Tag: Marsha Blackburn

TBI Director Says Tren de Aragua Allegedly ‘Escaped’ Prison During Confrontation with Maduro Regime

Tom Pappert
David Rausch and Marsha Blackburn

Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) Director David Rausch said the Tren de Aragua gang members active in Tennessee are likely part of the criminal network that formed in Venezuelan prisons under the country’s dictator, Nicolas Maduro, whose government later claimed the prisoners escaped.

Rausch made the comments to U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) during a Saturday appearance in her “Minute with Marsha” podcast, expanding on his previous confirmations that Tren de Aragua members are present in Tennessee’s major cities and travel through the state in human trafficking operations.

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Tennessee U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn Thanks Elon Musk, X CEO for Help Updating Kids Online Safety Act

Tom Pappert
Sen Marsha Blackburn, Elon Musk

A new version of the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA), created by Senators Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), was announced on Saturday by Linda Yaccarino, the CEO of X, who said she collaborated with the senators to create legislation that would prioritize youth safety while preserving the First Amendment.

Revealing the new legislation in a post to X, Yaccarino noted the company, which was formerly known as Twitter, vowed it would help Congress establish new laws to protect children during a January appearance in Congress alongside Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg and TikTok CEO Shou Chew.

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Both Tennessee U.S. Senators Endorse Hegseth for Defense Secretary as Hagerty Says ‘Momentum is with Pete’

Tom Pappert
Pete Hegseth

Both Tennessee U.S. Senators Marsha Blackburn and Bill Hagerty have confirmed they will vote to confirm Pete Hegseth, who President-elect Donald Trump nominated to serve as his Secretary of Defense.

Blackburn and Hagerty both said they will vote to confirm Hegseth, with Hagerty declaring Trump’s nominee has the “momentum” to be confirmed when interviewed by CNN on Wednesday.

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Tennessee U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn Warns of AI Scams Ahead of Holiday Season

Kaitlin Housler
Marsha Blackburn

Tennessee U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) is warning seniors of artificial intelligence (AI) scams and cyber-attacks ahead of this year’s holiday season.

Blackburn, a ranking member of the Senate Subcommittee on Consumer Protection, discussed the increased threats of AI scams and cyber-attacks during a hearing last month titled “Protecting Consumers from Artificial Intelligence Enabled Fraud and Scams.”

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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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GOP Lawmakers Call for Accountability on Federal Funding for Abortion Giants

The Daily Signal

A coalition of Republican lawmakers wants to investigate how much federal funding goes to abortion providers including Planned Parenthood.

Sen. Marsha Blackburn, House Pro-Life Caucus Co-Chair Rep. Chris Smith, Rep. Robert Aderholt, and Rep. Claudia Tenney led a bicameral letter to the U.S. Government Accountability Office requesting a report on federal funding for abortion providers between fiscal year 2022 and 2024.

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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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Tennessee Senator Sends Letter to FEMA Director Demanding Accountability for Political Discrimination After Hurricane Helene

Kaitlin Housler
Deanne Criswell

Tennessee U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) sent a letter to Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Administrator Deanne Criswell on Monday demanding accountability within the federal agency after it was reported that FEMA workers were advised to discriminate against Trump supporters who needed assistance after Hurricane Helene.

Earlier this month, The Daily Wire reported that a FEMA supervisor ordered workers to bypass the homes of Donald Trump’s supporters as they surveyed the damage caused by Hurricane Milton in Florida.

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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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Senator Marsha Blackburn Introduces Bill to Prevent Migrants Tied to Hamas from Entering the U.S.

Kaitlin Housler
Blackburn and Rosen

U.S. Senators Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) and Jacky Rosen (D-NV) are introducing a bill this week that would prevent migrants tied to the terrorist group Hamas from entering the U.S. and receiving immigration benefits.

Blackburn and Rosen’s ‘No Immigration Benefits for Hamas Terrorists Act’ would amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to deny immigration benefits to aliens who “carried out, participated in, planned, financed, supported, or otherwise facilitated” the recent attacks against Israel beginning on October 7, 2023.

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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.

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Senator Marsha Blackburn Speaks to Reporters After Voting Early in Brentwood

Kaitlin Housler
Marsha Blackburn

Tennessee U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) told reporters on Friday she is “confident” in the security of the Volunteer State’s elections after she cast her vote early for the November 5 general election at an early voting polling location in Brentwood.

“We know that in Tennessee, we have the most secure elections in the country and our Secretary of State, Tre Hargett, gets a lot of credit for that. I know Tennesseans are confident they can show up, cast their vote, and that vote’s going to be counted,” Blackburn said.

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U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn Presses VP Kamala Harris on Her Failed Broadband Initiative to Connect Americans to the Internet

Kaitlin Housler

U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) was among nine Republican senators who sent a letter to Vice President Kamala Harris pressing her on the administration’s “failed” initiative to connect millions of Americans to broadband internet.

The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, signed by President Joe Biden in 2021, provided the National Telecommunications and Information Administration with $42.45 billion for the Broadband, Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program, which was intended to “provide broadband access to unserved communities, particularly those in rural areas.”

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U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn Defends Bipartisan Kids Online Safety Act

Kaitlin Housler
Kids on phones

U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) released a memo this week clarifying elements of her and U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal’s (D-CT) Kids Online Safety Act, which passed the Senate in July, amid what the senator is calling “lies” being circulated about the legislation.

The Kids Online Safety Act seeks to “protect minors from online harms” by requiring social media companies to “take reasonable measures” to “prevent and mitigate” children from being harmed while using their platforms, including through sexual exploitation or online bullying.

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U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn Urges Tennesseans to Vote Early

Kaitlin Housler
Marsha Blackburn

U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) is urging Tennesseans to cast their votes in the November 5 general election by taking advantage of early in-person voting.

Blackburn, who faces Tennessee State Representative Gloria Johnson (D-Knoxville) on the general election ballot, said she is hoping for a “big margin” in her race and for Tennesseans to vote for former President Donald Trump and local candidates.

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U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn Joins Colleagues in Demanding Change to Unaccompanied Migrant Children Program from Biden-Harris Administration

Kaitlin Housler
border-crisis_840x480

U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) joined 43 other Republicans in the U.S. Senate and House in sending a letter to President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris demanding that their administration’s program that resettles unaccompanied alien children into the U.S. be reformed to ensure the safety of children within the program.

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) program transfers unaccompanied alien children who crossed the border into the U.S. without a parent or guardian into the hands of unvetted sponsors within the U.S., which the Republicans often warned “continue to exploit and abuse” such children.

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U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn Describes ‘Truly Catastrophic’ Scene in East Tennessee from Hurricane Helene

Kaitlin Housler
Marsha Blackburn

Tennessee U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) described the scene in areas impacted by flash flooding from Hurricane Helene in East Tennessee as “truly catastrophic” after two days of traveling to the area to meet with residents and survey the storm damage.

One week ago, flash flooding from Hurricane Helene devastated areas of East Tennessee, which has since left 11 dead, according to the Tennessee Department of Health.

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Tennessee Congressional Delegation Urges President Biden to Approve Updated Disaster Declaration Submitted by Governor Bill Lee

Kaitlin Housler
Joe Biden TN

All 11 members of the Tennessee congressional delegation sent a letter to President Joe Biden on Tuesday requesting the “swift approval” of Governor Bill Lee’s request for an updated major disaster declaration in the wake of flash flooding caused by the remnants of Hurricane Helene.

Lee initially requested federal assistance for Carter, Cocke, Greene, Hamblen, Hawkins, Johnson, Unicoi, and Washington counties following the flash flooding that devastated buildings and roads in East Tennessee on September 26 and September 27, which the president approved on Saturday.

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Sens. Blackburn, Hagerty Among Senators Seeking to Close ‘Loophole’ Biden-Harris Used to Grant Amnesty to Illegal Immigrants

Tom Pappert
illegal immigrants

New legislation introduced in the U.S. Senate on Thursday by a group of lawmakers, including Senators Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) and Bill Hagerty (R-TN), would eliminate the “loophole” used by the Biden-Harris administration to grant legal status to more than 500,000 illegal immigrants.

Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) is joined by the Visa Integrity Preservation Act by 13 other Republican senators, including Blackburn and Hagerty, in an effort they argue “ould close a loophole in current law that the Biden-Harris administration took advantage of in a June 2024 executive action to grant amnesty to illegal immigrants who entered the United States without inspection or overstayed a visa.”

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Sen. Blackburn Demands Secret Service Increase Trump’s Security on Heels of ‘Unfathomable’ Second Assassination Attempt

Tom Pappert
Senator Marsha Blackburn

Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) on Monday demanded the U.S. Secret Service increase the level of security provided to former President Donald Trump to that of a sitting president, calling the second attempt to assassinate the former president, which happened on Sunday in Florida, an “unfathomable and unacceptable” development for the agency.

Blackburn revealed her demand in a letter to Acting Secret Service Director Ronald Rowe, who began leading the agency following the resignation of former director Kimberly Cheatle as the agency’s shortcomings during the first assassination attempt were revealed.

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Commentary: ‘American Girls in Sports Day’ Matters More Than Ever

Admin

Across our country, more than 3 million female high school and college athletes compete, practice, and train every day to achieve athletic success.

For many of these young women and girls, athletic participation is more than just a game: It is a life-long passion that improves their physical health, boosts their self-confidence, and teaches them the discipline and leadership skills to succeed on and off the field.

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Conservatives Celebrate Courage of Sen. Marsha Blackburn in Leading Fight Against Income Tax in Tennessee

Tom Pappert
Marsha Blackburn

The Tennessee Star on Monday obtained videos from a newly released ad campaign by Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), who is currently favored to win reelection against State Senator Gloria Johnson (D-Knoxville), which feature prominent Tennessee conservatives celebrate Blackburn’s role in the successful 2003 effort to defeat an income tax proposal.

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Exclusive: Sen. Marsha Blackburn Slams Cashless Bail with Tennessee Sheriff in Push for Restoring Law and Order Act

Tom Pappert

The Tennessee Star on Wednesday exclusively obtained a video released by Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), who urged Congress to pass her Restoring Law and Order Act to provide relief to cities like Memphis, which the senator argued suffers from ill-conceived restorative justice schemes and soft-on-crime judges.

Senator Bill Hagerty (R-TN) joined the senator’s Restoring Law and Order Act, which was reintroduced in May. The bill would authorize new grant funding for local law enforcement to hire and retain officers, combat child trafficking, and emphasize “public safety tools like bail and pretrial detention” to disallow accused criminals the opportunity to commit additional offenses.

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Tennessee Congressional Delegation Honor the ‘Scarboro 85’ on 69th Anniversary of Desegregation at Oak Ridge Public Schools

Kaitlin Housler
Classroom Students

The entire Tennessee congressional delegation sponsored a resolution this week celebrating the Scarboro 85 students from the Scarboro neighborhood in Oak Ridge. Following the U.S. Supreme Court’s landmark decision in Brown v. Board of Education, these students made history by entering all-white classrooms.

On May 17, 1954, the Supreme Court ruled in Brown v. Board of Education that separating children in public schools based on race was unconstitutional.

In a second opinion issued on May 31, 1955, the Supreme Court decreed that schools should be desegregated “with all deliberate speed.”

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U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn Demands Answers after DHS Report Reveals ICE Has Lost Thousands of Unaccompanied Migrant Children

Kaitlin Housler
border surge

Tennessee U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) sent a letter to U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Acting Director Patrick Lechleitner this week demanding answers after a recent report revealed that ICE has lost track of thousands of unaccompanied migrant children over the last five years.

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State Rep. Gloria Johnson Celebrates U.S. Senate Primary Victory

Peter D'Abrosca
Gloria Johnson

A far-left member of the Tennessee House of Representatives Thursday night won her primary election, and now faces an uphill battle against incumbent U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN).

“Thank you, Tennessee. I am running for office to represent you, to fight for you, and make life easier for all who call Tennessee home. I have never felt more ready to fight for a Tennessee that works for all of us. Let’s do this!” said State Representative Gloria Johnson (D-Knovxille) when the primary results rolled in. 

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Never Trumpers Lose Big in Tennessee GOP Primary

Tom Pappert
Andy Ogles and Courtney Johnston

The Never Trump donors who assembled to oppose Representative Andy Ogles (R-TN-05) in the Thursday Republican primary for Tennessee’s 5th Congressional district were trounced by the incumbent, who was endorsed by former President Donald Trump more than one year prior to the election.

Ogles’ victory came despite the incumbent being out raised by his opponent, Metro Councilwoman Courtney Johnston, who also benefited from more than $600,000 in advertising from the Conservatives with Character super PAC, whose treasurer told The Tennessee Star its primary purpose was to see the Trump-endorsed incumbent defeated.

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Sen. Marsha Blackburn Celebrates After Senate Passes Kids Online Safety Act with Bipartisan Support

Tom Pappert
Marsha Blackburn and Richard Blumenthal

Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-Tennessee) celebrated on Tuesday after the U.S. Senate passed the Kids Online Safety Act with bipartisan support.

Blackburn wrote in a post to the social media platform X that the legislation passing the Senate is “a big step to protect” minor children from online harms, and noted Congress last passed legislation with that goal in 1998, when it passed the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act.

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Tennessee Congressional Delegation Members React to U.S. Secret Service Director’s Resignation

Kaitlin Housler
Kimberly Cheatle

Eight members of the Tennessee congressional delegation reacted to U.S. Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle’s resignation on Tuesday, agreeing that her decision to step down was in the agency’s best interest.

Cheatle’s resignation came 10 days after former President Donald Trump was grazed by a single bullet in his upper right ear in what is formally being investigated as a failed assassination attempt during a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.

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Secret Service Chief Faces Mounting Pressure to Resign

RealClearWire
Kimberly Cheatle

New allegations that Secret Service training resources were reallocated to “executive leadership bonuses” and DEI-prioritized recruitment are among the torrent of charges leveled against agency Director Kim Cheatle and other top officials in the aftermath of the assassination attempt against Donald Trump.

Inside the main hall of Milwaukee’s Fiserv Forum, Republicans Thursday night were enjoying a Make America Great Again lovefest. But on the outside perimeter of the convention center, anger was still spewing over an avalanche of negative information about the layers of Secret Service failures that led to a bullet piercing Trump’s right ear, just millimeters away from killing him, four days ago at a rally in Pennsylvania.

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