Author: Tom Pappert

Semiconductor Manufacturer to Close Arizona Factory Despite $162 Million in CHIPS Act Funds from Biden-Harris

Tom Pappert
Microchip Technology Inc

A semiconductor manufacturer announced Monday it will close its Tempe, Arizona factory in September of next year. The announcement came less than one year after the Biden-Harris administration announced $162 million in incentives to convince the company to expand its facilities in other states.

Microchip Technology Inc. announced in a Monday quarterly call that the company would shut down its semiconductor manufacturing facility in Tempe, which will reportedly impact about 500 employees, as a cost-saving measure as executives instead look to the company’s facilities in Colorado and Oregon.

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Virginia Republican Seeks to Ban Institutional Investors from Buying Single-Family Houses

Tom Pappert
Home for Sale

Virginia State Senator Glen Sturtevant (R-Midlothian) revealed on Saturday he intends to file legislation that would prohibit institutional buyers, like hedge funds and private equity groups, from purchasing single-family homes in the commonwealth.

In posts to the social media platform X, Sturtevant noted that Redfin found in August that one in six homes in the United States are purchased from such institutional buyers, and revealed that the figure increased to 11 percent of home purchases in Virginia Beach and 9 percent in Washington, D.C.

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Fani Willis Dealt Twin Losses as Judge Defaults D.A. in Judicial Watch Case, Jury Lets YSL Defendants Walk

Tom Pappert
Fulton County D.A. Fani Willis

Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis was dealt two losses on Tuesday after a Georgia judge found her in default in the freedom of information case case brought against her by Judicial Watch and her Racketeering Influenced Corrupt Organizations (RICO) case against Young Slime Life (YSL) ended with acquittals for the final two defendants.

Judicial Watch president Tom Fitton first announced the organization’s victory in a post to the social media platform X, confirming a favorable judgment in their effort to obtain any evidence of communications or collusion between Willis’ office and Special Counsel Jack Smith, who brought a federal case against President-elect Donald Trump that legal pundits said bore striking similarities to her own case against Trump.

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Tennessee Lawmaker Files Legislation to Block State from Destroying, Relocating Historic Buildings and Monuments

Tom Pappert
Sam Davis Statue, Tennessee Capitol

Tennessee State Senator Adam Lowe (R-Calhoun) introduced a bill for the upcoming legislative session that would block the Tennessee Historical Commission (THC) from recommending the removal or destruction of any property deemed to be of historical, architectural, or cultural significance to Tennesseans.

Senate Bill 7 (SB 7) would limit the authority of the THC to the approval or recommendation of “certain renovations or alterations” to property deemed significant, according to its summary. It would also prohibit the commission “from taking adverse action,” such as fines, against properties boasting statues or monuments the THC wants removed.

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YSL Defendant Stabbed in Fulton County Jail as D.A. Fani Willis Seeks to Conclude Trial

Tom Pappert
Yak Gotti

One of the remaining defendants in the Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis’ racketeering trial of musical artists associated with Young Slime Life (YSL) and Young Thug was reportedly stabbed at the Fulton County Jail on Sunday as the district attorney seeks to conclude the trial.

Young Slime Life co-defendant Deamonte Kendirck was stabbed at the Fulton County Jail by another inmate, WABE reported his attorney revealed Monday after the rapper, who performs using the stage name Yak Gotti, appeared in court with multiple staples in his head on Monday.

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Alleged Abuse of Arizona School Choice Program First Flagged by State Superintendent, Given to Attorney General

Tom Pappert
Classroom

Tom Horne, the Arizona State Superintendent of Education, reportedly stated Monday that the alleged abuse of the state’s Empowerment Scholarship Account (ESA) system by two Colorado residents was first flagged by his office, which reported it to Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes for possible criminal prosecution.

Mayes announced on Monday that a grand jury indicted Johnny Bowers and Ashley Hewitt with filing fraudulent applications for 50 students to receive scholarships that help families send students to a school of their choice.

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Sen. Marsha Blackburn Predicts Kash Patel Will ‘Release Epstein’s Flight Logs and Black Book’ as FBI Director

Tom Pappert
Kash Patel

U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) on Sunday predicted Kash Patel will release both the flight logs and client list kept by Jeffrey Epstein, the sex trafficker who allegedly committed suicide in a New York jail in 2019, after he was appointed to serve as FBI Director by President-elect Donald Trump.

Blackburn said during an appearance on “Sunday Morning Futures” that Patel had a unique level of experience working in government that qualify him for the position, then expressed optimism he would help secure the release of Epstein’s client list and flight records.

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Tennessee U.S. Sen. Bill Hagerty Urged Trump to Nominate Kash Patel for FBI Because ‘Entire Agency Needs to be Cleaned Out’

Tom Pappert
Sen. Bill Hagerty of Meet the Press

U.S. Senator Bill Hagerty (R-TN) on Sunday revealed he urged President-elect Donald Trump to nominate Kash Patel to serve as the next FBI Director out of a desire to see the agency “cleaned out” by the next administration.

During his appearance on “Meet the Press,” Hagerty confirmed he will vote to confirm Patel to lead the FBI after the former Trump administration official was nominated on Saturday to lead the agency. The senator also revealed he urged Trump to include Patel in his administration.

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Kash Patel Argued FBI Director Should Release Full Covenant Killer Manifesto, Epstein Client List

Tom Pappert
Glenn Beck interviews Kash Patel

President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee to lead the FBI, Kash Patel, said in a recently resurfaced interview that the FBI Director has the power to release major classified documents, including the manifesto left by Covenant School killer Audrey Elizabeth Hale and the client list once kept by disgraced financier-turned-sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein, and urged Trump to promise full declassification upon entering office.

Patel made the remarks in a December 2023 appearance on “Glenn TV,” when he told host Glenn Beck that the FBI Director has the authority to declassify both the “black book” used by Epstein and the ten or more notebooks full of writings left by Hale, the biological female who identified as a transgender man when she killed six at the Covenant School on March 27, 2023.

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Tennessee Tax Preparers Allegedly Defrauded $65 Million in COVID-19 Relief Funds for Clients, Kept Commissions

Tom Pappert
Renata Walton

Two Mississippi women were indicted by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) after they allegedly helped their clients obtain $65 million in pandemic relief funding, collecting commissions in the process, through their West Tennessee tax preparation business.

The DOJ announced on Wednesday that a Memphis grand jury returned a 53-count indictment charging Renata Walton and Nicole Jones, who both live in Olive Branch, Mississippi, with falsifying business and personal tax returns to obtain significant payments of relief funds designed for individuals and employers during the COVID-19 pandemic through their company, R&B Tax Express, in Moscow, Tennessee.

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Vivek Ramaswamy, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene Question Biden’s $6.6 Billion Loan to Electric Automaker Rivian for Georgia Factory

Tom Pappert
Vivek and MTG

Vivek Ramaswamy on Tuesday questioned the $6.6 billion loan authorized by the Biden-Harris administration to the troubled electric vehicle manufacturer Rivian. The company will use the loan to fund the completion of its Georgia factory.

The Biden-Harris administration on Tuesday approved a $6.6 billion loan for Rivian after the construction of its electric vehicle factory in Georgia after progress stalled in March despite $1.5 billion in state tax incentives brokered by Governor Brian Kemp.

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Medical Professionals Organize Rally to Support Tennessee as SCOTUS Considers Law Blocking Kids from Transgender Surgery

Tom Pappert
Supreme Court

A nonprofit run by medical professionals who oppose transgender treatments and surgeries for minors is holding a rally outside the U.S. Supreme Court on December 4 to support Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti as he argues in favor of legislation that blocks such treatments in the Volunteer State.

Activist Chloe Cole, who previously identified as transgender before detransitioning to her biological female gender, confirmed the nonprofit Do No Harm will hold its rally on the steps of the Supreme Court in a post to the social media post X.

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Nashville Mayor Freddie O’Connell Sued in Lawsuit Accusing Transit Spending Referendum of Violating Tennessee Law

Tom Pappert
Nashville Mayor Freddie O'Connell

Nashville Mayor Freddie O’Connell, the Metro Nashville government, and the Davidson County Election Commission were sued on Wednesday by the Committee to Stop an UnFair Tax and its leader, Emily Evans, who asked a court to declare the mayor’s successful Choose How You Move transit referendum illegal under the 2017 IMPROVE Act.

The lawsuit notes the IMPROVE ACT, as passed by the Tennessee General Assembly in 2017, specifically allows local governments to fund transit systems by imposing a sales tax of up to 0.5 percent.

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Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin Backs Trump’s Tariff Threat Against Mexico, Predicts ‘Extraordinary Economic Expansion in America’

Tom Pappert
Glenn Youngkin

Governor Glenn Youngkin on Tuesday confirmed he supports President-elect Donald Trump’s plans to impose new tariffs against Mexico to compel the neighboring nation to cut the flow of fentanyl over the southern border. Youngkin argues that Trump’s plans will ignite an expansion in manufacturing for Virginia.

Youngkin reportedly confirmed his support for Trump’s tariffs during a Tuesday press conference, as he provided an update on the commonwealth’s efforts to curtail fentanyl overdoses with Attorney General Jason Miyares.

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Tennessee State Rep. Cepicky Files Bill to Ban Cell Phones from Classrooms

Tom Pappert
Students on Cell Phones

Tennessee State Representative Scott Cepicky (R-Culleoka) introduced legislation for the upcoming session of the General Assembly that would require all Tennessee school systems, including private institutions, to develop a policy to limit student cellphone use outside specific circumstances.

Filed with the General Assembly on November 19, a summary of Cepicky’s HB 13 reveals it would require schools, “adopt a policy to prohibit students from using wireless communication devices during instructional time except in certain circumstances.”

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Georgia U.S. Sens Ossoff, Warnock Slammed by Jewish Groups After Vote to Freeze Arms Sales to Israel

Tom Pappert
Sens Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warmock

The Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta was joined by more than 50 Jewish community organizations and congregations in a Friday letter condemning U.S. Senators Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock over their vote last Friday for a Senate resolution that would have blocked future arms sales to Israel.

Both Fetterman and Ossoff both voted for the joint resolution proposed by Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) for Congress to block a sale of defensive weaponry and services from Israel amid the country’s war against Hamas in Gaza and conflicts with Hezbollah in neighboring Lebanon. The resolution failed last week with just 18 votes in favor and 79 votes to block it.

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Trump Admin Members Invited to Live in Virginia by Gov. Glenn Youngkin as President-Elect Finishes Nominations

Tom Pappert
Glenn Youngkin

Governor Glenn Youngkin on Tuesday invited incoming members of the second Trump administration to live in Virginia and commute to Washington, D.C., highlighting advantages offered by the commonwealth.

In a 30-second video posted to the social media platform X, the governor urged Trump administration officials to choose to live in Virginia over Maryland or the nation’s capital.

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Gov. Bill Lee Introduces ‘TN Education Freedom’ Website Promoting School Choice Plan Featuring 20,000 Scholarships

Tom Pappert
Governor Bill Lee

Governor Bill Lee on Tuesday shared details about the new school choice legislation filed in the Tennessee General Assembly, suggesting the path universal school choice begins by making 20,000 scholarships available to Tennessee students, including 10,000 reserved for families who could not typically afford a private or parochial school.

Lee shared a website for the Tennessee Education Freedom Act in a post to the social media platform X, where he also included a clip from his recent Fox News appearance, when he explained the Tennessee Education Freedom plan would eventually lead to universal school choice.

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Nashville Mayor Freddie O’Connell Seeks Further Transit Expansion Through Capital Spending Plan

Tom Pappert
Nashville Mayor Freddie O'Connell

Despite Nashville voters passing the $6.9 billion Choose How You Move transit referendum proposed by Nashville Mayor Freddie O’Connell, the mayor now seeks additional transit spending through the metro’s annual Capital Spending Plan (CSP).

O’Connell first proposed his $527 million CSP last Wednesday, with the mayor stating his proposed spending will “prepare us for the work to come from Choose How You Move.”

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TPUSA Founder Charlie Kirk Floated to Challenge Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs in 2026

Tom Pappert
Charlie Kirk

Turning Point USA Founder Charlie Kirk is reportedly being floated as a possible Republican candidate to challenge Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs in 2026.

News that Kirk may be considering a gubernatorial campaign for 2026 was revealed by 12 News reporter Brahm Resnik during the television station’s Sunday “Square Off” program, when he claimed there is a “rumor” that Kirk is considering a run for governor after emerging as “a significant player” in the Republican Party during the 2024 elections.

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Virginia Election Official Wasted $500,000 on Alcohol, Private Security, and Remodel of Leased Office Space: Report

Tom Pappert
Keith Balmer

The top election worker in Richmond, Virginia allegedly wasted nearly $500,000 on a combination of alcohol, private security and efforts to create his own security staff, and the remodel and purchase of new furniture for leased office space, a report from the city’s watchdog agency claims.

The Richmond Office of the Inspector General (OIG) released a report Monday revealing Richmond General Registrar Keith Balmer is accused of wasting nearly $500,000 in taxpayer resources through a pattern of behavior that apparently began in 2023.

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Walmart Ends DEI, ‘Woke’ Programs in Response to Questions from Tennessee Filmmaker Robby Starbuck

Tom Pappert
Robby Starbuck

Tennessee political commentator and filmmaker Robby Starbuck on Monday announced that Walmart Inc. confirmed it would drop its “woke” corporate policies, including its Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) program, in response to questions about its practices.

“Walmart is ending their woke policies. I can now exclusively tell you what’s changing and how it happened,” wrote Starbuck in a post to the social media platform X, revealing he contacted the company’s executives to inform them he was preparing to release a story about the corporate “wokeness” at Walmart.

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Virginia Bill Would Require Students to Pass Citizenship Test Questions for Graduation

Tom Pappert
High School Class

The Virginia House of Delegates in January will consider HB 1548, submitted by longtime Virginia Delegate Lee Ware (R-Powhatan), which would require Virginia students pass an exam featuring questions from the civics portion of the U.S. naturalization test.

HB 1548 would require the Virginia Board of Education to establish a new graduation requirement for students pass a test containing between 25 and 50 civics questions from the U.S. naturalization test with a score of at least 70 percent.

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Sen. Bill Hagerty: Cabinet Nominees to Focus on ‘Executing’ Trump Agenda to Fulfill Voter Mandate, Face Consequences for Failures

Tom Pappert
Sen. Bill Hagerty on 'This Week'

Tennessee U.S. Senator Bill Hagerty (R-TN) predicted on Sunday that President-elect Donald Trump’s cabinet nominees will be tasked with “executing” the Trump administration’s policies to fulfill his electoral mandate, and those who are unwilling or incapable of enacting Trump’s agenda will face consequences or be fired.

Hagerty offered his prediction for the Trump administration after he was questioned about the ideological differences between the president-elect and some of those asked to serve in his government, including Director of National Intelligence nominee Tulsi Gabbard, during an appearance on ABC’s “This Week.”

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Arizona State Sen. Jake Hoffman Responds After Tourism Director Resigns Following Demand to Probe $700,000 Logo Redesign

Tom Pappert
Jake Hoffman

Arizona State Senator Jake Hoffman (R-Queen Creek) told The Arizona Sun Times that any cabinet member unwilling to undergo an “in-depth, thorough, accurate, and honest” vetting process by the Arizona Senate should resign.

The state lawmaker made the comments to The Sun Times after Arizona Tourism Director Lisa Urias resigned her position effective December 4, announcing the decision shortly after Hoffman led Republicans questioning the Arizona Office of Tourism’s $700,000 campaign to refresh its public image, which included a $15,225 logo redesign from the brother of the person running a marketing company Urias owns, as was first reported by Arizona Agenda.

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Tennessee U.S. Senators to Confirm Pam Bondi as Attorney General

Tom Pappert
TN Senators and Pam Bondi

Both Tennessee U.S. Senators Marsha Blackburn and Bill Hagerty have signaled they intend to vote to confirm former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi as the next U.S. Attorney General.

Bondi was nominated on Thursday by President-elect Donald Trump only hours after former Representative Matt Gaetz withdrew his nomination, citing the distraction his confirmation could pose to the Trump-Vance administration.

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Virtue Signaling Nashville Banner Leaves Elon Musk’s X, Joins Democrat Exodus to Bluesky

Tom Pappert
Nashville Banner

The Nashville Banner announced in a series of posts to the social media platform X on Thursday that it is leaving the platform, citing the direction of the social media service since it was purchased by Elon Musk, who changed the company’s name from Twitter to X the next year.

In an announcement posted to the social media platform X, the news outlet wrote, “As of today, the Nashville Banner will stop posting on X.”

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Arizona Senate President Warren Petersen Considers Run Against A.G. Kris Mayes, Who Doubled Down on Trump Electors Case

Tom Pappert
Warren Petersen, Kris Mayes

Arizona Senate President Warren Petersen (R-Gilbert) confirmed on Monday he is considering a campaign to unseat Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes in 2026, and later said he is being urged to challenge the attorney general by multiple Arizona attorneys.

Mayes was declared the winner of her 2022 election against Abe Hamadeh, who is now the U.S. Congressman-elect for Arizona’s eighth district, by just 280 votes, making it the narrowest statewide election in the history of Arizona.

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Georgia A.G. Chris Carr Announces Run for Governor, Setting Stage for Possible GOP Primary with Brad Raffensperger, Burt Jones

Tom Pappert

Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr on Thursday announced he is running for the Republican nomination for governor in 2026.

Carr confirmed filing the paperwork for his candidacy in a post to the social media platform X, where he said his campaign will seek to continue “the legacy of Brian Kemp, Nathan Deal and Sonny Perdue.”

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Tren de Aragua Moves Throughout Tennessee Cities in Human Trafficking Operations, TBI Director Warns

Tom Pappert
Bluff City Blues joint operation

After two Tennessee law enforcement agencies that serve Knoxville contradicted the Tennessee Bureau of Investigations (TBI), which last week warned the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua is present in all major Tennessee cities, the agency pointed The Tennessee Star to a media advisory explaining local law enforcement may not be aware of the gang’s human trafficking operations.

The Knox County Sheriff’s Office stated last Saturday that Tren de Aragua members are the subjects of any investigations, and no associates of the gang are in its correctional facilities. Two days later, the Knoxville Police Department Chief Paul Noel said the department is aware of the gang, but is “not aware of any active members of Tren de Aragua in Knoxville.”

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Georgia Republicans Mark Guilty Verdict for Laken Riley’s Murderer as Democrats Mourn ‘Transgender Day of Remembrance’

Tom Pappert
Laken Riley

While the majority of Georgia Republicans issued statements on Wednesday marking the guilty verdict reached in the case against Jose Ibarra, who a court determined killed August University nursing student Laken Riley in February, at least three Democratic members of Georgia’s U.S. House delegation instead posted messages marking Transgender Day of Remembrance.

An illegal immigrant who entered the country in 2022, Ibarra was determined during the trial to be a member of the Venezuelan gang, Tren de Aragua. Prosecutors said he was “hunting for females” when he encountered Riley, who was jogging when she was attacked.

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Tennessee House Speaker Cameron Sexton Supports TFA, GOA Lawsuit over Memphis Gun Ordinance

Tom Pappert
Cameron Sexton

A spokesman for Tennessee House Speaker Cameron Sexton (R-Crossville) told The Tennessee Star on Wednesday that Sexton supports the lawsuit brought against the City of Memphis by the Tennessee Firearms Association (TFA) and Gun Owners of America (GOA) over its new gun ordinance that restrict Second Amendment within city limits.

The lawsuit was filed last week after Memphis voters passed legislation to require pistol licenses, impose red flag laws, and ban weapons deemed assault rifles, and Sexton’s spokesman confirmed his support for the lawsuit after the speaker previously promised the Tennessee House of Representatives would withhold Memphis’ share of state sales tax revenue if it imposed the ordinance.

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Pennsylvania County Commissioner Apologizes After Voting to Count Illegal Ballots Because ‘People Violate Laws All the Time’

Tom Pappert
Diane Ellis-Marseglia

The Bucks County commissioner who voted last week to allow illegal, undated mail-in ballots to be counted, and argued that “people violate laws all the time,” apologized on Wednesday after the Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruled against the county on Monday.

Bucks County Commisioner Diane Ellis-Marseglia began the meeting’s first public comment period by delivering a lengthy apology before asserting her declarations that “precedent by a court doesn’t matter anymore in this country,” “people violate laws anytime they want,” and, “if I violate this law, it’s because I want a court to pay attention to it,” were taken out of context on social media.

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Speaker Mike Johnson Wants Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene ‘More Involved’ with House GOP After ‘Productive Meeting’

Tom Pappert
Speaker Mike Johnson, Rep. Margorie Taylor Greene

U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson reportedly said Tuesday that he wants Representative Marjorie Taylor Green (R-GA-14) to become “more involved” with the House Republicans on the heels of a “productive meeting” the two shared last week.

According to journalist Jordain Carney, who reports for German-owned Politico, Johnson told reporters on Tuesday that he and Greene discussed her role in the next Congress during a meeting held last week.

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Department of Justice Reports ‘Division-Wide System Outage’ as Tennessee Star Requests Release of Covenant Killer Manifesto

Tom Pappert
FBI HQ at dusk

The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) this week acknowledged a “division-wide system outage” impacted the DOJ’s Civil Division last weekend through a Monday court filing.

Both Star News Digital Media, Inc. (SNDM), which owns and operates The Tennessee Star, and Editor-in-Chief Michael Patrick Leahy are currently waiting for a response from the DOJ after inviting the FBI to drop its opposition to the release of the complete written works left by Covenant School killer Audrey Elizabeth Hale before the transition of government to President-elect Donald Trump.

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Tennessee Firearms Association, Gun Owners of America Sue City of Memphis over Gun Ordinances Violating State Law

Tom Pappert
Downtown Memphis

The Tennessee Firearms Association (TFA) and Gun Owners of America (GOA) on Monday announced their lawsuit against the City of Memphis after voters approved Ordinance 5908, a gun ordinance that requires permits to carry handguns, bans a series of guns determined “assault rifles,” and establishes extreme risk protection orders, or red flag laws, within the city limits.

In their November 13 lawsuit against Memphis, which requests immediate intervention to block the city’s ability to enforce the ordinance, the Second Amendment groups note the Memphis ordinance appears to violate Tennessee Code 39-17-1314(a), which specifically prohibits any Tennessee legislative body other than the General Assembly to regulate firearms or ammunition.

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Virginia A.G. Jason Miyares Seeks Reelection, Leaving Governor Race to Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears and Rep. Abigail Spanberger

Tom Pappert
Jason Miyares

Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares on Monday announced he will seek reelection, officially ending speculation he would launch a gubernatorial bid in an effort to maintain Republican control over the Executive Mansion, as Governor Glenn Youngkin is prevented from seeking a second consecutive term by the Virginia Constitution.

Miyares announced his reelection bid in a post to the social media platform X, where he wrote, “We are not going back to the failed policies of the past; our families’ safety and Virginia’s future depends on it.”

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Republicans Want Criminal Charges for Pennsylvania County Commissioners Who Voted to Count Illegal Ballots

Tom Pappert
Bob Harvie and Diane Marseglia

Officials at both the Republican National Committee (RNC) and President-elect Donald Trump’s campaign raised the possibility of criminal charges against the Bucks County, Pennsylvania commissioners who voted to count ballots that were repeatedly deemed illegal by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court.

Bucks County commissioners Diane Ellis-Marseglia and Bob Harvie successfully voted last Thursday to count mail-in ballots returned with a missing, incorrect, or incomplete date amid a recount in the Pennsylvania U.S. Senate race between Senator-elect Dave McCormick and Senator Bob Casey, who has refused to concede despite the Associated Press declaring he lost the election.

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Sen. Blackburn Slams Department of Education for Funding Professor Who Called October 7 ‘Stunning Victory’

Tom Pappert
Blackburn and Lummis

Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) and Senator Cynthia Lummis (R-WY) sent a letter criticizing the U.S. Department of Education after a watchdog report revealed the federal government is using taxpayer money to fund the salaries of multiple professors who hold anti-Israel or antisemitic views, including one educator who described the October 7 attack by Hamas against Israeli civilians as a “stunning victory” for Palestine.

The letter came in response to an October report by Open the Books, a nonprofit whose mission is to “capture and post all disclosed spending at all levels of government,” which revealed the Department of Education funded professors with antisemitic, anti-Israel, or pro-Hamas views at Columbia University, Indiana University, and Georgetown University, as part of two federal grant programs.

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DOJ Slams Fulton County for Lengthy Jail Stays in ‘Inhumane’ Facility as D.A. Fani Willis Struggles with 40,000-Case Backlog

Tom Pappert
Fulton County Jail

The report issued by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) condemning the abysmal conditions at the Fulton County Jail comes as Fulton County faces a backlog of more than 40,000 cases, which may have contributed to the concerns raised in the report about the lengthy jail stays experienced by those incarcerated at the troubled facility.

The 97-page report containing the findings from the DOJ investigation that began last year accused the jail of violating the U.S. Constitution through the physical conditions at the jail, the county’s inability to guarantee the safety of inmates, and alleged violations of laws designed to protect Americans with disabilities, but also noted inmates “spend long periods detained in the Jail.”

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Bucks County, Pennsylvania Votes to Count Illegal Ballots Because ‘People Violate Laws Any Time They Want’

Tom Pappert

The two Democratic members of the Bucks County Commission voted to count ballots the Pennsylvania Supreme Court determined are illegal in a previous ruling, with the county specifically giving election workers orders to count mail-in votes returned with an incomplete, incorrect, or missing date.

Despite the Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruling on November 1 that ballots mailed without correct dates would not be counted, with voters instead told to cast a provisional ballot that would be counted instead, the two Democratic members of the Bucks County Commission voted to accept ballots with missing or incorrect dates.

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Tennessee U.S. Senators Hagerty, Blackburn Support Trump’s Nomination of Matt Gaetz for Attorney General

Tom Pappert
Senators Hagerty and Blackburn

Both U.S. Senators representing Tennessee have confirmed they will support the nomination by President-elect Donald Trump of Representative Matt Gaetz (R-FL-01) to serve as the U.S. Attorney General.

Senators Marsh Blackburn (R-TN) and Bill Hagerty (R-TN) released statements expressing support for Gaetz last week ahead of reports the Florida Republican was calling senators to arrange meetings and seek their support during the nomination process.

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Fetterman Admits GOP, Trump Neutralized Abortion Issue in Pennsylvania with ‘Effective’ States Rights Argument

Tom Pappert
John Fetterman

Senator John Fetterman (D-PA) said the Republican Party under President-elect Donald Trump successfully neutralized abortion as a major issue with an “effective” states rights argument that left Pennsylvania voters convinced they would not prioritize a nationwide abortion ban.

Fetterman made the remarks about abortion to German-owned Politico in a wide-ranging interview published Thursday, when he suggested the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2021 decision to overturn Roe v. Wade ultimately did not hurt Republicans on Election Day.

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Trump’s Likely FCC Chair Demands Answers from Big Tech over Alleged ‘Censorship Cartel’

Tom Pappert
Brendan Carr

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Commissioner who activist groups claim could be selected to chair the FCC by President-elect Donald Trump sent a letter to Big Tech industry leaders demanding details about their censorship practices, and seeking specific information about their relationship with the controversial, for-profit fact checker NewsGuard.

FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr on Friday posted to the social media platform X a letter he sent to Mark Zuckerberg of Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram; Sundar Pichai of Alphabet, which owns Google and YouTube, as well as Tim Cook of Apple and Satya Nadella of Microsoft, warning their businesses “played significant roles” in “an unprecedented surge in censorship,” which he called “improper conduct.”

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Tennessee Star Invites the FBI and DOJ to Release Covenant Manifesto, Settle Lawsuit Ahead of Trump Transition

Tom Pappert
Michael Patrick Leahy

The Tennessee Star on Friday extended a settlement offer to the Biden-Harris FBI through attorneys at the Department of Justice (DOJ) representing the FBI that would see the federal government drop its opposition to the release of the writings obtained by the FBI that were left by Audrey Elizabeth Hale, the 28-year-old woman who self-identified as a man, and killed six at the Covenant School in Nashville on March 27, 2023.

Through their attorneys at the Wisconsin Institute of Law and Liberty, Editor-in-Chief Michael Patrick Leahy and Star News Digital Media Inc. (SNDM), which owns and operates The Star, offered the FBI, through its DOJ attorney, the opportunity to withdraw their objection to the release of Hale’s writings before President-elect Donald Trump’s presidential transition is complete.

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Taiwanese Company Given $6.6 Billion by Biden for Arizona Factories Sued for Alleged Discrimination Against U.S. Citizens

Tom Pappert
TMSC workers

The Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) was sued last week by a group of Arizona workers who claim the foreign company discriminated against United States citizens after the President Joe Biden successfully convinced the company to build multiple facilities near Phoenix with $6.6 billion in taxpayer funding and $5 billion in federal loans through the CHIPS Act of 2021.

According to the lawsuit filed last Friday by 13 Arizonans, which was made public Thursday, TMSC failed to address the effects of a “hostile work environment” that affects “employees who are not of East Asian race or Taiwanese or Chinese national origin.”

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Georgia Secretary of State Makes Push for National Photo ID, Citizenship Verification in Voting

Tom Pappert
Georgia Sec State Brad Raffensperger

Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger announced “Georgia Plan” for Congress to establish national election rules on Thursday, arguing the Peach State should serve as a model for to establish nationwide regulations that enhance election integrity.

“Voters nationwide deserve to participate in elections that have both security and integrity, along with easy access for eligible voters and quick and accurate reporting of results,” said Raffensperger in a statement, after citing Georgia’s successful early voting period for “a record turnout election that was safe, secure and accurate.”

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Family of Woman Shot Near Belmont Campus Sues University, Nashville, and Tennessee for ‘Negligence and Recklessness’

Tom Pappert
Jillian Ludwig

The parents of Jillian Ludwig filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Belmont University, the State of Tennessee, and Metro Nashville after the 18-year-old student was fatally shot near the university’s Nashville campus last year.

Ludwig was allegedly shot by Shaquille Taylor, who police say fired a weapon at public housing near Belmont after he was previously released from jail on unrelated firearm charges. Authorities deemed Taylor mentally incompetent, with doctors claiming he has the mental capacity of a small child. Taylor’s former coworker disputed this claim.

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Tennessee State Sen. Brent Taylor Asks D.A. Appeal After Judge Releases Man Accused of Shooting FexEx Worker

Tom Pappert
Bill Anderson

Tennessee State Senator Brent Taylor (R-Memphis) on Wednesday sent a letter to Shelby County District Attorney Steve Mulroy requesting his office file an appeal of the recent decision by General Session Court Judge Bill Anderson to release a man accused of shooting a FedEx worker from jail without bail.

Despite 18-year-old Tyreese Earnest reportedly waiving his Miranda rights and admitting to his role in the shooting of a FedEx worker, Anderson released him on his own recognizance without any bail with the opposition of District Attorney Steve Mulroy, who NewsChannel 3 reported said he disagreed with the judge’s decision but would respect it.

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