thetennesseestar--2020-08-09--Metro Nashville Council Member Wants People Not Wearing a Mask to Be Charged with Murder or Attempte

Metro Nashville Council Member Wants People Not Wearing a Mask to Be Charged with Murder or Attempted Murder

Metro Nashville At-Large Council Member Sharon Hurt said Wednesday during a virtual meeting of the Joint Pubic Safety and Health Committee that there should be stronger legislation for those not wearing masks and suggested they be charged with murder or attempted murder .
Hurt said that she works for an organization that , “ If they pass the virus , then they are tried for murder or attempted murder.
” Hurt thinks the same standard should apply to the general public .
“ This person who may very well pass this virus that ’ s out in the air because @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is basically doing the same thing to someone who contracts it and dies from it , ” she said .
“ Maybe there needs to be stronger legislation to say that if you do not wear a mask , and you subject exposure of this virus to someone else then there will be some stronger penalty as it is in other viruses that are exposed , ” the council member added .
Hurt ’ s suggestion comes as the Nashville-Davidson County COVID-19 dashboard indicates a recent decline in new daily cases of COVID-19 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
With regard to mask enforcement , Hurt was critical of the actions to date .
“ It seems to me that we have been more reactive as opposed to proactive and a little too late , too little , ” Hurt said .
Hurt had to be reminded by Metro Nashville ’ s Director of Legislative Affairs Mike Jameson , who also participated in the virtual meeting , whose jurisdiction it is to create a new code or class of criminal offenses .
“ The Council does not have the opportunity on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” he said .
“ In terms of creating a new code or class of criminal offenses , that is a creature of state law.
” Hurt expressed her disappointment , “ I was afraid that was going to be the answer.
” “ I guess that ’ s the whole point of asking for something to be done as early as the Council was pushing , ” she added .
“ It seems it was not taken as seriously as it should have been and thus we are in the situation we @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s proposal came the same day that Mayor John Cooper issued a statement that the Metro Nashville Police Department was ordered to issue citations to persons not complying with the Health Department ’ s mask order .
The new initiative involves increasing police presence on Friday and Saturday nights with 24 officers conducting walking patrols on Broadway from 3:30 p.m. to midnight .
An additional six officers will be on ATVs to stop and cite any “ transpotainment ” vehicles operating in violation of the Health Department ’ s prohibition .
The additional @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 19 school resource officers who have been on Broadway working on public mask compliance on prior Friday and Saturday nights since mid-July , the statement said .
Mayor Cooper once again enhanced his clampdown on Nashville ’ s main tourism attraction by prohibiting alcoholic beverage sale , possession or consumption except for on-premises or delivery through his Public Health Order 10 that went into effect Saturday .
The video of the Joint Pubic Safety and Health Committee can be watched here with Metro Council Member-At-Large Sharon Hurt beginning at the 1:01:40 mark .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ The Tennessee Star .
Photo “ Sharon Hurt ” by Sharon Hurt .

Metro Nashville At-Large Council Member Sharon Hurt said Wednesday during a virtual meeting of the Joint Public Safety and Health Committee that there should be stronger legislation for those not wearing masks and suggested they be charged with murder or attempted murder.
Hurt said that she works for an organization that, “If they pass the virus, then they are tried for murder or attempted murder.”
Hurt thinks the same standard should apply to the general public.
“This person who may very well pass this virus that’s out in the air because they’re not wearing a mask is basically doing the same thing to someone who contracts it and dies from it,” she said.
“Maybe there needs to be stronger legislation to say that if you do not wear a mask, and you subject exposure of this virus to someone else then there will be some stronger penalty as it is in other viruses that are exposed,” the council member added.
Nashville city councilwoman Sharon Hurt calls for legislation to charge people with murder for not wearing a mask (also claims coronavirus is airborne) She’s disappointed when she learns she can’t do this pic.twitter.com/7bRokB4crn — Roz ☀🇺🇸 (@PolitiKurd) August 8, 2020
Hurt’s suggestion comes as the Nashville-Davidson County COVID-19 dashboard indicates a recent decline in new daily cases of COVID-19 and a fatality rate of 0.9 percent.
With regard to mask enforcement, Hurt was critical of the actions to date.
“It seems to me that we have been more reactive as opposed to proactive and a little too late, too little,” Hurt said.
Hurt had to be reminded by Metro Nashville’s Director of Legislative Affairs Mike Jameson, who also participated in the virtual meeting, whose jurisdiction it is to create a new code or class of criminal offenses.
“The Council does not have the opportunity on its own to create criminal legislation,” he said. “In terms of creating a new code or class of criminal offenses, that is a creature of state law.”
Hurt expressed her disappointment, “I was afraid that was going to be the answer.”
“I guess that’s the whole point of asking for something to be done as early as the Council was pushing,” she added. “It seems it was not taken as seriously as it should have been and thus we are in the situation we are in right now.”
Hurt’s proposal came the same day that Mayor John Cooper issued a statement that the Metro Nashville Police Department was ordered to issue citations to persons not complying with the Health Department’s mask order.
The new initiative involves increasing police presence on Friday and Saturday nights with 24 officers conducting walking patrols on Broadway from 3:30 p.m. to midnight. An additional six officers will be on ATVs to stop and cite any “transpotainment” vehicles operating in violation of the Health Department’s prohibition.
The additional 30 officers is an increase over the 19 school resource officers who have been on Broadway working on public mask compliance on prior Friday and Saturday nights since mid-July, the statement said.
Mayor Cooper once again enhanced his clampdown on Nashville’s main tourism attraction by prohibiting alcoholic beverage sale, possession or consumption except for on-premises or delivery through his Public Health Order 10 that went into effect Saturday.
The video of the Joint Public Safety and Health Committee can be watched here with Metro Council Member-At-Large Sharon Hurt beginning at the 1:01:40 mark.
– – –
Laura Baigert is a senior reporter at The Tennessee Star.
Photo “Sharon Hurt” by Sharon Hurt.


thetennesseestar--2020-08-10--State Department of Education Will Provide $15 Million in Grants for Student Internet Access

Tennessee ’ s Department of Education has announced $ 15 million in matching grants to help school districts provide MiFi devices and data coverage for 100,000 student households without internet access .
MiFi devices access the internet over the cellular network using a procedure commonly referred to as “ tethering.
” Funds will go to school districts as a matching grant to provide an estimated 100,000 households with internet access for distance learning amid the coronavirus pandemic .
Priority will be given to households most in need .
“ 100,000 households , most of those households have multiple children who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Education Commissioner Penny Schwinn said during a news conference Thursday .
“ We think it ’ s incredibly important , not just to address the pandemic , but frankly for children to have access to that regularly .
We ’ re very excited.
” School districts purchasing devices for students will be able to request $ 150 per household as a reimbursement grant from the state , to be matched with local funds to purchase devices and coverage .
State funds will cover both devices and data charges for the first semester , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ coverage costs .
“ We know for those students who don ’ t have internet access , and who don ’ t have devices at home oftentimes are experiencing achievement gaps as it is , ” Schwinn said .
“ If they do not have that access , it is the responsibility of the district and of the state to find solutions to ensure that they do not fall farther behind .
We know how hard it is to catch up , and we just don ’ t have time to waste on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , school districts will determine the number of households without internet services in their district and the number of devices needed .
The state will provide $ 150 per household to the school district to provide a device , based on state contracted rates for MiFi devices and data coverage for the first semester .
This new funding comes in addition to a $ 50 million education technology grant , announced by Gov .
Bill Lee last month , that purchased more than 250,000 computers and tablets for students across the state .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ hub called Best For All Central with free professional development resources , instructional videos for teachers and school administration .
Additionally , the department launched a website of resources for families to help guide families though the remote learning process .
Vivian Jones reports on Tennessee and South Carolina for The Center Square .
Photo “ Studying Students ” by US Army .

A 17-year-old student allegedly opened fire Friday at a high school in Santa Fe, Texas, killing 10 people and wounding another 10, authorities said.
Texas Governor Greg Abbott said police found explosive devices, including a Molotov cocktail, at the suspected shooter’s home and a vehicle, as well as around the Santa Fe High School where the shooting took place.
Law enforcement officials said the suspect, Dimitrios Pagourtzis, a junior at the school, was being held without bond on a capital murder charge.
Abbott said the suspect originally intended to commit suicide following the shooting but told law enforcement officials after he was arrested that he didn’t have the courage to go through with killing himself.
The governor said two guns were used in the attack — a shotgun and a .38-caliber revolver. He said the suspect’s father legally owned both guns.It was not clear whether the father knew his son had taken the weapons.
Abbott said there were “one or two” other people of interest being interviewed about the shooting.
Galveston County Sheriff Henry Trochesset said, “Injured students and staff have been transported to local hospitals.” He also said an officer from the Santa Fe Independent School District was among those shot.
U.S. President Donald Trump described the shooting as an “absolutely horrific attack,” one of many that have “been going on too long in this country.” Trump told the victims and their families that “we’re with you in this tragic hour and we will be with you forever.” He vowed to get guns “out of the hands of those who pose a threat to themselves and to others.”
An unidentified male student described fleeing the school during an interview with KHOU-TV in Houston. He said that after he heard three shots, “we all took off in the back, and I tried to get into the trees. I didn’t want to be in sight. I heard four more shots, and then we jumped the fence to somebody’s house.”
An unidentified female student said tearfully on cable channel CNN, “Nobody should have to go through this. Nobody should have to feel that pain.”
Facebook post
Pagourtzis had posted an image on Facebook of himself wearing a “Born to Kill” shirt, but the motive for Friday’s attack wasn’t known.
Abbott saidthat unlike previous school shootings, “there were not those types of warning signs” about the Santa Fe suspect. The governor saidthe early investigation had found no prior criminal history for Pagourtzis.
“The red-flag warnings were either nonexistent or very imperceptible,” Abbott said, though he acknowledged Pagourtzis’ posting of the photo on Facebook.
That same Facebook profile described Pagourtzis as planning to enter the U.S. Marine Corps next year, but the Marine Corps told The Associated Press it had reviewed its records and had found no one by that name as either a recruit or a person in their delayed entry pool.
Classmates described Pagourtzis as quiet and an avid video game player who routinely wore a black trench coat and black boots to class. He had played football on the school’s junior varsity squad and danced as part of a church group. Those who know him expressed shock he might be involved in the killings.
Calls for action
The latest incident came about three months after a shooter with a semiautomatic rifle killed 17 students and school staff members at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. It was the third-deadliest school shooting in American history.
The Democratic leader of the U.S. House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi, said urgent action was needed to prevent gun violence.
“Congress must show as much courage as they have, and act now to ensure that no other community or family must endure the unthinkable horror of gun violence. Our children deserve real leadership: a vote to prevent gun violence now.”
Republican House Speaker Paul Ryan of Wisconsin said Congress must implement reforms that lawmakers recently passed “to make schools safer and keep deadly weapons away from those who should not have them.”
“Our hearts are filled with grief over this horrific loss of life,” he added.
Santa Fe is located in southeastern Texas between the cities of Houston and Galveston.
– – –
Some information for this report came from Associated Press.
VOA News


thetennesseestar--2020-08-10--Commentary: Adam Laxalt on Nevada Democrats’ Election Theft Scheme

Our friend Morning in Nevada PAC President Adam Laxalt has alerted us to the details of the “ election reform ” measure Nevada Governor Steve Sisolak and the Democrat-controlled legislature rushed through in an emergency special session — on a party-line vote , in just a 48-hour period over the weekend , with no members of the public present , and under the cover of night .
And it ’ s even worse than we thought .
Mr. Laxalt says there are so many problems with this “ reform , ” not only in how it was passed , but @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as its being just the latest example of the Governor ’ s inconsistent and self-contradictory approach to the COVID outbreak ( much more on the latter topic in ITEM 2 , below ) .
Especially troubling is the way it will leave Nevada ’ s elections susceptible to rampant fraud this November , thanks to its radical embrace of universal mail-in voting as well as California-style “ ballot harvesting.
” As Adam Laxalt put it in an op-ed for RealClearPolitics : “ All of this adds up to strong reason for Nevadans to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ their vote this November .
… What [ Democrats have ] just done constitutes a shameful , dangerous , and hyper-partisan assault on election integrity in our state.
” Some of the measure ’ s most dangerous provisions include : Requiring that all active voters receive a mail ballot , whether they ’ ve requested one or not .
Providing that ballots received by election officials without a postmark for up to three days after Election Day be considered valid by default .
Allowing ballot harvesting on a broad scale , and for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ single envelope with only a single signature required on the envelope , and no signature requirement for the enclosed individual ballots — leaving it to the discretion of election officials to decide whether the votes should count .
Allowing for an individual to sign a ballot on another ’ s behalf .
And allowing for drop boxes for collecting ballots with no signature requirement — an especially dangerous form of ballot harvesting , which conventionally at least requires a signature .
Laxalt summed things up this way : And of course , it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ expect to be able to leverage the new vulnerabilities in our election system in order to cheat their way to victory this November .
It was all just begging for a legal challenge .
ITEM # 1 : Fortunately , it didn ’ t take long for such an effort to get under way .
The President deserves a lot of credit for his leadership in elevating this issue , said Laxalt , including early on , when he retweeted Laxalt ’ s initial tweet in response to the bill : Laxalt ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ likes and 16,500 retweets , and the tweet has 1.6 million impressions as of this writing — making it clear that people here in Nevada and indeed all across the country are rightly fired up over this issue .
ABC News Chief Political Analyst Matthew Dowd , not surprisingly , took issue with Laxalt ’ s tweet , responding : “ Ummm , they are trying to make it easier for all to vote .
Why is that a problem ?
” Don ’ t worry , said Mr. Laxalt , we ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ below .
ITEM # 2 : “ Consistency in responding to COVID has never been Gov .
Sisolak ’ s strong suit , ” Laxalt observed in his op-ed .
Boy is that ever true .
Laxalt drove home this point in an interview about the “ election reform ” bill this week with Fox News ’ Laura Ingraham , noting : Click this link to watch the full interview .
Expounding further in his RealClearPolitics op-ed , Laxalt wrote : Laxalt ’ s take on Gov .
Sisolak ’ s mind-boggling inconsistency @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Clearly , the Governor ’ s standard in making these decisions is whatever he feels like — and whatever best conforms to his partisan political agenda — on a given day .
ITEM # 3 : As you ’ d expect , the left is already circling the wagons in defense of the bill .
Matthew Dowd , mentioned above , is just one of many examples .
As we ’ ve noted several times before , the fact that mail-in voting increases the risk of voter fraud has long been recognized across @ @ @ @ @ @ @ recently that Democrats and their friends in the press have made it a partisan issue in order to advance their own interests .
A bipartisan report of the Commission on Federal Election Reform , which was chaired by former President Jimmy Carter and James Baker III , found that “ vote buying schemes are far more difficult to detect when citizens vote by mail.
” And even the New York Times acknowledged that “ there is a bipartisan consensus that voting by mail … is more easily abused than other forms.
” Now @ @ @ @ @ @ @ evidence of this bipartisan consensus , and discussed it on his show this week .
As the show ’ s synopsis reads : “ Democrats Jerry Nadler and Debbie Wasserman-Schultz have both gone on the record years ago to say that paper ballots are highly susceptible to fraud .
Yet , the Democrats are pushing for voting by mail with paper ballots , not with voting machines that leave a paper trail.
” You can listen to the show here .
ITEM # 4 : By the way… did you see this ?
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ confident that the Postal Service will perform its crucial role in an all-mail voting scheme with complete honesty , diligence and fairness , said Laxalt .
ITEM # 5 : Democrats and their media parrots like to argue that concerns over mail-in voting are overblown and politically motivated .
They claim there ’ s no reason to believe that when put into practice , it will actually lead to any problems .
Well , one reporter decided to put it to the test .
Writing for Townhall , Beth Baumann shares an illuminating @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in Pennsylvania decided to conduct an experiment .
The reporter ’ s team set up a PO Box and mailed numerous sets of fake ballots all across Philadelphia .
The idea was to simulate people returning ballots to the local election office .
They initially mailed 100 mock ballots .
Two days later , they mailed another 100 ballots .
The PO box was checked a week later .
“ When the reporter opened up the PO box , there was a slip saying the box owner had to pick up the mail @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reporter went to retrieve the mail , the postmaster told him there was nothing back there .
“ ‘ I don ’ t see anything there for you , ’ the woman behind the counter said .
“ The reporter eventually talked to a manager , explained what they were doing and suddenly she found a box of mock ballots that were ‘ somewhere else.
’ “ As the reporter went through the mail , it was discovered they obtained two pieces of someone else ’ s mail , including a birthday card @ @ @ @ @ @ @ percent of all the mock ballots hadn ’ t materialized after four days .
The first batch , which had been sent out a week prior , also had some ballots missing .
“ ‘ So out of our 100 ballots , 97 arrived , which sounds pretty good , unless you consider the fact that means that three people that tried to vote by mail in our mock election were , in fact , disenfranchised by mail , ’ the reporter stated .
“ Three percent may not sound like a lot @ @ @ @ @ @ @ especially when elections are close.
” Just imagine the consequences if this were to be played out across an entire state — or , indeed , the entire country .
ITEM # 6 : Even if one grants that mail-in voting won ’ t intentionally be manipulated ( a highly dubious premise , but let ’ s go with it for the sake of argument ) , there are serious practical problems with such an approach .
Here ’ s Laxalt again from his op-ed : For more on the New York disaster @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Goodwin , who reports that , “ Five weeks after the Democratic primaries , no winners have been declared.
” Do Nevadans understand the disaster Democrats have just set Silver State voters up for ?
As President Trump tweeted , “ Nevada has zero infrastructure for mail-in voting .
It will be a corrupt disaster if not ended by the courts .
It will take months , or years , to figure out.
” We are with President Trump , Adam Laxalt and Morning in Nevada PAC on the dangers of the Nevada @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
If you ’ d like to learn more about Adam Laxalt ’ s fight to preserve free and fair elections in Nevada go to Morning in Nevada PAC .


thetennesseestar--2020-08-10--Metro Nashville Councilwoman Sharon Hurt in Her Own Words on Stronger Penalties for Violators of Mas

Metro Nashville Councilwoman Sharon Hurt in Her Own Words on Stronger Penalties for Violators of Mask Mandate

Nashville Metro Councilwoman Sharon Hurt attended a special joint meeting of the Public Safety and Health committee recently where she seemed to make the case that a violation of the city ’ s mask mandate should carry with it a heavy penalty up to and including murder or attempted murder .
Here is the transcript of her remarks : Sharon W. Hurt : Thank you so much .
My question goes back to legislation .
And I don ’ t know if Mike Jameson can be the one to answer the question .
But my concern is , you know @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that if they pass a virus then they are tried for murder or attempted murder if they are not told .
And this person who may very well pass this virus that ’ s out in the air because they are not wearing a mask is basically doing the same thing to someone who contracts it and dies from it .
It seems to me that we have been more reactive as opposed to pro-active and a little too late too little .
So my thing is that maybe there should be legislation @ @ @ @ @ @ @ t know if Mike Jameson can speak to it .
But maybe there needs to be stronger legislation to say that if you do not wear a mask and you subject exposure of this virus to someone else then there will be some stronger penalty as it is in other viruses that are exposed .
Mike Jameson : Thank you , councilwoman Hurt .
Officers do have the discretion that if they encounter someone who is frequently violated the mask ordinance to take the conduct of that individual at hand and issue other @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for example , disorderly conduct or even potentially assault .
You may have read about the episode where there was allegedly un-intentional coughing by someone into the face of another .
The restraint we have is that the council does not have the opportunity on its own to create criminal legislation .
That is a state creature .
We ’ re warranted by state law to apply criminal applications to violations .
Just for example , as the state law allows us to apply to say Class C misdemeanors to health director ordered @ @ @ @ @ @ @ new code or class of criminal offenses that is a creature of state law .
Moderator : Thank you , Mr. Jameson .
Do you have anything further councilwoman Hurt ?
Hurt : No .
I was afraid that that was going to be the answer .
I guess that ’ s the whole point of asking for something to be done as early as the council was pushing .
You know , it seems that it wasn ’ t taken as seriously as it should have been .
And thus we are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ now .
Watch the full video here ; Ms. Hurt appears at about 1:01:00 hr :


thetennesseestar--2020-08-10--Some Parents Turn to Micro-Schooling as Back-to-School Debate Rages

As states and school districts continue to change their back-to-school policies due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the national debate rages over in-person or virtual learning for instruction , some parents have taken their children ’ s education into their own hands .
A new form of quasi-homeschooling , called micro-schooling , is emerging .
In this not-so-new format , neighboring families have decided to educate their children in a modern version of the 19th century era one-room schoolhouse .
“ What makes a modern micro-school different from a 19th century , one-room schoolhouse is that old school schools only @ @ @ @ @ @ @ certainly no software , no tutors , and probably less structure around student to student learning , ” Chandler says .
“ In a modern micro-school , there are ways to get good data from each of these venues .
And the great micro-school of the future will lean on well-designed software to help adults evaluate where each kid is learning.
” Micro-schooling can involve 10 students or less , all at varying ages .
The structure allows for extreme flexibility , proponents argue , and the content and approach to learning is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ model of a micro school is evolving , ” the Micro School Network states .
“ Most are characterized by small learning communities made up of students working in mixed age groups .
Teachers in micro schools do more guiding and less lecturing , and there is extensive use of digital and online resources to create personalized learning paths .
Micro schools tend to emphasize project-based learning and community involvement.
” The network provides a platform for families to locate the right school for their children , as well as educational resources .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ parents locate the best microschool for their child ’ s needs .
They can search according to a student ’ s age , type of school , school attributes , and zip code .
Microschooling allows for personalized learning and individual attention with teachers , while also enabling students to learn in a multiage environment , Nevada Action for School Optionsexplains .
Instruction includes core classes of English language arts , math , science , and social studies , but also includes outdoor and other activities tailored to meet the students ’ needs @ @ @ @ @ @ @ June and created a survey to help match parents and families with schooling options that best fit their needs .
“ Families can do this , parents can lead microschools , ” says Ashley Campbell , chief of staff at Nevada Action for School Options .
“ While opening up a schooling group might seem intimidating , parents leading these groups are doing amazing things all over the country , and it really is easier than you might think.
” Campbell says that while there are many licensed teachers opening micro-schools this fall @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be licensed teachers to lead or participate in one .
Micro-schooling takes different forms in different states depending on state laws .
In Arizona , they operate as charter schools , in other states , as private schools .
Some families view micro-schooling as a permanent solution to their ongoing frustration with traditional schools not meeting their children ’ s needs .
Others see it as a flexible , temporary solution to an immediate problem .
A recent Ipsos poll found that more than half of the respondents who are parents with a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ somewhat likely to switch to at-home learning .
Bethany Blankley is a contributor to The Center Square .


thetennesseestar--2020-08-10--Lindsey Graham: Memo Shows FBI Lied to Senate About Dossier Source

Sen. Lindsey Graham on Sunday released an FBI memo from 2018 that he says shows investigators lied to the Senate about statements that the primary source for the Steele dossier told the FBI regarding the salacious document .
“ This document clearly shows that the FBI was continuing to mislead regarding the reliability of the Steele dossier , ” Graham said in a statement announcing the release of an eight-page briefing document that the FBI provided to the Senate Intelligence Committee in February 2018 .
The memo summarizes what Igor Danchenko , the primary source for dossier author Christopher Steele @ @ @ @ @ @ @ early 2017 .
Steele relied primarily on Danchenko , a Russia analyst , to collect information for an investigation into Donald Trump ’ s possible ties to Russia .
Steele , a former MI6 officer , provided parts of the dossier to the FBI , which used the information in applications to conduct surveillance against Trump campaign aide Carter Page .
A Justice Department inspector general ’ s report found that the FBI withheld information that undercut the reliability of Steele and the dossier .
The IG report said Danchenko ’ s statements @ @ @ @ @ @ @ about the reliability ” of Steele ’ s reports .
According to Graham , the newly declassified FBI memo shows that the bureau did not disclose any of the dossier ’ s red flags in the Senate Intelligence briefing document .
“ Somebody needs to go to jail for this , ” Graham said Sunday .
“ They lied to the FISA court .
They got rebuked , the FBI did in 2019 , by the FISA court putting in doubt all FISA applications , the FISA court just ripped a new one @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they ’ re lying to the Senate Intel committee .
It ’ s just amazing , the compounding of the lies.
” Graham took issue with two lines from the FBI memo , which he said was written in February or March 2018 .
“ At minimum , our discussions with [ redacted ] confirm that the dossier was not fabricated by Steele , ” the memo says .
It also said that Danchenko “ did not cite any significant concerns with the way his reporting was characterized in the dossier to the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ says both statements are inaccurate .
He pointed to Danchenko ’ s remarks to the FBI that he did not recognize some of the information that Steele attributed to him and his sub-sources in the dossier .
Several of the dossier ’ s most explosive allegations have been debunked .
One of those was Steele ’ s claim that former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen visited Prague in August 2018 to meet with Kremlin insiders to arrange payments to Russian hackers .
The IG report said the FBI determined by February 2017 that the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not visit Prague .
The time period for the FBI briefing to the Senate Intelligence Committee was a chaotic one in the investigation of the dossier .
In February 2018 , both Republicans and Democrats on the House Intelligence Committee released dueling memos regarding the dossier .
Republicans asserted that the FBI relied heavily on Steele ’ s information to surveil Page , but that investigators had failed to verify any of the dossier ’ s allegations .


thetennesseestar--2020-08-10--Commentary: Joe Biden Is the Man Who Wasn’t There

Those things with which we are most familiar are often hardest to see .
This is perhaps particularly true of such fraught subjects as politics .
There we are every day staring at the same people , reading news stories that are virtually indistinguishable from one another , and what do we know ?
Our situation is similar to Alice ’ s in Through the Looking Glass when she finds herself in a shop that seemed full of curious things .
“ [ T ] he oddest part of it all was , that whenever she looked hard at any @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it had on it , that particular shelf was always quite empty : though the others round it were crowded as full as they could hold.
” I feel that way about Joe Biden .
Gertrude Stein once quipped of her native Oakland , California , “ there is no there there.
” Isn ’ t that how it is with Joe Biden ?
He doesn ’ t make gaffes ; he is a gaffe , poor thing .
( I ’ ve expatiated on this elsewhere . )
I suspect that most @ @ @ @ @ @ @ aisle they occupy , do not really see Joe Biden – especially when , like Alice , they are looking directly at him .
They need to manage a sidelong glance , a sudden shift of perspective to catch his drift ( and I employ the word “ drift ” advisedly ) .
This was brought home to me by an article that appeared a few days ago in Le Figaro , the biggest newspaper in France .
The headline summed up its burden : “ La stupéfiante indulgence des grands médias américains @ @ @ @ @ @ @ stupefying indulgence of big American media towards Joe Biden.
” The author evinced no pro-Trump sympathies .
On the contrary .
Yet he wrote in amazement at the seamless media distortion that worked to disparage Trump while excusing Biden – a process that “ va jusqu ’ à l ’ occultation des faits ” – goes so far ( add an expression of amazement ) as to conceal the facts .
Back in 1987 , the revelation that Biden had plagiarized a speech by the British Labour Party leader Neil Kinnock destroyed his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ think of Gertrude Stein again : it ’ s critical , she said , to “ know how far to go in going too far.
” Biden didn ’ t .
Not only did he appropriate whole passages of Kinnock ’ s speech , he even repeated the boast-bid-for-sympathy-declaration-of-authenticity that came with the claim of being a miner ’ s son .
Kinnock was .
Joe ’ s dad ran a car dealership .
( Joe revisited the miner meme a few years later when he said that he was “ a hard @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his campaign explained away as a joke .
Detractors of President Trump like to say he is an inveterate liar .
Usually , what they have called lies are what the rest of us would call exaggerations .
But with Joe , the mendacity is something else entirely .
Back in 2019 , before it became clear that Joe was to be the Democratic nominee , even the Washington Post went to town on some of Joe ’ s whoppers .
For example , at a political rally in New Hampshire , Joe @ @ @ @ @ @ @ asked the then-vice president to travel to Kunar province in Afghanistan to recognize the remarkable heroism of a Navy captain .
“ We can lose a vice president , ” said Joe , bravely .
“ We can ’ t lose many more of these kids .
Not a joke.
” It was a good story : the Navy captain had rappelled down a ravine “ under fire ” and retrieved the body of an American comrade , “ carrying him on his back.
” Biden was there to pin a Silver Star @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ My word as a Biden , ” indeed .
Every single detail of the story is wrong .
Biden went to Kunar in 2008 , as a senator , not later as vice-president .
The chap who made the rescue was a 20-year-old Army specialist , not a captain .
And Biden never pinned any sort of medal on him .
The article in Le Figaro notes that the American media has generally covered for Democrats while castigating Republicans .
Just think of their worshipful treatment of JFK and demonization of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ affair with all things Kennedy reached back to JFK ’ s father – Hitler ’ s favorite U.S. ambassador – and forward to Teddy “ Chappaquiddick ” “ waitress sandwich ” Kennedy and beyond .
And of course , the media positively fawned over Barack Obama while snarling endlessly at George W. Bush .
But there is something different and more extreme about the indulgence lavished upon Joe Biden and the obloquy heaped upon President Trump .
Le Figaro quotes Joel Kotkin , an outspoken opponent of Trump ’ s , who nevertheless @ @ @ @ @ @ @ president treated the way he was .
The effort to remove him was already being considered before he even set foot in the White House !
” Meanwhile , Joe Biden , endeavoring to ingratiate himself with black voters , claims that he was arrested by South African police while attempting to visit Nelson Mandela .
But he wasn ’ t and he didn ’ t .
“ Invention , ” Figaro notes , “ du début à la fin.
” In one sense , the article in Le Figaro tells us nothing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ And yet it reveals a rift or fissure in The Narrative that is obvious to everyone outside the bubble , outside the echo chamber of American punditocracy .
Joe Biden is toast .
Already the polls , rigged though most of them are , are tightening .
President Trump is calmly stealing the Democrats ’ thunder , issuing executive orders on everything from payroll tax cuts to instituting a moratorium on evictions .
Coronavirus hysteria has , at least for now , prevented the president from deploying his biggest vote-getter , the huge @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is outflanking poor Biden on every front .
The curious thing is that the Democrats do not seem to have twigged to this reality .
They are like Alice in that shop of curiosities .
They look straight ahead but can not see what is staring them in the face .
They should give CNN , MSNBC , the New York Times , and the Washington Post a rest .
Their “ news ” comes from the same mendacious cloaca maxima .
A glance abroad , even at some Trump-skeptic publications , would @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Kimball is editor and publisher of The New Criterion and the president and publisher of Encounter Books .
He is the author and editor of many books , including The Fortunes of Permanence : Culture and Anarchy in an Age of Amnesia ( St. Augustine ’ s Press ) , The Rape of the Masters ( Encounter ) , Lives of the Mind : The Use and Abuse of Intelligence from Hegel to Wodehouse ( Ivan R. Dee ) , and Art ’ s Prospect : The Challenge of Tradition in an Age @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Photo “ Joe Biden ” by Gage Skidmore CC2.0 .


thetennesseestar--2020-08-10--Arizona, Florida, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin Brace for Record 2020 Turnout, Won’t Say When Election

Arizona, Florida, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin Brace for Record 2020 Turnout, Won’t Say When Election Results Will Be Available

Election officials in three battleground states wouldn ’ t say when the U.S. can expect the results from November ’ s presidential race , and an official in a fourth state said the timing is uncertain .
Numerous news reports have indicated that election results could take a week to return due to the coronavirus pandemic and an increased reliance on mail-in ballots .
Accuracy and timing will be especially crucial in the battleground states that will likely determine whether President Donald Trump will serve another term or be ousted by former Vice President Joe Biden .
But in three @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and Pennsylvania , election officials didn ’ t respond to repeated inquiries asking how quickly after polls close on Nov. 3 the states will be able to announce the presidential winner .
A Florida elections official told the Daily Caller News Foundation he would provide information , but never followed through , even after numerous reminders .
In a fourth state , Wisconsin , an election official said he didn ’ t know when results would be announced .
“ I think at this point we ’ re not certain , ” Reid @ @ @ @ @ @ @ typical Wisconsin election is over 3 million ballots , which is over 70 % of the voting age population .
It depends on what percentage of those voters vote absentee.
” And in Michigan and North Carolina , election officials told the DCNF they are taking steps to prepare not only for record amounts of absentee ballots , but to ensure that results would be delivered accurately and timely .
North Carolina official Pat Gannon said the state will provide results the night of the election , thanks to expansions for early voting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ workers and more , the DCNF previously reported .
In Wisconsin , the state ’ s election commission has allocated “ several million dollars ” towards personal protective equipment ( PPE ) , including masks , hand sanitizers , plexiglass barriers and more , for polling places , training poll workers , enhancing mail-in ballot security and more , Reid Magney , a spokesman for the commission , told the DCNF , though he did not provide an exact figure .
Magney said the state ’ s decentralized electoral process makes it “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ occur , ” but added that he could not say for sure whether the precincts would be able to report their results in a timely manner .
He also pointed to the state ’ s upcoming down-ballot primary on Tuesday , which he said would be “ a good dry run for election day.
” The election comes four months after the state ’ s presidential primary in April , which was widely criticized for putting voters and poll workers ’ health at risk over coronavirus concerns after the Wisconsin ’ s Supreme @ @ @ @ @ @ @ far , the state has already received 400,000 absentee ballots for the election , a sign that turnout in November is likely to shatter records regarding the amount of absentee ballots , as well as overall turnout records , Magney said .
“ I can tell you this .
The electorate is energized and wants to have a say , ” he told the DCNF .
In Michigan , Tracy Wimmer , a Secretary of State spokeswoman , said that a record $ 11 million had been allocated across the state to provide @ @ @ @ @ @ @ high-speed ballot tabulators and more , all with the goal of ensuring timely and accurate results .
“ That infrastructure is in place , ” Wimmer told the DCNF .
Michigan also launched its “ Democracy MVP ” campaign in April in order to better recruit and train poll workers , Wimmer said .
Through Friday , the campaign had recruited over 6,500 hundred workers , many of whom helped run the polls during Tuesday ’ s primary , which she described as a “ huge success.
” Not only did Michigan succeed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ accurately , but they did it with record turnout , Wimmer said .
Over 2.5 million Michiganders voted in the primary , of which 1.6 million voted by mail .
Despite the August primary proceeding smoothly , Wimmer cautioned that Michigan still has work to do in preparing for November , including a pending bill that would allow poll workers to begin tallying absentee ballots a few days in advance in order to better ensure that delays are avoided .
Despite the bill having the support of Democratic Gov .
Gretchen Whitmer and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the state legislature have not indicated that they will support it , Wimmer told the DCNF .
Though Michigan is likely to be remarkably close in November , the Secretary of State ’ s office is prepared for the likely record-high turnout , even if most ballots arrive by mail , Wimmer said .
“ Turnout has been predicted to double or even triple , and we are preparing for that possibility , ” she told the DCNF .


thetennesseestar--2020-08-10--Three Hundred Female Athletes Support Idaho’s Barring of Biological Males from Women’s Sports

More than 300 female athletes are speaking out in support of Idaho ’ s decision to protect women ’ s sports from biological men .
Female professional , Olympic , and National Collegiate Athletic Association athletes on July 29 sent a letter to the NCAA board of governors asking it to reject calls from LGBT activists to boycott Idaho over its new law protecting women ’ s athletics from participation by transgender biological males .
“ We do not want to watch our athletic achievements be erased from the history books by individuals with all the inherent athletic advantages that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Save Women ’ s Sports wrote in its letter .
On March 30 , Idaho Gov .
Brad Little signed the Fairness in Women ’ s Sports Act , making Idaho the first state to pass legislation preventing biological males from competing in women ’ s sports .
The American Civil Liberties Union filed a lawsuit against Idaho less than three weeks after Little signed the bill .
Now , the ACLU has asked the NCAA to boycott Idaho until the Fairness in Women ’ s Sports Act is repealed or amended to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ women .
In the letter , Save Women ’ s Sports reminds the NCAA that there are innate physical differences between men and women and that even “ testosterone suppression does not undo these physiological advantages.
” Allyson Felix is an American track and field athlete who has won six Olympic gold medals and three silver medals .
After competing in four Olympic Games , Felix is the “ undisputed queen of the track , ” according to Olympic.org .
At the 2012 London Summer Games , Felix ran the 200 meters in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ By comparison , South Africa ’ s Anaso Jobodwana finished eighth in the men ’ s 200 meters with a time of 20.69 , more than a second faster than Felix ’ s first-place time .
“ Even the world ’ s best female Olympic athletes would lose to literally thousands of male athletes , ” the letter states .
For veterans of the women ’ s sports fight like Sandra Bucha , a member of the International Swimming Hall of Fame , signing the letter to the NCAA was a no-brainer .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ against females , “ you are once again discriminating against girls , ” Bucha said in an interview on The Daily Signal ’ s “ Problematic Women ” podcast Thursday .
In the 1960s , Bucha was a talented competitive swimmer , but there were no female swim teams in the state of Illinois .
She qualified to train with the boys , but was not permitted to swim in her school ’ s all-male swim competitions .
Before her senior year , Bucha filed a lawsuit against the Illinois High School Association @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with the boys swim team .
She lost the suit .
She was represented by the ACLU in her court battle in 1972 .
Today , the ACLU is “ asking for the state of Idaho to be boycotted simply because it is not allowing men to compete against women in women ’ s sports , ” Bucha said .
She added that the boycott effort “ completely reverses the purpose and intent of Title IX and that for which I fought so strongly back in the ’ 70s.
” The passage of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the breakthrough so many female athletes had waited for .
Title IX requires that any institution that receives federal funding , such as schools , must provide equal opportunity to women , including in the field of sports .
The Women ’ s Sports Foundation reported that before Title IX was passed , only 1 in every 27 girls in America played sports .
By 2016 , that number had grown to 2 of every 5 girls .
“ I certainly don ’ t want to see the clock turned back , where @ @ @ @ @ @ @ IX forward are now being discriminated against by the same folks that advocated for them so many years ago , ” Bucha said .
Virginia Allen is a news producer for The Daily Signal .
She is the co-host of The Daily Signal Podcast and Problematic Women .


thetennesseestar--2020-08-10--Bikers Flock to the 80th Sturgis Motorcycle Rally with Few Signs of Pandemic

STURGIS , South Dakota ( AP ) — The coronavirus may be changing the world , but there aren ’ t many signs of the pandemic at the massive annual motorcycle rally being held this week at a small city along Interstate 90 in western South Dakota .
The scene Saturday at the 80th Sturgis Motorcycle Rally was familiar to veterans of the event , with throngs of maskless bikers packing the streets .
Motorcyclist Kevin Lunsmann , 63 , rode more than 600 miles ( 965 kilometers ) to the rally from Big Lake , Minnesota , with several @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Sturgis event every year since 2003 and didn ’ t want to miss the 80th , despite being “ somewhat ” concerned about the coronavirus .
Still , the crowds of people and rows of bikes surprised him .
He said there was no difference from previous years “ other than a few people wearing masks.
” Lunsmann said he was avoiding the bars and nightclubs that line the city ’ s main drag this year , but many others were not .
They were filled with revelers as the sun set @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to be smaller , perhaps half the size of a normal year , when some half-million people from across the country roar into a town whose population is around 7,000 .
The sheer numbers raise the prospect that this year ’ s rally could spread the COVID-19 virus in a state with no special limits on indoor crowds , no mask mandates , and a governor who is eager to welcome visitors and their money .
“ Screw COVID , ” read the design on one T-shirt being hawked at the event .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ Graham , 71 , was one of the few people wearing masks as he walked along Main Street .
“ We don ’ t want the virus .
We want to come up here a few more years yet , ” Graham said .
Graham made his 36th annual trip to Sturgis from Central City , Nebraska , with his wife , calling it “ kind of like our therapy for the year.
” For Stephen Sample , who rode his Harley from Arizona , the event was a break from the routine @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he ’ s been mostly homebound or wearing a mask when he went to work as a surveyor .
“ I don ’ t want to die , but I don ’ t want to be cooped up all my life either , ” he said .
Sample was aware his trip to the rally could end in the hospital , which seemed to weigh on him .
“ This is a major experiment , ” he said .
“ It could be a major mistake.
” Republican Gov .
Kristi Noem has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pandemic , avoiding a mask mandate and preaching personal responsibility .
She supported holding the rally .
Daily virus cases have been trending upward in South Dakota , but the seven-day average is still only around 84 , with fewer than two deaths per day .
Sturgis officials plan to mass test residents to try to detect and halt outbreaks , but the area ’ s largest hospital system is already burdened with the influx of tourists and bikers who inevitably need medical care during this time .
Marsha Schmid , who owns @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was trying to keep her bar and restaurant from becoming a virus hot spot by spacing out indoor tables and offering plenty of hand sanitizer .
She also scaled back the number of bands hired for the rally , hoping the crowds would stay thin but still spend the cash that keeps her business viable for the rest of the year .
“ You ’ ve got people coming from all over the world , ” she said .
“ I just hope they are being responsible and if they don ’ t @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Steven Groves is a reporter with The Associated Press .
About the Headline Photo : Thousands of bikers rode through the streets for the opening day of the 80th annual Sturgis Motorcycle rally Friday , Aug. 7 , 2020 , in Sturgis , S.D .
( AP Photo/Stephen Groves )


thetennesseestar--2020-08-10--Analysis: Churches in Danger of Self-Destructing for ‘COVID Safety’

A large swath of U.S. churches have not reopened for in-person services even though they have legal license to do so .
It ’ s a decision that may very well spell destruction — with dwindling congregations and empty coffers — but it ’ s a decision many pastors are making nonetheless .
Almost one-third of church-going adults , 31 percent , attend a church which was still closed for public worship as of mid-July , according to a survey from the Pew Research Center published Thursday .
In addition , half of church-going adults ( those who attend services @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they have not attended any in-person religious services for the past month .
At the time of the survey , July 13-19 , public worship was permitted everywhere in the United States except in some counties in California .
Owing to the politicization of virus restrictions , the decision to reopen a church for public worship has also become political .
Left-leaning churches are more likely to stay closed because the political Left favors greater coronavirus restrictions than the Right .
Right-leaning churches are more likely to reopen , a phenomenon shown in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for opening prematurely tended to lean to the Right .
Mainline Protestants , who lean Democrat , were more likely to tell Pew their churches remained closed than Evangelical Protestants , who lean Republican .
Additionally , Democrats were more likely to say their church remained closed than Republicans : 42 percent of Democrats said their church is closed compared to 23 percent of Republicans who said the same , a divide reflecting a greater proportion of churches with more left-leaning congregants remaining closed .
Two Christian denominations in Milwaukee , Wisconsin , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in Milwaukee affiliated with the theologically and socially conservative Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod have reopened , while almost no churches in Milwaukee affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America ( ELCA ) , which is theologically liberal and whose members lean Democrat , have reopened .
Churches in both denominations are free to make their own decision about reopening .
Fourteen out of 17 churches in Milwaukee affiliated with the ELCA are still closed for public worship and are only streaming worship services online .
The churches that are closed justify the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ those at risk of catching the virus .
For instance , Cross Lutheran Church in Milwaukee justifies its suspension of all in-person worship and meetings with this sentence : “ Together , we do our part to protect God ’ s people during the COVID 19 crisis.
” Unity Lutheran Church in Milwaukee , also of the ELCA , is continuing services with only YouTube videos of the long-haired Pastor Kevan Penvose preaching , praying , and performing songs on his guitar from the comfort of his home .
Unity Lutheran ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ thus far garnered 17 views , leaving one to wonder how a congregation could sustain itself financially through five months of that .
Immanuel Lutheran Church in Milwaukee , also physically closed and affiliated with the ELCA , has disseminated instructions to congregants on how they can bake their own communion wafers and consecrate the wafers themselves , giving congregants the ultimate reason to never return to church .
According to Pew , most churches that have reopened are practicing safety precautions like having parishioners wear masks , social distance , and avoid @ @ @ @ @ @ @ number of people who can attend services .
Despite the availability of these precautions , many pastors have deemed the risk of spreading the virus to be too great to hold public worship .
In the majority of cases , it is a sacrifice for a church to remain closed .
It makes it much more difficult for a pastor to engage with worshippers , causing members to lose their connection to the church .
In fact , only 30 percent of practicing Christians communicated with their pastor at all during the month @ @ @ @ @ @ @ closed ) , according to a survey by the Barna Group .
Without this interpersonal connection , churchgoers lose the incentive to fund their parish to support their pastor .
Additionally , a church that operates only online can not maintain the same kind of community that comes with in-person interactions .
The lack of a weekly bible study or a monthly church picnic , and especially the lack of an in-person worship service , leads to a fractured church with no real ties with one another .
This in turn causes a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ local community and in people ’ s lives .
However , in some cases a church has actually found that it is more successful as an online parish because it can draw worshippers from outside its local community with superior audiovisual technology and an active online community .
But this success only causes dwindling numbers and reduced donations for parishes that are unable to provide the same online experience .
Pastors know their churches could be destroyed by staying closed , but they ’ re still keeping their doors locked .
Evidently , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ possible restrictions should be taken to protect people from COVID-19 remain strong .
But by keeping their churches closed , ostensibly out of charity towards others , pastors may very well cause the end of their local church and contribute to the decline of Christianity in America .
Ellie Gardey is a senior at the University of Notre Dame and an intern at The American Spectator through the Intercollegiate Studies Institute ’ s Collegiate Network .


thetennesseestar--2020-08-10--Memphis Police Must Continue to Live in City, Per City Council

Memphis Police officers will be required to live in the city , whether they like it or not .
Memphis City Council members approved an ordinance this month that removed the question of residency from the November 2020 ballot .
Specifically , the approved ordinance rescinds Referendum Ordinance No .
5744 , which might have allowed specified personnel employed within the Divisions of Police and Fire Services to reside 50 miles outside of the City of Memphis .
Memphis City Council Chairwoman Patrice Robinson announced this in an emailed newsletter to her constituents late last week .
“ In short @ @ @ @ @ @ @ our diverse neighborhoods should also call these places home , fulltime .
At present , we support current residency requirements allowing public safety employees to live within Shelby County , and no further , ” Robinson said .
“ However , the possibility of specified personnel within the Divisions of Police and Fire Services living in Arkansas or Mississippi does not align with our long-term goals , namely working to reform public safety policies to help achieve improved outcomes , and relationships , between public safety employees and our local citizenry , many @ @ @ @ @ @ @ our public safety institutions.
” Robinson went on to say that the city will focus on recruiting police rather than retaining them .
As The Tennessee Star reported last November , Memphis has a shortage of police officers .
City Council members , as reported in June , advocate for Campaign Zero , a group that ultimately wants to do away with the police .
And council members want their local police officers and sheriff ’ s deputies to do what Campaign Zero says .
“ The Council also realizes that violence against @ @ @ @ @ @ @ country for far too long .
To that point , we also agree that reform measures are overdue as it relates to racial disparities and the persistence of inequitable treatment within the criminal justice system , ” Robinson wrote in an emailed newsletter in June .
“ To ensure the City of Memphis is moving toward progress in resolving these issues , the Council also passed a resolution in Executive Session requesting that the Memphis Police Department and Shelby County Sheriff ’ s Office adopt each of the ‘ 8 Can ’ t @ @ @ @ @ @ @ devised by anti-police brutality group Campaign Zero to reduce and prevent violent encounters between law enforcement officers and members of the general public.
” According to the # 8CANTWAIT website , members of the group want , among other things , for law enforcement to ban chokeholds and require a warning and exhaust all alternatives before shooting .
They also want police to ban shooting at moving vehicles .
“ While we stand by the idea that any political leaders truly invested in protecting black lives should adopt the # 8CANTWAIT policies , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ all of us should be absolute liberation from policing , and encourage visitors to the site to support the range of organizers who are making progress in employing other strategies towards abolition : defunding the police and reinvesting in community , ” according to the # 8CANTWAIT website .
“ If you are from a place where # 8CANTWAIT is being considered , demand steps towards defunding and abolition .
If you are a legislator who has adopted these policies or are considering it , please know that it will take many strategies @ @ @ @ @ @ @ time to learn more and listen to the needs of your community.
” Chris Butler is an investigative journalist at The Tennessee Star .
Follow Chris on Facebook .
Email tips to [ email protected ] Photo “ Memphis Police Department ” by Memphis Police Department .


thetennesseestar--2020-08-10--Schools Having Difficulty Retrieving Thousands of Digital Devices Sent to Students for Distance Lear

Schools Having Difficulty Retrieving Thousands of Digital Devices Sent to Students for Distance Learning

Some school districts are having a difficult time accounting for thousands of devices that were sent home with students this spring to participate in distance learning programs during COVID-19 shutdowns .
Federal CARES Act funding allocated money to states to purchase millions of students laptops , tablets and Chromebooks .
Now some districts are having difficulty finding them .
In Atlanta , Fulton County Public Schools officials say they ’ re having difficulty trying to retrieve hundreds of mobile devices that have not been returned by students who graduated this year .
Emily Bell , the district ’ s acting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ runs into this kind of problem every year , but not this late into the summer .
“ These devices will be our universal remote learning tools and it ’ s our priority to make sure our students have them , ” Bell said .
The Fulton County Public School System has roughly 6,000 students in each grade from 3rd to 12th grade .
It says its goal is for each student to have an iPad , Chromebook or laptop at the beginning of the school year .
In South Carolina , Greenville @ @ @ @ @ @ @ missing thousands of Chromebooks .
According to the district ’ s director of media relations , Tim Waller , roughly 4,600 Chromebooks ( valued at $ 300 each ) issued by the district have not been returned by students .
“ We have identified where 1,552 of those are … and those were students who had been using them either for summer school or tele-health services and have promised to turn them at the beginning of the new school year , ” Waller said .
“ So the bottom line is right now @ @ @ @ @ @ @ absolutely unaccounted for , meaning we haven ’ t heard from the student or their parent , and we have no idea where they are.
” If the district isn ’ t able to get in touch with students who haven ’ t returned a Chromebook , it says it will file a police report in order to file an insurance claim .
Despite the missing devices , the Associated Press reported that the district purchased more than 19,000 additional new Chromebooks this summer in order to provide all pre-K through 12th grade @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Washington , employees in the technology department of the Spokane Public Schools reportedly found that individuals were selling district-issued laptops online for cash .
“ We want to be good stewards of taxpayer money , and we ’ re trying to accomplish some great teaching and learning from a distance perspective by distributing laptops and making sure our families have access to the internet , ” said Scott Kerwien , the director of technology and information at Spokane Public Schools .
“ We ’ re just imploring our families not to sell any @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said .
The district says the devices being sold online could have been stolen and listed online for sale by the thieves .
It adds that it can track the computers when someone logs onto the Internet , and every computer ’ s serial number is connected to a family member .
“ We have all the serial numbers for all of our devices , ” Kerwien said .
“ If a seller isn ’ t willing to give you a serial number or show you the lid of the laptop where we @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” he says the item could be stolen .
“ We can look up serial numbers for what is owned by our district , ” he said .
Bethany Blankley is a contributor to The Center Square .
Photo “ Tech Specialist ” by Phil Roeder .
CC BY-ND 2.0 .


thetennesseestar--2020-08-10--Study Shows Collective Bargaining, Now Reinstated in Virginia, Shields Police Officers from Discipli

Study Shows Collective Bargaining, Now Reinstated in Virginia, Shields Police Officers from Discipline

A recent study of collectively bargained deals negotiated by police unions nationwide found these deals often scale back accountability and shield police from disciplinary action .
Before this year , public-sector collective bargaining was banned in Virginia .
But after Democrats won control of the House and Senate , party leaders were able to pass legislation to end that prohibition , and Gov .
Ralph Northam signed it into law .
The law will go into effect in May 2021 .
The new law allows local governments to permit their employees , including police , to enter into collective bargaining @ @ @ @ @ @ @ allows many disputes to be settled via binding arbitration , which means salary negotiations , disciplinary policies and disciplinary actions potentially could be decided by an arbiter .
In other states that have similar laws , the study conducted by the free-market , Virginia-based Thomas Jefferson Institute for Public Policy found unions negotiated deals many criminal justice reform advocates would oppose .
The study looked into the police union contracts in the 81 largest U.S. cities .
Fifty cities restrict interrogations of an accused officer , 41 cities provide officers under investigation with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cities limit disciplinary consequences for officers , 43 cities erase misconduct records after a period of time and in 48 cities , disciplinary actions can be overruled by an arbiter .
In some instances , this has led to arbiters overruling the termination of officers who killed unarmed men , such as in Chicago and Oakland .
Virginia lawmakers are convening a special session Aug. 18 to discuss policing reform , but neither House nor Senate Democratic leaders have included police union reform on their list of proposals .
Chris Braunlich , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ told The Center Square this should not be a partisan issue and it should be one of the top three items in any policing reform agenda .
“ The most serious potential problem is allowing disciplinary and accountability measures to become part of a collective bargaining agreement through a negotiated process , ” Braunlich said .
“ This has proven troubling in teacher union contracts , but particularly dangerous with police union contracts because these provisions have resulted in many police officers like Derek Chauvin [ returning ] to the streets against the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Fixing this problem by limiting the scope of police collective bargaining contracts to compensation and benefits can easily be done in the special session.
” The study urged the General Assembly to reform the state ’ s collective bargaining law and limit the authority of police unions to prevent policies that limit accountability .
The Virginia Fraternal Order of Police , which is a prominent policing union , did not respond to a request for comment from The Center Square .
Tyler Arnold reports on Virginia and West Virginia for The Center @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Cause of Action Institute and has been published in Business Insider , USA TODAY College , National Review Online and the Washington Free Beacon .


thetennesseestar--2020-08-10--Plane Skids off Runway in India; 17 Killed, Including Pilots

NEW DELHI , India ( AP ) — At least 17 people were killed and 123 injured when a special return flight for Indians stranded abroad because of the coronavirus skidded off a hilltop runway and cracked in two while landing Friday in heavy rain in the southern state of Kerala , police said .
Among the injured , at least 15 were in critical condition , said Abdul Karim , a senior Kerala state police officer .
Rescue operations were over , he said .
The dead included both pilots of the Air India Express flight , the airline @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the four cabin crew members were safe .
The 2-year-old Boeing 737-800 flew from Dubai to Kozhikode , also called Calicut , in Kerala , India ’ s southernmost state , the airline said .
There were 174 adult passengers , 10 infants , two pilots and four cabin crew on board .
Kozhikode ’ s 2,850-meter ( 9,350-foot ) runway is on a flat hilltop with deep gorges on either side ending in a 34-meter ( 112-foot ) drop .
Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep S. Puri said in a statement that the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ conditions and went down ” the slope , breaking into two pieces upon impact .
A similar tragedy was narrowly avoided at the same airport a year ago , when an Air India Express flight suffered a tail strike upon landing .
None of the 180 passengers of that flight was injured .
An inquiry will be conducted by the ministry ’ s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau .
The airport ’ s runway end safety area was expanded in 2018 to accommodate wide-body aircraft .
The runway end safety area meets United Nations @ @ @ @ @ @ @ U.N. agency recommends a buffer that is 150 meters ( 492 feet ) longer than what exists at Kozhikode airport , according to Harro Ranter , chief executive of the Aviation Safety Network online database .
Dubai-based aviation consultant Mark Martin said that while it was too early to determine the cause of the crash , annual monsoon conditions appeared to be a factor .
“ Low visibility , wet runway , low cloud base , all leading to very poor braking action is what looks like led to where we are at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Martin said , calling for the European Aviation Safety Agency and the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration to assist with the Indian government ’ s investigation .
Kerala state Health Minister KK Shailaja on Saturday asked local residents who joined the rescue effort to go into quarantine as a precautionary measure .
The survivors were being tested for the virus , officials said .
The Air India Express flight was part of the Indian government ’ s special repatriation mission to bring Indian citizens back to the country , officials said .
All of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ region , authorities said .
Regular commercial flights have been halted in India because of the coronavirus outbreak .
Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted that he was “ pained by the plane accident in Kozhikode , ” and that he had spoken to Kerala ’ s top elected official .
The worst air disaster in India was on Nov. 12 , 1996 , when a Saudi Arabian Airlines flight collided midair with a Kazakhastan Airlines Flight near Charki Dadri in Haryana state , killing all 349 on board the two planes .
Ashok @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The Associated Press .
About the Headline Photo : The Air India Express flight that skidded off a runway while landing at the airport in Kozhikode , Kerala state , India , Friday , Aug. 7 , 2020 .
( AP Photo )


thetennesseestar--2020-08-10--Joe Biden Clarifies Comment About African American Community After Media Downplays

Democrat presidential nominee Joe Biden ( or his staff ) felt the need to “ clarify ” comments the candidate made suggesting lack of diversity among “ the African American community ” – even after the corporate media worked valiantly to excuse the comments .
“ In no way did I mean to suggest the African-American community is a monolith — not by identity , not on issues , not at all , ” Biden said in an series of tweets .
During an interview with Black and Latino journalists published earlier in the day , Biden seemed to insult @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the African-American community , with notable exceptions , the Latino community is an incredibly diverse community with incredibly diverse attitudes about different things.
” During his interview at the National Association of Black Journalists ( NABJ ) and National Association of Hispanic Journalists ( NAHJ ) Joint Virtual Convention , Biden also denied ever taking a cognitive test – even though he recently bragged that he takes them “ constantly , ” and blathered incoherently about China .
Biden made the unfortunate racial comment after National Public Radio ’ s Lulu Garcia-Navarro asked @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Cubans .
“ I ’ m going to look at every single country in the world … this guy [ President Donald Trump ] is sending them back , ” Biden said , adding that he would extend the Temporary Protected Status ( TPS ) program on his first day in office .
Garcia-Navarro then asked Biden whether he would attempt to restore the Obama administration ’ s policy of improving relations with communist Cuba .
Biden answered yes , and then offered his thoughts on the incredible diversity of the Latino @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lack of diversity among African Americans , a key Democrat voting block .
On Twitter , President Trump responded to the story , saying : “ Wow !
Joe Biden just lost the entire African American community .
What a “ dumb ” thing to say !
” As the story blew up , media firefighters did their best to put out the fire .
D.C. consultant Drew Holden highlighted their efforts to downplay the gaffe on Twitter , and pointed out that despite all their hard work , Biden still felt the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ had meant to say .
Debra Heine is a regular contributor to American Greatness .
Photo “ Joe Biden ” by Gage Skidmore CC2.0 .


thetennesseestar--2020-08-10--Minnesota’s Absentee Ballots Move Closer to Becoming Mail-in Ballots

Ramsey County District Judge Sara Grewing has single-handedly overturned Minnesota election law by ruling on Aug. 3 that Minnesota ’ s absentee ballots no longer require the signature of a witness who is a registered voter or a notary public .
The judge also ruled that absentee ballots can be accepted after the election , as long as they are postmarked as of Election Day .
Under the Minnesota law that the judge scrapped , absentee ballots had to be in by 8 p.m. on the night of the election .
The net result is that in all but name @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has been turned into a de facto mail-in balloting system .
CNN crowed that “ there is no evidence that mail-in voting leads to fraud .
While rare instances of voter fraud from mail-in ballots do occur , it is nowhere near a widespread problem in the U.S. election system.
” In reality , Minnesota ’ s absentee balloting system — even as it stands under the law the judge tossed aside — is prone to abuses .
That ’ s because receiving an absentee ballot is easy if a person is a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ evidence that Minnesota ’ s registered voter list includes up to 26,000 voters who are in fact not eligible to vote — due to issues including lack of citizenship or felony status .
It is notable that despite a finding from the Office of the Legislative Auditor ( OLA ) that ineligible voters were registered , Democratic Secretary of State Steve Simon has refused to allow outside groups to further analyze the registered voter roll .
Still more concerns exist when it comes to counting absentee ballots .
For example , in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and Norm Coleman , Franken won by a margin of about 300 votes , while analysis conducted after the election has found that over 1,000 ineligible felons cast votes in the election .
There was also controversy surrounding thousands of absentee ballots that were alleged to be either wrongly accepted or rejected by ballot boards .
In a separate suit , a conservative group is challenging Minnesota cities and counties for ignoring a law that requires both Republicans and Democrats to sit on the boards that accept or reject absentee ballots .
Because @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Republican and conservative groups are incensed by Grewing ’ s decision , and an appeal is highly likely .
It ’ s worth noting , however , how this decision came about .
Back in early May , House Democrats sponsored a bill that spent millions of federal dollars Minnesota received in a grant from Congress , to both bolster voting during the pandemic and enhance election security .
The Minnesota House Democrats ’ bill was , in the words of a conservative activist , “ a blank check for [ Democratic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the bill included provisions to set up new polling places , and millions was given to Simon for “ improving accessibility ” without any mention of election security .
In the end , only a handful of GOP House members opposed the bill , as did only one GOP senator .
Not only did the vast majority of House and Senate Republicans support the bill , its chief Republican proponents — Rep. Jim Nash , R-Waconia , and Sen. Mary Kiffmeyer , R-Big Lake — touted the bill as a win because @ @ @ @ @ @ @ later in May , just after the bill was passed that supposedly stopped mail-in balloting , a DNC-tied coastal law firm , Perkins Coie , backed by big money in a string of similar suits across the nation , filed suit to strike down Minnesota election law by ending the requirement that absentee ballots had to arrive by election day , and by ditching the requirement of a witness ’ s signature .
This happens to be the only difference between absentee voting and mail-in ballots .
To top it off , Perkins @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is Marc Elias .
Elias worked closely with the Clinton campaign in 2016 , and hired the opposition-research firm Fusion GPS that started the Russia-gate smear .
Simon moved in June to ditch the signature requirement for the August primary , ostensibly as a precursor to removing the requirement for the November election .
Meanwhile , the suits on allowing ballots to come in after Election Day , and a separate suit that would allow third-party ballot harvesting , were brewing in the courts .
Judge Grewing ’ s Aug. 3 ruling makes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and Simon has happily agreed with the ruling .
In other words , the GOP politicians in St. Paul said they stopped mail-in voting .
So far , the opposite has happened .


thetennesseestar--2020-08-10--Police, Criminal Justice Reform Advocates Share Some Views Ahead of Legislative Special Session

Police officers and criminal justice reform advocates share some common ground going into Virginia ’ s special session to address policing reform , but the two groups break apart on some of the more controversial reforms .
“ We are as repulsed by bad police officers … as anyone [ else ] , ” Wayne Huggins , executive director of the Virginia State Police Association , told Virginia House members Thursday during the last criminal justice reform hearing ahead of the special session , which convenes Aug. 18 .
One area of agreement is reforming the state ’ s decertification @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be decertified only if their violation falls under a short list of offenses , which includes a felony conviction , a misdemeanor sex offense or domestic assault , refusing to submit to or failing a drug test or failing to comply with training requirements .
An officer can not be decertified for using excessive or deadly force in violation of protocol unless he is convicted of a crime .
An officer also can not be decertified for failing to follow de-escalation tactics , violating ethical rules or breaking other policies .
If an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ she can be fired from his job but still serve as an officer elsewhere in Virginia .
Huggins said he supports broadening the provisions for decertification because he does not want bad officers jumping from department to department .
He said bad officers make all police look bad .
Other proposed reforms Huggins agreed with include a ban on chokeholds , except for life or death situations , which the Virginia State Police already teaches in its training , and a requirement for officers to intervene when another officer is violating protocol .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ the most pushback from some police are proposals to defelonize assault on a police officer and end qualified immunity for police .
Under current law , a person convicted of assaulting a police officer , even if no injury occurs , is guilty of a felony that has a mandatory minimum of six months in jail .
If lawmakers defelonize simple assault in which no injury occurs , a person still would be guilty of a misdemeanor , but one that does not carry a mandatory minimum sentence .
Huggins and other officers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ officer , and Republican lawmakers also have spoken out against it .
Qualified immunity for police officers protects them from being sued for constitutional violations unless the violation is clearly established and something a reasonable person would know .
The current system sets a high bar in favor of police officers , said Lynda Williams , the national president of the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives .
She said she believes officers should be able to be sued in court .
Huggins and other police groups disagree .
Huggins said the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and an officer only has immunity if he or she reasonably intended to act in accordance with the constitution , laws and police .
Fluvanna County Sheriff ’ s Office Capt .
David Wells said qualified immunity acknowledges mistakes happen , but it does not protect against criminal , gross or wanton misconduct .
He said getting rid of qualified immunity would make it more difficult to hire officers because they will be worried about the financial implications of frivolous lawsuits .
Senate Democrats already have proposed legislation that would expand the decertification @ @ @ @ @ @ @ legislation to defelonize assault on a police officer .
Unlike the House , the Senate is not considering legislation to end qualified immunity .
Tyler Arnold reports on Virginia and West Virginia for The Center Square .
He previously worked for the Cause of Action Institute and has been published in Business Insider , USA TODAY College , National Review Online and the Washington Free Beacon .
Photo “ Virginia Capitol ” by Ron Cogswell .
CC BY 2.0 .


thetennesseestar--2020-08-10--Person ‘In Charge’ of Contract Tracing Won’t Cooperate with Probe, Auditor Says

An Auditor General ’ s recently released report answered questions about a canceled no-bid contact-tracing contract tied to a Democratic political consultant , but the person “ primarily in charge of contact tracing ” refused to cooperate .
Contact tracing is a method of gathering information to discover who might have been infected with COVID-19 by following an infected person ’ s interactions .
For example , one event at an Ingham County bar resulted in 187 COVID-19 infections across the state .
State Rep. Ann Bollin ( R-Brighton Township ) asked the Auditor General ’ s office to look @ @ @ @ @ @ @ contract the state canceled the day after the agreement was announced between Great Lakes Community Engagement ( GLCE ) and the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services ( MDHHS ) in April .
GLCE is run by Democratic consultant Michael Kolehouse .
GLCE uses software designed by NGP Van , which describes itself as “ the leading technology provider to Democratic and progressive campaigns.
” Democratic Gov .
Gretchen Whitmer canceled the contract after the media exposed the deal .
After reviewing emails and interviewing state employees , the Auditor General answered @ @ @ @ @ @ @ noted that Kolehouse , unsolicited , sent MDHHS an offer for its services , and then the agency vetted them .
“ We do not consider it typical for a vendor to develop the scope of work , ” the report said .
The report said MDHHS owned the data collected under the contract .
The contract didn ’ t go through the State Operations Center approval process because MDHHS said it wasn ’ t aware of that requirement .
“ K2K Consulting , LLC was the only firm considered , ” the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ GLCE are operated by Kolehouse .
“ The MDHHS Director of the Bureau of Grants & Purchasing stated that normally employees would need to follow the procurement process and solicit bids ; however , since Michigan was under a State of Emergency , there was an exemption from soliciting bids.
” Health officials say they chose that company because it could encompass the entire contract tracing process .
Andrea Taverna , an MDHHS Senior Advisor on Opioid Strategy , refused to cooperate with the probe .
Many interviewees referred investigators to Taverna , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ conduct contact tracing .
The report said Taverna referred investigators to her attorney , who responded : “ At this time , Ms. Taverna continues to decline the opportunity to discuss these issues.
” Bollin said the Auditor General will continue investigating additional questions .
“ I ’ m grateful to the Auditor General for investigating this issue and finding answers to my questions , ” Bollin said in a statement .
“ The information the Auditor General ’ s Office has uncovered sheds important light on the decisions that were made by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ It also generated additional questions , which their office has agreed to continue investigating.
” Scott McClallen is a staff writer covering Michigan and Minnesota for The Center Square .
A graduate of Hillsdale College , his work has appeared on Forbes.com and FEE.org .
Photo “ Governor Gretchen Whitmer ” by the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy , University of Michigan CC4.0 .


thetennesseestar--2020-08-10--Ohio Lawmakers Propose Expanding List of Offenses That Would Disqualify Officeholders from Retiremen

Ohio Lawmakers Propose Expanding List of Offenses That Would Disqualify Officeholders from Retirement Benefits

A pair of Republican lawmakers want to expand the list of offenses that would render an elected official in Ohio ineligible for retirement or disability benefits .
House Bill 741 adds to the list felony offenses of extortion and perjury and a slew of federal violations , including racketeering .
It also adds theft and bribery involving programs receiving federal funds ; mail , wire and honest services fraud ; and interference with commerce by threats or violence in violation of the “ Hobbs Act.
” The proposal is similar to House Bill 284 from the 2015-16 legislative session .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ but the state Senate did not consider it .
“ This legislation will hopefully set a precedent of holding public officials who misuse their power more accountable , ” state Rep. Gayle Manning , R-North Ridgeville , said in a news release .
“ Not only will it hold public officials more accountable , but it ’ s also about protecting the taxpayers .
Their hard-earned money should not be paying for the benefits of an elected official who faces federal convictions.
” The move is the latest in the wake of former @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Last week , a federal grand jury indicted Householder and four others as part of a $ 60 million federal racketeering conspiracy to pass and uphold House Bill 6 , a ratepayer-funded bailout of Ohio nuclear plants .
State lawmakers removed Householder as speaker of the House and elected state Rep. Bob Cupp , R-Lima , to the post .
“ Public officials who betray the trust of the people of Ohio should not be able to benefit from taxpayer dollars – it ’ s important we put certain checks on those @ @ @ @ @ @ @ institution , ” state Rep. Dave Greenspan , R-Westlake , said in a statement .
The proposal , which is awaiting its first hearing , would require the attorney general to work to terminate an officeholder ’ s benefit if the federal court chooses not to do so .
It also allows the person who is convicted to request a hearing to consider the forfeiture .
Representatives for Greenspan , Manning and House Democrats did not immediately respond to requests for comment .
Todd Defeo is a contributor to The Center Square .


thetennesseestar--2020-08-10--Feds Expand Crime Fighting Operation to Memphis

Federal officials late last week announced an initiative , Operation Legend , to fight violent crime in Memphis and St. Louis .
“ The most basic responsibility of government is to protect the safety of our citizens .
Today , we have extended Operation Legend to Memphis and St. Louis , two cities experiencing increases in violent crime that no resident of those cities should have to accept as part of everyday life , ” Attorney General William P. Barr said in a statement .
“ For decades , the Department of Justice has achieved significant success when utilizing our @ @ @ @ @ @ @ enforcement agents to enforce federal law and assist American cities that are experiencing upticks in violent crime .
The Department of Justice ’ s assets will supplement local law enforcement efforts , as we work together to take the shooters and chronic violent criminals off of our streets.
” In Memphis , the Department of Justice will supplement state and local law enforcement agencies by sending 16 federal investigators to the city on temporary assignment for 90 days .
This , followed by 24 permanent agent assignments from the FBI , DEA , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ HSI ) , the press release said .
“ Under the leadership of Michael Dunavant , U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Tennessee , these investigators will complement the work already underway by existing joint federal , state and local task forces focused on combating violent gangs , gun crime , and drug trafficking organizations , ” according to the press release .
“ The Bureau of Justice Assistance will make available $ 200,000 to support Operation Legend ’ s violent crime reduction efforts in Memphis in addition to the prior BJA @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to Shelby County to provide manpower , technology , equipment , and support for the sustained efforts Legend Task Force , including overtime funding for the Multi-Agency Gang Unit ( MGU ) and partner agency officers ; a prosecutor for the Shelby County District Attorney General ’ s Office to handle operation arrests vertically through the state criminal justice system to ensure that arrests are followed by strategic prosecution ; vehicles for MGU operations ; and technological solutions to enhance investigation and prosecution of violent offenders.
” The COPS Office has also made @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Memphis Police Department to fund the hiring of 50 officers , the press release said .
“ The Department has also provided assistance to Memphis through the Joint Law Enforcement Operations ( JLEO ) fund to assist reimbursement of local law enforcement serving as federal task force officers with FBI , ATF , DEA , and the U.S .
Marshals Service , ” according to the press release .
“ The city will receive $ 100,000 from ATF to help local agencies defray costs associated with installing or maintaining shot detection technology.
” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Taliferro , who was shot and killed while he slept early in the morning of June 29 in Kansas City , the press release said .
Chris Butler is an investigative journalist at The Tennessee Star .
Follow Chris on Facebook .
Email tips to [ email protected ] Photo “ Memphis Skyline ” by Thomas R Machnitzki CC3.0 .


thetennesseestar--2020-08-11--The First Day of Special Session Reveals Legislation That Will be Considered Regarding COVID-19 Liab

The First Day of Special Session Reveals Legislation That Will be Considered Regarding COVID-19 Liability, Telemedicine and Protesting

The first day of the Tennessee General Assembly ’ s special session Monday called by Governor Bill Lee , revealed the legislation related to COVID-19 liability , telemedicine expansion and protesting that will be considered .
Only legislation related to the topics specifically contained in the governor ’ s proclamation can be considered during the special session , which began at 4 p.m. on Monday with both the House and Senate going into a floor session .
The floor sessions , which lasted less than 30 minutes each , dispensed quickly with the formality of the respective speakers assigning two @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the other chamber that it has “ perfected its organization and is ready to conduct business.
” The Senate then introduced and passed on the first of three considerations SB 8001 through SB 8011 .
Meanwhile , reflective of how the 2020 legislative year has gone with not being on the same page , the House only passed on first consideration HB 8001 through HB 8006 .
Below is summary of all of the bills that have been filed and currently available on the Tennessee General Assembly website for consideration during the special @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Sen. Joey Hensley ( R-Hohenwald ) and Rep. Brandon Ogles ( R-Franklin ) proposes that a governmental entity , defined as a governing body , board , commission , committee or department of a municipality , county or other political subdivision of the state , shall not intentionally prohibit or prevent law enforcement or fire and rescue services from accessing a specifically bounded area within the entity ’ s jurisdiction during a public demonstration , unless the services are replaced by like services of another governmental entity .
A governmental entity violating the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ resulting damages , injury or death .
Three bills are sponsored by Republican leaders Sen. Jack Johnson ( R-Franklin ) and Rep. William Lamberth ( R-Portland ) on behalf of the administration .
SB 8002 / HB 8001 is a six-page bill called the “ Tennessee COVID-19 Recovery Act , ” a measure widely considered essential to supporting the state ’ s economic recovery and employment opportunities .
The legislation would not allow any claim to be made for any loss , damage , injury or death arising from COVID-19 , unless the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that it was caused by an act or omission constituting gross negligence or willful misconduct .
SB 8003 / HB 8002 is a 15-page bill that addresses changes to telehealth services .
SB 8004 / HB 8003 is a placeholder to address appropriations for the first year of funding for any act passed during the special session that has a cost associated with it .
SB 8005 / HB8005 is an 11-page bill that significantly revises criminal law to address protesting activities that go beyond being peaceful to damaging public property , assaulting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ undesignated areas .
A new section would be added to the code that deals with assault offenses to deal with actions committed against first responders , defined as a law enforcement officer , firefighter , emergency services personnel or other persons who respond to 911 calls including Capitol police officers , Tennessee Highway Patrol officers , TBI agents , Tennessee Wildlife Resource Agency officers and Park Rangers .
Penalties would range from a Class A misdemeanor with a fine of $ 5,000 and mandatory minimum sentence of 30 days incarceration to a Class @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and mandatory minimum sentence of 90 days incarceration .
The section regarding camping increases the penalty for violation from a Class A misdemeanor to a Class E felony .
Two bills were filed by Nashville Democrat legislators , Sen. Jeff Yarbro and Rep. Bill Beck , both of whom also happen to be attorneys .
SB 8006 / HB 8007 creates a rebuttal presumption in a civil action that a defendant acted with gross negligence in certain circumstances related to the exposure or contraction of COVID-19 and SB 8007 / HB 8008 deals @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for essential and non-essential workers .
Two bills were also filed by two other Nashville Democrat legislators , Sen. Brenda Gilmore and Rep. Vincent Dixie .
SB 8008 / HB 8009 says that no state or local government , agency or department can infringe on the constitutional rights of a personal to peacefully assemble , demonstrate or both on government property .
The proposed legislation essentially repeats what is already enshrined in The Constitution of the State of Tennessee in Article I , Section 23 , “ That the citizens have a right @ @ @ @ @ @ @ assemble together for their common good , to instruct their representatives , and to apply to those invested with the powers of government for redress of grievances , or other proper purposes , by address of remonstrance.
” SB 8012 / HB 8010 , which was not passed on first consideration in the Senate , requires law enforcement officers to clearly identify themselves when arresting a person during a protest or demonstration .
Two bills , SB 8009 and SB 8010 , sponsored by Lt .
Governor Randy McNally ( R-Oak Ridge ) @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be the “ Tennessee COVID-19 Recovery Act ” and the telemedicine services bill .
SB 8011 by Sen. Mike Bell ( R-Riceville ) also without a House sponsor , is a one-paragraph new subsection to the code says that if a healthcare liability claim is based on a claim of exposure to or contraction of coronavirus , the person must provide the date and location which it allegedly occurred .
Lamberth ’ s HB 8004 , currently without a Senate sponsor , authorizes the attorney general to initiate a criminal prosecution whenever information @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to the violation of any state criminal law if the rights of citizens to peacefully demonstrated was adversely impacted .
House Speaker Cameron Sexton ( R-Crossville ) assigned members to several committees specific to the special session , including COVID-Related Liability Committee , Electronic Delivery of Healthcare Committee , Public Safety Committee , Finance , Ways & Means Committee and Calendar & Rules Committee .
Both chambers recessed until floor sessions Tuesday morning , with the House scheduled for 9 a.m. and the Senate at 10 a.m .
Both the Senate and House @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the day Tuesday .
Laura Baigert is a senior reporter at The Tennessee Star .

Richmond Police arrested 11 people during a protest outside the Richmond City Justice Center on Tuesday.
The group was gathered outside of the Justice Center to protest conditions in the Richmond jail after COVID-19 outbreak among 100 inmates and staff was reported.
Richmond police officers arrived outside of the Justice Center to help the Richmond Sheriff’s office deal with the group protesters who had moved from the public sidewalk onto Justice Center grounds during the demonstration, causing a security concern, according to the Richmond police description of the incident,
Just before 7 p.m., a man on a bicycle attempted to block a tow truck trying removing a vehicle that had been illegally parked in front of the Justice Center. When a Richmond police officer arrived at the scene, the man tried to flee on his bike and was then stopped by the officer. Other protesters witnessed this and attempted to stop the arrest, leading to those people being arrested as well, according to the police account.
A video of the incident was captured and published to the RVA Magazine Instagram account. That video is below.
A flyer on social media for the protest read: “Our comrades on the inside are facing retaliation from officers for simply requesting adequate medical attention. These conditions are inhumane. We stand in solidarity with those who have been kidnapped, convicted and caged.”
On Wednesday, Richmond police released the names and charges for the 11 protesters arrested.
Their names and charges are as follows:
Stephen Roach Obstruction of Justice Impeding the flow of traffic
Benjamine Skromine Obstruction of Justice Impeding the flow of traffic
Gabrielle Brost Hoffman Obstruction of Justice
Aditya Mohan Obstruction of Justice
Rachel Fidlow Obstruction of Justice
Andre Rosson Obstruction of Justice
Alex Oxford Obstruction of Justice with Force
Jonathan Miranda Disorderly Conduct
Susanna Keating Disorderly Conduct
Mollie Luck Disorderly Conduct
Carmen Day Disorderly Conduct
– – –
Jacob Taylor is a reporter at The Virginia Star and the Star News Digital Network. Follow Jacob on Twitter. Email tips to [email protected]
Photo “Richmond City Justice Center Protest” by RVA Mag.