Category: The South

Chris Carr Says ‘I’m Not Going to be Anti-Anybody’ When Asked About Trump Endorsement in 2026 Governor Race

Tom Pappert
Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr

While President-elect Donald Trump endorsed a primary challenge to Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr in 2022, the attorney general said Thursday his 2026 campaign for governor will not “be anti-anybody.” He also downplayed the significance of endorsements to Georgia voters.

Carr made the remarks to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, which reported the attorney general said he planned to run a positive campaign for governor after becoming the first candidate to declare his candidacy in November.

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South American Theft Group Active in Tennessee, Uses Jammers and Fake License Plates to Evade Capture: Nolensville Police

Tom Pappert
ICE / HSI Investigators

Lieutenant Josh Combs of the Nolensville Police Department (NPD) confirmed to The Tennessee Star on Friday that South American Theft Groups (SATGs) remain active in Williamson County and other parts Tennessee as local law enforcement continues to pursue open cases related to thefts in the area.

According to U.S. Department of Homeland Security, such groups are “sophisticated criminal organizations that profit from illegally obtaining goods,” either by targeting wealthy homes or businesses, with frequently targeted goods including pharmaceuticals, electronics, and high-end clothing. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement indicates some SATG members enter the country illegally, while prosecutors have stated that others entered on a legal tourism visa.

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Virginia State Police Confirm 150 Reported Drone Sightings in December, Urge Public to Send Tips

Tom Pappert
Virginia State Police Drone

The Virginia State Police (VSP) on Thursday confirmed citizens have reported 150 drone sightings throughout the commonwealth during the month of December in a statement that urged the public to notify authorities if they see drones flying over sensitive areas.

A VSP press release shared to the social media platform X confirms the Virginia Fusion Center (VFC), part of the VSP’s Homeland Security Division, “has received more than 150 tips involving drone activity,” since the beginning of the month. It also confirmed these reports were made amid “reports of drones flying in other areas of the country, including New Jersey.”

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Tennessee U.S. Reps. Burchett, Ogles Cite Lack of Notice Following Vote Against Bill Negotiated by Trump, Musk

Tom Pappert
Rep Andy Ogles, Rep. Tim Burchett.

U.S. Representatives Tim Burchett (R-TN-02) and Andy Ogles (R-TN-05) were among the 38 Republicans who voted against the Continuing Resolution (CR) negotiated by President-elect Donald Trump, Elon Musk, and Vice President-elect JD Vance, with both noting the short notice given to representatives.

After the American Relief Act of 2025 spending bill failed on Thursday, both Burchett and Ogles highlighted the short period of time given for lawmakers to review the 116-page document, which was released only hours after a 1,547-page CR was tossed following opposition from Trump and Musk.

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Audio Confirms Amarillo VA Knew Veteran Complained of Sex Between Staff Members in May 2023

Tom Pappert
Thomas E. Creek Dept of Veterans Affairs Medical Center

Audio recorded by retired U.S. Army Sergeant Donald Belzer, and provided to The Tennessee Star, confirmed through the White House VA Hotline that the Amarillo Veterans Affairs (VA) Health Care System was made aware of the complaint the veteran filed in 2022, when Belzer said he captured video depicting two VA staff members engaged in a sex act inside a clean supplies closet.

Belzer recorded the audio after The Star published the video, recorded by the veteran on August 17, 2022, as the veteran called the White House hotline to obtain copies of the complaints he filed with the Thomas E. Creek VA Medical Center and the White House hotline in August 2022 and April 2023.

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Tennessee Law Enforcement, Judges Silent on Claim One-Third of Williamson County Criminal Cases Now ‘Due to Illegal Aliens’

Tom Pappert
Crime Scene

The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI), Williamson County Sheriff’s Office, and four judges on Tennessee’s 21st Judicial District either did not respond, or did not confirm, to inquiries by The Tennessee Star seeking more information about the claim by Representative Todd Warner (R-Chapel Hill) that one-third of criminal cases in Williamson County now involve an illegal immigrant.

The silence comes after Warner appeared on “Fox & Friends” on Wednesday, telling the hosts, “I recently met with the Williamson County delegation, and judges from Williamson County, here in southern Middle Tennessee, and a judge last week told a group of about five of us… either build more jails, build more prisons, or remove the immigrants from this state.”

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Forthcoming Supreme Court Decision in U.S. v. Skrmetti Likely to ‘Drive a Lot of Change’ Inside Gender Clinics and Hospitals, Tennessee AG Says

Kaitlin Housler
Tennessee A.G. Jonathan Skrmetti

Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti said he believes that if the U.S. Supreme Court rules to uphold Tennessee’s state that bans irreversible gender transitioning treatments for minors in the case United States v. Skrmetti, the demand for such treatments across the nation will also see a halt.

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California Judge Orders Guns Taken from Man Who Allegedly Planned Bombing with Wisconsin School Shooter Natalie Rupnow

Tom Pappert
Natalie Sam Rupnow

News emerged Wednesday that Alexander Paffendorf, of Carlsbad, California, was served with a restraining order under California’s red flags law on Tuesday after being questioned by the FBI after investigators learned he allegedly he communicated with Natalie Rupnow, the 15-year-old who police say killed one student and one teacher at the Abundant Life Christian School in Madison, Wisconsin before ending her life, to plan an attack on a government building.

According to CBS8, Paffendorf admitted to the FBI that he and Rupnow discussed plans to “arm himself with explosives and a gun” in order to “target a government building,” with the outlet reporting the restraining order granted by a California judge stated that federal agents were able to view the messages the southern California man allegedly exchanged with the killer.

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Chair of Virginia Democrats Tells Journalist to ‘Delete’ Himself in Deleted Tweet

Tom Pappert
Klippenstein and Swecker

The chair of the Democratic Party of Virginia told an independent journalist to “delete himself” in a post to the social media platform X, which has now been deleted in turn.

“Delete yourself,” Chairwoman Susan Swecker told Substack writer Ken Klippenstein after he questioned the decision by Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives to vote for Representative Gerry Connolly (D-VA-11) to represent the party on the House Oversight Committee.

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Tennessee Representative Says One-Third of Criminal Cases in Williamson County Now ‘Due to Illegal Aliens’

Tom Pappert
Illegal Immigrants

A Tennessee state lawmaker told “Fox & Friends” on Wednesday that one-third of the criminal court cases in Williamson County are now related to illegal immigrants, claiming a county judge warned state lawmakers must consider increasing the number of jails and prisons due to an uptick in crime.

State Representative Todd Warner (R-Chapel Hill) divulged the purported number of criminal cases related to illegal immigrants after he was asked about his legislation that would require law enforcement agencies to detain anyone found to be in the country illegally for the maximum amount of time legally allowed, and then transport the illegal immigrants to sanctuary cities for release if they are not retrieved for deportation by federal agencies.

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Madison Police Refuse to Confirm Public Report 15-Year-Old Natalie Rupnow ‘Enrolled in Therapy’ Prior to Abundant Life Attack

Tom Pappert

The Madison Police Department (MPD) on Tuesday night declined to confirm to The Tennessee Star the public reporting that 15-year-old Natalie Rupnow, who police say fatally shot a student and a teacher before ending her own life at the Abundant Life Christian School on Monday, was enrolled in therapy prior to the attack.

Following reporting by The Washington Post which revealed Rupnow was “enrolled in therapy” during her parents’ divorce, The Star asked MPD to confirm the mental health treatment. The Star also asked whether she was seeing a psychologist, if these therapy sessions resulted in a diagnosis of a mental health condition, and whether Rupnow was understood to be prescribed any medications for mental health conditions.

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Senator Marsha Blackburn Demands Answers from VA Secretary Regarding Probe into Sexual Misconduct at Johnson City Veterans Clinic

Kaitlin Housler
VA Sec Denis McDonough

Tennessee U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) sent a letter to U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Secretary Denis McDonough requesting information regarding the department’s investigation into sexual misconduct allegations at the Mountain Home Veterans Affairs Medical Center (VAMC) in Johnson City, Tennessee.

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Virginia Democrat Leader Says Youngkin’s No Tax on Tips Proposal May Not be ‘Responsible’

Tom Pappert
Glenn Youngkin and Don Scott

Virginia House Speaker Don Scott (D-Portsmouth) reportedly said in a Monday press conference that Democrats are only likely to support Governor Glenn Youngkin’s proposal to stop taxing tips if it is “responsible,” suggesting the governor’s proposal to mirror the federal campaign promise by President-elect Donald Trump within the commonwealth could face opposition over financial concerns.

Scott said during his Monday press conference, “Any idea that’s going to put money back into the pockets of hard work of Virginians, we’re going to strongly consider and take a look at it,” reported VPM. 

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Madison Police ‘Working to Authenticate’ Alleged Manifesto Left by 15-Year-Old Natalie Rupnow, but Urge Media Against Sharing

Tom Pappert
Shon Barnes

Madison Police Department (MPD) Chief Shon Barnes on Tuesday said his department is not yet able to authenticate the documents shared online by Reduxx founder Anna Slatz, who claims to have obtained the manifesto left by but nonetheless urged members of the media from disseminating the purported manifesto left by Natalie Rupnow, who police say killed two and injured seven in an attack on the Abundant Life Christian School on Monday.

“We know a document has been widely shared on social media. At this time, we cannot verify its authenticity,” said Barnes in a Tuesday press briefing.

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Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee Among 26 Governors Pledging Support for Trump Immigration Plans, Including Deportations

Tom Pappert
Illegal Immigrants

Governor Bill Lee of Tennessee was among the 26 governors who signed a letter confirming their support for the immigration proposals advanced by President-elect Donald Trump, including the mass deportation of illegal immigrants.

Lee confirmed his support in a post to the social media platform X, where he shared a joint letter issued by the Republican Governors Association (RGA), which Lee continues to lead through the end of this year.

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Amarillo VA Confirms Investigation of Alleged ‘Sexual Misconduct’ by Staff After Tennessee Star Publishes Video

Tom Pappert
Amarillo VA Health Care System

A spokesman for the Amarillo Veterans Affairs (VA) Health Care System confirmed to The Tennessee Star on Tuesday that it is now investigating following the publication by The Star of video that purportedly shows two staff members engaged in a sex act at the Thomas E. Creek VA Medical Center in Amarillo, Texas on August 17, 2022.

Emily Bell, the Public Affairs Officer for the Amarillo VA, told The Star on Tuesday that the agency “has zero tolerance for sexual misconduct, and we take any allegation extremely seriously. We are investigating this matter thoroughly, and we will take any appropriate action at the conclusion of our investigation.”

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Trump Campaign Advisor Thanks Tennessee U.S. Rep. Andy Ogles for Support After Fainting on Stage During Event

Kaitlin Housler
Alex Bruesewitz

Alex Bruesewitz, an advisor to President-elect Donald Trump’s campaign, thanked Tennessee U.S. Representative Andy Ogles (R-TN-05) for staying by his side after fainting on stage during a New York Young Republican Club gala on Sunday night.

Video shared on social media of the event shows Bruesewitz fainting and toppling over the lectern while he was on stage introducing incoming White House senior aide Dan Scavino.

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Tennessee House Majority Leader William Lamberth Details How New School Choice Bill is a ‘Win-Win for Everybody’

Kaitlin Housler
William Lamberth

Tennessee House Majority Leader William Lamberth (R-Portland) said the new universal school choice bill filed last month in the Tennessee General Assembly is a “win-win” for “everybody” on the issue, specifically for those in favor of a school choice program and those in favor of allocating more funding for public schools.

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Virginia U.S. Rep-Elect John McGuire Urges Party Unity After Luther Cifers Wins GOP Nomination for State Senate

Tom Pappert
John McGuire

U.S. Representative-elect John McGuire (R-VA-05) urged Republicans in Virginia’s 10th State Senate district to unite behind Luther Cifers, the outsider businessman who secured the Republican Party’s nomination to run for McGuire’s former seat.

Cifers won the nomination during the Friday mass meeting in Goochland that The Daily Progress reported drew 1,000 Republicans, ultimately securing more votes than Louisa County Board of Supervisers Chairman Duane Adams in the third round of voting, which was concluded at about 1 a.m. on Saturday.

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Madison Police Identify Abundant Life Christian School Shooter as 15-Year-Old Girl Natalie Rupnow

Tom Pappert
Natalie Rupnow

The Madison Police Department (MPD) on Monday identified the shooter who killed two and injured seven at the Abundant Life Christian School as 15-year-old Natalie Rupnow, who was known by Samantha.

Police have said that Rupnow took her own life after committing the shooting, and on Monday night reported she was pronounced dead while being transported to the hospital.

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Public Charter School in Nashville Files Lawsuit Against Metro Schools for Rezoning Plan

Kaitlin Housler
Students

LEAD Public Schools filed a lawsuit against Metro Nashville Public Schools (MNPS) on Monday, challenging a rezoning plan previously approved by the MNPS board concerning LEAD Cameron Middle School.

LEAD Cameron is a zone-enrolled public charter middle school operating south of Nashville in the Glencliff cluster. The middle school was founded in 2011 and serves grades 5-8.

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Detransition Activist Says Blackburn’s Kids Online Safety Act Could ‘Inspire Parents’ to Monitor Internet Use

Tom Pappert
kids smartphone

Detransition activist Elle Palmer, a biological woman who identified as a transgender man through most of her teens, told The Tennessee Star she was optimistic legislation like the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA), proposed by Senators Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), would “inspire parents” to keep a closer watch on their children’s use of the internet.

Palmer, who recently traveled to Washington, D.C. to support Tennessee’s law banning transgender treatments for minors, told The Star last week that she became enraptured with online discussions related to feminism, gender theory, and ultimately transgenderism during her teen years, when she described herself as anxious and inverted.

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Vet Says Veterans Affairs Hospital in Texas Ignored Complaint over Alleged Sex at Facility Despite Video Evidence

Tom Pappert
Donny Belzer video

The Tennessee Star on Friday obtained a video a veteran says shows two staff members at the Amarillo Veterans Affairs (VA) Health Care System engaged in a sexual activity inside a clean supplies closet, just feet away where he was being treated for a hand injury.

According to data retrieved from the video, it was recorded on August 17, 2022, when the veteran told The Star he was at the Thomas E. Creek VA Medical Center to seek treatment for an injury he sustained while working on a dirt bike.

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Virginia Immigrant Group Opposing Youngkin’s Sanctuary City Proposal Lost $1.5 Million over Lip Balm, Fidget Toy Purchases

Tom Pappert
Glenn Youngkin

The immigrant group that opposes the proposal by Governor Glenn Youngkin to strip funding from so-called sanctuary cities that refuse to cooperate with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), was denied federal funding by the Prince William County commission in February after it reportedly filed nearly $200,000 in expenses that are unfit for federal dollars distributed by the county.

Youngkin on Thursday unveiled a budget plan that includes a “No Sanctuary Cities” proposal that would require local law enforcement agencies to coordinate with ICE or lose funding.

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Commentary: Reject KOSA to Protect Kids, Freedom of Speech

Star News Contributor
Kids online w smartphone

Between the presidential election, foreign conflicts across the globe, and major pocketbook issues like inflation and healthcare prices, it is safe to say that Washington, D.C. and the rest of the country have a lot to keep up with these days. Unfortunately, that means that a horribly flawed piece of legislation that will impact how all Americans interact with the internet is making its way through Congress with little attention from anyone but political insiders.

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Exclusive: Tennessee AG Jonathan Skrmetti Reflects on Oral Arguments in United States v. Skrmetti

Kaitlin Housler
Jonathan Skrmetti

Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti sat down for an exclusive interview with The Tennessee Star’s CEO and Editor-in-Chief Michael Patrick Leahy on Friday to detail last week’s oral arguments in front of the U.S. Supreme Court in the case United States v. Skrmetti and how the nation is perceiving the case in the days after.

Last Wednesday, the Supreme Court heard oral arguments in United States v. Skrmetti, a case challenging Tennessee’s law that bans irreversible gender transitioning treatments for minors.

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CAIR Claims ‘Police Brutality’ After Sonny Perdue Credits Georgia’s Stance on Anti-Israel Protests for ‘Huge Influx’ in Student Applications

Tom Pappert
Chancellor Sonny Perdue

The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) in Georgia suggested Sonny Perdue, the Chancellor of the Georgia University System, showed support for “police brutality” after he said the stance of Georgia universities against anti-Israel protests led to a “huge influx” of new students applying to receive a higher education in the Peach State.

Perdue reportedly said the decision by Georgia’s higher education system to disallow extended student-led protests over the war between Israel and Hamas “created a huge influx in out-of-state applications to our schools here in Georgia,” according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, during a conference with lawmakers held by the Biennial Institute in Athens.

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Youngkin to Propose Statewide Ban on ‘Sanctuary Cities’ in Virginia

Just the News
Virginia Gov Glenn Youngkin

Republican Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin is expected to introduce a budget proposal on Thursday that would include a ban on “sanctuary cities,” and state funding for cities that do not comply with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

Mayors of self-proclaimed “sanctuary cities” across the United States have already teased that they will not comply with the incoming Trump administration’s efforts to deport massive amounts of illegal immigrants.

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Tennessee State Rep. Gillespie Files Bills to Restrict Bail for Gun Crimes, Require Judges to Consider Juvenile Records

Tom Pappert
State Rep John Gillespie

Tennessee State Representative John Gillespie (R-Memphis) two bills this week that would tighten Tennessee’s bail laws, requiring judges to consider juvenile records and pretrial reports when considering whether a minor defendant is eligible for release, and changing the standards for bail to automatically preclude those accused of crimes involving firearms, serious injury, or death.

Gillespie filed HB 33 on Wednesday, would change Tennessee law to establish “a presumption that a defendant should not be released” from jail should the circumstances of their charges include, “the use or display of a firearm,” or if their alleged crimes “resulted in the serious bodily injury or death of the victim.”

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Woman Who Detransitioned Says Covenant School Killer’s Extensive Mental Health Treatment a ‘Risk Factor for Transition’

Tom Pappert
Elle Palmer

Elle Palmer, who identified as a transgender man through most of her teen years before detransitioning to her biological, female gender, that early experiences with mental health treatments are “absolutely” a “risk factor” for a desire to transition genders later in life.

In an interview conducted after Palmer traveled to Washington, D.C. to support Tennessee’s law banning transgender treatments for minors, she told The Star that she had a psychiatrist by time she was 11, and said, “I absolutely think it’s a risk factor for transition.”

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Virginia Man Faces Prison for Allegedly Sending Bitcoin to ISIS Members in Syria Through Turkish Intermediary

Tom Pappert
Mohammed Chhipa

The trial began this week for Virginia man Mohammed Chhipa, who prosecutors say immigrated to the United States from India but is now a naturalized citizen who has lived in Virginia since 2008 and faces charges related to the alleged transfer of Bitcoin to a Syrian member of the Islamic State (ISIS) terrorist group through an intermediary in Turkey.

Prosecutors said on Tuesday that Chhipa converted over $74,000 into Bitcoin that was then transferred to ISIS members in Syria, according to Fox 5 DC, with the outlet reporting an undercover FBI agent testifying conversations about Chhipa sending the money happened alongside others about suicide bombings.

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Detransitioner Supports Tennessee’s Minor Transgender Ban That Would Have Prevented Her Teen Transition

Tom Pappert
Elle Palmer

A woman who identified as a transgender man for most of her teen years, before ultimately detransitioning to her biological, female gender at 19, told The Tennessee Star that Tennessee’s ban on gender transition treatments would have successfully prevented her years-long stint on hormone treatments that resulted in a permanently lowered voice and other side effects.

Elle Palmer told The Star she spent her early teenage years identifying as nonbinary after learning about gender theory online, and explained this progressed to a desire to obtain treatment in order to formally transition to a transgender man by time she was 15.

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

Tom Pappert
David Rausch and Marsha Blackburn

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

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

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Sen. Bill Hagerty: Trump Will Set Policy for ‘Loyal’ Cabinet Members to Follow

Tom Pappert
CNN's Jake Tapper interviews Sen. Bill Hagerty

U.S. Senator Bill Hagerty (R-TN) on Monday told CNN that those nominated by President-elect Donald Trump to serve in his cabinet will be enacting policies set by the White House after host Jake Tapper asked about potential policy disagreements between Trump and Tulsi Gabbard, who the president-elect nominated to serve as the Director of National Intelligence (DNI).

Hagerty told Tapper that Gabbard was selected by Trump “for a very specific job,” and referenced “questions” raised by Gabbard about the intelligence community that “need to be delivered upon.”

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George Mason Students Trespassed over Anti-Israel Vandalism Reportedly Owns ‘Several Firearms,’ Hamas and Hezbollah Flags

Tom Pappert
GMU Coalition for Palestine🇵🇸 protest

Police reportedly removed multiple firearms from the home of Jena and Noor Chanaa, where a police document states authorities found anti-American slogans and flags associated with terrorist groups.

The Chanaa sisters are two former George Mason University students who were criminally trespassed for four years over their alleged defacing of university property with an anti-Israel slogan. 

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Judicial Watch Claims Fani Willis ‘Hides’ Communications with Jan 6 Committee as Embattled D.A. Claims Records ‘Legally Exempted’

Tom Pappert
Fulton County D.A. Fani Willis

Judicial Watch on Tuesday said Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis is hiding records of communications between her office and the House January 6 committee after Willis claimed records of such conversations are “legally exempted” in response to a court order demanding she respond to a freedom of information request related to her prosecution of President-elect Donald Trump.

Willis was ordered to respond to the information request filed by Judicial Watch in a December 4 court order. In a court filing submitted by Willis’ office, and published by Judicial Watch, the district attorney acknowledged the existence of “communication sent or received from the United States House January 6th Committee,” but asserted the records cannot be released, “because they arose from the investigation, subsequent indictment, and prosecution” of Trump and those who helped him contest the 2020 election results in Georgia.

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Time Wellness Tennessee Launches Residential Treatment Facility in Taft, Now Accepting Clients

Sponsored
A bright room with large windows and a circle of modern chairs arranged along the walls

by Allie Hinchman   TAFT, Tennessee – Time Wellness Tennessee has officially opened its state-of-the-art residential treatment facility in Taft. Designed to offer a structured and supportive environment, the center provides comprehensive care for individuals seeking recovery and personal growth. Since its launch earlier this year, the facility has begun accepting clients, marking a significant step forward in providing innovative, client-focused treatment solutions in the region. Time Wellness Tennessee’s Comprehensive Approach to Recovery Time Wellness Tennessee’s residential treatment facility offers a unique approach to recovery by combining compassionate care, structured support, and innovative therapies. Designed to provide a safe and personalized environment, the center focuses on helping clients achieve lasting recovery through evidence-based methods and holistic practices. 24/7 Medical Care and Support Around-the-clock medical care forms the backbone of recovery at Time Wellness Tennessee. Clients benefit from constant access to skilled professionals who address their physical and emotional needs. The medical team works closely with each individual to guide them through every stage of recovery, helping them stay on track and build confidence in their progress. Having medical support available day and night gives clients peace of mind. It also allows them to focus fully on their recovery journey without…

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