News From the Top
🇺🇸 From the Hill The same regime that mocked and ridiculed the "lab leak" theory wants you to believe that the gravest threat to American Democracy is racist rednecks. That'll go over well.
🥩 Meat Voucher Another ransomware attack targeted the largest meat supplier in the US, JBS. The facility resumed operations yesterday. All these ransomware attacks beg the question when we can expect someone to hack Joe Biden's ear piece to get him to say the N-word.
🛡 China's Achilles Heel The Chinese Communist Party announced that it will lift the birth cap allowing families to have up to three children fueled by concerns of falling birthrates and a rapidly aging population. They've also cracked down on feminist groups and advocate for teaching boys about "masculinity" in an effort to promote and encourage natalist attitudes. In the US, we take a different approach to the same issues. We subsidize anti-natalism—unless you're poor—and import strangers. Cheaper that way.
🦠Fauci Under Fire Super-bureaucrat Anthony Fauci has been put under the microscope—a tool he's likely never used—after the release of thousands of his emails via a FOIA request. As the COVID debacle unravels and gets exposed for what it was, Fauci will likely be the fall guy. What a fall from grace! From magazine cover model to iconized martyr of medical malpractice in less than a week.
🎉 You go girl! A high school valedictorian in Texas took the opportunity of her commencement speech to lecture her peers on the importance of abortion rights. You go girl! What were we just saying about anti-natalism?
🌳 Towards the Green Grass A positive side effect of the coronavirus was a return to home cooked meals. Grocery stores saw sales of organic produce skyrocket as families prepared up to three meals a day at home.
New this week
The Pamphleteer
In case you missed it:
- Osteocalcin: That Feeling In Your Bones Is Not Just in Your Head (Read)
- Burt Reynolds' Southern Vision: How a Legend Chronicled the Region’s Potential (Read)
- The Last Action Heroes: 'Nobody' and 'Fatman' Face the Twilight of the Genre Star (Read)
- Ordinary People, Pt. I: On Artistry and Hollywood’s Insular Diversity (Read)
- Ordinary People, Pt. II: An Oscars Postmortem (Read)
Nashville Politics
- Tennessee Supreme Court heard arguments Thursday on school-choice program (Center Square)
- Assessment of the comments made during the hearing (TN Journal)
- School-choice is an integral part of Bill Lee's platform furnishing $7,000 scholarships to low-income families as an alternative to low-performing public schools
- The program empowers low-income families to access better schools for their children and provides a strong path out of poverty
- Davidson and Shelby County sued to shutdown the program at the start of 2020 claiming it was unconstitutional
- The debate rages over whether the money spent on vouchers would be better spent on improving public school systems which, if history is any indication, it would not be
- Proponents of the school-choice program emphasize how the program funds students and not systems
- Citizens voiced their concerns Tuesday night at Metro Council's budget priorities meeting (WSMV, WPLN, Tennessean)
- Sales tax to increase in downtown Nashville as way to fund 'safety, cleanliness' efforts (Tennessean)
- Approved during Tuesday's council meeting
- The increase will bring the state and local sales tax rate in downtown Music City from 9.5% to 9.75%.
- Estimated to add $2.4 million in revenue annually
Nashville News
- New Tennessee job opportunities emerge from pandemic chaos (Tennessean)
- There were 166,704 unemployed Tennesseans and more than 250,000 advertised jobs in April
- Nashville hotels, restaurants, retailers and bars are on a hiring spree
- Tennessee's mean average annual wage rose $1,877 over the prior year, to $47,530, a 4% increase
- See the full on-track schedule for the NASCAR race weekend at Nashville Superspeedway (Tennessean)
- Tennessee holding year-long tax-free holiday for gun safety equipment (WSMV)
- Musicians Corner Festival announces lineup for 3-day festival (Main Street)
- Week of Nashville shows to honor John Prine (Main Street)
Nashville Development
- Nashville and Williamson Co. homebuyers are paying more than $30k over asking price (Tennessean)
- Out-of-state buyers purchasing houses sight-unseen tens of thousands of dollars over asking price
- In Williamson Co., 58% of the 300 homes sold from April 20 through May 20 sold for above list price
- Brooklyn Bowl Nashville will open in June with Old Crow Medicine Show concerts (Tennessean)
- MarketStreet files preliminary plans for fairgrounds development (Biz Journal)
- Commercial property in The Nations sells for $2M (Post)
- Airport-area site seemingly slated for Ferrari dealership (Post)
- Shipping company expands here, plans to hire 200 (Post)
- Edgehill site eyed for project sells for $19.6M (Post)
- Nashville Yards developer secures $128 million loan for second Amazon tower (Biz Journal)
- Oracle spends more than $253M on River North property (Post)
- YMCA to sell Maryland Farms property in '23 (Post)
One Good Watch
🎠George Carlin's bit on the differences between Baseball and Football (Watch)
How's that "Culture War" going Fox?
