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Report: Government Workers in Tennessee Steal Millions

Chris Butler
Tennessee Capital building

Local governments in Tennessee are short more than $3.75 million of taxpayer money they’re supposed to already have in their coffers, according to two new reports from the Tennessee Comptrollers’ Office. That’s because too many local government employees are stealing the money you worked so hard for — and they’re spending it on themselves, Comptrollers said in two new reports. The reports detail money that went missing during the most recent fiscal years.  One report profiled how much money went missing from local county governments — more than $971,000. Another report detailed cash shortages and other thefts for other local government entities, including internal school funds, utility districts, housing authorities, and nonprofits. For that, Comptrollers said there was a shortage of more than $2.7 million. Combined, both reports detail about 50 examples of government waste, fraud, and abuse in Tennessee. Among only a few of the examples: • An employee in the Bradley County Mayor’s Office, according to Comptrollers, paid fictitious persons for contracted services. That employee used that money, more than $15,000, for personal gain. • The Cocke County Office of Clerk and Master had a cash shortage of more than $101,000 due to theft and conversion of office…

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Gillum, Nelson Lawyers Fight to Include Non-Citizen’s Vote in Florida

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by Luke Rosiak   Lawyers for Florida Democratic candidates Andrew Gillum and Bill Nelson both fought to prevent a non-citizen’s vote from being excluded Friday night, according to a transcript of a Palm Beach County Canvassing Board proceeding obtained by the Daily Caller News Foundation. Michael Barnett, chairman of the Palm Beach Republican Party, told TheDCNF that the county’s canvassing board was going through provisional ballots and quickly deciding whether to allow or disallow each. This exchange is of the first non-citizen’s vote they encountered. “We had a court reporter that we hired to sit in the proceedings, which are public,” he said. The vote was disallowed despite the objections of the lawyers because two of the three members of the canvassing board ruled that it was an impermissible vote, he said. Marc Elias, a lawyer for Nelson, told TheDCNF: “The lawyer who was present was not someone we had authorized to make such an objection. Non-citizens cannot vote in U.S. elections.” He did not explain how the lawyer, Mr. Scarola, came to be representing Nelson’s interests in Palm Beach. Barry Richard, a lawyer for Gillum, did not immediately return a request for comment. The provisional ballots are being counted as…

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Left-Wing Activist Who Disrupted Marsha Blackburn Rally Plans to Visit Her U.S. Senate Office

Chris Butler

The man who disrupted a Marsha Blackburn rally almost two weeks ago said on his Facebook page he will visit Blackburn and her staff in her new office after she takes the oath as U.S. senator. As The Tennessee Star reported, that man, Vanderbilt Divinity School student Justin Jones, did something similar last year with former Republican State Sen. Mae Beavers. In that case Jones occupied Beavers’ office and harassed her for three weeks. Jones made his intentions clear this week, one day after the election. “Somebody tell sister Marsha that the U.S. Senate office is a public office— it’s The People’s office— and unlike her campaign events she can’t have Tennesseans profiled, thrown out, and arrested simply for being there,” Jones wrote on his personal Facebook page. “We will show up, we will raise the issues that impact our communities, and we will NOT accommodate ourselves to injustice.” Jones, however, will have his own appointment with the justice system in Nashville before Blackburn is sworn in as a U.S. senator this January. The self-promoting Vanderbilt University Divinity School student has been charged with criminal trespassing and resisting arrest for his conduct at a rally Blackburn had late last month…

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Lost Video Rant By State Representative-Elect London Lamar Saying ‘Tennessee Is Racist’ Retrieved

Chris Butler

A livestreamed video showing newly-elected State Rep. London Lamar (D-Memphis) complaining Tennessee is full of racists and uneducated white people got removed from Lamar’s Facebook page Friday. But The Tennessee Star has a copy, which readers may find here:   The video was apparently originally published Wednesday morning, and includes Lamar’s analysis of the midterm election results. “Looking here at Tennessee, let’s just call a spade a spade,” Lamar said in the video, beginning at the 2:01 mark. “Tennessee is racist, period. Period. And if you for one moment thought that white people in Tennessee were going to leave their own to jump over here and give us more access, they just told you last night it’s not happening,” Lamar continued. “If we look at some of the numbers last night, white men voted Republican well over 60 or 70 percent,” the newly elected Democrat State Representative from Memphis added. “Obviously, that is a particular base of people who believe in superiority. They don’t believe in sharing their wealth. They don’t believe in sharing resources. They believe that you need to work for your own, and they went to the polls and voted,” Lamar added. Later in the video, at…

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Judd Matheny Commentary: Phil Bredesen Put Partisan Politics over People in the Fight Against Meth

Tennessee Star Staff

by State Rep. Judd Matheny (R-Tullahoma)   As Phil Bredesen runs for Senate this year, he’s asking you to look back on his time as governor. He is highlighting what he did but he is misleading voters about what that record actually is. He regularly claimed that he “cut meth production in half” while Governor of Tennessee until the Washington Post fact-checked the ad and gave it “Three Pinocchio’s” for being untrue. While that’s bad enough, the real story is much worse. I was elected to the legislature in 2002 and wanted to use my experience to solve problems. Having spent most of my adult life in law enforcement, I saw how the scourge of meth and meth labs were impacting rural communities: overdoses and death, children removed from their homes and toxic meth lab cleanup sites. The problem was huge and required a non-partisan approach.  Throughout 2003 and 2004 I worked with both Democrats and Republicans to create the Tennessee Comprehensive Methamphetamine Prevention, Treatment and Control Act of 2004.  But when it came time to seek Governor Bredesen’s help to pass the bill into law, I was shocked at his response. Ushered into a meeting with Bredesen’s Deputy Governor…

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Political Correctness Detours Us from Biblical Truths, Visiting Scholar Kelly Kullberg Says

Chris Butler

NASHVILLE, Tennessee–Socialism is a less loving form of government than one that nurtures human creativity. Building walls and teaching a nation to rebuild its faith and its culture is sometimes important. Pansexuality or an anything goes culture shepherds no progress. You won’t hear these things come out of the mouths of the trendy and the politically correct among us, but they are some of our most important Biblical truths. And the world suffers because it seems to have long forgotten those truths, said Kelly Kullberg with the American Association of Evangelicals. AAE is a growing and informal coalition of Christian Americans who want to do three things. One is get back to a Christ-centered Gospel. The second is to explore Biblical worldviews on many issues. The third is to stand up to Gospel opponents. Kullberg was in Nashville this week and spoke with The Tennessee Star. She is most well-known for starting the Veritas Forum at Harvard University in 1992. Veritas has expanded to more than 200 universities and explores hard questions about the Bible and Jesus Christ. “Politically correct people need to use their brains and their hearts and think about what causes suffering and what causes flourishing,” Kullberg…

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Fox News Poll: Blackburn Leads Bredesen by Three in Tennessee Senate Race, 47 to 44

Tennessee Star Staff

A new Fox News poll of likely Tennessee voters indicates that Republican Marsha Blackburn is leading Democrat Phil Bredesen in the race for the open U.S. Senate seat by a three point margin, 47-44, with eight percent remaining undecided. The Blackburn lead is within the poll’s margin of error. In the Governor’s race, Republican Bill Lee enjoys a significant twenty point lead, 55-35%, over Democrat Karl Dean. Ten percent remain undecided. Backburn’s television ads in the campaign have relied heavily on tying her to President Donald Trump. With the Fox News poll revealing that the President has a 58-38% approval/disapproval rating among Tennessee likely voters her strategy seems to be on track. Blackburn and Bredesen enjoy similar approval/disapproval numbers, which may indicate that the Trump factor is the difference in the race at this point. Blackburn has a 51-39 approval/disapproval gap while Bredesen’s is slightly better at 54-36. Tennessee Star Political Editor Steve Gill cautions that the Fox News poll seems a bit more heavily weighted to the Republicans than Democrats so the results should be viewed with that in mind. “The poll construction has 35% Democrats and 53% Republicans with 12% described as Independent,” Gill notes. “I think the…

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Google Video Leaked to Breitbart Confirms Tech Giant Wants to Destroy Trump Agenda

Anthony Gockowski

A new video leaked exclusively to Breitbart News Wednesday shows high-ranking Google executives plotting to use their tech resources to thwart the Trump agenda during an hour-long weekly rap session. The video, recorded during a 2016 “all hands” meeting at Google’s headquarters, features co-founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin, Vice Presidents Kent Walker and Eileen Naughton, CFO Ruth Porat, and CEO Sundar Pichai. At one point in the recording, Porat breaks down into tears and vows to “use the great strength and resources and reach we have to continue to advance really important values.” Naughton, meanwhile, assures Google employees in the audience that the company’s policy team in the nation’s capitol is “all over” the immigration issue and will continue to “keep a close watch on it,” later discussing options with employees who wish to leave the country. Brin, one of the company’s co-founders, states that “most people here are pretty upset and pretty sad,” saying she was “deeply offended” by President Donald Trump’s election, and adding that Trump’s agenda “conflicts with many of [Google’s] values.” “Fear, not just in the United States, but around the world is fueling concerns, xenophobia, hatred, and a desire for answers that may or…

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Nashville Left-Wing Activists Predict SCOTUS Nominee Kavanaugh Will Spawn Terror … at Protest Event Held on 9-11

Chris Butler
prostest

About 20 people representing far-left activist groups assembled in Nashville Tuesday to spout off clichéd talking points about the horrors U.S. Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh might supposedly inflict upon America. The comments came 17 years to the day after Islamist terrorists flew airplanes into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon on September 11, 2001, killing more than 3,000 Americans in the process. They assembled on the front steps of the district offices of Tennessee’s two U.S. Republican senators, Lamar Alexander and Bob Corker, in Nashville’s West End. Someone from Indivisible Tennessee spoke. Someone from the American Muslim Advisory Council had something to say, as did someone from the Tennessee Activist Coalition. Some speakers also represented the Vanderbilt Divinity School Racial Justice Collaborative. The motley crew of Trump-detesting rabble-rousers said they would backdrop themselves with “a mountain of paper reams representing the 100,000 documents still unavailable to the public” about Kavanaugh. But in person all they had were empty cardboard boxes. Of all the speakers, Justin Jones, a Vanderbilt student, was perhaps the most dramatic when speaking of the Kavanaugh nomination and what he said were the ultimate insidious goals of Washington, D.C. Republicans. “In 10 years America will…

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Dr. Mark Green Commentary on 9-11

Tennessee Star Staff

by State Senator Dr. Mark Green (R-Clarksville)   Seventeen years ago, on 9/11/2001, I was preparing as the chief resident of Fort Hood Emergency Medicine Residency program to drive to San Antonio for a joint educational program with the Brooke Army Medical Center emergency medicine residents. After turning on the TV, I quickly called their chief resident and together we canceled the joint training to happen that night. As one Army chief resident in emergency medicine spoke calmly with the chief resident of another Army emergency medicine residency, we knew what was coming. We had both served in the Army prior to our becoming medical officers, doctors, and we both knew our classmates and the rest of the Army would soon face the challenges of war. We hung up wishing each other and our teams Godspeed. I would see him almost die in Iraq. We’ve lost touch, but reflecting back on that day I was honored to have him on the other line. It’s hard to imagine now but there are young men and women who are enlisting in the Army in their senior year into the early accessions program, assuming it still exists that way, who were not yet…

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EXCLUSIVE: MyPillow’s Mike Lindell Opens Up About Trump, Crack, ‘Evil’ Ellison, and More

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Mike Lindell

Mike Lindell, founder and CEO of MyPillow, first met President Donald Trump the summer before the 2016 election. “When I met him, I go: ‘Wow, there’s nobody on this planet I’d rather have be my president than Donald Trump,’” he told The Minnesota Sun, a state-focused news site that, like The Tennessee Star, is a wholly owned subsidiary of Star News Digital Media. Lindell was launched into the political scene after that summer meeting when he came out in support of then-candidate Trump. “First of all, let me get it straight. I was never a politician. I didn’t know a conservative from a liberal before I met Donald Trump,” he said in an interview. “I went all-in to back him and to get behind him to be our president. That’s when I actually had to learn what liberal is and what conservatism was. I had to learn all this.” Since then, Lindell has doubled-down on his support for the president, and has done so proudly. The MyPillow founder was recently chastised on social media for refusing to pull his advertisements from Laura Ingraham’s Fox News show. “I didn’t back down. I advertise across the board,” Lindell said, noting that he’s…

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Expert: Phil Bredesen Won’t Comment on Brett Kavanaugh Until It’s Safe

Chris Butler
John Ryder

U.S. Senate Democratic candidate Phil Bredesen of Tennessee, if he so chose, could stop all the guessing and announce any time whether he supports U.S. Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh. But he likely won’t comment until and if he thinks it safe. After all, he can’t displease his liberal base, said John Ryder, a Memphis attorney who also chairs the Republican National Lawyers Association. Republican President Donald Trump nominated Kavanaugh. “I think he (Bredesen) will wait until it’s safe to say he is for Kavanaugh because he has to get a significant number of Republican votes to have any chance of winning this election,” Ryder told The Tennessee Star. “Saying he would vote for Kavanaugh is one way to do that, but if he says that too early then he risks alienating his liberal activist base. Bredesen will wait until some other sitting Democratic senator announces for Kavanaugh. That makes it safe for Bredesen to do that without totally offending his base, and it enables him to look moderate to the Republicans he needs to convince.” Thus far, Bredesen and his campaign staff have yet to return The Star’s repeated requests for comment. Ryder said if Bredesen was in the…

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Dr. Carol Swain Commentary: Barack Obama and the Evil Plan to Destroy President Trump

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by Dr. Carol M. Swain   As we move toward the midterm elections, former President Barack Obama is back in the news, working overtime to make himself relevant by claiming partial credit for the Trump economic growth and prosperity. We should be alarmed because of what we know about the Obama presidency and its disregard for American traditions about elections and how one treats political opponents. There is no sense of protocol or qualms about abusing power or trampling the U.S. Constitution. Presidential protocol once meant former Presidents showed a measure of deference and respect for current officeholders. Former President Jimmy Carter, in 2007, broke this precedent when he called George W. Bush’s presidency, the “worst in history.” Until 2007, Carter was the uncontested winner of the worst modern presidency in history. But then I digress. President Obama is obsessed with President Trump, and Obama is supported by his army of paid and unpaid protesters as seen in Organizing for Action, a pro-Obama group that will not leave the president alone. Given the corruption in the FBI and Department of Justice during the Obama years, the unprecedented use of the institutions of government against political opponents, and the never-ending Mueller investigation,…

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Memphis Tells Police Not to Cooperate with ICE

Chris Butler

Shelby County officials arrest suspected illegal immigrants. If this happened in a lot of other places, the feds would step in and ask the county to detain these suspected illegals for up to 48 hours after their scheduled release. Officers with the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Office would then come get them. This is a common thing since U.S. President Donald Trump assumed office. But not in Shelby County. County officials, specifically the folks at the county attorney’s office, tell their law enforcement officers to ignore the feds, especially ICE. They said such requests likely violate the 10th Amendment ban against commandeering of local governments by the feds. Members of the county attorney’s office also say the requests likely violate the Fourth Amendment protection against arrests without probable cause. Despite this, members of the sheriff’s office have found a loophole. Sheriff’s deputies will release suspected illegal immigrants, but they will notify ICE agents about when, precisely, they’ll release those people. This according an article this week in The Memphis Commercial Appeal. “Sheriff’s policy adviser Debra Fessenden says ICE is still notified whenever a non-citizen is booked into the jail. The immigration agency is allowed to make arrests at the…

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Sen. Lamar Alexander Commentary: GOP Accomplishments

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Lamar Alexander

by Senator Lamar Alexander   When I travel across Tennessee some people say, “I sure am glad I don’t have your job.” My answer is always, “I’m also glad you don’t have my job because I like my job, and I thank you for it.” And then someone will say, “Why don’t you guys ever do anything? What difference does a Republican majority make?” My answer is to hand them my Republican accomplishments card – a scorecard that lists what President Trump and a Republican Congress have been able to accomplish in the last 18 months. Best economy in 18 years, the biggest tax reform in 31 years, military support is the strongest it has been in 15 years, numerous regulations have been repealed, one confirmed Supreme Court justice and another Supreme Court nominee, 23 conservative U.S. Circuit Court judges confirmed, opened up Alaska to energy development after 38 years. We have a new National Labor Relations Board. We repealed Obamacare’s individual mandate penalty, repealed Dodd-Frank mortgage rules, passed legislation to improve veterans’ health care, and passed sanctions on Iran, Russia and North Korea. All of this in the last 18 months – the most important accomplishments by a conservative government in…

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Tennesseans Are Speaking Out Over Bredesen-Backing Democratic Spokesman Mark Brown’s Cursing Rants Against Trump Supporters

Jason M. Reynolds
Tennesseans

Members of the Tennessee Republican Party have plenty to say about Democrat Mark Brown’s vulgar comments. Brown, a spokesman for the Tennessee Democratic Party, has been saying a variety of four-letter words and other unsavory things regarding President Donald Trump, his supporters, conservatives and Republicans, The Tennessee Star reported Tuesday. He said those who voted for Trump are “idiots.” One past tweet was “f*** ‘reaching out’ to Trump voters. The idiots aren’t listening.” Brown also has been serving as a spokesman for Phil Bredesen’s U.S. Senate run. Bredesen expressed outrage over Vice President Mike Pence calling him a “liberal.” Bredesen said that was “name-calling.” Republicans, understandably, are not happy. The Tennessee Republican Party issued a press release with the reactions of Republicans and other Tennesseans: Lt. Governor Randy McNally: “Writing off the forgotten men & women who rose up on November 8, 2016 is the height of political ignorance. Over one million Tennesseans voted for @POTUS. If you are attempting to reach them, you need to listen to them, not talk down to them. Unacceptable.” (Twitter, 7/30/18) State Rep. Ron Gant, 94th District: “Unhinged comments from @TNDP spokesman Mark Brown @Gilgamark . Out of touch and out of line. #CanYouPhilIt” (Twitter, 7/30/18) State Sen. Jack Johnson, 23rd District: “Remember this…

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Phil Bredesen Fails to Disavow Tennessee Democratic Party Spokesman Who Said ‘F*** Reaching Out to Trump Voters. The Idiots Aren’t Listening’

Jason M. Reynolds
Mark Brown

Republicans are raising a ruckus over a spokesman for the Tennessee Democratic Party’s use of foul language and name-calling, especially since that spokesman has been vigorously promoting the candidacy of Democrat Phil Bredesen for the U.S. Senate, who has expressed outrage at being called a “liberal.” The former governor, who is running in the U.S. Senate race against Rep. Marsh Blackburn (R-TN-07), said last week it was “name-calling” when Vice President Mike Pence said he is a “liberal.” However, Tennessee Republicans say Bredesen is deaf when it comes to the many imprecations uttered by state Democratic communications official Mark Brown, the Washington Free Beacon said. Brown, who has been promoting Bredesen’s campaign in his role as a spokesman for the Tennessee Democratic Party, in the past has tweeted “f*** ‘reaching out’ to Trump voters. The idiots aren’t listening.” The Tennessee Star reached out to the Bredesen campaign to ask if the former governor disavowed the Tennessee Democratic Party spokesman Mark Brown, or his foul-mouthed comments about the 1.5 million Trump voters in Tennessee. The Bredesen campaign did not respond. Bredesen’s failure to disavow Brown’s vulgar comments is not expected to sit well with Tennesseans, who are well known for their civility…

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Rumor Control: Setting the Record Straight on PreK/Kindergarten Portfolios

JC Bowman
JC Bowman

Social media was hard at it this weekend over the PreK/Kindergarten Student Growth Portfolio Model.  While Professional Educators of Tennessee is not sold on the portfolio process, it is the current law (see T.C.A. §§ 49-6-103–49-6-110).  We believe the current portfolio system takes up too much time for our educators.  However, the inaccurate information about pre-K and kindergarten portfolios was spreading way faster than a speeding bullet.  So, let’s set the record straight with some accurate details. There was no computer glitch or computer error related to portfolios. We confirmed this with a simple phone call to the Tennessee Department of Education.  There statement was:  “There was no error by our vendor, and there was no computer glitch.”  The Department further explained:  Teachers receive an overall portfolio growth score based on their scores on four separate collections, which look at students’ growth over the course of the school year on specific standards. Some teachers mismatched students and/or standards when they were inputting their portfolio information. In those cases, the issue was flagged by a peer reviewer and the teacher received a score of a 1 on that specific collection, which was by design if this mismatch occurred. For example, a…

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Memphis Democrat Steve Cohen Increasingly Unhinged, Calls President Trump and Rudy Giuliani ‘Pathological Liars’

Steve Morley
Steve Cohen

Memphis-area Democrat Representative Steve Cohen appeared on MSNBC’s “Live With Alex Witt” Sunday to react to the latest, if unusual, developments with former Trump attorney Michael Cohen (no relation) and Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s ongoing ‘Trump-Russia Collusion’ investigation. The five-term congressman has a well-established record of vitriolic statements aimed at conservative and Rebublicans, but Cohen managed to “find a new gear” when President Trump surprised the world with his election victory over Hillary Clinton in 2016. Since then, the avowed progressive has become uncreasingly unhinged as his efforts to block, obstruct, resist, and even oust President Trump or his policy agenda have failed. Regarding new questions about Michael Cohen’s credibility, Alex Witt asked if the fact that Cohen has been exposed as “wiretapping” his clients impairs his belivability on the stand, “Or do you believe it is the President who loses in the credibility department?” Rep Cohen, who is a member of the House Judiciary Committee answered, “I think that Michael Cohen, Rudy Giuliani and Donald Trump have about the same amount of credibility. They all use, at best, situational ethics – but probably more likely they just lie constantly, and they’re all three pathological liars.” (emphasis added) Surprised at the…

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EXCLUSIVE: Marsha Blackburn Tells The Tennessee Star ‘Chuck Schumer Has Bought and Paid For Phil Bredesen’s Vote’

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Steve Gill, Marsha Blackburn

In an exclusive interview with Tennessee Star Political Editor Steve Gill on Friday, U.S. Senate hopeful Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN-07) hit her Democratic opponent square in the jaw, calling him out over one of his greatest vulnerablities. “Chuck Schumer has bought and paid for Phil Bredesen’s vote,” Blackburn told Gill. Senator Schumer (D-NY)- who is currently the Senate Minority Leader and is poised to become Senate Majority Leader should the Democrats’ “blue wave” come to the U.S. Senate in this November’s midterm elections – is said to have personally recruited Bredesen out of retirement to run when Senator Bob Corker (R-TN) opted not to run for a third term “When you look at the Senate race that you’re in the midst of, what we hear from Phil Bredesen is that he’s going to be a different kind of Democrat – but you don’t see different kinds of Democrats in the Senate. And when we look at what Chuck Schumer and Nancy Pelosi are saying – Chuck Schumer has recruited Phil Bredesen into this race – they want to raise taxes if they get back in control of the Senate and the House,” Gill noted. Blackburn made it clear Bredesen is…

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Volkswagen’s ‘Diesel-Gate’ Hits Tennessee As Company Plans to Dump Hundreds of Thousands of ‘Fixed’ Cars in U.S.

Tennessee Star Staff
Martin Winterkorn

Will hundreds of thousands of Volkswagen diesel vehicles that have been the subject of U.S. and international criminal and civil actions after it was discovered that the vehicles had been rigged to “cheat” emissions testing soon be sold in Tennessee? It appears so, though few state or federal officials seem to be engaged in the issue on behalf of Tennessee consumers and business owners at this point. In June, German prosecutors fined Volkswagen $1.2 billion for rigging diesel engine emissions testing around the world. The prosecutor noted in making the announcement that it was one of the highest fines ever imposed on a company in Germany. Volkswagen accepted the penalty, which related to inadequate oversight in the department that develops powertrains — engines and transmission systems. Approximately 10.7 million vehicles were sold to customers in the United States, Canada and worldwide “with an impermissible software function in the period from mid-2007 until 2015,” Volkswagen said in a statement acknowledging their role in what has been dubbed “Diesel-gate.” Last year Volkswagen agreed to pay $4.3 billion in U.S. criminal and civil fines for the company’s diesel emissions cheating scandal.  A federal grand jury in Michigan also indicted six Volkswagen employees and…

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Commentary: What Happened to Williamson County?

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Williamson County

by Ira Weiss and Don Barnett   As you travel about Williamson County you can’t help but notice the construction sites everywhere. Maybe it is time to take a closer look before you wake up one morning to find you no longer live in the suburbs or exurbs, but live in an environment that looks more like a city replete with tall buildings, massive traffic – including commuter rail and heavy bus and truck traffic, and other urban necessities. What is driving the higher growth in Williamson County? In 2012, the Williamson County Commission contracted with the Williamson Chamber of Commerce – which also calls itself Williamson Inc. – to promote growth. The result has been growth on steroids. In fact, the Chamber is contractually obligated to secure a minimum of 25 corporate relocation and expansion projects for the current fiscal year alone.  As part of its mandate it must achieve a level of job growth in Williamson County that is at least 25% higher than that of the national county average.  And all of this deal-making is happening in private with almost no input from county residents. For its efforts to promote hyper growth the Chamber has received nearly…

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Democrat Rep. Steve Cohen Denies Tweet ‘Where is Our Military Folks? The Commander in Chief is in the Hands of Our Enemy!’ Was Call for Military Coup Against President Trump

Tennessee Star Staff

Rep. Steve Cohen (D-TN-09) denied this afternoon that his tweet earlier in the day in which he stated “Where is our military folks? Commander in chief is in the hands of the enemy” was a call for a military coup against President Trump. Where are our military folks ? The Commander in Chief is in the hands of our enemy! https://t.co/3eF7OLKEdN — Steve Cohen (@RepCohen) July 16, 2018   Cohen attempted to “clarify” what seemed to many to be a call for a military coup against President Trump on Twitter about an hour later in response to a tweet from Christopher D. White of the Daily Caller News Foundation, but did not appear to do so successfully. “I assume you mean: why aren’t members of the military sounding off on this? Not. Why isn’t the military taking up positions to take out the POTUS? Because it’s not totally clear,” White asked. “Of course,” Cohen responded. — Steve Cohen (@RepCohen) July 16, 2018 White pushed back. “Of course *what*? Which is it?” he tweeted. Cohen did not respond.   Of course *what*? Which is it? https://t.co/x31k59eWSG — Christopher D. White (@ZanderKelly30) July 16, 2018 Just last week, Cohen attempted to walk…

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San Francisco’s New Mayor Says Her City Is Drowning In Human Waste: ‘There’s More Feces … Than I’ve Ever Seen’

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by Andrew Kerr   San Francisco Mayor London Breed said the streets of her city are flooded with the excrement of the homeless in an interview Friday. Breed, a Democrat who was inaugurated as the San Francisco’s mayor Wednesday, urged homeless advocacy groups that receive money from the city to teach homeless people to “clean up after themselves.” “There is more feces on the sidewalks than I’ve ever seen growing up here,” Breed told KNTV. “That is a huge problem and we are not just talking about from dogs — we’re talking about from humans.” The streets of San Francisco are littered with a “dangerous mix of drug needles, garbage, and feces”, KNTV’s investigative team reported in February after surveying the city’s streets. “We see poop, we see pee, we see needles, and we see trash,” preschool teacher Adelita Orellana told KNTV. “Sometimes they ask what is it, and that’s a conversation that’s a little difficult to have with a 2-year old, but we just let them know that those things are full of germs, that they are dangerous, and they should never be touched.” There are about 7,500 homeless people living in San Francisco according to the city, which will spend nearly $280 million this year on…

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Diane Black Wins Davidson County GOP Straw Poll For Governor

Jason M. Reynolds
Diane Black, Bill Lee, Randy Boyd

Gubernatorial candidate Diane Black won a straw poll at the Davidson County Republican Party picnic Saturday, a blog reported. U.S. Rep. Black (R-TN) received 116 votes in the governor’s primary straw poll, according to a blog called “A Disgruntled Republican in Nashville.” Rod Williams is the author. Second place went to Bill Lee, 106 votes. Other results were: Beth Harwell, 28 votes, Kay White, 11 votes and Randy Boyd, 2 votes. Williams says it appears many of the candidates brought their voters to the picnic at the Centennial Park event shelter. “Still, I was surprised that Randy Boyd only got two votes,” Williams said. About 300 people attended. Black spoke at the gathering, while other candidates’ representatives also spoke. The picnic straw poll is merely the latest forecasting in the Tennessee gubernatorial race. Boyd led Black by 32 percent to 27 percent among likely Republican gubernatorial primary voters in a Tennessee Star poll released June 29. The battle for the Republican nomination for governor is a three-way race, the poll showed, with Lee surging into a strong third position, with 20 percent. Harwell is no longer a factor in the Republican gubernatorial primary, coming in a distant fourth position with only 7…

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Autopsy Finds Ohio Police Chief Died of a Fentanyl Overdose

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by Steve Birr   The recent death of an Ohio police chief was the result of a fentanyl overdose, an autopsy report released Friday by a local coroner determined. Authorities in Reynoldsburg, Ohio, found Kirkersville Police Chief James Hughes Jr. dead in the bathroom of his home on May 25, along with a plastic sandwich bag containing cocaine residue and two syringes that later tested positive for fentanyl, a synthetic opioid roughly 50 to 100 times more powerful than morphine. Hughes was police chief for little more than two months before his death, reported WCMH. The autopsy report, issued by the Franklin County Coroner’s Office, said Hughes died from “acute intoxication by fentanyl,” which they found to be the result of an accidental overdose. Hughes’s death is the second tragedy to befall the Kirkersville Police Department in the past year. The community lost Chief Steven Eric DiSario in May 2017 after he was fatally shot while responding to a hostage situation. The coroner’s report underscores the dire nature of the opioid crisis spreading across the state. Ohio currently has the second largest drug overdose death rate in the country, trailing only West Virginia. Nearly 40 in 100,000 people die from drug-related overdoses in Ohio. The state lost 4,329 residents to drug overdoses in 2016, a 24 percent increase…

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Commentary: Paul Manafort Is a Political Prisoner

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Paul Manafort

By Printus LeBlanc   Paul Manafort is in a fight for his life, literally. He is currently facing up to 305 years in prison if he is convicted of all the crimes he is alleged to have committed by Special Counsel Robert Mueller. Manafort is currently in solitary confinement for 23 hours a day now as terrorists at GITMO are live better than he does. For what? Did this man murder, rape, or commit an act of violence? No. Surely, he is a mastermind behind a criminal organization spanning the globe? No. Paul Manafort is in jail for one reason and one reason only, he worked for President Trump during his election campaign. The trial of Paul Manafort makes participation in the political process illegal. The Mueller investigation has been tainted from the beginning. Robert Mueller staffed the investigation with over a dozen partisan lawyers and investigators. Many of the investigators also have disturbing conflicts of interests while others have horrendous records at the DOJ. It is easy to call the investigation phony because Mueller’s team hasn’t investigated anything to do with Russia collusion. The team has not taken control of the DNC server to prove Russia hacked the server. The Russian lawyer…

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Democrat Steve Cohen Tries to Walk Back Purple Heart Slur of Veterans

Jason M. Reynolds
Steve Cohen

U.S. Rep Steve Cohen (D-TN) wants to take it back after drawing fire for flippantly telling anti-Trump FBI lovebird Peter Strzok he wanted to give him a Purple Heart during a Congressional hearing. The Memphis Democrat made the remark during the disgraced FBI agent’s heated testimony in front of the House Oversight and Judiciary committees regarding his bias against President Donald Trump. For an analysis of the hearing, click here. Even reporter Aaron Blake of the Washington Post was dumbfounded: https://twitter.com/AaronBlake/status/1017476103794028550?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw Now, Cohen wants to take it back. Newsmax quoted his interview with CNN’s Ana Cabrera: “I regret using the term ‘Purple Heart. I used it metaphorically, not literally. I never thought, literally, it should be given to Agent Strzok,” he said. The Purple Heart is given to U.S. service members who are wounded or are killed during combat. The apology may be too little, too late. Some veterans in Tennessee say they’re planning a protest march in protest of Cohen’s remark, Fox News reports. Sean Higgins, an Air Force veteran from Memphis, is leading the upcoming march, The Tennessean reported. Higgins said many constituents are “p****d as hell” after Cohen said Strzok deserved the military award. “How do you compare…

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Worship on the Square in Murfreesboro Draws Crowd of 5,000 Christians

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Worship on the Square 2018, Murfreesboro

MURFREESBORO, Tennessee–Five thousand Christians participated in a celebration of faith here on the square in Murfreesboro hosted by the Experience Church Friday night. It was the second consecutive  year that people from Murfreesboro, Middle Tennessee, and around the country traveled to attend the local event. The Tennessee Star spoke with Corey Trimble the pastor of Experience Church, and asked how the Night of Worship on the Square came about. “Most of that is Kyle Elkins,” Trimble explained. “This is our second year in a row. We talked to the mayor, who we have a great relationship with.We talked to the city and the county. They shut down the whole square for us,” he added. “Last year we had about 4,000 people. This year it looks like it will be about five,” the pastor said.   “The city’s very accomodating. They get all the local businesses involved. They give people discounts on their food and their merchandise. This year they give 10 percent of all themoney that is spent tonight to Feed America First,” he noted. Trimble then explained the evening’s events. “It’s mostly worship. We take communion together and we do baptisms,” he noted, adding that the event has a positive…

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In An Open Letter, Conservative Icon Charles Krauthammer Reveals His Terminal Illness, Bids Farewell

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Charles Krauthammer

Fox News published an open letter to colleagues and fans written by conservative icon Dr. Charles Krauthammer Friday that revealed the beloved pundit and Special Report regular suffers from cancer, and that he has only weeks to live. “This is the final verdict. My fight is over,” he wrote. Krauthammer took a leave of absence in August of 2017 to undergo surgery – the details of which were not discussed at the time – but a number of secondary complications plagued the 68-year-old’s recovery. As recently as February, Krauthammer reached out to say he “will be back” in a letter Special Report host Bret Baier read on camera. In his letter Friday, however, he shared that recent tests found that although the procedure to remove the malignant tumor from his abdomen was successful, the cancer had returned. “I have been uncharacteristically silent these past ten months,” his letter began. “I had thought that silence would soon be coming to an end, but I’m afraid I must tell you now that fate has decided on a different course for me.” Read the full letter: Official Statement – Charles Krauthammer by Fox News on Scribd  

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A Doctor and a Constitutional Lawyer Are Battling for the GOP Nomination to Succeed Beth Harwell in House District 56

Chris Alto
MoodyWilliams

Come November, the winner of the GOP primary for Beth Harwell’s District 56 seat will face off against Democrat Bob Freeman, son of wealthy real estate developer and former Nashville mayoral candidate Bill Freeman. Republican primary opponents Nashville attorney Joseph Williams (pictured, right) and dermatologist Brent Moody (pictured, left) strike an interesting contrast to each other. One of the few things they do have in common is that neither has a voting record by which to evaluate where they will land on controversial issues like in-state tuition for illegal alien students, legalizing medical marijuana and infrastructure needs, when finally in office. Brent Moody, M.D. is a Nashville dermatologist whose campaign’s statement to The Tennessee Star says that “Dr. Moody is the conservative, pro-life candidate interested in implementing principles that will benefit Tennessee – smaller government, cutting red tape and burdensome regulations, making sure that our government spends wisely, and fighting to ensure Tennessee is free of sanctuary cities. Specifically, Dr. Moody is focused on keeping Tennessee a low tax, pro-business State and making sure that tax payers are getting the full value for every dollar the government spends on their behalf, while continuing to responsibly grow our State’s economy and create jobs. Additionally,…

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Bredesen’s Donations to Liberal Democrats Total Almost A Half-Million Dollars

John Bryant
Phil Bredesen

Despite efforts to misleadingly position himself as a pro-Trump Democrat in his bid for the U.S. Senate from Tennessee, a deep dive into his political giving shows that former Gov. Phil Bredesen is all but the half-a-million dollar man when it comes to giving to the most liberal of Democrats running nationally in past years. In essence, “Bredesen donated nearly half-a-million to liberal politicians,” as The Washington Examiner reported: Bredesen has branded himself as a sort of pro-Trump Democrat in his race against Rep. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., to succeed retiring Republican Sen. Bob Corker. He says that he isn’t “the toy of the national Democratic Party.” Campaign contributions filed with the Federal Election Commission and the Tennessee Campaign Finance database say he is a party favorite thanks to $460,691 in campaign contributions. For the last three decades, Bredesen has given faithfully from his pharmaceutical fortune. He has contributed to congressional and Senate and presidential campaigns of dozens of major liberal candidates since 1983. Now that money could come back and haunt his current ambitions in a state President Trump won by 26 points. Bredesen’s campaign is not denying his huge financial support for liberal Democrat candidates over many years. “Bredesen…

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Nashville Mosque Leader Endorses Sumner County Democrat for State Legislative Seat

Chris Alto
Rasheed Fakhruddin and Hana Ali

Rashed Fakhruddin, president of the Islamic Center of Nashville (ICN) has endorsed Hana Farooq Ali, the Democrat candidate running for a House seat in the Tennessee General Assembly. Ali is the only Democrat running to replace Rep. Courtney Rogers, a conservative Republican who has represented District 45 since being elected in 2012. The winner of the Republican primary will run against Ali in the November general election. On her campaign website Ali describes herself as a “trained physician focused on research and the business side of healthcare” although there is no publicly available information about where she attended medical school or whether she completed any additional training. Nor did Ali provide that information when requested by The Tennessee Star. Her husband, Mohammad Farooq Ali, M.D. is a board certified rheumatologist who attended medical school in Pakistan and finished his training in the U.S. He is the only physician listed for a Hendersonville practice called Comprehensive Arthritis Care. Ali has posted a recent interview she had on the Dean Obeidallah radio show during which she uses recycled talking points about the moral failure of leadership to expand Medicaid in Tennessee, the failure to address the opioid crisis and the mean-spirited (Republican) legislators who need…

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Plaintiff in Trump Twitter Lawsuit is Let Go by Vanderbilt UMC

John Bryant
Eugene-Gu-VUMC

As The College Fix reports, Eugene Gu, a plaintiff in the President Trump Twitter “block” lawsuit in which he prevailed has been let go by the Vanderbilt University Medical Center for “performance issues” in the wake of the suit. Gu’s been on paid leave since originally Tweeting a picture of himself “kneeling with a raised fist — in protest against “white supremacy” — and the mother of a patient under his care had complained.” According to The (Duke) Chronicle, the VUMC cited “performance issues” in its decision not renew Gu’s contract. A letter to Gu from VUMC General Counsel Michael Regier cites his “lack of sufficient improvement in performance and conduct in key areas” and notes “the most ‘significant areas of concern were ‘patient care, communication, and medical knowledge.’” Gu alleges he dealt with a hostile work environment after VUMC “pinned” a tweet of its response to The Chronicle’s investigation into the kneeling incident. The Duke Chronicle reported on June 1 that Gu’s contract was not renewed. VUMC cited “performance issues” in reaching their decision. Less than a year after Vanderbilt University Medical Center placed Gu—School of Medicine ’15—on administrative leave, he no longer works there. He was placed on leave…

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Sources: Wasserman Schultz Screamed At House Official About Imran Awan, Admitted Intervening In Pakistan For Him

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Debbie Wasserman Schultz

by Luke Rosiak   Ex-Democratic National Committee head Debbie Wasserman Schultz said she intervened in a Pakistani land deal involving her then–IT aide Imran Awan, according to two House employees. The dispute came after Awan’s father was charged with fraud in relation to the deal, and the mysterious exertion of political influence resulted in Pakistani authorities instead targeting the elderly alleged victims, according to a local report. And when a House Office of Inspector General cybersecurity investigation found that Awan made “unauthorized access” to House servers, including the House Democratic Caucus’ shortly before the election, Wasserman Schultz became “frantic, not normal,” “making the rounds” to House officials in an attempt to kill the investigation, one House employee told The Daily Caller News Foundation. Awan told people Wasserman Schultz chose the name for his daughter, Leza — a Jewish name — and that the Florida congresswoman’s daughter regularly rode a horse that Awan kept at a boarding facility, sources with knowledge of the relationship told TheDCNF. Wasserman Schultz cornered House Chief Administrative Officer Phil Kiko and called him a “fucking Islamophobe,” saying “you will not so much as take away their parking spots,” the two House employees said Kiko told them. The congresswoman also told Kiko she had invited…

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John Rose Commentary: We Need To Elect A Congress That Will Support President Trump

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John Rose and Donald Trump

by John Rose   It is time we have a Congress that supports our President. The President’s visit to Tennessee last week was a reminder that though the liberal news media would have you believe differently, the President’s agenda is popular here in Tennessee and across America and if I have the privilege of representing the people of Tennessee’s sixth district, I will help him pass it. This past Tuesday I had the honor to meet President Trump and share with him why I am running for the House of Representatives. I told him that I am running to take Tennessee values to Washington and help him get his agenda passed, like tax cuts and funding to build his border wall to stop illegal immigration. I told him that he could count on me to have his back against liberals and the fake news media in Washington, DC who are constantly trying to tear him down and stop him from doing things that will help all Tennesseans and every American. Republicans must win in November to stop the Democrats from controlling the House of Representatives and Nancy Pelosi from once again becoming Speaker. Democrats would roll back the gains we have made…

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Tennessee Firearms Association Blisters Republican-led Legislature For ‘Pitiful’ 2nd Amendment Protections

Jason M. Reynolds
Firearms blue

The recently ended legislative year in Nashville was “pitiful” in terms of protecting gun rights, a state firearms advocacy group says in a report. The “Tennessee Firearms Association 2018 Legislative Report and Review” takes the Republican super-majority in the General Assembly to task on 15 new laws and/or amendments to existing laws. “Based on their actions this year there is really no evidence that the Republican super-majority, as a whole, is a strong proponent and defender of those individual and personal rights which are recognized and protected by the 2nd Amendment and Article I, Section 26 of the Tennessee Constitution,” the report says. That is despite 57 bills that were either introduced or were active after Jan. 1 of this year that “would have implemented changes that would have made Tennessee a much better state for the free exercise of our constitutionally protected rights.” The Tennessee Firearms Association says those “good” bills that failed would, among other things, have: Implemented constitutional carry; Implemented permitless open carry; Implemented the 2018 Second Amendment Protections Act (a significant rewrite of several existing laws) to bring them more in compliance with the 2nd Amendment’s prohibitions against government infringements. This includes a prohibition on local…

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Diane Black’s Demand to Block ‘Driver’s Licenses for Illegals’ Ads Fails to Stop Them from Airing

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Diane Black

Tennessee Jobs Now, a SuperPAC that supports Randy Boyd in the Tennessee Governor’s race, began airing a television commercial two weeks ago that continues on the theme of their recent statewide radio buy.  The television ad hits Black for a 2001 vote during her time in the State Legislature that provided driver’s licenses to illegal aliens and also hits Black for her March 22, 2018 vote against the Omnibus Spending Bill (HR 1625) that funded a small portion of the border wall embraced by President Donald Trump. The television ad features pictures of a tattooed MS-13 gang member, a “Muslim terrorist” wearing a keffiyah, and a black clad man with a stocking cap identified as a “sex trafficker” on Tennessee driver’s licenses while the announcer says: “MS-13 gang member? Driver’s license. Terrorist? Driver’s license. Human trafficker? Driver’s license. In the legislature, Diane Black voted to give Tennessee driver’s licenses to illegal immigrants. Then in Washington, Black voted against funding president Trump’s border wall. Diane Black is making it easier for criminals, even terrorists, to come here illegally and stay. Dishonest Diane Black. Good for illegal immigrants, bad for Tennessee.” The Diane Black campaign responded to the ads by demanding that television stations…

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Corker Reaches Out to Democrats to Oppose Trump on Trade

John Bryant
Bob Corker

Outgoing Senator Bob Corker (R-TN) took to Twitter on Saturday in an effort to reach out to Democrats in his ongoing efforts to stymie the Trump administration from achieving its goals when it comes to trade. I am working with like-minded Republican senators on ways to push back on the president using authorities in ways never intended and that are damaging to our country and our allies. Will Democrats join us? — Senator Bob Corker (@SenBobCorker) June 2, 2018 I am working with like-minded Republican senators on ways to push back on the president using authorities in ways never intended and that are damaging to our country and our allies. Will Democrats join us? — Senator Bob Corker (@SenBobCorker) June 2, 2018 Rather than support Trump in what many see as little more than a deal-making process to improve America’s position in trade agreements around the world, Corker appears to be hyperventilating like a Democrat determined to damage and undermine Trump at every turn. He was referencing a tweet to a Wall Street Journal story with his childish plea. These two stories feel like something I could have read in a local Caracas newspaper last week, not in America. Venezuela, here…

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Far Left Hillary Clinton-Supporting Washington, D.C. Lobbyists Host Big Fundraiser for ‘Absolute Total Tool’ Phil Bredesen

Tennessee Star Staff
Phil Bredesen, Democrat

A week after President Donald Trump said at a rally in Nashville that Phil Bredesen is “an absolute total tool” of Chuck Schumer and Nancy Pelosi, the Democrat candidate for the U.S. Senate and former governor of Tennessee provided compelling evidence to confirm the truth of the president’s statement. “Phil Bredesen will do everything he can to disguise and deny his liberal Democratic Party connections but the truth will become increasingly apparent as the campaign moves towards November,” Tennessee Star Political Editor Steve Gill noted. “Ultimately Tennessee voters will discover that ideologically he is Hillary Clinton without the pantsuits,” Gill added. On Wednesday, half a dozen far left, big money, Hillary Clinton supporting lobbyists are hosting a fundraiser for Bredesen at the downtown Washington, D.C. offices of corporate influence and analysis powerhouse S & P Global. Among the sponsors who are contributing $5,000 each to the Bredesen campaign are lobbyists Heather Podesta, ex-wife of fallen Democratic lobbying king pin Tony Podesta, leader of the pro-abortion Center for Reproductive Rights and former sister-in-law of Hillary Clinton’s campaign manager and Bill Clinton’s former chief of staff John Podesta, Steve Elmendorf, and Jillian Fitzpatrick. Heather Podesta is closely tied to Hillary Clinton, as…

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Metro Nashville Public Schools Paying ‘Educational Consultant’ Who Lacks 4-Year College Degree $80,000 in 2017-2018 Academic Year for Vague ‘Pilot Project’

Tennessee Star Staff
Bruce Taylor

Metro Nashville Public Schools is paying an “educational consultant” who does not have a four year college degree $80,000 in a 12 month contract to provide the school system with a “pilot project” that has vague deliverables. Bruce D. Taylor, who apparently had a similar consulting contract with the Prince George’s, Maryland school system when current MNPS Director Dr. Shawn Joseph was an administrator there, does not have a four year college degree in any subject from an accredited American university, according to both his Linked In profile and his own website. Taylor is the “educational consultant” who received a $25,000 contract with MNPS in 2016, shortly after Dr. Joseph was named MNPS Director, and an additional $80,000 contract for an additional 12 months that began on July 1, 2017 and continues until June 30, 2018. “When Dr. Shawn Joseph began as Metro’s director of schools almost two years ago, he skillfully convinced school board members to treat him more as a partner than an employee,” NewsChannel 5 reported in April: So when critics questioned his spending on a luxury vehicle and a driver, School Board Chair Anna Shepherd had his back. “I think that Dr. Joseph needs to do…

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Natalie Beach Named ‘Teacher of the Year’ for 2018 by Education Group

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Educators of the Year

Professional Educators of Tennessee held their annual conference Thursday – called Leader U – where they announced their statewide award winners. “We are pleased to honor these well-respected educators that are making a difference in the lives of real students, while upholding the highest ethical standards and tireless promotion of our profession. Tennessee is a better place to learn, a better place to teach and a better place to raise a family because of the professional contributions of these educators,” the group’s Executive Director JC Bowman said in a statement. This year’s top awards go to: Natalie Beach – 2018 Teacher of the Year  Natalie Beach (pictured, center) teaches kindergarten at Prescott South Elementary School, a STEM platform school in Putnam County. She has a B.S. in Early Childhood and Special Education and an M.A. in Instructional Leadership from Tennessee Tech University. Natalie Beach was Prescott South Elementary teacher of the year in 2017 and Rotary Teacher of the Year in 2015. Natalie lives in Cookeville with her husband, Jason, and their two children. John Fanning – 2018 Administrator of the Year  John Fanning (pictured, left) is beginning his twenty-third year in education and his eighteenth in administration. Fanning is a native…

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Metro Nashville Public Schools Director Makes $285,000 Per Year, Has Outside Consulting Business, Taxpayer Provided Car, and Much More

Chris Butler
Shawn Joseph

Metro Nashville Public Schools Director Shawn Joseph has a pretty sweet arrangement with his employer, according to his four-year contract, which began in 2016. He makes $285,000 a year. That salary, all courtesy of taxpayers, will never decrease — but it could increase. Joseph’s contract clearly states he must devote all his full working time to the school district and can have no other gainful employment — except for later in the contract when it says otherwise. Joseph, as the contract goes on, owns an LLC named Joseph and Associates. “The board agrees that the director is entitled to engage in outside professional activities, including writing, consulting, and lecturing, with or without honorarium, as long as such activities do not interfere with the performance of his duties as the director,” according to the contract. The school district did not return a request for comment Wednesday. Among the other luxuries in Joseph’s contract: • The school system pays for the medical, vision, and dental benefits for Joseph and his family — using the program of their choice. • Joseph gets a smartphone, a tablet, a laptop, an answering machine, a printer, and a computer installed at his house. Taxpayers are billed…

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Humboldt’s Tyson Plant Breaks Ground Without Permits From State Dept. of Environment & Conservation

Chris Alto
Tyson meat processing

Despite lacking mandatory permits from the Tennessee Department of Environment & Conservation (TDEC), Tyson Foods went ahead and broke ground yesterday for its new chicken processing plant in Humboldt. After reviewing Tyson’s application for a permit to discharge storm water from the Humboldt plant construction site, a letter dated May 18, 2018, from the TDEC Division of Water Resources informed Tyson that the company’s “Storm Water Pollution Prevention Plan (SWPPP) “was deficient so no permit could be issued. TDEC’s letter cautioned Tyson’s Senior Project Engineer Larry Jackson, that “[n]o discharges of stormwater associated with construction activity are authorized by the general permit until the completed NOI [Notice of Intent] is submitted and Notice of Coverage issued by the division.” The NOI submitted by Tyson Farms, Inc., as referenced in the May 18 TDEC letter was “submitted to obtain coverage under a General National Pollution Discharge Elimination System Permit for Storm Water Discharges Associated with Construction Activity.” Jackson was also directed to review “the enclosed checklist for deficiencies in the SWPPP that must be addressed before permit coverage can be issued.” You can read the May 18, 2018 letter from the TDEC to Tyson’s Jackson here: [pdf-embedder url=”https://tennesseestar.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/DWR-TNR122070-Notice-of-Deficiency-18-MAY-18-2366.pdf” title=”DWR-TNR122070-Notice of Deficiency-18-MAY-18-2366″]  …

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Phil Bredesen’s Illegal Alien Driving Certificate Problem

John Bryant

Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN-07) threw a well-aimed punch at former Gov. Phil Bredesen’s glass jaw earlier this month, criticizing him for his role in pushing the Tennessee General Assembly to pass his ill-advised illegal alien driving certificate program, which he signed into law in 2004 and made Tennessee a magnet for illegal aliens. The program, which Bredesen touted originally as a “common sense solution” was such an unmitigated disaster, he was forced to end it in 2006. Bredesen’s 2018 campaign team, with the help of a compliant and uninquisitive mainstream media in Tennessee, has attempted to spin his way out of culpability for this serious debacle, but The Tennessee Star has prepared this synopsis of the facts that sets the record straight. Former Republican Governor Don Sundquist sent a number of very bad policy proposals to the Tennessee General Assembly during the two terms he served between 1995 and 2003. One of them continues to reverberate throughout the 2018 statewide elections, playing a role in both the U.S. Senate general election between Bredesen, the presumptive Democratic nominee, and Marsha Blackburn, the presumptive Republican nominee, and the increasingly bitter GOP gubernatorial primary contest between front runners Rep. Diane Black (R-TN-06) and…

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Millennials Hold the Line for Trump in Nashville

Chris Butler

NASHVILLE, Tennessee— If you’re older than 50 and worry millennials will eventually muck things up for America then look no further than who stood in line to hear President Donald Trump speak in downtown Nashville Tuesday. There were a  good number of young people waiting six, seven, maybe even eight hours outside Nashville’s Municipal Auditorium to cheer on Trump, despite mainstream media narratives that say only older working class folks support him. They were not only young, but they relocated from parts of the country that traditionally vote left. These millennials say they get a bad rap. “I would say within the last year and a half I’ve seen the narrative flip flop dramatically. The mainstream media is losing the narrative,” said McKenzie Blaser, 21 originally from Akron, Ohio. “Don’t count out the young female conservatives. They voted for Trump too, and I’m living proof.” Another Ohio native, Danny Kosko, came to Nashville only because he said he wanted to see last year’s solar eclipse. He liked Middle Tennessee so much he decided to pro-long his stay, although he is moving back home soon to start a new business. “I love Trump so much that I would blast Abraham Lincoln’s…

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President Donald Trump: Phil Bredesen ‘Is An Absolute Total Tool . . . of Chuck Schumer and Nancy Pelosi’

Tennessee Star Staff

NASHVILLE, Tennessee–President Donald Trump took an ole hickory stick to former Gov. Phil Bredesen Tuesday night and the raucous crowd of more than 8,000 supporters jammed in to the Municipal Auditorium loved it. You can see the transcript of the portion of the president’s talk that addressed Bredesen, the presumptive nominee of the Democratic Party for the U.S. Senate seat from which Sen. Bob Corker (R-TN) is retiring, here: To keep this momentum going – to keep this incredible progress, to keep on winning, you have to vote Republican in November. You see what’s happening with the Democrats! So Marsha’s very liberal Democrat opponent Phil Bredesen – have you ever heard of this guy? [BOOS] (at about the 1:30 min mark of the audio file below) He’s an absolute, total tool [pause – audience starts cheering] of Chuck Schumer. He’s a tool! Of Chuck Schumer and, of course, the MS-13 lover, Nancy Pelosi. (emphasis added) [BOOS] She loves MS-13. Remember? I said, ‘they’re animals’ and she said, ‘how dare you say that – HOW DARE YOU SAY THAT.’ Have you seen what they’ve done? Have you seen what they are doing to us? And we’re taking them out of our…

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