Grand Divisions: A Politics Podcast

On this episode, we talk to Rep. Jason Zachary, R-Knoxville, and Deb Fisher, executive director of the Tennessee Coalition for Open Government, about the ongoing public records efforts. We also chat with The Tennessean's religion reporter Holly Meyer about a newly launched effort to change the state's statute of limitations for child sex crimes. And of course we also highlight the news of the week in Tennessee politics and policy, including a recent move by some House committee chairmen to ban personal livestreaming during meetings. 

On this episode, we chat with House Majority Leader William Lamberth about how the state could reform the justice system. Overall, Lamberth says this will be a multi-year effort and will include addressing everything from pay for correctional officers to changes to sentencing. We also hear from The Tennessean's education reporter Jason Gonzales about the latest push for an education savings account system that's reminiscent of school vouchers and break down the latest news to come out of the Lee administration.

40 years ago, Tennessee's transition from one governor to the next was a somber event. On Jan. 17, 1979, Lamar Alexander, a 38-year-old East Tennessee Republican, joined forces with key Democratic leaders, the chief justice for the state’s Supreme Court and a U.S. attorney, to take the oath of office early.It was an unprecedented coup. The group were forced into action because of the actions of then Gov. Ray Blanton, who was being investigated by the FBI for selling pardons for cash. The story of how all this unfolded is remarkable.On this episode of Grand Divisions, we talk with many of the key players involved in the coup and how it remains relevant today.

On the latest episode of Grand Divisions, we break down the first week of the session, which also featured a sexual harassment training, a decision to shut out media from some future House GOP caucus meetings and note the latest developments related to Gov.-elect Bill Lee, who is days away from taking office. We also visit with Tennessean investigative reporter Anita Wadhwani, about a recent story she published highlighting how doctors are being paid to review and frequently reject disability requests. Also, statehouse reporter Joel Ebert interviews Jed DeKalb, a soon-to-be retired state photographer who has captured images and moments of the last five governors. 

On the eve of the first gathering of the 111th General Assembly, Gov. Bill Haslam said Monday he was granting clemency to Cyntoia Brown. In this episode of Grand Divisions, we discuss Haslam's decision to grant clemency to Brown with justice reporter Adam Tamburin. We also talk with House Minority Leader Karen Camper and Senate Minority Leader Jeff Yarbro to get their thoughts on issues that the 111th General Assembly might face in the coming months. 

In this episode of Grand Divisions, which was recorded Dec. 17, Corker weighs in on everything from the prospects of a shutdown of the federal government (he said it wasn't likely and would be brief), and his at-times rocky relationship with President Donald Trump. We also ask Corker about his future plans, which he says remain up in the air. In addition to the Corker interview, on this episode we talk about the latest news in Tennessee politics, including new additions to Gov.-elect Bill Lee's administration.

In his latest appearance on Grand Divisions, which was recorded on Dec. 17, Haslam explains his process for weighing Cyntoia Brown's and others' clemency requests, the future of Medicaid expansion in Tennessee and a re-evaluation of his failed effort to outsource jobs at the state's public universities and colleges. The term-limited governor, who is still mulling a potential bid for the U.S. Senate in 2020, and long-time listener of Grand Divisions also offers his view on the direction of the state and national Republican Party.

For the second time in two years, Tennessee will once again have an open U.S. Senate seat after Lamar Alexander announced his plans on Monday to not seek re-election in 2020. In this episode, we discuss the Alexander news and the political aftermath, as well as hear from Gov. Bill Haslam, who said Monday he is considering running for the seat. 

With just over a month until he is sworn into office, Gov.-elect Bill Lee sat down with Grand Divisions to talk politics, policy and his transition. On this episode, we ask Lee about everything from health care and education to the death penalty and refugees and immigrants. We also ask him whether the Tennessee Titans will make the playoffs this year and if the Nashville Predators will win a Stanley Cup during his administration. 

Senate Republicans brushed aside any concerns about giving too much power to the state's most affluent county this week while electing Franklin lawmaker Jack Johnson to be the chamber's majority leader. On this episode, we break down the Senate leadership races, which included the re-election of Lt. Gov. Randy McNally to his post. We also discuss a recently approved resolution by the Tennessee Republican Party's State Executive Committee and the potential impact it could have in future elections.

On this episode, we discuss the potential implications of Casada serving as the next speaker, as well as any impact it may have on the Senate's Dec. 3 leadership election. We also touch on the recent House Democrats leadership election. 

We are taking a couple weeks off to prep for the next season and gear up for the upcoming legislative session. In the meantime, here is a live recording from the Southern Festival of Books.

History was made in Tennessee during Tuesday's midterm election, with Marsha Blackburn and Bill Lee winning their respective races for the U.S. Senate and governor's office. On this post-midterm election edition of Grand Divisions we break down both races and what they mean for Tennessee, as well as the state's political parties. We also recap the races for the statehouse and the remainder of Tennessee's congressional delegation and touch on what's next in state government and politics.

The midterm election is finally here. After more than a year of campaigning to be Tennessee's next U.S. Senator, Republican Marsha Blackburn and Democrat Phil Bredesen delivered their final closing arguments over the weekend.

As Election Day nears, protesters and a caravan of immigrants spark debate in Tennessee's U.S. Senate race between Marsha Blackburn and Phil Bredesen that appears to be down to the wire. On this episode of Grand Divisions we discuss the impact the protests may have on the Senate race, as well as the latest news in the Bredesen-Blackburn campaign and the gubernatorial election.Our guests include Scott Golden and Mary Mancini, the heads of the Tennessee Republican Party and Democratic Party, respectively, for their perspective and predictions on the various races. 

Early voting began last week, generating near-record turnout in many areas of the state. This week, we discuss the latest news in both races, including recent polling and other new developments. This episode features a conversation with Sarah McCall, the executive director of Women for Tennessee's Future and Cade Cothren, the director of communications for the state House Republican Caucus, for their perspectives on the Senate and governor's races and the impact they may have on down ballot elections. We also hear from David Plazas, the USA TODAY NETWORK-Tennessee's opinion and engagement editor, for an explanation about the newspapers' approaches to endorsements in this year's elections.

On this episode, we will catch you up on all the latest news including new campaign finance totals for the Senate race and the gubernatorial race between Republican Bill Lee and Democrat Karl Dean.

In this special edition of Grand Divisions, we will discuss the highlights and memorable moments from the latest debates. On Tuesday, Williamson County businessman Bill Lee and former Nashville Mayor Karl Dean squared off in a debate in Kingsport, where the Republican and Democratic gubernatorial candidates shared their visions of the state. Republican Congressman Marsha Blackburn and former Democratic Gov. Phil Bredesen met in Knoxville Wednesday where they made their respective cases for becoming Tennessee's next U.S. Senator.

On this episode, we will discuss all the latest news, including pop superstar Taylor Swift's endorsement of Bredesen and the Senate candidates' latest fundraising efforts.  We will also talk with Bappa Mukherji, chairman of the board of Unity Medical Center in Coffee County, about rural health care issues, a topic that has increasingly become relevant in this year's gubernatorial race between Republican Bill Lee and Democrat Karl Dean.And we'll also touch base with John Geer, a Vanderbilt University political science professor and dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, about Dean's efforts to use Medicaid expansion as a central component of his campaign. 

On this special edition of Grand Divisions we discuss highlights from the debate and whether it will move the needle in either Lee or Dean's direction. We will also catch up with Knoxville News Sentinel reporter Tyler Whetstone who traveled to Johnson City to cover President Donald Trump's campaign-style rally for U.S. Rep. Marsha Blackburn.