responded to President Donald Trump’s Thursday tweet, in which he questioned the concept of global warming, by announcing that she ‘believes in science’ – only to be questioned relentlessly on how exactly her scientific belief applies to issues like abortion or her supposed Native American ancestry. Trump’s tweet, which seems…
Read the full storySouth Korea Seizes Hong Kong-flagged Ship Suspected of Sending Oil to North Korea
South Korea’s foreign ministry says the country has seized a Hong Kong-flagged ship that transferred oil to a North Korean vessel in international waters despite United Nations Security Council sanctions. Yonhap, the South Korean news agency, reports South Korean custom officials say the Lighthouse Winmore vessel transferred “600 tons of refined petroleum” to a North Korean ship October 19. South Korea seized the Lighthouse Winmore on November 24 when it sailed into South Korea’s Yeosu Port, the news agency says.
Read the full storyJustice Department Officials Gave Clinton More Than $381,000 in 2016 Campaign Contributions
More than 2,500 individual contributions collectively worth in excess of $381,000 were made to 2016 Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton by persons who listed the Department of Justice (DOJ) as their employer, according to federal campaign data compiled by opensecrets.org. Contributions to President Donald Trump were paltry by comparison, coming from only 24 individuals listing DOJ as their employer making 54 donations collectively worth $12,535. All of the data covered the election cycle from January 1, 2015 through the 2016 election on November 8.
Read the full storyVanity Fair Bows to Left-Wing Mob After Criticizing Hillary
Though most people would agree Vanity Fair is no friend to conservatives, the publication was candid this week in its thoughts about two-time failed presidential candidate Hillary Clinton — much to the dismay of its left-leaning base. The fashion magazine has been posting political New Year’s resolution videos, all meant to be humorous in one way or another. Clinton was the subject of one. In addition to the notion that she never again run for the White House, a Vanity Fair writer suggested Hillary Clinton take up a new hobby in 2018 — to keep herself busy and out of the public eye.
Read the full storyNewt Gingrich: ‘The Stage Is Being Set’ for GOP Landslide in 2018
Newt Gingrich said Thursday that Democrats are headed for a major political upset in 2018, mostly due to the mainstream media’s dishonesty and the party’s inability to learn from its own mistakes. “The great political surprise of 2018 will be the size of the Republican victory,” the former Republican House Speaker wrote in a column for…
Read the full storyRepublicans Should Not Allow Elites to Set the Election Table in 2018
by Jeffrey A. Rendall Let’s not get carried away here. To say last week and (more broadly) even the last month was good for President Donald Trump (and to some extent, the entirety of the Republican congressional majority) does not require a great leap of logic. Together GOP elected leaders passed a major tax overhaul, put the American people’s future earnings back in their own pockets, pushed through a budget extension with a bit of Democrat cooperation, threatened to pull the monetary rug out from under the UN and various other actions that made conservatives smile. But we still must remember the new year arrives in a few days and with it Congress will return to the capital facing a whole new set of political barriers and an election in eleven months that promises to be challenging to keep a hold on GOP majorities while battling an enraged liberal half of the public that craves blood and won’t settle for much less. And we haven’t even mentioned the big leftist donors who will be unleashing their fortunes to search every nook and cranny for votes (legal and illegal) to purchase for use against Trump. Democrats will pull out all…
Read the full storyPolice Find Confederate Statue’s ‘Hands’ Cut Off
A century-old Confederate statue had its “hands” cut off and its rifle removed in act of vandalism that may cost approximately $200,000 to fix. The Georgia statue, located in the Myrtle Hill Cemetery, had to be taken down from its pedestal in light of the damages to it, ABC News reported Tuesday.
Read the full storyPresident Trump Is About To Repeal Obama-Era ‘Fracking’ Regulations
President Donald Trump’s administration will give a belated gift to American energy producers and repeal former President Barack Obama-era regulations for hydraulic fracturing operations on federal lands. The Interior Department is expected to publish a repeal of the rule in the Federal Register on Friday, and already the oil and gas industry are celebrating. Producers challenged were locked in court battles over the rule since it was finalized in 2015.
Read the full storyDemocratic Senator Cory Booker, Potential 2020 Candidate, Circulates Petition Calling for Donald Trump to Resign
Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey is circulating an online petition calling on President Trump to resign over allegations of sexual harassment. Mr. Booker is among a growing list of possible contenders for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2020 who have demanded Mr. Trump leave the White House.
Read the full storyWoman Accused of Racism by Democratic Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee in Airline Seat Dispute Is Human-Rights Activist
The woman Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee accused of racism is a celebrated photojournalist who helped document human-rights abuses in war-torn Guatemala during the 1980s. Jean-Marie Simon, whose first-class seat on a United Airlines flight was given to Ms. Jackson Lee, Texas Democrat, lived and worked in Guatemala during the turbulent decade that saw the military seize control of the government in a coup. Hundreds of thousands of Guatemalans were killed or “disappeared” during the conflict.
Read the full storyBig Labor Wants Tens Of Thousands Of California Pot Workers Paying Union Dues
Labor unions are vying for new, dues-paying members from California’s growing cannabis industry as a state law legalizing recreational pot is only days away from taking full effect. After California residents passed Proposition 64 in 2016, the Golden State became the largest market in the U.S. for recreational marijuana and boosted the already growing weed industry. Proposition 64 will be fully implemented in a matter of days at the start of 2018, according to the Los Angeles Times.
Read the full storyNearly 450,000 People Fled These Three Deep Blue States In 2017
Three Democratic-leaning states hemorrhaged hundreds of thousands of people in 2016 and 2017 as crime, high taxes and, in some cases, crummy weather had residents seeking greener pastures elsewhere. The exodus of residents was most pronounced in New York, which saw about 190,000 people leave the state between July 1, 2016 and July 1, 2017, according to U.S. Census Bureau data released last week.
Read the full storyBikers for Trump Rallies for Republicans to Help President’s Agenda
The wild ride of Bikers for Trump is just getting started. A year after President Trump’s historic upset victory, the grass-roots biker movement he inspired has become a bona fide political organization that is boosting Republican candidates across the country and making inroads in unexpected places, such as in Amish and Mennonite communities. That’s right -…
Read the full storyCongressman Mark Meadows Introduces Bill That Would Limit Opioid Prescriptions to Seven Days
Saying the American medical system is flooded with too many prescription painkillers, governors, lawmakers and health officials are trying to come up with ways to cut down on the amount of pills that reach the hands of patients. It’s part of the all-of-the-above strategy to combat the opioid epidemic, joining treatment and public awareness campaigns. The…
Read the full storyCommentary: The Case of Boeing and the Ex-Im Bank Is Study in Crony Capitalism
Boeing executives are being lauded for being the first out of the box to announce that at least some of the money they will save as a result of the passage of the Republican tax plan will go directly to their employees and will allow them to invest more into increasing the company’s manufacturing capacity in…
Read the full storyThe Heritage Foundation’s New President is a Black Woman and a Conservative
Hillary Clinton was supposed to break the glass ceiling, which she said has kept a woman from becoming president, but the Heritage Foundation, a conservative public policy think tank based in Washington, D.C., has actually done it. Their new president is Kay Coles James, a woman, an African-American and a conservative, who fits no one’s mold.…
Read the full storyThe Senate Waited Until Christmas To Reveal How Many Harassment Settlements Were Paid Out
As the Christmas holiday weekend set it, the Senate Rules and Administration Committee released a report revealing the Senate has spent $1.5 million on workplace harassment settlements since 1998. The data, provided by the Office of Compliance, a little known administrative body that has quietly settled dozens of complaints against congressional offices, provides little by way…
Read the full storyTop Democrat Praises Trump for New UN Sanctions on North Korea
New U.N. sanctions on North Korea has won rare praise for President Donald Trump from a leading Democrat not known for his kind words for the president. Maryland Senator Ben Cardin, the top Democrat on the Foreign Relations Committee, called the U.S. sponsored resolution toughening sanctions “a good move” and a “major accomplishment.” “I give our…
Read the full storyElizabeth Warren, JFK’s Great-Nephew Looking To Take On Trump In 2020
A handful of prominent Massachusetts Democrats are looking to stop President Donald Trump from winning the White House again in 2020 and the list has more than a few notables. Trump’s approval rating has fallen steadily since April and has plateaued at roughly 39 percent since November. Despite a recent legislative victory with tax reform and…
Read the full storyFBI Says Russia Dossier’s Collusion Charges ‘Unsubstantiated’
The FBI is declining to repudiate the Russia dossier on which it partially relied to start an investigation into the Trump campaign, but it concedes the document’s major core charges of election collusion remain unsubstantiated. Sources familiar with House and Senate investigations say this is the FBI’s dossier talking point 17 months after agents were first…
Read the full storyCongressman Rooney Says Some Federal Agencies Need to Be ‘Purged’ of ‘Deep State’ Bias
Rep. Francis Rooney said Tuesday that some federal agencies need to be “purged” of those biased against President Trump in order to know they have “a good, clean government.” “I would like to see the directors of those agencies purge it and say, ‘look, we’ve got a lot of great agents, a lot of great lawyers…
Read the full storyFranklin Graham to Rosie O’Donnell: ‘You Don’t Have the Keys to Hell’
Evangelist Franklin Graham told Rosie O’Donnell to “clean up your mouth” and “put your faith and trust in Jesus Christ,” after the comedian told Speaker of the House Paul Ryan he’s going “straight to hell.” “Rosie, you don’t have the keys to hell, but I know the One who does,” Mr. Graham said in a Facebook post on Tuesday. “And I can tell you who will be there. Hell is going to be filled with people who reject God’s offer of salvation and turned their backs on His laws and standards, refusing to repent.”
Read the full storyGuatemala Will Follow U.S. Lead and Move Embassy to Jerusalem
Guatemala is to move its embassy in Israel to Jerusalem, President Jimmy Morales said Sunday, becoming the first leader to back US President Donald Trump’s controversial change of stance on the holy city. After speaking with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Morales wrote to Guatemalans on his Facebook page that “one of the most important topics…
Read the full storyCommentary: Why Is Alphabet CEO Eric Schmidt Technically Serving In The Department Of Defense?
Eric Schmidt, chief executive of Google parent company Alphabet, was appointed chairman of a Department of Defense program in 2016 that was established by former President Barack Obama’s administration. A staunch supporter of the Democratic Party and critic of President Donald Trump, Schmidt still continues to lead the Defense Innovation Board (DIB), even well after the…
Read the full storyPeevish Jeff Flake Won’t Rule Out 2020 Presidential Bid Against Trump
Retiring Arizona Republican Sen. Jeff Flake — who is one of President Trump’s most strident Senate critics — refused Sunday to rule out a 2020 presidential bid. He made his remarks during an interview on ABC News’ “This Week” that aired Sunday. “I don’t rule anything out, but it’s not in my plans,” Flake told ABC…
Read the full storyDonald Trump Wants Credit for Economy’s Strength
The economy roared to life this year under President Trump, who proudly claimed the success as his own and said the lack of credit given to him was one of the media’s biggest slights against him all year. There was no disputing the business revival. The stock market soared all year long, setting 70 record highs…
Read the full storyNew Jersey Woman Pardoned by Chris Christie Pushes for Change to U.S. Gun Laws
The handgun that Shaneen Allen was carrying when she was pulled over on a New Jersey highway could have sent her to prison for years if not for a pardon from Republican Gov. Chris Christie. Now the legal saga that kept the Pennsylvania mother of two in jail for 48 days has helped inspire a measure…
Read the full storyDonald Trump Seeks Democrats’ Help with Infrastructure Plan
The White House on Sunday said President Trump wants to introduce an infrastructure package in January and reach for a deal with Democrats, a pivot toward bipartisanship after Republican-only efforts on health care and taxes produced mixed results this year. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, Kentucky Republican, also wants to focus on bipartisan bills next year,…
Read the full storyReport: Controversial FBI Deputy Director McCabe to Retire in 2018
FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe, the focus of criticism over the past year from President Donald Trump and Republicans in Congress, plans to retire in 2018, The Washington Post reported Saturday. McCabe, 49, is the No. 2 official in the FBI and had been acting director after Trump fired the former director, James Comey, in May.…
Read the full story‘Chappaquiddick’ Looks to Expose Ted Kennedy’s Crime
Due out in early 2018 is “Chappaquiddick,” a film chronicling the infamous 1969 car crash by the late Sen. Ted Kennedy — which left a young woman dead. The first trailer for the flick debuted Wednesday afternoon, and it shines a surprisingly negative, though honest, light on the Kennedy family.
Read the full storyWhy Jesus Came into the World
When my niece, Alexandria, was very young, she was always eager to come and help arrange the figures. She carefully studied the placement of every angel and shepherd, frequently stepping back to evaluate her work. This ritual always seemed to prompt questions: “Did the Baby Jesus get cold in the manger?” she would ask. “Did Mary and Joseph have a blanket to cover Him, or were those swaddling clothes warm enough?” One December, as we put out the worn old manger and its well-loved pieces, my niece asked her most profound question yet: “Uncle Alex, why did Jesus come?”
Read the full storyHoly Land Tradition Kept Alive by Olive Wood Artisans
Thirty years ago Bassem Giacaman, whose large extended family has lived in this town for generations, immigrated to New Zealand with his parents and siblings in search of a life far away from the turmoil of the Middle East. They left behind a small shop and olive wood factory, one of a few dozen olive wood enterprises in and around Bethlehem, which Christians around the world revere as the birthplace of Jesus.
Read the full storyAncient Stone From Jewish Tomb Shows Complicated Religious History Of Israel
That building met a fate similar to the mosque’s, when it collapsed in the 13th century, Fox News reported. The stone’s multiple uses through eras when different religions dominated Israel are part of what make the find so intriguing, as is its rare design.
Read the full storyFed Court Rules Atlanta Abused Constitution By Sacking Fire Chief
U.S. District Judge Leigh Martin May ruled Wednesday that Atlanta officials violated the Constitution in 2015 when they terminated then-Fire Chief Kelvin Cochran for not getting the city’s prior permission to write a religious book. The Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) represented Cochran, a evangelical Christian, in the case, Cochran v. City of Atlanta. The judge upheld…
Read the full storyAustralian Government Worried US Will Take Jobs After Massive Tax Cut
Australian Treasurer Scott Morrison sounded alarm bells about the impact of the recently-passed American tax cuts on Australia’s economy. If Australia doesn’t pass its own version of the Trump tax cuts, Morrison fears the country will take a hit to its GDP of up to 1 percent. Morrison initially proposed a $65 billion tax cut, saying it will add 1 percent to Australia’s GDP. After Trump’s cut, however, Morrison warned that the cuts are necessary for the country’s economy not to contract.
Read the full storyDems’ Media Allies Eager to Tar House GOP Investigations
A Wednesday in Politico headlined “House Republicans quietly investigate perceived corruption at DOJ, FBI” was wildly inaccurate in its suggestion of secrecy — and House Republicans are angry.
Read the full storyHe Won ‘Survivor’ – and Deserved It for These Reasons
The latest winner of TV’s “Survivor” is a person even non-fans will want to celebrate. Ben Driebergen, an ex-Marine, was crowned winner of the 35th Season of the show, which tests survival and mental skills, on Wednesday night. Driebergen, 34, was open about his experiences with the United States Marines and the struggles he faced during his time spent overseas in Iraq. “I was a company honor man out of boot camp and school, and loved what I did,” he told The Hollywood Reporter. “Certain things happen. You lose friends. The Marine Corps was a good experience, but it was also a bad experience.”
Read the full storyPresident Trump Will Return to Nashville in January to Speak at Farm Bureau Convention
President Donald Trump will return to Nashville on January 8 to speak to the annual convention of the American Farm Bureau at Gaylord’s Opryland Hotel. “The American Farm Bureau Federation is honored to host our nation’s president,” AFBF President Zippy Duvall said in a statement released on the organization’s website last week. “President Trump has said all along that he would make sure agriculture has a seat at the table when it comes to the top issues facing America’s farmers and ranchers. Now, it is our privilege to reserve a spot for him at our podium,” Duvall said. “Duvall considers President Trump’s announced speech as a sign of the high regard in which the nation’s chief executive holds America’s farm and ranch families,” the statement continued: “Farmers and ranchers and our rural communities are the bedrock of our nation. President Trump knows that, and his willingness to devote his time to talk directly with Farm Bureau members will be a memorable occasion,” Duvall said. After three consecutive years of decline in farm sector profits, President Trump will speak to Farm Bureau members during a period of prolonged economic challenge across farm country. Profits have fallen and many farmers have seen…
Read the full storyBorder Hawks Scoff at Dem Durbin’s ‘Compromise’ on DACA
A document described as Sen. Richard Durbin’s compromise offer to immigration hard-liners as part of an amnesty deal for illegal immigrants brought to America as children demonstrates one of two possibilities. Either the Illinois Democratic senator and his allies are lowballing Republicans as a negotiating tactic, or they think they can win legal status for beneficiaries…
Read the full storyRon Johnson Subpoenas Records on Obamacare ‘Exemption’ for Congress
Sen. Ron Johnson of Wisconsin gave the federal personnel office an early Christmas gift on Friday – a subpoena demanding to know why it “exempted” members of Congress from Obamacare by letting them retain employer subsidies for coverage.
Read the full storyUniversity of Minnesota: Guide Calling Christmas Trees Inappropriate Was ‘Ill-Advised’
The University of Minnesota has disavowed a set of guidelines issued by one of its academic departments labeling holiday symbols such as Christmas trees, doves and dreidels as “religious iconography” inappropriate for a school setting.
Read the full storyUS Officials Visit Troops Ahead of Christmas Holiday
As part of an annual holiday tradition, U.S. President Donald Trump and other senior administration officials visited American troops around the world on Thursday. Trump visited wounded soldiers at at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center just outside Washington.
Read the full storyFormer Special Prosecutors Say Trump Won’t Take Bait on Firing Mueller
A steady drumbeat of liberal commentators for months has been predicting — hoping? — that President Donald Trump will fire independent counsel Robert Muller, but a man who knows a thing or two about the jobs said Thursday it won’t happen. Ken Starr, who served as special prosecutor during the Whitewater probe that eventually led to…
Read the full story‘Merry Christmas’ Trumps ‘Happy Holidays’
Turns out President Donald Trump and his base are not the only ones who prefer “Merry Christmas” to the politically correct “Happy Holidays.” A new Knights of Columbus-Marist poll finds that nearly 60 percent of Americans overwhelmingly favor “Merry Christmas” to the more neutral “Happy Holidays,” a slight increase from last year’s 57 percent.
Read the full story9th Circuit Appeals Court Rules Against Trump Travel Ban for Third Time
A decidedly anti-Trump appeals court issued yet another ruling Friday blocking most of President Trump’s latest version of his travel ban, finding that the White House exceeded its powers. The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said would-be visitors from six majority-Muslim countries can still travel to the U.S. despite the policy, as long as they…
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