Former U.S. Special Envoy for Haiti Dan Foote said Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Victoria Nuland and former U.S. Ambassador to Haiti Michele Sison “teed up” the deal with unelected leader of Haiti Ariel Henry to delay elections in the country.
Read the full storyCategory: The South
Underage Porn Access Could be Felony in Tennessee for Website
A Tennessee bill would make it a felony for an adult content website allows access to a minor without age verification.
The offense would become a class C felony and the entity would be liable for damages, including attorney’s costs and court fees.
Read the full storyExclusive: Two Individuals Arrested in Connection with ‘Multinational’ Human Trafficking Ring Are Illegal Aliens
Two men arrested in connection with a “multinational criminal organization linked to human trafficking” are illegal aliens, The Tennessee Star has learned.
In the fall of 2023, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) Human Trafficking Unit arrested Yilibeth Rivero De Caldera on nine counts of Trafficking for a Commercial Sex Act. His victims, the agency said, were Central and South American female migrants who were forced into sex slavery to pay off debts owed to Rivero De Caldera in exchange for Rivero De Caldera smuggling them into the United States.
Read the full storyNashville Police Created Lactation Rooms, Changed Physical Requirements in Effort to Recruit Female Officers for 2030 Deadline
Metro Nashville Police Department on Tuesday announced the department made new changes in a bid to recruit more female officers, including lactation rooms for nursing police officers, flexible schedules to better accommodate families and new physical requirements for officers that are more accommodating to women.
The department is driving up its recruitment of women in a bid to comply with the 30×30 initiative joined by Police Chief John Drake in 2021. The effort, which is tied to Hungarian-American financier George Soros, seeks to compel police departments to ensure 30 percent of officers are female by 2030.
Read the full storyNorth Carolina College Forces Athletes to Watch ‘Only Whites are Racist’ Video
Davidson College alumni are calling for change after student athletes recently were required to watch the video “I’m Not Racist … Am I?” which labels all white people as racists.
The Davidsonians for Freedom of Thought and Discourse, an alumni-run free speech organization, exposed and denounced the video after learning the North Carolina institution forced student athletes to watch it this semester.
Read the full storyTennessee Bill Would Allow Murder Charges for Drug Dealers in Overdose Deaths
A new bill that originated in the Tennessee Senate would require drug dealers who contribute to the overdose of drug users to be charged with murder.
SB 1754 was introduced in January and is now making its way through Tennessee Senate committees.
Read the full storyGeorgia Lt. Gov. Burt Jones Celebrates ‘Courage’ of Riley Gaines, Female Athletes Challenging NCAA and Georgia Schools over Trans Competitors
Georgia Lt. Governor Burt Jones on Friday issued a statement celebrating the “courage” of Riley Gaines and the other plaintiffs in the lawsuit against the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and a number of Georgia universities.
Jones commended the athletes “for their courage” and demanded the NCAA apologize and reverse course in a statement.
Read the full storyRichmond Prosecutor Encourages Voters to Return Mail-in Ballots in Person amid Postal Service Failures
Richmond Commonwealth’s Attorney Colette McEachin reportedly encouraged voters on Wednesday to consider delivering their 2024 mail-in ballots directly to a post office as the United States Postal Service (USPS) continues to suffer unexplained delays and disappearances of mail.
McEachin made the remarks to 6 News Richmond when discussing a new investigation into the USPS issues in Richmond. She was asked about the mail-in ballots after suggesting the problems with mail delivery could be placed highly within the postal service.
Read the full storyGeorgia Senate Passes Certificate of Need Reform Measure
The Georgia Senate has passed a measure to reform Georgia’s certificate of need laws.
Lawmakers passed House Bill 1339 by a 43-11 margin. The House overwhelmingly passed the measure last month, and the amended version returns to the House for consideration.
Read the full storyNashville Chief Development Officer Addresses Proposed ‘East Bank Authority,’ Prioritizes Residential Buildings for East Bank Development
Metro Nashville Chief Development Officer Bob Mendes addressed the proposed “East Bank Development Authority” that would oversee the East Bank development project at a Friday press conference. Mendes also detailed some restrictions he said are intended to create a “neighborhood” in a 30-acre area of the East Bank.
Mendes said he was hopeful that the Tennessee General Assembly would pass the necessary legislation to create an East Bank Development Authority, which he added would also need to be approved by the Nashville Metro Council.
Read the full storyOhio, Kentucky, Tennessee Sue SEC to Stop New Climate Rule
Ohio, Kentucky and Tennessee sued the U.S. Security and Exchange Commission to stop a rule that requires publicly traded companies to report climate-related information.
The suit, filed by Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost on behalf of the Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation, asks the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit in Cincinnati to stop the SEC from “overstepping its authority by meddling in environmental policy,” according to a news release.
Read the full storyTennessee House Passes Bill Requiring Law Enforcement to Notify Federal Agencies of Illegal Alien Arrests
After a short debate, a bill requiring law enforcement to follow standard procedure and notify relevant federal law enforcement entities of illegal alien arrests has passed the Tennessee House.
HB 2124 “requires, rather than authorizes, law enforcement agencies to communicate with the appropriate federal official regarding the immigration status of any individual, including reporting knowledge that a particular alien is not lawfully present in the United States or otherwise cooperate with the appropriate federal official in the identification, apprehension, detention, or removal of aliens not lawfully present in the United States.”
Read the full storyFeds Announce $200 Million for Georgia Projects
The federal government is sending more than $210 million for projects across the state, from building a park over downtown Atlanta’s Connector to removing a flyover ramp in Savannah.
The largest project is a $157.6 million Reconnecting Communities and Neighborhoods Grant award to jumpstart the first phase of construction of the Stitch, a four-acre park over Interstates 75 and 85.
Read the full storyLawmakers Shed Light on Mail Delivery Problems Plaguing Virginia
A bipartisan group of lawmakers from Virginia are shedding light on mail delivery service in the commonwealth, with the Richmond Regional Processing and Distribution Center under audit from the U.S. Postal Service inspector general.
The distribution center has been plagued with delays and disruptions, leading to veterans having to wait weeks to receive medication. The lawmakers authored a letter to the IG to highlight the issues ahead of an anticipated report and recommendation.
Read the full storyDeSantis Sends Coast Guard, Police to Guard Southern Waters Against Haitian Emigration to Florida
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is mobilizing an air-and-sea fleet along with a company of 250 law enforcement officials to safeguard southern waters against a potential mass Haitian emigration to Florida.
The governor’s decision comes amid a wave of crime and chaos that has swept across the Caribbean country just days after President Ariel Henry relinquished power from Puerto Rico.
Read the full storyClaiborne Thornton Says Governor Lee Did Not Consult with Homeschoolers While Crafting School Choice Bill
Claiborne Thornton, president of the Tennessee Home Education Association, said Governor Bill Lee did not consult with homeschool families before crafting his universal school choice bill, which is currently undergoing debate in the Tennessee General Assembly.
“The bill, the way it was written, the way it was crafted, was without any consultation from any homeschoolers,” Thornton explained on Tuesday’s edition of The Michael Patrick Leahy Show.
Thornton said particular objections to the bill surround the Tennessee Department of Education’s role in facilitating the program.
Read the full storyRepublican Liberty Caucus Endorses Tennessee U.S. Rep. Andy Ogles for Reelection
The Republican Liberty Caucus endorsed U.S. Representative Andy Ogles’ (R-TN-05) reelection bid for Tennessee’s 5th Congressional District.
“The Republican Liberty Caucus proudly endorses Andrew Ogles in TN-5,” the political organization wrote in an X post on Thursday. “[Ogles] has become one of the top defenders of liberty in the House. An unwavering voice for freedom and smaller government, he scored a 95 on our Liberty Index during his first year in Congress.”
Read the full storyVirginia Home to More than 650 New Afghan Refugees
Virginia has taken in more than 650 refugees from Afghanistan in the past five months as that nation continues to reel after President Joe Biden’s 2021 withdrawal of American troops.
According to a report on refugee resettlement from October 2023 through February, 655 Afghanis now call Virginia home. That is the most of any country of origin for the 1,295 refugees recently resettled in Virginia.
Read the full storyFlorida’s DeSantis Signs Three Bills Designed to Combat Illegal Immigration
Gov. Ron DeSantis signed three bills into law on Friday to bolster Florida’s efforts to prevent illegal immigration.
“We’re here today, one, to build off a record of success with respect to combating illegal immigration…if you go back six or seven years in the state of Florida, we were not leading against illegal immigration at all, in fact, we were one of the weaker states,” DeSantis said.
Read the full storyParental Rights Moves Forward in Georgia as House of Representatives Passes Georgia Promise Scholarship Act
The Georgia House of Representatives passed the Georgia Promise Scholarship Act on Thursday.
This act will give parents school vouchers of up to $6,500 per student. The vouchers would help students in low-performing districts receive funds to expand school choice options or purchase curricula for homeschooling.
Read the full storyMore than 5,000 South Carolina Families Apply for Education Scholarships
More than 5,000 families from all 46 South Carolina counties have submitted applications for the state’s Education Scholarship Trust Fund.
The state is accepting applications until Friday.
Read the full storyHow the Bureau of Prisons Incorrectly Classified Unjustly Imprisoned J6 Defendant Stewart Parks
An investigation into the federal prison designation process for convicted inmates offered few answers as to how the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) determined unjustly imprisoned January 6 defendant Stewart Parks should spend his eight-month sentence in FCI Memphis, a medium security facility with a minimum security satellite camp.
The BOP on Wednesday refused to comply with a request by Representative Andy Ogles (R-TN-05) for FCI Memphis Warden F.J. Bowers to move Parks to the minimum security camp, with BOP Legislative Affairs Chief David Mapp asserting Parks is “housed at an appropriate facility for his security, programming, and care needs” which also complies with the 2018 First Step Act.
Read the full storyDemocratic State Senator Warns Republicans of Riots After State Passes Pro-Police Bill
Tennessee State Senator Charlane Oliver (D-Nashville) warned state Republicans that Democrat constituents may respond with riots after the General Assembly passed a bill prohibiting local governments from inhibiting law enforcement.
Other Democrats expressed their disapproval after the Senate sent the bill in question to the governor’s desk Thursday.
Read the full storyState Senator Kerry Roberts Says Amendment to Ban Prisoners from Receiving Gender Hormone Therapy, Sex Reassignment Surgery Will Pass ‘Overwhelmingly’
Tennessee State Senator Kerry Roberts (R-Springfield) said he expects his amendment that would ban state funds from being used to pay for gender hormone therapy for prisoners incarcerated in the Tennessee Department of Correction to pass “overwhelmingly.”
Read the full storyFederal Judge Orders FBI to Turn over Covenant Killer Documents for In-Camera Review
A federal judge on Friday ordered the Federal Bureau of Investigation to turn over all documents related to Covenant School shooter Audrey Elizabeth Hale, including the killer’s manifesto, for a private review of materials.
The FBI was ordered to turn over the materials as part of the nationally watched lawsuit brought by plaintiffs Star News Digital Media Inc., the parent company of The Tennessee Star, and Michael Patrick Leahy, a resident of Tennessee and CEO and Editor-in-Chief of Star News Digital Media and journalist Matt Kittle. The plaintiffs are seeking the release of Hale’s manifesto.
Read the full storyReport: 89 Incarcerated Prisoners in Tennessee Dept of Corrections’ Care Receiving Gender Hormone Therapy
Sources tell The Tennessee Star that 89 prisoners currently incarcerated in the Tennessee Dept of Corrections are receiving gender hormone therapy.
The program apparently began as an unpublicized policy under the Haslam administration. The policy was not available on any public website nor did it follow the normal course of action to become a regulation, which would have required public hearings.
Read the full storyNashville Mayor Freddie O’Connell’s ‘New Americans Director’ Finally Becomes U.S. Citizen
Nashville Mayor Freddie O’Connell’s “Director of New and Indigenous Americans” finally became a U.S. citizen on Thursday after living in the country for apparently many years.
O’Connell posted the news to X that the Nashville government staffer, Jacky Gomez, was naturalized.
Read the full storyBill Prohibiting Local Government from Restricting Duties of Law Enforcement Passes General Assembly, Heads to Governor Lee’s Desk
A bill that would prohibit local governments from limiting the ability of a law enforcement agency to conduct routine traffic stops passed the Tennessee Senate on Thursday.
Read the full storyProposed Virginia Budget Would Eliminate Audit of 2024 Presidential Election Results
The biennial budget proposed by Virginia lawmakers contains a provision that would forbid the commonwealth from conducting an audit of the 2024 presidential results in November.
While Virginia law mandates a “risk-limiting audit” be administered after every presidential election, an amendment proposed by the General Assembly seeks to declare, “a risk-limiting audit of a presidential election or an election for the nomination of candidates for the office of President shall not be conducted.”
Read the full storyJim Jordan to Hold Fani Willis in Contempt of Congress Unless She Complies with Subpoena by March 28
Representative Jim Jordan (R-OH-04) revealed on Thursday he sent a letter expressing his intention to hold Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis in contempt of Congress if she does not comply with a subpoena from the House Judiciary Committee by the end of March.
A press release detailed Thursday the U.S. House Judiciary Committee has threatened to hold Willis in contempt over her alleged refusal to comply with a subpoena issued more than a month ago.
Read the full storyFlorida Prepares for Surge in Illegal Aliens from Haiti
As the government of Haiti appears poised to collapse in the face of a violent revolution by criminal gangs, the nearby U.S. state of Florida is preparing for a tidal wave of illegal aliens from the devastated island nation.
According to Politico, lawmakers in Florida have already issued warnings about the potential national security risk of so many third-world illegals coming to the U.S. as a result of the humanitarian crisis, especially as Congress has not yet determined a definitive policy towards Haiti.
Read the full storyCongo, Syria, Burma, and Afghanistan Top List of Countries Represented Among Georgia Refugee Intake
According to a report on refugee resettlement, more refugees from the Democratic Republic of Congo have been resettled in Georgia than from any other country since October of last year, following a trend among other states.
According to the report, of the 1,469 refugees resettled in Georgia over the past five months, 267 have come from the Central African country that is both war-torn and one of the poorest in the world.
Read the full storyTennessee Star Reporter Tom Pappert ‘Very Skeptical’ of Federal Bureau of Prisons Refusal to Move Unjustly Imprisoned J6 Defendant Stewart Parks to Minimum Security Camp Based on Original Security Classification
Tom Pappert, lead reporter for The Tennessee Star, said he is “very skeptical of the federal officials at the Bureau of Prisons” after an official with the bureau formally refused a written request by Representative Andy Ogles (R-TN-05) to move unjustly imprisoned January 6 defendant Stewart Parks to the minimum security satellite camp located at the Federal Correctional Institution (FCI) in Memphis.
Read the full storyDemocrat State Rep. Justin Jones Admitted He Walked ‘Across the Border’ with an Illegal Alien
State Representative Justin Jones (D-Nashville) admitted on the floor of the Tennessee House of Representatives on Thursday that he walked “across the border” with an illegal alien named Javier after visiting a migrant caravan camp in Mexico last week.
Jones made the admission while speaking in opposition to a bill, HB 2124, on the floor of the House of Representatives on Thursday.
Read the full storyImmigration Expert Warns: There Will Be a ‘Marine Mass Migration’ if First Boat of Haitian Migrants are Welcomed with Open Arms
Todd Bensman, senior national security fellow at the Center for Immigration Studies, said the way the Biden administration handles the first boat of Haitian migrants en route to the Florida Keys amid the Caribbean country’s current state of emergency will determine whether or not another mass migration crisis will rock the U.S. in addition to the one unfolding at the U.S.-Mexico border.
Read the full storyBreitbart Editor Matt Boyle Details What Trump Must Do from Now Until November in Order to Defeat Joe Biden
Matt Boyle, the national political editor at Breitbart News, said former President Donald Trump needs to turn out the “disaffected, working class voters” in November in order to pull off a victory against President Joe Biden.
Read the full storyBen Cunningham: ‘It’s Pathetic’ School Choice Advocates are not Given a Voice by Local Media Outlets
Ben Cunningham, founder of the Nashville Tea Party, said it’s “pathetic” that advocates of Governor Bill Lee’s universal school choice voucher program are not being given a voice through local news outlets across the Volunteer State.
Read the full storyTennessee Senate Kills Bill That Would Have Seen Driver’s Licenses Issued to Illegal Immigrants
A Tennessee Senate committee on Wednesday voted down a bill that would have required the state to provide a form of driver’s license to illegal immigrants which would have conferred the same rights and privileges as official licenses issued to United States citizens.
State Senator Heidi Campbell (D-Nashville) called the identification documents “driver privilege cards” during Wednesday’s Senate Transportation and Safety Committee meeting, arguing her bill would have made roads safer in Tennessee.
Read the full storyTransparency Groups Asks Five States to Stop Blocking Out-Of-State Records Requests
The Right on Transparency coalition is asking five states to stop restricting public records requests based on residency.
Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, Tennessee and Virginia all are known to restrict records requests based upon residency. The coalition has published model policy to change those laws.
Read the full storyTennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skmretti Calls on U.S. Senate to Pass the Laken Riley Act
Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti joined a coalition of 25 other state attorneys general in sending a letter to leaders in the U.S. Senate urging the immediate passage of the Laken Riley Act.
Laken Riley, the 22-year-old Georgia nursing student, was allegedly killed at the hands of an illegal Venezuelan immigrant while on a jog near campus.
Read the full storyReport: Tennessee Lost More than 56,000 Jobs in January
Tennessee’s nonfarm monthly employment went down 56,800 in January, according to the Tennessee Labor Market Report.
The report notes employment is up 3,300 year-over-year.
Read the full storyTennessee U.S. Senators Bill Hagerty and Marsha Blackburn Join Colleagues in Sponsoring the Laken Riley Act
Tennessee U.S. Senators Bill Hagerty (R-TN) and Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) were among a group of Republican U.S. senators that introduced the Laken Riley Act on Wednesday.
Read the full storyDemocrat Claims Youngkin Unwilling to Compromise on Legal Marijuana, Minimum Wage to Secure Potomac Yards Arena
A Democrat in the Virginia General Assembly claims Governor Glenn Youngkin has refused efforts to bargain his Potomac Yards arena for the Washington Wizards and Washington Capitals.
Youngkin’s office reportedly told State Senator Creigh Deeds (D-Charlottesville) that the governor has no interest in signing legislation that would create a legal market for marijuana in the commonwealth, even though Virginia legalized the drug in 2021.
Read the full storyGov. Brian Kemp Acknowledges ‘Disappointing’ Pause to Rivian Electric Vehicles Plant After $1.5 Billion in Subsidies
Governor Brian Kemp made public remarks about electric vehicle manufacturer Rivian Automotive announcing plans to pause work on its $5 billion plant in Georgia in a Tuesday press event.
Kemp, whose support for the Rivian deal helped generate $1.5 billion in tax incentives for the company, called the situation “no doubt disappointing” in a press conference.
Read the full storyBiden Budget Seeks to Spend Hundreds of Millions to Train School Teachers in DEI
President Joe Biden’s budget proposal seeks to set aside billions of dollars to push progressive gender, sexuality and race ideology at home and around the globe.
Released this week, the $7.3 trillion budget also proposes spending hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars to train school teachers in diversity, equity, and inclusion dogma.
Read the full storyBureau of Prisons Tells Rep. Andy Ogles It Refuses to Transfer Unjustly Imprisoned J6 Defendant Stewart Parks to Minimum Security Satellite Camp
A Federal Bureau of Prison (BOP) official on Wednesday formally refused the written request by Representative Andy Ogles (R-TN-05) to move unjustly imprisoned January 6 defendant Stewart Parks to the minimum security satellite camp located at the Federal Correctional Institution (FCI) in Memphis.
Despite Parks being a nonviolent, first-time offender convicted after he merely entered the U.S. Capitol on January 6, the letter by BOP Legislative Affairs Chief David Mapp claims the medium security prison is an “appropriate facility” for the Tennessee entrepreneur and former congressional candidate.
Read the full storyNashville, Memphis, and Chattanooga Will Receive Federal Funds Through Bloomberg’s American Sustainable Cities Initiative to Lobby for Billions from Biden’s Federal Slush Fund
Bloomberg Philanthropies announced on Tuesday that three Tennessee cities will take part in an initiative that would use federal funds provided by the Biden administration.
Nashville, Memphis, and Chattanooga were selected for the organization’s American Sustainable Cities Initiative, which stated its focus would be on creating economic equity and green energy jobs, according to a Tuesday news release from Bloomberg Philanthropies. Mike Bloomberg, the former Democratic New York Mayor, founded Bloomberg Philanthropies.
Read the full storyState Senator Mark Pody Explains Why He Believes Not Many Illegal Alien Families Will Take Advantage of the School Vouchers Program
Tennessee State Senator Mark Pody (R-Lebanon) confirmed that Governor Bill Lee’s universal school choice voucher program would be forced by a Supreme Court ruling to distribute scholarships to illegal alien students. However, he said he believes that not many will take advantage of the program because its application requires parents to provide their children’s social security numbers.
“Everybody has to fill out the form, including a social security number and so forth. If you don’t have a social security number, then anybody that doesn’t have one, we want to make sure that those authorities are aware that these students don’t have a social security number,” Pody said on Monday’s episode of The Michael Patrick Leahy Show.
Read the full storyU.S. House Passes Bill to Require Tennessee Valley Authority Disclose Salaries for Top Executives
The U.S. House of Representatives on recently legislation filed by Representatives Steve Cohen (D-TN-09) and Tim Burchett (R-TN-02) that would require the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) to publish the salaries of its top executives, Cohen announced in a Monday press release.
Titled the TVA Salary Transparency Act, text of the two-page bill reveals new requirements would be posed for the TVA to provide annually “a report of the total number of employees at the management level or above, to include all executives and board members, that shall include the names, salaries, and duties” of employees “that are receiving compensation” higher than that allotted to the highest paid government employees.
Read the full storyMNPD Arrests Alleged Kidnapper After He Dropped His Wallet in Gas Station Parking Lot
The Metro Nashville Police Department (MNPD) Tuesday announced the arrest of man with a lengthy criminal history after he left his wallet at the scene of an alleged kidnapping.
According to an MNPD press release, convicted felon Jaymes Greer, 24, was arrested by local authorities for the kidnapping and assault of a female acquaintance after an attentive gas station employee witnessed the alleged crimes, and found that Greer had dropped his wallet in the parking lot.
Read the full story