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 and Brandon Miller sit down with Republican Reps. Kevin Vaughan and Ryan Williams and Democratic Rep. Bo Mitchell to unpack the partisanship in Tennessee’s State House.

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 opposed argue these decisions should be made by medical professionals. They fear the court’s involvement could result in longer, unnecessary commitments.

In this episode of the Spirit of Bipartisanship, Angie Lawless and Brandon Miller sit down with Republican Rep. Jody Barrett and Democratic Rep. Harold Love to discuss this mental health legislation.

About the Spirit of Bipartisanship

The Spirit of Bipartisanship is designed to foster a dialogue between Democrat and Republican state lawmakers. It’s a special edition series of the Climbing the Charts podcast — a local podcast featured in the Tennessean and Nashville Scene.F

Each episode, co-hosts Angie Lawless and Brandon Miller bring representatives from opposing parties to the table for a deep dive on a single issue. The guests are challenged to find common ground.

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.

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 State House from 1978 to 1992. The Cleveland guidance counselor was the House Majority Whip at a time when Democrats ruled the roost.

In this episode of Climbing the Charts, Angie Lawless and Brandon Miller sit down with Bivens to examine Tennessee’s legislature—its present, past, and personalities.

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 works, “To Save Conservatism from Itself, I am Voting for Harris” for the outlet.

In this episode of Climbing the Charts, Angie Lawless and Brandon Miller sit down with self-proclaimed “independent conservative” to understand how personality politics, primaries and activists have landed American politics in extremism.

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 to address them.

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.

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.