Listen to Children Who’ve Just Been Separated From Their Parents at the Border

In recent days, authorities on the border have begun allowing tightly controlled tours of the facilities that are meant to put a humane face on the policy. But cameras are heavily restricted. And the children being held are not allowed to speak to journalists.

The audio obtained by ProPublica breaks that silence. It was recorded last week inside a U.S. Customs and Border Protection detention facility. The person who made the recording asked not to be identified for fear of retaliation. That person gave the audio to Jennifer Harbury, a well-known civil rights attorney who has lived and worked for four decades in the Rio Grande Valley along the Texas border with Mexico.

Memphis Daily News: Statewide candidates on health care policy...

Republicans (also Bredesen and Dean): Personal responsibility!

Fitzhugh: Expand Medicaid!

TN.GOV: "Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam today announced the appointment of David B. Rausch as director of the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI).

Rausch, 55, has served as chief of police for the Knoxville Police Department (KPD) since 2011, overseeing an agency of more than 500 employees, including some 400 sworn police officers. Rausch joined the KPD in 1993 and rose through the ranks, serving in several different roles, including as deputy chief and a member of the special operations squad. Throughout his 25 years with the KPD, Rausch has focused on community policing and building relationships with local, state and federal agencies."

Statement from Mayor Madeline Rogero: “Chief Rausch has been an exemplary police chief and community leader in Knoxville. Congratulations to him on this well-deserved appointment! I am grateful for his decades of service to our city.

I will immediately begin the process of selecting his successor.

As a first step, I will meet individually with each of the four Deputy Chiefs to hear their insights on the department, what the priorities of the next police chief should be, and whether they are interested in being considered for the position.”

Join Dr. Matt Harris for a discussion of A Fine Mess: A Global Quest for a Simpler, Fairer and More Efficient Tax System by T. R. Reid at noon on Wednesday, June 27 in the East Tennessee History Center auditorium. Bring your lunch or pick up something downtown. Drinks are available for fifty cents. Reading the book is optional.

"Just about every economist and political figure in America agrees these days that our tax code has to be reformed," the author says. Believing we have reached a breaking point, Reid travels around the globe visiting countries like Estonia, New Zealand and United Kingdom to investigate how others tax their residents. Ultimately, he affirms his belief that the United States is capable of a radical reform for a "fairer, simpler and more efficient" tax system.

The report also found that there are only 22 counties in the U.S. where a full-time minimum wage worker can afford a one-bedroom rental. They noted that each of those counties were in states with a minimum wage higher than the federal requirement.

If you live in Tennessee, the study shows you need to be making $15.74 per hour to afford a two bedroom apartment. Minimum wage is $7.25 per hour in Tennessee

Can Knoxville residents making minimum wage afford two-bedroom apartments?

So, Verizon's newest "unlimited" plan must be three times more "unlimited" than the standard "unlimited" plan?

Maybe they should look up the definition of "unlimited" in the dictionary.

The amendment would not apply to devices such as Bluetooth speakers because they do not use an amplifier, Emmett said.

The current Knoxville decibel level law bans any airborne sound on public property that is more than 65 decibels. It also bans impulsive sounds, such as gunshots, that are more than 80 decibels.

Knoxville musicians, protesters could be hushed by amplified sound ban

Even as that debt casts doubt on Knoxville Partners’ ability to renovate and repurpose the mall as a multiuse facility, another blow falls: The Dr. Paul L. Kelley Volunteer Academy, which has occupied 6,400 square feet of mall space since 2010, is moving out by the end of June.

Knoxville Center owes more than $600K in taxes; another tenant leaves

...is sworn to uphold and defend the Constitution, not the Bible.

Eight year old Yoyoka Soma from Japan submitted this to the Hit Like A Girl drumming contest. She started playing at the age of two. Check out her footwork on the kick drum. John Bonham would be proud.

The South Knoxville rebirth continues with the latest announcement of a new retail space anchored by a grocery market at the former Bondurant Bros. appliance and electronics warehouse/store. The property is located at 906 Sevier Ave., diagonally across from South Knoxville Elementary. At least part of the building will be demolished for the project.

Inside of Knoxville has the scoop...

Trivia: At one time there were three grocery stores along that stretch of Sevier Ave. King's (now Alliance Brewing), White Store (now Uncle Lem's outdoor outfitters) and Parker's (I believe it was called) right across the street from South Knoxville Elementary. It was more of an old country store, and is now vacant. I believe there were plans to develop it into office/retail with residential upstairs, but I'm not sure what ever happened with that.

Energy Sec. Rick Perry attended the unveiling of ORNL's new Summit supercomputer, the world's fastest. "I am truly excited by the potential of Summit, as it moves the nation one step closer to the goal of delivering an exascale supercomputing system by 2021," said Perry.

Somehow, Rick Perry + supercomputer does not compute.

(After the press conference, Perry was overheard asking ORNL scientists "Does it get AOL?")

Speaking to reporters after the historic summit, Trump said he told Kim that instead of testing ballistic missiles, the cash-strapped country "could have the best hotels in the world."
...
"Think of it from a real estate perspective."

“He’s a rough guy. He has to be a rough guy or he has been a rough person,” Trump told Van Susteren. “But we got along very well. He’s smart, loves his people, he loves his country.”

“Look, he’s doing what he’s seen done, if you look at it,” he said. “But, I really have to go by today and by yesterday and by a couple of weeks ago because that’s really when this whole thing started.”

Alrighty then.

“There is no way the Congress is going to repeal preexisting conditions,” vowed Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-TN), the top Republican on the Senate committee that handles health policy, at the outset of the effort.

Guess that means repeal is imminent.

The Republican-led Federal Communications Commission voted along party lines in December to repeal the rules, which were intended to prevent internet providers from blocking, speeding up, or slowing down access to specific online services.

More than 20 states have filed a lawsuit to stop the net neutrality repeal. Several states, including New Jersey, Washington, Oregon and California, have gone so far as to push legislation to enforce the principles of net neutrality within their borders.

The end of net neutrality is here

A Tennessee doctor who became a social media sensation because of statements on President Donald Trump, racism and Colin Kaepernick - and who later sued the president over First Amendment rights - is losing his job at Vanderbilt University Medical Center.

This Vanderbilt doctor got political. Then he sued Trump and won. Now he's out of a job.

HB1939 Firearms and Ammunition - As enacted, allows county commissioner in the actual discharge of the commissioner's duties who has a valid handgun carry permit to carry in buildings in which county commission meetings are held, but not in room in which judicial proceeding in progress; not applicable to member of legislative body of metropolitan government.

New Tennessee laws taking effect July 1, 2018

Complete List New Tennessee Laws taking effect July 1, 2018

Gov. Ralph Northam signed a state budget bill Thursday that gives 400,000 low-income Virginians access to government health insurance.

Utah putting it on the ballot in November.

Still crickets in Tennessee.

Craig Fitzhugh, Democratic candidate for governor, is opening his Knoxville campaign headquarters at 2918 E Magnolia Ave. on Monday, June 11. There's a meet and greet with the candidate and volunteers from 3PM to 5PM.

About Craig Fitzhugh:

Craig Fitzhugh was born in Brownsville and raised in Ripley, Tennessee. He graduated from the University of Tennessee at Knoxville with a Bachelor's Degree in Banking and Finance. A graduate of the University of Tennessee College of Law, Fitzhugh served four years active duty in the Air Force Judge's Advocate General (JAG) Corps. In 1980, he returned to Ripley to practice law. In 1992, he joined the Bank of Ripley, where he currently serves as Chairman and CEO. Through the Bank of Ripley, he created a grant program that has provided more than $300,000 to supplement classroom resources for local teachers. Fitzhugh has represented Tennessee's 82nd legislative district as a member of the Tennessee House of Representatives since 1994, where he is currently the House Minority Leader.

Campaign website...

McConnell seems to get a charge out of doing this sort of thing

Read between the lines. McConnell is canceling the recess not because of a hard deadline on anything -- lawmakers haven't passed all of their appropriations bills on time in more than 20 years, according to a recent Pew review. Despite Trump's vow never to sign a massive spending bill again, the Capitol Hill system, as it works today, does not require them to start this August. And nobody is calling for the House to cancel recess, although it's much easier for Republicans to pass funding bills there.

But it sure might help McConnell's chances of keeping his majority if Democrats up for re-election are stuck in DC.

Mitch McConnell plays a little dirty