thetennesseestar--2020-07-26--Commentary: ‘Pandemic Pods’ Make Homeschooling Easier for Parents and Profitable for Teachers

This tumultuous back-to-school season has parents and teachers alike scrambling to make sense of the madness : from ever-changing district directives to COVID-19 response protocols .
Some school systems have announced that the academic year will start with remote-learning-only .
Others are pursuing partial reopening options with both online and in-person instruction .
Still others are planning to fully reopen for in-person learning .
Amid this chaos , parents and teachers are increasingly opting out of the conventional classroom entirely to find or create schooling alternatives this fall .
Parents have been vocal about their back-to-school concerns , with growing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fall rather than contending with remote learning options or confronting viral exposure and dystopian social distancing measures in schools .
But it ’ s not just parents who have back-to-school worries .
Many teachers , too , don ’ t want to go back and are upset at reopening plans .
Teachers ’ unions are now battling districts over these plans .
In Florida , where schools are scheduled to fully reopen for in-person learning next month , the state ’ s largest teachers ’ union sued the governor and education commissioner this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for smaller class sizes and more protective gear for teachers .
More parents and teachers are choosing to avoid this bureaucratic mess altogether and are pursuing their own educational solutions .
Some parents are hiring tutors to augment their homeschooling experience this fall , and entrepreneurial teachers are serving that need and cashing in on the opportunity .
One high school English teacher in Illinois , who asked to remain anonymous , told me that she made $ 49,000 a year teaching 9th grade and AP English , but several families have approached @ @ @ @ @ @ @ she can make more money as a private tutor , with fewer hours and more flexibility .
In addition to homeschooling , some parents are forming pandemic “ pods , ” or home-based microschools that allow a handful of families to take turns teaching their children or pool resources to hire a teacher or college student .
The Wall Street Journal reports that these pods are sprouting throughout the country , fueled by parental unrest at school reopening plans and facilitated by informal Facebook groups connecting local families .
Recognizing this mounting demand @ @ @ @ @ @ @ educators are helping to create more options for families .
In Maryland , longtime educators Steven Eno and Ned Courtemanche created Impact Connections , a microschool enabler connecting educators and parents and providing learning support .
“ COVID-19 exposed so many of the shortcomings we already knew about in education but also presented new opportunities to step up and help parents and their kids , ” Eno told me in a recent interview .
“ Microschools offer a powerful , and largely untapped , opportunity to educate our kids in the COVID era @ @ @ @ @ @ @ highly-personalized instruction that is free of curricular red tape for a fraction of the price… , ” he says .
The legality of these pandemic pods and microschools is sometimes unclear .
As a new model that blends features of homeschool co-ops with small , private schools , regulations in many places haven ’ t caught up .
Additionally , the sheer numbers of parents choosing not to send their kids back to school this fall , and the pandemic ’ s overall disruption , may make enforcement of any existing regulations more @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for what Adam Thierer calls “ evasive entrepreneurship , ” where entrepreneurs push boundaries and challenge existing systems .
Thierer writes in his book , Evasive Entrepreneurs : Increasingly today , evasive entrepreneurs–innovators who don ’ t always conform to social or legal norms–are using new technological capabilities to circumvent traditional regulatory systems , or at least to put pressure on public policymakers to reform or selectively enforce laws and regulations that are outmoded , inefficient , or illogical .
Evasive entrepreneurs rely on a strategy of permissionless innovation in both the business @ @ @ @ @ @ @ push back against ‘ the Permission Society , ’ or the convoluted labyrinth of permits and red tape that often encumber entrepreneurial activities .
In essence , evasive entrepreneurs live out the adage that ‘ it is easier to ask for forgiveness than it is to get permission ’ by creating exciting new products and services without necessarily receiving the blessing of public officials before doing so .
Not Just For The Wealthy Criticism over these private education options has surged over the past few weeks , as commentators claim that homeschooling and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and lower-income families .
An op-ed in The New York Times this week decried these private pods , saying “ they will exacerbate inequities , racial segregation and the opportunity gap within schools.
” These criticisms ignore the fact that some parents create no-cost pods in which they take turns educating their children in a co-op format , and as an article in today ’ s New York Times points out , “ the population of home-schoolers — before the pandemic — was less affluent than average.
” Homeschooling , and its current @ @ @ @ @ @ @ just for the wealthy .
Moreover , if education funding supported students rather than school bureaucracies , more families would get access to an array of education options–including these new models and ones that have yet to be invented .
Taxpayers spend about $ 700 billion each year on US K-12 education .
If that money was redistributed to families in the form of education savings accounts ( ESAs ) , vouchers , tax-credit scholarship programs , and other education choice mechanisms , parents would have many more options beyond an assigned district @ @ @ @ @ @ @ School Choice at the Reason Foundation , has written and spoken much about this , stating : “ More families would have access to these alternatives if education funding followed children to wherever they receive their educations .
Teachers could also benefit from such a system , which would likely offer them smaller class sizes , more autonomy , and higher salaries.
” Kerry McDonald is a Senior Education Fellow at FEE and author of Unschooled : Raising Curious , Well-Educated Children Outside the Conventional Classroom ( Chicago Review Press , 2019 ) @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at The Cato Institute and a regular Forbes contributor .
Kerry has a B.A .
in economics from Bowdoin College and an M.Ed .
in education policy from Harvard University .
She lives in Cambridge , Massachusetts with her husband and four children .


thetennesseestar--2020-07-28--White House Coronavirus Task Force Advisor Deborah Birx Recommends Masks Statewide in Tennessee

Dr. Deborah Birx , a top White House Coronavirus Task Force advisor , advised all mayors in Tennessee to mandate use of masks to help prevent the spread of the coronavirus .
Birx said that right now , 70 percent of Tennessee counties have mask mandates in place , but she said requirements are needed in every county .
“ We can change the future of this virus in this state today … if every mayor throughout this great state would mandate masks , close the bars , and substantially increase indoor dining distancing , ” Birx said .
Tennessee @ @ @ @ @ @ @ White House Coronavirus Task Force , meaning the state surpassed a 10 percent test positivity rate .
Tennessee is one of 18 states without a statewide mask mandate .
“ I came to talk to the Governor about how important it is for every rural Tennessean to wear a mask , ” Birx said .
“ [ The virus ] is in all of your rural counties.
” While stopping short of recommending the governor issue a statewide mask requirement , Birx pointed out that mask mandates are at the top of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ House Coronavirus Task Force to governors of red states .
“ Every week , we issue a governor ’ s report , ” Birx said , explaining that the latest reports were distributed Monday .
“ The number one bullet is mandate masks , close your bars , enhance social distancing.
” While Gov .
Bill Lee and Birx discussed a statewide mask mandate in the roundtable , Lee reiterated that he will not issue a statewide mask mandate .
“ I ’ ve been to counties that have a mandate where people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said , emphasizing that he believes mask mandates are not as effective as buy-in from the public .
“ People wear masks because they believe that there is a reason to do so.
” According to task force models , Birx said , masks , social distancing , bar closures , and indoor dining limits are as effective at stopping the spread of the virus as sheltering in place .
Birx recommended shutting down bars and further limiting indoor dining to enable social distancing .
Lee said he does not plan to implement @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ We don ’ t have that plan right now beyond the regions that currently have restrictions , that is not a plan for us now , ” Lee said on closing bars “ I appreciate their recommendations and we take them seriously.
” Birx visited Nashville to meet with Lee and other state and local officials .
The four hour roundtable was held at the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency Monday morning .
“ It is at this very moment , where we can change the trajectory of the epidemic before it goes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ we ’ ve seen across the South , ” Birx said .
Vivian Jones is a regular contributor to The Center Square .
Photo “ Dr .
Deborah Birx ” by Vivian Jones .

by Peter Hasson
Twenty-eight congressional Democrats signed a letter Wednesday condemning the Department of Education for ruling that public schools that allow biological males who identify as transgender to play girls’ sports are violating Title IX civil rights legislation.
Democratic Connecticut Sen. Richard Blumenthal joined 27 House Democrats in signing the letter, which charged that the department’s order “discriminates against transgender youth” by restricting girls’ sports to biological females.
“The decision of the Department of Education to issue a determination targeting transgender student athletes on the eve of Pride Month is not coincidental. It is a transparent example of their campaign against the rights and dignity of LGBTQ+ children,” Connecticut Rep. Jahana Hayes, the letter’s lead signer, said in a press release.
The DOE on May 15 issued a ruling stating that public schools that allow biological males into girls’ athletics are violating Title IX, which protects women’s access to education and athletics.
The Department of Justice previously backed a lawsuit filed by high school girls in Connecticut who said the liberal state’s transgender policies violated their rights.
Sports across the country are on hold due to the novel coronavirus, but biological males who identify as transgender have previously racked up accomplishments in female athletics.
Franklin Pierce University runner CeCe Telfer, for example, won an NCAA DII women’s track championship in May 2019. Telfer is a biological male who identifies as transgender.
University of Montana runner June Eastwood, a biological male who identifies as a transgender woman, was named the Big Sky Conference’s female athlete of the week in October 2019. Both Eastwood and Telfer previously competed on their university’s men’s team before switching to the women’s team.
Rachel McKinnon, a biological male who identifies as transgender, won women’s cycling world championships in both 2018 and 2019.
Wednesday’s letter isn’t the first instance of Democratic politicians arguing in favor of allowing biological males into female athletics.
Democratic Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar in February 2019 called for an investigation into USA Powerlifting for barring biologically male athletes from women’s events.
A piece of Democratic legislation called the Equality Act, which passed the House with unanimous support from Democrats, would require schools to allow biologically male athletes into girls’ sports, if the male athletes identify as transgender.
Former Vice President Joe Biden, the presumptive Democratic nominee, pledged to get the Equality Act passed into law within his first 100 days in office, if he wins the November election.
“Transgender equality is the civil rights issue of our time,” Biden wrote in a January tweet. “There is no room for compromise when it comes to basic human rights.”
– – –
Peter Hasson is a reporter for the Daily Caller News Foundation.


thetennesseestar--2020-07-28--Manny Sethi Campaign Explains Past Donation to Leftist Congressman

The Dr. Manny Sethi campaign for U.S. Senate released an ad Monday featuring his wife , Maya , in which she clarified what she said was confusion over how and why the Federal Election Commission recorded her husband donating $ 50 to a liberal political candidate in 2008 .
Mrs. Sethi said in the ad that she donated $ 50 to help a friend .
The Sethi campaign said in a press release Monday that Maya shared a credit card account at the time with her husband .
“ Because of that , when the credit card processor itemized the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ donation from Dr. Manny , ” according to the press release .
As The Tennessee Star reported , Federal Election Commission filings show Manny Sethi donated to the left-leaning ActBlue in April 2008 .
Specifically , Sethi donated $ 50 to Democrat Congressional candidate Tom Peirrelo in 2008 through ActBlue .
Perriello won , but he served only one term .
In 2018 Perriello was hired by George Soros ’ s Open Society Foundation .
In an email , Sethi Campaign Chair Chris Devaney said the following about Sethi ’ s opponent Bill @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 50 donation , Bill Hagerty has spent over a million dollars lying about Dr. Sethi in hopes that voters would ignore the $ 100,000 he gave to [ Mitt ] Romney and [ Al ] Gore , the fact that his company helped implement Common Core , and that until just two weeks ago when he got caught , Hagerty was sitting on the board of a company supporting Black Lives Matter.
” Peirrelo , a former Democratic Party congressman from Virginia , complained in a 2017 Los Angeles Times opinion piece that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for Obamacare .
“ In 2010 , as a freshman congressman , I stared down the same threats that many Republican representatives face today , and I had to balance what I thought was right versus what I knew was politically advantageous .
I was a Democrat representing a red Virginia district , ” Peirrelo wrote .
“ Back then , a vote backing the Affordable Care Act — which Republican strategists had already branded ‘ Obamacare ’ — meant facing millions of dollars in right-wing attack ads and almost certain defeat at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ were right : I did lose my seat .
But I never regretted my vote .
Not once.
” The Star asked Devaney why either of the Sethi ’ s would donate to a candidate whose political views are so left-of-center ?
Devaney did not answer our question .
Chris Butler is an investigative journalist at The Tennessee Star .
Follow Chris on Facebook .
Email tips to [ email protected ] Image “ Maya Sethi ” by Dr. Manny Sethi .


thetennesseestar--2020-07-28--Commentary: Time to Grab Some Popcorn as Attorney Lin Wood Agrees to Take on Carter Page’s Case

Lin Wood , the attorney representing a Kentucky teenager in a number of defamation lawsuits against major media outlets , announced a settlement Friday with the Washington Post .
The terms of the agreement between the family of Nicholas Sandmann – the Covington Catholic High School student accused of disrespecting a “ native elder ” while wearing a “ Make America Great Again ” hat during the January 2019 March for Life – remain secret .
Wood and Sandmann settled a similar lawsuit against CNN earlier this year .
Cases still are pending against NBC News , ABC News , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Rolling Stone , and Gannett .
On Sunday , Wood confirmed he will represent another innocent person maligned and defamed by the American news media : Carter Page ( pictured above ) , the Trump campaign associate who James Comey ’ s FBI accused of acting as an agent of Russia .
Page was the target of four Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act warrants .
The most powerful , invasive government tools – usually reserved for suspected foreign terrorists – were unleashed against Page as a way to infiltrate and spy on Team @ @ @ @ @ @ @ part of Page ’ s personal hell .
Tipped off by Democratic operatives as a way to seed the concocted Trump-Russia collusion hoax before the presidential election , journalists started harassing Page in the summer of 2016 .
His first call , Page told me in 2018 , was from a Wall Street Journal reporter hounding Page about an alleged meeting with a “ senior Kremlin official ” and the existence of compromising material that Russia allegedly had on Trump and Hillary Clinton .
( Fusion GPS chief Glenn Simpson was a Journal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ interview with Page in 2018 , he told me that his real nightmare began in September 2016 after Michael Isikoff , a veteran political journalist and writer for Yahoo News , reported that Page was under federal investigation for his ties to the Kremlin .
“ U.S .
intelligence officials are seeking to determine whether an American businessman identified by Donald Trump as one of his foreign policy advisers has opened up private communications with senior Russian officials – including talks about the possible lifting of economic sanctions if the Republican nominee becomes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 23 , 2016 .
“ The activities of Trump adviser Carter Page , who has extensive business interests in Russia , have been discussed with senior members of Congress during recent briefings about suspected efforts by Moscow to influence the presidential election.
” Isikoff later confessed that he had met with Glenn Simpson and Christopher Steele , the author of the so-called “ dossier ” that mentioned Page several times , that same month for a private briefing in a Washington , D.C. restaurant .
Isikoff ’ s bombshell story went viral , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Team Trump quickly distanced itself from the foreign policy advisor and he stepped away from the campaign .
One month later , James Comey and former deputy attorney general Sally Yates signed the initial FISA application to surveil Page ; Isikoff ’ s article was cited in the document as evidence of Page ’ s alleged traitorousness .
Now , four long years later , Page might finally get the exoneration – and payday – he deserves .
“ Late last year , I planned to ‘ semi-retire ’ to write & focus @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tweeted Sunday .
“ Things have changed in past few months .
@ Yahoo , @ HuffPost & @ Isikoff falsely accused @ carterwpage of being a traitor & tried to ruin him .
I have agreed to represent Dr. Carter Page .
# FightBack.
” As someone who has followed Page ’ s ordeal for more than two years , I applaud Wood ’ s involvement and hope for justice for Page .
I would , however , respectfully add to Wood ’ s list of legal targets : • The Washington @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reporters and collusion propagandists Devlin Barrett , Adam Entous , and Ellen Nakashima disclosed the FISA warrant against Page .
The article was based on illegally leaked classified information ; the leakers have never been identified or charged with the crime .
“ This is the clearest evidence so far that the FBI had reason to believe during the 2016 presidential campaign that a Trump associate was in touch with Russian agents , ” they wrote .
“ Such contacts are now at the center of an investigation into whether the campaign coordinated @ @ @ @ @ @ @ election in Trump ’ s favor.
” Special Counsel Robert Mueller was appointed the following month to investigate imaginary Russian collusion .
• The Washington Free Beacon and National Review : As I reported last year , NeverTrump “ conservative ” outlets were the first peddlers of Trump-Russia collusion .
The Beacon hired Fusion at the end of 2015 to dig up dirt on Trump ; the first known hit piece on Page was published in the Beacon in early 2016 .
“ Trump ’ s selection of Page may indicate the reality-star-cum-politician @ @ @ @ @ @ @ counter Russian interests in key global theaters , ” Lachlan Markay wrote on March 23 , 2016 .
Robert Zubrin , writing for National Review the next month , cribbed much of Markay ’ s Fusion-sourced talking points .
“ Carter Page is an out-and-out Putinite , ” Zubrin wrote in April 2016 .
“ Page is tight with the Kremlin ’ s foreign-policy apparatus and has served as a vehement propagandist for it.
” • James Comey , Sally Yates , Andrew McCabe , Dana Boente , Rod Rosenstein : They all @ @ @ @ @ @ @ secret court Page was a Russian agent .
Those warrants were the subject of a lengthy investigation by the Justice Department ’ s inspector general ; the presiding judge of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court recently concluded two of the four warrants were illegal .
Wood might want to sue FISC , too .
• Representative Adam Schiff ( D-Calif. ) : For nearly three years , Schiff , the Democratic lawmaker most responsible for legitimizing the collusion hoax , has made numerous false accusations against Page .
In his opening statement during @ @ @ @ @ @ @ House Intelligence Committee , of which he was ranking member at the time , Schiff read aloud now-debunked claims contained in the Steele dossier to smear Page .
Schiff continued his defamatory comments about Page for years ; when asked in December 2019 , after the release of the inspector general report , whether he had any sympathy for Page , the California congressman said he did not and continued to repeat lies about Page .
• Fusion GPS : Paid by the Democratic National Committee and Hillary Clinton campaign to dig up @ @ @ @ @ @ @ central to the smear campaign against Page .
Simpson leveraged his pals in the news media to write damaging stories about Page ; without the bogus dossier , the FISAs would not have been approved .
Simpson should pay .
While the American public , Donald Trump – and Carter Page – await some sort of justice in court for the travesty of the Russian collusion hoax , forcing a few partisan journalists and dishonest lawmakers to own up to their complicity would be a decent consolation prize .
Julie Kelly is a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Greatness .
She is the author of Disloyal Opposition : How the NeverTrump Right Tried―And Failed―To Take Down the President .
Her past work can be found at The Federalist and National Review .
She also has been featured in the Wall Street Journal , The Hill , Chicago Tribune , Forbes , and Genetic Literacy Project .


thetennesseestar--2020-07-28--Donald Trump Jr. Names Bill Hagerty His MAGA Candidate of the Week

Donald J. Trump Jr. announced Monday that he named Bill Hagerty his MAGA candidate of the week .
Hagerty wants to replace the retiring U.S. Sen. Lamar Alexander ( R-TN ) .
“ Bill was on the Trump Train before it was politically expedient .
He ’ ll stand up to the liberals & Never Trumpers , ” Trump Jr. tweeted .
“ My father needs Bill in the Senate to fight for his America First agenda !
” Hagerty ’ s staff published the news in a press release on his campaign ’ s website .
“ I ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s continued support , and in the Senate , I am going to work closely with President Trump to put America – and Tennessee – first , ” Hagerty said in the press release .
“ Back in January , Don Jr. and Kimberly Guilfoyle came to my hometown of Gallatin to campaign with us and open our campaign headquarters .
I will always fight for our conservative values , and I ’ m going to make the Trump family and the good people of Tennessee proud.
” Trump Jr. , in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to help make his father president .
“ Bill understands what it takes to grow an economy and create jobs .
He ’ s done it before , and he ’ ll do it again in the Senate , ” Trump Jr. said .
“ In fact , he ’ s already working with President Trump to bring our supply chains back from China so we can make Made in the USA the theme of our nation .
I ’ m proud to stand with my father in support of Bill Hagerty – @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” As The Tennessee Star reported in January , Trump Jr. told a crowd in Gallatin that the president ’ s endorsement “ is a pretty big deal.
” “ I also understand how primary politics works , and it ’ s not so easy .
You never know what really happens .
I can ’ t think of another individual who has been endorsed this early by my father , ” Trump Jr. said .
“ That ’ s everything you need to know .
My father trusts him .
He believes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ him when so few actually did.
” Nashville trauma surgeon and Republican Manny Sethi also wants to replace Alexander .
As The Tennessee Star reported in September , Hagerty said he decided to run after he “ saw the threat to Tennessee and our country from the Democrats ’ socialist agenda.
” Chris Butler is an investigative journalist at The Tennessee Star .
Follow Chris on Facebook .
Email tips to [ email protected ]


thetennesseestar--2020-07-28--Nashville Attorney Jim Roberts Talks Progress With the Nashville Taxpayer Protection Act

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 Nashville attorney Jim Roberts to the newsmakers line .
During the third hour , Roberts gave updates to the number of petitions received thus far for the Nashville Taxpayer Protection Act needed to get on the ballot by December third .
He also detailed what the Act would do and urged listeners to continue to help get more signatures .
Leahy : @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by our very good friend Jim Roberts an attorney fighting for good causes all the time here in Nashville and heading up the Nashville Taxpayer Protection Act program .
Jim welcome to the Tennessee Star Report .
I ’ m in the studio here with Crom Carmichael .
Roberts : Good morning gentlemen .
How are you all doing this beautiful day ?
Carmichael : Yes .
Well , Jim give us an update .
Roberts : Well things are going great .
Petitions are rolling in .
We picked up about 2,500 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are getting close to about 8,000 signatures and trying to push ourselves up to 15,000 before we turn them in .
We have another 60 days to gather signatures .
We are very confident that we have enough to get on the ballot .
We just want to make sure we are safely on the ballot .
Leahy : And remind everybody about the key element of when you turn in these petitions .
You are going to turn in about 15,000 in the next couple of weeks .
You have to get @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Tell us what you are asking for on the ballot .
Roberts : OK .
This is called the Nashville Taxpayer Protection Act .
And its idea is to protect the citizens from some of the government overreaches .
This 34 percent tax increase that was forced upon the citizens to make up for mismanagement is going to be rolled back .
The number one thing it does is roll back that 34 percent tax increase to two percent .
It prohibits the use of bond funding for extravagant projects .
It ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ greenways , and our public land from being given away .
The idea is to have fiscal responsibility from Metro which is something that ’ s been lacking honestly for a long time .
Carmichael : Are these a series of different questions that will appear on a ballot or is it all under one question ?
Roberts : It ’ s going to be just one single amendment .
It was designed that way .
The idea was to just sort of put the guard rails around the Metropolitan government on what @ @ @ @ @ @ @ them in a little bit We ’ ll come back years later to do more with these protection acts to solve other problems .
But right now we were just worried about the uncontrolled spending .
We ’ ve had 10 years of surplus of great times in Nashville and basically its been one long party for the government because at the end of a decade we have nothing to show for it .
Carmichael : So this will be a ballot amendment so people will be able to go to the polls @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ll vote on a number of things but all under one question .
If you vote yes does it mean that you win ?
Carmichael : So if people vote yes then it constrains .
This is what we talk about Michael on the show about governments ’ needing to have institutional constraints that keep them from spending more money than they should .
And in Metro , there isn ’ t that institutional constraint on the tax side .
So this is using the democratic process to determine whether or not the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is good for them and good for the city .
And it ’ s just that simple .
And the alternative Jim is if the majority vote yes , then the 34 percent reverts to a two percent .
Is that correct ?
Leahy : Well that sounds like good news .
It looks like Jim that the standard that you ’ re going to have to meet to get on the ballot in December is about 6,500 votes or somewhere in that range depending on the primary outcome ?
Roberts : It @ @ @ @ @ @ @ vote on August sixth .
Early voting has been a little high .
We don ’ t know if that ’ s due to COVID or other factors .
We ’ re betting that we ’ re probably going to need 5,000 or 5,500 signatures to be on the ballot .
We just want to be extra careful because we know that the Metropolitan government will work to do everything they can to disqualify as many signatures as possible .
So you want to have more than you need .
Carmichael : But @ @ @ @ @ @ @ think you ’ ll do and the standard is you ’ ve got to beat 5,000 or 5,000 it ’ s going to be very difficult to throw out 9,000 signatures it would seem to me .
Leahy : Well , that ’ s the plan .
And you are absolutely right .
The concern is that they will nitpick but if you overwhelm them they won ’ t even try that .
Carmichael : So if people want to sign a petition they go to your website which is 4GoodGovernment.com .
They @ @ @ @ @ @ @ can sign it .
And by the way , they need to sign it with the name that ’ s on their voter card .
Roberts : Absolutely .
And it says that on there .
You need your full name and your address and you have to be a Davidson County registered voter for it to count .
Carmichael : So for those people that think this ought to be voted on by the citizens then go to 4GoodGovernment.com and when you print it out pull out your voter registration card and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ exactly as its written on the voter registration card and the address as it is listed on the voter registration card .
Jim , good luck to you .
I think democracy is a good thing .
And I think with something this huge I think it ’ s a very good thing that the voters will be able to weigh in on it .
And I hope you do get to 15,000 to 20,000 ballots .
One last thing .
The lawsuit that was brought against the folks who were trying to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in that .
Where does that stand and were they inaccurate in listing you ?
Roberts : They were inaccurate in listing me .
Unfortunately , I see this as a modus operandi by the people who are going to be opposed to this fact but the people who did the recall effort I have a lot of admiration for .
They were kind enough to gather some signatures for me .
I sadly really had nothing to do with them because mostly I ’ ve been tied up in litigation .
Everything @ @ @ @ @ @ @ desperate .
I should have expected it .
I ’ m not worried about it .
I suspect it will go away .
It ’ s one of those election year type things .
It will go away in about two or three weeks .
The whole purpose of that was to make headlines for a couple of days and they got their 15 minutes of fame over it .
Leahy : It ’ s kind of abuse of the legal process it seems to me .
Roberts : It is .
In @ @ @ @ @ @ @ time just to gain news media more than any sort of legal remedy .
I ’ m looking into what I might do .
But really I don ’ t want to waste my life chasing political hacks .
Leahy : ( Chuckles ) That ’ s wise advice .
That ’ s wise advice because you ’ d be spending all your time reacting to political hacks .
Carmichael : Good luck .
And for those that want to have a chance to vote on this question go to 4GoodGovernment.com .
Leahy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Roberts : That ’ s the easiest to remember or you can Google it .
NashvilleTaxpeyerprotectionAct.com will get you right there .
I ’ d like to ask the listeners not just to sign it themselves but to get other people to sign it .
That ’ s really what helps .
Help me gather signatures and our volunteers .
Leahy : So if you get on the ballot which you should if this is a fair deal and they ’ re not playing tricks at Metro Nashville government the voters will have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on this in early December .
My guess is they will say we don ’ t want to spend a 34 percent increase in taxes .
So then after that , the city government will have a problem .
They could raise taxes again but they ’ d have to go back to the voters .
Is that right ?
Roberts : That ’ s right .
Nothing prohibits Mayor Cooper from going to the people and saying we really really need a tax increase .
But he ’ ll have to expend @ @ @ @ @ @ @ already know that 34 percent is not necessary because the tax revenues in the first quarter of this year came up a lot higher .
If they had known what the tax revenues would have been 14 percent rather than 34 percent .
So we already know that 20 percent can come right off the top just based on tax revenues .
Carmichael : How is the local news media treating you ?
Roberts : ( Chuckles ) I guess I ’ m lucky when they don ’ t mention me at all @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the story wrong .
Leahy : Well , we will tell the truth about you here at the Tennessee Star Report and the Tennessee Star , Jim .
Listen to the full third hour here : Tune in weekdays from 5:00 – 8:00 a.m. to the Tennessee Star Report with Michael Patrick Leahy on Talk Radio 98.3 FM WLAC 1510 .
Listen online at iHeart Radio .


thetennesseestar--2020-07-28--Melania Trump Announces Rose Garden Renewal Project

WASHINGTON , D.C. ( AP ) — Melania Trump has announced plans to redo the White House Rose Garden to make it more in line with the original design implemented during the 1960s Kennedy administration .
The first lady says Monday in a statement that decades of use and changes made to support a modern presidency have taken a toll on the outdoor space just off the Oval Office .
President Donald Trump has been using the Rose Garden a lot more lately to make statements and hold news conferences in the age of the coronavirus .
The first lady @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the garden last year .
Plans described by the first lady include returning the Rose Garden to its original 1962 footprint with improved infrastructure and drainage and a better environment for the plants and flowers .
The renovation also includes making the space more accessible for people with disabilities , and improvements for audiovisual and broadcasting needs , she said .
“ The very act of planting a garden involves hard work and hope in the possibility of a bright future , ” said Mrs. Trump , who adds the garden project @ @ @ @ @ @ @ renovations , including refurbishing the Red and Blue Rooms and building a tennis pavilion on the South Lawn .
“ Preserving the history and beauty of the White House and its grounds is a testament to our nation ’ s commitment to the care of this landscape and our dedication to American ideals , safeguarding them for our children and their children for generations to come , ” she said .
The renovation plan has been approved by the Committee for the Preservation of the White House , an advisory committee .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Park Service , which cares for the White House grounds , and will be paid for using private donations , the White House said .
Darlene Superville is a reporter at The Associated Press .
About the Headline Photo : In this May 7 , 2019 file photo , first lady Melania Trump attends a one year anniversary event for her Be Best initiative in the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington .
Melania Trump has announced plans to renovate the White House Rose Garden .
It ’ s the outdoor @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
( AP Photo/Andrew Harnik )


thetennesseestar--2020-07-28--Crom Carmichael Weighs in On Abuses of Power and the Media’s Perpetuation of Lies

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 discussed abuses of power in the last few weeks and the mysterious deaths of Black Trump supporter in Milwaukee and a conservative professor from North Carolina .
He added that he found media headlines to have a spin that perpetuated untruths .
Leahy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of St. Louis reacting to the outrageous illegal arrest of the McClosky ’ s who were simply defending their property by using or brandishing guns on their own property .
Carmichael : Now let me ask a very simple question , Michael .
According to Mueller Trump could be after he is out of the office and if they impeached him they could have indicted him for abuse of power ?
Remember that ?
Leahy : Or somebody gave him that argument to make .
( Chuckles ) Carmichael : And the Democrats @ @ @ @ @ @ @ argument .
If no one is above the law then this prosecutor… Carmichael : Why can she not be arrested by the state of Missouri for abuse of power ?
Leahy : She ’ s already under investigation for another matter .
Carmichael : I understand that .
I don ’ t care about the other matter .
I ’ m looking at this one thing .
And she can ’ t name a statute .
She can ’ t name anything .
Everything about this case screams abuse of power .
Carmichael @ @ @ @ @ @ @ one is above the law which is what Democrats say and which should , by the way , the way our legal system works .
If no one is above the law then she should be indicted for abuse of power .
Pure and simple .
Leahy : You won ’ t get a disagreement from me .
One little element to this , in Missouri I think this coming Tuesday she is in a primary battle to get re-elected .
And so I think people are arguing that she is just doing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ get re-elected .
Carmichael : I don ’ t really care what her reason is .
It ’ s a little bit like an iPhone in that Duke Lacrosse case .
Carmichael : He clearly abused his power .
He got his law license taken away .
Leahy : I think he spent some time in prison .
Carmichael : I don ’ t think he did .
I don ’ t think he was indicted for what he did but he should have been .
Leahy : We ’ ll look it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it up .
We ’ ll talk about a couple of other things in the meantime .
This is kind of interesting .
You mentioned a case in Milwaukee .
Leahy : Milwaukee .
We ’ ll talk about this first .
A Black Trump supporter by the name of Bernell Trammell was murdered and now there are calls for a federal investigation .
I ’ ll just read , the shooting death of a Black Trump supporter in Milwaukee has state Republicans calling for a federal investigation .
Bernell Trammell a dreadlocked @ @ @ @ @ @ @ through the streets reading vote Donald Trump 2020 and posting them on his storefront was gunned down by an unknown assailant on his sidewalk Thursday afternoon police say .
Carmichael : Then there ’ s another story about a North Carolina professor .
This is interesting .
This is the headline for the USA Today on the story .
North Carolina Professor Who Resigned Over the Controversy of His Vile Tweets .
Leahy : That ’ s a little bit pushing it to call it ‘ vile.
’ Carmichael : That ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ m going to read some of the Tweets in just a second to see what vile is .
By the way , USA Today must very woke as the number of their subscribers fall into the tank .
This is from the Western Journal .
Prominent Conservative Professor Found Dead at His Home .
That ’ s their headline .
Which is a more accurate headline .
Carmichael : That is a more accurate headline .
Leahy : He was 55 .
He was a professor of criminology .
He was originally from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the University of North Carolina at Wilmington .
And just because he was a conservative and outspoken he was targeted by the left big time .
Carmichael : And he was fired from his tenured position .
Leahy : And he sued them .
Carmichael : And he sued them and won a half-million dollars .
Leahy : And he was about to retire August first with a half-million bucks .
Carmichael : That was his settlement .
So he had won that .
So here are some of the so-called vile Tweets @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not like him but are they vile ?
Do they fall under freedom of speech ?
This evening I ate pizza and drank beer with six guys at a six top table .
I almost felt like a free man .
Now he ’ s talking about the lockdown .
Carmichael : In North Carolina .
Because he said I ate pizza and drank beer at a six top table with six guys .
So that means that they didn ’ t have a lockdown at least at that table .
He said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ man who is not living in the slave state of North Carolina .
And he ’ s referring to the lockdowns that the governor imposed .
Leahy : So that ’ s vile according to USA Today .
Carmichael : Now here ’ s another one .
Abortion intentionally kills an innocent human being .
Now that ’ s considered vile .
Now its a fact .
Carmichael : It ’ s a fact .
But just because it ’ s a fact doesn ’ t mean it can ’ t also be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ about social issues .
They are thugs looking to break the law with impunity .
Carmichael : The violent outrage of white liberals taking to the streets is brought to you by your local university .
( Chuckles ) None of this would be possible without the encouragement of academic extremists who have hijacked the system of higher education .
Carmichael : This guy died .
There is an investigation .
Leahy : The cause of death was a gunshot wound .
Leahy : There is an investigation ongoing .
Now the question @ @ @ @ @ @ @ kill him ?
Carmichael : Yes .
This will be a little bit like we need to be aware there was an investigation into the death of Jeffrey Epstein .
The official cause of death was suicide .
But you have other renowned people who do autopsies who had said he was strangled to death .
Leahy : He had no reason to kill himself .
He was getting a half a million bucks .
The reports say he was planning to move to Charlotte .
Leahy : Now , the media citing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ erratic for the past couple of days .
Carmichael : Yes .
But its an unnamed source .
Is the media just making up the unnamed source ?
The media does these types of things in order to make a point they have a high White House source .
They have an informed friend and a source .
But no names .
And they do this regularly .
I believe that is dishonest and I think it is perpetuating lies .
Leahy : There will be an investigation and there will be a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that says .
Carmichael : And we ’ ll see what it says .
Leahy : I ’ m very suspicious of his death .
Carmichael : I am too and I ’ m suspicious of the death in Milwaukee .
Leahy : Yes .
I agree .
I ’ m afraid we are going to see more of this Crom .
Carmichael : That ’ s what the KKK did and that ’ s what Black Lives Matter is capable of .
Listen to the full second 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 .


thetennesseestar--2020-07-28--Riots in Oakland Leave a Trail of Fires, Smashed Windows

OAKLAND , California ( AP ) — A protest in Oakland , California , in support of racial justice and police reform turned violent when a small group of rioters wearing helmets and goggles and carrying large signs that doubled as shields set fire to a courthouse , vandalized a police station and shot fireworks at officers , authorities said .
About 700 demonstrators participated in what started as a peaceful march Saturday night but then some broke from the larger group and smashed windows , spray-painted graffiti and pointed lasers at officers , said Officer Johnna Watson , an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ were set in the downtown area , including one at the Alameda County Superior Courthouse that was quickly contained .
Demonstrators hurled rocks , ceramic paint-filled balls and frozen water bottles through windows at the courthouse , federal building and police building in a raucous night that was unlike peaceful marches that have taken place in the city in recent weeks , Watson said .
“ This was different , ” Watson said .
“ This group of protesters had specific intentions to participate in one way or another — whether that ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ heavy items , and the smaller group would actually be engaged in doing the damage — there is a nexus with all of the attendees.
” Police made several arrests but did not provide details .
There were no immediate reports of injuries to rioters , protesters , or law enforcement officers , or immediate cost estimates of the vandalism , Watson said .
The protest began earlier Saturday evening with groups such as the so-called “ Wall of Moms , ” similar to a group that formed in Portland , Oregon , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ deployed to that city to guard a federal courthouse .
President Trump had sent the federal agents there to clamp down on riots that have occurred nightly since the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis on May 25 .
A violent protest also broke out late Saturday in Sacramento .
After a peaceful demonstration , police said a separate group of 150 rioters wearing black clothing and protective gear broke windows and spray-painted graffiti .
A television news crew was assaulted and forced to leave the area and one person was arrested , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Los Angeles , police said a peaceful demonstration was disrupted Saturday when some individuals in the crowd assaulted officers and walked onto a freeway .
Four officers and three demonstrators were treated for minor injuries and four people were arrested , Los Angeles police said on Twitter .
About 100 protesters gathered at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Los Angeles Saturday evening , the Federal Bureau of Prisons said in a release .
Rioters from that group broke the glass on the front entrance door and wrote graffiti on the front of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The prison was secured and barricade fencing was put up , the release said .
There were no reports of serious injuries .
In Oakland , police called on demonstrators to disperse as the night wore on and little by little they did , but they said they would be back , Watson said .
“ The city is here to provide safe places and safe spaces for demonstrations , for marches , for protests , ” Watson said , adding that many area businesses were likely spared damage because they were @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ However , when there is violence against the police or first responders , this makes it dangerous for everyone.
” On Sunday , Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf warned in a statement that the vandalism could be used by Trump to justify sending federal agents to the city — a proposal that she has rejected .
“ We celebrate passionate protest but Oaklanders need to know that when they attend protests after dark , they may be providing cover for agitators who are more intent on stoking civil unrest than advancing racial justice @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Headline Photo : A man sits behind a broken glass from a window at the Ronald V. Dellums Federal Building in Oakland , Calif. , Sunday , July 26 , 2020 .
A protest through the streets of downtown Oakland , California , in support of racial justice and police reform turned violent when “ agitators ” among the demonstrators set fire to a courthouse , vandalized a police station and shot fireworks at officers , authorities said .
( AP Photo/Jeff Chiu )


thetennesseestar--2020-07-28--After Talk of Collaboration, College Football Conferences Go Their Own Way

Plans for the 2020 college football season — if it is played — should start coming into focus this week .
They will trickle down from the top of major college football , with Power Five conferences putting in place revised schedules they hope will make it easier to manage potential disruptions brought on by COVID-19 .
The Power Five commissioners talked a lot in the spring about the importance of collaboration and trying to launch the season together , with all of the Football Bowl Subdivision acting in unison .
The way things are heading , that appears to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s where each conference stands with the first scheduled college football games about a month away .
The ACC is looking at an 11-game schedule that would include 10 conference games and start Sept. 12 .
The headline-grabber is that Notre Dame , which normally plays five or six ACC teams per season , could be a full conference member for this season .
The Fighting Irish have never played in a football conference before .
That still needs to be worked out and other models are still being considered , including one @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The first conference to announce it would play only conference games .
The assumption/speculation has been that the Big Ten would add another game to its existing nine-game schedule to get to 10 and have that in place before the end of July , but the conference has been typically coy about when it will reveal its plans .
The Big 12 has been the conference most publicly determined to try to play all its games .
The president of Texas Tech made that clear in an interview with the Austin American-Stateman @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the start of the season , the Big 12 is taking the opposite approach , moving the start up to create more open dates for potential makeup games .
Kansas has scheduled Southern Illinois ( a replacement for another Football Championship Subdivision school ) for Aug. 29 .
Oklahoma also pushed its game against Missouri State to the so-called Week Zero .
There have been reports that TCU will play on Aug. 29 against UNLV in the first game at the new NFL stadium in Las Vegas .
Both the Horned Frogs and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Pac-12 scrapped nonconference games .
The Pac-12 went conference-only a couple of days after the Big Ten , but it said it would deliver a new schedule by July 31 .
The San Jose Mercury News reported last week the Pac-12 is expected to go with 10 games and start on Sept. 19 .
That kickoff date could be moved back as far as Oct. 3 if state restrictions enacted to stem spikes in COVID-19 cases force Pac-12 teams to delay the start of preseason practice .
SEC athletic directors left an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Birmingham , Alabama , a couple of weeks ago with a few scheduling models on the table .
Conference-only games never made sense for the SEC ( or the ACC and Big 12 ) .
Why prevent Georgia , Florida , Kentucky and South Carolina from playing in-state ACC rivals ?
Auburn also is scheduled to play North Carolina from the ACC in Atlanta .
The SEC could add a conference game to its eight-game slate .
There has also been talk within the league of letting teams play as many nonconference games @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as close as possible to a full 12-game season .
The SEC ’ s final decision could linger into next week .
It is not entirely fair to lump the American Athletic Conference , Mountain West , Mid-American Conference , Conference USA and Sun Belt together , but the fact is all are at the mercy of the Power Five in some way .
“ We ’ re paying close attention to what the ( autonomy ) five are doing , ” American Athletic Conference Commissioner Mike Aresco told Yahoo !
Sports last @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have any illusions , they drive the train here.
” The Big Ten and Pac-12 already have left holes all over Group of Five schedules and potentially in budgets .
Many of those canceled nonconference games came with big paydays for the smaller schools .
The MAC lost 11 games against Big Ten teams .
The Mountain West is out 13 games , some of them home games , because of the Pac-12 ’ s decision .
With the ACC heading toward dropping most of its nonconference schedule , a bunch more G5 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ luck .
Big 12 and SEC teams might fill a few holes , but most likely they will have to turn to each other and FCS schools if they want to play more than conference games .
Same goes for the independents not named Notre Dame such as BYU .
But is it worth it ?
Playing just conference games could save a bunch on travel costs .
Those buy games against Power Five teams often fund a big chunk of the rest of the season .
If that goes away , some @ @ @ @ @ @ @ afford to play a full schedule .
Same goes for FCS .
Ralph D. Russo is a college football reporter at The Associated Press .
About the Headline Photo : In this Jan. 13 , 2020 , file photo , LSU wide receiver Justin Jefferson ( 2 ) is tackled by Clemson during the first half of an NCAA College Football Playoff national championship game in New Orleans .
The NCAA ’ s latest guidance for playing college sports during the COVID-19 pandemic recommends testing players once a week within 72 hours of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , that means Wednesday would be the soonest athletes would be tested.Is that enough for a team of about 100 athletes playing a contact sport to get through a season without major disruptions ?
Especially , considering simply being exposed to someone who tests positive can land an athlete in quarantine for two weeks ?
( AP Photo/Gerald Herbert , File )


thetennesseestar--2020-07-28--Democratic Rep. Jerry Nadler Says Antifa Violence in Portland is ‘a Myth’

Democratic Rep. Jerry Nadler of New York said antifa violence in Portland is a myth in a YouTube video published Monday .
Nadler made the comment during an interview with Austen Fletcher .
Fletcher hosts Fleccas Talks , a political channel , according to the Dartmouth Review .
“ It is true , there ’ s violence across the whole country , do you disavow the violence from antifa that ’ s happening in Portland now ?
” Fletcher asked Nadler in the video .
“ That ’ s , that ’ s , that ’ s a myth that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ D.C. , ” Nadler responded .
Protests and riots have engulfed Portland for two months .
Protesters have clashed with police , with rioters tearing down fencing protecting the federal courthouse and shining lasers at police , and police firing tear gas and pepper spray .
Protesters have been advocating for racial justice and police reform after George Floyd died in police custody on May 25 .
“ I was disappointed in Mr. Nadler , ” Fletcher told the Daily Caller News Foundation .
“ Downplaying it is one thing but pretending it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the clips are going viral on social media shows me where his priorities really are .
Anything to maintain the narrative.
” Nadler did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation ’ s request for comment .


thetennesseestar--2020-07-28--Senate Republicans Propose New $1 Trillion Coronavirus Relief Package

Senate Republicans ’ latest COVID-19 stimulus package proposes another round of direct payments to Americans and more enhanced federal unemployment benefits for workers who lose their jobs during coronavirus restrictions .
The $ 1 trillion package , called the Health , Economic Assistance , Liability Protection , and Schools ( HEALS ) Act was released Monday afternoon .
If passed by the U.S. Senate and House and signed by President Donald Trump , the direct payment to American workers would be similar to what was provided through the Coronavirus Aid , Relief , and Economic Security ( CARES ) Act @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for workers making $ 75,000 or less , with diminished payments to those making more than $ 75,000 and up to $ 100,000 .
“ Just like in March with the CARES Act , Senate Republicans have authored another bold framework to help our nation , ” Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said .
“ So now we need our Democratic colleagues to reprise their part as well.
” The enhanced federal unemployment benefits would be reduced from $ 600 a week as provided through the CARES Act , a $ 3 trillion @ @ @ @ @ @ @ March , to $ 200 a week .
The CARES Act unemployment benefits expire this week .
The federal enhancement would be in addition to state unemployment benefits .
U.S. Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin and many Republicans said the $ 600 in additional weekly benefits discouraged some workers from returning to their jobs because they made more off unemployment .
Senate Republicans ’ plan also includes $ 105 billion more for schools , $ 16 billion for increased coronavirus testing , additional funding for small business loans from the Paycheck Protection Program that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and protections for businesses whose workers contract COVID-19 .
Another stimulus package is being negotiated after the Congressional Budget Office reported that June ’ s federal budget deficit was $ 864 billion , an amount greater than the entire federal budget deficit for the year of 2018 .
Dan McCaleb is the executive editor of The Center Square .


thetennesseestar--2020-07-28--Wealthy Donors Pour Millions into Fight over Mail-In Voting

WASHINGTON , D.C. ( AP ) — Deep-pocketed and often anonymous donors are pouring over $ 100 million into an intensifying dispute about whether it should be easier to vote by mail , a fight that could determine President Donald Trump ’ s fate in the November election .
In the battleground of Wisconsin , cash-strapped cities have received $ 6.3 million from an organization with ties to left-wing philanthropy to help expand vote by mail .
Meanwhile , a well-funded conservative group best known for its focus on judicial appointments is spending heavily to fight cases related to mail-in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s just a small slice of the overall spending , which is likely to swell far higher as the election nears .
The massive effort by political parties , super PACs and other organizations to fight over whether Americans can vote by mail is remarkable considering the practice has long been noncontroversial .
But the coronavirus is forcing changes to the way states conduct elections and prompting activists across the political spectrum to seek an advantage , recognizing the contest between Trump and Democrat Joe Biden could hinge on whether voters have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ polling places during a public health crisis .
Some groups are even raising money to prepare for election-related violence .
“ The pandemic has created a state of emergency , ” said Laleh Ispahani , the U.S. managing director for Open Society , a network of nonprofits founded by billionaire progressive donor George Soros .
“ Donors who haven ’ t typically taken on these issues now have an interest.
” How much will be spent is unclear because many of the organizations are nonprofits that won ’ t disclose those details to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Even then , many sources of money will remain unknown because such groups don ’ t have to disclose their donors , commonly referred to as “ dark money.
” Tax filings , business records and campaign finance disclosures offer some clues .
They reveal vast infrastructure that funnels money from wealthy donors , through philanthropic organizations and political groups , which eventually trickles down to smaller nonprofits , many of which operate under murky circumstances .
On the conservative side , organizations including Judicial Watch , the Honest Elections Project , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Legal Foundation are litigating cases related to voting procedures across the U.S. A substantial portion of the financing comes from Donors Trust , a nonprofit often referred to as the “ dark money ATM ” of the conservative movement .
The organization helps wealthy patrons invest in causes they care about while sheltering their identities from the public .
In other instances , funding comes from charitable foundations built by the fortunes of Gilded Age industrialists .
Litigation is a primary focus .
Democrats and good government organizations are pushing to eliminate hurdles @ @ @ @ @ @ @ witness ’ s signature or allowing third parties to collect ballots .
Conservatives say that amounts to an invitation to commit voter fraud .
As these issues wind their way through courts , they say judges could decide complex policy matters that often were already debated by state legislatures .
“ The wrong way to go about this is to run to court , particularly a week or two before an election , trying to get judges to intervene and second-guess decisions legislatures have made , ” said Jason Snead , the executive @ @ @ @ @ @ @ His organization is a newly formed offshoot of the Judicial Education Project , a group that previously focused on judicial appointments and received more than $ 25.3 million between 2016 and 2018 from the Donors Trust , records show .
They are deeply intertwined with the conservative Catholic legal movement and share an attorney , William Consovoy , with the Republican National Committee , which has pledged $ 20 million for voting litigation .
Leonard Leo , a Trump confidant who was instrumental in the confirmations of the president ’ s Supreme Court @ @ @ @ @ @ @ He ’ s now chairman of a public relations firm called CRC Advisors , which is overseeing a new effort to establish a clearinghouse for anonymous donors to fund conservative causes , including the fight over vote by mail .
The firm played a significant role in the 2004 election by publicizing unfounded claims made by a group called Swift Boat Veterans for the Truth , which questioned Democratic nominee John Kerry ’ s record as a Vietnam War hero , records show .
The group ’ s involvement in vote by mail @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Claims of widespread voter fraud have long energized segments of the party ’ s base .
But it did not elicit much interest from donors , and the handful of groups devoted to the issue operated on minuscule budgets .
But in recent years , Democrats have mounted legal challenges that threatened voting laws championed by conservatives .
And Trump ’ s repeated focus on “ rigged elections ” has made the issue part of a broader culture war .
Still , some activists question the GOP establishment ’ s commitment to the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ going to take on Republicans like we have , ” said Catherine Engelbrecht , the founder of True the Vote .
While Republicans are focused on the courts and raising doubts about vote by mail , the challenge faced by Democrats is far more daunting .
In addition to litigation , they must mobilize their base during a pandemic .
That includes educating the public about vote by mail , a difficult task when door-to-door canvasing isn ’ t an option .
Some groups are donating directly to local governments .
In Wisconsin @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Life , a nonprofit with ties to left-leaning philanthropy , has donated $ 6.3 million to the state ’ s five largest cities to set up ballot drop boxes , help voters file absentee ballot requests and expand in-person early voting .
Even before the pandemic , government funding for elections was limited .
Since then , the outbreak has escalated costs while cratering tax revenue .
“ Due to COVID , there definitely has been a higher cost , ” said Mayor John Antaramian , of Kenosha , which received $ 863,000 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ what the city budgeted for the election .
“ Is there a financial shortfall on that basis ?
Of course.
” Much of the money on the left is likely to come from a series of nonprofit funds controlled by the consulting firm Arabella Advisors , which typically routes upwards of $ 500 million a year to causes supported by liberal donors .
The firm was founded by Eric Kessler , who served in Bill Clinton ’ s White House .
The firm has been instrumental in financing so-called resistance groups following Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they ’ ve provided seed money were responsible for millions of dollars in TV advertising that blistered Republicans during the 2018 midterms .
They ’ ve also pioneered the practice of creating “ pop-up ” organizations : groups that appear to be grassroots-driven efforts to influence public policy , which use trade names that obscure a deep pool of resources from those with ideological or financial motivations .
The firm recently registered a handful of trade names for groups that appear to be focused on voting rights , records show .
Another effort @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trusted Elections Fund , aims to raise between $ 8 million and $ 10 million in case the pandemic leads to chaos in November .
The group is preparing for potential foreign hacking of state voting systems , “ election day or post-election day violence , ” as well as contested results .
A Trusted Elections Fund representative declined to comment .
But a two-page summary available online elaborated on their aims .
“ Philanthropy has a responsibility to make sure that we are prepared for emergencies that could threaten our democracy , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Thomas Beaumont report for The Associated Press .
Beaumont reported from Des Moines , Iowa .
About the Headline Photo : In this May 27 , 2020 file photo , processed mail-in ballots are seen at the Bucks County Board of Elections office prior to the primary election in Doylestown , Pa. Deep-pocketed and often anonymous donors are pouring over $ 100 million into an intensifying dispute about whether it should be easier to vote by mail , a fight that could determine President Donald Trump ’ s fate in the November election @ @ @ @ @ @ @ )


thetennesseestar--2020-07-28--NASA’s Next Mars Rover Sports Brawn, Brains, and Even a Helicopter

CAPE CANAVERAL , Florida ( AP ) — With eight successful Mars landings , NASA is upping the ante with its newest rover .
The spacecraft Perseverance — set for liftoff this week — is NASA ’ s biggest and brainiest Martian rover yet .
It sports the latest landing tech , plus the most cameras and microphones ever assembled to capture the sights and sounds of Mars .
Its super-sanitized sample return tubes — for rocks that could hold evidence of past Martian life — are the cleanest items ever bound for space .
A helicopter is even tagging @ @ @ @ @ @ @ This summer ’ s third and final mission to Mars — after the United Arab Emirates ’ Hope orbiter and China ’ s Quest for Heavenly Truth orbiter-rover combo — begins with a launch scheduled for Thursday morning from Cape Canaveral .
Like the other spacecraft , Perseverance should reach the red planet next February following a journey spanning seven months and more than 300 million miles ( 480 million kilometers ) .
The six-wheeled , car-sized Perseverance is a copycat of NASA ’ s Curiosity rover , prowling Mars since 2012 , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Its 7-foot ( 2-meter ) robotic arm has a stronger grip and bigger drill for collecting rock samples , and it ’ s packed with 23 cameras , most of them in color , plus two more on Ingenuity , the hitchhiking helicopter .
The cameras will provide the first glimpse of a parachute billowing open at Mars , with two microphones letting Earthlings eavesdrop for the first time .
Once home to a river delta and lake , Jezero Crater is NASA ’ s riskiest Martian landing site yet because of boulders @ @ @ @ @ @ @ spacecraft ’ s self-navigating systems .
Perseverance has more self-driving capability , too , so it can cover more ground than Curiosity .
The enhancements make for a higher mission price tag : nearly $ 3 billion .
Perseverance will drill into rocks most likely to hold signs of ancient life and stash the collection on the ground to await a future rover .
Forty-three sample tubes are on board this rover , each one meticulously scrubbed and baked to remove Earthly microbes .
NASA wants to avoid introducing organic molecules from Earth @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tube can hold one-half ounce ( 15 grams ) of core samples , and the goal is to gather about a pound ( 0.5 kilogram ) altogether for return to Earth .
NASA hopes to launch the pickup mission in 2026 and get the samples back on Earth by 2031 — at the soonest .
The 4-pound ( 1.8-kilogram ) helicopter , Ingenuity , will travel to Mars clutching the rover ’ s belly and , a few months after touchdown , attempt to fly solo .
Once dropping onto the Martian surface @ @ @ @ @ @ @ baby bird , rising 10 feet ( 3 meters ) into the planet ’ s extremely thin atmosphere and flying forward up to 6 feet ( 2 meters ) .
With each attempt , it will try to go a little higher and farther .
“ It really is like the Wright brothers ’ moment , ” said project manager MiMi Aung .
She has one month to squeeze in as many helicopter hops as possible before the rover moves on to more pressing geologic work .
The future could see next-generation helicopters @ @ @ @ @ @ @ or even robots .
Besides the helicopter , Perseverance carries other experiments that could directly benefit astronauts at Mars .
An instrument the size of a car battery will covert atmospheric carbon dioxide into oxygen , an essential ingredient for rocket propellant and breathing systems .
Another instrument , zapping rocks with lasers to identify organic molecules and minerals , carries samples of spacesuit material .
NASA wants to see how the fabrics withstand the harsh Martian environment .
It will be the 2030s at best , according to NASA , before astronauts @ @ @ @ @ @ @ meteorites are finally headed home , or at least slivers of them to be used as calibration targets by laser-shooting instruments aboard Perseverance .
Other cool stowaways : silicon chips bearing the names of nearly 11 million people who signed up , as well as a small plate showing Earth and Mars on opposite sides of the sun with the message “ explore as one ” in Morse code tucked into the solar rays .
There ’ s also a plaque paying tribute to medical workers on the pandemic ’ s front lines @ @ @ @ @ @ @ scientists and other team members from traveling to Cape Canaveral for the launch .
Marcia Dunn is an AP Aerospace writer .
The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute ’ s Department of Science Education .
The AP is solely responsible for all content .
About the Headline Photo : This illustration made available by NASA depicts the Ingenuity Mars Helicopter on the red planet ’ s surface near the Perseverance rover , left .
NASA is upping the ante with its newest rover headed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this week from Florida , Perseverance is NASA ’ s brawniest and brainiest Martian rover yet .
( NASA/JPL-Caltech via AP )


thetennesseestar--2020-07-28--Commentary: LARPers Lament as Real-Life-and-Death Consequences Come to Austin

There ’ s a term , and an acronym , that every American interested in following the rank stupidity of this summer ’ s occurrences in America ’ s blue cities ought to be familiar with .
The term is Live-Action Role Playing , and the acronym is LARPing .
What you ’ re seeing on the streets of Portland , Seattle , Chicago , Austin , and other cities are textbook examples of this phenomenon playing out .
Long ago LARPing was something the Dungeons & Dragons crowd was commonly found doing .
Now , it ’ s the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Left as they pretend to be Che Guevara on our city streets .
You ’ re seeing losers whose lives are going nowhere fast , products of a failed , obsolete , and septic educational system and insufficient parental character development , sucked into a make-believe revolution put on by a failed , obsolete , and septic political party so devoid of 21st-century ideas that it has settled on all the failed ones from the 19th and 20th century as its future .
And those losers are in the streets playing Dime-Store Revolutionary @ @ @ @ @ @ @ revolution means .
Over the weekend in Austin , some of these losers got the first real education of their lives .
Specifically , one of them , a pasty-faced troglodyte named Garrett Foster , won ’ t be able to profit from the lesson .
According to police reports , Foster was packing an AK-47 as he rolled his wheelchair-bound fiancée through the streets of Austin ’ s downtown on Saturday night at a “ mostly peaceful ” Black Lives Matter protest .
The procession blocked a street , and Foster and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ good idea to menace and beat on a car they were blocking in that street .
According to police reports , Foster brandished his weapon at the driver of the car .
He paid the ultimate price for that stupidity , as his assault with a deadly weapon resulted in battery with an even deadlier weapon .
The driver , who honked his horn repeatedly as a warning to the protesters that it was time for them to scatter , responded to Foster ’ s attempt at bullying him by firing multiple shots @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The crowd scattered and the driver sped away , but not before another as-yet-unidentified protester fired three rounds at the car .
News media reports have since attempted to cast Foster as a lovable hero of the make-believe revolution .
A GoFundMe account has been set up for the family , which raised him to be the kind of guy who brandishes Russian-designed weapons at civilian motorists on city streets ; some $ 100,000 has been donated to that account .
On Sunday there was an outpouring for the martyr of the make-believe @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ Glory To Garrett Foster ” and , of course , “ Black Lives Matter ” on the spot where he got himself killed .
Was this a sad occurrence ?
Sure .
It ’ s never a happy thing that a 28-year old is gunned down on a city street in America .
Yet what happened to Garrett Foster was bound to happen to someone , because too many Americans , particularly among the participants in the make-believe revolution , haven ’ t learned a real lesson yet .
Which is that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Point a gun at the driver of a car you ’ re blocking in on a city street , after footage of drivers being pulled out of cars and beaten in similar circumstances is everywhere on the internet , and you will be one of the lives claimed in that revolution .
Stupid lives don ’ t matter .
Not when those lives are risked so irresponsibly .
It ’ s too soon to know whether or not the driver who defended himself by shooting Garrett Foster will face criminal charges .
Hopefully @ @ @ @ @ @ @ what he did perhaps he imparted some wisdom to the “ mostly peaceful ” protesters in the streets — drivers of cars on the streets in which you ’ re protesting have rights just like you do , and they ’ re going to defend those rights if they have to .
Some of them will defend their rights with their lives .
If they ’ re properly equipped , they ’ ll defend their rights with your life .
I ’ m trying to be upset about this .
But not that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the media attempts to make Garrett Foster into the white-boy version of Michael Brown or Alton Sterling or George Floyd , I ’ m going to yawn uncontrollably .
So will most of America .
And when the political party that is trying to re-gift all the failed ideas of the 19th and 20th centuries as though they were Christmas fruitcakes past their expiration date begins to babble about the need for gun control as the lesson of Garrett Foster ’ s death , I know I won ’ t be alone in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who killed Garrett Foster used his weapon precisely as it was intended .
Had he no gun in that situation , he could easily have become another Reginald Denny , the truck driver pulled out of his cab and beaten within an inch of his life during the L.A. riots , or Bogdan Vechirko , the Minnesota truck driver beaten by a mob of protesters blocking an interstate highway after he miraculously managed to stop his 18-wheeler without injuring any of them .
Vechirko declined to press charges against any of his assailants @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with reckless endangerment or some other such idiocy .
Or the unidentified driver shot by an Antifa thug in Provo , Utah , during a Black Lives Matter protest at the end of June ; luckily the driver lived .
No one owes the Black Lives Matter movement his or her life .
Especially not innocent civilians the LARPers in that movement are putting in jeopardy by their riotous behavior .
It ’ s time the LARPing stops .
It ’ s time for the protesters to go back to their meaningless , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to become productive .
If they want to think of what happened to Garrett Foster as the “ Eureka ” moment that triggers that change , fine .
Put up a statue of him .
Make him the patron saint of Justifiably Abandoned Causes .
But if Garrett Foster is the make-believe revolution ’ s new mascot , don ’ t ask the rest of us to join in the crowd of mourners .
We ’ re doing all we can not to say something awful as it is .
Scott McKay is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ news and commentary on Louisiana and national politics .
He ’ s also a novelist — check out his first book “ Animus : A Tale of Ardenia , ” available in Kindle and paperback .


thetennesseestar--2020-07-28--Swing Voters in Michigan Focus Group Say They Are Voting for Trump, Call Biden a ‘Puppet:’ Report

Former Vice President Joe Biden is not mentally fit for the presidency , and he would likely become a “ puppet ” for the “ deep state , ” several Michigan of swing voters said during an Axios focus group session released Monday .
The focus group included nine people who voted for former President Barack Obama in 2012 but voted for President Donald Trump in 2016 .
Seven of the nine swing voters said would vote for Trump in November ’ s election , Axios noted in a report Monday on the group .
The focus group , part @ @ @ @ @ @ @ series , is not a scientific poll , but it does provide a snapshot into how a select number of voters in the battleground state are thinking ahead of the election , according to Axios .
The session was conducted last week , Axios said .
Biden is “ showing signs of dementia ” and would likely become a “ puppet … controlled by a lot of people in the deep state , ” one member of the focus group calling himself Matt T said .
He used the term “ deep state @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the people that have influence on a lot of the politicians , ” he said .
“ I don ’ t think that Biden is going to be running our country .
Whoever his vice president is , is going to be running the country .
The vice president or whoever the puppet people are telling him what to say , ” a woman calling herself Shelly D said .
Vicki S , another member of the panel of nine , said she is voting for Biden because of the president ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ originated in China before spreading to the United States , where it has reportedly killed nearly 146,000 people , according to John Hopkins University ’ s tracking system .
“ I don ’ t want either of them .
It ’ s the lesser of two evils in my book , ” Vicki S told the other panelists .
Biden is leading Trump by significant margins in battleground states , including in Michigan .
The former vice president opened up a 13-point lead on the incumbent in the state of Florida , according @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 23 .
He now leads Trump 51-38 in that state , the poll showed .
Trump is behind Biden in five other battleground states the president won in 2016 , and is trailing Biden by nine points in Michigan , according to July 24 Fox News poll .
Biden led the presidential race by seven points in Arizona , nine points in North Carolina , and 10 points in Pennsylvania , according to a New York Times poll conducted in late June .
Trump ’ s poor numbers coincide with a surging pandemic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ George Floyd , a black man who died in May after a police officer kneeled on his neck for nearly 9-minutes , video shows .


thetennesseestar--2020-07-28--New Durable-Goods Orders Rise Again in June

New orders for durable goods posted a second consecutive month of rebound in June , rising 7.3 percent following a gain of 15.1 percent in May .
The two gains followed drops of 18.3 percent in April and 16.7 percent in March .
If transportation equipment is excluded , new orders for durable goods increased 3.3 percent in June following a 3.6 percent rise in May .
Durable-goods orders had been holding above the $ 200 billion level since May 2011 before posting sharp declines in March and April ( see first chart ) .
New orders for June are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , totaling $ 206.9 billion , but are still 21.9 percent below June 2019 .
New orders for nondefense capital goods excluding aircraft , a proxy for business equipment investment , rose 3.4 percent in June after gaining 1.6 percent in May .
This category had drops of 6.4 percent in April and 1.3 percent in March .
This key category had been range bound since 2011 , hovering in the $ 60 to $ 70 billion range .
The $ 61.3 billion pace for April was the slowest since August 2017 but @ @ @ @ @ @ @ level back up to $ 64.3 billion ( see first chart ) .
If the April low holds , that will be well above the lows of the prior two recessions .
The major categories of durable goods shown in the report all posted gains in the latest month .
Among the individual categories , primary metals rose 3.6 percent , fabricated metal products gained 4.5 percent , machinery orders were up 2.7 percent , computers and electronic products increased 0.1 percent , electrical equipment and appliances added 1.2 percent , transportation equipment @ @ @ @ @ @ @ catch-all “ other durables ” category was up 5.2 percent ( see second chart ) .
Within the transportation category , motor vehicles were up 85.7 percent following a gain of 28.8 percent in May while defense aircraft orders decreased 30.6 percent in June .
Nondefense aircraft orders totaled - $ 10.4 billion , the third month of net negative orders in the past four months .
Net negative new orders represent cancellation of previously placed orders totaling more than total new orders for the period .
Significant cancellations over the past few @ @ @ @ @ @ @ aircraft at $ 503.1 billion , the lowest total since September 2013 .
The report on durable-goods orders reflects the reversal of government shutdown policies implemented in reaction to the outbreak of COVID-19 .
Extraordinary damage has been caused , but as government restrictions are eased , signs of healing are beginning to emerge .
The major risk is the resurgence of COVID-19 cases and deaths , which could lead to renewed waves of layoffs , consumer retrenchment , or government lockdowns .
Robert Hughes joined AIER in 2013 following more than 25 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on Wall Street .
Bob was formerly the head of Global Equity Strategy for Brown Brothers Harriman , where he developed equity investment strategy combining top-down macro analysis with bottom-up fundamentals .


thetennesseestar--2020-07-28--Democrats Seek Coronavirus Aid Bill Provision to Limit Federal Agents from Patrolling Cities

Senate Democrats are planning to insert a provision in the coronavirus relief bill that would place restrictions on the Trump administration ’ s ability to send federal agents to help quell protests in cities across the country .
The provision would require federal agents to identify themselves , use marked vehicles and stay on federal property rather than patrol city streets , Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said Monday , according to NBC News .
Local officials including mayors and governors would need to approve the use of federal agents patrolling streets .
“ We ’ re going to try @ @ @ @ @ @ @ COVID 4 bill , ” Schumer said , according to NBC News .
“ It has broad support within the Democratic Caucus.
” Protests turned violent in Portland , Oregon after the Trump administration authorized the deployment of federal agents , who are largely Department of Homeland Security officers , to help quell protests , according to The New York Times .
The protests have been centered around Mark O. Hatfield U.S. Court House , which is federal property .
Widespread demonstrations have occurred in Portland and across the country in the wake @ @ @ @ @ @ @ died after a Minneapolis police officer kneeled on his neck , video of the incident shows .
Schumer said President Donald Trump ’ s orders to send federal agents to protect federal property was a “ diversion , ” NBC News reported .
“ What does he do ?
Does he do what a normal president should do — roll up his sleeves and try and solve those problems ?
No , ” Schumer said , according to NBC News .
“ He creates a diversion that ’ s nasty , that ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , it won ’ t work.
” A federal judge denied the Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblaum ’ s request for an order to stop federal agents from arresting Portland protesters Friday , NBC affiliate KGW News reported .
The judge said that the state lacked standing to sue on behalf of protesters .
Trump has also authorized federal agents sent to Chicago and Albuquerque on Wednesday to assist local police in responding to violence , according to U.S. News .
Republican leaders prepared to propose a new $ 1 trillion coronavirus aid @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the previous aid bill is set to expire this week , The Wall Street Journal reported .
Congress previously passed the $ 2.2 trillion Coronavirus Aid , Relief and Economic Security Act on March 27 .
Thomas Catenacci is a reporter at Daily Caller News Foundation .
Photo “ Civil Unrest ” by Loavesofbread CC4.0 .


thetennesseestar--2020-07-28--Minnesota Sees ‘Return’ of Vaping-Related Lung Injuries

ST. PAUL , Minneapolis ( AP ) — Minnesota health officials warned of a possible resurgence of lung injuries related to vaping , saying they ’ ve had 11 reported cases in the past two months .
The state Health Department asked medical providers to watch for additional cases .
Officials also said the coronavirus has made it more difficult to identify vaping-related cases because the symptoms can be similar .
All 11 cases — with a median age of 18 — required hospitalization and some needed ventilators .
“ This public health threat got a lot of attention last @ @ @ @ @ @ @ gone away , ” Health Commissioner Jan Malcolm said in a statement .
A national outbreak of lung illnesses last year was largely attributed to people vaping liquids that contain THC , the high-inducing part of marijuana .
The Centers for Disease Control eventually said vitamin E acetate , a thickening agent sometimes added to illicit THC vaping liquids , was believed to have caused most of the illnesses .
The Minnesota Health Department said the 11 people suffering lung injuries in recent months sought treatment for cough and shortness of breath , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ All said they had a history of vaping , and most reported vaping liquids with THC .
Minnesota had 149 confirmed or probable cases of vaping-associated lung injuries , and three deaths in 2019 before the outbreak tapered off in the fall .
In neighboring Wisconsin , state health officials said Friday they had received three reports of vaping-associated lung injuries since May .
In 2019 , the state received reports of 103 such injuries , while there have been just 10 reports in all of 2020 .


thetennesseestar--2020-07-28--Virginia’s New COVID-19 Workplace Standards Amount to Unfunded Mandates on Businesses

Virginia business groups are decrying the expanded COVID-19 regulations adopted by the Department of Labor and Industry , which include unfunded mandates and additional training and sanitization requirements .
Virginia became the first state to adopt temporary COVID-19 workplace safety and health standards last week through a vote by the department ’ s Health Codes Board , which did not consider many of the concerns from business associations .
Some of those mandates will cost money .
For example , businesses will need to provide face masks for patrons who do not have them and will need to install physical @ @ @ @ @ @ @ will be forced to follow sanitation guidelines and provide training to their employees so they know how to follow them .
The Department of Labor and Industry will not provide any funding for these businesses to accomplish these tasks , Jennifer Rose , the cooperative programs director for the Virginia Occupational Safety and Health Program , confirmed with The Center Square .
Small businesses that do not have attorneys on staff likely will have to hire consultants and attorneys to ensure they are properly complying with all of the new regulations , Nicole @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the National Federation of Independent Business , told The Center Square .
Requiring physical barriers and face masks for customers also can become a costly burden for small businesses that already are suffering , Riley said .
Mandatory training requirements also could cost companies money because they will have to take workers off the production lines , she said .
The requirement to provide customers with face masks also shifts some of the enforcement burden from the government onto the businesses , according to Riley .
This mandate turns business owners into “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ workers in uncomfortable and confrontational situations with customers , she said .
Some of the regulatory language provides some flexibility , such as some mandates being applicable only when feasible , but this also provided an additional worry for Riley , who cautioned this could leave the rule open to interpretation from whoever is inspecting the business .
“ That always makes us a little uneasy , ” Riley said .
Robert Melvin , the director of government affairs at the Virginia Restaurant , Lodging & Travel Association , expressed similar concerns .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ with partners at the federal level to develop training for businesses in line with the guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention .
He now worries , however , businesses will need to retrain all of their employees to ensure compliance with the new standards .
The additional cost burden for small businesses that need to put up physical barriers and provide face masks also concerned Melvin .
Among the new mandates were other regulations the business advocate groups believed could be burdensome for some businesses .
A requirement that businesses @ @ @ @ @ @ @ could be burdensome , especially for small businesses , Melvin said .
He also criticized a regulation that prohibits employers from firing someone if they refuse to go into an area they deem unsafe , which he said could be used by employees to stay home indefinitely and collect unemployment .
Another regulation designed to protect workers could have negative implications , Riley said .
An employer will be prohibited from firing an employee for reporting alleged Department of Labor and Industry violations through social media , which Riley said prevents an employer @ @ @ @ @ @ @ She said workers should be protected when reporting violations to the department , but extending those protections to social media posts is an overreach .
Riley and Melvin said money from the state would be helpful for businesses trying to adhere to the new mandates .
The General Assembly is convening a special session Aug. 18 and will address COVID-19-related issues .
Legislative leaders did not respond to requests for comment from The Center Square about whether they would consider funds for businesses to help them comply with the mandates .
The new @ @ @ @ @ @ @ next week .
They will be in effect for six months but can be made permanent through a process defined by state law .
Tyler Arnold is a regular contributor to The Center Square .
Photo “ Masked While Working ” by the US Air Force .


thetennesseestar--2020-07-28--Conservative Organizations Call For Next Ohio House Speaker to Have Character, Be Supporter of Faith

Conservative Organizations Call For Next Ohio House Speaker to Have Character, Be Supporter of Faith and Family

Even as the Ohio House of Representatives looks to replace disgraced Speaker Larry Householder , a coalition of conservative organizations is urging lawmakers to be thoughtful in how they do so .
Householder and four others were arrested July 21 in connection with a $ 60 million federal bribery probe in connection with the Legislature ’ s 2019 bailout of FirstEnergy and its nuclear power plants .
Ohio Republicans have called on Householder to resign .
Lawmakers are looking at replacements , with Rep. Bob Cupp mentioned as one possibility .
Whomever is chosen , Citizens for Community Values urges @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the Ohio General Assembly .
They published a suggested list of qualifications — and disqualifications — on their website , available here .
They were joined in their announcement by a host of conservative organizations .
There will be many arguments made for why certain individuals would make a “ better ” choice than others , but often these arguments are usually focused on money and electoral success .
These are poor benchmarks for choosing a leader , as has been demonstrated by the reason for the current crisis .
Citizens for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ across the state of Ohio believe that a different set of attributes should be forefront in the decision on electing a new Speaker .
Character matters , and an elected official ’ s positions on life , faith and family are very strong indicators of that character and of their positions in relation to our economic and business needs as well .
That is why we respectfully offer that the individual chosen to lead Ohio ’ s representative body meet the following criteria : Pro-Life : The individual should have shown that commitment @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Ohio ’ s Heartbeat Law , the strongest policy commitment to life ever voted on by the Assembly .
Pro-Faith : The individual should show their commitment to upholding religious freedoms and a commitment to one-man/one-woman marriage by their opposition to House Bill 369 and its Senate companion bill Senate Bill 11 .
Pro-Freedom : The individual should be strongly in favor of fully empowering parents with a complete range of choices for the education of their children , and , especially in light of the COVID-19 changes that have been forced upon @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a strong voice for ensuring that no educational option is pitted against another as adversarial choices .
Our children ’ s – our state ’ s – future is in the balance .
The signers , including those from other organizations , are : • Margie Christie , Executive Director of Dayton Right to Life • Meg DeBlase , Executive Director of Right to Life of Greater Cincinnati • Ed Sitter , Executive Director of Toledo Right to Life • Lori Viars , Vice President of Warren County Right To Life Jason M. @ @ @ @ @ @ @ experience as a journalist at outlets of all sizes .
The Associated Press contributed to this story .


thetennesseestar--2020-07-28--City of Detroit Seeking Photos of Coronavirus Victims for Memorial

The City of Detroit is seeking photos of those who lost their lives to the coronavirus to display as part of a city memorial event .
Detroit will host Detroit Memorial Day on August 31 to honor city residents who died because of COVID-19 , Mayor Mike Duggan announced earlier this month .
The city plans to install large photo boards with the submitted pictures along a route on Belle Isle .
The two-day event will begin with twilight ceremonies at 5 p.m. on August 30 across Detroit .
The memorial drive will begin the next day at 7 a.m @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be invited to ring bells for 15 minutes to honor those who lost their lives because of the pandemic .
The bell ringing will begin at 8:45 a.m. on August 31 .
Cars will not be allowed to stop or park while driving through the memorial .
Belle Isle closes at 4 p.m .
The memorial event will also commemorate front line health care and “ people care ” workers .
The City of Detroit has seen 12,449 confirmed cases of the coronavirus and 1,476 deaths , according to data from the Michigan @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Michigan as a whole has seen more than 78,500 confirmed cases and 6,154 deaths .
More than 57,500 people are considered recovered .
Residents have until July 31 to submit their photos .
They can submit them through email at [ email protected ] or by mail at Detroit Memorial 2020 , P.O .
Box 21761 , Detroit , MI 48221 , Cc : Rochelle Riley .
They can also be submitted online through the submission form .
The City Office of Arts , Culture and Entrepreneurship said it will continue to collect @ @ @ @ @ @ @ coronavirus after July 31 to be honored at a later date .
Jordyn Pair is a reporter with The Michigan Star .
Follow her on Twitter at @ JordynPair .
Email her at [ email protected ] Image “ Mayor Mike Duggan ” by Mayor Mike Duggan and “ Belle Isle Bridge ” by Joseph Novak CC2.0 .


thetennesseestar--2020-07-28--Ohio Supreme Court Upholds Death Penalty for Serial Killer

The Ohio Supreme Court upheld the conviction and death sentences of convicted serial killer Michael Madison last week .
Madison , who was convicted of murdering three women after confessing to killing one , claimed that he did not recall killing the two others .
The 2013 conviction was not without controversy however , as the defense took issue with several aspects of the prosecution including psychiatric reports , jury selection , and even the constitutionality of the death penalty .
The Ohio Supreme Court ’ s decision , written by Judge Pat Dewine , affirmed the convictions of all @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was convicted of .
The Supreme Court also refused to alter the sentences handed down at the time of trial .
Judge Dewine wrote , “ Over a nine-month period Michael Madison murdered three women in his East Cleveland apartment.
” The decision goes on to detail both the case and the murders , describing the discovery by police officers of a number of garbage bags containing the victims scattered near Madison ’ s home .
In interviews with detectives , Madison claimed he did not recall killing two of his three victims @ @ @ @ @ @ @ killed Shirellda Terry he was “ really drunk and high.
” He did , however , recall waking up next to her dead body and putting the body in his garage .
Madison claims to have no recollection whatsoever of the third murder .
A grand jury indicted Madison on fourteen different counts including multiple accounts of aggravated murder , kidnapping , and gross abuse of a corpse .
Madison was found guilty on all charges except for two counts of gross abuse of a corpse .
The Supreme court would later reverse @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the rest .
It is unclear when the sentence will be carried out or if Madison intends to continue his appeals .
Governor Dewine has stayed three death penalty cases until 2022 citing the difficulty Ohio is having attaining the pharmaceutical drugs used in lethal injections , meaning that it is unlikely Madison will face execution in the near future .
Ben Kolodny is a reporter for The Ohio Star and the Star News Network .
Follow Ben on Twitter .
Email tips to [ email protected ]