The Nashville Police Department held a diversity training session for recruits inside a gay nightclub during Pride Month, bringing trainees together with members of the city&#8217;s LGBTQ community.
The session took place at Play Nashville, known around Nashville for its drag performances. Video shared by the mayor&#8217;s office shows recruits seated inside the venue, participating in a moderated discussion. 
Officer Darci Stechman, the department&#8217;s LGBTQ liaison, told recruits to come prepared with questions before the discussion: &#8220;Otherwise it&#8217;s going to be awkward, and you’re just going to be staring at one another for an hour and a half.” 
She added, “Nashville is very diverse, so we’re exposing the trainees to these different communities and letting them learn a little bit more about the people they may interact with within the community.&#8221; 
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The video also shows recruits speaking with Councilmember Olivia Hill, the first transgender-identifying man elected to the Metro Council. 
Nashville Democratic Mayor Freddie O&#8217;Connell&#8217;s office said the visit was part of the department&#8217;s standard diversity tour for recruits, not a one-time Pride Month event. 
“Metro Nashville Police recruits do a diversity tour before they ever hit the streets,” O&#8217;Connell&#8217;s office said. “Mayor O’Connell is committed to a city for everyone and that starts by bringing people together.”
The mayor&#8217;s office and the police department both shared video of the training on social media.
The police training is one of several diversity initiatives promoted by Nashville government agencies in recent years. The Daily Wire <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/exclusive-before-historic-storm-embattled-electric-service-asked-workers-if-they-had-gay-friends">previously reported</a> that Nashville Electric Service (NES) employees participated in diversity training before a crippling January ice storm left 230,000 customers without power. NES employees were asked to recognize their “implicit biases” and whether they had a diverse friend group. 
Trainings were required for all supervisors and managers, and modules were “completed by employees in 2023-2025,” according to an NES spokesperson. 
O’Connell is known for his leftist ideas, including his focus on climate change and anti-ICE stance. In May of last year, the mayor <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/nashvilles-democrat-mayor-doxxes-ice-agents">doxxed</a> multiple ICE Agents after his office released information on the interactions between ICE agents and Nashville emergency service personnel. The mayor’s office claimed the names were released by mistake.

WATCH: Police Dept Brought Recruits To A Gay Club For Diversity Training

Diversity

LGBTQ

Nashville

Police

Tennessee

Marsha Blackburn&#8217;s first appearance on the Tennessee airwaves as she ramps up her run for governor features her literally crushing Chinese fortune cookies.
The longtime Republican lawmaker who just over a year ago was reelected to the U.S. Senate dropped her first statewide ad in her campaign for governor on Wednesday, and is using the spot to promise voters that she will fight to &#8220;protect Tennessee land from Chinese front companies.&#8221;
&#8220;How hard am I gonna crack down on China? Well, here’s a clue,&#8221; Blackburn says as she smashes fortune cookies revealing her campaign promises. &#8220;It doesn&#8217;t take a fortune cookie to figure it out: here in Tennessee we’re going to stop Communist China and protect Tennessee land.&#8221;
Blackburn has voiced her views on China in the House of Representatives since <a href="https://www.blackburn.senate.gov/taking-on-china-since-day-one-senator-blackburn-s-record">2003</a> when she recognized the threat of Chinese intellectual property theft. In the ad, Blackburn promises to work with the Trump administration to continue the fight.
<iframe loading="lazy" title="YouTube video player" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/J_0yvB16y4M?si=MZG8BCszAVKNnJBb" width="560" height="315" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>
This video is reminiscent of her <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4YCw15PHHLQ">campaign ad</a> for re-election as Senator, where she broke “China” plates, asserting that China was buying up land.
Blackburn told The Daily Wire that she views Tennessee as &#8220;America&#8217;s conservative leader&#8221; and wants to lead the way on the important issue of cracking down on Chinese incursions into the country.
“As I&#8217;ve said from the beginning, Tennessee should be America’s conservative leader, and one of the places that we can — and should — lead is in showing the rest of America how to stand up to and confront Communist China,” Blackburn said. “As governor, I&#8217;ll work with the legislators to tighten up those loopholes and hunt down every adversary who tries to get a foothold in our state.” 
Blackburn’s focus on preventing the CCP from controlling Tennessee land stems from issues dating back to 2023. Tennessee <a href="https://wpln.org/post/a-new-tennessee-law-blocks-some-immigrants-from-buying-property/">created legislation</a> to stop foreign governments from buying agricultural-land if they are a country sanctioned by the U.S. government. 
The concern over foreign ownership of land was sparked by the fact that the company Walton Tennessee LLC, a &#8220;shell company&#8221; with no significant assets or operations, has bought around 500 acres. Loudon County Mayor <a href="https://www.wate.com/news/top-stories/east-tn-leaders-raise-concern-over-foreign-owned-land-in-loudon-county/">Buddy Bradshaw had said</a> that “it’s not like it’s half-acre lots, we’re looking at a 500-acre tract of some pretty good real estate right there.” The acres run alongside land adjacent to military bases like the McGhee Tyson Air National Guard Base.
Walton Tennessee has sold over 100 parcels of land for as cheap as $10 to foreign entities over the past few years. Nationwide, the CCP holdings of U.S. agricultural-land has risen by over <a href="https://www.americafirstpolicy.com/issues/fact-sheet-chinese-communist-party-ccp-ownership-of-agricultural-land-is-a-threat-to-tennessee">5,300% </a>from 2010 to 2020, owning “352,140 acres of U.S. land valued at $1.9 billion.” 
Blackburn is the heavy favorite to be the Republican nominee, with a primary election set for the beginning of August. She was reelected to the U.S. Senate in 2024 by nearly 30 percentage points, and is overwhelmingly popular in the state.

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Marsha Blackburn Crushes Chinese Fortune Cookies In First Ad Of Gov Campaign

Marsha Blackburn

A part-time conductor at a famous Tennessee railway has been fired after a viral video captured him spreading an Independence Day message to passengers. 
Jack Peterson, the now-fired conductor for Chattanooga’s Inclined Railway, can be heard in the viral TikTok video wishing the easily-offended passengers a “Happy Independence Day.”
“To the very, very few Americans in here, Happy Independence Day,” Peterson said in the video, while one of the passengers told him to “shut up.”
“To the rest of you. Welcome to the greatest country on the face of the planet, and if you disagree, you can leave,” Peterson said.
The video was taken and uploaded by Nathan Scherer, who traveled with his family from Florida to Chattanooga for July 4.
<blockquote class="tiktok-embed" style="max-width: 605px; min-width: 325px;" cite="https://www.tiktok.com/@natescherer/video/7658823571321392415" data-video-id="7658823571321392415">
<section><a title="@natescherer" href="https://www.tiktok.com/@natescherer?refer=embed" target="_blank" rel="noopener">@natescherer</a> Had an interesting train operator on The Incline in TN today <a title="lookoutmountain" href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/lookoutmountain?refer=embed" target="_blank" rel="noopener">#lookoutmountain</a> <a title="racism" href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/racism?refer=embed" target="_blank" rel="noopener">#racism</a> <a title="xenophobia" href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/xenophobia?refer=embed" target="_blank" rel="noopener">#xenophobia</a> <a title="theincline" href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/theincline?refer=embed" target="_blank" rel="noopener">#theincline</a> <a title="tennessee" href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/tennessee?refer=embed" target="_blank" rel="noopener">#tennessee</a> <a title="♬ original sound - Nathan Scherer" href="https://www.tiktok.com/music/original-sound-7658823576195222302?refer=embed" target="_blank" rel="noopener">♬ original sound &#8211; Nathan Scherer</a></section>
</blockquote>
Scherer used hashtags such as “racism” and “xenophobia” on TikTok, where the video has been viewed over 600,000 times.
“It just really upset me, the whole time riding down,” Charles Scherer, Nathan’s father, <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@katiegweather/video/7659510303801019678">told</a> Katie Glanton with WTVC. “And I kept thinking the company needs to know about this because he was the only one representing the company and I just had a feeling that they don’t know that he is saying this.”
Scherer reported the incident to the Chattanooga Area Regional Transportation Authority (CARTA), and Peterson was fired immediately, <a href="https://nypost.com/2026/07/08/us-news/tennessee-railway-conductor-jack-peterson-fired-over-his-viral-independence-day-message-to-passengers/">according</a> to the New York Post. 
“He will not work for CARTA or the Incline Railway again,” CARTA said in a statement <a href="https://newschannel9.com/news/local/after-viral-video-incline-railway-conductor-fired-carta-apologizes-for-remarks-he-made-carta-tiktok-tourism-scott-wilson-chattanooga-attraction">reported</a> by News Channel 9.
“I want to apologize directly to the passengers who experienced this and to everyone who has seen the video and felt its sting. It should never have happened,” said CARTA Chief of Staff Scott Wilson in an emailed statement. “We have zero tolerance for language that demeans or excludes anyone who rides with us.”
“For 131 years, the Incline Railway has welcomed visitors from Chattanooga and from around the world,” Wilson said. “Every passenger who boards our railway deserves to feel respected and welcome, and we are committed to making sure that is always the case.”
Peterson responded with his own statement and backed up his remarks, Fox 17 <a href="https://fox17.com/newsletter-daily/after-viral-video-incline-railway-conductor-fired-carta-apologizes-for-remarks-he-made-carta-tiktok-tourism-scott-wilson-chattanooga-attraction">reported</a>. 
&#8220;I&#8217;m very patriotic, it was the USA&#8217;s Independence Day. I was celebrating with my fellow Americans (native or non-native). I truly do believe we are the greatest country on earth. My statement about if you don&#8217;t like the country and don&#8217;t believe we are the best, then you can leave is a freedom of the ISA [sic] that many other countries do not have. It is not a racist or xenophobic thing to say. If you don&#8217;t believe in making this country better, then why are you here?&#8221;

A Patriotic Message To Passengers Just Got A Railway Conductor Fired

Railway Conductor Fired For Patriotic Message To Passengers

Independence Day

Ten Tennessee teenagers were arrested and face criminal charges in connection with a viral social media door-kicking challenge.
The “Door Kick Challenge” is a controversial social media trend in which individuals—typically young people—kick residential front doors, often at night, and quickly flee the area. 
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KNOCK IT OFF: Police are warning residents about a viral TikTok trend known as the “door kick” or “door knock challenge” after three Florida teenagers were arrested for allegedly kicking a homeowner&#8217;s door. <a href="https://t.co/CSNJFqv88Q">pic.twitter.com/CSNJFqv88Q</a>
— Seattle Smith🇺🇸 (@smith_seattle1) <a href="https://x.com/smith_seattle1/status/1996461333710352702?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 4, 2025</a></blockquote>
Attempting to outdo the “ding-dong ditch” prank, the challenge has at times led to property damage and safety concerns. 
Spanning <a href="https://www.police1.com/social-media/breaking-down-the-door-kick-challenge-a-viral-trend-with-real-world-risks">across the country</a> and <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/nanaimo-door-kick-challenge-9.7251462">around the world</a>, the trend has taken on a life of its own—and now carries real-world consequences for a group of teenagers in a Nashville suburb.
<a href="https://x.com/FranklinTNPD/status/2072717353658314927?s=20">The Franklin Police Department</a> arrested ten teenagers, ages 14 to 18, for allegedly participating in the prank. Just after 11 p.m. on Tuesday, officers responded to multiple reports of individuals kicking or striking the front doors of homes, then fleeing in the upscale neighborhood. 
“After receiving multiple calls, Franklin police officers quickly flooded the area, established a perimeter, and sealed off the neighborhood,” the police department said. “During the operation, officers located a vehicle carrying all 10 suspects.”
Inside the vehicle, police officers said they found a BB gun designed to closely resemble a real handgun, along with a ski mask. Two adults, Gio Smith, 18, and Jordan Curll, 18, were charged with aggravated burglary, vandalism, and contributing to the delinquency of a child. Eight additional suspects, ages 14 to 17, were taken into custody and charged in Juvenile Court with aggravated burglary, vandalism, and curfew violations.
&#8220;This dangerous trend is far from harmless,&#8221; said Franklin Police Chief Deb Faulkner. &#8220;Kicking the door of an occupied home in the middle of the night creates fear and uncertainty for the people inside. 
“Homeowners have no way of knowing whether someone is playing a prank or attempting to break into their home, and they may respond accordingly to protect themselves and their families,” she added.  
Franklin, an affluent suburb known for its Southern charm, is the latest community to report arrests tied to the trend.
Out west in California, police have reported eight incidents in Elk Grove, a suburb of Sacramento, resulting in five juvenile arrests, <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/sacramento/news/door-kick-challenge-arrests-elk-grove/">according to CBS Sacramento</a>. One homeowner’s doorframe was damaged so severely that repair costs totaled $900. 
&#8220;Somebody could come out with a gun, and you could never know, these kids could be dead just for a stupid prank,&#8221; homeowner Ronnie Monroe told the outlet. 
In Frisco, Texas, police arrested a 58-year-old man for aggravated assault after he allegedly fired multiple rounds at a vehicle fleeing a neighborhood following the door-kicking prank. 
“Parents, please talk to your kids about the dangers of participating in these types of TikTok challenges,” <a href="https://www.friscotexas.gov/m/newsflash/home/detail/2470">said</a> Frisco Police Chief David Shilson. “For homeowners, it is important to understand that there are legal and criminal consequences for running outside and shooting at a vehicle fleeing the scene.”

Viral Social Media Prank Lands Ten Teens In Custody

Crime

News

Social Media

Country music&#8217;s biggest stars packed Nashville&#8217;s Nissan Stadium on Saturday night to celebrate Alan Jackson as he performed the final concert of his legendary career.
The 67-year-old singer-songwriter put on his last set alongside George Strait, Luke Bryan, Eric Church, Luke Combs, Miranda Lambert, Jon Pardi, Carrie Underwood, Keith Urban, Riley Green, Cody Johnson, Lee Ann Womack, and other artists who gathered to honor Jackson. The event was filmed for an NBC concert special celebrating Jackson ahead of his retirement. 
Jackson performed many of his well-known hits, including singles “Gone Country,” “Livin’ on Love,” “Summertime Blues” and “Midnight in Montgomery.” He also played “Little Bitty,” “Country Boy,” “Good Time,” and his post-9/11 anthem, “Where Were You (When the World Stopped Turning).” Fireworks lit up the sky during “Chattahoochee,” according to the <a href="https://apnews.com/article/alan-jackson-final-concert-george-strait-72ebb2f87fdca2c2ae8a7308278c9b9b">Associated Press</a>.
Jackson addressed the crowd, saying the experience was “overwhelming” before joking that he wouldn&#8217;t spend much time on “last show stuff” because he’s “not dead.”
Jackson announced last year that he would retire from touring, telling fans during a concert in Milwaukee that it would be his &#8220;last roadshow.&#8221; 
“It’s been a long, sweet ride; it started 40 years ago this September. My wife and I drove to Nashville with an old U-Haul trailer and chased this dream,&#8221; Jackson said. &#8220;It’s been a crazy ride. I lived the American Dream, for sure. So blessed. Thank you all so much for all your support of my music and attending my shows.” 
The announcement came four years after Jackson revealed that he had been diagnosed with Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease, a neurological disorder.
“I’ve been reluctant to talk about this publicly and to my fans, but it’s been a while, and it’s starting to affect my performance onstage a little bit where I don’t feel comfortable,” Jackson said in 2021.
“I just wanted the fans and the public to know if they’ve come to see me in the last few years or if they come to see me in the future if I play anymore, what’s going on. I don’t want them to think I’m drunk onstage because I’m having problems with mobility and balance.” 
While Jackson said the condition is not fatal, he acknowledged it would eventually make performing more difficult.
“This is not a condition that I would be complaining about typically, but it is going to affect me performance-wise onstage, and I don’t know how much I’ll continue to tour,” Jackson said at the time.
Jackson is known for blending traditional honky-tonk with mainstream country, creating a signature sound. With more than 60 million albums sold, 35 number-one hits, and numerous awards, including Grammys and CMA honors, he’s one of country music’s most enduring and respected artists.

Alan Jackson

Country Legends Unite For Farewell Show

Country Music

Music

U.S.

This article is part of <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/upstream" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Upstream</a>, The Daily Wire’s new home for culture and lifestyle. Real human insight and human stories — from our featured writers to you.
***
It’s the lost heritage the patriot craves today: the traditional kind of small-town, Southern charm marked by porch swings, county fairs, and main streets. A place where the children are welcome in nearly every setting. Where stores close on Sundays. Where it is the norm to run into a familiar face. This America isn&#8217;t gone; it&#8217;s alive and well in Franklin, Tennessee.
At the town square, a teenage girl sings to an ambling crowd as they window shop for homegrown goods, and a young boy with a violin reminds the older generations of simpler times. There are Victorian-era storefronts, a nearly century-old theater, stylish boutiques, and a local “book lovers’ paradise” filled with Mark Twain, C.S. Lewis, and the like. A few miles down the road, the Amish sell yogurt and raw milk at the farmers market. A barbecue food truck sends the sweet, tangy smell of smoking brisket through the air into the lungs of suburban families attending their Saturday morning ritual. 
When summer nears, humidity plagues every night and day — a characteristic of life in the South. Around the same time, mosquitoes, cicadas, and lightning bugs emerge, reminding the townsfolk of the blossoming garden among them. August may be the most oppressive month, as the blazing sun, steamy air, and perpetual use of anti-itch cream hinder any kind of outside enjoyment. Then suddenly, a random September weekend alleviates the muggy blanket, and what begins is a near-perfect, brisk autumn day. 
Life is slow in Franklin, Tennessee. People linger. They smile and open the door and talk to strangers. Middle school boys ride their bikes to the Circle K down the street to cool down with Slurpees. Local coffee shops teem with first dates, older couples pay a visit while on their daily walks, remote workers escape the isolation of home, and mothers with young children revel in the sunshine with an iced drink, hoping the children entertain each other. One staple spot just south of the square is an old gas station-turned café trademarked with the logo, “Your Daily Pit Stop.”
This town is a perpetual return to its storied past. From the 19th-century Carnton plantation to a historic stove factory converted to a shopping mall, a tribute to its heritage is embedded into the groundwork of everyday life.
Even the darkest chapters.
In 1864, a German immigrant named Johann Albert Lotz found himself in the middle of one of the deadliest battles in the Civil War. When the Battle of Franklin broke out, the Lotz family fled across the street to the Carter House, where the Carter family cowered in their basement as gunfire and artillery exploded all around them. The family’s son, Tod Carter, was just outside in the heart of the war, fighting that very day when he was fatally wounded in battle. He was carried home, just up the road, where he died surrounded by his family.
The homes are now treasured today as local museums known as the Lotz House and the Carter House. The history of what once took place serves as an ongoing reminder of the bloodshed spilled 160 years ago. A legacy not meant to be solely decorative, but to be remembered.
Patches of cemeteries and gravesites and memorials are scattered around town. Small American flags line the streets for the Fourth of July. Red, white, and blue tablecloths appear on front lawns. Fathers stand at the grill cooking burgers while children run through the heat with sunglasses, face paint, and firecrackers.
This is where nostalgic, old-fashioned, and classic Americana values have stopped to rest. Elsewhere, spectators scrutinize the American mindset, the notion that one could possibly be proud of their country and the freedoms preserved for it. Those freedoms safeguard their places of worship, guarantee their defense, reprimand the corrupt, protect the motherland, and solicit dignity and honor for those grateful enough to inhabit it. It is a mindset now nearly foreign to this country.
Maybe this is why people are moving in droves to places like Franklin, Tennessee. Americans sense something fragile is at risk: not merely a political affiliation, but a shared affection for the place itself. The most devastating aspect of the collapse of a nation is the one that comes from within, when people forget what’s most important. In the words of Benjamin Franklin when asked what kind of government the founders had created, he replied: “A republic, if you can keep it.&#8221;
The search for Americana is more than a remembrance of the past. It is preserved in the small rituals: meeting and knowing the neighbors, strolling through a park and fishing at a local pond, spending more time outside in nature than on screens, inviting new friends over for a homemade dinner, and enjoying the God-given freedoms unique to this nation, and this nation alone. Perhaps Americans are starting to return to this. Perhaps we are starting to remember.

GettyImages-1276052685

Americans Are Moving Here In Droves. Spend A Day In Town And You’ll See Why.

America 250

Patriotism

Upstream

A trailer carrying fireworks ignited a pre-Fourth of July spectacle on Saturday evening, forcing authorities to shut down a Tennessee highway.
The Chattanooga Fire Department shared a video of the flaming trailer, which showed pyrotechnic sparks flying in all directions on the northbound Interstate 75 past the Ooltewah exit. 
The Tri-Community Volunteer Fire Department was also on the scene, and <a href="https://www.facebook.com/tricommunityvolunteerfire">said</a>, &#8220;As a precaution, both northbound and southbound lanes of I-75 were temporarily shut down due to ongoing firework explosions and to allow fire apparatus safe access to the scene,&#8221; leaving traffic at a standstill. 
<div style="max-width: 728px; margin: 0 auto;">  <iframe style="aspect-ratio: 9/16; max-width: 400px; display: flex; justify-content: center; width: 100%; margin: 20px auto 5px; border: 0;" src="https://player.mux.com/2iTlOWQI01Mp003tf201FPYb76QMokvRXpI?metadata-video-content-type=embed_video&amp;metadata-video-id=63bd6e65-1ebd-4415-bca3-522f76e5fd17&amp;metadata-video-stream-type=on-demand&amp;metadata-video-title=Exploding%20fireworks%20and%20a%20highway%20full%20of%20cars%20created%20a%20nig&amp;poster=https%3A%2F%2Fdailywireplus-v2.imgix.net%2Fimages%2Fembedded-videos%2F74e929f1-eaef-4177-9134-618ffd2a4c38.jpg&amp;autoplay=false&amp;accent-color=%23DB3D3B&amp;primary-color=%23ffffff&amp;secondary-color=%23000000" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></div>
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 The department “received mutual aid assistance from Chattanooga Fire Department at the scene, along with fill-in coverage from Catoosa County [Georgia] and Highway 58 fire departments to help maintain emergency response coverage throughout our district.”
A spokesman for the Chattanooga Fire Department <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/us/video-captures-fireworks-exploding-burning-trailer-shut-interstate-75?lid=n0smsdify2wp">told</a> Fox News that northbound lanes were closed longer than the southbound lanes as crews monitored the scene and cleared the scorched trailer from the highway.
Authorities have not released any information on the cause of the fire or where the trailer was being transported. No injuries were reported. 
<a href="https://www.tn.gov/commerce/fire/permit/licensing/fireworks/applications-resources/displays.html">According</a> to Tennessee law, “Consumer” fireworks can be “used without a display permit, as long as local authorities have approved any necessary safety measures,” whereas larger “Professional” fireworks require a “Fireworks Display Permit with the State of Tennessee.”

fireworks

WATCH: Fireworks Erupt From Burning Trailer, Forcing Highway Shutdown

Fire

Fireworks

Traffic

Thank God For Country Music. That’s what Lakelin Lemmings is saying as she heads into her second CMA Fest, the Country Music Association&#8217;s annual festival in Nashville, this week, just up the road from where the 20-year-old grew up with a guitar in her hand.
The West Tennessee native’s ties to country music began the day she was born. Her father toured in a band, and when Lakelin wanted to get involved in the music industry, he knew just who to call.
Ash Bowers, the lead singer of her father&#8217;s band, had already established himself as a hit songwriter, securing cuts with Keith Urban, Brad Paisley, and Dustin Lynch, before getting into the management side.
Bowers, who is now the executive vice president for Quartz Hill Music Group, signed Lemmings at 19 years old, making her the record label’s youngest artist.
Since signing her deal, Lemmings has released a flurry of songs, with her single &#8220;Get Around Boy&#8221; landing on a prestigious list as a &#8220;Top 5 Most Added&#8221; song in April.
&#8220;I just want to make good music that if you&#8217;re six years old, you can listen to, if you&#8217;re 90 years old, you can listen to it,&#8221; Lemmings told The Daily Wire.
&#8220;I&#8217;ve been called to do this. I just felt like it&#8217;s only right that I mention the guy that got me here,&#8221; she said.
The artist draws on her faith, penning the song &#8220;Life of Mine,&#8221; which echoes the melody of the beloved hymn &#8220;This Little Light of Mine.&#8221;
&#8220;My faith is super important to me,&#8221; Lemmings said. &#8220;And not only was this like a dream of mine as a child &#8230; growing up, but I remember I felt the calling by God to pursue this.&#8221;
&#8220;There [are] so [many] drinking songs and cheating songs and all this kind of stuff, and some of them are great, but I feel like there was a need for just positive, good country music.&#8221;
She&#8217;s putting an album out this summer, and you can expect her southern roots to shine through on tracks like &#8220;American Dreamin,&#8221; which drops later this June, focusing on the things that shaped her in her small Tennessee town: family, faith, and the obvious… country music.
&#8220;It kind of leans a little bit faith-based, but I like to say that I&#8217;m not a country Christian artist, I&#8217;m just a country artist that&#8217;s Christian,&#8221; Lemmings said.
As she’s already started making her CMA Fest rounds, which Lemmings says is surreal, knowing she’s playing at the premier Nashville country fest she’s grown up coming to since she was a little girl.
&#8220;Going to the free things like the Riverfront Stage, and then in 2023 to have actually saved up some money to go to Nissan Stadium to see it, which was super fun … but as an artist, CMA Fest means a lot just because it&#8217;s a way to connect with fans.&#8221;
Lainey Wilson and Ella Langley are just a couple of big names in country music who, not too long ago, were playing a small stage for an even smaller number of fans. Lemmings is aware of their rapid trajectory and is prepared to work hard to headline CMA Fest one day, too.
&#8220;I think for me that goes to show that I need to buckle up because it can happen quicker than you think,&#8221; she said.
Lemmings self-titled album drops in July.

Credit: Noah Johnson

‘I Felt The Calling By God To Pursue This’: Lakelin Lemmings On Faith And Country Music

CMA Fest

Entertainment

Authorities charged a Tennessee school board member with assault after he called a young female student “hot” last month during a board meeting. 
Washington County School Board member Keith Ervin <a href="https://johnsoncitypress.com/news/373972/washington-county-school-board-member-keith-ervin-charged-with-assault/">faces</a> a simple assault charge after he was caught on camera touching a student board member named Hannah Campbell on her shoulder before saying, “God, you’re hot. Damn. Where do you go to school at?” After the comment, Ervin leaned over and gave the girl a side hug as a few others present at the meeting laughed before moving on. 
The incident occurred on April 2, 2026, during a school board meeting <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=977US_SUGg8">streamed</a> on YouTube. 
The girl’s father filed a complaint on April 3 and a grand jury returned a true bill on May 11 with the assault charge, the Johnson City Press <a href="https://johnsoncitypress.com/news/373972/washington-county-school-board-member-keith-ervin-charged-with-assault/">reported</a>. Ervin reported to the Jonesborough Police Department on May 18 and will make his first court appearance on August 7. 
In a statement, the Washington County Board of Education said it was aware of the charges.
“The Board reiterates that Mr. Ervin’s actions do not reflect the standards, policies, or values of the school district. The Board remains committed to ensuring a safe, respectful, and appropriate environment for all students and staff,” the board said. “Since this is an open legal matter, neither the Board nor any district official has any further comment.”
The board, which censured Ervin during an emergency meeting days after the comment was made, said it could not remove him because he was “independently elected.” 
At a later meeting, Campbell called the school board cowards for not taking more action. 
“To begin, I want to address Ervin’s actions, which were not only unwelcome, but sexist and derogatory,” she said. “I know this because he has not behaved this way with any of our male members, nor do I believe that he ever would. I do not wish to beat a dead horse, as everyone here has clear context as to what happened was wrong.”
In a statement after public outrage over the comment, Ervin said he was not referring to the girl’s appearance. 
“Last week at the board meeting I wanted to congratulate a student who did a great job sharing thoughts with all that was in the room,” he said. “When I mentioned she was hot, I meant she was on a roll. It was nothing to do with her appearance.”
Ervin has been on the board since 2006 and his school board bio describes him as a self-employed dairy farmer on the board of directors for the Washington County Farm Bureau. He is also a member of Bethesda Methodist Church. He did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Daily Wire on the assault charge.

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One Creepy Word At A School Board Meeting Changed Everything

Education

Public Schools

Rep. Steve Cohen (D-TN) announced Friday that he is suspending his reelection campaign, ending a nearly two-decade run in Congress after Tennessee Republicans redrew his Memphis-based district into a seat that now heavily favors the GOP.
Cohen, who has represented Tennessee’s 9th Congressional District since 2007, said he signed paperwork requesting that his name not appear on the ballot for the August 6 Democratic primary. The 76-year-old congressman said the newly redrawn district is “nothing like the 9th district that I’ve represented,” signaling that the GOP’s recent redistricting push had effectively ended his path to reelection.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
BREAKING: Democrat Rep Steve Cohen ends reelection bid following the passing of Tennessee’s new Congressional map which eliminated his district <a href="https://t.co/9ZVAsPoB73">pic.twitter.com/9ZVAsPoB73</a>
— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) <a href="https://twitter.com/libsoftiktok/status/2055314998759694738?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 15, 2026</a></blockquote>
The Tennessee legislature, controlled by Republicans, approved a new congressional map last week that dramatically altered the longtime Democratic stronghold centered in Memphis. The new 9th District stretches beyond Memphis into more rural areas of southern Tennessee, and transforms what had been a majority-black Democratic seat into one that is expected to go to the Republicans in November. The new district would&#8217;ve been a <a href="https://x.com/VoteHub/status/2055308184873480499">Trump +21</a> in the 2024 election.
Cohen, Tennessee’s only Democrat in Congress, called the decision the most difficult moment of his political career. He said he considered running in one of the new districts but ultimately decided against it, arguing that the redrawn lines erased the constituency he had represented for nearly 20 years. A fourth-generation Memphis resident, Cohen had long been a fixture in city politics before coming to Congress, and his exit marks a major generational shift for Democrats in west Tennessee, who now face an uphill battle to hold a seat that was once considered safely theirs.
His departure opens up a crowded Democratic primary. Still running for the nomination are Justin Pearson, the left-wing state lawmaker who rose to national prominence after his expulsion and reinstatement fight in the state House; M. LaTroy Alexandria-Williams; and community organizer DeVante Hill, who has been associated with Black Lives Matter organizing efforts in Memphis.
On the Republican side, Charlotte Bergmann and Kevin Young are competing in the GOP primary as Republicans eye a rare pickup opportunity in a district Democrats have held for decades. The reshaped district could become one of the clearest examples yet of how aggressive mid-decade redistricting is already reshuffling the 2026 House map, particularly in states where lawmakers moved quickly after recent court rulings opened the door to redrawing seats previously protected under Voting Rights Act precedent.
Friday is the final day for candidates to file for the race, with the deadline extended due to the redistricting overhaul.

US Representative Steve Cohen

10-Term Dem Incumbent Won’t Even Run For Office After Redistricting

Congress

Democrats

Redistricting

Republicans

Steve Cohen

U.S. House of Representatives

The leader of the Tennessee House of Representatives punished Democrat lawmakers for protesting during debate over an electoral map that would eliminate the state&#8217;s lone Democrat congressional seat. 
House Speaker Cameron Sexton sent letters to Democrats on Tuesday, kicking them out of their committees for their behavior during debates on redrawing congressional maps to split Memphis into three Republican-favorable electoral districts. During debate on the House floor, Democrat lawmakers broke decorum and rules of order as leftist activists flooded the state Capitol building in Nashville to protest.
“Due to actions taken by members of the Democratic Caucus during the Second Extraordinary Session of the 114th General Assembly aimed at disrupting the democratic and legislative process and creating disorder on the House floor &#8230;,” Sexton <a href="https://x.com/robbystarbuck/status/2054313399278793023/photo/1">wrote</a> in a letter to Democrat House Leader Karen Camper. “Members of the Democratic House Committee will receive individual letters removing them from all standing committees and subcommittees of the House.”
Sexton said that Democrat lawmakers interlocked arms together “in the well of the House Floor,” blocked aisles, used “prohibited props and noisemakers,” and instigated and encouraged “disruptions of the legislative process in coordination with paid protesters and attendees in the gallery, including the distribution of earplugs to a member of your caucus.”
Protesters flooded the state Capitol building with noise makers, and the House gallery had to be cleared as activists disrupted floor proceedings. In one confrontation, Rep. Justin Pearson had a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/watch-democrat-shoves-state-trooper-screams-in-his-face-as-redistricting-protest-turns-ugly?author=Zach+Jewell&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=3&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=WATCH%3A+Democrat+Shoves+State+Trooper%2C+Screams+In+His+Face+As+Redistricting+Protest+Turns+Ugly">meltdown</a> in front of a state trooper.
“Move the f*ck back!” Pearson shouted as he stared down the law enforcement officer.
The state trooper backed away and held his arms in the air as Pearson continued to berate him and call him “boy.”
“What the f*ck is wrong with you?” Pearson screamed. “What the f*ck is wrong with you? You stupid motherf*cker!”
Democrat Rep. Justin Jones, a lawmaker with a history of leftist activism, claimed the removal was based on racism. He said the action was based on his protests against a “white supremacist agenda.” 
“Just as my white Republican colleagues chose racial retaliation against Tennessee’s black voters, the Speaker of the House is now choosing retaliation against a black lawmaker for standing up against their Jim Crow racial gerrymander,” he <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/DYQRDh_Eo83/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;ig_rid=86c0c7ca-de44-407e-b131-40f8a969925e">posted</a> on Instagram. 
Jones was previously kicked out of the legislature for participating in a protest from the House floor in favor of gun control. 
Ultimately, Governor Bill Lee signed a new election map into law that is expected to eliminate Tennessee’s lone Democrat held congressional seat. The move came after Lee called a special session to reevaluate the maps after the Supreme Court ruled that states did not have to maintain majority-black districts.

Tennessee Governor Signs Trump-Backed Redistricting Plan

Democrats Punished For Desperate Tantrums During Failed Redistricting Fight

Democrats Punished For Antics During Failed Fight To Stop Redistricting

2026 election

U.S. Politics

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), the reigning queen of the confidently incorrect, recently took her traveling circus of ignorance to the University of Chicago, where she somberly warned that GOP redistricting would &#8220;wipe out every black representative on the map&#8221; in Tennessee — a state that, in reality, has zero black representatives in Congress.
It takes a special kind of &#8220;Economics Guru&#8221; to mourn the extinction of something that doesn&#8217;t exist, but for AOC, the facts have always been a secondary concern to the &#8220;vibes&#8221; of radical grievance.
“When you’re watching states like Tennessee, watching wipe out every black representative on the map in these states, we have an obligation as Americans to stand with black Americans and communities whose representation is being disenfranchised,” Ocasio-Cortez pontificated.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
AOC on the new Tennessee Congressional map which would eliminate the last Democrat seat: 
“States like Tennessee want to wipe out every Black Representative”
The current Democrat Rep is a White guy and his Republican opponent is a Black woman.
Can’t make this up <a href="https://t.co/ZDWojmaHCC">pic.twitter.com/ZDWojmaHCC</a>
&mdash; Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) <a href="https://twitter.com/libsoftiktok/status/2053901252547760342?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 11, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
The deep-blue district wiped out by Tennessee&#8217;s redistricting has been represented by Democrat Steve Cohen for nearly 20 years.
Speaking at the Institute of Politics — founded by Obama advisor David Axelrod — Ocasio-Cortez didn’t stop at hallucinating Tennessee’s congressional delegation. She pivoted to a historical rewrite that would make a Soviet propagandist blush, asserting that the American Revolution was actually a war against the &#8220;billionaires of their time.&#8221;
The reality, of course, is that the Revolution was bankrolled by the wealthiest men in the colonies — men like John Hancock and Robert Morris. Morris worked in tandem with Chaim Solomon, a Polish-born Jewish-American who went bankrupt financing the Continental Army. They didn’t fight to overthrow wealth but used their wealth to secure liberty. Unlike the failed, blood-soaked revolutions of France or Russia — fueled by the exact brand of class envy AOC propagates — the American founding wasn&#8217;t predicated on pillaging the successful.
But this brand of &#8220;oatmeal for brains&#8221; logic is AOC’s stock-in-trade. Her greatest hits of stupidity include:
<ul>
<li data-path-to-node="4,0,0">The Amazon Blunder: She famously bragged about &#8220;saving&#8221; New York $3 billion by chasing Amazon out of Queens, fundamentally failing to understand that a tax break isn’t a bag of cash sitting in a vault. You can&#8217;t &#8220;spend&#8221; money that a company never brings to the city.</li>
<li data-path-to-node="4,1,0">The Billionaire Myth: On a recent podcast with Ilana Glazer, she claimed it is impossible to &#8220;earn&#8221; a billion dollars, suggesting wealth only comes from &#8220;breaking rules.&#8221; Apparently, inventing a product that millions of people value is just &#8220;market power&#8221; and &#8220;abuse.&#8221;</li>
<li data-path-to-node="4,2,0">Gun Law Illiteracy: She once told Chris Cuomo that &#8220;guns are not allowed in the District of Columbia,&#8221; a statement that came as a shock to the thousands of D.C. residents with legal permits and the members of Congress who, by law, are allowed to keep firearms in their offices.</li>
</ul>
Whether she is shrieking about &#8220;wage theft&#8221; (which she defines as a company not paying what she thinks they should) or claiming the unemployment rate is low because everyone has two jobs, Ocasio-Cortez remains the ultimate proof that in the modern Democratic Party, historical literacy and basic math are entirely optional.

Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez

AOC Hallucinates Non-Existent Black Democrat Rep In Tennessee

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez

Democrat

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