National political reporter Neil W. McCabe said President-elect Donald Trump’s presidency will have the “energy of the first term” with the “wisdom of a second term,” which may end up helping Republicans pick up seats in the 2026 midterm elections.
See and search for more segments of The Tennessee Star Report with Michael Patrick Leahy
Dr. Carol Swain Previews New Book Titled, ‘The Gay Affair’
Dr. Carol M. Swain, a retired university professor who was tenured at Vanderbilt and Princeton Universities, has published her latest book titled, The Gay Affair.
Forthcoming Supreme Court Decision in U.S. v. Skrmetti Likely to ‘Drive a Lot of Change’ Inside Gender Clinics and Hospitals, Tennessee AG Says
Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti said he believes that if the U.S. Supreme Court rules to uphold Tennessee’s state that bans irreversible gender transitioning treatments for minors in the case United States v. Skrmetti, the demand for such treatments across the nation will also see a halt.
Matt Kittle: Trump’s Case Against Iowa Pollster Should Not be Downplayed
Matt Kittle, a senior elections correspondent for The Federalist, said he believes President-elect Donald Trump’s lawsuit against Iowa pollster Ann Selzer and the Des Moines Register will have more of an effect than experts believe.
Dave Brat: Ukraine’s War with Russia ‘True Tragedy’ Fueled by U.S. Interests
Liberty University’s School of Business Dean Dave Brat recently returned from a trip to Kiev, Ukraine, with religious leaders and academics to survey the country amid its ongoing war with Russia.
Brat said Ukrainian officials were attempting to woo his group of conservative Christians on board with funding the country’s fight against Russia during the week-long trip; however, he noted that his stance on funding the war “hasn’t changed.”
Police Must Confirm Existence of Manifesto Reportedly Left by Abundant Life Christian School Shooter, Reporter Tom Pappert Says
Tom Pappert, lead reporter at The Tennessee Star, stressed the importance that the Madison Police Department (MPD) in Wisconsin confirms or denies the existence of a six-page manifesto reportedly written by the 15-year-old Abundant Life Christian School shooter that is being shared by online personalities.
On Monday, MPD identified the shooter who killed two and injured seven at the Abundant Life Christian School as 15-year-old Natalie Rupnow.
Tennessee House Majority Leader William Lamberth Details How New School Choice Bill is a ‘Win-Win for Everybody’
Tennessee House Majority Leader William Lamberth (R-Portland) said the new universal school choice bill filed last month in the Tennessee General Assembly is a “win-win” for “everybody” on the issue, specifically for those in favor of a school choice program and those in favor of allocating more funding for public schools.
Reporter Tom Pappert Discusses Silence Around Video Taken by Veteran Inside Texas VA Hospital of Employees Allegedly Having Sexual Relations
Tom Pappert, lead reporter at The Tennessee Star, said the director of the Thomas E. Creek VA Medical Center in Amarillo, Texas has yet to respond after The Star inquired about allegations made by a veteran who received health care from the facility in 2022 and claims to have documented two employees at the VA facility having sexual relations just feet away from where he was being treated.
Last week, The Star obtained a video from retired U.S. Army Sergeant Donald Belzer, who claimed that the footage shows two staff members at the Amarillo VA Health Care System engaged in sexual activity inside a closet marked “Clean Supplies,” just feet away where he was being treated for a hand injury.
Tennessee AG Jonathan Skrmetti: State Law Banning Gender Transitioning Treatments for Minors Based on ‘Evidence’
Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti said Tennessee’s SB1 law that bans irreversible gender transitioning treatments for minors was crafted and implemented based on “evidence” and is being challenged by parties who collectively believe in a “consensus” that is simply not based on evidence.
Exclusive: Tennessee AG Jonathan Skrmetti Reflects on Oral Arguments in United States v. Skrmetti
Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti sat down for an exclusive interview with The Tennessee Star’s CEO and Editor-in-Chief Michael Patrick Leahy on Friday to detail last week’s oral arguments in front of the U.S. Supreme Court in the case United States v. Skrmetti and how the nation is perceiving the case in the days after.
Last Wednesday, the Supreme Court heard oral arguments in United States v. Skrmetti, a case challenging Tennessee’s law that bans irreversible gender transitioning treatments for minors.
Legal Expert Mark Pulliam: California Lawsuit Against Trans Doctor Has the Ability to ‘Collapse’ Entire Gender Transitioning Industry for Minors
Mark Pulliam, a retired attorney and Misrule of Law blogger, said a lawsuit filed in California against a doctor who specializes in “youth gender medicine” for medical negligence has the ability to “collapse” the entire “enterprise” of gender transitioning treatments for minors.
Legal Expert Braden Boucek: Federal Government Rule Proposal Would ‘Make Boating Impossible’ in the Atlantic
Braden Boucek, vice president of Litigation for Southeastern Legal Foundation, is bringing awareness to a proposed rule by the Biden administration that can “make boating impossible” in the Atlantic seaboard.
In an attempt to protect the endangered Right Whale, the Biden administration’s National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has proposed a new rule that would bar boaters from traveling over 10 knots, which is approximately the speed of a golf cart, through North Atlantic Right Whale seasonal management areas.
EJ Haust Raises Questions About Alleged Killer of UnitedHealth CEO
EJ Haust, a digital marketing expert and former journalist, brought attention to apparent inconsistencies with the alleged killer of UnitedHealth CEO Brian Thompson who was apprehended in Pennsylvania on Monday.
AG Jonathan Skrmetti ‘Absolutely Confident’ in How Tennessee Defended Law Banning ‘Gender Transition’ Puberty Blockers for Minors Before Supreme Court
Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti said he believes that Tennessee Solicitor General Matt Rice strongly defended Senate Bill 1 (SB1) in front of the Supreme Court. SB1 is Tennessee’s state law that bans irreversible gender transition-inducing puberty blockers and hormones for minors.
Governor Bill Lee signed SB1 into law last year, which forbids healthcare providers from performing or administering to underage children “gender-affirming” medical procedures or treatments – including puberty blockers, hormone therapy, and sex-change surgeries – for the purpose of enabling the child to identify with the opposite gender.
Pollster John McLaughlin: Trump Won Landslide Election as Americans Experienced ‘Buyers Remorse’ from Biden Administration
Pollster John McLaughlin said president-elect Donald Trump’s victory in the 2024 presidential election stemmed from Americans having “buyers remorse” from the policies and actions taken by the Biden-Harris administration over the course of four years.
Reporter Tom Pappert: Release of Full Covenant Killer Manifesto Will Allow a Glimpse into ‘What Went Wrong’ with Mental Healthcare Over the Last Decade
Tom Pappert, lead reporter at The Tennessee Star, said the full release of the Covenant school shooter manifesto would allow a glimpse into how treatments for mental health diagnoses, specifically when it comes to transgender individuals, have dramatically changed over the last decade.
EJ Haust Applauds Trump’s ‘Power Move’ While Meeting with Canada Prime Minister at Mar-a-Lago
EJ Haust, a digital marketing expert and former journalist who lived in Minnesota for 12 years before relocating to Tennessee, said President-elect Donald Trump’s meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau at Mar-a-Lago was a “power move” that signals how America is back as a “superpower” nation under a second Trump administration.
Trudeau met with Trump at Mar-a-Lago on Friday, days after the president-elect threatened to impose a 25 percent tariff on all goods coming into the U.S. from Canada and Mexico until the two bordering countries work to stop the flow of drugs and illegal immigration into the U.S. via executive order.
EJ Haust: If Joe Biden was a ‘Decent Father,’ Hunter Biden Wouldn’t Need to be Pardoned
EJ Haust, a digital marketing expert and former journalist who lived in Minnesota for 12 years before relocating to Tennessee, said first son Hunter Biden would not need to be pardoned if his father, President Joe Biden, was “decent” and didn’t bring his children up in a “international crime family.”
Reporter Tom Pappert: Democrats ‘Upset’ with Kash Patel’s Nomination to Serve as FBI Director Due to His Intent to Release Full Covenant Killer Manifesto, Epstein Client List
Tom Pappert, lead reporter at The Tennessee Star, said Democratic lawmakers and members of the FBI “deep state” are in a panic mode over President-elect Donald Trump nominating Kash Patel to serve as Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) due to Patel’s past callings for the full release of major classified documents.
Michael Patrick Leahy Explains How Elon Musk’s Life Goal Makes Him a Unique American Icon
Michael Patrick Leahy, CEO and editor-in-chief of The Tennessee Star, discussed his thoughts on author Walter Isaacson’s biography “Elon Musk” on Monday’s edition of his radio show. He explained how Musk is a unique American icon due to his lifelong work to “advance the cause of humanity” through his business ventures.
On Monday’s edition of The Michael Patrick Leahy Show, Leahy said he read Isaacson’s biography on Musk over the Thanksgiving holiday, which increased his admiration for the richest man in the world since the billionaire began publicly supporting Donald Trump during the 2024 presidential election.