by Kaitlin Housler | Apr 30, 2026 | Elections, News, Tennessee, The Michael Patrick Leahy Show, The South
State Representative Johnny Garrett (R-Goodlettsville), who is running in the upcoming Republican primary for Tennessee’s 6th Congressional District, is urging immediate legislative action to redraw the state’s congressional map following Wednesday’s U.S. Supreme...
by Kaitlin Housler | Apr 30, 2026 | Justice, News, Tennessee, The South
Judson Phillips, founder of Tea Party Nation, said a major new decision by the Supreme Court of the United States in Louisiana v. Callais dramatically raises the bar for using the Voting Rights Act of 1965 to justify race-based congressional districts. The Court ruled...
by Kaitlin Housler | Apr 29, 2026 | News, Policy, Tennessee, The Michael Patrick Leahy Show, The South
U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) spoke exclusively with The Tennessee Star’s CEO and Editor-in-Chief Michael Patrick Leahy on Wednesday, outlining new legislation aimed at expanding cooperation between state and local law enforcement and federal immigration...
by Kaitlin Housler | Apr 29, 2026 | News, Policy, Tennessee, The Michael Patrick Leahy Show, The South, TN LEAD, TNLEAD
State Senator Mark Pody (R-Lebanon) says a new Tennessee law allowing schools to display the Ten Commandments is rooted not in establishing religion, but in recognizing historical influences on the nation’s founding, a principle that guided how he helped craft the...
by Kaitlin Housler | Apr 29, 2026 | Economy, News, Tennessee, The South
The world’s largest Bitcoin conference is coming back to Nashville in 2027, organizers of the event announced. Set for July 15-17, 2027, at the Music City Center, next year’s conference is expected to draw tens of thousands of attendees from around the world,...
by Kaitlin Housler | Apr 28, 2026 | Justice, News, Tennessee, The South
Acting U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche praised Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti after the Tennessee Court of Appeals handed down a ruling clearing the way for the continued deployment of the National Guard assisting with efforts under the Memphis Safe...
by Kaitlin Housler | Apr 28, 2026 | Justice, News, Tennessee, The South, TN LEAD
The Tennessee Court of Appeals on Tuesday reversed a lower court’s temporary injunction blocking Governor Bill Lee from deploying the Tennessee National Guard in Memphis to assist with the Memphis Safe Task Force. In its ruling, a three-judge panel found that all of...
by Zachery Schmidt | Apr 28, 2026 | Economy, News, Tennessee, The South
A new congressional bill seeks to help small business owners save taxes by lowering the small tax deduction rate. Representative David Kustoff (R-TN-08) introduced the Small Business Tax Cut Act, which would increase the small business deduction rate from 20 percent...
by Kaitlin Housler | Apr 27, 2026 | Culture, News, Tennessee, The Michael Patrick Leahy Show, The South
President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump condemned late-night host Jimmy Kimmel for his recent monologue targeting the First Lady and urged the network ABC to remove him from the air. During last Thursday’s edition of Jimmy Kimmel Live!, Kimmel delivered a...
by Zachery Schmidt | Apr 27, 2026 | News, Politics, Tennessee, The South
A Democratic Super PAC will be spending a large sum of money to help unseat Rep. Andy Ogles (R-TN-05) in November. The House Majority PAC (HMP) announced last week that it will spend nearly $1.6 million in television and digital advertising for the Nashville market....
by Kaitlin Housler | Apr 27, 2026 | Culture, News, Tennessee, The South
Tennessee Secretary of State Tre Hargett announced plans for the state’s 2026 Statehood Day celebrations, marking Tennessee’s 230th anniversary alongside the nation’s 250th anniversary. The Tennessee State Library & Archives in downtown Nashville will host a...
by Kaitlin Housler | Apr 26, 2026 | News, Tennessee, The Michael Patrick Leahy Show, The South, World
Amid renewed but fragile diplomatic talks between the U.S. and Iran, veteran D.C. political reporter Neil W. McCabe suggests that the current ceasefire may be less about peace and more about strategic timing. Speaking during Friday’s edition of The Michael Patrick...
by Kaitlin Housler | Apr 26, 2026 | Justice, News, Tennessee, The Michael Patrick Leahy Show, The South
Tom Pappert, lead reporter at The Tennessee Star, argued that The Atlantic’s heavy reliance on more than two dozen anonymous sources in its reporting on FBI Director Kash Patel represents a serious breach of journalistic standards and could expose the publication to...
by Kaitlin Housler | Apr 24, 2026 | News, Politics, Tennessee, The South
Tennessee State Representative G.A. Hardaway (D-Memphis) died at the age of 71 after passing away early Friday morning at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville following a brief illness, his family announced. Hardaway began his legislative career in 2007,...
by Zachery Schmidt | Apr 24, 2026 | News, Politics, Tennessee, The South, TN LEAD
The Tennessee General Assembly adjourned the 2026 legislative session this week, concluding Governor Bill Lee’s final session. “Over eight legislative sessions, we’ve passed strategic measures to invest in education, strengthen our workforce, improve infrastructure,...
by Kaitlin Housler | Apr 23, 2026 | News, Politics, Tennessee, The Michael Patrick Leahy Show, The South
Veteran pollster John McLaughlin said his latest national survey of likely voters reveals strong public concern about national security, mixed perceptions shaped by media coverage, and early warning signs for Republicans heading into the 2026 midterm elections. During...
by Kaitlin Housler | Apr 23, 2026 | Justice, News, Tennessee, The South
Tennessee Solicitor General Matt Rice, widely hailed for his role in defending the state’s law banning irreversible gender transition-inducing puberty blockers and hormones for minors in front of the U.S. Supreme Court, will depart public service this summer to join...
by Kaitlin Housler | Apr 22, 2026 | Justice, News, Tennessee, The Michael Patrick Leahy Show, The South
The Trousdale County Sheriff’s Office reported that a foreign national who was allegedly drinking from an open beer can on the grounds of a middle school was arrested Tuesday morning. According to the sheriff’s office, at approximately 9:40 a.m. on...
by Kaitlin Housler | Apr 22, 2026 | Justice, News, Tennessee, The Michael Patrick Leahy Show, The South
Veteran journalist and public affairs specialist Clint Brewer said he would not have approved publication of The Atlantic’s reporting on Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Director Kash Patel that led to the director filing a $250 million defamation lawsuit against...
by Zachery Schmidt | Apr 20, 2026 | Culture, News, Tennessee, The South
Nashville Pride announced its gay pride festival will take place on June 27th. The festival date comes after questions about whether Nashville Pride could put on another parade in 2026, following a budget shortfall last year. Nashville Pride said it faced a $250,000...
