by Sam Stockard, Tennessee Lookout
August 19, 2025

Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee is dispatching National Guard troops to Washington, D.C., this week to join the president’s law enforcement takeover in the nation’s capital.

Acting on orders from President Donald Trump, the governor granted a request to help the District of Columbia National Guard with a “security mission,” spokesperson Elizabeth Johnson said.

Tennessee will join several other Republican-controlled states and send 160 Guard troops this week to D.C. “to assist as long as needed,” according to Johnson. They will work with local and federal law enforcement agencies on monument security, community safety patrols, federal facilities protection and traffic control, she said.

The Tennessee Guard deployment will be funded and regulated by the federal government.

At least four other Republican governors are sending nearly 1,000 National Guard troops to D.C. after Trump activated 800 D.C. soldiers.

Trump ordered the federal takeover of Washington, D.C., law enforcement despite opposition from local officials who said crime is down some 30%. 

Following a legal challenge by D.C. officials, the Trump administration backed off appointing a federal official to head the department and agreed to leave the city’s police chief in command. U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi, though, told local police to work with federal officers on immigration enforcement even if city laws are conflicting.

Lee also said he would deploy National Guard troops to provide logistical help with Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers in Tennessee so they can spend more time on deportation.

Democratic state Rep. John Ray Clemmons of Nashville accused the governor of “uprooting” Guard personnel from their families to distract people from Trump’s “refusal to release the Epstein files,” a reference to the Jeffrey Epstein sex trafficking investigation and whether Trump is mentioned in the documents. 

Clemmons pointed out violent crime in D.C. decreased by 26% this year while overall crime is down by 7%.

“If Trump was serious about addressing crime in D.C., all he and Congress have to do is better support and fund D.C. police, as they have the power to do, rather than militarize one of the most beautiful cities in America,” Clemmons said.

Tennessee Lookout is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Tennessee Lookout maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Holly McCall for questions: info@tennesseelookout.com.

The post Tennessee National Guard to join D.C. police order appeared first on tennesseelookout.com

Note: The following A.I. based commentary is not part of the original article, reproduced above, but is offered in the hopes that it will promote greater media literacy and critical thinking, by making any potential bias more visible to the reader –Staff Editor.

Political Bias Rating: Left-Leaning

The content presents a critical view of Republican actions, particularly focusing on Tennessee Governor Bill Lee and former President Donald Trump’s deployment of the National Guard to Washington, D.C. It emphasizes opposition from Democratic officials and highlights concerns about militarization and distraction from other issues. The article’s framing and choice of quotes suggest a perspective that leans toward the left side of the political spectrum, critiquing conservative policies and leadership decisions.

SUMMARY: A recent Tennessee Education Survey of nearly 40,000 teachers reveals most middle and high school teachers find cellphone use disruptive, with 73% reporting cheating via phones. While 94% say schools restrict phone use during class, half of high school teachers want a full campus ban. A new state law bans wireless devices during instruction but lets districts set specific rules. Teacher retention is driven mainly by school culture, despite only a third being satisfied with pay. Most teachers support current discipline methods and evaluations, with early-career teachers spending more time on discipline but generally satisfied with evaluations improving their teaching.

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by Sam Stockard, Tennessee Lookout
August 18, 2025

U.S. Agriculture officials announced a new initiative Monday to stop subsidies for solar energy panels that take up farmland while supporting cuts in agriculture grants to Tennessee universities.

Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins introduced the initiative by the Trump administration after a Future Farmers of America breakfast at the State Fairgrounds in Lebanon where she said the federal government will make new grants to bolster Tennessee farming while targeting grants that don’t help farmers’ production.

Rollins criticized the Biden administration’s Inflation Reduction Act and “market distorting incentives” for solar panels, which she said are eliminating Tennessee farmland.

The secretary made the statements even though a study by the nonpartisan Tennessee Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental Relations found that solar facilities aren’t likely to be the “primary driver” of development on farmland for decades. The study also determined that land can be returned to farming once a solar facility goes out of use.

Earlier this year, the federal government made dramatic cuts to higher education grants, including eliminating more than $31 million in funding to the University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture, which houses agricultural research and resources for Tennessee farmers and communities in 95 counties.

Rollins defended the reductions, saying “Those cuts were being made in programs that did not align with the president’s vision of putting farmers first.”

Deputy Secretary Stephen Vaden of Tennessee described the reduction as a “repurposing” and said changes were made in research funding based on whether a grant “helps a farmer in the field make more money.” Projects aimed at “clean energy” or based on “racial criteria” were eliminated, he said.

In addition to stopping solar panel development on farmland, Rollins announced that nearly $89 million will go toward 13 rural development projects in 28 Tennessee counties to “promote partnerships” and infrastructure investments for rural education. The department has distributed nearly $100 million this year to more than 10,000 farmers through the Emergency Commodity Assistance Program, according to Rollins.

Some farmers have said they expect prices to increase because of President Donald Trump’s tariffs, which are forcing them to pass on higher rates to customers. Rollins said Monday the administration has signed eight new trade agreements expected to boost the nation’s economy.

Tennessee Lookout is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Tennessee Lookout maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Holly McCall for questions: info@tennesseelookout.com.

The post U.S. Agriculture secretary backs Tennessee higher ed grant cuts appeared first on tennesseelookout.com

Note: The following A.I. based commentary is not part of the original article, reproduced above, but is offered in the hopes that it will promote greater media literacy and critical thinking, by making any potential bias more visible to the reader –Staff Editor.

Political Bias Rating: Center-Left

The article largely reports on U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins’ policy announcements but introduces balancing context that slightly shifts the tone. While it covers her criticisms of the Biden administration and defense of Trump-era cuts, it also highlights a nonpartisan Tennessee study contradicting her claims about solar panels reducing farmland. This inclusion, along with details on higher education grant cuts and references to “racial criteria” in funding, frames the administration’s moves with a degree of skepticism. The reporting avoids overt editorializing but leans toward questioning Republican policies, giving it a mild Center-Left tilt.