Category: Justice

Impeaching Impeachment: Declassified Memos Challenge Key Witness Testimony from 2019 Trump Case

Just the News
Marie Yovanovitch

Former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch, one of the Democrats’ star witnesses in their first impeachment of Donald Trump, received repeated briefings, emails and memos related to the Ukrainian energy company that employed Hunter Biden, according to declassified documents that directly conflict with her and other witnesses’ testimony in the failed bid seven years ago to remove the president from office.

The documents released Friday by the White House Government Transparency Task Force show Yovanovitch and her aides were apprised of corruption concerns about Burisma Holdings, efforts by the company to repair its image or curry U.S. favor that would not “pass The Washington Post sniff test” and even a bid to get the Trump administration to approve a U.S. visa for Burisma’s controversial owner Mykola Zlochevsky, who was banned from American travel.

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TN-9 Democrat Nominee Justin Pearson Sues Memphis over Ban from City Council Meetings

Tom Pappert
Justin Pearson

State Representative Justin Pearson (D-Memphis), the Democrats’ nominee for Tennessee’s 9th Congressional District, on Thursday announced that he filed a lawsuit against the City of Memphis after he was prohibited from attending two Memphis City Council meetings following the protest that caused its October 6 meeting to be ended prematurely amid protests.

Justin Pearson announced the lawsuit in a post to social media, revealing his co-plaintiffs include his mother, Dr. Kimberly Owens-Pearson, as well as his brother KeShaun Pearson. Justin Pearson previously launched the Memphis Community Against Pollution (MCAP) activist group, which is now led by KeShaun Pearson. 

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Transgender Teacher Convicted of Threatening ‘Murder Spree’ at School, Media Bury Gender Identity

Just the News
Hadyn Dollery

A Virginia jury found transgender former Loudoun County substitute teacher Hadyn Dollery guilty on “two counts of threatening to injure or kill a person, one count of making threats on school grounds, and one count of threatening to damage a building,” charges that bring up to 25 years in prison combined, Loudoun Now reported.

Prosecutors showed evidence that 19-year-old Dollery, able to teach under a state law requiring only a high school diploma to be a substitute, threatened a “murder spree” at John Champe High School, where Dollery taught at the time, after the teacher’s student boyfriend broke up with him.

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Tennessee Secretary of State Confirms Interception of ‘Suspicious Package’ Addressed to State Division of Elections Office

Tom Pappert
Tre Hargett

Tennessee Secretary of State Tre Hargett on Thursday confirmed a “suspicious package” addressed to the Division of Elections Office was “intercepted,” adding Tennessee to the list of at least seven states where officials have reported similar incidents.

“We can confirm that a suspicious package addressed to the State Division of Elections Office was intercepted,” Hargett said in a social media post he said he published in response to inquiries from both Tennessee and national media outlets.

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Attorney General Todd Blanche Visits Memphis to Tout Task Force as Crime Falls to 25-Year Low

Kaitlin Housler
Todd Blanche

U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche visited Memphis on Friday to highlight the Memphis Safe Task Force’s results, crediting the multi-agency operation with reducing overall crime by 34 percent from the previous year.

Blanche said the task force, which launched in September 2025, has helped drive a 33 percent decline in murders, a 25 percent drop in sexual assaults, a 54 percent decrease in motor vehicle thefts, and a 40 percent decline in robberies.

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Tennessee Independent Gubernatorial Candidate David Hatley Omitted Virginia Misdemeanor Conviction from Memoir Detailing Criminal Past

Tom Pappert
David Hatley

A memoir released earlier this year by Tennessee independent gubernatorial candidate David Hatley reveals his federal fraud conviction, which stemmed from a scheme in which he wrote checks to himself using an old checkbook he said he found in a condominium.

While revealing the federal crime, Hatley’s book does not disclose a second conviction he received that same year after pleading guilty to misdemeanor petit larceny in a Virginia case that began with felony indictments, according to court records obtained by The Tennessee Star. 

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Federal Judge Throws Out John Brennan’s ‘Speculative’ Lawsuit Against the Trump Administration

American Greatness
john Brennan

A federal judge on Thursday threw out former CIA Director John Brennan’s lawsuit, which sought to compel the Trump administration to preserve records for his defense against potential criminal charges, ruling that he lacked standing.

The Department of Justice is investigating claims that Brennan and other national security officials conspired to undermine President Donald Trump.

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Another Prediction Market Company Sues Tennessee over Sports Betting Laws Weeks After State’s Victory over Kalshi

Tom Pappert
Underdog Sports bet

Less than a month after an injunction freezing Tennessee’s ability to regulate sports-event contracts on prediction markets was dissolved by the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals, a new lawsuit by another prediction market company was filed against the Volunteer State on Tuesday.

The lawsuit was filed by Underdog Exchange DCM, Inc. and UDM, LLC, which operate the prediction market business of Underdog Sports Holdings, Inc., a company that British financial services firm IG Group agreed to acquire for up to $1.3 billion in July.

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Three Memphis Tax Fraudsters Convicted in Cases Involving More Than $37 Million as DOJ Reports $490 Million in Nationwide Tax Fraud

Tom Pappert
arrest

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Tennessee on Wednesday reported that three tax fraudsters had entered guilty pleas in cases involving a total of $37 million. The three cases reported in West Tennessee are part of over $490 million in tax fraud discovered across the country through the crackdown launched in April by President Donald Trump and led by Vice President JD Vance. 

All three of the West Tennessee cases profiled by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) occurred in Memphis. The latest guilty plea came in the case against Lynette Hogue, a 45-year-old Memphis woman, who the DOJ said admitted her guilt on Tuesday to preparing false and fraudulent income tax returns ad failing to file her own tax returns. 

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Biden DOJ, Jack Smith Obtained Data on 639K Donors in Arctic Frost Probe: Grassley

Just the News
Jack Smith

Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley on Wednesday revealed the Biden Justice Department and Special Counsel Jack Smith obtained detailed donor data and voter information on over 639,000 individuals during the Arctic Frost investigation.

The types of information contained in the spreadsheet include: names, dates of birth, addresses, email addresses, party affiliation, places of employment, donation amounts, credit card information, and donor habits. 

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Educational Oversight Board Chair Tells Federal Court They Are Ready to Take Control of Memphis-Shelby County Schools

Tom Pappert
school

The Educational Oversight Board appointed to take control over Memphis-Shelby County Schools (MSCS) told U.S. District Judge Waverly Crenshaw on Wednesday that its chairman will testify that the board is “ready, willing, and able” to begin its duties under the Public School Accountability Act, Tennessee’s new law that allows the state to appoint an oversight board to take over school districts under specific conditions.

U.S. District Judge Waverly Crenshaw, who was appointed by former President Barack Obama, previously issued an order on July 1 that instructed Tennessee to maintain the status quo from prior to the passage of the law, but during a hearing earlier this month reportedly said he never intended his order to prevent the board from meeting, and signaled that he would dissolve the order as soon as the board confirmed it was ready to meet.

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Tennessee Law Helped Stop Biden-Era Political Debanking: Treasury Department Report

Tom Pappert
Bank Teller

The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC), an independent bureau within the U.S. Treasury Department, on Wednesday released a 47-page report on “debanking activities” by nine of the country’s largest banks, revealing each of them established policies between 2020 and 2025 that resulted in Americans losing or being denied access to financial services “because of their political or religious beliefs or lawful business activities.”

The report states that banks began reconsidering their political debanking policies after states, including Tennessee, Florida, and Idaho, enacted “fair access” laws that prohibit financial institutions from debanking customers based on their political or religious beliefs.

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Dem Rep. Ilhan Omar’s Team Got Birthdate Changed in Public Records After She Was Elected to House

Just the News
Ilhan Omar

Minnesota Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar’s staff reportedly got her birthdate changed in public records shortly after she was elected to the House in 2018, which would make her a year younger than previously documented, according to records.

The revelation comes amid concerns that the congresswoman misrepresented her age to secure American citizenship. Omar has claimed that she was 17-years-old when she became a citizen in 2000, but previous records noted that she was born in 1981, meaning she was either 18 or 19 when she became a U.S. citizen.

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Chinese National Arrested After Poisoning Classmate Engaged in Cutting-Edge Cancer Research at U.S. University

Daily Caller News Foundation
University of Wyoming

Authorities arrested a Chinese national studying at a U.S. university after she allegedly poisoned a rival classmate’s cup of tea and then attempted to flee the country.

Prosecutors allege that University of Wyoming microbiology graduate student Aili Wang, 32, was traveling back to China when she was arrested on Oct. 6 at the Los Angeles International Airport, the Associated Press reported Tuesday. At the time of her arrest Wang was in possession of laptops, electronic storage devices and unknown documents.

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Ahead of Midterms, Trump Administration Cracking Down on Voter Fraud

Just the News
voting sticker

The Justice Department on Monday announced the arrest of 16 individuals across nine states for alleged election crimes, including voting by illegal immigrants and fraudulent voter registration.

Pennsylvania had the most arrests in this nationwide sweep, with four people arrested: Hacina Saadi, a 48-year-old illegal immigrant from France; Jamil Ahmad, a 50-year-old lawful permanent resident from Pakistan; Nighat Jamil, a 47-year-old lawful permanent resident from Pakistan; and Paulo Silva, a 54-year-old lawful permanent resident from Portugal. All were charged with illegally voting in the 2024 general election.

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Federal Court Dismisses Final Lawsuit Challenging New Tennessee Congressional Map, Calls ‘Racist Conspiracy’ Allegations ‘Implausible’

Tom Pappert
NAACP Protest

A panel of federal judges last week dismissed the lawsuit brought by the Tennessee State Conference of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), who challenged Tennessee’s recently-redrawn Congressional maps based on claims that Republicans in the Tennessee General Assembly exploited a rushed process to conceal their alleged use of racial census data in order to diminish the weight of black voters in Memphis. 

The three judges assigned to the case noted in their dismissal order, which was made publicly available on Monday, that the plaintiffs “alleged that the legislature engaged in a racist conspiracy and public coverup to intentionally dilute the Black vote in Tennessee.”

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Search of Ilhan Omar’s Home Raises Prospect of Legal Consequences for Squad Lawmaker

Just the News
Ilhan Omar

The search Monday of Rep. Ilhan Omar’s Washington, D.C., home by federal agents was focused on the Minnesota Democrat’s immigration history, raising the prospects of legal and denaturalization risks for the Somalian-born lawmaker.  

Federal agents with the Homeland Security Investigations division of the Department of Homeland Security were seen outside Omar’s home in the early hours of Monday. 

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Supreme Court Steps into Trump’s DOGE Fight a Second Time

The Daily Signal

The Supreme Court will hear a case on whether the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, has to release extensive records of deliberations on cutting government spending.

The Trump administration is challenging a lower court’s sweeping discovery order against DOGE despite a previous Supreme Court ruling to narrow the order. The administration argues that the department is exempt from public records law as a White House advisory board.

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Some Lee Administration Officials Reportedly Oppose Another Christa Pike Execution as Blackburn Slams 30-Year Wait

Tom Pappert
Christa Pike

Officials serving under Governor Bill Lee are reportedly in disagreement about the fate of Christa Pike, who was convicted 30 years ago for murdering Colleen Slemmer during a prolonged attack in 1995.

Lee paused all executions scheduled for the remainder of 2026 after Pike survived two doses of lethal injection administered under the Tennessee Department of Correction (TDOC) last month.

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Ethics Complaint Filed Against NY Attorney General Letitia James in Cornell 7 Case

Just the News
Cornell University

New York Attorney General Letitia James is facing a bar ethics complaint over comments she made about the alleged sexual assault at Cornell University involving seven fraternity members, raising questions about her impartiality as special prosecutor.

According to the New York Post, the National Legal and Policy Center filed a nine-page complaint arguing that James’ public expression of support for the alleged victim, posted shortly before her appointment to the case, could undermine confidence in a fair investigation.

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Jack Smith Team Got Anti-Trump Judges to Approve Phone Monitoring, Didn’t Reveal Lawyers as Targets

Just the News
Jack Smith

Ex-prosecutor Jack Smith’s team got permission to monitor the phone of Donald Trump’s top aide from two federal judges openly critical of the president and did not reveal in their written request to those judges it would be secretly tracking contacts with criminal defense lawyers, according to freshly unsealed court records.

The documents made public Monday by the White House Government Transparency Task Force include two applications by the former special counsel to use a pen register and a tap and trace device to monitor the incoming and outgoing calls of current White House chief of staff Susie Wiles’s phone while she led Trump’s fundraising operation at the SAVE America PAC.

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Ilhan Omar Responds to Federal Raid on DC Home, Says She Will Not Be ‘Silenced’

Just the News
Ilhan Omar

Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., said on Monday that she “will not be silenced” by the federal raid on her Washington, D.C., home, arguing that the Trump administration has weaponized federal law enforcement against its political enemies.

“I’m ok. Make no mistake: this is an attempt to target political enemies and weaponize federal law enforcement. For ten years, Trump has targeted me with baseless lies and smear campaigns. This is just the latest escalation in his campaign of political intimidation,” Omar said in a post to X. 

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Democrat TN-9 Candidate Justin Pearson Banned from Two Memphis City Council Meetings Following Anti-Data Center Protest

Tom Pappert
Memphis City Council

State Representative Justin Pearson (D-Memphis) was banned from attending two upcoming Memphis City Council meetings. According to a letter Memphis City Council Chairwoman Jana Swearengen-Washington sent to Pearson, which The Tennessee Star obtained Friday, Pearson will be prohibited from attending the October 20 and November 10 meetings.

Citing the Memphis City Council rules posted online, the letter stated to Pearson, “any use of abusive, profane language, personal remarks to any member of the Council or the public, or any disorderly conduct that disrupts the meeting will not be tolerated,” and declared that it serves Pearson with “written notice that such behavior is prohibited and should not be engaged in during meetings of the Memphis City Council.”

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DOJ Seeking Criminal Indictment of Cassidy Hutchinson over Jan. 6 Testimony

Daily Caller News Foundation
Cassidy Hutchinson

The Department of Justice is reportedly seeking criminal charges against Cassidy Hutchinson, the former Trump White House aide whose explosive Jan. 6 testimony came under scrutiny after Secret Service witnesses disputed one of her most dramatic accounts.

Federal prosecutors are seeking an indictment against Hutchinson for allegedly lying to Congress about President Donald Trump’s actions during the Jan. 6, 2021 riot at the U.S. Capitol, according to Punchbowl News’ Laura Weiss.

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Man Killed After Pulling Gun at Nashville Courthouse Identified as Jack Henson, DOJ Says North Carolina Man Had No Known Target

Tom Pappert
Fred D. Thompson Federal Building and Courthouse

The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) has identified the man fatally shot after pulling a gun at the Fred D. Thompson federal courthouse in Nashville on Thursday as Jack Henson II, who the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Tennessee told The Tennessee Star was a North Carolina man with no known motive. 

TBI released Henson’s name on Thursday night, stating that the 42-year-old man walked into the courthouse while brandishing a firearm and knife. The investigators wrote that “the situation escalated, resulting in a federal security officer discharging his service weapon and striking Henson.”

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Davidson County Sheriff Daron Hall Announces Retirement, Last Day is October 19

Christina Botteri
Davidson County Sheriff Darron Hall

Davidson County Sheriff Daron Hall announced Wednesday he will step down on October 19, less than three months into a seventh term, after 24 years as Nashville’s longest-serving sheriff. No successor has entered the race as of press time. The Metro Council will appoint an interim sheriff in November, and voters will pick a permanent replacement in 2027.

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Illegal Alien Accused of Human Trafficking in Chattanooga Area Entered Under Biden, Faces ‘Human Slavery’ Charges: DHS

Tom Pappert
Fidel Facundo Navarro-Lopez

A spokesman for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) told The Tennessee Star on Wednesday that immigration authorities filed a detainer for Fidel Facundo Navarro-Lopez, one of the three men the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) and Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office (HCSO) said on Monday were arrested in a Chattanooga human trafficking investigation.

Describing the defendant as a “criminal illegal alien from Guatemala,” the DHS spokesman told The Star that Navarro-Lopez was previously convicted for driving while under the influence of liquor.

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Federal Judge Dismisses Lawsuit over Nashville’s Data Center Moratorium, Offers 21 Days to File Amended Complaint

Tom Pappert
Judge Eli Richardson

A federal judge on Tuesday dismissed the lawsuit filed by an artificial intelligence (AI) data center developer whose plans to build near the Nashville Zoo prompted Metro Nashville to impose new restrictions on data centers and pursue a plan to acquire the company’s property through eminent domain. The company sued over the moratorium.

U.S. District Judge Eli Richardson, who was appointed by President Donald Trump, dismissed the lawsuit filed in August by DC BLOX in a 3-page decision. It was filed alongside a 50-page memorandum that said the company’s lawsuit failed to explain how a federal court should address the situation, and explained his decision to allow the plaintiff 21 days to file with amended claims. 

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FBI Affidavit Claims Transgender School Shooter in Canada Posed Gun with Trans Pride Flag in Photo Sent to Alleged U.S. Accomplice

Tom Pappert
Tumbler Ridge Secondary School

The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) on Tuesday released the FBI complaint against James Cody Bryant, a 30-year-old man from Bellingham, Washington, revealing he is accused of conspiring with Jesse Van Rootselaar, who identified as a transgender woman, when he killed eight people in Tumbler Ridge, British Columbia, Canada, in February.

Over a six-month period, the DOJ accuses Bryant of providing “advice, money, and technical assistance” to the killer, who fatally shot his mother and step-brother at the family residence, then killed five students and one educator at the Tumbler Ridge Secondary School on February 10.

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Brent Taylor Blames TN-9 Opponent Justin Pearson After Memphis Council Meeting Erupts

Tom Pappert
Memphis City Council Protest

The Republican nominee for the newly redrawn 9th Congressional District blamed his opponent, State Representative Justin Pearson (D-Memphis), after a Memphis City Council meeting erupted into shouting, clearing the chamber and reportedly sparking a fight in the hallway.

“My opponent Democratic Socialist Justin Pearson let his chaos flag fly and led an angry mob to shut down a city council meeting tonight (which is something he has great experience at doing),” wrote State Senator Brent Taylor (R-Memphis) in a post to X. “This election truly is a choice between competence and chaos.”

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Hearing in Abrego Garcia Immigration Case Abruptly Canceled as Lawyer for El Salvador National Says Court ‘Unable to Go Forward’

Tom Pappert
Kilmar Abrego Garcia

The Tuesday hearing set by U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis in the second immigration lawsuit filed by Kilmar Abrego Garcia was abruptly canceled, with an immigration attorney representing the citizen of El Salvador claiming the court was “unable to go forward” that day. 

Abrego Garcia was back in the courtroom on Tuesday after the judge, an appointee of former President Barack Obama, scheduled a hearing for both sides to make their arguments for whether the Trump administration could deport him to Liberia.

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Climate Judicial Training Biasing Judges in Climate Litigation Cases, House Judiciary Report Finds

Just the News
judge ruling

A House Judiciary Committee investigation into the Environmental Policy Institute’s Climate Judiciary Project confirms critics’ claims that the group’s judicial training provides activist-driven materials aimed at biasing judges overseeing climate litigation cases. 

The Environmental Policy Institute established the Climate Judiciary Project (CJP) in 2018 to provide “judges with authoritative, objective, and trusted education on climate science, the impacts of climate change, and the ways climate science is arising in the law.” 

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Fauci Wanted Trump Impeached over Border Wall, Misled Public About Ebola Vaccine, Diary Entries Reveal

Daily Caller News Foundation
Anthony Fauci

Newly available diary entries from former National Institutes of Health official Anthony Fauci further undermine his media mythology as a scrupulous scientist and apolitical civil servant whose policies during the COVID-19 pandemic rested on the best available science.

Sen. Rand Paul released new documents containing Fauci’s diary entries for the years 2015 to 2019 on Wednesday.

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Joint Human Trafficking Investigation Leads to Arrests of Previously Deported Illegal Alien, Tennessee Chiropractor

Tom Pappert
Fidel Navarro Lopez

The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) and the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office (HSCO) on Monday reported that a joint human trafficking investigation, conducted with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) – Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), resulted in three arrests, including an illegal alien from Honduras who was previously deported and a Tennessee chiropractor.

TBI first announced the results of the joint operation, which it described as undercover, and revealed it occurred on Friday and Saturday. According to the agency, which is the primary law enforcement entity in Tennessee for leading human trafficking investigations, the operation’s goal “was to identify individuals seeking to engage in sex acts with minors.”

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Federal Judge Signals He Will Lift Order Blocking State Takeover of Memphis-Shelby County Schools

Tom Pappert
students

U.S. District Judge Waverly Crenshaw issued an order indicating he will soon reverse his July 1 decision that blocked the state takeover of Memphis-Shelby County Schools (MSCS). He reportedly revealed on Friday that he never intended to prevent the state Education Oversight Board from meeting.

In his Monday order, Crenshaw instructed Education Oversight Board Chairman Billy Orgel to file a statement notifying the court “when the Board is ready, willing, and able to perform its duties under Public Chapter 1057,” the law passed by the General Assembly to allow an oversight board to assume responsibilities for school districts that meet specific criteria.

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Jim Jordan Renews Call to Prosecute Jack Smith After Spying on Susie Wiles’ Phone Records Revealed

Just the News
Susie Wiles

House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, on Monday renewed his calls for former Special Counsel Jack Smith to be prosecuted for allegedly lying to Congress following revelations that the prosecutor’s team monitored the phone records of future Trump administration Chief of Staff Susie Wiles. Jordan first brought the matter of Smith’s possible perjury to the fore in July of this year. 

Things are looking worse every week for Smith.

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Federal Judge Dismisses Lawsuit Seeking to Block Tennessee Human Smuggling Law

Kaitlin Housler
person in trunk

A federal judge dismissed a lawsuit seeking to block Tennessee’s human smuggling law after finding the plaintiffs failed to demonstrate a credible threat of prosecution, while declining to rule on the law’s constitutionality.

U.S. District Judge William L. Campbell Jr. dismissed the lawsuit last week without prejudice after concluding the plaintiffs lacked standing to challenge Tennessee Code Annotated § 39-17-118, which took effect July 1, 2025.

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Terror-Related Encounters Surged at U.S. Southern Border in Fiscal Year 2026: Study

Just the News
CBP arrest

A new Center for Immigration Studies analysis released Monday showed that United States’ Customs and Border Protection officials saw a surge in terrorism related encounters at Southwest ports of entry in the first 11 months of fiscal year 2026.

The CIS report noted that CBP recorded more than 11,250 terrorism-related encounters at Southwest ports through the first 11 months of FY 2026, compared with just over 3,700 in fiscal year 2025 and 103 in fiscal year 2021. The numbers mark a significant increase from the Biden administration and more than double the numbers from last fiscal year.

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Justice Alito Thinks He Knows Who Leaked Dobbs Decision

Just the News
SCOTUS protest

Supreme Court Associate Justice Samuel Alito indicated this week that he believed he knew who leaked the Dobbs v. Jackson draft decision that overturned the constitutional right to obtain an abortion.

“I do have an opinion, but the evidence available at this time is not strong enough for the court or for me to say this is the person who was responsible,” he said in an interview with Fox News.

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