Since Hamas’s barbaric attack on Israel on October 7th, many of our nation’s top universities have abandoned their Jewish students. Instead of providing a place to learn, they have become hotbeds of antisemitism, anti-American hatred, and open support for terrorism.
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There is a phenomenon in America that never gets talked about. In states with heavy Democrat majorities in the state Legislatures, there is rarely any real dissent. All issues are fought within very narrow ranges of opinion from Left to very Far-Left. On fundamental questions, there is simply only one voice. But in states with heavy Republican majorities the exact opposite is the case. In those Very Red states, dissent is the norm and failure to reach ongoing consensus on the issues of the day has become expected.
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Tennessee has long been a state where businesses thrive thanks to a myraid of factors, including our state’s limited regulation. This is no different today as our home is experiencing an economic transformation powered by new technologies like artificial intelligence (AI) thanks in large part to an encouraging and welcoming regulatory framework for innovators. So far, keeping to this approach has already allowed business owners and professionals to integrate AI in ways that increase efficiency, create new opportunities, and drive economic growth across industries. If we continue to support this approach, we can ensure that Tennessee becomes the model for AI-driven growth.
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Tennessee has a problem — one that is not only weighing on the health of our citizens but also on our economy, our healthcare system, and our future. Obesity is an epidemic in our state, with Tennessee ranking among the top five most obese states in the nation. Nearly 70% of our adults and over a third of our children are overweight or obese, a staggering reality that carries severe health consequences and financial burdens.
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by Mark Pulliam In a shocking development, State Sen. Janice Bowling’s thrice-defeated “Restoring State Sovereignty Through Nullification Act,” re-introduced this year as SB 479/HB 441, has been abruptly amended to eliminate the controversial “nullification” provisions that I testified against in last year’s “summer study” hearing, to focus instead on micro-managing the Tennessee Attorney General’s “Strategic Litigation Unit.” The SLU is the division of the Hon. Jonathan Skrmetti’s office that (according to the AG’s website) “handles complex affirmative litigation and defends the separation of powers and constitutional rights of Tennesseans.” The amended language is apparently retaliation against General Skrmetti for having issued a carefully-reasoned legal opinion in 2024 (at the request of State Sen. Richard Briggs) that (correctly) concluded that a prior version of the nullification bill was unconstitutional. General Skrmetti’s SLU is a stalwart — and highly effective–defender of federalism, yet the amendment to SB 479, if passed, would force his office to adopt a discredited, fringe theory that rejects the legitimacy of over 200 years of Supreme Court caselaw. Senate Bill 479, as amended, would command the SLU to disregard stare decisis (the practice of following Supreme Court precedents) and other controlling legal authorities, even though the SLU frequently litigates in federal court, where such authorities are treated as “the…
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The Blue Ridge region is no stranger to hardship, but Hurricane Helene left a mark unlike any before. The storm’s wrath carved through Tennessee’s mountains and valleys, leaving behind a scar of destruction. In times like these, we’re thankful to have strong conservative Republican leaders in our state to rise to the occasion and work hand in hand with government – local, state and federal – along with companies and nonprofits, to help restore the Volunteer State.
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When I first put on the uniform, I knew it was a calling. I dedicated 21 years of my life to the U.S. Army, leading soldiers who counted on me just as I counted on them. That commitment didn’t end when I transitioned out of the military. Instead, it shaped the way I live my life today.
As a veteran with 100 percent disability myself, I have walked alongside veterans who feel forgotten, trapped in a system that was meant to support them but instead puts up endless roadblocks. I’ve spoken with men and women struggling to access the benefits they have rightfully earned, facing long delays and overwhelming bureaucracy. These are not just statistics; they are real people, my brothers and sisters in service, who deserve better. Too often, the system designed to help them leaves them in limbo when they need assistance the most.
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President Donald Trump has chosen Penny Schwinn to serve as Deputy Secretary of Education amidst opposition and ethical concerns. Although her public image has faced controversies, the lack of concrete legal rulings raises questions about certain allegations. We encourage the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions and the Trump Administration to thoroughly evaluate her candidacy before automatically granting confirmation. Based on our experiences with her as Commissioner here in Tennessee, we strongly oppose her confirmation in this influential role at the National level.
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We are in a teachable moment about political agendas, the way the left creates and abandons their narratives, and even how a nation goes to war.
For example, the media recently ignored the most historic divorce of the era. No, it’s not Johnny Depp and Amber Herd, or Tom Brady and Gisele. It’s the American left and Russia – former name: Union of Soviet SOCIALIST Republics. The biggest consequence of that stunning reversal is the party that used to call for detente with Soviet Russia now wants to facilitate military action toward Putin and Russia.
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Pharmaceutical company executives have been courting President Trump trying to convince him to protect their industry and to continue the cozy relationship between Big Pharma and the government. But Americans voted for change and transparency. With ever-increasing drug prices and decreasing health outcomes, drugmakers’ practices are failing the American public. It’s time for the U.S. government to take a hard stand and hold these corporations accountable.
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Rising healthcare costs are a major concern for Tennesseans, and one of the biggest drivers of those costs is obesity. Tennessee ranks among the most obese states in the country, with nearly 70 percent of adults and over a third of children classified as overweight or obese. This isn’t just a personal issue—it’s a public health challenge that affects families, businesses, and taxpayers.
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Tennessee has one of the robust healthcare sectors in the nation, driven by companies and innovators across our state that are shaping the future of medicine. However, Tennessee’s medical community is not immune to the widespread problems that plague the healthcare field. Burnout is rampant, costs are increasing, and access to care is becoming in many cases more limited. Artificial intelligence, however, is offering a revolutionary opportunity for healthcare and fortunately our state is leading the way.
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Across our country, a child is sold for sex every two minutes.
Although shocking, this fact reflects a troubling reality: Human trafficking is one of the fastest growing criminal industries in the world—generating $150 billion in profits— and afflicts every community in our country, including in Tennessee.
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As a physician with over two decades of experience in primary and emergency care, I have witnessed firsthand the devastating impact of poor nutrition on health. The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) was designed to help low-income families access nutritious food, yet it paradoxically allows the purchase of sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) and candy—products that contribute to chronic disease and provide no essential nutrients. This policy must change to align SNAP’s mission with the fundamental principles of public health.
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The Trump administration is laser-focused on re-establishing America’s independence from DEI-driven entities. A key part of that effort involves cutting ties with bloated, unaccountable non-governmental organizations (NGOs).
Freeing America from NGOs’ grip will once again make America an autonomous body rather than a marionette manipulated by outside interests. NGOs were initially meant to be unfettered by government control and serve as a bridge between state institutions and public interest. But that mandate has been perverted. Rather than acting as bridges, these entities are profit-driven and act as tools to advance the agenda of the elite. Many NGOs also siphon taxpayer dollars to push ideological activism, masquerading as humanitarian efforts or undermining state and local governments.
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Tennessee, like many other states across the country, is facing a serious and alarming problem right now: a massive influx of illicit vapes from China. Fortunately, there is a proposal in both houses of the state legislature that would go a long way toward keeping illegal vapes from China away from kids and out of our communities. The General Assembly ought to send it to Governor Lee’s desk before the problem gets any worse.
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Every time you swipe your credit or debit card at a local business, there’s an extra, hidden cost—one that goes straight into the pockets of big banks and credit card companies. This hidden fee is unfair, unnecessary, and costing Arizona businesses millions of dollars. It’s time to put an end to it.
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In just his first weeks back in the Oval Office, President Trump has taken strong action to secure our border. Through executive actions alone, the President has restored the successful Remain-in-Mexico policy, restarted border wall construction, ended catch-and-release, sent troops to the southern border, conducted deportations, and done so much more to Make America Safe Again.
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Tennessee State Senator Jeff Yarbro (D-Nashville) has filed legislation that could put Elon Musk behind bars if the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), under Elon’s leadership, “hurts Tennesseans” by blocking federal grants. But let’s be clear, blaming Musk for Tennessee’s reliance on federal money is like blaming the mirror for what it reflects. The real issue isn’t Musk or DOGE; it’s why Tennessee finds itself so dependent on these grants in the first place.
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The last thing we need is more political censorship, and with Trump in the Oval Office, our future on this front looks bright. However, states across the country are introducing bills that aim to censor kids online and take parents out of the equation when it comes to deciding what is best for their children and technology. No matter how well-intentioned these ‘kids’ online safety’ bills may be, they present an unconscionable threat to our most fundamental freedoms, such as freedom of speech and parents’ rights. To protect these freedoms, we must categorically reject these bills and other efforts to empower the government to censor our speech.
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Anyone living in modern-day 2025 realizes that access to highspeed internet is vital to everyday life – from online learning to virtual healthcare access to working from home. And, Governor Lee and our legislature have made drastic improvements to expand broadband access. Since the start of 2020, Tennessee has significantly closed the gap between Tennesseans with access to high-speed internet and those without. Today, 95 percent of Tennesseans have access to wired or fixed wireless broadband. That means nearly everyone in our state has the option of high-speed internet in their home or business, except for a remote few in mostly rural areas.
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Nothing is more important for our national sovereignty than control of our borders. That’s why, in November, the American people gave President Trump an overwhelming mandate to finally secure our southern border after four years of Biden-Harris failures.
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The pandemic proved one thing beyond a shadow of a doubt: parents are responsible for directing their kids’ education. This isn’t an argument, it’s a fact. When schools close and services are suspended, it is parents who are left to figure out what to do. With this very recent context, it’s hard to believe that there are those who oppose giving parents more options. I’m here to share good news: school choice works.
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by Judson Phillips The beloved holiday classic Planes, Trains, and Automobiles features one of the funniest scenes in movie history. John Candy and Steve Martin drive the wrong way down a highway, oblivious to the danger. When concerned drivers warn them that they are “going the wrong way,” they laugh and mock the onlookers — until they face a speeding Mack truck. The American people repeatedly warned the Biden administration that it was “going the wrong way,” but like Candy and Martin, it put the gas pedal to the floor instead of correcting course. On Inauguration Day, the American people grabbed the wheel of its government and began a course correction — and within hours of being sworn into the presidency, President Donald J. Trump issued new marching orders to every government agency, department, and bureau, steering the government in a new direction. Overnight, agencies with jurisdiction over our border transitioned from facilitating an invasion to being given the tools to end it. The Environmental Protection Agency shifted its focus from undermining energy producers to promoting balanced regulations encouraging innovation and job creation. Education policy pivoted from enforcing ideological agendas to emphasizing parental rights and local decision-making. Meanwhile, the Department of Justice…
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More than 80,000 Arizona families are happily using Arizona’s Empowerment Scholarship Account (ESA) program. It’s unfortunate that these families live in constant frustration with Governor Hobbs and her constant attacks on the ESA program. As the newly elected Speaker of the Arizona House of Representatives, let me be clear: none of Governor Hobbs’ plans for the ESA program will come to fruition.
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Earlier this month, I joined my Senate colleagues in a tradition that has marked the beginning of each new congressional term since our nation’s founding: reciting the oath of office.
In many ways, the swearing-in represents a new start and a moment to think about everything the new Congress can accomplish—especially with a Republican majority in both chambers and President Trump returning to the White House.
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War had already been waging in Europe for months when Pope Benedict issued a plea from Rome on Dec. 7, 1914 to leaders of Europe: declare a Christmas truce.
Benedict saw how badly peace was needed, even if it was only for a day. The First Battle of Ypres alone, fought from October 19 to November 22, had resulted in some 200,000 casualties (mostly German and French soldiers, but also thousands of English and Belgians). The First Battle of the Marne was even worse.
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Tradition is the cumulative experience of thousands of human lives. It is the conclusions reached by countless ancestors who tested what it meant to live well. Unfortunately, we are losing many of our traditions and their accompanying wisdom, abandoning the practices by which we speak to the past, and the past speaks to us.
One way our ancestors lived well was by engaging in certain yearly celebrations surrounding Christmas and the holiday season. They bequeathed many of these delightful and meaningful celebrations to us—if we care to receive them.
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In 1906, a new carol appeared in “The English Hymnal,” an influential collection of British church music. With words by British poet Christina Rossetti, set to a tune by composer Gustav Holst, it became one of Britain’s most beloved Christmas songs. Now known as “In the Bleak Midwinter,” it was voted the “greatest carol of all time” in a 2008 BBC survey of choral experts.
“In the Bleak Midwinter” began life as a poem, which Rossetti simply titled “A Christmas Carol.” When the hymnal paired her words with music, the poem took on a new identity in song – a phenomenon documented by literature researcher Emily McConkey. But it also became embedded into popular culture in nonmusical forms. “A Christmas Carol,” or parts of it, has appeared on Christmas cards, ornaments, tea towels, mugs and other household items. It has inspired mystery novels and, more recently, became a recurring motif in the British television series “Peaky Blinders.”
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Tennessee’s State Funding Board approved a tax growth rate of 1.25 to 2.15 percent for the 2025-2026 fiscal year. However, this estimation did not consider that the Trump administration will assume control of the federal government in 2025, and Tennessee stands poised to reap significant economic benefits from the anticipated policy shifts. The state’s diverse economy — encompassing manufacturing, agriculture, and a burgeoning tech sector — is well-positioned to thrive under the incoming administration’s pro-freedom agenda.
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Between the presidential election, foreign conflicts across the globe, and major pocketbook issues like inflation and healthcare prices, it is safe to say that Washington, D.C. and the rest of the country have a lot to keep up with these days. Unfortunately, that means that a horribly flawed piece of legislation that will impact how all Americans interact with the internet is making its way through Congress with little attention from anyone but political insiders.
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As a parent and an active advocate for children’s health and public education in Tennessee, I’m deeply invested in the wellbeing of our kids online. But even as Congress deliberates on the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA), I am concerned that this bill misses the mark on protecting children while putting our constitutional freedoms at risk.
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