Category: The South

RNC Co-Chair Predicts ‘Softening’ in Trump, Kemp Feud After Governor Reportedly Offers Georgia ‘Political Machine’ to Former President

Tom Pappert
Donald Trump and Brian Kemp

Lara Trump, the daughter-in-law of former President Donald Trump and co-chair of the Republican National Committee (RNC), on Tuesday predicted softening in the feud between former President Donald Trump and Governor Brian Kemp after the Georgia leader reportedly offered his “political machine” to the Trump-Vance ticket.

The prediction came after the former president described Kemp as “disloyal” during an August 3 rally in Atlanta, which prompted questions about whether the terse relationship between the men that developed after the 2020 election results would impact the Trump campaign in November.

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‘Tennessee Three’ Lawmakers to Speak at the Democratic National Convention on Thursday

Kaitlin Housler

Tennessee State Representatives Justin Pearson (D-Memphis), Justin Jones (D-Nashville), and Gloria Johnson (D-Knoxville) are scheduled to speak at the Democratic National Convention on Thursday.

Jones, Pearson, and Johnson made national headlines last year after the trio commandeered the Tennessee House Floor to demand gun control three days after the March 27 shooting at the Covenant School in Nashville.

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Blackburn Introduces Resolution to Condemn for ‘Border Czar’ Failure

Peter D'Abrosca
Kamala Harris

Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) introduced a resolution to formally condemn Vice President and Democratic Party presidential nominee Kamala Harris for her failures as President Joe Biden’s appointed “border czar.”

“Since her very first day in office, Vice President Harris – President Biden’s designated Border Czar – has refused to take the national security and safety crisis at our southern border seriously,” Blackburn said in a press release announcing the resolution. “The Biden-Harris administration has presided over more than 10 million illegal border crossings and has released nearly 100 individuals on the terrorist watchlist into our country. Vice President Harris can run, but she cannot hide from her disastrous record that has killed countless innocent Americans.”

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10 More States Join Federal Lawsuit Led by Tennessee Against Ticketmaster’s Parent Company

Kaitlin Housler

Ten additional states have joined a lawsuit led by Tennessee and the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) against Live Nation Entertainment, Inc., which owns Ticketmaster. The lawsuit alleges that the company has “illegally monopolized the live entertainment industry.”

In May, Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti and the DOJ filed an antitrust lawsuit against Live Nation, alleging that the company holds venues “hostage” through “restrictive long-term, exclusive agreements and threats,” “forces artists to select Live Nation as a promoter instead of its rivals” through leverage of its extensive network of amphitheaters, and “harms” fans through “higher fees, lack of transparency, fewer consumer choices, and stifling innovation.”

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Ogles Challenger Accused Nashville Families of ‘White Flight’ During COVID-19

Peter D'Abrosca
Maryam Abolfazli

The Democratic Party challenger to Rep. Andy Ogles (R-TN-05) in the November election wrote a column accusing white families of “white flight” when Metro Nashville Public Schools (MNPS) closed during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

“White flight, a phenomenon where white people leave significantly high-minority areas, is happening in our public schools,” wrote Maryam Abolfazli in a guest column in The Tennessean. “Reacting in frustration to the decision of Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools to halt in-person teaching, white parents who can afford to are transferring their children to private schools.”

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Poll Says Harris and Trump in Statistical Dead Heat in Virginia

The Center Square
Donald Trump and Kamala Harris

Virginia appears to be in play in the presidential election, with Vice President Kamala Harris holding a slight lead over former President Donald Trump in the commonwealth, according to a poll released Tuesday morning.

The Institute for Policy and Opinion Research at Roanoke College shows Harris ahead of Trump by three percentage points (47%-44%) in a head-to-head matchup. When other candidates were included, Harris still leads by three points (45%-42%). When factoring in the poll’s 4.5% margin of error, Harris and Trump are in a statistical dead heat.

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Ben Cunningham: Public Transit in Democrat-Run Cities Is a ‘Bottomless Pit’ for Money

Kaitlin Housler
Ben Cunningham MPL

Ben Cunningham, founder of the Nashville Tea Party, detailed how transit projects across the nation are widely “bottomless pits for money” during Tuesday’s Blue City Blues segment on The Michael Patrick Leahy Show.

Cunningham, who has frequently spoken out against the multi-billion dollar transit plan proposed by Nashville Mayor Freddie O’Connell for both legal and practical reasons, pointed out that Memphis is also experiencing a transit problem. Its Memphis Area Transit Authority (MATA) is considering cutting hundreds of jobs after the service revealed a $60 million deficit in its budget earlier this year.

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Democrat Facing Andy Ogles Praises Tennessee’s ‘Generations of Responsible Gun Owners’ After Blaming ‘White Patriarchy’ for Red Flag Law Failure

Tom Pappert
Maryam Abolfazli

Despite previously blaming Tennessee’s “white patriarchy” for blocking the implementation of red flag laws and other gun control legislation last year, on Monday the Democrat challenging Representative Andy Ogles (R-TN-05) in Tennessee’s 5th Congressional district for the Volunteer State’s  “generations of responsible gun owners,” and suggested federal gun control legislation she would only target “irresponsible” gun owners.

Gun control activist Maryam Abolfazli, who received the Democratic Party’s nomination to challenge Ogles earlier this month, made the remarks to WLPN News.

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Atlanta Area Continues to Have High Inflation

The Center Square
Atlanta

Inflation continues to plague Georgia businesses, and the Atlanta area continues to grapple with inflation, though it may be faring better than other cities in the country, a new analysis revealed.

According to personal finance site WalletHub, the Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell metropolitan statistical area ranks 11th out of 23 major MSAs for its change in inflation. An analyst with the site said the ranking highlights some positive and concerning aspects policymakers should consider.

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Mentally Ill Woman Prosecuted by Kamala Harris After Surviving Police Shooting Lived in ‘Squalor’ Despite $1 Million Settlement

Tom Pappert
Teresa Sheehan and Kamala Harris in front of San Francisco skyline (composite image)

Teresa Sheehan was shot by two officers at a group home during a mental health crisis with the San Francisco Police Department in 2008, when Vice President Kamala Harris was serving as the District Attorney of San Francisco.

Police officers were called to a group home for people with mental illnesses after it was claimed Sheehan, a Japanese Americna woman who was then 56 and reportedly suffering from a schizophrenic episode, locked herself in a room with a knife. When police eventually opened the door using a key, Sheehan reportedly greeted them with the knife and ordered them to leave.

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Tennessee AG Joins Coalition Seeking Answers About Online Retailer Temu’s Business Practices, Connections to the Chinese Communist Party

Kaitlin Housler
A.G. Jonathan Skrmetti

Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti was one of 21 state attorneys general who sent a letter to the online retailer Temu and the CEO of its parent company, PPD Holdings Inc., seeking information regarding the company’s alleged ties with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), data collection and sharing practices, and possible violations of the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA).

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Trump-Aligned Lawyer Who Exposed Fani Willis Affair and Stalled Georgia Election Case Says D.A. Caused Downfall: ‘She’s the One to Blame’

Tom Pappert
Ashleigh Merchant and Fani Willis in a courtroom (composite image)

The Georgia election case against former President Donald Trump and those who helped him contest the 2020 election results in the Peach State is almost certain to remain ongoing on Election Day, and the attorney who first surfaced evidence Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis was engaged in a romantic affair with her special counsel said on Sunday that Willis is “the one to blame” for the current state of the case.

Willis’ case against Trump is currently before the Georgia Court of Appeals, which will determine whether Judge Scott McAfee erred when he ruled that Willis’ relationship with Wade, a private defense attorney paid more than $650,000 for his work on the case, was not sufficient reason to disqualify her as the prosecutor in the case against the former president.

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A.G. Jason Miyares Determines Virginia Retirement System Prohibited from Investing in ‘Unfounded ESG Fads’

Tom Pappert
Jason Miyares

Attorney General Jason Miyares determined in a Friday legal opinion the Virginia Retirement System (VRS) is prohibited by Virginia law from making investments based on controversial environment, social and governance (ESG) scores.

In a statement posted to the Virginia Attorney General website, Miyares said Virginians “spent decades working hard” for their retirement, and the commonwealth’s investments must be driven by financial data and not ESG scores as a result.

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Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to Officially Appear on Tennessee’s November 5 Ballot

Kaitlin Housler
RFK Voting

Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and his running mate have officially gained ballot access in Tennessee for the upcoming November 5 general election, the Tennessee Secretary of State’s Office announced.

Kennedy’s campaign submitted 1,025 signatures from registered voters in Tennessee to election officials on June 13 in an effort to gain ballot access for the November 5 election.

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Tennessee Beacon Center Files Lawsuit Against Exempt Employee Salary Threshold Change

The Center Square
Employees at Work

Beacon Center has filed a lawsuit, on behalf of the Association of Christian Schools International, to fight a new U.S. Department of Labor overtime rule that would require anyone making less than $58,000 per year as an hourly, non-exempt employee.

The previous rule had that threshold at $35,568. The new rule is scheduled to go into effect Jan. 1 and includes a stipulation to increase the salary threshold every three years.

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Georgia Reports Increased Revenues to Start Fiscal 2025

The Center Square
Georgia Capitol Money

With one month in the books, Georgia’s tax collections seemingly started the year on a positive note after ending last fiscal year with decreased collections.

Peach State officials said this week that total General Fund receipts for July, the first month of fiscal 2025, surpassed $2.5 billion. According to state numbers, that is an increase of 2.7%, or $66.3 million, over July 2023 in fiscal 2024, when net tax collections totaled nearly $2.5 billion.

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Tennessee AG Skrmetti Applauds U.S. Supreme Court’s Ruling to Block the Education Department’s Title IX Rule from Taking Effect

Kaitlin Housler
Jonathan Skrmetti

Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti applauded the U.S. Supreme Court’s 5-4 ruling on Friday to block the U.S. Department of Education’s (DOE) Title IX rule from taking effect.

The DOE’s final rule, blocked from being implemented by the nation’s highest court, would have rewritten Title IX to encompass gender identity and sexual orientation.

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Father Blames Nashville Judge Cheryl Blackburn for Reducing Alleged Killer’s Bond Prior to Daughter’s Murder

Tom Pappert
Judge Cheryl Blackburn

A Mississippi father traveled to Tennessee on Thursday for a Nashville court hearing, outside which he blamed Davidson County Criminal Court Judge Cheryl Blackburn for creating the circumstances that preceded the murder of Lauren Johansen, his 22-year-old daughter.

Bricen Rivers stands accused of killing Lauren Johansen after he was released from a Nashville jail on a $250,000 bond, which Blackburn had just reduced from $350,000. Rivers was in jail after his December 2023 arrest for the alleged kidnapping and beating of Lauren Johansen that occurred while the two visited Nashville.

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Accused Cyberstalker Who Visited Nashville School Requests Hearing to Determine Steps After Commitment

Tom Pappert
McKenzie McClure

Court documents obtained by The Tennessee Star reveal accused cyberstalker McKenzie McClure has requested a status hearing to set a court date which will determine her next steps following the end of her commitment at an East Tennessee psychiatric facility.

Federal prosecutors filed a criminal complaint against McClure in April, accusing her cyberstalking. Video recorded around this time revealed she visited the campus of the Christ Presbyterian Academy, where she attended elementary school decades ago, and was accused of leaving a disturbing voice mail.

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Jordanian Immigrant Arrested for Multiple Attacks on Florida Businesses and Energy Facility

American Greatness
Hashem Younis Hashem Hnaihen

Jordanian national who currently lives in Orlando, Florida has been arrested and charged with destroying an energy facility and threatening the use of explosives to destroy multiple other businesses.

According to the Daily Caller, the charges were filed against 43-year-old Hashem Younis Hashem Hnaihen by the Department of Justice (DOJ). The charges were announced in a DOJ press release on Thursday, detailing his campaign of violence against multiple businesses in the Orlando area that resulted in over $700,000 in damage.

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McMaster Signs Legislation to Expand South Carolina’s Sex Trafficking Law

The Center Square
Henry McMaster

South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster has signed legislation that expands the state’s sex trafficking law to create a new felony “child luring” charge and gives trafficking victims recourse to clear their records.

S. 142, which McMaster, a Republican, “ceremonially” signed on Thursday, creates an address confidentiality program that authorizes using “designated addresses” to protect victims.

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Nashville-Based Coffee Company Partners with Tunnel to Towers Foundation

Kaitlin Housler
Crockett Coffee

The Nashville-based coffee company Crockett Coffee partnered with the Tunnel to Towers Foundation to donate a portion of its sales towards initiatives benefiting the families of fallen heroes, injured first responders, and veterans.

Crockett Coffee was founded by Clay Travis and Buck Sexton – hosts of the popular radio show The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show, heard across 500 stations nationwide – and Buck’s entrepreneur brother, Mason Sexton.

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Kamala Harris Candidacy Could Boost Nashville Transit Referendum, Suggests Former Jim Cooper Staffer

Tom Pappert
Kamala Harris Nashville

The decision by President Joe Biden to step down in favor of Vice President Kamala Harris could help Nashville Mayor Freddie O’Connell pass his WeGo Transportation Referendum in November, according to the longtime chief of staff to former Representative Jim Cooper prior to his retirement in 2022.

Lisa Quigley claimed the key to electoral success for Democrats and their issues in Nashville depends on activating key voting blocs in a statement to Axios, stressing that “younger” and black voters are vital.

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State Senator Mark Pody Previews Wilderness Tabernacle Exhibit at the Tennessee State Fair

Kaitlin Housler
Mark Pody and MPL

State Senator Mark Pody (R-Lebanon) is inviting all Tennesseans who visit the Wilson County – Tennessee State Fair this month to explore the lifesize model of the Wilderness Tabernacle on display through August 24.

The Wilson County – Tennessee State Fair, held at the James E. Ward Agriculture Center in Lebanon, runs from August 15 – August 24. The State Fair opens on weekdays at 5 p.m., Saturdays at 10 a.m., and Sunday at 12 p.m.

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Embattled Shelby County District Attorney’s Office Confirms Sending Current, Former Employee Records in Mass Email

Tom Pappert
Steve Mulroy

The office of embattled Shelby County District Attorney Steve Mulroy on Wednesday confirmed to media outlets it accidentally sent the employee records of nearly 300 current and former staff members, including social security numbers, in a mass email to employees.

A statement released by Mulroy’s office to media outlets confirmed the leak of the information, which Fox 13 Memphis reported came in the form of a spreadsheet that “contained the personal information of almost 300 current and former employees dating back to 2014.”

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Report: West Tennessee Zoning Affects Affordability in Expected Population Boom

The Center Square
Housing development

West Tennessee is projected to have a significant population increase in coming years with Ford’s Blue Oval set to open outside Memphis but zoning regulations will have a large impact on the affordability of new housing in the region, according to a new report from Beacon Center of Tennessee.

Tennessee’s Department of Economic and Community Development estimates that, by 2045, West Tennessee’s population will grow by more than 176,000 and the region will need more than 70,000 new housing units.

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Virginia’s Open Records Laws Show Room for Improvement in Key Areas, Says Expert

The Center Square
Megan Rhyne

The Freedom of Information Act exists to promote governmental transparency, although it doesn’t always accomplish that end, according to the Executive Director of the Virginia Coalition for Open Government, Megan Rhyne.

And though Virginia’s not unique in that regard, it’s difficult to compare states’ open records laws because they can differ by many variables, according to Rhyne. 

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Feds Give Georgia $14.3 Million for Airport Block Grants

The Center Square
Georgia Airport

The Federal Aviation Administration has awarded Georgia nearly $14.3 million to help rehabilitate nonprimary airports statewide, officials said.

The money, part of $636 million for 320 grants in 46 states and American Samoa, ostensibly aims to improve airport infrastructure. It was awarded as part of the 2024 Airport Improvement Program’s fourth round of grants, and the Georgia award includes more than $13.3 million in entitlement spending and $924,275 in discretionary spending.

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Unemployed Man in Franklin, TN ‘Donated’ Nearly $16,000 to ActBlue Through More than 2,600 Individual Contributions

Peter D'Abrosca
ActBlue

According to Federal Election Commission (FEC) records, Gerald McAteer, an unemployed man in Franklin, Tennessee, made 2,629 individual contributions to Democrat PAC ActBlue, totaling $15,928.24, since the beginning of 2024.

At the time of this writing, McAteer, over the past 588 days, has contributed to ActBlue an average of 4.47 times per day for an average of just over $6 per donation, or a little more than $27 per day.

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Reporter Peter D’Abrosca: DOJ Not Interested in Investigating ActBlue for Apparent Fraud

Kaitlin Housler
D'Abrosca and MPL

Peter D’Abrosca, reporter at The Tennessee Star, said the Biden administration’s Department of Justice (DOJ) appears not to be interested in investigating ActBlue, the online fundraising platform for Democratic candidates, for alleged fraudulent activity.

On Monday, D’Abrosca exclusively reported that ActBlue reported to campaign finance authorities that seven Tennesseans “donated” to the online platform more than 1,000 times since the beginning of 2023.

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Embattled Lynchburg Mayor Faces More Allegations of Bullying, Verbally Abusing Constituents

Peter D'Abrosca
Lynchburg Mayor Stephanie Reed

After an story published Sunday by Just The News accusing Lynchburg Mayor Stephanie Reed of bullying constituents whom she believes have wronged her, well as employing the same tactics against members of the Lynchburg City Council, The Virginia Star has received similar allegations from more Lynchburg residents. 

Just The News reported that last November, Reed attempted to have Jacob Landrun, the son of Lynchburg GOP chair Veronica Bratton, fired from his job at Americans for Prosperity (AFP) for posting a meme to his personal Facebook page that was critical of her. 

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Trump Campaign Spends Nearly $40 Million Ad Blitz in Primary States, Including Almost $24 Million in Georgia

Tom Pappert

Former President Donald Trump on Monday reportedly placed nearly $40 million in seven battleground states, including $23.8 million in Georgia, as polling shows him statistically tied with Vice President Kamala Harris in the state that helped propel President Joe Biden to the White House in 2024.

Trump’s campaign placed a $37.2 million television ad buy across Georgia, Arizona, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Michigan, Wisconsin and Nevada, according to AdImpact, which reported it is “the most he’s reserved on TV ads in a single day this cycle.”

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