Tag: tennessee

Tennessee Democrat State Senator Stands on Desk, Fights with Sergeant at Arms After Republicans Pass New Congressional Map Eliminating Dem District

All hell broke loose on Thursday after Tennessee Republicans passed a new congressional map eliminating the only Democrat district.

Tennessee’s Republican-led House passed the new map that eliminates the state’s only majority-black district in Memphis.

Shortly thereafter, the State Senate passed the congressional map.

Tennessee Governor Bill Lee signed the new map into law.

NBC News reported:

Tennessee’s Republican-led Legislature passed a new congressional map splitting up the state’s lone majority-Black district, swiftly responding to the U.S. Supreme Court’s major redistricting ruling last week.

The redrawn district lines, which Gov. Bill Lee is expected to sign into law, put Republicans in position to gain a seat in this fall’s midterm elections and secure full control over Tennessee’s congressional delegation.

The new map carves up a Memphis-based seat held by longtime Rep. Steve Cohen, D-Tenn., into three districts, spreading the Democratic voters into more rural, Republican districts that stretch hundreds of miles east. It also further splits the Nashville metropolitan area, the state’s other Democratic stronghold, into five districts.

The long districts run across cross Tennessee’s distinct geographic regions and tie voters from different media markets and time zones together to achieve the desired partisan impact.

Democrat state lawmakers didn’t take it too well.

State Senator Charlane Oliver stood on a desk and got into a tug-of-war with the Senate Sergeant at Arms over her banner that read, “No Jim Crow 2 Stop the Steal.”

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Rep. Tim Burchett Calls for JAIL TIME for Radical Democrat Justin Pearson After He INTIMIDATED State Trooper During Redistricting Meltdown

The radical left’s favorite screaming agitator is at it again.

Far-left Tennessee State Rep. Justin Pearson (D-Memphis), the same serial disruptor who helped lead an insurrection inside the Tennessee State Capitol back in 2023 alongside the rest of the “Tennessee Three,” was caught on camera aggressively intimidating and cursing out a Tennessee Highway Patrol state trooper during Thursday’s chaotic special session on redistricting.

Video footage from the Tennessee State Capitol shows Pearson getting right in a state trooper’s face as officers attempted to remove disruptive protesters, including Pearson’s own brother, Keshaun Pearson, from the House gallery after Speaker Cameron Sexton ordered it cleared. Pearson, true to form, exploded in a profanity-laced tirade:

“MOVE THE FCK BACK! BOY!! What the f is wrong with you? You stupid motherf***r!”

He shoved the trooper’s arm away and continued berating the officer while trying to interfere with his brother’s removal.

Rep. Burchett didn’t mince words. In a direct response on X, the Congressman laid it out crystal clear:

“He needs to go to jail.”

Under Tennessee law, verbally threatening a law enforcement officer, including a state trooper, can constitute criminal harassment or assault.

Interfering with an officer’s duties, such as by obstructing them or refusing to comply with lawful orders, is also a crime, often charged as resisting arrest or obstruction.

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FBI Investigates Tennessee Democrat Rep. for Allegedly Operating Fraudulent PAC That Scammed Donors on Behalf of Kamala Harris

A Democrat lawmaker in Tennessee is now under federal investigation in what could become yet another explosive scandal tied to the political fundraising machine of the Left.

According to new reporting, Tennessee State Rep. Torrey Harris (D-Memphis) is being probed by the FBI over allegations involving a potentially fraudulent political action committee (PAC).

The PAC, called WIN TENNESSEE PAC, with Harris serving as treasurer, was promoted aggressively on Harris’s own Facebook page during Kamala’s disastrous 2024 presidential bid, according to Nashville Banner.

The now-defunct website promised donors their money would fund trips to battleground states like North Carolina and Georgia, statewide advertising, and weekly organizing calls. It even claimed physical offices in Memphis, Nashville, and Knoxville.

None of it was real.

The website used a fake phone number (123) 456-7890, listed nonexistent field offices, and directed donations to a P.O. Box (later changed to a UPS Store address in Nashville).

A tiny disclaimer buried on the site admitted the PAC was not affiliated with Kamala Harris’s campaign, but that didn’t stop Harris from using her name to solicit cash from unsuspecting donors.

According to a bombshell report from the Nashville Banner citing multiple sources inside Tennessee Democrat politics, the FBI began asking questions about the PAC early in 2026. The probe also reportedly includes Harris’s mysterious personal business ventures.

The PAC never filed required FEC reports on time. It received three separate delinquency letters from the Federal Election Commission between October 2024 and January 2025. Only after the federal investigation was underway did Harris reportedly file, in late March 2026.

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Tennessee lawmakers pass bill allowing deadly force to defend property

In Tennessee, a stolen item could soon cost someone their life under a bill that’s now headed to the governor’s desk.

The legislation, sponsored by Rep. Kip Capley (R-Summertown) and Sen. Joey Hensley (R-Hohenwald) would allow people to use deadly force to protect their property if they believed they had no other option and there was a serious threat to human safety.

“Right now under current law, if someone is breaking into your property, if they’re stealing from you, if they’re destroying what you’ve worked your entire life to build, you’re expected to wait,” Capley said. “You’re expected to hesitate. You’re expected to second-guess and take a calculated risk at defending what’s yours.”

Democrats pushed back on the legislation.

“The reason we were taught you don’t kill people over property is because they are not putting at risk an innocent human life,” Rep. Justin Pearson (D-Memphis) said. “What this legislation seems to be doing is lowering that threshold significantly and substantially, and the department is going to have to reteach in future classes for those who get their lifetime permit that you can now kill people over property, and I don’t think that is right.”

Even some Republicans expressed their concerns. Rep. Greg Martin (R-Hixson) told lawmakers on the House floor he was worried the bill could justify someone shooting an older person with dementia who unknowingly was in the wrong place just because the person believed they were going to act nefariously.

“The Good Book says that it’s an eye for an eye and tooth for a tooth, and what that really is given to humanity for is to restrain us from going after someone in a greater way than they have harmed us,” Martin said. “My concern is, Rep. Capley, what I’m hearing you say is that if someone is stealing from you — not harming you in the sense that they’re going to kill you — but if they’re stealing from you or your property or maybe they’re in the wrong place at the wrong time, then you could do something more than an eye for an eye or a tooth for a tooth.”

However, Capley defended his legislation and argued someone shouldn’t have to stand idly by while a criminal steals their life’s work.

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‘Insulting’: AES sent victims’ family $50 gift card, T-shirt in wake of deadly TN explosion, attorney says

Attorneys for the families of two victims in last year’s deadly munitions plant explosion are condemning Accurate Energetic Systems’ “reckless” behavior before the tragedy and the company’s “insulting” response.

In a Thursday press conference, the legal team representing the families of victims Steven Wright and Reyna Gillahan said Accurate Energetic Systems rejected their $150 million pre-litigation demand. Their rejection came 45 minutes before the attorney’s deadline of Monday afternoon.

“We got an announcement of their defense, which their position is that workers’ compensation in Tennessee is the exclusive remedy for any injury in the workplace,” said attorney Darren Richie.

He said that the $150 million demand on a tight deadline may have seemed “outrageous,” but that was intentional.

“I wanted AES to tell me I was being outrageous. So I could turn around to them and tell them, no, your conduct and behavior, AES, is outrageous,” he said.

The press conference offered new insights into AES’s communication with families in the wake of the deadly explosion and how the victims’ loved ones grieve.

WSMV4 has reached out to AES representatives for comment on these accusations.

AES offers victims’ families ‘insulting’ gift card, shirt

So far, AES has done three things for the victims of the people killed after thousands of pounds of explosives detonated at their Hickman County plant: hosted a barbecue food truck event and sent them a $50 Walmart gift card and a T-shirt with a picture of their deceased loved one, according to Richie.

“Needless to say, that’s insulting,” he said on Thursday.

The lawyer also expressed shock that AES has declined to give families the contact information for their insurance.

“That is a professional courtesy that gets exchanged all the time to facilitate resolution of claims. But they denied it. That shows us how they really feel about their employees,” he said.

He said the team plans to file a lawsuit to demand more from AES.

“And besides saying, oh, I’m sorry, providing some barbecue, gift card, and a t-shirt, they’re acting as if nothing happened. And they’re acting as if they don’t bear any responsibility,” he said. “Well, there’s more than a hundred ways that they bear responsibility here. I want them to step up and take responsibility.”

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‘Gas station heroin.’ TN passes full kratom ban after weeks-long debate over effects

Tennessee lawmakers have passed a full ban on kratom, derived from a Southeast Asian plant, following a weeks-long debate over its safety and effects.

“Kratom contains compounds that activate opioid receptors in the brain- mitragynine and 7-hydroxymitragynine (7-OH)– and is often referred to as gas station heroin,” said Rep. Esther Helton-Haynes, R-East Brainerd during a committee hearing in March.

Kratom supporters say, in its natural form, the plant can help curb opioid addiction and manage pain.

But Tennessee legislators sided with caution this week, aligning with advocates who argue kratom in any form can ultimately lead to addiction and potentially deadly overdoses.

Tennessee now joins about eight other states in banning kratom entirely, including its natural form.

“This bill addresses the growing public health and safety concern surrounding kratom, often marketed as a natural supplement,” Helton-Haynes said. “But natural does not mean safe.”

The kratom plant has been used as an alternative to opioids, sometimes as people wean off heroin, and as a natural pain reliever.

In recent years, however, kratom has been modified into a stronger form known as 7-hydroxymitragynine, or “7-OH,” often sold at gas stations and vape shops as a supplement or extract. Some experts say it is 13 times more potent than morphine.

“I never heard of kratom until the day we lost him,” said Karen Davenport, a mother from Chattanooga who is advocating against the substance, working with lawmakers to get the bill passed. “Like many families, we didn’t realize the risk because kratom is often marketed as a safe, natural product.”

Davenport’s 27-year-old son, Matthew, died after taking kratom, which interacted with his prescription medication. The bill has since been named “Matthew’s Law.”

“What he didn’t know was there’s an exhaustive list of more than 250 drug interactions that can cause a lethal reaction with kratom,” she said.

There remains ongoing debate over whether natural kratom is safe or beneficial. Some states are potentially revising bans. A petition circulating online includes testimonials from some of the estimated hundreds of thousands of kratom users in Tennessee, who say they use it to help with issues like arthritis, back pain and Sciatica.

Both the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have maintained a generally negative stance on kratom and have not approved it for any medical use.

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Tennessee House votes to ban kratom, bill now moves to Senate

The State of Tennessee is another step closer to becoming Kratom free.

State representatives voted Wednesday to approve legislation that would outlaw all forms of the substance, including a more potent derivative known as 7-OH.

The proposal now heads to the Senate.

Kratom is a plant-based substance from a Southeast Asian tree, often sold in gas stations and smoke shops. It has been at the center of a growing debate in Tennessee.

Supporters of the bill say the ban is needed to address safety concerns.

“This bill addresses the growing public concern and safety surrounding kratom,” Rep. Esther Helton-Haynes said during earlier hearings.

The legislation is named after a Chattanooga man whose family says he died after using kratom with other substances.

Lawmakers have pointed to risks, including possible links to overdose deaths and concerns about how the substance is marketed.

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Library Director Fired After Refusing To Remove Hundreds Of LGBT Books From Kids’ Section

When are these people going to learn to just leave the kids alone?

A Tennessee library board has voted 8-3 to remove its top librarian, Luanne James, after she refused to carry out an order to relocate hundreds of LGBT-themed books, Critical Race Theory (CRT) and feminist propaganda books from the children’s section of six Rutherford County branch libraries.

James was initially ordered to relocate books containing far-left ideology from the juvenile/children’s sections to the adult sections of libraries.  The board cited concerns that the books promoted “gender confusion,” contained LGBT themes/characters, sexual themes, feminist topics, DEI, social justice and related content.

The decision stemmed from a broader state review of thousands of materials prompted by a Tennessee Secretary of State letter and federal guidance on gender-related content. 

Actions within red states to transfer woke propaganda out of children’s spaces in school libraries and public libraries accelerated after viral complaints by parents who have read some of the horrific selections out loud at board meetings across the country.  Activist librarians have become a plague, disregarding the age and innocence of the children involved for the sake of a cult-like political ideology. 

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TN School Clears Record of Christian Teacher Punished for Refusing to Read LGBTQ+ Book to First-Graders

An elementary school in Nashville, Tennessee, has cleared the record of a Christian teacher who was punished for refusing to read a book about same-sex marriage to his first grade students. 

Teacher Eric Rivera declined to read the LGBTQ+ propaganda book to his young students, citing his Christian beliefs, and instead asked a colleague to read the book, Fox News reported. In response, KIPP Antioch College Prep Elementary issued a “final warning letter” in January to Rivera for declining to read the book, according to legal group First Liberty Institute. 

The following day, Rivera was asked to the principal’s office and threatened with firing, according to the report. School leadership reportedly told him he must maintain “fidelity” to the curriculum, “and a discipline letter was placed in his personnel file.” 

Before the incident, Rivera had no previous warnings or history of discipline, according to First Liberty. After facing pressure from school leadership, Rivera asked for a religious accommodation but was instead reassigned to a lab and technology position and then to a kindergarten class, per the report.

First Liberty sent a letter to the school on behalf of Rivera in February. After receiving the letter, KIPP Antioch agreed to clear Rivera’s record, First Liberty said on Monday. The school additionally will allow “all teachers to ask another employee to read materials objectionable to their faith.”

“We are pleased that the school has made the right decision by accommodating Mr. Rivera for his deeply held religious views,” Senior Counsel at First Liberty Cliff Martin said in a press release.  

“Our client is deeply devoted to teaching and is grateful that his record has been cleared and reasonable accommodations will be provided going forward,” he continued. 

The elementary school did not respond to the outlet’s request for comment by time of publication.

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Tennessee House Passes Bill Protecting Right to Decline Recognition of Same-Sex Marriage

The Tennessee House of Representatives approved legislation Thursday that would allow private individuals and organizations to decline to recognize same-sex marriages.

According to LifeSite News, House Bill 1473 passed by a majority of 68-24. All Republicans voted in favor, while all Democrats voted against it.

The bill does not challenge the legality of same-sex marriage.

However, it would exempt banks, medical institutions, and other private entities from recognizing what it calls “a purported marriage between individuals of the same sex.”

It also states that government officials may not face discipline or sanctions for “declining to celebrate or officiate at a marriage or commitment ceremony that falls outside the definition of marriage provided in this code.”

The measure challenges the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2015 ruling in Obergefell v. Hodges, which legalized same-sex marriage nationwide.

“Private citizens and organizations are not bound by the Fourteenth Amendment or by the Supreme Court’s purported interpretation of the Fourteenth Amendment in Obergefell v. Hodges,” the bill states.

Republican state Rep. Gino Bulso introduced the legislation.

“It was the U.S. Supreme Court on June the 26th of 2015 that overstepped its bounds and invented this ‘right’ to marriage of individuals of the same sex, despite there being no support whatsoever in the language of the 14th Amendment for that proposition,” Bulso said.

The bill now heads to the Republican-controlled state Senate, where it is currently under review in the Judiciary Committee.

Bulso referenced Tennessee’s 2006 Marriage Protection Amendment, which defined marriage as between one man and one woman and passed with 81 percent support.

“The overwhelming majority of Tennesseans already affirmed what we have known for all of history: marriage is between one man and one woman,” he said in a press release.

“This legislation protects religious liberty in the Volunteer State by clarifying that private citizens can never be forced to recognize any other definition,” Bulso added.

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