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The Tennessee Star has been named a finalist for the 2026 Dao Prize for Excellence in Investigative Journalism for Best Local Reporting, marking its second consecutive year being recognized as a finalist for the award.
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Tennessee has seen more than 18,500 illegal aliens removed since President Donald Trump began his second term, with The Tennessee Star’s lead reporter Tom Pappert reporting that the number of departures from the state could climb as high as 80,000 when voluntary departures are included.
Pappert discussed the figures during Tuesday’s episode of The Michael Patrick Leahy Show following a release from the Tennessee House Republican Caucus that ICE has removed more than 18,500 illegal aliens from the Volunteer State since January 2025.
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Legal analyst and retired attorney Mark Pulliam, who endorsed former federal prosecutor TJ Harker’s forthcoming book American Scapegoat: How a Corrupt Justice System Sacrificed Derek Chauvin to the Mob after reading its galley proofs, previewed the book and its central arguments during Monday’s episode of The Michael Patrick Leahy Show.
Harker’s book, scheduled for publication December 1 by Passage Press, argues that former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin was wrongfully convicted in the 2020 death of George Floyd and that political pressure, public outrage, and failures within the criminal justice system influenced the case.
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Brian Gaffney, author of School of Hard Knucks: My Three Sons and Baseball’s Wildest Pitch, joined The Tennessee Star’s CEO and Editor-in-Chief Michael Patrick Leahy for an exclusive interview to discuss his family’s years-long journey to master one of baseball’s rarest pitches.
Gaffney said the idea for the book began in 2012 after he returned home during R.A. Dickey’s “spectacular” season with the New York Mets and discovered his young sons throwing knuckleballs in the backyard.
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Artificial intelligence (AI) could eventually serve as a decision-maker in legal disputes under a contract-based arbitration system being developed by Arbitrus, a company founded by recent Harvard Law School graduates
Jack Kieffaber, Harvard Law School Class of 2023, who serves as general counsel for the company, discussed the technology during a Friday appearance on The Michael Patrick Leahy Show, where he described a product from Arbitrus Corporation designed to use AI to interpret contracts and potentially resolve disputes.
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Michael Pack, documentary filmmaker and former CEO of the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM), joined The Tennessee Star’s CEO and Editor-in-Chief Michael Patrick Leahy for an exclusive interview Thursday to discuss his new documentary, The Path to Zero, and the decisions surrounding the 2021 U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan under the Biden administration.
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Carla Sands, former U.S. ambassador to Denmark, called the newly signed U.S.-Greenland-Denmark security agreement an “absolute amazing deal” during an exclusive interview Wednesday with The Tennessee Star’s CEO and Editor-in-Chief Michael Patrick Leahy.
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JC Bowman, founder and president of Professional Educators of Tennessee, said an audit of Metro Nashville Public Schools is likely forthcoming as more allegations of grade manipulation and retaliation from former district educators come forward.
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Michael Patrick Leahy, CEO and editor-in-chief of The Tennessee Star, and The Star’s lead reporter Tom Pappert discussed a potential probate court action to obtain the purported will of Covenant School shooter Audrey Elizabeth Hale, which the Metro Nashville Police Department (MNPD) has identified as a will but has continued to withhold.
During Monday’s edition of The Michael Patrick Leahy Show, Leahy explained how The Star has sought records related to Hale under the Tennessee Public Records Act for approximately three and a half years.
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Mike Benz, executive director of the Foundation for Freedom Online, warned that calls from artificial intelligence (AI) companies for government regulation could create a powerful new system of regulatory capture while acknowledging that increasingly capable AI systems pose legitimate risks.
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Andrea Wilson, head of Loam Technologies, discussed the upcoming official launch of Uplift: Bible Chat, a Bible-based artificial intelligence platform designed to provide users with AI assistance grounded in a biblical worldview, during an exclusive interview Wednesday with The Tennessee Star’s CEO and Editor-in-Chief Michael Patrick Leahy.
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Curtis LeGeyt, president and CEO of the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB), said legislation requiring AM radio access in new vehicles could soon reach the president’s desk, highlighting the medium’s continued role in emergency communications and local broadcasting.
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Legal commentator and retired attorney Mark Pulliam said the U.S. Supreme Court could have an opportunity to address the First Amendment rights of attorneys as it considers former Trump attorney John Eastman’s challenge to his California disbarment.
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Brent Hamachek, a New York Times bestselling author, reflected on his 12-year relationship with Charlie Kirk and the development of his new book, The Intellect of Charlie Kirk, during an exclusive interview Thursday on The Michael Patrick Leahy Show, one year after Kirk was assassinated in Utah.
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Former Nixon White House attorney and longtime Watergate researcher Geoff Shepard said the Watergate prosecutions involved a series of secret communications and coordination between members of the executive, legislative, and judicial branches of government, arguing that the conduct violated the separation of powers guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution.
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Legal analyst and retired attorney Mark Pulliam criticized the Southeastern Conference’s (SEC) legal strategy in its escalating dispute with Louisiana State University (LSU), arguing the conference is relying on a weak First Amendment theory to prevent LSU from challenging its possible expulsion.
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Michael Patrick Leahy, CEO and Editor-in-Chief of The Tennessee Star, has announced an expansion of The Star News Network, outlining plans to expand the network’s coverage to include sports alongside its existing focus on politics and law.
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Former Nixon White House attorney and longtime Watergate researcher Geoff Shepard said the Watergate defendants were denied the fair trials guaranteed to them under the U.S. Constitution, arguing documents he uncovered show prosecutors and federal judges engaged in improper conduct during the proceedings.
Shepard detailed his research during an appearance Wednesday on The Michael Patrick Leahy Show about Leahy’s new eBook and documentary, How the Deep State Took Down Richard Nixon.
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Tom Pappert, lead reporter at The Tennessee Star, said a recent U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) enforcement operation at a Memphis nightclub could ultimately “expose a whole lot more,” raising questions about the establishment’s ownership, permits, and roughly $70,000 in federal Payment Protection Program (PPP) loans.
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Longtime political reporter Neil W. McCabe, a U.S. Coast Guard and U.S. Army veteran, said President Donald Trump’s decision to establish a commission to design a proposed U.S. Space Academy reflects the growing importance of space operations to America’s military.
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Eagle Forum President Kris Ullman announced the organization’s 54th annual Eagle Council will be held in Nashville next month.
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Geoff Shepard, a former Nixon White House attorney and longtime Watergate researcher, detailed what he says were significant due process violations surrounding the Watergate prosecutions during an exclusive interview this week with The Tennessee Star’s CEO and Editor-in-Chief Michael Patrick Leahy.
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Williamson County School Board Vice Chair Dr. Claire Reeves, who holds a Ph.D. in cellular and molecular biology and previously worked in biomedical research, is calling for stronger protections for children online following Tennessee’s $17.1 billion settlement with Meta.
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Tom Pappert, lead reporter at The Tennessee Star, and Michael Patrick Leahy, CEO and editor-in-chief of The Star, said Metro Nashville is continuing to withhold the will of Covenant School shooter Audrey Elizabeth Hale despite a recent Tennessee Supreme Court decision clearing the way for the release of records related to the 2023 mass shooting.
During Thursday’s edition of The Michael Patrick Leahy Show, Pappert and Leahy discussed the ongoing records battle and the significance of the will, which the Metro Nashville Police Department reportedly identified in its final investigative report as a document left by Hale.
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Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti spoke exclusively to The Tennessee Star’s CEO and Editor-in-Chief Michael Patrick Leahy on Wednesday hours after announcing Tennessee’s nearly $752 million share of a historic $17.1 billion multistate settlement with Meta Platforms over allegations that Instagram harmed children.
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A 32-year-old Mexican national residing in the U.S. illegally was sentenced to more than five years in federal prison after a Tennessee traffic stop uncovered marijuana, drug-trafficking equipment, cash, and a loaded pistol, according to the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ).
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Legal commentator and retired attorney Mark Pulliam said the legal establishment has “crossed the Rubicon” with a bar complaint targeting U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) General Counsel James Percival over his criticism of federal judges handling immigration cases.
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Eva Romero, the Republican nominee for Tennessee House District 60, told The Tennessee Star’s CEO and Editor-in-Chief Michael Patrick Leahy in an exclusive interview Tuesday that rising property taxes are threatening residents’ ability to remain in their homes, making property tax relief a central focus of her campaign.
During an appearance on The Michael Patrick Leahy Show, Romero said she entered the race with a commitment to spend her campaign talking directly with residents and advocating for their concerns.
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Tom Pappert, lead reporter at The Tennessee Star, pushed back on Flock Safety CEO Garrett Langley’s argument that Americans must balance privacy with public safety, arguing that they should not have to sacrifice their constitutional rights in the name of safety.
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Matt Boyle, the Washington bureau chief for Breitbart News Network, said he would accept the position of White House Press Secretary if President Donald Trump asked him to take the job, while emphasizing that he is not actively seeking the position.
Boyle made the remarks while speaking Monday on The Michael Patrick Leahy Show, after host Michael Patrick Leahy publicly recommended him to replace Karoline Leavitt, who is set to leave the position at the end of August.
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Kirsten Baesler, assistant secretary for elementary and secondary education at the U.S. Department of Education, expressed strong support for Direct Instruction during an exclusive interview Friday with The Tennessee Star’s CEO and Editor-in-Chief Michael Patrick Leahy.
Baesler, a North Dakota native and former classroom teacher, discussed her path from growing up in the small farming and ranching community of Flasher to serving as the state’s superintendent of public instruction for 13 years before joining the U.S. Department of Education.
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U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) is the subject of a new 40-page educational coloring book highlighting her life, career, and path to becoming the first woman elected to represent the Volunteer State in the U.S. Senate.
Really Big Coloring Books, Inc. announced Sunday the release of Marsha Blackburn: An American Success Story, describing the publication as a “fact-based, nonpartisan account of Blackburn’s personal and professional milestones” designed for “school-age readers, teens, families, educators, libraries, and history enthusiasts.”
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EJ Haust, a self-described political refugee from Minnesota and official guest host of The Michael Patrick Leahy Show, is raising questions about Minnesota’s oversight of assisted living facilities following the shutdown of two facilities connected to a woman charged in an alleged sex trafficking conspiracy.
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Tom Pappert, lead reporter at The Tennessee Star, said a historic $9.25 million defamation verdict against The New York Times could have broader implications for how the newspaper and other outlets use anonymous sources.
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Steve Cortes, former senior spokesman and strategist for the 2016 and 2020 Trump campaigns and current head of the League of American Workers, said a recent Michigan poll indicates concerns over Muslim migration could become a significant issue in the state’s closely contested U.S. Senate race.
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Veteran political reporter Neil W. McCabe discussed the upcoming departure of White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt and the potential candidates to succeed her during an appearance Thursday on The Michael Patrick Leahy Show live from outside the White House.
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Tom Pappert, lead reporter at The Tennessee Star, and Michael Patrick Leahy, CEO and Editor-in-Chief of The Star, criticized local Nashville news outlets for a “total and complete media blackout” surrounding The Star’s recent legal victory securing access to records related to the 2023 Covenant School shooting.
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Former Metro Nashville Public Schools (MNPS) teacher Samira Hardcastle is calling on educators to speak publicly about problems she says she witnessed firsthand in the district, including students struggling with basic academic skills and pressure on teachers to prioritize testing and district policies over student needs.
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Despite a Tennessee Supreme Court decision clearing the way for the release of records from the 2023 Covenant School shooting, The Tennessee Star’s lead reporter Tom Pappert warns that Metro Nashville could use procedural maneuvers to delay the documents’ release.
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The Tennessee Supreme Court’s decision not to hear Metro Nashville’s appeal represents a major victory in The Tennessee Star’s years-long effort to obtain records related to the 2023 Covenant School shooting, according to The Star‘s lead reporter Tom Pappert.
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Vice President JD Vance endorsed Republican nominee Kenny Cody in the race for Tennessee House District 11.
In a statement distributed by Cody’s campaign, Vance called the Republican nominee a “friend” who would make a “fantastic” state representative for the district, which includes Cocke County and portions of Jefferson and Hamblen counties.
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Retired attorney and legal analyst Mark Pulliam said the Southern Poverty Law Center’s (SPLC) “hate map” placed mainstream conservative organizations alongside groups such as the Ku Klux Klan (KKK), arguing that the organization’s approach to labeling groups as extremists has helped define its public identity and fundraising model.
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Tom Pappert, lead reporter at The Tennessee Star, said the prolonged legal battle surrounding Kilmar Abrego Garcia highlights what he described as the lasting impact of judicial appointments made during the Obama and Biden administrations, arguing the case demonstrates how federal judges can shape immigration policy through their rulings.
Pappert previously broke the story for The Star that Abrego Garcia was stopped by the Tennessee Highway Patrol (THP) in 2022 while transporting nine people in a vehicle under circumstances that raised suspicions of human trafficking.
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Tea Party Nation Founder Judson Phillips warned major American school systems are “dumbing down kids” following the resignation of an award-winning Metro Nashville Public Schools (MNPS) teacher who publicly criticized the district’s academic standards, discipline policies, and treatment of teachers.
Phillips made the comments during Friday’s edition of The Michael Patrick Leahy Show while discussing former MNPS teacher Samira Hardcastle, who resigned in May and appeared before the MNPS Board of Education earlier this week to explain why she left the district.
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Michael Patrick Leahy, CEO and editor-in-chief of The Tennessee Star, recommended Breitbart News Washington Bureau Chief Matt Boyle to become the next White House Press Secretary following Karoline Leavitt’s announcement that she will leave the position at the end of August.
Leavitt announced her departure Wednesday after serving as President Donald Trump’s press secretary since the beginning of his second term. Trump said Leavitt would leave the administration to spend more time with her family while continuing to serve as one of his outside advisers.
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Michael Patrick Leahy, CEO and Editor-in-Chief of The Tennessee Star, believes he has uncovered the historical reason Tennessee holds its primary elections on Thursdays, a tradition he said has puzzled him since he moved to the state more than three decades ago.
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Fifty-two years after Richard Nixon resigned the presidency, The Tennessee Star’s CEO and Editor-in-Chief Michael Patrick Leahy says a growing reassessment of the former president’s legacy is challenging the conventional narrative surrounding his downfall.
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Legal analyst and retired attorney Mark Pulliam criticized several federal district judges for resisting or delaying implementation of the U.S. Supreme Court’s June ruling in the case Mullin v. Doe allowing the Trump administration to terminate Temporary Protected Status (TPS) designations for certain countries.
The TPS program, established by Congress in 1990, allows the Department of Homeland Security to designate countries whose nationals may remain and work in the United States when returning to those countries is deemed unsafe because of circumstances such as natural disasters, armed conflict, or other extraordinary conditions.
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Tom Pappert, lead reporter at The Tennessee Star, said U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn’s (R-TN) successful Republican gubernatorial primary campaign demonstrated the importance of voter outreach, local political relationships, and accurate turnout modeling in defeating U.S. Rep. John Rose (R-TN-06).
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EJ Haust, official guest host of The Michael Patrick Leahy Show, said Republicans should be prepared for an expected legal battle if House Republicans attempt to block Democratic Socialists of America (DSA)-backed candidates from being seated in Congress over questions about whether they can truthfully take the congressional oath of office.
Haust made the remarks during Friday’s show while discussing comments made earlier this week by Newsmax host Tom Basile, who argued Republicans should examine whether lawmakers advocating policies that seek to fundamentally alter the U.S. constitutional system can legally take the oath required of congressional members.
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