thetennesseestar--2020-11-16--Mississippi Governor Refuses to Participate in Possible Nationwide COVID-19 Lockdown

Republican Mississippi Gov .
Tate Reeves said his state is “ not gon na participate in a nationwide lockdown , ” as coronavirus cases surge throughout the nation and some areas have re-issued COVID-19 mandates .
“ The fact is , we ’ re gon na try to work with whomever the president is , but we ’ re not gon na participate in a nationwide lockdown , ” Reeves said in a Thursday press conference , according to Fox News .
“ The people of Mississippi can ’ t just go home , shut down their small business , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ their gyms …and just think that you can come back six weeks from now , flip a switch and everything ’ s gon na be fine , ” he continued .
“ That ’ s not the way the economy works.
” One of president-elect Joe Biden ’ s COVID-19 advisers on Wednesday said a four-to-six-week nationwide lockdown may curb the spread of the virus in an interview with Yahoo Finance , according to a separate Fox report .
Reeves appeared to oppose such a measure .
“ If we work together , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this virus , ” he said , according to Fox .
“ There is nothing that we can do that is foolproof .
There is no mitigation measure that we can do that guarantees the elimination of the virus.
” “ And so what we ’ re talking about is trying to attack it in a number of different ways while we do not allow for the shutdown of our economy , ” he continued .
The governor , despite his opposition to a lockdown , renewed the state ’ s mask mandate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ counties , according to WTVA .
The city of Chicago also recently issued a stay-at-home advisory , which takes effect on Monday , urging residents to leave their homes only for essential reasons , according to WGN9 .
Authorities also mandated that private gatherings be limited to six people ahead of Thanksgiving , the local outlet reported .


thetennesseestar--2020-11-16--Senator Mark Warner: ‘Defund the Police’ Slogan Led to Democratic Losses

Virginia Sen. Mark Warner said Friday that the “ defund the police ” movement championed by progressives led to losses for Democrats in the recent election .
“ I think the ability , using terms like ‘ defund the police ’ have led to Democratic losses in this last year , ” Warner , a moderate Democrat , said in an interview with WAMU , The Hill reported .
Warner had been asked about Virginia Rep. Abigail Spanberger ’ s critique during a closed-door meeting of House Democrats last week that she nearly lost her re-election bid because of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ We lost races we shouldn ’ t have lost .
Defund police almost cost me my race because of an attack ad .
Don ’ t say socialism ever again , ” Spanberger said during the Nov. 6 meeting .
“ If we run this race again we will get fucking torn apart again in 2022 , ” she also said .
Warner defended Spanberger ’ s stance , saying that she does not have the luxury of running in heavily progressive districts , such as those in Brooklyn or the Bronx .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ don ’ t have that necessity of running both districts that are quite forward leaning but parts of districts that are still pretty conservative , ” Warner said .
Spanberger ’ s and Warner ’ s remarks appear to be aimed at House Democrats such as Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Ilhan Omar , who have called for defunding police departments in the wake of the police-involved deaths of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor .
Going into election day , Democrats hoped to gain seats in the House and secure majority control of the Senate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ total of at least seven seats , according to the Associated Press .
Thirteen races remain too close to call .
Republicans will also head into the next term with at least 50 seats in the upper chamber .
Majority control hinges on two runoff elections in Georgia on Jan. 5 .
Republicans have to win at least one of those races to retain their majority .
Warner said that while he opposes defunding the police , he supports police reform .
“ I didn ’ t and do not support defunding the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ strong police reform , ” he said in the interview .
Chuck Ross is a reporter at Daily Caller News Foundation .
Photo “ Senator Merk Warner ” by Sen. Mark Warner .

by Scott McClallen
Sixteen Michigan schools have been awarded $205,028 to develop Great Lakes-based science, technology, engineering, and math – STEM – programs.
“These grants will support freshwater literacy programs and offer students access to real world STEM experiences,” Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said in a statement. “Our Great Lakes are our greatest asset, and we must empower young Michiganders to learn more about them and continue advancing conservation efforts. Michigan’s economic competitiveness depends on a workforce proficient in STEM and committed to solving our biggest challenges. Investments like these will help prepare our kids to lead our state into the future.”
Grant proposals were submitted and reviewed through a competitive process. Selected projects study freshwater conservation and real-world experiences.
Grant awardees and amount are as follows:
Alcona Community Schools: $6,892 to expand 3-P learning by studying coastal and wetland habitats.
Alpena Public Schools: $8,078 so students can work as scientific researchers collecting data and making observations to determine if environmental issues are impacting the Thunder Bay River Watershed.
Avron Township School: $5,000 to adopt two beaches so it can participate in science lessons.
Atherton Community Schools: $10,000 to engage 195 middle and high school science students in 3-P learning through its “Health in Our Hands” curriculum.
Charlevoix-Emmet Intermediate School District: $20,000 for 3-P learning to support teachers.
Farmington Public Schools: $15,870 to incorporate “student voice” in water steward topics and activate 3-P teaching
Forest Hills Central Woodlands ⅚ School: $20,000 to provide 3-P learning students, including transportation for all students to visit the Inland Seas Schooner and engage in the remotely operated vehicle program through Inland Seas Education Association.
Grand Rapids Montessori, Grand Rapids Public Schools: $8,862 to help students identify and solve habitat loss for local pollinators, bird and turtle species through a partnership with the John Ball Zoo.
Harrington Elementary School: $12,000 for Marshall Public Schools to partner with Albion College to develop “outdoors at school” curricula for grades K-5.
Kalamazoo Regional Educational Service Agency: $20,000 to support Southwest MiSTEM and the Kalamazoo Nature Center to establish a Great Lakes Stewardship Initiative hub to continue water stewardship education programs.
Mt. Morris Consolidated Schools: $15,000 to participate in the Flint River Green project, where students learn about the Flint River Watershed and its community impact.
Muskegon Area Intermediate School District: $15,000 to expand 3-P learning for 420 fourth grade students and 3-P training for 19 fourth grade teachers.
Pickfield Public Schools: $9,996 so students can gather water quality data from the local watershed.
Stanton Township Public Schools: $5,000 to train new teachers to carry out future Lake Superior Stewardship Initiative activities.
Washtenaw Intermediate School District: $20,000 to build a foundation for cross-district collaboration in support of freshwater-focused place-based education.
Wayne-Westland Community Schools: $13,330 to activate a 3-P learning program.
The grants continue the 2020 From Students to Stewards Initiative and the 2021 MiSTEM Transformative Playbook grants.
The Great Lakes account for over 20% of the world’s surface freshwater.
– – –
Scott McClallen is a staff writer covering Michigan and Minnesota for The Center Square. A graduate of Hillsdale College, his work has appeared on Forbes.com and FEE.org. Previously, he worked as a financial analyst at Pepsi.


thetennesseestar--2020-11-16--Commentary: America’s Cities as Bastions of Progressive Politics

In 2016 the American presidential election was not so much blue state versus red state as blue urban centers versus everywhere else .
That pattern repeated itself this year , as voting results in the deep blue cities of Minneapolis , Milwaukee , Detroit , Philadelphia , and Atlanta spelled the difference between a Trump victory and a win for Biden .
Leave it to others to question the legitimacy of votes in these deep blue cities .
Suffice to say it would insult the intelligence of any honest observer of politics to suggest no irregularities occurred , when , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with mail-in ballots , accepting them without postmarks or signature verification , and continuing to collect them until November 6 by a court order in Pennsylvania .
And within the sphere of media influencers and social media sleuths , for all those thousands who question such results , there are millions who do not .
As one wag put it on Twitter , “ there is no evidence of widespread journalism.
” Four years ago , the New York Times published a revealing graphic , reproduced below .
It shows , in shades @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to deep red ( Trump ) , how every county in the United States voted .
The quantity of votes in each county corresponds to the height of that county in this 3D graph .
Notice the dramatic disparity in demographic impact by county .
As this 3D map makes obvious , back in 2016 only a few cities became decisive factors in Clinton ’ s popular-vote victory – Seattle , Miami , New York City , and most prominently , Los Angeles and Chicago .
In Los Angeles County , Clinton received @ @ @ @ @ @ @ In Chicago ’ s Cook County , Clinton received 1,528,582 votes versus 440,213 for Trump .
If either of these two counties – either one of them – were taken out of the equation , the popular vote would have been a toss-up .
This pattern repeats itself across the United States , and clearly there is a political and cultural schism today between America ’ s urban voters and rural voters .
If a similar graphic is produced for the 2020 presidential election , it won ’ t look much different from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are exploiting and exacerbating this schism ?
Why is the split between America ’ s urban voters and rural voters more dramatic than it ’ s ever been ?
If you want to answer this question from a historical perspective , look no further than the single most powerful special interest that has dominated nearly every major city in America for over a generation – public sector unions .
In Los Angeles , Chicago , Seattle , Minneapolis , Milwaukee , Detroit , Philadelphia , and hundreds of other major American cities , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the political process .
This extends not only to city councils but also to county boards of supervisors , school boards , and special districts ranging from transit systems to departments of water and power .
Most government funding is spent at the local level .
Most government jobs are at the local level .
And the more local these jurisdictions get , the more likely it is that only the government unions have the money and the will to dominate elections .
In America ’ s cities , where the union agenda @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be hyper-sensitive to any alleged infringements on their “ identity , ” big government is presented as the guardian of their futures and their freedoms .
In America ’ s cities , where poor education combined with overregulation has resulted in a paucity of good jobs , welfare and entitlement programs are presented as the government ’ s answer .
And the more poverty and social instability we have in America , the bigger government gets .
When society loses , government unions win .
What Changed Between 2016 and 2020 For years @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , even to some extent in these big cities , between the power of the public sector unions and the power of other corporate and monied special interests .
But between 2016 and 2020 that balance of power was shattered .
Several causes can be identified , many already well underway even in 2016 .
First , corporations increasingly realized their profits and market share were boosted by embracing a leftist agenda .
The leftist open-borders agenda allows labor-intensive companies to import low-wage , low-skill workers , and allows the knowledge-intensive companies in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ labor .
The leftist preference for global citizenship over national allegiance allows multinational corporations to export jobs under a cloak of moral authority .
The leftist agenda to micromanage the economy in order to address the “ climate crisis ” is a goldmine for corporations who want captive markets , and a weapon they can wield against smaller emerging competitors lacking the resources to comply with the overregulation .
As for woke politics of all kinds , corporations are indifferent .
If spouting these mantras is all it takes for them to maintain @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ re all in .
In all these areas , Donald Trump opposed the agenda shared by the Left and by corporate America .
In a stunning inversion of reality , the people who want to dismantle American institutions joined with institutional America to convince voters Donald Trump was a menace .
Almost overnight , the urban political machines , controlled by leftist government employee unions , saw their biggest enemies turned into allies .
There ’ s more , of course .
In 2016 , the rapidly consolidating Big Tech companies that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ finished weaponizing their political bias into actual suppression of pro-Trump online discourse .
In 2016 , Trump ’ s supporters made better use of what were still largely neutral platforms than Clinton ’ s supporters , which helped the Trump campaign .
Between 2016 and 2020 , two things happened : First , in a series of escalating waves of deplatforming , deboosting , demonetizing , search results manipulation , biased trending items and news feeds , and , late in the game , blatant censorship , the online momentum of the Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ during the same period , the sheer financial power of the Big Tech monopolies , already almost unimaginably wealthy , increased even more .
Four years ago , Amazon shares traded around $ 760 .
Today , they ’ re running more than $ 3,130 per share .
Facebook shares in the last four years have more than doubled from $ 115 to $ 276 per share .
Google ?
Up from $ 760 to $ 1,752 .
Twitter ?
More than doubling from $ 18 to $ 43 .
Where there ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , there are donations to candidates .
Not only donations from diehard leftist billionaires like Jack Dorsey or Jeff Bezos , but also from hundreds of employees of these companies who have themselves become multimillionaires .
Collectively , according to Wired , more than 95 percent of their donations went to Joe Biden .
As Vox crowed on October 30 , “ people who live in the nine counties considered to be in the San Francisco Bay Area gave 22 percent more to Democrats in 2020 than they did in 2016 , a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ $ 199 million.
” The Next Phase , Urban Anarchy , Has Already Begun When you ’ re making so much money in salary and stock options that money is practically an abstraction , you may think you empathize with the consequences of rabid leftism – even if you really don ’ t .
The big corporations and their extraordinarily privileged employees may beat their chests and proclaim their compassion , but the politicians and the policies they ’ ve supported have accomplished the exact opposite .
The obligations of compassion , unfortunately @ @ @ @ @ @ @ public sector unions , and – it must be said – their clueless libertarian enablers , do not mean that just anything ought to be tolerated .
It is not compassionate to permit heroin and methamphetamine addicts to openly practice their habit , nor is it compassionate to tolerate theft and vandalism because those who engage in these activities may be disadvantaged or feel disenfranchised .
And if the hordes of addicts and thieves and rioters who have created lawless enclaves in every major American city were turned loose in the gated suburbs @ @ @ @ @ @ @ doubt their compassion would be redirected within hours into more effective avenues ?
As it is , however , the Democratic machine is methodically turning over larger and larger swaths of America ’ s cities to anarchy .
The riots of the last six months which convulsed cities across America and look to be ongoing in Portland and Seattle , if not elsewhere , are only the most recent expressions of this anarchy .
The out-of-control homeless populations in countless American cities , especially in California , are the true harbingers of anarchy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ compassion , Californians have legalized vagrancy and hard drug use , and effectively decriminalized petty theft up to $ 950 per day .
They have also overregulated the construction industry , making it impossible to build housing without subsidies .
In general they have overregulated all economic activity in the state , which has driven out small businesses and created the highest cost-of-living in America .
The consequences for California ’ s cities are predictable : a homeless population of well over 150,000 people , with no effective legal means of separating the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Law-abiding residents of these anarchic zones are terrified and besieged .
In Los Angeles , the 2020 election results indicate these problems will only get worse .
George Gascón , a progressive backed by George Soros , has unseated incumbent Jackie Lacey to become the new Los Angeles County district attorney .
That Los Angeles voters could choose a candidate who promises to increase and expedite policies that have created this mess is inexplicable , until you reflect on the power of rhetoric and money over cold reality .
This combination , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ political donations , remains the reason America ’ s cities , from Los Angeles to Philadelphia , are barely governable and set to get even more ungovernable .
Americans residing in blue cities vote for Democrats because unless the rioting or the homeless anarchy is on their street , or in their neighborhood , they don ’ t see it .
The media doesn ’ t cover it , or if they do , they frame it so as to highlight the truly disadvantaged instead of the dangerous predators , and to emphasize @ @ @ @ @ @ @ vandals and looters .
The politicians know that business as usual enriches corrupt developers on the ground , while attracting almost limitless political donations from people too wealthy and too ideologically committed to support any solution that might be remotely construed as right-wing .
And as things go from bad to worse , in order to cope with the disorder , public sector unions demand more money and more members .
For them , a breakdown in civil order is a business opportunity .
Their interests are inherently in conflict with the public @ @ @ @ @ @ @ strength to what was already quite strong enough .
There are choices politicians could offer voters and attorneys could argue in court : House the homeless in supervised tent encampments located in inexpensive parts of cities .
Require sobriety and job training in exchange for further assistance .
Lock up people who commit vandalism or physical assaults .
Break up the social networks that have facilitated the extraordinary coordination of rioting , destruction of property , looting , and “ peaceful protests.
” Lower the threshold at which petty theft is decriminalized .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ jail time .
Stop the scam of paying developers over a half-million dollars to construct a single apartment for one homeless person .
These commonsense solutions would solve the problem of anarchy and homelessness within a few months , without costing anything more than the policies currently being applied that are only making these problems worse .
But they would have to be sold to voters who have finally had enough .
Unfortunately , we ’ re still well short of seeing that happen .


thetennesseestar--2020-11-16--Trump Could Receive Second Term from U.S. House in ‘Contingent Election’

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thetennesseestar--2020-11-16--Commentary: Fox News and the Theft of the 2020 Presidential Election

Fact check : Joe Biden is not the President elect .
This will come as a horrible shock to Fox News and the other left-wing media .
A candidate becomes President Elect when either the other candidate concedes , or the Electoral College meets and votes that candidate into the Presidency .
Of course , Fox News ’ biggest concern right now is probably not who has won the election .
Perhaps one day , business students will read case studies on how Fox News destroyed its brand overnight .
One thing conservatives noticed early in the evening of November @ @ @ @ @ @ @ states for Biden almost immediately , but Trump states were not called nearly as fast .
One of the biggest questions of that night , is why did Fox call Arizona for Biden immediately after the polls closed ?
Clearly , it was not to help Biden in the last few states .
The only polls that were still open at the time were California and Washington state .
Both of those are solidly blue .
Oregon has gone entirely to vote by mail , so it would not affect that race .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ to call Arizona for Biden ?
If it wasn ’ t to push him across the line with the west coast states , what was the reason ?
Lawyers will tell people there are two kinds of evidence , direct and circumstantial .
Direct is what you see , and circumstantial is inferred from other facts Sir Arthur Conan Doyle , author of the Sherlock Holmes books , once said , “ When you eliminate the impossible , that which remains , no matter how implausible , must be the truth.
” Most @ @ @ @ @ @ @ must win for President Trump .
Without Arizona , a state he carried in 2016 , there were few paths left to the 270 votes need to win the electoral college .
When Arizona was called for Biden , President Trump led in important swing states , including Michigan , Georgia , Pennsylvania and Michigan .
Suddenly , in the hours after that call , massive numbers of votes started coming in for Biden .
Many of these were suspect as Republican poll watchers were not allowed to watch the tabulation and improbably @ @ @ @ @ @ @ were 100 % Biden votes .
In all of these states , President Trump had a lead and it was whittled down .
Importantly , there was not a single swing state , where Biden had a lead , and that lead switched to President Trump .
It was obvious to anyone watching the Fox News election coverage , they desperately wanted to call the election for Biden .
They celebrated when they could finally do it .
But again , why was it so important to call Arizona immediately ?
What was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is impossible to say directly , but it is certainly true that after the Arizona call , all of the swing states that President Trump had a lead in , turned .
Days after the race , we know that Fox ’ s decision desk was manned by anti-Trumpers .
Was it simply malice on their part against Trump or was the call a signal to those in the swing states that this election could be stolen by Biden ’ s team ?
Will we ever know with certainty what actually happened that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the constellation of left-wing media outlets .
The Fox News conservatives have known for twenty years is dead .
Will someone try to investigate and find out what really happened on the evening of November 3 ?
Judson Phillips is a long time conservative pundit and founder of Tea Party Nation .


thetennesseestar--2020-11-16--Lake Elmo Considers Ordinance to Ban Targeted Protests Outside of Homes

The Public Safety Committee of Lake Elmo is considering establishing an ordinance for the city that bans targeted protesting and picketing , particularly outside of homes .
Sgt .
Tim Harris brought the topic to a Nov. 9 meeting , seeking the approval of the committee on moving the ordinance to the next step , city council .
“ We don ’ t have any specific concerns for the city of Lake Elmo … but this is something just to prepare ourselves for the future , ” Harris said .
The city of Hugo — where this past summer Black @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Police Officers Federation of Minneapolis President Bob Kroll — now has a similar ordinance in place , due to the targeted nature of those protests .
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey , Sen. Warren Limmer , and Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman have all had similar protests outside of their homes this year .
Case law in Brookfield , Wisconsin , inspired the wording of the Lake Elmo ordinance .
The Brookfield document was challenged in court and “ upheld based on the verbiage of that city ordinance , ” Harris said .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ restrict freedom of speech , but rather to minimize targeted harassment and protect the wellbeing of residents who may be targeted .
Harris noted that a single social media post can easily generate mass amounts of people for a protest or picketing event .
“ That gets beyond freedom of speech , and ( moves ) more toward targeted harassment , ” Harris said .
The Sunrise Movement , a group that is historically notorious for protesting loudly outside of politicians ’ homes while they sleep , has protested outside the homes of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Leader Mitch McConnell .
The group has led movements in Minneapolis , Illinois , Michigan , and California and has over 400 “ local hubs ” throughout the U.S. Sunrise Movement ’ s “ We Are Wide Awake ” campaign is all about disrupting the sleep of politicians and turning their “ lives into living nightmares.
” The campaign ’ s website proclaims , “ When they do nothing to stop federal agents from snatching us off the streets , when they force us to go back to school in unsafe conditions , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ democracy from crumbling , we will shout and sing at their doors from dusk until dawn and make them hear us.
” The ordinance Harris proposed is generalized to include topics and groups across the board , “ and it ’ s very specific to that targeted protest and targeted picketing.
” Other cities in Washington County have passed similar ordinances , including Mahtomedi .
The Public Safety Committee of Lake Elmo unanimously approved the move to draft a final ordinance , which will then be brought before the city council for approval @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for The Alpha News .


thetennesseestar--2020-11-16--Three Million Dollars Available to Some Small Businesses for Temporary Outdoor Winterization

The Small Business Association of Michigan ( SBAM ) and the Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity ( LEO ) are giving out $ 3 million in weatherization grants to help some small businesses expand outdoor capacity during winter .
Eligible businesses may apply to receive between $ 1,000 and $ 10,000 in funding for weatherized , temporary outdoor facilities , while eligible municipalities and local organizations may apply to receive up to $ 15,000 .
The funding is available through the federal Coronavirus Aid , Relief , and Economic Security ( CARES ) Act .
“ There ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are going to make a real difference for Michigan ’ s small businesses this winter , ” SBAM President Brian Calley said in a statement .
“ Fully utilizing outdoor seating and capacity has been critical to businesses across the state in their efforts to operate safely through this COVID-19 pandemic .
And with winter weather diminishing that capacity , providing businesses with the assistance they need to expand and weatherize their outdoor capacity is an important way to help small businesses stay afloat but keep everyone safe this winter.
” In September @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ( MRLA ) estimated 4,000 restaurants , or 22 % of those in the state , likely won ’ t survive past February due to a combination of state-mandated restrictions related to COVID-19 and losing outdoor seating during the late fall and winter seasons .
“ We are proud to continue to partner with SBAM to provide our small businesses with resources to protect their employees , customers and communities from the spread of COVID-19 , ” LEO Acting Director Susan Corbin said in a statement .
“ Throughout the pandemic , Michigan @ @ @ @ @ @ @ part to keep our economy open by following proper safety regulations .
These federal grants will help them fund temporary outdoor facilities and increase customer capacity while ensuring their workplaces are safe during our cold winter ahead.
” Commercial firms and nonprofits with 50 or fewer full-time equivalent employees in the following industries are eligible to apply : • Local governments , including cities , townships , villages , and counties that provide common space for businesses Michigan-based business owners and other eligible applicants can use the grant funds to construct temporary structures @ @ @ @ @ @ @ portable heaters , outdoor furniture and tableware , cooking equipment , and other related safety and security upgrades to increase outdoor capacity for carryout and delivery services .
Scott McClallen is a staff writer covering Michigan and Minnesota for The Center Square .
A graduate of Hillsdale College , his work has appeared on Forbes.com and FEE.org .
Previously , he worked as a financial analyst at Pepsi .


thetennesseestar--2020-11-16--Richmond Public Schools Will Not Play Winter Sports this Year, Superintendent Says

In a newsletter last Monday Richmond Public Schools ( RPS ) Superintendent Jason Kamras said the school system will not play high school or middle school winter sports this year .
“ Athletics are important for many reasons : they motivate and inspire , improve student health , and can even lead to college scholarships .
I am deeply sensitive to this , ” Kamras wrote in his daily RPS direct newsletter .
“ At the same time , given our decision to go 100 % virtual for the first semester , and given rapidly rising infection rates , we @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this winter.
” Kamras continued : “ I recognize this will be disappointing to many students and families .
But I believe it ’ s the only option we have if we are to fully honor our commitment to safeguarding the health and safety of our students , families , and staff .
Thank you for your understanding.
” The decision comes just weeks after Governor Ralph Northam eased statewide COVID-19 restrictions for recreational sports through an amended executive order , clearing the way for the Virginia High School Sports ( VHSL ) @ @ @ @ @ @ @ December .
Following Northam ’ s actions , the VHSL released comprehensive guidelines for a safe return to competition with protocols and ways for schools to mitigate the risk of exposure for every sport .
Kamras ’ decision will impact many different schools within the system , including John Marshall high school , which is known for having one of the best boys basketball teams in the Commonwealth .
Just last year , in one of the last high school sports events before the spring COVID shutdown , John Marshall won the Class @ @ @ @ @ @ @ return multiple players with collegiate offers like John Marshall ’ s Roosevelt Wheeler , one of the top basketball recruits in the entire country .
The Virginia Star reached out to John Marshall boys basketball coach Ty White for comment on this story , but did not get a response by press time .
If RPS and other school systems throughout the state officially decide to cancel winter sports , the decision would impact hundreds of high school students across multiple sports who rely on athletics as a way to be recruited by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ their sport professionally .
Many high school athletes also depend on getting offered scholarships to play college sports because they can not afford to attend school without one .
The kids most affected would not be students like Wheeler , but the athletes who may not have garnered the eyes of college scouts yet or are just beginning their high school sports careers and would need a season to prove that they can excel at the next level .
Instead , those students could lose a quarter of their opportunities .
The decision @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sports is entirely up to the individual school system .
In Virginia , many schools are operating through different types of schedules with some still 100 percent virtual like RPS , while others are employing a hybrid model of virtual and in-person learning or are completely back in the classroom .
Throughout the Commonwealth school systems have made varying decisions on playing winter sports as some have decided to move forward like Henrico County and others have already cancelled their plans like Arlington City .
Under the VHSL ’ s current schedule , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , gymnastics , indoor track and field and swimming – would play a shortened season from December 14th through February 20th .
Jacob Taylor is a reporter at The Virginia Star and the Star News Digital Network .
Follow Jacob on Twitter .
Email tips to [ email protected ] Photo “ John Marshall Basketball ” by John Marshall Jayem Basketball / @ CARESJARON .


thetennesseestar--2020-11-16--Another Hospital Blocks a Priest from Visiting a Patient

Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital prevented priest Steve McNally from visiting COVID-19 patient Eugene Conti in the ICU for two weeks after Conti was admitted in September , according to The Roanoke Times .
Conti died without receiving last rites .
McNally said that after Conti ’ s death , the hospital said that an employee had been mistaken in blocking him .
“ That person who misspoke had the authority to deny me access to my parishioner .
And to deny a person his religious rights to have his pastor come to him .
That ’ s an unforgivable , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ told The Roanoke Times .
In three similar cases , a hospital network in the greater D.C. area also blocked clergy from visiting patients , leading to intervention from a government department to protect the religious freedom rights of the patients .
In Roanoke , the hospital re-evaluated its policies without government intervention , allowing clergy with proper PPE into the room when appropriate .
“ In times of sickness and fear caused by the pandemic , we know the presence of a priest can be a great comfort to patients , especially @ @ @ @ @ @ @ – Communion , Reconciliation/Confession and the Sacrament of the Sick , ” the Diocese of Richmond said in a statement spokesperson Deborah Cox sent to The Star .
Cox said she was unaware of any other cases where clergy in the diocese were blocked from access to patients .
The diocese has created a pastoral care team who are healthy and not immune compromised who can visit sick patients .
The diocese has also trained its priests on proper medical protocol for visitations .
“ Our priests respectfully work with the various hospitals @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sacraments to those who have requested them in order to deliver God ’ s grace at a time when individuals are in most need , ” the statement said .
“ As hospitals have been made aware of the sacramental needs of Catholics they have sought to be accommodating .
At this time , we are not aware of any issues.
” In October , Passionately Catholic author Suzy Kelly told The Star that spiritual health is more important than physical health to believers .
“ The Anointing of the Sick , is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ well , ” she said .
“ Through the priest , the sick person receiving the anointing , is absolved of their sins .
Often , the priest also gives the sick person Holy Communion , the Bread of Life .
As human beings , we need food for not only our bodies but for our souls .
The food for our souls is Holy Communion , Jesus in the Eucharist , ” Kelly added .
“ Priests should always be allowed to visit the sick , in person , although taking the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ disease.
” Eugene Conti ’ s wife Barbara had to attend her husband as he died without McNally ’ s presence .
She told The Roanoke Times that she brought holy water and a rosary into the hospital .
A hospital chaplain prayed with her outside Eugene ’ s room .
She said , “ I did the best I could .
I know God hears us , and I did what I could in the absence of a priest.
” The Virginia Star is asking religious organizations across Virginia to see if @ @ @ @ @ @ @ send any tips about similar cases to [ email protected ] Eric Burk is a reporter at The Virginia Star and the Star News Digital Network .
Email tips to [ email protected ]


thetennesseestar--2020-11-16--Loudoun County Schools Superintendent Announced Sudden Departure for Texas Superintendent Position,

Loudoun County Schools Superintendent Announced Sudden Departure for Texas Superintendent Position, Parents in New District React

Loudoun County Public Schools ( LCPS ) Superintendent Eric Williams announced his departure last week without warning .
The Clear Creek Independent School District ( CCISD ) in Houston , Texas selected Williams as their sole finalist for superintendent in a nationwide search .
LCPS parents and concerned CCISD parents flooded the comments of the official CCISD Facebook page announcement on Williams ’ new position .
LCPS parents warned CCISD parents that Williams would impose the same social justice initiatives that he ’ d done while overseeing LCPS , such as through the Minority Student Achievement Advisory Committee ( MSAAC @ @ @ @ @ @ @ signing a petition calling for CCISD to reject Williams .
The petition outlined several concerns referencing the LCPS parents ’ comments on Facebook .
In response to LCPS and CCISD parents ’ criticisms , CCISD issued their own follow-up comment via their Facebook page defending their decision .
“ This forum was not designed to spread misinformation or mischaracterization of individuals .
Clear Creek ISD families , staff , and community members will be given many opportunities to meet Dr. Williams and learn firsthand why he was unanimously supported by your elected school @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pages linked with the superintendent ’ s page concern a social justice presentation of equity .
The equity-related pages are dedicated to the Director of Equity , Williams ’ statement on equity , the complete equity program ( including messages , groups , plans , and resources ) , and an investigation into allegations of discrimination .
The increased focus on equity expanded greatly after an incident at LCPS ’ s Madison ’ s Trust Elementary .
The district came under fire after a gym teacher had students participate as “ runaway slaves @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Underground Railroad .
In response , the Virginia National Association for the Advancement of Colored People ( NAACP ) called for Williams ’ resignation .
Since then , Williams has led the charge for “ LCPS Equity , ” a program aimed at “ the disruption and dismantling of white supremacy , systemic racism , and hateful language and actions based on race , religion , country of origin , gender identity , sexual orientation , and/or ability.
” The NAACP Loudoun Branch suggested installing equity leaders , modified speech policies , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ now has or plans to implement , according to their website .
At the earliest , Williams is expected to submit his official resignation to LCPS after CCISD issues their formal announcement next month .
LCPS hasn ’ t publicly announced any candidates for interim superintendent .
Corinne Murdock is a reporter at The Virginia Star and the Star News Network .
Follow her latest on Twitter , or email tips to [ email protected ] .
Photo “ Eric Williams – Loudoun County Schools ” by Loudoun County Schools .


thetennesseestar--2020-11-16--U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen Lectures Tennessee Republicans to Stop Destroying America and Stop Defending D

U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen Lectures Tennessee Republicans to Stop Destroying America and Stop Defending Donald Trump

U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen ( D-TN-09 ) this weekend used his Twitter to hurl another personal attack at U.S. President Donald Trump while he also accused Trump of using the recent election to divide people .
As The Tennessee Star has reported many times , Cohen has made countless divisive remarks about Trump and Republicans .
On Saturday , Cohen linked to a TikTok video and ridiculed Trump , whose hair in the video appeared white .
On Sunday , Cohen linked to a Memphis Commercial Appeal editorial that lectured Tennessee Republican politicians not to support Trump and not to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fraud occurred in this month ’ s presidential elections .
The paper ’ s Opinion and Engagement Director David Plazas wrote the editorial .
“ Tennessee GOP politicians must stop condoning Trump ’ s election results denial , ” Cohen tweeted about the Memphis Commercial Appeal editorial .
Cohen , speaking to Tennessee Republicans , also said that “ to do as they are is helping to destroy democracy and America !
” The Memphis Commercial Appeal editorial criticized Tennessee Gov .
Bill Lee , retiring U.S. Sen , Lamar Alexander ( R-TN @ @ @ @ @ @ @ R-TN ) , U.S. Sen.-elect Bill Hagerty and various Republican members of the Tennessee General Assembly .
The editorial blasted those elected officials for “ defending President Trump ’ s challenge to the election results.
” “ The unwillingness by top Republican elected officials to recognize Biden ’ s victory is a political stunt , ” Plazas wrote .
“ Moreover , they are feeding into the mistrust , the conspiracy theories and the polarization wounding America ’ s democratic traditions today.
” As The Tennessee Star reported in April , Cohen held @ @ @ @ @ @ @ touted mail-in voting and warned that Russians were in America spreading misinformation about COVID-19 .
Cohen warned that Russians were trying to make Americans believe Pentagon staff caused or created COVID-19 .
Cohen , however , had no proof to back that up .
Cohen , as reported in August , Cohen deleted a tweet he wrote that prompted another person to say U.S. Sen. Tim Scott ( R-SC ) “ might as well be ” white .
And Cohen endorsed that other person ’ s comment by pressing the like button .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ Herman Caine ’ s death .
In May , as reported , Cohen endorsed a video of actor Robert De Niro bragging he wanted to punch Trump in the face .
As The Star reported last year , Cohen compared Trump ’ s alleged quid pro quo on Ukraine as an affront to civil rights workers , women ’ s suffrage , and people murdered by the Ku Klux Klan .
Cohen also said in 2018 that Blackburn , then a Republican candidate for the U.S. Senate , should jump off the Harahan @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Cohen said years ago the Ebola virus would mutate into a Biblical-style plague that would devastate Tennessee– unless state Republicans in the Tennessee General Assembly complied fully with Obamacare and expanded Medicaid .
Chris Butler is an investigative journalist at The Tennessee Star .
Follow Chris on Facebook .
Email tips to [ email protected ]


thetennesseestar--2020-11-15--Antifa/BLM Terrorists Viciously Attack Women, Children, and Elderly Following Saturday’s #MillionMAG

Antifa/BLM Terrorists Viciously Attack Women, Children, and Elderly Following Saturday’s #MillionMAGAMarch

Following the peaceful and highly successful March for Trump in Washington D.C Saturday , violent antifa and Black Lives Matter agitators went on the attack , assaulting elderly Trump supporters , punching women , harassing families , and destroying property .
Tens of thousands of Trump supporters flooded into Washington to demand election integrity and let Democrats and their allies in the media know that the MAGA movement isn ’ t going away .
Toward the end of the day , left-wing goon squads began attacking and assaulting random Trump supporters .
A Black Lives Matter agitator ran up and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the head as she was walking down the street .
“ Oh my God !
” the woman cried , holding her head .
A young woman screamed in anger after she was assaulted and her phone stolen .
As day turned to night , the antifa/BLM terrorists stalked and harassed a family with young children .
They harassed an elderly couple as they walked down the street .
“ Get the f—k out loser , good bye loser !
” an agitator bellowed through a megaphone .
A young couple was mobbed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they were leaving the area .
The young woman can be heard screaming in fear and horror as the terrorists threw unidentified liquids on them .
The antifa/BLM mob knocked an older man off his bike and poured liquid on him while he was on the ground .
The terrorists continued to assault the man until he was able to retrieve his bike and make a get away .
“ Get out of our f—king space !
” one of the agitators screamed at him through a bullhorn .
Black clad anarchists destroyed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reportedly operated by a black man .
The agitators then made a bonfire in the street with the MAGA hats and gear they stole from the pop-up shop .
The antifa/BLM terrorists went on to attack diners with fireworks and other projectiles as they ate dinner .
The attacks continued well into the night .
Trump supporters and Proud Boys began fighting back at around 8pm just five blocks from the White House , according to the Daily Mail .
The brawl lasted for several minutes with the two sides slugging it out @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Political commentator Savanah Hernandez gave an on the scene account of the violence she witnessed after the Million MAGA March .
Hernandez said the D.C. police just stood back watched as the antifa mob harassed a family , destroyed the pop-up shop and burned the merchandize in the street .
“ It was the most heartbreaking thing I ’ ve ever seen , she said .
Hernandez said she had to take a breather from the action because for the past two or three hours , she had “ watched people get viciously @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s very difficult to have to watch your fellow Americans get attacked so blatantly .
We ’ re talking the elderly , women , children , everyone in Washington D.C. right now.
” Hernandez said the police were keeping Trump supporters blocked off in an area to keep them safe from the domestic terrorists .
“ That ’ s what ’ s happening in D.C. right now , ” she said .
“ They physically can ’ t walk down the street without getting attacked by a hundred domestic terrorists.
” Some @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it back to the Willard Hotel near the White House , gathered outside the hotel to sing the National Anthem .
Late Saturday night , President Trump decried the violence against his supporters , calling the antifa terrorists “ scum.
” “ ANTIFA SCUM ran for the hills today when they tried attacking the people at the Trump Rally , because those people aggressively fought back , ” the president Tweeted .
The president was referring to clashes between agitators and the Proud Boys earlier in the day .
“ Antifa waited until @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , to attack innocent # MAGA People .
DC Police , get going — do your job and don ’ t hold back !
!
!
” Trump tweeted .
Things calmed down after the riot police “ boxed Antifa in near the Convention Center , ” OANN correspondent Jack Posobiec reported on Twitter .

A new bill to raise the minimum wage to $15 per hour is emerging in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives.
Sponsored by Representative Patty Kim (D-Harrisburg), the bill as described in a memorandum appears similar to legislation Senator Dan Laughlin (R-Erie) is spearheading in his chamber. It contrasts with a more radical measure authored by Representative Chris Rabb (D-Philadelphia) that would hike the wage floor to $16.50 in July 2025 and gradually increase it to $21 by mid-2028. The Rabb bill would also apply the state minimum wage to prisoners, vastly boosting their pay.
In her memo pushing for a $15 hourly floor, Kim (pictured above) lamented that the commonwealth last hiked its minimum wage to $7.25 in 2009. She cited data from the U.S. Department of Labor indicating that 30 states, including all of those that neighbor Pennsylvania, mandate higher wage minimums. Her $15 rate would take effect in January 2024 and would tie future minimum-wage rises to inflation.
“Too many people have worked too hard for too long to not be able to pay their bills,” Kim said at a House Majority Policy Committee hearing on the issue in late March. “We want to tag a cost-of-living adjustment on this, so we never have to wait years and years – or wait for a once-in-a-century pandemic – for this issue to have a bright light shined on it.”
While free-market advocates generally oppose minimum wage increases, some in Harrisburg expect Republicans like Laughlin who now champion a hike will insist that such a policy come as part of a broader deal that will include regulatory reform. Governor Josh Shapiro (D) has urged enactment of a new $15 floor and many Republicans have sensed an opportunity for dealmaking, particularly insofar as they control the state Senate.
Advocates of an increase often cite a Pennsylvania Minimum Wage Advisory Board report indicating that 63,800 individuals — less than two percent of the state’s workforce — earned $7.25 per hour or less in 2021. Nonetheless, wages have risen markedly over the last two years and many who continue to make so little are teenagers working one of their first jobs.
After House Democrats began clamoring for new pay mandates, the Harrisburg-based Commonwealth Foundation (CF) issued a backgrounder in March opposing the idea. CF cited calculations from the nonpartisan Independent Fiscal Office suggesting that even raising the floor to $12 per hour would kill 5,000 jobs.
And the think tank fears the proposal could disadvantage even workers who keep their jobs insofar as employers may compensate for the new mandate by cutting worker hours and benefits. An example of this was observed nationally in 2018 after Amazon set its own low-end hourly wage to $15 but nevertheless suspended workers’ monthly bonuses and stock options.
Instead of raising the minimum wage, CF suggested, the commonwealth should focus on lowering impediments to employment by reforming licensing and permitting processes as well as improving public-assistance programs so they reward those who secure employment.
– – –
Bradley Vasoli is managing editor of The Pennsylvania Daily Star. Follow Brad on Twitter at @BVasoli. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Patty Kim” by Rep. Patty Kim. Background Photo “Pennsylvania Capitol” by Ad Meskens. CC BY-SA 3.0.


thetennesseestar--2020-11-15--Congressional Democrats Raised Security Concerns about Dominion, Other Voting Machine Companies


thetennesseestar--2020-11-17--Tennessee Senator Marsha Blackburn Opens Fire on Schumer, Ossoff, and Warnock

Senator Marsha Blackburn ( R-TN ) took to task Senator Chuck Schumer ( D-NY ) and candidates Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock for their political motives and agendas .
In an interview with Fox Business , Blackburn was asked what was at stake if Republican incumbents Kelly Loeffler and David Perdue lost .
The interviewer , Maria Bartiromo , also mentioned Andrew Yang ’ s plans to move to help with the general election runoff efforts .
Yang also encouraged his followers to do likewise .
While Yang later clarified that he wasn ’ t moving to vote because he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s general election , others have openly encouraged individuals to move to Georgia temporarily just to vote .
“ Well , you know , they kind of got their hands slapped on this .
Telling people to move in , claim Georgia residency , and vote , ” stated Blackburn .
“ Here ’ s what we know : Chuck Schumer is definitely on the ballot in Georgia .
His agenda : first we take Georgia , then we change America.
” Then , Blackburn emphasized the two main issues that each Senate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Senate nominees are the two most radical , leftist Senate nominees I have ever seen .
You have an Ossoff : a trust fund socialist who has been on the payroll of a Chinese Communist Party-owned company and failed to report it until he got caught.
” Ossoff served as the CEO of a London-based investigative documentary filmmaking company that was paid at least $ 5,000 in the past two years by PCCW Media Limited , a Chinese business chaired by communist party supporter Richard Li .
Ossoff failed to report these assets @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in May .
However , Ossoff later asserted that the payments were to air his work on two investigations into ISIS war crimes .
His campaign then condemned the Chinese Communist Party publicly .
Blackburn gave both Democratic candidates equal attention , calling out Warnock for his relationship with President Barack Obama ’ s controversial preacher , Jeremiah Wright .
“ You have Warnock who is a mentee of Jeremiah Wright .
And of course , we all remember Jeremiah Wright is the one who said he was hopeful that God would not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ America .
That is not the people of Georgia.
” Warnock recently denied that he shared the views expressed in Wright ’ s anti-Semitic comments .
However , Bishop Aubrey Shines told The Tennessee Star that Warnock ’ s alignment with Black Liberation Theology could preclude Warnock from sharing his true beliefs .
“ The whole premise of Black Liberation Theology hinges around denial .
They don ’ t believe they owe the White man anything – and if you adhere to these Western White principles , then they don ’ t owe @ @ @ @ @ @ @ late Dr. James Cone , the father of Black Liberation Theology criticized for his anti-Semitic remarks and Marxist persuasions .
On The John Fredericks Show , Shines explained that this theology inherently goes against Warnock ’ s own statements .
“ Warnock is against [ American ] principles .
He ’ s a Marxist .
He doesn ’ t believe that God really created everybody individually .
He ’ s a group guy : [ he says ] let ’ s put these colors in separate buckets and judge them by their group @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 5th .
December 7th is the final day to register to vote – an estimated 23,000 additional individuals will be eligible to vote in this upcoming election .
Corinne Murdock is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and the Star News Network .
Follow her latest on Twitter , or email tips to [ email protected ]

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


thetennesseestar--2020-11-17--Commentary: All Those Provisional Ballots in Pennsylvania

There ’ s big news breaking here in Pennsylvania , and most of the national media seems to be unaware .
It ’ s the matter of Pennsylvania ’ s crucial ( but heretofore largely ignored ) provisional ballots , which could be decisive in pushing Donald Trump back into the lead in the state , or at least triggering a statewide recount .
Before considering those details , I want to respond to the many inquiries I ’ ve received from readers wondering how it ’ s possible that Joe Biden could have pulled into the lead in Pennsylvania @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and they ’ re right to be dubious of what has transpired .
Yes , Joe Biden has somehow surpassed Donald Trump in Pennsylvania , but don ’ t blame voters in Pittsburgh , nor maybe even voters in Philadelphia .
Frankly , it ’ s hard to figure whom to blame .
It ’ s somewhat baffling .
Of those mail-in ballots that started to be counted on Wednesday , and that allowed Joe Biden an astonishing comeback after being down to Donald Trump by a massive ( and seemingly insurmountable @ @ @ @ @ @ @ votes , Biden would have needed probably at least 80 percent .
That was my own estimate , which I wrote about here on Thursday .
Trump campaign manager Bill Stepien estimated on Wednesday afternoon that Biden would have to get 78 percent of outstanding votes to win Pennsylvania .
He noted ( as I did ) that while there were outstanding votes in Biden counties like Philadelphia and Montgomery , there were also many votes left in York , Butler , and various Trump counties .
Stepien thus confidently asserted , “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” So did Donald Trump , and understandably so .
Personally , I do not see how Joe Biden could have gotten that 80 percent , even as mail-in ballots have in fact been significantly favorable to Biden throughout the country .
Consider this striking number : Biden was actually barely getting 80 percent in Philadelphia County .
Indeed , Trump still has almost 20 percent of the Philadelphia County votes ( that ’ s surprisingly good , I thought he ’ d be lucky to get 10 percent ) .
He also @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ( Pittsburgh ’ s county ) votes .
Many of the other mail-in counties remaining were Republican-Trump counties , including my own ( Mercer County , where Trump has 62 percent of the vote ) and counties like Beaver ( huge fracking area , 58 percent for Trump ) and even large GOP counties like York ( likewise 62 percent for Trump ) .
( Click here for the county breakdown . )
And yet , as we ’ ve watched the overall Pennsylvania vote flip to Biden over the last 72 hours @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump hasn ’ t gotten even a few hundred thousand new votes , whereas Biden ’ s total soars by the millions .
I think Joe Biden would have been lucky to get 60 to 70 percent of all the remaining mail-in ballots .
I find it almost inconceivable that he got 80 percent .
Donald Trump is right to be suspicious , and to at least demand double-checking , given not just Philadelphia ’ s ugly history of political corruption , and his suspicion of the general susceptibility for mail-in-ballot fraud , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ happened in Pennsylvania .
The Trump campaign was absolutely justified in believing it had Pennsylvania in the bag ( see my column on that ) .
What has somehow transpired since late Tuesday night does not seem plausible .
Consider , too : Donald Trump has 400,000 more votes in Pennsylvania in 2020 than he received in 2016 , and yet he may still lose the state .
The enthusiasm for Trump here is off the charts , in contrast to no enthusiasm for Biden .
If Joe Biden has truly received that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ must be via pure , unbridled , ferocious anti-Trump hatred .
But alas , this isn ’ t over , which brings me to the crucial matter of the provisional votes .
I learned last evening that there are roughly 100,000 provisional ballots still out and uncounted in Pennsylvania .
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania defines a provisional ballot this way : A provisional ballot might include , for instance , a person registered to vote at one precinct but who voted at a different precinct and thus had had to fill out a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ one of a variety of examples .
( Click the website for more criteria and details . )
Pennsylvania election officials have just now ( this Saturday morning ) started to count these ballots .
The process works like this : There are groups/boards of three individuals who examine each ballot .
Each candidate on the ballot is allowed a representative at this “ hearing.
” The board looks at each ballot , reads the ballot number aloud , and examines the precinct and the reason that the person voted provisional .
At @ @ @ @ @ @ @ representative can object whether the ballot should or should not be counted .
That ballot is set aside and is evaluated further .
One source involved in these evaluations tells me that most of the ballots will likely be accepted .
Most notably , these ballots should skew to Donald Trump .
As I write , Trump is winning the provisional ballots 1,394 to 439 , or by a margin of over three to one .
If that margin continues , Trump could overtake Biden ’ s current lead in Pennsylvania .
And @ @ @ @ @ @ @ enough to put Trump back in front , they could draw him close enough to trigger an automatic recount for the entire state ( a mere margin of 0.5 percent triggers an automatic recount ) .
( The major media is not reporting on this , with exceptions such as the AP and MSNBC ) .
In other words , this ain ’ t over .
And it ’ s why Donald Trump is absolutely right to not concede anything and to double-check everything .
All of the votes in Pennsylvania have not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Donald Trump suddenly concede the state of Pennsylvania now that Joe Biden has finally barely passed him is ignorant of the fact that there remains this crucial cache of provisional ballots .
Trump supporters endured the process of watching the mail-in ballots being counted ( i.e.
, Biden ’ s strength ) ; now Biden supporters need to wait out the process of provisional ballots being counted ( i.e.
, Trump ’ s strength ) .
Finally , here ’ s an even bigger question that I can ’ t answer beyond the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ battleground states have provisional ballots yet to be counted ?
Do they exist in Arizona , Georgia , Nevada , North Carolina , or in Michigan and Wisconsin ?
Is this being considered ?
Is the Trump campaign aware of it ?
These provisional ballots state by state will favor Trump because they are mainly Election Day ballots , and Trump won most of these states ’ votes on Election Day .
In a presidential race this razor-thin , these provisional ballots could be a game-changer not just in Pennsylvania .
The media @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the presidential election .
That ’ s a decision reserved to and to be certified by each state ’ s board of elections based strictly on a final vote tally .
And that has not yet been determined .
Paul Kengor is professor of political science at Grove City College in Grove City , Pa. , and senior academic fellow at the Center for Vision & Values .
Dr. Kengor is author of over a dozen books , including A Pope and a President : John Paul II , Ronald Reagan , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Century , The Politically Incorrect Guide to Communism , and Dupes : How America ’ s Adversaries Have Manipulated Progressives for a Century .


thetennesseestar--2020-11-17--Senior Advisor to Trump-Pence 2020 Corey Lewandowski Gives Updates on the Case of Pennsylvania Unwit

Senior Advisor to Trump-Pence 2020 Corey Lewandowski Gives Updates on the Case of Pennsylvania Unwitnessed Ballots

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 Corey Lewandowski to the show to give updates on the Trump legal case of unwitnessed ballots in Pennsylvania .
Fredericks : Joining us now Corey Lewandowski who is the senior advisor to the Trump campaign .
Trump-Pence @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Corey , how are you doing ?
Lewandowski : Hey , John , good morning .
How are you ?
Fredericks : I ’ m doing fine .
Tell me about your health .
Lewandowski : Yeah , I feel good .
I was a little tired when I get diagnosed with it .
I think I caught this in Philadelphia when I was up there campaigning for the President right after the election where I watch them , you know have a series of shenanigans at the Philadelphia Convention Center .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ Saturday of last week .
So now looks to be about nine days into this thing .
Continuing to stay home and take care of myself and isolate from my kids and ready to beat this thing .
Done .
Fredericks : All right .
Well , you know what ?
You ’ re a very healthy guy .
I look forward to you being recovered .
Now , you have to basically stay home for two weeks , right ?
That ’ s the way it goes ?
You have to quarantine @ @ @ @ @ @ @ And so , you know , the hard thing is just being home all the time .
But I ’ ve been here I did get to take my dog out for a walk cause I live up in the middle of nowhere .
So he ’ s good .
And that ’ s about it .
Fredericks : Alright , and how is your family ?
Everybody else all right ?
Lewandowski : Yeah , it was good .
Yeah , look , I been lucky enough that they ’ ve decided @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they ’ ve been watching Cobra Kai that ’ s what they ’ re doing on up there .
Fredericks : John Frederick ’ s radio network Corey Lewandowski .
So Corey , where are we on this ?
Sidney Powell joining the team .
She was on Maria Bartiromo yesterday .
She said there are all kinds of fraud .
She said she ’ d never seen anything like this before and it was all going to come out .
So did Mayor Giuliani who is a chief lawyer .
Give us @ @ @ @ @ @ @ both Sydney Powell and Lin Wood are amazing attorneys .
They know what they ’ re doing .
I heard that you got Lin coming on at the bottom of the half-hour here .
So I don ’ t want to take up a lot of time because you ’ re going to get it right from the horse ’ s mouth .
But the truth is , you know , Sidney Powell has really done an amazing job when it related to her representation of General Mike Flynn .
She ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ agents to come out and actually say that they were trying to entrap him .
And so she ’ s done an amazing job .
She is a dogged attorney .
She knows what she ’ s doing .
She ’ s got a great legal mind .
Obviously , you know Mayor Giuliani is someone who ’ s known the President for probably 50 years .
They ’ re close friends and contemporaries in age .
And the President asked him to oversee the legal efforts to ensure that we can send @ @ @ @ @ @ @ we ’ re on the offense in a number of places .
But we do have to get some rulings in our favor here pretty soon .
Fredericks : All right .
Give us an update on Pennsylvania .
You were part of running the operation in Philadelphia .
There ’ s confusion Corey right now in Pennsylvania because some people are saying that part of our lawsuit got withdrawn .
What exactly is happening there , Corey ?
Lewandowski : Well , so you know what our major gripe in the state @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to view or watch the counting take place in two major areas .
Allegheny County , which is Pittsburgh , and Philadelphia County which is obviously the city of Philadelphia .
And when we tried to go there they blocked us .
And what they did was they counted as fast as they could 24 hours a day all through the night for multiple days until Joe Biden actually had the lead and then they stopped counting .
And if you remember John when Tuesday night rolled around and finished we had about @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Pennsylvania .
Donald Trump did .
All of a sudden , you know , minute-by-minute hour-by-hour with kind of the cover of darkness with no observers in the room they just started counting votes .
Separated the votes .
And once they ’ ve separated them from the envelopes you can ’ t really follow up .
We had a court order that allowed us to go and view that counting .
They told us they didn ’ t care about the court order .
They weren ’ t going to let @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of our case in Pennsylvania is and Rudy and I talked about this yesterday , he believes we ’ ve got about 600,000 .
More than 600,000 ballots were counted that were never witnessed that counting .
So not by anybody on our team or any Republicans .
And his argument is that if they weren ’ t witnessed counts then they should be illegal .
And if you throw those out Rudy is saying that that would then put President Trump on the plus side by about 350,000 votes in the state @ @ @ @ @ @ @ know what that actually means from the legal side .
But that ’ s the argument that they ’ re making right now .
And we ’ ve got some more work to do there .
Fredericks : Alright .
So basically what you ’ re saying is there were 600,000 ballots that were counted without any poll watchers , even though he had people available .
They were not allowed to go in therefore you don ’ t really know what the accuracy of it is .
And your part of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ out because they were illegally counted .
Is that my understanding ?
Lewandowski : That ’ s right .
Yep .
Exactly right .
Fredericks : All right .
But then they were saying on the news that part of one of our lawsuits got withdrawn in Pennsylvania .
Corey , are you familiar with that ?
Lewandowski : Well , what happened and the left is very good at this John .
We had a firm that was representing us in the state of Pennsylvania and all of a sudden the tolerant @ @ @ @ @ @ @ attack them and started to go after them and that firm had to withdraw from representing us in Pennsylvania because they were fearful of the assault from the left .
The threats .
And so when that happened and they withdrew their representation , I believe it actually removed part of our pending lawsuit .
Now , we still have the ability to refile that .
Lewandowski : But we do have a decision from a judge in Pennsylvania that says any ballots that came in after 8:00 p.m. on Tuesday election night @ @ @ @ @ @ @ believe those ballots can ’ t be counted at all .
So if you couldn ’ t vote by 8:00 p.m. on election night , you can ’ t just keep waiting .
I ’ m going to vote on Wednesday or Thursday or Friday .
And in the state of Pennsylvania , they were not mandating that the ballots be run through the postage machine to see when they were actually stamped .
And so , you know , the argument is and this is what Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ segregate out those ballots and we will determine if those ballots are to be counted .
That is a big deal because a number of ballots had come in after the deadline .
Fredericks : Do you know that number is ?
Fredericks : And after the deadline .
100 ’ s of 1000 ’ s have been segregated .
It ’ s not like 10,000 .
Lewandowski : No , it ’ s 100 ’ s of 1000 ’ s John .
We don ’ t know if they ’ re segregated @ @ @ @ @ @ @ give people the opportunity to view what ’ s going on , when you do this under the cover of darkness , it ’ s very difficult to take these people at their word that they did segregate out these ballots .
Maybe they did .
I ’ m not saying they did or didn ’ t .
But I can tell you my experience was that they wanted to keep us as far away as possible from that Philadelphia Convention Center .
Listen to the full show here :


thetennesseestar--2020-11-17--Crom Carmichael Breaks Down the Bind of Communism, Fascism, and Socialism

Live from Music Row Monday morning on The Tennessee Star Report with Michael Patrick Leahy – broadcast on Nashville ’ s Talk Radio 98.3 and 1510 WLAC weekdays from 5:00 a.m. to 8:00 a.m. – host Leahy welcomed the original all-star panelist Crom Carmichael to the studio .
During the second hour , Carmichael weighed in on CNN ’ s Christiane Amanpour ’ s recent statement where she compared Trump voters to Nazis and explained how communism , fascism , and socialism operate in concert with large corporations .
Leahy : We are joined in the studio by the original @ @ @ @ @ @ @ many many years , Crom Carmichael .
You know Crom , I know Monday is going to be good when you ’ re here at 6:30 because now we get to have a nice conversation about whatever the news of the day is .
And you know the news of the day is a little bit bleak these days for the good guys .
And so you always have a nice perspective on these things .
And so I ’ m always delighted to have you in to talk about that .
Carmichael @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to the show on the way in and you were talking about voter fraud and I ’ m gon na push back a bit .
Because I watched CNN and ABC ( Leahy chuckles ) and I watch the Masters Golf Tournament and I watched a couple of football games .
And I found from watching activities that there was no voter fraud at all .
Leahy : Not at all .
CNN says it was none .
And then that it wasn ’ t widespread that confused me a bit .
They @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Kind of like went from no violence to peacefully to mostly peaceful .
Carmichael : Mostly peaceful .
And so this was probably a mostly fraud-free election in that in the probably 80 percent of the votes… Carmichael : Now most of those were for Trump of course .
But there was lots of voter fraud .
But here ’ s what ’ s interesting .
Did you see what Christiane Amanpour said ?
Did you see what she said ?
Carmichael : Yeah , but here ’ s what ’ s interesting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
What is what does the word fascism mean ?
And here ’ s the definition of what they say is .
The definition is which I think is fascinating it ’ s a form of far-right authoritarian nationalism characterized by dictatorial power forcible suppression of the opposition and strong regimentation of society and of the economy .
Leahy : Where did you get that definition from ?
Carmichael : You know , it ’ s all correct except for one thing .
Carmichael : Far-right .
It ’ s not far-right ?
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ know what his party was ?
Carmichael : The National Socialist Party .
So Hitler himself called himself a socialist .
What does the left call themselves ?
Carmichael : Socialists .
Yeah , and so and fascism is the way it operates is very much like communism .
Communism is of the far left .
The opposite of communism is free markets and individual liberty .
That ’ s the opposite of communism .
Fascism and communism are one in the same .
Leahy : With one little caveat on that in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ point .
And the difference is that I think is that it ’ s that large corporations become part of governmental control .
Leahy : That ’ s the difference .
Communism comes from a little different perspective .
They end at the same point .
Carmichael : Yes , as far as the average person is concerned they end at the same point .
Carmichael : There ’ s total control of the individual by the government .
And here ’ s what I ’ ve concluded as I look at the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ should not be called communist .
It should be called fascist because , in China , they do all of these things that are described in fascism .
They do all of the things in terms of control , but they work with large corporations that are very connected to the central powers .
Leahy : It ’ s a very significant point you make here Crom and one that you ’ re articulating .
Carmichael : And I have the brain of a lizard ( Leahy laughs ) according to Jon Meacham @ @ @ @ @ @ @ people that disagree with you animals is something that the National Socialists did .
Those are the Nazis .
So , Jon Meacham is more like a Nazi than he is anything else .
Leahy : So here ’ s what ’ s interesting , I think we ’ re going on exactly the same trend .
You told me you were going to surprise me with what you are going to say and it ’ s actually not a surprise that you ’ ve said it because you ’ re articulating in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ bothering many Americans and that includes me about where we are headed as a country .
Carmichael : We are very very close because understand this .
What did Hitler do ?
Hitler was appointed Chancellor by Hindenburg .
Hitler called for an election .
He then had all kinds of violence in the streets .
Intimidation all kinds of things before the election .
The press was on his side .
He got to be elected .
He then turned himself into a dictator and abolished the Congress .
That ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ took total control of the country .
And we know what happened in the world as a result of that .
But it ’ s very important to understand the steps that he took .
Christiane Amanpour would be a Hitler sympathizer .
Carmichael : Yes .
In fact , all of CNN right now would be a Hitler sympathizer .
MSNBC would be a Hitler sympathizer if they were broadcasting in the 30s .
Leahy : To continue on the control of everything by the government and large cooperation ’ s working @ @ @ @ @ @ @ markets .
That is fascism and this is what we see on a large scale in China .
That ’ s how all the Chinese Communist Party leaders are getting rich and maintaining their control .
Now , let ’ s take a look at at at large corporations working in concert with the government to constrain the rights of free markets and the individuals .
I ’ ll give you the names of some companies that are doing that right now , Google , Facebook , Twitter , and Amazon .
Carmichael @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the industrial state that supported Hitler .
And by the way , those industrialists did extremely well under Hitler .
Carmichael : Until the defeat of Germany .
Carmichael : And then some may have still managed to get their money out of Germany .
Leahy : Now related to that let ’ s take a look at CNN .
CNN is you know owned by a large corporation .
A large corporation .
And they are touting aligned to support the Biden campaign .
They ’ ve been doing that unabashedly for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ended up being the Biden campaign .
This is a coordinated and aligned effort .
Leahy : To basically belittle and demean those Americans who support our constitutional republic .
Those Americans who supported President Trump to other those 73 million Trump supporters .
That ’ s what ’ s going on right now .
Carmichael : Oh , yeah .
And the regulatory state is another form of fascism .
Once you get beyond a certain point in the regulatory state the regulations are not designed to benefit the people .
They @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Leahy : Right .
Because what they ’ re designed to do is maintain the monopoly or oligopoly position of the large corporations that have that interest .
An example is the Consumer Finance Protection Bureau .
Who ’ s that designed to protect ?
The large corporations .
Not the small individual .
That ’ s one example .
But many many many others are out there .
Carmichael : Yeah , and that particular organization is so unhinged , or at least it was under Obama .
It was so unhinged @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that you could almost argue because they were trying to shut down , for example , they were trying to shut down payday loan shops .
Taking payday loans over and over again is not a good idea .
But people who take payday loans occasionally do it to pay the rent or keep their car .
If they don ’ t do a payday loan… Carmichael : Well no .
But yes , they would in Tennessee .
Leahy : They would lose the car .
Carmichael : Okay .
But if @ @ @ @ @ @ @ New Jersey , they ’ re forced to do business with the mafia with organized crime .
And then if they don ’ t pay it back , they lose their legs .
So in other words , you could argue that that the particular organization is in league with organized crime in the major cities because the payday loan business is a legal business .
They have very very high charge-offs .
They lose a lot of their customers who are unable to pay it back .
Leahy : These are subprime @ @ @ @ @ @ @ But my point is they take the loss and they move on .
They don ’ t go and and and try to physically hurt the customer .
Carmichael : It ’ s very important and we should say it over and over again that Hitler ’ s party was the National Socialist Party .
For example , you talked about Steve Cohen .
Hitler ’ s party didn ’ t espouse anything that Steve Cohen isn ’ t espousing .
And I ’ m talking about before he gained complete power .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ the 30s in Germany , he would be raising his hand in salute to Hitler .
That ’ s what he would be doing .
Leahy : Well Steve Cohen you are welcome to come on and try to defend yourself .
I doubt that you are going to accept the invitation .
Steve Cohen and Jon Meacham and all these leftist types .
Leahy : You ’ re all welcome to come in .
You ’ re all welcome to call .
If you ’ re listening and you ’ re a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ talk with you .
Listen to the full second hour here : Tune in weekdays from 5:00 – 8:00 a.m. to the Tennessee Star Report with Michael Patrick Leahy on Talk Radio 98.3 FM WLAC 1510 .
Listen online at iHeart Radio .


thetennesseestar--2020-11-17--Georgia Runoff Election Updates: Attack Ads, Democratic Infighting, and Debate Updates

Georgia ’ s incumbent Republican Senators Kelly Loeffler and David Perdue are facing close battles against Democratic candidates Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff .
The winners will determine who keeps the majority or splits the Senate – and may impact the fundamental structure of American government .
In the race between Loeffler and Warnock this past week , the incumbent unleashed ads and a website criticizing Warnock ’ s policies and past .
Loeffler accused Warnock to communist agendas and “ anti-American ” views , such as anti-gun sentiments .
Warnock ’ s campaign stated that it wouldn ’ t @ @ @ @ @ @ @ However , Warnock soon turned around with attack ads of his own .
Then , his sights shifted to his own party on Senator Chuck Schumer ( D-NY ) , after the minority leader commented on the Georgia runoff election as a means of advancing an overhaul of standard American laws and principles .
“ Now we take Georgia , then we change the world .
Now we take Georgia , then we change America.
” “ The fact of the matter is , Jake [ Tapper ] , the voters don ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is not about me , and Chuck Schumer ’ s name is certainly not on the ballot .
I will tell you what is on the ballot .
Health care is on the ballot – access to affordable health care.
” In the same interview , Warnock denied some of the allegations posed by Loeffler .
“ I understand why Kelly Loeffler is trying to change the subject .
I was a youth pastor , I had nothing to do with that program .
I did not make any decisions regarding the program @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Cuban dictator .
And so – I ’ m not connected to him .
I ’ ll tell you whose names are on the ballot : Raphael Warnock and Kelly Loeffler .
This race is not about anyone else .
And so while she tries to tie me to these personalities that I don ’ t know , and seeks the endorsement of a fifth century warmonger named Attila the Hun , I ’ ll be focused on healthcare in Georgia.
” Loeffler has ignored Warnock ’ s denial and jabs .
Instead @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ the most dangerous and radical candidate in America.
” Sunday , GPB announced that Loeffler and Warnock are scheduled to debate at the Atlanta Press Club on December 6th from 7 to 8 pm EST .
As for Perdue and Ossoff , the two are at odds on whether to debate or not .
While Ossoff agreed quickly to six proposed debates , Perdue declined .
Perdue ’ s Communications Director , John Burke , explained that Perdue didn ’ t believe Ossoff would answer questions about his policies .
“ We @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this election .
In each , Ossoff lied repeatedly , and of course the media failed to hold him accountable.
” In response to Perdue ’ s refusal to debate , Ossoff taunted the senator in a series of tweets , calling the senator “ David ’ empty podium ’ Perdue , ” and “ coward.
” The two last debated at the end of October .
Perdue canceled the last scheduled debate to attend a rally with President Donald Trump .
One of the hosts , Atlanta Press Club , stated that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Perdue doesn ’ t show .
“ The Atlanta Press Club ’ s Loudermilk-Young Debate Series is disappointed that Sen. David Perdue has decided to not participate in his debate .
Jon Ossoff has confirmed his participation , so according to our rules , we will proceed with the debate and Senator Perdue will be represented by an empty podium.
” From their statement , it appears that the club doesn ’ t plan on reclassifying the event as a speech .
Aside from debates , Perdue has focused on bigger partisan issues @ @ @ @ @ @ @ split or lost Senate .
The senator stated that his and Loeffler ’ s seats are “ the last line of defense ” for true American values .
“ What ’ s at stake is this : that Schumer will change the rules in the Senate , so they can do anything they want with 50 votes plus the vice president ’ s vote as a tiebreaker.
” Perdue also listed some of the Democratic Party ’ s main objectives : packing the court , adding states to the union to add Democratic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez ( D-NY-14 ) stated that if Democrats win the Senate , they won ’ t have to work with Republicans .
“ Well , I ’ m going to be spending my next couple of months doing everything that I can to extend help and offer support to the work of fantastic leaders that we just heard from , like Stacey Abrams to make sure that we don ’ t have a Republican Senate majority , that we win these races in Georgia , that we secure a Democratic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ t have to negotiate in those ways.
” Perdue added that a Democratic majority would allow them to grant themselves the power to defund the police , instill the Green New Deal , open borders , establish sanctuary cities , cut military spending , and abolish private health insurance .
Both parties have accrued a team of backers to support their candidates .
The Democrats have groups including the New Georgia Project , Fair Fight , the Democratic Party of Georgia , Atlanta-North Georgia Labor Council , and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Republican Senatorial , Committee , Club for Growth , and the Americans for Prosperity .
Neither spokespersons for Loeffler or Perdue responded by press time .
The latest polls by Remington Research Group show Loeffler leading Warnock by 1 point , and Perdue leading Ossoff by 2 points .
Corinne Murdock is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and the Star News Network .
Follow her latest on Twitter , or email tips to [ email protected ] .


thetennesseestar--2020-11-17--Epstein Attorney Had Prior Relationship with Prosecutor Who Helped Negotiate Sweetheart Deal

An attorney for convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein had a prior relationship with a prosecutor who helped negotiate Epstein ’ s sweetheart deal , according to a person familiar with a full report on the investigation .
The Department of Justice released an executive summary of a report Thursday that found “ poor judgement ” but no “ misconduct ” in former U.S. Attorney Alex Acosta decision to scrap an investigation into Epstein ’ s child sex trafficking ring through a Sept. 24 , 2007 non-prosecution agreement .
Epstein attorney Lilly Ann Sanchez had a short relationship with Matthew Menchel @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the U.S. Attorney ’ s Office in the Southern District of Florida , a source familiar with the full DOJ report told the New York Daily News that the report said .
Sanchez and Menchel dated for a few weeks before deciding the relationship was a bad idea , the Daily News reported .
The Daily Caller News Foundation filed a Freedom of Information Act request for the full report last week after the DOJ said in a press release that “ the Privacy Act prohibits the Department from releasing the full report @ @ @ @ @ @ @ after she left the Southern District of Florida ’ s U.S. Attorney ’ s Office ( USAO ) for private practice , the Daily News reported .
When the USAO began investigating Epstein and negotiated the sweetheart deal that closed an investigation into Epstein ’ s crimes , Menchel was chief of the criminal division , according to the Daily News , though Menchel left the USAO before the case had been fully resolved .
“ That stinks to high heaven , ” the source familiar with the report told the Daily News @ @ @ @ @ @ @ should have disclosed his relationship to both Acosta and ethics officials at the USAO , a disclosure which would have likely prompted officials to ask him to step back from the Epstein case , according to the Daily News .
Menchel , who declined to comment for this story , reportedly told DOJ investigators that his relationship with Sanchez did not affect how he handled the Epstein case .
Sanchez did not immediately respond to a request for comment from the DCNF .


thetennesseestar--2020-11-17--Rep. Ilhan Omar Calls Trump Campaign Events ‘Klan Rallies’

U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar referred to President Donald Trump ’ s campaign rallies as “ Klan rallies ” during a Monday interview .
Omar , who ’ s frequently criticized by the president during his rallies , made the comment in an interview with the Washington Post ’ s Jonathan Capehart .
“ On a personal level , I have gotten accustomed to standing up to bullies in my life , and so on a personal level , it hasn ’ t really impacted me besides having my children be exposed to it , ” said Omar .
“ And @ @ @ @ @ @ @ months of this election cycle , waking up every single morning to text messages from my siblings asking if I was safe because he chose to speak about me at every single rally , didn ’ t really matter where he was , sometimes multiple times in a day , as he held his Klan rallies throughout the country , ” she continued .
In an October interview , Omar said she resents anyone who does not think President Trump is a racist or a white supremacist : You know , the president @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to Africa .
He ’ s called African nations , you know , shitholes .
This is not someone who has really hidden his hate for me and everything that I represent .
I resent anyone who says this president is not racist .
I resent anyone who says , you know , this president is not a white supremacist because for the last four years and in his history , this president has told us who he is and we can no longer turn a blind eye to that .
He ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have to make sure we defeat him .
“ What we have on the Democratic side is enthusiasm for the first time to join arms , to get rid of this fascist in the White House , ” she concluded .
Anthony Gockowski is the Editor-in-Chief of AlphaNewsMN.com .


thetennesseestar--2020-11-17--Christopher Columbus Murals Covered with Native American Tapestries at Notre Dame

The University of Notre Dame administration has now covered the school ’ s 12 murals depicting the life of Christopher Columbus , which generated protests and petitions from Native American groups on campus .
The 12 tapestries showing Native American symbols and wildlife native to Indiana and are now placed directly over the Columbus murals .
The Native American symbols belong to the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi , who invited the religious congregation that founded Notre Dame to today ’ s campus .
The tapestries show turtles , rabbits , foxes , rats , bears , eagles and fish , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ life .
The Native American borders consist of both “ natural and geometric motifs of the Pokagon Band , ” according to the university .
In some places , the edges of the original Columbus murals can still be seen .
They were commissioned in 1884 by the founder of Notre Dame , Rev .
Edward Sorin , and painted by Vatican artist Luigi Gregori .
The murals depict Columbus as both a Catholic and American hero , and were meant to inspire patriotism in the immigrant Catholic community that populated Notre Dame @ @ @ @ @ @ @ students , employees and alumni signed a letter imploring university President Father John Jenkins ( pictured right ) to remove the murals , calling them a “ highly problematic vision of Western triumphalism , Catholic militarism and an overly romantic notion of American expansion.
” Thirty-three of the signatories identified themselves as Native American .
“ The Native persons are depicted as stereotypes , their destruction is gilded over and their slavery is celebrated , ” the students wrote of the murals .
Young Americans for Freedom led an effort to keep the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ commentator Michael Knowles to campus to criticize Jenkins ’ decision to cover the paintings .
“ The action itself of taking beautiful , priceless murals by the Vatican portraitist at the entrance to a university in the United States and covering them up is a cowardly decision , ” said Knowles in February 2019 .
“ It is anti-intellectual .
It undercuts the entire spirit of education , and it is profoundly wrong and cowardly.
” “ According to Fr .
Jenkins , art and history are simply too much to bear for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” Knowles said .
One of Gregori ’ s murals was a portrait of Queen Isabella I of Castille , who is venerated as a Servant of God in the Catholic Church .
This status in the Church , however , did not spare Queen Isabella from being covered up with a tapestry depicting a turtle and two rats .
One reason Father Jenkins gave for covering the murals was that they stood in the hallway where the undergraduate admissions office is located , and could therefore offend interested students and families .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ , that the admissions office will be relocated to another building on campus .
The murals will be preserved underneath the tapestries and will be displayed “ on various occasions , ” Fr .
Jenkins said in an email to Notre Dame students .
A permanent exhibition is planned to show “ high-quality reproductions of the images ” alongside a historical explanation .
Following the announcement that the murals would be covered , some Native Americans on campus have continued to decry Notre Dame for actions against Native peoples .
Jefferson Ballew IV @ @ @ @ @ @ @ advocate for the Potawatomi Bear Clan , said at a lecture at Notre Dame following the announcement : “ Every day I am reminded by that golden dome of the blood that was spilled here from my family… When this institution was created , it was created on the backs and the blood of my family directly.
” Ellie Gardey is a junior at the University of Notre Dame majoring in political science and philosophy and minoring in journalism .
She is co-president of Notre Dame ’ s Students for Child-Oriented Policy .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ and served as managing editor of Notre Dame ’ s Irish Rover .