Category: The South

Tennessee U.S. Rep. Tim Burchett Requests ‘Full Investigation’ into the CIA Based on Claims Made in Undercover Video

Kaitlin Housler
Tim Burchett CIA

Tennessee U.S. Representative Tim Burchett (R-TN-02) sent letters to the chairmans of the House Judiciary Committee and House Oversight Committee on Thursday requesting that the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) be investigated after an employee of the CIA’s Cyber Operations Division made bombshell accusations about the intel agency when it comes to its covert relationship with former President Donald Trump – both during and after his presidency.

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Congressman Andy Ogles Among House Republicans Seeking to Prevent the Resettling of Palestinians into the U.S.

Kaitlin Housler
Andy Ogles

Tennessee U.S. Representative Andy Ogles (R-TN-05) is among a group of House Republicans requesting that a provision be included in the Fiscal Year 2025 spending bill to prohibit Palestinian refugees from being imported and resettled into U.S. communities.

Ogles, along with U.S. Representatives Tom Tiffany (R-WI-07) and Scott Perry (R-PA-10), are specifically seeking a provision in the funding bill that “prohibits expenditures of any funds to issue a visa or grant parole to any alien holding a passport issued by the Palestinian Authority.”

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Americans for Prosperity – Tennessee Urges Nashville Mayor to Cut City Budget, Protect Residents from Property Tax Hikes Amid $3.1 Billion Transit Plan

Kaitlin Housler
Freddie O'Connell

Americans for Prosperity – Tennessee (AFP-TN) released a statement Thursday in response to Nashville Mayor Freddie O’Connell’s proposed $3.1 billion transit referendum that will be presented to Davidson County voters on the November ballot.

AFP-TN State Director Tori Venable, noting how Nashville voters rejected then-Mayor Megan Barry’s $9 billion transit plan six years ago, acknowledged the dramatic cost difference in O’Connell’s plan while also pointing out the half-cent increase in the city’s sales tax that will be used to fund the plan.

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Knoxville Police Department Releases Body Cam Footage of Officer Shooting Suspect Armed with Two Knives

Kaitlin Housler
Police Knife Video

The Knoxville Police Department (KPD) released the body cam footage of an officer who shot a man armed with two knives outside the Exxon gas station at 5306 N. Broadway last month.

On April 17, just before 5:30 p.m., Officer Seth Beeler arrived at the Exxon on a report that a man, who has since been identified as William Charles McBride Jr., was “acting erratically and potentially violently inside of the store,” according to KPD.

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Memphis Mayor, Shelby County D.A. Seek Tougher Penalties for Automatic Gun Conversion Devices in Tennessee

Tom Pappert
Steve Mulroy and Paul Young

Shelby County District Attorney Steve Mulroy was joined on Thursday by Memphis Mayor Paul Young and Interim Police Chief C.J. Davis to call on Tennessee lawmakers to increase the state’s penalties for criminals who make handguns fully automatic using converter devices known as “switches.”

Mulroy said the “so-called Glock switches” are “relatively cheap and easy to maintain and they basically turn handguns into effective machine guns.”

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Georgia Gov Signs Bill into Law Requiring Sheriffs Cooperate with ICE After Laken Riley Murder

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Laken Riley

Republican Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp signed a new immigration enforcement bill Wednesday, months after a Georgia college student was allegedly murdered at the hands of an illegal immigrant.

Kemp signed into law House Bill 1105, which requires sheriffs in the state to cooperate with federal immigration authorities, according to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. The legislation mandates local jailers hold any foreign national in their custody who is suspected of being in the U.S. illegally and wanted by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

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Biden Administration Investigates Alleged Anti-Muslim Discrimination at Emory University Following Complaint by CAIR-Georgia

Tom Pappert
Emory University Campus and Students

A federal civil rights investigation into Emory University was confirmed on Thursday, with Biden administration officials asked to determine whether the university discriminated against Muslim students following the devastating October 7 surprise attack by Hamas fighters against civilians in Israel.

The Department of Education is now investigating Emory University to determine whether it violated Title VI of the Civil Rights Act in its treatment of Muslim students following the October 7 attack.

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Atlanta Socialist Group Calls for Weekend Demonstrations in Snellville and Alpharetta to ‘Free Palestine’

Debra McClure
Socialist Students from Georgia Protest in Support of Palestine

A Pro-Palestine rally and march are scheduled in Snellville on Saturday, and a car caravan is planned for Sunday in Alpharetta, Atlanta’s Party for Socialism and Liberation (PSL Atlanta) announced on social media.

PSL Atlanta wrote in a Facebook post that Saturday’s “Stand with Gaza – Solidarity with the Nationwide Student Movement Rally and March” event for Georgia students will be held at 2:00 p.m. at Snellville Towne Greene.

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Knox County Mayor Glenn Jacobs Most Proud of Not Raising Taxes During His Tenure, Says ‘We Have to Make Sure Our People Are Being Taken Care Of’

Kaitlin Housler
Glenn Jacobs

Knox County Mayor Glenn Jacobs said the accomplishment he’s most proud of since assuming office in 2018 is his and his team’s work to avoid raising taxes for county residents.

Jacobs said that while it is becoming “more difficult” to construct a budget amid economic challenges resulting from decisions made at the federal level, his administration is “doing everything that we can to be creative and think outside the box” to avoid raising taxes.

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America First Legal’s Gene Hamilton: We’ve Launched a New Program That Helps Train the Next Generation of Conservative Lawyers

Kaitlin Housler
Gene Hamilton

Gene Hamilton, vice president and general counsel of America First Legal (AFL), explained why the Next Generation (NextGen) Fellowship Program through AFL is a critical tool for young conservative lawyers who seek to “advance the conservative movement in a way we haven’t seen before.”

The mission of AFL’s NextGen Fellowship Program, according to the organization’s website, is to “train and build a bench of lawyers equipped with the legal skills needed to save our nation and to effectively push forward an America First agenda in government, including in future conservative presidential administrations.”

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Rideshare Drivers Strike in Nashville, Other Major Cities

Peter D'Abrosca
Ride Share Driver

Rideshare application drivers in Nashville and around the country were on strike Wednesday.

“Uber, Lyft, and delivery drivers are DONE with being pushed around by app companies. We’re sick of working 80 hours/week just to make ends meet, being constantly scared for our safety, and worrying about being deactivated with the click of a button,” a group called Justice for App Workers said on its website. “Rideshare drivers and delivery workers will be striking ALL DAY and telling the app companies that WE ARE UNITED and deserve fair pay and deactivation protections.”

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Florida, New York, and the District of Columbia Join Lawsuit Against the NCAA’s NIL Recruitment Ban Led by Tennessee AG Jonathan Skrmetti

Kaitlin Housler

The attorneys general of Florida, New York, and the District of Columbia have joined Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti and Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares’ lawsuit challenging the National Collegiate Athletic Association’s (NCAA) name, image, and likeness (NIL) recruitment ban.

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Kentucky Man Who Operated Boat that Collided and Killed a Tennessee Child Sentenced to Eight Years in Jail

Kaitlin Housler
Norman Sturgill

A man who pled guilty to vehicular homicide by intoxication and reckless endangerment with a deadly weapon in connection with a boating collision on Norris Lake last year that resulted in the death of a child has been sentenced to eight years in prison, according to the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA).

On the evening of July 22, 2023, Norman Sturgill, 62, of Grayson, Kentucky, was operating a 19-foot Triton bass boat that collided with a 24-foot Chaparral open motorboat in front of Norris Landing Marina.

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Tennessee Firearms Association Sues ATF over Private Gun Sale Rule

Peter D'Abrosca
Hunting

The Tennessee Firearms Association (TFA) is joining a lawsuit with several states and pro-Second Amendment groups against the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), which says that the ATF far too broadly interpreting a new law passed by Congress regarding private gun sales.

The lawsuit stems from the definition of the term “‘Engaged in the Business’ as a Dealer in Firearms,” and claims that the ATF is angling to make citizens who sell even one firearm privately subject to licensure that large firearms sellers must obtain, according to a release from TFA.

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Georgia State Ethics Commission Claims Fani Willis Ally Spent Campaign Funds at Dollar Tree, Title Max, and Georgia Power

Tom Pappert
Khadijah Abdur-Rahman

The Georgia State Ethics Commission referred Fulton County Commissioner Khadijah Abdur-Rahman to Attorney General Chris Carr after the commission determined she likely used campaign money for personal expenses, a Tuesday report exposed.

Abdur-Rahman, who is an ally of District Attorney Fani Willis, allegedly made purchases or payments with campaign funding to Dollar Tree, Title Max, Georgia Power, and a chiropractor, according to Fox 5 Atlanta.

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Midtown Atlanta QuikTrip Closing Partially Due to Customer and Employee Safety Concerns

Debra McClure
QuikTrip

The first non-gas QuikTrip store on Peachtree Street in Midtown Atlanta is closing in May partially due to concerns about the safety of customers and employees, the company said.

QuikTrip (QT) Corporate Communications Manager Aisha Jefferson told The Georgia Star News last week, “It’s critically important to us that every location across our 1,000 [plus] store footprint nationwide delivers the in-store experience that QT customers have come to know, love, and expect.”

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Sports Journalist Jason Whitlock to Host Annual Men’s Summit Next Month at Rocketown in Nashville

Kaitlin Housler
Jason Whitlock

Jason Whitlock, sports journalist and host of the Fearless with Jason Whitlock show, is set to hold a men’s summit at Rocketown in Nashville next month.

The summit, Fearless Army Roll Call 2.0, is a “gathering, celebration, and encouragement of men to put on the full armor of God to take a stand against the evil forces destroying American culture,” according to the event’s website.

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Tennessee U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn Rips Rep. Ilhan Omar over Past Anti-Israel Statements amid Democrat’s ‘Genocide’ Claims

Tom Pappert
Marsha Blackburn and Ilhan Omar

U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn debunked a series of claims about Israel and Jewish students made by Representative Ilhan Omar (D-MN-05) after the Democrat claimed her rhetoric was “insanely dangerous” to anti-Israel protesters on college campuses.

Following a nationwide spate of anti-Israel encampments on university campuses, Blackburn posted to the social media platform X on Monday that students who have “promoted terrorism” or engaged in terrorist activities “on behalf of Hamas should be immediately added to the terrorist watch list and placed on the TSA No Fly List.”

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One Month After Announcing, TN-5 GOP Primary Challenger Courtney Johnston Still Has Not Told Voters Where She Stands on the Issues

Tom Pappert
Courtney Johnston

Metro Nashville Councilwoman Courtney Johnston has yet to offer her positions on top issues to voters nearly one month since declaring her primary challenge to U.S. Representative Andy Ogles (R-TN-05) in Tennessee’s 5th Congressional district.

Johnston declared her candidacy on April 4, but the website for her campaign remains devoid of issues statements and policy positions at press time. Without policy positions, the only campaign information available on Johnston’s campaign website are a donation link, her announcement video and a form to submit contact details.

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Exclusive: Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti Calls the Biden Administration’s Overhaul of Title IX ‘Extreme’

Kaitlin Housler
Skrmetti MPL Show

Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti said the Biden administration’s finalized rule to rewrite Title IX is “extreme,” noting how the administration’s determination to rewrite anti-discrimination rules to encompass gender identity issues appears to be one of its “highest priorities.”

On Tuesday, Skrmetti led six states in suing the Biden administration’s Department of Education on Tuesday over its finalized rule to rewrite Title IX to encompass gender identity and sexual orientation.

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Kemp Signs Bill to Increase State Employees, Teachers’ Paid Parental Leave

The Center Square
Brian Kemp Teacher pay

Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp signed legislation doubling annual paid parental leave for state employees and school personnel, including teachers.

Previously, state employees could take three weeks or 120 hours of paid parental leave during a 12-month “rolling” period following a child’s birth, adoption or foster care placement. However, House Bill 1010 increases the paid leave to six weeks — or 240 hours.

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DeSantis Touts More Spending for the Developmentally Disabled in Florida

The Center Square
Ron DeSantis

Floridians with developmental disabilities will benefit from a record level of funding for direct services after Gov. Ron DeSantis announced a multi-billion dollar investment from the state.

DeSantis spoke at the Els Center in Jupiter on Monday and announced that as part of the Live Healthy legislation spearheaded by Senate President Kathleen Passidomo, R-Naples, and his Focus on Florida’s Bright Future Budget that $2.2 billion will be going to the Agency for Persons with Disabilities for services through the iBudget waiver.

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Emory University President Admits Anti-Israel Encampment Remarks ‘Not Entirely Accurate’ amid No Confidence Vote

Tom Pappert
President Gregory Fenves

The president of Emory University on Monday acknowledged he was “not entirely accurate” in his reporting of the number of university “community” members who participated in an anti-Israel encampment last week.

Emory University President Gregory Fenves made the new remarks about the Thursday protest after Emory faculty members arranged a no confidence vote against him that will conclude on Friday.

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Tennessee A.G. Jonathan Skrmetti Announces New Title IX Lawsuit Against Biden Administration in Press Conference with Riley Gaines

Tom Pappert
Jonathan Skrmetti

Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti announced on Tuesday that Tennessee, West Virginia and Kentucky are leading a coalition of states in a new lawsuit seeking to stop the Biden administration’s revisions to Title IX that critics argue endanger women and girls.

“The U.S. Department of Education has no authority to let boys into girls’ locker rooms,” Skrmetti stated. He charged, “Under this radical and illegal attempt to rewrite [Title IX], if a man enters a woman’s locker room and a woman complains that makes her uncomfortable, the woman will be subject to investigation and penalties for violating the man’s civil rights.”

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Tennessee Celebrates Small Business Appreciation Week

Peter D'Abrosca

Gov. Bill Lee (R) has officially proclaimed April 28 to May 4 as Small Business Appreciation Week in Tennessee. 

Noting that small businesses are “the backbone of Tennessee’s economy, comprising a significant portion of the State’s employment including nearly half of private-sector workforce,” and that “supporting small business owners in Tennessee strengthens the State’s resilience against economic downturns and promotes sustainable economic development,” Lee released the official proclamation on the state’s website. 

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Sen. Blackburn Demands Answers from Food Delivery Apps on Illegal Alien Delivery Drivers

Peter D'Abrosca
Sen. Marsha Blackburn

A U.S. Senator from Tennessee is demanding answers from food delivery applications like DoorDash, UberEats and GrubHub, who have allegedly allowed illegal alien drivers to use their platforms. 

“The danger to Americans—and specifically consumers using your services—is real. These illegal immigrants are delivering food directly to consumers’ doors without ever having undergone a background check and often without even using their real names,” Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) wrote in a letter to GrubHub CEO Howard Migdal last week. “Deliveries routinely occur late into the night, compounding the dangerous situation, and—if the unimaginable happened—there would be little to no way to track the immigrant or bring them to justice.”

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Georgia State Rep. Mesha Mainor Launches RICO Lawsuit Against Fani Willis, Fulton County Officials

Tom Pappert
Georgia State Rep. Mesha Mainor

Georgia State Representative Mesha Mainor (R-Atlanta) confirmed on Friday she filed a lawsuit against Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis and other officials over an alleged failure to correctly prosecute a man she claims stalked and violently assaulted her.

In addition to Willis, the lawsuit by Mainor names the district attorney’s office, Fulton County, the Fulton County Ethics Board and Fulton County Commissioner Marvin Arrington as defendants.

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Protesters Brought Children to ‘Gaza Liberation Encampment’ at Virginia Tech Prior to Arrests, Video Shows

Tom Pappert
Virginia Tech pro-Palestine protest

Activists who participated in the “Gaza Liberation Encampment” at Virginia Tech brought children to the ill-fated protest before dozens of protesters were arrested by police, suggests video posted to social media on Sunday. 

One video that surfaced on the social media platform X on Sunday after police ordered protesters to leave the encampment included a child who led the protesters in a chant. The video was captioned to ask police whether they are scared by children.

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Fani Willis No-Shows Debate to Host ‘Self Care Fair’ Amid Legal, Ethical Scrutiny

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Fani Willis at Self Care event

Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis opted to skip her first debate Sunday ahead of early voting in the Democratic primary to instead host a “self-care fair” for crime victims, according to Fox 5 Atlanta.

Willis’ absence left her Democratic challenger, Christian Wise Smith, debating an empty podium, Fox 5 Atlanta reported. Willis, who appointed her romantic partner Nathan Wade to work on the case against former President Donald Trump and allowed him to pay for vacations they took together, was sharply criticized by Judge Scott McAfee in a March decision that did not grant defendants’ request to disqualify Willis but did require Wade to step down.

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Concealed Carry Now Allowed for Approved Tennessee School Staff

The Center Square

Tennessee school staff are now eligible to concealed carry firearms at school if they have met the criteria and gained proper approval.

The law went into effect after it was signed by Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee. Several school districts have already said they will not take part in the concealed carry option, which requires the approval of the school principal, superintendent and local law enforcement department.

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Shelby County Commissioner Demands Resignation of Judge Bill Anderson, Who Detests ‘Bail Bond System in Tennessee’

Tom Pappert
Shelby County Commissioner Mick Wright, Judge Bob Anderson

Shelby County Commissioner Mick Wright on Friday called for the resignation of General Sessions Court Judge Bill Anderson, who leads the county magistrates that determine possible bail assignments after suspected criminals are arrested.

Wright said he is calling for Anderson’s resignation in remarks to WREG, pointing to soft bail policies from Anderson’s office as a source of Memphis’ crime.

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Youngkin Vows to Protect Free Speech on Virginia College Campuses While Protecting Jewish Students from ‘Hate Speech and Intimidation’

Tom Pappert
Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin

Governor Glenn Youngkin in a Sunday appearance on CNN pledged to protect the First Amendment on Virginia’s college campuses, but also vowed to keep Jewish students safe from “hate speech and intimidation” from anti-Israel protesters.

The governor stated during an appearance with Dana Bash on CNN’s State of the Union that his administration will allow protesters to peacefully demonstrate against Israel while preventing the establishment of anti-Israel encampments and protecting the rights of Jewish students.

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Georgia Governor Signs Bill to Crack Down on Squatting

The Center Square
Georgia Gov Brian Kemp

Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp signed a measure to create a new offense of unlawful squatting following widespread reports in Georgia and beyond of squatters taking over people’s properties

House Bill 1017, the “Georgia Squatter Reform Act,” defines the crime as entering and residing on a property without an owner’s consent. Anyone cited for squatting has three business days to provide proof of their authorization to be on a property, such as a “properly executed lease or rental agreement or proof of rental payments.”

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Virginia Board of Education Progressing with ‘Accreditation and Accountability Redesign’

The Center Square
Virginia Board of Education

The Virginia Board of Education recently reviewed takeaways from 15 listening sessions it hosted as part of its “Accreditation and Accountability Redesign.”

“Virginia is one of the few states that continues to combine an accreditation and accountability system,” said Todd Reid, assistant superintendent of strategic communications for the state’s Department of Education. “Combining these systems into one measurement makes it virtually impossible to really determine how the students are academically performing at that school and how the school is shaping educational outcomes.”

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Georgia Senator Greg Dolezal Says Promise Scholarship Act Puts Parents in Charge Regarding School Choice

Debra McClure
Greg Dolezal

Senator Greg Dolezal (R-Cumming), who sponsored Senate Bill 233, said that the Georgia Promise Scholarship Act puts parents in charge regarding school choice options for their children. The bill was signed into law by Governor Brian Kemp on Tuesday.

Senator Dolezal told The Georgia Star News on Friday, “The Georgia Promise Scholarship Act will ensure that parents and children are at the center of the education decisions in Georgia. I am excited to empower parents to make decisions on education opportunities for their children that best fit their needs. We have seen a school choice wave sweeping the County, and we can add Georgia to the list of states where parents are in the drivers seat of control.”

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Georgia Eliminating Atlanta’s Variable Speed Limit Signs

The Center Square
Variable Speed Limit Sign

Georgia officials are paying more than $400,000 to remove 167 variable speed limit signs in metro Atlanta.

Georgia transportation officials approved the plan for the signs on Interstate 285 in 2012 and subsequently started introducing them along the interstate’s northern portion, according to various media reports from the time. However, reports suggest that the system wasn’t activated until about October 2014.

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Tennessee Bill Allows Lawsuits for Damages from Illegally Blocking Roadway

The Center Square
Seattle Traffic Shut-Down

A bill aimed at preventing people from blocking Tennessee roadways was amended and passed by both chambers of the Tennessee Legislature before it next heads to the desk of Gov. Bill Lee along with a glut of late-session bills.

Rather than creating an increased felony charge, Senate Bill 2570 was amended to allow for lawsuits to be filed if a person or company suffers a loss because a “defendant intentionally obstructed a highway, street, or other place used for the passage of vehicles or conveyances.”

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‘Stop Cop City’ Activists at Anti-Israel Emory University Encampment Allegedly Funded by Left-Wing Donor Network, Court Records Reveal

Tom Pappert
Emory University anti-Israel encampment

The Stop Cop City protesters who were present at the anti-Israel encampment at Emory University on Thursday previously raised money from more than 70,000 donors and used it to selectively bail alleged criminals out of jail, according to Georgia state prosecutors who targeted the group in a criminal racketeering case last year.

Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr indicted 61 individuals allegedly associated with Stop Cop City in a Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act case in September 2023. Carr alleges the activists are engaged in a criminal conspiracy to use violence in a bid to prevent the construction of the Atlanta Public Safety Training Center, which will be used to train Georgia police and firefighters.

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Vice President Kamala Harris Condemns Tennessee State Lawmakers for Passing Bill to Arm Trained Teachers

Kaitlin Housler
Kamala Harris

Vice President Kamala Harris called lawmakers in the Tennessee General Assembly “extremists” for voting to pass a bill that would arm teachers who are licensed, receive annual training, and are approved by police and school officials.

“Arming teachers is not the solution,” Harris said in an X post on Wednesday. “We know what actually works: universal background checks, red flag laws, safe storage, and an assault weapons ban.”

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U.S. Marshals Offer Reward Money for Arrest of Killers in Mass Shooting at Memphis Park

Peter D'Abrosca
Memphis Block Party

The U.S. Marshals Service in Memphis is now offering a reward for information leading to the arrests of suspects involved in a deadly mass shooting at a Memphis park last weekend. 

“The U.S. Marshals Service is currently offering a reward of up to $10,000 for any information that leads to the arrest of the individuals responsible for the deadly shooting in Orange Mound,” the law enforcement entity said in a press release. 

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