Tennessee U.S. Representatives Andy Ogles (R-TN-05) and Tim Burchett (R-TN-02) have been recognized as the Top Defenders of Liberty in 2023 by the Republican Liberty Caucus.
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Tennessee has now collected $279.9 million less than budgeted through the first five months of the fiscal year.
December’s $1.9 billion in collections were $82.5 million less than budgeted In numbers released Friday afternoon.
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Tennessee Governor Bill Lee will deliver his sixth State of the State Address to members of the General Assembly and Tennesseans on Monday, February 5, his office announced this week.
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Chancery Court Judge I’Ashea L. Myles set a court date last Friday for this week, during which she will hear motions regarding the possible release of a list of documents written by Covenant School shooter Audrey Elizabeth Hale and to determine a future hearing to decide whether she will release Hale’s manifesto to the public.
Myles will hear two motions this Friday, reported WSMV on Saturday, including a motion regarding the release of “a list detailing the documents” written by Hale, the biological female who identified as a transgender male before she fatally shot three six-year-olds and three staff members at the Covenant School in March 2023, which were “turned over to the judge for her private viewing” last year.
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Metro Nashville Mayor Freddie O’Connell signed 44 executive orders on Friday, including Executive Order 45, which expands Metro’s Green and Complete Streets policy with calls for the city to close some streets to vehicles and “serve the most vulnerable users of the transportation network.” The policy was originally introduced by disgraced former Mayor Megan Barry in 2016.
The text of O’Connell’s order acknowledges inspiration from Barry’s Executive Order 31, signed in 2016, which aimed to “[a]pproach every transportation improvement project phase with the purpose to create greener, safer, and more accessible streets for all users” to “enhance environmental quality” of Metro Nashville.
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by Isaac Willour The 2024 March for Life brought thousands into the streets of Washington D.C. on Friday amid driving wind and snow to show support for the unborn and address a pivotal question: After the overturn of Roe, where is the movement going? Attendees gathered on the National Mall for the 51st annual rally, then marched to the Supreme Court, which in 2022 decided Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health, overturning Roe v. Wade and giving the decision on abortion laws up to individual states. Tens of thousands took part in Friday’s march—far fewer than many marches in the pre-Dobbs era. Yet, the smaller turnout didn’t dampen the spirit of the event’s organizers. “There’s a lot of you,” March for Life President Jeanne Mancini told attendees. Among the signs peppering the crowd on Friday: “Abortion is murder,” “Gay rights starts at conception,” “Life is our revolution,” “Forceps off their bodies,” “Make more babies,” and “Let their hearts beat.” The marchers included high school and college students, families, retirees, priests, pastors and lawmakers. The rally, preceded by a concert courtesy of American Idol finalist Danny Gokey, featured speakers ranging from legislators to cultural icons. “This is what the heart of the pro-life movement is about: helping women…
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Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Sunday dropped out of the 2024 Presidential race and endorsed former President Donald Trump.
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Tennessee U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) joined WarRoom on Saturday to discuss her endorsement of former President Donald Trump in the presidential election as well as the urge for action in regards to the crisis taking place at the U.S.-Mexico border.
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The Tennessee Department of Health (TDH) confirmed 19 Tennesseans died as of Friday evening due to the winter weather and extreme cold in the state.
“The Tennessee Department of Health has confirmed 19 weather-related fatalities. Seven in Shelby County, one in Hickman County, one in Madison County, two in Washington County, one in Carroll County, one in Knox County, one in Van Buren County, one in Lauderdale County, one in Henry County, two in Marshall County, and one in Roane County,” the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency (TEMA) wrote in its Flash Report.
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Roger Simon, co-founder of PJMedia and current columnist for The Epoch Times, joined the newsmaker line on Friday’s edition of The Tennessee Star Report with Michael Patrick Leahy to discuss his coverage of former GOP presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy’s performance in Iowa, Argentine President Javier Milei’s speech at the World Economic Forum, as well as the U.S. House of Representatives’ recent vote to pass a continuing resolution.
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Former Johnson County General Session Court Judge Perry Stout pleaded guilty to charges related to money laundering and distributing marijuana on Friday in a plea agreement with prosecutors that saw charges dropped related to the weapon he allegedly possessed at the time he committed the crimes, a conspiracy to sell the drugs, and maintaining a home to sell or use drugs.
Stout was reportedly “visibly broken in appearance,” in court on Friday, reported The Tomahawk, which added that he “seemed almost disconnected” from the events unfolding in the court room, “but was very keen to ensure that his family was considered in connection to his plea deal.”
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The Tennessee Education Lottery is celebrating its 20th anniversary this weekend as the Lottery’s first ticket sale took place on January 20, 2004.
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A member of the Tennessee Three indicated on Friday that he may back a primary challenger against State Representative Johnny Shaw (D-Bolivar) for a seat in the Tennessee General Assembly that Democrats have held for nearly 25 years. The remarks came after Shaw refused to join other Democrats in an ineffectual vote against rules in the Tennessee House designed to prevent chaotic speeches and insults.
Representative Justin Pearson (D-Memphis), one of the three members of the Tennessee House who faced expulsion last year, told The Tennessee Lookout on Friday that, while he respects Shaw as a “black American in this country” born in an “era in American history of legalized subjugation of black people,” he will nonetheless seek to find and support Democratic candidates who “align with the vision of a more just Tennessee” in 2024.
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An elementary school Parent Teacher Organization (PTO) affiliated with Sylvan Park Paideia Elementary in Nashville is holding a “diversity night” featuring guest speakers who will offer information about “LGBTQ+ identities” and “how to support elementary kids through these identities” on February 8.
According to an event listing on the Sylvan Park school website, supporting elementary school children who do not identify as heterosexual “starts with educating and supporting the parents/caregivers and educators about these identities so children feel comfortable to talk about their own process as well as their peers’ process.”
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Four Tennessee U.S. Representatives voted against a continuing resolution on Thursday that would fund the government through March 1 and March 8.
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Tennessee U.S. Representative Tim Burchett (R-TN-02) joined a group of bipartisan representatives on Thursday to announce his support for a resolution allowing new moms in Congress to vote by proxy up to six weeks postpartum.
Clause 2 of rule III of the Rules of the House of Representatives currently reads as follows:
A vote by a member of a committee or subcommittee with respect to any measure or matter may not be cast by proxy.
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Chairman of the House Committee on Homeland Security Mark Green (R-TN-07) led all Republican committee members in calling for the impeachment of Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas.
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Sebastian Gorka called for the release of the manifesto written by Audrey Elizabeth Hale, a transgender man who fatally shot three 9-year-old students and three faculty members at the Covenant School in Nashville last year after the FBI recently arrested an Oregon man for threatening to kill “trans phobic a*****s.”
Gorka, who served as the deputy assistant for former President Donald Trump, shared a post about the story of the Oregon man, adding, “Where’s the Nashville Transkiller’s manifesto[?] #TransTerrorism.”
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The Tennessee Department of Health (TDH) confirmed 14 Tennesseans died due to the winter weather and extreme cold in the state.
“The Tennessee Department of Health has confirmed 14 weather-related fatalities. Five in Shelby County, one in Hickman County, one in Madison County, two in Washington County, one in Carroll County, one in Knox County, one in Van Buren County, one in Lauderdale County, and one in Henry County,” the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency (TEMA) wrote in its Wednesday evening Flash Report.
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Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti told The Tennessee Star in a Thursday phone interview that his office’s unredacted lawsuit against Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, shows the company is using strategies to increase Instagram user engagement which are “catastrophic” to teenage girls, and warned that other social media companies may soon land within his crosshairs.
Speaking to The Star, Skrmetti explained that his office’s unredacted complaint against Meta, which it released last week, outlines “a very sophisticated effort by a very sophisticated company to design a product that kids would have a hard time not using.” Meta’s focus on children, Skrmetti said, was motivated by a desire to keep them using the platforms into adulthood, when the company will have collected years worth of data that can be used by advertisers.
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House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Mark Green sent a letter late Wednesday to Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas asking that he fulfill 173 outstanding requests from the committee for documents, information and briefings, according to a copy of the request first obtained by the Daily Caller News Foundation.
Green is handling the impeachment proceedings against Mayorkas over the crisis at the southern border and the committee is holding the second hearing in the process Thursday. Under Mayorkas’ leadership, illegal immigration has surged to record levels with Border Patrol recording more than 2.2 million migrant encounters at the southern border in fiscal year 2022 and more than 2 million in fiscal year 2023, according to federal data.
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Arizona and Tennessee tied with equal proportions of new residents moving in versus out of the states in 2023, with both states seeing about 61 percent of moves bringing new residents. Despite tying in percentages, Arizona was ranked second and Tennessee was ranked third by in the 2023 Allied US Moving Migration Report.
The data, which tracks migration patterns within the United States and is published by Allied Van Lines, showed that 60.8 of interstate moves in Tennessee and Arizona were new residents moving from elsewhere in the country, while just 39.2 percent of interstate moves saw residents leave the states. At 60.8 percent, Tennessee and Arizona are only edged out by South Carolina, where 64.7 percent of interstate moves brought new residents.
Data released in the 2023 Allied US Moving Migration Report, which tracks migration patterns within the United States and is published by Allied Van Lines, showed that 60.8 of interstate moves in Tennessee and Arizona were new residents moving from elsewhere in the country, while just 39.2 percent of interstate moves saw residents leave the states. At 60.8 percent, Tennessee and Arizona are only edged out by South Carolina, where 64.7 percent of interstate moves brought new residents.
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The Tennessee Department of Agriculture (TDOA) Commissioner Charlie Hatcher, D.V.M., announced Wednesday that he, along with Gov. Bill Lee (R), appointed a new state forester.
Heather Slayton is now the Tennessee State Forester and assistant commissioner for the Forestry Division, according to a release from TDOA.
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The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) is investigating the January 12 death of an inmate in the Shelby County Jail.
“At the request of 30th Judicial District Attorney General Steve Mulroy, we were requested on January 10th to investigate a report that an inmate at the Shelby County Jail, Ramon McGhee (DOB: 02/19/1981) was found unresponsive, and was transported to a local hospital. On Friday, McGhee was declared dead,” TBI Public Information Officer Keli McAlister told The Tennessee Star Wednesday. “Our investigation remains active and ongoing. An autopsy has been scheduled to determine the cause of his death. Information regarding the autopsy is not something that would come from our office.”
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Last month, a powerful tornado swept through parts of Tennessee.
Seven people lost their lives. Property was destroyed. The daily routine for many of us was put on hold as we nervously sought shelter out of harm’s way.
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Investigative journalist Julie Kelly joined the newsmaker line on Wednesday’s episode of The Tennessee Star Report with Michael Patrick Leahy to discuss the very latest on the thousand-plus cases of January 6 defendants being prosecuted by the Biden Department of Justice. TRANSCRIPT Michael Patrick Leahy: Good afternoon, Nashville. It’s 12:05 PM. We are, indeed, broadcasting live from our studios in downtown Nashville. In-studio, the original all-star panelist, Crom Carmichael. Welcome back, Crom. Crom Carmichael: Thank you. Michael Patrick Leahy: On our newsmaker line right now, it is my privilege to welcome perhaps the very best journalist in the country covering the January 6th defendant cases. In fact, the best journalist – let me take any qualifier away from that. I am so delighted to call her my friend, Julie Kelly. Welcome to The Tennessee Star Report. Julie Kelly: Oh, thank you, Michael. Quite an introduction. Thank you so much for having me on, and thanks for covering all my work. I really appreciate it. Michael Patrick Leahy: Well, certainly well-deserved. I mean, you have just been tenacious in reporting the facts about the travesties of justice going on. A two-tiered justice system where these January 6th defendants are not being given fair…
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State Senator Mark Pody (R-Lebanon) told listeners on Tuesday’s edition of The Tennessee Star Report with Michael Patrick Leahy that legislative timelines could be impacted after lawmakers were sent home for the week due to severe winter weather. Pody added that the new bill filing deadline could be extended, but it currently stands on February 1.
The Wilson County-area state senator also offered an update on his newly introduced school safety measure and noted that its funding would be included in the current budget.
Pody also confirmed that the possible constitutional issue concerning out-of-state companies threatening legal action over the franchise excise tax is being studied and added that the fiscal fallout may cause some programs to be delayed by a year.
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Tennessee’s senators threw their support behind former President Donald J. Trump in the Republican Presidential Primary race and celebrated his massive victory in Monday night’s Iowa caucuses.
“[Donald Trump] will be the Republican nominee. He will be the next #POTUS. And he’ll Make America Great Again!” said Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) on X Tuesday morning.
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The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) on Tuesday began asking utility companies to request their customers voluntarily curtail their power usage in an effort to “reduce electric consumption” as frigid weather slows much of the country, but the federally owned power company recently told Tennessee media outlets it does not expect rolling blackouts to occur because of winter weather in 2024.
Energy companies in Alabama and Kentucky have confirmed the TVA is requesting their customers decrease their energy use, with Huntsville Utilities in Alabama explained in a news release that “dangerously low temperatures” and “the expected high electric demand” prompted TVA to request “voluntary curtailment across their entire system.”
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I believed that Republican voters were ready for a new post-Trump chapter of the America First movement. I now believe I was wrong. Those of us who backed Ron DeSantis – or the other Republican candidates – should read the room. Former President Trump winnowed the field effortlessly and then crushed the remaining three candidates in Iowa. He leads in the polls everywhere else. It is time to coalesce and unite behind the clear preference of the GOP grassroots, Donald John Trump.
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The escalating cost of health care in America has reached an unsustainable level, leaving millions of Americans saddled with medical debt. In Tennessee alone, 61 percent of residents have grappled with the burden of health care affordability, with 78 percent expressing concerns about affording health care in the future. As many of my fellow college students would agree, working within the confines of a tight budget means that the impact of high medical bills is that much more acute. And as a concerned and engaged citizen, I feel compelled to shine a spotlight on these critical affordability issues that impact everyone in my community.
High health care costs have rightfully become the focus of intense scrutiny. Many Americans are wrestling with all-too-high medical bills, and government health care programs consistently rank among the largest annual federal expenditures. With an aging population and an ever-changing public health environment, it is incumbent upon our elected officials to examine more solutions to bring down health care costs.
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Majority Whip Johnny Garrett joined the newsmaker line on Monday’s episode of The Tennessee Star Report with Michael Patrick Leahy to share his insights on the new legislative session as it begins its second week at home as snow continues to blanket the region.
Garrett expressed optimism about Governor Bill Lee’s proposed education freedom scholarships, though he said he does anticipate some opposition to the proposal.
The conversation then turned to the potential constitutional issue regarding the franchise excise tax law that could leave taxpayers on the hook for as much as $1.2 billion. Garrett noted Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti is evaluating the claims to see if tax relief for the companies in question would address constitutional concerns.
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Majority Whip Johnny Garrett joined the newsmaker line on Monday’s episode of The Tennessee Star Report with Michael Patrick Leahy to share his insights on the new legislative session as it begins its second week at home as snow continues to blanket the region.
Garrett expressed optimism about Governor Bill Lee’s proposed education freedom scholarships, though he said he does anticipate some opposition to the proposal.
The conversation then turned to the potential constitutional issue regarding the franchise excise tax law that could leave taxpayers on the hook for as much as $1.2 billion. Garrett noted Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti is evaluating the claims to see if tax relief for the companies in question would address constitutional concerns.
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Chairman of the House Committee on Homeland Security Mark Green (R-TN-07) announced that another full committee hearing continuing the impeachment proceedings against Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas will take place on Thursday, January 18.
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The Tennessee General Assembly will resume business next week as a winter storm warning and wind chill advisory remains in effect for Davidson County.
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State Rep. Todd Warner (R-Chapel Hill) and State Sen. Joey Hensley (R-Hohenwald) introduced legislation on Wednesday that would prohibit banks, credit card companies and other financial institutions from tracking purchases of firearms.
Warner filed HB 1784 and Hensley filed SB 1702 to make it “an unfair or deceptive trade practice” for any “financial institution to require a firearms retailer to use firearms-specific transaction codes” after the industry began creating a new credit card merchant category code for purchases of firearms and ammunition, which they claimed would help identify dangerous gun owners or suspicious transactions.
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Businessman Vivek Ramaswamy dropped out of the GOP presidential race after the Iowa caucus results on Monday evening and endorsed former President Trump.
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Several national news outlets were calling the Iowa Republican caucuses for former President Donald Trump just 30 minutes after they began.
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A Democrat member of the General Assembly has introduced a bill that would make euthanasia legal in Tennessee.
HB 1710 “creates a process whereby an adult suffering from a terminal disease may request medication for the purpose of ending the adult’s life in a humane and dignified manner if certain requirements are met,” according to the bill’s summary.
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Tennessee U.S. Representative Tim Burchett (R-TN-02) reintroduced a bill this week that would require the House Clerk to read the estimated cost of a bill after reading its title.
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Vanderbilt University employs more than one full-time administrator for every two students, a College Fix analysis found.
During the 2021-22 academic year, the most recent for which data are available, the private Nashville university employed 3,516 full-time administrators and support staff, according to information the school filed with the federal Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System.
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Knox County Mayor Glenn Jacobs traveled over the weekend to join former President Donald Trump for a rally in Indianola, Iowa one day before the state caucus.
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The Metro Nashville and Davidson County government placed a job listing for a “DEI Education Trainer” on Friday, who will work a “flexible/hybrid” schedule for about $56,000 per year.
Posted on Friday, the job listing indicates the full-time position is for the government’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion division, and the applicant will be “responsible for expanding the current training efforts” of the city’s DEI office “and promoting alignment of Metro’s equity goals.”
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Former President Donald Trump appeared for a rally in Indianola, Iowa, one day before the caucus, as the state faces negative temperatures following a blizzard, with a life-threatening wind chill warning issued by the National Weather Service in effect until Tuesday.
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House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Mark Green joined John Solomon and Amanda Head on Thursday’s edition of Just the News, No Noise to discuss the impeachment of Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas – whose policies are adding to the chaos at the southern border. Green detailed the list of Mayorkas’ violations, including claims that the Biden administration official has repeatedly violated laws, defied court rulings, and provided misleading information to Congress. Of particular concern, Green noted, is the influx of military-aged males and potential threats from countries like China. The dysfunction of the southern border and Mayorkas’ unwillingness to follow the laws put in place by congress is a “dereliction of duty” the committee chairman said. TRANSCRIPT John Solomon: Tennessee Congressman and House Homeland Security Chairman Mark Green joins us now. He made that hearing possible yesterday. Mr. Chairman, great to have you on the show, sir. Rep. Mark Green: Thanks, John. Thanks for having me on. John Solomon: I watched every minute of the hearing that I could yesterday. It was really compelling and we all know the crisis; we all know the visuals – but yesterday, being able to lay out how often Alejandro Mayorkas told…
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A Nashville man has been sentenced to nearly 14 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to a four-count Indictment charging him with distributing and possessing with the intent to distribute, fentanyl, methamphetamine, and heroin, according to the Middle District of Tennessee U.S. Attorney’s Office.
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Gov. Bill Lee (R) announced this week that he is working with the General Assembly on a bill to protect the rights of Tennessee’s artists as artificial intelligence (AI) becomes a more prevalent threat.
“From Beale Street to Broadway, to Bristol and beyond, Tennessee is known for our rich artistic heritage that tells the story of our great state,” Lee said in a press release. “As the technology landscape evolves with artificial intelligence, we’re proud to lead the nation in proposing legal protection for our best-in-class artists and songwriters.”
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Carol Swain, all-star panelist and award-winning scholar at the center of one of the nation’s largest cases of academic misconduct, joined the newsmaker line on Friday’s episode of The Tennessee Star Report with Michael Patrick Leahy to discuss the latest developments in the ongoing plagiarism scandal at Harvard University.
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Country music star Jelly Roll testified in front of the U.S. Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs this week at a hearing entitled “Stopping the Flow of Fentanyl: Public Awareness and Legislative Solutions.”
Thursday’s hearing focused on the FEND Off Fentanyl Act, a bill that would create new economic sanctions authority and money laundering penalties for components of the fentanyl supply chain, including Chinese entities and Mexican cartels.
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The Greater Memphis Chamber sent a letter to Governor Bill Lee (R) on Tuesday, requesting money, resources and new legislation to address the record high crime in Memphis. Among the requests include the passage of bills by State Senator Brent Taylor (R-Memphis) to reform Tennessee bail and sentencing practices.
The letter, written by Greater Memphis Chamber President Ted Townsend, appears to have the support of the chamber’s Chairman’s Circle, which includes prominent private sector leaders from more than 80 Memphis businesses.
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