Grand Divisions: A Politics Podcast

On this episode, we revisit Baker v. Carr, the landmark 1962 case that led to a "reapportionment revolution" while ensuring minorities had equal representation in state legislatures across the country. Later, we chat with Shanna Hughey, president of ThinkTennessee, a Nashville-based nonpartisan think tank about gerrymandering. And as usual, we discuss the latest news of the week, including Rep. Gloria Johnson's plans to file a resolution during the upcoming special session that seeks to expel Rep. David Byrd from the legislature. 

After weeks of speculation and consideration, Gov. Bill Lee issued a call last week for the legislature to hold a special session in August. We break down the latest developments regarding the upcoming special session.Also this week, to coincide with the start of the new fiscal year, we sit down Senate finance committee chairman Bo Watson, R-Hixson, who shares his thoughts on the cost of education savings accounts to transparency in the budget process.Finally, we close out the episode with a discussion with Elaina Sauber, a Williamson County reporter for The Tennessean, who recently spent time in Ridgetop, Tennessee covering a story of illegal ticket quotas, the dissolving of a police department and inquiries by the FBI.

After more than a month of indecision, Gov. Bill Lee has announced he would call the legislature back for a special session to have the House select a new leader to replace embattled Speaker Glen Casada. 

Tennessee Republicans are set to gather in Nashville this weekend for the party's largest annual fundraiser. Although this year's Statesmen's Dinner comes in a non-election year, there will be plenty of political intrigue given the scandal plaguing House Speaker Glen Casada and the looming U.S. Senate race in 2020.On this episode, we chat with Michael Sullivan, executive director of the state Republican Party, about the June 15 fundraiser. 

On this episode, we discuss the latest developments of the ongoing ordeal surrounding the House speaker, Glen Casada. Beyond Casada, Tennessee's U.S. Senate race for the seat long-held by Lamar Alexander began a new chapter this week, after Nashville orthopedic trauma surgeon Manny Sethi told The Tennessean he was launching a bid for the GOP nomination. Sethi said his campaign will focus on three areas: immigration, health care and combating the opioid crisis.

A lot has happened since House Republican members entered the basement of a modern hotel Monday afternoon to determine that they no longer had confidence in Speaker Glen Casada's leadership.

For the second week in a row, House Speaker Glen Casada continued to face the fallout of a scandal involving his former chief of staff.On this episode, we break down the latest developments, including a recent call for the FBI to investigate the legislature, following a separate Tennessean story. Later on, we sit down with Tennessean justice reporter Adam Tamburin to discuss the scheduled execution of Donnie Johnson, who murdered his wife in Memphis in 1984.  

The first week after the 111th Tennessee General Assembly adjourned for the year began with a stunning development: the resignation of House Speaker Glen Casada's chief of staff, Cade Cothren, a departure that came amid a drug and sex scandal.This week on the podcast, we talk about how the day unfolded Monday — which made a bizarre and chaotic last day of session on Thursday a minor footnote in recent events involving the Tennessee General Assembly.**Podcaster's note: This was the first podcast we recorded in our new building, so we experienced some technical difficulties. We promise the audio quality will be better next week.**

Two dramatically different versions of Gov. Bill Lee's controversial school vouchers legislation were approved in the House and Senate last week, as lawmakers continue to work to wrap up the state budget and the legislative session. On this episode, we chat about the ongoing budget talks and the ESA bill. We also hear from Amelia Ferrell Knisely, The Tennessean's Williamson County education reporter, about local issues related to the ESA legislation. 

Politics, protests and the press go hand in hand.And this year, the Tennessee legislature has seen plenty of critics voice opposition to a myriad of issues — all of which have received some form of coverage. But last week, in the midst of a group of protesters demanding a meeting with a member of Gov. Bill Lee's administration, state troopers threatened to arrest reporters. 

On this episode, we break down the latest developments with Rep Rick Staples, as well as the newest forms of Gov. Bill Lee's controversial education savings account legislation. To coincide with the new budget, we sit down with Rep. Andy Holt, R-Dresden, who serves as chairman of the House finance subcommittee. Holt offers an explanation of the budget process, including how decisions are reached on providing funding for legislative initiatives.

A Democratic lawmaker has been accused of sexual harassment, but it remains to be seen exactly what type of action will be taken as a result.On this episode of Grand Divisions, we talk about the latest in the Staples scandal, his response the day after USA TODAY NETWORK - Tennessee's story broke, and hear from Sharon Roberson of the YWCA in Nashville about how the legislature should handle allegations of sexual harassment.We also hear from Brett Kelman, who reported last week that more than 128,000 Tennessee children have been unenrolled from TennCare and Cover Kids, state government healthcare programs, in the past two years.

Gov. Bill Lee's biggest piece of legislation and the House's most significant distraction collided last week, leading to unpredictable action that could resonate throughout the remainder of the session. On this episode we discuss the latest developments and also visit with Charlane Oliver of the Equity Alliance about a newly filed measure aimed at voter registration. The bill, spearheaded by Secretary of State Tre Hargett, comes after a massive voter registration effort last year that led to legal action in Shelby County. Although Hargett says the bill is aimed at ensuring Election Day goes smoothly, Oliver questions the merits of the measure.  

In an effort to gauge support for Rep. David Byrd, the USA TODAY NETWORK-Tennessee recently attempted to survey members of the House Republican caucus.  This week, we break highlight some of the findings in the survey. We also have a conversation with Michele Johnson, executive director of the Tennessee Justice Center, about the ongoing effort to require Gov. Bill Lee to request a block grant from the federal government for health care money. 

This week, we discuss the controversial legislation passed by the Tennessee House commonly referred to as the fetal heartbeat bill, the floor debate and where it stands in the Senate, which has yet to taken up the proposal.And finally, we chat with Dan Pabon, of the Tennessee Medical Cannabis Trade Association, about the ongoing effort to legalize medical marijuana in the Volunteer State. 

In his first State of the State address, Gov. Bill Lee outlined his vision for the state, which he said includes bolstering the state's Rainy Day Fund, creating a pilot school vouchers program and funding pay raises. On this episode, Tennessean justice reporter Adam Tamburin helps us break down the governor's education and criminal justice initiatives.

A secretly recorded video, an unusual editorial, a confrontation with a protester and a no show at a town hall. This week was arguably House Speaker Glen Casada's most difficult since becoming the chamber's leader last month. The Franklin Republican is facing mounting pressure for his continued support of Rep. David Byrd, R-Waynesboro, who last year face allegations from three women who said he sexually assaulted them in the 1980s. We break down Casada's tumultuous week and hear from USA TODAY NETWORK-Tennessee's opinion and engagement editor David Plazas about the decision to run the speaker's controversial editorial. Later in the episode we hear from Sarah Sampson, deputy director of the Tennessee Disability Coalition, and Tennessean storytelling columnist Jessica Bliss about an ongoing effort to get lawmakers to fund program that serves more than 1,000 disabled children.  

This week, we talk with state Sen. Raumesh Akbari, D-Memphis, and Rep. Michael Curcio, R-Dickson, about the ongoing voter restoration efforts and how Tennessee is an outlier compared to other states. They say that's because there's a heavy-handed bureaucratic process that often prevents many from even trying. Later on the podcast, we discuss a newly released campaign finance audit that found Rep. Harold Love, D-Nashville, used donors' money inappropriately. 

On this episode, we'll share with you audio from that GOP Senate conversation and discuss the block grant effort. We will also highlight some of the bills that caught our attention in recent weeks. Among them is SB 1243 and HB 1016, which would require students to pass an exam using all 100 questions on the U.S. civics test. To test out the idea, we give a quick exam to our history buff/politics editor Duane Gang.