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☆ Opinion: Winds of fate confront Trump
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-28 | by ( Richard Galant | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +19 min

We’re looking back at the strongest, smartest opinion takes of the week from CNN and other outlets. To Trump’s delight, the top court’s session dimmed the chances the federal case will go to trial before the election. (Trump has denied the affairs with Daniels and McDougal and has pleaded not guilty to the hush money charges. Here’s why we should tune in anyway 04:27 - Source: CNNAs SE Cupp noted, “Trump and Biden debated twice in 2020. Chris Pizzello/Invision/APCNN anchor Victor Blackwell is a fervent Beyoncé fan but her foray into country music didn’t initially grab him.

Persons: CNN —, Yabushige, Yoshii, ”, “, Toranaga, Donald Trump’s, Trump, Stormy Daniels, Jack Smith, Steve Vladeck, Neil Gorsuch, ” Clay Jones, immunizing Trump, John Roberts, Roberts, ” Vladeck, Joey Jackson, David Pecker, Pecker’s “, Michael Cohen …, Norm Eisen, George T, Conway III, Jill Filipovic, Melania Trump, Melania, Daniels, McDougal, ” Bill Bramhall, Frida Ghitis, Jonathan Greenblatt, ” “, Rev, Serene Jones, Israel … ”, Julian Zelizer, …, Lyndon Johnson, Hubert Humphrey, Richard Daley, Richard Nixon, Fareed Zakaria, Ian Berlin, I’m, Bill Bramhall, Kara Alaimo, ” Alaimo, “ Trump, Biden, CNN’s Jake Tapper, ABC’s George Stephanopoulos, Chip Bok, Clarissa Wei, Mike Johnson, Sen, John Fetterman of, Johnson, Scott Jennings, it’s, Mark Hannah, “ Biden, ” Biden, Hannah, Deborah Carr, Gerry Turner, Theresa, ’ —, ” Carr, ” Don’t, Terri Gerstein, Hasan Merali, Tess Taylor, Jeff Yang, Dean Obeidallah, Joey Weatherford, Beyoncé, Chris Pizzello, Victor Blackwell, didn’t, ’, Carter, she’s, CNN FlashDocs, Duke Ellington, Sammy Miller, Billy Strayhorn, Ellington, Strayhorn, Michael Ochs, “ Ellington, — Organizations: CNN, Republican, Art Deco New, “, Trump, New, American Media, National Enquirer, Agency, Columbia University , Yale, Defamation League, Hillel, Columbia, Force, Union Theological Seminary, New York City Police Department, Columbia University, Twitter, Facebook, Democratic, Convention, Chicago police, Yale, Real Housewives, Syndicate, Theresa Nist, Nashville’s, Max, Michael Ochs Archives Locations: New York, Washington, Florida, Georgia, Israel, Israeli, Columbia, Gaza, Chicago, Vietnam, Taiwan, China, America, Taipei, ”, Ukraine, John Fetterman of Pennsylvania, Fetterman, Crimea, Los Angeles, Sugar, Harlem

☆ How the Black Opry is helping elevate artists of color in country music
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-26 | by ( Lisa Respers France | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —Before there was conversation over whether Beyoncé is country enough for country music, there was the Black Opry, holding space for music lovers and artists of color in the genre. “I’m super, super excited about that because that’s the single piece that’s been really, really difficult for us to figure out. Courtesy BeyoncéHolly G. started the Black Opry in an attempt to find country fans of color, who like her, did not feel welcomed. “I try to be careful to make the distinction when I talk about country music, between country music and the mainstream industry and country music the art form and genre,” she said. “I got my first tour with Sara Shook & the Disarmers and Joshua Ray Walker thanks to the Black Opry,” Vance told CNN.

Persons: CNN FlashDocs, Max, Beyoncé, Cowboy Carter, ”, Holly G, “, it’s, They’ve, Aaron Vance, Mickey Guyton, Darius Rucker, Kane Brown, Vance, Sara Shook, Joshua Ray Walker, ” Vance, It’s, he’s Organizations: CNN, Nashville’s, Black Opry, The, Opry Locations: Beyoncé, Nashville, Mississippi

☆ Beyoncé’s ‘Cowboy Carter’ Is Here, and It’s Much More Than Country
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-29 | by ( Ben Sisario | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Beyoncé has gone country, sure … but it turns out that’s only the half of it. For months, the superstar, who made her name in R&B and pop, has been telegraphing her version of country music and style. At midnight on Friday, Beyoncé finally released her new album, “Cowboy Carter,” and the country bona fides were certainly there. Yet “Cowboy Carter” is far broader than simply a country album. That theory is made clear on the spoken track “Spaghettii,” featuring the pioneering but long absent Black country singer Linda Martell, who in 1970 released an album called “Color Me Country.”

Persons: Beyoncé, that’s, —, Cowboy Carter, ”, Dolly Parton, Jolene, Willie Nelson, Chuck Berry, Rosetta Tharpe, Son, Carter ”, Nancy Sinatra, Sly Stone, Linda Martell Organizations: Stetson Locations: Texas

☆ ‘Sleeping giant’ MotoGP awakens in Qatar, with eyes on US – and a little help from rapper Pitbull and AI
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-09 | by ( Jonathan Hawkins | Becky Anderson | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Bagnaia rides during the second free practice session ahead of the 2023 French Grand Prix. The 2024 season will also see the debut of a US based-team, Nashville’s Trackhouse Racing, which is co-owned by musician Pitbull. Toshifumi Kitamura/AFP/Getty ImagesThe American sees the Sprints as a gateway to the main race for new fans. He says the newly refurbished Qatar facility, which also hosts F1, is a boon for the participants, too. “The race at night is something that was [the Qataris’] idea 20 odd years ago, and they did it.

Persons: Daniel Rossomondo, “, CNN’s Becky Anderson, ”, Rossomondo, Mirco Lazzari, Francesco ‘ Pecco, Bagnaia, Marc Márquez, Álex, Jorge Martín, Pedro Acosta, Márquez, Jean, Francois Monier, Nashville’s, Pitbull, ” Rossomondo, Dorna, ” Marc Márquez, Toshifumi Kitamura, it’s Organizations: CNN, NBA, Qatar –, MotoGP, Ducati, Honda, Warner Bros Discovery, TNT Sports, ” MotoGP, Getty, “ Riders, Warner Bros . Locations: Qatar, Americas, Murcia, AFP, United States, American, Europe

☆ Nashville I-40: Small plane crash leaves several dead and forces highway closure
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-04 | by ( Joe Sutton | Elizabeth Wolfe | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

But the pilot soon told air traffic control that they wouldn’t make it to the tarmac. Audio from the website LiveATC.net captured the communication between the pilot and the air traffic controller before the fatal crash. The aircraft exploded into flames upon impact, Nashville Fire Department spokesperson Kendra Loney said. Police have yet to publicly identify the victims and are still working to determine where the plane originated from. Approximate location of a plane crash along Interstate 40 East on Monday night.

Persons: John C, Don Aaron, LiveATC.net, John, Aaron, ” Aaron, Kendra Loney, ” Loney, Rebekah Hammonds, CNN’s Amanda Jackson, Caroll Alvarado Organizations: CNN, Tune, Metro Nashville Police, John Tune, Costco, Nashville Fire, Police, National Transportation Safety, Federal Aviation Administration, Tennessee Department of Transportation

☆ Van Jones: There’s hope and despair in what happened to my home state
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-02 | by ( Van Jones | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

CNN —Many were shocked last year when the Tennessee legislature dramatically expelled state representatives Justin Jones and Justin Pearson. When I was a legislative intern, the state of Tennessee was controlled by the Democrats and my boss was a man named Jimmy Naifeh. But even in my Southern home state, no opponent tried to score cheap political points based on his Arab background. Left-leaning or moderate Tennesseeans have virtually no say in their state legislature on the political matters that govern their lives. Van Jones, with Justin Pearson and Justin Jones CNNSo even on issues like gun violence — on which a large majority of Tennesseans in both parties would like “red flag” laws — nothing gets done.

Persons: Anderson Cooper ”, Van Jones, Justin Jones, Justin Pearson, Gloria Johnson, Pearson, Jones, —, Jimmy Naifeh, I’m, won’t, Odessa Kelly, Kelly, Matthew Shoaf, Shoaf Organizations: CNN, GOP, Tennessee House, Tennessee Capitol, Tennessee, Democrats, Democratic Party, Tea Party, Republican, Justin Jones CNN, Odessa, Democratic, Congressional District, The, The Tennessee General Assembly Locations: Tennessee, Nashville, Lebanese, American, . Tennessee, Democratic, Tennessee’s, The Tennessee, Odessa, Sumner County

Conservatives have looked to country music over the decades to voice political beliefs and react to social change. Maines called Keith’s song “ignorant,” while Keith began performing in front of a doctored photo of Maines with Saddam Hussein. KEITH WAS A FAN OF THE MILITARY, AND VICE VERSAIn the years following “Courtesy,” Keith participated in 18 USO tours, performing for more than 250,000 service members in his lifetime. Lucas says he and others sent CDs with Keith’s song, “American Soldier,” to the wives of the men serving with his son. Keith “emboldened others in country music to think viewpoints that might be perceived as angry and conservative were okay to express,” Willman says.

Persons: — Toby Keith’s, Keith, We’ll, Jason Aldean, Jason Isbell, ”, Chris Willman, “, Willman, Willie Nelson, Amanda Marie Martinez, Jim Crow America, ” Martinez, Merle Haggard, “ Okie, Haggard, Ronald Reagan, Richard Nixon, Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama’s, “ Let's, George W, Bush, Obama, Donald Trump, it’s, Joseph M, Thompson, Alan Jackson, Jackson, Darryl Worley’s “, Clint Black’s “, Natalie Maines, Maines, Saddam Hussein, KEITH, ” Keith, John A, Lucas, ” Lucas, ’ ” Lucas, Aldean, Oliver Anthony’s “ Rich, Keith “, ” Willman, Pat Finnerty, Toby Keith, Hogan, ” Finnerty, ‘, Finnerty, Jude ’, it’d, Maria Sherman Organizations: Country Music, Variety, Pentagon, Dixie Chicks, U.S . Army, Army, North Locations: NORFOLK, Va, U.S, Afghanistan, Iraq, America, Vietnam, Muskogee, Iran, Clint Black’s “ Iraq, Richmond , Virginia, Tennessee, Richmond, ”, Philadelphia, Los Angeles

☆ Tracy Chapman wins CMA Award for ‘Fast Car’ decades years after first released
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-08 | by ( Alli Rosenbloom | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

Tracy Chapman continues to make history with her 1988 hit “Fast Car” after winning song of the year at Wednesday’s Country Music Awards. Thank you to the CMAs and a special thanks to Luke (Combs) and to all of the fans of ‘Fast Car,’” Evans said on behalf of Chapman. The CMA win is a remarkable achievement given “Fast Car” debuted 35 years ago, and saw a resurgence in popularity in July after country star Luke Combs released a cover of the hit single. Combs’ cover went on to reach No. Chapman, who is the sole writer of “Fast Car,” also reached No.

Persons: Tracy Chapman, Chapman, Sarah Evans, “ I’m, Luke, Combs, ” Evans, Luke Combs, ”, “, ” Chapman, ’ ” Combs, Luke Bryan, Peyton Manning, CNN’s Lisa Respers Organizations: Bridgestone, CMA, Billboard’s, Billboard, ABC Locations: CNN’s Lisa Respers France

CNN —Nashville police say an investigation began Monday morning into three photographs that surfaced online of alleged writings connected to the March shooting at a private Christian school that left three 9-year-olds and three adults dead. The pictures of writings allegedly from the 28-year-old shooter, who was a former student at The Covenant School, were released by a conservative political commentator Monday. One page of the writings appears to be a day’s checklist, while another is filled with angry ramblings. It’s unclear how many more pages of writings there may be, and what the contents of other pages are. The shooter’s writings have been part of a monthslong legal fight playing out in Nashville over the release of documents and records related to the March 27 shooting.

Persons: ramblings, Freddie O’Connell, “, ” Organizations: CNN, Nashville, The Covenant School, Authorities, Covenant, FBI Locations: Nashville, Nashville’s

☆ The Kids of Rutherford County, Episode 3: ‘Would You Like to Sue the Government?’
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-02 | by ( ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +43 min

And it meant going back to the Rutherford County Juvenile Court, going back in front of Judge Davenport. meribah knightAnd more importantly —wes clark I was definitely thinking about how we could sue somebody for what happened. wes clark I just remember being giddy, like a kid, like this sentence, this is fucking bonkers, that this exists. And this is The Kids of Rutherford County, Episode 3: Would You Like to Sue the Government? Even more, Rutherford County would likely continue to jail kids at an extraordinary rate.

Persons: Wes Clark, Mark Downton, Judge Davenport, They’d, Clark, downton, —, Here’s Mark, Wes, Mark, wes clark, wes clark Oh, they’re hustling, It’s, we’ve, wes clark Yep, It’s jargony, I’m, I’ve, wes clark That’s, Davenport, wes clark There’s, there’s, ” I’m, Sue, Mark didn’t, Wesley, — he’d, There’s, Mark doesn’t, I’ll, who’d, Kyle Mothershead, Kyle’s, kyle mothershead, Bradley Cooper, meribah, Kyle, he’s, Let’s, “, Wes couldn’t, you’re, Rutherford, Lynn Duke, wasn’t, Duke, shouldn’t, Wes didn’t, Lynn Duke’s, Zeb, zeb smotherman, Smotherman, Grace, Thomas, thomas I didn’t, thomas, Brandon, brandon, brandon I, thomas I, yank, Quintarius Frazier, quintarius frazier I’m, Dylan, dylan I, You’re, they’d, — you’re, I’m Wesley, WGNS, bart, Donna Scott Davenport, donna scott davenport, Bart, Davenport wouldn’t, Rutherford County’s, Bart Walker III, ’, we’re, Judge Davenport’s, Rich Campbell, she’d, Here’s Wes, you’d, Waverly Crenshaw, that’s, wes clark Yes, Judge Crenshaw, who’ve Organizations: ACLU, Juvenile Court, The New York Times, Rutherford County’s Police, truancy, Civil, downton, Juvenile, WGNS, South Locations: Downton, Lake Louise, Rutherford, Hobgood, Tennessee, Rutherford County, Davenport, downton, waiving, Murfreesboro, WGNS, that’s, State, Nashville’s

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Attorneys representing Tennessee transgender teens and their families asked the U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday to block a ban on gender-affirming care for minors that a lower court allowed to go into effect. Advocates for trans kids argue that having access to puberty blockers and hormone therapy is safe, necessary health care backed by every major medical group. “Families are losing access to much-needed medical care that has allowed their children to flourish. Health care providers who violated the law risked facing a $25,000 penalty and other disciplinary actions. A federal judge struck down Arkansas’ ban as unconstitutional in June, sparking state officials to ask an appeals court to review that decision.

Persons: Jonathan Skrmetti, ”, Lucas Cameron, Vaughn, “ Organizations: —, U.S, Supreme, American Civil Liberties Union, Circuit, Republican, Assembly, Democratic, Nashville’s Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Health, ACLU, Tennessee Locations: Tenn, Tennessee, United States, Kentucky, ”, U.S, Arkansas, Alabama

The three state court judges sided with Nashville officials who sued, ruling that the law targeted Nashville alone and didn't include the local involvement required under the Tennessee Constitution's home rule protections. The ruling ousts the new Metropolitan Nashville Airport Authority board, which awarded six of eight appointments to state officials and two to the mayor. The decision marks another win in court for Nashville officials over the slate of state restrictions passed this year to limit their authority. The new airport law, which brought on changes to the board on July 1, quickly created confusion. Meanwhile, the board with the state appointees was quickly installed, with the airport board arguing that it couldn’t defy a state law without a court order.

Persons: “, Democratic Sen, Jeff Yarbro, Cameron Sexton, ”, Wally Dietz Organizations: Nashville International, Republicans, Democratic, Nashville, Tennessee, Metropolitan Nashville Airport Authority, Republican, NASCAR, Federal Aviation Administration, International Airport, FedEx —, Convention Locations: Tenn, Tennessee, Nashville

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — The estranged son of Nashville’s police chief, who was wanted in the shooting of two police officers outside a Dollar General store, has been found dead, authorities said. Officers spotted the car a short time later and followed it to the Edgehill area south of downtown, where it crashed. Drake fled to a shed behind a home and when officers surrounded the area, a gunshot was heard, Aaron said. The TBI had put Drake on its most wanted list with a reward of up to $2,500 for information leading to his arrest. Chief Drake issued a statement Saturday confirming his son was the suspect in the shooting.

Persons: Nashville’s, John C, Drake Jr, Glenn Funk’s, Don Aaron, Drake, Aaron, John Drake, Ashely Boleyjack, Gregory Kern, Christopher Moews, John Drake Jr, ” Drake, “, Meows Organizations: Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, Metro Nashville Police, Police, Vergne Police, Vanderbilt University Medical Center Locations: Tenn, Nashville, Tennessee, downtown, La Vergne

☆ Nashville Chief’s Son Is Sought in Shooting of Two Officers
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-22 | by ( Rebecca Carballo | More About Rebecca Carballo | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The authorities in Tennessee were searching on Sunday for the estranged son of Nashville’s police chief, a day after the chief’s son was identified as the suspect in the shooting of two police officers outside a Dollar General store. The officers were investigating a stolen vehicle Saturday afternoon in La Vergne, Tenn., about 20 miles southeast of Nashville, when they confronted the suspect outside the store, the La Vergne police chief, Christopher Moews, said at a news conference on Saturday. During a struggle, he said, the man shot the two officers with a handgun: one in the shoulder, and the other in the groin and forearm. Later on Saturday, the La Vergne police identified the suspect as John C. Drake Jr., 38, and said he should be considered armed and dangerous. Chief John Drake of the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department confirmed in a statement on Saturday that the suspect was his estranged son, saying that the two had had “very minimal contact over many years.”

Persons: Nashville’s, Christopher Moews, John C, Drake Jr, John Drake of, ” Organizations: La, Metropolitan Nashville Police Department Locations: Tennessee, La Vergne, Tenn, Nashville

CNN —Authorities in Tennessee are searching for the son of Nashville’s police chief as a suspect in the Saturday shooting of two suburban police officers. “Despite my efforts and guidance in the early and teenage years, my son, John Drake Jr., now 38-years-old, resorted to years of criminal activity and is a convicted felon,” the chief said. “He has not been a part of my life for quite some time.”Police say the shooting happened during an altercation Saturday night in La Vergne, a suburb of Nashville. During that investigation, they made contact with a subject,” La Vergne Police Chief Christopher Moews said at a Saturday press conference. One officer was released Saturday evening and the other remains in the hospital in stable condition, the city of La Vergne said in a statement.

Persons: Nashville’s, John Drake Jr, John Drake, “, Drake, ”, Christopher Moews, Moews, La Vergne, there’s Organizations: CNN, Authorities, Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, Metro Nashville Police, ” Police, Vergne Police, Vanderbilt University Medical Center Locations: Tennessee, La Vergne, Nashville, La, Lake Forest

☆ 'Messi Meets America' review: Lionel Messi's Inter Miami arrival becomes a flat-footed Apple TV+ docuseries
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-11 | by ( Brian Lowry | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —Lionel Messi is widely considered the greatest soccer player in the world, which makes one wonder how extensive access to him and his new team could yield such a boring sports docuseries. Still, that adequately sums up “Messi Meets America,” an Apple TV+ project whose first three episodes have all the heft of a latenight infomercial. Part of that, admittedly, has to do with the way that Messi carefully protects his image, exhibiting a knack for speaking very earnestly in classic sports cliches. “Can one guy make that big of a difference?” Miami Herald sportswriter Michelle Kaufman asks early on. “Messi Meets America” premieres October 11 on Apple TV+.

Persons: Lionel Messi, “, Messi, –, David Beckham, Beckham, Messi –, “ Messi, America ”, Reese Witherspoon, Michelle Kaufman Organizations: CNN, “ Messi, Apple, Inter Miami CF, MLS, Netflix, Chicago Bulls, Charitably, Miami Herald, America

☆ Opinion | Proof That One Life Can Change the World
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-14 | by ( Margaret Renkl | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Even before Nashville’s swift and stunning growth began to gentrify working-class and impoverished neighborhoods, Father Strobel had already become our civic conscience. What he understood is the difference between charity and community — a difference founded in kinship, in recognizing that we all fall down, that sometimes it takes another hand to pull us up again. One cold night he looked out the rectory window and saw people sitting in cars in the church parking lot, trying to keep warm. Image Charles Strobel Credit... Room in The Inn, Nashville“I knew once they came through the doors that night, they would come back the next night and the night after that,” he often said. “I also knew I wanted them to come back.”

Persons: You’ve, Charles Strobel, Father Strobel, ”, Ann Patchett, “, Strobel, gadfly, Nashville “ Organizations: Holy Name Catholic Church Locations: Nashville, East Nashville, The Inn

☆ Meet Jelly Roll, the Rapper Turned Country Singer Rousing Nashville
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( Alan Light | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

1 on rock radio while the mid-tempo “Son of a Sinner” topped the country radio chart, and Jelly Roll held the No. 1 spot on Billboard’s emerging artist chart for 25 straight weeks, the longest run in that ranking’s history. The Bridgestone show is chronicled in a new documentary, “Jelly Roll: Save Me,” premiering on Hulu on May 30. He’s living proof that anything is possible.”As Jelly Roll’s profile grows, he’s not slowing down his nonstop work habits. He is very strong in who he is and what he wants to say as an artist.

☆ Police Release Body-Cam Footage, Investigate Motive in Nashville School Shooting
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-28 | by ( Cameron Mcwhirter | Mariah Timms | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Authorities on Tuesday released footage from police body cameras and said they continued to search for a motive in the school shooting a day earlier that took six lives at a private Christian school. John Drake, chief of the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department, told ABC’s “Good Morning America” that investigators were sifting through evidence, including writings in a book “that we consider to be a manifesto” and a map of the school. He said a motive for the attack by 28-year-old suspect Audrey Hale, who killed three students and three adults at Covenant School in Nashville’s Green Hills neighborhood, had yet to be determined. Police officers who arrived shortly after the shooting erupted shot and killed Hale.

☆ 'It's A Wonderful Life': See the classic Christmas film on the big screen this month
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-10 | by ( Jeanne Bonner | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

Karolyn Grimes and James Stewart in "It's A Wonderful Life." Fathom has long wanted to revive showings of “It’s A Wonderful Life,” Carey said, noting that fans have been asking for it. No film is a failure if it has fansWhat’s long delighted film historians is the fact that when “It’s a Wonderful Life” debuted, it was largely deemed a wash. As film historian Jeanine Basinger writes in her compendium, “The It’s A Wonderful Life Book,” the original idea for the film languished for years before the studio RKO sold it to Capra in 1945 for a mere $10,000. William Edmunds and James Stewart in 1946's "It's A Wonderful Life."

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