thetennesseestar--2020-09-19--The Beacon Center’s Mark Cunningham: Mayor Cooper Only Follows Science When it Suits His Agenda

On Friday 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 welcomed the Beacon Center ’ s Vice President of Communications Mark Cunningham on the newsmakers line .
During the second hour , Cunningham weighed in on Mayor John Cooper ’ s blatant disdain for the people of Nashville and discussed whether he could be potentially personally sued in a class-action lawsuit from business owners that remained shut down because of his orders .
Leahy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to be careful , because if you got to bed early here in Nashville , my goodness things break .
And of course , the big national story , Metro Council Member At-Large Steve Glover was on Tucker Carlson last night to talk about it .
The suppression of the COVID-19 data that showed very low rates in bars and restaurants that Mayor Cooper shut down .
Carmichael : It ’ s the motive that you get to .
Leahy : We have Mark Cunningham from The Beacon Center who wants to try @ @ @ @ @ @ @ : Can you explain why the mayor ’ s office suppressed data , which showed very low rates of COVID-19 among people who were at bars and restaurants , and still maintained the shutdown order of bars and restaurants in downtown ?
Cunningham : I think the big major question here is he knew every number that he had , yet he shutdown every bar and restaurant , claiming that because of the number , is the reason he shut them down .
Basically he lied to our faces .
We are shutting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Yet he had no numbers to back it up .
Because he is single handedly responsible for every single bar and business that goes out of business .
Every employee who doesn ’ t have any money .
Every musician that can ’ t make it right now because of his shutdown that was not based on any type of science despite what he says .
Carmichael : Mark , I ’ ve got a question for you .
It seems to me , and I ’ m not a lawyer .
Is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ official uses his or her position to do things that are economically damaging to others .
In this case , many others .
Can they be sued personally ?
The President of the United States in testimony before Congress , Mueller said that the constitution does not allow for the indictment of a sitting president , but that he can be indicted personally for deeds that he ’ s done after he is removed from office or after he leaves office .
And if the President of the United States can be held @ @ @ @ @ @ @ mayor of a city for doing things that are illegal , couldn ’ t the mayor of the city and all the people around him .
There is another guy named John Cooper who is the general Metro council , he would have had this information or certainly , he has it now .
Carmichael : If these individuals are engaged in acts that are against the law , it seems to me that in this country , they should be held personally liable .
And the council members that supported these acts @ @ @ @ @ @ @ very concerned .
This is a tipping point here in Nashville .
I don ’ t know if you caught the interview just prior to this with Fran Bush , where you had attorney John Cooper , on behalf of the school board , signed a non-disparagement agreement with according to this person was a terrible director of schools and deserved to be outed .
It seems to me like this is an abuse that goes way beyond just the office .
So what do you think ?
Cunningham : First of all @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the tipping point .
I ’ m not sure about the specifics of suing the government or suing him personally .
I ’ m not sure about that .
But I think the point you made is important because its a tipping point and its not just for conservatives .
It ’ s going to be a tipping point for anybody who wasn ’ t a full government shutdown and the ruined nation ’ s economy .
Everybody who is a conservative said I really fear that they are doing this without any @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Every single person who thought that they have been proven wrong .
John Cooper has shown what I think a lot of other cities are going across the country is going through right now with anybody who doesn ’ t agree with a full shutdown of the economy is thinking oh God .
Are our officials keeping numbers from us too ?
Are they seeing the numbers that are good for people and still shutting down businesses .
I think that ’ s the major concern for everybody .
It ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ person that believes in a balance between health and safety .
And not just shutting everything down .
So I think this is going to make people across the country take a look at their local governments .
Carmichael : With both John Cooper ’ s , using the government with full knowledge that the argument that they are making to support their actions and knowing that it is dishonest .
That it ’ s a lie .
And millions of millions of dollars have been lost .
People have lost .
Bar @ @ @ @ @ @ @ It doesn ’ t seem to me like the bar and restaurant owners , for them to have a cause of action against the government but not against the individuals .
They are suing their own constituents .
And they ’ d be suing the city and the suit to me , I hope that this is a test case to find out whether or not politicians can truly abuse their power .
And by the way , hats off to Dennis Ferrier .
Hats off to Dennis Ferrier .
Carmichael : Hats @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
He pursued doggedly .
And he got the information .
And shame on the other TV stations for sitting on their hands and not doing their jobs .
And I hope that ABC , NBC , and CBS here locally I hope that they will get off their butts .
The Tennessean has actually reported on this quite well .
And I ’ m sure they will report on it more .
I hope the other TV networks now decide that their job is to support their viewers and not to support @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Leahy : Given this data , and given the fact that the mayor suppressed evidence that shows that there is no reason to shut down bars and restaurants in downtown Nashville , why on earth shouldn ’ t today every bar and every restaurant in this city open up full 100 % ?
Cunningham : That ’ s a great question .
I agree with you 100 % .
I think that should be what comes out of this .
And whether or not he hid information or wasn ’ t honest about @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that came out of this is that his policies did not reflect what the actual numbers are .
And I ’ m sick and tired of this follow the science nonsense .
Because they don ’ t follow any science .
In his press conference yesterday Mayor Cooper said yesterday , oh we shut down the bars because the CDC says so .
At the same time , he ’ s not opening up schools , which the CDC said he could do .
He said he still wants to test asymptomatic people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ t need to do .
He only follows the science that works with his political agenda .
That ’ s it .
He doesn ’ t follow real science .
And I am done with the left taking this .
Carmichael : And the CDC , if that is his excuse , then he ’ s not being honest about that either .
Because the CDC didn ’ t tell him to shut down the bars and restaurants .
The CDC , if it said anything , it said to follow the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the data that showed that bars and restaurants are not the problem .
And then he took that information based on Dennis Ferrier ’ s reporting and then he hid it .
And he told his staff .
This is what is so terrible .
When you tell people around you if you want to be dishonest fine .
But when you tell all the people around , you need to be dishonest too that is just .
Nashville is better than that .
The people of Nashville are better than that .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ to resign .
And the young people around Mayor Cooper , those young people .
I ’ ve seen them .
They are not old people .
They are going to destroy their careers falling on the sword for this little Napoleon Mayor that we ’ ve got .
Leahy : What is the next step here ?
What happens next ?
Will there bill , as I suggested , a DOJ investigation into this ?
Will there be a class-action lawsuit against the mayor on this .
What happens next ?
Cunningham @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
So I think at this point there are no further plans .
are unbelievable pissed off and upset .
And the same guy that about 70 percent of the vote in the election has to be completely underwater now with Nashville voters .
I think with public pressure he ’ s going to have to open things back up .
And I ’ m not sure on a legal front but a lot of people are mad about this and I ’ m sure this is not the end of the story @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 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 .
Photo “ Jacks Barbecue ” by Jack Koning CC2.0


thetennesseestar--2020-09-19--Attorney Jim Roberts: Mayor Cooper Intentionally Harmed Individuals and Businesses for Political Gai

Attorney Jim Roberts: Mayor Cooper Intentionally Harmed Individuals and Businesses for Political Gain

Live from Music Row Friday morning on 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. – host Leahy welcomed Nashville attorney Jim Roberts to the newsmakers line to discuss the secret Nashville election committee meeting with Metro legal to stop the Taxpayer Protection Act referendum from appearing on the December fifth ballot .
Leahy : The big news late last night , there was a story breaking at The Tennessean .
Nashville election Commission to Meet Behind Closed Doors Friday .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ prepare to make a decision on whether to put referendum effort on the ballot .
Either way , this is likely heading to court .
Apparently Metro legal counsel is meeting behind closed doors secretly with the Nashville election commission .
Now we have Jim Roberts on the line .
Jim is the guy who put together the petition for the Nashville Taxpayer Protection Act .
Verified a couple of weeks ago by the Nashville Election Commission .
They said now we are going to go the Metro Clerk and put it on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ !
Metro legal is trying to change their mind .
Jim , what on earth is going on here ?
Roberts : Good morning sir .
I have to correct you one thing , We have actually gotten over 26,000 signatures .
A little correction there .
Roberts : That ’ s about right .
We need about 11,000 .
And they are still coming in .
I opened up a stack of petitions that came in today that I appreciate , although they came in after the deadline .
Leahy : Why @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Nashville Election Committee according to the charter that they followed the law and that there are more than 11,000 verified signatures and gave it to the clerk ’ s office to put on the ballot ?
But now there is a secret meeting with the mayor who is trying to stop this legitimate action of the people of Nashville .
What is going on Jim ?
Roberts : I think we are running pretty close to violations of the Open Meetings Act .
I will say that they are a board or @ @ @ @ @ @ @ meet and listen to lawyers but they are not allowed to discuss the matter .
If they are going to have any discussion about what they are doing it has to be in public .
It is a secret meeting but they are allowed some confidentialities .
The real issue here is what ’ s going on with the mayor ’ s office .
I think you ’ ve heard there was a citywide shakedown of Metro employees .
The word has gone out that hysteria and that the world is going to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that the administration is going to try to fool people and intimidate people in this ballot initiative .
That ’ s the real tragedy .
I promise you , they are just sitting around pulling their hair out thinking of some ways to stop this and they can ’ t .
Not legally .
That doesn ’ t mean they won ’ t try , but they can ’ t legally stop it and they know it .
Carmichael : Jim , what could be the possible reason ?
I ’ ve accepted @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to the core and he doesn ’ t mind hurting 10s of 1,000s of people and destroying lives .
That ’ s what we now know based on the facts .
What possible basis could the election commission use because it ’ s the election commission that the mayor would have to persuade to change their minds ?
What could they possibly look to justify a change ?
Roberts : They can ’ t .
The Tennessee law is very clear that when something like this is proposed , and the reality is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Obviously I think it ’ s going to pass .
But because there is no certainty that it will pass or not , but the courts have never intervened in this type of case because it may be moot .
There is no case to have right now .
All they are trying to do is suppress the voters .
And it may or may not pass .
That ’ s a reality .
We think it will .
But there is nothing there to litigate there .
Metro legal or the mayor @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Leahy : This is about intimidation .
Let me get your reaction to this .
The Tennesseean reporter ( Inaudible talk ) broke this story last night and said in the lead paragraph that either way this referendum is likely heading to court .
Why would she say that ?
Roberts : I think that the reality is that governments don ’ t like giving up power .
Mayor Cooper has treated this protest against his tax increase like we were just a bunch of lowlife serfs that he could just walk @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s finally come to the realization that is about to bite him in the tail end .
So they are going to litigate .
The government doesn ’ t give up power easily .
Now it ’ s all ego as much as anything .
They don ’ t want to give up this money .
They want to spend your money .
They didn ’ t need the money .
They lied to you to get your money .
They know the money is not needed .
Leahy : Will the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to stop the referendum on December 5th ?
Roberts : I don ’ t think they can .
I think they are trying to figure out a way to do it but there is no legal way to do it .
If they try they will be wasting our tax dollars again on a frivolous effort .
But they are desperate .
You have to understand that they are completely desperate because they know how angry people are about this .
Carmichael : Now that the facts are out the people of Nashville @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Carmichael : There has always been a certain amount of cronyism in the Nashville government .
I get that .
But Cooper has taken it to a whole new level with what he ’ s doing to people .
You have to wonder mentally why on earth would somebody knowingly for no good reason destroy 10s of 1,000s of lives and potentially over 1,000 businesses and lives based on a lie .
I don ’ t understand how somebody , and I don ’ t understand why anybody in the Metro government with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
I can ’ t imagine that the Metro employees are going to be cowed by somebody that they serve who is a known liar .
Let me say this .
If John Cooper were head of any publicly-traded company the board would have fired him yesterday .
It would have been immediate .
Leahy : Jim Roberts , what do you think is the most likely outcome of this secret meeting today when the Metro legal council is to apparently going to bully , persuade , and intimidate the Nashville election commission @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fifth referendum to take the 34 percent tax increase off the ballot ?
What is the most likely outcome ?
Roberts : I don ’ t think they will be intimidated .
I think the election commission is smart enough to do .
I ’ ve actually sued the election commission for doing illegal stuff .
They know that if they don ’ t follow the law they will be sued .
Period .
And so it ’ s not to their advantage unless Cooper is able to intimidate them .
You mentioned @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Truthfully I understand why Cooper lied about the COVID numbers .
Look at the press releases and the things the mayor ’ s office is putting gout and talking about Nashville ’ s historically low tax rate .
You ’ ve heard that in several different things .
They don ’ t want a low tax rate .
That is not in their best interest .
They want this tax rate to be high .
They made the decision .
( Inaudible tax ) Carmichael : They shut it down to lower the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 10s of 1,000s of people on purpose .
You are a lawyer .
Mike and I play one on Saturday night .
( Laughter ) But you are a lawyer .
Is there any point at which a public official abuses his or her office so badly that they become personally liable ?
Roberts : Truthfully I had that very specific discussion last evening with another lawyer and I think that we ’ ve actually crossed that point .
Up until now , Mayor Cooper had a good bit of power from an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the revelations that come from these emails show that he intentionally harmed individuals and businesses for political gain .
That is illegal .
People can go to jail for that .
People can get sued for that .
And he very may well have crossed the line with those emails .
I ’ ve been in trial for two weeks .
I ’ ve not studied that .
I ’ ve been busy .
Leahy : Jim Roberts , thanks for all your time and for coming on the program .
come back @ @ @ @ @ @ @ twists and turns on this story .
Listen to the third 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 .
Photo “ Downtown Nashville ” by Ron Cogswell CC2.0

by Bethany Blankley
Nineteen attorneys general, led by Indiana, have filed an amicus brief with the U.S. Supreme Court in support of a lawsuit filed by Texas and Missouri against the Biden administration.
They’re asking the Supreme Court to uphold a lower court’s order instructing the Biden administration to follow the law to fully reinstate the Migrant Protection Protocols (MPP), otherwise known as the “Remain in Mexico” policy.
“No one is above the law in America, and we are simply insisting that the Biden administration follow the law,” Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita said (pictured above).
“The rule of law is the framework that enables American liberty to survive and thrive,” he added. “The situation at our southern border provides the perfect example of how going soft on the rule of law gives rise to anarchy, chaos, and ultimately the erosion of our freedom and safety.”
In January 2021, President Joe Biden announced via executive order that he was terminating MPP. Months later, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas began dismantling it and other immigration policies. Southern border encounters then surged to historic levels. In Biden’s first year in office, Customs and Border Protection and Border Patrol agents encountered or apprehended roughly 2 million people entering the southern border illegally. This number excludes the several hundred thousand who are estimated to have evaded law enforcement.
At the same time, Mayorkas implemented a wide range of policy changes to effectively halt most deportations. CBP and Border Patrol agents were directed to release illegal immigrants into the U.S. en masse instead of sending them back to Mexico to go through the immigration process.
Texas and Missouri sued, District Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk of the Northern District of Texas granted their request for a permanent injunction and ordered the administration to reinstate the MPP. He ruled the administration violated the Administrative Procedure Act when it halted the MPP.
The administration appealed to the Fifth Circuit and U.S. Supreme Court and lost. Both courts denied its request to stay Kacsmaryk’s ruling.
After its Supreme Court loss, the administration said it was appealing Kacsmaryk’s ruling, vowing to “vigorously challenge it.” In a statement, it said, “As the appeal process continues, however, DHS will comply with the order in good faith. Alongside interagency partners, DHS has begun to engage with the Government of Mexico in diplomatic discussions surrounding the Migrant Protection Protocols.”
But compliance hasn’t happened, as evidenced by the flood of illegal immigrants the administration is releasing into the U.S. and by the tactics it’s used in court to circumvent the law, the AGs argue.
“From the beginning of this Administration, the United States has been forthright about its intention to terminate MPP simply because it did not like the program, and its conduct demonstrates its readiness to do anything – including ignore the APA’s requirements – to accomplish that objective,” they argue in the brief.
“The Administration’s ‘act now, justify later’ approach began on Inauguration Day, when it summarily paused MPP,” they add.
Throughout the appeals process, “the Fifth Circuit correctly concluded that the United States’ efforts to avoid judicial review violated basic principles of procedure,” they argue.
An unprecedented number of people are expected to come through the southern border after the administration ends the Title 42 public health authority May 23, the attorneys general have argued, necessitating the urgency for the Supreme Court to weigh in.
Implemented under President Donald Trump in January 2019, the MPP led to a reduction in the number of people entering the U.S. illegally. The Trump administration also invoked Title 42 to enable CBP and Border Patrol agents to quickly expel illegal immigrants and prevent entry to a greater number of people during a public health emergency.
Current law requires those not authorized to enter the U.S. to be detained, to stay in Mexico, or be “paroled” into the U.S. based on narrowly defined case-by-case circumstances including “urgent humanitarian reasons or significant public benefit.”
The Biden administration has been issuing paroles en masse to release illegal immigrants into the U.S., the attorneys general argue, violating the law.
The administration maintains it’s inherited a flawed system, and its policies are more humane than the previous administration’s. White House press secretary Jen Psaki told reporters last December after the administration lost another court battle in the case, “it is not our preference to be reimplementing and reinstituting the Migrant Protection program. … we still feel that the program is inefficient, inhumane, and we are not – we weren’t, we were – did not eagerly reimplement it.”
– – –
Bethany Blankley is a regular contributor to The Center Square.
Photo “AG Todd Rokita” by AG Todd Rokita.


thetennesseestar--2020-09-19--Kanye West’s Appeal to Appear on Virginia’s Ballot Rejected

Kanye West will not appear on Virginia ’ s ballot this fall after the state ’ s Supreme Court denied his appeal Thursday .
The rapper was originally removed from the ballot after a judge granted a temporary injunction sought by Attorney General Mark Herring .
West ’ s campaign appealed to the Virginia Supreme Court in response .
In its conclusion , the court wrote that “ having considered the record and arguments presented , we find it is not ‘ appropriate under the circumstances of this case ’ to alter the temporary injunction.
” Herring , who originally @ @ @ @ @ @ @ seeking to block West from the ballot , said he was pleased that the court sided with him , citing the risks that would arise if ballots had to be reprinted .
“ This case could have thrown the election into chaos , drastically changing the ballot and potentially disenfranchising tens of thousands of Virginians during an election that has brought challenges like none we have ever dealt with before , ” he said in a statement Thursday .
“ Today ’ s ruling will keep things on track and help ensure that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” While West has qualified for ballots in states including Colorado , Arkansas and Vermont , he has failed to qualify in more competitive states like Ohio and Michigan .
In Wisconsin , the state ’ s elections commission denied his attempt after his campaign turned in the necessary paperwork less than one minute after the 5 P.M. deadline .
Had West qualified in Virginia , he still would have been unlikely to win the Democratic-leaning state , where Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden and President Donald Trump have collectively received over 90 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is a reporter at Daily Caller News Foundation .
Photo “ Kanye West ” by David Shankbone CC1.0


thetennesseestar--2020-09-19--Steve Bannon Presents ‘War Room: Pandemic’

An all new LIVE STREAM of War Room : Pandemic starts at 9 a.m. Central Time on Saturday .
Former White House Chief Strategist Stephen K. Bannon began the daily War Room : Pandemic radio show and podcast on January 25 , when news of the virus was just beginning to leak out of China around the Lunar New Year .
Bannon and co-hosts bring listeners exclusive analysis and breaking updates from top medical , public health , economic , national security , supply chain and geopolitical experts weekdays from 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 noon ET .
The show ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Voice News , the John Fredericks Radio Network , Salem Media Group , and Newsmax TV and the podcast is available on Apple , Spotify , Stitcher , SoundCloud , and Google Play .
You can watch past episodes here .
Previously , Bannon hosted a series of three , two-hour long special programs entitled Descent into Hell : The Chinese People Confront the CCP .
The groundbreaking specials aired live on the John Fredericks Radio Network , America ’ s Voice Network , Dish TV Channel 219 , The Epoch Times , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Mandarin .
For more information , visit www.pandemic.warroom.org and @ WarRoomPandemic .


thetennesseestar--2020-09-19--Growing Research Indicates Many COVID-19 Cases Might Not be Infectious at All

A growing body of research suggests that a significant number of confirmed COVID-19 infections in the U.S. — perhaps as many as 9 out of every 10 — may not be infectious at all , with much of the country ’ s testing equipment possibly picking up mere fragments of the disease rather than full-blown infections .
Confirmed cases of the disease have been the focal point of public health authorities and governments worldwide for many months , with countries across the globe working frantically to shore up their testing infrastructure and ensure that most citizens who want a COVID-19 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Many politicians , meanwhile — including most state governors in the U.S. — have tied reopening policies to the number of cases detected in the local community , with regions and localities often being permitted to reopen in staggered “ phases ” only when they have reached successively lower benchmarks of average new daily cases in the area .
Numerous institutions , meanwhile , have adopted testing protocols in an attempt to preempt the spread of the virus .
American colleges and universities , for instance , have turned to mass testing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the disease among students , particularly residential students living on campus .
Yet a burgeoning line of scientific inquiry suggests that many confirmed infections of COVID-19 may actually be just residual traces of the virus itself , a contention that — if true — may suggest both that current high levels of positive viruses are clinically insignificant and that the mitigation measures used to suppress them may be excessive .
‘ Cycle threshold ’ set very high for many tests At issue is the method by which many COVID-19 tests detect a patient @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sample .
Polymerase chain reaction tests , which have been widely deployed to determine if individuals are infected with the disease , function by amplifying DNA samples to the point that an antigen can be detected and classified .
The “ cycle threshold ” is the number of amplification cycles a PCR test goes through before a target pathogen is detected .
A lower cycle threshold means that a higher amount of the virus was present in the sample ; a higher threshold means the machine had to work harder to detect the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lower viral load and more likely a non-infectious patient .
According to a rundown of PCR tests compiled by the Foundation for Innovative New Diagnostics , many manufacturers of PCR tests set the cycle threshold cutoff for a positive sample at up to around 40 cycles , a level numerous public health officials believe is guaranteed to return what are effectively false positive results that have detected fragments of the virus .
“ I ’ m shocked that people would think that 40 could represent a positive , ” Juliet Morrison , a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Riverside , told the New York Times in August .
Health authorities elsewhere have indicated similar skepticism of high-threshold tests .
A spokeswoman for Taiwan ’ s Central Epidemic Command Center said in June that the agency only assigns positive cases to samples with Cts of 35 or less , with authorities there believing that any samples with Cts of more than 32 are likely ( though not definitely ) non-infectious .
A team of researchers at Oxford , meanwhile , wrote in a preprint paper last week that , based on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ swabs requiring more than 30 cycles were “ associated with non-infectious samples.
” Binary positive-negative test results — in which cycle thresholds are not considered — will “ result in false positives with segregation of large numbers of people who are no longer infectious and hence not a threat to public health , ” they wrote .
Preprint papers have not yet been through the peer review process , so their results and conclusions can be changed prior to full publication .
Yet several other research projects have indicated similar results .
One @ @ @ @ @ @ @ authorities out of France , found that “ patients with Ct values equal or above 34 do not excrete infectious viral particles.
” Similarly , a study out of Ireland seeking to determine “ the duration of infectivity ” of COVID-19 patients found that , of numerous samples subject to PCR testing , scientists were unable to achieve positive culture growth in any that required more than 34.3 cycles .
Both of those thresholds are notably smaller than the maximum number of cycles instituted by many test manufacturers , suggesting that there may @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are innocuous far as infectiousness and illness are concerned .
Echoing those concerns , researchers at Harvard in May argued that “ the Ct value from positive test results , when interpreted in context , can help to refine clinical decision making , ” and that a cycle threshold of around 34 may be a useful tool for determining when a patient is truly infectious and when he or she is merely carrying remnants of the virus .
Such a policy , if implemented , could have momentous implications for public health policy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , in many industries and at many institutions , a single positive COVID-19 case can result in a complete shutdown of the affected company or university or elementary school , followed by a rush to have everyone tested out of concern that the virus may have spread .
A greater emphasis on the cycle threshold of positive tests may preempt such disruptive policies by signaling which positive test results are truly infectious and which are detecting low viral loads at much less threat of infectivity .
Early indications suggest the number of clinically @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be startlingly high .
The New York Times said last month that a review of the cycle thresholds of positive cases in Nevada , New York and Massachusetts indicated that “ up to 90 percent of people testing positive carried barely any virus.
” Those numbers , if extrapolated nationwide , could suggest that a significant proportion of the mitigation and preparation measures currently in place across the U.S. might be excessive relative to the actual level of infectious cases around the country .
Ultimately it can be difficult to determine the cycle @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , making that kind of extrapolation difficult .
A spokeswoman for LabCorp — one of the largest clinical laboratory groups in the world — said the company “ does not include the CT value in result reporting.
” “ Our CT cutoff is based on extensive validation , ” she said , “ and is within the accepted range to accurately identify individuals currently infected with SARS-CoV-2.
” The company on its website says it has performed 13.5 million COVID-19 tests , about 15 % of the country ’ s total number of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Medicine at Oxford University , researchers stressed last month that “ PCR detection of viruses is helpful so long as its limitations are understood ; while it detects RNA in minute quantities , caution needs to be applied to the results as it often does not detect infectious virus.
” “ If this is not understood , PCR results may lead to restrictions for large groups of people who do not present an infection risk , ” they wrote .
Daniel Payne is a writer and editor based in Virginia .
He graduated @ @ @ @ @ @ @ where he was an English major .
He is an assistant editor at The College Fix , a daily news website that trains young college students in the craft of journalism .
Photo “ COVID Screening ” by The National Guard CC2.0


thetennesseestar--2020-09-19--Amid Polarized Opinions, Congressman Beyer Calls For Renaming of the Robert E. Lee Memorial

Congressman Don Beyer ( D-Arlington ) is calling for the mansion in the middle of Arlington Cemetery to be renamed .
Currently called “ The Arlington House , Robert E. Lee Memorial , ” Beyer wants it to just be “ The Arlington House.
” “ The choice of Lee ’ s home for the site of a national military cemetery was intended to be a punitive measure against Lee , who himself said after the Civil War that he opposed erecting Confederate monuments , ” Beyer said in a statement to the AP .
“ Given these considerations and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ including descendants of enslaved people in the area , I am working on legislation to remove the reference to Robert E. Lee from the official name of Arlington House.
” Beyer ’ s announcement comes as part of a trend of Virginian politicians questioning local memorials to Confederate leaders .
Multiple Virginia localities have renamed the Jefferson Davis Highway to the Richmond Highway .
School districts are pondering new names to replace Confederate leaders .
Monuments across the state are coming down .
However , a June Huffington Post/YouGov poll showed that close @ @ @ @ @ @ @ names from buildings , schools , and streets .
Only a third were in favor of removing the names .
The poll showed that Republicans were more likely than Democrats to oppose removing the names .
Politicians on both sides of the aisle have used the issue to reach their bases .
Democratic leaders like Governor Ralph Northam are calling for the names to be changed , while President Trump has said military bases named after Confederate generals are symbols of American victory .
Beyer said , “ Part of the reckoning with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ America and in our own community has been a reexamination of public symbols .
I absolutely support that process , including the removal of the Robert E. Lee statue from the U.S. Capitol and taking other actions that make it clear we do not revere Confederate leaders or approve of the cause for which they fought.
” State Senator Amanda Chase ( R-Chesterfield ) said , “ Obviously , you know I don ’ t support any of this .
It ’ s completely wrong to attempt to censor our history , it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ First Amendment.
” Chase continued , “ Virginians are just quite frankly angry about it .
All races are upset about this , black , white , everybody .
The media wants you to believe that everybody ’ s all upset about it .
We ’ re tired of being told what to think.
” Chase said monuments and memorials are key pieces of Virginian culture .
“ For those of us who grew up in the South it was iced tea and having good manners , it didn ’ t even have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ skin .
I don ’ t know where kids are learning this in school , that the Confederate flag is somehow a symbol of hate .
A lot of us just did not grow up with that .
It was considered southern pride.
” Chase added , “ We are proud to be southerners .
We ’ re a different type of people .
We ’ re proud of our manners and genteel nature , I mean it ’ s just a different type of culture , but it has nothing to do @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reporter at The Virginia Star and the Star News Digital Network .
Email tips to [ email protected ]


thetennesseestar--2020-09-19--Mayor Levar Stoney Campaigning on Universal Pre-K for Richmond

In his latest campaign appearance , Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney announced a plan to provide universal pre-K throughout the city for three and four-year-olds .
On Thursday , Stoney was joined by Virginia ’ s First Lady Pam Northam and former Secretary of Education Anne Holton , who endorsed the mayor for re-election .
“ Every child deserves the best Richmond has to offer , and so we need universal pre-K now .
I ’ m honored to stand with two public education champions today in the fight for expanded early education , and I ’ m humbled by both @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
According to a press release , Northam said , “ Providing access to quality pre-K for Richmond children will provide them a launchpad to success .
Astonishingly , over 70 % of Virginia three-year-olds and nearly 25 % of four-year-olds from economically disadvantaged families do not have access to quality early learning programs .
We are so lucky to have a strong partner in this fight with Mayor Stoney and I look forward to voting for him this fall.
” Stoney campaigned for his first term with an emphasis on improving education @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Monday night , he cited $ 30 million of new money provided to Richmond Public Schools ( RPS ) under his administration .
In 2019 , The Richmond Times-Dispatch reported that graduation rates for Richmond high schools continued to fall .
Other candidates for mayor have questioned Stoney ’ s effectiveness on education .
However , Holton said Stoney ’ s dollars were effective .
“ In 2016 , Levar ran on a strong education platform promising to invest more dollars into RPS , build new schools , and expand after-school programs to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has delivered on his promises and I know he will continue to deliver for Richmond ’ s kids.
” “ I strongly believe the biggest challenge holding our city back is our public school system and I know Levar is the mayor to continue the work of fixing our schools , ” Holton said .
Eric Burk is a reporter at The Virginia Star and the Star News Digital Network .
Email tips to [ email protected ]


thetennesseestar--2020-09-19--President Trump Hosts ‘Peaceful Protest’ with Huge Rally, Challenger Biden Speaks in Near-Empty Unio

President Trump Hosts ‘Peaceful Protest’ with Huge Rally, Challenger Biden Speaks in Near-Empty Union Training Center

President Donald Trump and Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden both hosted campaign events in Minnesota on Friday .
Trump held a “ Great American Comeback ” speaking event with a crowd , while Biden hosted an event addressing a near-empty union training center .
President Trump visited Bemidji Aviation in Bemidji , Minnesota .
He was greeted on the tarmac by a large crowd as the song , “ God Bless the U.S.A. ” played .
“ Please remember , this is a friendly protest – not a rally .
The most we can have at a rally is ten @ @ @ @ @ @ @ we just call this a protest .
It ’ s a protest against stupidity , ” joked Trump .
Trump went on to list his most recent successes relevant to Minnesotans , such as deportation of illegal Somalian immigrants , reinstatement of Big Ten football , and sending in the National Guard to quell Minneapolis rioters .
The president also criticized the remarks made by Biden and other Democratic leaders like Ilhan Omar ( DFL-MN-5 ) on calling rioters “ peaceful protestors.
” “ I ’ m your wall , between the American @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The crowd continually interjected with chants of “ FOUR MORE YEARS ” and “ WE LOVE TRUMP.
” Trump ’ s opponent Biden spoke at a local union training center represented by North Central States Regional Council of Carpenters in Hermantown , Minnesota .
Biden spoke to a small group of socially-distanced people ; the event was largely closed to the public .
Senators Tina Smith ( DFL-MN ) and Amy Klobuchar ( DFL-MN ) gave some opening remarks for Biden .
Both Senators blamed Trump for the pandemic ’ s negative @ @ @ @ @ @ @ onstage as “ We Take Care of Our Own ” by Bruce Springsteen played .
The former vice president emphasized the importance of trade unions and the unimportance of CEOs and billionaires .
Like the Minnesotan senators , Biden criticized Trump ’ s response to the pandemic .
Biden also lectured Americans for not wearing masks nationally , though 34 of 50 states have mask mandates .
He stated that the president acted out of “ negligence and selfishness.
” “ So many lives lost unnecessarily because the President ’ s only worried @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
He refused to do what you ’ re doing right here in this program : social distance , wear a mask , sanitize , ” stated Biden .
“ He ’ s not protecting America.
” Biden explained his “ Build Back Better ” platform as a set of goals if he were elected .
He mentioned making wealthier individuals “ paying their fair share ” and lifting up middle-class workers .
He promised to invest in $ 400 billion in federal money to invest in modernized infrastructure , enhanced national security @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that Trump had no plan , and hasn ’ t done anything the past four years .
He also claimed Democrats were solely responsible for improving the economy and creating jobs up until the pandemic .
After , Biden left the event without answering any questions from reporters .
Friday marked the first day of early voting in Minnesota .
Corinne Murdock is a reporter at The Minnesota Sun and the Star News Network .
Follow her latest on Twitter , or email tips to [ email protected ] .
Photo “ Joe @ @ @ @ @ @ @ BY-SA 2.0 .


thetennesseestar--2020-09-19--TRUMPDATE: Latest from the Team Trump Virginia Campaign for September 19

Welcome to the Saturday edition of our daily Virginia Trump campaign update !
We will provide our readers with daily updates on the Trump Virginia campaign from today to November 3 ( and after…if need be ! )
.
It ’ s officially 45 days until the election on November 3 – and 10 days until President Trump and Joe Biden square off in the first presidential debate .
President Trump has taken his first lead in recent Rasmussen polling .
According to this week ’ s White House Watch , the president has gained a one-point advantage in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ happened .
It was noted earlier this week in another Trumpdate that the race had tightened .
Much like Democrats and the Left did in 2016 with Hillary Clinton , pollsters hadn ’ t given the president much of a shot at winning re-election this year against Biden .
Even in Virginia , a new poll released by VCU shows the former vice president with a seemingly lengthy advantage .
But if you dig into the data , you ’ ll see that there were more who identified as Democrat or independent voters @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
So does that mean the Trump re-election team and the Republican Party can just write off the Commonwealth as a loss and focus its sights on other battleground states like Florida , Ohio , Michigan , Wisconsin and Pennsylvania ?
According to Republican National Committee co-chairman Tommy Hicks , don ’ t just assume Biden will run away with Virginia ’ s electoral college votes .
“ Virginia is very much in play for the president , ” Hicks told The Virginia Star on Friday .
“ We ’ re trending in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ what ’ s at stake .
On one side you have law and order , on the other side you have socialism , divisiveness and chaos.
” Hicks was in Virginia Beach Friday at an event that kicked off early voting for the 2020 election .
He appeared alongside Scott Taylor , who is running against Democrat incumbent Elaine Luria for the House of Representatives seat for Virginia ’ s 2nd District .
Hicks noted he was impressed with the excitement voters and supporters showed on Friday .
“ We ’ ve seen @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the president and Scott Taylor , ” he said .
“ We ’ re doing all we can to make sure Virginia does its part in helping President Trump win re-election , as well as sending Scott Taylor back to Congress.
” If you live in Northern Virginia or happen to find yourself around Manassas on Saturday , Team Trump Virginia will be putting on a Trump car parade starting at Osbourn Park High School .
Vehicles can start lining up at 10:15 a.m .
Participants are encouraged to decorate their vehicles with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Hicks will give remarks at 10:30 a.m. prior to the parade .
On Sunday , volunteers from Team Trump Virginia will be going door to door connecting with voters .
Check back every day for more Trump Virginia campaign updates !
If you want to join the volunteer team or if you need signs email John Fredericks or Justin Rice .
To Donate to our Virginia campaign click here .
For more information , or to sign up to become a volunteer , click here .
John Fredericks is the publisher and editor-in-chief @ @ @ @ @ @ @ also a Trump 2020 delegate and the chairman of the Trump Virginia Delegation .


thetennesseestar--2020-09-19--Governor DeWine Asks Trump to Base Space Force in Ohio

Ohio Governor Mike DeWine sent a letter to President Donald Trump Thursday asking that the new Space Force headquarters be located in Dayton .
“ We are proud that Ohio is the birthplace , home , and future of aerospace , ” Dewine stated , noting that “ Ohio possesses a strong track record in populating science-rich jobs with a superior workforce.
” DeWine told the president that locating the U.S. Space Command Headquarters near the Air Force Research Laboratory , the National Air and Space Intelligence Center , the Air Force Institute of Technology , and the Air Force @ @ @ @ @ @ @ located at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base “ would benefit greatly ” the nation citing “ dramatically improved interrelationships to support our national space strategy.
” Ohio is also the home of NASA Glenn Research Center , NASA Plum Brook Station , and the Battelle Memorial Institute .
DeWine called on Secretary of Defense Mark Esper to “ strongly consider the consolidation of space intelligence activities at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base and the establishment of the Space Development Agency ’ s mission in Ohio , thereby taking advantage of our Air Force research , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the headquarters to Ohio would bring a significant portion of the Space Forces $ 15 billion budget to the Dayton area .
Wright-Patterson employs 30,000 people and according to the Air Force is the “ largest single-site employer in the state of Ohio with an economic impact of $ 4.2 billion per year.
” The Airforce describes Wright Patterson as “ headquarters for a vast , worldwide logistics system , a world-class laboratory research function , and is the foremost acquisition and development center in the U.S. Air Force .
Dozens of associate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Force and Department of Defense activities call Wright-Patterson home.
” At least 26 states have already submitted bids to host the Space Force Command .
The competition for the base has been going on since the inception of the Space Force in late 2019 .
Ben Kolodny is a reporter for The Ohio Star and the Star News Network .
You can follow Ben on Twitter .
Tips can be sent to [ email protected ]


thetennesseestar--2020-09-19--America’s Marathon: Chinese Hegemony Inevitable Only If Cowardice Prevails

Much has been said and written about Thucydides ’ Trap of late , ever since Graham Allison thoughtfully addressed it in his 2015 Atlantic article “ Are the U.S. and China Headed for War ?
” and in his follow-up best-selling book in 2018 concerning that same question , Destined For War .
The premise is that China has overtaken the United States and is in the process of edging it out , economically , politically , and militarily .
There is a parallel between China and America ’ s dynamic now , with Pericles ’ Athens and Archidamus ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the former began to outgrow and out-power the latter ) , as well as with Germany outpacing England at the turn of the 20th Century , and in fourteen other major historical cases , the vast majority of which resulted in war .
Whenever there has been discombobulation as a result of a rising power displacing a ruling power , fear results , and when a capable military power is fearful and unwilling to bend a knee to the new , war becomes inevitable .
Allison , who has served five Republican and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ missed warning offered in 1817 : “ Let China sleep ; when she wakes , she will shake the world.
” China is awake—wide-awake , thanks in part to benign efforts over the past century on the part of western powers keen to open up the Chinese market and liberalize a backward 2nd-world power after it massacred tens of millions of its own people .
Over the past ten years , while American politicians fussed over identity politics , offshored the hopes of the middle class , and neutered industries at home , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Allison reveals Napoleon ’ s warning to be prophecy : If over the next decade or two Chinese workers become just half as productive as Americans , China ’ s economy will be twice the size of the US economy .
If they equal American productivity , China will have an economy four times that of the US .
Allison ’ s analysis leaves us with staggering facts and figures : “ Between 2011 and 2013 , China both produced and used more cement than the US did in the entire 20th Century… @ @ @ @ @ @ @ claiming Rome couldn ’ t be built in a day by building “ the square foot equivalent of today ’ s Rome every two weeks.
” Never mind architecture or city planning ; China is now the world leader in producing computers , semiconductors , communications equipment , and pharmaceuticals , on which we are now heavily reliant ( recall the recent revelation that America gets 97 % of its antibiotics from China and India ) .
We have not only dropped the ball , but run blocks for them into our own @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that “ power grows out of the barrel of a gun ” , China also developed military solutions to all of the problems America ’ s forces are meant to pose such an imperialist first-world power , and they ’ ve gone to great lengths to arm our enemies .
Of course , they had support from greedy traitors in American universities , useful idiots in the western mainstream media , as well as corporate spies who have stolen countless IPs , designs , blueprints , and patented technologies .
With the help @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , China ’ s plan to overtake the United States is in motion and the CCP Virus is a major accelerant .
Tuesday evening , Chinese defector and virologist Dr. Li-Meng Yan went on Tucker Carlson Tonight .
Dr. Yan did extensive work at Hong Kong University ’ s public health laboratory science division ( I would provide a link , but most of the site and the pertinent details on it have been scrubbed ) , a World Health Organization infectious diseases research center .
She was among the first in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in Wuhan .
What quickly became clear to her in her tests was that the so-called coronavirus was man-made—a chimera with various selected traits .
Her studies and findings were suppressed , as were those of other prominent Chinese scientists , some of whom died suspiciously from the virus and others whom the CCP regime disappeared .
Meanwhile , the CCP destroyed proof of the virus , purged the Wuhan virology-lab ’ s records , lied about human-to-human transmission , and permitted those in Wuhan to travel to the rest of the world @ @ @ @ @ @ @ New Year , just before imposing a provincial quarantine .
In her conversation with Carlson , Dr. Li-Meng Yan discussed these grievous actions as well as the science behind them ( detailed in one of her reports ) .
Though she had presented these findings previously on Steve Bannon ’ s War Room Pandemic , the mainstream media followed the CCP ’ s lead and suppressed the revelations .
What did make it to print or to the nightly news was framed by American collaborators as outlandish conjecture .
The truth they didn @ @ @ @ @ @ @ would inevitably prompt your righteous anger—is simple : the CCP lied .
Americans died .
Senators Tom Cotton , Josh Hawley , and Martha McSally , along with Representative Matt Gaetz , Jack Posobiec , and the War Room team—who the mainstream media has for months lambasted and ridiculed ; who were targeted by Chinese state-directed smears ; who were called conspiracy theorists and xenophobes—are vindicated by the evidence Dr. Yan has provided us with .
The rest of America now needs to recognize that over 194,000 American lives have been taken and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ accident that mothers and fathers , sons , and daughters suffered excruciating pain and then perished .
It was no accident that what killed them crossed vast oceans to do so—set free and purposed to do as much damage as possible .
They were slain by a manmade virus ; a virus manufactured and spread by Xi Jinping ’ s communist regime .
Though it remains unclear whether the virus escaped the lab in Wuhan or if it was wittingly unleashed , the fact is that the CCP has waged biological warfare on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ world about the nature of the virus , and put America months behind in terms of mitigation efforts .
When China wasn ’ t lying to the World Health Organization , WHO was lying for China .
With advanced warning ( and had the CCP not destroyed critical evidence ) , America and the rest of the world could have taken life-saving measures far sooner .
Had the CCP been transparent , the United States would never have accepted travelers from Wuhan or the surrounding region .
( Thankfully , despite protest and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from Xi Jinping , Trump promptly shut down travel from China to America when the carnage in Europe began . )
Had China not denied American experts access to the Wuhan virology lab , we would now be much closer to a vaccine and innumerable families might still be whole .
Why would China do such a thing ?
Xi Jinping and the hawks in the CCP want China to entirely displace America and take the title of world superpower by 2049 .
This is neither a theory nor a dream .
It @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the Center on Chinese Strategy Dr. Michael Pillsbury discussed at length in The Hundred Year Marathon .
China is running a marathon , and the free world hangs in the balance .
The failure in Washington—at least up until the Trump administration—to recognize that we ’ re in a race and losing , Dr. Pillsbury argues , constitutes “ the most systematic , significant , and dangerous intelligence failure in American history.
” He emphasized that the first step , “ recognizing that there is a Marathon , may be the most @ @ @ @ @ @ @ also the most important.
” Ten years after the Tiananmen Square massacre , Chinese hawks went ballistic when the United States accidently killed two Chinese nationals in Serbia on May 7th , 1999 .
At the time , doves within the party had a shot of reforming the country ; perhaps not of democratizing it or liberalizing it in a meaningful way , but of making China less antipathetic to the West .
The bombing in Serbia gave the hawks license to purge the doves from the regime , and inspired greater commitment @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s destruction and the end of centuries of perceived humiliation by the West .
After all , the hawks believed that the American “ tyrant ” was testing their resolve ; that America had inspected their cauldrons .
( In the Warring States era , for one leader to ask to see the cauldrons belonging to another sovereign was to indicate his intention to take them militarily .
This concept is contextualized in Pillsbury ’ s book , where he discusses the relationship of Warring States strategy to the CCP ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the CCP has impressed upon the Chinese people , Clinton ’ s apologies were theater ; intended as insult to an intended injury .
In the final weeks of 2019 , the CCP answered back .
This past winter , the Chinese regime asked to see America ’ s cauldrons , and did so by killing over 194,000 Americans .
If the rest of Congress and the Senate—particularly outside of the Trump camp , which is already onside—doesn ’ t recognize that there is a marathon and that America could very well lose @ @ @ @ @ @ @ war ( a prospect Allison entertains ) or slavery .
Not only must America make a concerted effort to win this race , but it must check the CCP for daring to have inspected its cauldrons .
To presume the CCP ’ s innocence or ignorance where the spread of the virus is concerned is to discount its nature .
The Chinese Communist regime evidences its blatant disregard for human rights and freedom daily : its genocide of Uyghur Muslims ; its brutal persecution , torture , re-education , imprisonment , organ seizure @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , house Christians , and the Falun Gong ; its erasure of Nepalese and Mongolian culture ; its ‘ great firewall ’ preventing citizens access to content not approved by their censorious overlords ; its tight control on its people ’ s mobility ; its growing social credit program and surveillance initiatives ; its history of forced abortions ( an estimated 250 million since 1979 ) ; its ongoing aggression against Tibet , the sovereign Republic of China , Japan , India , and other neighbors ; its abuses in Hong Kong ; @ @ @ @ @ @ @ monstrous to its own people and community can not be allowed to win this marathon , and America can not be abandoned by its friends to run alone .
But how does one run such a race ?
How do we win it ?
Would sanctions suffice ?
Would a full and total decoupling be a nonviolent means to annul the race ?
If economic war is our preference and Allison is right in his cynical outlook that by all metrics and indicators it is a war we will likely lose ( ultimately @ @ @ @ @ @ @ then do we stand now as pacifists only to bow later as captives ?
Is capitulation the route we ’ ve resigned ourselves to ?
Are there no other radical options we have yet to fully consider ?
For instance : a meaningful alliance with a tsarist-democratic Russia to hem in China on its western border ( i.e .
to once again join forces with Russians against a totalitarian power ) ?
A strengthening of the Alliance for Liberty , particularly between ANZUS nations , Japan , South Korea , Taiwan , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the world together and isolate the growing Chinese threat ?
( It will have to be another American-led initiative extra to the IMF or WTO given the UN and other globalist institutions are either impotent or have been made irrelevant by Chinese-sponsored twins such as the AIIB . )
Hammer companies that offshore labor to China and amp up Trump ’ s America First initiative ?
Unite the western hemisphere in common cause against Chinese economic and military incursions and for liberty ?
Coalesce Canada and the United States into one to form @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to NorthCom and NORAD integration ( i.e .
already desired by secessionists in Alberta , the world ’ s 3rd-largest oil reserve ) ?
Form an agricultural cartel between America and Brazil as a check on the Chinese overreach ?
Localize the threat by recognizing the sovereignty of Taiwan , provide it support , and bring Gondor to Mordor ’ s gates ?
Isolationism and appeasement may be viewed as great short-term solutions , but what will happen to our allies when we retreat ?
Will we answer their call tomorrow ?
If @ @ @ @ @ @ @ today their cauldrons and futures are forfeit .
We should let them know we are Chamberlains , not Churchills—that we are ready to sacrifice American trade and global access along with our friends—to abandon our allies in the Pacific and to leave networks won in patriot blood to the whim of capricious Maoists .
Making a hard decision now may , to Allison ’ s point , spare us from having to save face later .
After all , it was saving face that imperiled Pericles and Archidamus II in the Peloponnesian War @ @ @ @ @ @ @ control were their allies , and the delicate balance between the two rivals was upset on the fringes of their care .
Even if America should have to radically reevaluate her friendships , pacts , and alliances , it must know in no uncertain terms what ultimately it is happy or willing to relinquish .
What advantage ?
What mobility ?
As for liberty , whose is it willing to let see lose ?
As freedom is gobbled up across the globe , the hunger will eventually reach American shores like the CCP @ @ @ @ @ @ @ or constitute America ’ s defensive walls ?
Its borders made permeable by leftist and anti-sovereigntist lunacy ?
In the modern world , borders are the walls of the castle keep containing the citizens who the government is designed to protect .
The outer walls—those are our allies abroad .
If the walls fall , then our fellows fall on that wall , and the hunger draws ever closer to the keep unabated .
If China , by biological warfare , OBOR , economic bullying , and military expansion , endangers our allies @ @ @ @ @ @ @ we to retreat now to our keep and hope the world beyond our borders satisfies Xi ’ s appetite ?
Or are we , by ways not necessarily violent , to confront the threat now and to take the Archidamian gamble ?
( Keeping in mind that Sparta ultimately trounced Athens in the Peloponnesian War . )
It could be as simple ( in concept ) an exercise as penetrating the great firewall of China and winning a decisive cultural war , but first we would have to once again be certain in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ our academics ’ anti-American , anti-Western , anti-Christian rhetoric , we would give the Chinese people greater cause to expedite our doom .
If we really wanted to—to one of Allison ’ s proposed strategies— , we could convince the Chinese to love liberty as we do or at least as we have , and might , in doing so , spare Africa , South America , and our friends in the South Pacific from serfdom .
Whatever the means or method , we must decide sooner rather than later .
Allison quotes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ leadership as new war with Athens became inescapable : “ You it was who first allowed them to fortify their city…You alone wait till the power of an enemy is becoming twice its original size , instead of crushing it in its infancy.
” The west was not so malicious , prescient or utilitarian to release serpents into the Chinese cradle , so now we must hope that Heracles ’ s unheroic alter-ego wounds himself with pride , is undone by inner turmoil , or has Olympus unilaterally turned against him .
( @ @ @ @ @ @ @ t do a good job of the cleaning the stables… ) Of course destruction and violence are not the only ways forward , though war—whether it is of a cultural , economic , spiritual , or military nature—is already here .
Potter ’ s field on Hart Island is full of fresh reminders of that fact .
The question remains : do we fight or give up on the best civilization in human history ?
Joe MacKinnon is an author of six books , including his most recent The Gunpowder Coast .


thetennesseestar--2020-09-19--Rob Wittman Discusses the Dragging Feet of Congress and the Mechanics of Operation Warp Speed

Live from Virginia Friday morning on The John Fredericks Show – weekdays on WNTW AM 820/ FM 92.7 – Richmond , WJFN FM 100.5 – Central Virginia , WMPH AM 1010 / FM 100.1 / FM 96.9 ( 7-9 PM ) Hampton Roads , WBRG AM 1050 / FM 105.1 – Lynchburg/Roanoke and Weekdays 6-10 am and 24/7 Stream – host Fredericks welcomed US Rep .
Rob Wittman to the show .
During the show , Wittman discussed the ongoing stall of Congress and the need to get out a vaccine that is safe and effective for the coronavirus .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ was to quickly develop a cure , that it will still go through all the necessary FDA and approval processes .
Fredericks : Joining us now on the John Frederick ’ s Radio Network is Rob Wittman .
Rob Wittman , Republican Congressman , 1st District of Virginia .
That ’ s the northern neck area up through Stafford and Fredericksburg .
And he is with us now .
Congressman Wittman great to have you .
Wittman : Well John great to be with you this morning .
I want you to know @ @ @ @ @ @ @ our thoughts and prayers .
I know it ’ s tremendously impactful to lose a parent .
There ’ s just there ’ s nothing that fills that hole in your heart , so I want you to know that we ’ re there with you .
I know all of your listeners out there too are there with you both in thought and in prayers .
Fredericks : Well thank you .
Thank you , congressman .
I appreciate that my mother was an avid listener to my show .
Big fan @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ re a fan of my show you have to be a fan of Rob because you ’ ve come on every Friday in the eight o ’ clock hour for 10 years .
Everybody knows Rob Wittman .
If you ’ re a fan of The John Fredericks Show , we thank you for that .
So well we ’ ve got so much to talk about today .
Can I start with politics and then go to policy ?
May I ?
Fredericks : Look , there are now numerous people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is very simple .
They get blown out on November 3rd .
They can ’ t get their people out to vote .
They get blown out on November 3rd .
Then there are 60 to 80 million mail-in ballots , many of them absentees .
Some just with the mail-in states .
Those get counted .
There ’ s no way to verify them .
They keep coming .
Nobody can find postmarks on them .
Then they say every vote counts , then they try to steal it .
Then there @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it goes to the House .
No winners claimed .
How likely a scenario is that , congressman ?
Wittman : Well John the bottom line is we have this fully within our control .
That is , as you said earlier , everybody has to get out and vote , and if our voters get out and we see the enthusiasm and if our voters come out and vote , then all the other ancillary things that you hear I think remains secondary .
But the key is to get folks out @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this , John , is there are a lot of people out there that are engaged now that are not registered to vote .
And you can still register to vote .
So we want to encourage folks do not register to get registered .
As soon as you do , as soon as you finish your registration you can then vote .
And as you said , starting today in Virginia you can walk in in-person to vote at a registrar ’ s office and vote .
You can now have your @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ ve got one in the mail , you can fill it out .
If you have an issue with the US Postal Service , walk it right into the registrar ’ s office .
Or if not , drop it in the mailbox , call the registrar ’ s office one week later in assured they have received it .
But we need to work on those things that are totally within our control , and that is making sure that people come out and vote .
And making sure , too @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that they stand by what the law is , and I know that there are lots of folks on legal teams there that are looking at that .
But the one thing that we can control , and that goes all the way to the local level , is making sure people register about making sure they get out tonight .
Fredericks : Well that ’ s what we have to do because this election is about mobilization , not persuasion .
So you got to get out , you got to bring @ @ @ @ @ @ @ let ’ s get to policy business back at the House of Representatives .
So Nancy Pelosi now looks like they ’ re doing your favorite thing , and I say that tongue-in-cheek .
You ’ ve been railing against these continuing resolutions forever .
We never have a budget .
We never have a debate .
Then we ’ re into a shutdown .
Then we do a CR , and we kick the can down the road .
Here we are we ’ re doing it again .
Wittman : Exactly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ make sense .
You know you need to get appropriations bills done .
They need to be done on time , got ta get budgets done on time .
Everybody else lives by that standard except for congress .
We live in this alternate reality where Congress believes they can just as you said , kick the can down the road and make short-term decisions on spending .
We are never going to get our financial house in order .
We are never going to prioritize the things that need to get done @ @ @ @ @ @ @ these continuing resolutions .
And what makes it even more frustrating this year , John , is that this continuing resolution probably goes into the lame-duck session of Congress .
And think about it .
what do lame-duck sessions of congress get accomplished ?
Very little .
So I can guarantee you if it goes into the lame-duck session , Congress is probably going to kick the can down the road again to the 117th Congress .
So again further delay in making the difficult decisions for this nation .
It ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ know I ’ ve been fighting this now going on eight years saying first of all , get a budget done on time , if not members of Congress shouldn ’ t get a paycheck .
Second of all , if you don ’ t get all the appropriations bills done and on the president ’ s desk by the end of July , you don ’ t get to go home for this ridiculous odd recess .
And by the way , if you let the government shut down , CRV members @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the folks in the government that are considered essential that go to work and don ’ t get a paycheck .
Wittman : So we ’ ve got to restore unbelievable sanity to how we manage our government .
Fredericks : This has been going on , you ’ ve been coming on my show for 10 years saying the same thing .
Let ’ s get a budget done over the summer .
Let ’ s keep everybody in , don ’ t get paid so you get one your number one @ @ @ @ @ @ @ They never get one .
They never even debate it .
Then we have these CR ’ s then everybody ’ s hair ’ s on fire .
Then they ’ re gon na shut the government down .
Then Mark Warner comes out and says federal workers are going to be starving .
I mean it ’ s just so predictable and so stupid , but you can ’ t get it done .
I mean they just refuse to do it over and over and over it ’ s so annoying @ @ @ @ @ @ @ same thing .
Now we got the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention , who told Congress yesterday they need $ 6 billion , with a b , for vaccine distribution .
What form will that take , congressman ?
Wittman : Well a great question , John , because it doesn ’ t look like they ’ re aren ’ t going to be any what are called additions or anomalies to the CR .
So it probably is not going to be funded that way .
It will probably have to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ And remember if you don ’ t get appropriations bills done , then this doesn ’ t happen .
So I don ’ t know the exact mechanism about how that ’ s going to take place .
Obviously you want to have those resources in place .
It ’ s incredibly important to get the vaccine out there .
And I want to remind folks that the vaccine is going through all the normal approval channels as any other vaccine would , with the exception this time is that there is a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ bear to make sure that the vaccine is safe and effective .
It ’ s an amazing process what ’ s going on with this Operation Warp Speed .
And by the way , many of the mechanisms have been put in place from previous needs to quickly develop a vaccine .
So it ’ s not like this has just been done overnight .
The key is to get this vaccine approved making sure it ’ s safe and effective and both the FDA commissioner and Dr. Fauci have all said this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , we ’ re not going to let a vaccine out until it ’ s safe and effective .
And then we want to make sure we can administer it .
Listen to the full show here :


thetennesseestar--2020-09-19--DeWine on Bill to Strike Down State of Emergency: ‘No! I Certainly Do Not Support That – We Have an

DeWine on Bill to Strike Down State of Emergency: ‘No! I Certainly Do Not Support That – We Have an Emergency’

Ohio Governor Mike DeWine said during a press conference on September 17 he would not support a bill drafted by Ohio state Representative Diane Grendell ( R-Chesterland ) .
The legislation , “ Restore Ohio Now ” , seeks to cancel the state of emergency declared on March 9 – consequently making impotent COVID orders made enforceable because of the emergency .
DeWine expressed his vote of no-confidence during Thursday ’ s presser after he was told by a reporter that the legislation was built on the idea of the separation of powers – the governor should not be able @ @ @ @ @ @ @ legislature or judiciary .
DeWine has already ignored several decisions from judges around the state – the counties of Ashland , Lake , Erie and Warren , are some that called orders illegal .
He also vetoed a bill containing provisions that would have limited fines and removed criminal charges for a person in violation of Ohio Department of Health orders .
The Ohio Star reported on the federal case in Pennsylvania where Democratic Governor Tom Wolf ’ s orders were deemed illegal based on the First and Fourteenth Amendments of the U.S. @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rights are not limited in times of trouble and struck down Pennsylvania orders that restricted businesses , limited gatherings and mandated people to stay home .
“ Look , passing a bill just doesn ’ t make it not an emergency .
We have an emergency .
We have significant spread .
We have people dying , ” DeWine said of Representative Grendell ’ s bill .
“ In the beginning the emergency was the potential strain on hospital availability .
That never happened , ” said Grendell in an interview with The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ mid-July and deaths peaked on April 28 , with a small uptick at the end of July – according to the Ohio COVID dashboard .
In July the governor introduced the Ohio Public Health Advisory System ( OPHAS ) , a color-coded map that assigns a COVID threat level to each of Ohio ’ s 88 counties .
OPHAS was designed as a tool to forecast ( not indicate ) spread , and a source for counties to make localized decisions .
The Star reported four separate times on the Ohio Health Advisory @ @ @ @ @ @ @ levels of the warning system may not be experiencing active spread – for reasons such as faulty testing , cases versus infections , non-COVID indicators that don ’ t indicate a COVID infection , and the per capita measures that punish smaller counties .
Two days earlier in a press conference DeWine said that the tools we have – masks , distancing , and orders directing our behaviors – are the tools Ohioans will need to continue to use until there is a vaccine that a substantial number of people take .
New @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of people never exposed to COVID had showed T cell immunity to the virus .
The study was funded by the National Institute of Health , National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases .
The new information may add to the camp of folks who are hesitant to take a fast-tracked vaccine , given that tried-and-true flu vaccines are only about 40 to 60 percent effective .
With his words , DeWine strongly signaled his intent to veto the bill if it passes the Ohio House and Senate and reaches his desk .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ and trust the people .
I want to work with the administration to achieve that goal , ” said Grendell .
If the administration is not willing to work with the legislature the only hope for the “ Restore Ohio Now ” bill is a two-thirds supermajority vote that will trump the governor ’ s veto .
Otherwise , as Grendell noted “ Ohioans will continue to unnecessarily suffer under this emergency declaration ” enacted to combat a virus “ with a 99-plus percent survivability rate.
” Prior to representing Ohio District 76 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Ohio Eleventh District Court of Appeals .
Jack Windsor is Managing Editor and an Investigative Reporter at The Ohio Star .
Windsor is also an Investigative Reporter at WMFD-TV .
Follow Jack on Twitter .
Email tips to [ email protected ] .
Background Photo “ Diane Grendell ” by Diane Grendell .


thetennesseestar--2020-09-20--Biden in 2016: SCOTUS Confirmation Can Happen ‘a Few Months Before a Presidential Election’ If Senat

Biden in 2016: SCOTUS Confirmation Can Happen ‘a Few Months Before a Presidential Election’ If Senate Is Involved in Pick

Former vice president Joe Biden said in 2016 that he would have considered a Supreme Court justice nominee in an election year if the president had consulted the senate on the nominee .
“ I would go forward with the confirmation process as chairman even a few months before a presidential election .
If the nominee were chosen with the advice and not merely the consent of the Senate just as the constitution requires , ” Biden said during a 2016 speech at Georgetown University in Washington , D.C .
The Democratic presidential nominee said Friday night that it would @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on replacing former Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg , who died Friday , without “ full consideration.
” “ Let me be clear , the voters should pick the president and the president should pick the justice for the Senate to consider , ” Biden , the 2020 Democratic presidential nominee , said Friday .
“ This was the position the Republican Senate took in 2016 when there were almost 10 months to go before the election .
That ’ s the position the United States Senate must take today.
” As @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said in a 1992 speech that when a Supreme Court vacancy occurs in “ the full throes of an election year , ” the president should follow the example of “ a majority of his predecessors ” and hold off on making a nomination , the New York Times reported .
If the president did make a SCOTUS nomination , Biden said the Senate should wait to hold a vote .
“ Some will criticize such a decision and say that it was nothing more than an attempt to save a seat on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ will be permitted to fill it , but that would not be our intention , ” Biden said in 1992 .
“ It would be our pragmatic conclusion that once the political season is underway , and it is , action on a Supreme Court nomination must be put off until after the election campaign is over.
” But Biden said in March 2016 that he would have gone “ forward with the confirmation process ” if the president had consulted the Senate , and said Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and other @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to justify not holding a vote on Chief Judge Merrick Garland .
At the time , former President Barack Obama was preparing to nominate Garland to replace former Justice Antonin Scalia , the Times reported .
“ There ’ s no unwritten law that says that it can only be done on off years — that ’ s not in the constitutional text , ” Obama said at the time , according to the publication .
“ So let me set the record straight as they say , I said and I quote @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with the Senate or moderates his selections then his nominees may enjoy my support as did Justice ( Anthony ) Kennedy and Justice ( David ) Souter , ’ ” Biden said during the speech at Georgetown University .
Biden said he “ made it absolutely clear ” that he would have proceeded with a nomination if the Senate had been consulted on the pick .
Biden did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation ’ s request for comment .
Mary Margaret Olohan is a reporter for the Daily Caller @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” by Gage Skidmore .
CC BY-SA 2.0 .

Arizona State Rep. Jake Hoffman (R-Queen Creek) and 19 other legislators issued a statement following a video that went viral of three black students kicking two white students out of Arizona State University’s multicultural center. They demanded accountability and threatened to withhold funding from the university.
They announced, “It has come to light following the racially-motivated harassment of two students and their subsequent removal from one of the campus’ study facilities that ASU has allowed a culture of institutionalized racism and neo-segregation to take hold on its campus. The racially-charged removal of these students from the multicultural center begs the question of why Arizonans are being forced to spend tens, potentially hundreds, of millions of their hard-earned tax dollars on a building at a public university that some of our citizens are not allowed to use?”
Hoffman is a member of the House Appropriations Committee, and concluded that he would “get to the bottom of this and take the appropriate action in the upcoming budget. Not one penny of taxpayer money should be appropriated to a public institution that in any way enables racism or neo-segregation. Period.”
ASU said it is investigating the incident. The angry students may have been “triggered” by a sticker on the laptop belonging to one of the white males, which said “Police Lives Matter,” and the slogan on the other white male’s shirt, which said “Did not vote for Biden.” They told the two young men, “You’re making this space uncomfortable” and “white is not a culture.” They said the Police Lives Matter sticker was racist.
One of the three told the students to leave, and another remarked, “This white man thinks he can take up our space, and this is why we need a multicultural space, because they think they can get away with this sh*t.” One of the two males packs up and leaves, and the other one stands up and looks like he might have been about to leave too.
A fundraiser was started for the harassed students on GoFundMe — one of the students mentioned in the video that he works 60 hours a week to support himself and his tuition, explaining that he’s not entitled — but GoFundMe removed it, refunding the money back to the donors. The company said it violated their “prohibited conduct policy,” which bans content that GoFundMe finds to be “in support of hate, violence, harassment, bullying, discrimination, terrorism, or intolerance of any kind.”
– – –
Rachel Alexander is a reporter at The Arizona Sun Times and The Star News Network. Follow Rachel on Twitter. Email tips to [email protected]


thetennesseestar--2020-09-20--Commentary: For the Sake of the Constitution, and the Country, Fill Ginsburg’s Seat Quickly

Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg died Friday at the age of 87 .
Her passing was not unexpected .
On the contrary , her steadily worsening condition over the past several years left her increasingly incapacitated .
After Donald Trump ’ s election in 2016 , many on the Left expressed dismay that she chose to stay on the court rather than resign and let President Obama nominate her replacement .
Liberals feared she would die during Trump ’ s presidency , and her seat—which they regard almost as their sacrosanct property—would be in the hands of a Republican president and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
But few expected the moment would come so close to the November election .
Ginsburg made a political calculation .
Even on her deathbed , she was acutely aware of the political implications of her passing : she issued a statement expressing her “ fervent wish ” that she will “ not be replaced until a new president is installed.
” Given that she herself put the country in this difficult position , we should not allow our thinking to be clouded by any false sentimentality about her death .
Rest in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ assume that Ginsburg ’ s dying wish is a given .
And they will pretend that it is some time-honored precedent .
With the election only six weeks away , they assume there just won ’ t be enough time to act .
If Trump loses in November , it would be politically impossible to nominate a replacement during his remaining lame-duck months in office .
If he wins , much would depend on what happens with the elections for the Senate , which has the constitutional authority to approve any nominations to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s “ advice and consent ” power .
Republicans currently hold a slim majority of 53 seats in the Senate , with 45 Democrats and two Independents ( Bernie Sanders of Vermont and Angus King of Maine—both of whom “ caucus ” and vote with the Democrats ) .
In November , 23 Republicans and 12 Democrats will be on the ballot fighting to keep their seats .
These considerations make any decisive action by the Republicans even more challenging .
But despite the apparent difficulty of doing so , the president should @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , a new Supreme Court Justice before the election on November 3 .
It ’ s doable , and it would be the best outcome for the common good of the country .
Although it might seem hyper-partisan , this course could actually reduce the temperature in the current white-hot political environment .
President Trump has the unquestioned authority to nominate , and the Senate has unquestioned authority to confirm a new justice .
And until November , no one is a lame duck .
Of course , getting through a hearing in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a full vote of the Senate , in six weeks would be moving quickly by modern standards .
But that simply reflects how partisan the process has become , which is precisely the problem .
Democrats may have burned their bridges with their shameful tactics against Justice Brett Kavanaugh in 2018 .
They dragged out the confirmation for three months with a seemingly endless series of unfounded slanders and sleazy innuendo .
They are in a bad position now to object to a quick and dignified vote .
In the early days of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a matter of days .
Even as recently as the Lyndon Johnson Administration in 1965 , the Senate confirmed Johnson ’ s nominee , Abe Fortas , within two weeks .
There is no legitimate reason the process needs to take any longer now .
Taking this issue off the table by filling the Supreme Court seat before the election would ensure that people are not going to the polls to vote , indirectly , for a Supreme Court justice .
That ’ s a terrible distortion of how our federal government is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an unreasonable burden and expectation on the voters .
Presidential elections should not be about the Supreme Court .
This is one of the unhealthiest features of our dysfunctional government .
The Supreme Court was intended by the Founders to be a nonpartisan judicial authority that decides cases of federal law .
It was never intended to adjudicate our most contentious policy issues .
Our democratically elected Congress is supposed to do that .
It is their job to make the laws , with the signature or veto of our democratically elected president @ @ @ @ @ @ @ now assume that nine judges will hand down , from on high , their pronouncements about our most urgent political questions .
In the words of the Federalist , the Supreme Court should have “ neither force nor will.
” Getting this done won ’ t be easy for Republican Senate leader Mitch McConnell ( R-Ky. ) .
The “ Old Unreliables , ” like Mitt Romney ( R-Utah ) and Lisa Murkowski ( R-Alaska ) , certainly will threaten to vote against a quick replacement .
Well , OK. Let ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be close .
In the event of a tie , Vice President Mike Pence would cast the tie-breaking vote .
That would also send liberals into paroxysms of rage .
But it ’ s how the process is supposed to work .
In addition , just in case the presidential election results are disputed , we must have a full Supreme Court , should there be any disputes for the court to decide .
Of course , filling the seat quickly—and overruling what certainly will be loud and even hysterical objections by Senate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they will take their anger out at the polls .
But many ( maybe a lot more ) Americans would feel relieved to have the question settled so that they can focus on what they are supposed to be deciding : whether President Trump or Joe Biden will make a better president .
That ’ s what voters can and should be thinking about in November ; not who may or may not get onto the Supreme Court .
Glenn Ellmers is a writer living in Washington , D.C..
He studied political philosophy @ @ @ @ @


thetennesseestar--2020-09-20--Feds Explored Possibly Charging Portland Officials in Unrest

WASHINGTON , D.C. ( AP ) — The Justice Department explored whether it could pursue either criminal or civil rights charges against city officials in Portland , Oregon , after clashes erupted there night after night between law enforcement and demonstrators , a department spokesperson said Thursday .
The revelation that federal officials researched whether they could levy criminal or civil charges against the officials — exploring whether their rhetoric and actions may have helped spur the violence in Portland — underscores the larger Trump administration ’ s effort to spotlight and crack down on protest-related violence .
The majority @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have been peaceful .
For many nights , federal officials were told that Portland police officers were explicitly told not to respond to the federal courthouse as hundreds of demonstrators gathered outside , some throwing bricks , rocks and other projectiles at officers , and not to assist federal officers who were sent to try to quell the unrest .
The department had done research on whether it could pursue the charges , spokesperson Kerri Kupec said .
She declined to comment on the status or whether charges would be brought .
But @ @ @ @ @ @ @ officials for protest-related violence would likely present an uphill court battle for federal prosecutors .
Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler said in a statement it was “ ridiculous on its face , ” and the Trump administration is trying to distract from its own massive failures on the coronavirus pandemic and climate change .
“ The administration has made the cynical decision that the suffering of others is politically beneficial , regardless of the cost , ” he said .
“ The people of this city — and throughout the nation — will not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to doing my part as mayor to work with local partners to advance racial justice , and address the pandemic and economic challenges facing our community.
” Justice Department officials disputed news reports that Attorney General William Barr told prosecutors in the department ’ s civil rights division to explore whether they could bring charges against Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan for allowing some residents to establish a protest zone this summer .
President Donald Trump has heaped blame for the unrest on Democrats , who are leading the cities where violence has occurred @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pockets of protest-related violence instead of the larger point movement of racial injustice .
He has specifically criticized Wheeler , calling him a “ wacky Radical Left Do Nothing Democrat Mayor ” and has said the city “ will never recover with a fool for a Mayor….
” More than 100 people have been arrested in Portland on federal charges related to the unrest in the last few months .
The FBI has said it was also shifting the agency ’ s resources to focus more heavily on violence and federal crimes committed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ nightly racial injustice protests in the city that often end in vandalism , clashes with police and dozens of arrests .
Michael Balsamo is a reporter for The Associated Press .
AP Writer Gillian Flaccus contributed to this report from Portland .
About the Headline Photo : In this image taken from video a mattress burns in the street near the Portland Police Bureau ’ s North Precinct Sunday night , Sept. 6 , 2020 , in Portland , Ore .
Protesters have gathered for more than 100 days following the death of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Photo via AP )


thetennesseestar--2020-09-20--Sen. Lisa Murkowski Has Said She Will Not Vote on Any Supreme Court Nominee Until After the Inaugura

Sen. Lisa Murkowski Has Said She Will Not Vote on Any Supreme Court Nominee Until After the Inauguration

Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski has said she would not vote to replace a Supreme Court justice until after the inauguration .
Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg died Friday evening at her home at the age of 87 .
Murkowski , a pro-choice moderate from Alaska , is often a swing vote in the Senate .
“ When Republicans held off Merrick Garland because nine months prior to the election was too close , we needed to let the people decide , ” Murkowski said in August , according to The Hill .
“ And I agreed to do that .
If @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the election is OK when nine months is not , that is a double standard and I don ’ t believe we should do it.
” Murkowski also commented on the issue Friday afternoon only hours before Ginsburg ’ s death , echoing her previous stance .
“ Fair is fair , ” she said .
Murkowski ’ s statements echo that of Maine Sen. Susan Collins , a fellow moderate and the only other pro-choice Republican in the Senate .
“ I think that ’ s too close , I really do @ @ @ @ @ @ @ she would vote to confirm a Supreme Court justice in October .
Collins also said that she would oppose seating a justice in the lame duck session of Congress if President Donald Trump loses the election in November .
Andrew Trusnky is a reporter for the Daily Caller News Foundation .


thetennesseestar--2020-09-20--Trump Promises to Nominate a New Justice ‘Without Delay’

“ We were put in this position of power and importance to make decisions for the people who so proudly @ @ @ @ @ important of which has long been considered to be the selection of United States Supreme @ @ @ @ @ president tweeted Saturday morning , tagging the Republican Party in his tweet .
“ We @ @ @ @ @ delay , ” he added .
His comments come the morning after Supreme Court Justice @ @ @ @ @ at the age of 87 due to complications of metastatic pancreatic cancer .
The late @ @ @ @ @ left a vacancy on the court less than two months before the 2020 presidential election @ @ @ @ @ Ginsburg told her granddaughter Clara Spera a few days before her death : “ My @ @ @ @ @ I will not be replaced until a new President is installed.
” Mary Margaret Olohan @ @ @ @ @ Daily Caller News Foundation .


thetennesseestar--2020-09-20--Judson Phillips Commentary: Break up Nashville Now

2020 has been one hell of a year for Nashville .
It started with a tornado , then the coronavirus , then mayor John Cooper and his insane lock down of the city , the 34 % tax hike he and the metro council rammed through , and now he is single handedly trying to destroy the downtown Nashville tourist economy .
The only good news is , the murder hornets never made it to Nashville .
Nashville ’ s Metro Government is out of control .
Not only is Cooper destroying businesses and livelihoods for no good reason , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ temper tantrum when some of the citizens of Nashville want to repeal his obscene tax hike .
Cooper ’ s reaction to the attempt to repeal the tax has been to say that he would slash police and fire and education .
Well the state legislature can ’ t do anything about tornadoes or the coronavirus , they can ’ t have to do something about Nashville ’ s out of control government .
And it is time that they did .
Nashville ’ s government has been mismanaged for decades .
A @ @ @ @ @ @ @ put the city into receivership because of its poor management .
The city barely escaped receivership this time , but it is only a matter of time before Nashville ’ s economy implodes because of the horrendous management of the city by a succession of , to be charitable , are at best , incompetent leaders .
It is time for Tennessee state legislature to step in .
Nashville is too big and too badly managed to continue as is .
The only thing Nashville is doing right now is putting people out @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The first thing the state legislature should do next January , or maybe even before then , is to pass a bill that breaks Nashville up into at least a dozen small cities .
A couple of the small cities will be as badly managed as Nashville , but at least the majority of them should be better managed .
And the citizens who are in these new small cities will not have to suffer from the temper tantrum of a mayor who threatens to cut police and fire as a response to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be taxed further .
Article I , Section I of the Constitution of the State of Tennessee says , “ That all power is inherent in the people , and all free governments are founded on their authority , and instituted for their peace , safety , and happiness ; for the advancement of those ends they have at all times , an unalienable and indefeasible right to alter , reform , or abolish the government in such manner as they may think proper.
” The state constitution gives people the right to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ well past time that the government of Nashville be abolished and reconstituted it into something else .
The legislature needs to put a cap on the size of cities in the state .
The cap should be 50,000 or maybe 100,000 at the most .
At some point sooner rather than later , Nashville is going to be insolvent .
Memphis probably isn ’ t far behind .
The legislature can either wait until this happens , or they can take proactive steps to keep it from happening .
A smaller government is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ when government is accountable to the people , you don ’ t have the insanity of a mayor trying to destroy parts of the economy or trying to destroy businesses with a massive tax hike .
The city government of Nashville has proven time and time again it is in capable of leading and managing the people of the city of Nashville .
It is time for the state legislature to step in , break up the city , and make what is now Davidson County great again .
Judson Phillips is a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Tea Party Nation .
Photo “ Nashville City Hall ” by Nicolas Henderson .
CC BY 2.0 .


thetennesseestar--2020-09-20--Almost 20 Percent of New York Millennials Blame Jews for the Holocaust

Nearly 20 % of New York ’ s Millennials and Gen Z believe the Jewish people are to blame for The Holocaust , a nationwide survey released Wednesday found .
While The Holocaust resulted in over 11 million deaths , 36 % of respondents under age 39 believed the total death count of Jews was “ two million or fewer , ” according to a nationwide survey of young people by the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany , also known as the Claims Conference .
Over 60 % of respondents were unaware that six million Jews were murdered @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the death toll , 48 % were unable to name any of the 40,000 concentration camps or ghettos people were forced into during World War II .
Nearly half of Millennials and Gen Z had seen some form of Holocaust denial on social media , the survey found .
In Nevada , 70 % of respondents have encountered Nazi symbols either online or in their community , and an overwhelming majority of those surveyed , 80 % , believe that Holocaust education should be taught in the classroom to help avoid a repeat @ @ @ @ @ @ @ first 50-state Holocaust knowledge survey among Millennials and Gen Z , according to the Claims Conference .
In each state , the Claims Conference interviewed a random sample of 200 adults ranging from ages 18 to 39 .
“ The results are both shocking and saddening and they underscore why we must act now while Holocaust survivors are still with us to voice their stories , ” president of the Claims Conference , Gideon Taylor , said .
“ This needs to serve as a wake-up call to us all , and as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ need to act.
” The states which exhibited the least knowledge about the Holocaust among respondents included Alaska , Delaware , Maryland , New York , Georgia , Hawaii , Louisiana , Florida , Mississippi and Arkansas .
Among the states recognized as most knowledgeable are Wisconsin , Minnesota and Massachusetts .
Gretchen Skidmore , director of education initiatives for the Levine Institute for Holocaust Education , called for improved Holocaust education in the classroom in a statement to the DCNF .
“ There has to be a commitment on the local level @ @ @ @ @ @ @ training ; and there has to be sufficient time for preparation and classroom study of this complex history , ” Skidmore said .
Autumn Klein is a reporter for the Daily Caller News Foundation .
Mary Rose Corkery contributed to this report .