A Tennessee university on Thursday approved the creation of a Turning Point USA chapter on campus after the conservative group faced opposition from the school’s student government.
The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga (UTC)’s Student Government Association on Wednesday voted against approving the Charlie Kirk-inspired club, sparking backlash from conservative lawmakers. Less than 24 hours after that vote, the university announced that it had approved the application in accordance with school guidelines. 
“The Dean of Students Office has determined that Turning Point USA is approved as a Registered Student Organization,” the university <a href="https://x.com/UTChattanooga/status/1976295599986122883">announced</a> Thursday morning. “While the Student Government Association may voice opinions, recognition of student organizations is determined by the UTC Dean of Students and Chancellor. Turning Point USA has been authorized in accordance with university policy and the law.”  
Calls to approve the club poured in after Turning Point USA spokesman Andrew Kolvet said that UTC’s student government had denied the request to approve the formation of the club. 
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“This decision effectively blocks our students from gaining official recognition on campus. As a result, the students will be forced to restart the process, reapplying and once again facing the same SGA that has already demonstrated clear bias against them. Tennessee, are these the values of your state? Your tax dollars are propping this garbage up,” Kolvet <a href="https://x.com/AndrewKolvet/status/1976125274065690716">posted</a> on X.
After the vote, the university stated that final approval for the club went through school officials, not the student government. 
Shortly before the university announced its decision to approve the club, Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) urged school officials to “do the right thing.” 
“The Student Government Association at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga just voted to recommend that a [TPUSA] chapter not be approved,” Blackburn <a href="https://x.com/VoteMarsha/status/1976284203068293217">wrote</a> on X. “Do the right thing and approve the Turning Point chapter immediately.”
Several state Republican representatives also commented on the student government’s vote, saying that the university would approve the application. 
Rep. Jason Zachary, a Republican who represents part of Knoxville, <a href="https://x.com/JasonZacharyTN/status/1976255673911427512">said</a> Thursday that he had spoken with Randy Boyd, the president of the University of Tennessee system, about the student government association’s vote. Zachary urged Turning Point USA to reach out to him if they had any other problems. 
After UTC announced the approval of the club, Tennessee House Majority Leader William Lamberth, a Republican, praised the school. 
“Glad to see [TPUSA] approved at [UTC]. Looks like some of these young conservatives need to run against the liberal SGA who didn&#8217;t even want their voices heard on campus,” he <a href="https://x.com/WilliamLamberth/status/1976297054151315518">said</a>. “Appreciate the Dean standing for free speech.”
Following the assassination of Kirk last month in Utah, Turning Point USA has reported a massive surge in requests to form new chapters on both high school and college campuses. The organization said last week that it has launched 1,500 new high school chapters nationwide, up from roughly 1,200 total before Kirk’s death.

Former President Trump Addresses The Turning Points Action Conference In West Palm Beach, California

After Student Government Clash, Tennessee Turning Point USA Chapter Gets Green Light

Academia

Charlie Kirk

Free Speech

Marsha Blackburn

Tennessee

Turning Point USA

Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) said former special counsel Jack Smith should face potential prosecution after the FBI obtained the phone records of several Republican Congress members, saying it is out of the ordinary for the federal law enforcement agency to “spy on U.S. senators.”
Sen. Chuck Grassley, the top Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee, revealed on Monday that the FBI had <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/beyond-watergate-bidens-fbi-snooped-on-phone-records-from-gop-lawmakers-in-trump-investigation?author=Leif+Le+Mahieu&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=%E2%80%98Beyond+Watergate%E2%80%99%3A+Biden%E2%80%99s+FBI+Snooped+On+Phone+Records+From+GOP+Lawmakers+In+Trump+Investigation">pulled</a> cell phone “tolling data” for eight GOP senators and one House member. The lawmakers were targeted as part of “Arctic Frost,” an FBI investigation into the 2020 election.
“There will be some indictments, and there will be some prosecutions, and holding people … accountable to the full extent of the law, that is going to be a priority,” said Blackburn in an interview with <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2qLKds6jgGY">Morning Wire</a>.
“We&#8217;re already doing a letter of complaint to the D.C. bar about Jack Smith because this was his shop. He should be disbarred at the very least, and should face the full extent of accountability under the law,” she added.
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Former FBI Washington Field Office Assistant Special Agent in Charge Timothy Thibault launched the Arctic Frost probe in April 2022. Thibault, with a history of online anti-Trump statements, <a href="https://nypost.com/2022/09/04/fbi-agent-timothy-thibault-hid-intel-from-whistleblower-on-hunter-the-big-guy-joe-biden/">resigned</a> from the bureau in August 2022 under accusations of hiding evidence of Biden family malfeasance. The Arctic Frost investigation was turned over to Smith’s special counsel’s office in November 2022.
The steps that the FBI took are “absolutely” unusual and possibly unprecedented, according to Blackburn.
“For them to actually subpoena our phone records and for the wireless companies to give them that information, that is something that is highly unusual. It is illegal,” the senator said. “It is a violation of our civil rights. It’s a violation of our privacy rights. No one can find a time when … the FBI has done this.”
The records obtained by the FBI included the date and time of phone calls made by each lawmaker, the duration of the calls, the identity of the other party on the phone call, and tracking data indicating the location from which each call was made.
Other than Blackburn, the targeted lawmakers named in an FBI document released on Monday are Sens. Cynthia Lummis of Wyoming, Ron Johnson of Wisconsin, Tommy Tuberville of Alabama, Dan Sullivan of Alaska, Josh Hawley of Missouri, Bill Hagerty of Tennessee, Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, and Rep. Mike Kelly of Pennsylvania.

Blackburn Calls Out Jack Smith, Says Biden’s FBI Was Told To ‘Spy’ On Republicans

Blackburn Calls Out Jack Smith, Says Biden's FBI Was Told To ‘Spy’ On Republicans

Jack Smith

Explosive documents reveal that President Biden’s FBI snooped on GOP senators, The Daily Wire’s Matt Walsh uncovers shocking new details about the early prison release of a Kentucky killer, and America’s leading evangelical magazine takes seven-figure donations from one of the nation&#8217;s biggest abortion funders.
It’s Wednesday, October 8, 2025, and this is the news you need to know to start your day.
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<h2 style="text-align: center;">Revealed: Biden FBI Snooped On GOP Lawmakers</h2>
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-982711" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/DOJ-Spies-On-Senators-300x169.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="169" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/DOJ-Spies-On-Senators-300x169.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/DOJ-Spies-On-Senators-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/DOJ-Spies-On-Senators-768x432.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/DOJ-Spies-On-Senators-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/DOJ-Spies-On-Senators.jpg 1920w" sizes=" (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />
Topline: As the government shutdown continues, Washington has been rocked by new revelations that the Biden DOJ snooped on several Republican Congress members as part of its January 6 probe.
This week, Senate Judiciary Chair Chuck Grassley (R-IA) released a document showing that President Joe Biden’s FBI obtained and analyzed phone metadata of eight sitting Republican senators and one Republican House member.
The move came as part of the DOJ’s previously undisclosed Arctic Frost investigation, which went after Republicans for alleged election meddling following the 2020 election. Grassley released a statement along with that document, where he said, “Based on the evidence to date, Arctic Frost and related weaponization by federal law enforcement under Biden was arguably worse than Watergate.”
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The Republican lawmakers targeted by the FBI were Sens. Marsha Blackburn and Bill Hagerty of Tennessee, Cynthia Lummis of Wyoming, Ron Johnson of Wisconsin, Tommy Tuberville of Alabama, Dan Sullivan of Alaska, Josh Hawley of Missouri, Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, and Rep. Mike Kelly of Pennsylvania.
Democrats’ response: Democrats have sought to downplay the story, saying the FBI was simply doing its job to investigate election meddling — and reminding folks that agents were not listening in on phone calls, and were only looking at who they called, and when. 
That has done little to alleviate Republican outrage. Blackburn excoriated the FBI in an interview with Morning Wire: “It is a violation of our civil rights. It’s a violation of our privacy rights. No one can find a time when … the FBI has done this.”
What Republicans want: Republicans have demanded an investigation to determine the extent of the scheme and who was responsible for it.
Former FBI Director Christopher Wray and Attorney General Merrick Garland would have had to approve the operation. Republicans want to know if President Biden was also involved. 
<h2 style="text-align: center;">The Most Violent ‘Nonviolent’ Convict Secures Parole</h2>
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-982713" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/Kentucky-Killer-Outrage-300x169.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="169" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/Kentucky-Killer-Outrage-300x169.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/Kentucky-Killer-Outrage-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/Kentucky-Killer-Outrage-768x432.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/Kentucky-Killer-Outrage-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/Kentucky-Killer-Outrage.jpg 1920w" sizes=" (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />
Topline: More details are coming out about the early prison release of a Kentucky man convicted in the brutal slaying of a young boy. He has shockingly been deemed a nonviolent offender.
What happened: Ronald Exantus broke into a family’s home and stabbed multiple people with a kitchen knife, including a 6-year-old boy who later died from those injuries. These crimes occurred in Woodford County, Kentucky, located just west of Lexington.
Exantus was tried in 2018 and found not guilty of that murder by reason of insanity. He was convicted for the lesser charge of assault and sentenced to 20 years in prison, but he was released in early October – 13 years early – and placed on just eight months of supervised probation.
Hmmm: According to the parole board, Exantus qualifies as nonviolent under Kentucky state law. The board has faced major criticism over the release, but it says that its members repeatedly voted for Exantus to remain in prison. 
In a statement to The Daily Wire’s Matt Walsh, the board said, “Every time it had the opportunity, the Parole Board recommended Ronald Exantus stay in prison.”
After a review for parole on September 30, the board announced that it had issued a decision to keep the criminal in prison for the remainder of his sentence. The board added, “Despite this decision, Kentucky law required the Department of Corrections to release the inmate on Mandatory Reentry Supervision.”
In short, state law required Exantus to be released because he wasn’t convicted of a capital offense related to the killing of Logan Tipton. He was only convicted on lesser charges of second-degree assault for attacking Logan’s sibling and father.
What happens now: Exantus is not quite a free man. He enters a state of parole, which means that he must abide by conditions. Those exact terms are still unknown, but in most cases, if the conditions are broken, the parolee could be sent back to prison.
The case could also come under federal scrutiny, as the White House has weighed in on the issue. On Saturday, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt highlighted one of Walsh’s social media posts and said that the administration is looking into the situation. The White House said it is “wholly unacceptable for a child killer to walk free after just several years in prison.” 
<h2 style="text-align: center;">Christianity Today Funded By Abortion Backer</h2>
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-982715" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/Christian-Funding-Scandal-300x169.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="169" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/Christian-Funding-Scandal-300x169.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/Christian-Funding-Scandal-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/Christian-Funding-Scandal-768x432.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/Christian-Funding-Scandal-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/Christian-Funding-Scandal.jpg 1920w" sizes=" (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />
Topline: America’s most prominent evangelical magazine, Christianity Today, is under fire for <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/evangelical-magazine-christianity-today-takes-over-1-million-from-abortion-funder">accepting</a> financial support from a major abortion funder. Readers also accuse the publication of softening its pro-life stance in recent years.
Since 2022, Christianity Today has received more than one million dollars from the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation. That includes $600,000 for election coverage.
What makes this controversial is Hewlett’s history. The foundation is the second-largest private funder of Planned Parenthood in the United States. It gave the abortion provider more than $100 million between 2000 and 2023. 
After Roe v. Wade was overturned in 2022, Hewlett announced it was increasing its “reproductive equity” budget by 30% – essentially doubling down on supporting abortion access and securing Hewlett’s spot as one of the country’s largest abortion funders.
Influence on CT? Christianity Today has always maintained that it upholds a pro-life ethic. However, since Hewlett’s donations began, the magazine has started publishing articles that advocate for a broader definition of “pro-life.”
Instead of focusing solely on protecting unborn babies, these pieces have argued that the term should also include fighting racial injustice, supporting new federal entitlements like paid family leave, and supporting amnesty for illegal immigrants.
Many pro-life leaders say that redefining the term in this way waters down its meaning. Seth Gruber, founder of the pro-life organization White Rose Resistance, told The Daily Wire that he believes leftists are deliberately working to redefine the term “pro-life” in an effort to advance progressive political priorities under its banner.
Also, in the run-up to the 2024 election, Christianity Today published articles arguing that the issue of abortion was not necessarily a good enough reason to vote and that Christians should consider sitting out. And their board chair took on the role of spokesperson for Evangelicals for Biden.
Step back: Christianity Today has become more reliant on grants and donations over the past five years. In 2020, only about 20 percent of its revenue came from grants. Today, it’s more than half. Over the past few years, it has also received $8 million from the Lilly Endowment, the foundation established by the Eli Lilly family, known for its pharmaceuticals.
Experts warn that when an outlet grows dependent on foundations with their own ideological agendas, it risks aligning with those priorities — even if that means softening its historic Christian commitments.
Part of why the controversy stings is that evangelist Billy Graham founded Christianity Today in 1956 to be a theologically conservative alternative to The Christian Century, which was considered liberal.
Critics have long contended that the outlet has drifted to the left in both tone and substance. The Hewlett Foundation’s funding, particularly the grants marked for “covering elections,” has struck many observers as confirmation of that gradual ideological shift.

MRN_251008-Thumbnail-V1

Morning Brief: Biden’s GOP Spy Games, A Child Killer Set Free, & Christianity Today’s Abortion-Tied Donor

Abortion

Christianity Today

Chuck Grassley

Joe Biden

Kentucky

Media

Morning Wire

Politics

In coordination with the Department of Justice, Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) and Congressman Bob Onder (R-MO) <a href="https://www.blackburn.senate.gov/2025/9/health%20care/blackburn-colleagues-introduce-the-chloe-cole-act-to-ban-chemical-and-surgical-mutilation-of-children" target="_blank" rel="noopener">have introduced</a> the Chloe Cole Act, which not only protects children from gender transition procedures but also establishes a private right of action for victims of these mutilating practices.
Congress must send this bill to President Donald Trump so he can sign it into law as soon as possible. It will save the lives of an untold number of American children.
It’s hard to overstate the importance of detransitioners like Chloe Cole in the movement to protect children. Cole, and others like her, bear witness to the irreversible harm of puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, and surgeries — and they will carry the scars and physical effects of these interventions all their lives.
Cole and her fellow detransitioners have bravely shared the stories of their suffering, the social and cultural forces that led them to hate their bodies, and their exploitation by doctors who didn’t think twice about harming healthy teenagers. In doing so, they have forced Americans to move beyond progressive euphemisms about “gender-affirming care” and reckon with the bloody reality of these procedures.
The Chloe Cole Act is a long-overdue intervention that restores integrity to the medical profession. Medicine should be a field of healing, not harm or manipulation, but even the American Medical Association <a href="https://www.ama-assn.org/press-center/ama-press-releases/ama-reinforces-opposition-restrictions-transgender-medical-care" target="_blank" rel="noopener">supports</a> this gruesome practice. It should go without saying that doctors should not chemically or surgically mutilate children. But the doctors who engage in what they have named “pediatric gender care” routinely violate the rights of patients and the trust of parents — not to mention medicine’s ancient dictum to “do no harm.”
Detransitioners who underwent gender transition procedures as minors identify common elements across their experiences. Despite the irreversible impacts of puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, or surgeries, doctors did not fully explain the long-term effects or risks, ignored comorbidities, and often lied about the patient’s mental health history when recommending irreversible surgeries.
Doctors routinely manipulate parents by framing their child’s transition as a matter of life or death. These parents are told that their reluctance to affirm a child’s self-proclaimed “trans” identity or their hesitance about medical intervention could be the reason for their child’s suicide. Doctors emotionally blackmail parents, asking, “Would you rather have a dead son or a living daughter?” Presented with such dire options by a medical professional, it’s no surprise that parents choose to go along with their child’s transition despite initial resistance.
The physicians who prescribe puberty blockers and hormones or perform “sex reassignment” surgeries purposely damage a healthy body in service of gender ideology. In many cases, they cause infertility by chemically castrating or surgically mutilating children who haven’t even had their first kiss or gone to prom — let alone considered whether they would like to have biological children in the future. Children who are given hormones or undergo surgeries become patients for life, constantly relying on cross-sex hormones to maintain a desired appearance and requiring medical care for complications caused by “top” or “bottom” surgeries.
In fact, this reliance on continued medical treatment is a significant obstacle that detransitioners face. It’s quite easy to access gender transition procedures — they’re federally funded through Medicaid, CHIP, and Medicare, and private insurers also provide coverage. But it’s incredibly difficult to find care throughout a person’s detransition, even as they seek healing for the wounds caused by surgeries.
Chloe Cole has courageously <a href="https://nypost.com/2025/03/11/opinion/im-a-detransitioner-congress-must-protect-kids-like-me/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">shared</a> that, more than four years after she began to detransition, the wounds from her double mastectomy still bleed.
“If I ever have kids — and I’m not sure I can — I’ll never be able to breastfeed. The doctors made sure of that. And those same doctors refused to see me once I said I regretted it.”
President Trump didn’t <a href="https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/read-the-full-text-of-trumps-speech-to-a-joint-session-of-congress" target="_blank" rel="noopener">mince</a> words in his address to Congress earlier this year when he said, “I want Congress to pass a bill permanently banning and criminalizing sex changes on children and forever ending the lie that any child is trapped in the wrong body. This is a big lie. And our message to every child in America is that you are perfect exactly the way God made you.”
It’s time to respond to the president’s request. Congress must pass the Chloe Cole Act. Thousands of children have been lied to and irreparably harmed in the name of transgender ideology, and it’s time to deliver justice to the victims and the perpetrators alike.
Terry Schilling is a parental rights advocate and president of the American Principles Project.
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene Speaks To The Media On The Protect Children’s Innocence Act

Protect America’s Children, Pass The Chloe Cole Act Now

American Medical Association

Donald Trump

Transgender

With the backing of the Trump administration, Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) put forth new legislation on Thursday that would protect children across the country from “irreversible chemical and surgical mutilation” through transgender procedures, according to a copy of the bill obtained by The Daily Wire. 
Named after prominent <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/i-went-through-this-as-a-child-chloe-cole-praises-supreme-court-ruling-against-transgender-drugs">detransitioner</a> Chloe Cole, the <a href="https://www.blackburn.senate.gov/services/files/206AFD7F-2470-4E86-926B-17EDB5F7476A">bill</a> would ban doctors from doing transgender surgical procedures such as removing the breasts of girls who identify as boys or various types of genital mutilation. It would also protect children who identify as transgender from being put on puberty blockers or cross-sex hormones. 
“No child should be pushed into irreversible chemical and surgical mutilation under the guise of so-called ‘gender-affirming care,’” Blackburn told The Daily Wire. “The Chloe Cole Act would put a stop to this barbaric abuse of children and give those who have suffered the consequences of these harmful procedures the chance to fight back.”
At the age of 15, Cole underwent a double mastectomy while experiencing extreme confusion about her gender. She has since come to regret undergoing transgender procedures and has become a vocal advocate to protect kids from the life-altering treatments. 
Republican Senators Eric Schmitt (MO), Tim Sheehy (MT), and Rick Scott (FL) also signed onto the legislation.  
Rep. Bob Onder (R-MO) introduced the companion measure in the House. 
“As a member of Congress, a doctor, a parent, and an American, I am committed to protecting our nation’s children,” he said. “That’s why I am proud to introduce the Chloe Cole Act, a landmark bill that will put a permanent stop to one of the most dangerous and barbaric medical procedures in modern history.”
Between 2019 and 2023, transgender surgeries were <a href="https://donoharmmedicine.org/2024/10/08/stop-the-harm-national-database-child-trans-industry/">done</a> on 5,747 kids, 13,994 were given sex change treatments, and 8,579 kids were put on puberty blockers. 
The Chloe Cole Act would also allow kids to sue any hospital, clinic, or medical professional who participated in putting them on transgender procedures. 
The legislation is backed by the Justice Department, which <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-admin-backs-nationwide-push-to-protect-kids-from-transgender-procedures?author=Leif+Le+Mahieu&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Trump+Admin+Backs+Nationwide+Push+To+Protect+Kids+From+Transgender+Procedures">announced</a> its support for the measure earlier this month. 
“The Department of Justice has heard from far too many families who have been devastated by mutilative medical procedures that fly in the face of basic biology,” said Attorney General Pam Bondi. “While we continue our ongoing legal battle to protect children, we appreciate Senator Marsha Blackburn and Congressman Bob Onder who are working diligently alongside us to end these abusive procedures once and for all.”
Organizations like the American Principles Project and Independent Women have also endorsed the proposal. Over two dozen states have already taken action to protect kids from transgender procedures at the state level.

Sen. Lankford Speaks To The Press On “Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act”

EXCLUSIVE: New Blackburn Bill Would End ‘Barbaric’ Transgender Procedures Nationwide

EXCLUSIVE: New Blackburn Bill Would End 'Barbaric' Transgender Procedures Nationwide

Department of Justice

Pam Bondi

transgender surgery

President Donald Trump on Monday signed a memo directing a crackdown on crime in Memphis, Tennessee, using a strategy similar to the one deployed in Washington, D.C.
The <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/09/restoring-law-and-order-in-memphis/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">memo</a> establishes the Memphis Safe Task Force and directs the Secretary of War, Pete Hegseth, to request control of the Tennessee National Guard from the governor. Trump’s Monday directive followed a request from Tennessee Republican Governor Bill Lee for help fighting crime in Memphis.
“This task force will be a replica of our extraordinarily successful efforts here (in Washington, D.C.), and you&#8217;ll see it&#8217;s a lot of the same thing,” Trump said in an Oval Office signing ceremony flanked by top Tennessee and federal law enforcement officials. “Now, we did send the FBI in about four months ago to work, and it brought some of the numbers down, and they did a great job, but we&#8217;re sending in the big force now.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
.<a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@POTUS</a>: &#8220;Today, at the request of <a href="https://twitter.com/GovBillLee?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@GovBillLee</a> of Tennessee&#8230; I&#8217;m signing a Presidential Memorandum to establish the Memphis Safe Task Force — and it&#8217;s very important because of the crime that&#8217;s going on.&#8221; <a href="https://t.co/8fflcbietz">pic.twitter.com/8fflcbietz</a>
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1967693731014099053?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 15, 2025</a></blockquote>
Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) credited FBI Director Kash Patel with the work done by his agency to drop crime in Memphis over the summer through “Operation Viper.”
“There have been over 500 arrests, there are over 100 indictments, and Memphis had the best stats they have had in years this past August, last month. It was the best August they have had, and it&#8217;s because of the work that&#8217;s been done,” Blackburn <a href="https://x.com/MarshaBlackburn/status/1967730702809706534">said</a>.
While the plan to combat crime in Memphis includes National Guard members posted in the city, it relies on partnerships between state, local, and federal law enforcement to combat crime. The law enforcement agencies involved <a href="https://www.tn.gov/governor/news/2025/9/15/icymi--gov--lee--president-trump-meet-in-oval-office-to-discuss-strategic-mission-to-address-crime-in-memphis.html">include</a> the Drug Enforcement Agency, Tennessee Highway Patrol, and Memphis Police Department, according to Lee’s office.
During his remarks at the White House, Trump said that Chicago is “probably next” to receive a deployment from the National Guard after Memphis. It’s unclear how Trump plans to allocate federal resources to Chicago. Unlike in Tennessee, the president faces a hostile governor in Illinois who would almost certainly refuse to cooperate with any effort to send federal resources into Chicago.
“Mr. President, do not come to Chicago. You are neither wanted here nor needed here,” Pritzker <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2025/08/25/politics/jb-pritzker-trump-chicago">said</a> last month.

Trump Targets Memphis Crime With Strategy Proven In Washington, D.C.

Trump Targets Memphis For Next Crime Crackdown

Bill Lee

Crime

Memphis

A dean at a university in Tennessee was fired on Wednesday after she said she had “zero sympathy” following the assassination of conservative commentator Charlie Kirk. 
Middle Tennessee State University Associate Dean of Students Laura Sosh-Lightsy was fired for “inappropriate and callous” social media posts about the killing of Kirk, the university confirmed to The Daily Wire. According to screenshots of posts shared online by Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), Sosh-Lightsy wrote, “Looks like ol’ Charlie spoke his fate into existence. Hate begets hate. ZERO sympathy.”
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Assistant Dean of Students for my alma mater — Middle Tennessee State University — has some thoughts on Charlie Kirk’s assassination. <a href="https://t.co/HN3HIPI24l">pic.twitter.com/HN3HIPI24l</a>
— Matthew Hurtt (@matthewhurtt) <a href="https://twitter.com/matthewhurtt/status/1965939113162592469?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 11, 2025</a></blockquote>
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Sosh-Lightsy’s posts <a href="https://x.com/matthewhurtt/status/1965939113162592469">were</a> first flagged by Matthew Hurtt, an MTSU alumnus and director of the Leadership Institute. According to another post shared by Hurtt, Sosh-Lightsy wrote, “I’m not celebrating the loss of Charlie Kirk’s life. Violence is not the answer. I’m celebrating the loss of his message of violence in an increasingly violent world, which is partially because of him.”
Those comments came after Kirk was gunned down while speaking at Utah Valley University. A manhunt is still ongoing for the individual who shot Kirk. Many leftists took to social media to mock Kirk or celebrate his death. 
Sosh-Lightsy’s firing was announced by Middle Tennessee State University President Sidney McPhee, who said that she was fired “immediately” and that she had done damage to the university’s credibility with students and the public. 
“An MTSU employee today offered inappropriate and callous comments on social media concerning the horrific and tragic murder of Charlie Kirk,” McPhee said. “The comments by this employee, who worked in a position of trust directly with students, were inconsistent with our values and have undermined the university’s credibility and reputation with our students, faculty, staff and the community at large. This employee has been fired effective immediately. We extend our deepest sympathies to the Kirk family.”
Sosh-Lightsy’s profile was removed from the university’s Office of Student Conduct and Care Page sometime after the firing. According to her LinkedIn page, she had worked at Middle Tennessee State University for over twenty years and was in charge of student conduct and behavioral intervention plans. 
Her firing came after <a href="https://x.com/VoteMarsha/status/1965946930753945875">pressure</a> from Blackburn and other Tennessee Republicans. 
“Charlie Kirk was an inspiration for so many young people to speak up and work towards a better country, and nowhere was that more true than our college campuses,” Blackburn <a href="https://x.com/VoteMarsha/status/1965946930753945875">wrote</a> on X. “She should be fired tomorrow.”
Republican State Rep. Jason Zachary, an alumnus of MTSU, also called for Sosh-Lightsy’s firing. After the university announced the firing, he praised the leadership at the school.
“Thank you [President McPhee] for your leadership and decisive action,” he <a href="https://x.com/JasonZacharyTN/status/1966090666905334095">posted</a> on X. “Our leaders in higher education must hold faculty accountable and ensure that our public institutions reflect Tennessee values [MTSU] has led the way. Well done.”

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Tennessee University Dean Fired After Saying She Had No Sympathy For Charlie Kirk

The Trump administration is backing legislation that would ban doctors from performing transgender procedures on children and allow lawsuits against doctors or hospitals who greenlit such procedures.  
The Justice Department <a href="https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/department-justice-proposes-legislation-protect-children-gender-mutilation">said</a> Wednesday that it had “transmitted a legislative proposal to Congress that protects and defends children from chemical and surgical mutilation under the guise of ‘gender-affirming care.’” In the press release, the DOJ said it was backing a proposal from Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) and Rep. Bob Onder (R-MO) that would protect children nationwide from transgender procedures. 
“The Department of Justice has heard from far too many families who have been devastated by mutilative medical procedures that fly in the face of basic biology,” said Attorney General Pam Bondi. “While we continue our ongoing legal battle to protect children, we appreciate our colleagues in Congress who are working diligently alongside us to end these abusive procedures once and for all.”
The <a href="https://www.justice.gov/opa/media/1412656/dl?inline">proposal</a> from the Republican lawmakers, called the Victims of Chemical or Surgical Mutilation Act, would ban doctors from doing transgender surgeries like removing the breasts of girls who identify as boys or genital procedures. It would also ban children who identify as transgender from being put on puberty blockers or cross-sex hormones. 
Puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones can permanently destroy fertility, stunt bone growth, and impact heart health. 
The bill would also allow children who were put on transgender procedures to bring a civil suit for &#8220;damages against any healthcare professional, physician, hospital, or clinic, who participates in the chemical or surgical mutilation of that child. This includes, but is not limited to, compensatory damages, including all economic damages associated with undoing, correcting, or ameliorating the effects or results of any chemical or surgical mutilation procedures, and noneconomic damages for emotional distress and pain and suffering.&#8221;
The legislation would allow kids to sue their doctors within 25 years of their 18th birthday.
President Donald Trump has cracked down on transgender procedures for kids, signing an executive order in January that ended federal funding for any entity performing or promoting the procedures. His administration has also <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/health-care-puts-stop-to-trans-surgeries-on-kids">pressured</a> hospitals across the country to stop the procedures.

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gender ideology

Trump Administration

The FBI arrested a 22-year-old on Thursday for threatening to kill Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) earlier this year. 
The Justice Department accused Penelope Convertino, of Murfreesboro, Tennessee, of leaving a voice mail message at Blackburn’s Nashville office threatening to shoot the senator on May 30. Convertino has been charged with making a threat to murder a federal official with the intent to impede, intimidate, and interfere. 
“Our public officials should be able to do their jobs without receiving vile death threats,” <a href="https://www.justice.gov/usao-mdtn/pr/murfreesboro-woman-charged-threat-murder-united-states-senator-marsha-blackburn">said</a> Acting United States Attorney for the Middle District of Tennessee. “Threatening public officials with deadly violence cannot and will not be tolerated. We will not hesitate to hold those who make these kinds of violent threats accountable for their crimes.”
According to the Justice Department, Convertino’s voice mail said: “My name is mother**ker and I’m gonna kill Marsha Blackburn. I’m gonna shoot her with a gun. I’m gonna blow up her head on national TV,” Convertino said, according to the Justice Department. “She will literally have brains splattered behind her because she will not be a person. She will be a dead f**king body.”
If convicted, Convertino could face up to 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000. 
Blackburn, who is running for governor of Tennessee, expressed gratitude to federal investigators. 
“Threats against the life of any public official are unacceptable and should be prosecuted to the fullest extent,” she <a href="https://www.wkrn.com/news/local-news/murfreesboro/woman-charged-alleged-threat-blackburn/">told</a> local outlet WKRN. “I am grateful to law enforcement and federal prosecutors in the Middle District of Tennessee for taking this threat seriously and for their swift action. My focus remains on serving the people of Tennessee, and I will not be intimidated or deterred by those who seek to silence me.”
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Republican Rep. Tim Burchett (R-TN) criticized the FBI, <a href="https://x.com/timburchett/status/1961433462079889900">saying</a> it took far too long to make an arrest in the case.
“Someone threatens [Blackburn’s] life and it takes the [FBI] 3 months to arrest the dirtbag?! That’s a problem,” he posted on X. 
Blackburn, who was re-elected to a second Senate term in 2024, will face off against Republican Rep. John Rose in the August 2026 Republican gubernatorial primary.

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Nashville

Two Republican U.S. senators called for a congressional investigation into Meta Platforms on Thursday after Reuters exclusively reported on an internal policy document that permitted the company’s chatbots to “engage a child in conversations that are romantic or sensual.”
Meta confirmed the document’s authenticity, but said that after receiving questions earlier this month from Reuters, the company removed portions that stated it is permissible for chatbots to flirt and engage in romantic roleplay with children. The standards described in the Meta document don’t necessarily reflect “ideal or even preferable” generative AI outputs, the document states. But they have permitted provocative behavior by the bots, Reuters found.
In one example, the document notes that it would be acceptable for a bot to tell a shirtless eight-year-old that “every inch of you is a masterpiece – a treasure I cherish deeply.”
&#8220;So, only after Meta got CAUGHT did it retract portions of its company doc,&#8221; Senator Josh Hawley, a Republican from Missouri, said in a post on social media site X. &#8220;This is grounds for an immediate congressional investigation,&#8221; Hawley said.
A spokesperson for Senator Marsha Blackburn, a Republican from Tennessee, said she supports an investigation into the social media company.
A spokesperson for Meta did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Reuters.
Blackburn also added that the report illustrates the need to pass reforms to better protect children online, such as the Kids Online Safety Act, a bill she co-sponsored that the Senate passed last year but which failed in the U.S. House of Representatives.
“When it comes to protecting precious children online, Meta has failed miserably by every possible measure. Even worse, the company has turned a blind eye to the devastating consequences of how its platforms are designed,&#8221; Blackburn said.
The Kids Online Safety Act would make explicit a &#8220;duty of care&#8221; that social media companies have when it comes to minors using their products, focusing on the design of the platforms and the regulation of the companies.
Senator Ron Wyden, a Democrat from Oregon, called the policies &#8220;deeply disturbing and wrong,&#8221; adding that Section 230, a law that shields internet companies from liability for the content posted to their platforms, should not protect companies&#8217; generative AI chatbots.
&#8220;Meta and Zuckerberg should be held fully responsible for any harm these bots cause,” he said.
Senator Peter Welch, a Democrat of Vermont, said the report &#8220;shows how critical safeguards are for AI — especially when the health and safety of kids is at risk.&#8221;
The Senate voted 99-1 in July to remove a provision in President Donald Trump&#8217;s sweeping tax-cut and spending bill that would have effectively barred states from passing AI regulation.
In the absence of federal laws regulating AI, states have passed legislation, including bans on using the technology to create child sexual abuse material.
(Reporting by Jody Godoy in New York; Additional Reporting by Alexandra Alper in Washington; Editing by Aurora Ellis)

FILE PHOTO: Illustration shows Meta logo

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Artificial Intelligence

Children

Josh Hawley

Mark Zuckerberg

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Marsha Blackburn Launches Governor Bid, Pledges To ‘Make Tennessee America’s Conservative Leader’

Tennessee Governor Bill Lee announced Monday that the state would be partnering with Elon Musk’s Boring Company to build an underground tunnel connecting the Nashville airport to the city’s downtown.
The project will be called the “Music City Loop” and will connect Nashville International Airport to the heart of the city’s entertainment district via an underground tunnel. Using electric vehicles, the trip will take about eight minutes, <a href="https://www.tn.gov/governor/news/2025/7/28/gov--lee--the-boring-company-unveil-transformative-underground-music-city-loop-project.html">according</a> to the Boring Company.
During a press conference at the airport, Lee said that the project would be 100% privately funded with “no cost to taxpayers.” He said that it was brought to Nashville because it is the “most dynamic city in the country” and that it would lead to less congestion on the roads.
“Tennessee continues to lead the nation in finding innovative solutions to infrastructure challenges,” Lee said. “By leveraging the innovation of private sector companies like The Boring Company, we’re exploring possibilities we couldn’t achieve on our own as a state. This partnership represents the kind of forward-thinking, fiscally responsible approach that will define the future of transportation in Tennessee.”
The loop will be built under state-owned roads, and construction is projected to begin in the fall of 2026, pending approvals.
Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy was also present at the announcement, saying that he was “thrilled about this project.”
Duffy said that the project would help reduce congestion on the roads, which has become worse in recent years as Tennessee has seen an influx of new residents. He said that the congestion was a “product of your own success” because people were attracted to the politics of Tennessee.
Boring Company President Steve Davis said at a press conference that the rock below Tennessee was really difficult to drill through, but that his engineers would be able to figure it out. He also said that the company would start consideration of potential places to expand the tunnel.
The decision to bring a tunnel to Nashville was celebrated by Tennessee GOP Senators Marsha Blackburn and Bill Hagerty.
&#8220;As Nashville International Airport continues to set passenger records and our city experiences an economic boom, the Boring Company&#8217;s investment in the Music City Loop will help ease growing pains and address transportation challenges at zero cost to Tennessee taxpayers,&#8221; Blackburn said. &#8220;The Boring Company could not have picked a better new home for this state-of-the-art tunneling technology than Nashville, and I look forward to seeing the tremendous impact this investment will have on our city and its residents.”

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