Not to prove her point as a boring friendless nerd but… on the debate team, you have to argue different sides of the same debate and win rounds of each to advance. Meaning you have to be able to internalize the logic of opposing views. The “debate me bro” culture could never

"Wisconsin Republican U.S. Rep. Derrick Van Orden threatened to strip an entire town of federal funding after a high school math teacher noted on her personal Facebook page that Kirk had in the past said some gun deaths are worth it to have the 2nd Amendment." stateline.org/2025/09/26/r...

I’m not qualified to do it but I’d do anything to read a 4,000-word feature on anti-pedestrian rage in Nashville.

I just spent a week in Portland. The city was busy with tourists and locals enjoying late summer. A prosperous downtown. Factually, there is no observable evidence of a city needing military intervention. A reminder that this is not normal. Please pay attention.

In case anyone thought ICE shooting at journalists was just an LA thing. Or that they'd cut it out after repeated warnings from judges. Nope. More of the same in Chicago.

President Trump is posting to social media, giving dangerous advice about Hepatitis B shots. www.reuters.com/business/hea... He's saying to wait until kids are 12. Here is a story on why it's important to get them in the first 24 hours of life. wpln.org/post/wpln-di...

well meaning people love to be like ‘aren’t you scared of being left behind if you don’t start using AI in your work’ and from the bottom of my heart: no, im not scared of that. i would rather go back to restaurants for the rest of my life than publish AI ‘books’

My employer New York Public Radio just announced that it is offering @onthemedia.bsky.social, @radiolab.bsky.social, and other programs to at-risk public radio stations for free! More info: current.org/2025/09/wnyc...

The ability to criticize and yes, mock, our political leaders is (was?) America's greatest strength. And there's also the mundane matter of first amendment caselaw, under which government may not impose viewpoint-based conditions on permitting for public displays of private art.

Another reason to subscribe to the @nashvillebanner.bsky.social (and support with $$ if you can) is that we are not owned by a national corporation subject to threats against a potential merger or financial pressures on a cruise ship business. nashvillebanner.com/newsletters/...

The FDA statement ends with a paragraph undermining its own warning. They signal parents to avoid acetaminophen. Except sometimes. And then: No “causal relationship… established” with ADHD or autism AND Alternatives to acetaminophen have “well-documented adverse impacts.”

This is Annie. She freaking loves fall. 13/10 (FB: James Osborne)

Last week, Israel targeted and massacred 34 newspaper reporters in Yemen. According to the Committee to Protect Journalists, it was the second deadliest attack on journalists ever recorded.

Anyone who signs this pledge is not a journalist.

Jimmy Kimmel’s show wasn’t suspended because of comments about Charlie Kirk. Major media like the NYT keep saying that, but Kirk was just a pretext. In July, when Kirk was still alive, Trump reacted to the cancellation of Colbert’s show by saying “Jimmy Kimmel is next.” it’s not about Kirk.

Bottom line: A fund meant to protect Oklahoma’s health future is now entangled in a partisan scorecard fight. The stakes? $2 billion in public money — and whether culture wars will outweigh financial returns. 10/

When I covered a small county in Colorado, I was writing a lot about problems in one official’s office — service complaints, management challenges, etc. She was related to a county commissioner. I started seeing all these theories that *I* was related to a different, rival county commissioner.

Our story is UPDATED: - Hep B vote pushed until tomorrow - confusing, split vote on mmrv (see below) More tomorrow 👋

If you have questions about the CDC committee’s vote today on vaccines, fire away. It is a complicated issue and can be confusing. #ACIP

Donald Trump’s new $15 billion lawsuit against the New York Times spends four pages celebrating the settlements by ABC and Paramount. This is what capitulation gets you: more of the same sorts of attacks.

Wrote about professors and university employees getting fired in Tennessee for posts about Charlie Kirk’s life and/or death. nashvillebanner.com/2025/09/16/c...

It may be distasteful but it is not illegal to mock someone's death and it should not warrant arrest, ever. The 1st Amendment exists specifically to protect disfavored speech and what is happening now is one of the greatest threats to free speech in the United States.

We're witnessing the most aggressive, fanatical crackdown on free speech in my lifetime. The speed and breadth of government censorship and private sector and nonprofit capitulation has been astonishing. As has the lack of urgency/silence from people who've long claimed to care about this stuff.

Earlier this year, a federal court in Nashville struck down a portion of Tennessee's law making it a crime to provide information/guidance to teens seeking an out-of-state abortion. Tennessee is now appealing to the 6th Circuit. tennesseelookout.com/briefs/tenne... @tennesseelookout.com

Listening to a few hours of lectures and taking detailed notes really makes you feel for kids who are doing this all day every day

“We’re hiring, are you 18?” Border Patrol was recruiting at the Professional Bull Riders event in Nashville this weekend, prompting criticism from some locals. nashvillebanner.com/2025/08/18/b...

Journalists—covering rural health just got easier. Attend the free virtual Rural Health Journalism Workshop on Aug 21. healthjournalism.org/training-eve...

“I don’t see no prison,” one resident said. “I see a concentration camp.” City leaders in rural Mason, Tenn. signed off on a CoreCivic ICE detention center during a contentious meeting. by @mariannabac.bsky.social wpln.org/post/a-regio...

SCOTUS has denied Byron Black's application for a stay and petition for a writ of certiorari, clearing the way for Tennessee to execute him tomorrow unless Gov. Bill Lee intervenes. Black has widely documented intellectual disabilities and defibrillator in his chest attys say will shock him.

A court ordered TDOC to bring in experts and deactivate a man's heart implant before executing him. The state argued it couldn't because its provider, Nashville General Hospital, wouldn't comply with the order's strict timeline. Now, General says it never signed off at all. wpln.org/post/nashvil...

It's not every day — and not many podcasts — that get named to TIME's 100 Best Podcasts of All Time. But there it is for WPLN's The Promise! Aptly described as a series that examines what happens in Nashville when "a great idea meets reality." time.com/collections/...

TDOC asked one provider, Nashville General, to come disable the heart implant. It declined. "The state’s motion ... is very much like when I had teenagers, and told them to clean their room. And they picked up one sock, and put it in the hamper, and then folded their arms.” wpln.org/post/tdoc-pu...

As rent in Nashville increases exponentially, affected tenants rush to court to contest their eviction notices. The Eviction Right to Counsel is a group of local advocates who collaborate to provide legal services for tenants in need. We will hear from these organizations, those impacted

Black's intellectual disability claim was denied under a standard the state has since abandoned. But because his claim has already been adjudicated, courts have said a 2021 law--under which he would almost certainly not be eligible for death--doesn't apply to him. nashvillebanner.com/2025/07/23/d...

At a hearing on this. State argues it can’t obey; Nashville General providers who placed it won’t come to the prison on execution day. Black’s team said one provider inquiry isn’t enough. Chancellor Perkins said from the stand that the state is being passive aggressive. wpln.org/post/court-o...

A steady decline in vaccinations leaves room for measles outbreaks in Tennessee.

Federal judge blocks Tennessee law making it crime to aid minors seeking out-of-state abortions tennesseelookout.com/briefs/feder... @anitawadhwani

Tennessee’s next execution is raising fears about the death becoming torturous. @catherinejsweeney.bsky.social reports the issue in court this week is a heart device that could attempt to revive Byron Black during lethal injection. wpln.org/post/a-heart...

Do you enjoy Nashville's downtown main library? How has the garage fire closure impacted you? WPLN would like to hear your experiences for an upcoming story.

Any hospital closing in the near-term was on the ropes before the reconciliation bill was signed into law. But with the bill passed, financially-vulnerable safety-net providers are staring down a more difficult future. The writing on the wall matters, even when the connection isn't 100% clean.

Suicide rates in rural America remain persistently higher than in urban communities, according to new research from East Tennessee State University that identified a national suicide “belt” with relatively high death rates that extends from the east to west coasts, directly through Tennessee.

Appalachian states like Tennessee have had some of the highest overdose rates in the country over the past decade. @catherinejsweeney.bsky.social reports officials have been slow to adopt some harm reduction efforts that could save lives. wpln.org/post/smoking...

Hello Nashville : if you've been on the "hit" side -- as a driver or pedestrian -- of a hit-and-run incident, I would love to talk to you. DM or email: [email protected]

More than half of Tennesseans describe themselves as pro-choice, compared to only a third in 2012. That support is even greater for exceptions to the state’s total abortion ban, with 82% of respondents in favor of abortions in the case of rape by @mariannabac.bsky.social wpln.org/post/tenness...

“What dipped my toe into all of this was the MAHA movement... I find myself leaning more conservative than I ever have before.” www.nytimes.com/2025/06/23/s...

Abrego Garcia was removed March 15, and the Supreme Court ruled on April 10 the Trump administration must facilitate his return. In federal court, DHS agent says he was asked to begin criminal investigations into Abrego Garcia April 28, reports @anitawadhwani.bsky.social of @tennesseelookout.com

“Military gear has been used for domestic law enforcement for a long time, but flying military gear over LA at a time when the president has sent military units against the wishes of the governor is noteworthy," says Matthew Feeney, longtime tech researcher and advocacy manager at Big Brother Watch.

The man whose wrongful deportation to El Salvador put a spotlight on President Donald Trump’s immigration policy is appearing in a federal court in Nashville today. This story will be updated as we learn more: wpln.org/post/man-wro...

Reminder: sci-comm and outreach costs money, and it’s being defunded across all STEM fields. It’s not just something scientists “do” (or fail to do, or need to do more). I mean, most of us do “do” it on our own time too, but that will never be enough.

Snake day at TIN