Inside Politics - NewsChannel 5 Plus Nashville

When Tennessee Republicans redrew the state’s congressional maps this past May at the request of President Trump to secure additional seats, critics warned the changes could trigger voter confusion like the fallout from the 2022 gerrymandering effort. During that election cycle, some voters received incorrect ballots or cast votes in the wrong congressional district. But Davidson County elec...

As we celebrate the 4th of July, we are celebrating the idea of our country- The one encapsulating sentence in the Declaration of Independence. "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." These words are the building blocks of the C...

TN State Democratic Chair Rachel Campbell presents Democratic candidates in the Aug. 6, 2027 primary election saying all their platforms address real TN problems, not mean-spirited rhetoric. Five Democratic Candidates are running to be Tennessee's governor. Campbell presents a brief introduction to Carnita Atwater from Memphis, Tim Cyr from Gallatin, Jerri Green from Memphis, Adam "Ditch" Kurtz fr...

Former U.S. Senator and Governor of Tennessee Lamar Alexander says the reason he went into politics was to help the most people he could. He believed he could do more and help more in the public sector than in the private sector. In his new book, "The Education of a Senator: From JFK to Trump", Alexander gives detailed stories and insight from working with 10 presidents during some of the most imp...

Democratic candidate for Congressional District 5, Chaz Molder, is determined to keep his promise to defeat Andy Ogles in November. Molder, the current mayor of Columbia, remains committed to the race despite a recent redistricting that sliced around his home and removed him from the district. As a former coach, Molder says he wants to lead by example: "Certainly I was disappointed, certainly it's...

One of the most hotly contested Congressional races in the state is between challenger Charlie Hatcher and incumbent Andy Ogles in the new Congressional District 5 Republican Primary race August 6th.   Hatcher, a fifth-generation dairy farmer and State Commissioner of Agriculture, resigned his post to run for Tennessee’s 5th District seat in the U.S. House of Representatives. He says pe...

Tennessee State Senator Charlane Oliver (D-Nashville) joins Inside Politics to discuss the controversial redistricting special session that redrew congressional maps following a Supreme Court ruling weakening the Voting Rights Act. Oliver passionately opposed the redistricting, standing on her desk during the vote while holding a "No Jim Crow 2.0" sign in protest. She argues the session was called...

Nashville Mayor Freddie O’Connell  reflects on his first-term accomplishments, delivering tangible results for residents, and the challenges he aims to tackle if elected to a second term. He cites the strain on resources during the NES response to the recent ice storm, saying changes are needed: “I am encouraged by what I’m seeing, but I think there’s still some ways t...

The U.S. Supreme Court delivered another severe blow to the 1965 Voting Rights Act striking down protections against discrimination aimed at racial minority voters. After the ruling, U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn tweeted a solid red map calling on the Tennessee legislature to redraw districts to ensure Republicans dominate every election.   Tennessee State Representative Justin J. Pearson rep...

The State of Tennessee held its third execution since the three-year moratorium investigating the process of lethal injections. Lawyers and advocates are demanding greater transparency about the drugs used and their expiration dates. Harold Wayne Nichols was executed December 11th. Nichols' lawyer, Stephen Ferrell of Federal Defender Services of Eastern Tennessee fought in court to obtain informat...

The Speaker of the Tennessee House of Representatives Cameron Sexton (R) gives us insight to the last bills passed during this legislative session.  Here are some of the main points. AIRPORTS - From the 9 member board of the Nashville Airport Authority, 6 state appointments and 3 local appointments. Sexton says, "We put in a lot of money, we have done a lot of things to help the airport, and...

District 32 Tennessee State Rep. Monty Fritts is running for Governor. He says frustration is what initially led him into politics. He believes God is calling him to run for the state's top job. Fritts is running against a US Senator and US Representative in the Republican Primary but said he expects to win. Fritts says, "My path to victory is my message is very different. I'll talk to anybody abo...

Tennessee State Senator Jeff Yarbro's takeaway from this current session, "We're seeing a legislature that is absolutely disconnected from the real concerns of Tennesseans. If you go talk to Republicans, Democrats, Independents in small towns, rural areas, suburbs or cities, they are concerned about rising gas prices, rising cost of everything, the difficulty of find healthcare, and this legislati...

Close friends of Middle Tennessee State University Professor of Middle East and Islamic History Sean Foley, including those who are analysts use the word "Nightmare" when asked about how the War in Iran is evolving. Foley says "First, this is a region that exports much of its energy through the Strait of Hormuz and that strait is effectively closed. And second, these are states that are being bomb...

132 books chosen by the Rutherford County Library Board are slated to be removed from the Children section of libraries. Library Director Luanne James refused to comply protecting public access. Rutherford County Library Board Chair Cody York targeted books related to gender identity, LGBTQIA+ representation, characters of color, depictions of violence, social change, and even book banning itself....

Randy McNally, 82 Year old and Lieutenant Governor will not seek re-election to his Senate seat. McNally compares today's political divide as Democrat vs. Republican while early 80's were mostly rural vs. urban. He believes bridging the gap requires reaching across the aisle. "One of the most important things I learned early in my political career was when I was in the house and running... I went...

Tennessee State Representative Aftyn Behn has gathered interviews and signatures from 400 families who allege that the Tennessee Department of Child Services (DCS) is systematically negligent and failures of compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) when caring for children in state custody. She has now filed a formal complaint with the U.S. Department of Justice’s Civil Righ...

US Immigration and Customs Enforcement will not move forward with a detention center in Lebanon, Wilson County. Wilson County Mayor Randall Hutto lays out the timeline, beginning with a call from a reporter. "Maybe this is a thing that we can try to figure out more about," he said. Hutto, along with other county officials and concerned citizens, began their search for answers. Hutto and Lebanon Ma...

During a spring rainstorm in May of 2025, The Tennessee Highway Patrol teamed up with Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents to what was supposed to be a targeted effort to capture the worst of the worst illegal immigrant criminals. But what NewsChannel 5 Investigates reporter Levi Ismail found from going through 50 hours of law enforcement video may surprise you. "People were driving 18 miles...

After snow and ice melted and power was restored to most of Nashville-Davidson County, Metro Council Members Emily Benedict (D–District 7) and Courtney Johnston (R–District 26) filed a resolution calling for the Electric Power Board of the Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County to terminate Nashville Electric Service (NES) CEO Teresa Broyles-Aplin. Both council member...

Tennessee State Senate Democratic Leader Raumesh Akbari gives her response to the State of the State address on February 2nd.  Governor Lee says our economy is thriving, but Akbari says the cost of electricity, housing and groceries are higher than it's ever been. "About 50% of those who live in the state are really struggling to even pay their regular bills." She hopes that our state can kee...

Tennessee Speaker of the House Cameron Sexton lays out the priorities of the Republican Super Majority. Main bills will address the budget, infrastructure, 3-strike legislation to the criminal code for career criminals, expedited specialized teaching degrees for K-6 grades as well as tougher immigration laws. "We need more data, more transparency about how many illegals we have in the state. There...

In October 2025, Tennessee Secretary of State Tre Hargett sent out a letter to all 181 public libraries calling for an immediate age appropriateness review of all materials in their juvenile/children's sections. While some libraries complied, others had questions about censorship and first amendment issues. In the wake of some school districts banning classic literature and and books about gender...

With the recent military action in Venezuela, what is America's current approach to foreign policy?  Thomas A. Schwartz, Ph. D. Vanderbilt University Professor of Political Science and US Foreign Relations joins host Ben Hall as they discuss how this current action by the Trump administration is different from the Cold War and H.W. Bush's approach in the first Iraqi War.  Schwartz compar...

A comment about a private Facebook post after Charlie Kirk's death causes a UT professor to be suspended. Tamar Shirinian, M.A., Ph. D. thought the University of Tennessee at Knoxville would protect Freedom of Speech as they had done for other employees and protest groups in the past including controversial words spoken by Charlie Kirk earlier in the year. The school is taking action to fire her a...