Month: September 2020

Ohio State University President Sparks Controversy with Breonna Taylor Statement

Ben Kolodny

In a video statement posted on Twitter Wednesday, Ohio State University President Kristina Johnson ignited controversy with a statement about Breonna Taylor.

In the 45 second clip Johnson said:

“Breonna Taylor deserves justice, and this does not feel like justice. We cannot accept what has happened in Louisville, we grieve the tragic and senseless loss of Breonna Taylor, a daughter, a friend, a niece, a loved one, who was unarmed and asleep. The breakdown in the justice system and the killings of unarmed Black and Brown people in our country has become all too familiar, tragically. This isn’t going to stop until we create an anti-racist world. We must come together to draw strength from each other and advance our collective vision for a better world where we’ll one day have justice for all. There is much work to be done.”

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TRUMPDATE: Latest from the Team Trump Virginia Campaign for September 25

Jordan Bondurant

Welcome to the Thursday edition of our daily Virginia Trump campaign update! We will provide our readers with daily updates on the Trump Virginia campaign from today to November 3 (and after…if need be!).

It’s officially 39 days until the election on November 3 – and four days until President Trump and Joe Biden square off in the first presidential debate.

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Mobs Confront Police as Richmond Riots Continue to Engulf a City in Chaos

Jacob Taylor

Three people were arrested after a large protest gathered outside Richmond Police headquarters in downtown Richmond Wednesday night.

The protest, which hundreds of people took part in, was in response to the decision by a grand jury in Louisville, Kentucky to not charge the police officers involved in Breonna Taylor’s death. 

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870,000 U.S. Workers File New Unemployment Claims, Overall Rate Dips Slightly

Virginia Star Staff

About 870,000 workers filed new unemployment claims last week, a slight increase from the week prior though the overall unemployment rate continues its slow decline.

According to U.S. Department of Labor data released Thursday, the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 8.6% for the week ending Sept. 12, with 12.58 million workers filing continued claims for benefits.

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Commentary: 1776 Trump Is the Best Trump

Virginia Star Staff

In an odd echo of Patrick Buchanan, the godfather of Trumpism, Joe Biden has called this election “a battle for the soul of the nation.” The path forward for President Trump is again to take up Buchanan’s mantle, as he did so boldly four years ago. The sudden death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg has put a sharper edge on the point: this is a culture war that must be won.

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Protesters Arrested in Louisville After Grand Jury Indicts Only One of Three Officers in Breonna Taylor Shooting

Virginia Star Staff

In a decision that has inflamed Black Lives Matter activists in Louisville, a grand jury has indicted only one of three officers involved in  the March 13 fatal police shooting of 26-year-old Breonna Taylor.

Former detective Brett Hankison was indicted on three counts of wanton endangerment for showing “extreme indifference to human life” when he fired his gun into three apartments. The charges were not for killing Taylor, but for putting her neighbors in danger.

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Blackburn Joins Senators in Questioning Netflix Over Decision to Create Show Based on Scifi Novels by Liu Cixin, Who Supports Communist China’s Internment of Uyghurs

Virginia Star Staff

U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) is sounding the alarm about Netflix over the streaming service’s plans to adapt and promote a Chinese sci-fi book series written by an author who expresses support for the Communist government’s “re-education” camps for Muslim Uyghurs.

On Wednesday, Blackburn and U.S. Sens. Rick Scott (R-FL), Kevin Cramer (R-ND), Thom Tillis (R-NC) and Martha McSally (R-AZ) signed a letter to Ted Sarandos Jr., co-CEO and chief content officer for Netflix.

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Minnesota Bail Fund Promoted by Kamala Harris Helped Free Serial Domestic Abusers

Virginia Star Staff

A bail fund promoted by Democratic vice presidential nominee Kamala Harris helped bail out of jail six men accused of domestic violence between June and August, court documents obtained by the Daily Caller News Foundation show.

Two of the men face felony charges for allegedly strangling women in their own homes, and another stands accused of beating his girlfriend upwards of six times with a closed fist, records show. All but one of the individuals had been convicted of prior domestic violence-related charges when the Minnesota Freedom Fund (MFF) helped bail them out of jail, according to court records.

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High School Football Team Banned from Waving Pro-Police Flag After Online Backlash

Virginia Star Staff

A Florida High School has reportedly banned their football team from waving a flag meant to memorialize a police officer after critics said the display is racist.

The Fletcher High School football team had been running onto the field with the pro-law enforcement sign since last year to honor one of the player’s late father, a former cop who died suddenly in August 2019 after 29 years on the job. However the display was stopped this week after complaints, News4Jax reported.

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Republicans to Take Pennsylvania Mail-in Voting Case to Supreme Court

Virginia Star Staff

Republicans will ask the Supreme Court to review a ruling out of Pennsylvania that extended the due date for mail-in ballots for the coming presidential election. This will be the first political test of the Supreme Court following the passing of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg last Friday evening.

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Johnson & Johnson Begins Final Stage of Testing for Its Single-Dose COVID-19 Vaccine

Virginia Star Staff

Johnson & Johnson began its final round of testing for its COVID-19 vaccine Wednesday.

The study is one of the most expansive to occur so far, involving 60,000 volunteers across the United States, Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Peru, Mexico and South Africa, the Associated Press reported. The vaccine is the latest to begin its final testing phase, joining candidates developed by Moderna and Pfizer, and is the only vaccine that would be administered as a single dose.

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Analysis: Disruption and Defamation in the Mortgage Industry

Virginia Star Staff

A few weeks ago, Anthony Casa began sending lewd text and video messages to Austin Niemiec, an executive vice president at the world’s largest non-bank lender, Quicken Loans and third-parties including other bankers.

In one video, Casa said, in her college days, Niemiec’s future wife, Theresa, had performed oral sex on a man in college named Mat Ishbia and congratulated Austin for “marrying up.” 

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Florida Congressman Matt Gaetz Dissects Bloomberg’s Plan to Buy Biden Votes, Hispanic Voters, and His New Book ‘Firebrand’

Julie Carr

Wednesday morning on The John Fredericks Show, host John Fredericks welcomed Congressman Matt Gaetz to the show to discuss Bloomberg’s plan to buy criminals vote for Joe Biden and discuss his new book Firebrand.

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Tony Pham Discusses His Transtion to Acting Director of ICE and His Visit From the Violent Left Wing Mobs at His Home in Virginia

Julie Carr

Wednesday morning on The John Fredericks Show, host Fredericks welcomed Acting Director of ICE Tony Pham to the show to discuss his transition and a disturbing visit from the mobs at his home in Virginia.

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U.S. Attorney’s Office Drops Charges Against Visiting Chinese Scientist Accused of Trade Secret Theft

Corinne Murdock

The Charlottesville U.S. Attorney’s office dropped all charges of trade secret theft and computer intrusion against visiting Chinese scientist Haizhou Hu. The prosecution determined that some of the trade secrets were within Hu’s authorized access while at University of Virginia (UVA).
Hu has ties to the Chinese military. The researcher works for the Chinese Key Laboratory for Fluid Dynamics at China’s Beihang University, which the Chinese government and military both fund.

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Letter to the Editor: Why I Am Voting Republican This Fall

Virginia Star Staff

I am not voting for a man. I do not give blanket or tacit approval to everything our President has done or said in the past and certainly what he will say or do in the future. I at times cringe at his tweets nor condone some of his actions. Like the fireman who drops the “f bomb” and uses other “salty” language while putting out the fire in your house, I can live with President Trump’s foibles. He gets the job done and at the end of the day it is results that count as our Commander-in-Chief. Nor do I approve of what Vice President Biden has said or done in the past or promises to do in the future. He has had forty-seven years in government to get it right and he has failed miserably. As Robert Gates stated, “I think he has been wrong on nearly every major foreign policy and national security issue over the past four decades.” I challenge you to name one of Joe’s accomplishments.

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Child Abuse Reports Are Down, But It Might Be Because Schools Are Closed

Eric Burk

Since COVID-19 hit, official reports of child abuse and neglect have decreased nationally and in Virginia, but pediatrics experts warn that might not mean fewer cases of abuse.

“When families and parents are under greater stress, generally abuse increases,” President of the Virginia Chapter American Academy of Pediatrics Michael Martin told The Virginia Star.

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TRUMPDATE: Latest from the Team Trump Virginia Campaign for September 24

Jordan Bondurant

Welcome to the Thursday edition of our daily Virginia Trump campaign update! We will provide our readers with daily updates on the Trump Virginia campaign from today to November 3 (and after…if need be!).

It’s officially 40 days until the election on November 3 – and five days until President Trump and Joe Biden square off in the first presidential debate.

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Gade Abandons Trump on Key Immigration Policy in First Debate U.S. Senate with Warner

Corinne Murdock

Senator Mark Warner (D-VA) and Republican challenger Daniel Gade appeared virtually on NBC4 for their first debate. NBC News’ Chuck Todd moderated the debate from Washington, D.C. with a live Zoom audience.
Topics included the Supreme Court nominations, COVID-19, the digital divide, policing, racial justice, immigration, and the election.

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UVA to Students: Lockdown! But…Pay Us!

Jacob Taylor

University of Virginia (UVA) President Jim Ryan announced new COVID-19 restrictions on Tuesday prohibiting student gathering of five or more people, mandating constant use of masks or face coverings and banning  travel and visitors coming to campus for at least the next two weeks. 

The restrictions apply to students, faculty and staff, living on and off campus, and went into effect on Wednesday at 9 a.m. 

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Virginia House Caves on Anti Police Bill

Jacob Taylor

Democratic and Republican legislators on the House Courts of Justice Committee killed legislation on Tuesday that would have eliminated the six month mandatory minimum sentence for assaulting a law enforcement officer. 

Senate Bill 5032, sponsored by Sen. Scott Surovell (D-Fairfax County) was passed by indefinitely by a vote of 18-Y 1-N 1-A, ending any chance of being signed into law during the 2020 special session. 

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Senate Report Slams Bidens for Conflicts of Interest, Flags Possible Criminal Activity

Virginia Star Staff

by John Solomon   A year-long Senate investigation concluded Wednesday that Hunter Biden’s efforts to cash in on foreign business deals during his father’s vice presidency raised alarm among U.S. government officials, who perceived an ethical conflict of interest and flagged concerns about possible criminal activity ranging from bribery to…

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Virginia House: We Don’t Need No Stinkin’ History

Jacob Taylor

The Virginia state Senate Committee on Local Government passed by for the day a House bill that would authorize localities to remove, relocate or alter memorials for war veterans, including the Civil War. 

Through a voice vote, House Bill (HB) 5030 was passed by for the day with the understanding that the committee chair will write a letter to the Department of Historic Resources and the Attorney General’s office for a better understanding on the memorials and of any potential legal ramifications from the bill. 

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Julie Strauss Levin Commentary: It’s Our Suburbia, Let’s Keep It That Way

Virginia Star Staff

We moms treasure suburban life. We dream of having a home where our children can ride their bikes and play safely with their friends. We save our money for that special home on that special street in that special neighborhood and that special school district to educate our children. We live in the suburbs because we know what’s best for our families. And dads do, too.

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Obamacare Loophole Allows Medicaid Fraud, Costs Taxpayers, Report Says

Virginia Star Staff

The Affordable Care Act mandated that states accept a hospitals’ decision on the eligibility of all able-bodied adults who verbally report their income to be below the Medicaid level, which has led to many fraudulent eligibility claims, according to a report published Monday.

The Foundation for Government Accountability (FGA) report examined recently released data from state Medicaid agencies. It specifically looked at the government Medicaid funds that were wasted through false hospitals’ presumptive eligibility (HPE) determinations.

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Over 60 Percent of Americans Say They Will Not Get a First Generation Coronavirus Vaccine

Virginia Star Staff

Sixty-one percent of Americans surveyed now say that they would not get a first-generation coronavirus vaccine as soon as it available, an Axios-Ipsos poll shows.

The percentage is eight points lower than a month ago, a drop that is reflected among both Democrats and Republicans, the Ipsos index shows. The United States is approaching 200,000 coronavirus deaths, according to a Johns Hopkins University database.

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Commentary: COVID Authoritarians Got the Science Wrong

Virginia Star Staff

A dozen generations or so ago, the scientific method gradually began superseding the method of authority as the most reliable way of knowing the world. We no longer had to accept without question what powerful individuals and institutions asserted; we could observe and test and measure, relying on a more objective approach. This profound shift in focus helped the human family take steps away from darkness and toward light. But apparently the light was too bright.

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Just the News Launching TV Initiative, Partnering with Real America’s Voice Network

Virginia Star Staff

Just the News announced Tuesday it is getting into the television business, forging a strategic partnership with Real America’s Voice (RAV-TV) to provide daily news content and original shows for the fledgling digital news channel founded in 2018.

Real America’s Voice is owned by Performance One Media, a successful media solutions company that operates several successful digital content channels, including the popular Weather Nation.

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Secrecy Requirement Could See 100,000 Pennsylvania Ballots Disqualified, Dem Official Says

Virginia Star Staff

As many as 100,000 Pennsylvania voters could have their ballots discarded in November due to a state law that requires absentee ballots to be returned inside a secrecy sleeve, according to a Democratic official on the Philadelphia city commission.

Pennsylvania’s Supreme Court ordered election officials to discard “naked ballots” in a decision issued last week, a move that could result in tens of thousands of ballots disqualified in a critical battleground state, City Commissioner Lisa Deeley wrote in a letter to Republican state legislators.

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Commentary: Dear GOP Senate, Please Get This Right!

Virginia Star Staff

As Jack Nicholson said in “Terms of Endearment,” you were just inches from a clean getaway.
Armed with a wholly unimpressive list of accomplishments from the past four years, with the exception of confirming hundreds of federal judges, you were prepared to return home to defend your paltry record with little more than the argument that the other side is much, much worse. Which, lucky for you, is true.

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Senate GOP Lines up with Trump to Quickly Fill Court Seat

The Associated Press

Senate Republicans have swiftly fallen in line behind President Donald Trump’s push to fill the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s Supreme Court seat as one of the last holdouts, Sen. Mitt Romney, said Tuesday he supports a vote despite Democrats’ objections it’s too close to the Nov. 3 election.

Trump, who will announce his nominee Saturday, is all but certain to have the votes to confirm his choice.

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Steve Bannon Explains How Florida is the Key to a Trump Victory on November Third and How the Dems Plan to Steal It

Julie Carr

Live from Virginia Tuesday morning on The John Fredericks Show –  weekdays on WNTW AM 820/ FM 92.7 – Richmond, WJFN FM 100.5 – Central Virginia, WMPH AM 1010 / FM 100.1 / FM 96.9 (7-9 PM) Hampton Roads, WBRG AM 1050 / FM 105.1 – Lynchburg/Roanoke and Weekdays 6-10 am and 24/7 Stream –  host Fredericks welcomed Steve Bannon to the show.

During the show, Bannon reiterated that it was time for all Trump supporters to step up and make getting out the vote their primary objective. He goes on to explain how the Democrats are preparing to steal the vote after a Trump victory on November third and that Florida is the key.

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Trump Intends to Visit Virginia After Denouncing Gov. Northam and Endorsing Bob Good

Corinne Murdock

President Donald Trump announced his intentions to visit Virginia after denouncing Governor Ralph Northam and endorsing congressional candidate Bob Good.

Trump tweeted his remarks on the first day of Virginia’s early voting and submission of absentee ballots, September 18.

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Passionately Catholic: Embrace Life

Virginia Star Staff

Ponder this…

There are new terms that have recently entered our daily vocabulary. One of these rather annoying terms is social distancing. Who would have imagined that there would be six foot markers on the floors of commercial retail and even religious establishments, indicating our limitations to access one another.

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Chesapeake Passes Second Amendment Sanctuary Resolution

Eric Burk

The Chesapeake City Council voted 6-1 with one “present” vote to approve a Second Amendment sanctuary city resolution on Tuesday evening. The council also voted to add a clause to the resolution asking “the Governor of Virginia and the General Assembly to preserve the authority of local governing bodies to make legislative decisions to the best interest of the citizens.”

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TRUMPDATE: Latest from the Team Trump Virginia Campaign for September 23

Jordan Bondurant

Welcome to a new Wednesday edition of our daily Virginia Trump campaign update! We will provide our readers with daily updates on the Trump Virginia campaign from today to November 3 (and after…if need be!).

It’s officially 41 days until the election on November 3 – and six days until President Trump and Joe Biden square off in the first presidential debate.

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Babies Lives Matter Backs Down BLM

Eric Burk

Venture Richmond has canceled plans to paint a “Black Lives Matter” mural on Grace Street in Richmond. The change in plans came two weeks after local businessman Mike Dickinson submitted a permit request to paint a “Baby Lives Matter” mural on Hamilton Street in front of a Planned Parenthood office.

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Metro Nashville Coronavirus Task Force Chair Dr. Alex Jahangir on July 2: ‘Saturday I Got A Call . . . 30 People Confirmed That Have Tested Positive . . . So This Was Atypical, Right?’

Chris Butler

As The Tennessee Star reported on Monday, Nashville Mayor John Cooper announced at a July 2 press conference he was turning the city back to Phase Two from Phase Three, shutting all bars down for 14 days, temporarily shutting down all entertainment and event venues, and reducing restaurant capacity from to 75 percent to 50 percent due to “record numbers” of COVID-19 cases traceable back to bars and restaurants.

Mayor Cooper did not provide any specific details to substantiate his assertion of “record numbers.”

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Dangerous Police Reform Bills Keep Moving In VA House

Jacob Taylor

The House Committee on Public Safety conformed multiple bills from the Senate relating to police reform on Monday as the 2020 special session enters its fifth week.

Legislation is conformed when there are two similar bills that have both come out of the House and Senate, and are being considered by committees of the other legislative body.

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Commentary: The True Impact of Virtual Learning on our Families and our Future

Virginia Star Staff

This morning, my son, a high school senior doing virtual learning, texted me, “I didn’t get out of bed for first period.” I replied, “Yikes!” To which he shot back, “It’s okay, I just did the class from bed.”

This cannot be a thing! Kids should not be going to school from their beds!

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Steve Bannon on The John Fredericks Show: How Democrats Plan to Steal the Election

Corinne Murdock

Former White House Chief Strategist Steve Bannon appeared on The John Fredericks Show (JFRS) to share how Democrats are undermining the election. The exchange is part of Bannon’s newest national tour, “Plot to Steal 2020.”
Bannon unveiled the tour in his first interview since his arrest. The War Room – Pandemic host claimed that the fraud charges against him are part of a bigger plan targeting Trump’s associates ahead of the election. 

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DOJ Identifies New York City, Portland, Seattle as Violent Anarchist Jurisdictions in Move to Revoke Federal Funding

Virginia Star Staff

The Department of Justice on Monday identified three cities—New York City, Portland, and Seattle—as jurisdictions that have permitted “violence and destruction of property,” thereby meeting President Trump’s criteria for withholding federal funding to those areas.

Earlier this month, the president issued a memorandum asking the Director of the Office of Management and Budget, Secretary of Homeland Security, and Attorney General Barr to list the areas that “have permitted violence and the destruction of property to persist and have refused to undertake reasonable measures to counteract these criminal activities.”

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Gov. Northam Announces Flawed Rebuild VA Grant Fund Eligibility Expanded

Jacob Taylor

The eligibility for the REBUILD! VA Grant Fund for businesses, nonprofits impacted by COVID-19 has been expanded to a wider scope of small businesses, according to a news release. 

The expansion of grant program, administered by the Department of Small Business and Supplier Diversity (SBSD), now includes small hotels, bed and breakfast facilities and Virginia film companies as well as companies that provide goods or services to eligible businesses. 

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Outside Prosecutor Investigating Stoney’s Contract Removing Monuments

Eric Burk

Augusta County Prosecutor Timothy Martin will investigate a contract used by Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney earlier this summer to remove parts of eight of Richmond’s Confederate monuments.

In August, Richmond City Councilmember and candidate for Stoney’s seat Kim Gray called for investigation into the contract. The contract paid $1.8 million to NAH LLC, which has ties to Devon Henry who, in 2016, donated $4,000 to Stoney’s campaign for mayor.

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