NASHVILLE—Tennessee’s Marsha Blackburn is officially throwing her hat in the ring for governor, saying she wants to help make the increasingly red state “America’s conservative leader.” Freshly elected to her second term in the Senate, Blackburn has emerged as a close ally of President Donald Trump in Tennessee. Her opening pitch to voters in her gubernatorial run highlights her relationship with the president, saying Trump needs “strong conservative governors” to deliver his agenda. “In his first six months, President Trump has made historic strides in Making America Great Again, but as he sends power back to the states, he’s going to need strong conservative governors who can bring that revolution home,” Blackburn said. “I’m running to serve as Tennessee’s next governor to ensure Tennessee is America’s conservative leader.” Blackburn has been openly considering a run for governor since January, but a packed legislative schedule in Washington, D.C. — with pressure to pass not only Trump’s signature legislation, but also confirm his nominees — has made launching a statewide campaign in Tennessee a challenge. Her announcement comes exactly a year before the Republican primary and just days after Trump greenlit Senate Republicans to break for recess. The senator is immediately the favorite, with near certainty that she’ll enter the primary with Trump’s endorsement. Her chief competitor will be Republican Rep. John Rose, a wealthy businessman who declared in March and is expected to self-fund his campaign. Blackburn’s opening ad aligns with Trump’s priorities, pledging to deport illegal aliens “whether it takes planes, trains, or starships,” “define our boys and girls the way God made them,” and keep the momentum going for Tennessee, which is booming in popularity. DW SHOP: Get your MAKE AMERICA TENNESSEE hat here! “Tennessee is the greatest place in the world to rear a family and make a life and a living, and together, we can make our great state even better,” Blackburn says. Blackburn, who lives in the Nashville area, has been a Tennessee lawmaker since 1999, when she was elected to the state legislature. Before being elected to the Senate, she represented Tennessee in the House of Representatives for nearly two decades. Tennessee Governor Bill Lee (R.), who is serving his second term, is term limited and cannot run for re-election. The state has not been led by a Democrat since 2011.

Republican Governor Greg Abbott asked the Texas Supreme Court on Tuesday to remove Democrat House Caucus Chair Gene Wu from office after he, along with 50 other Democratic lawmakers, left the state to block a vote on GOP-backed congressional redistricting.  Wu and the other Democrats fled Texas on Sunday to deny Republicans the quorum needed to proceed. Abbott filed a lawsuit seeking to remove Wu from office, claiming he was violating the state Constitution and effectively forfeiting his seat.  “What is at stake here? Nothing less than the future of Texas. If a small fraction of recalcitrant lawmakers choose to run out the clock today, they can do so for any, and every, Regular or Special Session, potentially bankrupting the State in an attempt to get their way,” Abbott wrote. “That means every state budget could be held hostage until the whims of a small fraction of legislators is satisfied.” “If representatives are free not to show up whenever they choose, then Texans simply do not have a representative government. In fact, they don’t have a functioning government at all. This Court should make clear that a legislator who does not wish to perform his duties will be stripped of them,” the suit added.  The suit argues that leaving a constitutionally mandated session “constitutes a forfeiture of office” and that soliciting donations to cover the $500 daily fee legislatures face for missing the session is bribery.  The redistricting maps set to be considered by the Texas House are expected to create five new favorable congressional districts for Republicans.  Wu claimed Tuesday that his actions were noble.  “Let me be unequivocal about my actions and my duty. When a governor conspires with a disgraced president to ram through a racist gerrymandered map, my constitutional duty is to not be a willing participant,” he said in a statement.  Trump has backed the GOP-led redistricting efforts, saying that Republicans “are entitled to five more seats.”  ​​“We have an opportunity in Texas to pick up five seats. We have a really good governor, and we have good people in Texas. And I won Texas,” Trump told CNBC. “I got the highest vote in the history of Texas, as you probably know, and we are entitled to five more seats.” California Governor Gavin Newsom has vowed to “fight fire with fire” if the Texas redistricting efforts move forward, saying such a move would “trigger” a California response that would put a retaliatory redistricting proposal before voters in November. 

Swimming at the Newport Aquarium in Newport, Kentucky, Jasmine the Siren flirts with pennant butterflyfish. Jasmine is a professional mermaid, and she loves swimming and playing with fish. She swims with a group of mermaids with Wands and Wishes Mermaids (WW Mermaids) who entertain patrons at the aquarium. @jasminethesiren A mermaid’s best friend These cuties love a little sand bath Newport Aquarium w/ @WW Mermaids .. #professionalmermaid #mermaid ♬ original sound – highschool simulator The pennant butterflyfish is distinct with a white body, two broad black vertical stripes, and bright yellow fins. They are a reef fish and seem right at home swimming with a mermaid. Jasmine is giving them a light dusting of sand. Watching these mermaids swim, together or alone, is mesmerizing. The fluidity of their undulations looks almost indistinguishable from what we imagine a real mermaid would look like. They are so practiced in their craft that they are a beauty in motion. @ww_mermaids Underwater magic#mermaids @finfolk_productions #underwater #mermaid #mermaidtail #mermaidshow #freedive #underwatertiktok #ilovemyjob #dive ♬ BARD’S TALE – Filip Lackovic In addition to performing as a mermaid, Jasmine is also a model, aerialist, and performance artist. As a model, she works underwater and on dry land to advertise and model name-brand clothing. Flying as an aerialist, she performs at events and Faires. As a performance artist, she might show up as a living statue or a fairie to bring magic and fantasy to any event. Newport Aquarium, where Jasmine and other WW Mermaids perform, has been open since 1999. Located only two minutes from downtown Cincinnati, the aquarium serves patrons from Ohio and Kentucky. It is home to thousands of aquatic animals. You can waddle with penguins, see a white alligator, and enjoy other marine life. Play on a sunken ship in the new Shipwreck: Realm of the Eels exhibit. You can learn more about Jasmine the Siren and Felicia on their website. You can follow Jasmine’s social media pages on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok. Please share. You can find the source of this story’s featured image here. The post Pure Underwater Magic: Meet A “Mermaid’s Best Friend” appeared first on InspireMore.

'They too should be canceled'

Charles Edward Anderson Berry was raised in St. Louis, Missouri, where he first developed his musical abilities as a teenager. During high school, he performed at local venues and absorbed a range of influences, including swing, blues, and country. A short stint in reform school temporarily interrupted his early life, but by the early 1950s, Berry had refocused his energy and began performing in clubs around St. Louis with pianist Johnnie Johnson. This partnership became a defining element of Berry’s style, blending rhythm and blues with a sharp sense of melody and lyrics that spoke directly to the youth of The post Complete List Of Chuck Berry Songs From A to Z appeared first on ClassicRockHistory.com.

Yes, I know the Boy Scout motto is “Be Prepared,” but I just couldn’t help myself! This is another article in my series, “Prepper, Heal Thyself.” The first was about how I gave up all sugar and refined carbohydrates late last year and have never looked back. In this article, I will share my own experience as a 56-year-old who is generally free of pain, and what happened when I enjoyed some supposedly “innocent” BBQ this past week at my friend’s house.  In my humble opinion, we get a lot of information about diet-ING and losing weight, but not as much as we need about the importance and potential impacts of diet. If this article can help one person who is sensitive to foods become pain-free, I will consider it a big success. I hope that others may question more seriously what IS food and what IS NOT food in all the stuff we find ourselves surrounded by. No big surprise that many are getting rich off of all the unhealthy and easily available food that surrounds us.  Because I don’t want this to be dismissed as just more “healthy eating” preaching that will turn folks off, I will share my own story first, and some of my experiences around how food impacts my body and how I eat to stay pain-free.  What Happened at the BBQ? I love BBQ, especially when it’s well-grilled and has got some of that charbroiled black stuff on it! It’s summer here, and with the climate I live in here in the north, we have to enjoy our summer as much as we can. So, when I stopped in at my friend’s place and they already had a BBQ well underway, well, OF COURSE, I’d like a grilled hot dog! And the first one was so gooood…….(honey mustard, anyone?) that I had another. Now, on my way home, I did think, “Hmmm, I don’t really eat a lot of processed meat these days, and I don’t eat white buns at all.” But that was as far as it went. Until I woke up the next morning….with JOINT PAIN. This is something I never, ever have. And here I was, with a sore hip and no other possible factor, like a long hike up a mountain, or extra strenuous chores as the cause. In fact, I had taken a break from my daily walking schedule for a few days, due to a summer cold. So, from one day, eating healthily, I was pain free, and after eating two hot dogs (Mmmmm, I still say they were good!), I had joint pain.  Now, my daily diet is quite clean, so I sure was relieved when my body cleared those chemicals and the NEXT day I woke up…you guessed it! Pain-free again.  This is my body: I am sensitive to many preservatives and chemicals in food. If I ate junk every day, I’m pretty sure I would have trouble walking, and I know I wouldn’t sleep well. How do I know this? Well, when I used to think that a fat and sugar-laden milkshake (that does not actually contain any milk) from a famous fast food chain was a treat, I would drink one when I went to the city, and wake up in the middle of the night that night, literally SCREAMING in pain. I am not kidding you! All joints in agony, hurting everywhere, I was an inflammatory mess.  This is where I want folks to be thinking….”Hmmmm, I have pain like that, and I eat that stuff she’s talking about….I wonder if…..” What Has “Cured” Me I am going to say that I don’t think that there is anything wrong with me. It’s what wrong with what they call food in this country of ours. What keeps me pain-free is eating like my granddad and grandma ate on the dairy farm my mother grew up on. I eat the basics, without a lot of frills. I cook it myself, even when I don’t want to. Yes, I eat meat, but it’s not processed and preserved with chemicals. The beef I eat is purchased from a local abattoir from a local farmer whose reputation is highly respected.  Slowly, over time, I have kept a pretty consistent diet. This has allowed me to quickly identify when I get a reaction from an unusual food. Generally, it is processed foods, such as canned soups, stews, etc, and fast food itself that cause these reactions and bring on the pain. Am I bummed about it? Heck no! I think of my body as the ole “canary in the coal mine” warning me to get those unhealthy foods out of my diet for good.  What Is It? Over time, my diet has become what is commonly called an “anti-inflammatory” diet. There are certain foods that you want to avoid in this diet. According to the Cleveland Clinic, the foods that increase inflammation in the body include  “Sweets, like commercial baked goods, pre-packaged desserts, ice cream, and candy. Snack foods, like potato chips and microwave popcorn. Processed meats, including bacon, sausage, hot dogs, bologna, pepperoni, and salami. Processed cheeses, like nacho cheese dip and American cheese slices. Sugary beverages, including soda and sports drinks. Fried foods, like fried chicken and French fries.”  Ouch! That list is sort of like the American fast food diet, ain’t it? Now, here’s a list of the foods that you want to increase in your diet, because they are known to reduce inflammation. According to Harvard Health, here they are: Tomatoes Olive oil Green leafy vegetables, such as spinach, kale, and collards Nuts like almonds and walnuts Fatty fish like salmon, mackerel, tuna, and sardines Fruits such as strawberries, blueberries, cherries, and oranges Why Bother? Yeah, you might look at these lists and think, “No way! I’m not giving up the foods I love, and I won’t survive on the “can eat” foods.” I understand. The gap between these two is pretty large and not likely to be spanned in a week’s time. However, I can’t overemphasize the importance to me of living pain-free. Add to that, that I’m in perfect health. Now, I’m not saying that to brag.  I’m going to tell you that there are some issues with the O’Malley genes and my female cousins. Out of my six female cousins, one has already passed away from cancer before the age of sixty, one has had two cancers before the age of sixty, and another just had two cancers before the age of 55. My sister has serious inflammatory chronic health issues. Only one elder cousin and I, of the six, are the only healthy ones. So, one of the best reasons to bother is to take a look at your own family tree and decide if you like your odds on an inflammatory diet. Quite frankly, I didn’t. Why is it a Prep? Remember how I love my freedom? Well, if you eat a basic diet made of whole foods, I consider you well prepared. In SHTF, no matter what basic ingredients you get, you can make something to eat that you will appreciate. While others are trading their valuables for Pepsi, you can be getting kale for a decent trade and stay healthy on less food. You can make choices to fuel your body that will keep you in tip-top condition right when you need to be. To me, that is the ultimate in preparation: knowing what fuel your body needs for top performance.  Feeling inspired? Check out this amazing 30-day Anti-Inflammatory Diet Plan, created by a dietitian. Even small changes can have an impact. I wish you the best! Eat Well, Prep Well I consider my diet and care of my body to be one of my most important preps. What do you think about the anti-inflammatory diet? Do you have any experiences with making a similar dietary change that you can share with us? Please tell us in the comments below. About Rowan Rowan O’Malley is a fourth-generation Irish American who loves all things green: plants (especially shamrocks), trees, herbs, and weeds! She challenges herself daily to live her best life and to be as fit, healthy, and prepared as possible. The post Eat Prepared: The Anti-Inflammatory Diet appeared first on The Organic Prepper.

Sophia Institute for Teachers, a Catholic publishing house, is developing resource kits to help Catholic schools and parishes reinvigorate patriotism by exploring the Declaration of Independence ahead of America’s 250th anniversary. The kits are designed for all grade levels, from elementary through high school.  The nonprofit won a $50,000 America’s 250th Innovation Prize from The Heritage Foundation for its project “Fostering Virtuous Patriotism: Celebrating America’s 250th Anniversary in Catholic Schools.”  The project includes interactive activities, lesson plans, and guides for family discussions that examine founding principles such as courage, equality, and justice, according to the Sophia Institute.  “In an age of decreased civic literacy among students, the Sophia Institute addresses the need by providing tailored resources to ignite patriotism within our Catholic schools,” said Bridgett Wagner, executive director of Heritage’s Edwin J. Feulner Institute, at the award ceremony.  Sophia Institute President Charlie McKinney said, “[W]e’re deeply excited to now be focusing on a new curriculum that helps young people understand the moral ideas and the ideals and the virtues that underpin our founding documents.”   “I haven’t seen our team as excited about a curriculum project as I have on this, so we’re deeply grateful [for the prize],” McKinney added.  Heritage awarded a total of five America’s 250th Innovation Prizes. In addition to the Sophia Institute, other recipients included Cana Academy, Emergent Order Foundation, Herzog Foundation Institute, and Matthew Mehan of Hillsdale College.  Heritage has since announced a second round of the America’s 250th Innovation Prizes because of the success of the first round. Applications for the second round are due by Sept. 2. The post Catholic Nonprofit Develops Resources to Inspire Patriotism appeared first on The Daily Signal.

THE CENTER SQUARE—Despite a popular Texas phrase, “Don’t California my Texas,” and a song about the phenomenon, Californians are increasingly relocating to Texas. Roughly 100,000 Californians are moving to Texas a year—the equivalent of the population of Santa Barbara, according to a new study by StorageCafe. “This makes California the largest source of newly-minted Texans, accounting for about 16% of all state-to-state migration into Texas, followed by Florida and Louisiana,” the report states. Six of the top 10 California-to-Texas moving routes began in Los Angeles County, the report found. CafeStorage, an online storage unit listing platform, analyzed data from the U.S. Census American Community Survey 5-year Estimates Public Use Microdata Sample, 2023, on home and rent values, generational demographics, homeownership or rental status, educational attainment, remote work status, and per capita income. It also identified 30 popular moving routes from California to Texas, ranking them and providing maps. It also evaluated Zillow data on home price evolution in Texas and California. A “steady west-to-east migration” is “increasingly urgent,” the analysis states, because policies in California have not improved. California’s “high housing costs, state income taxes, and overall affordability are pushing many Californians to seek out lower-cost, opportunity-rich alternatives,” it says. “For families, remote workers, and retirees alike, Texas offers the allure of spacious housing that is 63% less expensive, job diversity, and no state income tax—a powerful combination in a time of economic fluctuations.” Of those Californians relocating to Texas, 31% are millennials; followed by Gen Z, 20%; and Gen X, nearly 15%. Travis and Harris counties in Texas are the most popular landing spots, according to the data. Austin and Houston remain their primary destinations, citing lower housing costs and better economic conditions. The two counties are receiving more than 10,000 Californians a year, the report found. California migration has greatly impacted the housing market in the Houston area, realtors have told The Center Square. “For those priced out of California’s market, the draw is clear: Relocating to Harris County offers single family homes that are a whopping two-thirds less expensive and rents that are roughly 30% lower than in LA, even if home prices in the Houston area also saw a significant 75% increase over the past decade,” CafeStorage notes. “The continued growth of the Houston area has pushed housing costs up over the last few years,” Daniel Potter, director of the Houston Population Research Center at Kinder Institute for Urban Research at Rice University, told CafeStorage. “There is some evidence of the real estate market cooling off, but home prices today are much higher than they were 5 years ago. Migration has a role in this, but it is not clear if this is primarily brought on by migration from California relative to other areas around the country and world.” Another contributing factor is an exodus from Silicon Valley to Texas, the report found. More than 8,000 Santa Clara County residents have left California and relocated to Texas in one year, primarily relocating in Williamson, Collin, and Travis counties, the report found. A clear trend has emerged, CafeStorage notes. “These movers are seeking a combination of cost savings, tech-friendly economies and a high quality of life. With average home prices across Silicon Valley nearing $1.4 million, after having doubled over the past decade, the decision to relocate for more affordable housing is increasingly straightforward. The benefits are even more pronounced for remote workers, who can bring Silicon Valley-level incomes to much lower-cost areas in Texas.” Under Gov. Greg Abbott, Texas continues to lead the U.S. in job growth, is repeatedly the top state for business and domestic migration every year and posts a multi-billion-dollar surplus every biennium. Under California Gov. Gavin Newsom, population losses, job losses and deficits have marked his administration. More than 683,000 Californians are leaving the state a year, according to U.S. Census data StorageCafe evaluated. Originally published by The Center Square The post Report: About 100,000 Californians Move to Texas Every Year appeared first on The Daily Signal.