Category: The South

Trump Widens Georgia Lead over Harris as More Voters Now Hold Positive View of Former President, Quinnipiac Poll Shows

Tom Pappert
Donald Trump and Kamala Harris

Former President Donald Trump has widened his lead in Georgia over Vice President Kamala Harris, according to data released by Quinnipiac pollsters on Wednesday that also shows more Georgians now hold a favorable view of the Republican than his Democratic opponent.

The Quinnipiac University Poll data for Georgia found Trump now leads with the support of 50 percent of likely voters in the Peach State, while Harris trailed at 44 percent, with an additional 3 percent supporting other candidates.

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Poll: Trump Would Win the Florida Hispanic Vote with Strong Support from Cuban Americans

ADN America
Cubans for Trump

A survey published this Tuesday shows how Cuban-American voters in Florida would become a key support for Republican candidate Donald Trump a few weeks before the general elections in the United States.

The revelation came to light after a survey conducted by Telemundo Station Group and Mason-Dixon Polling & Strategy, Inc. in the Sunshine State, revealing the decisions Latino voters would make in this year’s presidential election.

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Harris-Walz Court Georgia’s Black Farmers Months After Court Blocks Biden Ag Program Exclusively Aiding Minority Farms

Tom Pappert

The Harris-Walz campaign reportedly drew more than 100 black farmers and supporters in Byromville, Georgia on Sunday as it targets rural voters in the Peach State in a bid to repeat the party’s 2020 victory.

Huffington Post deputy editor Philip Lewis reported the Harris-Walz occurred at Jibb’s Vineyard, which he described as a black-owned vineyard, and said it focused “on rural Black farmers.”

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Congresswoman Diana Harshbarger on the Ground in East Tennessee Helping Victims of Hurricane Helene

Kaitlin Housler
Diana Harshbarger

Tennessee U.S. Representative Diana Harshbarger (R-TN-01) has been on the ground meeting with East Tennessee residents impacted by Hurricane Helene and working to gather and distribute supplies to those in need in the aftermath of the storm.

Harshbarger, whose district stretches from the far northeastern point of the state down to the Gatlinburg area, and her staff have deployed to multiple counties impacted by the hurricane since flood waters devastated areas to assess each community’s needs and help distribute supplies.

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Clint Brewer: Tennesseans Response to Hurricane Helene Is a Testament to the Volunteer Spirit

Kaitlin Housler
Clint Brewer and MPL

Recovering journalist and Nashville-area public policy expert Clint Brewer said the response from Tennesseans to help residents of East Tennessee who Hurricane Helene impacted is a testament to the Volunteer spirit.

On September 26 and September 27, flash flooding from Hurricane Helene devastated buildings and roads in East Tennessee, which has since left eight dead, according to the Tennessee Department of Health.

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Memphis Man Who Allegedly Brought Illegal Gun to High School Now Charged with Robbery

Tom Pappert
Javarious Sistrunk

A 19-year-old Memphis man who was arrested after he allegedly brought a stolen gun to Hamilton High School was arrested again on Monday and remains behind bars after reportedly being charged with aggravated battery and possession of controlled substances.

Shelby County Sheriff’s Office records confirm Javarious Sistrunk is back in jail on Monday, where he is held on a $80,000 bond, after Action News 5 reported police accused him of robbing a woman and possessing a controlled substance on Monday night. 

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Former Virginia Teacher Receives $575,000 Settlement After Being Fired over Refusing to Use Transgender Pronouns

Tom Pappert
Peter Vlaming

A former teacher in Virginia received $575,000 in a settlement to end his lawsuit after he was fired by West Point High School in 2018 for refusing to use the preferred gender of a student who identified as transgender, the conservative legal organization behind the lawsuit announced on Tuesday.

The Alliance for Defending Freedom (ADF) announced on Tuesday it reached a settlement with the West Point School Board after the firing of Peter Vlaming, who taught French at West Point High School prior to his firing in 2018.

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Judge Strikes Down Georgia’s Six-Week Abortion Ban as Unconstitutional

Daily Caller News Foundation
Judge McBurney

A county superior judge declared on Monday that Georgia’s six-week abortion ban is unconstitutional and unenforceable under the state’s constitution.

Fulton County Superior Court Judge Robert McBurney ruled that the law breaches the Georgia Constitution, arguing that it’s protection of liberty includes allowing women to obtain an abortion up to the point the child is viable outside the womb, free from state interference, according to The Associated Press. The law, which had been effective since 2022, limited abortion access by prohibiting the procedure once fetal cardiac activity could be detected, often around six weeks into pregnancy.

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Tennessee Congressional Delegation Urges President Biden to Approve Updated Disaster Declaration Submitted by Governor Bill Lee

Kaitlin Housler
Joe Biden TN

All 11 members of the Tennessee congressional delegation sent a letter to President Joe Biden on Tuesday requesting the “swift approval” of Governor Bill Lee’s request for an updated major disaster declaration in the wake of flash flooding caused by the remnants of Hurricane Helene.

Lee initially requested federal assistance for Carter, Cocke, Greene, Hamblen, Hawkins, Johnson, Unicoi, and Washington counties following the flash flooding that devastated buildings and roads in East Tennessee on September 26 and September 27, which the president approved on Saturday.

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Federal Judge Tosses Lawsuit over Tennessee Trans Bathroom Law Filed by 8-Year-Old

Tom Pappert
Judge William "Chip" Campbell

U.S. District Judge William Campbell on Friday dismissed a lawsuit which sought to block Tennessee’s legislation requiring children use the bathroom that corresponds to their biological gender, determining courts have already determined the law is not discriminatory to men or women.

The litigation was launched in 2022 by an 8-year-old plaintiff named in the lawsuit as D.H., who is a biological male that identifies as a transgender female. The child’s mother accused Tennessee of legalizing “discrimination against helpless children” after the law was signed by Governor Bill Lee in 2021.

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Two Tennessee Cities Found to Have the Worst Drivers in America: Report

Kaitlin Housler

Two Tennessee cities have been ranked among the top 25 cities in the U.S. for having the worst drivers, according to ConsumerAffairs’ 2024 study analyzing driving records in the country.

The ConsumerAffairs Research Team took into consideration five crash factors to create a “crash score” for U.S. cities and states – the total car crash fatalities per 100,000 people; the number of fatal crashes due to bad driving per 100,000 people; the number of fatalities due to positive blood alcohol content per 100,000 people; the number of fatalities due to speeding per 100,000 people; and the number of fatalities involving driving under the influence per 100,000 people.

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Special Prosecutor Nathan Wade Subpoenaed by House Panel Regarding Relationship with DA Fani Willis

Just the News

A GOP-led U.S. House panel subpoenaed former special prosecutor Nathan Wade as part of an investigation into his romantic relationship with Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis. 

The House Judiciary Committee was unable to find Wade for days, but on Thursday was able to subpoena him and require that he come to Washington, D.C., for a hearing, according to AJC Politics.

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Illegal Immigrant Hit with 17 Charges in Nashville over Alleged Six-Mile Shooting Spree

Tom Pappert
Edixon Oniel Murillo-Antunez

The man charged with 17 crimes after he committed an alleged six-mile shooting spree that began at a park in Nashville is being held as illegal immigrant, Davidson County Sheriff’s Office records reveal after Edixon Oniel Murillo-Antunez was arrested on Wednesday.

Sheriff’s office records indicate Murillo-Antunez is held at Nashville’s Downtown Detention Center under an Immigration Customs and Enforcement (ICE) detainer after initially being granted the ability to secure his release with a bond.

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Sens. Blackburn, Hagerty Among Senators Seeking to Close ‘Loophole’ Biden-Harris Used to Grant Amnesty to Illegal Immigrants

Tom Pappert
illegal immigrants

New legislation introduced in the U.S. Senate on Thursday by a group of lawmakers, including Senators Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) and Bill Hagerty (R-TN), would eliminate the “loophole” used by the Biden-Harris administration to grant legal status to more than 500,000 illegal immigrants.

Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) is joined by the Visa Integrity Preservation Act by 13 other Republican senators, including Blackburn and Hagerty, in an effort they argue “ould close a loophole in current law that the Biden-Harris administration took advantage of in a June 2024 executive action to grant amnesty to illegal immigrants who entered the United States without inspection or overstayed a visa.”

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Virginia Poll Shows Tied Gubernatorial Race, Nearly Tied Presidential Race

The Center Square
VA GA Poll

Virginia’s current political contests could hardly be closer, according to the University of Mary Washington’s Center for Leadership and Media Studies Fall 2024 poll.

A little over a year out, the poll showed Rep. Abigail Spanberger, D-07, and Republican Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears, the leading candidates for the commonwealth’s 2025 gubernatorial race, in a dead heat. When respondents were asked who they would vote for between the two “if the election were held today,” 39% indicated Spanberger, and 39% indicated Earle-Sears. Twelve percent didn’t know who they’d vote for.

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Congresswoman Diana Harshbarger Explains House Republicans’ Strategy Behind Passing Short-Term Spending Bill to Fund the Government Until Dec. 20

Kaitlin Housler
Rep Diana Harshbarger

Tennessee U.S. Representative Diana Harshbarger (R-TN-01) said she still has faith in U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA-04) after House Republicans failed to band together and pass a continuing resolution tied to the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act and instead opted for a continuing resolution without the SAVE Act.

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Tennessee Proposal Could Send Children Who Threaten Schools to Juvenile Detention Centers, Fine Parents

Tom Pappert
Kid Being Bullied

Tennessee Professional Educators CEO JC Bowman told The Tennessee Star on Thursday he is crafting legislation to present to lawmakers that would give police the authority to immediately detain minors accused of threatening schools, giving officials a 72-hour window to determine whether their threats were credible while sending the bill to the parents of the accused.

The effort, which Bowman told The Star has already received attention from multiple lawmakers, comes amid a series of threats to Tennessee schools that have resulted in closures and law enforcement action across the state, including this week in Nashville.

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Covenant School Announces Plan for New Campus Years After Attack

Tom Pappert
Covenant School Gym

The Covenant School and Covenant Presbyterian Church announced in a joint statement Thursday that they will begin a capital campaign to move the school to a new campus years after the March 27, 2023, attack on the Nashville school.

A new web page for the capital campaign suggested the decision was prompted by the continued growth of the Covenant School. This growth prompted school and church officials to determine that students would return to the church campus for “a three-year rent-free lease agreement with continued financial support from the church.”

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White House Silent After Commerce Secretary Declares Trump Should be ‘Extinguished for Good’

Tom Pappert
Gina Raimondo

The Biden-Harris White House has yet to issue a response after Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo said former President Donald Trump should be “extinguished for good” during a Wednesday appearance on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” program known to be a favorite of President Joe Biden.

Raimondo told “Morning Joe” host Mika Brzezinski that Trump should be “extinguished” after he promised to protect women if elected in November in remarks made after the network clarified the commerce secretary appeared in her personal capacity.

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Tennessee AG Skrmetti Will Not Pursue Charges Against Nashville District Attorney Glenn Funk

Kaitlin Housler
Skrmetti and Funk

Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti sent a letter to Nashville District Attorney Glenn Funk on Wednesday announcing that he would not pursue charges against the 20th Judicial District Attorney General’s Office following a 19-month investigation into wiretapping concerns.

On February 10, 2023, Skrmetti launched a criminal probe into Funk’s office after revelations of listening devices being installed around the district attorney’s offices in downtown Nashville, as previously reported by The Tennessee Star.

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Rep. Andy Ogles Won 13-Point Primary Victory Despite Opponent’s Ties to Never Trump Political Machine, Including Consultant Blake Harris

Tom Pappert
Blake Harris and Courtney Johnston

The Never Trump political effort to unseat Representative Andy Ogles (R-TN-05) in the Tennessee Republican primary earlier this month failed. The incumbent ultimately trounced Metro Council Member Courtney Johnston with a 13-point victory.

Ogles sailed to victory despite Johnston boasting better campaign funding, the support of Never Trump political consultant and former Governor Bill Lee administration member Blake Harris, the benefit of anti-Trump political organization Conservatives with Character, and her campaign being treasured by seasoned fundraiser Kim Kaegi.

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Proposed Tennessee Board of Education Rules to Limit Public Comment Faces Public Opposition from Sen. Brent Taylor

Tom Pappert
Brent Taylor

New rules proposed by the Tennessee State Board of Education to the General Assembly last Thursday met strong public opposition from Senator Brent Taylor (R-Memphis), who on Tuesday vowed to vote against a change that would limit public comment to 10 individuals per topic and require parents to provide 48-hours notice of their intention to speak.

The rules were proposed during a Thursday meeting of the joint Government Operations Committee in the General Assembly. Among other new restrictions, they would limit comment to 10 members of the public per issue and require parents to fill out a form 48 hours in advance in order to speak.

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Group Opposed to Nashville Transit Referendum Argues Pitch Uses ‘Most Regressive Tax’ to Bus System ‘Plagued by Crime’

Tom Pappert
Freddie O'Connell

A group formed to oppose the Nashville transit referendum proposed by Mayor Freddie O’Connell warns the plan will have the largest financial impact on the city’s poorest population while boosting a bus system “plagued by crime” and offering minimal decreases to the city’s traffic congestion.

The Committee to Stop an UnFair Tax was organized in August when Axios reported former Metro Council Member Emily Evans, Davidson County Republican party leader Beth Campbell, and attorney Ferrell Neal were behind the effort.

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DOJ Publishes Letter by Alleged Attempted Trump Assassin Despite FBI Memo Policy Against Release of ‘Legacy Tokens’

Tom Pappert
Ryan Wesley Routh

A note purportedly written by Ryan Wesley Routh, who is accused of attempting to assassinate former President Donald Trump on September 15, was released on Monday by the Department of Justice (DOJ) in a public court filing.

According to the court filing, Routh asked an associate to keep a box of his belongings. After the attack, the associate opened the box and discovered the letter, wherein prosecutors claim Routh confirmed his intent to assassinate Trump and offered a $150,000 bounty should someone prove successful.

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GOP Sen Blackburn Highlights Ongoing Struggles in Fentanyl Crisis in New Video

Just the News
Senator Marsha Blackburn

Tennessee Republican Sen. Marsha Blackburn discussed the crushing and lasting impact of the fentanyl drug crisis in a video shared exclusively with Just The News.

The video features Blackburn speaking with a mother, Kathy Borum, who lost her eldest son, 17-year-old Vaughn-Thomas Borum, to what appeared to be accidental fentanyl overdose on Dec. 2, 2021. 

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Memphis Bus Riders Union Pushes Metal Detectors, Security Guards After Shooting Injures Passenger

Tom Pappert
Memphis Bus

The co-chair of the Memphis Bus Riders Union is calling for metal detectors or security guards to be included on the city’s bus network after a shooting left a passenger injured on Saturday.

An argument on a bus reportedly led a Memphis Area Transit Authority (MATA) driver to eject a passenger on Saturday evening, with News Channel 3 reporting police said the disgruntled man then fired one bullet into the bus, grazing one person who required hospitalization.

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Rep. Elise Stefanik Predicts ‘Trump is Going to Win Virginia’ at Rally as Poll Shows Race Tied

Tom Pappert
Rep Elise Stefanik

Representative Elise Stefanik (R-NY-21) on Saturday predicted former President Donald Trump will win Virginia during a Women for Trump rally in Charlottesville.

Stefanik made her remarks at the Women for Trump rally held at the Trump Winery in Charlottesville by Rally Virginia amid the release of polling that shows a statistical tie between Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris, who has sought to reverse the loss of Democratic support in Virginia that reportedly helped prompt President Joe Biden to drop his bid for reelection.

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Sponsor of Tennessee Abortion Trafficking Law Remains ‘Confident’ in Positive Outcome After Federal Judge Blocks Enforcement

Tom Pappert
Tennessee Str Rep. Jason Zachary and Judge Aleta Arthur Trauger

State Representative Jason Zachary (R-Knoxville) on Saturday confirmed he remains “confident” Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti will successfully defend the Tennessee law that bans abortion trafficking after U.S. District Judge Aleta Trauger (pictured above, left) temporarily blocked it with a Friday ruling.

In the latest development in the court case brought by Representative Aftyn Behn (D-Nashville) against the law which prohibits non-parental guardians from facilitating the travel of a minor for the purpose of obtaining an abortion, The Associated Press reported Trauger noted ruling the Tennessee General Assembly is prohibited from making “it a crime to communicate freely” about legal abortion.

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Poll: Trump, Harris in Virtual Dead Heat in Georgia

The Center Square
Kamala Harris and Donald Trump

Former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris are virtually tied in a new poll of likely voters in Georgia.

According to the American Greatness/TIPP poll of 835 likely voters conducted from Sept. 16-18 in conjunction with TechnoMetrica Institute of Policy and Politics, Trump holds the slightest of leads, 47.9% to 47.6%, over Harris, well within the poll’s ±3.5% margin of error. An additional 3.6% of respondents said they were unsure and 0.8% said another candidate.

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Poll: Harris, Trump Tied in Virginia

The Center Square
Kamala Harris and Donald Trump

As early voting gets underway Friday in Virginia, a new poll shows Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump in a dead heat in the commonwealth.

A poll conducted by the Center for Leadership and Media Studies at the University of Mary Washington shows Harris leads Trump by 1%, with the vice president at 47% and the former president at 46%. The poll was conducted among 1,000 Virginians on Sept. 3-9, before the first and what appears to be the only debate between Harris and Trump.

The result is a statistical tie, given the margin of error is +/- 3.0%.

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Florida Prepaid College Tuition Program Providing Refunds to Parents

The Center Square
College Students

Florida’s prepaid college tuition plan is generating enough revenue to provide refunds to parents in part because of strong earnings on the plan’s investments and low tuition statewide.

Gov. Ron DeSantis said this week part of those savings is how the state has held down tuition and other costs at the state’s colleges and universities. The plan factors in future tuition costs and when those costs don’t reach predictions, families can receive a refund.

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Loudoun County Guaranteed Income Pilot Program Voted Down

The Center Square
Counting Money

After months of discussion and the adoption of similar programs by some of its neighbors, Loudoun County leadership voted down a guaranteed income pilot program.

In a surprising turn of events, Loudoun County’s Board of Supervisors abandoned the pursuit of a new economic mobility pilot in a 3-5-1 vote. Months earlier, in May, the board had voted 6-2-1 in favor of appropriating $2 million of county fund balance dollars to the program’s development.

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Six Books Removed from Tennessee Schools Contained Graphic Sex Scenes, Depictions of Slavery

Tom Pappert
School Board Meeting

Six books were successfully removed from schools in Rutherford County, Tennessee on Friday after school board members voted Thursday to place literature with graphic adult themes on a “mature reading list” that would prevent students from accessing the materials.

Multiple members of the public spoke ahead of the meeting, including a father named James Faulkner, who read from one of the books he argued includes “clear and obvious sections of pornographic scenes” that are unsuitable for minors.

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Florida Senators Introduce Legislation to Increase the Reward for Nicolás Maduro to $100 Million

ADN America
Nicolas Maduro

U.S. Senators Rick Scott and Marco Rubio on Thursday introduced a bill calling for increasing the reward for information leading to the capture of Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro.

The Ensuring Timely Payment Opportunities and Maximizing Rewards for Stopping Illegal Regime Officials (STOP MADURO) Act seeks to increase the reward amount from $15 million to a maximum of $100 million.

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