Fani Willis Dealt Twin Losses as Judge Defaults D.A. in Judicial Watch Case, Jury Lets YSL Defendants Walk

Fulton County D.A. Fani Willis

Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis was dealt two losses on Tuesday after a Georgia judge found her in default in the freedom of information case case brought against her by Judicial Watch and her Racketeering Influenced Corrupt Organizations (RICO) case against Young Slime Life (YSL) ended with acquittals for the final two defendants.

Judicial Watch president Tom Fitton first announced the organization’s victory in a post to the social media platform X, confirming a favorable judgment in their effort to obtain any evidence of communications or collusion between Willis’ office and Special Counsel Jack Smith, who brought a federal case against President-elect Donald Trump that legal pundits said bore striking similarities to her own case against Trump.

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Tennessee Lawmaker Files Legislation to Block State from Destroying, Relocating Historic Buildings and Monuments

Sam Davis Statue, Tennessee Capitol

Tennessee State Senator Adam Lowe (R-Calhoun) introduced a bill for the upcoming legislative session that would block the Tennessee Historical Commission (THC) from recommending the removal or destruction of any property deemed to be of historical, architectural, or cultural significance to Tennesseans.

Senate Bill 7 (SB 7) would limit the authority of the THC to the approval or recommendation of “certain renovations or alterations” to property deemed significant, according to its summary. It would also prohibit the commission “from taking adverse action,” such as fines, against properties boasting statues or monuments the THC wants removed.

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Rays Say in Letter That Stadium Deal Is Still in Effect

Tampa Bay Rays

The Tampa Bay Rays ownership said in a letter that a $1.3 billion deal to build a new stadium in St. Petersburg is still in effect and the team is awaiting decisions by local officials on the bonds to help pay for the project.

The letter sent to the Pinellas County Commission on Friday said team Co-President “Brian Auld did not waver from our commitment to the new ballpark project” and blamed the commission for not honoring the spirit of the agreement reached in July to build a new stadium and multi-use development in the historic Gas Plant District.

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YSL Defendant Stabbed in Fulton County Jail as D.A. Fani Willis Seeks to Conclude Trial

Yak Gotti

One of the remaining defendants in the Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis’ racketeering trial of musical artists associated with Young Slime Life (YSL) and Young Thug was reportedly stabbed at the Fulton County Jail on Sunday as the district attorney seeks to conclude the trial.

Young Slime Life co-defendant Deamonte Kendirck was stabbed at the Fulton County Jail by another inmate, WABE reported his attorney revealed Monday after the rapper, who performs using the stage name Yak Gotti, appeared in court with multiple staples in his head on Monday.

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Tennessee U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn Warns of AI Scams Ahead of Holiday Season

Marsha Blackburn

Tennessee U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) is warning seniors of artificial intelligence (AI) scams and cyber-attacks ahead of this year’s holiday season.

Blackburn, a ranking member of the Senate Subcommittee on Consumer Protection, discussed the increased threats of AI scams and cyber-attacks during a hearing last month titled “Protecting Consumers from Artificial Intelligence Enabled Fraud and Scams.”

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Sen. Marsha Blackburn Predicts Kash Patel Will ‘Release Epstein’s Flight Logs and Black Book’ as FBI Director

Kash Patel

U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) on Sunday predicted Kash Patel will release both the flight logs and client list kept by Jeffrey Epstein, the sex trafficker who allegedly committed suicide in a New York jail in 2019, after he was appointed to serve as FBI Director by President-elect Donald Trump.

Blackburn said during an appearance on “Sunday Morning Futures” that Patel had a unique level of experience working in government that qualify him for the position, then expressed optimism he would help secure the release of Epstein’s client list and flight records.

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Tennessee U.S. Sen. Bill Hagerty Urged Trump to Nominate Kash Patel for FBI Because ‘Entire Agency Needs to be Cleaned Out’

Sen. Bill Hagerty of Meet the Press

U.S. Senator Bill Hagerty (R-TN) on Sunday revealed he urged President-elect Donald Trump to nominate Kash Patel to serve as the next FBI Director out of a desire to see the agency “cleaned out” by the next administration.

During his appearance on “Meet the Press,” Hagerty confirmed he will vote to confirm Patel to lead the FBI after the former Trump administration official was nominated on Saturday to lead the agency. The senator also revealed he urged Trump to include Patel in his administration.

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Kash Patel Argued FBI Director Should Release Full Covenant Killer Manifesto, Epstein Client List

Glenn Beck interviews Kash Patel

President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee to lead the FBI, Kash Patel, said in a recently resurfaced interview that the FBI Director has the power to release major classified documents, including the manifesto left by Covenant School killer Audrey Elizabeth Hale and the client list once kept by disgraced financier-turned-sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein, and urged Trump to promise full declassification upon entering office.

Patel made the remarks in a December 2023 appearance on “Glenn TV,” when he told host Glenn Beck that the FBI Director has the authority to declassify both the “black book” used by Epstein and the ten or more notebooks full of writings left by Hale, the biological female who identified as a transgender man when she killed six at the Covenant School on March 27, 2023.

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Tennessee Tax Preparers Allegedly Defrauded $65 Million in COVID-19 Relief Funds for Clients, Kept Commissions

Renata Walton

Two Mississippi women were indicted by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) after they allegedly helped their clients obtain $65 million in pandemic relief funding, collecting commissions in the process, through their West Tennessee tax preparation business.

The DOJ announced on Wednesday that a Memphis grand jury returned a 53-count indictment charging Renata Walton and Nicole Jones, who both live in Olive Branch, Mississippi, with falsifying business and personal tax returns to obtain significant payments of relief funds designed for individuals and employers during the COVID-19 pandemic through their company, R&B Tax Express, in Moscow, Tennessee.

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Vivek Ramaswamy, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene Question Biden’s $6.6 Billion Loan to Electric Automaker Rivian for Georgia Factory

Vivek and MTG

Vivek Ramaswamy on Tuesday questioned the $6.6 billion loan authorized by the Biden-Harris administration to the troubled electric vehicle manufacturer Rivian. The company will use the loan to fund the completion of its Georgia factory.

The Biden-Harris administration on Tuesday approved a $6.6 billion loan for Rivian after the construction of its electric vehicle factory in Georgia after progress stalled in March despite $1.5 billion in state tax incentives brokered by Governor Brian Kemp.

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Medical Professionals Organize Rally to Support Tennessee as SCOTUS Considers Law Blocking Kids from Transgender Surgery

Supreme Court

A nonprofit run by medical professionals who oppose transgender treatments and surgeries for minors is holding a rally outside the U.S. Supreme Court on December 4 to support Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti as he argues in favor of legislation that blocks such treatments in the Volunteer State.

Activist Chloe Cole, who previously identified as transgender before detransitioning to her biological female gender, confirmed the nonprofit Do No Harm will hold its rally on the steps of the Supreme Court in a post to the social media post X.

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Bonnie Brezina: Marsy’s Law on Track to be Presented to Voters in 2026

Bonnie Brezina

Bonnie Brezina, who serves as the state director of Marsy’s Law for Tennessee, said the proposed constitutional amendment that would expand the rights of crime victims is still on track to be presented to voters on the 2026 general election ballot.

Marsy’s Law, which passed the Tennessee House unanimously and the State Senate by a 27-3 vote earlier this year, must again pass both chambers by a two-thirds majority this upcoming legislative session in order to be presented to voters in 2026.

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Nashville Mayor Freddie O’Connell Sued in Lawsuit Accusing Transit Spending Referendum of Violating Tennessee Law

Nashville Mayor Freddie O'Connell

Nashville Mayor Freddie O’Connell, the Metro Nashville government, and the Davidson County Election Commission were sued on Wednesday by the Committee to Stop an UnFair Tax and its leader, Emily Evans, who asked a court to declare the mayor’s successful Choose How You Move transit referendum illegal under the 2017 IMPROVE Act.

The lawsuit notes the IMPROVE ACT, as passed by the Tennessee General Assembly in 2017, specifically allows local governments to fund transit systems by imposing a sales tax of up to 0.5 percent.

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Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin Backs Trump’s Tariff Threat Against Mexico, Predicts ‘Extraordinary Economic Expansion in America’

Glenn Youngkin

Governor Glenn Youngkin on Tuesday confirmed he supports President-elect Donald Trump’s plans to impose new tariffs against Mexico to compel the neighboring nation to cut the flow of fentanyl over the southern border. Youngkin argues that Trump’s plans will ignite an expansion in manufacturing for Virginia.

Youngkin reportedly confirmed his support for Trump’s tariffs during a Tuesday press conference, as he provided an update on the commonwealth’s efforts to curtail fentanyl overdoses with Attorney General Jason Miyares.

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Conservative Florida Attorney Chris Crowley Continues Battling Suspension of His Law License over Political Speech

Florida Attorney Chris Crowley

Florida attorney Chris Crowley filed a Cross-Answer/Reply Brief with the Florida Supreme Court earlier this month in his appeal challenging the suspension of his law license for 60 days.

A Referee for the Florida Bar disciplined him for engaging in political speech while he campaigned for the state attorney’s office in Florida’s 20th Judicial Circuit due to referring to his opponent as “corrupt” and “swampy” and for observing that she had “close family ties to the [Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO)] terrorist organization.”

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Tennessee State Rep. Cepicky Files Bill to Ban Cell Phones from Classrooms

Students on Cell Phones

Tennessee State Representative Scott Cepicky (R-Culleoka) introduced legislation for the upcoming session of the General Assembly that would require all Tennessee school systems, including private institutions, to develop a policy to limit student cellphone use outside specific circumstances.

Filed with the General Assembly on November 19, a summary of Cepicky’s HB 13 reveals it would require schools, “adopt a policy to prohibit students from using wireless communication devices during instructional time except in certain circumstances.”

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Nashville Mayor Admits Metro Police Is ‘Aware’ of Venezuelan Gang Presence, Refuses to Provide Answers on Arrests

Freddie O'Connell

Nashville Mayor Freddie O’Connell said his office and the Metro Nashville Police Department (MNPD) are aware of the violent Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua’s “presence” within the city; however,  he refused to provide specific information regarding arrests or activity related to the gang.

On Tuesday, O’Connell was pressed by Fox 17 reporter Kylie Walker on his knowledge of the Venezuelan gang’s presence in Nashville after a member of the same gang was arrested in Hamilton County on human trafficking charges the day prior.

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Georgia U.S. Sens Ossoff, Warnock Slammed by Jewish Groups After Vote to Freeze Arms Sales to Israel

Sens Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warmock

The Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta was joined by more than 50 Jewish community organizations and congregations in a Friday letter condemning U.S. Senators Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock over their vote last Friday for a Senate resolution that would have blocked future arms sales to Israel.

Both Fetterman and Ossoff both voted for the joint resolution proposed by Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) for Congress to block a sale of defensive weaponry and services from Israel amid the country’s war against Hamas in Gaza and conflicts with Hezbollah in neighboring Lebanon. The resolution failed last week with just 18 votes in favor and 79 votes to block it.

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Trump Admin Members Invited to Live in Virginia by Gov. Glenn Youngkin as President-Elect Finishes Nominations

Glenn Youngkin

Governor Glenn Youngkin on Tuesday invited incoming members of the second Trump administration to live in Virginia and commute to Washington, D.C., highlighting advantages offered by the commonwealth.

In a 30-second video posted to the social media platform X, the governor urged Trump administration officials to choose to live in Virginia over Maryland or the nation’s capital.

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Gov. Bill Lee Introduces ‘TN Education Freedom’ Website Promoting School Choice Plan Featuring 20,000 Scholarships

Governor Bill Lee

Governor Bill Lee on Tuesday shared details about the new school choice legislation filed in the Tennessee General Assembly, suggesting the path universal school choice begins by making 20,000 scholarships available to Tennessee students, including 10,000 reserved for families who could not typically afford a private or parochial school.

Lee shared a website for the Tennessee Education Freedom Act in a post to the social media platform X, where he also included a clip from his recent Fox News appearance, when he explained the Tennessee Education Freedom plan would eventually lead to universal school choice.

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Nashville Mayor Freddie O’Connell Seeks Further Transit Expansion Through Capital Spending Plan

Nashville Mayor Freddie O'Connell

Despite Nashville voters passing the $6.9 billion Choose How You Move transit referendum proposed by Nashville Mayor Freddie O’Connell, the mayor now seeks additional transit spending through the metro’s annual Capital Spending Plan (CSP).

O’Connell first proposed his $527 million CSP last Wednesday, with the mayor stating his proposed spending will “prepare us for the work to come from Choose How You Move.”

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Tennesseans Expected to Travel in Record Numbers This Thanksgiving: Report

Thanksgiving dinner

A record number of Tennesseans are expected to travel for this year’s Thanksgiving holiday, according to the American Automobile Association (AAA).

AAA forecasts that more than 1.9 million Tennesseans will travel 50 miles or more for the holiday over the period of seven days (November 26-December 2) which would set an all-time high for Thanksgiving travel in the state.

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Virginia Election Official Wasted $500,000 on Alcohol, Private Security, and Remodel of Leased Office Space: Report

Keith Balmer

The top election worker in Richmond, Virginia allegedly wasted nearly $500,000 on a combination of alcohol, private security and efforts to create his own security staff, and the remodel and purchase of new furniture for leased office space, a report from the city’s watchdog agency claims.

The Richmond Office of the Inspector General (OIG) released a report Monday revealing Richmond General Registrar Keith Balmer is accused of wasting nearly $500,000 in taxpayer resources through a pattern of behavior that apparently began in 2023.

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Walmart Ends DEI, ‘Woke’ Programs in Response to Questions from Tennessee Filmmaker Robby Starbuck

Robby Starbuck

Tennessee political commentator and filmmaker Robby Starbuck on Monday announced that Walmart Inc. confirmed it would drop its “woke” corporate policies, including its Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) program, in response to questions about its practices.

“Walmart is ending their woke policies. I can now exclusively tell you what’s changing and how it happened,” wrote Starbuck in a post to the social media platform X, revealing he contacted the company’s executives to inform them he was preparing to release a story about the corporate “wokeness” at Walmart.

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Virginia Bill Would Require Students to Pass Citizenship Test Questions for Graduation

High School Class

The Virginia House of Delegates in January will consider HB 1548, submitted by longtime Virginia Delegate Lee Ware (R-Powhatan), which would require Virginia students pass an exam featuring questions from the civics portion of the U.S. naturalization test.

HB 1548 would require the Virginia Board of Education to establish a new graduation requirement for students pass a test containing between 25 and 50 civics questions from the U.S. naturalization test with a score of at least 70 percent.

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Sen. Bill Hagerty: Cabinet Nominees to Focus on ‘Executing’ Trump Agenda to Fulfill Voter Mandate, Face Consequences for Failures

Sen. Bill Hagerty on 'This Week'

Tennessee U.S. Senator Bill Hagerty (R-TN) predicted on Sunday that President-elect Donald Trump’s cabinet nominees will be tasked with “executing” the Trump administration’s policies to fulfill his electoral mandate, and those who are unwilling or incapable of enacting Trump’s agenda will face consequences or be fired.

Hagerty offered his prediction for the Trump administration after he was questioned about the ideological differences between the president-elect and some of those asked to serve in his government, including Director of National Intelligence nominee Tulsi Gabbard, during an appearance on ABC’s “This Week.”

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Rays’ New Stadium Deal Paused, Tropicana Field Repair Initiative Fails

Tampa Bay Rays

After a wild week with three negative votes, the Tampa Bay Rays are a team without a permanent home and may have played their last innings in St. Petersburg.

The Tampa Bay Rays said a deal to build a $1.3 billion stadium in St. Petersburg is dead after two of their partners decided to defer votes on bond issues to fund the taxpayer part of the deal, about $600 million.

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Tennessee U.S. Senators to Confirm Pam Bondi as Attorney General

TN Senators and Pam Bondi

Both Tennessee U.S. Senators Marsha Blackburn and Bill Hagerty have signaled they intend to vote to confirm former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi as the next U.S. Attorney General.

Bondi was nominated on Thursday by President-elect Donald Trump only hours after former Representative Matt Gaetz withdrew his nomination, citing the distraction his confirmation could pose to the Trump-Vance administration.

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Virtue Signaling Nashville Banner Leaves Elon Musk’s X, Joins Democrat Exodus to Bluesky

Nashville Banner

The Nashville Banner announced in a series of posts to the social media platform X on Thursday that it is leaving the platform, citing the direction of the social media service since it was purchased by Elon Musk, who changed the company’s name from Twitter to X the next year.

In an announcement posted to the social media platform X, the news outlet wrote, “As of today, the Nashville Banner will stop posting on X.”

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Reporter Tom Pappert: DOJ in Panic Mode to Destroy Documents Before Trump Administration Is Sworn In

MPL and Pappert

Tom Pappert, lead reporter at The Tennessee Star, said employees at the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) appear to be in a panic mode to destroy evidence that could become problematic under the incoming Trump administration in an effort to save themselves from being terminated or possibly from facing prosecution.

On Tuesday, the Heritage Foundation’s Oversight Project found a document and product destruction truck outside of the DOJ’s headquarters in Washington D.C. – just days after the Justice Department reported a “division-wide system outage” that prevented its access to certain network files.

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James Erwin Details How Tennessee is Leading the Way in Administering Funding for Broadband Internet

James Erwin, Michael Patrick Leahy

James Erwin, federal affairs manager for telecommunications at Americans for Tax Reform, said Tennessee is leading the nation in awarding funding for broadband internet provided by the federal Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program by ensuring funds do not go exclusively towards government-owned networks (GONs).

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Georgia A.G. Chris Carr Announces Run for Governor, Setting Stage for Possible GOP Primary with Brad Raffensperger, Burt Jones

Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr on Thursday announced he is running for the Republican nomination for governor in 2026.

Carr confirmed filing the paperwork for his candidacy in a post to the social media platform X, where he said his campaign will seek to continue “the legacy of Brian Kemp, Nathan Deal and Sonny Perdue.”

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Tren de Aragua Moves Throughout Tennessee Cities in Human Trafficking Operations, TBI Director Warns

Bluff City Blues joint operation

After two Tennessee law enforcement agencies that serve Knoxville contradicted the Tennessee Bureau of Investigations (TBI), which last week warned the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua is present in all major Tennessee cities, the agency pointed The Tennessee Star to a media advisory explaining local law enforcement may not be aware of the gang’s human trafficking operations.

The Knox County Sheriff’s Office stated last Saturday that Tren de Aragua members are the subjects of any investigations, and no associates of the gang are in its correctional facilities. Two days later, the Knoxville Police Department Chief Paul Noel said the department is aware of the gang, but is “not aware of any active members of Tren de Aragua in Knoxville.”

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North Carolina Legislature Overrides Democrat Governor, Passes Sweeping School Choice Measure

Gov. Roy Cooper

The North Carolina legislature successfully overrode Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper’s veto Wednesday in a measure that opens up school choice vouchers to over 50,000 students.

The bill, Require ICE Cooperation & Budget Adjustments, added additional funds to the state’s school choice program for the thousands of students that have been held on a waitlist, according to The Center Square. Cooper vetoed the bill in September claiming it would have a “disastrous impact” on public schools, but the North Carolina House voted against the governor on Tuesday and the Senate finalized the veto override in a vote on Wednesday.

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Helene: Youngkin Requests $4.4 Billion in Federal Relief

Glenn Youngkin

In the wake of the devastation impacting southwestern Virginia following Hurricane Helene, Gov. Glenn Youngkin is requesting additional federal assistance to support recovery efforts.

Youngkin submitted a request for $4.4 billion in federal support on Friday to President Joe Biden, President-elect Donald Trump and congressional appropriators. The governor said the aid would support recovery efforts, which damaged farms, homes, businesses, “critical” infrastructure and tourism assets.

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Georgia Republicans Mark Guilty Verdict for Laken Riley’s Murderer as Democrats Mourn ‘Transgender Day of Remembrance’

Laken Riley

While the majority of Georgia Republicans issued statements on Wednesday marking the guilty verdict reached in the case against Jose Ibarra, who a court determined killed August University nursing student Laken Riley in February, at least three Democratic members of Georgia’s U.S. House delegation instead posted messages marking Transgender Day of Remembrance.

An illegal immigrant who entered the country in 2022, Ibarra was determined during the trial to be a member of the Venezuelan gang, Tren de Aragua. Prosecutors said he was “hunting for females” when he encountered Riley, who was jogging when she was attacked.

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Tennessee House Speaker Cameron Sexton Supports TFA, GOA Lawsuit over Memphis Gun Ordinance

Cameron Sexton

A spokesman for Tennessee House Speaker Cameron Sexton (R-Crossville) told The Tennessee Star on Wednesday that Sexton supports the lawsuit brought against the City of Memphis by the Tennessee Firearms Association (TFA) and Gun Owners of America (GOA) over its new gun ordinance that restrict Second Amendment within city limits.

The lawsuit was filed last week after Memphis voters passed legislation to require pistol licenses, impose red flag laws, and ban weapons deemed assault rifles, and Sexton’s spokesman confirmed his support for the lawsuit after the speaker previously promised the Tennessee House of Representatives would withhold Memphis’ share of state sales tax revenue if it imposed the ordinance.

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Speaker Mike Johnson Wants Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene ‘More Involved’ with House GOP After ‘Productive Meeting’

Speaker Mike Johnson, Rep. Margorie Taylor Greene

U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson reportedly said Tuesday that he wants Representative Marjorie Taylor Green (R-GA-14) to become “more involved” with the House Republicans on the heels of a “productive meeting” the two shared last week.

According to journalist Jordain Carney, who reports for German-owned Politico, Johnson told reporters on Tuesday that he and Greene discussed her role in the next Congress during a meeting held last week.

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Department of Justice Reports ‘Division-Wide System Outage’ as Tennessee Star Requests Release of Covenant Killer Manifesto

FBI HQ at dusk

The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) this week acknowledged a “division-wide system outage” impacted the DOJ’s Civil Division last weekend through a Monday court filing.

Both Star News Digital Media, Inc. (SNDM), which owns and operates The Tennessee Star, and Editor-in-Chief Michael Patrick Leahy are currently waiting for a response from the DOJ after inviting the FBI to drop its opposition to the release of the complete written works left by Covenant School killer Audrey Elizabeth Hale before the transition of government to President-elect Donald Trump.

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Tennessee Firearms Association, Gun Owners of America Sue City of Memphis over Gun Ordinances Violating State Law

Downtown Memphis

The Tennessee Firearms Association (TFA) and Gun Owners of America (GOA) on Monday announced their lawsuit against the City of Memphis after voters approved Ordinance 5908, a gun ordinance that requires permits to carry handguns, bans a series of guns determined “assault rifles,” and establishes extreme risk protection orders, or red flag laws, within the city limits.

In their November 13 lawsuit against Memphis, which requests immediate intervention to block the city’s ability to enforce the ordinance, the Second Amendment groups note the Memphis ordinance appears to violate Tennessee Code 39-17-1314(a), which specifically prohibits any Tennessee legislative body other than the General Assembly to regulate firearms or ammunition.

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