News
White House points to defense spending in states in new plea for Ukraine aid
WASHINGTON — The Biden administration is warning Congress that without more funding for Ukraine, the United States will no longer be able to provide that country with military assistance — and emphasizing the multiple states from Arkansas to Michigan to Pennsylvania where businesses already have benefited from earlier aid. Cutting off U.S. funding would not […]
Tennessee’s prison population grows as violent crime drops steeply
After years of steady declines, Tennessee’s prison population climbed by nearly eight percent last year, a bump in the rate of incarceration that surpassed all but three other states during a period of time that also saw steep drops in the most serious crimes. Tennessee added 1,615 more men and 125 more women to its […]
Visual Analysis: Potential scenarios for Tennessee’s new state Senate map
After almost two years in court, a three-judge panel ruled that Tennessee lawmakers must redraw their state Senate map because of an issue regarding the numbering of districts. Republicans hold a 27-6 advantage in the state Senate, drawing the most recent maps in 2022 to avoid giving the Democrats a chance at winning a seventh […]
TVA pays Memphis VP “big” salary, lawsuit reveals
The Tennessee Valley Authority is paying Memphis-based vice president Mark Yates nearly a quarter-million dollars a year in salary and possibly as much as $338,000 or more counting bonuses. That’s according to newly released records obtained through a Freedom of Information lawsuit filed by an attorney with the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press. […]
Sandra Day O’Connor, who made history as the first woman on the Supreme Court, dies at 93
WASHINGTON — The first woman to serve on the nation’s highest court is dead at 93. Sandra Day O’Connor, a groundbreaking justice on the U.S. Supreme Court, died Friday in Phoenix, Arizona of complications related to advanced dementia, probably Alzheimer’s, and a respiratory illness, according to an announcement from the court. President Ronald Reagan nominated […]
New York Republican George Santos expelled by U.S. House in bipartisan vote
WASHINGTON — New York Republican George Santos on Friday became the sixth lawmaker in history and the first member of the GOP to be expelled from the U.S. House of Representatives. The 311-114 bipartisan vote, which required two-thirds support, followed months of scandal that culminated in a federal criminal indictment and a damning report from […]
Ahead of climate conference, U.S. House panel tussles over curbs on emissions
Republicans on a U.S. House panel argued Wednesday against aggressive moves to meet carbon reduction goals, saying U.S. fossil fuel companies are working to make their products cleaner. Democrats on the U.S. House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on the Environment, Manufacturing and Critical Minerals countered that to achieve further reductions, federal policies should be continued […]
The $27.1 million clash between education reform and public school advocates
Before state Rep. Bob Ramsey could react, outside money poured into his Republican primary, and mailboxes throughout his district were full of attack advertisements. Ramsey, whose state House seat is in the foothills of the Smoky Mountains in Maryville, Tenn., considered himself a moderate member of the state’s GOP caucus. But, most consequential to his […]
Court of Appeals rules Covenant school parents have right to intervene in legal battle over shooters’ writings
The Covenant School, Covenant Presbyterian Church and parents of children at the school can intervene in the legal fight to obtain records related to the mass shooting that claimed the lives of three children and three adults at school on March 27, the Tennessee Court of Appeals ruled Thursday. The ruling allows the school, church […]
GOP senators walk out of vote on subpoenas in U.S. Supreme Court ethics inquiry
WASHINGTON — South Carolina’s Lindsey Graham and Republican colleagues stormed out of a Democratic-led U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee vote on Thursday to authorize subpoenas for two high-profile GOP operatives as part of an ethics probe into undisclosed financial ties to U.S. Supreme Court justices. The panel voted 11-0 to subpoena billionaire Republican donor Harlan Crow […]
Tennessee AG appeals Nashville airport authority decision
Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti is challenging Metro Nashville’s legal victory in a lawsuit against the state over control of the airport authority. The Attorney General’s Office issued a statement Wednesday saying it filed a notice to appeal the injunction issued by a three-judge panel in the case filed by Metro Nashville after the Legislature […]
Federal lawsuit filed over new Tennessee law requiring polling places to warn voters against voting in the ‘wrong’ primary
The League of Women Voters of Tennessee filed a lawsuit challenging the legality of a new law requiring every Tennessee polling place to display signs saying it is a crime to vote in a primary without being a bona fide party member. The law passed earlier this year with only Republican votes in the state […]