Author: Tennessee Star Staff

Tennessee Star Parent Company Launches Ohio Star and Minnesota Sun

Tennessee Star Staff
The Minnesota Sun

  NASHVILLE, Tennessee – Star News Digital Media, Inc., the parent company of The Tennessee Star, announced today that it has launched two new conservative news websites that focus on state and local news, The Ohio Star and The Minnesota Sun. The Ohio Star launched on Monday, August 27, and The Minnesota Sun launched today, September 4. The company also announced that Anthony Gockowski has been named the managing editor of The Minnesota Sun. The Tennessee Star, the first conservative news site owned by the company and its predecessor, was launched over a year and a half ago on February 6, 2017. Since its launch it has been very successful, both in terms of its political influence in the state and its financial performance. Since its launch, more than eight million visitors have come to The Tennessee Star website. The website has been profitable each month of its operation, due to a business model that focuses on attracting advertisement from mid-sized locally owned businesses, and its focus on news that is of importance to residents of the state who voted for Donald Trump in the 2016 Presidential election. Michael Patrick Leahy, Steve Gill, and Christina Botteri are the co-founders of…

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Conservative Radio Host Steve Gill Returns to Nashville Airwaves on TalkRadio 1510 WLAC

Tennessee Star Staff
Steve Gill

Award winning talk radio host Steve Gill has returned to the Nashville and Middle Tennessee airwaves as morning host of the “Tennessee Star Gill Report.” “Tennessee Star Gill Report” broadcasts weekday mornings on TalkRadio 1510 am WLAC from 7:30 a.m. to 8 a.m. Gill is the Political Editor for The Tennessee Star and CEO of Gill Media, a Nashville-based public affairs, media and marketing company that counsels U.S. and global companies, individuals and organizations on development and implementation of marketing, media and grassroots-oriented communications strategies. “There isn’t a more credible or recognizable conservative voice in Tennessee than Steve Gill,” said Dan Endom, Region President for iHeartMedia Nashville. “With the top names in national conservative talk already on TalkRadio 1510 WLAC, including Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity, the addition of a Tennessee conservative voice like Gill rounds out the lineup with a strong local connection.” Gill previously served as a morning talk show host for 99.7 FM WWTN where he was a key leader in the “horn honking” effort that blocked the Governor and Legislature from implementing a Tennessee state income tax. During his 15 plus years on-air, Gill has won numerous state and national broadcast awards, as well as various…

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Commentary: It Isn’t Just Trump vs. Bernie in Florida Governor’s Race

Tennessee Star Staff
Ron Desantis, Andrew Gillum, Donald Trump, Bernie Sanders

by George Rasley, CHQ Editor   Tuesday’s Florida Primary Election rocked the Florida political establishment of both parties and set up what will likely be the most expensive and certainly the most important gubernatorial election of 2018. On the Republican side Rep. Ron DeSantis (FL-6) one of the most visible conservative members of the U.S. House of Representatives rode his national media profile to a wipeout of Florida political icon, Republican Ron DeSantisCommissioner of Agriculture Adam Putnam. Putnam, once the youngest member of Congress and one of the Sunshine State’s most popular politicians, was long assumed to be on his way to the Governorship, the Senate and perhaps even the presidency. On Tuesday those expectations came crashing down – crushed in a wave of populist support for Congressman DeSantis, who has been one of President Trump’s staunchest defenders on TV and who proudly campaigned with Donald Trump’s endorsement. While DeSantis and Putnam differed little on real substance – both are solidly conservative Republicans – it was DeSantis’ campaign against the Tallahassee political establishment that defeated Putnam, who had, perhaps unfairly, become seen as the candidate of a notoriously corrupt state capitol. On the Democratic side another iconic Florida political name…

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Commentary: Yes, Aliens, Including Illegal Aliens, Vote in Our Elections

Tennessee Star Staff
vote

by CHQ Staff   Back in February of 2017 Time Magazine’s Wendy Weiser And Douglas Keith published “The Actually True and Provable Facts About Non-Citizen Voting,” claiming that “Like voter fraud generally, non-citizen voting is incredibly rare. Simply put, we already know that ineligible non-citizens do not vote in American elections — including the 2016 election — except at negligible rates.” They based their analysis on state prosecutions of vote fraud, but what they failed to account for was the fact that few states, even those run by Republicans, conduct the kind of investigations necessary to uncover vote Illegal votingfraud, and even fewer elected officials want to risk the charges of racism and vote suppression typically hurled at any official conducting such an investigation. Indeed, during the Obama years the US Department of Justice was actively working on the other side to discourage and impede such investigations. Liberal federal judges also joined in to strike down state voter ID laws and force consent decrees upon the Republican Party and elected officials who might be inclined to strict enforcement of voter registration and election laws. In such an environment the federal Motor Voter bill’s “honor system” for voter registration made it…

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Tennessee Strong PAC Tags Phil Bredesen As Hillary Clinton-Supporting Opponent of President Trump

Tennessee Star Staff
Tennessee Strong

The Tennessee Strong PAC has launched a new campaign tagging Democrat U.S. Senate candidate Phil Bredesen as a Hillary Clinton-supporting opponent of President Donald Trump and his Make America Great Again agenda. The former Governor of Tennessee and Mayor of Nashville, who faces Republican nominee Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN-07) in the November general election to succeed Sen. Bob Corker (R-TN), has built his campaign around attempts to persuade Tennesseans that he is a fair minded moderate who will examine President Trump’s proposals on their merits, without regard to partisan politics. The Tennessee Strong PAC is having none of it, and is providing the hard hitting facts to back up its charges in a 30 second digital ad that demonstrates Bredesen is anything but a fair minded moderate. You can watch the ad here: The transcipt of the ad reads: Phil Bredesen claims that he won’t tow the Democrat Party line in the Senate. But Phil was hand picked to run by liberal Chuck Schumer. It’s not surprising. Phil has always supported liberal elites, donating almost half a million to their campaigns. Bredesen even donated over $30,000 to Hillary Clinton. Like Hillary, Phil joined Nancy Pelosi in criticizing President Trump’s tax…

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Commentary: What the Mainstream Media Doesn’t Get About Trump Support

Tennessee Star Staff
Donald Trump rally

by ConservativeHQ.com Staff   Much to the amazement of the establishment media, President Trump’s job approval rating held steady despite former campaign chairman Paul Manafort’s conviction on tax and bank fraud charges and ex-personal lawyer Michael Cohen’s guilty plea last week, according to the results of two polls released over the weekend. Trump’s job approval in a survey conducted from Aug. 18-22 sat at 46 percent, while 51 percent disapproved, a NBC News/Wall Street Journal survey found. A second poll conducted between Aug. 22-25 revealed his Trump supporters approval numbers held steady, despite the legal jeopardy of his associates. The second survey from NBC News and the Wall Street Journal found 44 percent of respondents approved of Trump’s job performance, whereas 52 percent did not according to analysis by The Washington Examiner’s Naomi Lim. NBC reported that Republican pollster Bill McInturff of Public Opinion Strategies, who conducted this survey with Democratic pollster Peter Hart and his team at Hart Research Associates, called Trump’s approval rating “remarkably stable” despite the Manafort and Cohen developments, both of which became public on the same afternoon last Tuesday. Hart added that, for Democrats hoping to craft a midterm election strategy, the week’s news thus…

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China’s Long-Term Strategy Against the United States

Tennessee Star Staff

By Printus LeBlanc Two world powers are on a collision course, the United States, and China. For now, the U.S. is the dominant world power, but China is fast approaching economic and military parity. That parity is more likely to bring the two nations closer to war, as the nation that once believed it was weaker sees itself as equal or stronger and is willing to challenge. To get to the point where China has the capacity to challenge the U.S., the Communist regime has employed a total warfare strategy the likes of which the U.S. has never seen before. The U.S. was so unprepared for the type of warfare waged by China; it actually helped it achieve its current status. A brief history lesson is needed to understand the state of mind the Chinese leaders are in. For centuries, China was the center of the civilization. While Europe was struggling in the dark ages, China was the pinnacle of civilization. China once held one-third of the world’s population, was the economic center, and technological marvel of the globe for much of the “pre-modern” era (Zhu, 2012). As Europe emerged from the dark ages, it first sought trade with China,…

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President Trump Announces New Trade Deal Pending With Mexico, Stock Market Jumps Up

Tennessee Star Staff
Donald Trump

President Donald Trump’s Monday morning announcement of a pending new trade deal with Mexico generated new intraday record highs in the stock markets. Details of the negotiated arrangement are expected to be released soon. Most trade experts believe that a bilateral deal with Mexico increases pressure on Canada to make a deal with the U.S. as well. Renegotiation of NAFTA was one of Trump’s campaign promises. Trump announced the tentative agreement with Mexico from the Oval Office with with Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto joining by telephone. “It’s a big day for trade. It’s a big day for our country,” Trump told reporters assembled for the announcement. The deal could lead to an overhaul of NAFTA (North American Free Trade Agreement), though Trump indicated the new trade deal would have a new name. Trump said he wanted to get rid of the name “NAFTA” because it has bad connotations. During the 2016 presidential campaign, Trump often railed against the trade pact as “the worst trade deal maybe ever signed anywhere.” Tennessee Star Political Editor Steve Gill, a former U.S. trade official in the Bush and Clinton Administrations, said the deal still needs some work — and Congressional approval — before…

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Tim Burchett and Eddie Smith Campaign at the Battle of Broadway in Knoxville

Tennessee Star Staff

When one of the biggest rivalries in Knoxville takes to the football field you can expect the event to attract a few political candidates catching the action while trying to scoop up a few votes in the process. Thursday night Fulton and Central swapped hits in the annual BATTLE OF BROADWAY, and Republican Congressional candidate (and County Mayor for a few more days) Tim Burchett and Republican State Representative Eddie Smith were on the sidelines. The home team Central Bobcats lost to the visiting Fulton Falcons 18-9. Both Burchett and Smith are hoping to avoid the same fate in their November 6 general election matchups. Burchett is facing off against liberal Democrat Renee Hoyos in the heavily Republican 2nd Congressional District. Hoyos has been endorsed by the left wing group Indivisible that is seeing to create a “blue wave” across the country. The anti-Trump group is funded by far left progressives and has ties to George Soros. Another anti-Trump groups, Women’s March, has also endorsed Hoyos. The two recently appeared on Knoxville’s WBIR Inside Tennessee political show. There are several issues that separate the two, from increased border security and a wall on the U.S. – Mexico border (Burchett for; Hoyos against),…

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Dick Durbin Immediately Politicizes Jacksonville Mass Shooting, Attacks NRA

Tennessee Star Staff

by Peter Hasson Illinois Democratic Sen. Dick Durbin didn’t wait for all the facts about the mass shooting in Jacksonville, Florida, on Sunday before politicizing the tragedy and using it to attack the National Rifle Association (NRA). Three people including the shooter died in Sunday’s mass shooting, which took place at a qualifying event for the Madden 19 video game tournament — a gun-free zone. Before it was known how the shooter acquired his gun and what — if any — legislative changes would have prevented him from acquiring it, Durbin pointed a finger at the NRA. “I’m heartbroken for Jacksonville. No community should have to suffer from such senseless gun violence,” he wrote on Twitter. “When will Congress have the courage to stand up to the NRA and pass meaningful reforms to help prevent these shootings in America?” Durbin’s fellow Illinois Democrat, Rep. Robin Kelly, similarly used Sunday’s shooting to attack Republicans and the NRA. “This must not become routine. @SpeakerRyan and @HouseGOP take action now,” Kelly wrote on Twitter. “Reject @NRA money. Take action on gun reform legislation. Now. #NeverAgain Not. One More.” The Democratic National Committee repeatedly fundraised off of the Parkland school shooting in February that…

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Commentary: If Republicans Care About Winning in 2018 They’ll Play Follow the Leader

Tennessee Star Staff
Donald Trump

by Jeffrey A. Rendall   Here’s a little quiz for you: what do West Virginia, Montana, Missouri, Florida, North Dakota, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Indiana, Wisconsin and Ohio have in common? It’s an easy one for close watchers of the upcoming 2018 midterm elections, since all of these are states President Donald Trump won in 2016 and now feature Democrat incumbent senators running for (their lives and) Trump on immigration. Much has been made about the GOP’s golden opportunity to gain seats this year in states where large numbers of “deplorables” make up the voting population. Time will tell whether Republicans take advantage of the very favorable map. It should also be noted Democrats see Arizona and Nevada as possible pick-up chances for their side, considering the Grand Canyon State contains a sizeable Hispanic population (assumed by the media to be anti-Trump) and incumbent Sen. Jeff Flake is “retiring,” leaving his seat open. Right next door in the Silver State (which Hillary Clinton stole thanks to the presence of huge casino worker unions) where incumbent Republican Sen. Dean Heller is widely seen as a wishy-washy RINO who doesn’t inspire many people. We’ll see. Additionally there’s currently a tight race in Tennessee with…

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Media Bias: Baltimore Sun Columnist Says Press Should Assume Donald Trump Is Always Lying

Tennessee Star Staff

by Nick Givas Baltimore Sun media critic David Zurawik called President Donald Trump a liar on CNN’s “Reliable Sources” Sunday and said the press should just assume he’s always being dishonest. “Now we’ve got a president who says I cannot tell a truth about anything, just check me out. Fact check. So in my piece I said, look, I write commentary so I have more latitude, but I’m done with it … is it a lie, what’s his intent?” Zurawik said. “Who could know intent with this man? He lies every minute, he changes his story second to second.” Zurawik said it would be easier to operate under the assumption that Trump is lying and then go back to perform a reverse fact check to search for kernels of truth. “We should just say he’s lying, folks. Start from that premise. He’s a liar. Okay. If you can prove he’s not telling a lie, great. We should fact-check him backwards maybe, see if anything he’s telling us is true,” Zurawik said. “I think we’ve wrestled with it long enough for 18 months that we can call him a liar without being self-conscious and nervous about it, even by some of…

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Two Interim Judges Named As Scandal Brings Down The Entire West Virginia Supreme Court

Tennessee Star Staff
West Virginia Supreme Court

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…

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Home Care Workers Support Trump Regulation Limiting Unions’ Dues Collecting

Tennessee Star Staff
senior citizen health care

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…

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Cohen Attorney Backtracks on Claim That Trump Had Advance Knowledge of Russian Hacking

Tennessee Star Staff

by Chuck Ross Lanny Davis says he does not know whether President Trump had advance knowledge of Russian hacks of Democrats Earlier this week, Davis said that his client, Michael Cohen, had information linking Trump to the hacks Now he claims that he merely had an ‘instinct’ about what Trump knew Lanny Davis, an attorney for Michael Cohen, is backtracking from his stunning claim earlier this week that President Trump had advance knowledge of Russian hacking efforts. During interviews on Tuesday and Wednesday, Davis laid out a grave allegation against Trump, saying that Cohen had information that would be of interest to Special Counsel Robert Mueller, including about Russian hacking of Democrats’ emails. In an interview Tuesday with MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow, Davis said that Cohen, a former lawyer for Trump, has “knowledge about the computer crime of hacking and whether or not Mr. Trump knew ahead of time about that crime and even cheered it on.” An in an interview on Wednesday, Davis said that his client “has information that would be of interest to Mr. Mueller in his probe of a conspiracy to corrupt American democracy, very similar to the indictment of the 12 Russians.” Davis’ allegations, if accurate,…

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Democrat Nashville Sheriff Daron Hall Endorses Democrat Senate Candidate Phil Bredesen As Crime in City Increases

Tennessee Star Staff
Phil Bredesen, Darron Hall

In yet another display of the partisan support that Phil Bredesen, Democratic Party nominee for the U.S. Senate, has generated, Nashville’s Democrat Sheriff Daron Hall has tweeted his endorsement of his party’s nominee. As a law enforcement official I can tell you…we need a person who will deal with this issue….@PhilBredesen is that person… https://t.co/GXHGg4Bhp8 — Daron Hall (@DaronHall7) August 25, 2018 Davidson County, where Hall recently won reelection in August, was carried by Hillary Clinton over Donald Trump by a 60-34% margin while Trump carried the entire state by a 61-35% margin. Davidson County was one of only three of Tennessee’s 95 counties to vote for Clinton over Trump. Tennessee Star political editor Steve Gill points out that a Democrat elected official in what is arguably the most heavily Democratic county in the state, other than Memphis/Shelby County, endorsing a Democrat is not exactly a “profile in courage.” Phil Bredesen is former Mayor of Nashville and should carry it handily so the impact of the Hall tweet outside the county lines will be limited, Gill adds. “As Tennesseans see the violent crime rate in Nashville continue to spiral out of control, and with even more murders happening just this…

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‘Mass Shooting’ Reported In Jacksonville, Florida

Tennessee Star Staff

by Vandana Rambaran Police are asking that the public steer clear of the Jacksonville Landing area in Florida after a shooting Sunday reportedly killed several and injured others. Mass shooting at the Jacksonville Landing. Stay far away from the area. The area is not safe at this time. STAY AWAY #TheLandingMassShooting — Jax Sheriff’s Office (@JSOPIO) August 26, 2018 The shooting left “multiple fatalities,” according to police, reported CNN. A gunman allegedly opened fire at the Madden 19 Tournament at the GLHF Game Bar, according to the Twitter of CompLexity Gaming, a professional gaming team that had a player at the event whose hand was grazed in the shooting. At least 11 people were shot, according to News 4 in Jacksonville. In a video from the event, gunshots can be heard as the participants discussed the video games. CAUGHT ON VIDEO https://t.co/VQsIZbzlgI — DRUDGE REPORT (@DRUDGE_REPORT) August 26, 2018 This is a developing story and will be updated. – – – Vandana Rambaran is a reporter at Daily Caller News Foundation. Follow Vandana on Twitter @vandanarambaran.                       Content created by The Daily Caller News Foundation is available without charge to any…

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Police Arrest Seven for Toppling Confederate Soldier Statue at North Carolina Protest

Tennessee Star Staff
Silent Sam

by Vandana Rambaran   Seven people were arrested Saturday after protests broke out in North Carolina as the statue of a Confederate soldier was toppled earlier this week. A “violent mob” of about 300 protesters used ropes on Monday to pull down Silent Sam, a century-old statue at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill that commemorates Confederate soldiers, according to a video statement on Thursday by UNC board member Thom Goolsby. Over 100 people gathered near the statue on Saturday, some brandishing Confederate flags and promoting the historical significance of the statute, while others waved signs urging to “Destroy White Supremacy,” according to Reuters. School officials are urging that the statue be resurrected within the 90 days as required by state law, but off campus to avoid violent protests at the university, UNC Chancellor Carol Folt said in a press conference Saturday. “We all have to recognize that the Confederate monument is a flashpoint for demonstrations and interruptions on campus and we believe it will continue to be a lightning rod,” Folt said. Some protesters who were arrested face charges of assault, while three who helped pull down the statue face misdemeanor charges of riot and defacing a…

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NASCAR Driver Loses Sponsorship Over Father’s Racial Slur – 35 Years Ago

Tennessee Star Staff
David and Coner Daley

by Molly Prince   A sponsor announced on Friday that it has ended its partnership with NASCAR driver Conor Daly after it was reported that his father used racially insensitive language during an interview in the early 1980s. Lilly Diabetes pulled its sponsorship from Conor’s No. 6 car in Saturday’s NASCAR Xfinity race, citing his father’s alleged use of the N-word 35 years ago, reported Fox News. Derek Daly, a retired Indy 500 and Formula One driver, was fired days earlier from his role as WISH-TV’s Racing Analyst due to the controversy. In a statement, the elder Daly admitted to using the word, but denied its connotation. “I was a foreign driver now in America, driving for an American team, with an American crew, and with an American sponsor – and that if things did not go well, the only ‘”n” in the wood pile’ would be me,” Derek Daly wrote, saying that the expression was common in his native Ireland and didn’t carry the same racist connotation. He added that he was “mortified” after he was informed of the derogatory nature of the word and has not used the word since. “Unfortunately, the comments that surfaced this week by…

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One Nation Airs Ad Urging Alexander and Blackburn to Make the Trump Tax Cuts Permanent

Tennessee Star Staff
One Nation Ad

One Nation, a 501 (c) (4) public policy organization, has launched a $1.2 million ad buy in Tennessee focused on tax reform. The ads are currently running statewide on a combination of broadcast and cable television, radio and digital. The ad, entitled “Tax Cuts,” discusses the positive impact that the recently passed tax reform legislation is having on small businesses and Tennessee’s unemployment rate. It highlights U.S. Rep Marsha Blackburn and Senator Lamar Alexander’s initial vote to cut taxes and urges them to make the tax cuts permanent. “Tennessee is experiencing record low unemployment thanks to Marsha Blackburn and Lamar Alexander’s vote in favor of tax reform,” said One Nation President and CEO Steven Law. “We encourage Blackburn and Alexander to keep fighting for Tennessee taxpayers by voting to make the tax cuts permanent.” Law is former Chief of Staff for Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY). Transcript of ad “Tax Cuts”: ANNOUNCER: “Small business, the backbone of America’s economy. Nobody knows that better than Representative Marsha Blackburn and Senator Lamar Alexander. Blackburn and Alexander cut taxes for small businesses. Now Tennessee’s unemployment rate is at a record low. BLACKBURN: “The economic growth that you are seeing in Tennessee is…

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A Federal Judge Stopped President Trump’s Efforts To Get Control Of The Federal Workforce

Tennessee Star Staff
Ketanji Brown Jackson

by Kevin Daley   A federal judge in Washington, D.C., struck down core provisions of three executive orders President Donald Trump issued to curb union power in the federal workforce late Friday. U.S. District Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson, an Obama appointee, found that the orders violate the First Amendment, the separation of powers and the Federal Service Labor-Management Relations Act (FSLMRS) in a sprawling, 122-page decision. Trump issued the trio of orders on May 25. Among other provisions, the directives restrict the amount of time federal workers may spend on official union duties, reduce performance-improvement periods for ineffective employees and narrow the range of issues that agencies and unions negotiate over when setting contracts. “These executive orders make it easier for agencies to remove poor-performing employees and ensure that taxpayer dollars are more efficiently used,” White House Domestic Policy Council Director Andrew Bremberg said. A coalition of labor unions challenged 20 different provisions in the directives, arguing that they violated the Constitution and the FSLMRS, a 1978 law securing collective bargaining rights for federal employees. Jackson concluded that the president’s orders exceeded his authority as they effectively “eviscerate the right to bargain collectively as envisioned in the FSLMRS.” The judge…

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Commentary: Media’s Outright Lies and Distortions Cloak True Portrait of Trump

Tennessee Star Staff
Donald Trump

by Jeffrey A. Rendall   Have you ever been shown an image and told it portrays something you just don’t see? I’m not referring to a Rorschach test (a psychological test in which subjects’ perceptions of inkblots are recorded and then analyzed using psychological interpretation, complex algorithms, or both); no, I’m talking about a regular run-of-the-mill photo you see in the newspaper or displayed on TV. If that’s the case then you know how half of America now feels about the ongoing jumbled witch hunt the Robert Mueller investigation has devolved into. This week supposedly marked a huge turning point in the liberals’ crusade to bring down the presidency of Donald Trump, with former campaign manager Paul Manafort being convicted in federal court (of non-campaign-related crimes) and sleazy former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen pleading guilty to Mueller’s charges. Through all of it the media’s painted a portrait of Trump that’s more than a little hazy – it’s downright indistinct. The figures are unclear and the actions are open to wide interpretation. One thing’s for sure – it’s a presented piece of evidence that wouldn’t hold up in court. For his part Trump initially took the legal troubles of his former…

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Carol Swain Commentary: The Destruction of Silent Sam

Tennessee Star Staff

by Carol M. Swain   American philosopher George Santayana once said, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” Those words are worth remembering. As a 1989 alumna of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, I am appalled how, on August 20, 2018, law-enforcement officers stood down while anarchists, euphemistically referred to as more noble-sounding “protesters,” destroyed the statue of “Silent Sam.” Silent Sam was a bronze statue of a Confederate soldier commissioned by the Daughters of the Confederacy and gifted to the University in 1913.  Three people arrested following the heinous act of vandalism were charged with misdemeanors. Officials made a serious mistake in judgment when they failed to preserve Silent Sam and the part of our nation’s heritage he represented. By not enforcing laws against vandalism, police were complicit in the destruction of public property. But behind all this stands a rather common culprit – the ubiquitous Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC). In 2016, the SPLC released a report titled “Whose Heritage?”. The report “cataloged 1,503 monuments, place names, state holidays, and other symbols of the Confederacy in public spaces across the South and Nation.” TheSPLC updated its numbers in June 2018, to 1,728 such symbols. By publishing the locations of the…

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REPORT: Trump Admitting Fewer Than Half Of Refugees Allowed Because Of Enhanced Vetting

Tennessee Star Staff

by Will Racke   The U.S. is on track to admitting fewer than half the number of refugees allowed under the current annual cap, as the Trump administration’s enhanced screening procedures have slowed the refugee resettlement process. With just over a month remaining in fiscal year 2018, the U.S. is on pace to resettle about 20,000 to 21,000 refugees, which would be the smallest number since the current refugee program was established in 1980. President Donald Trump set the FY2018 refugee cap at 45,000 in 2017 — itself the lowest annual ceiling during the same time period. One reason for the historically low number of refugee admissions is that it now takes the FBI much longer to conduct background checks than it did before the administration put new security vetting in place, NBC reported Friday. The FBI, one of several government agencies involved in the refugee screening process, often reviews just a “handful” of cases in a single day, according to the NBC report, which cited two former Trump administration officials and humanitarian workers. Influential officials within the administration, particularly White House policy adviser Stephen Miller, have long called for stronger vetting of refugee applicants. They have also sought to…

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Prosecuting Political Opponents Hits Local Prosecutor Race in Florida

Tennessee Star Staff

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…

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Ben Carson’s HUD Revisits Obama Policies of Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing Regulation

Tennessee Star Staff
Ben Carson

By Robert Romano   “I would incentivize people who really would like to get a nice juicy government grant [to look at their zoning codes].” That was Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Ben Carson in an Aug. 13 interview with the Wall Street Journal, announcing changes to the way the Trump administration would interpret the Obama era Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing regulation. There’s only one problem. This year, under Division L, Title II of the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2018, Section 234, Congress passed a provision that states, “None of the funds made available by this Act may be used by the Department of Housing and Urban Development to direct a grantee to undertake specific changes to existing zoning laws as part of carrying out the final rule entitled ‘Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing’ … or the notice entitled ‘Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing Assessment Tool’ …” A similar provision passed the Senate 87 to 9 in 2016. This overturned part of the regulation that conditions receipt of $3 billion of annual community development block grants to more than 1,200 cities and counties to rezone neighborhoods along income and racial criteria. The regulation said, “This final rule, and Assessment Tools and…

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Commentary: Democrats Want You To Forget Mollie Tibbetts

Tennessee Star Staff
Mollie Tibbetts

by George Rasley, ConservativeHQ.com Editor   After it was announced that illegal alien Cristhian Bahena Rivera, confessed to the brutal murder of Mollie Tibbetts and led investigators to her body Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts gave her sympathies to the family but quickly changed the subject to the broader immigration reform. The Senator said she was “so sorry” for the family, but they “need” to “focus” on where the “real problems are” in the immigration system, such as the child separation policy at the border. White House tweetSymone Sanders, former spokeswoman for Bernie Sanders’ presidential campaign, wrote in a Twitter missive that Tibbets lost her life due to “toxic masculinity.” You can read the full text of Senator Warren’s remarks and Symone Sanders’ tweets through this link to Real Clear Politics. Our friends at the Daily Wire caught leftist political pundit Sally Kohn complaining about Fox News covering the tragic murder of Mollie Tibbetts, and, even after illegal alien Cristhian Bahena Rivera confessed to the crime, trying to minimize his culpability because Mollie Tibbets was “a white girl.” “#1 story” on Fox News “is about undocumented immigrant who is *SUSPECT* for murder of a white girl,” Kohn flippantly wrote…

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VIDEO: DNC Chair Tom Perez Won’t Say If He Believes Keith Ellison’s Accuser

Tennessee Star Staff
Tom Perez, Keith Ellison

by Peter Hasson Democratic National Committee (DNC) Chairman Tom Perez on Thursday refused to say whether he believed liberal Sierra Club activist Karen Monahan, who has accused Democratic Minnesota Rep. Keith Ellison of physically and emotionally abusing her. Ellison, the deputy chair of the DNC, has denied Monahan’s allegations but the committee has so far declined to say whether it believes Ellison or his accuser. A tracker for Republican opposition research group America Rising on Thursday managed to catch Perez at the Hyatt Regency Chicago, where the DNC is holding its summer meeting. “Mr. Perez, do you believe the allegations against Keith Ellison? Mr. Perez? … Why haven’t you asked Keith Ellison to step down while the review is being conducted? Mr. Perez?” video obtained by The Daily Caller News Foundation shows the tracker asking. “These are pretty serious things that deserve serious answers,” the tracker added. Perez passed on all of the questions. The DNC has remained quiet on the Ellison allegations since releasing a statement on Aug. 14 pledging to review the allegations, which the committee said “should be taken seriously.” The statement came just hours before Ellison locked up the party’s nomination for Minnesota attorney general. Since…

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Facebook Temporarily Censors Tennessee Star Articles Critical of Phil Bredesen

Tennessee Star Staff
facebook posts

Facebook removed three Tennessee Star articles critical of former Tennessee Gov. Phil Bredesen, the Democrat nominee for the U.S. Senate seat from Tennessee up in this November’s election, from The Tennessee Star Facebook page early Thursday morning. By early Thursday afternoon, all three of those articles mysteriously reappeared on The Tennessee Star Facebook page, along with four other articles that had also been removed early Thursday. All told, seven Tennessee Star articles that were posted on The Tennessee Star Facebook page shortly after midnight Thursday morning magically reappeared on The Tennessee Star Facebook page 12 hours later, at about 12:45 p.m. central time Thursday afternoon. The three articles critical of Phil Bredesen that Facebook did not want its users to read on Thursday morning are these: “Nashville Predator Crony Capitalist Backs Bredesen As Payback for Democrats’ Help” “Phil Bredesen-Supporting Elizabeth Warren Shows No Compassion for Iowa Girl Murdered by Illegal Alien” “Phil Bredesen Making Millions Offering Low Cost Solar Deals, But Is He Being Totally Honest?” The four other Tennessee Star articles temporarily removed from The Tennessee Star Facebook page are: “Commentary: The Politicians Who Killed Mollie Tibbets” “Controversies Surround Thompsons Station Development As November Election Approaches” “Megan Barry May Still…

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Here’s How An Illegal Alien Immigrant Could Slip Through E-Verify Screening

Tennessee Star Staff
Border Patrol arrest illegal aliens

by Will Racke   Christian Bahena Rivera, the illegal immigrant suspected of killing Mollie Tibbetts, was never checked through E-Verify, but he might not have been flagged even if he had. E-Verify is effective in some ways, but it has flaws that can be exploited, according to Jessica Vaughan of the Center for Immigration Studies. Many states including Iowa, where Rivera worked, do not require employers to use E-Verify. Christian Bahena Rivera, the illegal immigrant who allegedly murdered Iowa college student Mollie Tibbetts, was never checked through the federal work authorization system E-Verify, but it is not clear he would have been flagged even if he had. Rivera’s employer, Yarrabee Farms, initially said Tuesday he was cleared to work by E-Verify, which is a government-run program that companies can use to check the work eligibility of potential new hires. The company later walked back that claim, saying that Rivera’s information was instead run through a different system maintained by Social Security Administration and that it checked out. E-Verify is an electronic system that has been updated several times in its 21-year existence. The current version cross checks an applicant’s identification documents against records from the Social Security Administration and Department…

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Judge Gives No Jail Time to Imran Awan, IT Aide Employed by House Democrats Who Obtained ‘Unauthorized Access’ to Their Computers

Tennessee Star Staff
Imran Awan

by Luke Rosiak   Former IT aide Imran Awan received no jail time Tuesday after a federal judge said he had “suffered enough.” His lawyer said his “destitute” client was building a charity hospital, but reports show that the land was also used for a real estate development and was allegedly stolen from farmers. Former Democratic chiefs of staff wrote letters of support for Imran, despite IT-violation findings by the House inspector general and Capitol Police. A federal judge declined to give jail time to former Democratic IT aide Imran Awan Tuesday, saying he has “suffered enough” at the hands of politicians “at the highest levels of government.” In addition, the Department of Justice said it did not find any evidence that supported criminal charges. Imran choked back tears, saying, “We want to thank the prosecution, the FBI and the Capitol Police,” while his lawyer submitted a letter referring to President Donald Trump, Sen. Chuck Grassley and other Republications as “deranged,” “pathetic” and “without a shred of decency.” Judge Tanya Chutkin gave Imran three months of supervised release. Imran’s attorney had hoped to avoid the supervision, indicating Imran wanted to go back to Pakistan: “By ending this today, you will…

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Commentary: The Politicians Who Killed Mollie Tibbetts

Tennessee Star Staff
Mollie Tibbitts

by George Rasley, CHQ Editor   There’s a saying among gun owners that guns don’t kill people, people kill people. The same thing might be said about illegal aliens – illegal aliens don’t kill Americans, the politicians who let them in and let them stay here kill Americans, like Mollie Tibbetts. They, and we’re talking about you Speaker of the House Paul Ryan, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, Senator Marco Rubio, House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, House Majority Whip Steve Scalise, Deputy Mollie TibbettsHouse Majority Whip Patrick McHenry, and yes Democrats like you Nancy Pelosi, Charles Schumer and California Governor Jerry Brown are the ones who killed Mollie Tibbetts, Kate Steinle, Jamiel Shaw Jr, Josh Wilkerson, Christy Sue Piña, Grant Ronnebeck, Sarah Root, Drew Rosenberg, Sergeant Brandon Mendoza and thousands of other innocent Americans. The brutal murder of Brooklyn, Iowa college student Mollie Tibbetts casts a harsh and inescapable light on exactly who is responsible for this senseless killing, and from our perspective Cristhian Bahena Rivera, whom the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation has named as her alleged murderer was only the means of her death, the real killers are the politicians who keep our borders open and who continue…

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Tom Zawistowki Commentary: Building a Dam to Stop the Blue Wave

Tennessee Star Staff
Tennessee Star

By Tom Zawistowki   While many in Washington were aghast at the thought that President Trump would even suggest shutting down the federal government in September over funding for the border wall and immigration reform, those of us in the heartland see the logic. If there is even a chance of a Democrat blue wave in November that would allow them to take control of the House, does it not make sense to get the funding for the wall before the election? Why would we, or the President, take a chance on never getting the border wall we all know is essential to controlling the illegal immigration problem? After all, building the border wall and reforming our corrupt immigration laws is what Trump, and nearly all the Republicans in the House and Senate, ran on in 2016 and are running on again in 2018. If they want Trump voters to come out in November to re-elect them, they need to deliver on that fundamental promise before the election. The problem is that powerful establishment Republicans, led by Speaker Paul Ryan, pay lip service to the cause because they really want open borders and cheap labor. They almost certainly won’t move on…

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Phil Bredesen Goes All-In with Trump-Hating Bernie Sanders Socialists

Tennessee Star Staff
Phil Bredesen

Phil Bredesen made it clear that he is going all-in with the President Trump-hating far left socialist wing of the Democrat Party when his campaign announced Thursday that two prominent entertainers who supported Sen. Bernie Sanders’ presidential campaign will be hosting a fundraiser for Bredesen in Nashville later this month. “Singer-songwriters Jason Isbell and Ben Folds are set to headline a special event in support of former Gov. Phil Bredesen’s bid for the U.S. Senate. The event, scheduled for Aug. 20, will take place at Marathon Music Works in Nashville,” The Tennessean reported. “It’s a bold strategy for someone masquerading as a moderate.  Case in point: Folds is a strong supporter of socialist Bernie Sanders.  And Isbell has said that President Trump is “not a good guy” whose supporters are racist,” the Senate Leadership Fund said in a statement released on Thursday. You can watch Folds’ endorsement of Sanders for President here: “The Alabama native, who now calls Nashville home, has also spoken out against President Donald Trump on more than one occasion,” the Huffington Post reported about Isbel last year: “The president is ruled by fear of alienating his base. He’s ‘sticking to the music’ to try and keep racists on his side. It’s horrifying,” he…

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Yes, Negative Ads Worked in Tennesee GOP Gubernatorial Primary!

Tennessee Star Staff

In the wake of the Tennessee Republican primary for Governor, won by Bill Lee in a late surge where he garnered 37 percent of the vote versus 24 percent for Randy Boyd, 23 percent for Diane Black and 15 percent for Beth Harwell, some analysts have claimed the results show that negative ads do not work. Actually, the final margins seem to prove that negative ads work quite well.

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Commentary: If Talk Is Cheap President Trump Can Afford A Heap of Chatter with Foreign Leaders

Tennessee Star Staff

To meet or not to meet, that is the question. Or at least it’s a query on the minds of a lot of people these days as President Donald Trump appears to be making his internal White House “open door” policy extend to the rest of the world. Trump famously met with Trump peace through strengthNORK dictator Kim Jong-un in June, Russian leader Vladimir Putin last month and has now offered to meet up with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani anywhere, anytime (or something like that).

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K-12 Schools Bringing in Drag Queens to Teach Gender Ideology

Tennessee Star Staff

by Rob Shimshock   K-12 schools are bringing drag queens into the classroom to teach gender ideology, a Thursday video revealed. Teachers are praising “Drag Queen Story Hour,” according to a clip released by videographer Sean Fitzgerald and the David Horowitz Freedom Center. The program “captures the imagination and play of the gender fluidity of childhood and gives kids glamorous, positive, and unabashedly queer role models.” Maurice Sendak Community School, a public school located in Brooklyn, New York, hosted a drag queen and first grade teacher Alexis Hernandez marveled at the event in a testimonial published on Drag Queen Story Hour’s website. “Drag Queen Story Hour gave my first graders a fun and interactive platform to talk and think about social and emotional issues like acceptance, being yourself, and loving who you are,” Hernandez said. “During our debrief … [students] were preaching the incredible lessons they had learned, like ‘it’s OK to be different,’ and ‘there’s no such thing as “boy” and “girl” things.’” The first grade teacher said she would be hosting the event again the following year. Katrina Green, a teacher from Chickpeas Preschool in Brooklyn, also lauded the program. The event “allows preschool children to deepen and complicate their ideas…

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Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel Facing Backlash for Prioritizing Illegal Immigrants over Citizens

Tennessee Star Staff

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…

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EPA Releases Long-Delayed Report Showing Ethanol Hurts the Environment

Tennessee Star Staff
Ethanol Crops Subsidies

by Jason Hopkins   An extensive report from the Environmental Protection Agency found that including ethanol into the U.S. gas supply is wreaking havoc on the atmosphere and soil. In a study titled “Biofuels and the Environment: The Second Triennial Report to Congress,” the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) determined that ethanol derived from corn and soybeans is causing serious harm to the environment. Water, soil and air quality were all found to be adversely affected by biofuel mandates. “Evidence since enactment of [the Energy Independence and Security Act] suggests an increase in acreage planted with soybeans and corn, with strong indications from observed changes in land use that some of this increase is a consequence of increased biofuel production,” read a portion of the 159-page report. The ethanol mandate has negatively effected water quality, with greater biofuel production resulting in more harmful algae blooms and hypoxia. While most algae is harmless to water, some forms — such as the kind produced in Lake Eerie from biofuel feedstock — has emitted toxic chemicals into the water. This harmful algae can consume the oxygen in the water, a process known as hypoxia, killing other wildlife. Increased irrigation — fueled by growing demand for ethanol — has…

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President Trump: Fake News Media Is at It Again with Reports About Trump Jr. Meetings

Tennessee Star Staff

by Chris White   President Donald Trump dinged “Fake News” Sunday morning for pushing what he called fabricated reports that he is concerned about his son’s decision to meet in 2016 with a Russian lawyer. “Fake News reporting, a complete fabrication, that I am concerned about the meeting my wonderful son, Donald, had in Trump Tower,” Trump wrote on Twitter, referring to reports Saturday suggestinghe is concerned Donald Trump Jr. is in legal trouble with respect to Special Council Robert Mueller’s investigation into Russian meddling. Fake News reporting, a complete fabrication, that I am concerned about the meeting my wonderful son, Donald, had in Trump Tower. This was a meeting to get information on an opponent, totally legal and done all the time in politics – and it went nowhere. I did not know about it! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 5, 2018 “This was a meeting to get information on an opponent, totally legal and done all the time in politics – and it went nowhere. I did not know about it!” Trump said, noting the details about a meeting his son had during the presidential campaign with Russian attorney, Natalia Veselnitskaya, who promised to provide “dirt” on former Secretary of State…

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University of Virginia Historians Quit over Hiring of Former Trump Aide

Tennessee Star Staff

by Rob Shimshock   Two University of Virginia historians resigned their posts at the school’s center for public policy and presidential scholarship on Monday after the university hired a former Trump aide. UVA scholars Melvyn P. Leffler and William I. Hitchcock quit the school’s Miller Center after the center hired Marc Short, who previously served as President Donald Trump’s legislative affairs director, reported Politico. “Short has been a partisan activist during his entire professional career,” Leffler and Hitchcock wrote in a public, joint resignation letter. “He has associated himself with people and institutions who disregard, circumvent and even violate the norms and laws that are fundamental to civil discourse and democratic politics.” While the two scholars resigned their posts at the Miller Center, they will both stay on as history faculty at UVA. Leffler and Hitchcock bashed Trump for his blaming of “both sides” after the August 2017 “Unite the Right” rally in Charlottesville, Virginia. “By not speaking out at the time, by not emphasizing the threats to human decency posed by the public display of Nazi symbols and racist diatribes in our own neighborhood, Mr. Short was complicit in the erosion of our civic discourse and showed an appalling indifference…

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Bredesen ‘Open to Anyone Tired of Hyper-Partisan Squabbling’ But Silent on Spokesperson Who Said ‘F*** Trump Supporters’

Tennessee Star Staff

The Phil Bredesen campaign tweeted on Sunday that it is looking for interns and is “open to anyone tired of the hyper-partisan squabbling.”   This campaign is open to anyone who is tired of the hyper-partisan squabbling and ready to send someone to Washington who can work together to get things done for Tennessee. Interested in interning with our team? Submit your resume at https://t.co/CTcehR7zmo. pic.twitter.com/IFPVnuspL2 — Phil Bredesen (@PhilBredesen) August 5, 2018 Bredesen apparently does not consider it to be “hyper-partisan squabbling” when Mark Brown, spokesperson for the Tennessee Democrat Party, says “F*** Trump supporters. They’re all idiots.” The Tennessee Star reported the details of Brown’s vulgar comments and Bredesen’s silent acceptance of them: Republicans are raising a ruckus over a spokesman for the Tennessee Democratic Party’s use of foul language and name-calling, especially since that spokesman has been vigorously promoting the candidacy of Democrat Phil Bredesen for the U.S. Senate, who has expressed outrage at being called a “liberal.” The former governor, who is running in the U.S. Senate race against Rep. Marsh Blackburn (R-TN-07), said last week it was “name-calling” when Vice President Mike Pence said he is a “liberal.” However, Tennessee Republicans say Bredesen is deaf when it…

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Mark West Commentary: The Election Is Over. Did We Learn Anything?

Tennessee Star Staff

by Mark West Another campaign season has gladly come to an end. The nastiness from opponents is behind us. The dissension between “friends” will hopefully end. But if the election affirms anything, it’s that politics is short-term. Politics is temporal. And feuding over a candidate, particularly amongst friends, is one of the most foolish behaviors in which real friends could or would ever engage. I supported several particular candidates for various positions. But for me to think that my candidate was the “perfect” candidate that every single voter should support would be the height of arrogance. My values are not the values of others. My priorities are not that of others. And truthfully, neither are yours mine. So if we supported different candidates, who is the wrong one? I believe that Truth is absolute and God’s values are not only unbending, but they are knowable. God gave us His Word to inform us of His Truths. But who am I to suggest that I have full and complete understanding of all that God instructs us? I do not. While I do believe that there are clear and unambiguous Truths that are as clear as the sky is above, for me…

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Chinese Spy Worked Almost 20 Years for Democrat Sen. Dianne Feinstein

Tennessee Star Staff
Diane Feinstein, Chuck Schumer

A Chinese spy worked for Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) for almost 20 years, KPIX in San Francisco reported on Wednesday. The shocking revelation is of significant relevance to the U.S. Senate race in Tennessee between Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN-07), the Republican nominee, and former Gov. Phil Bredesen, the Democrat nominee, Tennessee Star Political Editor Steve Gill says. “If Phil Bredesen is elected to the United States Senate and Democrats win the Senate Majority, then Chuck Schumer becomes the Majority Leader and Dianne Feinstein likely becomes the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee,” he notes. “Conservative judge and Justice nominees won’t only be denied a fair confirmation fair they will be delayed or blocked from getting a vote. Tennessee voters need to remember that Feinstein attacked Federal Court of Appeals nominee, and possible future Trump Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett, for her Catholic faith. A vote for Bredesen empowers this sort of disposable religious bigotry,” Gill points out. KPIX provided these details of the Chinese spy’s infiltration of Feinstein’s inner circle: New details emerged Wednesday about how a mole for the government of communist China managed to stay by Senator Dianne Feinstein’s side for nearly 20 years. It happened five…

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Trump’s Top Aides Make Push to Drastically Cut Refugee Numbers

Tennessee Star Staff

by Hanna Bogorowski Several top officials in President Donald Trump’s administration are making a push to drastically reduce the number of immigrants coming legally and illegally into the United States, as well as significantly lowering the cap of refugees admitted. The administration ultimately settled on a 45,000 cap for refugees for the 2017 fiscal year, which marked the lowest number since the program started in 1980, according to Politico. While the numbers fluctuated over those months, White House officials are telling Politico that at one point, Trump suggested lowering the cap to just 5,000 for the fiscal year, which was lower than the already historical suggestion by senior policy advisor Stephen Miller, who offered 15,000. One former White House official cited in the report said the number would in fact probably be as low as 15,000 by 2019, and that a group of administration aides would be meeting to discuss the refugee cap for 2019. “Miller is not deterred,” the source told Politico. “He is an adamant believer in stopping any immigration, and the president thinks it plays well with his base.” Miller, known for his hawkish push for the zero-tolerance policy, and a few other advisors are moving forward with…

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Sean Hannity Hammers CNN’s Jim Acosta As ‘The King of Lies’

Tennessee Star Staff

by Nick Givas Fox News host Sean Hannity attacked CNN’s Jim Acosta Thursday and called the White House correspondent “the king of lies.” Hannity said the American people have grown tired of the “bias” and “lying” within the press and view their anti-Trump bias as destructive to the nation. “But that didn’t stop CNN’s so-called chief White House correspondent, the king of lies, the king of fake news, Jimmy Acosta — from trying to self righteously seize the moral high ground at today’s press briefing,” Hannity said on Fox News. “And by the way, he didn’t win this round.” Hannity then played a clip of White House press secretary Sarah Sanders slamming Acosta for being insolent during the briefing while she was trying to answer his question. “Boom, checkmate. Sarah Sanders,” Hannity continued. He also praised Sanders for defending herself and for citing the times she was personally demeaned and treated unfairly by the press. Hannity said the White House is being wrongfully accused of stirring up violence by left-wing pundits. “As you can see, there are real acts of violence, harassment, aggression, it happens every day,” Hannity concluded. “I’ll be the first to stand up and say everybody has a right to…

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Clueless in Seattle: Smug City Throws Money After Streetcar and Bike Fiasco That’s Totally Off the Rails

Tennessee Star Staff

By Printus LeBlanc Once again, the oh-so progressive, oh-so enlightened Seattle City Council is showing the rest of the country what not to do. The idealistic leftists who control the Council are wasting millions of hard-earned taxpayer dollars in failed attempts to solve problems Council members created – and spending yet more money when things go wrong. All this is turning Seattle into the poster city for the failure of Big Government. The city best known for fish markets, coffee stores, rain, and flannel-wearing musicians is now becoming legendary for its incompetent leadership and its financial boondoggles. The latest example of Seattle senselessness is the Council’s costly and deeply flawed efforts to get more people riding public transportation and bicycles. Other than spending lots of money, this effort isn’t accomplishing anything. Seattle was one of the first cities to get electric streetcars in the U.S., with the first electric car entering service in 1889. With over a century of experience, you would think the city would know how to handle public transit. Not so. Taxpayers are paying a big price for the incompetence of city officials. The public transportation system in Seattle is a mess. Construction costs for new and…

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Commentary: Democrat Hypocrisy and Fear Mongering on 3D Printed Guns

Tennessee Star Staff
Phil Bredesen, Chuck Schumer

by George Rasley After a multiyear legal battle, the federal government last month entered into a settlement with Defense Distributed founder Cody Wilson, permitting him to publish his arsenal of firearm blueprints online. Deanna Paul, writing for The Washington Post, reports Wilson intended to do so on Aug. 1, when on Friday a federal judge denied a motion for an emergency injunction brought forward by a trio of gun-control groups. 3D GunsHowever, Wilson was blocked by the questionable decision of another federal judge who, without jurisdiction, issued an 11th hour injunction. Ms. Paul reports Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) led the gun fear mongering call to action on Saturday, warning of the dangers posed by the weapons, sometimes dubbed “ghost guns,” which are made from plastic and cannot be sensed by metal detectors. “Ghost guns are as scary as they sound — a terrorist, someone who is mentally ill, a spousal abuser or a felon can essentially open a gun factory in their garage. No background check, no training,” he told The Post according to Ms. Paul’s reporting. On Tuesday, other Democrat Senators, including Edward J. Markey (Mass.), Sen. Bill Nelson (Fla.), Richard Blumenthal (Conn.), Chris Murphy (Conn.)…

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The Renewable Fuel Standard is the Obamacare of the Energy Industry

Tennessee Star Staff
Gas up the car

By Printus LeBlan After Scott Pruitt resigned as EPA Administrator, the cheers from K street could be heard around the country. The lobbyist camp led the fight against Pruitt because since coming into the position, Pruitt set his sights on one of the biggest sacred cows in D.C., the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS). Just because he is gone, that doesn’t mean the fight over the RFS should end. The RFS was created in 2005 as a result of the Energy Policy Act of 2005. The RFS mandates a certain amount of renewable fuel is blended with gasoline. The renewable fuel is mostly corn ethanol. The regulation was further updated in 2007 with the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 (EISA). This bill was another gift to the renewable fuel industry as it increased the amount of renewable fuel to be blended. EISA had the goal of increasing the amount of renewable fuel by well over 300 percent from 11.1 billion gallons in 2009 to 36 billion gallons in 2022. A windfall for King Corn. However, when Scott Pruitt came to the swamp, he sought to change the RFS. Pruitt knew the RFS did not do what it promised and…

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