thetennesseestar--2020-09-29--New This Week: ‘South Park,’ Mariah Carey, and Gloria Steinem

Here ’ s a collection curated by AP entertainment journalists of what ’ s arriving on TV , streaming services and music platforms this week .
— “ The Glorias “ : Julie Taymor ’ s film , based on Gloria Steinem ’ s 2015 book “ My Life on the Road , ” is a biopic with verve and flair .
The legendary feminist leader is played by four different actresses ( Julianna Moore , Alicia Vikander , Lulu Wilson , Ryan Kira Armstrong ) across four stages of her life .
Sometimes they meet each other .
But @ @ @ @ @ @ @ just a deconstructionist trick .
The feminism embodied by Steinem is an expression of women everywhere , Taymor suggests .
Traversing America in time and place , “ The Glorias ” finds her everywhere .
Debuting Wednesday on Amazon Prime .
— “ Dick Johnson Is Dead ” : Kristen Johnson was a veteran documentary cinematographer when she made one of 2016 ’ s very best films , “ Cameraperson , ” a collage of footage captured over her 25-year career that dug into the relationship between subject and filmmaker .
Johnson ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , is a playful eulogy to her father as she slowly loses him to Alzheimer ’ s .
That may sound dark , and it is .
But “ Dick Johnson Is Dead , ” made with love and gallows humor , is as much about life as it is death .
— “ The Boys in the Band “ : Mart Crowley ’ s 1968 play has an important place in the history of American theater .
One of the first productions to put the lives of gay men front and center @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the joy and pain of its out-of-the-closet characters over one night in New York , during a party with an uninvited guest .
This film , debuting Wednesday on Netflix , is adapted from the starry 2018 Broadway revival , with Jim Parsons , Zachary Quinto , Matt Bomer and Andrew Rannells .
( There was also a 1970 movie adaptation by William Friedkin . )
As an artifact from a pre-Stonewall past , it takes on an elegiac aura of tribute , with its very successful cast members honoring an earlier , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has pulled from her rich vault to compile a new album called “ The Rarities.
” Made up of songs recorded from 1990 — the year she dropped her multi-hit self-titled debut album — and 2020 , the album features previously unreleased songs and rare B-sides , some even from recording sessions for her top-selling albums like “ Emotions , ” “ Music Box ” and “ Day Dream.
” The release of “ The Rarities ” is tied to “ The Meaning of Mariah Carey , ” the pop icon ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ girl group BLACKPINK have cracked the Top 40 with “ How You Like That ” and the Selena Gomez-assisted “ Ice Cream , ” two tracks from their new album coming out Friday .
“ The Album , ” which also includes a collaboration with Cardi B , features eight songs that fuses trap , pop and dance sounds .
The group , made up of JISOO , JENNIE , LISA , and ROSÉ , came on the music scene in 2016 and have collaborated with Dua Lipa and appears on Lady Gaga @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” — Queen and Adam Lambert have performed more than 200 shows together , and now they are releasing their first live album .
They idea came after the rockers had to cancel their tour because of the coronavirus pandemic and wanted to find a way to please their die-hard fans .
“ Queen + Adam Live Around the World ” will be released Friday and the 20-track set includes concert highlights from around the world personally selected by Roger Taylor , Brian May and Lambert .
— If laughter is good medicine @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Park ” to the rescue .
The animated series from Trey Parker and Matt Stone takes on the coronavirus with an hourlong episode , “ The Pandemic Special , ” debuting 8 p.m. EDT Wednesday on Comedy Central ( repeated at 9 and 10 p.m. EDT ) .
The kids return to school to find the anxiety-inducing new normal evidenced in their teachers and socially distanced classroom .
Meanwhile , Randy deals with his alleged role in the viral outbreak that has the town of South Park on defense .
We ’ re @ @ @ @ @ @ @ date has yet to be announced .
— How about a trip to Paris with Lily Collins for company and Darren Star ( “ Sex and the City ” ) as tour guide ?
“ Emily in Paris , ” a 10-episode romantic comedy debuting Friday on Netflix , stars Collins as a marketing executive who ’ s transferred to the City of Lights to revamp a newly acquired company ’ s social media strategy .
Emily , of course , is not all work , with “ intoxicating adventures ” and romances @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with envy-inducing fashion .
Ashley Park , Philippine Leroy Beaulieu and Lucas Bravo co-star .
— Influential women have made it to the White House , if not yet the Oval Office .
The CNN series “ First Ladies ” examines the tenure of six presidential spouses : Michelle Obama , Jackie Kennedy , Nancy Reagan , Eleanor Roosevelt , Lady Bird Johnson and Hillary Clinton .
Interviews , archival footage and re-creations of events combine for what CNN calls a “ bold revision ” of how the women have been portrayed and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ begins 10 p.m. EDT Sunday with an extended episode on Michelle Obama , with subsequent episodes airing on consecutive Sundays .


thetennesseestar--2020-09-29--Amazon to Kick Off Holiday Shopping with October Prime Day

NEW YORK , New York ( AP ) — Amazon is aiming to kickstart the holiday shopping season early this year .
The company is holding its annual Prime Day over two days in October this year , after the pandemic forced it to postpone the sales event from July .
It ’ s the first time Prime Day is being held in the fall , and Amazon is positioning it as a way to get people to start their holiday shopping .
Even before Amazon ’ s announcement Monday , major retailers have said they plan to push shoppers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and offer deals earlier , hoping to avoid crowds in their stores in November and December .
Prime Day , which will run from Oct. 13 to Oct. 14 this year , is sure to put pressure on rivals to offer deals around the same time .
In past years , Walmart , Best Buy and Target have offered their own online discounts during Prime Day .
In fact , Target announced on Monday it was also holding a two-day sale event on Oct. 13 and Oct. 14 .
Amazon started the sales @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Singles ’ Day , a shopping holiday in China popularized by Chinese ecommerce company Alibaba .
Prime Day has become one of Amazon ’ s biggest shopping days , since it offers some of its deepest discounts of the year .
Amazon also sees it as a way to get more people to sign up for its Prime membership , since only those paying $ 12.99 a month or $ 119 a year can access the deals .
The company said Amazon Prime members in 19 countries will get access to deals this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Brazil and Turkey .
It already held Prime Day in India this summer .
Joseph Pisani is a reporter for The Associated Press .
About the Headline Photo : In this Thursday April 16 , 2020 file photo , The Amazon logo is seen in Douai , northern France .
Amazon is looking to kickstart holiday shopping early this year .
The company said Monday , Sept. 28 , 2020 that it will hold its annual Prime Day sales event over two days in October That ’ s because the pandemic forced it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s the first time the sales event is being held in the fall .
( AP Photo/Michel Spingler , File )

by Scott McClallen
First, COVID-19 disrupted classes in 2020, and now it’s teachers keeping kids out of class in 2022.
More than 29,000 Minneapolis students couldn’t attend class Monday as a teachers’ union strike entered its 10th school day.
The striking teachers are seeking a “living wage,” smaller class sizes, and “safe and stable schools.”
The strike began March 8 with the Minneapolis Federation of Teachers (MFT) and Education Support Professionals (ESP) saying the groups were demanding “a living wage” for ESPs, smaller class sizes, and “safe and stable schools,” the union posted on Facebook.
In a video posted on Facebook page Sunday, union officials said they want ESPs to have a minimum $35,000 annual salary.
Teacher Chapter President Greta Callahan said parties have been negotiating.
“This contract needs to get settled,” Callahan said. “We want kids back in school and it feels like we are the only ones acting like that right now.”
Average teacher salaries in St. Paul are $85,000, compared to the average Minneapolis Public Schools (MPS) teacher salary of $71,535.
World Population Review says the average Minnesota teacher makes $59,221.
The Sahan Journal reported that despite the high teacher salary, raises for the Minneapolis district have lagged in recent years.
MPS said it shared its “last, best, and final” offer on Sunday that includes: 2% cost of living increases, with up to 12% raises for new teachers, in year one of the contract and 2% increases for all in the second year.
Increase starting wages for 85% of current ESPs to $23 per hour or more, bringing most full-time ESPs close to $35,000 annually.
Increase wages over two years between 8.2% and 34.6% (depending on job classification), with an average increase of 15.6%.
Move the lowest-paid ESPs from $15.45 per hour to $18 per hour.
Pay ESPs $6,000 in bonuses ($3,000 in each of the next 2 years).
$3.5 million to additional hours for ESPs.
Four additional paid duty days for professional development.
“We know that our students want to be back in school with their teachers and ESPs and our staff desperately want to see our students,” Minneapolis School Board Chair Kim Ellison said in a video. “We believe this is the fastest way possible to get our students back to school.”
The proposal would cost $9.3 million in the first year and $13.4 million in the second.
“MPS is reaching beyond its financial means on behalf of our ESPs and will need to make more than $10 million in reductions for the next school year as a result,” the MPS website says.
“We’ll be back out on the line tomorrow fighting for safe and stable schools!” the MFT tweeted Sunday.
The state’s education funding formula is based on enrollment, which has declined at MPS from 32,732 in 2019 to in 2022, 29,100.
The school doesn’t have data on where the roughly 3,632 kids who left went, MPS media coordinator Crystina Lugo-Beach told The Center Square in an email.
MPS said all pre-K through 12th classes would be canceled “for the duration of the strike.” Axios reported that the district is facing a a $21.5 million budget deficit for the 2022-2023 fiscal year.
– – –
Scott McClallen is a staff writer covering Michigan and Minnesota for The Center Square. A graduate of Hillsdale College, his work has appeared on Forbes.com and FEE.org. Previously, he worked as a financial analyst at Pepsi.
Photo “Minneapolis Public Schools” by Minneapolis Public Schools.


thetennesseestar--2020-09-29--Crom Carmichael Discusses the Democratic Kryptonite That is Institutional Constraints and Due Proces

Crom Carmichael Discusses the Democratic Kryptonite That is Institutional Constraints and Due Process

Live from Music Row Monday 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 the original all-star panelist Crom Carmichael to the studio .
At the end of the second hour , Carmichael weighed in on institutional constraints and the Democratic Party ’ s party disdain for constraints .
He added that here in Nashville , ‘ Mayor Cooper and his and his ilk are trying to thwart the will of the voters and thwart the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ provides.
’ Leahy : And that is Amy Coney Barrett Saturday after the president nominated her for the Supreme Court .
Crom , it looks like they have the votes to confirm her .
She seems like a very , very solid person , very strong intellectually with good character , seven kids , two adopted from Haiti .
What ’ s the left going to do with this ?
Carmichael : Well , she may be better than all of those things that you ’ ve just said .
She may be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ end up being great .
Let me express why , by the way , she shall now be known as ACB .
Carmichael : Or an AOC .
So that we now have an ACB .
Carmichael : I will point out that the Babylon Bee had a headline that Democrats sent to me by a good friend of mine .
So the Democrats moved to have Ginsburg ’ s Dying Wishes to Replace the Constitution .
Leahy : That ’ s what they want .
Carmichael : Which if you stop that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ want , me what they ’ re saying .
Leahy : I love the Babylon Bee .
By the way , it ’ s a parody site and yet and it will do headlines , and you ’ ll see the same story like an hour later on CNN .
( Laughter ) Carmichael : Yeah , they ’ re prescient for sure .
But here ’ s what ’ s interesting .
Here ’ s what she says .
This is 2017 .
She wrote a faithful judge to resist the temptation @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , a judge ’ s own political preference .
She goes on to say that requires fidelity to the original public meaning , which serves as a constraint upon judicial decision-making .
And I want to focus on that one point .
And that is what we ’ ve been talking about now for a year .
And you may have been talking about it for much longer than that , is the importance of institutional constraints .
Mayor Cooper , for example , does not want institutional constraints .
Leahy : No @ @ @ @ @ @ @ dictatorship .
Carmichael : He wants to be a dictator Leahy : And he wants to hurt people .
Carmichael : Actually he really does .
He ’ s a very mean person .
And by the way , really mean people don ’ t think they are racist .
He ’ s like that racist who where the people say , you ’ re a racist and don ’ t even know it .
He is truly a mean person and doesn ’ t even know it because it ’ s apparently @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s a shame .
But getting back , and the reason I talk about the institutional constraint , the constraining Metro is the voters .
The voters have a right if the government errors to have a referendum , so that the voters can constrain the government here in Nashville .
Mayor Cooper and his ilk are trying to thwart the will of the voters and thwart the institutional constraints that our Charter provides .
Our constitution was designed to empower a federal government , a national government , and at the same @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to limit those powers .
Carmichael : That ’ s what it was designed to do .
That ’ s what it was designed to do .
And ACB understands that it is enormously important for the Judiciary to recognize and appreciate those constraints upon itself .
Because if a Supreme Court , if a majority of the Supreme Court believes that their intellect was superior to the democratic process that the rest of the constitution provides .
If they believe that , then they would literally become a legislature in robes that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Leahy : Well , that ’ s what the Democrats want .
Carmichael : That is what the Democrats want .
Because the Democrats , just as John Cooper , just as Gavin Newsom and just as the Democrats in Washington , they hate the idea that they have to be constrained .
They hate it .
And that ’ s because their constituency is the government itself .
Carmichael : And if you ’ re going to grow your very own constituency at the expense of everyone who ’ s not part @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the constraints that make you abide by the rule of law .
And Nancy Pelosi keeps talking about it .
And when one hand starts flying in the air , you know , she ’ s about to tell an even bigger lie than when her hands aren ’ t flying in the air .
When she says she prays about Trump .
When she says that no person is above the law .
Well , she is .
That we are a nation of laws not a nation of men .
Well @ @ @ @ @ @ @ She wants to have us be a nation of men .
Leahy : And women who abuse their power .
Carmichael : I ’ m using men as the gender-neutral that I ’ m talking about there , but that ’ s what but Amy Coney Barrett has a great appreciation for .
And her court rulings and her writings on the federal court .
I think she ’ d been on the federal , what is it called the circuit court ?
Is that what she ’ s been on most recently @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it ?
Circuit Court of the… Carmichael : I heard regarding Doe versus Purdue University was a very , very well written ruling about sexual harassment and charges of sexual assault on college campuses where they are , where they ’ re made way more often than not by a female student against a male student and there is no due process .
And she says you can ’ t possibly have a situation where there is no due process and there ’ s fairness at the same time .
Now , by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ siding with the male student .
She was siding against the university ’ s process of handling this particular allegation without even talking to the witnesses .
Leahy : Due process is a right .
It ’ s right there in the constitution .
Carmichael : Yeah , but it ’ s also all about it ’ s in the constitution for sure .
And it ’ s all about fairness .
Carmichael : And so then she has written , she wrote an opinion in Cantor versus Barr where , and it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ opinion ended up being the opinion that prevailed when it went to the Supreme Court .
So the majority held that the government may categorically strip nonviolent felons of their Second Amendment rights .
And she says no , you can ’ t strip all felons .
Leahy : There has to be a process .
Carmichael : There has to be a process for that as well .
There are also there are some felons that do not deserve to have their second amendment rights taken away .
Listen to the full @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 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 .
Photos “ Supreme Court ” by TexasGOPVote.com CC BY 2.0 “ Nancy Pelosi ” by Gage Skidmore CC BY-SA 2.0 “ Amy Coney Barrett ” by Rachel Malehorn CC BY 3.0


thetennesseestar--2020-09-29--Commentary: The Hard Left Believes Its Mission is so Critical That Its Noble Ends Can Justify All Me

Commentary: The Hard Left Believes Its Mission is so Critical That Its Noble Ends Can Justify All Means

There was once a tradition of Democratic liberalism .
But that wing of the Democratic Party no longer exists and died sometime in the 1990s .
Old-style liberalism has been absorbed by Progressivism at best and unapologetic socialism at worst—in a journey on the supposedly predetermined arc of history that bends toward 1984 .
The new-old leftist aim is not to operate within either the existing parameters of the Constitution as written or the customs and traditions of America—a 150-year-long nine-justice Supreme Court , the Electoral College , a 50-state nation , a Senate filibuster , two senators per state @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are obstructions to the drive for power .
Given its redistributionist creed , socialism can not afford to be patent and honest .
If socialism were transparent , it never would gain majority support .
Joe Biden can not talk about the Electoral College or court packing , unequivocally condemn the violence in our urban centers , discuss the Green New Deal , name his likely Supreme Court appointments , be honest about his plans for fracking , or explain his views on the borders , because he is now owned lock , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ whose agendas were rejected even in his own Democratic primaries .
The Left seeks to transform America into something never envisioned by the founders , a huge all-encompassing , panopticon state , one run by anointed Platonic guardians .
Our elite watchmen will use their unlimited power to force upon us an equality of result society—with themselves properly exempted .
The hard Left ’ s defense is that its mission is so critical , so morally superior , that all means can be justified to achieve its noble ends .
And so almost @ @ @ @ @ @ @ its line of vision is now petrifying .
Large swaths of the downtowns of America ’ s large cities—New York , Chicago , Los Angeles , San Francisco , Minneapolis , Seattle , Portland—are becoming unhygienic , unsafe , and uninhabitable .
Substantial corridors swarm with the homeless .
Crime is increasing but commensurately redefined as a sort of cry of the heart , no-bail social activism .
The cities are broke and yet demand more bailouts to spend more money that will ensure things get worse .
The summertime scenes of looting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ violence are contextualized away by both mayors and governors .
They see the anarchy and chaos as a “ chickens-coming-home to-roost ” useful tool in this election year .
We do not know fully yet the lasting effects upon city living from the virus , the quarantine , Zoom and Skype telecommuting , and urban violence .
Certainly , millions are questioning the wisdom of living in high-rises , predicating their existence on constant elevator use , and riding on crowded mass transit in this age of globalized viruses .
Add in filth @ @ @ @ @ @ @ services , and the chance to work at home—and home can become far , far away .
Thousands of urbanites also know their taxes will only rise in relation to declining public services—and they will be collectively demonized for having the “ privilege ” to pay the escalating taxes from their own “ you didn ’ t build that ” careers and businesses .
Stepping over human excrement , accepting that if mugged the assailant will either rarely be caught or if so , released shortly without bail , and resigned that “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ properly one ’ s own are all no way to go through life .
Since the 1960s , the hard Left has demanded to run America ’ s cities .
They have had their way for decades .
And the fruition is what we see now in Portland and Seattle , or on a weekend night in Chicago .
In other words , they made a desert and called it social justice .
Sports was once a place to escape work , politics , and family tensions—a unifying experience where grudges , feuds @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hours .
Not now .
Franchises became self-acclaimed woke ministries , in which poorly educated athletes—almost exclusively multimillionaires and without much knowledge or appreciation of where their seemingly limitless salaries derive—have become preachers .
And they are poor preachers at that .
The more a LeBron James remonstrates with America , the more NFL athletes refuse to honor the national anthem , the more all professional sports display glitzy politicalized logos , so all the more fans who pay their salaries tune out .
The problem is not just that half the country @ @ @ @ @ @ @ professional sports , but also that it watches them to see athletic excellence and root for favored teams—not to hear adolescent rants about their own moral shortcomings from supposedly victimized elites , some of whom have less than sterling characters .
Worse still , the monotonous anti-American fantasies of half-educated players are cynically predicated on their own careerist realities—and more than just constructed to appeal to woke 20-something consumers with cash for sneakers and downloads .
China , for all practical purposes , now owns not just the NBA name but the players @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for all the loud social commentators in the league who weigh in ad nauseam about American pathologies , none would dare mention Chinese racism , the systematic and ongoing attack on the Uighurs , the absorption of Tibet , or the strangulation of democracy in Hong Kong .
The NBA is increasingly writing off America , mostly because it dreams of replacing trickling domestic revenue streams with an envisioned torrent of 1.4 billion Chinese consumers .
Professional rich athletes wanted to be even more relevant .
So they tried , ruined their brand @ @ @ @ @ @ @ home as they are fawning embarrassments abroad .
College has long ceased being a sheltered place to acquire the inductive method of thinking and disinterested empiricism , along with mastering a body of general , shared knowledge to equip the student to be aware of his past and present world .
Instead , higher education seeks to teach millions of American youth how to think “ correctly.
” In 21st-century America , “ correctness ” centers around memorizing unquestioned near-religious commandments—identity and racial politics , redistributionist government , affirmative action , abortion on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ transgenderism , open borders , police defunding , iconoclasm , and agnosticism or atheism .
All that can not be queried without being socially ostracized , professionally hounded , or sometimes even physically threatened .
The Left sought to make the university woke and loud .
It succeeded beyond its wildest dreams and so ensured that it is now increasingly mocked and bypassed , its graduates both abjectly ignorant while zealously arrogant .
Life on campus was supposed to be an unforgettable , irreplaceable educational experience—a Socratic odyssey of free thought , unconventional @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it is not , and outside of the sciences and professions , undergraduate liberal education has turned instead into a sort of summer camp bore for prolonged adolescence , a chorus of nodding and chants .
The virus and lockdown reminded America that going into hock for a collective $ 1.4 trillion in student debt while offering the nation millions of unskilled and poorly educated activists could be bypassed with online replacements at ten cents on the dollar .
If universities do not have real core education , unleash ranting ideologues on their @ @ @ @ @ @ @ dreary indoctrination , what , then , is exactly lost by distance learning ?
The new globalized media promised us real-time coverage of breaking news from around the world , spiced with televised graphics and supposedly learned insight—all part of their mission to keep a democratic populace informed and thus capable of self-governance .
But while always liberal , the media at least once knew that half the population turned on the news or read the papers not to be swayed , lectured , or insulted , but simply to get facts , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Right , and enough information to draw their own conclusions .
Yet journalists always dreamed of becoming more than just reporters , in the sense of evolving into activist movers and shakers of politics , culture , and society .
And now they , too , have gotten their wish as pop ideology replaced meritocracy .
The most boringly woke journalist is deemed the most successful , and the result is that Americans are going elsewhere for their daily information .
Just as no one turns on a basketball game to hear the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ too few wish to learn from Brian Williams , Don Lemon , or the editorial staff of the New York Times that Americans are moral pygmies .
The hard Left finally got its monopoly over the media , and predictably has destroyed its profession to save it .
Gone With the Wind Hollywood was always left wing , but usually sufficiently subtle to insert that message within good drama , top-flight scripts , and brilliant acting .
Not now .
“ Casablanca , ” “ The Best Years of Our Lives , ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Waterfront , ” “ Ben Hur , ” “ Hombre ” and “ The Wild Bunch ” were all dramatically engaging films with lessons about fascism , imperial autocracy , appeasement , American callousness and corruption—morality embedded within , not superimposed upon , plot , action , dialogue , and characterization .
Like the indentured NBA , for all practical purposes China and its huge market now own Hollywood .
We can see this both in the way that they are tailoring films for the Chinese market and delighting in their anti-American @ @ @ @ @ @ @ world from the Hollywood Hills to Malibu , and the appeasement of China explain why films can not be critical of , or even neutral about , Chinese Communism , why light-skinned American actors are sometimes favored over their dark-skinned counterparts , and why Hollywood now focuses on comic-book action heroes , poor remakes of past classics , and psychodramas rather than tragedies .
The now-gray lions of the 1960s got their wish and took over Hollywood , and they did to it what they had done earlier to the campuses .
Seven @ @ @ @ @ @ @ stayed out of politics .
The few who weighed in to attack a sitting president usually were vilified by the press , and written off as right-wing nuts—whether it was Douglas MacArthur , Curtis LeMay , or Edwin Walker .
Hollywood films like “ Dr .
Strangelove ” and “ Seven Days in May ” purported to remind Americans that their liberty was always only a military coup or stand-down away .
At the height of the McCarthy period , in paranoia about coups over “ Who Lost China ?
” and “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pushed through the Uniform Code of Military Justice , in which even retired high-ranking officers were forbidden to use language disparaging their commander-in-chief .
How the worm turns .
The Left once demonized retired four-star admirals and generals as warmongers , revolving-door grifters who became insider lobbyists , and corporate board cronies courted for their contacts with active Pentagon procurement officers rather than any demonstrable business acumen .
A Pentagon billet was once seen as a sort of dead-end assignment among the swamp of Washington .
Not now .
The Left discovered that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ could streamline social change by fiat .
And so it did , once they got control of it .
Lethal Islamic terrorism at home was reduced to “ workplace violence.
” Women in front-line combat units were fast-tracked .
Man-made and thus correctable global warming became a military gospel .
The transgendered posed no problems in combat efficacy .
Promotion and evaluation had to encompass far more than combat readiness , strategic and tactical insight , and natural leadership but instead reflect diversity and proportional representation due to disparate impact .
No wonder @ @ @ @ @ @ @ were appearing on television to brand the commander in chief a Russian “ asset , ” a veritable traitor based on the fables of the Steele dossier , the yarns of a likely Russian spy ensconced in the Brookings Institution , and the demonstrable rogue operations of the FBI .
The president was not just unfit , but according to those who recently ran the U.S. military , was a fascist “ Mussolini ” who emulated “ Nazi ” -like tactics to divide the country , and who built cages on the border @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the Holocaust—and thus should be removed “ sooner the better.
” Joe Biden was so enthralled at the military resistance to the president that he boasted he would win , Trump would resist leaving , and his newfound retired four-stars would help remove him from the White House .
At last , political activism finally “ woke ” the military .
And the result is that the reputation of its once hallowed retired class is in shambles .
If the Left convinced the military that sex and race could adjudicate promotion , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as the guardians of progressive democracy , ready to step in and remove any president deemed a right-wing nut in a just and noble “ resistance ” ?
Indeed “ coup porn ” is now the media ’ s new obsession , endlessly dreaming how their newfound beloved brass might frog march the evil Trump out of the White House .
Again , the Left finally got what it has always wanted , and thus with its anti-Midas touch and Medusa glare turned gold into dross , and flesh into stone .
Victor @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , columnist , former classics professor , and scholar of ancient warfare .
He was a professor of classics at California State University , Fresno , and is currently the Martin and Illie Anderson Senior Fellow at Stanford University ’ s Hoover Institution .
He has been a visiting professor at Hillsdale College since 2004 .
Hanson was awarded the National Humanities Medal in 2007 by President George W. Bush .
Photo “ Police Protester ” by D. Sinclair Terrasidius CC BY 2.0 .


thetennesseestar--2020-09-29--Country Star John Rich Talks About the Pursuit of Happiness and His New Hit Song, ‘Earth to God’

Live from Music Row Monday 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 country artist John Rich to the newsmakers line .
During the third hour , Rich talked about the right to pursue happiness and having integrity as an American .
He also discussed his Fox Nation show called The Pursuit and his recent hit song just released , Earth to God .
Leahy : We are joined now by our new good friend @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Good morning John .
Rich : Hey , good morning , sir .
How are you ?
Leahy : We are delighted to have you on I guess you are as big a fan of Mayor John Cooper ’ s as we are .
Rich : I ’ ll he ’ s a peach .
I tell you what .
he brings the hits man .
Yeah , I think we ’ ve all been thoroughly disappointed in his decision making .
But you know , what are you going to do ?
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
But boy , we ’ ve learned a lot and you know , I don ’ t know .
I think everything that ’ s been said about him has been said loudly and clearly .
So I ’ m sure I don ’ t have any fans at the mayor ’ s office right now , but that ’ s okay .
This not about being popular .
Leahy : John you have fans in our listening audience .
That is for sure .
Leahy : John , you ’ re @ @ @ @ @ @ @ did that come about ?
Rich : Well , actually I ’ ve got a little show with them on Fox Nation called The Pursuit and it ’ s based on the idea that our country doesn ’ t guarantee us happiness , it guarantees us the right to pursue happiness .
There ’ s a big difference between those two things .
That word the right to pursue is everything .
That is America .
That ’ s why we ’ re us .
And I sit people down and interview them @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the most incredible that I got on this show was the final on-camera interview with Charlie Daniels .
God rest his soul .
We lost him this past summer .
And I got to ask him every question that I could think of that I would have wanted to ask him .
And man what an incredible guy .
There are interviews like that stacked up on that show if you get a chance , check it out The Pursuit with John Rich .
Carmichael : All right , that ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and your point is exactly right .
A government can guarantee the right to pursue happiness .
It actually can ’ t metaphysically guarantee happiness .
It can write the words but it can ’ t back up the guarantee .
Rich : Well and I think I think human beings innately are not happy f everything is given to him .
That ’ s not what makes us happy .
What makes us happy is having our own ideas and our own dreams .
And we get to work at it as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ we may get it .
We may not get it .
But the fact that we have a right to go after it should make us happy makes me happy .
Makes me happy .
There are people all over the planet this morning that woke up that has just as much talent and drive and ambition as any American ever had but because of where they live they ’ re not allowed to exhaust their potential .
But we are because we live in America .
And we ’ re given that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ So my show puts an exclamation point on that and reminds us all hey , this is a great place to live take advantage of it .
Carmichael : And by the way , that right that you ’ re talking about is a God-given , right ?
It ’ s not a right that the government gives .
the right to pursue happiness is one that only the government can unjustly take away .
Rich : Yes .
It says endowed by our creator with a capital C. Leahy : Exactly .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ your own Pursuit .
Where are you from and how did you get to where you are right now ?
Well , I grew up in Amarillo , Texas , which is up in the Panhandle .
Leahy : Oh , I know Amarillo .
I have driven through Amarillo .
Rich : Yeah .
Most people drive through it .
( Laughter ) Leahy : I had a great steak there .
I know I remember I started our state place here , which is fabulous .
Leahy : Yeah , that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ right !
Rich : Yeah .
It ’ s a 72-ounce steak .
If you eat it within an hour , it ’ s free .
Rich : If you do it , you can end up in any heart attack .
Rich : I grew up there .
My father is a Street Preacher prison preacher preached in the church ’ s small churches .
You know grew up just pretty regular .
I ’ m a high school graduate and nothing fancy there .
But I was always told growing up @ @ @ @ @ @ @ re not limited by anything .
Whatever you can think of is possible because you live in America .
Go work hard .
And from a young age , I was taught how to work hard .
And that there are integrity and hard work .
you know , whether it ’ s mowing your grass or working on a project or dreaming big there ’ s integrity in working hard .
And so I just grew up knowing that .
And as time went by I ’ ve come to Tennessee and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ back in my senior year of high school .
That ’ s where I met the guys that started a band called Lone Star .
And I rolled with those guys for several years .
Then I met this crazy guy big Kenny and here comes Big and Rich .
and then now you ’ re down the road here and I ’ m doing I ’ m still doing Big & Rich , but I ’ m doing other things too .
So it ’ s been quite a ride and we @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s incredible Carmichael : When did music become part of your life ?
Rich : From the very beginning .
My dad plays guitar and sings is a really really good singer and he writes his own Gospel song .
So I would watch my dad during the week working on a song like writing a song gospel song and Christian song .
And I would watch him sing it at church or sing it out in the street , you know to a crowd and then watch the crowd react and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
I was watching him right that , you know , look at all these people responding to it .
I think that ’ s where I understand that stood the power of music .
You know , I ’ ve said many times a blank sheet of paper and a pencil are probably the two most powerful things in the world .
The Constitution started off as a blank sheet of paper .
The Bible started off as a blank sheet of paper .
Somebody had to be inspired and write something @ @ @ @ @ @ @ those things have changed the world .
Changed our lives .
And I look at songwriting like that that I could write something on this page that nobody will ever hear .
Or I might write something on this page that really has some impact .
You just never know .
You got to stay in the game and keep creating and hopefully , something gets blessed along the way .
Carmichael : Now I ’ ve heard in songwriting that you come up with , I think they called a hook .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ the song around that .
Is that accurate with you ?
Rich : I would say most of the time .
You know , I ’ ve written all kinds of songs for all kinds of reasons .
I ’ ve had artists come to me and say hey , would you write a song for me that says something about this subject .
And I ’ ll say sure .
I wrote Mississippi Girl for Faith Hill .
She said I want you to write a song that would only make sense @ @ @ @ @ @ @ nobody else could even sing it that ’ s how personalized I want it to be if you can write one and so we wrote Mississippi Girl .
It ’ s a long way from Star , Mississippi .
I said was she ’ s the only one from Star , Mississippi .
So I checked that box .
( Leahy laughs ) I ’ ve written songs out of inspiration from people that I ’ ve met .
I ’ ve written songs to make you laugh .
Make you dance and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on you know , what you ’ re trying to do songwriters in Nashville .
They ’ re the best .
I ’ ve had the privilege of working with the best and understanding what a craft that is .
It ’ s something that you never totally master .
Carmichael : How many instruments can you play ?
Rich : I play a couple pretty good and then I can mess around on a couple more .
( Leahy laughs ) You know , in Nashville man you better really know how @ @ @ @ @ @ @ t call yourself a player .
Leahy : So yeah , exactly right Rich : I can chop away at it and hang out with them , but I wouldn ’ t say I ’ m one of the best players in town John .
Leahy : John , let me ask you this you are known for your very conservative political views .
Now within the entertainment industry here in Nashville , is there a mix of use our is it okay to be conservative ?
Or does everybody have to be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the entertainment business is run by liberals .
There are some of them that really have disdain for somebody like myself .
and then there are some of the liberals that love working with me .
And those are that ’ s the real the way it really should be .
Hey , we totally disagree on all these subjects , however , we still like each other and we ’ ve got a project we ’ re working on .
And let ’ s go make something happen .
And to me @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it ought to be .
You know , when Mike Huckabee was asked to be on the CMA board for their charity arm to give instruments away and give music education away to underprivileged kids , they brought in Huckabee because he had worked with education systems in Arkansas .
He is a musician himself .
Obviously connected to the people in the federal government for funding and things like that .
And some of the folks on the CMA board ran him out .
I mean , they just kicked him out @ @ @ @ @ @ @ we can ’ t even work together for something like giving instruments away to kids ?
Are you kidding me ?
There are a few like that but there ’ s a lot I will say that that actually still will work with you and our fine people .
We just disagree .
Leahy : John , will you come back again ?
And also join us , Ben Shapiro and The Daily Wire are coming to Nashville .
We ’ re going to be holding a party for them , not on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said let ’ s do it in November .
Will you join us for that ?
Rich : You know don ’ t threaten me with a good time .
( Leahy laughs ) Did you guys know I had a song our today called Earth to God ?
Leahy : Earth to God .
We will make sure it crosses our radar .
Okay , John Rich .
Rich : OK.
It ’ s coming out today .
Thanks , guys .
Listen to the full third hour here : Tune in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Tennessee Star Report with Michael Patrick Leahy on Talk Radio 98.3 FM WLAC 1510 .
Listen online at iHeart Radio .
Photo “ John Rich ” by John Rich .


thetennesseestar--2020-09-29--Trump, Biden Prepare to Debate Tuesday as National Tensions Rise

CLEVELAND , Ohio ( AP ) — In an election year like no other , the first debate between President Donald Trump and his Democratic challenger , Joe Biden , could be a pivotal moment in a race that has remained stubbornly unchanged in the face of historic tumult .
The Tuesday night debate will offer a massive platform for Trump and Biden to outline their starkly different visions for a country facing multiple crises , including racial justice protests and a pandemic that has killed more than 200,000 Americans and cost millions of jobs .
The health emergency has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ campaign , lending heightened importance to the debate .
But amid intense political polarization , comparatively few undecided voters remain , raising questions as to how , or if , the debate might shape a race that has been defined by its bitterness and , at least so far , its stability .
Biden will step onto the Cleveland stage holding leads in the polls — significant in the national surveys , closer in the battleground states — but facing questions about his turn in the spotlight , particularly considering Trump ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ only 35 days to change the course of the race , will have arguably his best chance to try to reframe the campaign as a choice election and not a referendum over his handling of a virus that has killed more people in America than any other nation .
“ This will be the first moment in four years that someone will walk on stage as co-equal to Trump and be able to hold him to account for the malfeasance he has shown leading the country , ” said Steve Schmidt , senior @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 2008 Republican presidential bid and a frequent Trump critic .
“ If Biden is unable to indict Trump for all that he has done , ( that ) would be profound failure .
There is no spinning that away.
” The president ’ s handling of the coronavirus will likely dominate much of the discussion .
The pandemic ’ s force will be tangible as the candidates ’ podiums will be spaced far apart and the traditional opening handshake scrapped .
And the debate could be shaped by an extraordinary confluence of other @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg , allowing Trump to nominate a conservative jurist to replace a liberal voice and reshape the high court for generations , and the blockbuster revelations about Trump ’ s long-hidden tax history , including that he paid only $ 750 a year in federal income taxes in 2016 and 2017 and nothing in many other years .
But the impact of the debate — or the two that follow in the weeks ahead — remains unclear .
The tumult of 2020 is difficult to overstate : COVID-19 has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ schools and businesses are shuttered ; and racial justice protests have swept the nation after a series of high-profile killings of Black people by police .
Despite the upheaval , the presidential race has remained largely unchanged since Biden seized control of the Democratic field in March .
The nation has soured on Trump ’ s handling of the pandemic , and while his base of support has remained largely unchanged , he has seen defections among older and female voters , particularly in the suburbs , and his path to 270 Electoral @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has shrunk .
Polls suggest fewer undecided voters remain than at this point in the 2016 campaign .
And several high-profile debates in past elections that were thought to be game-changing moments at the time ultimately had little lasting effect .
Four years ago , Democrat Hillary Clinton was widely seen as besting Trump in their three debates , but she lost in November .
In 2012 , Mitt Romney crushed Barack Obama in their first meeting only to falter in the rematches .
But some debates have mattered : most famously , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was when John F. Kennedy was perceived — at least by TV viewers — as outdueling Richard Nixon .
And in 1980 , Ronald Reagan was able to reassure nervous voters that he possessed a presidential temperament when he delivered a winning performance against incumbent Jimmy Carter .
While both sides anticipate a vicious debate between two men who do not like each other , the Biden campaign has downplayed the night ’ s importance , believing that the pandemic and the battered economy will outweigh any debate stage gaffe or zinger .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ up the magnitude of the duel , believing it will be a moment for the president to damage Biden and recast the race .
Trump had told advisers that he is preparing an all-out assault on Biden , claiming that the former senator ’ s 47 years in Washington have left him out of touch and that his family , namely his son Hunter , has benefited from corruption .
The president on Monday also repeated his demand that Biden take some sort of drug test , asserting without evidence that the Democratic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
That continued a curious round of expectations setting : While Trump ’ s campaign has of late praised Biden ’ s debate skills , the president has also vividly portrayed his opponent as not being up to the job , potentially allowing Biden to come off well as long as he avoids a major stumble .
“ This guy doesn ’ t have a clue .
He doesn ’ t know where the hell he is , ” Trump said recently , likening the debate to a boxing match and pointing to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ you need that up here .
This wins , probably , it ’ s 50 % of it .
This is not prime time for Joe.
” But Trump — never a polished debater , though a commanding presence on stage — has done little in the way of formal preparations , which may mean he is walking into his own trap .
“ Historically , incumbents do less well in the first debate , largely because they ’ re unaccustomed to being challenged openly , ” said presidential historian Jon Meacham .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ terms of direct impact on outcome came 40 years ago , with the single Carter-Reagan meeting a week before the election .
The key question then — ‘ Are you better off than you were four years ago ?
’ — has fresh and compelling resonance.
” Biden ’ s performances during the primary debates were uneven , and some Democrats have been nervous as to how he will fare in an unscripted setting .
But his team views the night as a moment to illuminate Trump ’ s failings with the pandemic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ president acting as a “ fact checker on the floor ” while bracing himself for the onslaught that is coming .
“ They ’ re going to be mostly personal , ” Biden said .
“ That ’ s the only thing he knows how to do .
He doesn ’ t know how to debate the facts because he ’ s not that smart .
He doesn ’ t know that many facts.
” Jonathan Lemire and Jill Colvin are reporters with The Associated Press .
Lemire reported from New York .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ place for the first Presidential debate in the Sheila and Eric Samson Pavilion , Monday , Sept. 28 , 2020 , in Cleveland .
The first debate between President Donald Trump and Democratic presidential candidate , former Vice President Joe Biden is scheduled to take place Tuesday , Sept. 29 .
( AP Photo/Patrick Semansky )


thetennesseestar--2020-09-29--Founder of Pajamas Media and American Screenwriter Roger Simon Discusses His Escape From Los Angeles

Founder of Pajamas Media and American Screenwriter Roger Simon Discusses His Escape From Los Angeles and Being a Conservative in Hollywood

Live from Music Row Monday 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 the founder of Pajamas Media Roger Simon to the studio .
During the third hour , Simon discussed his reason for leaving Los Angeles and his move to Nashville and what it ’ s been like to be a conservative in the liberal town of Hollywood .
Leahy : We are joined by the original all-Star panelists Crom Carmichael and in-studio now @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Simon Roger .
Welcome , Roger .
Simon : Well , its good to be here in Nashville after two years of being here .
Leahy : Roger , a great career as a writer .
Where did you grow up Roger ?
Simon : I grew up in New York City .
So don ’ t hold it against me .
Simon : Yes .
And I lived in LA most of my life .
Leahy : Crom .
He ’ s a novelist and wrote a novel about Moses ?
Simon @ @ @ @ @ @ @ made into a movie called The Big Fix .
Leahy : Richard Dreyfus .
You are still friends with him right ?
Simon : Yes , but there ’ s been a little bit of a political rupture .
Leahy : You were actually a brave person who declared himself to be a conservative .
Simon : Well publicly write after 2001 .
But it was dangerous and now I ’ m here .
Leahy : Now one of the things that you did is you were the founder of Pajamas Media .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ did the PJTV .
We did a show together out there in 2009 .
It was sold at some point recently .
Simon : It was sold and that ’ s why I left .
I was used to being the boss .
And when you are used to being the boss you don ’ t want to be there .
Leahy : So you left Los Angeles and you came here .
Simon : I left Los Angeles because as probably a lot of your listeners have noticed that it ain ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
That ’ s putting it mildly .
Also , I was essentially run out of town .
Leahy : When you say run out of town .
Simon : I ’ m an academy award nominee screenwriter but they wouldn ’ t employ me anymore .
Leahy : Because you are conservative .
Simon : Yes .
I was blacklisted .
It ’ s not a blacklist you have to write down because they know who you are .
Carmichael : Do you find the progressive requirement that everybody be tolerant ironic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s beyond ironic .
There has to be a new word for a hypocrite .
There is a fancy friend of mine named Roger Kibble who always quotes French philosophers so that I can learn them .
One is La Rochefoucauld that says that hypocrisy is the homage that to virtue .
Well , that sounds very good except it doesn ’ t fit now .
It ’ s so much worse .
Carmichael : Are there any particular stories and you can eliminate the names if you want to .
Are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ about your experience as a known conservative in Los Angeles ?
Simon : Well you know , the worst one is after then Pajamas Media became PJ Media became public I started to receive notes in my mailbox saying we know where you live .
Carmichael : And they know ?
Simon : They didn ’ t mean it enough that I ’ m here now .
I ’ m OK. ( Laughter ) It ’ s interesting .
I ’ ll even mention the person ’ s name because he was a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with him .
Paul who was a very famous director .
And we always used to have breakfast at the farmers market and they would have a joke that Roger died .
Some of them were just teasing .
But beneath the teasing , there was a threat .
Because Muslims are not the only people that don ’ t like Apostates .
Simon : Nobody likes Apostates on one level because I was very left when I was young .
The whole Moses Wine thing was left .
Simon : Other things @ @ @ @ @ @ @ : OJ turned you .
9-11 turned you .
What turned you economically ?
Simon : That is an interesting story because speaking of our favorite newspaper The New York Times , I knew the then editor of The New York Times and I remember when I went together with him and his wife and mine in New York .
And they were sort of amazed by my change .
This was around 03 .
And they looked at me and they said , are you changing economically too and taxes and stuff @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and wife , I ’ m not even naming their names now giggled because the guy had inherited a lot of money .
And of course , he didn ’ t want to pay it all in the death tax .
( Chuckles ) I hadn ’ t at that point really thought about it because most of my change had to do with foreign policy originally .
Then suddenly I said , well wait a minute .
And I started to read Milton Friedman .
I had not read them in college @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they didn ’ t teach us that .
I read a lot of Shakespeare .
Carmichael : Who affected you more ?
Freedman or Hiach ?
Simon : Both did .
It ’ s hard to say , the road to socialism was interesting .
I say if there is one book that effected me politically the most that ’ s it .
Carmichael : That ’ s fascinating because I think it would be very difficult to be conservative from a foreign policy standpoint and at the same time to be liberal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ think it would be difficult to keep those two in your head .
Simon : I think you are right .
And I gradually moved over actually pretty fast .
The only issue interestingly enough , you would call it liberal , but basically , I ’ m a libertarian is gay marriage .
I ’ m fine with gay marriage .
I see that as sort of a civil rights issue from the old days .
I agree with Lady Gaga that you are born that way .
Leahy : The question @ @ @ @ @ @ @ decided to leave Los Angeles of all the places in the world why did you pick Nashville Tennessee ?
Simon : Well I didn ’ t pick it myself .
My wife and daughter did .
( Laughs ) Except I ’ m really glad they did .
My wife is a screenwriter too and also a conservative .
My wife and daughter had been to the CMA festival as a bother daughter thing and they came back raving about Nashville .
Then I went and I liked it a lot .
And @ @ @ @ @ @ @ its a creative town .
Leahy : So the two years that you ’ ve been here .
How has it been for you here in Nashville ?
Simon : It has been really good .
And but you know its interesting in reading your paper and so forth and I got to know very quickly a lot of important conservatives around here .
Including the Senator Ms. Blackburn .
Simon : So it was easy to get to know people .
They knew me from writing a lot of them .
And @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
But the other part of it that is interesting seeing the battle that ’ s going on here now .
Because the danger of this city is that it could turn into a mini-LA .
And now I feel like well I came here an adopted this place or they adopted me or whatever you want to say so I ’ m going to help and put my shoulder to the wheel too .
Leahy : We could use all the help on that one Roger Simon .
Listen to the full @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 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 “ Roger Simon ” by Roger Simon .


thetennesseestar--2020-09-29--Federal Judge Blocks TikTok Ban, Giving Chinese App an Opening to Settle Deal with Oracle

A federal judge blocked the Trump administration ’ s attempt to block TikTok Sunday , giving the Chinese social media platform an opportunity to forge a deal with Oracle .
The decision gives TikTok ’ s parent company , ByteDance , more time to approve a deal with Oracle and Walmart , media reports show .
Judge Carl Nichols ’ s decision came hours before President Donald Trump ’ s ban of the video-streaming app was expected to take place .
Trump gave the Oracle deal with TikTok a preliminary blessing , suggesting the administration believes the deal satisfies national @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Foreign Investment still must iron out the details and address which company would have majority ownership .
Beijing could also nix any deal .
Trump signed a pair of executive orders Aug. 6 prohibiting individuals from communicating with ByteDance after 45 days .
The orders barred “ any transaction by any person , or with respect to any property , subject to the jurisdiction of the United States , ” with ByteDance and Tencent Holdings , the parent company of WeChat .
Some lawmakers believe a deal between Oracle and TikTok will not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ threat to national security .
Republican Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley said in a Sept. 14 letter to Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin that the partnership won ’ t prohibit the Chinese Communist Party from controlling the app .
“ [ A ] n ongoing ‘ partnership ’ that allows for anything other than the full emancipation of the TikTok software from potential Chinese Communist Party control is completely unacceptable , and flatly inconsistent with the President ’ s Executive Order of August 6 , ” Hawley wrote after suggesting the app might have to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ find a buyer .
TikTok expressed relief after Nichols ’ s move .
“ We will continue defending our rights for the benefit of our community and employees , ” a company spokeswoman said in a statement , according to The Wall Street Journal .
The Commerce Department , the agency housing the U.S. Committee on Foreign Investment , said in a statement to the Journal that the administration would comply with the injunction , but will move forward with a proposed ban through other legal means .
TikTok argued in court Sunday @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ This is just punitive , ” company lawyer John Hall said during Sunday ’ s arguments .
“ This is just a blunt way to whack the company now while doing nothing to achieve the stated objective of the prohibitions.
” The federal government , meanwhile , maintained the right to protect TikTok users .
The Commerce Department is entitled “ to address the most important , immediate threat to national security , which is new users continuing to sign up and making their data vulnerable to the Chinese government , ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ court proceedings .
TikTok has not responded to the Daily Caller News Foundation ’ s request for comment .


thetennesseestar--2020-09-29--Free Speech Group Warns University After it Allowed Black Lives Matter Protest but Banned Other Gath

Free Speech Group Warns University After it Allowed Black Lives Matter Protest but Banned Other Gatherings

A free speech advocacy group has sent two letters to East Carolina University after the public college banned gatherings of more than 50 students , but allowed a Black Lives Matter protest on campus .
Southeastern Legal Foundation sent a letter to the North Carolina public university on September 16 seeking information on its enforcement of its coronavirus policies .
After receiving no response , the public interest law group sent a follow-up letter on September 24 .
The September 16 letter warned the university that its coronavirus policies set a “ dangerous , unconstitutional precedent ” that “ could @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Kimberly Hermann , the foundation ’ s counsel , told The College Fix via email it will “ continue to monitor the situation.
” “ We never rule out litigation , but as in cases across the nation , many universities have amended speech and privacy policies once constitutional concerns have been raised , ” Hermann said .
The university had previously announced at the end of August restrictions on gatherings , including a ban on more than 50 people gathering outside .
The school also banned inside gatherings of more than 25 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the state .
All classes are now online .
However , on August 31 , “ members of the campus community—including athletes , coaches , and administrators—protested in an outdoor area of campus ” the foundation noted .
Students marched through campus and at least two coaches gave speeches unmasked and surrounded by activists , according to video footage from WITN .
[ The news station erroneously claimed that Jacob Blake , the victim of a police shooting in Kenosha , Wisconsin , had died .
Blake is still alive . ]
Campus @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reporting other people they suspected of having coronavirus .
The school ’ s website lists possible sanctions for violating coronavirus rules , but did not delineate how they would be applied .
The September 16 letter pointed out that on September 11 , campus police announced that 17 students had been referred for investigation to the student rights and responsibilities office for violating rules against large gatherings .
The university ’ s media relations office did not respond to multiple emailed requests for comment from The College Fix in the past week .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ vagueness of the policies make them unconstitutional .
“ Although ECU lists the protocol for large gatherings and failure to wear masks , it does not state which consequences accompany which conduct , ” Hermann wrote .
She pointed out that ECU does not have a hearing or appeal process for students accused of breaking coronavirus rules .
“ Without clear guidelines about punishable conduct in place , and without adequate procedures for disciplining students , ECU ’ s policies are vague and open the door to due process violations , ” Hermann @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Furthermore , by punishing some students , the university is violating viewpoint neutrality : “ In doing so , the University has effectively elevated the views and goals of the student athletes and fellow protesters over other student organizations.
” As it points out in its September 24 letter , the group has no problem with faculty and students exercising free speech .
Instead , it wants assurance the university will not treat some views differently than others .
“ The issue is not that some students engaged in speech…The issue is whether @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of all students in the spring , regardless of the format or views behind them , ” the letter said .
“ Any school policies that distinguish between activities—based either on the message or the type of activity—amount to viewpoint and content-based discrimination , respectively.
” The September 24 letter asked for clarification again on the guidelines and asked about 18 different gathering scenarios and how ECU would handle them , including a rally in support of police .
While students can not currently attend classes in-person , Hermann argued that students need @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they return to campus in the spring .
“ A lack of communication about what faces students when they return to campus in January will influence their decision to return to campus at all , ” Hermann wrote in a blog post .
“ We are always on the lookout for policies enacted by state colleges and universities , that pose a threat to free speech , freedom of association , and privacy , ” Hermann told The Fix .
“ We are reviewing recent COVID-related policies at other schools.
” Rachelle Hernandez @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at Liberty University .
She has a degree in kinesiology as well .
She has her own podcast called the Facts , Faith , & Freedom podcast .
Photo “ ECU Quad ” by Brent Hoard CC BY 2.0


thetennesseestar--2020-09-29--Vote Fraud Hits Virginia as Hundreds of Voters Receive Multiple Ballots

Almost 1,400 Virginia voters have recently received duplicate absentee ballots in the mail because of printing errors .
So far , voters in three jurisdictions – Fairfax and Henrico counties as well as the City of Richmond – have reportedly been sent duplicates ballots as the November 3rd election quickly approaches .
Officials from Fairfax County told The Washington Post that extra ballots were mailed out by election workers to nearly 1,000 voters because of an issue with absentee ballot address labels .
Specifically , a printer used by the county did not print individual labels forcing election workers to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ happened , some were reapplied to new ballots which lead to duplicates , Gary Scott , Fairfax County general registrar , told The Post .
During a Senate session last Thursday , Sen. Mark Obenshain ( R-Rockingham ) brought the problem to the attention of the legislative body , saying he learned of 300 voters in Richmond that had been affected and asked his colleagues to be vigilant in watching the conduct of the election process and to report any problems that may come to light .
“ The rush to move to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ untenable position , ” Obenshain said in a statement sent to The Virginia Star .
“ They aren ’ t staffed for it and when the General Assembly made sweeping changes to the voting law last session , they did not provide the additional resources necessary to make sure that they were implemented properly .
Unfortunately , this is just one resulting problem.
” After the news broke last Friday , the Republican Party of Virginia announced in a news release that 100 voters in Henrico County , as well as the 300 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ballots .
Rich Anderson , Chairman of the Republican Party of Virginia , believes the mistakes are a direct result of state Democratic lawmakers expanding absentee voting as a deterrent to stop the spread of the Coronavirus .
“ We knew the Democrats many last-minute changes to our election law would make our elections less secure , but no one could imagine voters receiving two ballots , ” Anderson said in the release .
The City of Richmond general registrar did not respond to multiple requests for comments from The Star before press @ @ @ @ @ @ @ duplicate ballots through the mail said he was shocked .
“ You hear about voter fraud all the time and you also hear that it is not a real issue , but when you get something like this that happens you start to get concerned [ and ] worried about what could happen if this was to fall into the wrong hands , if someone wasn ’ t being transparent , ” The Richmond resident , who asked for anonymity , said in an interview with The Star .
The state does have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ casting multiple ballots .
Every ballot casted by Virginians is logged into a state verification system , so if a person tries to vote multiple times the system would reject the extra ballot and would not count it , election officials told The Post .
According to the Virginia Public Access Project ’ s early voting dashboard , as of Sunday , 85,765 absentee ballots have been returned to registrars while 870,780 absentee ballots have not .
The deadline to apply for an absentee ballot in Virginia is October 23rd , 11 days @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a reporter at The Virginia Star and the Star News Digital Network .
Follow Jacob on Twitter .
Email tips to [ email protected ] .


thetennesseestar--2020-09-29--TRUMPDATE: Latest From the Trump Team Virginia Campaign for September 29

Welcome to the Tuesday 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 ! )
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It ’ s officially 35 days until the election on November 3 – and 33 days until early voting in Virginia closes .
The deadline to register to vote in time for the 2020 election is October 13 .
Tonight President Trump and Joe Biden meet in the first of three scheduled presidential debates .
Chris Wallace of Fox News will @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Western Reserve University in Cleveland , Ohio .
The Trump Virginia campaign is excited to watch the president go toe-to-toe with Joe Biden for the first time , but is also looking forward to reaching out and connecting with voters and supporters further as we approach one month until the election .
“ With Virginia in play , our volunteers are fully engaged and ready to connect with voters across the Commonwealth , ” Trump Victory Spokesperson Samantha Cotten said in a statement .
“ This week , we will have dozens of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to encourage voters to head to the polls and cast their votes for President Trump and the GOP ticket.
” Supporters in the Richmond area looking for a gathering place to watch the debate can head to Atlas 42 .
Nick Freitas , candidate for Virginia ’ s 7th congressional district seat , will be there mingling with voters .
Down in York County , the 7,000 square foot Trump field office , located at 4600 George Washington Memorial Highway , Yorktown , VA 23692 , will also be having a watch party @ @ @ @ @ @ @ John Fredericks for more information on other watch parties going on in your area .
Vice President Mike Pence and Democrat nominee Kamala Harris will hold their one and only debate on October 7 .
The next time President Trump and Joe Biden debate will be October 15 , then for a final time on October 22 .
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 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ information , or to sign up to become a volunteer , click here .
John Fredericks is the publisher and editor-in-chief of The Virginia Star .
He is also a Trump 2020 delegate and the chairman of the Trump Virginia Delegation .


thetennesseestar--2020-09-29--Rep. Ilhan Omar Linked to Cash-for-Ballots Voter Fraud Scheme in Minneapolis

U.S. Representative Ilhan Omar ( D-MN-05 ) has been linked to a massive illegal vote-buying scheme in an elderly community in her heavily Somali district in Minneapolis .
The illegal ballot harvesting operation is just the latest in a growing list of federal crimes the self-avowed democratic socialist is alleged to have committed in recent years , including marrying her brother to commit immigration fraud and student loan fraud .
Project Veritas investigators traveled to Minneapolis to see what they could discover regarding the alleged Somali vote harvesting scheme .
“ U.S .
Congresswoman Ilhan Omar – also affectionately known @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ – and her campaign may be behind one of the biggest voter fraud schemes in American history , but this time , we have it on tape , ” said Project Veritas founder James O ’ Keefe .
According to investigative journalist David Steinberg , rumors have swirled for years that Ilhan ’ s campaign team operated an elaborate system to purchase thousands of votes from seniors when she ran for office in 2016 and 2018 .
Those allegations have been forwarded to the FBI .
In the first video in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Liban Mohamed can be seen bragging that it takes serious money to run a successful vote-harvesting operation .
“ Numbers don ’ t lie .
Numbers don ’ t lie .
You can see my car is full .
All these here are absentees ’ ballots .
Can ’ t you see ?
Look at all these , my car is full .
All these are for Jamal Osman .
.
.
We got 300 today for Jamal Osman only , ” Mohamed said in a series of Snapchat videos posted July 1 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ profile .
Osman won a provisional seat on the Minneapolis City Council in the special election , beating 10 other candidates , Project Veritas noted .
Mohamed added , “ money is everything .
Money is the king in this world .
If you got no money , you should not be here period .
You know what I am saying.
” The Project Veritas investigation found the ballot harvesting scheme operating in three locations inside Ward 6 ; “ the Riverside Plaza apartments , the senior citizen community at Horn Towers and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at 980 E. Hennepin Ave. , which also functions as a voting location and ballot drop-off site.
” “ At the end of the street , there are three towers .
They ’ re called Horn Towers , and it ’ s all seniors , ” a Somali source told a Project Veritas investigator .
“ And they took every ballot , ” the source , a former political worker , added .
“ Every single ballot .
They knock on the door and say , ‘ your ballots come ?
Give it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ ” The woman said she saw political operatives “ carrying bags of money ” provided by Omar ’ s campaign chair Ali ( Isse ) Gainey to pay people off .
She said he was “ coordinating everything.
” Omar Jamal , a political insider active in the city ’ s Somali community , corroborated the woman ’ s claims .
“ Ali Isse [ Gainey ] , who ’ s deputy director for Ilhan Omar here in Minneapolis , is part of people who are using cash to get votes , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s very active in the community and making sure that whatever it takes .
.
.
to get her [ Ilham Omar ] elected by any means necessary , ” Jamal added .
Jamal , who works with the Ramsey County Sheriff Department and is the chairman of the Somali Watchdog Group , stepped forward to help Project Veritas expose the election corruption in Minneapolis .
“ I have been involved in the community for the last 20 years , ” he told Project Veritas .
“ Omar Jamal is the latest brave @ @ @ @ @ @ @ expose a voter fraud scheme in Minnesota that will shock you , ” said O ’ Keefe .
“ When we spoke with Omar Jamal , he actually repeated part of our PV Insider motto : ‘ Do Something.
’ ” Jamal told Project Veritas that he wanted to part of the investigation because the ongoing election fraud in Minneapolis needs to be brought to the attention of the American people .
Politicians like Omar , he said , weaken his community .
“ It ’ s an open secret , ” he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ will do anything that she can do to get elected and she has hundreds of people on the streets doing that.
” Jamal explained how Omar exploits the Somali voters who don ’ t understand how elections work in a free country .
“ Because of their background , not knowing how elections work—they came from a military government—that ’ s the only system that they know , he said of the first generation Somali-Americans .
“ And when they get here , because of their ignorance not knowing how .
.
.
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ think it ’ s legal , ” Jamal told Veritas .
The political insider warned that it may be too late time to clean up elections in the country because the corruption is so widespread .
“ If American people don ’ t pay attention to what ’ s happening , the country will collapse , ” he said .
“ The regulations , if you ignore that and you let corruption and fraud become a daily business and then tough luck , the country will not exist as they [ Americans ] @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ I ’ m afraid it ’ s already too big to stop , you know , maybe it ’ s too late .
Maybe it ’ s already too big to stop , ” he said .
“ There ’ s a lot of people invested in this , you know , and they don ’ t care how they did it : ‘ We win , ’ and that ’ s it.
” Jamal recorded a phone conversation with ballot harvester Mohamed , who said he collects ballots on behalf of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ completed to the polling location .
Omar Jamal told Project Veritas that Mohamed is only continuing a legacy of corruption .
“ Liban didn ’ t get it in a unique way , ” he said .
“ He just gets them the way that everybody before him , or even , maybe even after him will do , which is , go to the elders , maybe bait them and collect and help to them and he ’ s helping them–so , I think that ’ s the process of collecting from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Another ballot harvester explained on camera what he was paid to do .
“ They come to us .
They came to our homes .
They said : ‘ This year , you will vote for Ilhan , ’ ” he said .
“ They said : ‘ We will make the absentee ballots .
We will fill out the forms for you and when you get them back , we will again fill it out and send it.
” He said Omar ’ s operatives told him , “ you stay home @ @ @ @ @ @ @ place.
” Once the seniors ’ ballots were signed and documented , the harvester said he got paid .
“ When we sign the voting document and they fill it out is when they give us the money , ” he said .
“ The minute we signed the thing [ ballot ] for the election .
That ’ s when we get paid.
” A DFL operative for Minnesota ’ s Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party—also named Jamal— told a Project Veritas undercover journalist that he was afraid to speak up when he saw the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ They fight you if you speak up , ” Jamal said .
“ Like what ?
Like what can I do ?
Like get jumped ?
Hell no .
They ain ’ t got—no , no , I ’ m good.
” When the Veritas journalist told Jamal that he had captured the video , he laughed .
The DFL operative said he noticed something disturbing about the ballots in Mohamed ’ s Snapchat video .
“ I was looking at them and they were not filled .
They were blank , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ alleged vote fraud operation appears to be a “ very systemic , and very coordinated ” effort , O ’ Keefe said .
According to the former Somali campaign worker , hundreds of political operatives who don ’ t live in Minnesota are involved .
“ these people are collecting benefits elsewhere , housing elsewhere , living in other places , ” the woman told Veritas .
“ And the DFL knows everything.
” She said they accept ballots from people with temporary addresses , people who say they have moved recently and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for their new address , and other shenanigans as long as someone “ vouches ” for them .
A Hennepin County election worker can be heard saying in the undercover video that a person without a valid ID can just have someone from the same ward “ vouch ” for them and they will be allowed to cast a vote .
The former campaign worker said Isse and the DFL political machine have turned voter fraud into an organized process for application , registering , and tracking the harvested ballots from collection to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ perfected this system , ” she said .
“ This is what they do .
They will tell you we are applying for your ballot .
They take a picture of your social security and your driver ’ s license .
They have a database .
When the ballot comes , they track it , sometimes , they make fake emails .
They track the ballot .
Then , they come and pick up the ballot—unopened , ” she said .
“ So , there is a vested interest , but we are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said .
“ They [ the Omar political machine ] don ’ t give a shit about any Somali.
” Ballot harvesting and vote-buying violates both state and federal law , Project Veritas points out .
Hennepin County Attorney Jeff Wojciechowski told Project Veritas that the ballot harvesting conduct described to him by phone was “ illegal , and we will be investigating.
” “ Ballot harvesting is real and it has become a big business .
Our investigation into this ballot harvesting ring demonstrates clearly how these unscrupulous operators exploit the elderly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ballot box into a commodities trading desk , ” James O ’ Keefe said .
Republican Minnesota State Rep. Steve Drazkowski on Monday called on the U.S. Attorney General and Minnesota Secretary of State to act immediately to protect the integrity of the elections .
“ Widespread voter fraud in Minnesota has always been suspected , but our election laws make it nearly impossible to catch the crooks after the fact.
” Drazkowski said in a statement .
“ Now new evidence clearly points to a culture of fraud which has resulted in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ counted , possibly changing the outcome of several races.
” “ It is imperative that Attorney General Barr and Secretary of State Simon act now , ” said Drazkowski .
“ The integrity of our elections is the bedrock of our republic.
” Highlighting the need to act quickly , Drazkowski called on the Minnesota House and Senate to convene emergency committee hearings to “ Immediately pause the counting and mailing of ballots until we can get to the bottom of this mess and assure Minnesotans that we can trust the results of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ out that the biggest victims of the widespread fraud are DFL voters and candidates .
“ The other side of the political aisle is already saying that this is a partisan attack , but I can tell you that the majority of the people most directly harmed by this corruption are DFL voters and candidates , some of whom may have lost their races due to this brazen and sickening voter fraud.
” President Trump also reacted to the explosive revelations Sunday night on Twitter .
“ This is totally illegal , ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ U.S. Attorney in Minnesota has this , and other of her many misdeeds , under serious review ?
?
?
If not , why not ?
?
?
We will win Minnesota because of her , and law enforcement .
Saved Minneapolis & Iron O Range !
” Debra Heine is a conservative Catholic mom of six and longtime political pundit .
She has written for several conservative news websites over the years , including Breitbart and PJ Media .
Photo Caption


thetennesseestar--2020-09-29--Loudon County Does The Obama Apology Tour Rendition on Race

Loudoun County Public Schools ( LCPS ) issued an apology for operating segregated schools and for resisting efforts to integrate their schools for over a decade after the 1954 Supreme Court decision Brown v. Board of Education that made segregated schools illegal .
The apology is part of the district ’ s “ Action Plans to Combat Systemic Racism.
” The apology coincides with the 57th anniversary of the 1963 march where Martin Luther King , Jr. declared , “ I have a dream.
” “ [ T ] he additional effort required and resources provided by the Black community @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to which other community members were not subjected .
Black people were denied rights and equal treatment , ” the apology letter states .
An accompanying video described the history of LCPS segregation and featured prominent Black leaders from the community .
Loudoun County Board of Supervisors Chair Phyllis Randall said , “ For many , many years , the Board of Supervisors was funding a school system that was separate and unequal , and they knew all that came with that.
” Randall added , “ The apology itself doesn ’ t @ @ @ @ @ @ @ something happened that shouldn ’ t have happened is important.
” “ The biggest hope is that you never have to apologize again , ” Leesburg Elementary Principle Shawn Lacey said in the video .
“ Let ’ s allow the apology to serve as a true foundation for growth , a foundation that you can look back to in two , three years , and [ say ] , ‘ I never would have thought that this county was one that had to apologize for things .
I never would have thought @ @ @ @ @ @ @ area , ’ based on the actions that follow the apology .
” Ann Jimerson is the co-chair of Desegregation of Virginia Education ( DOVE ) , an organization focused on preserving records of Virginia ’ s school desegregation process.
” The point of a genuine apology is that actions would follow , ” Jimerson told The Virginia Star .
She added , “ Though an apology is not itself sufficient , I agree with Bryan Stevenson of the Equal Justice Initiative , and this is a quote from their website : ‘ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is the first step towards recovery and reconciliation . '
” Jimerson said Virginia played a large role in segregation .
“ I would see this Loudoun County apology as an opportunity to get back into that outsize role that Virginia has played and set an example for how apologies can be made as a step toward reconciliation.
” However , the local branch of the NAACP has expressed concerns about the apology .
Robin Burke , Chair of the Education Committee , shared a series of emails with The Virginia Star .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ was published , branch President Michelle Thomas told Loudoun County officials : As victims of racism and discrimination , with its beginnings in segregated education , it is unconscionable for the abuser to ask the victim to provide assistance in writing an apology for the abuse .
The NAACP demands an immediate cease and desist of any and all public media release regarding segregated education , the purchase of the Douglass School or the resistance by the School Board and Superintendent to integrate by Loudoun County Public Schools on the 57th anniversary of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Loudoun County School Board Stephen DeVita replied , “ LCPS understands that an apology does not make things right .
LCPS is committed to taking actions to address systemic racism .
With all due respect for the views expressed by the NAACP , LCPS plans to proceed with making a public statement today regarding its plan for a formal apology .
The statement will include references to the importance of action to improve equity and eliminate racism in its schools .
LCPS invited several stakeholders , including the NAACP Loudoun Branch , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ could not go unaddressed in the apology.
” According to the AP , Thomas does not think the apology is genuine .
“ We feel it is more word than action , ” Thomas said .
Eric Burk is a reporter at The Virginia Star and the Star News Digital Network .
Email tips to [ email protected ]


thetennesseestar--2020-09-29--Fredericksburg Slave Auction Block Set to be Displayed in Museum

FREDERICKSBURG , Virginia ( AP ) — A 176-year-old stone block that was used for slave auctions in Virginia will go on display at the Fredericksburg Area Museum , with signs explaining the context of recent protests against racial injustice that left it covered in graffiti .
The knee-high stone block sat for nearly two centuries in downtown Fredericksburg until the city removed it recently .
Now it ’ s on loan to the museum , which will put in on display by mid-November , with the graffiti still intact , The Free Lance-Star reported Sunday .
Sara Poore , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , said visitors will have the option to see the actual stone or just an image of it , and there will be “ clear signage that indicates the tone of the graffiti.
” “ We will also discuss the recent events and the impact the stone has/had on the conversation , ” Poore said .
“ It is our goal to use the stone as a springboard for community conversations.
” The city pulled the 800-pound ( 363-kilogram ) marker from the ground in June after its removal was delayed for months @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The weathered stone was sprayed with graffiti and chants of “ move the block ” erupted during local demonstrations over the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis , city officials said .
A local chapter of the NAACP called for the stone ’ s removal in 2017 , saying it was a relic of “ a time of hatred and degradation ” that should not be displayed along a main thoroughfare .
About the Headline Photo : The historic pre-civil war auction block for slaves and property at the corner of Charles and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The 800-pound stone was pulled from the ground at a Fredericksburg street corner early Friday , June 5 , 2020 .
( By the City of Fredericksburg )


thetennesseestar--2020-09-29--Ohio Crime Victims Expected to Get Help From Grants

Ohio crime victims are expected to receive additional support from groups around the state , according to Attorney General Dave Yost , who plans to award nearly $ 59 million in grants to groups that provide direct assistance .
Yost announced the anticipated grants , which include $ 13 million to help children .
He expects $ 55 million to come from the Victims of Crime Act and another $ 3.5 million from the State Victim Assistance Act fund .
“ Our job is to help protect our children , especially when they are at their most vulnerable , ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ I have worked hard to ensure we are dedicating as much support as possible to meeting that mission and , as always , there is more work to do.
” Yost wants to help fund groups that have direct , frontline interactions with victims , including sexual assaults , domestic violence and other violent crimes .
The fund , provided mostly from the federal government , has gone from $ 112 million in 2018 to $ 55.5 million this year .
According to Yost , most groups in Ohio will receive at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a year ago .
Money for the federal funds come from federal criminal fines , penalties and assessments from the U.S. attorney ’ s office , forfeited bail bonds and other fees collected by federal courts and the Federal Bureau of Prisons .
“ Immediate solutions are required to ensure the long-term viability of this fund that offers crime victims a helping hand at perhaps the most vulnerable point in their life , ” Yost said .
“ The financial strength of the fund is critical in making sure all Ohioans have access @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has not finalized specific groups to receive the funds this year .
J.D .
Davidson is an editor at The Center Square .
Photos “ Crime Scene ” by Tex Texin CC BY 2.0 and “ Attorney General Dave Yost ” by the Ohio Attorney General ’ s Office .


thetennesseestar--2020-09-29--‘Patently Absurd:’ Governor DeWine’s Office Says of Ohio State Rep. Becker’s 10 Criminal Charges Aga

‘Patently Absurd:’ Governor DeWine’s Office Says of Ohio State Rep. Becker’s 10 Criminal Charges Against the Republican Governor

Hours later , Clermont County Prosecutor D. Vincent Faris told the Cincinnati Enquirer , “ I do not find any basis for the filing of a criminal complaint pursuant to this affidavit.
” The Private Citizen Affidavit was filed with the Clermont County Municipal Court at 11:03 a.m .
The affidavit outlines 10 charges – seven felonies and three misdemeanors , as follows : In a released statement , Representative Becker said “ Per Ohio Revised Code 2935.10 ( A ) and supporting case law , the court ‘ …shall forthwith issue a warrant for the arrest of the person @ @ @ @ @ @ @ …shall forthwith refer the matter to the prosecuting attorney… ’ Upon closer examination of 2935.01 ( A ) , and because ‘ it charges the commission of a felony , ’ it is clear that , ‘ unless [ the court ] has reason to believe that [ the Private Citizen Affidavit ] was not filed in good faith , or the claim is not meritorious , [ the court ] shall forthwith issue a warrant for the arrest of the person charged in the affidavit… ’ Therefore , because felony charges are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ clear and self-evident , the court is required to issue a warrant for the immediate arrest of Governor Mike DeWine.
” Whether the affidavit has merit in other counties is yet to be determined but Becker encouraged others fed up with DeWine ’ s handling of COVID to file .
“ What I did can be done in all 88 counties .
The same form can be used – a person can take my name off it and use their own name and information .
It doesn ’ t cost anything and it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , ” said Becker .
The release was accompanied by a website that displayed names of Ohio representatives and whether they are co-sponsors of the bill that , if passed by the house , would result in a trial in the senate .
Representative Becker said in an August interview with The Ohio Star “ do I think the articles have the support they need now ?
No .
But this is something the people want and they have the power to make it go .
They can contact their representatives and encourage @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Representatives Nino Vitale ( R-Urbana ) , Candice Keller ( R-Middletown ) , Paul Zeltwanger ( R-Mason ) on the impeachment resolution .
All four drew immediate criticism from Jane Timken , Chairman of the Ohio Republican Party .
Timken didn ’ t weigh in on the individual charges listed in the resolution , instead she was more concerned about the political blowback to the party .
In a released statement , she said : “ It is despicable that anyone who considers themself to be conservative would make an attempt to impeach @ @ @ @ @ @ @ harsh political division , and an important election year , Republicans should be united.
” The Ohio Republican Party donated $ 4,219,666 to the 2018 DeWine/Husted campaign .
Governor DeWine vetoed Senate Bill 55 that sought to eliminate criminal charges and reduce fines for people who violate state COVID orders .
DeWine also pledged to veto Senate Bill 311 ( SB311 ) that passed the upper chamber last week – a bill that seeks to limit the pandemic powers of the executive branch .
SB311 would outlaw quarantine and isolation mandates for people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Ohio State Representative Diane Grendell ( R-Chesterland ) drafted “ Restore Ohio Now ” – a bill with an emergency clause ( that would make it effective immediately upon passage ) that seeks to strike down the state of emergency in Ohio .
Consequently , the revocation of the state of emergency would make ineffectual the power of various COVID orders passed since March .
The bill has gained momentum with republicans .
In a Monday interview with The Star , Becker discussed the goal of the affidavit .
“ The goal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ – businesses fully open , schools open .
To do that we will need to remove Governor DeWine and swear in a new Governor , ” said Becker .
When asked what the next step should have been after filing the Affidavit , he said “ [ T ] he statute is clear – because the charges involve a felony , an arrest needed to be made – at a minimum an investigation started .
If any one of the charges has merit ( probable cause ) an immediate arrest must be made @ @ @ @ @ @ @ If an arrest isn ’ t made or an investigation started I will confer attorney.
” Becker continued : “ My colleagues said they couldn ’ t support impeachment without criminal charges – so I filed criminal charges .
However , no impeachment before now has had criminal charges.
” When asked if the Governor had responded to his charges , Becker said that he ’ s heard through media outlets that the press secretary said the charges didn ’ t warrant a comment .
The Star reached out to Governor DeWine through @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this was serious , I would have a comment .
Because it is patently absurd , I do not.
” DeWine is emboldened by a recent Baldwin-Wallace University study claiming approval for the governor ’ s handling of COIVD is 72 percent .
However , last week the governor was confronted with a different study that showed – when adjusted for deviation – his approval rating could be as low as 53 % .
DeWine has suffered the sixth biggest drop in approval ratings among governors in the U.S. since April .
When @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Star during a twice-weekly presser , DeWine sloughed off the notion saying that he does not worry about the polls or approval .
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 ] .


thetennesseestar--2020-09-29--Ohio State University Students Furious After the School Reports Black-on-White Hate Crime

Ohio State University students are upset after the school published information about two Black hate crime suspects , as it is required to do under federal law .
On September 3 , the Ohio State University sent a public safety notice to students , which mentioned a “ hate crime ” perpetrated by two African-American suspects near Ohio State ’ s campus .
The first correspondence did not mention the victims ’ race .
A few days later , the Department of Public Safety sent two follow-up emails , stating that the victims of the crime were White Ohio State @ @ @ @ @ @ @ custody .
One suspect allegedly yelled a racial slur at a student and punched him in the face .
University Police Chief Kimberly Spears-McNatt stated that the university was required to report the hate crimes under the federal Jeanne Clery Act , which “ requires colleges and universities that receive federal funding to disseminate a public annual security report , ” as well as specify policies about crime reporting .
Under the Act , universities must report on crime that occurs on and around campus .
However , students saw the communications as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , roughly 100 students gathered outside of the school ’ s administrative offices in order to protest the “ error and confusion in the handling of ” the public safety notices .
“ OSU is mocking their entire Black student body right now .
They ’ re blatantly making campus more uncomfortable and dangerous for us and POC , ” tweeted student Deja Geddings .
The group Student Solidarity at OSU argued that the incident was not a hate crime , as racial slurs directed toward White people “ are not based on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ White people.
” Campus Reform reached out to the university for comment and will update this article accordingly .
Benjamin Zeisloft is a Pennsylvania Senior Campus Correspondent , reporting on liberal bias and abuse for Campus Reform .
He is studying Finance and Marketing at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania .
Benjamin also writes for The UPenn Statesman and the Wharton International Business Review .
Photo “ OSU Police ” by Raymond Wambsgans CC BY-SA 2.0 .


thetennesseestar--2020-09-29--Whitmer Relents, Signs New Executive Order Re-Opening More Gathering Places

Michigan movie theaters and performance venues will soon be allowed to reopen , according to an executive order signed by Gov .
Gretchen Whitmer .
The order , which also amends coronavirus safety mandates in schools , will allow a variety of previously closed entertainment venues , including indoor theaters , cinemas , performance venues , arcades , bingo halls , bowling centers , indoor climbing facilities and trampoline parks , to reopen statewide on October 9 .
“ Michigan took some of the most aggressive action against COVID-19 in the country , and as a result , the health @ @ @ @ @ @ @ faring better than our neighbors in other states , ” Whitmer said in a statement .
“ As a result , we are now able to reopen movie theaters and performance venues with strict safety measures in place .
I know these business owners have made incredible sacrifices during this crisis to protect our families and frontline workers , and my administration will continue working to help them get back on their feet.
” Capacity requirements apply based on the size of the venue .
Non-residential indoor gatherings and events must limit attendance @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 20 percent of fixed seating capacity .
Michigan ’ s largest venues are capped at 500 people and all indoor venues must require a face covering .
The order means that funeral homes will also be able to open to a wider number .
“ One of the many unfortunate side effects of the COVID-19 pandemic is that bereaved families across Michigan have not had the opportunity attend the rituals , services and ceremonies that allow them to pay their respects and process their grief over the loss of a loved one , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the Michigan Funeral Directors Association , in a statement .
“ Increasing the number of people able to attend a funeral is the right thing to do , and grieving families across our state can now more properly mourn their losses and honor those they love.
” However Whitmer also signed an order which requires face coverings for students in grades K-5 .
The previous order had recommended masks for the age group , but not mandated it .
The governor emphasized that the reopenings do not mean the pandemic is over @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the woods yet , and we will continue to monitor the effects of these incremental changes , ” she said .
“ Right now , the federal government and all 50 states have been under some form of state of emergency .
We must stay the course and continue fighting this virus on behalf of our families , frontline workers and our small businesses.
” Jordyn Pair is a reporter with The Michigan Star .
Follow her on Twitter at @ JordynPair .