Author: Tom Pappert

TBI Confirms Venezuelan Gang Tren de Aragua Present All ‘Major Cities’ in Tennessee

Tom Pappert
TBI Director

The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) told Governor Bill Lee on Tuesday the expanding Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua is now present in all of Tennessee’s “major cities,” and warned the group is engaged in human trafficking, organized retail theft, and drug trafficking nationwide.

On Wednesday, TBI communications director Josh DeVine confirmed to The Tennessee Star the bureau “has increased concerns about the potential for crime connected to Tren de Aragua (TdA), a prominent, violent Venezuelan transnational gang.”

Read the full story

Marjorie Taylor Greene Renews Call for January 6 Pardons as DOJ Opposes Wave of Legal Filings Citing Trump Victory

Tom Pappert
Marjorie Taylor Greene

Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene on Tuesday renewed her call for President-elect Donald Trump to pardon those prosecuted under the Biden-Harris Department of Justice (DOJ) for participating in their civil unrest on January 6, 2021, in remarks delivered as attorneys representing January 6 defendants are reportedly filing to have trials moved or frozen due to Trump’s prior promises of pardons.

Greene confirmed in Tuesday remarks to CNN, which her team recorded and posted to the social media platform X, Greene confirmed she’s previously spoken with Trump about the release of January 6 defendants, and noted his campaign trail promises to pardon them.

Read the full story

Tennessee Star’s Michael Patrick Leahy to Urge DOJ to End Opposition to Release of Covenant Killer’s Manifesto amid Presidential Transition

Tom Pappert
MPL DOJ

Tennessee Star editor-in-chief Michael Patrick Leahy announced on Wednesday he and Star News Digital Media Inc. (SNDM), which owns and operates The Star, will ask the Department of Justice (DOJ) to drop its opposition to the release of the written documents left by Covenant School killer Audrey Elizabeth Hale prior to her March 27, 2023 attack that claimed the lives of six.

Leahy announced the decision during the Wednesday broadcast of the Michael Patrick Leahy Show, when he explained The Star has “decided to turn our attention back to freedom of information act, transparency requests that we’ve had going some time related to the Covenant killer manifesto,” in the wake of the 2024 elections.

Read the full story

Georgia Democrat Suggests Party Excluded Him from DNC Because He’s ‘White Male Heterosexual’

Tom Pappert
Jack Zibluk

A Georgia Democrat who was recruited to run for state office in a rural district revealed on Tuesday that the state party had specific criteria for the selection of its delegates to the Democratic National Convention in Chicago. He explained that as a “white male heterosexual,” he did not fit these criteria.

Jack Zibluck explained in a column published by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution that made the observations about the party’s delegate selection process when he was nominated to serve as an alternative delegate at the RNC during his campaign against State Representative Mike Cameron (R-Rossville) to represent Georgia’s First district. Zibluck ultimately received less than 20 percent of the vote.

Read the full story

Nashville Police Claim Covenant Killer Investigation Still Underway, ‘Some Work’ Still Needed to Document March 2023 Attack

Tom Pappert
Covenant School shooting scene

The Metro Nashville Police Department (MNPD) told The Tennessee Star earlier this month that its investigation of Covenant School killer Audrey Elizabeth Hale remains ongoing, with “some work” still needed to document the March 27, 2023 attack that claimed the lives of three 9-year-old students and three school staff members.

MNPD Public Affairs director Don Aaron told The Star the investigation is still underway and remains in a documentation phase in a November 1 email. The MNPD official wrote, “Considerable progress has been made, though there is still some work to complete,” and said there is not a specific date for completion.

Read the full story

Reporter Steve Baker Enters Guilty Plea in January 6 Case to ‘Avoid Shaming Exercise of a Trial’

Tom Pappert
Journalist Steve Baker

Reporter and January 6 defendant Steve Baker entered an Alford plea on Tuesday, acknowledging the state has enough evidence to convict him without admitting guilt, in what he later called a move to avoid the “shaming exercise of a trial.”

Then working as an independent journalist, Baker was inside restricted parts of the U.S. Capitol complex on January 6, 2021. Three years after the protest, he was charged by the Biden-Harris Department of Justice for attempting to obstruct Congress from certifying President Joe Biden’s victory with his presence.

Read the full story

Biden Taps Coordinator of Obama’s Iran Nuclear Deal to Lead Trump Transition at State Department

Tom Pappert
Stephen Mull

The Biden U.S. State Department announced on Thursday the agency’s transition to the Trump administration will be coordinated by Stephen Mull, a former longtime State Department official who most recently served as the lead coordinator for the Iran nuclear deal reached under former President Barack Obama, and who is now the provost for the University of Virginia (UVA).

State Department spokesman Matthew Miller confirmed Mull was appointed by Secretary of State Antony Blinken to lead the agency’s transition in a press conference. He told reporters the agency views a “peaceful transition of power” as an “essential part of our democracy that is vital to our nation’s security.”

Read the full story

NeverTrumper Facing Georgia GOP Expulsion over Harris Support Acknowledges Trump’s ‘Mandate’

Tom Pappert
Geoff Duncan

Former Georgia Lieutenant Governor Geoff Duncan on Monday urged other “disgruntled” Republicans who opposed President-elect Donald Trump to give the incoming administration “a chance” in the wake Trump’s electoral landslide and popular vote mandate.

Duncan, who is facing expulsion from the Georgia Republican Party (GAGOP) over his endorsement of Vice President Kamala Harris during the presidential election, made his remarks during a Monday interview with WABE.

Read the full story

Tennessee Governor Asks Attorney General to Investigate FEMA for Political Discrimination After Hurricane Helene

Tom Pappert
Skrmetti FEMA

Tennessee Governor Bill Lee on Sunday revealed he is working with Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti to investigate whether the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) discriminated against Tennesseans affected by Hurricane Helene based on their political views.

Lee made the announcement after a FEMA official directed relief workers to avoid homes advertising support for President-elect Donald Trump after Hurricane Milton in Florida, specifically through guidance that told workers to “avoid homes advertising Trump” and “practice de-escalation and preventative measures” as best practices when providing relief.

Read the full story

Arizona Senate President Promises Bill to Speed Up Election Results After State Becomes 50th to Declare Presidential Winner

Tom Pappert
Arizona State Senate President Warren Petersen

Arizona Senate President Warren Petersen (R-Gilbert) promised to submit legislation to increase the speed of the state’s election reporting after it was the last state in the union to declare the the winner of its presidential election on Saturday, when it confirmed President-elect Donald Trump will receive Arizona’s 11 electoral votes.

Petersen made the pledge in a post to the social media platform X, where he wrote that Senators Wendy Rogers (R-Flagstaff), JD Mesnard (R-Chandler), and Shawnna Bolick (R-San Miguel) will receive help from Florida Secretary of State Cord Byrd to craft “the best legislation possible for introduction in January.”

Read the full story

Fetterman Credits ‘Kamala is for They/Them’ Ad Campaign for Trump Victory in Pennsylvania

Tom Pappert
Trump Ad - "Kamala is for They/Them; Trump is for You"

Senator John Fetterman (D-PA) on Friday offered the viral advertisement by President-elect Donald Trump that elevated past statements by Vice President Kamala Harris, including video of her expressing support for taxpayer-funded transgender surgeries for prison inmates, as an example of the Trump campaign’s effective messaging that led to a landslide victory last Tuesday.

The Pennsylvania Democrat highlighted the ad campaign during a Friday interview with Semafor while also arguing President Joe Biden would have fared better against Trump.

Read the full story

Sen. Bill Hagerty Says He Will ‘Work Arm in Arm’ with Trump ‘In Whatever Role’ amid Cabinet Rumors

Tom Pappert
Sen Bill Hagerty on "Face the Nation"

Senator Bill Hagerty (R-TN) declined to address rumors he is being considered by President-elect Donald Trump for a cabinet position during a Friday appearance on CNN, but vowed to “work arm in arm” with Trump “in whatever role,” likely signaling a willingness to serve the incoming administration if asked.

“I’ll leave the speculation to the speculators,” Hagerty told the network. “I’m just so excited that President Trump has delivered the mandate that he did on election day. I’m so pleased that Republicans are now in control of the Senate, and I do believe that we’ll hold control of the House.”

Read the full story

Metro Nashville Council Member Calls for Removal of Election Worker for ‘Abusing His Power’ and Intimidating Voters

Tom Pappert
Jordan Huffman

Metro Nashville Councilman Jordan Huffman sent a letter to Davidson County requesting the “removal” of an election worker who allegedly threatened to have him arrested, engaged in intimidation, and refused to accept some forms of photo identification at various points during the 2024 election cycle.

Councilman Jordan Huffman made his letter to Davidson County Election Administrator Jeff Roberts in public in a post to the social media platform X on Thursday.

Read the full story

Man Who Admitted to Death Threats Against Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene Sentenced to Time Served, Supervised Release

Tom Pappert
MTG

The Georgia man who pleaded guilty to making multiple death threats to Representative Marjorie Taylor Green (R-GA-14) was reportedly sentenced on Friday to supervised released and five months of confinement, which will be credited against his time spent in custody while his case was determined, meaning no additional prison sentence was imposed.

Sean Patrick Cirillo was sentenced to three years of supervised release and five months, credited against the time he already spent in federal custody, according to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution in its Friday reporting of the sentencing. Law360 confirmed no additional prison sentence was imposed beyond the five months Cirillo already spent in custody.

Read the full story

Trump Victory in Georgia Accompanied by Record Voter Turnout with Over 5 Million Ballots Cast

Tom Pappert
Brian Kemp and Donald Trump

Georgia was one of the first states to be called for President-elect Donald Trump on Tuesday, and the Georgia Secretary of State reported Wednesday that Peach State voters cast a record 5,287,085 million ballots recorded at press time, breaking a the last turnout record set during the 2020 election.

In total, Georgia saw more than 4.1 million voters cast their ballot before Election Day, though just over 3.75 million Georgians chose to cast their early votes in person, compared to under 350,000 who voted with an absentee ballot.

Read the full story

Republican U.S. Senate Candidate Dave McCormick Named Winner of Pennsylvania U.S. Senate Race Against Bob Casey

Tom Pappert
Pennsylvania U.S. Senator-elect Dave McCormick

The Dave McCormick campaign for U.S. Senate declared victory over Senator Bob Casey (D-PA) in a Thursday press release sent as multiple Republican senators issued statements acknowledging McCormick’s victory and urging Casey to concede.

McCormick campaign communications director Elizabeth Gregory delivered the victory declaration, stating, “McCormick is up 30,679 votes with more to come, as ruby red Cambria County is still outstanding. While votes continue to be counted, any way you slice it, Dave McCormick will be the next United States Senator from Pennsylvania.”

Read the full story

Group Biden-Harris Wanted to Help Release Illegal Immigrants into Tennessee Claims Trump Victory Makes America ‘Less Safe’

Tom Pappert
Donald Trump, TIRRC tweet

The Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Resettlement Coalition (TIRRC) claimed in a Wednesday statement the landslide victory achieved by President-elect Donald Trump will make the country “less safe,” though the group was contacted by an Biden-Harris Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) office in Louisiana to facilitate the release of thousands of illegal immigrants into Tennessee.

“The plans Donald Trump has promised will make every community less safe,” the group claimed in a statement posted to the social media platform X, before listing Trump’s proposals to end birthright citizenship, curtail public support for immigration nonprofits, and unleash the largest domestic deportation operation in the nation’s history.

Read the full story

Tennessee Republicans Increase Share of Electorate as Trump Wins Popular Vote

Tom Pappert
Ogles and Blackburn

Tennessee Republicans largely increased or held their share of the vote compared to their performance in their past election, with Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) seeing the largest increase of the vote share when contrasting her successful 2018 campaign for U.S. Senate to her successful 2024 reelection.

Blackburn in 2018 received 54.7 percent of the vote, but increased her share by nearly 9 percent in her race against State Representative Gloria Johnson, trouncing the Democrat 63.8 percent to 34.2 percent, according to estimates at press time.

Read the full story

Vanderbilt University Pollsters Off by 20 Points After Tennessee Republicans Gain Mandate After 2024 Elections

Tom Pappert
Marsha Blackburn

The prognostications within the Vanderbilt University Poll released by its Center for the Study of Democratic Institutions missed the actual intentions of Tennessee voters by up to 20 percent.

Published in May, the Vanderbilt poll failed to capture the size of the lead achieved by Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) in her race against State Representative Gloria Johnson (D-Knoxville), with the pollsters ultimately off by 20 percent.

Read the full story

Sen. John Fetterman Bailed on Daily Show Interview with 30 Seconds Notice as Pennsylvania Flipped to Trump

Tom Pappert
Jon Stewart

Jon Stewart, the comedian and host of “The Daily Show” revealed on Tuesday that Senator John Fetterman (D-PA) abruptly canceled a scheduled appearance during his Election Day coverage.

Though veiled in comedy, Stewart expressed that Fetterman was scheduled to join his show until, “30 seconds before we were supposed to have him as a guest.”

Read the full story

Donald Trump Projected Winner of 2024 Presidential Election

Tom Pappert
Donald Trump. GOP Convention

Former President Donald Trump will be the 47th President of the United States after being projected to win 270 votes in the Electoral College DecisionDesk HQ just after midnight on November 6, making him the President-elect of the United States. He will serve alongside Senator JD Vance, who was elected to serve as vice president. 

At the time the race was called by DecisionDesk, Trump was additionally expected to win the popular vote against Vice President Kamala Harris, representing the first time a Republican presidential candidate won the popular vote since 2004.

Read the full story

Philadelphia D.A. Larry Krasner Threatens ‘Jail Cell’ over ‘Bad Faith’ Election Challenges amid Musk Lawsuit Resolution

Tom Pappert
Krasner and Musk

Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner condemned election “bullying” and intimidation during a Monday press conference, when he revealed his office is concerned about poll watchers bringing “bogus challenges” against voters.

The district attorney repeatedly warned would-be violators of election laws to, “F around and find out,” especially those who seek to “play militia,” insult or “mistreat” election workers and voters, or “threaten people,” “bully votes,” or to “erase votes.”

Read the full story

Trump Leads Harris, McCormick Ties Casey in Pollster’s Final Pennsylvania Survey Before Election Day

Tom Pappert
PA Close Races

Former President Donald Trump leads Vice President Kamala Harris in the final poll of Pennsylvania voters published by Emerson College Polling prior to Election Day, while the pollsters found the race between Republican U.S. Senate candidate Dave McCormick and Senator Bob Casey (D-PA) is now tied.

Published on Monday, the poll found Trump narrowly leading Harris with the support of 49.3 percent of Pennsylvania voters, with the vice president trailing with the support of 48.4 percent of the commonwealth’s voters.

Read the full story

FBI Used Confidential Human Sources, Undercover Agents to Monitor Alleged Nashville Energy Bomber for Months Prior to Arrest

Tom Pappert
Skyler Philippi, Nashville Electric Company

The Biden-Harris Department of Justice announced on Monday the arrest of 24-year-old Skyler Philippi, who prosecutors claim plotted to use a weapon of mass destruction to bomb a Nashville energy facility, as part of what Attorney General Merrick Garland called a “violent white supremacist ideology.”

In his Monday statement, the attorney general revealed, “the FBI had already compromised his plot,” and charging documents reveal the federal agency first gained knowledge of Philippi in June.

Read the full story

Trump Says He Can Expand Swing State Victories to Virginia, New Mexico, and New Jersey

Tom Pappert
Donald Trump

Former President Donald Trump claimed on Sunday that he can win more than the seven expected swing states, offering Virginia, New Mexico, and New Jersey as states that may offer possible victories on Election Day despite his campaign’s relative lack of resources spent there.

Trump on Sunday predicted the possible victories after to NBC News reporter Dasha Burns raised an outlier poll of Iowa voters that found Vice President Kamala Harris winning the state.

Read the full story

Self-Described ‘Hamas Operative’ Allegedly Behind Antisemitic Vandalism in Pennsylvania Leaves Jail on $50,000 Bail

Tom Pappert
Mohamad Hamad

Court documents from the U.S. District Court in Western Pennsylvania reveal alleged antisemitic vandal Mohamad Hamad was released on a $50,000 bond by Magistrate Judge Kezia O.L. Taylor after he paid a $50,000 unsecured bond on Thursday.

Hamad was charged in on October 25 with committing vandalism at two Jewish community buildings in Pittsburgh alongside an alleged associate named Talya Lubit, with both facing one count of defacing and damaging religious real property and one count of conspiracy.

Read the full story

Fetterman Admits Defeated Border Deal Included Amnesty for Millions of Illegal Immigrants, Claims Issue Too ‘Useful’ to Politicians

Tom Pappert
Sen John Fetterman

Pennsylvania U.S. Senator John Fetterman acknowledged during his Friday appearance on “The Joe Rogan Experience” that the immigration bill presented by a bipartisan group of senators earlier this year included amnesty for millions of illegal immigrants, while nonetheless presenting the legislation as an solution to an issue that is “useful” to Republican and Democratic politicians alike.

Asked by Rogan whether concerns advanced by Republicans about Democrats using immigration to flood swing states with future citizens who are likely to vote for the Democratic Party, the senator acknowledged immigration is “a tough issue,” and cited a lesson from former Senator Alan Simpson, who Fetterman explained taught at his graduate school.

Read the full story

Woke Media Caves to the Power of X: NewsChannel 5 Broadcasts Trump-Themed Ads for DT McCall’s

Tom Pappert
Shawn Farash, DT MCcalls ad

The Tennessee Star learned Friday that Scripps Media, Inc., the corporate owner of NewsChannel 5 in Nashville, agreed to broadcast an advertisement for Tennessee retailer D.T. McCall & Sons that includes an impersonator of former President Donald Trump.

The decision comes after the Tennessee retailer told The Star earlier this week that both NewsChannel 5 and Cumulus Media, which owns SuperTalk 99.7 WTN, refused different ads featuring a Trump impression just days prior to Election Day.

Read the full story

Tennessee U.S. Rep Steve Cohen Predicts ‘Chaos,’ ‘Blood’ If Trump Loses, Reveals Democrats Plan to Install Fences in D.C.

Tom Pappert
Steve Cohen

U.S. House Representative Steve Cohen (D-TN-09) predicted “blood” and “chaos” will follow should former President Donald Trump be declared to have lost the presidential election but dispute the election results, and revealed House Democrats already have plans to install security fences in Washington, D.C. before the next president is inaugurated.

Cohen made the remarks during an appearance on NewsNation in remarks to host Dan Abrams on Monday, after predicting Vice President Kamala Harris will win both the popular and Electoral College votes on November 5.

Read the full story

Pennsylvania Attorney General Claims Fraudulent Voter Registration Schemes Discovered, ‘Defeated’ in Four Counties

Tom Pappert
Michele Henry

Pennsylvania Attorney General Michelle Henry on Thursday confirmed at least four counties in the commonwealth had “defeated” fraudulent voter registration schemes after multiple counties went public with their findings.

The attorney general, a Democrat who was nominated to the position by Governor Josh Shapiro after his election in 2022, confirmed “[a]pparent attempts to submit fraudulent voter registration forms in Berks, Lancaster, Monroe, and York Counties,” in a press release posted to her office’s website.

Read the full story

Biden-Harris DOJ, FBI Silent on Alleged Shooting of Jewish Man by Illegal Immigrant Who Reportedly Shouted ‘Allahu Akbar’

Tom Pappert
Sidi Mohamed Abdallahi

The Biden-Harris Department of Justice (DOJ) and FBI did not respond to Friday press inquiries from The Tennessee Star that sought to establish whether the federal government is investigating the Mauritanian illegal immigrant who allegedly shot an orthodox Jewish man in Chicago on October 26.

Sidi Mohamed Abdallahi, a 22-year-old illegal immigrant from Mauritania, was arrested by local police and charged by county prosecutors after the shooting, but authorities have yet to reveal a motive for the attack despite reports the shooter allegedly shouted “Allahu Akbar” in a shootout with police after that happened immediately after he shot the orthodox Jewish man, and after additional hate crime and terrorism charges were announced against Abdallahi by Cook County State Attorney Kim Foxx on Thursday.

Read the full story

McCormick Raises Friendship Between Casey, Biden as Pennsylvania Democrat Creates Distance from President’s ‘Garbage’ Insult

Tom Pappert
Senator Bob Casey with President joe Biden

Republican U.S. Senate candidate Dave McCormick released an advertisement highlighting the friendship between Senator Bob Casey (D-PA) and President Joe Biden after the president referred to supporters of former President Donald Trump as “garbage” in comments the White House later claimed referred to a comedian.

“According to Bob Casey, his ‘close friend’ Joe Biden is the picture of integrity,” wrote McCormick in a post to the social media platform X. “He just called half our nation ‘garbage.'”

Read the full story

Arizona U.S. Senate Race Statistically Tied as Dueling Polls Show Lake and Gallego Leading

Tom Pappert
Ruben Gallego, Kari Lake

The Arizona race for U.S. Senate between Kari Lake and Representative Ruben Gallego (D-AZ-03) is statistically tied, according to dueling polls that each show the Republican or Democrat leading by less than 1 percent in the race to fill the seat being vacated by Senator Kyrsten Sinema (I-AZ).

First, a survey released by Data Orbital on Tuesday found Lake with the support of 45.2 percent of likely voters, leading Gallego by 0.7 percent, with the Democrat at 44.5 percent. The pollsters found an additional 5.8 percent were undecided, while 1.6 percent plan to vote for Green Party candidate Eduardo Quintana.

Read the full story

Tennessee Immigrant Group, Davidson Democrats Among Those Aiding Nashville Transit Referendum

Tom Pappert
Green Lights for Nashville commercial

Both the Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Resettlement Coalition (TIRRC) Votes PAC and the Davidson County Democratic Party are among the groups that have provided in-kind contributions to the political action committee formed to support the Nashville transit referendum that will be decided by voters next week, the group revealed in a report filed Tuesday, when the Green Lights for Nashville PAC filed an amended financial disclosure statement with the State of Tennessee.

The report revealed the pro-referendum group received nearly $1.3 million in contributions, mostly from the Nashville Moves Action Fund, which is reportedly a 501 (c) (4) nonprofit that does not need to reveal its donors, but has nonetheless been ordered to register with Tennessee and disclose them by Election Day. 

Read the full story

MTSU Student Logan Birdsong, Who Identified as Transgender Woman, Named in Campus Suicide

Tom Pappert
Logan Serenity Birdsong

Police identified the Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU) student who claimed his own life on Monday as 21-year-old Logan Birdsong, who identified as a transgender woman and preferred the name Serenity.

On Wednesday, the Murfreesboro Police Department (MPD) wrote in a post to the social media platform X that Birdsong is the student who allegedly committed suicide at the James E. Walker library on the MTSU campus, and LGBTQ Nation confirmed both that Birdsong identified as a transgender woman and was vice president of MT Lambda, an LGBT organization at MTSU.

Read the full story

Virginia A.G. Jason Miyares Still ‘Deeply Concerned’ by Biden-Harris Push for Noncitizen Voters After Supreme Court Victory

Tom Pappert
Jason Miyares

While the U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday affirmed the right of Virginia to remove noncitizens from its voter rolls, Attorney General Jason Miyares said on Wednesday he remains “deeply concerned and alarmed” by the legal action taken against Virginia by the Biden-Harris Department of Justice (DOJ) prior to the high court’s intervention.

The Biden-Harris administration sued Virginia earlier in October, claiming they violated the National Voter Registration Act (NVRA) by removing about 1,600 noncitzens from the commonwealth’s voter rolls within 90 days of an election.

Read the full story

Woke Cumulus Media, NewsChannel 5 Refuse to Air Trump-Inspired Ads for Tennessee Retailer DT McCall’s

Tom Pappert
Donald Trump ad

Tennessee retailer D.T. McCall and Sons told The Tennessee Star on Monday that Cumulus Media refused to broadcast advertisements inspired by former President Donald Trump on the company’s Nashville radio station, SuperTalk 99.7 WTN, even after a disclaimer was added to the ads.

The offending ads feature a narrator performing an impression of the former president while extolling the virtues of D.T. McCall & Sons and excoriating nameless competitors at “the lumber yards.”

Read the full story

Tennessee Joins SCOTUS Amicus Brief Supporting Right of Virginia to Remove Illegal Voters Before Election

Tom Pappert
Mail-In Ballot Processing

Tennessee and 24 other states joined the amicus brief filed on Tuesday in the U.S. Supreme Court appeal launched by Virginia in its bid to overturn a ruling requiring the commonwealth to add about 1,600 noncitizens back to its voter rolls after they were originally included in error.

The amicus brief was filed in support of Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares, who on Sunday appealed to the Supreme Court after the Biden-Harris Department of Justice obtained favorable rulings in lower courts to require Virginia to include the 1,600 noncitizen voters on its voter rolls prior to Election Day.

Read the full story

Mitch McConnell’s Super PAC Reportedly Ignored Kari Lake Campaign Despite NRSC Support

Tom Pappert
Mitch McConnell and Kari Lake

The political action committee associated with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) has reportedly ignored the Kari Lake campaign for U.S. Senate, with not one dollar going to the contentious Arizona race, even as high profile senators voiced their early support for the Trump-aligned Republican.

McConnell’s lack of interest in Lake’s race was reported first by Axios on Monday, when it reported, “McConnell PAC snubs Lake,” and revealed the influential Senate Leadership Fund “has not reserved a single dollar to help” Lake during “the final weeks of the campaign.”

Read the full story

Supreme Court Takes Rapid Action in Appeal to Remove Noncitizens from Virginia Voter Rolls

Tom Pappert
Supreme Court

The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday docketed the appeal filed Sunday by Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares after a federal appeals court declined to overrule a lower court’s decision to force Virginia to add approximately 1,600 noncitizens back to its voter rolls.

According to the Supreme Court’s online portal, the case was docketed on Monday after Virginia submitted its appeal for the high court to reverse a lower court’s decision on Sunday.

Read the full story

Soros-Backed Philadelphia D.A. Krasner Brands Musk’s Pro-Constitution Petition an ‘Illegal Lottery’ in Lawsuit to Kill $1 Million Giveaways

Tom Pappert
Philadelphia D.A. Larry Krasner, Elon Musk

Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner on Monday filed a civil lawsuit accusing Elon Musk and his new America PAC of violating Pennsylvania laws with the political action committee’s daily giveaways of $1 million to those who sign a petition declaring support for the First Amendment and Second Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.

Musk launched the giveaways through America PAC earlier this month, but his political action committee began in July, after the billionaire behind X, Tesla, and SpaceX endorsed former President Donald Trump following the July 13 attempt to assassinate the former president.

Read the full story

Arizona Republicans Registered Nearly 110,000 More Voters Since July, Expanding Lead over Democrats

Tom Pappert
Voting Line

Republicans have expanded their lead in registered voters in Arizona according to data published Friday by Secretary of State Adrian Fontes, gaining nearly 110,000 more registered voters between July 30 and October 1.

The Arizona Republican Party (AZGOP) boasted 1,562,091 registered voters on October 1, according to the Arizona Secretary of State.

Read the full story

Pennsylvania GOP Reveals Bomb and Death Threats Against Party Offices, Officials, and Their Families

Tom Pappert
Lawrence Tabas

The Pennsylvania Republican Party (PAGOP) on Saturday issued a statement confirming the Montgomery County GOP offices were evacuated over the weekend due to a bomb threat, adding that it is the latest in a series of threats levied at Republican officials and their families ahead of Election Day.

A PAGOP statement posted to the social media platform X confirmed the Montgomery County Republican Committee Headquarters evacuated on Saturday after a staff member received a phone call, during which the party stated, “the caller communicated an angry, profanity-laced bomb threat.”

Read the full story

Tennessee Nonprofit Tapped by ICE to Release Thousands of Illegal Immigrants Received over $800,000 in Government Grants

Tom Pappert

Tax documents reveal the nonprofit contacted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to facilitate the transportation and release of thousands of illegal immigrants from detention facilities in Louisiana to Tennessee in 2022 received more than $800,000 of its funding from government sources that year.

Documents released last week by Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti reveal the Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Resettlement Coalition (TIRRC) was central to ICE’s plan to release thousands of illegal immigrants in the Volunteer State.

Read the full story

Youngkin, Miyares Vow to Appeal for Virginia’s Right to Remove Illegal Voters ‘All the Way to the Supreme Court’

Tom Pappert
Jason Miyares and Glenn Youngkin

Governor Glenn Youngkin and Attorney General Jason Miyares on Friday vowed to appeal after a federal judge ordered Virginia to restore about 1,500 noncitizens to the commonwealth’s voter rolls.

U.S. District Judge Patricia Trolliver Giles, an appointee of President Joe Biden, announced her decision after the Biden-Harris Department of Justice (DOJ) sued to force Virginia to restore the noncitizen voters, alleging the commonwealth violated the National Voter Registration Act by removing them so close to an election.

Read the full story

Pennsylvania County Claims It Discovered Batch of 2,500 Potentially Fraudulent Voter Registration Applications

Tom Pappert
Lancaster County Commission

Public officials in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania on Friday announced the discovery of a batch containing approximately 2,500 voter registration applications that includes as many as 1,500 forms submitted with false information or without the consent of the applicant.

Ray D’Agostino, the Vice-Chairman of the Lancaster County Board of Commissioners and Chairman of Lancaster County Board of Elections, said election workers discovered discrepancies including identical handwriting, signatures that do not match those on file with the county, duplicate registrations, false addresses, or fake driver’s license and social security numbers.

Read the full story

Biden-Harris Released at Least 10 Iranian Illegal Immigrants into U.S. Before Iran’s Reported Threats to Assassinate Trump

Tom Pappert
Illegal Immigrant

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) under the Biden-Harris administration released 10 illegal immigrants from Iran over a six-month period in just its New Orleans Area of Responsibility, according to data reported by the agency’s Enforcement and Removal Operations – Law Enforcement Systems and Analysis unit, and released this week by the Tennessee Attorney General.

The documents reveal ten citizens of Iran were paroled into the United States after being transferred to ICE’s New Orleans Area of Responsibility between August 2022 and January 2023, with the last release of an Iranian national from ICE facilities included within the report recorded on February 24, 2023.

Read the full story

JD Vance, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Make Push for Catholic Votes in Pennsylvania with Ad and Op-Ed

Tom Pappert
Catholic Vote

Senator JD Vance (R-OH) and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. are working to reach Catholic voters in Pennsylvania during the final days prior to Election Day, with Kennedy starring in a new advertisement released by a Catholic political action committee and Vance offering an opinion column detailing the complicated history between Vice President Kamala Harris and Catholics.

In the ad released Thursday by CatholicVote, a nonprofit political advocacy group, Kennedy said former President Donald Trump represents an opportunity to address the country’s shortcoming “through unified action,” which he said represents Catholic thought.

Read the full story

ICE Released Nearly 500 Illegal Immigrants from China Before Lawsuit over Chinese National with ‘Rare, Aggressive,’ Tuberculosis

Tom Pappert
Chinese People

Documents published by Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti on Wednesday reveal U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) released almost 500 illegal immigrants from China, in just its New Orleans Area of Responsibility, between November 2022 and February 2023.

The documents were published on the same day Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill, a Republican, filed an “emergency lawsuit” against top immigration officials in the Biden-Harris administration, seeking to prevent additional releases from Louisiana ICE facilities after the federal agency allegedly transported an illegal immigrant from China who is suffering a “rare, aggressive, and drug resistant form of tuberculosis which carries high mortality rates,” through its facilities in the state.

Read the full story

Rep. Andy Ogles (R-TN) Demands Bureau of Prisons Immediately Release Steve Bannon from Danbury FCI and Comply with First Step Act

Tom Pappert
Rep. Andy Ogles

Representative Andy Ogles (R-TN-05) demanded the release of former Trump White House chief strategist Steve Bannon in a Thursday letter to Biden-Harris administration Bureau of Prisons (BOP) director Colette Peters that was obtained by The Tennessee Star.

Ogles accused the federal agency of “willfully facilitating the political persecution of the Democrat Party’s political opponents,” through its refusal to apply the First Step Act (FSA) good time credits accrued by Bannon, and demanded Peters take immediate actions to secure the former Trump adviser’s early release from prison.

Read the full story