Author: Tennessee Star Staff

by Kevin Daley   Gov. Jim Justice appointed U.S. Rep. Evan Jenkins and former House of Delegates Speaker Tim Armstead to the West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals. The state Supreme Court is in the grips of a sprawling public corruption scandal, as three justices on the five-member panel have been impeached, while the other two resigned. Jenkins and Armstead will both serve interim terms, and seek a full term on the court in the November elections. GOP Gov. Jim Justice of West Virginia appointed two candidates to interim terms on the state Supreme Court, after the resignation of two justices and the impeachment of three more left the state’s highest judicial tribunal embattled and shorthanded. The governor selected U.S. Rep. Evan Jenkins, a Republican representing the southern swath of the state in Congress, and former House of Delegates Speaker Tim Armstead for the positions. “We’ve lost some level of confidence and some level of trust,” Justice said at a Saturday press conference, in reference to the high court. “And on a nationwide basis it’s cast a black eye. What we need to do more than anything is repair, move on and show the nation how committed we are as…

By Richard McCarty   For years, some blue states have been automatically deducting union dues from the checks of Medicaid caregivers. Many of these caregivers are relatives or friends of the person they care for and did not wish to join a union. The main beneficiary of this dues skim is the Service Employees International Union (SEIU). Under Obama, a rule was implemented to authorize this scheme. Last month, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) proposed a rule that would rescind the Obama-Era regulation. If the proposed rule takes effect, only deductions specifically permitted by law, such as court-ordered wage garnishments or child support payments, will be allowed. Of course, any caregivers who wish to join or remain in a union will still be able to do so; they will just need to make arrangements to pay their dues. Although it might seem to be an obscure or unimportant issue, there is a lot at stake here. For example, it has been estimated that SEIU collects $200 million a year by skimming dues from 500,000 caregivers. As part of the rule-making process, CMS requested comments on the proposed rule, and over 6,000 comments were submitted during the month-long…

by Robert Romano   Chris Crowley is a candidate for the State Attorney’s office in the 20th Judicial Circuit in Florida and when he ran a 50/50 raffle to raise money for the campaign, he found himself being jailed after his opponent’s boss, current State Attorney Steve Russell filed a criminal complaint, to the benefit of his protégé, Amira Fox, Crowley’s opponent. Both candidates are Republicans. By then, the money — a negligible $670 — had already been returned, but that was not enough to satisfy Crowley’s opponents, who had the case turned over the 10th Judicial Circuit, which then had him arrested on gambling and campaign finance violations after Crowley turned himself in. Crowley also alleged that prior to the arrest the 10th Circuit’s Jerry Hill even urged him to quit the race or else face charges over the raffle. All over something that could have probably been handled by a phone call. Now, Crowley is pressing on with the race, and stated to this author that he is considering filing a bar complaint against Hill for threatening prosecution to achieve a political outcome. Which is the most alarming aspect of this episode. Even leaving aside the alleged threat…

by Nick Givas   Democratic Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel received backlash, on “Fox & Friends” Friday, for favoring illegal immigrants over American citizens. Fox News political analyst Gianno Caldwell attended a Thursday protest in Chicago, where citizens marched against gun violence and demanded Emanuel’s resignation. “Honestly, the residents of Chicago are fed up with Rahm Emanuel’s inaction,” Caldwell said. “In addition they are fed up with the violence. They don’t see any change.” Caldwell interviewed protesters in the crowd and one of them called Emanuel a “con man” who wants to “keep black folks divided.” Another protester said the city is headed for financial ruin, while another took issue with Emanuel giving preferential treatment to illegal immigrants. Caldwell said he found it surprising so many Illinois Democrats were willing to work with President Donald Trump to help the city of Chicago, given the current atmosphere of political division. “I found it to be particularly interesting that there are leaders within the Democratic Party in Illinois who are seeking the help of outside resources such as President Trump,” Caldwell concluded. Fox News reached out to Emanuel for a statement, but he did not respond to their request for comment. – – – Nick Givas is…