thetennesseestar--2020-08-19--Commentary: Pelosi’s Claim That Trump’s 2018 Postal Service Reforms Were Intended to ‘Sabotage the E

Commentary: Pelosi’s Claim That Trump’s 2018 Postal Service Reforms Were Intended to ‘Sabotage the Election’ in 2020 Amid COVID Is a Conspiracy Theory

To hear House Speaker Nancy Pelosi tell it , President Donald Trump ’ s efforts to reform the Postal Service — which began with an April 2018 executive order appointing a task force to bring USPS into solvency almost two years before there was any COVID-19 pandemic — were intended to undermine increased requests for mail-in and absentee ballots in 2020 in response to the pandemic .
In an Aug. 16 dear colleague letter , Pelosi alleged , “ Alarmingly , across the nation , we see the devastating effects of the President ’ s campaign to sabotage the election @ @ @ @ @ @ @ voters .
Postmaster General Louis DeJoy , one of the top Trump mega-donors , has proven a complicit crony as he continues to push forward sweeping new operational changes that degrade postal service , delay the mail , and… threaten to deny the ability of eligible Americans to cast their votes through the mail in the upcoming elections in a timely fashion.
” It ’ s a conspiracy theory .
For it to be true , Trump and the Postal Service had to know in 2018 there would be a global pandemic in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ associated with mail-in and absentee ballots which would preclude timely delivery by the Postal Service .
Pelosi ’ s dear colleague letter came , not after Trump began appointing his task force in 2018 or when the task force delivered its findings in Dec. 2018 , but after the Washington Post reported on Aug. 14 that the Postal Service had sent letters to 46 states and the District of Columbia warning that , given state deadlines for sending out and casting ballots that are “ incongruous ” with how long it takes to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ guarantee all ballots will be counted in time for Election Day .
For example , in the letter sent to Missouri Secretary of State dated July 31 , USPS Vice President and General Counsel Thomas Marshall warned “ under our reading of Missouri ’ s election laws , certain deadlines for requesting and casting mail-in ballots may be incongruous with the Postal Service ’ s delivery standards… it is particularly important that voters be made aware of the transit times for the mail ( including mail-in ballots ) so that they can make @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ( 1 ) request a mail-in ballot , and ( 2 ) mail a completed ballot back to election officials.
” The letter recommended that the voters request ballots no later than 15 days before Election Day , or Oct.19 , that election officials should use first-class mail and not third-class mail to send blank ballots and allow one week for delivery to voters , and that voters should mail in their ballots no later than Oct. 27 , a week before the election on Nov. 3 , in order to be counted @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that first class mail takes 2-5 days to deliver and receives higher priority than third-class or marketing mail , which can take 3-10 days to deliver .
So , voters and states are being warned months ahead of time that many states ’ new extended deadlines the 2020 election and mail-in ballots are problematic and may need to be modified so that ballots are sent and received on time , and to only use first-class mail to deliver the ballots to guarantee timely delivery .
Here , the Postal Service is rightly raising @ @ @ @ @ @ @ — so that the states can adjust their deadlines accordingly and we don ’ t have a catastrophe on Election Day and the weeks that follow .
In any given election year , about one-quarter of ballots will be either mail-in or absentee , according to the U.S. Election Assistance Commission .
It was 23.6 percent in 2016 , 25.9 percent in 2012 and 19.2 percent in 2008 .
But in 2020 , the number is projected to be much , much higher , not because of some far-fetched Trump-Postal Service conspiracy , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ solution is for states to institute proper deadlines for requesting and receiving ballots that will allow for timely delivery .
And that would be the case whether President Trump ’ s efforts to reform the U.S .
Postal Service that began in 2018 were taking place or not .
On April 12 , 2018 , the President issued an executive order appointing a task force on the U.S .
Postal Service with the goals of “ the expansion and pricing of the package delivery market and the USPS ’ s role in competitive @ @ @ @ @ @ @ its implications for USPS self-financing and the USPS monopoly over letter delivery and mailboxes… the definition of the ‘ universal service obligation ’ in light of changes in technology , e‑commerce , marketing practices , and customer needs … the USPS role in the U.S. economy and in rural areas , communities , and small towns ; and …the state of the USPS business model , workforce , operations , costs , and pricing.
” According to the Congressional Research Service , in FY 2019 the Postal Service had a $ 9 billion @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 80 billion budget but only $ 71 billion of revenue .
2020 will be even worse .
Nobody cared then .
There were no dramatic press conferences called by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi or other top national Democratic leaders in Congress .
No demands for additional funding outside the normal course of budget negotiations or concerns expressed about the integrity of elections .
Nothing .
Then , again , in Dec. 2018 , the task force the President appointed delivered its recommendations , “ United States Postal Service : A Sustainable Path Forward.
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ s business model in order to return it to sustainability… ” • “ the [ Universal Service Obligation ] must distinguish between the types of mail and packages for which a strong social or macroeconomic rationale exists for government protection … versus those types of mail and packages that are commercial in nature.
” • “ The USPS should have the authority to charge market-based prices for both mail and package items that are not deemed ‘ essential services ’ … [ to ] allow the USPS to optimize its income in order @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and long-term liabilities.
” • “ The USPS must pursue new cost-cutting strategies that will enable it to meet the changing realities of its business model .
These should include evaluating modifications to delivery processing standards , and the expanded use of private sector partners in areas such as processing and sortation.
” • “ The USPS [ should ] more closely align wages for both its career and non-career workers with those of other federal employees , drawing from like examples in the broader labor market.
” That was in Dec. @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was any COVID-19 .
In short , the Postal Service should charge more , especially for non-essential , commercial deliveries like Amazon , contract out certain functions including processing where needed and address labor costs .
And again , not so much as a peep from House Speaker Pelosi or Democratic leaders at the time of the proposals , which really are not that controversial and mirror recommendations that have been made over the years by similar task forces , such as the one from 2003 .
Yet the entire country is supposed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Pelosi is giving the American people all the facts about this issue .
She isn ’ t .
She ’ s had a proposal to increase Postal Service funding by $ 25 billion , including $ 3.5 billion for election services , since April , to accommodate additional mail-in voting .
And for Pelosi , it ’ s simple how to get it done .
As President Trump clearly stated at his Aug. 14 press conference , “ Sure , if they give us what we want .
And it ’ s not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ what the American people want.
” Trump wants another coronavirus relief funding package , and explained his terms : “ I ’ ve directed the Secretary of the Treasury to get ready and send direct payments — $ 3,400 for a family of four — to all Americans .
Democrats are holding this up .
I am ready to have the UST and SBA send additional PPP payments to small businesses that have been hurt by the China virus .
Democrats are holding this up .
So we ’ re talking about — @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , really , victim of the China virus .
We ’ re ready to send ; Democrats are holding up .
I ’ m ready to send rental assistance payments to hardworking Americans that have been hurt by the China virus .
All of these things are in a list .
Democrats are holding this up .
I ’ m ready to send $ 105 billion to the states to help open schools safely , with additional PPP — E. And Democrats are holding this up .
So that ’ s $ 105 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ schools safely , with additional PPE .
Democrats are holding that up .
Right ?
And I ’ m ready to send more money to states and local governments to save jobs of our great police , our firefighters , our first responders and teachers .
It ’ s all ready to go .
Democrats are holding it up.
” So , agree or disagree with the President ’ s demands for additional spending , the hold-up for the additional funding for the Postal Service that Pelosi is demanding has almost nothing to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Postal Service reforms .
The hold-up is legislative and it is political .
Each side has priorities they want to see in any new legislation .
No bill can become law without President Trump ’ s signature unless Pelosi has the votes to override a veto .
She doesn ’ t , and so it ’ s called , make a deal , or don ’ t make a deal .
That ’ s up to Speaker Pelosi .
Robert Romano is the Vice President of Public Policy at Americans for Limited Government @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Nancy Pelosi .
Photo “ Donald Trump ” by Gage Skidmore .
CC BY-SA 2.0 .


thetennesseestar--2020-08-19--Victims Call Golden State Killer Joseph DeAngelo ‘Sick Monster,’ ‘Subhuman’ in Sentencing Hearing

SACRAMENTO , California ( AP ) — Victim after victim lined up on Tuesday to describe Joseph DeAngelo as a “ sick monster , ” “ horrible man ” and “ subhuman ” who stole their innocence and changed their lives during a more than decade-long reign of rape and murder that earned him the nickname Golden State Killer .
The daughter of one rape victim gave him an obscene hand gesture and cursed him during the first of four days of hearings in Sacramento County Superior Court before he is formally sentenced to life in prison on Friday .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ loved ones who could not testify in person , while others proudly gave their names now that DeAngelo , 74 , is heading to prison .
“ He and his knife had complete control over me for the next two hours , ” Patti Cosper , the daughter of rape survivor Patricia Murphy , read from her mother ’ s statement .
“ He truly is an evil monster with no soul.
” DeAngelo is a former police officer in California who eluded capture for four decades .
Sixteen of his Sacramento County @ @ @ @ @ @ @ courthouse that is otherwise still sealed from the public because of the coronavirus .
A similar number of people planned to tell Superior Court Judge Michael Bowman on Wednesday and Thursday how DeAngelo ’ s crimes changed their lives .
“ I was a normal 15-year old kid .
I loved going to school , having sleepovers and going to church , ” Kris Pedretti told the court .
“ My world was small , predictable and safe.
” Then DeAngelo attacked her just before Christmas in 1976 .
“ By the time @ @ @ @ @ @ @ my world changed forever , ” she said .
“ I sang ‘ Jesus Loves Me ’ in my head as I waited — waited to die.
” Pedretti told the judge she finally “ found freedom from his evil ” after he was captured .
“ The knowledge that DeAngelo will spend the rest of his life in prison for his heinous acts has ended my dark journey so that I may begin a new one , ” she said .
Lisa Lilienthal described DeAngelo as a sadistic “ boogeyman ” as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ she witnessed on her mother .
Until his arrest , she said , “ something lingered in the shadows — our sense of normalcy , our sense of safety had been raped too.
” Pete Schultze recalled how DeAngelo “ performed horrific acts against our mother while she was tied and blindfolded.
” He himself was tied to a bedpost at age 11 , while his 7-year-old sister was locked in her room during the attack on Wini Schultze .
Pete Schultze called DeAngelo a “ sick monster ” as the killer sat @ @ @ @ @ @ @ straight ahead and wearing a mask as protection against the coronavirus .
In June , DeAngelo pleaded guilty to 13 murders and 13 rape-related charges between 1975 and 1986 .
He also publicly admitted dozens more sexual assaults for which the statute of limitations had expired .
All told , he admitted harming 87 victims at 53 separate crime scenes spanning 11 California counties in a plea deal that spares him the death penalty , prosecutors said .
That ’ s more victims than prosecutors cited after his admission in June to 161 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ District Attorney Greg Totten said the higher number includes those who chose not to participate in having DeAngelo publicly admit to crimes in which he could not be formally charged .
His nicknames showed the escalation and geographic sweep of his crimes : the Visalia Ransacker , thought to be responsible for about 100 burglaries and one slaying in the San Joaquin Valley farm town ; the East Area Rapist ; the Original Night Stalker ; and finally , the Golden State Killer when investigators finally linked the crimes that stretched across much @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and arrested in 2018 by using a new form of DNA tracing .
Several survivors of his crimes said they believe he is merely masquerading as a feeble old man , a front that prosecutors in court papers said is belied by video of his “ agile movement and behavior in his jail cell.
” Some said they believed his day of reckoning would never come .
Among them were two sisters who took turns testifying .
Peggy was 15 when she was raped , and Sue was 16 when she was bound @ @ @ @ @ @ @ gave their last names as they described the trauma that haunts their otherwise successful lives .
“ My God , we were just high school kids , ” Peggy said , noting that she was stunned when DeAngelo was arrested .
“ After over four decades he was no longer a ghost , but a real living and breathing monster , ” she said .
” After 42 years , there was finally a glimmer of justice.
” “ Finally the end of this trauma is here , ” Peggy added .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ none of us have to worry about him anymore.
” Don Thompson is a reporter at The Associated Press .
About the Headline Photo : Joseph James DeAngelo looks away from the podium as people who DeAngelo victimized make their statements during the first day of victim impact statements at the Gordon D. Schaber Sacramento County Courthouse on Tuesday , Aug. 18 , 2020 , in Sacramento , Calif. DeAngelo will be formally sentenced to life in prison on Friday .
The former police officer in California eluded capture for four decades .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ 50 rapes between 1975 and 1986 .
( Santiago Mejia/San Francisco Chronicle via AP , Pool )

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


thetennesseestar--2020-08-19--Fired for Accidentally Calling a Transgender Student ‘She,’ Teacher Takes Case to Court

Peter Vlaming has two great passions—teaching and French .
But a Virginia school district stripped the French teacher of the ability to impart these passions in high school classrooms when it fired him for not using pronouns preferred by a transgender student .
“ I explained to my principal that I couldn ’ t in good conscience pronounce masculine pronouns to refer to a girl , ” Vlaming told The Daily Signal in an interview for this special video report .
“ He gave me an official written reprimand that said it was the first step in a process that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ days before Christmas 2018 , the school board in West Point , Virginia , voted unanimously to fire Vlaming .
Today , he awaits his day in court .
Wyatt Pedersen , at the time a student of Vlaming ’ s , said his reaction to his teacher ’ s firing was “ a combination of like shock and kind of disgust.
” Pedersen helped organize a student walkout in protest .
Another former student , Jessica Teagle , said she had a similar reaction .
“ I was very shocked when I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Teagle said .
“ I didn ’ t really know what to do.
” Paul Nichols , a friend of Vlaming ’ s who is superintendent of nearby Mecklenburg County Public Schools , told The Daily Signal that the teacher ’ s situation is a direct reflection of what is happening in society .
“ Not only did he lose his job , but I think the whole thing has put other people in a position where they ’ re scared that they will lose their job if they don ’ t toe @ @ @ @ @ @ @ progressive culture , ” Nichols said .
Here ’ s what happened , as Vlaming tells it .
Vlaming had taught French for seven years at West Point High School , less than three hours outside Washington , D.C. , between Richmond and Norfolk , Virginia .
Near the end of the 2018 school year , one of his students , a 14-year-old girl , gave Vlaming a handwritten letter saying that she was transgender , had adopted a masculine name , and wanted to use it in French class .
The West @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 6 , 2018 , to fire Vlaming , saying his refusal to follow orders to use male pronouns in referring to the transgender student “ harassed and discriminated against the student ” and meant Vlaming was “ insubordinate.
” In an interview with The Daily Signal , Vlaming said he had worked to help the student while staying true to his own conscience .
“ I wasn ’ t using feminine pronouns to refer to her because I didn ’ t want to provoke her , ” Vlaming said , adding : The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , 2018 , and told him that she had heard that he referred to her as a girl outside class .
Vlaming said he told the student that he appreciated her as a student , was glad she was in French class , and , although he wasn ’ t supposed to disclose this , that she was one of his favorite students and he appreciated her charm and wit .
He told the student that adopting the new identity was “ a big transition , ” Vlaming recalled .
“ So extend @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” Vlaming said he told the student .
“ We left that meeting and she was satisfied , and she told her mother as much ; her mother confirmed that she was satisfied with our meeting , ” he said in the interview with The Daily Signal .
The next day , Vlaming said , he went to speak with his assistant principal , Suzanne Aunspach , because Principal Jonathan Hochman was out of town .
He told Aunspach in detail about the conversation with the student and said he respected the student @ @ @ @ @ @ @ identity .
Vlaming said he also told the assistant principal that he respected the right of the student ’ s family to believe in her transition , but that he could not in good conscience refer to a girl as a boy .
“ I was told that not only would I proactively use male pronouns for the student in her presence , but that I would use male pronouns to refer to her no matter who was present , even if it was just another colleague behind closed doors or in a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Vlaming said he met with both Aunspach and Hochman about the issue on Oct. 31 , Halloween .
“ I was given an official reprimand for not using the appropriate pronouns , ” he recalled , “ and I was told that this was the first step in a series of steps that will lead to my termination.
” Later in the day , Vlaming ’ s class did a Halloween activity about the catacombs of Paris when that city was ravaged by the Black Death , thought to have reached its peak @ @ @ @ @ @ @ teacher divided the students into pairs , with one wearing a virtual reality headset to see a tour of the catacombs and the other making sure the one with the headset didn ’ t run into anything .
Vlaming recalled that the transgender student was about “ to walk into a wall ” because her partner wasn ’ t paying attention .
He said : That “ moment ” essentially cost Vlaming his career as a French teacher at West Point High .
“ By the end of the day , ” he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the principal ’ s office and I was put on administrative leave .
… And after that week I had to go back to see the superintendent , who had prepared an ultimatum.
” He couldn ’ t in good conscience sign the ultimatum , Vlaming said , and Superintendent Laura Abel subsequently recommended that he be fired .
Vlaming lives in Williamsburg , Virginia , with his wife and four children ages 3 to 12 .
The teacher , who was 47 when he was fired , is an active member of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his family helped plant in Williamsburg in 2013 .
He has taught children ’ s Sunday school , preached , and led prayer meetings , small groups , and worship services .
On two occasions , he was the church ’ s delegate to the annual synod of its diocese .
Almost a year after his firing , on Sept. 30 , 2019 , Vlaming sued the West Point School Board for breach of contract and for violating his rights under the state Constitution and state law .
The federal District Court for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was expected to decide by the middle of the year whether the case will proceed in state court , where it was filed , or in federal court , where the West Point School Board seeks to move it .
That decision is still pending .
In a statement provided to The Daily Signal , a spokesman for West Point Public Schools said the system ’ s “ primary focus is on students , staff , and instruction , and we will continue to direct our energy toward maintaining a high-quality learning environment @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Teagle , the former student , recalled emailing Vlaming after learning that he had been fired .
“ I emailed him because our assistant principal never told us , ” Teagle said .
“ She just said , ‘ This is our new temporary sub for French , ’ and she didn ’ t say anything else.
” ‘ It Has Come to This ’ Caleb Dalton , a counsel with the Christian legal organization Alliance Defending Freedom who represents Vlaming , said the teacher ’ s case is about whether the government @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that goes against their conscience .
“ His case , at its core , is really about the right of free speech , the right of any teacher not to be compelled to violate their convictions in order to keep their job , ” Dalton said .
During World War II , he said , the Supreme Court heard a similar case in which Jehovah ’ s Witnesses did not want to salute the American flag or say the Pledge of Allegiance .
“ You can imagine during World War II that that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Dalton said .
“ The Supreme Court said that nobody can be forced by a government official , high or petty , to be compelled to speak a message that violates their convictions , ” Dalton said , “ and that ’ s exactly what the school board is trying to do to Peter in this case .
Nobody should be forced to do that just to keep their job.
” Vlaming said the hardest part about his situation is that “ it ’ s come to this.
” “ That ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has indeed come to this , ” Vlaming said , adding : Even though your belief is what ’ s been shared by most of humanity for all of human history , even though your belief is tied to your traditional Christian faith , too bad .
‘ You have to adopt this belief and if you don ’ t adopt this belief , you ’ re going to be fired.
’ We just don ’ t do that here .
That ’ s what I said to myself during this thing , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ happening .
It ’ s ‘ No , you will believe this or else you can ’ t work here.
’ The other thing is just to realize the spirit of intimidation .
There are many teachers who share my point of view , but won ’ t come out of the shadows .
I ’ ll say it that way , because they are intimidated .
And , well , look what ’ s happened to me .
I politely disagreed and I was fired .
Rachel del Guidice is a congressional @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is a graduate of Franciscan University of Steubenville , Forge Leadership Network , and The Heritage Foundation ’ s Young Leaders Program .


thetennesseestar--2020-08-19--Television Viewership Down for Democrats’ Unconventional Convention

NEW YORK , New York ( AP ) — Preliminary estimates show that viewership for the first night of the Democrats ’ virtual convention was down compared with the opening of Hillary Clinton ’ s nominating party four years ago .
An estimated 18.7 million people watched coverage between 10 and 11 p.m. on ABC , CBS , NBC , CNN , Fox News Channel and MSNBC , the Nielsen company said .
Four years ago , opening night drew just under 26 million viewers .
Nielsen ’ s preliminary numbers did not include streaming or networks like PBS and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ due later Tuesday .
MSNBC and CNN , which aired the Democrats ’ two-hour prepared telecast essentially in its entirety , were rewarded with the biggest audiences .
MSNBC had 5.1 million viewers and CNN had 4.78 million , roughly twice what the broadcast networks reached .
Fox News Channel ’ s audience of 2.1 million viewers was smaller than what time slot occupant Laura Ingraham reaches on a typical night , perhaps explaining why Fox didn ’ t preempt Tucker Carlson or Sean Hannity earlier in the evening .
Those networks that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ program in its entirety struggled to keep up Monday .
In the end , they were rewarded with the most traditional of political events — a powerful speech .
Before former first lady Michelle Obama ’ s keynote address , much of the coverage felt uncomfortably like watching an army making the common mistake of fighting a new conflict with the tactics of the last war .
“ This will not be like any convention we have seen before , ever , ” CNN ’ s Anderson Cooper said .
“ The coronavirus @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The pandemic forced Democrats to abandon a Milwaukee convention hall .
Instead , the party produced a slick , fast-moving infomercial hosted by actress Eva Longoria Baston that featured quick speeches , music and the testimony of non-politicians .
It even featured the presidential candidate himself , Joe Biden , as a television “ anchor ” interviewing five figures arrayed before him on screens .
Speakers stood before a variety of backdrops : Washington , D.C. , Mayor Muriel Bowser was above the “ Black Lives Matter ” plaza , while the pile @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he was getting ready for a long Vermont winter .
Until Sanders and Obama , politicians played a secondary role .
New York Gov .
Andrew Cuomo , whose father Mario ’ s soaring keynote highlighted the 1984 convention , was immediately overshadowed by Kristin Urquiza ’ s story of her father ’ s death from COVID-19 .
Typical conventions have moments for television analysts to comfortably opine , when there ’ s a set change , a boring speaker who drones on too long or lengthy applause by delegates .
That wasn @ @ @ @ @ @ @ example , Alabama Sen. Doug Jones was essentially ignored in favor of an NBC discussion about mail-in voting ; a CBS interview with Reince Priebus , President Donald Trump ’ s former chief of staff ; and former New Jersey Gov .
Chris Christie calling another former governor , Ohio ’ s John Kasich , a “ back-stabber ” on ABC .
Although broadcast networks were on the air for the second of the two-hour Democratic show , top personalities like George Stephanopoulos , Norah O ’ Donnell and Chuck Todd logged time @ @ @ @ @ @ @ After Obama ’ s speech , commentators were awestruck .
The lack of a live audience clapping and cheering seemed beside the point .
“ This is how pastors the Sunday before the election are going to sound , ” said MSNBC ’ s Joy Reid .
“ She preached the word tonight.
” David Bauder is a Media Writer for The Associated Press .
About the Headline Photo : The control room where live feeds are managed is in operation for the first night of the virtual DNC convention at the Wisconsin @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Milwaukee , Wisconsin .
The convention , which was once expected to draw 50,000 people to the city , is now taking place virtually due to concerns with the coronavirus pandemic .
( Scott Olson/Pool via AP )


thetennesseestar--2020-08-19--Dr. K Discusses the NFL and College Football Season and the Financial Implications of COVID

Live from Music Row Tuesday 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 Dr. K to the newsmakers line .
During the second hour , Dr. K weighed in on the upcoming college and NFL football season revealing concern for both the players and the universities whose financial viability weighs heavily on the sport .
Leahy : Did you think we ’ d ever get to this point ?
Dr. K : Well to be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 40 plus years doing this stuff I can never remember anything like it .
It ’ s so unprecedented .
I never dreamed that this would happen but a lot of things have happened this year that I never dreamed would happen .
This is certainly out there on a limb for sure .
Leahy : But now the SEC and the ACC are going to play some football .
Opening day is September 26 .
Now it ’ s a little longer then we might have hoped for .
And the Big @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not playing football .
Who else is playing football and who else is taking and knee and sitting on the bench ?
Dr. K : Well , the truth of it is we ought to chat about the very fact that there is certain Power Five conferences that are playing football and there are certain Power Five conferences are not .
You take the Big Ten .
Powers Warren plays for Mississippi State .
Now what ’ s ironic about that statement is that his father Kevin Warren is the commissioner of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ re not doing ?
They ’ re not playing football .
And the Big Ten really says they are more concerned about the myocarditis that follows the COVID infection .
I ’ m not about to take any issues with any conference that believes that the safest route to take is not playing .
I think what you have to do is you have to try and think about what would be the mindset behind those conferences that are .
I mean the Pac-12 says no .
The Big Ten says no @ @ @ @ @ @ @ But I think honestly Michael it boils down to the whole concept and the intellectual capacity of not having football .
The Southeastern Conference and every school thrive on the financial value of college football .
Leahy : You know , talking about the health side of things .
We were talking about this in the five o ’ clock hour with Doug Kellet .
And apparently the big issue in the Big Ten was one freshman football player at Indiana University got COVID-19 and had some adverse reactions with a difficult recovery @ @ @ @ @ @ @ don ’ t know .
That ’ s a bigger issue to them than the long term health effects on your brain or having your head banged against something multiple times .
It seems a little weird to me .
The context seems off to me .
Dr. K : Well that ’ s an interesting perspective .
I just think that in today ’ s society , and you look at education and everything else that ’ s going on , we ’ re being awfully careful and , of course , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ terrible disease and its taking thousands and thousands of lives .
And it ’ s hard to separate that conceptually from what we love so much in the fall and that ’ s college football .
Leahy : Just a little bit more on the health issues .
If you look at football pre-COVID-19 .
There would be every year a report of mostly high school kids and maybe a couple of college kids have passed away from overheating .
Or they have some underlying situation .
As far as I can tell @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in terms of a football player as of yet .
I think that kind of puts it in context .
I love the SEC and the ACC for playing and for analyzing the risks and understanding that the risk of in my view getting myocarditis after COVID-19 for a college football player is far less than the long term risk of brain damage caused by multiple hits to the head .
Which they all know exists .
Dr. K : Well you know there appears to be some empirical data that currently supports @ @ @ @ @ @ @ served being in a restricted community run by athletic departments and coaches who are watching over their every move as opposed to having them at home or some other place where there is no culture that ’ s going to protect them .
Leahy : Put them in a bubble , right ?
Isn ’ t that the idea ?
Dr. K : Yeah .
Yeah .
We ’ ll talk about this a little bit more .
I think where the conference might be slightly impacted and maybe not .
Florida is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to opt-out .
And that ’ s no different than any other sport we ’ re seeing .
NFL football players , opting out .
We ’ re seeing Major League Baseball players opting out .
And major hockey league players opting out .
That ’ s their right .
And really and truly when you look at it , what is the season going to be like ?
Well , you kind of change the whole temperament of the schedule .
Now we ’ re 100 percent in the conference .
I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ one bye week off .
And then there ’ s always who ’ s the national champion and then how to you .
And then how do you play the bowl games .
This has a wide-reaching perspective .
And even in what we do every Tuesday now , how many games will there be ?
I ’ ve been watching what ’ s going on at training camp for the Titans .
And also what ’ s happening in the college ranks in terms of what the practices are going to be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ begin to be played .
And then there ’ s always the financial piece as a season ticket holder at the University of Tennessee , I don ’ t know if I ’ m going to be able to see the games or not .
I don ’ t know how they are going to go about choosing .
I know what the deal was with the Titans .
And we decided to get our money back this year .
Leahy : So what was the deal with the Titans because they are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ games here .
What was your option as a fan ?
Could you go to a game ?
Dr. K : That ’ s a good question .
They haven ’ t decided who is going to go to the game .
We have two sets of season tickets .
One of them in the lower level and one in the front .
So they gave us the option of keeping all four .
Keeping any two we wanted or turning them all back in and getting a full cash refund for this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ we could have rolled the money that we paid into this year ’ s tickets over to next year .
Those were the options .
We just personally decided that , one we couldn ’ t be guaranteed that we would even have a seat or where those seats would be .
Because what they are doing is taking an inventory of everybody that ’ s decided to get their money back or to roll over .
So once they have that inventory of seats that are no longer going to be occupied @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to be telling people where they are going to sit .
Leahy : How many fans will they let in ?
The capacity is what ?
70,000 ?
Dr. K : They won ’ t say .
They ’ re not saying .
Dr. K : I know .
That ’ s kind of where we made the decision that we ’ ll just watch it on TV this year .
We ’ ve been season ticket holders since they walked in town .
I ’ m concerned and I ’ m 71 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ really cautious and careful about this disease .
This is a pretty big deal .
Leahy : Yeah .
Well if you are 21 and playing college football and you get it you are not likely to go to a hospital .
You are not likely to die .
You might possibly have some long term health effects .
Maybe .
Sort of .
But if you get it at your age , 71 or my age 65 it ’ s a different trajectory , and it ’ s not a good trajectory @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ re right .
And then certainly I don ’ t know how they are ever going to bring this social distancing effort together .
I do believe and I ’ m not saying this because that appears to be callous , but certainly , the financial impact to the teams in the Southeastern Conference without Southeastern Conference football and we all know how much money that brings to the table .
Basketball a distant second and baseball and golf are not even in the picture .
But you take away the billions @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from television and other angles and you take that away , I think a lot of universities are going to have a big-time problem .
Leahy : It seems to me that one thing that would make sense is if they said look if you are 65 years or older you are not allowed to attend a football game .
There is some science that supports that .
I don ’ t know if they are going to do that .
Listen to the full second hour here : Tune in weekdays from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Star Report with Michael Patrick Leahy on Talk Radio 98.3 FM WLAC 1510 .
Listen online at iHeart Radio .


thetennesseestar--2020-08-19--No Immediate Ruling on Motion to Dismiss Lee Statue Lawsuit

RICHMOND , Va. ( AP ) — A judge heard arguments Tuesday but did not immediately rule on whether to dismiss a lawsuit challenging Virginia Gov .
Ralph Northam ’ s plans to remove an enormous statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee along Richmond ’ s famed Monument Avenue .
An injunction issued in the lawsuit currently prevents Northam ’ s administration from moving forward with plans announced after the death of George Floyd to take down the bronze equestrian statue of Lee .
The figure erected in 1890 is now one of the country ’ s most prominent @ @ @ @ @ @ @ General Mark Herring is seeking to have the lawsuit tossed and the injunction dissolved .
“ The government officials of 1890 had no power and no right to make a legally enforceable promise that the Commonwealth of Virginia would display a massive government-owned monument on government-owned property forever , ” Solicitor General Toby Heytens argued in court .
The plaintiffs , a group of property owners who say in court papers that they live in close proximity to the monument , argue that Northam ’ s order violates several provisions of the Virginia @ @ @ @ @ @ @ contained in the 1887 and 1890 deeds that transferred the monument and ground it rests on to the state .
The central issue in the case is “ does the governor have the power to make this determination on his own ?
” said Patrick McSweeney , an attorney for the plaintiffs .
Richmond Circuit Court Judge W. Reilly Marchant said he would rule “ within a week.
” If Marchant declines to toss the lawsuit , a trial is expected in October , according to Herring ’ s office .
In early @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the statue , citing the pain felt across the country about the death of Floyd , whose death in police custody galvanized widespread protests over police brutality and racism .
But Northam ’ s plans have been tied up in court since then .
Floyd ’ s death also sparked a renewed wave of Confederate monument removals across the U.S. , just like a violent 2017 white supremacist rally in Charlottesville before it and a mass shooting at a historic African American church in South Carolina before that .
Critics of the statues @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to preserve slavery in the South .
Others say their removal amounts to erasing history .
Now cloaked in graffiti , the Lee statue and other nearby monuments have become a rallying point during ongoing social justice protests and occasional clashes with police .
The statue was put in place in Richmond , the capital of the Confederacy for most of the Civil War , at a time when Reconstruction had ended and Jim Crow racial segregation laws were on the rise .
It is a one-of-a-kind piece by internationally renowned French sculptor @ @ @ @ @ @ @ masterpiece , ” according to its nomination to the National Register of Historic Places , where it has been listed since 2007 .
It sits in the middle of a traffic circle , a grassy island of state-owned land .
Four other prominent statues of Confederate leaders have been taken down from city property along the avenue this summer .
Sarah Rankin is a reporter at the Associated Press .
About the Headline Photo : This July 10 , 2020 file photo shows the statue of Confederate General Robert E. Lee is the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Avenue in Richmond , Va. A judge on Tuesday , Aug. 18 , 2020 will weigh whether to dismiss a lawsuit seeking to prevent Virginia ’ s Democratic governor from removing the statue of Lee on Monument Avenue .
( AP Photo/Steve Helber )


thetennesseestar--2020-08-19--Judge Blocks Idaho Law That Prevents Transgender Women from Participating in Female Athletics

U.S. District Judge David Nye of Idaho ordered a preliminary injunction on Monday temporarily halting a state law that prohibits transgender girls and women from competing in female athletics , The Idaho Statesman reported .
Nye ’ s ruling will allow transgender girls and women to participate in women ’ s sports this upcoming fall at colleges and in secondary schools as the lawsuit proceeds , the Statesman reported .
Republican Idaho Gov .
Bradley Little signed “ The Fairness In Women ’ s Sports Act ” on March 30 , limiting female athletics in the state to biological females @ @ @ @ @ @ @ previously stated their support for the law , saying that they unfairly lost to a biologically male athlete who identifies as a transgender woman .
The American Civil Liberties Union ( ACLU ) , Cooley LLP , the ACLU of Idaho and Legal Voice filed the lawsuit in April on behalf of Lindsay Hecox , a transgender girl from Boise State University , according to an ACLU press release .
Hecox plans to try out for Boise State University ’ s cross country and track teams , according to the press release .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ relief , ” Hecox said after the ruling , according to the press release .
“ I love running , and part of what I enjoy about the sport is building relationships with a team .
I ’ m a girl , and the right team for me is the girls ’ team .
It ’ s time courts recognize that and I am so glad that the court ’ s ruling does , ” Hecox continued .
The lawsuit was also filed on behalf of Jane Doe , a biological female who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s invasive ‘ sex verification ’ testing , ” according to the press release .
The plaintiffs allege that the law violates their rights to “ equal protection , ” “ due process ” and freedom ” from unconstitutional searches and seizures.
” The plaintiffs also allege that the law discriminates by having female athletes “ verify ’ their sex , ” while male athletes aren ’ t required to do , according to court documents .
“ In making this determination , it is not just the constitutional rights of transgender girls @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as explained above , the constitutional rights of every girl and woman athlete in Idaho , ” the Court ruling said .


thetennesseestar--2020-08-19--Public Affairs Strategist Clint Brewer: ‘The American People Are Distracted Right Now, They Don’t Ca

Public Affairs Strategist Clint Brewer: ‘The American People Are Distracted Right Now, They Don’t Care About Conventions’

Live from Music Row Tuesday 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 public affairs strategist Clint Brewer in the studio .
At the top of the third hour , Brewer analyzed how the American people are too distracted to be bothered with conventions right now .
He added that the traditional “ bump ” conventions would give to a campaign wouldn ’ t happen to suggest that the public may prefer to be watching @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the studio by our good friend recovering journalist .
I got it right .
A recovering journalist , public affairs strategist , and all-star panelist Clint Brewer .
Good morning Clint .
Brewer : Good morning .
This is an extra cup of coffee morning for me , Mike .
Leahy : Were you up late ?
Brewer : Yes .
Probably an ill-advised bedtime on a Monday night .
Leahy : See you ’ ve been out .
The problem I have is not Monday night .
Because I was out @ @ @ @ @ @ @ night which is good .
The problem is Sunday .
Sunday , you know you I hate the weekend ending .
So I ’ ll end up staying up and end up saying I ’ m not going to fight it .
Brewer : You are trying to hang on .
Leahy : I ’ m trying to hang on and have fun !
Leahy : It ’ s not over yet !
I ’ ve just realized don ’ t fight it .
So like on a Monday night before Monday , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of sleep and that ’ s not good .
Leahy : So Monday is tough .
But Tuesday ’ s are always good .
But the other great thing about Tuesday Clint is you are here .
Brewer : You should get your extra sleep Monday night because I ’ m coming in .
Leahy : You are coming in and we are going to have a delightful conversation .
Not always agreeing .
But always agreeable .
Leahy : So I know it was really at the top of your list last @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this virtual Democratic National Convention where the stellar voices of the former Republican governor of Ohio John Kasich who was there to make the case for Joe Biden .
You know he made the case against Joe Biden at the 2012 Republican Convention ?
But now apparently in eight years , Biden ’ s gotten better according to John Kasich .
Brewer : Ah yeah .
He ’ s sort of a lost soul , isn ’ t he ?
Kasich ?
Here ’ s the thing with these conventions .
Either party @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , right ?
That ’ s what everybody expects is that the tickets are going to get a bump .
And I just don ’ t think this is going to happen .
Leahy : See , this is a very important point that you make .
If you look at I would say every presidential campaign since the television era .
Perhaps 1952 when they started really broadcasting the conventions and people were glued to them .
They ’ d do cover to cover .
There has been a bump for each @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Leahy : I ’ m with you .
First , who is watching John Kasich and Bernie Sanders , and Susan Molinari ?
Brewer : On Monday night , people want to watch sports again .
They don ’ t want to watch a convention .
And I say that for both parties .
I just think that folks are so distracted right now .
I think they are paying attention to the tickets .
I think like when Senator Harris was announced as a running mate , which by the way , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that was his best choice .
We didn ’ t think he was going to do it but it was clearly the best choice and he took it .
Leahy : Joe Biden ’ s advisors obviously listen to our program .
Leahy : Because they took the advice to go with the one that would help them .
Brewer : I ’ m certain the Biden campaign is completely dialed into this program .
Leahy : Totally dialed in .
But especially when Clint Brewer is on .
( Laughs ) Brewer @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a lot of excitement .
You can track it in the media and social media with activists here and other places .
There was tangible palpable excitement about Kamala Harris .
Brewer : It was there .
You could tell people were energized about a ticket that hadn ’ t really been energized thus far .
So I think they get that .
But I just don ’ t think the normal sort of perfunctory convention even in its weird form now is going to get any kind of resonance with people .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ on this show and he often doesn ’ t listen , but I read something where he was going to speak every night .
Is that right ?
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 .
Photo “ Anti-Lockdown Protesters ” by Becker1999 .
CC BY 2.0 .


thetennesseestar--2020-08-19--Amazon to Add Thousands of Tech, Corporate Jobs in Six American Cities

Amazon plans to create 3,500 new tech and corporate jobs in six cities nationwide , the company announced Tuesday .
Most of the company ’ s new hires will be located in Amazon ’ s New York office with the rest being added in Dallas , Detroit , Denver , Phoenix and San Diego , according to a press release .
Amazon also announced plans to expand the six offices to accommodate the new hires .
“ These 3,500 new jobs will be in cities across the country with strong and diverse talent pools , ” said Beth Galetti , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Amazon .
“ We look forward to helping these communities grow their emerging tech workforce.
” The new roles will be spread across Amazon ’ s many projects and teams from Amazon Web Services and Alexa to Amazon Fashion and Amazon Fresh .
The roles will include cloud infrastructure architects , software engineers , data scientists and product managers among others .
Amazon ’ s Phoenix office will get a 90,000 square foot expansion – the largest expansion announced – while the company will soon open up a new 630,000 square foot New @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and Arlington , Virginia as the joint sites for the company ’ s new headquarters in 2018 .
The announcement came after a year-long competition that saw cities and states across the country vying to be the site of the tech giant ’ s new headquarters .
However , after pressure from several New York politicians , Amazon pulled out of its commitment to build a new headquarters in New York in February 2019 , instead focusing on its Arlington site , The New York Times reported .
“ A number of state @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that they oppose our presence and will not work with us to build the type of relationships that are required to go forward , ” Amazon said in a statement , The Times reported .
Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez , who was a leading voice against the new headquarters that was expected to bring 25,000 new jobs to the city , celebrated the decision as a victory .
“ Anything is possible : today was the day a group of dedicated , everyday New Yorkers & their neighbors defeated Amazon ’ s corporate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the power of the richest man in the world , ” Ocasio-Cortez tweeted .
The addition of 3,500 jobs comes a week after Amazon cut ties with at least 7 small firms it contracted for delivery .
About 1,205 workers lost their job as a result , according to CNBC .
Amazon has invested more than $ 350 billion across 40 states and has created more than 600,000 American jobs , the Tuesday press release said .


thetennesseestar--2020-08-19--Trump Campaign Details Counter-Programming Plans to Respond to Democratic National Convention

Election season is in full swing , and with the Democratic National Convention ( DNC ) underway , the Trump campaign and Republican National Convention ( RNC ) are busy with counterprogramming this week .
Samantha Cotten , the Regional Communications Director for the Trump campaign , said that Republicans are focusing on 17 battleground states : Arizona , Colorado , Florida , Georgia , Iowa , Maine , Michigan , Minnesota , Nevada , New Hampshire , North Carolina , Ohio , Pennsylvania , Texas , Virginia , and Wisconsin .
This week alone , the Trump team will @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to “ contrast the leadership of President Donald Trump and the lack of enthusiasm around Joe Biden , ” according to Cotten .
Specifically in Virginia , the RNC Co-Chairman Tommy Hicks and the Trump campaign ’ s Senior Advisor John Pence will hold press events in Falls Church and Fredericksburg on August 18 and Virginia Beach on August 19 .
Republicans will be focusing on “ how out of touch Joe Biden and Democrats are and how radical they ’ ve become , ” said Cotten .
“ Whether it ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ send kids back to school , not have any plans for re-opening the economy , raising taxes , getting rid of Trump ’ s tax cuts , government-run healthcare , or the Green New Deal are what we ’ re going to be out there contrasting with our message of the Great American Comeback , law and order , and rebuilding a strong economy .
President Trump created the strongest economy in the world once , and he ’ ll do it again.
” Cotten said that the Trump team and other Republicans @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” like sending children back to school .
Referring to the push by many school systems to start the year with online-only classes , Cotten said that “ experts agree that this is detrimental to learning and socialization for many children across America.
” “ They ’ re losing ground in terms of academics by not going back to school.
” Other issues that affect everyday Americans , which Cotten referred to as “ kitchen table issues , ” will also be a focus .
Republicans across the country will be talking to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ riots in major city centers .
Speaking to the recent riots in Richmond , Cotten pointed out that “ Joe Biden and Democrats are condoning this.
” “ They ’ re not standing up against the violence and the looting and everything you ’ re seeing in our city streets .
I think that people across Virginia see this , and this is not what they want .
They want law and order.
” “ President Trump is the president of law and order , ” continued Cotten .
“ President Trump has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not step up and do their job , he will step in and he will not let federal buildings and monuments continue to be defaced and be destroyed .
“ These mayors and governors and local leaders need to get this under control .
If they ’ re not able to get it under control , Trump will step in.
” Cotten also said that Republicans will be pushing support for law enforcement .
She mentioned a recent decision in Austin , TX to defund the police department by $ 150 million and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ Democrats aren ’ t speaking out against this , ” said Cotten .
“ That ’ s where we ’ re standing up and speaking out against Democrats and their support of lawlessness.
” Republican groups will meet in “ localized in-person MAGA Meetups ” and other get-togethers across the nation to organize and train volunteers .
The meetups will also be used for general outreach .
“ At the conclusion of the DNC , we are starting our national week of training where we will have 5,000 events from August @ @ @ @ @ @ @ events will be used to adequately train volunteers on how to canvas and campaign while still following health and safety guidelines in the COVID-19 world .
This will culminate with a “ National Weekend of Action ” at the end of the RNC , where volunteers will go out into their communities in the 17 battleground states .
“ [ The Democrats ’ ] socialist pipedreams will show people how out of out of touch they are and why we need President Trump for four more years , ” said Cotten .
You @ @ @ @ @ @ @ campaign ’ s plans at the campaign ’ s website or TrumpVictory.com .
Sam Medley is a journalist at The Virginia Star and Star News Network .
You can follow Sam at Twitter .
Email tips to [ email protected ]


thetennesseestar--2020-08-19--Commentary: The Biden-Harris Levitation

Commentary: The Biden-Harris Levitation

Each week in the inexorable march to Election Day , it becomes more challenging to believe how the campaign is unfolding and to rationalize it as a serious process for choosing the leader of the world ’ s greatest nation .
After some reflection , it becomes clear that the extreme improbability of this process is the result of it not really being a race between two pairs of candidates for national office .
It is surely the last round in the great battle between Donald Trump and the national political media .
Trump ’ s ostensible opponents , Joe @ @ @ @ @ @ @ spavined political wheel-horse who came in fifth in the New Hampshire primary and a vice presidential nominee who flamed out ignominiously two months before the Iowa caucuses .
They are a matched pair of bombed-out losers ; Biden was retrieved by the party elders in desperation that otherwise the Democratic candidate would be Marxist Senator Bernie Sanders .
They salvaged Biden and Biden salvaged Harris from the pre-primary ash heap .
The attempt to sell this metamorphosis into political stardom will not be easy .
Biden and Harris have no history of political @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for the offices they now seek .
Biden ran twice for president before he was vice president .
On neither occasion did he ever poll as loftily as 3 percent .
He dropped out of his 1988 pursuit of the Democratic nomination when he was caught cribbing a family recollection , which was completely false when applied to Biden ’ s background , from British Labour Party chief Neil Kinnock , the only British opposition leader to lose two consecutive general elections in more than 60 years .
Biden has faced in all @ @ @ @ @ @ @ issue , leading Robert Gates , the former defense secretary under presidents of both parties , to observe he had been “ wrong on practically every major foreign policy and national security issue in the last four decades.
” Biden describes himself as a “ human gaffe machine , ” and it is a relief even to those who are not his partisans when he is able to finish two or three consecutive sentences correctly .
Kamala Harris is well to the left of Biden even on the small number of issues where @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a “ national conversation.
” She is for open borders and imposition of the Democrats ’ Green Terror .
Though an ideological leftist , as district attorney and attorney general of California , she was a harsh prosecutor who never hesitated to abuse her position by extorting false inculpatory evidence by threats of indictment .
She is the personification of the evils of the U.S. prosecution system , which we now see in the misconduct by former FBI director James Comey that is steadily being revealed .
She prosecuted thousands of cases against @ @ @ @ @ @ @ been one herself , eliciting a rebuke for untruthfulness from her Jamaican father .
The Democrats are unable as a party , as Attorney General William Barr recently remarked , to renounce mob violence .
Although it is now impossible to stamp out the coronavirus without a vaccine ( and even a vaccine may not accomplish the task completely ) , the Democrats advocate as slow a restoration as possible of the pre-virus economy , for obvious political reasons masquerading as a medically informed opinion .
They champion an authoritarian program of testing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and of badgering these suspected infectees unmercifully to verify that they are self-quarantining .
It is an insane and intolerably intrusive pursuit of an unattainable objective , the motive for which can only be the prolongation of the country ’ s economic sluggishness to enhance Democratic election chances .
The Democrats ’ current policy is to maintain benefit payments to those unemployed as a result of the pandemic shutdown at a level that incentivizes them not to work , at immense borrowed cost to the government , while retarding the return to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ population while endlessly repeating the unsubstantiated mantra that Trump has managed the coronavirus incompetently .
The Durham special counsel investigation into the origins of the Trump-Russia collusion nonsense is already being fervently denounced as a redundant “ investigation into the investigators.
” The Democrats believe that they have a permanent right to hold a cloud of investigative doubt over the president while being themselves completely immune to any inquiry into the probity of their own conduct , regardless of what is now extensive evidence of the politicization for corrupt and unconstitutional purposes of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the intelligence agencies .
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi ( D-Calif. ) declares marshals Trump sent to prevent the burning down of the Portland federal building to be “ stormtroopers , ” and has revived the old bunk that Trump has improper relations with the Russians .
The Democrats are also demanding , on the pretext of the coronavirus , mass mail-in voting on the basis of the states mailing ballots to everyone on the voter register , despite the notorious inaccuracy of these lists , and the limitations of the post office ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ volume of important mail efficiently .
Because the president is resisting this proposal and citing the disaster and dishonesty of previous and current mailed ballot systems , the Democrats and their media are denouncing him for trying to shrink the electorate , steal the election , and unjustly deprecate the post office .
The skyrocketing levels of violent crime in the cities governed by the Democratic political machines , like the efforts of the teachers ’ unions to keep the schools closed , are barely mentioned in the Democratic media or by their @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s drastic reduction of illegal immigration is to promise to reopen the border .
This is what happens when instead of a campaign by candidates who were popularly chosen , the waxworks presidential candidate is inaccessible while the Trump-hating media conduct the Democratic campaign of relentless and systematic vilification of the president .
Biden and Harris were just picked off-the-shelf to avoid the Marxist Sanders and the unorthodox Pete Buttigieg ; they are going through the motions , and they are sitting ducks if subjected to serious scrutiny .
They benefit from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ danger and accompanying economic recession which is hyped , shaped , and blazed into the minds of the American public by almost all of the national political media .
This election is the supreme test of whether the electoral process will weigh the merits of the competing candidates , or whether a dishonest media can exploit and abuse the constitutional protections it receives by info-assassinating the incumbent while the challengers skulk about Delaware wearing masks .
This is a decisive election in terms of the legitimacy of its methods and the ability to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ even before we get to the determination of important policy matters .
The defeat of a rather successful president by an incompetent rival carried to the goal line by corrupt media , would produce the greatest crisis American democracy has faced since the Great Depression and Roosevelt , if not the Civil War and Lincoln .
The forces of righteous discernment should be heard from as soon as the public focuses on the election which is normally shortly after Labor Day .
What we have now is a dangerous and fraudulent levitation .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s most prominent financiers for 40 years , and was one of the leading newspaper publishers in the world as owner of the British telegraph newspapers , the Fairfax newspapers in Australia , the Jerusalem Post , Chicago Sun-Times and scores of smaller newspapers in the U.S. , and most of the daily newspapers in Canada .
He is the author of authoritative biographies of Franklin D. Roosevelt and Richard Nixon , one-volume histories of the United States and Canada , and most recently of Donald J. Trump : A President Like @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the British House of Lords as Lord Black of Crossharbour .
Photo “ Joe Biden ” by Joe Biden .


thetennesseestar--2020-08-19--Clint Brewer Weighs in on the Current CNN Poll Showing Black and Hispanic Voters Moving to Trump Aft

Clint Brewer Weighs in on the Current CNN Poll Showing Black and Hispanic Voters Moving to Trump After Harris Nod

Live from Music Row Tuesday 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 public affairs strategist Clint Brewer in the studio .
During the third hour , Brewer weighed in on the current CNN poll showing Black and Hispanic voters moving away from Joe Biden after he nominated Kamala Harris as his running mate .
He later explained that he thought there were more pressing items important to the American voter citing the economy and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s a good message for him , right ?
Leahy : People around them are tough and they ’ re smart .
But they are mean and they ’ re angry .
( Laughs ) Brewer : That ’ s it .
You got that right .
Leahy : I did a story last night at Breitbart .
It was the lead story .
We had 29,000 Facebook shares and it was based upon the CNN poll .
So CNN , SSRS conducted a poll .
They conducted a poll in June @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
55-41 .
The poll they conducted from the day after Kamala Harris was announced as the running mate by Joe Biden for three days .
It was a three-day poll .
The 12th thru the 15th .
His lead shrunk by four points .
50 percent to 46 percent .
Now I did a deep dive on the cross tabs .
Here ’ s the headline .
Poll : Biden Loses Black and Hispanic Support After Kamala Harris Joins the Ticket .
What ’ s that you say ?
The lead is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Ten percent of Black and Hispanic voters have changed their support from Biden to Trump in just two months .
So before they named Harris it was 74 to 21 .
And they did this a weird way , people of color .
Which is Black and Hispanics together .
They didn ’ t separate Blacks and Hispanics .
But after they announced Kamala Harris 10 percent of Blacks and Hispanics that were for Biden switched over to Trump .
His percent went from 21 percent to 31 percent .
Now , what @ @ @ @ @ @ @ : Well I mean I don ’ t know that you pin it all on Harris .
I think there is some of the race tightening , period .
I think it ’ s going to tighten .
Any race like this is going to tighten .
I think that Biden ’ s lead was a little difficult to sustain .
Now I ’ ll say this , Harris does not appeal to anyone who is on the far left .
She will appeal to more of the moderate middle .
( Chuckles @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a federal prosecutor .
She put a lot of people in jail .
Brewer : Either way she was a prosecutor .
Leahy : She was promoted to that job by her close friend Willie Brown who was her big backer for that .
Her very close friend .
( Chuckles ) Brewer : Either way , she ’ s been a person who in her career has been fairly tough on crime .
And I don ’ t know what the cross tabs would show politically for age-wise , gender-wise , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ block is moving over , right ?
Are they older people ?
Are they men ?
Leahy : That ’ s a very good point .
You get to these polls , this is my problem with a lot of these polls .
This SSRS has conducted the poll and they did it for CNN .
But when you try to get those kinds of cross tabs they are not there .
It ’ s not helpful .
Brewer : Yeah , they are not there .
No , it ’ s not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the whole story .
And it certainly is not and I would not make the conclusion that adding Kamala Harris to the ticket is driving Blacks and Hispanics to Trump .
I think there are a lot of other factors out there that can do that .
It ’ s simply timing .
That ’ s one of them .
Just the race tightening .
And we are at a weird time too .
If you are going to make the assumption that Black and Hispanic voters are automatically voting for the Democratic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ wrong .
Leahy : Interesting point .
Now the other problem with Kamala Harris from my perspective and you tell me what you think .
I ’ ve talked to many folks about this who have had informal focus groups .
She ’ s not learned that the most important first rule of being a politician that is the ability to fake authenticity .
That ’ s what I hear often .
I was on the phone with somebody who had been talking with a group of women friends about it .
And @ @ @ @ @ @ @ her as your friend ?
Would you want her to be your friend ?
And apparently this group is a mixture and not statistically significant but they said no .
She seems to be a very calculating person .
Brewer : I ’ d say that .
I don ’ t know that you get to the U.S. Senate without being a calculating person .
But you are right .
To be able to show a facade or a veneer of vulnerability or trust or authenticity .
Those are all important political skills @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to a lot of Xs and Os .
I ’ ve got to be honest with you , I don ’ t think there will ever be enough analysis before the election or after the election as to how quarantining or COVID-19 are affecting how people feel about things .
It would be a very sort of rudimentary and in exact supposition to say , well Kamala Harris is a person of color so obviously people of color are going to rally around the ticket .
I don ’ t know that that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ there are other things out there other than the politics of race that will affect people ’ s thought processes this year .
I think the economy is going to be a huge one .
Who looks like they could bring it back ?
I think it ’ s going to be the virus .
And what part of the country you are in and how effected is that part of the country been and how much are you hoping and putting your hopes on the presidential nominee to fix this in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ we have to talk about the weakened state of the U.S. We have been hit harder by COVID-19 then any other country .
There are reasons behind that .
How do we address those reasons and how do we move forward .
Because our vulnerability at this point does hurt our role in the world .
And China is another issue .
Now I don ’ t think the average voter is keyed in on China at all .
This is not like the Cold War with Russia .
I think there are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are going to affect the vote and I doubt there will be enough analysis of them on the front end .
Leahy : I think you are probably right about that .
I just have a hard time imagining people caring about what ’ s going on in this weird virtual convention of the Democrats .
Or even of the Republicans .
Brewer : No .
I think that the people running these campaigns are going to really have to be creative about finding ways to put the candidates and the tickets in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of bump from the formality of it right ?
Because the conventions were always the big coming-out parties .
Brewer : And in the past , Kamala Harris ’ s speech would have been the speech right ?
Because everybody else are known players .
Leahy : Let ’ s just stop for a moment .
I want to do a public service here for you so that you don ’ t get into the same bad territory as Tucker Carlson or even Joe Biden .
Leahy : I just don ’ t @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a hard time .
Brewer : It wouldn ’ t be the first time .
Leahy : Tucker Carlson said , Kamala Harris .
And CNN devoted an entire evening to criticizing how bad he was for saying that .
That next day at the announcement Joe Biden said , Kamala Harris .
Ka-ma-la .
Ka-ma-la .
Brewer : Let me rephrase that .
Senator Harris .
Normally she would have been the big speech .
( Leahy laughs ) I think back to the first Obama election and you know Governor Palin @ @ @ @ @ @ @ She was unknown .
Everybody wanted to hear from here .
Brewer : It was a heck of a speech .
Leahy : It was a great speech .
( Leahy laughs ) It was downhill from there for her .
( Chuckles ) She should of just stopped campaigning then .
Don ’ t you think ?
Brewer : Yes .
Yes , it was awful .
But my point is you ’ d be waiting to hear from Senator Harris .
Leahy : Yes .
Exactly .
By the way , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ don ’ t know .
Sarah , your time has come and gone .
Listen to the third hour here : Tune in weekdays from 5:00 – 8:00 a.m. to the Tennessee Star Report with Michael Patrick Leahy on Talk Radio 98.3 FM WLAC 1510 .
Listen online at iHeart Radio .
Photo “ Latinos for Trump ” by Michael Vadon .
CC BY 2.0 .


thetennesseestar--2020-08-19--Former Ohio Governor and 2016 Republican Presidential Candidate John Kasich Delivers Speech at Democ

Former Ohio Governor and 2016 Republican Presidential Candidate John Kasich Delivers Speech at Democratic National Convention

Republican John Kasich , who served as Ohio ’ s governor from 2011-2019 and ran in the 2016 Republican presidential primaries , delivered a speech on the first night of the Democratic National Convention ( DNC ) Monday .
Kasich , who refused to support Donald Trump in the 2016 presidential election , spoke to the current political division in America , saying that “ America is at a crossroads.
” “ The stakes in this election are greater than any in modern times , ” Kasich proclaimed .
Despite being a “ lifelong Republican ” and stating that he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Republican heritage , ” Kasich called Democratic Presidential Candidate Joe Biden “ a man of our times , times that call for all of us to take off our partisan hats and put our nation first for ourselves and , of course , for our children.
” Referring to Republican principles of “ unity and a higher purpose , ” Kasich said that “ what [ he has ] witnessed belies those principles , ” referring to Trump ’ s term in office .
“ Many of us can ’ t imagine four @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” Kasich continued , “ and that ’ s why I ’ m asking you to join with me in choosing a better way forward.
” Kasich tried to assuage fears that “ Joe [ Biden ] may turn sharp left and leave [ Republicans and Independents ] behind.
” “ I don ’ t believe that because I know the measure of the man , ” asserted Kasich .
“ It ’ s reasonable , faithful , respectful , and , you know , no one pushes Joe around.
” Kasich wasn @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at the DNC event , which was held online due to COVID-19 .
Former Representative Susan Molinari ( R-NY ) , Meg Whitman , and former Governor of New Jersey Christine Todd Whitman also gave brief speeches .
The first night of the convention also had appearances by other politicians and celebrities , including Senator Amy Klobuchar ( D-MN ) , Eva Longoria , and Michelle Obama .
Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez ( D-NY ) tweeted that Kasich had “ woken up and realized the importance of support a Biden-Harris ticket.
” However , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , saying that “ something tells me a Republican who fights against women ’ s rights doesn ’ t get to say who is or isn ’ t representative of the Dem party.
” President Trump tweeted that Kasich “ did a bad job in Ohio , ran for President and was easy to beat , and now went to the other side desperate for relevance.
” Not all of the responses to Kasich ’ s speech were critical .
NYDailyNews contributor S. E. Cupp tweeted that the “ pro-Biden ‘ unexpected voices @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and Republicans Christine Whitman , Meg Whitman , Susan Molinari , and John Kasich testifying for @ JoeBiden really sung.
” You can read John Kasich ’ s DNC speech here , and watch his four minute speech below .
Sam Medley is a journalist at the Tennessee Star and Star News Network .
You can follow Sam at Twitter .
Email tips to [ email protected ]


thetennesseestar--2020-08-19--Ohio Sheriff Sees State COVID Orders as Disorderly

Warren County , Ohio Sheriff Larry Sims agreed to talk with The Ohio Star about Ohio Republican Governor Mike DeWine ’ s COVID policies .
Sims was very respectful in his tone toward the governor and quick to point out sitting down for an interview on such a sensitive topic is outside the norm .
The sheriff said he has communicated with DeWine over the years – dating back to his time as Ohio attorney general and has offered insight on situations , issues and even legislation .
According to Sims , DeWine and he have been respectful in their @ @ @ @ @ @ @ either fallen on deaf ears or that DeWine agrees to disagree .
COVID policies , however , and the executive branch ’ s management of COVID , strikes a chord with Sims .
Sims said he and the members of their office deeply about everyone ’ s health and they have deep sympathy for those who have lost loved ones .
Yet the bottom line for Sims is what he is seeing in his community – suffering from government policies is far outweighing suffering from COVID .
Sims acknowledges early on the virus @ @ @ @ @ @ @ people .
Even now , he understands the governor is not in an easy position – Sims said he does not underestimate the pressure DeWine is under or the magnitude of his decisions .
The sheriff does not understand why information that can be found on the Ohio coronavirus website , the CDC website and from other reliable medical sources that rounds out the picture of COVID in Ohio gets left out of press conferences .
“ We are seeing only the fear side of this issue .
It began with crazy high @ @ @ @ @ @ @ we were being cautious but looking at what was happening .
Within a few weeks , we saw real numbers and it should have been apparent to a lot of people early on .
But , a lot of people trust the governor , the government and what they ’ re being told .
Many people don ’ t do research ” said Sims .
“ From the very beginning we ’ ve been scolded , but it doesn ’ t make sense ” said Sims .
He continued with most recently “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ drinks after a certain hour but increased the number of drinks you can pick up with your to-go orders – a violation of open container laws.
” “ With respect to cutting off drinking at 10:00 p.m. , that can result in someone piling up five-or-six drinks before 10:00 p.m. and sitting there drinking them until 11:00 p.m. How does any of that make sense ?
” Asked Sims .
The sheriff is concerned about the long term effects of COVID , beyond the health impact – “ [ w } e are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , restrictions that will result in businesses in Warren County shutting down – for good.
” In Warren County the sheriff ’ s office has made it the modus operandi to reach out to the county prosecutor , the primary legal counsel of the office , seeking understanding and interpretation of the orders .
Complaints and reports involving the orders are turned over to the health department .
Sheriff Sims indicated that if the health department found someone in violation , the department could file and action with the court .
If the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s office would be responsible to serve and execute the order .
Sims said of the health department “ they have been outstanding and they are phenomenal people .
They have been working with businesses to get them reopened and are not being heavy-handed ; but of course , their orders come from above.
” Inconsistency is a trigger for Sims .
After DeWine tested positive and then twice negative for COVID Sims had some hard questions he delivered in an email to the governor : “ You test positive .
But @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are back in Columbus , you test again .
You didn ’ t have faith or trust the test ?
Do you even know how many of Ohioans ’ positive numbers are from the antigen test ?
How many of the positive numbers in the U.S. are from the antigen test ?
Now that you may have been a false positive , do you have any idea how many of the Ohioans tested are a false positive ?
Of course , you do not know .
Because if you knew , you may @ @ @ @ @ @ @ across Ohio and let us live our lives , wouldn ’ t you ?
” What is also difficult for the sheriff to reconcile is how Warren County is assigned a code orange threat level given the area ’ s COVID numbers compared to the population .
Warren County has recorded 1,962 cases the entire epidemic .
As of August 18 , 79 % , or 1,555 people , are counted recovered .
This leaves only 407 people positive in Warren County in a population of 230,000 .
More perspective on that number @ @ @ @ @ @ @ county has seen only 10 hospitalizations involving COVID ( it is not certain whether this number includes people in the hospital primarily because of COVID or primarily for other medical reasons but with COVID ) .
“ It ’ s hard for me to see the justification in these policies when you see the real numbers .
What is the end game here ?
Is it zeros across the board ?
Whatever it is , I hope we know and it ’ s here soon ” concluded Sims .
Jack Windsor is Managing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Ohio Star .
Windsor is also an Investigative Reporter at WMFD-TV .
Follow Jack on Twitter .
Email tips to [ email protected ] .
Photo “ Larry Sims ” by Re-elect Ed Wade .


thetennesseestar--2020-08-19--Exclusive: Roger Stone Tells Why He Dropped Convictions Appeal; Weighs in on Trump Campaign: ‘He’s G

Exclusive: Roger Stone Tells Why He Dropped Convictions Appeal; Weighs in on Trump Campaign: ‘He’s Gaining’

Roger J .
Stone cut his teeth as a young operative working for President Richard M. Nixon ’ s 1972 reelection campaign and ever since then he has built a reputation as one of the toughest and most creative political tacticians ever .
When Stone ’ s longtime friend , New York City developer Donald J. Trump , decided to run for president in 2015 , he reached out to Stone to help him put it all together .
Stone wrote about the 2016 Trump campaign in his book “ Making of the President 2016 , ” which he revised @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Russian Collusion : The Inside Story of How Donald Trump REALLY Won.
” Speaking over the din of the Laura Loomer GOP primary victory party he was attending in the president ’ s Florida congressional district , Stone said he feels good about Trump ’ s chance for reelection .
“ I feel like he is gaining , ” Stone said .
“ I have always thought that this would be very tight , very competitive in the end and I think he had this election won prior to the necessary destruction @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from the very serious public health crisis , ” he said .
“ At this point , I would rather be behind than ahead , ” he said .
“ I think the debates are crucial to putting the president over the top.
” After Stone left his official role in the 2016 Trump campaign , he remained an outsider advisor and it was in this role that he was accused of being a courier between WikiLeaks and the Trump campaign for the purposes of facilitating exposure for the emails stolen from the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a pre-dawn SWAT-style raid was carried live on CNN after the new channel was tipped off .
After Stone ’ s conviction on seven of Special Prosecutor Robert S. Mueller III ’ s original 24-count indictment , Trump commuted his sentence July 10 .
Although , Stone had pledged to continue to fight his convictions , in order to clear his name , now , he told the Star News Network he is dropping that effort .
“ First , look at the court , ” he said .
“ The Appeals Court @ @ @ @ @ @ @ order in my case .
The court ordered me to prison immediately , at the same time it was the policy of the Department of Justice and the Bureau of Prisons to release to home confinement non-violent criminals.
” Stone said it was not enough that they denied him the right to speak out about his case , they were sending him into a prison system rife with COVID-19 .
“ Contrary to their own precedence—and their own policies—that court was essentially going to send me to my death in a COVID-infested prison @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the same court that vacated its own order to vacate the charges against retired Lt. Gen. Michael T. Flynn , ordered former White House Counsel General Donald F. McGahn II to testify before the House of Representatives and ruled that former first lady Hillary R. Clinton does not have to testify in Judicial Watch ’ s lawsuit regarding her handling of sensitive electronic correspondence when she led the State Department , he said .
Stone : Same judge would get same result “ That court is so badly politicized , no reasonable , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , were I to when a new trial , it would be before Judge Jackson , ” he said .
Judge Amy Berman Jackson was the judge for Stone ’ s first trial .
“ Judge Jackson demonstrated her bias over and over again , ” he said .
“ Like when she said , for example , there was nothing phony about the Mueller investigation , except we know differently now , based on declassified documents .
Or like , when she said to me : ‘ You were convicted of covering @ @ @ @ @ @ @ what I was convicted for and not even what I was charged with.
” Stone said the second factor was his own need to move on .
“ At some point , you have to worry about putting yourself and your family at risk in a highly-politicized court , and having a new trial the circumstances of which would be no different from that old trial , ” he said .
He goes into more depth on his decision in a post on his Stone Cold Truth website .


thetennesseestar--2020-08-19--Democratic State Senator Scott Surovell of Virginia Discusses Top Priorities During Special Session,

Democratic State Senator Scott Surovell of Virginia Discusses Top Priorities During Special Session, Complacent on Northam Emergency Powers

Live from Virginia Monday 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 Democratic state Senator Scott Surovell to the show .
During the show , Surovell described the top priorities of Virginia ’ s special session and gave his impression of Governor Northam ’ s handling of emergency powers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Joining us now is the State Senator from Fairfax , Scott Surovell .
Senator Surovell , great to have you with us today .
Surovell : Hey John , how ’ s it going ?
It ’ s a beautiful day here in Richmond .
Fredericks : Good .
I really appreciate you coming on .
When you got to Richmond did you get there last evening ?
Are you there now ?
Surovell : Yes .
I came here for a bill signing yesterday and I ’ ve been here getting ready @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at all taken aback by the destruction of the downtown area ?
Surovell : No .
I actually hadn ’ t been down there yet .
Most of downtown ’ s un-boarded and there are a few buildings down here that are boarded up .
But I was going to drive down Monument Avenue when I had a chance .
I haven ’ t had a chance .
I ’ ve seen the pictures in the paper .
Surovell : Now they came in and took down the statue before any of that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ t happen here .
Fredericks : Yeah .
Well it ’ s too bad because its a beautiful vibrant city and the destruction that has gone on down there every day has been just horrible .
And I hope it stops soon .
Scott Surovell , your leadership in the state Senate in Virginia , we have a special session today .
Can you give us a birds-eye view ?
Can you give us an update on some of the leadership in the state Senate and your top priorities in the special @ @ @ @ @ @ @ achieve in the Senate ?
Surovell : The first thing is to get the budget done .
Anytime I get to come in and spend time with Phil Stanley it ’ s a good few days .
But I ’ m looking forward to seeing him soon .
I think he ’ s on your show in about an hour or so .
Surovell : The first thing is to get the state budget fixed .
We drafted a wonderful budget last session and the last week of the session it all fell @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to pump the breaks .
We have to un-spend all the spending we spent and now we have to figure out what we can afford to spend .
And that ’ s sort of the number one priority is trying to get all of that straight .
It ’ s not going to be easy .
Fredericks : You had a $ 2 billion shortfall .
You can ’ t run a deficit .
This is real .
It ’ s not like the federal government just sends the Secretary of the Treasury @ @ @ @ @ @ @ guys can ’ t do that .
Fredericks : Where do you find $ 2 billion ?
Surovell : Well , a lot of the money that we had spent was new revenues that were projected to come in .
They are now no longer projected to come in .
Now the amount of new revenues are much much smaller .
And so its really a question of just cutting stuff that we had planned on spending .
So it ’ s really going to be a question of priorities .
And it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ into and trying to find the monies of things that were priorities in prior years .
But I ’ m a couple of retirements away from being on the finance committee so I don ’ t get to play in that sandbox as much as anybody else .
The governor is doing a speech this morning about what he is proposing around 9:30 .
Fredericks : So he has a speech around 9:30 as far as what he is proposing to cut the $ 2 billion .
And you say a lot of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that was brand new spending based on revenue projections .
Those are easy to cut because it hasn ’ t been spent .
Fredericks : Plus you have a rainy day fund .
Surovell : Actually the rainy day fund is the biggest its ever been .
We passed an amendment that five years ago that required more money to be set aside for moments like this .
So we actually have more money set aside than we ’ ve ever had in history for a rainy day fund .
So at least @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on .
I ’ m still worried about where this economy is headed .
With everything that ’ s going on right now and begins to settle in .
I ’ m sure we ’ re going to budget conservatively .
The governor comes out with his speech at 9:30 .
It will take us a couple of days to process that .
My guess to come out with a Senate proposal .
The House I think is doing their stuff next week .
So the budget is really number one .
Number @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the agenda .
We have about 10 or 11 caucus bills that we are looking at .
Plus there ’ s another 15 to 20 other bills that have been filed by members on both sides we have to look at .
Then there is a small number of bills related to COVID that we ’ ll look at .
Tweaks and things that have been necessary by this pandemic .
So those are the three things we are looking at .
The budget is really the big thing .
That ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The main reason .
Fredericks : Scott , how long do you expect to be there ?
How long do you expect this special session to actually be in session ?
Surovell : That ’ s a really good question .
At least the Senate ’ s hope is to get out of here as soon as possible .
You know we are part-time legislature .
Folks aren ’ t planning on being here in August .
I ’ ve actually got a couple of kids I ’ ve got to move into @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is moving to college for the first time .
I ’ m not missing that .
Surovell : Best school in the world .
One of us has job responsibilities and other things .
We are hoping to get out of here as soon as possible .
The committees start meeting this afternoon as soon as we get organized .
The committee meeting is today and tomorrow and Thursday .
We hope to start floor votes Thursday .
We might be able to get out of here Friday or Saturday depending on what @ @ @ @ @ @ @ under our constitution a bill has to be on the floor for three days before it can be voted on .
And that can only be waived by an 80 percent vote .
Fredericks : It sounds like the earliest you guys are going to get out of there is the weekend but it could spill over until Monday .
Is that fair ?
Surovell : Theoretically we ’ ll get out of her Thursday but it could be Monday .
We ’ ll see .
And that ’ s just the Senate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ wait for the House bills to come back .
And I don ’ t think the Housse is getting started till next week .
Fredericks : Where are you guys meeting ?
Surovell : And undisclosed secret location .
( Fredericks chuckles ) We are back in the Science Museum where we met last time with a big event center out back .
We actually have our committee meetings out there too so we don ’ t have to drive up and down Broad Street .
Fredericks : That makes sense .
A @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the governor ’ s executive power that he ’ s taken , you know , this was meant to be a temporary usurpation of authority like a hurricane or we are attacked or something and its a two weeks or three weeks .
Like many governors , Northam has just decided that this is a pretty good deal and he still has these emergency powers in the state of emergency .
Are you going to take up when that ends ?
Or does it just go on in perpetuity ?
Surovell : @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that as a caucus yet .
I know my old law partner has some real concerns about it .
I ’ ve talked to him about it .
Surovell : Yes .
Chad .
And I think Steve might have filed a bill about this out there .
We really haven ’ t talked about it as a group .
But I ’ d be really surprised if we got into that because it takes doing open-heart surgery on a statute .
I think it would require a lot of time and energy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I don ’ t think its something we need to get into this session because it would take a lot of time .
Fredericks : Are you in favor of just giving the governor these unlimited power sin perpetuity ?
Surovell : I ’ m never in favor , I don ’ t know if it ’ s fair to say its unlimited power in perpetuity .
The courts are always there to check things when people take powers too far .
The courts have now looked at what the governor has done @ @ @ @ @ @ @ time that what he ’ s done so far is within the law .
This law was adopted in what , the 1970s ?
Fredericks : It wasn ’ t adopted to go on forever .
Surovell : There ’ s no question about that John .
Yeah .
Fredericks : That ’ s what bothers a lot of people .
We knew what was going on with the pandemic .
We had the lockdown .
Two weeks , three weeks , a month .
Like everybody got it .
Nobody knew .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ are there and that ’ s why you passed it in the 70s .
The legislators should be able to sanction this .
It ’ s gone on now March , April , May , June , July , August .
It ’ s gone on for six months .
He ’ s going to keep these powers until he ’ s out of office .
And the next person that comes in , do they automatically have them as well ?
Surovell : A new governor would .
First of all , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ since 1918 and the world has changed a lot since then .
If you read the Codes Act they clearly contemplate a pandemic .
I ’ m not sure at the time it was adopted they thought a pandemic would last this long .
Listen to the full interview here :


thetennesseestar--2020-08-19--Whitmer Calls for Unity, Bashes Trump’s COVID-19 Response in DNC Speech

Michigan Gov .
Gretchen Whitmer called for unity and for Americans to “ rally together ” to fight the coronavirus during a speech at the Democratic National Convention on Monday night .
Before her speech even began , however , Whitmer was caught mouthing an expletive on a live feed .
“ It ’ s not just ‘ Shark Week , ’ it ’ s ‘ Shark Week [ expletive mouthed , ] ’ ” Whitmer said , to laughter in the room .
She added that she had “ learned about the hot mic , ” explaining why she @ @ @ @ @ @ @ MLive reported .
In her actual speech , delivered from a United Auto Workers chapter in Lansing , Whitmer praised essential workers in the state for being the “ MVPs ” of the pandemic .
She also attributed the ability of auto workers to shift production to personal protection equipment to former President Barack Obama and his administration .
“ In 2009 , the Obama-Biden administration inherited the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression — the auto industry on the brink of collapse , a million jobs at stake — but President @ @ @ @ @ @ @ t waste time blaming anyone else or shirking their responsibility , ” Whitmer said .
“ …President Obama and Vice President Biden saved these auto workers ’ livelihoods .
Then these workers did their part to save American lives .
That ’ s the story of this great nation.
” “ When we work together , we can accomplish anything , ” Whitmer said .
“ After all , democracy is a team sport , especially now.
” The Michigan governor went after President Trump , saying he is “ a president who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the virus that ’ s killing us and our economy.
” She also praised presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden and his running mate , Sen. Kamala Harris ( D-CA ) .
“ Joe Biden and Kamala Harris will lead by example .
It ’ ll be science , not politics or ego , that will drive their decisions , ” she said .
“ They know the health of our people goes hand in hand with the strength of our economy .
They know action begets action.
” Whitmer closed her speech @ @ @ @ @ @ @ healing in the country .
“ Generation after generation , our nation has been defined by what we do or what we fail to do , ” Whitmer said “ …Let us find strength to do the work .