Tom Pappert, lead reporter at The Tennessee Star, details how the opening days of the Tennessee General Assembly have revealed a focused Republican effort to set the legislative agenda quickly, contrasted with a Democratic caucus and activist base marked by internal disarray and a limited ability to slow GOP priorities.
In an exclusive interview with The Tennessee Star’s CEO and Editor-in-Chief Michael Patrick Leahy, former Tennessee Titans wide receiver Kevin Dyson described his journey from the NFL to education and outlined his plans to open Music City Academy, a tuition-free public charter high school in Nashville focused on student-athlete development and academic success.
Tom Pappert, lead reporter at The Tennessee Star, said that the Tennessee Democratic Party’s expletive-laden social media post attacking U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is not an isolated outburst, but part of a broader political narrative that encourages resistance to federal immigration enforcement.
Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) told The Tennessee Star in an exclusive interview that the new Republicans’ bill proposal would send money back to Americans rather than to insurance companies.
Last week, Senator Mike Crapo (R-ID) introduced the Health Care Freedom for Patients Act of 2025.
This bill will help return money to Americans by expanding access to Health Savings Accounts (HSAs). Americans through Health Savings Accounts. The bill allows Americans to deposit money into these accounts. Anyone aged 18 to 49 can contribute $1,000 to an HSA each year, while those aged 50 to 64 can contribute $1,500.
With the money, Americans would be able to pay for medical expenses such as doctor visits and prescriptions.
Blackburn said the Obamacare bronze and silver plans will be eligible for HSAs.
Judges of the Davidson County General Sessions Court are demanding heightened security measures in response to comments made by U.S. Representative Andy Ogles (R-TN-05) criticizing the judges who were part of earlier cases against Muhammad Muhammad, the Somali immigrant accused of raping a woman who later died from the attack in August.
A petition to decertify the United Auto Workers (UAW) as the representative of employees at Volkswagen’s Chattanooga plant has been filed, emerging amid stalled contract negotiations nearly two years after workers voted to unionize.
Employees are able to file a petition for decertification with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) if they believe support for a union has diminished, after collecting signatures from at least 30 percent of workers in a unit.
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