Ambassador to Japan Bill Hagerty hasn’t made an official announcement for a 2020 U.S. Senate candidacy, but President Donald Trump put him at the front of the race with a single tweet.

On the heels of Tennessee’s annual Nathan Bedford Forrest Day, authorized with a proclamation signed by Gov. Bill Lee, Memphis legislators say they’re ready to end the yearly observance. And Lee indicates he may go along. 

After saying his office is “exploring” pursuit of a Medicaid block grant, Gov. Bill Lee this week confirmed his administration will make a proposal to the federal government.

Gov. Bill Lee said Thursday he will hold the state’s private prison operator accountable amid a report the number of murders at CoreCivic-run facilities was twice that at Tennessee Department of Correction prisons.

After mulling a bid for six months, former Gov. Bill Haslam said he will not run for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Lamar Alexander.

Tennessee prisons operated by CoreCivic experienced twice as many inmate murders over a five-year period as state Department of Correction-run facilities, according to two advocacy groups.

An East Tennessee legislator bothered by reports lawmakers are directing campaign funds to their personal businesses is prepared to sponsor a bill to stop the practice, a move that would affect at least one Memphis lawmaker.

With arguments set Tuesday in a lawsuit to dismantle the Affordable Care Act, a network of pastors is urging Gov. Bill Lee to request Tennessee drop out of the federal case.

Gov. Bill Lee – set to appoint a Health Care Modernization Task Force – apparently hasn’t decided whether to seek a block grant waiver for federal Medicaid funds.

With up to seven House members seeking the Speaker’s post, Shelby County House Republicans are expecting multiple rounds of caucus voting to choose a nominee, but they believe the group will unify behind the next Speaker.

Read to be Ready camps first opened in 2016, and Tennessee has expanded the program annually with funding from the U.S. Department of Human Services. But state officials learned in January that the federal grant now has to be used for child care programs.

With a special session of the Legislature set in late August, state Rep. Jim Coley is calling embattled Rep. David Byrd a “drag” on the Republican Party. An expulsion resolution against Byrd is likely at the session.

A day before the Fourth of July and with an August special session looming, House Democrats are calling for a wide-ranging investigation into the expenses of resigning Speaker Glen Casada.

Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare in Memphis is suspending court activity during a review of its delinquent bill policies and concerns raised by lawmakers.

The landmark 1962 U.S. Supreme Court ruling Baker vs. Carr, out of Shelby County, is still standing after last week’s ruling by the high court in another redistricting case — Rucho vs. Common Cause, according to Memphis attorney John Ryder.

Tennessee’s new “hands-free law,” which took effect Monday, seeks to curb distraction-related crashes across the state and particularly in Shelby County, which leads the state in such accidents. The measure is among a number of new state laws that became effective Monday.

Gov. Bill Lee professed support for "equal protection" when questioned about support for Pride Month events and LGBT rights in the workplace.

Gov. Bill Lee landed a Mitsubishi corporate headquarters for Franklin during an Asian economic recruiting trip. But whether the travel abroad yields anything for the Shelby County area is unclear as Lee was noncommittal when asked about landing tenants for Memphis Regional Megasite.

The impact of a U.S. Supreme Court decision in which it declined to set limits on partisan gerrymandering could be felt in Tennessee when it starts redistricting in two years, drawing support from Republicans and opposition from Democrats.

Gov. Bill Lee has called an Aug. 23 special session for the House of Representatives to replace resigning House Speaker Glen Casada.

Amid questions about its fundraising for the Tennessee State Museum, the Tennessee State Museum Foundation will consider providing funds for a centennial celebration of the Legislature’s 1920 women’s suffrage vote.

The 73-member House Republican Caucus will hold a late July meeting to vote on a Speaker nominee in advance of an August special session when the full chamber will replace Glen Casada.

Three Memphians will serve on the Tennessee Board of Judicial Conduct, a body created by the Legislature to investigate and act on complaints against judges.

Amid questions about the Tennessee State Museum Foundation and its fundraising, state Sen. Sara Kyle is hoping for a better relationship between the nonprofit entity and the Douglas Henry State Museum Commission.

Memphis Democrat calls criticism “hog wash” from fellow Democrats for voting with Republicans on education and abortion legislation.