Tag: Turning Point USA

Kari Lake, Kelly Cooper Headline Ballot Chasing Rally with J.D. Vance and TPUSA’s Charlie Kirk in Mesa

Rachel Alexander
Kari Lake

Kari Lake and congressional candidate Kelly Cooper spoke at a Turning Point USA rally with J.D. Vance and TPUSA CEO Charlie Kirk at Generation Church in east Mesa on Wednesday. The theme throughout the evening was ballot chasing — knocking on doors and urging large numbers of low propensity voters to cast ballots. Senior Pastor Ryan Visconti said the church was so full there was an overflow room, estimating almost 2,000 in attendance.

Visconti said he received pushback about hosting the political event, with others questioning his judgment. He said he responded to the critics and said it was too imperative to stand up for what’s right. The crowd roared with applause. 

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Crowd Fills Glendale Stadium for Rally with Donald Trump and New Supporter Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

Rachel Alexander
Donald Trump Rally Arizona

Thousands showed up for a Donald Trump rally with Turning Point USA in Glendale west of Phoenix, with many lining up overnight to get good seats. Robert Kennedy Jr. joined Trump at the Desert Diamond Arena to show his support, having suspended his presidential campaign in Arizona and nine other battleground states just hours earlier. Kennedy said earlier at a press conference in downtown Phoenix that if he stayed in the race, it might allow Kamala Harris to win the presidential race since he would take votes away from Trump.

Several candidates running for office in Arizona spoke before Trump, including congressional candidates and Kari Lake, who is running for U.S. Senate. Turning Point USA CEO Charlie Kirk said Americans are tired of sending $200 billion to Ukraine when the U.S.’s own borders aren’t secure. He said American citizens should be prioritized over foreigners. 

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Commentary: TikTok and Instagram Turned Me into a Leftist, but X Helped Me Escape

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Black Lives Matter Rally

Social media plays a significant role in shaping the opinions of those 35 and under — it’s the primary news source for most in that age group, one survey found.

Some stats report that daily screen time for 16- to 24-year-olds is nearly eight hours among females and seven hours among males. To put that in perspective — that’s equivalent to the average time in a school day.

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Thousands Attend Town Hall in Phoenix to Hear Discuss Chasing the Vote, Rigged Elections, and Illegal Immigration

Rachel Alexander

Thousands of people turned out for a town hall put on by Turning Point USA with former President Donald Trump Thursday afternoon at Dream City Church in north Phoenix. Trump and Turning Point CEO Charlie Kirk were the sole speakers at the “Chase the Vote” event, urging patriots to make the 2024 election “too big to rig.” The rest of the event focused heavily on illegal immigration, highly critical of the Biden administration’s record. 

Trump’s last visit to the state was 18 months ago. According to one attendee who arrived at 8 a.m., there were over 4,000 people in line at that time. The temperature got up to 108 degrees, and there were vendors with water and drinks sprinkled throughout the church property. The event officially began at 2 p.m., but Kirk came out a little after noon and spoke in advance of Trump’s 2 p.m. speech. The crowd held up signs with Trump’s mugshot on them. 

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Commentary: Taxpayer U

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College Students

The college horror stories are endless. A mandatory Title IX training session at Harvard instructs students that “fatphobia” and “cis-heterosexism” perpetuate violence and that using the wrong pronouns constitutes abuse. Yet, hatred against Jews is tolerated at the school.

In California, community colleges teach that if someone claims they are not a racist, they are in denial and that colorblindness “perpetuates existing racial inequities and denies systematic racism.” A Michigan college held a “queer” abortion stories event earlier this year. The once-venerable University of Chicago is planning to host a “kink and consent” workshop for students, in which the practice of sex play with ropes will be taught.

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East Tennessee State University Veteran Memorial Vandalized with ‘Free Palestine’ Messages

Matthew Giffin
ETSU Sign

A veterans memorial at East Tennessee State University (ETSU) was recently vandalized with anti-Israel messages. University officials reportedly told a local news outlet that they were working to remove the vandalism from the site Friday night.

The top of the memorial statue was vandalized with messages saying “Free Palestine,” “We have failed ourselves,” and “How many must die?”

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Bullied, Targeted, and Harassed: A Turning Point USA Student Shares Her Story of Oppression at East Tennessee State University

Matthew Giffin
Lakie Derrick

Lakie Derrick, now 21, first traveled less than 30 miles to attend East Tennessee State University (ETSU) in the fall of 2020. She had always known her hometown of Kingsport, Tennessee, to be a relatively conservative city.

In 2016, the two counties that contain Kingsport overwhelmingly voted to elect Donald Trump as the 45th president of the United States. Washington County, where ETSU is located, did the same that year and supported Trump again in 2020. Only two Tennessee counties held blue through the 2022 gubernatorial election.

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Matthew Giffin Details Socialist Group’s Fight with East Tennessee State University over Upcoming Event Featuring Kyle Rittenhouse

Kaitlin Housler
Kyle Rittenhouse

Matthew Giffin, reporter at The Tennessee Star and student at Middle Tennessee State University, joined Wednesday’s edition of The Tennessee Star Report with Michael Patrick Leahy to discuss a socialist group’s response to an event scheduled at East Tennessee State University (ETSU) next week featuring Kyle Rittenhouse.

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Socialist Students Demand ETSU Restrict ‘Hate Speech’ Ahead of Kyle Rittenhouse Visit

Matthew Giffin
Kyle Rittenhouse

The Young Democratic Socialists of America chapter at East Tennessee State University (ETSU) has demanded the school makes a specific policy prohibiting “hate speech.” The call comes as the right-of-center ETSU chapter of Turning Point USA prepares to host Kyle Rittenhouse for a February 8 event they’re calling “The Rittenhouse Recap.”

ETSU’s Young Democratic Socialists of America (YDSA) said Rittenhouse’s visit to campus is “in clear violation of ETSU’s supposed hate speech policy” in a Friday Instagram post. YDSA also demanded that ETSU’s president and student government issue a statement condemning the event.

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Commentary: Straw Poll Shows Young Trump Voters Want Carlson or Vivek as VP

RealClearWire
Tucker Vivek

Young Republican voters overwhelmingly want Donald Trump to be the GOP nominee in 2024, and they only disagree on whether he should choose Tucker Carlson or Vivek Ramaswamy as his running mate, according to a straw poll of participants who attended Turning Point Action’s annual AmericaFest.

Obtained exclusively by RealClearPolitics, the results provide a snapshot of the youth vote just weeks before the Iowa caucuses. The online poll was conducted by Turning Point Action Dec. 17-18 and surveyed 1,113 attendees at the TPUSA conference in Phoenix, Ariz.

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Tucker Carlson, Tulsi Gabbard, and Jonathan Isaac Conclude Last Major Day of TPUSA’s Third Annual AmericaFest

Rachel Alexander

Turning Point USA’s third annual AmericaFest ended its third full day on Monday, featuring speeches by Tucker Carlson, Democrat-turned-independent and former Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard, and NBA star Jonathan Isaac. Candace Owens was scheduled to speak, but due to giving birth to her third child, she submitted a short speech on video instead.

In her speech, Gabbard criticized “neocon” Nikki Haley, who has positioned herself in the Republican presidential primary race as a moderate. Gabbard lambasted the “Democratic elite” repeatedly.

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Kari Lake, Steve Bannon, Vivek Ramaswamy, Rep. Matt Gaetz, and Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene Headline Second Day of TPUSA’s Third Annual AmericaFest

Rachel Alexander

The second day of Turning Point USA’s AmericaFest featured several more prominent conservative speakers Sunday evening. Kari Lake, Steve Bannon, Vivek Ramaswamy, Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL-01), and Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-AL-14) riled the crowd up denouncing the Republican establishment and the far left. 

Greene began her talk by observing that “Joe Biden has been in office longer than I’ve been alive.” She said she is “constantly surrounded by people that serve the rest of the world and America last and it makes me so d*** angry every single day that I wrote a book about it.” She said, “They seem to forget that there’s 50 states of the United States of America; they think Ukraine is the 51st state.” 

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Charlie Kirk, Roseanne Barr, and Glenn Beck Headline Opening Night of TPUSA’s AmericaFest to Full Crowd of 13,000

Rachel Alexander
AmericaFest 2023

Turning Point USA’s third annual convention, AmericaFest, opened Friday night at the Phoenix Convention Center featuring headline speeches by founder Charlie Kirk, actress Roseanne Barr, and political commentator Glenn Beck. Kirk told the audience it was their largest conference yet, as well as the largest conservative grassroots multi-day conference ever in U.S. history, with 13,000 in attendance, completely filling the auditorium.

Kirk told attendees that the country is in the midst of a “top-down revolution” led by elites, a cultural revolution that is similar to Mao Tse Tung’s cultural revolution. Those at the conference are the “bottom-up resistance,” the grassroots response. 

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Trump Pledges to ‘Obliterate the Deep State’ and Create ‘Truth and Reconciliation Commission’

Just the News

Former President Donald Trump pledged to end corruption in Washington, D.C., by obliterating the deep state and creating a “Truth and Reconciliation Commission” that would declassify all information about government spying, censorship and corruption. 

“When I get back into the Oval Office, I will totally obliterate the deep state,” Trump pledged Saturday at a Turning Point USA conference in Florida, taking aim at the alleged group of federal officials working against his agenda. 

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Former NCAA Swimmer, Activist Riley Gaines Was Assaulted After ‘Saving Women’s Sports’ Speech

Just the News

Former NCAA swimmer and conservative activist Riley Gaines was assaulted Thursday at San Francisco State University after giving a speech at a Turning Point USA and Leadership Institute event on the campus, her husband says.  “She told me she was hit multiple times by a guy in a dress,” said husband Louis Baker, according to Fox News. “I was shaking. It made me that mad. It makes me sick to feel so helpless about it. She was under police protection and was still hit by a man wearing a dress.”

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Left-Wing Mobs Shatter Windows, Assault Police Officer Outside Conservative Campus Speaker Event

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Vandals protesting Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk during his speech at the University of California, Davis (UC Davis), Tuesday night shattered windows and assaulted individuals outside the venue, according to videos posted to Twitter.

Kirk was invited to UC Davis by the TPUSA chapter as part of his Live Free tour, which features stops at eight universities across the country during the spring 2023 semester, according to the TPUSA website. Protesters dressed in black to rally outside the venue and can be seen on video breaking windows after security secured the doors and assaulting individuals outside the venue.

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St. Mary’s College Says Biological Sex Messaging Does ‘Not Align’ with Its Mission

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 Saint Mary’s College in Notre Dame, Indiana, denied the foundation of a Turning Point USA chapter, according to an email from the dean of students, because Turning Point USA’s messaging on biological sex does “not align” with the Catholic college’s mission.

Claire Bettag, a sophomore student from Chicago, pushed back against Saint Mary’s denial of the club over the course of several months, according to emails reviewed by The Daily Signal. But the college’s dean of students, Gloria Jenkins, ultimately told Bettag that Turning Point USA’s messaging on transgender issues does not align with Saint Mary’s mission.

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Kari Lake Celebrates Election Challenge Moving Forward at AmericaFest 2022, ‘Christmas Came Early Yesterday’

Neil Jones

PHOENIX, Arizona – While making another appearance at Turning Point USA’s AmericaFest 2022 to an enthused crowd in downtown Phoenix, Republican Kari Lake shared her reaction to her election challenge officially going to trial.

“This is so historic, and you know what? I couldn’t have done it without you,” Lake said. “A little over a day ago, I stood here on this stage, and I said, please pray, not just for me, but pray for our attorneys, for our witnesses. Pray for the judge, my goodness! You did it, and yesterday we got great news, we are taking these bastards to court.”

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To Cap Off AmericaFest 2022, Charlie Kirk, Steve Bannon, and Others Spoke on Freedom, Faith, and the Future

Neil Jones

PHOENIX, Arizona – To mark the end of Turning Point USA’s four-day-long AmericaFest 2022, Charlie Kirk and many other Conservative commentators took the stage in downtown Phoenix to share final remarks with a crowd of cheering onlookers.

“Hey, AmericaFest is completed. Make a plan. Make a promise to yourself. Make a challenge to yourself. The easy thing in 2023 would be to complain and say this is kind of an off-year. The necessary thing is to say I’m going to do something in 2023 I did not do in 2022, and if you’re looking for that place to start, that’s why Turning Point exists,” Kirk said during his final remarks.

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Kari Lake, Dennis Prager, Josh Hawley, and More Headline TPUSA’s AmericaFest 2022 on Sunday

Rachel Alexander

Turning Point USA’s annual AmericaFest continued its second day in Phoenix on Sunday, featuring a long lineup of well-known conservatives. Some of the standouts Sunday included Arizona gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake, who is currently fighting the results of a botched election in Arizona which resulted in Democrat Katie Hobbs being named the winner, co-founder of PragerU and talk show host Dennis Prager, and Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO). 

The theme of many of the speakers was to stay positive and avoid the negativity and self-centeredness of the left, see the good in the country, and the values and institutions like marriage and children which formed it. Lake’s speech focused on voter disenfranchisement that occurred in her race, declaring, “My pronouns are ‘I won’” and “election integrity is the single most important issue of our lifetime.” 

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Charlie Kirk, Laura Ingraham, and Tucker Carlson Rally Thousands at TPUSA’s AmericaFest 2022 in Phoenix

Rachel Alexander

Turning Point USA, an organization for young conservatives launched in 2017 in Phoenix, now rivals CPAC for attendance at its annual December AmericaFest. With over 10,800 purchasing tickets, AmericaFest 2022 launched Saturday evening featuring speeches by TPUSA founder Charlie Kirk, Fox News hosts Laura Ingraham and Tucker Carlson, then followed by country music concerts.

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TPUSA Will Not Host Event in Williamson County Schools

Peter D'Abrosca

After backlash from far-left groups, Williamson County Schools has explained that it will not host a Turning Point USA [TPUSA] event at Nolensville High School later this month. 

“There is false information circulating about a Turning Point USA event that has been advertised to be held at Nolensville High on September 21. That event was never approved to be held at NHS and [TPUSA] has been asked to remove all references to Nolensville High,” Williamson County Schools said in a statement on Twitter. 

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Charlie Kirk Calls Arizona the ‘Battleground That Can Determine the Future of America’

Neil Jones

Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk spoke at an Arizona rally Sunday, telling the people that this is the battleground state that can determine the future of America.

“You live in the state that is now the battleground, 50-50, hundreds of millions of Democrat dollars are coming into this state because as Arizona goes, America goes,” Kirk said. “You live in the place where everything you do matters. You live in the state, where if America is going to survive as a Constitutional Republic, separation of powers, independent judiciary, respect for the unborn, protection of our children. It’s all going to happen here.”

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University Students Hosted ‘White Student Accountability Group’ to ‘Dismantle Racism’: Report

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The University of South Carolina is facing backlash over a “White Student Accountability Group” meeting that instructed students how to “recognize their contribution” to racism, according to a conservative student organization.

Students at the University of South Carolina (USC) College of Social Work were invited to attend a “White Student Accountability Group” meeting on April 26, according to emails obtained by conservative student organization Turning Point USA (TPUSA).

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Senator Josh Hawley, Charlie Kirk to Join J.D. Vance on Campaign Trail in Final Days of Ohio Senate Race

Cooper Moran

Senator Josh Hawley (R-MO) and Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk will join J.D. Vance on the campaign trail in the final days of the U.S. Senate primary contest in Ohio.

According to a release from the Vance campaign, the duo will make appearances across the state as a part of Vance’s “No BS Town Hall Tour” on Sunday and Monday.

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Arizona Reps. Gosar and Biggs Discuss Voter Fraud at Turning Point USA’s AmericaFest 2021

Rachel Alexander

At Turning Point USA’s AmericaFest 2021 conference in Phoenix, election integrity is one of the most important topics, in part due to the high-profile ballot audit in the Maricopa County 2020 presidential election. One of the main panels at the conference focused on this, featuring Rep. Paul Gosar (R-04-Ariz.), Rep. Andy Biggs (R-05-Ariz.), and Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-01-Texas). 

The main topic of the panel was how to prevent election fraud in the future. All three panelists urged everyone to get involved and make a difference, whether by poll watching, putting pressure on elected officials, or looking for fraud. Biggs advised, “Be loud and proud. Do it with a smile on your face, they hate that.” 

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Donald Trump Jr. and Election Integrity Panel with Arizona Lawmakers Headline Second Day of Turning Point USA’s AmericaFest 2021

Rachel Alexander

Turning Point USA’s AmericaFest 2021 conference kicked off the second day with a 9 a.m. speech by Donald Trump Jr. Other notable speakers on Sunday included Sarah Palin, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-14-Ga.), and Rep. Burgess Owens (R-04-Utah). The day wrapped up with breakout panels, including one on election integrity featuring Arizona lawmakers. 

Trump Jr. spoke about some of the most contentious issues facing patriots currently. “There are women who work their a**** off … they spent their lives trying to reach the pinnacle of success in a sport only to be beaten by 38 seconds in the 500 freestyle,” he declared, referring to a transgender who recently won a women’s swimming competition at the University of Pennsylvania.

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Charlie Kirk and Tucker Carlson Kick Off Turning Point USA’s AmericaFest 2021 Conference in Phoenix

Rachel Alexander
Tucker Carlson and Charlie Kirk

Turning Point USA is holding their annual AmericaFest 2021 conference this weekend in Phoenix, where they are based. Founder Charlie Kirk and Fox News personality Tucker Carlson spoke Friday on opening night. 

Kirk opened the event, hitting on a lot of social and cultural issues during his speech. He told the attendees not to let it bother them when the left calls them names for saying something true. He acknowledged that it’s so bad that if you speak out, “you might not be able to get a job in your field.” 

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Emerson College Suspends Turning Point USA over Anti-CCP Stickers

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Turning Point USA’s chapter at Emerson College has been suspended pending an investigation into alleged violations of the college’s Code of Community Standards.

“Effective immediately your organization cannot hold events on campus, this includes but is not limited to hosting programs, meetings and/or tabling,” an Oct. 1 letter signed by Julie Rothhaar-Sanders, the college’s director of Community Standards said. The letter accused the group of being involved in “Bias Related Behavior” and “Invasion of Privacy.”

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Stony Brook Student Beaten for Backing Amy Coney Barrett Faces Barrett-Backed Vax Rule Expulsion

Neil W. McCabe
Stony Brook University

Supreme Court Associate Justice Amy Coney Barrett began her first full session on the high court with lingering doubts from a conservative student in her senior year at Stony Brook University facing expulsion with the loss of all semester credits and tuition, thanks to a Barrett ruling, less than one year after leftists beat the student for supporting Barrett confirmation.

“It definitely really upsets me, because I feel that I fight for good people on social media, and for Amy Coney Barrett in person, where I am physically assaulted, and then she goes ahead and does things that we did not vote her in for,” said Isabella Maria DeLuca, a political science-pre-law major at the school, which is part of State University of New York system.

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Conservative Media Company Is the Fastest-Growing Advertising And Marketing Business in the U.S., According to Inc. 5000

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Person setting up lighting in front of green screen filming location

A conservative digital media company’s focus on the culture wars in America appears to be paying off, as it is the fastest-growing private advertising and marketing business in the U.S., according to the 2021 Inc. 5000 list released Tuesday.

“We focus on working with groups that are advocating for or otherwise advancing conservative causes or conservative beliefs,” Olympic Media Founder and CEO Ryan Coyne told the Daily Caller News Foundation on Thursday.

Olympic was founded in 2018 and has had many high-profile clients, such as Reps. Elise Stefanik, Jim Jordan, and Madison Cawthorn, Sen. Bill Hagerty and Turning Point USA.

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Clemson School Administrators Used COVID Caps and Fake RSVPs to Suppress Turnout at Conservative Event

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Assortment of conservative buttons with a "Get Involved" Turning Point USA fillout

During the height of the pandemic, two college administrators from Clemson University used phony ticket reservations to suppress attendance at a conservative student event and bragged about it on Facebook.

The conservative group Turning Point USA’s local chapter hosted speakers Tomi Lahren, Brandon Tatum, and Graham Allen for an event on the South Carolina campus in April 2020.

The event was limited in capacity because of COVID-19, and people had to reserve tickets from a smaller pool in advance.

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Christian University Student Leaders Refuse to Approve Conservative Club

Admin
Students at Point Loma Nazarene University

Student government leaders at Point Loma Nazarene University denied Turning Point USA’s request to become a chartered club.

The leaders and a university official at the private Christian university in San Diego said there was “misalignment” between TPUSA activities and the Associated Student Body mission statement.

“Misalignment between that mission statement and TPUSA publications and activities was the primary basis for denial,” university spokesperson Jill Monroe told The College Fix in an email.

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Tennessee Tech Professors Defend Their Flyers Threatening Turning Point USA Advisor, Students as Free Speech in Exclusive Radio Interview

Corinne Murdock
Rude Pundit

The two Tennessee Tech (TTU) professors who posted flyers threatening a Turning Point USA (TPUSA) advisor and students defended their actions in a radio interview on Monday. They claimed it constituted free speech.

The professors in question are TTU Department of Foreign Languages Associate Professor Dr. Julia Gruber and English instructor in English and religious studies Andrew Smith. The Rude Pundit host Lee Papa conducted an hour-long interview with Smith and Gruber. Papa facilitated discuss over the possibility that Tennessee Tech would punish the professors for posting the flyers. 

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Tennessee Tech Will Take Action on Professors for ‘Harassing, Threatening, and Intimidating’ Turning Point USA Students, Advisor

Corinne Murdock
Tennessee Tech University

After reviewing the incident of professors posting flyers targeting a Turning Point USA (TPUSA) advisor and students, Tennessee Tech University (TTU) stated that they will take action. Andrew Smith and Julia Gruber were identified as the professors who posted the flyers on campus.

In the investigation memorandum, the investigator recommended that TTU find the two professors in violation of TTU Policy 600 (Code of Conduct). In accordance with the TTU Policy 650 (Disciplinary Action), TTU will weigh the severity of the infraction to determine disciplinary action. That might include a verbal or written warning, performance improvement plan, suspension with or without pay, demotion, disciplinary probation, or termination. Ultimately, TTU Vice President for Planning and Finance has the final authority on interpretation of this policy for disciplinary action.

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After Threats of Unrest and a High Price Tag, Ann Coulter’s Appearance Sold Out at MTSU

Corinne Murdock

For hosting a conservative speaker on their campus, a Turning Point USA (TPUSA) chapter paid the price – three times, to be exact. Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU) TPUSA hosted Ann Coulter on Monday, at three times the cost of liberal or leftist organizations according TPUSA’s report of an anonymous call from the school’s administration. 

The chapter was charged nearly 1600 percent the normal rental fee for the venue – nearly $2,400 compared to $150. MTSU claimed on its invoice that a bulk of the additional expenses were to cover the costs of “Event Production Services.” This, though the event itself appeared to be a bare bones display – no music was played, no fog or flashing lights were emitted, and the projector screen displayed only one slide the entirety of the event.

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Tennessee House Passes Resolution Congratulating Candace Owens’ Move from D.C. to Tennessee

Corinne Murdock

The Tennessee House passed a resolution Thursday congratulating acclaimed conservative pundit, author, Daily Wire talk show host, BLEXIT founder, and new mother Candace Owens for her move to Tennessee.

Owens announced her move to Nashville last October, when she also revealed that she would be joining conservative media outlet, The Daily Wire. Last month she debuted her show, “Candace,” with the outlet. 

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‘You Are on Our List’: Professors Put Up Campus Fliers Threatening Professor and Students over Accused Racism, Hate Group Activity for Turning Point USA Affiliation

Corinne Murdock

Tennessee Tech (TTU) is investigating after two professors targeted and threatened another professor and students over their Turning Point USA (TPUSA) involvement.

The professor featured on the flier, navy veteran A.J. Donadio, is a nursing professor that advises the TPUSA chapter at TTU. The incident occurred back in early February; the two suspects are associate professor Julia Gruber and English instructor Andrew Smith. The contents of the poster are reproduced below:

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