Commentary: America Leaving NATO Would Be Good for Itself and Europe

NATO

Donald Trump resumed his role as the “wise fool” in recent, off-the-cuff remarks about NATO. He suggested that free-riding NATO members who do not pay their fair share might have to fight Russia on their own. National security hawks and Trump’s media enemies responded with lots of pious talk about our sacred NATO obligations. Joe Biden even said Trump was “un-American.”

Trump is not the first to suggest NATO partners should pay their fair share. But unlike his predecessors, he is willing to employ some leverage to make it happen. The real dirty secret here, as evidenced by how long this situation has gone on, is that enabling the Europeans to neglect their own defense is a feature and not a bug of America’s dominance over the NATO organization.

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Road to Hunter Biden’s Burisma Riches was Paved in Moscow with Effort to Court Russian Oligarchs

Hunter Biden Moscow Money

The effort to revive Russian collusion claims in Joe Biden’s impeachment probe is running into an inconvenient truth for Democrats: Hunter Biden and his business partners waged a concerted campaign to squeeze oligarchs in Vladimir Putin’s country for investments, an effort that ultimately paved the way for the first son to score a big payday from Burisma Holdings in neighboring Ukraine.

Hunter Biden and his partners’ pursuit of Russian riches began as early as 2010 with payments from a Moscow-based machinery firm and its “patriarch,” and they intensified a few years later at a time when Joe Biden’s son was actually still serving as a U.S. Navy officer. That timeline is confirmed by bank records, contemporaneous emails and congressional testimony that chronicle a far larger effort by Biden, Inc. to target Moscow than has previously been acknowledged.

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Republican Senators Demand Mayorkas Impeachment Trial Be Held

US Senator Chuck Schumer

With rumblings that U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-New York, plans to table and not even hold an impeachment hearing to try Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, Republican senators are demanding that the U.S. Constitution be followed and a trial be held.

Mayorkas was the first sitting cabinet member to be impeached in U.S. history when the Republican-led House did so February 13. He was impeached on two counts: willful and systemic refusal to comply with the law and breach of public trust.

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U.S. Senate Passes $95 Billion Foreign Aid Bill to Ukraine, Israel

Chuck Schumer

The U.S. Senate passed a $95 billion foreign aid bill for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan after days of delay from Republicans who did not want to pass the funding without provisions to secure the southern border.

The legislation passed early Tuesday morning after a filibuster largely led by U.S. Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., ended. Now the legislation goes to the House, where it remains unclear if they can get the votes.

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Special Counsel’s Report Gives Impeachment Inquiry New Leads in Biden-Ukraine Saga

On the heels of the long-awaited report by Justice Department special counsel Robert Hur on the possession and potential mishandling of classified documents by President Joe Biden, several of the memos cited in the report that were found in Biden’s possession are eliciting questions from Congress about why Biden retained those documents related specifically to countries where his son was conducting his foreign business dealings. The House Oversight Committee has demanded that the Department of Justice provide them access to the classified documents uncovered by the special counsel’s investigation.

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Roger Simon Calls Tucker Carlson’s Interview with Russian President Vladimir Putin a ‘Monument of Journalism’

Carlson Putin

Roger Simon, co-founder of PJMedia and current columnist for The Epoch Times, joined Friday’s edition of The Tennessee Star Report with Michael Patrick Leahy to discuss Tucker Carlson’s two-hour interview with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Simon said he was “absolutely riveted” by the interview, adding the amount of information discussed was “impossible to digest immediately.”

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Tucker Carlson Releases Interview with Vladimir Putin

Tucker Carlson Vladimir Putin

Former Fox News anchor Tucker Carlson on Thursday released his interview with Russian President Vladimir Putin in which he addressed his rationale behind the ongoing invasion of Ukraine and his view of diplomacy with the west.

Carlson attracted considerable scrutiny from western media for conducting the interview, which he defended as a part of his duty as a journalism. 

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Senate Republicans to Block Border Deal, Putting Ukraine in Limbo

Crowd of immigrants

Senate Republicans will block a procedural motion this week to start debating a bipartisan border security deal following intense opposition to the legislation from the House GOP and former President Donald Trump. 

The bill includes more than $60 billion in security assistance for Ukraine, and the move leaves funding for the war-torn nation in limbo, according to The Hill. 

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Former Trump Campaign Spokesman Steve Cortes Calls Senate Border Deal a ‘Monstrosity’

Steve Cortes

Steve Cortes, former senior spokesman and strategist for the 2016 and 2020 Trump campaigns and current head of the League of American Workers, joined Monday’s edition of The Tennessee Star Report with Michael Patrick Leahy to discuss the Senate’s recently unveiled border deal.

On Sunday, the Senate Appropriations Committee announced the details of the $118.3 billion emergency spending package that would fund U.S. national security efforts in Ukraine, Israel, and at the U.S.-Mexico border.

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Ballot Battles, Impeachment Inquiry, Indictments Disrupt Election Cycle

The Republican primary’s Iowa caucuses are scheduled for January 15, the first chance for voters to determine who they want to represent their party in November’s presidential election.

Iowa’s January caucuses are a regular tradition for a presidential primary season that – this time around – has been unusually enshrouded in indictments, impeachment inquiries and lawsuits heading into election year.

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Foreign Policy Problems Promise to Plague Biden Admin in 2024

The Biden administration faced several major problems on the international stage throughout 2023, some of which will bleed into the new year.

President Joe Biden and his administration have tried to manage major threats and circumvent obstacles from several foreign nations in 2023, including from those in East Asia, Eastern Europe, the Middle East and South America. Many international problems the Biden administration dealt with in 2023 have not been solved and have continued to metastasize going into 2024.

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The Senate Leaves Behind a Pile of Unfinished Business as It Heads Home for the Holidays

Congress at Night

The Senate has adjourned for the remainder of the year after failing to negotiate a deal to reform border security in exchange for aid to Ukraine and pass appropriations bills to fund the government.

Republicans in Congress have refused to support a $60 billion aid package to Ukraine during its war against Russia, requested by President Joe Biden unless Senate Democrats permit the passage of conservative border security priorities. After convening the Senate during its holiday recess on Monday, to give time for more negotiations, the Senate adjourned on Wednesday night for the remainder of the year without reaching a compromise, as well as without passing appropriations bills submitted by the House of Representatives to fund the government and a bipartisan railway safety bill.

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Commentary: Biden Is Not the Democrats’ Biggest Problem

Biden Bidenomics

President Joe Biden is not the Democrats’ biggest problem; they are. The greatest misperception in the 2024 presidential race is that Biden is causing Democrats’ poor performance. On the contrary, Biden is an effect. The real cause is that Democrats are wildly out of touch with America.

Biden’s bad polling numbers are well known. According to Real Clear Politics’ Dec. 18 average of national polling, Biden’s job approval rating is 40.8–56.0 percent; he trails former President Donald Trump in a head-to-head rematch 43.7 to 47.2 percent, and his favorability rating is 39.4–56.0 percent.

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EU Member Blocks Billions in Foreign Aid to Ukraine

Viktor Orban

Kyiv took a blow on Friday after an EU member single handedly blocked billions in aid to Ukraine.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban stonewalled all other 26 members of the EU and voted against a $50 billion aid package for Ukraine at the European Council conference in Belgium on Friday, according to Reuters. Orban also hinted he could block attempts to bring Ukraine into the EU fold as a member after the other members voted unanimously to start negotiation talks on Thursday.

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Ukraine Is Running Out of Men to Fight

Ukrainian military planners are worried about a dwindling supply of fighting men as a failed counteroffensive and rocky Western support forebode months or years more of brutal combat with the larger Russian army, according to experts and reports.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, along with top military and defense leaders and experts largely agree the much-vaunted counteroffensive that built up throughout the summer and fall failed to culminate in the strategic achievements that were hoped for. Now, Ukraine is struggling to maintain a supply of soldiers to fight against Russia, which has a population three times that of Ukraine from which to draw troops.

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Haley on Defense as DeSantis, Vivek Take Turns Throwing Bombs

The fourth Republican presidential primary debate saw former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley play defense in the face of relentless attacks from Florida GOP Gov. Ron DeSantis and tech executive Vivek Ramaswamy.

Haley has emerged as a media favorite in recent months, drawing considerable airtime and headlines, but has remained in a clear third place behind Donald Trump and DeSantis in most polls. At present, Trump boasts 61.0% support in the RealClearPolitics polling average, compared to DeSantis’s 13.5%, Haley’s 10.3%, Ramaswamy’s 4.9%, and former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie’s 2.5%.

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Kentucky U.S. Rep. Thomas Massie Says It Is ‘Economically Illiterate and Morally Deficient’ to Send More Money to Ukraine on Episode 45 of ‘Tucker on X’

In episode 45 of his newest production, “Tucker on X,” host Tucker Carlson interviewed U.S. Representative Thomas Massie (R-KY-04) who is against sending more aid money to Ukraine in the country’s fight against Russia.

Kicking off the 19-minute episode, Carlson said the Biden administration and the U.S. Congress will not accept the responsibility for the fact that the U.S. is “measurably weaker” for its support of Ukraine over the past two years in the country’s fight against Putin.

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Commentary: It’s Time to Unite Behind Trump If We Want to Win in 2024

Donald Trump Podium

The 2024 Presidential election is rapidly approaching. In many ways it can’t come soon enough. Americans have now spent nearly three painful years waking up every day astonished to learn that the Biden administration has outdone its previous act of insanity.

The shocking revelation, for example, that the Biden Administration is covertly flying illegals into the interior of the U.S. is quickly forgotten when new revelations emerge that the same Administration is sabotaging Texas’ efforts to secure the border—ordering federal agents to cut through the wire barriers erected by the state of Texas.

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Impeachment Inquiry Sharpens Focus on Millions in Loans to Biden Family

There are red flags aplenty: Loan repayments between Joe Biden and his brother; millions in promissory notes between Hunter Biden and a Democrat-donating Hollywood lawyer; and debt deals from Ukraine to China. 

As the House impeachment inquiry heats up, investigators are increasingly focused on a trail of red ink that has become a recurring theme in evidence chronicling the first family’s finances.

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Tennessee U.S. Rep. Tim Burchett on the Election of Speaker Mike Johnson and What’s Next for the House of Representatives

Tennessee U.S. Representative Tim Burchett (R-TN-02) joined Nashville’s Morning News with Dan Mandis on Supertalk 99.7 WTN Monday morning to bring listeners in the room with the new Speaker of the House, Mike Johnson, and discuss what’s next for Congress as President Joe Biden pushes for more funding for Ukraine amid growing conflict in the Middle East.

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Ukrainian Pilots Begin Training on F-16s in Arizona

A small number of Ukrainian pilots have reportedly started training on American-made F-16 fighter jets with the 162nd Wing of the Arizona Air National Guard in Tucson.

Around 10 Ukrainian pilots are learning “F-16 fundamentals” this week at Morris Air National Guard Base, according to the Air & Space Forces Magazine, which reported the pilots are likely to undergo an expedited training program and return to combat duties in early 2024.

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Tennessee Congressional Delegation Members Push Back on President Biden’s Lump Funding Request for Israel, Ukraine, and Border Security

A group of Tennessee congressional lawmakers have criticized President Joe Biden’s budget request for Congress to fund an aid package for both Ukraine and Israel.

On Friday, the White House announced the details of Biden’s $105 billion funding request, with the majority of the funding – $61.4 billion – intended for Ukraine. Further, under Biden’s request, Israel would receive $14.3 billion. The rest of the requested funds would go towards humanitarian efforts in Ukraine, Israel, Gaza, and other places and fund various initiatives geared toward the Indo-Pacific.

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Commentary: Americans Won’t Fight for the Globalists’ Agenda

Imagining a cascade of catastrophic escalations plunging humanity into the next world war is no longer a stretch, and it could happen fast. Israel invades Gaza to destroy Hamas, and Hezbollah goes to war. America targets Hezbollah to help defend Israel, and Iran and Syria, with Russian assistance, attack Israel. Hezbollah cells strike targets within America, and Israel and America strike targets inside Iran. Russia launches a major new offensive in Ukraine with support from Belarus. China openly supports Russia and Iran with weapons. All of this is more plausible than ever.

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Ukraine Used Long-Range Missiles Secretly Shipped from U.S.: Report

Ukraine reportedly used long-range missiles secretly shipped over from the U.S. to attack a Russian airfield on Tuesday, according to Politico and visual evidence of the strikes.

Reports in September suggested the Biden administration was coming close to sending Ukraine the Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS), long-range missiles formerly considered a bridge too far in giving Kyiv the capability to strike Russian territory and risk major escalation. Now it appears that the missiles arrived in recent weeks as revealed in the strike on a Russian airfield in Berdyansk, in the Russian-occupied eastern part of the country, Politico reported, citing two people familiar with the deliveries.

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Pentagon Announces Another $200 Million in Aid for Ukraine

On Wednesday, the Department of Defense announced yet another massive aid package for Ukraine, this time amounting to $200 million.

As reported by the New York Post, this will be the 48th such package sent to Eastern Europe since the start of the war in Ukraine. It will include 155mm and 105mm artillery rounds, ammunition for the High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS), AIM-9M missiles to assist with aerial defense, and counter-unmanned drones.

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Biden Admin Considers Tying Ukraine Funding to Israel Aid Request: Report

The White House is considering tying more Ukraine funding to a request for a crucial aid package to Israel, in a bid to get Congress back on board with support for Ukraine, The Washington Post reported Monday.

The Biden administration is expected to announce a military aid package for Israel after Hamas and Palestinian militants carried out terrorist attacks against the country that killed over 1,000 Israelis and at least nine Americans. But whether the aid package is approved could depend on Congress approving further funding for Ukraine in tandem, even as support in both chambers for Ukraine aid has dropped dramatically in recent months, according to the Post.

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Haley Talking Tough in Iowa, Says U.S. Needs to Back Ukraine and Israel in Wars Brought by Thugs and Terrorists

Asserting the U.S. must do all it can to help Israel “eliminate” the Hamas-driven terrorism that rocked Israel over the weekend, GOP presidential candidate and former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley is striking an even more hawkish tone for U.S. involvement in two major theaters of war — Europe and the Middle East.

“I would tell Israel that whatever it is you need to, not just get your country back but to eliminate the terrorists, we should do because Hamas is saying, ‘Death to America,” and it is in our best interest to make sure that they are not doing anything that would harm Americans or harm our friends,” Haley told a smallish gathering of some 75 people Monday afternoon at a town hall event in Central Iowa.

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Ramaswamy Campaign Disputes Grinnell Police Account of Crash Amid Protests at an Iowa Campaign Stop

The campaign for GOP presidential hopeful Vivek Ramaswamy is pushing back against police accounts about an incident Thursday afternoon involving protesters and a car that reportedly struck a Ramaswamy campaign vehicle.

As the 38-year-old entrepreneur arrived for a campaign event at a cafe in Grinnell, IA, a group of “peaceful protesters,” according to the campaign, was picketing.

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Americans’ Support for Arming Ukraine Dries Up as War Drags On: Poll

Support for arming Ukraine in its fight against Russian aggression has dropped among Americans across the political spectrum, according to a Thursday poll.

Only 41% of Americans believe the federal government “should provide weapons to Ukraine,” a five-point decrease since May, according to a Reuters/Ipsos survey. Though some respondents were unsure, 35% of Americans disagreed with the notion that the U.S. should be sending weapons to Ukraine.

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Pentagon Has Billions Left Over for Ukraine But Not to Replenish U.S. Stocks

The Pentagon still has billions remaining for military assistance to Ukraine after Congress’ stopgap government funding bill omitted any provisions for aid, but concerns remain about the Pentagon’s ability to replenish U.S. stocks, The Wall Street Journal reported, citing Pentagon officials.

Officials said they were not sure how much longer the funding would last, but that the $5.2 billion remaining for drawing down from U.S. weapons stockpiles loosely reflects the amount sent over the past six months, according to the WSJ. However, an account that provides for replenishment of U.S. stocks has just $1.6 billion left, and officials are concerned it will run out before Congress appropriates more funds.

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Second GOP Presidential Debate Turns Into a Rhetorical Brawl as Candidates Jockey for Position in Trump-Dominated Race

In a second GOP presidential debate that often seemed more like a disorderly reality TV show, the Babylon Bee’s satirical news headline may have best captured the mood of viewers: ‘Mute Button’ Wins GOP Debate.

The seven Republican candidates on stage at Wednesday evening’s gladiator match in Simi Valley’s Ronald Reagan Presidential Library shouted and talked over each other and slung more mud than an Iowa hog farm.

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GOP Presidential Candidates Prepare for Critical Second Debate Without Trump

If Wednesday’s second GOP presidential primary debate proves to be anything like the first, we’re in for a night of political punches and maybe a rhetorical gang fight or two as the candidates look to score points in another Trump-less bout.

With former President Donald Trump skipping the debate at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, CA, top tier candidates like Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, Ohio entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, and former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley will try to tell those watching why they’re a better option than the race’s far and away frontrunner — and the rest of the crowded field of Republican candidates.

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Never-Trump Globalists Slam Tennessee Republicans in Ukraine Support ‘Report Cards’

A group led by a major anti-Trump figure is responsible for bashing some of Tennessee’s elected Republicans for their perceived lack of support for Ukraine. 

Republicans for Ukraine, reportedly a project of Defending Democracy Together, has issued “report cards” for Tennessee’s Republicans on the issue of Ukraine’s defense against Russian aggression.

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House GOP Leadership Sends Lawmakers Home After Spending Vote Fails

Republican leadership has told House lawmakers they can leave Washington, D.C., following a botched vote on a defense spending package that upended the legislative agenda that was set through Saturday.

The announcement follows a group of dissident House conservatives breaking ranks to stop a procedural vote on a Pentagon funding bill, preventing its consideration on the floor, The Hill reported. Conservatives did so on Tuesday as well in a bid to secure deeper spending cuts and to block additional aid to Ukraine.

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