A former police officer was charged last week with leaking the writings of the transgender-identifying woman who murdered three children and three adults at the Covenant School in March 2023.
But retired Lt. Garet Davidson — who was arrested and jailed on May 6 — says that he&#8217;s innocent. Davidson claims he&#8217;s being retaliated against for a complaint he filed against the department criticizing its Covenant investigation in May 2024, four months after he retired.
Davidson&#8217;s May 2024 <a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/17k--mes3tmiC54vjj0uiZ9NJTsc69cau/view" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> complaint</a> against the police department alleges numerous instances of misconduct by top police officials, including mismanagement of the Covenant investigation, a pattern of bias in disciplinary investigations, altering performance results for low-achieving recruits, avoiding accountability, and failure to follow sexual harassment policies.
Davidson&#8217;s legal team believes that the charges were brought in retaliation for his efforts to expose problems at the police department.
“The charges against retired MNPD Lieutenant Garet Davidson represent a transparent attempt to discredit and silence a whistleblower who exposed serious misconduct within the Metro Nashville Police Department,” Davidson’s legal team said. “We look forward to vigorously defending Mr. Davidson against these retaliatory charges.”
Davidson has <a href="https://tennesseestar.com/news/retired-mnpd-lt-garet-davidson-claims-fbi-told-nashville-police-not-to-release-documents-from-covenant-school-killer-audrey-elizabeth-hale-investigation-pointed-to-precedent-for-document-destruction/tpappert/2024/06/04/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">been outspoken</a> about the investigation into the Covenant shooting, telling conservative radio host Michael Patrick Leahy in June 2024 that the FBI sent a memo to police instructing them not to release any details of the attacker&#8217;s writings.
At the time, Davidson said that he had some concerns that there would be action taken against him based on the information he had shared about the FBI memo.
“I don’t put it beyond anybody,” he said. “Part of the reason why I left law enforcement was to avoid some aspects of retaliation, but that doesn’t guarantee anything.”
In the charges unveiled last week, Davidson is accused of being involved in the leak of the writings of the woman who entered the Covenant School, a Christian school in an affluent Nashville neighborhood, on March 27, 2023, and murdered six people before she was killed by police.
Following the attack, the police announced that the shooter had a &#8220;manifesto,&#8221; but refused to release it to the public. Despite that refusal, media outlets, including The Daily Wire, obtained portions and uncovered that the shooter wrote frequently of her desire to be a man and anger at her parents for resisting her so-called transition.
Prior to his arrest last week, Davidson had been linked to the police department&#8217;s investigation into the leak.
His home was raided by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation in November 2024 in relation to the investigation into the leak. He faces two indictments: one charges him with theft, two counts of burglary, and 30 counts of official misconduct; the other charges him with six counts of official misconduct related to the Covenant School shooting.
The raid came after he was named in a June 2024 court filing on the leak, though he was not directly named as a leaker. That came just weeks after he filed a misconduct complaint against the police department, which included criticism of the Covenant investigation.
A GoFundMe Davidson set up to help with his legal expenses has been shut down. A spokesman for the platform told The Daily Wire that the fundraiser was removed because of its policies not to raise money for “the legal defense of financial and violent crimes, including those related to money laundering, murder, robbery, assault, battery, sex crimes or crimes against minors.”
The spokesman did not further elaborate on why the fundraiser had been shut down. A <a href="https://www.givesendgo.com/garetdavidson" target="_blank" rel="noopener">GiveSendGo</a> page has since been set up for Davidson&#8217;s legal fees.
Last month, the Nashville police department <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/nashville-police-in-final-report-downplay-covenant-shooters-transgender-identity-hatred-of-christianity?author=Leif+Le+Mahieu&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Nashville+Police+In+Final+Report+Downplay+Covenant+Shooter’s+Transgender+Identity%2C+Hatred+Of+Christianity" target="_blank" rel="noopener">released</a> its final investigative report into the shooting. The report, released over two years after the attack, downplayed the attacker&#8217;s hatred of Christianity and fixation on gender ideology and &#8220;white privilege.&#8221;

3 children, 3 teachers fatally shot in US city of Nashville school shooting

Retired Cop Accused Of Leaking Covenant Shooter’s Diary Says He’s Being Set Up

Nashville

Police

Tennessee

The Covenant School

Three of the five Memphis, Tennessee, police officers who were charged in the fatal beating of Tyre Nichols in 2023 were acquitted of state charges on Wednesday.
Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, and Justin Smith were found not guilty of all charges by a jury that deliberated for two days, Fox 13 Memphis <a href="https://www.fox13memphis.com/news/former-memphis-officers-not-guilty-of-all-charges-in-state-trial-related-to-tyre-nichols/article_64c2937c-fdfd-4714-88d9-a4b929d04376.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>. The former police officers faced charges of second-degree murder, aggravated assault, two counts of aggravated kidnapping, two counts of official misconduct, and official oppression. While the former officers celebrated their acquittal on state charges, they still face sentencing after being convicted of obstruction of justice in a federal trial.
The trial, which was carried out in front of an out-of-town jury from Hamilton County, Tennessee, took nine days. Prosecutors argued that Bean and Smith had a duty to intervene after their fellow officers, Desmond Mills Jr. and Emmitt Martin, began kicking Nichols in the head while he was on the ground. Haley arrived on the scene after Martin first kicked Nichols and then kicked Nichols&#8217; upper arm. According to prosecutors, Haley failed to step in and prevent escalating violence, adding that the former officer yelled, &#8220;Beat that man&#8217;s (expletive).&#8221; Haley&#8217;s defense attorney brought in a use-of-force expert during the trial who testified that Haley&#8217;s kick to Nichols&#8217; arm was an attempt to get him into handcuffs, not to continue any violence.
Nichols got into a confrontation with the Memphis Police officers after he was pulled over on January 7, 2023. Nichols attempted to flee after being pepper-sprayed and got close to his mother&#8217;s home before the officers soon caught up with him and took him to the ground. Video <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=udIwBuozE28&amp;list=PL8QBkS_wk32WqmDIbofsZCyneo1JbM3Tn&amp;index=2" target="_blank" rel="noopener">footage</a> from a camera mounted on a nearby pole showed Nichols being kicked and punched while he was on the ground. The 29-year-old man died after being transported to a hospital.
&#8220;It&#8217;s hard for us to imagine how someone could say that none of the defendants were guilty of any of the charges,&#8221; said Shelby County District Attorney Steve Mulroy. &#8220;I think that any fair-minded person who watched the video would come to the conclusion that everybody there had some responsibility for Tyre Nichols&#8217; death.&#8221;
Some on the Left <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2023/01/27/opinions/tyre-nichols-memphis-police-department-jones/index.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">pointed</a> to the beating death of Nichols to paint the police as racist, despite all five officers being black. Demonstrators marched in Memphis following Nichols&#8217; death, demanding an end to &#8220;police terror&#8221; and claiming that police &#8220;uphold white supremacy.&#8221;
<div id="attachment_917367" style="width: 874px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-917367" class="wp-image-917367 size-large" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/05/GettyImages-1460352554-864x576.jpg" alt="" width="864" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/05/GettyImages-1460352554-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/05/GettyImages-1460352554-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/05/GettyImages-1460352554-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/05/GettyImages-1460352554-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/05/GettyImages-1460352554-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/05/GettyImages-1460352554-1800x1200.jpg 1800w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/05/GettyImages-1460352554-1200x800.jpg 1200w" sizes="(max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px" />Demonstrators march in Memphis following the death of Tyre Nichols (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)</div>
All five officers accused of beating Nichols to death were fired from the Memphis Police Department shortly after his death. Bean and Smith face 20 years in federal prison after being found guilty of witness tampering. Haley could serve a life sentence in federal prison after being found guilty of using excessive force, being deliberately indifferent to Nichols&#8217; medical needs, witness tampering, and conspiracy to witness tamper, USA Today reported.
Martin and Mills Jr. both took plea deals and testified during the federal trial, while Mills also testified during the state trial. Prosecutors recommended a 40-year prison sentence for Martin and a 15-year sentence for Mills, according to Fox 13.  Sentencing for all five officers in the federal trial is expected to take place soon since the state trial has concluded.

Tyre Nichols

Three Former Memphis Police Officers Found Not Guilty In Beating Death Of Tyre Nichols

Memphis

trial

A Tennessee Highway Patrol Officer said that Kilmar Abrego Garcia, the illegal alien who was deported to a Salvadoran prison by the Trump administration over his MS-13 ties, was likely engaged in human trafficking in a newly released body camera video.
The illegal alien, infamously and inaccurately referred to as a “Maryland man,” was pulled over by Tennessee Highway Patrol Officers in 2022 after the law enforcement agents suspected that he could be smuggling people.
One officer is heard in the body camera footage saying that Abrego Garcia was “hauling these people for money.” Abrego Garcia, who was driving a car with eight other people in it, had an invalid Maryland driver’s license, while none of the other men had licenses.
“He’s getting paid to haul these people, probably to Maryland, I would say,” the officer said of Abrego Garcia, who changed his story during his interaction with the law enforcement agents. “Sometimes they come in with dope,” the officer added, while a different member of the Tennessee Highway Patrol pointed out that the vehicle Abrego Garcia was driving appeared to have an extra row of seats added to it.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">
BREAKING: Body cam footage obtained by Tennessee Star shows Tennessee Trooper saying Kilmar Abrego Garcia &#8220;hauling these people for money&#8221; <a href="https://t.co/4FHWOIjSz5">pic.twitter.com/4FHWOIjSz5</a>
— Tennessee Star (@TheTNStar) <a href="https://twitter.com/TheTNStar/status/1918128053924122770?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 2, 2025</a></blockquote>
The illegal alien first told law enforcement that he and the other men were “going back to work” in St. Louis, Missouri, where the men worked construction. Later in the encounter, Abrego Garcia said he was going to Maryland, where he lived, but that he and the other men would then return to St. Louis, Missouri, for a construction job. Abrego Garcia also said that he was driving his boss’ car from Houston, Texas.
The law enforcement officers asked Abrego to sit in the back of their patrol car, but did not handcuff him. The officers called the FBI and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), one source <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/us/tennessee-bodycam-maryland-man-traffic-stop-shows-troopers-hands-tied-despite-smuggling-clues">told</a> Fox News, but they did not receive a response from ICE and were advised by the Biden-era FBI not to detain Abrego Garcia despite their suspicion that he was trafficking illegal aliens.
The footage emerged after Abrego Garcia was sent to El Salvador’s Terrorism Confinement Center, a massive prison designed for members of criminal gangs like MS-13 and Barrio 18. His deportation became a political flashpoint, with Democrat politicians <a href="https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/more-democratic-lawmakers-visit-el-salvador-to-see-abrego-garcia-wrongly-deported-by-trump-administration">traveling</a> to the Central American country to visit the illegal alien and call for his return to the United States.
Newly released <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/dem-darling-maryland-mans-wife-he-bragged-he-could-kill-me-and-get-away-with-it">court documents</a> indicate that Abrego Garcia bragged that he could murder his wife and get away with it. “Me and my kids are afraid now. He kicked me, pushed me, slapped me in the face and threatened me,” the illegal alien’s wife said, according to the document. “I also have a [recording] that [he] told my ex-mother-in-law that even if he kills me no one can do anything to him.”
The Supreme Court ruled that the Trump administration has to “facilitate” Abrego Garcia’s return to the United States, but Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-officials-bukele-tear-into-cnn-reporter-who-asked-if-illegal-alien-will-be-returned-to-u-s?author=Spencer+Lindquist&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=19&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Trump+Officials%2C+Bukele+Tear+Into+CNN+Reporter+Who+Asked+If+Illegal+Alien+Will+Be+Returned+To+U.S.">quashed</a> any speculation that he would send the man back to the United States in a meeting at the oval office last month. “The question is preposterous, how can I smuggle a terrorist into the United States?”

Kilmar Abrego Garcia

Police Suspected ‘Maryland Man’ Of ‘Getting Paid’ To Traffic Illegals, Body Cam Footage Shows

Border

El Salvador

Illegal Immigration

Immigration

U.S.

Singer Sheryl Crow, who has expressed leftist views in the past, said she contacts her local Republican representatives in Tennessee &#8220;every day&#8221; in an effort to “fight” for the future.
The 63-year-old recording artist was discussing her move to the Volunteer State and how her politics do not align with those of many Tennesseans.
“We all have those moments in our life where we have to pivot,” Crow told <a href="https://variety.com/2025/music/news/sheryl-crow-power-of-women-nashville-cover-story-1236379807/">Variety</a> in a newly published interview. “I was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2006, and I moved [to Tennessee] in 2007. I think having come out of a relationship [with former professional cyclist Lance Armstrong] where I thought I was gonna be married and was close to the kids that were gonna be my stepkids, then got diagnosed — all three of those things made me reassess. I just looked at it and thought, &#8216;I want to put down roots; I want to have a family.’ My sisters live here, and my family all lived within three hours, and I just decided to start phase two.”
She said she’s happy with the move to Tennessee, but has experienced some difficulties adjusting.
“Tennessee is a hard place for me. I mean, I struggle,” she told the outlet. “I call my representatives [in Congress] every single morning — Andy Ogles and Marsha Blackburn hear from me every day — because we have to stand up and be vocal and fight for the future for our kids.”
“I do think, ’Are they laughing?’ But it’s like what Jimmy Carter said: As long as there’s legal bribery, we won’t ever have fair elections. So we have to keep raising our voices and showing up to these organized rallies,” Crow added.
The “Soak Up the Sun” singer said she received backlash after posting a video of her Tesla being towed away. “This feels different, because when I came out against Walmart carrying guns [in a 1996 song], not everybody was armed — and certainly I didn’t live in Tennessee, where everybody is armed,” she said.
“So yeah, there was a moment where I actually really felt very afraid: A man got on my property, in my barn, who was armed. It doesn’t feel safe when you’re dealing with people who are so committed.”
As for posting the video, she said, “I can’t help it. I feel like I’m fighting for my kids. Also, that’s the way I was raised. There have been times when it hasn’t really been fun, but I follow my Atticus Finch dad; I’m very similar to him if I see something that seems unfair, you know?”
Crow was criticized for an Instagram <a href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/DGEf88eBMVX/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;ig_rid=a00569fc-1a7b-490d-8550-55229d48acf5">post</a> with the caption, “My parents always said … you are who you hang out with. There comes a time when you have to decide who you are willing to align with. So long Tesla.”
“Money donated to [NPR], which is under threat by President Musk, in hopes that the truth will continue to find its way to those willing to know the truth,” the post concluded.

Sheryl Crow

Sheryl Crow Says She Calls Tennessee Republicans Marsha Blackburn And Andy Ogles ‘Every Day’

Sheryl Crow Said She Calls Tennessee Rep Marsha Blackburn 'Every Day'

Celebrities

Marsha Blackburn

Politics

The Tennessee General Assembly sent two bills cracking down on diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives to Republican Governor Bill Lee&#8217;s desk on Tuesday as the legislative session came to a close.
One bill would ban publicly funded universities and state and local governments from maintaining DEI offices, while the other bill would prohibit those same entities from making hiring decisions based on race. Both bills passed with overwhelming Republican support.
&#8220;DEI violates the Civil Rights Act of 1964,” Tennessee Senate Majority Leader Jack Johnson <a href="https://tnga.granicus.com/player/clip/31993?view_id=775&amp;meta_id=914498&amp;redirect=true" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> on Tuesday. “We don’t need DEI in our state, Mr. Speaker. We need to hire people and promote people based on their merit. Diversity is a wonderful thing and it will happen. But we’re not going to make diversity the number one objective when we’re trying to serve our constituents and hire good people to take care of our constituents. It will be based on qualifications and merit.”
Johnson was the prime Senate sponsor of both the &#8220;Dismantling DEI Departments Act,&#8221; which <a href="https://wapp.capitol.tn.gov/apps/BillInfo/Default.aspx?BillNumber=SB1084" target="_blank" rel="noopener">prohibits</a> DEI offices for publicly funded entities, and the &#8220;Dismantle DEI Act,&#8221; which <a href="https://wapp.capitol.tn.gov/apps/BillInfo/Default.aspx?BillNumber=HB0622" target="_blank" rel="noopener">bans</a> public entities from making hiring decisions based on DEI.
“We want to make sure that we are not discriminating when it comes to hiring people at all levels of government in the state of Tennessee. Similarly, we want to make sure that we are not discriminating when it comes to delivering services to our constituents,&#8221; Johnson said from the Senate floor on Tuesday. 
The &#8220;Dismantling DEI Departments Act&#8221; passed the Senate 26-6 and the House 72-25, while the &#8220;Dismantle DEI Act&#8221; passed the Senate 27-6 and the House 73-24.
The Dismantling DEI Department Act would prohibit state government departments or agencies, county governments, city governments, and public universities &#8220;from maintaining or authorizing an office or department that promotes or requires discriminatory preferences in an effort to increase diversity, equity, or inclusion,&#8221; <a href="https://wapp.capitol.tn.gov/apps/BillInfo/Default.aspx?BillNumber=SB1084" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according</a> to a summary of the bill.
Its companion bill, the &#8220;Dismantling DEI Act,&#8221; would prohibit those same entities from basing hiring decisions on characteristics like race and sex, &#8220;rather than on individual merit, qualifications, veteran status, or lawful eligibility criteria.&#8221;
DEI has been a hot topic in the state in recent weeks, especially at major universities like Vanderbilt University Medical Center, which was <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/vanderbilt-hospital-ends-all-dei-programs-after-being-accused-of-cover-up?author=Spencer+Lindquist&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Vanderbilt+Hospital+Ends+All+DEI+Programs+After+Being+Accused+Of+Cover-Up" target="_blank" rel="noopener">accused</a> of &#8220;concealing&#8221; its DEI programs in violation of President Donald Trump&#8217;s executive order for universities that receive federal funding to eliminate DEI programs.
After pressure from Senator Marsha Blackburn, Vanderbilt University Medical Center confirmed that it would be continuing to take steps to get rid of DEI at the university.

Diversity Equity and Inclusion Text on Wood Block

‘Don’t Need DEI In Our State’: Republicans Move To Close Government, University DEI Offices

Bill Lee

Diversity Equity and Inclusion (DEI)

Donald Trump

Vanderbilt University

A Republican-backed bill allowing Tennessee citizens victimized by illegal aliens to sue non-governmental organizations that provided housing to that illegal alien has been sent to Governor Bill Lee’s desk.
The <a href="https://wapp.capitol.tn.gov/apps/BillInfo/Default.aspx?BillNumber=HB0811" target="_blank" rel="noopener">bill</a> was passed by the Tennessee House 70-23 on Wednesday, advancing the bill to the governor’s desk. The legislation would give citizens harmed by an illegal alien a private right of action to sue entities enabling illegal immigration.
“This is a public safety bill in keeping with the Trump administration’s renewed focus on illegal immigration,” Republican Rep. Rusty Grills, who sponsored the legislation, <a href="https://tnga.granicus.com/player/clip/31956?view_id=775&amp;redirect=true" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> on the House floor. “What we&#8217;re doing with this bill is anyone who is a victim of crime committed by an illegal alien will have a private right of action against any NGO that has assisted an illegal alien with housing in a community.”
Grills noted that housing as defined in the bill would not include homeless shelters or storm shelters, as some Democrat opponents have claimed. It would include long-term housing situations or rental homes.
In the Senate, the bill was sponsored by Republican Sen. Brent Taylor and passed 24-4 earlier this month.
The text of the legislation says that NGOs “may be held liable for a loss, damages, injury, or death resulting from a criminal offense committed by the person who is unlawfully present in the United States while the person is receiving housing services from the charitable organization if the charitable organization&#8217;s conduct in providing housing constitutes negligence, gross negligence, or willful and wanton misconduct.”
Many NGOs have <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/meet-the-ngos-enabling-mass-immigration-under-the-banner-of-religion" target="_blank" rel="noopener">faced scrutiny</a> over their role in facilitating mass migration into the United States and some have been accused of enabling human trafficking.
Tennesseans have not been exempt from the flood of illegal immigrants that occurred under former President Joe Biden. For example, nearly 3,000 illegal aliens <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/new-data-show-how-much-crime-illegal-immigrants-committed-in-red-state?author=Leif+Le+Mahieu&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=New+Data+Show+How+Much+Crime+Illegal+Immigrants+Committed+In+Red+State" target="_blank" rel="noopener">were arrested</a> in Tennessee for crimes ranging from murder to rape during the last three months of 2024.
In one prominent <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/saying-goodbye-is-hard-nashville-restaurant-closes-doors-after-owner-killed-by-illegal-immigrant" target="_blank" rel="noopener">case</a>, local Nashville business owner Matt Carney was killed by an illegal immigrant from Mexico during an attempted robbery at his beloved restaurant.
On Tuesday, the House also sent another <a href="https://wapp.capitol.tn.gov/apps/BillInfo/Default.aspx?BillNumber=HB0833" target="_blank" rel="noopener">illegal immigration bill</a> to Lee’s desk in a 75-20 vote. The bill would require law enforcement, with the exception of the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, to “report monthly to the department of safety each interaction that the law enforcement agency had with illegal aliens over the previous month.”
Reports need to include “the date of the interaction, the number of illegal aliens encountered, and a description of identification documents, if any, in their possession.”
Another bill, which would allow schools in Tennessee to charge illegal aliens tuition, has <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/red-state-senate-passes-bill-allowing-schools-to-stop-giving-illegal-aliens-free-education?author=Leif+Le+Mahieu&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Red+State+Senate+Passes+Bill+Allowing+Schools+To+Stop+Giving+Illegal+Aliens+Free+Education" target="_blank" rel="noopener">passed the Senate</a>, but was placed behind the budget by the House as the session is coming to a close. The bill still could be revived, but it has currently stalled out. Backers of the bill hope to challenge Plyler v. Doe, a Supreme Court decision that forced states to provide education to illegal aliens.

TOPSHOT-MEXICO-HONDURAS-US-MIGRATION

Red State Deals Major Blow To Groups That Facilitate Illegal Immigration

Vanderbilt University Medical Center gave in to a public pressure campaign to end all diversity, equity, and inclusion programs on Wednesday afternoon, just a day after receiving a letter from Tennessee&#8217;s Republican senator, Marsha Blackburn, accusing the hospital of &#8220;concealing&#8221; the DEI work.
In a statement from the university hospital, it said it intends to fully comply with President Donald Trump&#8217;s executive order.
“Vanderbilt University Medical Center is eliminating all DEI programs and is fully complying with Executive Actions on DEI,&#8221; the statement <a href="https://www.wsmv.com/2025/04/16/vanderbilt-university-medical-center-eliminating-all-dei-programs/">said</a>. &#8220;Shortly after the Executive Orders were issued, VUMC began removing related content on internal and external websites to reflect the termination of these programs. VUMC will continue to comply with federal mandates and directives.”
The announcement comes just one day after Blackburn wrote a <a href="https://www.blackburn.senate.gov/services/files/4387EAC3-4C5F-44F1-9FF2-45E995761DBB">letter to VUMC President Jeffrey Balser</a>, accusing the university of concealing its DEI efforts and urging him to comply with Trump’s executive orders against the ideology.
“VUMC has recently scrubbed its website of references to DEI initiatives at the institution, going so far as to password protect web pages tied to DEI and climate activism. Concerningly, though, offices such as the Office of Health Equity, the Office of Diversity and Inclusion, and the Office for Diversity Affairs are seemingly still active,” Blackburn wrote in her letter to Blaser. “President Trump has been clear on this issue. His recent executive orders correctly prohibited DEI programs at federally funded research institutions and ended the recognition of gender identity apart from biological sex.”
“As a beneficiary of federal funding, VUMC has a responsibility to align with the President’s executive orders,” Blackburn went on to add. “Instead of covering up VUMC’s DEI initiatives, I urge you to comply with President Trump’s effort to responsibility allocate taxpayer dollars and immediately cease all DEI initiatives.”
Vanderbilt&#8217;s hospital is perhaps best known for its transgender procedures on children, which were revealed by Daily Wire host Matt Walsh. The hospital described the practice of so-called &#8220;gender-affirming&#8221; care for children as a &#8220;big money-maker.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
BREAKING: My team and I have been investigating the transgender clinic at Vanderbilt here in Nashville. Vanderbilt drugs, chemically castrates, and performs double mastectomies on minors. But it gets worse. Here is what we found. Let&#39;s start at the beginning.
&mdash; Matt Walsh (@MattWalshBlog) <a href="https://twitter.com/MattWalshBlog/status/1572313369528635392?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 20, 2022</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
The investigation by Matt Walsh led to Governor Bill Lee calling for an investigation, and <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/tn-senate-leader-credits-daily-wire-investigation-for-inspiring-ban-on-gender-procedures-for-minors">ultimately resulted</a> in a Tennessee state law protecting children from medical interventions that seek to change their sex. That law was recently debated in the Supreme Court, where Walsh rallied activists against mutilating children.

MixCollage-04-Dec-2024-05-09-PM-1904

Vanderbilt Hospital Ends All DEI Programs After Being Accused Of Cover-Up

Facing down leftist protesters, the Tennessee Senate on Thursday voted to approve a Republican-backed measure that would allow schools in the state to charge illegal aliens tuition.
The bill, introduced by Republican State Senator Bo Watson, seeks to deal with an influx of illegal aliens into the state who have strained the resources of local schools. Backers of the bill hope to challenge Plyler v. Doe, a Supreme Court decision that forced states to provide education to illegal aliens.
“The Plyler decision in 1982 was the voice of the court being imposed on the people,” Watson <a href="https://apnews.com/article/tennessee-school-immigration-70841aef391b841321b6dc18d2eb5710" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>. “This is the voice of the people being exercised through their elected officials.”
The legislation was <a href="https://wapp.capitol.tn.gov/apps/BillInfo/Default.aspx?BillNumber=SB0836" target="_blank" rel="noopener">approved</a> 19-13 on Thursday, with some Republicans joining the Democrat minority in opposition to the bill, which has drawn weeks of activist protests at the state capitol in Nashville. Republicans who opposed the measure included Sens. Richard Briggs (Knoxville), Todd Gardenhire (Chattanooga), Ferrell Haile (Gallatin), Becky Massey (Knoxville), Mark Pody (Lebanon), Shane Reeves, and Page Walley (Savannah).
The bill passed Thursday would require schools to enroll all students who are able to provide documentation of citizenship or legal residency in the state. If a student cannot prove legal residency, the bill would authorize schools to require that student to pay tuition. If the student does not pay tuition, the school does not have to admit them.
&#8220;It&#8217;s been argued that undocumented illegal aliens pay sales tax and property tax,&#8221; Watson <a href="https://www.tennessean.com/story/news/politics/2025/04/10/tennessee-senate-passes-bill-requiring-schools-check-student-immigration-status/83024296007/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>. &#8220;True. But one doesn&#8217;t know if those payments come close to offsetting the additional costs. We argue they do not.&#8221;
An <a href="https://www.capitol.tn.gov/Bills/114/Amend/SA0052.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">amendment</a> added on to the bill says that the Tennessee General Assembly has the duty to “remove the burden of providing a free publicly funded education for illegal alien children from Tennessee taxpayers.”
A similar bill, sponsored by Majority Leader William Lamberth, is making its way through the House. That bill has so far made it through multiple key committees and is set to go before the Finance, Ways, and Means Subcommittee next week.
Earlier this year, the school board of Rutherford County, a suburban area southeast of Nashville, passed a resolution calling for the border to be closed, citing rising costs from the growth of non-English speakers in county schools.
The <a href="https://defendinged.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Rutherford-Border-Policy.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">resolution</a>, which was later rescinded after backlash, noted that the area had seen a 140% increase in its English Learner Population over the last ten years. The resolution said that the increasing numbers of ESL students are &#8220;creating exceptional financial pressures on school systems to provide the services which school systems are legally required to provide.”

MEXICO-US-POLITICS-IMMIGRATION

Red State Senate Passes Bill Allowing Schools To Stop Giving Illegal Aliens Free Education

Education

Illegal Immigation

Supreme Court

The final police report on Nashville&#8217;s deadly Covenant School shooting, released more than two years after the attack, claims the motive of the attack was &#8220;notoriety&#8221; and makes little mention of the shooter&#8217;s radical positions on gender, race, or religious animus.
While pages from the writings of the 28-year-old woman who murdered three children and three adults at The Covenant School in March 2023 demonstrate that she was fixated on gender ideology and &#8220;white privilege,&#8221; police <a href="https://www.nashville.gov/sites/default/files/2025-04/Covenant_Final_Summary.pdf?ct=1743609642" target="_blank" rel="noopener">say</a> that she was primarily motivated by a desire for notoriety. Investigators said that neither her <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/covenant-journal-revealed-my-imaginary-penis" target="_blank" rel="noopener">documented hatred</a> of Christianity or affluent white people played a role in her targeting of The Covenant School, a Presbyterian school in a wealthy area of Nashville.
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&#8220;Regarding why she selected The Covenant, many have speculated [the shooter] selected this location for racial, religious, or economic motives,&#8221; the report said. &#8220;It is certainly true she raged over these topics at times in her writings. But none of those motives impacted her decision to attack The Covenant.&#8221;
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Instead, the police said that Covenant was targeted because the attacker, who was killed by police, believed that she would receive greater notoriety by murdering young children. Three of the victims of the March 27, 2023, attack — Evelyn Dieckhaus, Hallie Scruggs, and William Kinney — were all just 9 years old. The other victims of the attack were adults Michael Hill, Katherine Koonce, and Cynthia Peak.
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Throughout the report, police made little mention of the attacker&#8217;s <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/covenant-shooter-cited-transgender-rights-in-shooting-spree-manifesto-contradicting-official-claims" target="_blank" rel="noopener">transgender identity</a>, only mentioning that she identified as a male and that she had made references to wanting to transition. 
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&#8220;It should be noted that in life, the offender &#8230; gender identified as a male and used he/him as preferred pronouns. Under Tennessee law, a person’s gender identity must correspond with their biological sex or with information present on their certificate of live birth,&#8221; police wrote. &#8220;As [the attacker] was a biological female at the time of her death and throughout the incidents described in this summary and in the case file, [the attacker] will be referred to as a female.&#8221;
In the only other mention of her transgender identity, investigators said that they uncovered no evidence of her undergoing any gender medical procedures.
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&#8220;Nothing has been found to suggest she initiated or was undergoing a transition at the time of her death, including medical documentation,&#8221; police wrote. &#8220;During her autopsy following her death, it was determined she was biologically female.&#8221; 
These mentions don&#8217;t appear to fully take into account the attacker&#8217;s transgender identity, which dominated her life.
In journal entries previously published by The Daily Wire, the attacker wrote just weeks before the deadly shooting about her fantasy of having an “imaginary penis” and said that it was a &#8220;f***ing curse&#8221; that she was born a woman.
“I want to know what that’s like, but I never will because I was damned to be born this way,” she wrote in the journal of her desire to have a penis. “I swear to f*** I hate it so goddamned much. It’s a f***ing curse.”
<div id="attachment_750005" style="width: 730px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-750005" class="size-full wp-image-750005" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/06/page2_720.jpg" alt="Image of Covenant School shooter's journal obtained by The Daily Wire" width="720" height="480" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/06/page2_720.jpg 720w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/06/page2_720-300x200.jpg 300w" sizes="(max-width: 720px) 100vw, 720px" />Image of Covenant School shooter&#8217;s journal obtained by The Daily Wire</div>
She said that puberty ruined her life, lamenting the fact that her parents never put her on puberty blockers.
“A bare flat chest made me free. Girl puberty imprisoned me. And so does my mind. Puberty = life sentence. The people in this world adds more bullets to shoot violent thoughts into my head on full-auto,&#8221; she wrote.
In other journal entries, the attacker made clear her hatred of  Christianity and people with &#8220;white privilege,&#8221; which she believed hindered her development.
For example, she wrote that she wanted to kill “crackers going to private fancy schools&#8221; and explained why she rejected her parents&#8217; faith.
“Parents actually believe religion can change nature,” the shooter wrote. “That could explain why I don’t practice religion anymore. Let kids think for themselves, listening to parents does no damned good but to mold their premature minds into a pre-formatted program.”
These writings were portions from 16 notebooks, which some have referred to as her manifesto, and were the subject of a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/nashville-judge-appears-to-back-off-on-threats-to-punish-journalist-over-articles-on-covenant-shooter" target="_blank" rel="noopener">lengthy legal battle</a>. In their report, police denied the existence of a manifesto, saying that there was no singular &#8220;document explaining why she committed the attack, why she specifically targeted The Covenant, and what she hoped to gain, if anything, with the attack.&#8221;
Police investigators also ruled that the attacker was &#8220;sane&#8221; despite numerous mental health disorders.
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&#8220;Despite all her assorted mental health disorders, [the attacker] was certainly sane,&#8221; police wrote. &#8220;She was capable of adjusting her plans as needed, manipulating others into seeing her as meek and nonthreatening, and fully understood her attack was not only criminal but morally reprehensible.&#8221;
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Police say that the attacker first started to fantasize about carrying out a school shooting in 2017 before beginning to plan one in 2018.
&#8220;By this point, [the shooter] wrote how she was tired of being alone and ignored, ostracized by those she felt were her friends, and shunned by society for being autistic,&#8221; the police wrote. &#8220;After writing an expletive rant directed towards her &#8216;best friend&#8217; for choosing a relationship with a man over her, [the shooter] decided it was time to make others notice her for a change. She felt by &#8216;killing a bunch of children&#8217; she would no longer be ignored.&#8221;
Police said that the attacker floated in her mind a number of different targets, including various Nashville schools and malls. At one point, one of her plans was disrupted after her guns were confiscated by her parents, with whom she lived in Nashville.
She moved away from targeting one school because it was predominantly black, worrying that she &#8220;would be seen as a racist, which would affect how much control she had over the narrative after her death and allow others to state her motive behind the attack.&#8221;
Eventually, police say that she settled on the Covenant School because she believed she would receive more notoriety by attacking a Christian school and that the faith of the students would make them &#8220;meek and afraid.&#8221; She prepared for the attack for years, even going on a tour of the facility in September 2021 so she could map out the school&#8217;s layout in preparation.
Despite this conclusion, police said that the attacker never left behind any evidence of having a specific animosity for the Covenant School.
&#8220;She never remarked of being bullied and ostracized there; on the contrary, she remarked on a couple of occasions how she established friendships, which included play-dates at the homes of other children and a sense of acceptance,&#8221; police said. &#8220;She gave no examples of how anyone at the school belittled her or harmed her, as she did in other places she attended school.&#8220;
At the end of the report, investigators officially closed the investigation, saying that they identified no other individuals who were criminally culpable for the shooting.

Nashville Police In Final Report Downplay Covenant Shooter’s Transgender Identity, Hatred Of Christianity

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A top executive at a major healthcare provider whose duties involve placing graduate students at hospitals across the country has said that “diversity” is essential for healthcare and advocated for medical schools to accept students in racially proportional ways. 
Dr. Monique Butler, the president of Graduate Medical Education for Hospital Corporation of America (HCA) Healthcare, has aggressively pushed DEI and racial quotas. HCA, headquartered in Tennessee, also has a history of championing DEI, though many references to such efforts have been scrubbed from its website in recent months. 
Butler was <a href="https://investor.hcahealthcare.com/news/news-details/2024/HCA-Healthcare-Names-Dr.-Monique-Butler-as-President-of-Graduate-Medical-Education/default.aspx" target="_blank" rel="noopener">named</a> president of HCA’s graduate medical education program in March 2024. One of the nation’s largest graduate medical education programs, it <a href="https://hcahealthcaregme.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">offers</a> over 300 residency and fellowship programs across 16 states and 79 hospitals with more than 5000 residents and 300 fellows. 
According to HCA, it is <a href="https://hcahealthcaregme.com/about/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the</a> “largest sponsor of residency and fellowship programs across the nation” and its facilities handle “five percent of all U.S. hospital services.”
Prior to her work at HCA, Butler pushed for DEI in presentations and speeches and even advocated for medical schools to adopt a sort of racial quota system to ensure their student body was directly proportional to the general population.  
“Diversity in health care cannot be a want, it is a must-have,” Butler <a href="https://record.umich.edu/articles/discussion-to-examine-health-care-disparities-racial-empowerment/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> during a 2020 speech. 
In 2021, she delivered the University of Michigan MLK Health Sciences keynote <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q3Y5s3JlP6I" target="_blank" rel="noopener">address</a>, in which she claimed: “race — as well as sex, gender, sexuality, age, social class and ability —  can adversely affect opportunities, access, care, treatment and the overall lived experiences of people of color, particularly black people.”
During that speech, Butler also called for medical schools across the United States to admit a directly proportional number of minority students into their programs. 
Butler said she was issuing a “call to action” to medical school leaders to “ensure that their student population reflects the population of the United States population,” noting that only 5% of medical school graduates were black despite making up 13% of the population. 
“We have some work to do,” she said. 
<div id="attachment_894851" style="width: 1610px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-894851" class="size-full wp-image-894851" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/03/Screen-Shot-2025-03-19-at-1.42.06-PM.png" alt="" width="1600" height="965" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/03/Screen-Shot-2025-03-19-at-1.42.06-PM.png 1600w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/03/Screen-Shot-2025-03-19-at-1.42.06-PM-300x181.png 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/03/Screen-Shot-2025-03-19-at-1.42.06-PM-955x576.png 955w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/03/Screen-Shot-2025-03-19-at-1.42.06-PM-768x463.png 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/03/Screen-Shot-2025-03-19-at-1.42.06-PM-1536x926.png 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px" />Butler presentation.</div>
She said that the lower number of black and minority medical school graduates was contributing to “health disparities” in the United States. 
In that same lecture, she pushed a now-<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/study-saying-black-babies-more-likely-to-die-under-white-doctors-didnt-control-for-1-key-factor" target="_blank" rel="noopener">debunked</a> study that claims that black babies are more likely to die under white doctors’ care. 
Butler also made numerous references to George Floyd, claiming that police brutality was a contributor to health &#8220;inequality.&#8221; She said that curriculum at medical schools across the country should be infused with implicit bias training. 
<div id="attachment_894857" style="width: 1539px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-894857" class="size-full wp-image-894857" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/03/Screen-Shot-2025-03-17-at-12.11.36-PM.png" alt="" width="1529" height="830" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/03/Screen-Shot-2025-03-17-at-12.11.36-PM.png 1529w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/03/Screen-Shot-2025-03-17-at-12.11.36-PM-300x163.png 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/03/Screen-Shot-2025-03-17-at-12.11.36-PM-1024x556.png 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/03/Screen-Shot-2025-03-17-at-12.11.36-PM-768x417.png 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1529px) 100vw, 1529px" />Butler presentation.</div>
In October 2020, Butler moderated a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5c4zs13Esoo" target="_blank" rel="noopener">panel discussion</a> on what she called the “health equity crisis” in the United States. Butler said that governments should be held “responsible” for “neutralizing” the amount of money spent per school district. 
Later, in a 2023 <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W8as63qBruY" target="_blank" rel="noopener">lecture</a>, she urged people to be “allies” and urged providers to “challenge” human resources departments to “ensure that there are metrics they are looking” at to ensure “at least” diverse candidates. 
Butler&#8217;s push for DEI in medicine was criticized by Do No Harm, a group devoted to getting politics out of medicine.
&#8220;Medical education, whether in the classroom or in hospital, must be focused on merit. Dr. Butler is advocating for the return of racial segregation in medicine, promoting the disproved hypothesis of racial concordance, eroding patient-physician trust and degrading the rigor of medical education,&#8221; Senior Do No Harm fellow Dr. Jared Ross told The Daily Wire. &#8220;The best physician for you is the most qualified, regardless of melanin content or sexual orientation.&#8221;
Butler has worked for a number of high-profile medical corporations throughout her career and has received numerous glowing profiles. Some of these profiles include DEI-related accomplishments.  
For example, an October 2022 University of Michigan School Of Kinesiology alumni <a href="https://www.kines.umich.edu/news-events/profiles/dr-monique-butler" target="_blank" rel="noopener">profile</a> of Butler reveals that she created something called the Grant Foundation in order to “improve health equity.” One of the purported programs offered by the Grant Foundation is the Pathfinders Scholarship Award, which is given to first-generation and “underrepresented” University of Michigan kinesiology students to “pursue a career in health care.”
The foundation has a small online footprint and is not advertised by the University of Michigan aside from the alumni profile. It is unclear how many students have received the award or how students may apply for the opportunity. 
Another program with a scant track record that Butler is said to have created is the “Women Physicians Network,” which is mentioned in a number of Butler’s <a href="https://yourhub.denverpost.com/blog/2018/08/hcahealthones-swedish-medical-center-welcomes-new-chief-medical-officer/223519/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">profiles</a> and again in the congressional <a href="https://www.congress.gov/116/crec/2020/09/29/CREC-2020-09-29-pt1-PgE893.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">record</a>. This network appears to have no online presence and is not registered as a non-profit in Michigan or Florida. 
Another profile of Butler <a href="https://umichpicsannouncements.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/2017-global-health-symposium-brochure.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reveals</a> that she has “research experience” in health care “disparities” while there appears to be limited evidence of any scholarly articles widely available that Butler has contributed to on disparities. 
Her employer, HCA, has also publicly pushed adherence to DEI ideology until relatively recently. 
“Our Executive Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Council informs critical strategic decision making, monitors progress against goals and objectives, and serves as visible and vocal sponsors of diversity, equity and inclusion efforts across the organization,” HCA posted on its website as of at least October 2024, according to an <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20241008171042/https://hcahealthcare.com/about/diversity-equity-and-inclusion/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">archived</a> webpage. 
“Across HCA Healthcare, our Division Diversity, Equity and Inclusion councils support deployment of key DEI strategies and programs at a local level. These councils are comprised of division leaders and facility representatives who reflect the diversity of the communities we serve,” HCA added. 
That page now redirects to a general “mission” statement that doesn’t mention diversity or equity. 
When reached for comment about some of its deleted DEI pages, a spokeswoman gave a general comment on the mission of HCA. 
“Our focus has always been to foster a culture that exemplifies our company’s mission and values by promoting care and respect for all patients and colleagues, regardless of race, ethnicity, gender, age or other characteristics, and we will continue to do so,” the spokeswoman said. “Our Culture and Values team continues to lead and facilitate cross-department partnerships that seek to support the delivery of high-quality care for our patients, foster opportunities for colleagues and improve the health of our communities.”
The spokeswoman added that HCA was “continuously looking for ways to build on our longstanding commitment to promoting an environment where everyone feels valued, while also supporting a broader vision of teamwork, respect and shared purpose across all areas of our organization.”
In the past, HCA released reports highlighting its DEI initiatives. 
Its 2023 DEI “<a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20240918105926/https:/hcahealthcare.com/util/documents/2023/2023-HCAH-DEI-Year-in-Review-a.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">snapshot</a>” boasted  that the group adopted “Joint Commission equity standards to reduce health disparities&#8221; and investments in “health equity partnerships.” These investments included $7.42 million to historically black colleges and Hispanic “serving institutions” between 2021 and 2023.
In February 2024, HCA released a <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20240816160832/https:/hcahealthcare.com/util/documents/2023/508_DEI-EEO-1-Report-2023-a.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">report</a> on all the ways the company has incorporated different layers of DEI councils throughout the company. 
“HCA Healthcare is focused on fostering a culture of inclusion and belonging for our colleagues through workplace programs, education, diverse talent acquisition, engagement and development,” the company reported. 
These efforts include the creation of a black leadership organization, implicit bias training, and “advancing equity for our LGBTQ+ communities.”
HCA also announced that it was working to develop more relationships with “diverse suppliers.”
“We are committed to expanding partnerships with a diverse range of businesses, including those owned and operated by people of color, women, veterans, members of the LGBTQ+ community and members of socially and economically disadvantaged groups,” the report said. 
However, many of the DEI-related materials appear to have been removed from the HCA’s website. 
Ross, of Do No Harm, said that HCA should completely abandon any DEI-related projects.
&#8220;Hospital Corporation of America should stop any DEI efforts and instead put resources into providing the best education for doctors,&#8221; he told The Daily Wire.
The apparent retreat comes amid increasing cultural pressure for companies and universities to abandon DEI principles and focus on merit. This shift comes after the Supreme Court struck down affirmative action in June 2023, and the executive orders from President Donald Trump cracking down on the federal government’s promotion of DEI.

In this photo illustration, the American healthcare business

Top Healthcare Exec Pushed For Med Schools To Accept Students Based On Race

Health Care

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medical school

Turns out that it’s easy to make people move out of your state: Just raise taxes.
Recently, residents of high-tax states such as California, New York, Illinois, and New Jersey have been on the move. Specifically, they’ve been flocking to low-tax destinations such as Florida, Texas, North Carolina, Arizona, and Tennessee.
Between April 1, 2020, and June 30, 2023, high-tax states lost net 2.8 million residents to low-tax states. That’s more people than could be seated in all 30 NFL stadiums and 29 NBA arenas combined.
Zero-income tax Florida and Texas were the top two destinations for interstate movers, gaining 819,000 and 656,000 net residents respectively. Americans in the northeastern U.S. and the upper Midwest poured into Florida, while Texas was the destination of choice for many people living west of the Mississippi.
North Carolina (310,000), South Carolina (248,000), Arizona (218,000), and Tennessee (207,000) ranked third through sixth in net population gain from interstate migration. Each of them is a low-tax state (except South Carolina, which stands in the middle of the pack). Tennessee, like Florida and Texas, is one of the seven states with zero income tax.
It’s no coincidence that former Californians led the exodus out of high-tax states. California has the highest state income tax rate in the country at 13.3%, and it lost 1.2 million residents to interstate migration in a little more than three years.
Incredibly, California was the leading source of net domestic migration into every state within 1,000 miles of either Los Angeles or San Francisco.
The most popular destinations for Californians were Texas, Arizona, and Nevada. Texas and Nevada have no income tax, and Arizona has the lowest non-zero income tax rate.
New York state has the second highest income tax rate at 10.9%, and it had the second highest level of net outmigration during the roughly three-year period – a net loss of about 883,000 people. Counting both local and state taxes, nobody faces higher tax rates than do New York City residents.
Frank Sinatra once sang that if you could make it in New York, you could make it anywhere. These days, more and more people have been trying to make it somewhere else.
New Yorkers have been gravitating to greener pastures in Florida, Texas, and North Carolina. Low overall taxes and non-existent income tax play an important role in attracting New Yorkers to Florida and Texas (North Carolina is also among the lowest-tax states in the country).
Other New Yorkers fled to neighboring states like Pennsylvania, Connecticut, and New Jersey – states which have lower taxes than New York, but which certainly can’t be considered low-tax states.
Each of these states lost population to interstate migration overall, despite all the people flowing in from New York. In fact, New Jersey had the fourth highest population loss from interstate migration – about 153,000, behind only California, New York, and Illinois (364,000).
Other factors besides taxes also contribute to population flows. But the pattern of high-tax states losing residents to low-tax states is too strong to chalk up as a coincidence. The pattern holds year after year, between neighboring states, and across regions.
The pattern also holds across the income spectrum. Even low-income Americans (who may themselves pay a small amount of taxes) tend to move from high-tax states to low-tax states. If high taxes are supposed to pay for government services that improve the lives of low- and middle-income residents, well, it’s not working. 
The highest-income residents are especially sensitive to differences in tax rates, but that just shows why it’s so counterproductive for state lawmakers to try to soak the rich. Driving up tax rates drives out the people who pay the most in taxes.
State lawmakers eager to harvest more tax revenues must be careful lest they cause the geese with the golden eggs to fly away to somewhere they’re appreciated more and taxed less: states like Florida, Texas, North Carolina, Arizona, and Tennessee.
* * *
Preston Brashers is a Research Fellow for <a href="https://www.heritage.org/taxes/report/if-you-tax-them-they-will-run-millions-americans-flee-california-and-new-york" target="_blank" rel="noopener">tax policy</a> in The Heritage Foundation’s Grover M. Hermann Center for the Federal Budget. Read his new report: <a href="https://www.heritage.org/sites/default/files/2025-03/BG3896.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">&#8220;If You Tax Them, They Will Run: Millions of Americans Flee California And New York.&#8221;</a>
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

U-Haul Ahead Of Earnings Figures

Why States With No Income Tax Are Winning The Population Battle

Blue States

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The U.S. Department of Education is an $80 billion failure. For decades, it’s promised better schools and brighter futures, yet delivered little beyond bureaucracy and stagnation. President Trump is right: it’s time to end the Department of Education and hand states the reins.
In Tennessee, we understand that the best education system considers the unique needs of every student and empowers parents to choose what’s best for their child. We also have a proven track record of stewarding tax dollars wisely to achieve the maximum benefit for our students and teachers. By returning education to the states, we can once again make an American education the gold standard across the globe.
Since the department’s creation in 1979, the federal government has spent more than $6 trillion on education, yet our kids aren’t reading any better, solving equations any faster, or competing stronger globally. The “Nation’s Report Card” shows reading and math scores for 17-year-olds stuck where they were in the 1970s. Meanwhile, administrative staff in public schools has ballooned, growing by 19 times the rate of student growth since 2000, while resources are failing to make it into the classroom and teachers drown in paperwork. This isn’t just waste – it’s a sacrifice of our children’s future.
Worse yet, the department has become a megaphone for ideological agendas that undermine parents’ rights. The Biden Education Department pushed critical race theory in classrooms and threatened funding to schools that didn’t allow boys in girls’ sports. That’s not education – it’s ideology. In Tennessee, we’re focused on teaching our kids the facts – real civics and hard science – so they can think for themselves and take pride in our nation’s great story.
Education simply isn’t Washington’s job. Before 1979, states like Tennessee built school systems without a federal babysitter. That’s why President Ronald Reagan called the department a “bureaucracy that’s outlived its usefulness” and pushed to shift power back to parents and community leaders. Newt Gingrich’s 1994 Contract with America again called for abolishing the Department of Education. Today, President Trump is making good on generations of promises.
Tennessee, like many states, has proven that when parents and communities lead, students succeed. Our state has led the nation in academic recovery post-COVID and implemented literacy programs helping kids read at higher levels than ever before. And with the passage of universal school choice in Tennessee this year, thanks to President Trump’s support, we’ve put parents in the driver’s seat.
Look beyond Tennessee and the evidence piles up. Mississippi’s “Miracle” lifted 4th-grade reading scores above the national average thanks to state-driven literacy reforms. Florida’s investments in choice and education since 1999 have helped low-income students rise from 33rd to 1st nationally in reading scores, while graduation rates increased and dropout rates were cut nearly in half.
President Trump can end the federal government’s authority over education because the Constitution never granted it in the first place. The Department of Education’s main role is sending states money, which Washington somehow succeeded in doing before creating the department. Other parts of the federal government are likely better equipped to serve students, such as the Treasury with student loans.
Cutting off the bureaucracy does not mean turning off the funding. States already handle 90% of K-12 funding; the federal 10% — about $1.8 billion for Tennessee — can be managed smarter at home. We’ve done it before: Tennessee’s Medicaid block grant has saved taxpayers a billion dollars over three years while improving care. Imagine what we could do with education dollars, cutting waste and pouring resources into classrooms, not cubicles.
President Trump’s plan means hope for America’s children. It opens doors to state-driven innovation, unleashing the creative potential of all 50 states. And it gives parents — not Washington — more control over the education of their children.
It’s time to end this failed experiment and return education to the states. We know our children. We know what works. Let states lead — and watch our kids thrive.
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Bill Lee is the 50th Governor of Tennessee.
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

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