Like most states in the South, Tennessee is ruby red with a heavily Republican legislature. But back in 2023 — before Donald Trump became president again — the Atlantic published a piece, “Is Tennessee a Democracy?”
That was after two African-American representatives, Justin Jones and Justin Pearson, were expelled from the House. Holly McCall, the Editor-in-Chief of the Tennessee Lookout, came by to talk to us about what lessons we can learn from the rise of MAGA in the Volunteer State. As she says, there’s a lot more going on there than just Dollywood.
One of the biggest stories Holly has been covering is Nashville — the state’s largest city and the capital — being targeted for ICE sweeps, like many cities since Trump was inaugurated again. There’s been some pushback, like from the city’s mayor, Freddie O’Connell, but MAGA Congressman Andy Ogles wants a federal investigation into the mayor for basically asking for information about what ICE is really up to. That’s just the latest tension between officials in Nashville, which is blue, and Republicans at the state and federal level.
Lincoln Square Executive Editor Susan J. Demas also spoke with Holly about how Trump is being covered in the media, as well as the scourge of disinformation and how some media outlets are trying to combat it.
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