Today’s weather is going to give you the chance to get out and do something. It all starts off nice and our high temperature this afternoon is going to be in the 80s and low 90s. Isolated showers could develop this evening and after midnight the rain chances increase. Showers, thunderstorms and warmer temperatures will be here for Saturday. That low-pressure system means a potentially stormy weekend, with some severe weather chances, but probably just gross stickiness and inconveniences. NashSevereWx
Spoiler alert: it was never an “American success story” and was always smoke and mirrors hype. What a shocking twist. But we’re not allowed to have discussions like this, apparently, and can’t call out inappropriate shenanigans if the people responsible for them are popular due to lots of advertising. [The Tennessean]
Bow a fiddle, pluck a banjo, and strum a ukulele! Handing a bunch of screaming kids some banjos and ukuleles sounds like a magical, not-at-all-panic-attack-filled time. So you’ll probably want to go to this. The Musical Instrument Petting Zoo offers budding musicians a chance to try new and familiar instruments. Instructors will offer guidance as you try your hand at all the instruments at the zoo. All ages. Taylor Swift Education Center. Included with Museum admission. Free to Museum members. [Visit Music City]
Outside a jujitsu gym in an industrial park near Nashville’s Armory Drive, NewsChannel 5 Investigates had kept watch on the comings and goings of one of the more visible figures in a far-right movement that’s raising concerns among those who monitor extremist activity. That man, with his trademark handlebar mustache, identified himself in a video posted online as a fighter who goes by the name “Sporty.” His real name is Tristan Rettke, and he works as a licensed EMT for a Nashville-area ambulance service. [Phil Williams]
Put down your beverages because we’ve got something that’s gonna cause you to crack up. Marsha Marsha Marsha Blackburn threatened legal action against a dark money group for running an attack ad against her using artificial intelligence. Can you believe that? Someone else used dark money while we all know that she’s the only person who gets to do that. In a recent ad, the American Exceptionalism Institute PAC calls Blackburn “the queen pharma mama” in an AI-generated spoof of a pharmaceutical ad. The ad shows businessmen exchanging briefcases of money while a jingle sings, “Our pain-killing pills wouldn’t sell, so we paid Sen. Marsha Blackburn to pass our bill.” [WPLN]
More Tennesseans are casting their ballots early ahead of the Aug. 6 primary, with statewide turnout significantly outpacing the last midterm election. According to data from the Tennessee Secretary of State’s Office, nearly 322,000 Tennesseans had voted early as of July 24, which is a more than 42% increase compared to the same point in the 2022 primary election. [WKRN]
Get ready to save $8 on school supplies! It’s almost time for Tennessee’s annual sales tax holiday for back-to-school essentials. This year, the sales tax holiday begins at 12:01 a.m. Friday, July 31 and ends at 11:59 p.m. Sunday, August 2. During the holiday weekend, clothing and school supplies priced at $100 or less may be purchased tax-free. Computers priced at $1,500 or less may also be purchased without paying state or local sales tax. [Tennessee Tribune]
We like to keep our eye on lesser known up-n-comers here in town and it’s time to hype Logan Crosby again. He’s got a new release called Did I Stutter? and you should probably give it a listen on your preferred streaming service. Or check out the accompanying music video he released yesterday. Do it before everyone else pretends they liked him first. [YouTube]
Drivers traveling through Nashville may notice a billboard encouraging people who are questioning the Make America Great Again movement to learn more about an organization called Leaving MAGA. The billboard, located along Interstate 40 near Exit 213, displays the message, “Having Doubts? You Are Not Alone,” and directs people to the Leaving MAGA website. [FOX17]
Andy Ogles is confident he can win reelection in a 5th Congressional District that looks little like the one he won in 2022 and 2024. That’s either because he believes a majority of voters in the district are white nationalist bigots or because they actually are white nationalist bigots who hate our beloved country. [Nashville Banner]
This state elects some of the most cartoonishly ignorant people on the planet. A Tennessee state representative running for governor said he would work to ban mosques and what he described as “pagan religions” — including Islam, Buddhism and Hinduism — if elected, arguing the First Amendment does not prevent states from doing so. When pressed on the First Amendment — which reads, in part, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion” — Fritts argued the amendment’s opening word limits its scope to the federal government, not the states. [WSMV]
Turns out the Metro Gubmint-State Gubmint relationship is in a perilous place. Who knew? Former Metro Law Director Wally Dietz retired this month after five years leading Nashville’s stable of government attorneys. The role gave Dietz, 71, a vantage point into the fraught state-Metro relationship — a view that by the end, began to take a personal toll. [Nashville Business Journal]
The Nashville Sounds face the Charlotte Knights at First Horizon Park for an exciting night of Triple-A baseball in the heart of downtown Nashville. Watch the Sounds take the field as they look to deliver big hits and strong pitching in front of the home crowd. Tonight’s Faith & Family Night, Saturday’s Bluey Night and Sunday is Stand Up to Cancer Night. [Visit Music City]
