Aretha Franklin, the American singer known to millions of fans around the world as the “Queen of Soul,” has died at the age of 76. Franklin passed away Thursday in her hometown of Detroit, where she had been under hospice care after a long battle with cancer. Born March 25,…
Read MoreDay: August 16, 2018
Blackburn, Bredesen Reveal Stark Differences on Judges, Obamacare at NFIB Forum
NASHVILLE, Tennessee–Tennessee U.S. Senate Republican candidate Marsha Blackburn (R-TN-07) said, if elected, she’ll vote to appoint federal judges based on whether they abide by what’s in the U.S. Constitution. Her opponent, Democrat Phil Bredesen, said voting to appoint a judge really boils down to his or her qualifications and temperament.…
Read MoreCommentary: Democrat Judge Releases Muslims Arrested At School Shooting Training Compound
by George Rasley Siraj Ibn Wahhaj was arrested along with several other adults at a squalid compound in New Mexico. Wahhaj is the son of a Brooklyn imam, also named Siraj Wahhaj, who was named by prosecutors as an unindicted co-conspirator in the 1993 World Trade Center bombing, the…
Read MoreMarsha Blackburn Blasts Phil Bredesen, Who Was in the Audience, for Not Calling Out Steve Cohen for Bridge Jumping Comments
U.S. Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN-07) spoke to Fox & Friends Wednesday about her Democratic counterpart Steve Cohen’s violent remarks about wishing she would jump off a bridge. The interview is available here. Ainsley Earhardt played the Huffington Post’s audio of U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen (D-TN-09) saying he wished President Donald…
Read MoreSun Country Airlines Announces New Service from Nashville
Sun Country Airlines announced it is growing its network with new routes and destinations, including new service to Nashville from Minneapolis/St. Paul. From Nashville, new service begins in November to Fort Myers, Miami, New Orleans, Orlando, and Tampa. If you book by August 22 you may take advantage of low introductory…
Read MoreBill Lee Announces ‘Believe in Tennessee Tour’
Tennessee Republican gubernatorial nominee Bill Lee on Wednesday announced his 95 county General Election tour. The “Believe in Tennessee Tour” will bring Lee to talk to voters and highlight his policies and belief that he is the right leader to keep Tennessee going in the right direction, his campaign said…
Read MoreOne Reported Case of Measles in Tennessee ‘Acquired from Outside U.S.’ in Midst of Nationwide Outbreak
There’s a reported nationwide outbreak of measles. Even though Tennessee is one of the affected areas, in fact, only one person in the Volunteer State got it, according to the Tennessee Department of Health. “These cases are not part of one outbreak,” said Bill Christian, department spokesman, in an emailed…
Read MoreSecretary of Defense Mattis Criticizes Chinese Aggression During South American Tour
by Carla Babb Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis has cautioned South American allies against Chinese aggression, slamming what he called China’s “predatory economics” and its militarization of increasingly important areas in both sea and space. Speaking to a group of military students in Rio de Janeiro, Mattis called for…
Read MoreDNC Breaks Silence On Keith Ellison Domestic Abuse Allegations
by Peter Hasson – The DNC is “reviewing” domestic abuse allegations against Minnesota Rep. and Deputy DNC Chairman Keith Ellison. – Ellison is accused of abusing his ex-girlfriend, Sierra Club activist Karen Monahan. – The DNC should have suspended Ellison “at a minimum,” according to the former DNC communications…
Read MoreTurnout in Minnesota, Wisconsin Primary Elections at a Twenty-Year High
Reuters Voter engagement in the 2018 U.S. midterm races remains feverish, primaries in notable swing states Wisconsin and Minnesota showed on Tuesday. Both states showed sharp increases in participation as voters picked candidates for Congress, Senate and governor, with Minnesota’s turnout surpassing a two-decade high and Wisconsin’s hitting levels…
Read MoreStudent Debt in the United States Tops $1.4 Trillion
by Andrew Kerr Students continue to struggle mightily to repay their student debt amid a booming economy, according to a report released Tuesday by the New York Fed. Outstanding student loan debt stood at $1.41 trillion at the end of June, making it the second largest category of household…
Read MoreKansas Governor Concedes, Says He Will Back Kris Kobach, Trump-Endorsed GOP Nominee
Kansas Governor Jeff Colyer says he will endorse Republican nominee for governor Kris Kobach after conceding in the state’s GOP primary in a surprise announcement a week after their neck-and-neck finish threatened to send the race to a recount. Colyer accepted defeat Tuesday evening after a review of some provisional…
Read MoreWith the Successful Bans of Plastic Bags and Straws, Environmental Activists Eye Balloons
Now that plastic straws may be headed for extinction, could Americans’ love of balloons be deflated? The joyous celebration of releasing balloons into the air has long bothered environmentalists, who say the pieces that fall back to earth can be deadly to seabirds and turtles that eat them. So as…
Read MoreCommentary: The ‘Willy Horton Moment’ in the Pennsylvania Senate Race
by George Rasley When Muslim terrorist Edward Archer shot Philadelphia Police Officer Jesse Hartnett, and Democratic Mayor James Kenny said the attack had “nothing to do with being a Muslim or following the Islamic faith” we wrote in our article Jim Kenny: Having A Mayor Like This Could Get You…
Read MoreLet Me Take a Selfie: Gill Discusses the Public’s Phone Fascination with Chaos and Disaster
Throughout Tuesday’s broadcast of The Gill Report – live on WETR 92.3 FM in Knoxville – conservative political commentator and Tennessee Star Political Editor Steve Gill was beside himself as he described the unconscionable phenomenon of selfies and the public’s fascination with taking out their phone in the midst of…
Read MoreGov. Phil Bredesen Cut Elderly, Sick and Disabled From TennCare While Enrolling Refugees
Phil Bredesen, the health insurance executive turned governor, had an antidote to contain the spiraling costs of the state’s Medicaid program – disenroll elderly, sick and disabled Tennesseans from TennCare. According to Gordon Bonnyman, co-founder of the Tennessee Justice Center, two years into Bredesen’s first term as governor, “[a]pproximately 200,000…
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