Free Republic

The challenge the entire industry faces is that in every single location, I don't care whether it's Michigan, West Virginia, Texas, Mississippi, Tennessee, if you announce you're doing a data center, all of a sudden you get a plethora of misinformation, like it's three times the size of Manhattan, it's so hot it's gonna melt a hole in the ground, the amount of water it's going to use, it's gonna suck the ocean dry. All of this stuff is just not true. I think as we get the real facts out, we'll turn this around. There seems to be an...

Advocacy group calls on acting attorney general to lead ‘thorough, transparent federal investigation’The deaths in recent days of two Black men in Tennessee, one in the custody of police and the other at the hands of national guard troops, has prompted the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People to demand the suspension of the so-called Memphis Safe Task Force, Donald Trump’s anti-crime alliance of federal, state and local law enforcement.In a letter to the acting attorney general, Todd Blanche, on Friday, the NAACP also demanded “a thorough, transparent federal investigation” into the actions of the taskforce, which it...

This video from Black Conservative Perspective discusses the fatal shooting of 20-year-old Tyrron Johnson by Tennessee National Guard soldiers in downtown Memphis during the Fourth of July weekend (0:00-0:15, 1:45-2:30). Key takeaways from the video include: The Incident: According to authorities, officers were responding to reports of shots fired around 4:00 a.m. when they encountered Johnson with a handgun. A chase ensued, and soldiers shot and killed Johnson after he allegedly turned toward them while armed (0:15-0:54, 5:44-5:53). Investigation: The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) is currently leading an investigation into the shooting, at the request of the Shelby County...

A Tennessee soccer coach received a 30-year sentence for child exploitation and immigration offenses. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Tennessee says 66-year-old Camilo Campos-Hurtado of Franklin sexually exploited children, received child sexual abuse material, and had false immigration and identification documents. Campos pleaded guilty in June of last year on these charges: Sexual exploitation of a minor (four counts) Receiving visual depictions of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct Using or possessing fraudulent immigration documents Possessing an identification document or authentication feature that was stolen or produced without lawful authority The attorney’s office requested a sentence...

A University of Tennessee professor will receive $1.9 million to settle a lawsuit accusing the school of violating her constitutional rights after officials sought to discipline her over social media posts criticizing conservative activist Charlie Kirk. Knox News reported Monday that the University of Tennessee System Board of Trustees approved a $1.9 million settlement for former professor Tamar Shirinian after she called Kirk, who was assassinated Sept. 10 during his "American Comeback Tour" at Utah Valley University, a "disgusting psychopath." Shirinian was put on administrative leave following a social media post where she had said in part, "The world is...

Five US states reject LGBT ‘pride’ month, reclaim June for marriage, family, GodThe governors of Alabama, Arkansas, Indiana, and Utah issued proclamations that follow in the footsteps of Tennessee, which passed a resolution in April recognizing June as ‘Nuclear Family Month.’ Five U.S. states have now chosen to disregard homosexual and transgender “pride month,” casting aside the rainbow flag and reclaiming June for marriage, family, and God. The governors of Alabama, Arkansas, Indiana, and Utah issued proclamations that follow in the footsteps of Tennessee, which passed a resolution in April recognizing the month of June as “Nuclear Family Month.”Tennessee’s resolution...

President Trump's envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner traveled to the national lab in Oak Ridge, Tennessee on Thursday for consultations with a team of technical experts that could play a role in nuclear negotiations with Iran, Axios has learned. Why it matters: The White House is trying to reach a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Iran to end the war and begin in-depth nuclear negotiations, and wants to have experts at the ready should those talks be launched. (snip)The intrigue: Axios was alerted on Thursday to the fact that Witkoff had made an unannounced trip to eastern Tennessee. Two...

Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts is facing a new impeachment resolution put forward by a House Democrat. The long-shot effort was introduced on Thursday by Representative Steve Cohen. The Tennessee Democrat announced last week that he would forgo his reelection bid after it became clear he was unlikely to win, as the state moved swiftly to gerrymander following a seismic Supreme Court opinion in late April that gutted Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act.

Rep. Steve Cohen (D-TN) has introduced articles of impeachment against Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts, alleging “high crimes and misdemeanors by violating the Constitution, disregarding his statutory obligations as Chief Justice, and breaching his oaths of office.” “I am saddened that the United States Supreme Court, once the most admired federal institution, has now become a political actor. While Chief Justice Roberts may claim otherwise, it has become clear that the Court now routinely favors partisanship, the rich over the poor, and the powerful over the vulnerable. This is a shift that undermines the Constitution of the United States,...

A Tennessee man who was jailed for more than a month after refusing to take down a Facebook meme poking fun at the assassination of Charlie Kirk will be paid $850,000 as part of a settlement with officials. Larry Bushart, a 61-year-old retired police officer, spent 37 days behind bars under a $2 million bond before authorities dropped the felony charge against him in October. While in jail, he lost his post-retirement job and missed both his wedding anniversary and the birth of his granddaughter, according to a federal lawsuit Bushart filed against Perry County, Perry County Sheriff Nick Weems...

A Democratic strategist stunned a CNN panel into silence after claiming a new congressional map set to make a black Republican the odds-on favorite to win the election is racist. Democratic strategist Tezlyn Figaro made the argument on Thursday's NewsNight after journalist Lydia Moynihan pointed out how the redistricting bid will help the odds of GOP candidate Charlotte Bergmann, a black woman, in Tennessee. The new map made it through the state's general assembly hours before. Moynihan framed the situation as 'ironic', given that many critics have called the redraw racist. They say it dilutes the state's only black-majority district,...

Democratic Rep. Steve Cohen of Tennessee announced on Friday that he signed a document requesting not to be included on the ballot in Tennessee's 9th Congressional District. The congressman described the district determined by "new lines" as "nothing like the 9th district that I've represented." The Democratic primary in the district is scheduled to take place in August. Speaking after his announcement, Cohen described President Donald Trump as "the greatest threat to democracy, and to … decorum … and grace, that we've ever seen."

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Congressman Steve Cohen, who has represented Tennessee’s 9th Congressional District for more than 19 years, announced he is withdrawing from the race Friday morning. Cohen says his majority-Black district was gerrymandered into three Republican-leaning districts by the state General Assembly last week. The deadline to file to run in the redrawn District 9, as well as Districts 5 and 8 in the Memphis area, is noon Friday.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. - A Tennessee judge has denied a request for a temporary restraining order in a lawsuit over the state's new congressional districts, court documents show. Judge William L. Campbell, Jr., the Chief U.S. District Judge for the Middle District of Tennessee, issued the order on Thursday. In it, Campbell said the reasons for the denial would be in a "forthcoming Memorandum." Additionally, Campbell's order also canceled a hearing set for May 20. The lawsuit was filed by multiple Tennessee Democrats, including the current representative for District 9, Steve Cohen, as well as the Tennessee Democratic Party following the...

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WSMV) - All members of the House Democratic Caucus have been removed from their committees and subcommittees, according to a letter obtained by WSMV. The letter, signed by House Speaker Cameron Sexton (R) and addressed to Leader Camper, states that “members of the Democratic Caucus will receive individual letters removing them from all standing committees and subcommittees of the House, except where membership is required.” Sexton’s letter states that the committee removals are “due to actions taken” by the members during last week’s special session over redistricting across Tennessee. Those actions, Sexton said, “aimed at disrupting the democratic...

Federal authorities charged more than 25 alleged members and associates of Tren de Aragua (TdA), seizing more than 80 firearms, roughly 18 kilograms of drugs and more than $100,000 in cash as part of a sweeping crackdown on the violent transnational gang. President Donald Trump has helped unleash the full power of federal authorities by designating TdA a foreign terrorist organization last year. Now, more than 260 members and associates of TdA have been charged. "This FBI and our interagency partners continue to break violent gang networks all over America, and today’s massive takedown of 25 Tren de Aragua members...

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — Tennessee lawmakers in the House of Representatives have passed the bill that will split Memphis along new congressional lines. Memphis will be split into three congressional districts per the new map, which passed in the Tennessee General Assembly’s special session on redistricting Thursday, May 7. Democrats in the state house have railed against the push to redraw congressional lines outside of the decennial census, calling the move a “grave, grave rollback of rights” for Black Tennesseans and especially for Memphians. The proposed new map, only released to the public about 24 hours before they passed the...

A Tennessee man who admitted shooting an 18-year-old student to death in 2023 while on the street after a previous shooting has pleaded guilty to a reduced charge. Shaquille Taylor pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in the death of Jillian Ludwig, who was a freshman at Belmont University when she was killed. He also pleaded guilty to a charge of aggravated assault, according to WKRN-TV. He had been charged with first-degree murder. Taylor will face a 35-year sentence on the murder charge with no possibility of early release and three years on the assault charge, to be served consecutively. On...

A DoorDash driver shot and killed a suspect who shot and injured him during an attempted carjacking at Walgreens in Berry Hill Saturday afternoon, according to Metro Nashville Police Department Public Information Office Don Aaron. Officers responded to the Walgreens in the 2600 block of 8th Avenue South just before 1 p.m. for reports of a shooting. When officers arrived on scene, they found two gunshot victims. Aaron said the preliminary investigation into the shooting shows that a DoorDash delivery driver pulled into the Walgreens parking lot before walking to the Chick-fil-a next door to pick up an order. As...

Seattle could lose hundreds of millions of dollars in tax revenue as Starbucks expands operations in Tennessee, a local outlet estimates. Fox 13 Seattle reported Tuesday that the Emerald City "could lose up to $750 million in tax revenue in the coming years as Starbucks expands in Tennessee instead of Washington." In a press release Tuesday, Starbucks announced it will invest $100 million and bring 2,000 new jobs to Nashville. "Starbucks has major plans for its newest business location, where it will employ up to 2,000 people over the next several years to serve in a variety of corporate-related operations,"...