thetennesseestar--2020-06-22--Citizens for Community Values Pushes Back Against Hit Piece in The Columbus Dispatch

Citizens for Community Values is pushing back against a “ blatantly biased ” story in The Columbus Dispatch newspaper attacking them for working with the state to help people during the COVID-19 pandemic .
CCV says it is “ Ohio ’ s Family Policy Council ” and “ We endeavor to create an Ohio where God ’ s blessings of life , family , and religious freedom are treasured , respected , and protected.
” The Dispatch , however , took issue with CCV ’ s work .
The newspaper ran a story Saturday that attempted to basically tar and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was the complaints of “ some ” faith leaders and the views of ultra-liberal hit organization Southern Poverty Law Center , which did not like CCV ’ s views on homosexuality .
The governor ’ s faith office said CCV hosted group calls in March because they had the technical means to do so , but the calls were open to all faiths .
A total of 300 to 400 faith leaders were on the calls in mid-March .
One thing I ’ ve learned since I started leading Citizens for Community Values @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to every attack and bit of criticism .
But some stories are so egregious , so blatantly biased , that you need to set the record straight .
Like the latest story in the Columbus Dispatch criticizing CCV for daring to help churches through the COVID-19 crisis .
I ’ ve spoken with Danae King , the Dispatch reporter that wrote this article , on a number of stories .
I honestly expected better out of her than a story based on the fact that “ some people ” don ’ t like @ @ @ @ @ @ @ our Faith Friday calls during the COVID-19 lockdown .
The article spends a lot of time detailing our “ controversial views ” but is noticeably short on what we actually discussed on the calls .
So let me share what ’ s missing from this story : CCV launched the Faith Friday calls when the state started shutting down in March .
There was a lot of misinformation spreading about what was happening and we wanted to create a platform for churches to get the facts .
We invited the Governor ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ join us to provide an update and answer questions leaders may have .
From the first call , hundreds of leaders joined the calls weekly to get the latest updates .
Soon , we realized that COVID and the shutdowns were going to leave a lot of people hurting and isolated , so the calls quickly evolved into how the Church can love and serve our communities through the crisis .
This was left out of the Dispatch ’ s story… so let me share all that we did : We hosted experts @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pastors identify and serve people who are at risk of substance abuse .
We compiled resources to help churches take their services online .
We brought on national denominational leaders to provide advice on “ pastoring through the pandemic , ” and reaching out to people who may be isolated .
We shared stories from our “ On Mission ” blog to share innovative ideas on how families and individuals can safely provide food and necessities to the homeless .
We had national leaders join the call to discuss how churches and ministries @ @ @ @ @ @ @ discussed the impact COVID-19 is having on minority and special needs communities .
And through these calls , we brought pastors and community leaders together from across Ohio to pray for our nation , our elected officials , and our health care professionals through the weekly Holy Hour of Prayer .
Baer said he witnessed the Church helping serve the community .
CCV will continue to work to unite the Church and will “ hold fast to a biblical worldview.
” Jason M. Reynolds has more than 20 years ’ experience as a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Photo “ CCV President Aaron Baer ” by Citizens for Community Values .


thetennesseestar--2020-06-22--Abortion Groups Sue Tennessee Over Newly-Passed Heartbeat Bill, Down Syndrome Abortion Restrictions

Tennessee was immediately sued by a cohort of liberal organizations Friday after the General Assembly passed its pro-life heartbeat bill .
The bill passed the Tennessee House in a vote of 69-17 and was then approved by the Tennessee Senate 23-5 .
“ One of the most important things we can do to be pro-family is to protect the rights of the most vulnerable in our state , and there is none more vulnerable than the unborn .
We have passed the strongest pro-life law in our state ’ s history , ” Gov .
Bill Lee said after its @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ making the heartbeat bill law.
” As its name suggests , the bill prohibits doctors from performing an abortion on “ a pregnant woman whose unborn child has a fetal heartbeat.
” Other provisions in the bill prevent abortions from being performed based on the sex of the child , the race of the child , or a Down syndrome diagnosis in the unborn child .
Furthermore , doctors will be required to inform pregnant women of the gestational age of their unborn children , provide them with ultrasound images , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ heartbeat before performing an abortion .
The bill also requires health care facilities that provide abortions to post a sign with information about the possibility of reversing a chemically-induced abortion .
Just hours after the bill was passed , the American Civil Liberties Union , the Center for Reproductive Rights , and Planned Parenthood asked the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee to block the bill from becoming law .
Gov .
Lee hasn ’ t yet signed the bill into law , but his signature is a guarantee since @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for consideration .
“ In a direct affront to nearly five decades of Supreme Court precedent affirming the right to abortion , the Act is the culmination and most extreme of Tennessee ’ s unrelenting efforts to deprive pregnant people of this right , ” states the lawsuit .
It says each of the “ bans ” included in the heartbeat bill “ stands in direct contravention of longstanding Supreme Court precedent by prohibiting abortion prior to viability.
” “ Enough is enough .
It is abhorrent that Gov .
Lee and politicians @ @ @ @ @ @ @ uncertainty of a global pandemic to push their cruel anti-abortion agenda , ” Alexis McGill Johnson , acting president of Planned Parenthood , claimed in a statement .
In March , Gov .
Lee said it was his “ hope and expectation ” that abortion clinics would cancel elective procedures during the coronavirus pandemic .
A panel of federal judges , however , ruled 2-1 that the state must allow the “ Constitutional right ” to abortion during the global health crisis .
“ This opportunistic attack on our reproductive rights , passed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the cover of darkness , will disproportionately impact Black Tennesseans due to systemic oppression and concerted efforts to stifle their most basic rights and freedoms , ” McGill Johnson added .
“ We won ’ t stand for this , and we are going to do everything possible to fight back against this extremely harmful law.
” Anthony Gockowski is managing editor of The Minnesota Sun and The Ohio Star .
Follow Anthony on Twitter .
Email tips to [ email protected ] .

The Arizona U.S. Attorney’s Office (USAO) recently revealed that 22 Arizonans have been indicted for drug-related charges following a multi-year investigation of a South Phoenix criminal street gang.
“According to the criminal complaints filed last week, in January 2020, the Arizona Department of Public Safety (DPS) began an investigation targeting a drug and firearms supplier in South Phoenix. In February 2021, in conjunction with the DPS investigation, the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s (FBI) Violent Street Gang Task Force began investigating the Lindo Park Crips (LPC), a criminal street gang operating in South Phoenix,” according to a press release from the USAO.
The release outlined that DPS and FBI investigators targeted LPC members and drug suppliers, ultimately leading to a major bust. Investigators reportedly found over 2,000 grams of cocaine, 35,000 counterfeit pills suspected to contain fentanyl, 26 grams of methamphetamine, four and a half grams of crack, 32 doses of MDMA (commonly known as Ecstasy or XTC), and weapons, including 17 firearms and eight Glock conversion devices.
All 22 defendants are charged with either conspiracy to distribute cocaine or fentanyl, and some are charged with actual possession of the drugs. Furthermore, several are charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm and carrying a firearm in relation to drug trafficking.
According to the release, these charges incur heavy fines and jail time if convicted. For the drug charges, a conviction for conspiracy to distribute or intent to sell the amount of cocaine charged in the complaint carries a maximum penalty of 40 years in prison and a $5,000,000 fine, while a conviction for the amount of fentanyl can be up to life in prison and a $10,000,000 fine. Moreover, a conviction for illegally possessing a firearm carries jail time up to 10 years and a $250,000 fine.
Most of the 22 individuals come from Phoenix, but others hail from cities across Arizona, including Avondale, Florence, Buckeye, and Goodyear. The youngest defendant is Jesus Salazar, 24, of Avondale, while the eldest is 62-year-old Terry Lee King of Phoenix.
The USAO stated that this case is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCFETF) operation which seeks to dismantle the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States.
All defendants are innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
As The Arizona Sun Times reported, Border Patrol agents recently seized 4.2 kilograms of fentanyl and 2.1 kilograms of heroin at a highway checkpoint at the El Centro Station. U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBS) said the drugs confiscated had an estimated street value of $190,000. The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) states that as little as two milligrams of fentanyl can be lethal, depending on the person’s tolerance. Based on that statistic, this bust alone involved enough fentanyl to kill over 2 million people.
According to statistics from CBS, 3,513.15 kilograms of illicit fentanyl were confiscated in May, which would hypothetically be enough to kill 1,756,575,000 people under the DEA’s metric.
– – –
Neil Jones is a reporter for The Arizona Sun Times and The Star News Network. Follow Neil on Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Phoenix Police Department” by Phoenix Police Department.


thetennesseestar--2020-06-22--‘Tear Them Down’: Black Lives Matter Activist Shaun King Demands ‘White European’ Jesus Statues Be R

‘Tear Them Down’: Black Lives Matter Activist Shaun King Demands ‘White European’ Jesus Statues Be Removed

Black Lives Matter activist Shaun King called Monday for the removal of statues , murals and stained glass windows that depict Jesus as a “ white European , ” which he claimed “ are a form of white supremacy.
” “ Yes , I think the statues of the white European they claim is Jesus should also come down , ” King , a former surrogate on Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders ’ s 2020 presidential campaign , wrote on Twitter .
“ They are a form of white supremacy .
Always have been.
” King ’ s targeting of religious @ @ @ @ @ @ @ moved beyond tearing down Confederate statues and are now calling for the removal of other historical monuments .
“ In the Bible , when the family of Jesus wanted to hide , and blend in , guess where they went ?
” he added .
“ EGYPT !
Not Denmark .
Tear them down.
” “ All murals and stained glass windows of white Jesus , and his European mother , and their white friends should also come down , ” King wrote in a second tweet .
“ They are a gross @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is a reporter at Daily Caller News Foundation .
Photo “ Christus ” by Midiman CC2.0 .


thetennesseestar--2020-06-22--‘Jaws,’ ‘Black Panther,’ and More Coming Back to the Drive-In, with a Percentage of the Proceeds Goi

‘Jaws,’ ‘Black Panther,’ and More Coming Back to the Drive-In, with a Percentage of the Proceeds Going to Black Lives Matter

“ Jaws , ” “ Black Panther ” and “ Back to the Future ” are just a few of the modern popcorn classics coming to the drive-in this summer .
Tribeca Enterprises , IMAX and AT & T on Monday announced the initial lineup for its summer series of films , comedy and football , running every weekend from July 2 through Aug. 2 in cities like Los Angeles , New York , Dallas , Minneapolis , Atlanta , Miami and Seattle .
There will be themed nights dedicated to sports ( “ Space Jam ” and “ Love @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ Selena ” and “ Straight Outta Compton ” ) , kids ’ favorites ( “ Inside Out ” and “ The Lego Movie ” ) , James Bond ( “ Goldfinger ” and “ Casino Royale ” ) and high school ( “ Mean Girls ” and “ Superbad ” ) .
A July 4 celebration will include screenings of “ Field of Dreams , ” “ The Wizard of Oz , ” and “ Apollo 13.
” Other films include “ The Dark Knight , ” “ BeetleJuice , ” “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ Do The Right Thing.
” Kid-friendly content will be shown during matinee times with more mature fare in the evenings .
“ It ’ s in Tribeca ’ s DNA to bring people together in times of need , ” said Jane Rosenthal , Tribeca Enterprises and Tribeca Film Festival co-founder and CEO .
“ The car provides that perfect vehicle that takes us back to another time — a time that some of us might not even remember !
But it was a way to bring our industry and audiences together @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and Robert De Niro founded the organization in the aftermath of September 11 , 2001 .
Drive-ins have been part of their mission since the beginning and when the pandemic interrupted traditional moviegoing , they started planning .
“ We love going to the movies .
We don ’ t want to lose going to the movies , ” Tribeca CCO Paula Weinstein added .
“ This is an alternative to bring people together to remind them , even if you ’ re six feet apart in a car , how great the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Most indoor theaters have been closed across the country since mid-March because of the pandemic and many are gearing up to open by mid-July .
It ’ s made the drive-in freshly relevant , given some indie films a chance to break through the noise and even provided a unique space for a movie premiere .
Other forms of mass entertainment have been jumping on the drive-in bandwagon too : Live Nation on Monday announced its first-ever drive-in concerts series in the U.S. for July .
The Tribeca Drive-In series is not exclusively @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be live stand-up comedy and even some NFL-hosted events , the details of which will be announced later .
Venues will include beaches ( Nickerson Beach in Nassau County , New York , and Orchard Beach in the Bronx ) , stadiums ( AT & T Stadium in Arlington , Texas and the Rose Bowl Stadium in Pasadena , California ) as well as conventional drive-in locations .
Tickets , which are free for essential workers , are currently on sale .
A percentage of proceeds will be donated to Black Lives Matter @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for The Associated Press .
About the Headline Photo : In this March 19 , 2020 file photo , viewers in a parked car watch the animated film “ Onward ” at the Paramount Drive-In Theatres , in Paramount , Calif. “ Jaws , ” “ Black Panther ” and “ Back to the Future ” are just a few of the modern popcorn classics coming to the drive-in this summer .
Tribeca Enterprises , IMAX and AT & T on Monday announced the initial lineup for its summer series of films , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from July 2 through Aug. 2 in cities like Los Angeles , New York , Dallas , Minneapolis , Atlanta and Seattle .
( AP Photo/Chris Pizzello , File )


thetennesseestar--2020-06-22--Stock Indexes Move Higher on Wall Street After a Shaky Start

Stock indexes are higher on Wall Street in choppy trading Monday as investors weigh the risks that rising coronavirus cases could pose to hopes for an economic recovery .
The S & P 500 rose 0.4 % in midday trading after an initial slide of 0.6 % following weakness in overseas markets as the global tally of infections approaches 9 million .
The price of gold rose , a signs of caution in the market .
Bond yields were mixed .
The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 94 points , or 0.4 % , to 25,964 after earlier sliding 203 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 0.6 % .
Technology companies accounted for most of the gains , outweighing losses in health care , financial and other sectors .
Airlines and cruise line operators were among the biggest decliners .
The choppy start to the week comes after the S & P 500 notched its fourth weekly gain in the past five weeks .
Encouraging economic data , including retail sales and hiring , have helped stoke optimism among investors that the reopening of businesses in the U.S. and other countries will pull the economy out of its recession @ @ @ @ @ @ @ new coronvairus cases is clouding the prospects for an economic recovery .
On Friday , stocks sold off after Apple said it would be temporarily closing 11 stores again in four states , citing a surge in new virus cases .
American Airlines fell 7.2 % on news that the company plans to raise $ 3.5 billion including $ 1.5 billion from selling stock and debt that can be converted to stock .
Airlines have been scrambling to raise cash to survive a sharp drop in travel .
Alaska Airlines said Monday that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ % from a year ago , though that ’ s better than April ’ s 87 % decline and May ’ s 83 % drop .
Alaska Airlines dropped 1.1 % .
Cruise line operators were among the biggest decliners in the S & P 500 .
Norwegian Cruise Line , Royal Caribbean and Carnival each fell more than 7 % .
The stocks have been among the most hard-hit as the cruise industry remains shut down due to the coronavirus .
The World Health Organization on Sunday reported the largest single-day increase @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at more than 183,000 new cases in the previous 24 hours .
The U.N. health agency said Sunday that Brazil led the way with 54,771 cases and the US next at 36,617 .
India confirmed 15,400 new cases .
The United States also reported more than 30,000 new coronavirus cases on Friday and Saturday , with the daily totals their highest since May 1 .
A large share of the cases are in the South , West and Midwest , where hospitals in some areas are becoming overwhelmed .
Case numbers in South @ @ @ @ @ @ @ moderating after recent outbreaks centered in their capitals .
Great uncertainty remains over whether countries that have been relaxing pandemic-fighting restrictions on travel and business might end up re-imposing broader controls that would slow a recovery from the worst global downturn since the Great Depression in the 1930s .
Even if widespread stay-at-home orders don ’ t happen , the fear is that scared shoppers may still shy away from stores and businesses may pull back on their own spending .
New data on home sales Monday show the virus outbreak continues to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of previously occupied homes plunged 9.7 % in May , according to the National Association of Realtors .
The May slide pushed sales down to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 3.91 million , the slowest pace since 2010 .
Homebuilder shares were mostly lower .
Hovnanian Enterprises dropped 3 % .
Investors will get a broader look at the state of the economy toward the end of this week , when the government issues data on consumer spending , weekly unemployment aid applications and durable goods orders .
On Tuesday , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ figures for May .
The yield on the 10-year Treasury note fell to 0.69 % from 0.70 % late Friday .
It tends to move with investors ’ expectations for the economy and inflation .
In commodities trading , the price of gold rose 1 % to $ 1,770.20 an ounce .
Oil prices also headed higher .
A barrel of U.S. crude oil for delivery in July was up 0.8 % to $ 40.06 .
Brent crude , the international standard , was up 0.9 % to $ 42.59 per barrel .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ Britain ’ s FTSE 100 lost 0.7 % and the CAC 40 in Paris fell 0.7 % .
Germany ’ s DAX slid 0.6 % .
Asian markets also fell overnight .
Alex Veiga is a Business Writer for The Associated Press .
About the Headline Photo : A currency trader watches monitors at the foreign exchange dealing room of the KEB Hana Bank headquarters in Seoul , South Korea , Monday , June 22 , 2020 .
Shares were mostly higher in Asia on Monday despite reports that the number of coronavirus @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
( AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon )


thetennesseestar--2020-06-23--Exclusive: Rep. Steve King: ‘Five Sources’ Told Me Leader McCarthy Tried to Get Trump to Rebuke Me

The nine-term Republican Iowa congressman and kingmaker in his state ’ s crucial presidential caucuses told the Star Newspaper Group he was done in House GOP Leader Kevin O. McCarthy ( R.-Calif. ) after years of challenging the compromises made by the House GOP leadership .
“ I have five different sources , who have informed me that Kevin McCarthy actively and aggressively was seeking to convince President Donald Trump to endorse my primary opponent Feenstra within at least two-and-a-half weeks out and all the way up to primary day itself , ” said Rep. Stephen A .
King , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ L. Feenstra in the June 3 primary .
“ When in history has anybody gone to that kind of length to—I ’ ll just say—scrub out the people , who speak up for the principles of the platform and the party and who are effective doing it , ” he said .
“ And , who , by the way , to some degree neutralize the establishment agenda , which is being driven by our leadership.
” King got the first taste of the effort to scrub him out one week before the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the National Republican Congressional Committee Ohio ’ s Rep. Steven E. Stiver called out King as a white supremacist .
Stiver ’ s attack on King came as the NRCC left 40 House seats unchallenged and it was clearly in the air that if the Democrats retook the House , they would find a reason to impeach President Donald J. Trump .
It was an attack that could not have happened without the permission of possibly Speaker Paul D. Ryan ( R.-Wis. ) and most certainly McCarthy , then the majority leader @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a million-and-a-half dollars for my opponent in the last week of the election and it validated all of the heat that had been poured down on my head.
” The Iowa Republican said at the time , he did not think of it as a plot , rather it was just a chance for leadership to take him out , since it was obvious House Republicans were going to lose control of the lower chamber .
King won his seat by three points and he was the only Republican winner that night in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
One week after the election , Iowa Republican Gov .
Kimberly K. Reynolds called for King to resign his seat , he said .
“ That gave license to every establishment Republican in the state to start taking shots at me.
” Then , the day before Thanksgiving 2018 , a top White House advisor reached out to King , he said .
“ He said : ‘ They are coming at you again.
’ ” The congressman said he was ready to dismiss the warning as just political conjecture .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he said : ‘ They are coming at you again and they believe that the media was distracted and could not turn on their guns on you .
They believe they can force you to resign.
’ ” Three times in the conversation , the White House advisor warned King that the Republican leadership was working to take him out , he said .
Then , the advisor told him that the GOP leadership had already chosen a messenger to approach the president to convince Trump to send out a negative Tweet against @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that will be the trigger that unleashes everything—and so he said : ‘ My strongest advice to you is to pre-empt this thing at the White House any way you can.
” King said he was told who the messenger in the White House would be and on Jan. 8 , 2019 , he went to White House and met with the messenger to air out his case and why he deserved to be protected .
“ I had that meeting and I walked out of there feeling pretty good , ” he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ meeting and what I was told was : ‘ We ’ re too good of friends .
We would not do anything like that.
’ I believed that when I walked out of that room.
” The next day at 11:23 a.m. , Feenstra announced his primary challenge to King .
“ The following day , The New York Times story comes out , the 10th of January and the rest is history , ” he said .
In the article , reporter Trip Gabriel claimed that King told him that white supremacy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is no tape , but King said he was misquoted and that Gabriel took his comments about the importance of continuing to teach Western Civilization courses and conflated it with Gabriel ’ s own wind-ups to the questions .
After the Times article , McCarthy stripped King of all his committee assignments .
King ’ s influence with Iowa Caucus voters pulls presidential candidates to the right Beyond his impact as a senior member of the House Judiciary and Agriculture committees .
As the congressman from Iowa ’ s most conservative part of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the Iowa Presidential Caucuses .
In 2012 , he gave his endorsement and political organization to former Pennsylvania senator Richard J. Santorum , the winner that year .
In the 2016 contest , King backed Texas ’ Sen. Edward R. “ Ted ” Cruz and King ’ s support was a critical reason Cruz beat Trump .
“ Cruz wouldn ’ t have won Iowa without me , ” he said .
In the end , King said Trump came out of Iowa a much more conservative candidate , because of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ caucuses pulls the candidates to the right—one of the main reasons the Republican leadership had to take him out .
King , who celebrated his 71st birthday May 28 , said he ran for state senate in 1996 , because he found himself spending more and more time in the state house trying to explain to politicians how their legislation was hurting businesses like his construction company .
“ I realized one day , people making the decisions , some of them life-and-death decisions , simply didn ’ t have the moral foundation @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be making those decisions , ” he said .
“ They were making political decisions , instead of the profound life-and-death and moral and constitutional decisions , ” he said .
After six years in Des Moines , King said he took a run at an open House seat in 2002 , because he found himself more interested in the national political debates and he did not know when he would get another shot at Washington .
King ’ s district , Iowa-4 , was then Iowa-5 , but essentially it is the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Nebraska to the west and Wisconsin to the north , hovering just on top of Omaha and Des Moines .
The biggest city in the district is Sioux City with just more than 80,000 souls , but , the district is also home to Pocahontas County , where a 30-foot “ Indian Princess ” is a popular roadside attraction .
The congressman said his relationship with House Republican leaders was excellent until the GOP lost the House in the 2006 midterms and Speaker J. Dennis Hastert ( R.-Ill. ) did not seek a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
That lame duck session , King was one of 27 House Republicans voting for Indiana ’ s Rep. Michael R. Pence ( R.-Ind . )
, who was soundly beaten by Ohio ’ s Rep. John A. Boehner in the race to lead the House GOP .
“ We went through those four years in the minority just fine , ” King said .
“ They needed junkyard dogs that would tie into Pelosi and the leftist agenda and to take them on on the floor and in the media—and I did @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said he crossed Boehner was after Speaker Nancy Pelosi ( D.-Calif. ) dropped the House Democrats ’ version of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act , or Obamacare , during the 2009 session .
Boehner ’ s team gathered the Republican House Conference for a briefing about the bill and after 90 minutes of discussing the different sections of the bill , the GOP House members were told they would let the bill pass without a fight , he said .
“ We were told : ‘ This is what they are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ votes .
We don ’ t have the votes to stop it , so here ’ s where you buy your plane ticket home after Obamacare passes the House , ’ ” he said .
“ It was a stunning thing to hear from leadership , ” he said .
King said he and a small group of other conservatives took to the microphones and rallied their colleagues to resist Obamacare—a losing fight that was led by King with Minnesota ’ s Rep. Michele M. Bachmann and Texas ’ Rep. Louis B .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ fight against Obamacare was lost , but it motivated the base to give Republicans control of the House again , which gave King his third chance to cross Boehner—this time , he did not support the Ohioan for speaker , but speaker he became .
Although , Boehner took the gavel with the largest Republican House majority since the 1947-1949 session , his tenure was full of rancor and disappointment with Boehner and his leadership team repeatedly beating back proposed legislation from conservatives—including attempts to defund Obamacare .
Eventually , King joined House @ @ @ @ @ @ @ R.-N.C. ) , now White House Chief of Staff , in driving Boehner from office in October 2015 with a motion to vacate the chair , which Boehner avoided with his resignation .
“ Boehner never believed , like I believed , ” he said .
“ Boehner was undermining our constitutional responsibilities and he had to go and all of his acolytes after that have hated me.
” One of those acolytes was McCarthy , who as the then-majority leader , or No .
2 in the hierarchy , supported Boehner until @ @ @ @ @ @ @ up their desks .

Gov. Bill Lee said more than 23,000 Tennesseans have received a free COVID-19 test at one of 67 drive-through testing sites over the past three weekends.
“Testing remains one of the most important tools for gaining more information in our fight against COVID-19, and the 23,000 tests we’ve completed over the last three weekends have provided incredibly valuable data,” Lee said in a statement. “We’re grateful to the thousands who came out to receive a test this weekend and we continue to remind Tennesseans: when in doubt, get a test.”
Last weekend alone, 5,153 Tennesseans received a free COVID-19 test. Lee said the free testing is part of the Unified Command Group’s efforts to widen access to testing regardless of symptoms.
“Our weekend sites have been equipped to meet the demand for free testing across the state,” said Dr. Lisa Piercey, Tennessee Department of Health commissioner. “With ample capacity at our county health departments during the week, we continue to encourage Tennesseans to take advantage of free testing at these locations.”
The Tennessee Department of Health has a map of testing sites published on its website. As of Thursday, Tennessee had completed 236,328 COVID-19 tests. That’s more than double the number of tests performed in states like Minnesota, which claims it has the ability to test up to 20,000 individuals in a day, but has yet to surpass 6,000 daily tests.
Between Wednesday and Thursday, Tennessee tested an additional 9,227 residents, according to the Department of Health.
Tennessee has also performed more than twice as many tests as Kentucky, which had tested 81,391 residents as of Thursday.
Most of Tennessee’s COVID-19 tests have been performed by non-state health labs, which account for 225,427 of the state’s 236,328 total tests.
Tennessee now has 14,096 confirmed COVID-19 cases, 237 deaths, and 6,783 recovered patients.
– – –
Anthony Gockowski is managing editor of The Minnesota Sun and The Ohio Star. Follow Anthony on Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “North Carolina National Guard Members” by the National Guard. CC BY 2.0.


thetennesseestar--2020-06-23--Blackburn Says Google Poses ‘Threat to Free and Fair Press,’ Calls for Investigation Into Search Fun

Blackburn Says Google Poses ‘Threat to Free and Fair Press,’ Calls for Investigation Into Search Function

Sen. Marsha Blackburn ( R-TN ) said Google and its parent company , Alphabet , pose a “ threat to a free and fair press in America ” in a letter sent Sunday to U.S. Attorney General Bill Barr .
The Department of Justice is currently investigating Google in an antitrust probe , but a recent report from The Daily Caller found that investigators do not appear to be examining claims of bias in the company ’ s search engine .
“ As your antitrust investigation of Google intensifies , I urge you to thoroughly scrutinize how the company ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ crippling of journalistic freedom .
I also ask that your probe examine abuses in both the online advertising and online search markets , and to take enforcement action swiftly before further economic harm results , ” said Blackburn .
As she notes in her letter , Google took action last week towards demonetizing two conservative news outlets on its ad platform based on “ third-party user comments ” on the websites .
“ A NBC article incorrectly reported that The Federalist and ZeroHedge were being banned from the GoogleAds platform for publishing racist @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that the punishment was for the publication of ‘ derogatory content that promotes hatred , intolerance , violence or discrimination based on race.
’ In reality , the takedown pretext was based on user comments and not on news content .
While The Federalist was allowed to remain on GoogleAds after suspending the user comment function , ZeroHedge ’ s entire site was blocked , ” Blackburn explained in her letter .
She said Google “ hold clients ’ livelihoods in the palms of its hands ” because publishers have “ no meaningful @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Google has no qualms falsely labeling news publishers as racist as a convenient way to turn off their sites and scare writers from debating controversial ideas .
These two illustrations exemplify how Google arbitrarily flexes its control of online advertising to stifle speech that does not align with the company ’ s social agenda , ” the Republican senator continued .
Blackburn claimed Google uses the power of its search algorithm to suppress the “ search result rankings for right-leaning media voices.
” She praised the Department of Justice for issuing a proposal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ shields ” for Google and other online platforms under Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act .
These reforms alone , however , won ’ t stop “ Google ’ s encroachment on competitors and grip on public discourse , ” said Blackburn .
“ Google must be held accountable for such anticompetitive conduct .
Both the American free market and the openness of our democracy are presently at stake , ” she concluded her letter .
“ As the Department decides which actions to pursue , I urge mounting a full investigation @ @ @ @ @ @ @ over vast sectors of the Internet economy , from online advertising to online search .
Lastly , I encourage you to speak to the representatives of the news publishers mentioned in this letter.
” Anthony Gockowski is managing editor of The Minnesota Sun and The Ohio Star .
Follow Anthony on Twitter .
Email tips to [ email protected ] .


thetennesseestar--2020-06-23--Behind the Scenes Takeaways From President Trump’s Tulsa Rally

TULSA , Oklahoma – At an event as big , complex and scheduled on short notice as President Trump ’ s campaign rally in Tulsa Saturday , there are innumerable behind-the-scenes tidbits that never make it to click-bait headlines or a story .
Here are a few such takeaways .
Tulsa rally-goers ranged from CEOs of major corporations to heads of small manufacturers , to a Tulsan currently living under a bridge because he temporarily lost his job due to COVID-19 , from home-schooling families to higher education students , from places as far away as Boston , Massachusetts to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ California as well as numerous fly-over states in between , representing every color and age , from those who voted for Trump in 2016 to those who weren ’ t even registered to vote in 2016 .
A couple of first-time Trump rally attendees pointed out the President sense of humor , saying he was “ hilarious , ” in the way he presented stories about “ the fake news.
” One attendee from Indiana was impressed that the rally began with a prayer , and noted that it is needed to set @ @ @ @ @ @ @ back to God .
A freelance photographer who has captured a countless number and variety of events described herself as “ neutral ” on Trump .
She said that even though she knew it would be , the Trump rally was like nothing she had ever seen before with the energy and enthusiasm being beyond what she could have imagined .
People who were complete strangers before camping out for days prior to the rally became a “ family ” of sorts , inviting other attendees to their hotel rooms or homes to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and are grateful for law enforcement and members of the military .
When a squad of National Guardsman moved as a group toward their assigned position , they were greeted with applause and repeated cheers of U-S-A .
A unified command structure was in place for the Tulsa Police Department , State Police and National Guard .
When all local resources were tapped out , requests for assistance went to surrounding counties .
When that did not yield sufficient results , request went statewide and outside the state .
Responses came from as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the area .
While media dismissed the impact of protesters blocking rally-goers at the entrance gates , a Tulsa police officer and a vendor independently confirmed to The Tennessee Star that they had indeed blocked the main entrance gate .
At least one hotel within a couple of blocks of the BOK Center incurred the added expense of hiring an outside security service to check room keys after the rally , because of protesters in the area .
While President Trump was widely criticized for holding a rally while there are still @ @ @ @ @ @ @ taken by the campaign .
The first thing rally-goers encountered as they entered through the gates was someone handing them a mask and telling them they had to put it on before having their temperature checked .
The fact that most attendees took the masks off was their free choice to do so .
Gallon-sized jugs with pumps containing alcohol-based sanitizer were readily available along with two-ounce squeeze bottles handed out by volunteers to any and all attendees who wanted them .
For the comfort of rally-goers who were going to be outside @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in addition to combination oscillating fan/mist cooling stations , the Trump campaign had truckloads of chilled individual water bottles that volunteers handed out .
One volunteer for the event told The Star that prior to the event , the Trump campaign people were great to work with .
But , during the event where she was responsible for directing media to the reserved area in the BOK Center , they were not at all good to work with .
When members of the media had to stand in line about 60 people deep @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sun to pick up their credentials , they did not interact with each other as most other people would do , for instance , standing in line at the Department of Motor Vehicles .
With the dozens of media members present , virtually none of them find any humor in President Trump ’ s speeches , spend a lot of time on their phones , and don ’ t interact with each other .
Rally-goers understand Trump ’ s references to the “ fake news ” members of the main stream media and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ them during President Trump ’ s speech .
Special accommodations are made for members of the media with printed credentials or identification , special screenings of equipment , a separate entrance and staff available for assistance .
A significant portion of the venue ’ s floor section is reserved for and dedicated to media attendance .
Barriers are put up around the media area , a riser is put in place so that pictures and videos are not blocked by Trump supporters near the stage , and numerous tables , chairs and power @ @ @ @ @ @ @ members of the media .
This all comes at a cost to the campaign , not just monetarily , but by reducing the amount of space available for Trump supporters .
While one major media outlet asked Dr. Carol Swain , a member of the Black Voices for Trump Advisory Board , for a comment about why she was attending the rally and if she had any health concerns , they never published the emailed comment she provided .
Sisters Lynnette Hardaway and Rochelle Richardson are better known as the Diamond and Silk @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they switched from Democrat to Republican so they could vote for Donald Trump .
They sit on the Black Voices for Trump Advisory Board and appeared on both the outside and indoor stages at Tulsa ’ s BOK Center .
Diamond and Silk encouraged attendees to vote RED : Remove Every Democrat Diamond and Silk explained explaining that Biden hadn ’ t ever done anything for anyone , especially blacks .
They pointed out that the “ three strikes and you ’ re out ” legislation that has incarcerated so many blacks over @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Biden .
This is something that Joe Biden took credit for , saying “ Every major crime bill that has come out of this Congress has had the name Joe Biden on that bill , ” and “ We do everything but hang people for jaywalking in this bill , ” as can be seen in this video .
At the time that Diamond and Silk were on the outside stage , many of the rally-goers had already moved from the near 90-degree heat into the air-conditioned BOK Center .
Those remaining outside @ @ @ @ @ @ @ often labeled as racist , gave Diamond and Silk probably the warmest reception of anyone that appeared on that stage and rivaling the reception of anyone but Trump himself on the indoor stage .
Rally-goers showed their enthusiasm and energy for President Trump with some showing up nearly a week in advance to ensure their entry , by standing in hours before the gates opened , by enduring the heat , taking the time to attending the hours-long event as well as the attention and response they gave to him during his speech @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump went off-script sharing the details within an elongated story about the graduation of 1,106 cadets from West Point , that enjoyed being back in the company of his supporters .
Laura Baigert is a senior reporter at The Tennessee Star .


thetennesseestar--2020-06-23--Commentary: What Happens When the Madness Ends?

When something can not go on , it certainly will not go on .
But what are the symptoms of what can not go on and when ?
There are two historic red lines and our revolution is getting close to both .
One is when “ average ” people , both white and nonwhite , who identify neither with Left nor Right , woke nor unwoke , become frightened or appalled by the violence and the anarchy – and thus finally move to dismantle the guillotine as the razor increasingly starts haircutting friends , idols , and compatriots .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ demonstrating themselves , boycotting , voting , or massive civil disobedience .
At some point , tonight ’ s hero on YouTube torching Wendy ’ s or kicking a downed policeman on CNN , becomes tomorrow ’ s commonplace , unnoticed felon – with a new warrant issued out on his head , and about whose fate and lengthy CV no one other than his parents much cares .
Governors and mayors can demand masks and all sorts of social distancing measures .
But once they declared that only those not demonstrating – @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to their rules , while millions both peacefully protesting and violently looting were exempt , then their words meant nothing .
It will be impossible for them ever to be seen as credible again .
Virus or no virus , crowded freeways , and busy malls will soon be referenda on the bond of governors like Gavin Newsom and Gretchen Whitmer .
In a few weeks , we are promised that multimillionaire NFL players and coaches in unison will not deign to stand up for the National Anthem .
Promises , promises .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ or else likely lose their jobs .
But millions of Americans simply will decouple from the NFL .
Their silent disappearance will make the prior Kaepernick drop-off in attendance and viewership seem like child ’ s play .
The same will be true perhaps of the more canny NBA , if they foolishly emulate the NFL .
Millions will surmise that billionaire basketball players can far better make their billions in China and should – an NBA deity whose dictatorship players and coaches fear and worship while criticizing their own democracy .
Recently @ @ @ @ @ @ @ summer of love , and more random violence .
Soon average Seattle citizens will want their city ’ s core back if only to reclaim their full 911 response .
When the police begin not showing up for assaults , thefts , and break-ins , and criminals do what criminals do without consequences , the proverbial victims and vulnerable will have had enough and either move away or organize .
Governor Cuomo and Mayor de Blasio vie for televised braggadocio .
But when the cameras leave , and they will soon , both @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in damage , lost commerce , bankrupt budgets , and urban flight .
And their whiny appeals to American deplorables for financial assistance , their attempts at shaming clingers for a bailout , will likely be the stuff of comedy .
What will California ’ s multimillionaire Governor Gavin Newsom do when his silly press conferences end , but his 13.3 percent income tax rate and 47-cent gas tax still don ’ t come close to closing his $ 50 billion annual deficit ?
Give more adolescent lectures about how the virus and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as it pertains to capitalism ” ?
When Important People Find Themselves Out of Luck Second , when important people start to suffer the concrete consequences of their own abstract ideology , then the revolution sputters – in the manner that # MeToo Tara Reid got nowhere in accusing Joe Biden of a brutal sexual assault .
Suddenly , handsy and heavily breathing Joe who once swore “ women must be believed ” appealed to statutes of limitations , presumptions of innocence , and the right to cross-examination as if he were Robespierre @ @ @ @ @ @ @ guillotine .
When hysteria fades , so too the current Antifa/BLM movement will go dormant to go enjoy the millions that they garnered from terrified virtue-signaling corporatists .
When pistol-packing , AR-15 toting Raz Simone declares himself exempt from his own past homophobia and repulsive N-word vocabulary , and struts armed to the teeth at the head of his posse while blocking the police from aiding those shot and dying , then there is no society left .
And those who want society back at some point will act , whether silently or @ @ @ @ @ @ @ – or bought off by a social justice Seattle billionaire and retired to a gifted lakeside home .
Either way , he will go soon .
For all the conservatives who virtue signaled that Confederate statues had to come down now , the logical trajectory of their acquiesce was the toppling of Ulysses S. Grant , Columbus , and Father Junipero Serra , and the defacements of Lincoln , Jefferson , and Washington .
And it won ’ t do to deplore the mob ’ s insanity when it turns on abolitionists , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
After all , from the time of the dismemberment of Cinna the Roman poet , that ’ s precisely what mobs do when appeased : turn on the innocent without apology .
Declaring that Confederate statutes must fall , but only through pro forma deliberation is fine and good .
But prejudging that such democratic deliberations will reach the proper end results , sends the signal to the mob of “ Well , why wait for a slowcoach vote that will only confirm our violence ?
” If a sober and judicious @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the same and all their stone and bronze images are illegitimately on public display , and all their removals must result from and be confirmed by majority votes , then why have majority votes unless one believes in the legitimacy of the old Soviet Duma or Saddam ’ s Iraqi parliament ?
Both liberals and conservatives have red lines , for without them there is no civilization in which liberals and conservatives can disagree without tribal and ritual violence .
When would-be looters and defacers turned toward liberal Beverly Hills , they were @ @ @ @ @ @ @ And behold , not a single former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff or retired military grandee was to be found to tweet out that America ended on that very day when those in the uniform tear-gassed civilians .
Nocturnally decapitating Robert E. Lee ’ s head in an obscure city park is one thing , marching in daylight on Stone Mountain with dynamite to erase the locus classicus of Confederate commemoration is quite another .
Were that to happen , even Fort Bragg , California is not safe and the Wilson @ @ @ @ @ @ @ line for the guillotine .
Academics are now bombarded in their campus emails with lists of BLM demands and administrative acquiescence to them .
But when the smoke clears and the flames subside , Hadley , Connor , and Palmer will have to give up their legacy spots at Stanford and Yale to meet demands for mandated increases in the size of the African-American student body .
Will the edgy radical professor in his elbow patched tweed still virtue-signal from the lounge , when his kid ’ s 800 English SAT and straight-A @ @ @ @ @ @ @ required admission data , and his salary in no way will match the donor heft of rival Silicon Valley tech parents ?
When the frenzy subsides , what will universities themselves say after charging jacked up tuition and room and board costs for indebted students to take their classes on zoom from their parents ’ basements ?
Will they cite “ overhead ” or praise the new “ digital learning , ” or institute “ givebacks ” of student payments , or claim new diversity coordinators and administrators to combat white privilege necessitate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ CEO – worried about corporate losses from vandalized stores and past bad PR from gay boycotts – who urged that whites wash the feet of black people ?
What will he do when it is again against the law to loot and deface , and when few of any racial lineage would enjoy such groveling hands on their feet ?
If a revolution is based on the untruth that blacks are daily violently terrorized by whites , what happens when data reveal facts contrary to that narrative ?
What happens when people come @ @ @ @ @ @ @ interracial crimes , blacks are far more likely than whites to commit interracial violence ?
Or when people discover that more than 7,000 blacks are murdered per year by other blacks ?
When the hysteria fades , such data reasserts the truth that there is not currently a white racial war against blacks .
Now is the hour of the virtue tweeting has-been celebrity , who wishes to avoid the fate of Jimmies Fallon and Kimmel .
Did the latter two , now on forced sabbaticals , think they are any more important @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and Hébert were to the revolution of Robespierre and Saint-Just ?
In a cultural revolution , radicalism is a fluid and relative state , and no exemption from the violence that one advocates for others .
Just as reformers wanted King Louis XVI to give up some power but not to lose his head , so too peaceful protestors sought to institutionalize accountability for rogue cops .
But also , just as a constitutional parliament was forgotten by the time of the Reign of Terror , so too the legitimate protests over George @ @ @ @ @ @ @ light-years distant from torching Santa Monica and defacing the World War II monument .
Instead , this is the unhinged age of the sexagenarian general mysteriously awakening from his politically incorrect slumber to publicly announce that he threw his suddenly despised framed picture of Robert E. Lee against his wall—as a good business hedge , or to rediscover mysteriously in his seventh decade that his lifelong association with Fort Bragg could be a liability in the suddenly petrified world of corporate clientage .
The Reign of Terror will end and the Thermidor reaction @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s opportunist virtue-signaler will be tomorrow ’ s gullible fool .
Tonight ’ s brave looter and edgy arsonist will be tomorrow ’ s matter-of-fact felon .
This morning ’ s memo-writing social justice executive and administrator will be seen as tomorrow ’ s rank abettor of McCarthyite persecutions .
And the coveted and esteemed racial arsonist of the moment soon will become the ostracized segregationist .
Americans believe there is one thing more regrettable than a falsifier – and that is an opportunistic and careerist falsifier .
Victor Davis Hanson is an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ classics professor , and scholar of ancient warfare .
He was a professor of classics at California State University , Fresno , and is currently the Martin and Illie Anderson Senior Fellow at Stanford University ’ s Hoover Institution .
He has been a visiting professor at Hillsdale College since 2004 .


thetennesseestar--2020-06-23--U.S. Chamber of Commerce Endorses Bill Hagerty

The United States Chamber of Commerce , the world ’ s largest business federation representing the interests of more than three million businesses and organizations , on Monday endorsed Bill Hagerty for United States Senate .
This , according to a press release that Hagerty posted on his website .
According to the press release , the Chamber endorsed Hagerty because of his business background .
“ I ’ m honored and humbled to be endorsed by the United States Chamber of Commerce , ” Hagerty said in the press release .
“ The Chamber and President Trump understand that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to help get our economy going again – that ’ s why they ’ ve endorsed my campaign .
In the Senate , I will continue to work with President Trump and the Chamber of Commerce to bring our critical supply chain – especially medical supplies and pharmaceutical drugs – back from China , increase jobs training and skills development programs to grow our workforce and create more jobs for Americans.
” U.S. Chamber CEO Thomas J. Donohue said in the press release that it ’ s important to have leaders who understand @ @ @ @ @ @ @ enterprise .
“ As our country faces many challenges and is collectively working to not just reopen our economy , but return to growth and expanded opportunities for all Americans , we need leaders like former U.S .
Ambassador Bill Hagerty , ” Donohue said .
“ He has a proven track record of leading responsibly and standing up for good policies .
The U.S. Chamber is proud to endorse Ambassador Hagerty and looks forward to partnering with him in the future.
” As The Tennessee Star reported last week , Hagerty announced @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with conservative political strategist Kellyanne Conway to talk about maintaining the Senate majority and ensuring President Donald Trump has allies in the Senate .
The telephone town hall is scheduled for 11 a.m. Eastern Time/10 a.m. Central Time Thursday , June 25 , the press release said .
Conway said in the press release that the country needs a Republican Senate majority “ to fight back against the increasingly radical agenda of the Democrats.
” You can RSVP for Hagerty ’ s telephone town hall with Conway by clicking here .
As The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Sen. Tom Cotton ( R-AR ) has endorsed Hagerty and also appeared on a tele-town hall conference with the candidate .
Chris Butler is an investigative journalist at The Tennessee Star .
Follow Chris on Facebook .
Email tips to [ email protected ] Photo “ Bill Hagerty ” by Bill Hagerty .


thetennesseestar--2020-06-23--US Honeybees Are Doing Better After Bad Year, Survey Shows

American honeybee colonies have bounced back after a bad year , the annual beekeeping survey finds .
Beekeepers only lost 22.2 % of their colonies this past winter , from Oct. 1 to March 31 , which is lower than the average of 28.6 % , according to the Bee Informed Partnership ’ s annual survey of thousands of beekeepers .
It was the second smallest winter loss in the 14 years of surveying done by several different U.S. universities .
Last winter ’ s loss was considerably less than the previous winter of 2018-2019 when a record 37.7 % @ @ @ @ @ @ @ found .
After that bad winter , the losses continued through the summer of 2019 , when beekeepers reported a 32 % loss rate .
That ’ s much higher than the average of 21.6 % for summer losses .
Those summer losses were driven more by hives of commercial beekeepers than backyard hobbyists , said bee partnership scientific coordinator Nathalie Steinhauer .
While the summer losses are bad , winter deaths are “ really the test of colony health , ” so the results overall are good news , Steinhauer said .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ very good year.
” Populations tend to be cyclical with good years following bad ones , she said .
The scientists surveyed 3,377 commercial beekeepers and backyard enthusiasts in the United States .
“ One would hope that a lower winter loss means a better 2020 assuming that the weather cooperates and beekeepers don ’ t end up skimping on colony management , ” said University of Montana bee expert Jerry Bromenshenk , who wasn ’ t part of the study .
Beekeepers in the U.S. also may be taking more of their @ @ @ @ @ @ @ them survive , said University of Georgia entomologist Keith Delaplane .
New U.S. Department of Agriculture research suggests putting bees in “ cold storage ” helps them survive the winter .
For decades scientists have been watching the population of pollinators — crucial to the world ’ s food supply — shrink .
Honeybees , the most easily tracked , are threatened by mites , diseases , pesticides and loss of food .
Loss rates now being seen “ are part of the new normal , ” Steinhauer said .
Seth Borenstein is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Follow Seth Borenstein on Twitter : @ borenbears The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute ’ s Department of Science Education .
The AP is solely responsible for all content .


thetennesseestar--2020-06-23--President Trump to Mark Completion of Border Wall’s 200th Mile

YUMA , Arizona ( AP ) — President Donald Trump is scheduled to visit Yuma Tuesday to mark the completion @ @ @ @ @ the border wall system between the U.S. and Mexico .
White House officials told the @ @ @ @ @ will receive a briefing on the border wall construction , then participate in a roundtable @ @ @ @ @ elected leaders on border security .
After the roundtable , Trump will tour the border @ @ @ @ @ Patrol and law enforcement for their efforts and then fly to Phoenix to speak at @ @ @ @ @ at Dream City Church .
Expected to join Trump in Yuma are Acting Department of @ @ @ @ @ , Acting Deputy DHS Secretary Ken Cuccinelli , and Customs and Border Protection Acting Commissioner @ @ @ @ @ s last appearance in Yuma was in 2017 when he visited with U.S. Marines and @ @ @ @ @ .


thetennesseestar--2020-06-23--Black Candidates Tap Protest Energy to Challenge Incumbent Democrats

NEW YORK , New York ( AP ) — Amy McGrath and Eliot Engel live hundreds of miles apart in states with dramatically different politics .
Yet they ’ re the preferred candidates of the Democratic Party ’ s Washington establishment as voters in Kentucky and New York decide their congressional primary elections Tuesday .
And both may be in trouble .
On the eve of their elections , Engel , a 16-term House incumbent who represents parts of the Bronx and New York City ’ s wealthy suburbs , and McGrath , a former military officer and fundraising juggernaut @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , are facing strong challenges from their Left by lower-profile Black candidates .
The challengers have tapped into the wounded progressive movement ’ s desire for transformational change suddenly animated by sweeping civil rights protests across America .
Engel ’ s challenger , 45-year-old former public school principal Jamaal Bowman , and McGrath ’ s opponent , 35-year-old state Rep. Charles Booker , speak openly about their personal experience with police brutality and racism as they promote progressive plans to transform the nation ’ s health care system and economy .
And both @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from the front lines of the civil rights debate .
Bowman and Booker have also won the endorsement of Bernie Sanders , among a growing list of progressive leaders trying to influence the races from afar .
The Vermont senator failed to win the Democratic Party ’ s presidential nomination , but he continues to shape congressional primaries — even if it puts him at odds with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi , who ’ s backing Engel , and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer , who helped recruit McGrath .
“ There is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , ” Sanders said in an interview .
But the story of Bowman and Booker ’ s rise extends well beyond the yearslong tug-of-war between the progressive and pragmatic wings of the Democratic Party .
They didn ’ t gain traction until after George Floyd ’ s death last month triggered nationwide outrage about racial inequality .
Hours before polls open , however , it ’ s far from certain their bids will be successful .
In New York , the progressive pushback against Engel ’ s reelection was somewhat surprising given his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s most liberal members .
He has also drawn overwhelming support from African Americans in Congress and establishment leaders such as Hillary Clinton .
In an interview , he noted he was a founding member of the House Medicare for All Caucus , an original co-sponsor of the Green New Deal and the endorsed candidate of the congressional Black and Hispanic caucuses .
“ I ’ ve always believed that Black lives matter .
I didn ’ t have to see a tragedy to know that , ” said Engel , 73 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ people is say , ‘ Here ’ s my record.
’ I can ’ t control outside events.
” Engel admits regret over an unforced error of sorts earlier in the month when he was caught on a hot microphone telling a New York colleague at a news conference about the civil unrest : “ If I didn ’ t have a primary , I wouldn ’ t be here.
” He says the comments were taken out of context , but he also understands why some people would be upset .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ t happened ?
Sure .
But it doesn ’ t change my record , ” Engel said .
Bowman seized on the comment and the perception that Engel has lost touch with the entirety of his diverse district , which features Westchester County ’ s multimillion-dollar homes and the Bronx ’ s housing projects .
In both communities , Bowman said , there ’ s a growing sense of unity around racial justice .
“ We ’ re seeing protests and uprisings in communities that are white and wealthy and stereotypically don @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” he said in an interview .
“ That ’ s inspiring and it ’ s helpful to us because everyone knows we were talking about police brutality .
I was sharing my personal story , and we were going after institutional racism from the very beginning of our campaign.
” The winner of the New York House primary Tuesday is expected to win the general election easily given the district ’ s strong Democratic tilt .
Kentucky ’ s Senate primary will determine which Democrat runs against Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell @ @ @ @ @ @ @ proven political force in a deep-red state .
Washington Democrats helped recruit McGrath , thinking her military history and centrist approach would play well , even in a state that backed Trump by 30 percentage points four years ago .
The former Marine fighter pilot reported an eye-popping $ 19 million in the bank at the beginning of the month .
Booker reported just $ 285,000 then , although his campaign told The Associated Press he raised at least $ 2.4 million more this month .
Booker ’ s recent fundraising surge coincides @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s unclear whether the focus on racial inequality will resonate to the same degree in a state where just 8 % of residents are Black and 3 out of 4 don ’ t have a bachelor ’ s degree , according to the Census Bureau .
“ It is real , ” Booker said of racism in his state .
“ I ’ ve had ancestors lynched in Kentucky.
” Just this month , he says he was tear-gassed by police in the Louisville district he represents while attending a peaceful rally .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ sure people are safe , make sure nothing goes wrong and that people ’ s voices are heard .
And we look up and three canisters are thrown within 10 feet of me , ” Booker told the AP .
“ Everyone starts running .
And I just stood there in disbelief — that even though I have done all this work across Kentucky , even though I ’ m an elected official , they still saw me as a young Black man , and they still felt like it was justified to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hurt.
” McGrath ’ s critics say she ’ s been a less visible presence at protests , though she has attended some .
She ’ s also drawn criticism from her party ’ s far left wing for resisting policy proposals such as “ Medicare for All.
” And she ’ s not willing to call Trump a racist , even if she thinks his words and actions have been .
Still , McGrath has not shied away from questions about race .
In an interview , she called on white people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ We need to stand up for what ’ s right and talk to other white people and call it out when we see it , ” she said .
“ Whatever the solution is , we want to be part of it.
” Steve Peoples and Alan Fram are reporters at The Associated Press .
Fram reported from Washington .
About the Headline Photo : In this Nov. 6 , 2018 , file photo , Amy McGrath speaks to supporters in Richmond , Ky. McGrath and Eliot Engel live hundreds of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ politics .
Yet they are both the preferred candidates of the Democratic Party ’ s Washington establishment as voters in Kentucky and New York decide their congressional primary elections on Tuesday .
And both may be in trouble .
( AP Photo/Bryan Woolston , File )


thetennesseestar--2020-06-23--Nashville Enters Phase Three of Plan to Reopen City, Despite Rising COVID-19 Numbers

On Monday Mayor John Cooper announced Nashville entered Phase Three of a four-phased plan to reopen the city after the COVID-19 pandemic hit the United States .
This , despite Nashville officials saying they have tallied higher numbers of the virus .
“ Our 14-day case average is trending upward , but our testing capacity continues to increase , and more than 81,000 Nashvillians have received a COVID-19 test across Davidson County .
We currently have 125 contact tracing investigators , well above our target of 105 .
Our health care capacity remains in good shape , ” Cooper said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of floor beds and 24 percent of ICU beds available at our local hospitals .
And that all exceeds our target for 20 percent for both of these vital resources .
Like our neighbors in other states and cities , our public health experts have determined that our COVID-19 public health benchmarks remain within an acceptable range to safely begin Phase Three.
” Nashville officials plan to keep the city in Phase Three for at least four weeks , Cooper said .
“ With Phase Three — much like at a restaurant — @ @ @ @ @ @ @ open at 50 percent of capacity and no more than 250 people , whichever is less .
And these venues must have seating and practice social distancing .
Bars not previously open may open at 50 percent capacity , and tours may operate at 50 percent capacity with public health measures in place , ” Cooper said .
“ Metro Park facilities that were previously closed , including playgrounds and basketball courts , may open .
The recommendation is to keep informal group gatherings to 25 people or less .
Additionally , camps @ @ @ @ @ @ @ camps , may operate at full capacity , provided social distancing can be maintained at all times.
” Phase Three , Cooper went on to say , also permits schools and other educational facilities to open , provided officials put proper restrictions in place .
Metro Coronavirus Task Force Chair Alex Jahangir said at Monday ’ s press conference that Nashville had a total of 8,182 confirmed cases of COVID-19 as of Monday , an increase of 139 over the prior 24 hours .
“ There are currently 2,063 active cases in Nashville @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have died because of COVID-19 infection , ” Jahangir said “ We are now testing around 8,000 Nashvillians each week , and the percent of tests that are positive is still around 10 percent , a number that has been consistent since mid-April.
” Metro Public Health Department spokesman Hugh Atkins , meanwhile , said his department has responded to 310 complaints at local businesses regarding the guidelines for reopening .
“ Thirty-one of those complaints were repeat complaints and generated site visits from the Environmental Health Specialist within Metro Public Health , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ week , ” Atkins said .
“ Most of the complaints continue to be related to employees not wearing masks .
Of the 310 complaints I mentioned , 261 involved face masks.
” Chris Butler is an investigative journalist at The Tennessee Star .
Follow Chris on Facebook .
Email tips to [ email protected ]


thetennesseestar--2020-06-23--ANALYSIS: DOJ Investigators Involved in Antitrust Probe Don’t Appear to be Scrutinizing Claims of Bi

ANALYSIS: DOJ Investigators Involved in Antitrust Probe Don’t Appear to be Scrutinizing Claims of Bias in Google’s Search

Department of Justice investigators who are conducting an antitrust probe targeting Google do not appear to be scrutinizing claims that the tech giant manipulates its search function , leaks about the probe and a source familiar with it indicate .
Google critics argue that Google Search must be a focus of the investigation , pointing to the company ’ s sheer dominance in the market : Google consistently accounts for roughly 90 % of online information searches , and company employees have expressed a willingness to artificially manipulate search results on the platform .
Google did not comment on allegations @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pending antitrust investigation .
“ We continue to engage with the ongoing investigations led by the Department of Justice and Attorney General Paxton , and we don ’ t have any updates or comments on speculation , ” Google spokeswoman Julie McAlister told the Daily Caller News Foundation .
The company ’ s goal is focusing on the kind of products that serve customers and support businesses , she added .
Google ’ s search feature can potentially skew a major national election toward one candidate over another , according to Robert Epstein @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Institute for Behavioral Research and Technology .
Research he published in 2017 suggests Google ’ s bias affected the vote in the 2016 election .
Epstein believes investigating Google search is “ critical ” to preventing widespread search bias .
One Google competitor , Yelp , meanwhile , has claimed that the company gives preferential treatment to in-house products through Search , a move one of Yelp ’ s executives believes violates antitrust law .
Google has dismissed Epstein ’ s research in the past , calling it conspiracy theory-driven .
The company @ @ @ @ @ @ @ help users obtain information quickly .
“ We build Google Search for our users , ” a Google spokesperson told CNBC in March regarding Yelp ’ s claims .
“ People want quick access to information and we ’ re constantly improving Search to help people easily find what they ’ re looking for — whether it ’ s information on a web page , directions on a map , products for sale or a translation.
” Will Chamberlain , senior counsel for the Internet Accountability Project , told the Daily Caller News @ @ @ @ @ @ @ closely ” at possible search engine manipulation .
“ We are heartened to see the Department of Justice investigating Google for its anti-competitive practices , along with various state attorneys general , who are all doing excellent work .
In that investigation , DOJ should look closely at whether Google is manipulating its search algorithms : such manipulation would be the definition of anti-competitive behavior , ” Chamberlain said .
A leak to the Wall Street Journal in May indicated that the antitrust probe is centered around Google ’ s advertising business , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ looking broadly at search .
Another leak to The New York Times in June indicated the probe ’ s interest in search is focused on Google ’ s partnership with Android , which makes Google the default search engine on its phones .
DOJ asked DuckDuckGo about requiring Google to provide Android customers a preference menu listing several potential service engines , chief executive Gabriel Weinberg told TheNYT in its June 4 report .
Google provided a similar menu option to citizens in Europe in 2018 to comply with regulators who fined the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
A source who has spoken with DOJ investigators told the Daily Caller News Foundation that their understanding is that the investigation is largely eschewing concerns about Google self-preferencing its products in its search engine .
The source , speaking on the condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the issue , argued that Google will be free to manipulate search results for political purposes if the DOJ doesn ’ t seriously probe search manipulation during the antitrust investigation .
Yelp , a competitor of Google , has argued that Google is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ treatment to in-house products in its search engine , particularly within local search results .
“ Google developed a separate algorithm whose sole function was to observe the organic results and ‘ trigger ’ Google services if links to Yelp or TripAdvisor were part of the ten blue links [ on the front page of search results ] , ” Yelp senior vice president of public policy Luther Lowe said in March while testifying before the Senate Antitrust Subcommittee .
He added : “ If a service like Yelp or TripAdvisor appeared in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the user must be performing a local search , so it triggered a map and Google ’ s in-house product to physically push down the merit-based results.
” Lowe pointed to a 2012 memo from the Federal Trade Commission which found that when “ Google ’ s algorithms deemed a comparison shopping website relevant to a user ’ s query , Google automatically returned Google Product Search — above any rival comparison shopping websites.
” Epstein ’ s research , meanwhile , suggests Google Search could negatively impact President Donald Trump ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ recruited 95 monitors in 24 states who captured more than 13,000 sets of search rankings and the 98,000 pages to which they linked .
Such searches were related to the election and were more likely to produce links to pages showing a favorable impression of former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton than to ones favorable to Trump , Epstein said in 2017 when his research was published .
His group found that Google ’ s results were more pro-Clinton , in both red states and blue states .
He extrapolated his past research @ @ @ @ @ @ @ affect up to 10.4 million votes .
“ Investigating bias or favoritism in Google ’ s search engine — however it might be caused — is critically important because extensive research shows the power that such favoritism has in shifting the opinions and votes and people who are undecided , ” Epstein told the DCNF .
“ Every serious investigation of bias in Google search that I am aware of has found overwhelming evidence of systematic bias that favors Google , ” he said before listing the Federal Trade Commission ’ s 2012 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Google has not responded to comments about Epstein ’ s claims .
The FTC concluded a 2012 investigation into Google ’ s search engine in 2013 , noting that “ we have not found sufficient evidence that Google manipulates its search algorithms.
” Documents later leaked to The Wall Street Journal in 2015 showed FTC staff recommended bringing a case against Google .
Tech website The Information reported later in June that the DOJ ’ s lawyers ’ “ specific target ” appears to be “ whether the Google technology that many companies @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ads around the internet leads to higher prices.
” The Information argued that a probe focused on ad tech would play to the company ’ s advantage because Google is not dominant in that industry .
The DOJ didn ’ t respond to the DCNF ’ s repeated requests for comment , and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton ’ s office refused to address questions about the agency ’ s handling of Google ’ s search engine .
Paxton is heading the attorneys general antitrust probe alongside the DOJ .
Republican Missouri Sen. @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the DOJ investigation into Google needs to focus on Google Search , adding that he has “ called on ” Attorney General Bill Barr to make sure that ’ s the case .
“ This is why Search should be included in DOJ antitrust investigation , and I ’ ve called on AG Barr to do so , ” Hawley tweeted Tuesday in response to reports that Google demonetized conservative website The Federalist .
The tech company later disputed that claim , arguing instead that the conservative outlet would be given an opportunity @ @ @ @ @ @ @ before getting banned .
Peter Hasson and Chris White report for the Daily Caller News Foundation .


thetennesseestar--2020-06-23--Tennessee Star Senior Reporter Laura Baigert on Trump in Tulsa: I Think He Felt Like He Was Back wit

Tennessee Star Senior Reporter Laura Baigert on Trump in Tulsa: I Think He Felt Like He Was Back with His Family

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 Tennessee Star Senior Reporter Laura Baigert to the newsmakers line .
During the second hour , Baigert gave a first-hand account of the Trump rally and fellow media attitudes in Tulsa this past Saturday .
She described the event as being high energy and described Trump ’ s enthusiasm as that of someone being reunited with their family .
Leahy : We @ @ @ @ @ @ @ spectacular senior political reporter who was live on the ground in Tulsa for President Trump ’ s rally .
She filed five stories from Tulsa during the rally .
Count them .
And the first story , Enthusiasm for President Trump in America Still Strong in Tulsa on Eve of Rally .
American Ingenuity on Display at Trump Rally in Tulsa with TrueHero Extreme Coverage Face Shields .
Hours Before Trump Rally Crowd Swells to Thousands .
President Trump Delivers High Energy Speech to Enthusiastic Supporters in Tulsa .
Carol Swain and Herman @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
We welcome to our microphones , the prolific , productive Laura Baigert .
Baigert : Good morning Michael .
How are you ?
I forgot I ’ d written five .
( Chuckles ) Leahy : As far as I can tell Laura you were the only Nashville media reporter who was there on the ground in Tulsa for this rally .
Baigert : That wouldn ’ t surprise me .
A lot of people were surprised when I told them we were here from Nashville and had come that far .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
( Chuckles ) Leahy : Give us your overall impressions about the rally itself .
There is a bunch of spin going on in the media .
You were there .
Tell us about your impressions .
Baigert : I guess my first impression is the spin that ’ s going on .
I ’ m shocked by every headline I keep reading from the media .
I guess my first impression is the commitment of people and the enthusiasm for President Trump who got there on Thursday around midnight and seeing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ were probably a hundred or so were then camped out on the side of the road and on the sidewalk peacefully assembled there like one big happy family .
We went and checked on the same people that were at the beginning of the line every half-day or so and the commitment to being there and knowing , I think this whole thing about a million tickets being vouched for making people feel like they had to hurry up and get there .
Some of these people have never been to a rally @ @ @ @ @ @ @ voted for Trump in 2016 .
Leahy : Really ?
Gee , I didn ’ t see that story anywhere in the mainstream media .
( Laughs ) Baigert : People from all over the country were there .
Someone from Boston who was a native Tulsan flew in .
Somebody in San Diego who wasn ’ t even registered to vote in 2016 was there .
Somebody came all the way from Oregon and drove six days to see the country but got their early enough to camp out for days in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Every four or five , six hours you ’ d walk by and more people were there camping out .
There were two home school families from northwest Arkansas who had driven over .
It was just amazing how excited people where .
And then to see the pride in our country and the American flags and Trump paraphernalia everywhere .
You kind of wonder where we lost that .
When did it happen right under our noses that it ’ s not OK to carry a flag anymore ?
Leahy : @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Black Lives Matter ?
I saw some reports they were trying to keep people from getting into the stadium .
Baigert : We did not .
And that ’ s because there was at lease three entrances .
So they had these no scale fences set up which are quite impressive actually .
They were around the perimeter of a several block area surrounding the BOK Center where the protesters were at the entrance where people initially started camping out .
So if you came to one of the other entrances you wouldn @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
That was the main entrance .
Most of the people came from that direction just because of the way the center is positioned .
And because most of the people who had camped out were over in that area .
But we did talk to people who said they definitely there and that they were interfering with them getting in .
And law enforcement was tasked with trying to separate out who were the people who should be trying to get in .
And because the protesters had jammed up so close @ @ @ @ @ @ @ difficult to manage all of that .
Leahy : You were credentialed as media .
What was that like going in getting your media credentials as you entered ?
What was that process like ?
Baigert : Very smooth as long as you showed your badge .
You went down to the lower level .
The VIP area was down there .
That ’ s where I met Carol Swain and Herman Cain happen to come along for the story you mentioned .
And while I was there Eric Trump walked through .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ there .
Only the media and only the VIP ’ s were down there .
That ’ s another thing that people don ’ t realize either .
This is a campaign rally .
There is no real requirement for Trump to set up space and dedicate it for media the way that it is .
They take up a lot of floor space ( Chuckles ) where that could be attendees on the floor .
They have wonderful accommodations with a riser and with tables set up .
Power hookups for everybody @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pretty impressive .
The Trump campaign did a great job of trying to take care of everybody between the pandemic and the heat .
It was very hot out .
It was 90 degrees .
Leahy : Oh .
No fun .
Tell me , did you interact with any other media types , and what were they like ?
Leahy : You didn ’ t ?
You didn ’ t have to ?
Baigert : The contrast between the regular attendees and how friendly and warm they are compared to media is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I met who was absolutely outgoing and who was an intern of The Oklahoman which is our version of The Tennessean .
Nice young man .
Very enthusiastic .
I actually was able to connect him with Dr. Swain .
But other than that , no .
There is no interaction .
They are very ill-humored is putting it mildly .
Leahy : Give me an example of the other media you encountered there being ill-humored .
Baigert : They don ’ t approach you .
They don ’ t talk to you @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for a half-hour to get our credentials .
Baking in the sun .
No one was interacting with each other .
Baigert : No other conversation than with this young man .
It ’ s just hard to explain .
They are completely cut off .
They are not outgoing .
They are not engaging in any way .
Baigert : To me , it ’ s like standing in the line at the DMV .
What do you do ?
You start talking about common interests .
If nothing else you complain @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in .
Nothing .
Leahy : What was the feeling inside the event ?
Baigert : The energy inside there is hard to even describe .
The whole thing from start to finish you can tell people were just so excited to be there .
I would say somewhere between 10-30 percent of the people stood for the entire two hours that President Trump spoke .
Leahy : And what about the President ?
What was he like ?
Baigert : Here ’ s the thing about the President .
I think he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ family .
It was like a family reunion .
Listen to the full second hour : 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--2020-06-23--No More ‘Summer of Love:’ Seattle Mayor Will Move to Dismantle CHOP/CHAZ Protest Zone

SEATTLE , Washington ( AP ) — Faced with growing pressure to crack down on an “ occupied ” protest zone following two weekend shootings , Seattle ’ s mayor said Monday that officials will move to wind down the blocks-long span of city streets taken over two weeks ago that President Donald Trump asserted is run by “ anarchists.
” Mayor Jenny Durkan said at a news conference that the violence was distracting from changes sought by thousands of peaceful protesters seeking to address racial inequity and police brutality .
She said the city is working with the community @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Protest ” zone to an end .
“ The cumulative impacts of the gatherings and protests and the nighttime atmosphere and violence has led to increasingly difficult circumstances for our businesses and residents , ” Durkan said .
“ The impacts have increased and the safety has decreased.
” A shooting Sunday night was the second in less than 48 hours at the edge of the zone , named for the Capitol Hill neighborhood near downtown that emerged during nationwide protests over the police killing of George Floyd .
The 17-year-old victim , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ declined to speak with detectives , police said .
Gunfire early Saturday left a 19-year-old man dead and another person critically wounded .
It was not apparent if the shootings had anything to do with the protest .
Protesters cordoned off the several-block area , known as CHOP , near a police station after clashes with officers .
Seattle riot squads unleashed tear gas , pepper spray and flash-bangs on large crowds of mostly peaceful protesters , drawing condemnation from many city leaders and a federal court order temporarily banning the use of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ largely abandoned the East Precinct building , protesters took over the area — with demonstrators painting a large “ Black Lives Matter ” mural on the street , handing out free food , playing music and planting a community garden .
Its existence incensed Trump , who criticized Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan and Washington Gov .
Jay Inslee , both Democrats .
Peacefulness has prevailed during the day .
On Monday , people lounged on the turf at a park , while volunteers handed out food , water and toiletries .
Artists painted @ @ @ @ @ @ @ few candles burned in front of a sign on the police precinct listing people killed by officer .
At night , however , the atmosphere becomes more charged , with demonstrators marching and openly armed volunteer guards keeping watch .
Among the demands are calls to shift funding for police to community health or other social justice causes .
Durkan said she planned to announce a plan Monday for addressing public safety in the area .
“ After days of peaceful demonstrations , two nights of shootings have clearly escalated the situation on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ office said in a statement .
“ We have been meeting with residents and small business owners to address their safety and disorder concerns , including the ability of first responders to access emergencies in the area .
… As many community groups are also urging , ( the ) Mayor believes individuals can and should peacefully demonstrate , but the message can not be lost in the violence.
” Volunteer medics inside the zone brought the victims of Saturday ’ s shooting to the hospital rather than wait for the police and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ respond before entering .
Demonstrators who had marched to the West Precinct police building downtown were returning to the zone when Sunday night ’ s shooting occurred , police said .
The 17-year-old was treated and released from the hospital and wouldn ’ t speak with police , the department said .
Investigators urged anyone with information to come forward .
Andre Taylor , who founded of the anti-police-shooting organization Not This Time !
after his brother was killed by Seattle police in 2016 , said Monday that he had warned protest organizers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the area because of the violence .
“ That CHOP area is attracting this kind of activity and it ’ s unsafe , ” Taylor said in a Facebook video .
“ I told them , ‘ All those people that were supporting you guys , they ’ re going to start walking away from you , especially all those white people that were following you .
… They don ’ t want to be associated with any part of that violence.
” Former U.S. Rep. Dave Reichert , a Republican who previously @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Seattle is located , also called on the city to take back control .
“ Elected officials have abandoned the rule of law and their oath to protect and defend our communities , ” he wrote in an opinion piece for Washington State Wire , a website devoted to state political news .
“ They have abandoned their law-abiding citizens and have been cowardly bullied into surrendering the East Precinct – and multiple city blocks.
” Gene Johnson is a reporter with The Associated Press .
AP photographer Ted Warren in Seattle contributed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ person walks past a sign welcoming visitors Monday , June 22 , 2020 , near an entrance to what has been named the Capitol Hill Occupied Protest zone in Seattle .
For the second time in less than 48 hours , there was a shooting near the “ CHOP ” area that has been occupied by protesters after Seattle Police pulled back from several blocks of the city ’ s Capitol Hill neighborhood near the Police Department ’ s East Precinct building .
( AP Photo/Ted S. Warren )


thetennesseestar--2020-06-23--Commentary: The Destruction of Marriage and Family is the Destruction of Civilization

Marriage and families are the cornerstone of not only civilization but of nature itself , without which humans would have never survived as wandering nomads and early farmers , let alone building cities , an economy and governments to represent the people in state-to-state relations .
Without families as a basic building block , children are not nurtured , educated and empowered to raise and sustain families themselves , and the human race could not continue , always being but one generation away from extinction .
That is why declining fertility and marriage rates not only in the U.S. but @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for alarm not merely from a cultural or policy perspective , but a biological one .
In the U.S. , fertility was already below 2 births per woman since 2010 and has continued dropping , and with the COVID-19 pandemic will surely plummet further this year amid temporary male infertility from those who experienced high fevers , not to mention the breakdown of the dating scene as the economic lockdown response to the virus keeps many Americans cooped up in their homes .
Weddings are being postponed .
Overall , the marriage rate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ percent in 1970 to 53 percent today among men , according to the U.S. Census Bureau .
Marriage among white males has dropped from 68 percent in 1980 to 56 percent today , among blacks from 57 percent to 37 percent today , among Hispanics from 57 percent in 1990 to 47 percent today and among Asians has remained steady at 61 percent from 1990 to today .
The divorce rate has been between 8 percent to 9 percent since the 1990s and the never married rate has risen from 27 percent in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Never married is most pronounced among blacks , rising from 35 percent in 1970 to 51 percent today .
Among whites it rose from 27 percent in 1970 to 32 percent today , among Hispanics it rose from 37 percent in 1990 to 45 percent today and among Asians it remained steady at 35 percent .
Females have the same trends , although the percentages are lower in each category owing to there being 8 million more women than men in the Census .
So , marriage is on the decline and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ why , take your pick , although a combination of the advent of birth control , the decline of the influence of religion in interpersonal relations , the rise of a permissive pop culture , the destruction of heroes leading to the emasculation of men and radical feminism all seem to be among top cultural culprits .
But leaving aside those more controversial lines of analysis , the largest determinative factor in this where the rubber meets the road is the steadily increasing median age of marriage from the low 20s to the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ owing to the increasing length of education , finding a job and career and certainly the higher costs associated with living .
In other words , the longer you wait to get married , the less likely you are to do so .
This will have detrimental effects both immediately and down the road .
Immediately , fewer weddings and babies can hit the market for marriage and baby-related products .
Longer term , lower fertility will ultimately lead to a slowing and ultimately a contraction of the civilian labor force , which @ @ @ @ @ @ @ growth , as it has been in Japan and other countries that committed demographic suicide .
The fewer marriages and births , the fewer homes that will need to be built and ultimately purchased and fewer resources will be consumed .
Similar trends were seen during the early 1900s , with declining births per woman through World War I and the Spanish flu ( when tens of millions of lives were lost ) all the way until about 1930 , when it began to pick up again , but not before the U.S. @ @ @ @ @ @ @ global depression .
But the effects of the collapsing marriage institution are not merely economic and demographic , they are affecting our nation ’ s heroes .
A 2015 study from the Veterans Health Administration ( VHA ) found “ Suicide decedents were more likely than nonsuicide patients to be young , male , and unmarried… ” Almost twice as likely to be precise with 50 suicides per 100,000 for those widowed , 41 per 100,000 for those separated and 53 per 100,000 for those divorced versus 27 per 100,0000 for those married @ @ @ @ @ @ @ suicides per 100,000 for males and 13.8 per 100,000 for females .
This week , the Trump administration is renewing focus on the epidemic of suicides among veterans , and President Donald Trump has already acted via executive order in March 2019 to automatically qualify veterans for mental health services .
Based on the 2015 VHA study , additional focus should be paid to marriage counseling and even dating services , and focus mental health resources on veterans who were recently widowed , too .
These trends of declining marriage and family-building did @ @ @ @ @ @ @ affecting everything , and it will likely take a culture changing event to shake us to our senses .
A healthy society is one that is growing , and sadly , unless there is a dramatic turnaround in the quality and longevity of familial relations , we won ’ t have one .
The destruction of marriage and family-building is the destruction of civilization itself .
Robert Romano is the Vice President of Public Policy at Americans for Limited Government .


thetennesseestar--2020-06-23--88-Year-Old Nashville Business Owner May Boyce, Who Shot Shoplifting Suspect, Blasts Justice System,

88-Year-Old Nashville Business Owner May Boyce, Who Shot Shoplifting Suspect, Blasts Justice System, Says She Had Enough

An 88-year-old Nashville woman shot a suspected thief at her Murfreesboro Pike liquor store last Tuesday .
The woman said Monday that people nationwide are congratulating her .
“ I am very humbled to the reception I have received from the neighborhood and all over the country .
I just am so thankful , ” May Boyce told The Tennessee Star .
“ They tell me to take care of myself — and they also tell me that I should have finished him off.
” Members of the Metro Nashville Police tweeted Boyce ’ s photo last week .
They @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 10,000 bond on a charge of aggravated assault for shooting an unidentified man at her Murfreesboro Road Liquor and Wines store .
Police said Boyce thought the man — accompanied by another man — was stealing .
But Boyce said she disputes that account .
“ I did not think they were stealing .
I saw them stealing , ” Boyce said , adding one of the men tried to steal two-fifths of Crown Royal .
“ That is one thing I want to be corrected.
” The man Boyce shot , police @ @ @ @ @ @ @ wounds .
“ It did happen .
I am sorry it did .
But that ’ s the position I am in right now , ” Boyce said .
“ I just didn ’ t want them to steal anymore from me because they have already robbed me blind as it is .
When he lunged at me , I thought ‘ No more.
’ Because it hasn ’ t been all that long , maybe a month ago , that this occurred and they tried to steal two cases and knock me @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I guess that was the stopping point.
” Boyce said she feels “ 95 percent it has happened before by him.
” She also said she ’ s called police about the problem many times .
“ All they did was just come out and write it up , ” Boyce said .
Did Boyce tell the customer in question that he was no longer welcome at his store ?
“ No .
They don ’ t give you time before to say anything , ” Boyce said .
“ They run in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” Boyce said she ’ s managed the store since 1994 .
“ Criminals get away with whatever , ” Boyce said , “ And that is not right for anybody to take that .
And that ’ s where I felt like the justice system should be out here and feel some of the problems that we are having.
” Boyce did not comment on her current legal situation .
Boyce said she feels safe and is not afraid .
She also said she doesn ’ t see herself retiring anytime soon @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hope to , but right now I have too many problems to square away , ” Boyce said .
Chris Butler is an investigative journalist at The Tennessee Star .
Follow Chris on Facebook .
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