thetennesseestar--2020-05-05--Crom Carmichael Discusses the Russia Hoax, Joe Biden, and the Democratic Concert to Take Down Trump

On Monday ’ s Tennessee Star Report with Michael Patrick Leahy – broadcast on Nashville ’ s Talk Radio 98.3 and 1510 WLAC weekdays from 5:00 a.m. to 8:00 a.m. – host Leahy welcomed the original all-star panelist Crom Carmichael to the studio .
I think he will certainly say when he loses he will say it was unfair and he will come up with all kinds of reasons for casting doubt on the legitimacy of the election .
And I ’ m really worried about what happens in November with his defeat and when he actually he leaves office @ @ @ @ @ @ @ we should be focused on .
He ’ ll say he has presidential power and God only knows how he ’ ll use it .
On the day of the inauguration I actually think that the day of the election he will leave .
And if he doesn ’ t leave , the United States Marshall service and the metro police in DC and the secret service all have the ability to pull him out of the White House and we ’ ll get on with the inauguration and the presidency of Joe @ @ @ @ @ @ @ former attorney general under President Obama , Eric Holder Crom .
We talked about Democrats blaming Republicans for the things they want to do .
Leahy : That seems like a perfect example .
Carmichael : Oh yeah .
( Chuckles ) I think didn ’ t Biden say that Trump was going to move the election or not have the election .
I mean it ’ s almost humorous because nobody in the Trump camp has ever said anything about moving the elections .
But I ’ ll make you a prediction @ @ @ @ @ @ @ say that there ’ s no need to have debates .
Carmichael : He will not want to be on the stage .
Joe Biden , I don ’ t think he could stand up for two hours and debate one person .
Carmichael : Well , he won ’ t avoid them but he ’ ll try to .
Carmichael : But we know the social distancing ( Leahy chuckles ) is OK and so you could absolutely have a debate where you could have three panelists who are sitting 10 feet @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on the debate stage who are 20 feet apart and that ’ s easy .
And you have nobody in the audience and that ’ s perfectly fine .
They can go at it three times for two hours .
Leahy : Well , we ’ ll see how that all plays out .
It ’ s very interesting to me that Holder who is the most partisan attack dog propaganda oriented attorney general in American history , that guy… Carmichael : That ’ s what he called himself .
Carmichael : That @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Obama ’ s wingman .
Could you imagine William Barr calling himself Trump ’ s wingman .
Leahy : What a projection of the kinds of things that Eric Holder as attorney general did apparently often all the time .
I mean when we look at this whole FBI set up and framing of Mike Flynn the Obama administration justice department… Leahy : Loretta Lynch was running it but I think Holder had his hand in the direction of all this stuff .
I mean that ’ s where you look at the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ department of justice and the FBI were the leaders of that it seems to me .
Carmichael : Oh yes .
And we ’ re now learning about the intent to destroy Trump before his administration even started .
And Obama must be feeling pretty distressed that his well-laid plans resulted in Trump outsmarting him .
Here ’ s the maxim to use in understanding Trump .
Actions speak louder than words .
Carmichael : That ’ s very very important .
Because what Trump says , and what Trump does are not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not being dishonest he is being strategic .
He would go after Mueller and he ’ d go after all of the people who were attacking him over the Russia hoax , the media , and everybody else .
But his actions were if Mueller asked for something he got it .
Carmichael : He gave them over a million pages .
Mueller was asked , did you ever request a document that you did not get ?
And the answer was no .
There was no possible obstruction of justice charge .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ was that he was a meany because he called me some names .
That ’ s the only charge .
And that ’ s not a charge .
( Laughter ) At least it may be in China .
It ’ s not one in the US yet .
Carmichael : Trump , the way he strategically handled what we now know to be the Russia hoax because the report is in and they found absolutely nothing .
And in fact , we know it ’ s the opposite of the Russia hoax @ @ @ @ @ @ @ about 15 or 20 very high up people in his administration who were acting in concert , and that ’ s the keyword .
In concert to take down Trump .
Leahy : If they were acting in concert , I guess that would be the legal definition of a conspiracy .
Carmichael : Conspiracy .
Yes .
And by the way , Andrew Weissmann might very well be implicated .
And he was the lead attack dog .
Carmichael : He was the attorney who ran it .
Mueller was the head… @ @ @ @ @ @ @ He wasn ’ t all there .
Carmichael : He physically probably wasn ’ t there much at all except sitting in his office reading the newspaper .
Leahy : Mentally he was not there .
Carmichael : Well , he didn ’ t even know what his own report said .
Carmichael : Even the first 10 pages .
You ’ d think you ’ d know what the first 10 pages said .
When he testified before Congress he said , I don ’ t know what you ’ re talking @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s on page three on your report .
( Leahy chuckles ) He turned to page three and he still didn ’ t know what he was talking about .
Listen to the full second hour here : Tune in weekdays from 5:00 – 8:00 a.m. to the Tennessee Star Report with Michael Patrick Leahy on Talk Radio 98.3 FM WLAC 1510 .
Listen online at iHeart Radio .

On Monday’s Tennessee Star Report with Michael Patrick Leahy – broadcast on Nashville’s Talk Radio 98.3 and 1510 WLAC weekdays from 5:00 a.m. to 8:00 a.m. – host Leahy welcomed the original all-star panelist Crom Carmichael to the studio.
(Eric Holder clip plays)
I think he will certainly say when he loses he will say it was unfair and he will come up with all kinds of reasons for casting doubt on the legitimacy of the election. And I’m really worried about what happens in November with his defeat and when he actually he leaves office in January. That is the period we should be focused on. He’ll say he has presidential power and God only knows how he’ll use it. On the day of the inauguration I actually think that the day of the election he will leave. And if he doesn’t leave, the United States Marshall service and the metro police in DC and the secret service all have the ability to pull him out of the White House and we’ll get on with the inauguration and the presidency of Joe Biden.
Leahy: That’s former attorney general under President Obama, Eric Holder Crom. We talked about Democrats blaming Republicans for the things they want to do.
Carmichael: Right.
Leahy: That seems like a perfect example.
Carmichael: Oh yeah. (Chuckles) I think didn’t Biden say that Trump was going to move the election or not have the election. I mean it’s almost humorous because nobody in the Trump camp has ever said anything about moving the elections. But I’ll make you a prediction right now that Biden will try to say that there’s no need to have debates.
Leahy: Oh! Absolutely.
Carmichael: He will not want to be on the stage. Joe Biden, I don’t think he could stand up for two hours and debate one person.
Leahy: He will avoid debates.
Carmichael: Well, he won’t avoid them but he’ll try to.
Leahy: Yeah.
Carmichael: But we know the social distancing (Leahy chuckles) is OK and so you could absolutely have a debate where you could have three panelists who are sitting 10 feet apart and you could have two people on the debate stage who are 20 feet apart and that’s easy. And you have nobody in the audience and that’s perfectly fine. They can go at it three times for two hours.
Leahy: Well, we’ll see how that all plays out. It’s very interesting to me that Holder who is the most partisan attack dog propaganda oriented attorney general in American history, that guy…
Carmichael: The wingman.
Leahy: Yes! The Obama wingman.
Carmichael: That’s what he called himself.
Leahy: Yes!
Carmichael: That’s what he called himself. Obama’s wingman. Could you imagine William Barr calling himself Trump’s wingman.
Leahy: I can’t imagine him calling himself anybody’s wingman.
Carmichael: Yeah.
Leahy: What a projection of the kinds of things that Eric Holder as attorney general did apparently often all the time. I mean when we look at this whole FBI set up and framing of Mike Flynn the Obama administration justice department…
Carmichael: Loretta Lynch.
Leahy: Loretta Lynch was running it but I think Holder had his hand in the direction of all this stuff. I mean that’s where you look at the violation of individual liberties. The Obama department of justice and the FBI were the leaders of that it seems to me.
Carmichael: Oh yes. And we’re now learning about the intent to destroy Trump before his administration even started. And Obama must be feeling pretty distressed that his well-laid plans resulted in Trump outsmarting him. Here’s the maxim to use in understanding Trump. Actions speak louder than words.
Leahy: Ah-ha!
Carmichael: That’s very very important. Because what Trump says, and what Trump does are not the same. And he’s not being dishonest he is being strategic. He would go after Mueller and he’d go after all of the people who were attacking him over the Russia hoax, the media, and everybody else. But his actions were if Mueller asked for something he got it.
Leahy: Yes.
Carmichael: He gave them over a million pages. Mueller was asked, did you ever request a document that you did not get? And the answer was no. There was no possible obstruction of justice charge. The only thing Mueller could have charged was that he was a meany because he called me some names. That’s the only charge. And that’s not a charge. (Laughter) At least it may be in China. It’s not one in the US yet.
Leahy: Yeah, not yet.
Carmichael: Trump, the way he strategically handled what we now know to be the Russia hoax because the report is in and they found absolutely nothing. And in fact, we know it’s the opposite of the Russia hoax. It was the Obama administration and about 15 or 20 very high up people in his administration who were acting in concert, and that’s the keyword. In concert to take down Trump.
Leahy: If they were acting in concert, I guess that would be the legal definition of a conspiracy.
Carmichael: Conspiracy. Yes. And by the way, Andrew Weissmann might very well be implicated. And he was the lead attack dog.
Leahy: The attorney…
Carmichael: He was the attorney who ran it. Mueller was the head…
Leahy: He was the figurehead. He wasn’t all there.
Carmichael: He physically probably wasn’t there much at all except sitting in his office reading the newspaper.
Leahy: Mentally he was not there.
Carmichael: Well, he didn’t even know what his own report said.
Leahy: Right.
Carmichael: Even the first 10 pages. You’d think you’d know what the first 10 pages said. When he testified before Congress he said, I don’t know what you’re talking about. And they said well it’s on page three on your report. (Leahy chuckles) He turned to page three and he still didn’t know what he was talking about.
Listen to the full second hour here:
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Tune in weekdays from 5:00 – 8:00 a.m. to the Tennessee Star Report with Michael Patrick Leahy on Talk Radio 98.3 FM WLAC 1510. Listen online at iHeart Radio.


thetennesseestar--2020-05-05--Top White House Economic Adviser Won’t Rule Out Blocking Coronavirus Relief to Sanctuary Cities

Larry Kudlow , the director of the U.S. National Economic Council , won ’ t rule out the possibility of prohibiting bailout funds to states that have sanctuary cities .
Appearing Sunday on CNN ’ s “ State of the Union , ” Kudlow spoke about a possible “ Phase Four ” of a coronavirus stimulus bill to help Americans struggling economically from the COVID-19 pandemic .
The top White House economic adviser also was asked if a Phase Four would include funds for state and local governments .
“ There may be additional legislation , ” Kudlow began , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ more than $ 3 trillion in “ direct federal assistance ” for individuals and struggling businesses in the country .
“ We probably will have some ideas.
” Kudlow then pivoted to a possible bailout for state governments .
President Donald Trump had previously spoken about such a bailout , but said such funds could be contingent upon state governments cracking down on cities that refuse to cooperate with federal immigration authorities .
The president ’ s economic adviser on Sunday acknowledged Trump ’ s previous comments on sanctuary cities and a possible @ @ @ @ @ @ @ added that nothing is official .
“ Regarding the states , as you know , the president has from time to time spoken about linking that to sanctuary cities , ” Kudlow said .
“ I don ’ t think anything ’ s been decided yet.
” “ We have poured hundreds of billions into the states — perhaps there will be more of that , ” he continued .
“ Look , we know the economy is still in a terrible contractionary phase , tremendous hardships everywhere .
That ’ s why @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by President Trump and with bipartisan support of Congress.
” Since the dawn of his administration , Trump has made immigration enforcement a top priority .
A massive wall between the U.S. and Mexico , asylum agreements with Latin American countries to help stem the migration crisis , and a host of other immigration measures have all been put into place by the Trump administration .
In response , however , many progressive jurisdictions across the country have adopted “ sanctuary ” policies , making it harder for Immigration and Customs Enforcement ( @ @ @ @ @ @ @ criminal foreign nationals living unlawfully in the U.S .
These jurisdictions , colloquially referred to as “ sanctuary cities , ” adopt a host of measures that make it more difficult for federal immigration agents to do their job , such as refusing to honor ICE detainer requests , forbidding local law enforcement from asking about an individual ’ s immigration status , and other similar policies .
Trump has long fought against sanctuary cities .
Most notably , his administration has tried withholding public safety grants from Chicago and other notorious sanctuary @ @ @ @ @ @ @ coronavirus-related bailout for states , the president suggested relations with federal immigration authorities would be a condition of such a package .
“ The problem with the states is we ’ re not looking to recover 25 years of bad management and give them the money they lost .
That ’ s unfair to other states , ” Trump said Tuesday .
“ If it is COVID-related , we can talk about it , but we want certain things also , including sanctuary city adjustments , ” he went on .
“ We @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , which I don ’ t even think they are popular even by radical left because people are being protected that shouldn ’ t be protected and a lot of bad things are happening with sanctuary cities .
”

by Jason Hopkins
Larry Kudlow, the director of the U.S. National Economic Council, won’t rule out the possibility of prohibiting bailout funds to states that have sanctuary cities.
Appearing Sunday on CNN’s “State of the Union,” Kudlow spoke about a possible “Phase Four” of a coronavirus stimulus bill to help Americans struggling economically from the COVID-19 pandemic. The top White House economic adviser also was asked if a Phase Four would include funds for state and local governments.
“There may be additional legislation,” Kudlow began, noting the federal government has already green-lighted more than $3 trillion in “direct federal assistance” for individuals and struggling businesses in the country. “We probably will have some ideas.”
Kudlow then pivoted to a possible bailout for state governments. President Donald Trump had previously spoken about such a bailout, but said such funds could be contingent upon state governments cracking down on cities that refuse to cooperate with federal immigration authorities.
The president’s economic adviser on Sunday acknowledged Trump’s previous comments on sanctuary cities and a possible bailout package for the states, but added that nothing is official.
“Regarding the states, as you know, the president has from time to time spoken about linking that to sanctuary cities,” Kudlow said. “I don’t think anything’s been decided yet.”
“We have poured hundreds of billions into the states — perhaps there will be more of that,” he continued. “Look, we know the economy is still in a terrible contractionary phase, tremendous hardships everywhere. That’s why we put up several rescue packages led by President Trump and with bipartisan support of Congress.”
Since the dawn of his administration, Trump has made immigration enforcement a top priority. A massive wall between the U.S. and Mexico, asylum agreements with Latin American countries to help stem the migration crisis, and a host of other immigration measures have all been put into place by the Trump administration.
In response, however, many progressive jurisdictions across the country have adopted “sanctuary” policies, making it harder for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents to locate and apprehend criminal foreign nationals living unlawfully in the U.S.
These jurisdictions, colloquially referred to as “sanctuary cities,” adopt a host of measures that make it more difficult for federal immigration agents to do their job, such as refusing to honor ICE detainer requests, forbidding local law enforcement from asking about an individual’s immigration status, and other similar policies.
Trump has long fought against sanctuary cities. Most notably, his administration has tried withholding public safety grants from Chicago and other notorious sanctuary cities.
Since conversations began about a coronavirus-related bailout for states, the president suggested relations with federal immigration authorities would be a condition of such a package.
“The problem with the states is we’re not looking to recover 25 years of bad management and give them the money they lost. That’s unfair to other states,” Trump said Tuesday.
“If it is COVID-related, we can talk about it, but we want certain things also, including sanctuary city adjustments,” he went on. “We have so many people in sanctuary cities, which I don’t even think they are popular even by radical left because people are being protected that shouldn’t be protected and a lot of bad things are happening with sanctuary cities.”
Watch the full interview:
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Jason Hopkins is a reporter at Daily Caller News Foundation.


thetennesseestar--2020-05-05--Jahangir: COVID-19 Didn’t Hit Nashville as Hard as Some Originally Feared

Metro Coronavirus Task Force Chair Alex Jahangir said Monday that COVID-19 didn ’ t hit Nashville as hard as computer models originally predicted .
“ Just a few weeks ago we were planning for a 1,000-bed auxiliary hospital because models had shown that our hospitals would be overrun , ” Jahangir said , without saying how many people in Davidson County were to have supposedly caught COVID-19 , per those models .
“ You stayed at home , and you flattened the curve in our city .
Now we need you to do this for just a little bit longer.
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ conference Monday in front of Mayor John Cooper .
As of Monday , Davidson had 3,191 confirmed cases with 27 fatalities .
That , Jahangir went on to say , was an increase of 165 cases in the prior 24 hours .
Of the Davidson County cases , 1,548 are currently active , and 1,616 residents have recovered and are now clear , he said .
“ Since our update on Friday we have had an increase of 359 new cases .
However , included in this total are some new cases that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Jahangir said .
“ We are still evaluating the number of new cases that are part of these clusters and the ones attributed to general community spread .
We continue to analyze the information to determine the actual impact of the community spread of the virus , which will most likely be significantly lower than what the 359 new cases indicate .
A couple of clusters are positive cases from the homeless shelters at the fairgrounds and at the Nashville Rescue Mission .
After four individuals tested positive at the Fairgrounds facility last @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tracing investigation.
” Jahangir said that 206 people at the Fairgrounds tested negative for COVID-19 and 19 tested positive .
“ With 395 individuals at the Rescue Mission tested , of those individuals , 100 were positive , nine were indeterminate , 12 are still pending , and 274 were negative .
One of the positive cases from the mission needed hospitalization and they are receiving the care they need currently , ” Jahangir said .
“ The others who did not require hospitalizations are now housed at the Fairgrounds Facilities .
This @ @ @ @ @ @ @ used for housing residents who are well .
It ’ s set up so these residents can self-isolate in a safe place .
We have also increased medical personnel at the Fairgrounds facility.
” Chris Butler is an investigative journalist at The Tennessee Star .
Follow Chris on Facebook .
Email tips to [ email protected ]

Metro Coronavirus Task Force Chair Alex Jahangir said Monday that COVID-19 didn’t hit Nashville as hard as computer models originally predicted.
“Just a few weeks ago we were planning for a 1,000-bed auxiliary hospital because models had shown that our hospitals would be overrun,” Jahangir said, without saying how many people in Davidson County were to have supposedly caught COVID-19, per those models.
“You stayed at home, and you flattened the curve in our city. Now we need you to do this for just a little bit longer.”
Jahangir said this at a press conference Monday in front of Mayor John Cooper.
As of Monday, Davidson had 3,191 confirmed cases with 27 fatalities. That, Jahangir went on to say, was an increase of 165 cases in the prior 24 hours. Of the Davidson County cases, 1,548 are currently active, and 1,616 residents have recovered and are now clear, he said.
“Since our update on Friday we have had an increase of 359 new cases. However, included in this total are some new cases that are linked to isolated clusters,” Jahangir said.
“We are still evaluating the number of new cases that are part of these clusters and the ones attributed to general community spread. We continue to analyze the information to determine the actual impact of the community spread of the virus, which will most likely be significantly lower than what the 359 new cases indicate. A couple of clusters are positive cases from the homeless shelters at the fairgrounds and at the Nashville Rescue Mission. After four individuals tested positive at the Fairgrounds facility last week, we began a comprehensive contact tracing investigation.”
Jahangir said that 206 people at the Fairgrounds tested negative for COVID-19 and 19 tested positive.
“With 395 individuals at the Rescue Mission tested, of those individuals, 100 were positive, nine were indeterminate, 12 are still pending, and 274 were negative. One of the positive cases from the mission needed hospitalization and they are receiving the care they need currently,” Jahangir said.
“The others who did not require hospitalizations are now housed at the Fairgrounds Facilities. This is a separate building from the one used for housing residents who are well. It’s set up so these residents can self-isolate in a safe place. We have also increased medical personnel at the Fairgrounds facility.”
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Chris Butler is an investigative journalist at The Tennessee Star. Follow Chris on Facebook. Email tips to [email protected]


thetennesseestar--2020-05-05--The Beacon Center’s Mark Cunningham: People Need to Look at City Leadership Over These Past 10 Years

On Monday morning ’ s Tennessee Star Report with Michael Patrick Leahy – broadcast on Nashville ’ s Talk Radio 98.3 and 1510 WLAC weekdays from 5:00 am to 8:00 am – host Michael Patrick Leahy talked in-depth with the Beacon Center ’ s Vice President of Communications Mark Cunningham on the newsmakers line .
Towards the end of the third hour , Cunningham weighed in on Mayor Cooper ’ s proposed 32 % property tax increase stating that it was the wrong time to be doing this to the citizens of Nashville in lieu of the government-mandated shutdown and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ government cuts and freezes need to be put on the table if they are going to hinder small businesses while corporate businesses receive tax breaks and incentives .
Leahy : We are joined now by our good friend Mark Cunningham , the Vice President of Communications with the Beacon Center which is the premier conservative think tank in Tennessee .
Good morning Mark .
Cunningham : Good morning , Michael .
Thanks a lot for having me .
Leahy : We ’ ere always happy to have anybody from the Beacon Center .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ a strong conservative outlet think tank that just does great work .
The Beacon Center has been around for 20-25 years now ?
Long time .
Leahy : 15 years .
So Mark , Crom , and I have been talking about this 32 % property tax increase that Mayor Cooper has suggested .
As the city ’ s small businesses are told they can ’ t open up .
The Beacon Center put together several alternative ideas .
Why don ’ t you tell us a little bit about those ?
Cunningham @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it ’ s such an insane proposal at the worst time possible .
You are talking about people that had damage to their homes from the tornado .
People that have lost their jobs due to the COVID-19 .
And of course , businesses that have lost revenue due to a government-mandated shut down by the very same mayor who ’ s proposing this .
First of all , this is just the absolute to hurt these people with a property tax increase .
You are punishing people who have been hurt by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the things that we are suggesting and we have suggested for a long time is that this is kind of our time to get rid of corporate welfare completely in this city .
We went back and looked at our previous pork reports .
I know that you know about it .
It ’ s a yearly report biggest waste in the entire state .
Since 2015 we have pointed out more than 300 million dollars in government waste in Nashville alone .
That doesn ’ t include the soccer stadium .
Which @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the tax increase that Mayor Cooper is suggesting .
Leahy : Well , that money has been spent I guess right ?
Cunningham : Yes , most of it has been spent and some have not been spent .
You hear a lot of these corporate deals which you could potentially renegotiate .
It ’ s kind of crazy .
I know you had Carey Bringle on… Cunningham : Who ’ s one of our favorite persons with the best ribs in Nashville .
He ’ s got to pay 100,000 ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Then you see these gigantic restaurant chains paying nothing in property taxes .
And the very same liberal people are telling us , oh , we need fairness for everyone but apparently except for small businesses .
These are the people being hurt the most .
These gigantic corporations are paying nothing in property taxes .
Leahy : That ’ s something that you point out that is obvious but I never really thought about it that much .
The big chains are getting the tax breaks from the city and the smaller @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Carey Bringle told us he ’ s spent 3.5 million bucks and paid thousands and thousands of dollars in taxes .
Now they want to increase his taxes by 32 % and oh , by the way , they won ’ t let him open up for business .
Cunningham : That ’ s right .
I remember the owner of Arnolds Country Kitchen said , I look right outside and I see this huge Marriott and they ’ re paying zero dollars in property taxes .
Meanwhile , you ’ re asking @ @ @ @ @ @ @ property taxes when I ’ m not even allowed to open up .
It ’ s kind of insane from any perspective .
And this should not be a political thing .
Anybody with common sense can see this .
When you have councilmen like Freddy O ’ Connell saying oh , this is too much , you really know you have a problem .
Leahy : Exactly .
Is there any hope that the mayor will actually listen to your suggestions ?
Cunningham : Truthfully I think that there is .
Compared @ @ @ @ @ @ @ mayors that have basically just ignored everything we said and said oh no we ’ re not going to listen to anything they say it ’ s a crazy right-wing think tank .
But Mayor Cooper has been really open to listening to us and has talked to us a few times .
And he really does seem to care about the city .
And of course , it ’ s not his fault we ’ re in this .
It ’ s the last three administrations .
He ’ s generally voted @ @ @ @ @ @ @ city council we have in Nashville .
But even with that being said this is just I hope it was just an initial suggestion to throw and see how people took it .
People are not taking it well .
But the city needs to be willing to accept if they ’ re asking their citizens to bear so much .
Freeze for employees .
Wages and hiring freezes .
Leahy : Have they recommended cutting for non-police employees or non-fire department employees , has the mayor recommend cutting salaries for city employees @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
We hope he will though .
That needs to be on the table .
If you ’ re going to take this extreme step of 32 % .
Every single thing needs to be on the table for the government .
And including selling the amphitheater .
Things the government shouldn ’ t be owning in the first place .
Everything needs to be on the table if you think a 32 % increase is necessary .
Carmichael : This is Crom .
Let me ask you this question .
What about @ @ @ @ @ @ @ unfunded for retired metro employees .
Can those be amended or shaved ?
I ’ m not trying to eliminate them all at once but they definitely need to be reform that either eliminates them or funds them over time .
But in the meantime can they be shaved or put a cap on ?
Can they just put a cap on and say the most that we will pay for any retired employee is X ?
Can they do that ?
Cunningham : Yes .
I believe they can put a freeze @ @ @ @ @ @ @ but they ’ d need to negotiate that deal with them .
But of course like you said healthcare benefits are a really expensive thing we ’ re talking about .
As you said , everything needs to be on the table .
And if the city employees are going to say , oh yeah we want to raise taxes 32 % of homeowners , they need to be willing to take cuts too .
We have a real problem .
This is not the COVID-19 or even the tornado .
This has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the best economies of two years straight and obviously Trump has been a big part of that , where things have gone really well .
Somehow the city does not have a rainy day fund .
So now we ’ re spending more money than we ’ re taking in .
It makes no sense .
People need to look at city leadership over these past 10 years and say , what have you guys been doing over this whole time ?
Leahy : You know you are talking about as a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ had been a bit of a budget hawk .
I ’ m reminded of that old saying , where you stand depends on where you sit .
Has he changed his attitude about this now that he ’ s the mayor and the person responsible for the budget ?
Cunningham : I think that ’ s a good question .
I hope not .
That ’ s the best thing I can say .
He has come to us numerous times since he ’ s been in office and asked , OK , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the budget .
I hope this is just an initial let me throw this out there and see what the reaction is and then maybe I ’ ll lower it or get rid of it completely till later if we can think about ways to do it .
It ’ s concerning and of course , I would agree with you it ’ s not his fault we ’ re in this situation .
But the way he ’ s handling is obviously not the correct way to deal with this right now @ @ @ @ @ @ @ limitations on such a gigantic increase in property taxes ?
I thought there was a change in the charter that said if you increase taxes by more than a certain amount it has to be approved by the people .
Do you know the details on that ?
Cunningham : That ’ s right .
It doesn ’ t meet that threshold .
We ’ ve looked and that does not meet that specific threshold .
I think that number was probably picked on purpose because there ’ s no way that passes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s any way the Nashville voters would accept that .
Unfortunately because of the number he chose which is smaller than the minimum amount to do a referendum , it will not go to vote unless the signatures were gotten to do that which seems very unlikely with the time frame .
Carmichael : Now I ’ m curious , I thought there was a referendum that was passed maybe 10 or 12 years ago that did put a limit on the increase in property taxes without coming back to the voters @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that 32 % is under the threshold ?
Cunningham : That ’ s correct .
I don ’ t know exactly how it works .
But I think it ’ s overtime because property taxes have not been raised I guess in a number of years and that because of that total number does not meet the threshold needed for a referendum .
Maybe the numbers too high to begin with it won ’ t go to referendum , unfortunately .
Carmichael : The previous administrations and I don ’ t remember whether @ @ @ @ @ @ @ did put the mass transit to a vote to the citizens and it failed two to one .
Leahy : Yeah .
Two to one .
It was crushed .
Cunningham : Correct .
And that is because of a state law making them do that .
If it ’ s a state law that is passing you can ’ t do any transit thing without a referendum .
The most important thing , cutting the transit thing is an important thing to bring up .
If it was up to the city @ @ @ @ @ @ @ million in debt because they would have passed it .
If that did not have to go to referendum this would have passed .
I don ’ t know what we could have possibly done to pay that money .
We need to remember how little we should listen to the city council at all when it comes to any economic sanity .
I mean these people have done insane things after insane things .
Leahy : The problem is that they ’ ve been elected by the people to do insane things @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
That ’ s exactly right .
And there ’ s nothing you can do except that if you are not happy with them then you should let them know that .
This is a different council that we ’ ve had in past years .
I talked to Justin our CEO about this and the new members are 10-12 new members from when the transit thing went through .
So we ’ re really hoping that these members will take their constituents ’ concerns to heart .
I ’ ve been seeing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ other places I ’ m seeing liberals and moderate left people say no , we can not possibly do this .
Even if you want to pass it you certainly can ’ t pass it this much .
And we don ’ t think you pass a property tax at all .
So I do think there ’ s a lot of bipartisan consensus on not passing this property tax .
Leahy : Mark Cunningham with the Beacon Center , the Vice President of Communications .
Thanks for joining us here .
Come @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Report .
Cunningham : Absolutely .
Thanks for your time guys .
Listen to the full third hour : Tune in weekdays from 5:00 – 8:00 a.m. to the Tennessee Star Report with Michael Patrick Leahy on Talk Radio 98.3 FM WLAC 1510 .
Listen online at iHeart Radio .

On Monday morning’s Tennessee Star Report with Michael Patrick Leahy – broadcast on Nashville’s Talk Radio 98.3 and 1510 WLAC weekdays from 5:00 am to 8:00 am – host Michael Patrick Leahy talked in-depth with the Beacon Center’s Vice President of Communications Mark Cunningham on the newsmakers line.
Towards the end of the third hour, Cunningham weighed in on Mayor Cooper’s proposed 32% property tax increase stating that it was the wrong time to be doing this to the citizens of Nashville in lieu of the government-mandated shutdown and recent tornado destruction. He suggested that government cuts and freezes need to be put on the table if they are going to hinder small businesses while corporate businesses receive tax breaks and incentives.
Leahy: We are joined now by our good friend Mark Cunningham, the Vice President of Communications with the Beacon Center which is the premier conservative think tank in Tennessee. Good morning Mark.
Cunningham: Good morning, Michael. Thanks a lot for having me.
Leahy: We’ere always happy to have anybody from the Beacon Center. It’s so nice to have a strong conservative outlet think tank that just does great work. The Beacon Center has been around for 20-25 years now? Long time.
Cunningham: Yeah. About 15 that’s right.
Leahy: 15 years. So Mark, Crom, and I have been talking about this 32% property tax increase that Mayor Cooper has suggested. As the city’s small businesses are told they can’t open up. The Beacon Center put together several alternative ideas. Why don’t you tell us a little bit about those?
Cunningham: Yes. First of all, it’s such an insane proposal at the worst time possible. You are talking about people that had damage to their homes from the tornado. People that have lost their jobs due to the COVID-19. And of course, businesses that have lost revenue due to a government-mandated shut down by the very same mayor who’s proposing this.
First of all, this is just the absolute to hurt these people with a property tax increase. You are punishing people who have been hurt by these huge recent events. One of the things that we are suggesting and we have suggested for a long time is that this is kind of our time to get rid of corporate welfare completely in this city.
We went back and looked at our previous pork reports. I know that you know about it. It’s a yearly report biggest waste in the entire state. Since 2015 we have pointed out more than 300 million dollars in government waste in Nashville alone. That doesn’t include the soccer stadium. Which would be enough to cover the entirety of the tax increase that Mayor Cooper is suggesting.
Leahy: Well, that money has been spent I guess right?
Cunningham: Yes, most of it has been spent and some have not been spent. You hear a lot of these corporate deals which you could potentially renegotiate. It’s kind of crazy. I know you had Carey Bringle on…
Leahy: Yes!
Cunningham: Who’s one of our favorite persons with the best ribs in Nashville. He’s got to pay 100,000’s of dollars in property taxes. Then you see these gigantic restaurant chains paying nothing in property taxes. And the very same liberal people are telling us, oh, we need fairness for everyone but apparently except for small businesses. These are the people being hurt the most. These gigantic corporations are paying nothing in property taxes.
Leahy: That’s something that you point out that is obvious but I never really thought about it that much. The big chains are getting the tax breaks from the city and the smaller businesses that have invested, I mean Carey Bringle told us he’s spent 3.5 million bucks and paid thousands and thousands of dollars in taxes. Now they want to increase his taxes by 32% and oh, by the way, they won’t let him open up for business.
Cunningham: That’s right. I remember the owner of Arnolds Country Kitchen said, I look right outside and I see this huge Marriott and they’re paying zero dollars in property taxes. Meanwhile, you’re asking me to pay 32% more in property taxes when I’m not even allowed to open up. It’s kind of insane from any perspective. And this should not be a political thing. Anybody with common sense can see this. When you have councilmen like Freddy O’Connell saying oh, this is too much, you really know you have a problem.
Leahy: Exactly. Is there any hope that the mayor will actually listen to your suggestions?
Cunningham: Truthfully I think that there is. Compared to past mayors and the last three mayors that have basically just ignored everything we said and said oh no we’re not going to listen to anything they say it’s a crazy right-wing think tank. But Mayor Cooper has been really open to listening to us and has talked to us a few times. And he really does seem to care about the city. And of course, it’s not his fault we’re in this. It’s the last three administrations.
He’s generally voted right-wing in the council and the horrendous city council we have in Nashville. But even with that being said this is just I hope it was just an initial suggestion to throw and see how people took it. People are not taking it well. But the city needs to be willing to accept if they’re asking their citizens to bear so much. Freeze for employees. Wages and hiring freezes.
Leahy: Have they recommended cutting for non-police employees or non-fire department employees, has the mayor recommend cutting salaries for city employees?
Cunningham: He has not yet. We hope he will though. That needs to be on the table. If you’re going to take this extreme step of 32%. Every single thing needs to be on the table for the government. And including selling the amphitheater. Things the government shouldn’t be owning in the first place. Everything needs to be on the table if you think a 32% increase is necessary.
Carmichael: This is Crom. Let me ask you this question. What about the healthcare retirement benefits which are completely unfunded for retired metro employees. Can those be amended or shaved? I’m not trying to eliminate them all at once but they definitely need to be reform that either eliminates them or funds them over time. But in the meantime can they be shaved or put a cap on? Can they just put a cap on and say the most that we will pay for any retired employee is X? Can they do that?
Cunningham: Yes. I believe they can put a freeze on any kind of increase in that but they’d need to negotiate that deal with them. But of course like you said healthcare benefits are a really expensive thing we’re talking about. As you said, everything needs to be on the table.
And if the city employees are going to say, oh yeah we want to raise taxes 32% of homeowners, they need to be willing to take cuts too. We have a real problem. This is not the COVID-19 or even the tornado. This has been going on for decades. One of the best economies of two years straight and obviously Trump has been a big part of that, where things have gone really well.
Somehow the city does not have a rainy day fund. So now we’re spending more money than we’re taking in. It makes no sense. People need to look at city leadership over these past 10 years and say, what have you guys been doing over this whole time?
Leahy: You know you are talking about as a metro council member that now Mayor Cooper had been a bit of a budget hawk. I’m reminded of that old saying, where you stand depends on where you sit. Has he changed his attitude about this now that he’s the mayor and the person responsible for the budget?
Cunningham: I think that’s a good question. I hope not. That’s the best thing I can say. He has come to us numerous times since he’s been in office and asked, OK, how can I cut some money on the budget. I hope this is just an initial let me throw this out there and see what the reaction is and then maybe I’ll lower it or get rid of it completely till later if we can think about ways to do it. It’s concerning and of course, I would agree with you it’s not his fault we’re in this situation. But the way he’s handling is obviously not the correct way to deal with this right now.
Leahy: Are there any charter limitations on such a gigantic increase in property taxes? I thought there was a change in the charter that said if you increase taxes by more than a certain amount it has to be approved by the people. Do you know the details on that?
Cunningham: That’s right. It doesn’t meet that threshold. We’ve looked and that does not meet that specific threshold. I think that number was probably picked on purpose because there’s no way that passes. I don’t think there’s any way the Nashville voters would accept that. Unfortunately because of the number he chose which is smaller than the minimum amount to do a referendum, it will not go to vote unless the signatures were gotten to do that which seems very unlikely with the time frame.
Carmichael: Now I’m curious, I thought there was a referendum that was passed maybe 10 or 12 years ago that did put a limit on the increase in property taxes without coming back to the voters. And you’re telling me that 32% is under the threshold?
Cunningham: That’s correct. I don’t know exactly how it works. But I think it’s overtime because property taxes have not been raised I guess in a number of years and that because of that total number does not meet the threshold needed for a referendum. Maybe the numbers too high to begin with it won’t go to referendum, unfortunately.
Leahy: Disappointing. (Chuckles)
Carmichael: The previous administrations and I don’t remember whether it was Mayor Barry or Briley who did put the mass transit to a vote to the citizens and it failed two to one.
Leahy: Yeah. Two to one. It was crushed.
Cunningham: Correct. And that is because of a state law making them do that. If it’s a state law that is passing you can’t do any transit thing without a referendum. The most important thing, cutting the transit thing is an important thing to bring up.
If it was up to the city council we would be an extra 10 million in debt because they would have passed it. If that did not have to go to referendum this would have passed. I don’t know what we could have possibly done to pay that money. We need to remember how little we should listen to the city council at all when it comes to any economic sanity. I mean these people have done insane things after insane things.
Leahy: The problem is that they’ve been elected by the people to do insane things.
Cunningham: That’s right. That’s exactly right. And there’s nothing you can do except that if you are not happy with them then you should let them know that. This is a different council that we’ve had in past years. I talked to Justin our CEO about this and the new members are 10-12 new members from when the transit thing went through.
So we’re really hoping that these members will take their constituents’ concerns to heart. I’ve been seeing on Facebook and Twitter and all these other places I’m seeing liberals and moderate left people say no, we cannot possibly do this. Even if you want to pass it you certainly can’t pass it this much. And we don’t think you pass a property tax at all. So I do think there’s a lot of bipartisan consensus on not passing this property tax.
Leahy: Mark Cunningham with the Beacon Center, the Vice President of Communications. Thanks for joining us here. Come back again soon on the Tennessee Star Report.
Cunningham: Absolutely. Thanks for your time guys.
Listen to the full third hour:
– – –
Tune in weekdays from 5:00 – 8:00 a.m. to the Tennessee Star Report with Michael Patrick Leahy on Talk Radio 98.3 FM WLAC 1510. Listen online at iHeart Radio.


thetennesseestar--2020-05-05--Daily Caller News Foundation Sues for Documents Regarding China and the WHO

The Daily Caller News Foundation filed a Freedom of Information Act ( FOIA ) lawsuit on Monday through government watchdog group Judicial Watch against the Department of Health and Human Services for communications regarding the World Health Organization , the Chinese government , and the novel coronavirus .
The lawsuit seeks the communications of Dr. Anthony Fauci and Dr. H. Clifford Lane , the director and deputy director , respectively , of the National Institutes of Allergy and Infectious Diseases .
Fauci is the top scientist on the White House coronavirus task force .
Lane was the U.S. government ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ mission to China in February .
World health officials investigated the origins of the coronavirus outbreak and monitored the Chinese government ’ s response to the pandemic .
The WHO has praised the Chinese government ’ s handling of the pandemic , in contrast to other health officials who have accused Beijing of withholding key information about the origin and spread of coronavirus .
This virus has killed hundreds of thousands of people and turned the whole world upside down .
We know that China and the WHO could have done a lot @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
And a senior intelligence official recently told the Daily Caller News Foundation that the majority of the 17 intelligence agencies believe that coronavirus accidentally leaked from a Wuhan laboratory .
On Jan. 14 , the WHO cited the Chinese government ’ s assessment that there was little evidence of human to human transmission of coronavirus .
Had that been true , the virus likely would have been easier to contain .
But researchers now know that the virus transmits easily from person to person .
Health experts like former Food and Drug @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Chinese government of withholding live samples of coronavirus , which delayed the development of diagnostic tests for COVID-19 .
“ China was not truthful with the world at the outset of this , ” Gottlieb said in an interview on April 12 .
“ Had they been more truthful with the world , which would have enabled them to be more truthful with themselves , they might have actually been able to contain this entirely.
” President Donald Trump ordered a freeze to U.S. funding for the WHO on April 14 , saying @ @ @ @ @ @ @ over lifesaving measures.
” The U.S. is the largest contributor to the WHO , making up around 15 % of the organization ’ s annual budget .
The DCNF filed a FOIA request on March 26 for Fauci and Lane ’ s emails , memos and reports involving the WHO , the Chinese government and Wuhan .
We have a legitimate and urgent news purpose for seeking these documents regarding U.S. officials ’ communications with the WHO and demand that the agencies in question stop stalling and start following FOIA , which clearly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The FOIA lawsuit also seeks documents related to WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus and Dr. Bruce Aylward , a WHO official who led the mission to China .
Neil Patel is a reporter at Daily Caller News Foundation .
Photo “ WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus ” by WHO and “ President Xi Jinping ” is by US State Department .

by Neil Patel
The Daily Caller News Foundation filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit on Monday through government watchdog group Judicial Watch against the Department of Health and Human Services for communications regarding the World Health Organization, the Chinese government, and the novel coronavirus.
The lawsuit seeks the communications of Dr. Anthony Fauci and Dr. H. Clifford Lane, the director and deputy director, respectively, of the National Institutes of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. Fauci is the top scientist on the White House coronavirus task force. Lane was the U.S. government’s top official on a WHO-sponsored fact-finding mission to China in February. World health officials investigated the origins of the coronavirus outbreak and monitored the Chinese government’s response to the pandemic.
The WHO has praised the Chinese government’s handling of the pandemic, in contrast to other health officials who have accused Beijing of withholding key information about the origin and spread of coronavirus. This virus has killed hundreds of thousands of people and turned the whole world upside down. We know that China and the WHO could have done a lot more to prevent or reduce this catastrophe. And a senior intelligence official recently told the Daily Caller News Foundation that the majority of the 17 intelligence agencies believe that coronavirus accidentally leaked from a Wuhan laboratory.
On Jan. 14, the WHO cited the Chinese government’s assessment that there was little evidence of human to human transmission of coronavirus. Had that been true, the virus likely would have been easier to contain. But researchers now know that the virus transmits easily from person to person.
Health experts like former Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Scott Gottlieb have accused the Chinese government of withholding live samples of coronavirus, which delayed the development of diagnostic tests for COVID-19. “China was not truthful with the world at the outset of this,” Gottlieb said in an interview on April 12. “Had they been more truthful with the world, which would have enabled them to be more truthful with themselves, they might have actually been able to contain this entirely.”
President Donald Trump ordered a freeze to U.S. funding for the WHO on April 14, saying that the organization put “political correctness over lifesaving measures.” The U.S. is the largest contributor to the WHO, making up around 15% of the organization’s annual budget.
The DCNF filed a FOIA request on March 26 for Fauci and Lane’s emails, memos and reports involving the WHO, the Chinese government and Wuhan.
We have a legitimate and urgent news purpose for seeking these documents regarding U.S. officials’ communications with the WHO and demand that the agencies in question stop stalling and start following FOIA, which clearly entitles us to this vital information.
The FOIA lawsuit also seeks documents related to WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus and Dr. Bruce Aylward, a WHO official who led the mission to China.
– – –
Neil Patel is a reporter at Daily Caller News Foundation.
Photo “WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus” by WHO and “President Xi Jinping” is by US State Department.


thetennesseestar--2020-05-05--Public Affairs Strategist Clint Brewer and Host Leahy Agree to Disagree on Metro Nashville Task Forc

Public Affairs Strategist Clint Brewer and Host Leahy Agree to Disagree on Metro Nashville Task Force Chairman Dr. Alex Jahangir’s Coronavirus Data

Public affairs strategist and all-star panelist Clint Brewer joined The Tennessee Star Report with Michael Patrick Leahy – broadcast on Nashville ’ s Talk Radio 98.3 and 1510 WLAC weekdays from 5:00 a.m. to 8:00 a.m. – Monday morning on the newsmakers line .
During the second hour , Brewer weighed in on last Friday ’ s data revealed by the Chairman of the Metro Nashville ’ s public health task force Alex Jahangir stating that he felt the numbers were accurate and not modified for political purposes .
Both men agreed that in this particular instance additional staff work @ @ @ @ @ @ @ relaying inconsistent data .
Leahy : We are talking about messaging and themes .
But again , it gets back to this point Clint of officials trying to get too much of a theme .
This was our criticism of Alex Jahangir .
The metro coronavirus task force chairman .
I think it was very clear why on Friday he claimed I think incorrectly as we point out here that there are more cases of coronavirus in the surrounding counties of Davidson County then there are in Davidson County .
He included 1,000 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is not a border county .
I think there was a theme there and there is a reason for that .
I think he wanted to give the impression that the other counties that surround Davidson County weren ’ t being quite as conscious of public safety as Mayor Cooper is because he ’ s continuing the non-essential business ban shall we say .
Forcing them to not be open .
What ’ s you take on that ?
Are we being unfair to Mr. Jahangir on this or not ?
Brewer : @ @ @ @ @ @ @ under the hood to see where his remarks came from and who made the interpretation it ’ s hard to say .
I would like to think and I ’ m going to think that he ’ s a serious medical doctor at one of the greatest hospitals in the world .
And he ’ s not going to get out there and manipulate numbers just to create political currency .
Again as communicators whether it ’ s you or me or the task force chair or the president of the United States @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be so careful not to overstate things .
Not to understate things .
Not to put a brand on a set of numbers to give people an impression just for our own purposes .
People need good information .
They need honest information .
They need real data .
And they need it in a timely fashion .
And that ’ s the best public service we can do right now .
All of us .
Leahy : I agree that people need good information .
In this particular case , and I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ give him the benefit of the doubt , however , so we kind of push on this .
Nobody else has covered this by the way .
Brewer : I have noticed that and you ’ re right .
Leahy : And so why ?
Well because I think the mainstream media here in Middle Tennessee wants to support the claim that Mayor Cooper ’ s making the right public policy decision because he ’ s more concerned about safety than surrounding counties .
But , in my view , I don ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Alex Jahangir the head of the Metro Nashville Davidson County coronavirus task force .
I don ’ t think this was an unintentional comment .
I think it was intentionally designed to mislead .
We went back and looked at the numbers .
I think it was misleading because for a couple of reasons , number one .
Trousdale County does not border Nashville .
Number one .
Number two .
It included all these more than 1,000 prisoners that are asymptomatic in the prison .
This is very misleading because you are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ prisoners .
And we looked at the data for the surrounding counties .
Williamson , Rutherford , Wilson , Sumner , Robertson , and Cheatham .
And on Friday there were only 2,090 cases in those surrounding counties .
Which is more than 700 less than the 2,832 reported in Davidson County .
Now the other thing too Clint since your the communications guy .
We asked the Mayor ’ s office to respond .
They didn ’ t .
They said they sent out sacrificial lamb from the Metro department of health @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Jahangir arrived at this number of 3227 but he did admit they included Trousdale County .
Brewer : I think that what you ’ re seeing there , ( Sighs ) is that there is a want in government to rely on health departments .
At every level , there ’ s a desire to rely on health professionals but you know its difficult .
I can ’ t remember ever in my lifetime them being this much in the public eye .
Brewer : Let ’ s be clear to the listeners @ @ @ @ @ @ @ agreeing to disagree .
I ’ m giving the doctor the benefit of the doubt and you see an agenda .
Brewer : And that ’ s OK.
Here ’ s the thing though .
People in medicine often view things without a political lens .
Take all of the statements that are out there at the national level from Dr. Fauci and from others who have said well , he ’ s not supporting the President .
Well , this that and the other .
They don ’ t look at things @ @ @ @ @ @ @ just giving what they see .
To them , a prison outbreak is a number .
Well , there ’ s a number .
That ’ s an outbreak .
That ’ s a number .
So we have an infection rate .
They don ’ t think about what the political optic may be there .
And guess what ?
They need to be provided with people who can help them do that .
Leahy : Well that ’ s the point isn ’ t it ?
Somebody , I think Clint @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from Metro Nashville Davidson County , made that statement on Friday morning should have reviewed it with his communications people .
Brewer : And these statements need a lot of scrutinies .
Now we want to over politicize but we want to make them accurate and not have a spin to them .
Particularly when there are numbers right ?
You can make numbers say anything .
You can make the budget say anything .
Leahy : That ’ s exactly right .
I will say this , you and I , I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ interpretation of that particular instance .
But the reason that it caught my attention is that I have a sense having reported on tuberculosis incidents among refugees and foreign-born citizens or residents of the United States for several years at Breitbart news before the coronavirus thing .
I came to be very suspicious of the data reported by public health departments at the state and county levels because it seemed to me in several cases they did not want to reveal information that would reflect poorly on the refugee resettlement program or on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ happened , in that case , is that the percentage has gone from 33 % three years ago to 66 % percent .
Seems to me there ’ s a bit of a political agenda even if the public health professionals don ’ t realize it themselves .
That ’ s sort of my point of view on it , Clint .
Brewer : Well I ’ m not saying it doesn ’ t happen .
I don ’ t think it happened in this case .
A lot of times people are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a full time working physician .
( laughs ) I ’ m sure he ’ s pretty busy .
I don ’ t think that he spent all day trying to figure out how to make the numbers look one way .
If anything what we could agree to in this situation is that there needs to be some better staff work .
Leahy : I would agree on that .
The other part of this that is a pet peeve is that they talk about in Metro Nashville the data , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they really are not doing a very good job of reporting in one dashboard all of the data .
They ’ ll put out a press release but you can ’ t find it all in one place .
So I ’ ve got a pet peeve on that .
Hey Clint Brewer , thanks for joining us .
We ’ ll be back on Wednesday .
Listen to the full second hour here : Tune in weekdays from 5:00 – 8:00 a.m. to the Tennessee Star Report with Michael Patrick Leahy on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Listen online at iHeart Radio .

Public affairs strategist and all-star panelist Clint Brewer joined The Tennessee Star Report with Michael Patrick Leahy – broadcast on Nashville’s Talk Radio 98.3 and 1510 WLAC weekdays from 5:00 a.m. to 8:00 a.m. – Monday morning on the newsmakers line.
During the second hour, Brewer weighed in on last Friday’s data revealed by the Chairman of the Metro Nashville’s public health task force Alex Jahangir stating that he felt the numbers were accurate and not modified for political purposes. Both men agreed that in this particular instance additional staff work would have been a good choice before relaying inconsistent data.
Leahy: We are talking about messaging and themes. But again, it gets back to this point Clint of officials trying to get too much of a theme. This was our criticism of Alex Jahangir. The metro coronavirus task force chairman. I think it was very clear why on Friday he claimed I think incorrectly as we point out here that there are more cases of coronavirus in the surrounding counties of Davidson County then there are in Davidson County.
He included 1,000 prisoners that are asymptomatic in Trousdale which is not a border county. I think there was a theme there and there is a reason for that. I think he wanted to give the impression that the other counties that surround Davidson County weren’t being quite as conscious of public safety as Mayor Cooper is because he’s continuing the non-essential business ban shall we say. Forcing them to not be open. What’s you take on that? Are we being unfair to Mr. Jahangir on this or not?
Brewer: You know unless you want to get under the hood to see where his remarks came from and who made the interpretation it’s hard to say. I would like to think and I’m going to think that he’s a serious medical doctor at one of the greatest hospitals in the world.
And he’s not going to get out there and manipulate numbers just to create political currency. Again as communicators whether it’s you or me or the task force chair or the president of the United States. During this time we have to be so careful not to overstate things. Not to understate things.
Not to put a brand on a set of numbers to give people an impression just for our own purposes. People need good information. They need honest information. They need real data. And they need it in a timely fashion. And that’s the best public service we can do right now. All of us.
Leahy: I agree that people need good information. In this particular case, and I think it’s appropriate that you give him the benefit of the doubt, however, so we kind of push on this. Nobody else has covered this by the way.
Brewer: I have noticed that and you’re right.
Leahy: And so why? Well because I think the mainstream media here in Middle Tennessee wants to support the claim that Mayor Cooper’s making the right public policy decision because he’s more concerned about safety than surrounding counties.
But, in my view, I don’t think this particular comment was by Alex Jahangir the head of the Metro Nashville Davidson County coronavirus task force. I don’t think this was an unintentional comment. I think it was intentionally designed to mislead. We went back and looked at the numbers. I think it was misleading because for a couple of reasons, number one. Trousdale County does not border Nashville. Number one.
Number two. It included all these more than 1,000 prisoners that are asymptomatic in the prison. This is very misleading because you are looking at the general population, not prisoners. And we looked at the data for the surrounding counties. Williamson, Rutherford, Wilson, Sumner, Robertson, and Cheatham. And on Friday there were only 2,090 cases in those surrounding counties.
Which is more than 700 less than the 2,832 reported in Davidson County. Now the other thing too Clint since your the communications guy. We asked the Mayor’s office to respond. They didn’t. They said they sent out sacrificial lamb from the Metro department of health and he could not tell us how Jahangir arrived at this number of 3227 but he did admit they included Trousdale County.
Brewer: I think that what you’re seeing there, (Sighs) is that there is a want in government to rely on health departments. At every level, there’s a desire to rely on health professionals but you know its difficult. I can’t remember ever in my lifetime them being this much in the public eye.
Leahy: Exactly.
Brewer: Let’s be clear to the listeners here, you and I are gentlemanly agreeing to disagree. I’m giving the doctor the benefit of the doubt and you see an agenda.
Leahy: Yeah.
Brewer: And that’s OK. Here’s the thing though. People in medicine often view things without a political lens. Take all of the statements that are out there at the national level from Dr. Fauci and from others who have said well, he’s not supporting the President. Well, this that and the other. They don’t look at things through an optic. They’re just giving what they see. To them, a prison outbreak is a number.
Well, there’s a number. That’s an outbreak. That’s a number. So we have an infection rate. They don’t think about what the political optic may be there. And guess what? They need to be provided with people who can help them do that.
Leahy: Well that’s the point isn’t it? Somebody, I think Clint, before the coronavirus task force chair from Metro Nashville Davidson County, made that statement on Friday morning should have reviewed it with his communications people.
Brewer: And these statements need a lot of scrutinies. Now we want to over politicize but we want to make them accurate and not have a spin to them. Particularly when there are numbers right? You can make numbers say anything. You can make the budget say anything.
Leahy: That’s exactly right. I will say this, you and I, I think have agreed to disagree with our interpretation of that particular instance. But the reason that it caught my attention is that I have a sense having reported on tuberculosis incidents among refugees and foreign-born citizens or residents of the United States for several years at Breitbart news before the coronavirus thing.
I came to be very suspicious of the data reported by public health departments at the state and county levels because it seemed to me in several cases they did not want to reveal information that would reflect poorly on the refugee resettlement program or on foreign-born citizens. Because what’s happened, in that case, is that the percentage has gone from 33% three years ago to 66% percent. Seems to me there’s a bit of a political agenda even if the public health professionals don’t realize it themselves. That’s sort of my point of view on it, Clint.
Brewer: Well I’m not saying it doesn’t happen. I don’t think it happened in this case. A lot of times people are just handed numbers. This guy is a full time working physician. (laughs) I’m sure he’s pretty busy. I don’t think that he spent all day trying to figure out how to make the numbers look one way. If anything what we could agree to in this situation is that there needs to be some better staff work.
Leahy: I would agree on that. The other part of this that is a pet peeve is that they talk about in Metro Nashville the data, the data, the data, and YET they really are not doing a very good job of reporting in one dashboard all of the data. They’ll put out a press release but you can’t find it all in one place. So I’ve got a pet peeve on that. Hey Clint Brewer, thanks for joining us. We’ll be back on Wednesday.
Listen to the full second hour here:
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Tune in weekdays from 5:00 – 8:00 a.m. to the Tennessee Star Report with Michael Patrick Leahy on Talk Radio 98.3 FM WLAC 1510. Listen online at iHeart Radio.


thetennesseestar--2020-05-05--Groups Sue to Expand Absentee Voting in Tennessee

Two legal organizations have filed a lawsuit against Secretary of State Tre Hargett in an effort to overturn Tennessee ’ s “ unconstitutional ” restrictions on absentee voting .
The lawsuit was filed Friday in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee by the Lawyers ’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law and the Campaign Legal Center .
The two groups filed the complaint on behalf of several Tennessee organizations “ whose many members are not eligible for vote by mail under current law.
” The lawsuit takes issue with three provisions in Tennessee ’ s election @ @ @ @ @ @ @ absentee voting , criminal restrictions on helping people obtain absentee ballots , and the authority of election judges to reject absentee ballots if a voter ’ s signature on their ballot doesn ’ t match the signature on their voter registration form .
The complaint asks the courts to declare all three of these provisions unconstitutional for the duration of the coronavirus pandemic .
“ These restrictions severely burden Tennesseans ’ exercise of their right to vote and Organizational Plaintiffs ’ right to participate in voter engagement activity , ” states the lawsuit @ @ @ @ @ @ @ public health crisis , Tennessee ’ s failure to make the already-existing mail voting system available to all voters so that they do not have to choose between their right to vote and their health imposes an undue burden on Tennesseans ’ exercise of their right to vote.
” According to the lawsuit , Tennessee is one of just seven states that “ continues to require their voters to provide an excuse before they may vote by absentee ballot.
” “ Other states , that in normal circumstances maintain similarly limited eligibility requirements @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the extraordinary circumstances caused by the pandemic require loosening of those requirements , ” says the lawsuit .
Under current law , it is a misdemeanor for any person who is not an employee of an election commission to give an unsolicited absentee ballot application to a voter , punishable by up to 11 months in jail or a $ 2,500 fine .
Kristen Clarke , president of the Lawyers ’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law , called this provision “ outrageous.
” “ It is more difficult to cast an absentee @ @ @ @ @ @ @ states .
This is bad enough in normal times , but Tennessee ’ s laws are particularly offensive during a time when more voters than ever before need to vote by mail because of the current public health crisis , ” she said in a press release .
Clarke said it is “ fundamentally unfair ” to not provide voters with an opportunity to correct absentee ballots that are rejected because of faulty signatures .
“ And not allowing voters to vote by absentee ballot if they fear that they or their loved @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in person effectively takes away their right to vote , ” she added .
Paul Smith , vice president of litigation and strategy for the Campaign Legal Center , said “ no voter should have to choose between protecting their health and exercising their right to vote.
” “ In light of the ongoing public health crisis , Tennessee ’ s failure to accommodate voters is threatening the ability of citizens and organizations to participate in the civic process , ” he said .
Anthony Gockowski is managing editor of The Minnesota Sun @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on Twitter .
Email tips to [ email protected ] .

Two legal organizations have filed a lawsuit against Secretary of State Tre Hargett in an effort to overturn Tennessee’s “unconstitutional” restrictions on absentee voting.
The lawsuit was filed Friday in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee by the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law and the Campaign Legal Center. The two groups filed the complaint on behalf of several Tennessee organizations “whose many members are not eligible for vote by mail under current law.”
The lawsuit takes issue with three provisions in Tennessee’s election laws, including the excuse requirement for absentee voting, criminal restrictions on helping people obtain absentee ballots, and the authority of election judges to reject absentee ballots if a voter’s signature on their ballot doesn’t match the signature on their voter registration form.
The complaint asks the courts to declare all three of these provisions unconstitutional for the duration of the coronavirus pandemic.
“These restrictions severely burden Tennesseans’ exercise of their right to vote and Organizational Plaintiffs’ right to participate in voter engagement activity,” states the lawsuit. “In light of the ongoing public health crisis, Tennessee’s failure to make the already-existing mail voting system available to all voters so that they do not have to choose between their right to vote and their health imposes an undue burden on Tennesseans’ exercise of their right to vote.”
According to the lawsuit, Tennessee is one of just seven states that “continues to require their voters to provide an excuse before they may vote by absentee ballot.”
“Other states, that in normal circumstances maintain similarly limited eligibility requirements for voting absentee, have recognized that the extraordinary circumstances caused by the pandemic require loosening of those requirements,” says the lawsuit.
Under current law, it is a misdemeanor for any person who is not an employee of an election commission to give an unsolicited absentee ballot application to a voter, punishable by up to 11 months in jail or a $2,500 fine.
Kristen Clarke, president of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, called this provision “outrageous.”
“It is more difficult to cast an absentee ballot in Tennessee than in most other states. This is bad enough in normal times, but Tennessee’s laws are particularly offensive during a time when more voters than ever before need to vote by mail because of the current public health crisis,” she said in a press release.
Clarke said it is “fundamentally unfair” to not provide voters with an opportunity to correct absentee ballots that are rejected because of faulty signatures.
“And not allowing voters to vote by absentee ballot if they fear that they or their loved ones would contract COVID-19 if they vote in person effectively takes away their right to vote,” she added.
Paul Smith, vice president of litigation and strategy for the Campaign Legal Center, said “no voter should have to choose between protecting their health and exercising their right to vote.”
“In light of the ongoing public health crisis, Tennessee’s failure to accommodate voters is threatening the ability of citizens and organizations to participate in the civic process,” he said.
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Anthony Gockowski is managing editor of The Minnesota Sun and The Ohio Star. Follow Anthony on Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].


thetennesseestar--2020-05-05--‘I Am Antifa’ Professor Receives Sizeable Payout After Suing Iowa College

The professor who resigned in 2019 after telling a local news outlet , “ I am Antifa ” just got a sizeable payout from the college that let him go .
As Campus Reform reported in August , Kirkwood Community College professor Jeff Klinzman posted on his personal social media messages in support of the far-left extremist group Antifa , which President Donald Trump was considering at the time labeling a domestic terror organization .
When a local television station contacted Klinzman , he replied , “ I affirm I am Antifa , ” unleashing nationwide backlash eventually leading to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ remove ” him from the classroom .
Klinzman indicated his intention to sue the school .
The Foundation for Individual Rights in Education , which represented Klinzman , announced Monday that it reached a settlement with the college to avoid a First Amendment trial .
“ Public colleges simply can not fire professors because a small , vocal group of people online get upset , ” FIRE said .
“ We are grateful that we were able to work with Kirkwood to resolve this matter and secure a good result for Jeff .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ Jeff.
” “ More broadly , ” FIRE added , “ we hope that Jeff ’ s story will remind colleges that all of their professors have the right to express their political opinions online , and FIRE will be ready to act if colleges violate those expressive rights.
” According to FIRE , the college agreed to pay Klinzman , an adjunct professor , $ 25,000 , which is “ approximately the amount it would have paid Klinzman to continue teaching for over three and a half years.
” While Klinzman will @ @ @ @ @ @ @ years worth of work even while he is not employed by the college , he says his lawsuit was “ never about money , but about protecting my right as a college faculty member to exercise extramural free speech.
” “ I served my colleagues and students at Kirkwood for over 16 years , and wish the college had agreed to reinstate me .
However , I am profoundly grateful to…FIRE who helped vindicate me by making sure the college had to pay a price for trampling on my free speech rights , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Reform Monday regarding the settlement , “ The college remains confident in how sensitive issues were managed related to his resignation at the beginning of the 2019-20 academic year .
With this matter now settled , Kirkwood avoids potentially lengthy and costly litigation to defend itself and can keep its attention focused on educating students.
” “ Kirkwood is pleased to put this matter behind the institution as it moves forward with its continued commitment to creating a learning environment where free speech and academic freedom can thrive , ” the college added @ @ @ @ @ @ @ college ’ s president released a statement saying that Klinzman was not let go because of his viewpoints , but because of “ the potential to create an environment that is disruptive to our mission.
” “ Our decision to remove Mr. Klinzman from the classroom has nothing to do with the substance of his views or his right to express them .
Rather , our decision is based solely on our commitment to fostering a safe learning environment for our students , faculty , and staff , ” KCC President Lori Sundberg @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that in January came to the defense of the Massachusetts professor who joked that Iran should choose which American cultural targets to “ bomb.
” That professor ’ s comment came after President Donald Trump threatened to strike Iranian cultural sites if the regime targeted any Americans or American assets .
The professor later apologized for his “ bad attempt at humor.
” Jon Street is the Managing Editor of CampusReform.org .
Follow Jon of Twitter at @ JonStreet .
Photo “ Kirkwood Community College ” by Kirkwood Community College .

by Jon Street
The professor who resigned in 2019 after telling a local news outlet, “I am Antifa” just got a sizeable payout from the college that let him go.
As Campus Reform reported in August, Kirkwood Community College professor Jeff Klinzman posted on his personal social media messages in support of the far-left extremist group Antifa, which President Donald Trump was considering at the time labeling a domestic terror organization. When a local television station contacted Klinzman, he replied, “I affirm I am Antifa,” unleashing nationwide backlash eventually leading to the college making the “decision to remove” him from the classroom.
Klinzman indicated his intention to sue the school. The Foundation for Individual Rights in Education, which represented Klinzman, announced Monday that it reached a settlement with the college to avoid a First Amendment trial.
“Public colleges simply cannot fire professors because a small, vocal group of people online get upset,” FIRE said. “We are grateful that we were able to work with Kirkwood to resolve this matter and secure a good result for Jeff. Ultimately, this is a victory for Jeff.”
“More broadly,” FIRE added, “we hope that Jeff’s story will remind colleges that all of their professors have the right to express their political opinions online, and FIRE will be ready to act if colleges violate those expressive rights.”
According to FIRE, the college agreed to pay Klinzman, an adjunct professor, $25,000, which is “approximately the amount it would have paid Klinzman to continue teaching for over three and a half years.”
While Klinzman will be paid for the equivalent of three years worth of work even while he is not employed by the college, he says his lawsuit was “never about money, but about protecting my right as a college faculty member to exercise extramural free speech.”
“I served my colleagues and students at Kirkwood for over 16 years, and wish the college had agreed to reinstate me. However, I am profoundly grateful to…FIRE who helped vindicate me by making sure the college had to pay a price for trampling on my free speech rights,” Klinzman said.
KCC told Campus Reform Monday regarding the settlement, “The college remains confident in how sensitive issues were managed related to his resignation at the beginning of the 2019-20 academic year. With this matter now settled, Kirkwood avoids potentially lengthy and costly litigation to defend itself and can keep its attention focused on educating students.”
“Kirkwood is pleased to put this matter behind the institution as it moves forward with its continued commitment to creating a learning environment where free speech and academic freedom can thrive,” the college added.
In August, though, the college’s president released a statement saying that Klinzman was not let go because of his viewpoints, but because of “the potential to create an environment that is disruptive to our mission.”
“Our decision to remove Mr. Klinzman from the classroom has nothing to do with the substance of his views or his right to express them. Rather, our decision is based solely on our commitment to fostering a safe learning environment for our students, faculty, and staff,” KCC President Lori Sundberg said.
FIRE is the same organization that in January came to the defense of the Massachusetts professor who joked that Iran should choose which American cultural targets to “bomb.” That professor’s comment came after President Donald Trump threatened to strike Iranian cultural sites if the regime targeted any Americans or American assets. The professor later apologized for his “bad attempt at humor.”
– – –
Jon Street is the Managing Editor of CampusReform.org. Follow Jon of Twitter at @JonStreet.
Photo “Kirkwood Community College” by Kirkwood Community College.


thetennesseestar--2020-05-05--Internal Chinese Report Warns Beijing to Prepare for Armed Conflict with US Over COVID-19 Backlash,

Internal Chinese Report Warns Beijing to Prepare for Armed Conflict with US Over COVID-19 Backlash, Sources Say

An internal Chinese report warns Beijing officials that backlash from the coronavirus pandemic risks tilting China into a full bore armed conflict with the United States , Reuters reported Monday .
Anti-China sentiment hasn ’ t been this white-hot since the Tiananmen Square crackdown more than three decades ago , sources familiar with the paper told Reuters .
They spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the report , which the sources say was presented to Chinese President Xi Jinping and other officials in April .
China must be prepared for a confrontation between the two @ @ @ @ @ @ @ A Chinese think tank , the China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations ( CICIR ) , which is affiliated with the communist country ’ s top intelligence body , drew up the report as the coronavirus pandemic continues to hit the U.S. , where it has killed more than 67,000 people .
China had a responsibility to maintain transparency and warn the world about the virus “ since they were the first to learn of it , ” U.S. State Department spokeswoman Morgan Ortagus told Reuters .
Ortagus , who did not directly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ added : “ Beijing ’ s efforts to silence scientists , journalists , and citizens and spread disinformation exacerbated the dangers of this health crisis.
” The National Security Council has not returned the Daily Caller News Foundation ’ s request for comment about the nature of the report .
A Chinese foreign ministry representative did not offer Reuters confirmation about the report , and China ’ s Ministry of State Security could not be reached for comment as it has no contact details , according to Reuters .
The think tank that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reply to Reuter ’ s request for comment .
The Chinese intelligence community believes the report is similar to the “ Novikov Telegram , ” a dispatch the Soviet ambassador to Washington , D.C. sent in 1946 to stress the dangers of U.S. belligerents against the Soviet Union , an unnamed source with information about the report told Reuters .
The Novikov document helped set the stage for what would become the Cold War .
News of the internal report comes as President Donald Trump considers retaliatory measures against China over what he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ nation ’ s decision to hold off on warning the world about the severity of the novel coronavirus , or COVID-19 , which originated in Wuhan , China , and has killed nearly 170,000 people worldwide .
“ Personally , I think they made a horrible mistake , and they didn ’ t want to admit it , ” Trump said during a Fox News town hall Sunday , referring to China ’ s handling of the virus .
“ We wanted to go in , but they didn ’ t want us @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they tried to cover it , like a fire … They couldn ’ t put out the fire .
”

by Chris White
An internal Chinese report warns Beijing officials that backlash from the coronavirus pandemic risks tilting China into a full bore armed conflict with the United States, Reuters reported Monday.
Anti-China sentiment hasn’t been this white-hot since the Tiananmen Square crackdown more than three decades ago, sources familiar with the paper told Reuters. They spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the report, which the sources say was presented to Chinese President Xi Jinping and other officials in April.
China must be prepared for a confrontation between the two global powers, the sources said. A Chinese think tank, the China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations (CICIR), which is affiliated with the communist country’s top intelligence body, drew up the report as the coronavirus pandemic continues to hit the U.S., where it has killed more than 67,000 people.
China had a responsibility to maintain transparency and warn the world about the virus “since they were the first to learn of it,” U.S. State Department spokeswoman Morgan Ortagus told Reuters.
Ortagus, who did not directly address the report in his response, added: “Beijing’s efforts to silence scientists, journalists, and citizens and spread disinformation exacerbated the dangers of this health crisis.” The National Security Council has not returned the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment about the nature of the report.
A Chinese foreign ministry representative did not offer Reuters confirmation about the report, and China’s Ministry of State Security could not be reached for comment as it has no contact details, according to Reuters. The think tank that reportedly helped collect the report did not reply to Reuter’s request for comment.
The Chinese intelligence community believes the report is similar to the “Novikov Telegram,” a dispatch the Soviet ambassador to Washington, D.C. sent in 1946 to stress the dangers of U.S. belligerents against the Soviet Union, an unnamed source with information about the report told Reuters. The Novikov document helped set the stage for what would become the Cold War.
News of the internal report comes as President Donald Trump considers retaliatory measures against China over what he and other officials believe is the communist nation’s decision to hold off on warning the world about the severity of the novel coronavirus, or COVID-19, which originated in Wuhan, China, and has killed nearly 170,000 people worldwide.
“Personally, I think they made a horrible mistake, and they didn’t want to admit it,” Trump said during a Fox News town hall Sunday, referring to China’s handling of the virus. “We wanted to go in, but they didn’t want us there. They made a mistake, they tried to cover it, like a fire … They couldn’t put out the fire.”
– – –
Chris White is a reporter at Daily Caller News Foundation.


thetennesseestar--2020-05-05--Commentary: Liberals Seek to Use Coronavirus to Bail Out Reckless Spending for State and Local Gover

Commentary: Liberals Seek to Use Coronavirus to Bail Out Reckless Spending for State and Local Governments

Americans have come together in the fight against the invisible enemy , but this situation has been made worse by some politicians who seek to take advantage of this pandemic and our recovery while so many are suffering .
President Trump has been working around the clock to slow the spread of the Wuhan virus and get the economy going again , but Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer have used this crisis to push their radical socialist agenda and grow the size of government .
Twice now , Nancy Pelosi held American families , workers , and businesses hostage for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ name of securing tens of millions of dollars for the Kennedy Center , pushing her Green New Deal , changing voting laws , and growing government to advance her radical socialist agenda .
Even more recently , there have been calls to give handouts to failing state and local governments , not because of the coronavirus , but because these states have been mismanaged and run irresponsibly .
The American taxpayer should not bail out state and local governments for the reckless fiscal decisions made before the coronavirus .
Taxpayers in Tennessee , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ America , should not be forced to bail out far-left politicians in New York , Illinois , and California .
Tennesseans shouldn ’ t be stuck with the bill of corrupt Illinois politicians , nor should they get the tab when California mismanages its infrastructure spending to the tune of hundreds of billions of dollars .
Tennessee taxpayers certainly should not have to bailout New York when they recklessly spend on a litany of liberal priorities including solar projects , health care to illegal immigrants and more .
States are stretched by the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ t incentivize more bad decisions at a time when every dollar is needed in the fight against the virus .
We ’ ve already spent trillions of dollars .
Of that , billions have already gone to state and local governments .
Republicans now need to hold the line .
The more we spend and the higher our deficit grows , the longer our recovery will take and the harder it will be to address the long-term implications for our economy .
As President Trump said , “ We can not let the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” Democrats and special interests are already taking actions that are going to slow our economy ’ s recovery .
We should pursue stronger liability protections to stop frivolous lawsuits aimed at punishing our nursing homes , hospitals , and manufacturing plants , all with the goal of making trial attorneys richer – with a chilling effect on our economy .
We have to be diligent in lowering our deficit and stopping these lawsuits because Democrats are not taking their foot off the pedal .
They will stop at nothing to massively grow @ @ @ @ @ @ @ into every aspect of our life while siding with trial lawyers who shouldn ’ t be allowed a litigation “ Bonanza ” at the expense of those on the frontlines fighting the virus .
Former Obama Advisor Rahm Emanuel is infamous for saying : “ Never let a crisis go to waste , ” and that is truly the most disturbing thing about Democrats ’ recent pushes .
Their actions are not about helping people ; in fact , they are harming the American people for generations to come .
They are seizing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of government , bail out political special interests , erase state and local government sins of the past , and implement their radical socialist agenda .
Enough is enough .
Our focus has to be on the American people .
I ’ m proud to work with President Trump as a member of the White House economic recovery task force : the Great American Economic Revival Industry Groups , to reopen our economy safely and as soon as possible .
President Trump has endorsed me for the U.S. Senate because he knows I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to the Democrats who put themselves and their special interests ahead of the American people .
We need to get help directly to American families and businesses .
Now is not the time to give bailouts to bureaucrats and send free money to feckless politicians , and it ’ s offensive to see Democrats trying to do exactly that .
As Tennessee ’ s next Senator , I will work with President Trump to drain the swamp and put the American people first .
Bill Hagerty served as the United States Ambassador to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ administration .
He is running for Senate in Tennessee , with President Trump ’ s “ complete and total ” endorsement .
You can learn more about him at teamhagerty.com .
Photo “ Bill Hagerty by Bill Hagerty and “ Closed McDonald ’ s ” is by Dan Keck CC2.0 .

by Bill Hagerty
Americans have come together in the fight against the invisible enemy, but this situation has been made worse by some politicians who seek to take advantage of this pandemic and our recovery while so many are suffering. President Trump has been working around the clock to slow the spread of the Wuhan virus and get the economy going again, but Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer have used this crisis to push their radical socialist agenda and grow the size of government. Twice now, Nancy Pelosi held American families, workers, and businesses hostage for days by delaying relief funding in the name of securing tens of millions of dollars for the Kennedy Center, pushing her Green New Deal, changing voting laws, and growing government to advance her radical socialist agenda.
Even more recently, there have been calls to give handouts to failing state and local governments, not because of the coronavirus, but because these states have been mismanaged and run irresponsibly. The American taxpayer should not bail out state and local governments for the reckless fiscal decisions made before the coronavirus.
Taxpayers in Tennessee, which has the strongest balance sheet in America, should not be forced to bail out far-left politicians in New York, Illinois, and California. Tennesseans shouldn’t be stuck with the bill of corrupt Illinois politicians, nor should they get the tab when California mismanages its infrastructure spending to the tune of hundreds of billions of dollars. Tennessee taxpayers certainly should not have to bailout New York when they recklessly spend on a litany of liberal priorities including solar projects, health care to illegal immigrants , and more.
States are stretched by the Wuhan virus, but we shouldn’t incentivize more bad decisions at a time when every dollar is needed in the fight against the virus. We’ve already spent trillions of dollars. Of that, billions have already gone to state and local governments. Republicans now need to hold the line. The more we spend and the higher our deficit grows, the longer our recovery will take and the harder it will be to address the long-term implications for our economy.
As President Trump said, “We cannot let the cure be worse than the problem itself.” Democrats and special interests are already taking actions that are going to slow our economy’s recovery. We should pursue stronger liability protections to stop frivolous lawsuits aimed at punishing our nursing homes, hospitals, and manufacturing plants, all with the goal of making trial attorneys richer – with a chilling effect on our economy. We have to be diligent in lowering our deficit and stopping these lawsuits because Democrats are not taking their foot off the pedal. They will stop at nothing to massively grow the size of government and insert it into every aspect of our life while siding with trial lawyers who shouldn’t be allowed a litigation “Bonanza” at the expense of those on the frontlines fighting the virus.
Former Obama Advisor Rahm Emanuel is infamous for saying: “Never let a crisis go to waste,” and that is truly the most disturbing thing about Democrats’ recent pushes. Their actions are not about helping people; in fact, they are harming the American people for generations to come. They are seizing on this crisis to grow the size of government, bail out political special interests, erase state and local government sins of the past, and implement their radical socialist agenda. Enough is enough.
Our focus has to be on the American people. I’m proud to work with President Trump as a member of the White House economic recovery task force: the Great American Economic Revival Industry Groups, to reopen our economy safely and as soon as possible. President Trump has endorsed me for the U.S. Senate because he knows I will work with him to stand up to the Democrats who put themselves and their special interests ahead of the American people.
We need to get help directly to American families and businesses. Now is not the time to give bailouts to bureaucrats and send free money to feckless politicians, and it’s offensive to see Democrats trying to do exactly that. As Tennessee’s next Senator, I will work with President Trump to drain the swamp and put the American people first.
– – –
Bill Hagerty served as the United States Ambassador to Japan in President Donald Trump’s administration. He is running for Senate in Tennessee, with President Trump’s “complete and total” endorsement. You can learn more about him at teamhagerty.com.
Photo “Bill Hagerty by Bill Hagerty and “Closed McDonald’s” is by Dan Keck CC2.0.