The U.S. Senate deadlocked Friday over how to fund the government past a deadline at the end of September, escalating the odds of a shutdown and heightening tensions on Capitol Hill.

President Donald Trump, Vice President JD Vance and several Cabinet officials spoke at a five-hour memorial ceremony Sunday in Arizona for the late conservative political activist Charlie Kirk, at which Trump said that unlike Kirk, Kirk " I hate my opponents and don’t want the best for them."

Opinion: Nashville writer and columnist Keel Hunt and Memphis columnist and journalist team up to write about the deployment of National Guard troops to Memphis: Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee and the state's U.S. Senators are perverting the state's tradition of bipartisan collaboration.

Trump administration cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program could cost Tennessee taxpayers more than $100 million. via @tennesseelookout.com

A federally funded program that would have provided $156 million to low-income Tennessee families for solar panel installation has been terminated after several months on hold, the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation announced Friday. From @cstephenson.bsky.social.

Looming cuts to the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program, or SNAP, could place Tennessee taxpayers on the hook for more than $110 annually as the federal government shifts a portion of the financial burden for the food assistance program to states. @anitawadhwani.bsky.social reports.

The U.S. Senate deadlocked Friday over how to fund the government past a deadline at the end of September, escalating the odds of a shutdown and heightening tensions on Capitol Hill. From @arianalfigueroa.bsky.social and @jennifershutt.bsky.social.

The week in commentary: Columnist Rev. Earle Fisher writes that the deployment of National Guard troops to Memphis isn't about public safety, but rather a charade rooted in fearmongering and cloaked in the rhetoric of “law and order."

Commentary of the week: Ashlie Bell-Seibers writes about her family's experience with TennCare and her fears for cuts to the state's Medicaid program as a result of the "Big Beautiful Bill.

U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen, the only Democrat in Tennessee's federal delegation, did not vote on a resolution to honor conservative activist Charlie Kirk. All other members of the Tennessee delegation voted for it, as did 95 Democrats.

From Senior Reporter Sam Stockard's end of week column: a federal judge says former Tennessee House Speaker Glen Casada will face a stiffer sentence for his conviction on federal corruption charges than his former aide, as Casada was an elected official holding the public trust.

A pipeline supplying water from the Cumberland River to the fast-growing Maury and Williamson counties is feasible, but it could cost up to $1.9 billion in 2025 dollars, according to a feasibility study released this week by the Mallory Valley Utility District. From @cstephenson.bsky.social.

Breaking News: Texas A&M’s president will step down after turmoil over a children’s literature course that recognized more than two genders.

On Wednesday, Tennessee lawmakers voted to strip all references to veterans, minorities, women and people with disabilities from the state's equal opportunity employment plan, making it harder to track employment discrimination.

Breaking News: Eleven Democratic elected officials were arrested in New York City after demanding access to ICE’s migrant detention cells.

Editor's notebook: Gov. Bill Lee first said he hadn't talked to the Trump administration about sending National Guard troops to Memphis; two weeks later, he said he had been in discussions for months--outright dishonesty, writes Editor @jhollymc.bsky.social.

Democrats and Republicans on Capitol Hill have entered a stalemate over whether to fund the government for seven weeks or begin a shutdown that could last considerably longer, amid high partisan tensions. @jennifershutt.bsky.social reports.

Just in: Darden Copeland, a first time candidate running in the Democratic primary for the district 7 special election, is the first candidate out with fundraising numbers. His campaign reports raising $302,000 and he's put in $100,000 of his own.

Rep. Jesse Chism, a Memphis Democrat and outspoken critic of Gov. Bill Lee's plan to deploy the National Guard to Memphis, is urging Lee to place troops under the “direct leadership” of the local police chief.

A legislative committee voted Wednesday to remove references to women, minorities, people with disabilities and veterans from Tennessee’s equal employment opportunity plan, which has long guided the state in tracking its own employment practices and rectifying discriminatory practices.

Tennessee GOP lawmakers vote to end equal opportunity employment rules for the state government workforce tennesseelookout.com/2025/09/18/t... @tennesseelookout.com

Memphis Democratic Rep Jesse Chism asks Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee to put National Guard under police chief command tennesseelookout.com/2025/09/18/m... @tennesseelookout.com

A story on #medicaid from @tennesseelookout.com "For families like mine, #TennCare is survival. That’s why Congress’s proposed cuts are dangerous: they threaten not just services, but futures." #healthcare tennesseelookout.com/2025/09/15/t...

Former Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Susan Monarez testified before a U.S. Senate committee Wednesday that she was fired after just 29 days because she refused to pre-approve vaccine recommendations or fire career officials for no reason.

The closure of St. Mary’s labor and delivery unit in Lavonia comes as one of the first Georgia-based casualties of the federal budget reconciliation package, colloquially known as the “big beautiful bill.” via @georgiarecorder.com

Check out our NIH cuts series page, an easy way for you to find all of our States Newsroom stories that show the direct impact that National Institutes of Health grant cuts are having on people in the states. www.newsfromthestates.com/tags/nih-ser... Today, let’s highlight some of those stories:

Today, we’re bringing you a Special Edition of Evening Wrap that examines the fallout in the states from decisions of the Trump administration that slashed hundreds of millions in medical research funding from the National Institutes of Health. prod.cdn.everyaction.com/emails/van/S...

Commentary: Editor @jhollymc.bsky.social on Gov. Bill Lee's latest flip flop. First, he said he had not talked to President Donald Trump about sending National Guard troops to Memphis. Two weeks later, he said they had discussed it for months. Dishonesty, hypocrisy, or both?

A THREAD: Employee terminations across the nation following the shooting of Charlie Kirk.

The former chief of staff to ex-House Speaker Glen Casada was sentenced to 30 months in prison and a $25,000 fine for his role in a corruption scheme. Casada will be sentenced Tuesday.

Cade Cothren, the former aide to ex Tennessee Speaker of the House Glen Casada, sentenced to 30 months in prison for his role in kickback scheme. Casada to be sentenced 9/23 tennesseelookout.com/2025/09/16/f... @tennesseelookout.com

Federal prosecutors denied allegations they are pursuing human smuggling charges against Kilmar Abrego Garcia in Tennessee as part of a Trump administration retribution campaign tennesseelookout.com/2025/09/17/p... @tennesseelookout.com

Attorneys for Kilmar Abrego Garcia have alleged the government is pursuing “vindictive prosecution” against the wrongly deported man, whose fight for due process has come to symbolize Trump administration immigration crackdowns. From @anitawadhwani.bsky.social.

BREAKING: Former House staffer Cade Cothren was sentenced Tuesday to 30 months in prison and ordered to pay a $25,000 fine for his role in a kickback scheme using the state’s constituent mailer program.

ICYMI: An appeals court late Monday rejected the Trump administration’s request to move ahead with firing Federal Reserve board member Lisa Cook, as the president tries to pressure the independent board to lower interest rates. From @arianalfigueroa.bsky.social.

As soybean farmers in the Volunteer State harvest their crop after a difficult growing season, they are facing a farm economy that resembles “death by a thousand cuts,” says the executive director of the Tennessee Soybean Promotion Council. via @tennesseelookout.com

Utah County Attorney Jeff Gray announced that his office has filed charges against 22-year-old Tyler Robinson, accused of shooting and killing conservative influencer Charlie Kirk during a crowded outdoor speaking event. From @utahnewsdispatch.com.

For the fourth time, President Trump extended the deadline for when TikTok had to be separated from its Chinese owner, ByteDance, or face a ban in the U.S. Officials have said they are nearing a deal to address national security concerns about the company and its ties to China.

Commentary: The National Guard deployed to a majority Black city? That's not about public safety, writes columnist Rev. Earle Fisher: it's political theater.

Gov. Bill Lee joined President Donald Trump on Monday as Trump signed an order l National Guard troops and federal agencies, including agents from the FBI and immigration and customs enforcement, to Memphis.

Rep. Mike Stewart, and Erin Akery of the Nashville Financial Empowerment Center at United Way. Listen today, Tuesday, 9/16 at noon: 📻 90.3 @ WPLN 💻 thisisnashville.org 📺 youtube.com/@wpln.

Today we speak with @tennesseelookout.com reporter Adam Friedman who, along wit @propublica.org uncovered the hidden dangers of the latest version of a payday loan called the "Flex Loan" and the toll it has taken on Tennesseans. Also joining us are State House Rep. Mike Sparks, former State

ICYMI from @arianalfigueroa.bsky.social: President Donald Trump Monday directed Tennessee's National Guard deployed to the Democratic-led city of Memphis. www.newsfromthestates.com/article/trum...

Tennessee lawmakers representing Shelby County are running into a partisan split over the looming deployment of National Guard troops to Memphis. via @tennesseelookout.com www.newsfromthestates.com/article/shel...

Shelby County lawmakers torn over National Guard deployment to Memphis tennesseelookout.com/2025/09/16/s... @tennesseelookout.com

Trump deploys National Guard troops to Memphis for anti-crime task force tennesseelookout.com/2025/09/15/r... @arianalfigueroa.bsky.social @tennesseelookout.com

Tennessee lawmakers representing Shelby County are running into a partisan split over the looming deployment of National Guard troops to Memphis.

Breaking News: An appeals court denied President Trump’s attempt to block Lisa Cook from participating in a key Fed meeting.

Trump deploys National Guard troops to Memphis for anti-crime task force @arianalfigueroa.bsky.social kentuckylantern.com/2025/09/15/r...

TRUMP FOUND TO WITHHOLD FEMA $: The finding is the sixth time this year the GAO has determined the Trump administration violated the Impoundment Control Act, reports @jennifershutt.bsky.social for @statesnewsroom.com DC www.newsfromthestates.com/article/watc...