thetennesseestar--2020-10-17--Judge Finds Cases Against Five in Whitmer Plot Can Move Forward

GRAND RAPIDS , Michigan ( AP ) — Prosecutors provided enough evidence to move toward trial for five Michigan men accused of plotting to kidnap the state ’ s governor , a federal judge ruled Friday in Grand Rapids .
A two-day preliminary hearing this week featured testimony by one of the FBI agents who ran the investigation , relying on confidential informants and undercover agents to thwart the purported scheme to abduct Democratic Gov .
Gretchen Whitmer .
U.S. Magistrate Judge Sally Berens said the five men ’ s cases can go to a grand jury , which will @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is required for them to face trial .
Berens is also set to consider Friday whether two of the men , Adam Fox and Ty Garbin , should be denied bond ahead of trial .
Berens on Tuesday denied bond for three other men charged in the case , saying Kaleb Franks , Daniel Harris and Brandon Caserta repeatedly participated in discussions about abducting Whitmer .
A sixth man , Barry Croft , was separately ordered on Tuesday to be transferred to Michigan from his home state of Delaware .
The preliminary hearing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Agent Richard Trask testified that members of anti-government paramilitary groups from several states discussed abducting Whitmer or Virginia Democratic Gov .
Ralph Northam during a June meeting in Ohio .
Fox and Croft were among those who attended that session , according to testimony and federal court documents .
But it was not clear if talk of targeting Northam went beyond that meeting , and nothing from the complaint or Trask ’ s testimony indicated that anyone had been charged with a plot involving Northam .
The men could get up to life @ @ @ @ @ @ @ their defense attorneys implied during questioning on Tuesday and Friday that their clients were “ big talkers ” who did not intend to follow through with action .
They also questioned whether the government had proven that the men had formed an agreement and that all of them intended to participate .
“ It ’ s loose talk , ” Scott Graham , an attorney for Franks , said .
“ And again , the point is : What has been done to show you that there was an actual agreement ?
” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , argued that the group repeatedly took steps to protect their communication by using encrypted chat tools and worried that federal authorities had infiltrated the group .
Individual defendants also participated in surveillance of Whitmer ’ s northern Michigan home , Kessler said , rejecting defense attorneys ’ implication that the men participated in paramilitary group exercises without a specific goal or plan .
“ You ’ re crossing a pretty serious line when you go in the middle of the night in multiple cars and stage up at a gas station and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the sitting governor of the state to go surveil their house at night , ” Kessler said .
Berens agreed , saying prosecutors didn ’ t have to show the men “ signed on a dotted line.
” A preliminary hearing is sometimes described as a mini-trial but requires a lower standard of proof — probable cause — than a criminal trial .
Berens found that the information presented in testimony and in court documents showed the men had a unified purpose — to kidnap Whitmer — allowing the case to move forward @ @ @ @ @ @ @ plan ) was likely to be unsuccessful or difficult to accomplish ” isn ’ t relevant to decide whether there is probable cause that they made a plan , she said .
Seven other men purportedly linked to an extremist paramilitary group called the Wolverine Watchmen were charged in state court last week with providing material support for terrorist acts and possession of a firearm while committing a felony .
Michigan ’ s attorney general charged an eighth person — a Wisconsin man — in that case on Thursday .
David Eggert and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Press .
AP reporter John Flesher contributed from Traverse City .
Foody reported from Chicago .


thetennesseestar--2020-10-17--Tennessee Republican Party Leaders Plan Bus Tour to Get Out the Vote

Tennessee legislative leaders , as well as Gov .
Bill Lee , plan to stage a number of bus stops around the state for much of the rest of October to get out the vote .
The statewide Road to Victory bus tour is meant to encourage citizens to vote and to elect Republican candidates , according to a press release from the Tennessee Republican Party .
Senate Majority Leader Jack Johnson ( R-Williamson County ) tweeted , “ Looking forward to joining my friend , @ YagerTweets , Get Out the Vote Bus Tour ” .
The eight-day tour @ @ @ @ @ @ @ include a total of 37 stops across 35 counties .
Each will feature members of House and Senate leadership , as well as Republican candidates currently serving or running to serve their respective communities .
U.S. Rep. David Kustoff ( R-TN-08 ) , as well as other members of the state ’ s congressional delegation , are expected to appear at various stops , which will end in Shelby County on Wednesday , Oct. 28 .
Times will be announced later .
The dates of stops are : House Speaker Cameron Sexton ( @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is very important to our state and nation .
Tennesseans have stood strong by electing conservative leaders , and now , our great state is the least ( indebted ) state , second best state for businesses and one of the lowest taxed in America.
” Lt. Gov .
Randy McNally ( R-Oak Ridge ) said , “ Republicans across the state are energized by our record of conservative governance and our strong unified conservative message .
Bringing that message to these 35 counties will energize our voters and encourage all Tennesseans to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ The Road to Victory Bus Tour will highlight the many Republican champions across our state at all levels of government who uphold our Tennessee values and keep our taxes low.
” And Scott Golden , chairman of the Tennessee Republican Party , said , “ We need Tennesseans to head to the polls and vote Republican , so our state can remain a national model for all to follow.
” Jason M. Reynolds has more than 20 years ’ experience as a journalist at outlets of all sizes .

by Eric Lendrum
On April 7th, an amicus brief was filed in favor of Florida’s current ban on using state funds to support “transgender” treatments, with 17 state attorneys general voicing their support for the law.
According to the Daily Caller, the brief’s filing was part of an ongoing legal battle in the state of Florida, where far-left, pro-transgender activists have teamed up with several pseudo-medical organizations to file a lawsuit against the law. The groups involved include the World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH), the Endocrine Society, and the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). The law in question states that Medicaid funds cannot be used to cover any transgender operations, including sex change surgery, cross-sex hormones, and puberty blockers.
The 17 states that have filed in support of Florida are: Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah and Virginia. In their filing, the AGs argue that the organizations involved in the lawsuit have “prioritized politics over science.”
“The amici States submit this brief in support of Florida’s right to regulate medicine and determine appropriate treatments for Medicaid coverage,” the brief states. “Moreover, there is particular reason to be suspicious of the interest groups in this case.”
Their brief goes on to point out that several European countries, including the United Kingdom, Finland, Norway, and Sweden have taken similar steps to crack down on transgender treatments, declaring that “transitioning treatments for minors are experimental.”
The case has already seen a judge order the three organizations to comply with subpoenas ordering them to turn over documents related to their guidance for children suffering from gender dysphoria, the official name for the condition of transgenderism. In addition, Florida’s Agency for Healthcare Administration (AHCA) submitted a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request to the Biden Administration demanding access to similar internal documents related to the administration’s gender transition policies.
– – –
Eric Lendrum graduated from the University of California, Santa Barbara, where he was the Secretary of the College Republicans and the founding chairman of the school’s Young Americans for Freedom chapter.


thetennesseestar--2020-10-17--FCC to ‘Clarify’ Meaning of Section 230 Following Twitter Suppression of NY Post Story

Federal Communication Commission Chairman Ajit Pai announced Thursday that he intends to move forward with a rulemaking to “ clarify ” the meaning of Section 230 of the Communication Decency Act .
Pai ’ s announcement comes one day after Twitter prohibited users from posting links to a New York Post story about alleged emails involving Hunter Biden , former Vice President Joe Biden and the Ukrainian gas company Burisma .
Twitter ’ s suppression of the story led President Donald Trump to call for the repeal of Section 230 , which indemnifies internet companies from liability over content posted @ @ @ @ @ @ @ companies have a First Amendment right to free speech , ” Pai said in a statement Thursday .
“ But they do not have a First Amendment right to a special immunity denied to other media outlets , such as newspapers and broadcasters.
” Pai said members of all three branches of the federal government have expressed concerns about the immunities set forth in the provision .
“ There is bipartisan support in Congress to reform the law , ” Pai said .
“ The U.S. Department of Commerce has petitioned the Commission @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ And earlier this week , U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas pointed out that courts have relied upon ‘ policy and purpose arguments to grant sweeping protections to Internet platforms ’ that appear to go far beyond the actual text of the provision.
” Pai said that as Congress deliberates whether to change the law , the FCC ’ s general counsel has advised him that his commission has the legal authority to interpret the current meaning of the statute .
“ Consistent with this advice , I intend to move forward @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , ” Pai said .
Trump said during a campaign rally Wednesday that he would strip Section 230 protections from social media companies “ unless they shape up.
” “ If big tech persists in coordination with the mainstream media , we must immediately strip them of their Section 230 protection , ” Trump said .
“ We all believe in freedom of the press but don ’ t forget , big tech got something years ago that let them become big tech .
They got total protection.
” Andrew Kerr is a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Photo “ Ajit Pai ” by Federal Communications Commission .
Background Photo “ NY Post ” by New York Post Twitter .


thetennesseestar--2020-10-17--Former Mexican Defense Minister Arrested at U.S. Airport on Suspicion of Drug-Related Corruption

A former Mexican defense minister was arrested in Los Angeles , California , on Thursday for drug-related corruption in Mexico , according to the Mexican government .
Former Gen. Salvador Cienfuegos Zepeda faces drug and money-laundering charges , a federal law enforcement official in New York said , the New York Times reported .
Zepeda is the first high-ranking military official to be in U.S. custody for these charges , according to the Times .
“ There has never been a minister of defense in Mexico arrested , ” former Mexican foreign minister Jorge Castañeda said , according to the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in Mexico is a guy that not only runs the army and is a military man , but he reports directly to the president .
There is no one above him except the president.
” Marcelo Ebrard , Mexico ’ s foreign minister confirmed that Zepeda was taken into U.S. custody Thursday night .
Information on Zepeda ’ s charges were not immediately available , the Times reported .
The Drug Enforcement Administration ordered Zepeda ’ s arrest .
“ This is a huge deal , ” CIDE University professor Alejandro Madrazo said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has become way more corrupt and way more abusive since the war on drugs was declared , and for the first time they may not be untouchable — but not by the Mexican government , by the American government.
” Zepeda served as Mexico ’ s defense minister from 2012 to 2018 , under former President Enrique Peña Nieto who left office in 2018 , according to the Times .
About 10 months before Zepeda ’ s arrest , Genaro García Luna , who oversaw Mexico ’ s Federal Investigation Agency , was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ taking bribes to protect the Sinaloa drug cartel while in office , the Times reported .
Luna then served as Mexico ’ s secretary of public security where he helped the president develop a strategy to skirmish Mexican cartels .
Kaylee Greenlee is a reporter for the Daily Caller News Foundation .
Photo “ Cienfuegos Zepeda ” by U.S. Secretary of Defense .
CC BY 2.0 .


thetennesseestar--2020-10-17--Crom Carmichael Discusses the Behavior of Democrats in the Senate and the Lies of Big Tech

Live from Music Row Friday morning on The Tennessee Star Report with Michael Patrick Leahy – broadcast on Nashville ’ s Talk Radio 98.3 and 1510 WLAC weekdays from 5:00 a.m. to 8:00 a.m. – host Leahy welcomed the original all-star panelist Crom Carmichael to the studio to discuss the behavior of Democrats in the Senate and the deceit of Twitter and Facebook .
Leahy : We have a great program for you today .
And we are joined in studio by the original all-star panelist .
My friend for now over 30 years Crom Carmichael .
Good morning Crom @ @ @ @ @ @ @ bleu Crom .
We are about to be invaded on Monday by a French news crew .
They ’ ll be in the studio with us here .
I ’ ve already warned Katie that the French are coming , the French are coming .
It ’ s a French news crew .
They ’ re doing a documentary about the American election .
It ’ s going to air all over Europe on a channel called Arte .
Arte .
About two percent of French households watch it on a regular basis @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Showtime kind of thing and they want to see how American conservatives are looking at the election .
Carmichael : Now I had I ’ ve been to France a couple of times and if my memory is correct , very few people in France speak English unless they just faked that they don ’ t speak English because nobody can give any directions anywhere .
I mean , you know , it ’ s on .
Carmichael : So my question is are they going to do a voiceover ?
In other @ @ @ @ @ @ @ filming us speaking English to each other and their audience can understand what we ’ re saying .
Leahy : There will be subtitles .
Probably .
Carmichael : Maybe it would be kind of like watching a Biden speech .
And at the end of it you go , what did he say ?
Leahy : We don ’ t know .
We ’ re trusting them .
We don ’ t know what their subtitles will say .
It may say the exact opposite of what we ’ re going to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to those be kind of fun .
Now , you know , although you know having a television camera looking at you at 5:05 am in the morning , you know , this is not a pretty sight .
But hey .
Carmichael : So they ’ re going to be here starting at 5:00 .
They ’ ll be filming for three hours .
Leahy : That ’ s what they say .
They ’ re going to follow all the protocols .
Well , then I ’ m going to comb @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Leahy : A little preview .
7:15 Jim Roberts that Nashville attorney is going tell us what happened in court yesterday when he asked the judge to force the Davidson County election committee to follow the law to schedule the referendum .
I haven ’ t seen any news report so I suspect that whatever happened was either happening very late or was indeterminant .
Carmichael : I look forward to that .
Leahy : Well , we ’ ll know a little bit I ’ d be a bit like I look @ @ @ @ @ @ @ election Crom what ’ s on your mind this morning ?
Carmichael : Well , I watched more of the hearings yesterday , and the hearings did not include Amy Coney-Barrett yesterday .
Carmichael : The first part of it and it was a long part of it .
It was the Senators talking to each other .
So in other words nobody else was there it was Senators talking to Senators and Dick Durbin opened his deal and said how did we get here ?
How did we get to this point @ @ @ @ @ @ @ question , by the way now he doesn ’ t care what the answer is because for him it was a rhetorical question .
It wasn ’ t a question where he actually wanted anybody to give him an answer .
Leahy : They never want anybody to give an answer .
Carmichael : By the way watching especially the Democrats and this is why they ’ re very few Democrats in elected office who I think do a good job .
They ’ re very few .
Carmichael : Tulsi Gabbard and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ bucks the Democrat Party .
And if you bucked the Democrat Party , you ’ re not part of the Democrat Party .
This became so apparent as I watched them question Amy Coney-Barrett , they ’ re not for women .
Carmichael : Yeah , and that ’ s all there for , and in fact , they are even more hostile to a conservative woman than they are a conservative man .
Carmichael : And so that is sexist .
they ’ re the same way with black people .
They @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
So this thing about this inherent racism and inherent sexism , it is it lives loudly within the Democrat Party because if you ’ re a woman and you don ’ t believe like a Democrat , well , then you ’ re not wholly human .
You are not you ’ re not a full human being .
how dare you .
How dare you think the way that you think .
As Clarence Thomas said this was a high-tech lynching of an intelligent Black man , who deemed to think @ @ @ @ @ @ @ asked that question , I wish that somebody on the Republican side had actually tried to answer it .
I don ’ t know .
I don ’ t know exactly how far back it goes but it may go back farther than Robert Bork , but it started with Bork and what they did there where Ted Kennedy stood up on the Senate floor in that little spot where you can say , whatever you want to .
And by law , you can not be charged with slander .
Are you @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Carmichael : There ’ s one little spot in the Senate that you can stand up there behind a little thing and you can say whatever you want to .
and if you ’ re standing in that spot .
Leahy : It ’ s the slander immunity spot .
I didn ’ t know that .
Carmichael : Ted Kennedy stood there and slandered Robert Bork .
And then they accused of being a drunk .
Now for Ted Kennedy to accuse somebody of being a drunk , there ’ s a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is spilled more whiskey than the entire Senate drank .
But that ’ s where it started with what they did to Robert Bork .
Then they were successful at that .
So then they decided well heck Clarence Thomas is a black guy will just charge him with sexual harassment because everybody will believe that .
Because they ’ ll believe that any Black person that that ’ s how black people act so that ’ s what they did and Joe Biden was chairman of the committee when they did that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
They have a history of doing this type of thing , and then it ’ s culminated most recently with Brett Kavanaugh .
So if they want to know how we ’ ve reached the point where we have it ’ s because the two parties stand for so many different things .
The Democrats truly want to tell people how they will live .
Carmichael : How they will live .
They want to tell them what their health care will be and what their earnings will be .
What their @ @ @ @ @ @ @ eat or what vacations they can take if any .
Who can take a vacation .
That ’ s why they love the Communist Chinese Party because they want to emulate it .
I don ’ t know if you happen to catch Megyn Kelly ’ s interview of Mark Cuban .
Leahy : It was a very good interview .
Leahy : It totally took him down .
Carmichael : He just came out of there like a wet pile of mud .
Leahy : Why she said aren ’ t you @ @ @ @ @ @ @ China against Uyghurs where they are basically treating them as slave labor .
Carmichael : Not basically .
They are .
Leahy : Then he refused to condemn China for that .
I ’ m going to do business with China , he said .
So this is where we are in America .
Sell out to the Chinese Communists .
Carmichael : Well if the Democrats .
let ’ s be clear about this .
And what we ’ re learning now about the Biden ’ s from The New York .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ by the way ?
Because it went down yesterday right after right after the senator stepped out of the Judiciary Committee and announced that they were subpoenaing Dorsey .
And then Josh Hawley said we ’ re going to also I hope subpoena Mark Zuckerberg to come up here and testify under oath .
Because under Section 230 they argue that they are platforms and not a publisher and therefore they can ’ t be held to the same standard .
Leahy : Well , if there ’ s a platform then they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ They can not censor if their platform , and Zuckerberg when he testified a few months ago said that they would not say they would not censor during the election .
Leahy : So except they did .
Carmichael : And the left went crazy .
Yeah , the left went crazy when he said he wouldn ’ t do it .
Well , that was just to say that two senators and now it turns out that what he did was he lied under oath ?
So the question is if you @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and you testify under oath and you and you say things that are false are not just arguably provably false .
Is there a penalty for that ?
I don ’ t know the answer if there ’ s a penalty .
Leahy : In theory , there would be a criminal prosecution .
But only if your name is Mike Flynn , Carmichael : But in practice , if you ’ re not if there is no penalty , then you can come up under oath and say whatever you want to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that spot in the Senate where Ted Kennedy stood ?
Carmichael : No he was not .
And he ’ s not a senator .
It was an interesting question and then the back and forth between the Senators was astounding .
And Amy Klobuchar did here and a little there and a little deal where she ’ s following the tracks and following the tracks .
Carmichael : They ’ re trying to claim that Amy Coney-Barrett is going to overturn the ACA .
Leahy : Yeah , she ’ s made @ @ @ @ @ @ @ t have any predetermined views .
She ’ s also talked a lot about severability and how she would apply it .
Listen to the full second hour here : Tune in weekdays from 5:00 – 8:00 a.m. to the Tennessee Star Report with Michael Patrick Leahy on Talk Radio 98.3 FM WLAC 1510 .
Listen online at iHeart Radio .
Photos “ Dick Durbin ” by U.S. Senate and “ Dianne Feinstein ” by U.S. Senate .
Background Photo “ Supreme Court ” by Scott .
CC BY-SA 2.0 .


thetennesseestar--2020-10-17--UK Must Prepare for a No-Deal Brexit, Boris Johnson Says

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson warned that a potential no-deal break from the European Union is likely unless the bloc had a “ fundamental ” change in position .
The European Union and the United Kingdom have struggled to strike a trade deal amid their negotiations , leading each side to blame the other as the end-of-year deadline approaches , the Associated Press reported .
The U.K. is hoping to reach a deal similar to what the EU has with Canada , which consists of few tariffs and quotas on goods traded between the two , according to BBC .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the European Commission , said that the EU will still negotiate toward a deal , “ but not at any price , ” insisting that the U.K. shift its position in order to reach a compromise , according to the AP .
The U.K. had originally floated forgoing a deal if one was not reached by the end of the EU summit , which ends Friday , but Johnson backtracked , saying that he sought a “ fundamental change of approach ” from the organization .
“ As far as I can @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a free trade deal… Unless there is a fundamental change of approach we are going to go for the Australia solution , ” he said .
Australia has no free trade deal with the EU , meaning that trade between the two countries includes heavy tariffs and other restrictions .
Economists predict that such a scenario would be devastating for U.K. businesses , given that the EU is the country ’ s largest trading partner and businesses have already been hit by the ongoing coronavirus pandemic .
Johnson ’ s point was echoed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that “ as planned , our negotiation team will go to London next week to intensify these negotiations , ” the AP reported .
The U.K. officially left the EU on Jan. 31 , but remains part of its economic structure through the end of the year .
Talks have continued throughout much of 2020 , but both sides concede that a deal must be agreed upon before Nov. 1 if it is to be ratified by 2021 , per the AP .
Andrew Trunsky is a reporter for the Daily Caller News @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by UK Department for International Development .
CC BY 2.0 .


thetennesseestar--2020-10-17--Nashville Attorney Jim Roberts Gives Updates on the Fight for Davidson County Voters Right to a Refe

Nashville Attorney Jim Roberts Gives Updates on the Fight for Davidson County Voters Right to a Referendum Vote in December

Live from Music Row Friday morning on The Tennessee Star Report with Michael Patrick Leahy – broadcast on Nashville ’ s Talk Radio 98.3 and 1510 WLAC weekdays from 5:00 a.m. to 8:00 a.m. – host Leahy welcomed Nashville attorney Jim Roberts to the newsmakers line to give updates about scheduled hearings in order to proceed with getting the Taxpayer Protection Act referendum on the December ballot .
Leahy : We are joined on the newsmaker line by our good friend Nashville attorney Jim Roberts who has an update for us about the Nashville Taxpayer Protection Act referendum .
There @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Did it happen ?
And what happened there , Jim ?
Welcome .
Roberts : Well , it did not happen yesterday .
Good morning to you .
Funny things have happened since we last spoke .
After we filed suit last Thursday , Metro I guess got off their tail in and filed a complaint on Friday .
And then the Metro Department of Law added a 50-page complaint on Tuesday against us .
They are pulling out all the stops to try to run over the voters of Nashville , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ re trying very hard .
Leahy : So you had been scheduled I thought on Thursday afternoon for a hearing on your what would you call it ?
Mandamus to force the Davidson County election commission to follow the law and schedule the referendum to repeal the 34 percent property tax increase as your petition specified on December fifth .
What happened to that hearing ?
Roberts : Well , that ’ s a good question .
I was supposed to be yesterday afternoon after Metro filed their humongous complaint on Tuesday @ @ @ @ @ @ @ dismiss .
It was entirely improper .
It violated basic canons of the law that you can ’ t follow a second lawsuit when there is already a lawsuit pending .
The judge struck the hearing yesterday , and we ’ re going to have a status conference this morning .
And it looks like though that we are set to go to trial I believe October 26 as a week from Tuesday .
Although I ’ m not real sure what we ’ re going to have a trial over because the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
We the voters of Davidson County followed all the requirements .
We turned in sufficient signatures .
All is left is for the election commission to do its statutory duty which is called a ministerial Duty and to do it .
This is just clear evidence that really me that Metro will do anything to keep this away from the people .
Leahy : I don ’ t understand why the judge is not holding a hearing on your mandamus request to force the Davidson County election commission to follow the law @ @ @ @ @ @ @ What ’ s happening there ?
Roberts : Well , it ’ s hard to tell exactly what I think the judge will do .
She is somewhat persuaded by the motions to dismiss .
We actually saw two of them dismiss Metro ’ s complaint .
She ’ s trying to force them all into one lawsuit .
It ’ s called consolidation , which is not sort of unusual .
Today we ’ re going to really have a knock-down-drag-out .
Today is where I put my foot down and say @ @ @ @ @ @ @ We have to have a determination on whether this goes on the ballot .
All of this secondary attacks from Metro are just confusing the issue or trying to .
they ’ re trying to litigate it before it ’ s even voted on .
but then Michael they are just desperate .
They desperately don ’ t want the people to express their opinion .
And they know if this goes to a vote that the overwhelming majority of Nashvillians are going to say .
No , I don ’ t want @ @ @ @ @ @ @ : So the next step in these legal proceedings is what exactly Jim ?
Roberts : Well about an hour and 15 minutes were having a meeting with the court and she ’ s got some questions about whether witnesses will be needed and what exhibits .
The other side is trying to bring in thousands of pages of exhibits and we ’ re pretty much saying look there are only about three pieces of paper .
There ’ s a certification from the Metro Clerk .
There ’ s the verification of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
And so that ’ s the tension here .
They want to drag this out and confuse the issue and we really want to go to the heart of the case which is the law here .
Does the election commission have the right to interpret a ballot initiative ?
Or do they just have to put it on the ballot like they ’ re supposed to ?
And the case law is clear .
There ’ s not a town in Tennessee that supports Metro ’ s position .
Leahy : @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the possible outcomes after you have this meeting today with the judge and we ’ re going to have that Roberts : We ’ ve already at least asked him pleading for an expedited hearing we ’ re going to ask for the hearing to be next week .
We ’ re ready to go .
we could go as early as Tuesday and that ’ s only because I ’ m traveling on Monday .
This is not hard .
for Metro to keep this off the ballot they would have to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Tennessee Constitution and they don ’ t even allege that in their pleadings .
They talked about how expensive a special election is .
Leahy : In their pleading Metro does not allege or Davidson County election commission , they are not alleging that the petition violates the Tennessee Constitution ?
I thought that ’ s what the Robert Cooper Metro legal director argued extensively in his opinion letter .
Roberts : Well , that ’ s what he says but they don ’ t cite any case law that proves it .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ actually done there and their complaint they don ’ t really put any law in .
they just site to Bob Cooper ’ s memorandum .
And that would be like me writing a paper and then citing it as some sort of authority .
Bob Cooper is just an attorney .
He may work for Metro Leyland may be in charge of Metro legal , but he ’ s just an attorney giving an opinion .
His opinion has no more weight than my does mine does when we go to court @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ re relying on his opinions .
In his opinion interestingly even in his opinion .
He cites an attorney general opinions that agree that we have the right to do this .
He ’ s even admitted that we might have the right to do it .
The problem is there ’ s no definite law and because there are no definite laws we litigate this after its voted on .
Carmichael : You know , Jim listening to what you ’ re saying what ’ s going on here locally .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Amy Coney-Barrett and it is clear as a bell that that that your what you ’ re trying to do is let the voters have a voice on a very important issue under the laws that exist .
And the Democrats are trying to be like the panel members on the Judiciary Committee because they can ’ t stand the idea of a judge who will rule according to what the law says .
And the the the legislature is not going to change this law .
And they don ’ t @ @ @ @ @ @ @ t want to have to adhere to the law .
Which is exactly The Democrats on the committee have done .
And it ’ s exactly what the Democrats are doing here locally .
And it ’ s really a shame .
Just a shame .
Roberts : When you think about how much money they ’ re spending to fight this , they ’ re going to spend tens of thousands maybe hundreds of thousands of dollars to fight this ballot initiative just so you don ’ t so the citizens don @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on it .
And of course , I don ’ t know if it ’ s going to win or not .
All I know is that 27,000 registered voters said we want this on the ballot .
That ’ s good enough for me .
Leahy : So where we stand today , you ’ re gon na have this meeting with the attorney for Davidson County election commission and the judge .
and the judge is going to ask some questions .
And then it looks like there is currently scheduled @ @ @ @ @ @ @ your mandamus to force them to to to hold the referendum on December fifth .
But rather on the date on the commission ’ s complaint to throw it out .
Is that right ?
Roberts : Well , no , it ’ s not it ’ s unfortunately not quite that clear why she set that up .
And the judge was doing was just reserving three days and case there was going to be a full-blown trial .
I don ’ t expect there to be I can tell you the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ don ’ t litigate ballot initiatives before they ’ re voted on because I might not pass .
Not every ballot initiative passes and there is a strong principle in the law that ’ s called rightness .
This case is not ripe for a judication .
It ’ s a waste of judicial resources and everyone ’ s time to litigate something that may or may not pass .
That ’ s time-honored Tennessee law and they know that they ’ re trying to prevent people from voting .
This is all @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a right to vote .
You have a right to have your ballot initiative on the ballot .
You have a right to go vote for that ballot .
Leahy : When are you traveling next week after this hearing ?
Leahy : So you ’ re trying to get this subsequent legal hearing on this after the meeting today sometime next week .
It ’ s currently scheduled for a week from Monday the 26th .
Is that right ?
Roberts : That ’ s right .
We had actually and some @ @ @ @ @ @ @ breach to be done by next Tuesday and Wednesday and a trial on Friday .
I think the court has pushed it back a couple of days .
But really my job today is to make the judge understand that this is about four sheets of paper .
I mean , they ’ re only for commence and everything else is the law and this is where Metro bares the burden .
This isn ’ t my burden .
I can prove that it ’ s a ministerial duty because every case that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ says that the election commission ’ s duty is a ministerial Duty .
That ’ s not going to be that hard .
Metro has to come forward and prove that somehow the people should be denied the right to vote .
Leahy : In a best-case scenario could this be resolved before the end of October favorably for this the residents of Davidson County ?
Roberts : Well , we ’ re going to ask because there are some time limits here for her to move up that trial two to one @ @ @ @ @ @ @ do it next Wednesday .
Listen to the full third hour here : Tune in weekdays from 5:00 – 8:00 a.m. to the Tennessee Star Report with Michael Patrick Leahy on Talk Radio 98.3 FM WLAC 1510 .
Listen online at iHeart Radio .
Background Photo “ Legislative Plaza ” by Ken Lund .
CC BY-SA 2.0 .


thetennesseestar--2020-10-17--Commentary: Let Them Call You Racist

Commentary: Let Them Call You Racist

All ’ s fair in love and war , unless what one has to say threatens war on the beloved pieties of progressivism .
Stephanie Martinez and Lauren Witzke learned this lesson recently .
Martinez is a pro-Trump student at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles .
In early April , she joined the LMU student government as a “ senator for diversity and inclusion.
” But Martinez turned out to be a little too diverse in her views for her peers .
Students skeptical of Martinez dug up tweets that show her support for President Trump , the United @ @ @ @ @ @ @ immigration restrictionism in general , and—worst of all—the notion that being in possession of a sense of humor might be a good thing .
In one of the offending tweets from last year , Martinez wrote , “ the same people advocating for rights , equality and better conditions for illegal aliens are the same one [ sic ] censoring freedom of speech ( a right ) , defaming and initiating hostility for those Americans with divergent views !
Sad !
” Martinez was subsequently impeached .
She , like Lauren Witzke , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ground .
Witzke is a Delaware Republican candidate taking on Democrat Senator Chris Coons .
Her brand is fiery , as attested to by the tweet that got her Twitter account temporarily locked .
“ Let ’ s be clear , mass migration absolutely destroyed Europe , ” she wrote .
“ Italy , France , Sweden and Germany took in tons of migrants who never assimilated .
Rapes , murders , and other heinous crimes abound .
I will end ALL immigration into the US for ten years.
” Nothing Witzke wrote @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fact , came with catastrophic consequences for Europeans , from high-casualty terrorist attacks to the proliferation of rape gangs .
Progressive intellectuals , in response , continue to put on a baroque performance of mental gymnastics to downplay , elide , or excuse misbehavior and murder .
Sweden is illustrative .
More than 160,000 people from Middle Eastern and African countries applied for Swedish asylum in 2015 .
According to the Swedish Crime Survey , attempted rape against girls 15-17 years-old increased by 46 percent between 2015 and 2016 .
“ Sweden has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ been like this , ” said Swedish journalist Katerina Janouch .
It takes a social scientist to obfuscate the obvious .
But they can do that , because authorities in Sweden don ’ t physically describe suspects .
“ That ’ s one of political correctness , ” a former Swedish police officer remarked of the policy .
Political correctness is the international lingua franca of our time .
Beyond the issue of free expression , the problem with political correctness is that it increasingly forms the basis of eligibility for holding office @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Senate , or as we are seeing in real time , the Supreme Court .
Moreover , the unsuccessful efforts by the administration to combat censorship indicate that more than legislation , what is needed is a cultural change in a critical mass of Americans .
Neither Martinez nor Witzke wavered in their views when challenged and slandered .
Neither buckled beneath the charge of “ racism , ” or responded by flashing their anti-racist bona fides—and why should they or anyone else ?
When enough Americans are willing to endure the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the tide just might turn .
Pedro Gonzalez is assistant editor of American Greatness and a Mount Vernon Fellow of the Center for American Greatness .
Photo “ Lauren Witzke ” by Lauren Witzke for Delaware Facebook .


thetennesseestar--2020-10-17--Eight Commonwealth’s Attorneys Pledge to Not Enforce Pro-Life Laws

Eight Commonwealth ’ s Attorneys pledged that they will not enforce any laws criminalizing abortions .
The pledge which was signed by over 60 prosecutors and state attorneys general expresses concern over attempts to pass laws limiting abortion .
The Fair and Just Prosecution ( FJP ) organization published the pledge on October 14 , as Congress holds confirmation hearings for Judge Amy Coney Barrett .
“ [ O ] ur commitment to not prosecute women who obtain abortions and health care professionals who provide treatment is not predicated on these concerns alone –and , indeed , would hold even @ @ @ @ @ @ @ were to be eroded or overturned , ” the document states .
“ It ’ s very shocking that they would abdicate their responsibility as state ’ s attorneys to support laws that were legitimately passed by the General Assembly and have been on the code of Virginia , many of them for extended periods of time , ” Virginia Society for Human Life President Olivia Turner said .
“ And should any new laws be enacted by the General Assembly , the Commonwealth ’ s Attorneys are suggesting that they know better @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Virginia , ” Turner said .
Heritage Foundation Legal Fellow and former prosecutor Zack Smith told The Virginia Star that the pledge calls for prosecutors to use prosecutorial discretion which normally is meant to allow prosecutors to consider cases on an individual basis .
“ This [ pledge ] just fits into the larger pattern of [ prosecutors ] substituting their judgement for the judgement of the state legislatures and basically saying they ’ ll refuse to enforce any laws that they personally disagree with , ” Smith said .
“ These @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are really left-leaning ideologues who are , they say it on their website , seeking to fundamentally transform our criminal justice system.
” “ Laws that revictimize and retraumatize victims are unconscionable , ” the pledge states .
“ It is a prosecutor ’ s obligation to protect and seek justice on behalf of all members of our community , including victims who are often the most vulnerable and least empowered .
The wise exercise of discretion suggests focusing prosecutorial resources on the child molester or rapist , and not on prosecuting the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who provide that victim with needed care and treatment.
” The Virginia Commonwealth ’ s Attorneys signing the document are : Buta Biberaj ( D-Loudoun ) , Parisa Dehghani-Tafti ( D-Arlington ) , Steve Descano ( D-Fairfax ) , Stephanie Morales ( D-Portsmouth ) , Joseph Platania ( D-Charlottesville ) , Bryan Porter ( D-Alexandria ) , Shannon Taylor ( D-Henrico ) , and Gregory Underwood ( D-Norfolk ) .
“ You ’ re seeing it in major strongholds , ” Turner said .
“ [ These are ] places that already have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ protective rational pro-life legislation.
” Smith said many FJP prosecutors have campaigns heavily financed by liberal donors .
Smith said liberal donor George Soros funds the Justice and Public Safety PAC ( JPSP ) .
In 2019 , JPSP gave Dehghani-Tafti $ 621,145 , and it gave Descano $ 601,369 , according to The Virginia Public Access Project .
Smith said that amounts to 70 percent of Dehghani-Tafti ’ s total fundraising , and 72 percent of Descano ’ s fundraising .
Smith said , “ Both of those were far in excess @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , who were sitting incumbents at the time.
” The pledge could apply to laws already moving through Virginia courts , Turner said .
One section of the pledge lists statutes from multiple U.S. states .
The document states , “ The recent and ongoing enactment of restrictive laws demonstrates the ways that reproductive rights have been , and will continue to be , under assault , and the willingness of state legislatures around the nation to criminalize these personal healthcare decisions – as well as actions by healthcare professionals.
” “ If @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be overturned , this is part and parcel of an agenda on the left to maintain Virginia as an abortion haven , ” Turner said .
“ To make sure that whatever happens with the law on abortions , Virginia will be a place where abortions are allowed to happen without restriction.
” “ You notice the timing of the statement was the last day of the Supreme Court hearings for Judge [ Amy ] Coney Barrett .
As a result , one can only presume , since we know there ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to the Virginia Constitution making abortion legal without restriction in Virginia , this is part of that same conversation , ” Turner said .
Turner added , “ It ’ s definitely part and parcel of the machine being ginned up right now to turn Virginia into an abortion state like New York.
” Eric Burk is a reporter at The Virginia Star and the Star News Digital Network .
Email tips to [ email protected ]


thetennesseestar--2020-10-17--Senate Lawmakers Pass Conference Report for Criminal Justice Reform Legislation

RICHMOND , Virginia – During potentially the final day of the lengthy 2020 special session , Senate legislators adopted and passed the conference committee report on a bill that allows judges in certain criminal cases to issue the sentences instead of the jury .
The conference report that was unanimously agreed upon by the six conferees , two Republicans and two Democrats , passed the Senate by an almost exact party line vote of ( Y-22 N-16 ) .
In the language for Senate Bill ( SB ) 5007 , sponsored by Sen. Joe Morrissey ( D-Richmond City ) , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ judge can hand down a sentence .
One is when the accused person requests a jury to determine the sentence and the other is if they have been found guilty of capital murder .
Unlike other legislation that has come out of the conference committee process with many changes , only a re-enactment clause was substituted with a delayed enactment until July 1 , 2021 , according to Morrissey .
The seemingly simple bill garnered a lengthy debate between Democrats and Republicans on the floor lasting nearly an hour .
Morrissey and other @ @ @ @ @ @ @ besides Virginia and Kentucky already allow judges to decide the punishment in criminal cases , and that there is what Morrissey described as a “ jury punishment ” where unwarranted years in prison are added to sentences handed down by juries .
“ It ’ s easy to connect the dots .
Right now , defendants will not take a jury trial even if they are innocent , even if they have mitigating defenses because if they are convicted and a jury sentences them , they could get a decade or two decades @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Virginia Star .
“ Defendants can ’ t risk that so they ’ ll plead down to three years or four years instead of doing what ’ s right .
Let the person who is best [ equipped ] in that room decide what the sentence is : the judge.
” Sen. Scott Surovell ( D-Fairfax County ) spoke in favor of adopting the committee report and called SB 5007 “ probably the most important reform that ’ s in front of us out of all the bills we ’ ve seen [ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ system.
” The other Democrats that spoke on the floor in favor of the bill were Senators John Edwards ( D-Roanoke City ) , Creigh Deeds ( D-Bath ) and Jeremy McPike ( D-Prince William ) .
Edwards brought up the fact that federal courts also follow the practice of judges giving sentences in jury trials .
On the other side , three Republican Senators addressed the floor against the measure .
Senator Mark Obenshain ( R-Rockingham ) and House Minority Leader Thomas Norment ( R-James City County ) were the most vocal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that it would disrupt civil court cases and it had an undetermined fiscal impact .
“ We should not throw our civil and criminal justice system out of balance in this irresponsible way , ” Obenshain said .
“ If we are going to do it , we should come back in January and make sure that we are actually putting the funds in the budget to be able to do this in a responsible way.
” Norment said that while he was in court Commonwealth Attorneys had approached him expressing their resistance @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with an “ unacceptable political process.
” The only Republican who voted to pass the legislation was Sen. Bill Stanley , who was a conferee and is a practicing attorney , but because two Senators were not at the session there was only 38 total votes .
Shortly after the Senate passed the bill , the House of Delegates , also holding session on Friday evening , agreed to the report by a vote of ( Y-55 N-43 ) .
Despite robust debate over SB 5007 and other conference committee reports being agreed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s session was if it would be the last Senate meeting and the now eight-week length of a special session that was supposed to be much shorter .
The Star asked multiple Senators on both sides of the aisle to give their thoughts and opinions on the length of 2020 special session .
The results were not very surprising considering how things have gone up until this point .
The majority of legislators said that the special session has lasted far too long , and some added that a lot of the legislation @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the reason Governor Ralph Northam originally called the General Assembly to reconvene .
“ [ I ’ m ] very disappointed in the length of the special session ; I think we took on way too much , ” Sen. Mark Peake ( R-Lynchburg ) told The Star .
“ I think the special session should have been focused on the pandemic , and the pandemic ’ s effect on the budget we had already passed in march , possibly what to do with the CARES Act funds and how to address how @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to the pandemic.
” Sen. David Suetterlein ( R-Roanoke County ) said : “ I think that the special session should have been called much earlier and it should have gone much quicker , and we should have addressed more COVID related issues.
” Others pointed out that there are inherent obstacles conducting a session in the midst of a global pandemic and with almost all Senators still having to work their regular jobs during the week .
“ I think it ’ s difficult to schedule everybody and find a time when @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of COVID , but we ’ re going as fast as we can , ” said Sen. Jennifer McClellan ( D-Richmond City ) .
McClellan added : “ Hindsight is always 20/20 , we had a lot of different things we had to cover and try to make sure we got the best budget forecast .
I think there are always lessons learned , but we did the best we could.
” Whether or not Friday was actually the last day of the special session all depends on if the governor sends legislation @ @ @ @ @ @ @ if Virginians vote to approve proposed Constitutional Amendment # 1 , creating a redistricting commission to take over the process of drawing state legislative and congressional districts .
If Amendment # 1 is approved by voters , Northam would then send legislation for implementation of the redistricting commission with already agreed upon language to the House and Senate , which would require the bodies to reconvene and vote on the governor ’ s legislation .
Jacob Taylor is a reporter at The Virginia Star and the Star News Digital Network .
Follow Jacob @ @ @ @ @ @ @ email protected ]


thetennesseestar--2020-10-17--Alleged MS-13 Members Charged in Random 2019 North Virginia Murders

The Prince William County Police Department ( PWPCD ) has charged 12 people for the 2019 murders of four men .
The murders were linked to MS-13 drug trafficking operations bringing cocaine from New York to local vendors in northern Virginia .
According to a press release , 11 of the 12 suspects are in custody .
In a press conference Tuesday , PWCPD Acting Chief Jarad Phelps said , “ Milton Lopez and Jairo Mayorga were brutally assaulted and shot and killed .
That case was in June , and we have been continually investigating that since that occurred @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , “ We also had the murder of Eric Tate who was shot and killed while walking down the street to meet an acquaintance .
And then on September 24 , 2019 there was Antonio Smith who was shot and killed in the area of Chesapeake Drive just walking down the road.
” “ All four of these individuals had no connection that we know of , ” Phelps said .
The investigation was conducted in partnership with the Northern Virginia Gang Task Force ( NVGTF ) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Authorities said the suspects are alleged to be part of the Los Sitios clique , a local branch of MS-13 .
FBI Special Agent James Dawson said , “ We ’ ve been able to identify , disrupt , and ultimately dismantle the Los Sitios clique of MS-13 here in Prince William County.
” Dawson added , “ The arrested subjects are alleged to have brought cocaine from New York to sell in northern Virginia in furtherance of the MS-13 criminal enterprise.
” Phelps said the crimes were especially disturbing because the victims @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Officials at the conference would not say what the motives for the murders were , but the PWCPD press release states , “ To further the suspect ’ s standing within MS-13 itself , victims were targeted at random and murdered , posing a significant safety concern in this community .
These victims included Mayorga , Tate , and Smith as no other connection between the suspects or criminal activity was identified during the investigation.
” “ Traditionally when we deal with gang crime it ’ s generally gang on gang , ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ There is still a very large number of gang members here in northern Virginia.
” Landham continued , “ The gangs are still very active out there .
They ’ re still trafficking narcotics , guns , sex trafficking , extortion , but the violent crime is the most concerning to us of course.
” Eric Burk is a reporter at The Virginia Star and the Star News Digital Network .
Email tips to [ email protected ] .


thetennesseestar--2020-10-17--Minnesota GOP Chair Claims Attorney General Ellison ‘Threatened’ Family That Hosted Trump Event

Minnesota GOP Chairwoman Jennifer Carnahan has accused Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison of abusing his power and threatened to file “ a cease-and-desist order ” against his office .
On Tuesday night , Felton Farms in Northfield , Minnesota , held a private MAGA rally with Eric Trump , where congressional candidate Tyler Kistner and Carnahan also made appearances .
Carnahan , who accused Ellison of “ using his office to play politics ” and “ threatening ” the farm venue , announced that the Republican Party of Minnesota would be filing a cease-and-desist order against Ellison ’ s office @ @ @ @ @ @ @ once again using his office to play politics .
His team called and threatened a local family-owned farm for hosting a private MAGA event with Eric Trump this afternoon , ” Carnahan said in a statement .
“ It is not required for citizens to file paperwork with the state of Minnesota for private gatherings.
” “ Our goal in making inquiries like these , which we have been making of events for months , is to protect people ’ s lives : we do not try to stop events , ” Attorney @ @ @ @ @ @ @ But Carnahan believes Ellison ’ s “ abuse of power ” is “ infringing on the rights of our citizens.
” “ The Republican Party of Minnesota will make sure that Minnesotans are aware of elected officials abusing their power .
We are filing a cease-and-desist order with the Attorney General ’ s office and we will continue to hold them accountable , ” she said .
The Minnesota DFL Party criticized the Trump family and Minnesota Republicans for the event .
“ This colossal display of recklessness and stupidity is likely to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ around Northfield and land even more Minnesotans in the hospital , ” the DFL said on Twitter .
“ The Trump family and Minnesota Republicans would gladly sacrifice your health to win a political campaign.
” Minnesota health officials have traced COVID-19 cases to events for both President Donald Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden , including four cases among anti-Trump protesters .
Alpha News reached out to Attorney General Ellison ’ s office for comment on Carnahan ’ s accusations , but did not receive a response .
Judah Torgerud is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to keep the people informed and bring the truth to light .
Photo “ Keith Ellison ” by Lorie Shaull .
CC BY-SA 2.0 .


thetennesseestar--2020-10-17--Lynchburg Registrar’s Office on Allegations of Improper Absentee Ballot Counting: ‘We Will Do Better

Lynchburg Registrar’s Office on Allegations of Improper Absentee Ballot Counting: ‘We Will Do Better in the Future’

The Lynchburg Registrar ’ s Office maintains that allegations of improper absentee ballot counting were a result of an unintentional oversight of ballot law .
No Republican officials were present per the Code of Virginia .
On Monday , the only workers present to process absentee ballots were “ non-party affiliation.
” Emails shared with The Virginia Star reveal that some of these workers had identified as Democrats up until last year .
Both the Lynchburg Republican City Committee and the Republican Party of Virginia ( RPV ) accused the Lynchburg Registrar ’ s Office of illegally counting absentee ballots @ @ @ @ @ @ @ general counsel for the RPV , explained to The Star that the main issue was a lack of proper communication between the registrar and the Republicans .
Even if the Democratic Party chooses to pass on their right to have one of their officials present for ballot processing , that doesn ’ t mean the Republican Party has their right waived automatically .
“ In my view , the issue is there wasn ’ t a Republican – not that there weren ’ t any Democrats .
In the code section on pre-processing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ you must have two officers of election represented .
The proper thing to do would ’ ve been to not process the ballots and reschedule , ” he said .
Marston added that he didn ’ t think the ballot counting was “ an evil plot , ” to compromise the integrity of the election .
The legal representative for Gibbons , David Neumeyer , told The Star that Monday ’ s mishap wouldn ’ t happen again .
“ I think what happened Monday was a one-off and will serve as a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ We had no alternate for the one Republican listed to work , and he got sick .
It ’ s not going to happen again.
” As for future voting procedures , Neumeyer shared that the registrar ’ s office has discussed future precautions to avoid making similar mistakes .
“ I think Christine has arranged with the party chairs to have a designated Republican there , and ensure there are multiple backups , ” the lawyer said .
No further clarification was available about the poll workers ’ change from registered @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Neumeyer nor Marston shared that they ’ d heard any other reports of this sort of improper absentee ballot counting .
Corinne Murdock is a reporter at The Virginia Star and the Star News Network .
Follow her latest on Twitter , or email tips to [ email protected ] .
Photo “ Ballots ” by Davison County Election Commission .


thetennesseestar--2020-10-17--TRUMPDATE: Latest from the Team Trump Virginia Campaign for October 17

Welcome to the Saturday edition of our daily Virginia Trump campaign update !
We will provide our readers with daily updates on the Trump Virginia campaign from today to November 3 ( and after…if need be ! )
.
It ’ s officially 17 days until the election on November 3 – and 14 days until early voting in Virginia closes .
President Trump meets Joe Biden in the final presidential debate five days from today .
The Trump campaign announced he will be returning to speak at a rally in North Carolina on October 21 .
The event will @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in Gaston , North Carolina just outside of Charlotte .
As reported in The Virginia Star on Friday , Trump was just in North Carolina this week , addressing some 15,000 supporters in Greenville .
The dedication to hitting North Carolina hard with almost two weeks to go until the polls close shows that the campaign is in it to win it in the Tar Heel state .
The president spent the day Friday in Florida addressing crowds at two rallies .
He will be in Nevada and Wisconsin over the weekend as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ encouraging people to go out and vote for him to be re-elected .
Trump will also speak at a rally in Erie , Pennsylvania on October 20 .
Pennsylvania being another battleground state the president will need to carry in order to be re-elected .
In Virginia , results of another skewed poll show Democrat nominee Joe Biden with a five point lead ( 53-48 ) .
The Reconnect Research/Roanoke College poll noted that five percent of the voters remain undecided , with four percent saying they intend to vote for Libertarian nominee @ @ @ @ @ @ @ likely voters .
The political party affiliation of those 602 likely voters was not mentioned or disclosed .
The poll also indicated that 71 percent of the respondents think the country is on the wrong track , and that Trump has a 41 percent approval rating .
The Trump Team Virginia campaign remains confident that the Commonwealth is in play .
With the voter registration deadline behind us , the final push becomes getting people to the polls , voting for Trump and voting for Republican candidates up and down the ballot .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ is if people turn out to the polls and vote .
Joe Biden and Kamala Harris want to radically transform America if they get into the White House .
So it ’ s important to vote and send the message that you want Trump and Vice President Mike Pence to continue restoring the country back to where it was .
Check back every day for more Trump Virginia campaign updates !
If you want to join the volunteer team or if you need signs email Fredericks or Justin Rice .
To Donate to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ more information , or to sign up to become a volunteer , click here .
The Trump Campaign in Virginia Needs Poll Watchers !
Don ’ t let them steal the election !
Get paid , too !
John Fredericks is the publisher and editor-in-chief of The Virginia Star .
He is also a Trump 2020 delegate and the chairman of the Trump Virginia Delegation .


thetennesseestar--2020-10-17--Steve Cortes: ‘The Battle We’re Fighting Is Trump and the Deplorables vs. The Credentialed Crony Pow

Steve Cortes: ‘The Battle We’re Fighting Is Trump and the Deplorables vs. The Credentialed Crony Powerful Money Interests and Big Tech’

Live from Virginia Friday morning on The John Fredericks Show – weekdays on WNTW AM 820/ FM 92.7 – Richmond , WJFN FM 100.5 – Central Virginia , WMPH AM 1010 / FM 100.1 / FM 96.9 ( 7-9 PM ) Hampton Roads , WBRG AM 1050 / FM 105.1 – Lynchburg/Roanoke and Weekdays 6-10 am and 24/7 Stream – host Fredericks welcomed Senior Strategic Advisor to the Trump-Pence 2020 campaign , Steve Cortes to the show .
During the show , Cortes weighed in on The New York Post story about Biden family emails and how no one in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ added that Twitter and Facebook ’ s censorship of the story and blocking of official accounts was blatant election interference .
Fredericks : Joining us now Steve Cortes who is the senior strategic advisor Trump-Pence 2020 .
Steve , great to have you man .
Cortes : Hey good morning thanks for having me .
Fredericks : Steve , I got to tell you .
I did a piece on this Post story the other day .
I ’ m absolutely flabbergasted that it ’ s in The New York Post and we @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to the FBI and the fake news media and Twitter and Facebook refused to carry it .
In fact , if you dare put a link to the story in The New York Post .
A 150-year-old paper and you get your Twitter account shut down .
Steve , what the hell is going on here ?
Cortes : Listen this is actually scary you know and I use that word cautiously .
But it is .
It ’ s scary that this can happen in America in 2020 .
But this is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reality of the power of these Big Tech oligarchs and the monopolies that we ’ ve unfortunately allowed them to create .
We have to do a lot about that I think in Trump ’ s second term .
But regardless for the near term and for the next couple of weeks into this , the reality is The New York Post put forth very strong evidence .
And no one from the Biden camp by the way , not Joe not Hunter , and not the campaign .
No one has doubted @ @ @ @ @ @ @ would be easy for them to do say okay so you know what these are fake or these are not authentic somehow .
No one has said that .
So we can only assume that they are legitimate emails .
And if they are and The New York Post has a sterling reputation .
If they are then it is a damning story .
It paints a grim picture of what the sitting Vice President of the United States was aware of in terms of his son ’ s shady overseas business dealings @ @ @ @ @ @ @ your sort of regular standard grift .
okay ?
This takes it to a whole new level because we ’ re literally talking about millions and millions of dollars flowing into hunter Biden ’ s bank account with the awareness of his father who is the sitting vice president again at the time not just from anywhere .
You know this wasn ’ t like a Canadian telecom company that was looking for some influence in Washington D.C .
This is Moscow and Beijing .
These are the two most dangerous adversaries of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ two countries in the world that we know of that have ICBM ’ s in silos targeted at American cities .
It ’ s Russia and China .
And these were the two countries that were funneling massive sums of money to Hunter Biden to gain influence and access .
And again this is critical .
Hunter wasn ’ t just some wayward son some dilettante off selling access around the world unbeknownst to his father .
We now know conclusively that his father had full awareness .
And in fact , may @ @ @ @ @ @ @ We know that hunter Biden did arrange a meeting with a Ukrainian oligarch .
One of the heads of Burisma to come and meet the then Vice President of the United States .
We know that because in the email he profusely thanks , Hunter Biden .
You know all of us wondered why did Burisma want to pay Hunter Biden ?
Somebody with no experience at all in the energy industry ?
Why do they want to pay him 50 or perhaps some reports to even $ 80,000 a month for ‘ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ know why .
Because they got direct access to his father the Vice President of the United States .
And the fact John that ABC last night had Joe Biden live on a stage for 90 minutes and didn ’ t even mention this story , that is just complete journalistic malpractice .
It ’ s a total dereliction of duty .
It ’ s a failure to be even remotely a patriot .
I mean you have to ask him this question .
And yet George Stephanopoulos just pretended like oh the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and the way the fake news media is portraying it calling it an unverified discredited story .
Why don ’ t they do that with the story in The Atlantic about the president disparaging our dead soldiers in France ?
Those are unnamed sources .
That was not verified .
In fact , there were 25 people that were with him who all disputed that he never said that at any time .
Why does The Atlantic story get all over the fake news day after day after day and the president is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ which is totally verified because you have emails gets buried and censored .
Cortes : No listen it ’ s despicable .
It really is .
And again listen if these emails are fake well come forward and tell us that .
It would be very easy to say you know what those aren ’ t my emails .
Or this has been somehow doctored .
No one has said that .
And I think that the silence on that issue is pretty deafening right because it tells us that they are real @ @ @ @ @ @ @ : That ’ s the other thing .
Why did they simply come out and deny it ?
And why is the fake news asking for a blanket denial ?
In fact what they said is , to be honest here Steve was the opposite .
Because the talking points they put out on the first day was said , well we checked back on the schedule and there was no meeting on his official meeting visit .
Then it comes out that he ’ s got a bunch of meetings that aren @ @ @ @ @ @ @ does .
Fredericks : Then it comes out that he did meet the guy .
So then so they changed his story from he never met him to well it was only a cursory meeting .
Which means it was a short meeting .
So they went from he didn ’ t meet him at all to well it was only for a couple of minutes .
So now we ’ re debating the time of the meeting .
I mean are you kidding me ?
And nobody picks this up !
Cortes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it .
And by the way , as if the Vice President of the United States would put on his schedule meeting with Ukrainian oligarch at the behest of my crackhead son .
like no , okay you don ’ t put that on your schedule if you ’ re gon na meet with him .
Clearly .
But here ’ s the other thing , so as bad as all that information is and it ’ s terrible regarding the Biden ’ s which I believe and I don ’ t think @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a crime family .
In a sophisticated and sustained way , they have sold access all over the world and again particularly to the enemies of the United States .
And they ’ ve been doing it for decades .
But as bad as that is maybe even worse is the suppression of the story by these social media giants .
By Twitter and Facebook specifically .
I mean think about this .
So you could as you mentioned you could not share the link .
I mean you literally could not copy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on your social media platform .
And that was true of everybody .
Just regular Americans and all the way up to the Trump campaign .
Now consider this also .
The Trump campaign , our official Twitter accounts were suspended only for sharing this information from The New York Post .
You know that is outright election interference .
When the President of the United States has his official campaign sites suspended by social media companies that is open election interference .
By the way , though it was the White House @ @ @ @ @ @ @ press secretary had her account suspended .
They are intervening in a way that is so brazen and so bold that they ’ re not even trying anymore to hide their tracks about how open their preference is for Joe Biden to be President of the United States .
And you know to the listeners out there they might say well why do they want Biden so badly ?
Giant corporate interests and all the powerful moneyed interests in this country , whether it ’ s a corporate media or Big Tech or @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Joe Biden to win because they want to retreat to a place of economic globalism .
They want to retreat to a place of economic submission to China because it serves their interests .
Even though it crushes American workers .
they can ’ t stand our America first movement .
So it ’ s Trump and the deplorable against all of these powerful interests .
Now we are going to prevail okay because the vote of one of your listeners in Virginia matters just as much as Mike Bloomberg ’ s vote @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to prevail but we have to realize the battle that we ’ re in and the battle we ’ re fighting .
It really is trump and the deplorables versus the credentialed crony powerful money interests including Big Tech .
Listen to the full show here :


thetennesseestar--2020-10-17--Gov. DeWine Signs into Law Expanded Tax Exemption for Spouses of Fallen First Responders

A new law signed by Ohio Gov .
Mike DeWine will increase tax exemptions for spouses of fallen first responders .
House Bill 17 was an expansion of previous legislation and increases the homestead tax exemption from $ 25,000 to $ 50,000 .
The legislation allows the spouse of a fallen first responder to exempt $ 50,000 of their home ’ s appraised value from property taxes or the manufactured home tax .
The law also exempts the spouse from the income means test , which is currently set at $ 32,800 in Ohio adjusted gross income , said Ohio @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who sponsored the bill .
“ I am very pleased to see the governor moving forward today in making this honorable legislation law , ” Ginter said in a statement on Thursday .
“ Providing important relief to spouses of our first responders who make the ultimate sacrifice while protecting and serving the public is the right thing to do.
” The law applies to spouses of first responders — peace officers , firefighters , EMTs , paramedics , police officers , Ohio State Highway Patrol and “ any equivalent position in another @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s text — who were killed in the line of duty or from an injury or illness sustained in the line of duty .
The bill originally passed the Ohio House of Representatives in November 2019 .
It was passed by the state Senate last month .
“ Police , firefighters , and other first responders risk their own lives every day to keep our families and communities safe , ” said Ohio Senate President Larry Obhof when he signed the bill earlier this month .
“ This is the least we @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who have made the ultimate sacrifice.
” DeWine signed the bill into law in a virtual ceremony on Thursday .
The tax exemption will take effect for the 2020 tax year or in the 2021 tax year for those that are subject to the manufactured home tax .
Jordyn Pair is a reporter at The Ohio Star .
Follow her on Twitter at @ JordynPair .
Photo “ Fallen First Responder Funeral ” by Metropolitan Transportation Authority of the State of New York .
CC BY 2.0 .


thetennesseestar--2020-10-17--Tennessee Republican Party Leaders Plan Road to Victory Bus Tour to Get Out the Vote

Tennessee legislative leaders , as well as Gov .
Bill Lee , plan to stage a number of bus stops around the state for much of the rest of October to get out the vote .
The statewide Road to Victory bus tour is meant to encourage citizens to vote and to elect Republican candidates , according to a press release from the Tennessee Republican Party .
The eight-day tour begins on Monday , and it will include a total of 37 stops across 35 counties .
Each will feature members of House and Senate leadership , as well as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ serve their respective communities .
U.S. Rep. David Kustoff ( R-TN-08 ) , as well as other members of the state ’ s congressional delegation , are expected to appear at various stops , which will end in Shelby County on Wednesday , Oct. 28 .
Times will be announced later .
The dates of stops are : House Speaker Cameron Sexton ( R-Crossville ) said , “ This election is very important to our state and nation .
Tennesseans have stood strong by electing conservative leaders , and now , our great @ @ @ @ @ @ @ state , second best state for businesses and one of the lowest taxed in America.
” Lt. Gov .
Randy McNally ( R-Oak Ridge ) said , “ Republicans across the state are energized by our record of conservative governance and our strong unified conservative message .
Bringing that message to these 35 counties will energize our voters and encourage all Tennesseans to join our cause.
” Lee said , “ The Road to Victory Bus Tour will highlight the many Republican champions across our state at all levels of government who uphold @ @ @ @ @ @ @ low.
” And Scott Golden , chairman of the Tennessee Republican Party , said , “ We need Tennesseans to head to the polls and vote Republican , so our state can remain a national model for all to follow.
” Jason M. Reynolds has more than 20 years ’ experience as a journalist at outlets of all sizes .


thetennesseestar--2020-10-18--Nashville Taxpayer Protection Act Trial Date Set

The dispute concerning the Nashville Taxpayer Protection Act will go to trial October 26 through October 28 , per the orders of Davidson County Chancery Court Judge Ellen Hobbs Lyle .
This , according to Nashville attorney Jim Roberts .
As reported , Roberts is fighting the Davidson County Election Commission to get the Nashville Taxpayer Protection Act referendum on the December 5 ballot .
He said Commission members are playing unfair games with him and the public .
“ Things are about to get real exciting for lack of a better term , ” Roberts told The Tennessee Star @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that the Metro Government is going to such incredible lengths to keep this off the ballot.
” As reported , The Nashville Taxpayer Protection Act referendum , if approved , would roll back Nashville Mayor John Cooper ’ s 34 to 37 percent tax increase .
As reported last month , members of the Davidson County Election Commission voted to neither approve nor reject the Nashville Taxpayer Protection Act .
They instead passed the matter on to a chancery court to guide them on how to proceed , and also moved the “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ December 5 to December 15 .
“ We really do see this as a conspiracy to violate the civil rights of the voters of Davidson County , ” Roberts said Saturday .
“ It is a civil rights violation [ concerning ] people ’ s First Amendment right to vote and First Amendment right to speak out on what this petition is .
It is being suppressed by this government for no reason other than they are just scared of it.
” Davidson County Election Commissioner Jeff Roberts , in an email to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ comment and that early voting for the November 3 election was monopolizing his time .
Roberts , meanwhile , said he plans to subpoena Metro Legal Director Bob Cooper in the case .
As reported , members of the Davidson County Election Commission met privately last month .
At least one of the five commission members refused to say what they discussed , even though it was government business .
Roberts , at the time said he suspected commission members met to discuss ways to undermine the Nashville Taxpayer Protection Act .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ believe the secret meetings that were held were done to thwart the citizens ’ civil rights , ” Roberts said Saturday .
Chris Butler is an investigative journalist at The Tennessee Star .
Follow Chris on Facebook .
Email tips to [ email protected ] Photo “ Courthouse in Nashville ” by Nicolas Henderson .
CC2.0 .

Eighteen individuals are now collecting petitions for Tennessee’s 5th Congressional District race as of last Friday.
Twelve people are collecting qualifying petitions for the GOP primary, three are gathering petitions for the Democrat primary, and three independents are also accumulating petitions.
The 12 Republicans listed on the Tennessee Secretary of State’s website as collecting petitions are former Speaker of the Tennessee House Beth Harwell of Nashville, businessman Baxter Lee of Nashville, Robby Starbuck of Franklin (listed as Robert Starbuck Newsom), Geni Batchelor of Lebanon, Natisha Brooks of Nashville, former Williamson County GOP Chair Omar Hamada of Franklin, Timothy Bruce Lee of Nashville, Annabelle Lee of Madison, Alan Clement Sharp of Nashville, David Vitalli of Brentwood, Stewart Parks of Nashville, and Richie Lee of Nashville.
Among the publicly announced candidates, Tennessee newcomer and former State Department spokesman Morgan Ortagus and retired Brig. General Kurt Winstead have not yet been listed as having begun their qualifying petitions process. Hamada has not yet made a decision as to whether or not he is officially entering the race.
Records show that Harwell, Starbuck, Brooks, Baxter Lee, Ortagus, Winstead, Batchelor, and Timothy Bruce Lee have also filed candidate paperwork with the Federal Elections Commission (FEC). Starbuck has raised $255,066.53 and has $138,741.16 on hand, which Brooks has raised $24,517.00 and has $19,655.34 on hand. The rest filed their FEC paperwork after the year-end December 31, 2022 deadline. The 2022 first quarter January 1-March 31 financial reports, which are scheduled to be released in mid-April, will cover all candidates who have reached the FEC reporting threshold.
Sources tell The Star that several Republican candidates are expected to have impressive fundraising totals.
Clay Faircloth, Richard H. Harris, and Joel Michael Hurbert, all from Nashville, are listed as collecting petitions for the Democrat primary.
Derrick Brantley of Nashville, Patrick O. Halfacre of Hohenwald, and Richard A. Shannon of Franklin are the independents who are collecting petitions. Shannon has appeared on The Tennessee Star Report with Michael Patrick Leahy. Only Brantley appears to have filed documents with the FEC.
In order to appear on the ballot, candidates are required to collect 25 valid signatures from registered voters and have until noon on April 7 to turn in those qualifying petitions. Candidates who qualify have until April 14 to withdraw their names from the ballot. The Tennessee Secretary of State’s Office told The Star, unless pending legislation changes things, that they will finalize the ballots on April 21.
The 5th Congressional District consists of parts of Davidson, Williamson, and Wilson counties, and all of Maury, Marshall, and Lewis counties.
– – –
Aaron Gulbransen is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network. Email tips to [email protected] Follow Aaron on GETTR.
Photo “U.S. Capitol” by Martin Falbisoner. CC BY-SA 3.0.


thetennesseestar--2020-10-18--Commentary: New Study Pegs COVID-19 Crisis Costs at $16 Trillion So Far

Estimated costs of the coronavirus pandemic are in .
The results are not pretty .
A new study co-authored by Harvard economist David M. Cutler and former World Bank chief economist Lawrence H. Summers places the costs of the COVID-19 pandemic north of $ 16 trillion .
“ The estimated cumulative financial costs of the COVID-19 pandemic related to the lost output and health reduction are shown in the Table , ” write Summers and Cutler .
“ The total cost is estimated at more than $ 16 trillion , or approximately 90 % of the annual gross domestic product @ @ @ @ @ @ @ explain , roughly half of the costs stem from the global recession , which was triggered by government-imposed lockdowns around the world .
The remainder is the result of economic losses stemming from shorter life spans and health deterioration .
These losses are unprecedented in modern history .
According to Summers and Cutler , the costs exponentially exceed previous recessions and recent conflicts in the Middle East and beyond .
“ Output losses of this magnitude are immense .
The lost output in the Great Recession was only one-quarter as large , ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ loss is more than twice the total monetary outlay for all the wars the US has fought since September 11 , 2001 , including those in Afghanistan , Iraq , and Syria.
” It ’ s a sobering analysis .
The numbers are so enormous they are difficult for the human mind to grasp , but they will have very real effects on American families and others around the world .
As the authors point out , the losses translate to about $ 200,000 for a family of four .
These losses will @ @ @ @ @ @ @ around the world will be hit even harder .
A recent World Bank study estimated that as many as 150 million people around the world will fall into extreme poverty—defined by living on less than $ 1.90 per day—by 2021 .
Cutler and Summers write that “ the immense financial loss from COVID-19 suggests a fundamental rethinking of government ’ s role in pandemic preparation.
” They recommend establishing permanent government infrastructure for testing , contact tracing , and isolation of the sick .
This seems , to be kind , misguided .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s botched response to the pandemic and its proactive role in shutting down society that caused the bulk of the unprecedented economic damage .
It ’ s important to remember that throughout history humanity has experienced no shortage of pandemics and deadly viruses .
Many have noted that the 1957-58 pandemic bears striking similarities to that of 2020 .
The 1957-58 pandemic claimed the lives of 1.1 million people worldwide ( including 116,000 Americans ) .
The case-fatality rate for that pandemic was 0.67 , researchers estimate , which is almost certainly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the similarities , some of the differences are even more striking .
The economic fallout from that pandemic was barely noticeable .
( The same can be said of the Spanish Flu of 1918 . )
What made the COVID-19 pandemic so unique was not the virus itself , but our collective response to it .
In an effort to protect the population from an invisible virus , governments adopted a blueprint for government-enforced social distancing , a plan whose genesis stems from a 14-year-old girl ’ s science project and a library @ @ @ @ @ @ @ favor of this approach , the long-standing conventional wisdom of how to mitigate the spread of a deadly virus was abandoned by most nations , and by April dozens of governments around the world had quarantined tens of millions of healthy people and ordered the closure of millions of “ non-essential ” businesses .
Prior to February 2020 , when China ordered the largest mass quarantine in human history , such an action had never been taken .
( It ’ s worth noting that before they became a partisan issue , media @ @ @ @ @ @ @ York Times expressed serious doubts about the strategy of government-imposed quarantines . )
And now we know why : pandemic lockdowns are a strategy born of hubris .
The strategy rests on the misguided idea that central planners can create a more perfect social order by removing decision-making from individuals and replacing it with their own top-down mandates .
Economists from Hayek to Mises and beyond have warned that this hubris poses one of the great risks to modern man .
“ If man is not to do more harm than good in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , he will have to learn that in this , as in all other fields where essential complexity of an organized kind prevails , he can not acquire the full knowledge which would make mastery of the events possible , ” Hayek noted in his Nobel Prize speech .
“ The recognition of the insuperable limits to his knowledge ought indeed to teach the student of society a lesson of humility which should guard him against becoming an accomplice in men ’ s fatal striving to control society – a striving which makes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fellows , but which may well make him the destroyer of a civilization… , ” he continued .
Central planners failed to heed Hayek ’ s “ knowledge problem ” warning .
In their zeal to control society , they destroyed the global economy on a scale the modern world had never seen .
Somehow , the word “ lockdown ” never appears in the Summers-Cutler study .
This will not do .
If we can not acknowledge a basic truth—government lockdowns failed—we are bound to make the same mistake again .
Once @ @ @ @ @ @ @ basic truth— one the World Health Organization and some European nations appear to have gleaned—we can begin to rebuild the economy .
And the recipe for success is simple : economic freedom .
“ In order to reverse this serious setback to development progress and poverty reduction , countries will need to prepare for a different economy post-COVID , by allowing capital , labor , skills , and innovation to move into new businesses and sectors , ” World Bank Group President David Malpass writes .
Free markets and free people is the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ post-COVID-19 world .
Jonathan Miltimore is the Managing Editor of FEE.org .
His writing/reporting has been the subject of articles in TIME magazine , The Wall Street Journal , CNN , Forbes , Fox News , and the Star Tribune .


thetennesseestar--2020-10-18--Exclusive: GOP House Hopeful Kim Klacik Tells How She Racked up $6.4 Million 3Q, Poised to Win West

Exclusive: GOP House Hopeful Kim Klacik Tells How She Racked up $6.4 Million 3Q, Poised to Win West Baltimore Seat

The woman running to be the first Republican to represent Maryland ’ s 7th congressional district , told the Star News Network she campaigns every day to defeat the Democratic incumbent without the help of the state ’ s GOP Gov .
Lawrence J .
“ Larry ” Hogan Jr. Kimberly Klacik said she is grateful the support of President Donald J. Trump , but Hogan ?
“ Governor Hogan ?
No .
No , but I know he ’ s friends with my opponent , so I wouldn ’ t expect him to say anything on my behalf.
” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Kweisi Mfume , who won the April 28 special election to fill the seat made vacant upon the death of Elijah Cummings .
Mfume held the seat from 1987 to 1996 , leaving Congress to takeover the leadership of the NAACP , and was succeeded by Cummings .
Mfume left his post at the helm of the NAACP after multiple women came forward with stories of his misconduct .
The incumbent , despite his experience and tenure , refused to debate the Republican candidate , she said .
“ I think , at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ ve said , yes , obviously to all eight and my opponent has declined to all eight , ” she said .
“ He will not debate me , ” she said .
“ I guess that is his final word .
The League of Women Voters , I think , reached out to him last week , he said he was interested , and then , all of a sudden , he said no , he will not do it.
” Klacik raises $ 6.4 million in blowout 3Q after viral @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the president , Klacik , and her director Benny Johnson , revolutionized political advertising with her commercials that have been garnered millions of views across the country and around the world .
“ I think they said it will probably go down as one of the most watched campaign ads in history , which would be awesome , ” she said .
“ At the end of this quarter , Sept. 30 , we found out out exactly how much he ’ s raised versus how much we ’ ve raised , ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ raised over $ 6 million now.
” For the third quarter , Klack raised $ 6,445,451 compared with Mfume ’ s $ 184,349 .
The Republican said her videos and commericials were a big part of her fundraising success .
Another part was the support of Donald J. Trump Jr. and Sen. Rand Paul ( R.-Ky. ) .
It would be easy to assume that Klacik is a novice , but for more than five years she has been a regular guest on Fox News and One America News .
She also worked @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for tourists , but for congressmen , senators and witnesses struggling to navigate the maze of tunnels and back hallways that confound the most seasoned Hill veterans .
In this case , the cliché is absolutely correct : She knows her way around Capitol Hill .
Residents in Maryland ’ s 7th congressional district have been left behind The wild success of her videos on social media have raised her profile and name recognition , but in many ways her campaign is a throwback to shoe leather and door knocking , she said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ left as the residents are no longer connected to what is going on outside their neighborhoods , she said .
“ The interesting part about the city is that not a lot of people pay attention to politics , so , we literally got to get in everyone ’ s face because they ’ re not watching it on television .
They ’ re not listening to the radio , ” Klacik said .
“ A lot of them do not have social media in certain areas of West Baltimore , because of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , so we literally have to get in front of their faces to get that name recognition , and then also tell them more about the platform , ” she said .
“ We ’ ve been knocking doors seven days a week , registering voters five days a week.
” Another aspect of the campaign is the special wrapped bus , she said .
“ I think , hopefully , what it ’ s doing is showing people : ‘ Look , we are a force .
We are in this race @ @ @ @ @ @ @ just as my opponent , ’ ” she said .
“ Our bus driver , Joe , he ’ s a great guy , he ’ s a great driver , and he ’ s now working because of the campaign being able to use the bus , ” she said .
“ We ’ ve been busing around our volunteers , ” she said .
“ Just pulling up with the bus in the neighborhoods , they ’ re like : ‘ Wait a minute , wait a minute .
This girl @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s got some donations flowing if she ’ s got an entire bus wrapped with her face on it.
’ The centerpiece of the Klacik campaign is take the message of economic opportunity , law and order and government services to the people .
“ There ’ s a lot of individuals , when they look around their neighborhoods and they see the blight , they see the trash , they see what their surroundings are and they do believe that , that is a normal situation , ” Klacik said .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ are like places outside of America , she said .
“ That they should be living around rat-infested areas , that trash is fine , that out of 13 of 39 high schools , you ’ ve got kids graduating not proficient in math .
They think this is a normal thing , ” she said .
“ We just talk to people and say : ‘ Look , you deserve so much better .
You deserve a better quality of life.
’ We tell them : ‘ Look I know a lot @ @ @ @ @ @ @ horrible party and not caring about black people , but as a black woman , I ’ m standing here telling you that I ’ ve been a Republican since 2009 .
I will never look back to the Democrat party , ’ ” she said .
Klacik said she shares her own story and political journey to the GOP with the voters and they like what they hear .
“ When we knocked door-to-door , a lot of people say : ‘ You ’ re the first Republican I ’ ve ever @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I vote for anything other than a Democrat if I ’ ve never even actually met a Republican ?
’ ” It is a lesson , she said she hopes other Republicans learn from her campaign .
“ I ’ d say you can ’ t write these cities or areas off where you believe they ’ re so heavily blue that you can ’ t come away with a win , ” she said .
“ Republicans say : ‘ Oh , we ’ re not going to win this and we @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ but to me , it ’ s about chipping away at it.
” As much as Klacik is a Republican , she is also aware that the National Republican Congressional Committee was not eager to help her until after she was lauded by Trump and she was able to raise money on her own .
In the end , the NRCC did step up , but in a bizarre way only after she did not need its support .
Similarly , the Maryland Republican Party was not interested in helping her until @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for this should go to Hogan .
In addition to his friendship with Mfume , the Republican governor is an embittered enemy of the president .
In the lead up to the primaries , Hogan even entertained the fantasy that he could challenge Trump for the nomination .
There is no way Hogan wants a Trump supporter in Maryland ’ s House delegation .
Maryland has some of the most notoriously drawn congressional districts in the country , and the 7th is one of them .
After the 2012 census , the district @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the site of many of the city ’ s poorest neighborhoods , and then west the suburbs and the military reservation of Fort George G. Meade—in this way very similar to the district after the 2000 census .
The new district then springs north like a tree trunk for 10 or 20 miles and then moves to the east to act like a canopy over the North Baltimore and the north east suburbs—and alternating patches of the state ’ s 2nd and 3rd congressional districts .
These machinations created a 7th congressional district @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the country with a super majority of Democrats over Republicans by 26 percentage points .
Klacik , a beauty queen who reigned as Mrs. Baltimore 2014 , said she has a turnout strategy to win the district , despite the crazy map and patchwork of neighborhoods .
“ We ’ re focusing more of our efforts in Baltimore County in certain areas and Howard County , ” she said .
“ We ’ re doing pretty well .
Of course , Baltimore city , we need at least 15 percent in the city @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said .
“ Right now , we ’ ve been doing internal polls , and of course , we had the external polls , and it looks like we are making a significant swing upward and our opponent is swinging downward .
So , we know what cities we kind of have to focus on at this point according to the polls.
” Neil W. McCabe is a Washington-based national political reporter for The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network .
In addition to the Star Newspaper , he has covered the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ politics for One America News , Breitbart , Human Events and Townhall .
Before coming to Washington , he was a staff reporter for Boston ’ s Catholic paper , The Pilot , and the editor of two Boston-area community papers , The Somerville News and The Alewife .
McCabe is a public affairs NCO in the Army Reserve and he deployed for 15 months to Iraq as a combat historian .
Photo “ Kimberly Klacik ” by Kimberly Klacik .


thetennesseestar--2020-10-18--Commentary: Your FBI Will Entrap You

Commentary: Your FBI Will Entrap You

The FBI-generated indictment of six men on charges of terrorism for planning to kidnap Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer has all the earmarks of what has become that corrupt agency ’ s standard operating procedure .
Their lawyers are sure to claim they were victims of entrapment .
If the case comes to trial , I doubt a jury will convict them .
During the eight years I spent supervising the intelligence agencies for the Senate Intelligence Committee , I watched as what had been a clerisy of strait-laced guardians of truth and justice was becoming a bunch of lazy bureaucrats @ @ @ @ @ @ @ prejudices .
No longer doing the hard and dangerous work of investigating deeply connected criminals and subversives such as the Mafia and well-financed , politically supported subversives , the FBI limited its vision to politically correct “ profiles , ” and started chasing small fry .
Easy targets , defended by no one .
What ’ s not to like ?
After 9/11 , the FBI spent few years going after very petty Islamists while covering its collective eyes to the work of major sources of trouble , such as the Muslim Brotherhood @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Arabia—each beloved by parts of the ruling class .
But before and after this period , these profiles more often than not pointed to the ruling class ’ favorite enemy : fellow Americans “ excessively concerned with their liberties.
” The FBI ’ s method ?
Place agents among the target group , stoke their sentiments , and lead them to say or do something that could be characterized as a crime , then arrest them and claim credit for foiling a plot .
In intelligence lingo , that is provocation .
In @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
By whatever name , this is the work of cheap , dirty cops .
In the 1950s , the joke was that any meeting of a Communist Party cell in the New York area was likely to consist of two-thirds infiltrators , half from the FBI and the other half from the New York Police Department .
But these FBI infiltrators , like those of the Vietnam era in the 1960s and early ’ 70s , and like those who penetrated organized crime were merely watching .
Doing an honest job .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ not creating something that would never have been there except for their presence .
Fast forward to our time .
The contrast between how the FBI behaves with regard to persons connected to the ruling class and those who are not speaks for itself .
The 918 Americans who died in mass suicide in Jonestown Guyana in November 1978 were victims of a cult that had been closely associated with the California Democratic Party .
Relatives of the people who were being drawn in had complained to the FBI .
But the FBI @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the movement , and later officially argued that doing so would have infringed on its political and religious liberties .
And yet when the Tea Party movement arose to protest collusion between the Republican and Democratic parties against popular sentiment on a host of political issues , the FBI rushed to infiltrate it .
Having addressed countless meetings of Tea Parties in Northern California from 2010 to 2012 , I experienced this infiltration directly .
The audiences were respectful , and asked informative questions .
When , occasionally , I got a question @ @ @ @ @ @ @ something inflammatory , I made it a point to find and speak to the individual who had asked it .
Invariably , the person fit a profile with which I had become familiar from my years overseeing the FBI : a man in his late 30s , who had recently moved into the community and worked for a big company , often remotely , and whose echoing of the sentiments surrounding him sounded studied .
I would then advise him on how to write his report to headquarters .
Generally , the man @ @ @ @ @ @ @ case , it seems the FBI had started by monitoring the men ’ s social media traffic and , on the basis of “ excess concern for liberty ” ( prithee , what is that ? )
had obtained warrants for wiretaps and had inserted one or more infiltrators .
But up to this time , no crime could be alleged—only what the FBI and its local affiliate considered a bad attitude .
What exactly was the infiltrator ’ s role in moving the men from mere talk to incipient , allegedly criminal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the essence of the trial .
The FBI will produce recordings made by the infiltrator .
When was the device turned on , and when off ?
To what extent do those intermissions and/or additions made to the recording contribute to the impression that this was a real plot hatched autonomously ?
The accused will have the government ’ s and media ’ s full weights used against them , as would you or I .
The jury will have to decide whether the FBI was protecting society from sociopaths or whether it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is a senior fellow of the Claremont Institute , professor emeritus of international relations at Boston University and the author of To Make And Keep Peace ( Hoover Institution Press , 2014 ) .