Ep. 24: Aftyn Behn and Todd Warner: The “AOC of Tennessee” and “The Unapologetic Conservative” and Their Hot Takes on the 2024 Legislative Session
Climbing the Charts with Angie Lawless and Brandon Miller
Release Date: 01/09/2024
Ep. 48: Spirit of Bipartisanship: Nuclear Energy in Tennessee
Climbing the Charts with Angie Lawless and Brandon Miller
Nuclear energy is part of Tennessee’s past and present. Oak Ridge played an important role in the Manhattan Project during WW2, and today, 48% of our state’s energy comes from nuclear energy. In this episode of the Spirit of Bipartisanship, hosts Angie Lawless and Brandon Miller sit down with Republican Rep. Clark Boyd, who chairs the business and utilities subcommittee where nuclear energy is a conversation, and Democratic Rep. Sam McKenzie, a retired Oak Ridge physicist, to learn about the push to build a first of its kind nuclear reactor right here in Tennessee.
info_outline
Ep. 47: The Spirit of Bipartisanship: Medicaid Expansion and Tennessee
Climbing the Charts with Angie Lawless and Brandon Miller
Tennessee is 1 of 10 states that has not expanded Medicaid. It is estimated that more than 150,000 Tennesseans would qualify for coverage if the state opted to expand the program. In this episode of the Spirit of Bipartisanship, hosts Angie Lawless and Brandon Miller sit down with Republican Reps. Brock Martin and Pat Marsh and Democratic Rep. Jesse Chism to hear the arguments against and for expansion.
info_outline
Ep. 46: The Spirit of Bipartisanship: Unpacking the Partisanship in Tennessee’s House of Representatives
Climbing the Charts with Angie Lawless and Brandon Miller
American politics are polarizing, but in no place are they more polarizing than in the Tennessee State House. Two years ago, the Republican-ruled supermajority expelled two Democratic lawmakers after they led spectators in a chant “Gun control now!” and “No action, no peace!” The controversy was ignited by the Covenant School Shooting and Republican lawmakers’ failure to enact gun reform. Since then, the divide has only deepened. But lawmakers on both sides of the aisle agree it's about more than expulsions. In this episode of the Spirit of Bipartisanship, hosts Angie Lawless...
info_outline
Ep. 45: The Spirit of Bipartisanship: Discharging Mental Health Patients in Tennessee
Climbing the Charts with Angie Lawless and Brandon Miller
Tennessee Republican State House Rep. Jody Barrett is proposing legislation that would change the discharge process of individuals who are involuntarily committed to mental health facilities in Tennessee. Under Barrett's bill, the CEO of an inpatient treatment facility would be required to notify the court when an individual is eligible for discharge. The court would hold a hearing and decide whether to release or return a patient. Currently, the courts are not notified. Barrett says the legislation will provide much needed oversight and transparency in the discharge process. Those...
info_outline
Ep. 44: The Spirit of Bipartisanship: Free School Lunches in Tennessee
Climbing the Charts with Angie Lawless and Brandon Miller
17% of children in Tennessee face food insecurity. TN Democratic State House Rep. John Ray Clemmons proposed legislation to provide free school meals — breakfast and lunch — to all TN children regardless if they meet federal SNAP benefit requirements. This isn’t the first time Clemmons has introduced this legislation. He’s brought this bill forward every year since 2018. It has yet to prevail. In this episode of the Spirit of Bipartisanship, Angie Lawless and Brandon Miller sit down with Republicans Rep. Ron Travis and Rep. Todd Warner and Clemmons to discuss the legislation.
info_outline
Ep. 43: Inside the Tennessee Legislature with Longtime Nashville Lobbyist, Brian Bivens
Climbing the Charts with Angie Lawless and Brandon Miller
Tennessee’s legislature isn’t just partisan—it’s often polarizing. Inside the House chambers, Democrats and Republicans disparage one another, at times—outside, they rarely engage. Has the proverbial political aisle been stretched too far to reach across? It wasn’t always this way. There was once camaraderie and compromise. Few understand this culture shift better than Brian Bivens. The East Tennessee native has spent the last 25 years lobbying elected officials. But Bivens bent ears long before he was in the business of bending ears. His father, Steve Bivens, served in the...
info_outline
Ep. 42: America the Polarized: How Personalities and Primaries Have Shaped U.S. Politics
Climbing the Charts with Angie Lawless and Brandon Miller
David French is a dissenter. The attorney turned conservative political commentator abandoned the Republican party in 2016. His reason? Donald Trump. The evangelical Christian was disgusted by the controversial candidate, his lack of character and authoritarian beliefs. Since then, his critiques of the MAGA movement have only grown — so too has his voice. In 2019, French became the Senior Editor of the Dispatch, an online conservative news outlet. Four years later, he left. In 2023, French joined the New York Times as an op-ed columnist. Last August, he penned one of his most read...
info_outline
Ep. 41: He Steered the City Through COVID, Now, He’s Reimagining Nashville
Climbing the Charts with Angie Lawless and Brandon Miller
When Nashville identified its first case of coronavirus in March 2020, the city was between Public Health Department directors and as unprepared as the rest of the world for what was to come. Dr. Alex Jahangir, a trauma surgeon acting at that time as chair of the Metro Nashville Board of Health, unexpectedly found himself head of the city's COVID-19 Task Force and responsible for leading it through uncharted waters. Now, he’s reimagining a new Nashville. Jahangir is the co-chair of Imagine Nashville, a citywide study that explores the needs of Nashville’s residents and imagines goals...
info_outline
Ep. 40: The State of Money: Tennessee Economic Development Commissioner Stuart McWhorter Explains the State’s Approach to Investing In and Attracting Business
Climbing the Charts with Angie Lawless and Brandon Miller
Tennessee is an economic engine. Stuart McWhorter is one of the conductors. During his tenure as the Tennessee Economic Development Commissioner, McWhorter has overseen nearly 160 projects, which represent more than 21,700 job commitments and $10.9 billion in capital investment. In this episode of Climbing the Charts, Angie Lawless and Brandon Miller sit down with the TNECD commissioner to understand how the state invests in and attracts business.
info_outline
Ep. 39: Resident Experts: Local Experts Discuss the Past, Present and Future of Real Estate in Nashville
Climbing the Charts with Angie Lawless and Brandon Miller
Nashville has been in the top 10 hottest housing markets in the United States. The city has drawn attention from individuals and investors from coast to coast. However, over the last two years sales have slowed some due to high interest rates and uncertainty surrounding the economy. In this episode of Climbing the Charts, we sit down with Greater Nashville REALTORS Vice President of Member Engagement, Jack Gaughan, and former President turned Realtracs Board Member, Steve Jolly, to explore the past, present and future of Nashville real estate.
info_outlineIn this episode, Climbing the Charts sits down with Republican Representative Todd Warner (District 92) and Democratic Representative Aftyn Behn (District 51). Aftyn, increasingly described as the “AOC of Tennessee,” the youngest woman elected to the Tennessee House, is poised to be a fearless advocate for progressive values. Todd, by contrast, is the “Unapologetic Conservative,” a successful business and family man who is devoted to protecting and furthering traditional, conservative values and constitutional freedoms.
These two, who had previously never met, go head-to-head on matters from the Scotty Campbell scandal to the expulsion of the Tennessee Three to reproductive rights, school vouchers, gun control and bipartisanship. Tennessee politics were a source of outrage, tragedy, and scandal, but also weighty policy debates and memorable humor in 2023, inspiring multiple sketches and commentaries on Colbert and Saturday Night Live. After CTC’s discussion with these representatives, we cannot wait to see what’s in store in the Tennessee General Assembly in 2024.