Bitcoin and Pokémon Cards
🔮 AG Skrmetti can see the future · Smearing in D7 · Race fans are extinct · Much more!
Good afternoon, everyone. Jonathan Skrmetti consults his crystal ball... Smear campaigns run against Rep. Barrett in D7 GOP primary... Opponents of the speedway renovation think race fans are extinct... And much more!
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State Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti has a crystal ball. He can divine the future through the coffee grounds at the bottom of his mug. This might sound ridiculous, but State Senator Jeff Yarbro seems to believe it.
Between beers, Yarbro put out a letter accusing the AG of doing a tyranny after he adjusted a January 2024 opinion in April 2024 regarding National Guard deployment. In the initial opinion, the AG maintained that the National Guard of Tennessee is “a militia for purposes of the Constitution.” In the revision three months later, the opinion says the Guard is a militia “for purposes of federal law.”
At the same time, Skrmetti withdrew an opinion from former AG Herbert Slatery declaring that the governor is only to deploy the militia in response to rebellion or invasion, a move that must first gain approval from the legislature. Skrmetti clarified that Slatery’s opinion was withdrawn because it didn’t reflect the state of the law.
Yarbro brings attention to all this and describes the AG's shift as deeply problematic, referring to it as "more akin to a reversal than a mere revision."
As Memphis prepares to receive a deployment of the National Guard as directed by President Trump, Yabro's accusation is cast in a conspiratorial light. Without understanding the timeline, you'd be led to believe that Skrmetti adjusted his opinion in lockstep with the Trump administration's efforts to crack down on crime in cities over the past few months.
But in April of 2024, when Skrmetti made the revision and removed Slatery's opinion, our President was Joe Biden, and Trump was battling lawsuits and facing an uncertain path to victory.
“If the folks at the press conference are insinuating my office withdrew the opinion six months before the election to pave the way for Trump policies a year and a half later, they have bigger problems than this legal question,” Skrmetti said in an email to the Tennessee Lookout. “If I could see the future like that, I’d be neck deep in Bitcoin and Pokémon cards.” DAVIS HUNT
🖋️ Edited by Megan Podsiedlik.
🗳️ Outsiders Funding D7 Smear Campaigns A familiar PAC is behind attack ads targeting state Representative Jody Barrett in Tennessee's 7th District GOP primary. Of the $800,000 spent criticizing Barrett, half comes from the School Freedom Fund, which is exclusively funded by billionaire Jeff Yass.
The School Freedom Fund is the same pro-voucher group that spent $3.6 million to oust the late, former Republican state senator, Frank Niceley. The group also threw its weight behind state Representative and fellow D7 challenger Lee Reeves during last year’s Republican primaries. In 2022, the fund spent more than $150,000 in support of Andy Ogles in the 5th Congressional District race and over $700,000 against Ogles' opponents Beth Harwell and Kurt Winstead.
According to the TriStar Daily, Conservatives for American Excellence, backed primarily by anti-Trump hedge fund billionaire Paul Singer and Citadel CEO Kenneth Griffin, has spent over $300,000 smearing Barrett. The House Freedom Caucus and related PACs have allocated about $350,000, some of which targets Matt Van Epps.
🎓 TN Lawmaker To Chair Federal Edu Board Yesterday, U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon announced that Tennessee Representative Mark White (R-Memphis) will be the new Chair of the National Assessment Governing Board. The federal board is responsible for assessing and establishing policies, standards, and guidelines for The Nation’s Report Card, which is the only nationally representative assessment of student achievement.
White currently chairs the Tennessee House Education Administration Committee. The Representative also began his career as a teacher and co-founded the Global Children’s Educational Foundation, which provides financial assistance and educational opportunities to impoverished children in Panama.
🏎️ BREAKING: Race Fans Are Extinct… Heidi Basgall Favorite assured the Nashville Board of Fair Commissioners that the opposition to a NASCAR deal isn’t just a noise complaint. “Hardly anyone is interested in auto racing at the fairgrounds,” said the founder of Neighbors Opposed to Track Expansion Nashville at yesterday’s meeting. “It's a bygone era that is well gone, and the data shows that. The fact that we are still having this conversation about auto racing is absurd, and it's a classic case of the tail wagging the dog.”
In August, the long-simmering showdown between race lovers and track opposers reignited when Board of Fair Commissioners Chair Jasper Hendricks told the Banner that a new agreement between Nashville Mayor Freddie O'Connell and Speedway Motorsports to revamp the Speedway and return NASCAR was underway.
In 2023, the Fair Board approved a different deal where the company would foot the bill for renovations and maintenance, taking that financial burden away from taxpayers. The plan has remained in limbo, pending Metro Council approval ever since.
Four people recently co-signed a complaint claiming that Hendricks accepted incentives for his support of the speedway deal. “The ethics allegations filed against me are baseless and rely on speculation, not facts,” Hendricks told the Tennessean. “My focus remains on ensuring that the Nashville Fairgrounds serves the public, respects community input and reflects the values of our city.”
DEVELOPMENT
- Southall Farm & Inn owner purchases 75-acre Franklin site (NBJ)
- VUMC opens initial phase of 21st Avenue building (Post)
- White Bridge Road project progresses (Post)
THINGS TO DO
View our calendar for the week here.
📅 Visit our On The Radar list to find upcoming events around Nashville.
🎧 On Spotify: Pamphleteer's Picks, a playlist of our favorite bands in town this week.
👨🏻🌾 Check out our Nashville farmer's market guide.
TONIGHT
🎸 Dennis Parker & Friends: James Taylor Tribute Show @ Station Inn, 8p, $20, Info
🎸 Warmduscher @ The Blue Room, 7p, $26+, Info
🎸 The Rapture @ Marathon Music Works, 8p, $52.14, Info
💀 Tennessee Dead @ Tennessee Brew Works, 6p, Info
🪕 Bluegrass Night @ The American Legion Post 82, 7p, Free, Info
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Today's newsletter is brought to you by Davis Hunt, Megan Podsiedlik and Camelia Brennan.