Tennessee Governor Bill Lee Joins Group of Governors in Opposing UAW’s Unionization Campaign

Bill Lee Volkswagen

Tennessee Governor Bill Lee joined the governors of Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, South Carolina, and Texas in issuing a joint statement in opposition of the United Auto Workers’ (UAW) unionization campaign.

The coalition of governors said it is “highly concerned” about the unionization campaign, adding such efforts are “driven by misinformation and scare tactics.”

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Metro Nashville Police Admit Release of Parts of Covenant Killer Manifesto with Limited Redactions Would Not Hurt Investigation

Hearing about Manifesto

Metro Nashville attorney Lora Fox confirmed on Tuesday there is no objection to the release of the manifesto written by Covenant School shooter Audrey Hale with limited redactions.

Fox told Chancery Court Judge I’Ashea L. Myles the Metro Nashville Police Department (MNPD) maintains the position previously articulated by Assistant Chief Mike Hagar in an affidavit which declared a redacted version of the manifesto could be released without harming MNPD investigations.

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Columnist Roger Simon: The U.S. Government Paying for Iran’s Attack on Israel Is the ‘Single Greatest Disgusting Thing in American History’

Roger Simon Israel

Roger Simon, the co-founder of PJMedia and current columnist for The Epoch Times, said the U.S. government paid for Iran’s Saturday attack on Israel, which saw 300 drones, cruise missiles, and ballistic missiles launched at the country.

Simon said the money trail could be traced back to the Obama administration when billions of dollars were sent to the Mullahs.

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Nashville Police Say Man Behind Nightclub Shooting Was Previously Released on $50,000 Bond

Erik Dewaun Williams

The man who allegedly shot six outside a Nashville nightclub on Sunday was previously released from jail on a $50,000 bond, the Metro Nashville Police Department (MNPD) confirmed.

Williams is accused of injuring six in a shooting near the Soho Lounge in South Nashville, with MNPD reporting officers were initially responding to a call about “persons with guns fighting.”

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Courtney Johnston Sponsored Transgender Day of Remembrance Resolution Ahead of ‘Conservative’ Challenge to Rep. Andy Ogles

Nashville Metro Council Member Courtney Johnston

Metro Councilwoman Courtney Johnston, who is challenging Representative Andy Ogles (R-TN-05) in the Republican primary for the 5th Congressional district, previously cosponsored a resolution in to set an official day for Nashville to recognize the Transgender Day of Remembrance in 2023.

Johnston is listed among the 29 sponsors of RS 2023-99, which was titled, “A Resolution recognizing November 20, 2023, as Transgender Day of Remembrance in Nashville and Davidson County, Tennessee.”

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Atlanta Public Safety Training Center Slated to Open January 2025 Despite Opposition

Atlanta Public Safety Training Center

The Atlanta Police Department (APD) confirmed on Monday that the controversial Atlanta Public Safety Training Center is slated to open in January 2025 despite years of protests, demonstrations and violence aimed at preventing its construction.

A video posted to the social media platform X by APD on Monday showed former Chief Rodney Bryant and former Assitant Chief Todd Coyt viewing the site of the safety training center. Bryant was previously instrumental in pushing for the center.

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Virginia Hospital PSA Asks Patients to Behave Appropriately Amid Rising Violence for Healthcare Workers

Virginia Nurse PSA

A new public service announcement by the Virginia Hospital and Healthcare Association (VHHA) asks patients to behave appropriately while receiving treatment or otherwise in healthcare settings. It was released amid rising workplace violence for health workers in hospitals.

The VHHA press release explains the “Help Us, Help You” campaign “draws attention to the heightened risk of workplace violence faced by health care professionals.”

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Author Geoff Shepard Explains His Role in the Nixon Administration During Watergate and How the Scandal Was ‘Misinterpreted’ for 40 Years

Author Geoff Shepard

Geoff Shepard, former staffer in the Nixon Administration and author of The Nixon Conspiracy: Watergate and the Plot to Remove the President, explained in an exclusive interview with The Michael Patrick Leahy Show how he came to the conclusion that the Watergate scandal had been misinterpreted for nearly 40 years.

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Metro Nashville Councilwoman Courtney Johnston Demanded Special Session for New Gun Laws in 2022

Metro Councilwoman Courtney Johnston, who recently announced a primary challenge to Representative Andy Ogles (R-TN-05), previously urged Governor Bill Lee to call a special session to pass legislation targeting firearms in a 2022 open letter.

Johnston argued in her letter that “thoughts and prayers are no longer enough” and urged Lee to “take a hard look at our policies and what we can and should do differently.”

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Tennessee Faith and Freedom Coalition Announces 2024 Senate and House Conservative Champions

Representative Jake McCalmon Dawn White

The Tennessee Faith and Freedom Coalition (TNFFC) announced Friday that two members of the Tennessee General Assembly have been honored as the Senate and House Conservative Champions this legislative session.

According to the organization, TNFFC’s Conservative Champion awards are given to legislators in the General Assembly who “most ardently defend the Constitution, rights and freedoms” of the Volunteer State citizens.

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Republican Challenges Reelection Signatures by State Rep. Justin Jones in Move to Possibly Strike Democrat from Ballot

Tennessee State Rep. Justin Jones

Republican candidate Laura Nelson challenged the qualifying signatures submitted by State Representative Justin Jones (D-Nashville) on Friday, which if successful, would remove the controversial Tennessee Three member from the ballot.

With 25 signatures required to qualify for reelection, Jones reportedly turned in 26 signatures to election officials. One was then disqualified, with WSMV 4 reporting the signer was determined not to live in the district, which current leaves Jones with just the 25 signatures required.

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Virginia A.G. Jason Miyares Joins 20-State Coalition Against Biden Admin’s Decision to Abandon Immigration Law

Illegal Immigrants arrested at the southern border

Attorney General Jason Miyares announced Virginia’s decision to join a 20-state coalition of attorneys general who seek to compel the Biden administration to defend an illegal immigration law on Wednesday.

The coalition of attorney generals, led by Kansas, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana and West Virginia, seek to intervene in a lawsuit brought by those advocating on behalf of illegal immigrants against President Joe Biden’s Department of State. 

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Feds Send $1.2 Million to South Carolina for Transit Development Study

Charleston Bus

The federal government has awarded a $1.2 million grant to a three-county planning council in the Charleston area to study transit-oriented development tied to a bus rapid transit line slated to open in five years.

The Berkeley-Charleston-Dorchester Council of Governments will use the federal tax dollars for the third phase of a TOD study. The study will focus on implementing affordable housing strategies along the proposed 21.3-mile-long Lowcountry Rapid Transit line.

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U.S. Rep. David Kustoff Is the Sole Tennessee Republican House Member to Vote Against Ending Warrantless Spying Under FISA

David Kustoff

U.S. Representative David Kustoff (R-TN-08) was the sole member of Tennessee’s congressional delegation to vote on Friday against an amendment that would have ended the warrantless spying on United States citizens allowed under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA).

Kustoff was among the 86 Republicans who joined 126 Democrats in a vote against a FISA amendment proposed by Representatives Andy Biggs (R-AZ-05) and Pramila Jayapal (D-WA-07) that would have required intelligence agencies to obtain a warrant before spying on American citizens.

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Florida Governor Signs Five Bills Designed to Protect Children from Predators

Ron DeSantis

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed five bills on Wednesday designed to protect children from sexual predators.

The new legislation ranges from House Bill 1545, which protects children from grooming activities and other sexual offenses to Senate Bill 1224 which strengthens the role of the Statewide Guardian ad Litem Office while implementing training requirements for law enforcement to assess a domestic violence situation properly.

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Reporter Tom Pappert: U.S. Rep. David Kustoff Is ‘Ripe for a Challenge’ in Tennessee’s 8th Congressional District Following FISA Vote

David Kustoff

Tom Pappert, lead reporter at The Tennessee Star, said he believes Tennessee U.S. Representative David Kustoff’s (R-TN-08) vote on Friday against an amendment that would have ended the warrantless spying on United States citizens allowed under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) makes the congressman “ripe for a challenge” this election cycle.

Kustoff and Democrat Congressman Steve Cohen (D-TN-09) were the sole members of Tennessee’s congressional delegation to vote against the amendment on Friday, Pappert previously reported.

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Man Accused of Memphis Cop Killing Previously Released on Own Recognizance Despite Police Requesting $150,000 Bond

Jaylen Lobley

The man police say was responsible for the Friday shooting that claimed the life of a Memphis police officer and left two more wounded was previously arrested in March on theft and gun charges.

Memphis Police Department (MPD) arrest and bail records obtained by The Tennessee Star reveal that 18-year-old Jaylen Lobley, who died in the Friday shooting with police, was previously arrested on March 5 after police responded to a call about a suspicious vehicle.

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Treasurer of Tennessee Anti-MAGA Super PAC Donated to Democrat Opponent of Sen. Marsha Blackburn

James Seabury Joanne Sowell

The treasurer for The Best of Tennessee Action Fund, the super PAC wing of the “moderate” political group founded by fundraiser Kim Kaegi and Democratic pro-abortion lawyer Chloe Akers, donated to to the former Democratic political opponent of Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) last year.

Treasurer James C. Seabury III donated $1,000 to the political campaign of Joanne Sowell, a Nashville-based attorney who announced an exploratory committee to consider seeking the Democratic Party’s nomination for U.S. Senate to challenge Blackburn last year, according to the Federal Elections Commission (FEC).

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One Memphis Police Officer Killed, Two Others Shot While Responding to Suspicious Vehicle Occupied by Known Criminal

Memphis Police Department

Reactions have poured in after Memphis police officer Joseph McKinney was shot and killed early Friday morning while he and other officers were responding to a suspicious vehicle call.

On Friday approximately 2:00 a.m., officers responded to a suspicious vehicle call at Horn Lake Road and Charter Avenue, according to the Memphis Police Department (MPD).

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Rep. John Rose Applauds Possible Reduced FISA Reauthorization

John Rose

U.S. Representative John Rose (R-TN-06) applauded a possible change to a Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) reauthorization bill, shrinking the period of reauthorization from five years to two, according to a Thursday release.

After several Republican legislators blocked a plan to reauthorize FISA on Wednesday, it was reported the next day that House leaders are considering a plan that would limit the bill’s authority to two years. Such a plan resembles an amendment originally proposed by Rose.

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Rep. Burchett: ‘FISA Needs to Die’

Tim Burchett

A U.S. Congressman from Tennessee had some strong words after he joined 19 of his Republican counterparts in voting against the reauthorization of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) on Wednesday.

“FISA, of course, is what they use to spy, literally, on America citizens,” said Rep. Tim Burchett (R-TN-02) in a video posted to his X account. “So what happens, very literally, say you have somebody working on your house, on your roof, what have you, [who is] not an American citizen, and then they contact you on their cell phone and basically because of that [the U.S. government] can follow you or investigate you or what have you, without a search warrant. And when I was told by the State Department that in fact it was problematic to have search warrants on these cases, they obviously have a problem with our Constitution. So, tough day for democracy today folks. And FISA needs to die.”

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Dr. Carol Swain: Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion ‘Artificially Contrived,’ ‘Divides Groups’

Dr. Carol M. Swain, author of The Adversity of Diversity, said the diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) standards being pushed today are not the same type of diversity Americans rallied around during the Civil Rights Movement.

Swain said her book points out “everything wrong” with today’s DEI standards and how they violate the U.S. Constitution and Equal Protections Protection Clause.

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‘Family Friendly’ Furry Convention to Be Held This Weekend in Tennessee State Park

Woods Flock

Members of the “furry” community will host what they describe as a family friendly convention in a Tennessee state park beginning Friday and ending Saturday. 

“If you enjoy spending time in nature AND the furry fandom, this is the trip for you! Woods Flock is a a community that holds our annual Spring mini-con at Fall Creek Falls State Park in Tennessee (USA),” says an event invitation by a group called Woods Flock. “Participants will have a plethora of outdoor, crafty, and fun activities to choose from during their stay at our family-friendly camp.”

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Nashville Mayor Freddie O’Connell Shares New Bus Lines Proposed in Transit Referendum

Freddie O'Connell

Nashville Mayor Freddie O’Connell on Thursday provided details of how his proposed transit referendum would expand lines and services for the city’s bus system.

O’Connell posted the details to the social media platform X, where he wrote the bus transit improvements are “a key element” of his referendum. The mayor confirmed, “We’ll have local, frequent, new, and express service updates.”

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Judge Scott McAfee Under ‘Tremendous Amount of Pressure’ in Georgia Trump Case, Argues Democrat Seeking His Judgeship

Scott McAfee

The Democrat challenging Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee claimed the incumbent is under “tremendous” pressure due to the Georgia case against former President Donald Trump brought by District Attorney Fani Willis.

Robert Patillo, the former executive director of the Rainbow PUSH social justice group started by Reverend Jessee Jackson who is now challenging McAfee, made the remarks in a Wednesday interview with WSB-TV.

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Youngkin Confirms He Removed Tax Cuts from Virginia Budget as Olive Branch to Democrats

Glenn Youngkin Budget

Governor Glenn Youngkin confirmed in comments made Wednesday that he dropped his request for tax cuts as an olive branch to Virginia’s Democratic lawmakers, who the governor hopes will similarly drop their requests for tax hikes.

Youngkin maintained that Virginia does not “need to raise taxes” and has “plenty of money in the system” during an interview with WTOP News. He told the outlet that Virginia lawmakers should “press forward with an agreement that we won’t raise taxes, and I will stop advocating to reduce them.”

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Carol Swain and Neil W. McCabe Explain Why Pro-Life Organizations, Fake Christians ‘Talk the Talk’ but Have ‘No Interest in Ending Abortion’

Abortion protest

Dr. Carol M. Swain and national political reporter Neil W. McCabe, while discussing the politics surrounding the topic of abortion, identified how some seemingly pro-life groups and individuals who claim to be Christians “talk the talk and not walk the walk” when it comes to protecting the unborn.

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Jason Snead on Why Democrats Promote Ranked-Choice Voting: ‘It’s About Pushing Politics to the Left’

Jason Snead, the director of the Honest Elections Project Action Fund, said the practice of Ranked-Choice Voting is a tool used by the Left to “push politics to the left” and “give more power to the left-wing mega-donors.”

Ranked-Choice Voting, an election process where voters can rank multiple candidates for a single office, is currently used statewide in the states of Alaska and Maine, cities including New York City, and other jurisdictions across the nation.

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Tennessee Senate Passes Abortion Trafficking Bill Called ‘Cruelty’ by California Governor Gavin Newsom

Gavin Newsom and Jason Zachary

The Tennessee State Senate on Wednesday passed legislation that would impose criminal penalties for adults who provide transportation to minors seeking to circumvent the state’s abortion laws.

SB 1971 passed with 26 votes in favor and just three votes against. If passed by the House and signed by the governor, the legislation would create the criminal offense of abortion trafficking of a minor.

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Tennessee GOP Congressional Candidate George Flinn Says U.S. Rep. David Kustoff ‘Should Not Go Unchallenged’

David Kustoff George Flinn

Shelby County resident Dr. George Flinn, a Republican candidate for U.S. Congress in West Tennessee’s 8th District, said he is running because incumbent U.S. Representative David Kustoff (R-TN-08) needs to be “challenged.”

Flinn, who has run as a Republican and Independent candidate in U.S. Senate and primary races for Tennessee’s 8th and 9th Congressional districts, said he believes Kustoff “should not go unchallenged” considering the incumbent’s recent voting record on bills, particularly spending packages.

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Tennessee U.S. Rep Andy Ogles Among 19 Republicans Who Voted to Kill FISA, Warrantless Surveillance

Andy Ogles

U.S. Representative Andy Ogles (R-TN-05) joined 18 other Republicans in voting against reauthorizing the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) on Wednesday. He told The Tennessee Star his vote would protect Tennesseans from “unreasonable searches and seizures by the federal government.”

Ogles explained his decision to break with the majority of Republicans and vote against reauthorizing FISA came after House leadership “chose to keep the doors closed and did not allow an open amendment process.” He noted he had six amendments that were all ignored by House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA-04).

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Conservatives Applaud Youngkin in New Ad for Amending Bill Critics Claim Provides Free Healthcare to Illegal Immigrants

Glenn Youngkin Medical Bill

Governor Glenn Youngkin received praise on Wednesday in a commercial celebrating his decision to amend a bill critics argue would have allowed illegal immigrants to receive free healthcare by expanding a federal program.

As passed by lawmakers, SB 119 would expand the federal 340B program that was designed to for hospitals to buy drugs at discounted prices in order to provide healthcare to low-income individuals.

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