Category: Tennessee

Exclusive: Sen. Blackburn Discusses State of Economy with Former Trump Advisor

Peter D'Abrosca
Stephen Moore Marsha Blackburn

In a yet-to-be-released episode of her podcast Unmuted, Sen. Marsha Blackburn spoke with former President Donald J. Trump’s economic advisor, Stephen Moore, about the state of the economy, which the senator said is in much worse shape than the Biden administration’s official numbers.

“[R]ight now, Tennesseans are spending about $1,000 a month more than they were spending in 2020 during President Trump’s time,” Blackburn said before introducing Moore. “And repeatedly, I hear these questions. How are they arriving at these inflation numbers when they tell us it’s really not that bad? And we go to the grocery store in the gas pump and go by the clothing store, and prices are through the roof.”

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Conviction of Trump in ‘Hush Money’ Case by New York Jury Marks Ominous Turning Point for the Rule of Law in America

Rachel Alexander
Donald Trump

A New York jury unanimously convicted Donald Trump on all 34 counts in the criminal case against him on Thursday for falsifying business records to disguise a $130,000 hush money payment from Trump’s former attorney Michael Cohen to porn star Stormy Daniels.

New York Judge Juan Merchan set a sentencing date for July 11.

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Retired Officer Garet Davidson Tells WTN’s Brian Wilson MNPD Served Warrant on Medical Practitioner as Part of Covenant Investigation

Matthew Giffin
Mike Hagar, Garet Davidson, and Chris Gilder

A 61-page complaint against the Metro Nashville Police Department (MNPD) by a retired officer was obtained in full by 99.7 WTN radio host Brian Wilson and published on his website Thursday afternoon.

Wilson interviewed the complaint’s author — former MNPD Lieutenant Garet Davidson — Thursday on his afternoon drive time radio show.

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‘Chattanooga Youth Pride’ to Host Drag Shows at Seed Theatre

Peter D'Abrosca

To kick off Pride Month on June 1, a group called “Chattanooga Youth Pride” will host drag shows for children at the Seed Theatre in the Scenic City.

“The highlight of the event, there’s a stage set up for live performances by talented LGBTQ+ youth artists, including singers, dancers, poets, and drag performers,” says an online invite to the event. “The performances showcase the diversity and creativity of the community, while spreading messages of love, acceptance, and pride.”

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Nashville Teen Arrested for Alleged Shooting that Left 13-Year-Old Dead, 16-Year-Old Hospitalized

Tom Pappert
Murder Suspect De'Anthony Osasosifo

The Metro Nashville Police Department (MNPD) on Thursday confirmed the arrest of 15-year-old De’Anthony Osasosifo and named him as a suspect in the Wednesday night shooting that left a 13-year-old dead and his 16-year-old sister hospitalized.

MNPD revealed on social media that a 13-year-old boy was fatally wounded and his 16-year-old sister was shot and suffered non-life threatening injuries after “gunfire erupted during a teen fight” in the parking lot of the Red Caboose Park in Bellevue.

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Memphis Police Seized 10 Vehicles from Reckless Drivers over Memorial Day Weekend in Bid to Curb Street Takeovers

Tom Pappert
Car MPD

Memphis Police Department (MPD) Interim Chief C.J. Davis confirmed at a Tuesday town hall that police seized 10 vehicles from reckless drivers over Memorial Day weekend to curb the number of street takeovers in the city.

Davis was joined by Memphis Mayor Paul Young and other Memphis officials at a town hall in Raleigh. After the mayor revealed his plans to address crime in the city, Davis answered questions about the city’s ongoing efforts to curtail illegal street takeovers.

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Tennessee Ethics Complaint over Pro-Bobby Harshbarger PAC Texts Targeting State Sen. Jon Lundberg Referred to A.G. Jonathan Skrmetti

Tom Pappert
Harshbarger Lundberg

It was determined on Tuesday that Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti will receive a complaint against Tennessee State Senate candidate Bobby Harshbarger, the Republican primary challenger to Senator Jon Lundberg (R-Bristol).

The complaint, originally filed by Tennessee Senate Republican Caucus Chair Ken Yager (R-Kingston) on April 25, alleges inappropriate collusion between political campaigns and the East Tennessee Conservatives PAC to send mass texts messages which allege Lundberg failed to adequately represent his conservative constituents on key votes.

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Tennessee Stops Illegal Online Alcohol Sales by Several Stores

Matthew Giffin
Alcohol Bottles

The state of Tennessee achieved a court victory against five online liquor stores that were selling alcohol without a license in the state, the state announced in a Tuesday release.

Undercover agents of the Tennessee Alcoholic Beverage Commission (TABC) ordered and received alcohol from each online seller, Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti’s office said in a release announcing the original lawsuit in July 2023. Staff attorneys then sent cease and desist letters to each distributor, but each letter was ignored.

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Secretary of State Urges Tennesseans to Become Poll Workers for Upcoming 2024 Elections

Kaitlin Housler
Poll Workers

Tennessee Secretary of State Tre Hargett is urging those eligible across the Volunteer State to become poll workers for the upcoming August 1 primary elections and the November 5 general election.

The job of poll workers is to help polling sites run smoothly during early voting and on Election Day by conducting various tasks, including greeting voters, answering questions, explaining how to cast a ballot, and counting votes at their community locations.

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Newly Formed Community Review Board Holds Special Meeting on Allegations by Disgruntled Former MNPD Employee

Matthew Giffin
CRB Meeting

Metro Nashville’s newly formed Community Review Board (CRB) held a special meeting on Tuesday about a series of allegations by a disgruntled former Metro Nashville Police Department (MNPD) officer.

The 61-page complaint contained allegations that high-level MNPD officers engaged in lobbying behind closed doors to pass a 2023 state law that banned the city’s Community Oversight Board (COB). The complaint also alleged that MNPD undermined the Office of Professional Accountability (OPA), MNPD’s internal affairs division responsible for investigating police misconduct.

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Gov. Lee Signs Abortion Trafficking Bill into Law

Peter D'Abrosca
Bill Lee

Gov. Bill Lee (R) on Tuesday signed a bill into law that will penalize adults who take minors across state lines to obtain abortions or sex change surgeries. 

HB 1895 “creates the criminal offense of abortion trafficking of a minor; provides for a civil action against a person committing the offense of abortion trafficking of a minor for the wrongful death of an unborn child that was aborted.”

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The GlockStore to Host Fourth Annual Open House Celebrating the Company’s Move to Nashville

Kaitlin Housler
Lenny Magill

Lenny Magill, founder and CEO of the GlockStore, said the store’s fourth annual open house event will be held this Saturday to celebrate the company’s move from San Diego, California, to the Volunteer State.

“Our open house is this Saturday at 10 a.m. This is our fourth year of celebrating the move from California to Nashville. We love Nashville. At the event this weekend, we’ll have two shooting competitions. We’ve got a lot of fun. Excellent prices on guns. Gun prices that you never see again. They’re super low. Of course, all of our parts and pieces that we manufacture here in Nashville are going to be on sale as well. We’ve got free ice cream. We’ve got food trucks. We’ve got the shooting competitions, which I said, which is a low light competition and a speed competition and we are going to be raffling off a full fledged Glock 17 custom gun,” Magill said on Wednesday’s edition of The Michael Patrick Leahy Show.

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State Senator Brent Taylor Pushes for State-Contracted Crime Consultants to Fight Memphis Crime

Matthew Giffin
Brent Taylor

State Senator Brent Taylor (R-Memphis) penned an open letter to Governor Bill Lee asking him to consider his administration contracting with a consulting firm to fight Memphis crime.

Taylor requested a meeting with Gov. Lee “to discuss the possibility of your administration contracting with a credible, high-profile, public safety consulting firm to serve as the state’s expert consultant in Memphis to provide a comprehensive plan to reduce crime,” Taylor posted on X.

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Trump Campaign Releases Official Tennessee Delegate Committee Slate for 2024 Republican National Convention

Tom Pappert
Donald Trump RNC 2016

The presidential campaign of former President Donald Trump on Tuesday released its official delegate committee slate for Tennessee delegates to the 2024 Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

With the slate, the Trump campaign is encouraging its Tennessee delegates to vote for candidates National Delegate Selection Director John Findlay “extensively vetted” for “very specific roles” on committees at the Republican Party convention in July, according to an email by Findlay reviewed by The Tennessee Star.

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Jury Convicts Memphis Man of Child Abuse and Murder in Death of Two-Year Old Son

Kaitlin Housler
Antonio First

After just one hour of deliberations, a jury delivered guilty verdicts last week against Memphis father Antonio First for Aggravated Child Abuse, Murder in the Perpetration of Aggravated Child Abuse, Aggravated Child Neglect, and Murder in the Perpetration of Aggravated Child Neglect, the Shelby County District Attorney’s Office announced Monday.

The charges stem from the death of First’s two-year-old son, Brayton Brooks, who was found unresponsive and cold to the touch by paramedics on June 24, 2020.

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Gov. Bill Lee Confirms He’s ‘Engaged’ with Republican Candidates to Determine School Choice Stance Ahead of Primary Elections

Tom Pappert
Bill Lee

Governor Bill Lee confirmed in a Monday press conference that he is “engaged” with Republican candidates to determine their stance on school choice following the defeat of his Education Freedom Scholarship Act, which would have provided 20,000 Education Savings Accounts for Tennessee students.

Lee said he has “met with several candidates, some who are in open seats; some who are incumbents,” with the governor specifically asking the candidates for their stances on “what I’m talking about is education freedom and choice for parents.”

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U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn Leads Tennessee Colleagues in Demanding Answers from DHS After Illegal Alien Assaults Woman at the Nashville Sundae Club

Kaitlin Housler
DHS Sec Alejandro Mayorkas, Senator Marsha Blackburn

Tennessee U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) led a letter signed by eight other members of the Tennessee Congressional delegation to Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas demanding answers regarding the immigration status of a 23-year old illegal alien who allegedly followed a woman into a bathroom at the Nashville Sundae Club and groped her

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Tennessee U.S. Rep. Tim Burchett Slams Department of Energy over Use of Strategic Oil Supply

Tom Pappert
Rep Tim Burchett

U.S. Representative Tim Burchett (R-TN-02) declared Biden administration Department of Energy Secretary Granholm either “ignorant” or “a liar” during a Sunday interview after previously sparring with her in a U.S. House Oversight committee meeting over the Biden administration’s decision to release part of the country’s strategic oil supply.

Burchett previously confronted Granholm on May 23 over the Biden administration’s oil and energy policies, as well as its recent decision to release part of its strategic oil supply ahead of the Independence Day holiday on July 4, and told Katie Smith of One America News Network (OANN) that Granholm is “either ignorant or she’s a liar.”

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Man Arrested for Alleged Vanderbilt Sexual Assault a Sex Offender, Repeat Felon

Matthew Giffin
Daniel Revette

The man police arrested for an alleged May 11 sexual assault of a woman outside a Vanderbilt Medical Center parking garage is a sex offender and a repeat felon, according to MNPD and court records about the suspect.

The suspect is Daniel Revette, 39. Before he was arrested, he already had outstanding warrants for attempted rape, sexual battery, and kidnapping, MNPD posted to X. Officers arrested Revette after he tried to be admission to a Nashville hospital for an evaluation.

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Tennessee FastTrack Grants $21.7M to Reach 21 Businesses

The Center Square
State Funding Board

Tennessee has handed out $21.7 million in FastTrack business incentive grants so far this year through April to a total of 21 businesses.

The Department of Economic and Community Development’s FastTrack grant program are state grants sent to companies to help offset the costs of expanding or moving into the state with the goal of increasing the number of full-time jobs and the average wages of jobs available in an area.

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Inside Nashville Metro Council’s Decision to Deny Morgan Wallen Sign over ‘Aerial Encroachment’ and Past Remarks

Kaitlin Housler
Morgan Wallen

Metro Nashville Council Member Jeff Eslick provided an inside look of the council’s decision to deny a sign from being displayed on the exterior of country music artist Morgan Wallen’s downtown bar, explaining how the ordinance to deny such display dealt with “aerial encroachment” and was a “standard operating procedure” before members personally smeared the artist for his past actions.

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Morgan Wallen Postpones Bar Opening After Sign Rejected by Metro Nashville Council

Tom Pappert
Morgan Wallen

Country music artist Morgan Wallen postponed the opening day of This Bar and Tennessee Kitchen, his Nashville establishment that was originally slated to open in time for Memorial Day.

Though neither Wallen nor the bar offered a reason for their decision to postpone the launch, the decision follows a vote by the Nashville Metro Council to deny the sign the establishment sought to place on the exterior of its building.

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Trump Asks Libertarians to ‘Combine’ with Him in Partnership to Defeat Biden

Just the News
Donald Trump at the Libertarian Convention

Former President Donald Trump on Saturday asked that Libertarian voters at the Libertarian National Convention vote for him in order to defeat President Joe Biden in the upcoming election.

“The fact is we should not be fighting each other,” Trump said. “If Joe Biden gets back in there will be no more liberty for anyone in our country. Combine with us in a partnership. We’re asking that of the Libertarians. We have to work together. Combine with us…..we cannot give crooked Joe Biden four more years.”

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Tennessee National Guard, State and Local Agencies Undergo Disaster Response Exercises in Severe Flooding Simulation

Kaitlin Housler
TN National Guard

Tennessee National Guard troops, local first responders, and personnel of other state entities participated in the Tennessee Maneuvers 2024 training exercises last week in 15 counties across the Volunteer State.

Tennessee Maneuvers is a series of disaster simulation training exercises that test the joint response capabilities of participating personnel. The exercises occurred in Bradley, Coffee, Davidson, Gibson, Hamilton, Hawkins, Knox, Loudon, Madison, Maury, McMinn, Rhea, Rutherford, Sullivan, and Wilson counties.

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Several Nashville Business Leaders Ally Themselves with Andy Ogles Challenger Courtney Johnston

Matthew Giffin
Bobby Joslin and Courtney Johnston

Several Nashville business leaders have publicly allied themselves with Nashville Metro Council Member Courtney Johnston, the Republican challenger to Representative Andy Ogles (R-TN-05), since she announced her campaign in April.

Bobby Joslin, owner of Joslin and Son Sign Company, which has provided signs to many Nashville businesses, welcomed Johnston at an annual fish fry event on Thursday by gifting her a prominent sign, The Nashville Banner reported. Prominent Nashville and Tennessee political figures attended the event, including former Governor Bill Haslam, former Nashville Mayor Bill Purcell, former Nashville Mayor Megan Barry, Nashville Mayor Freddie O’Connell, and several current and former candidates for office representing both parties.

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Tennessee State Legislature Candidates Reveal Positions on Second Amendment

Matthew Giffin
Gun Range

Tennessee State Legislature candidates revealed their positions on possible Second Amendment-related legislation in a survey of the candidates conducted by the Tennessee Firearms Association (TFA).

The TFA’s candidate survey consisted of 24 “yes” or “no” questions, asking candidates up for election whether they would vote for hypothetical legislation. Most of the hypothetical bills in question dealt with repealing restrictions on Tennesseans to own and carry firearms. The TFA posted the results on Monday.

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Feds Secretly Knew for Years Joe Biden Met with Son’s Chinese Partners on Official Trip

Just the News

Federal agents gathered evidence during the 2016 election that Hunter Biden had used access to his father on an official government trip to Beijing aboard Air Force Two to connect prospective Chinese business partners with then-Vice President Joe Biden, according to a massive cache of documents recently turned over to Congress and obtained by Just the News.

“They got to meet Dad. All very good. Talk later,” Hunter Biden wrote in a December 2013 email confirming how he connected his Chinese associates with his father in a Beijing hotel after the vice president had met with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

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Tennessee AG Skrmetti Launches Probe into Attempted Foreclosure of Elvis Presley’s Iconic Graceland Home

Kaitlin Housler
Jonathan Skrmetti Graceland

Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti announced Thursday that his office is “looking into” a private investment company’s attempt to foreclose on Elvis Presley’s iconic Graceland home in Memphis.

Graceland became the target of Nausanny Investments and Private Lending, LLC after the company claimed that the singer’s daughter, Lisa Marie Presley, who died in 2023, didn’t repay a loan that used the home as collateral.

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Senate Democrats Block Tennessee Senator Marsha Blackburn’s Bill to Require Familial DNA Testing at Southern Border

Kaitlin Housler
Group of immigrants at border

Democrat members of the U.S. Senate unanimously moved to block Tennessee U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn’s (R-TN) bill that would require a DNA test to determine the relationship between illegal immigrants and any accompanying children crossing the U.S.-Mexico border.

Blackburn introduced the End Child Trafficking Now Act last year after the Biden administration ended all DNA familial testing at the border.

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Sen. Marsha Blackburn Holds Double-Digit Lead over ‘Tennessee Three’ Challenger Gloria Johnson in Vanderbilt Poll

Tom Pappert
Tennessee Senate Race

A poll released Wednesday shows Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) continuing to hold a double-digit lead over her likely Democratic challenger, State Representative Gloria Johnson (D-Knoxville), a member of the Tennessee Three.

The spring edition of the Vanderbilt University poll of Tennessee voters found Blackburn has the support of 51 percent of Tennesseans, placing her 11 points ahead of Johnson, who polled at 40 percent.

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Gun Thefts from Cars in Nashville Decrease After MNPD Launches Initiative to Combat Gun Theft

Matthew Giffin

Gun thefts from vehicles in Nashville have decreased compared to this time last year, according to numbers released by Metro Nashville Police Department on Wednesday. The fall in thefts came after MNPD started an initiative to combat car theft and related crimes.

MNPD said 305 guns have been stolen from Nashville vehicles so far in 2024, according to a Wednesday press release. Numbers from around this time last year recorded 477 gun thefts from vehicles, making for a 36 percent decrease.

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Tennessee Senators Introduce Bill to Force Biden to Follow Immigration Law

Peter D'Abrosca
Marsha Blackburn and Bill Hagerty

Two U.S. Senators have filed a bill to require President Joe Biden’s administration to follow current immigration law. 

Sens. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) and Bill Hagerty (R-TN) along with counterparts from other states introduced the Reshape Alternatives to Detention (ATD) Act, which is designed to monitor potentially dangerous of illegal aliens with a GPS ankle bracelet. 

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I-65 Interchange at Buckner Road Expects to Reopen Next Week: Report

Kaitlin Housler
I-65

The new I-65 Interchange at Buckner Road in Spring Hill is expected to open on May 31 after being under construction for more than two years, according to a report by Williamson Source.

On its website, Spring Hill called the new interchange a “game-changer” for the area, as there is currently only one I-65 access point to the city through the Saturn Parkway Exit.

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New Vanderbilt Poll Prioritizes Nashvillians, Paints Picture of Divided Tennessee

Matthew Giffin
Downtown Nashville

The latest Vanderbilt Poll paints a picture of a politically divided Tennessee, but the poll’s methodology reveals its creators prioritized registered voters in the Nashville area.

The Vanderbilt Poll, launched by the Center for the Study of Democratic Institutions in an attempt to provide a nonpartisan reading of public opinion, portrayed Tennesseans as overall politically conservative but starkly divided over certain issues.

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Vanderbilt Poll: Tennessee’s ‘MAGA Republicans’ More Pro-Life than State’s Other Republicans

Peter D'Abrosca
Trump Supporters

A Vanderbilt University poll that measured Tennesseans’ sentiments on abortion among other political issues found that Republicans who identify more closely with former President Donald Trump are more pro-life than Republicans who do not. 

Vanderbilt Poll Co-Director Josh Clinton explained the distinction between what the pollsters term “MAGA Republicans” and other Republicans. 

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