Children are not safe in custody at the troubled Knox County juvenile detention center, the former interim superintendent of the facility told Knox News on Nov. 11, two days after he abruptly quit with no explanation.

Brian Bivens resigned, he said in a written statement, because county leaders have failed to live up to their promises to turn around the Richard L. Bean Juvenile Detention Center.
...
In light of the County’s failure to make good on its commitment to these children and to this community, I could not, in good conscience, remain involved."

June, 2025: We need a leader who gives a damn, like Richard Bean has for almost 60 years

November 2023: State lawmakers demand answers after 'damning' report on Knox Co. juvenile facility's punishments

Veterans Day is a chance to reflect, remember, and show gratitude.

Veterans Day is an important day set aside to honor and show appreciation for ALL who have served in the United States military—in wartime or peacetime, living or deceased.

In 1954, this federal holiday was changed from “Armistice” to “Veterans” Day.

The Food and Drug Administration will remove the so-called black box warning from all hormone replacement products containing estrogen, Dr. Marty Makary, the agency’s commissioner, announced on Monday.
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In 2003, large government-run clinical trials concluded that hormone pills did not protect against heart disease or dementia, and in fact raised the risk of blood clots and breast cancer. Medical guidelines since then have told women to use hormones only sparingly for menopausal symptoms like hot flashes.
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Critics opposed to removing the warning, the strongest kind the F.D.A. issues, had urged Dr. Makary to convene a scientific advisory panel to carry out a careful assessment of the evidence before making any changes to the label.

“Removing the black box and putting warnings in a lengthy label that many doctors and most patients will not read is taking women’s health backward,” Diana Zuckerman, a scientist and president of the National Center for Health Research, said on Monday.

“The claim that hormones for menopause is the best way to improve the health of women is inconsistent with years of research and will harm millions of women,” Dr. Zuckerman said. “There are many better ways to reduce the chances of osteoporosis, heart disease, cancer and dementia than hormone therapy for menopause.”

Many of the articles I read do not mention those opposed to removing the warning nor do they mention the request to "convene a scientific advisory panel to carry out a careful assessment of the evidence before making any changes to the label."

How can we trust anything that comes out of this administration while the current Secretary of Health and Human Services (which includes the FDA, CDC, NIH, Medicare, Medicaid, etc.) is a conspiracy theorist that doesn't believe in vaccines?

Once again, "Republican senators floated a proposal toxic to Democrats: scrapping the Affordable Care Act (ACA), known as Obamacare." They want to replace Obamacare with no plan.

They are proposing ACA "subsidies to be replaced by health savings accounts."

Elizabeth Warren, the Massachusetts Democrat, shared an alarmed response to Trump’s proposal from Larry Levitt, the executive vice-president for health policy at the Kaiser Family Foundation, who wrote on social media: “You have to read between the lines here to imagine what President Trump is proposing. But, it sounds like it could be a plan for health accounts that could be used for insurance that doesn’t cover pre-existing conditions, which could create a death spiral in ACA plans that do.”

“In other words, Donald Trump’s ‘concept of a plan’ for health care is another cynical attempt to repeal Obamacare,” Warren commented. “It’s the same failed Republican plan that’s been rejected by voters and Congress. We can lower costs and open the government TODAY by extending ACA tax credits.”

Beware. As I said before, we had trouble getting individual health insurance in Tennessee after moving here from Florida. No insurance company would sell us an individual policy. Luckily for us, we have a small business with two or more employees and were able to obtain health insurance through the business. "How many people in the State of Tennessee were unable to purchase individual health insurance until the passing of the Affordable Care Act? How many people were unable to get the healthcare they needed since they did not have health insurance? Do you have any idea of the pent up demand in Tennessee since individual health insurance policies were unavailable until recently? Do you really care? I don't think so."

Money in a health savings account does not guarantee you will get health insurance. Money in a health savings account will not cover the costs of major health issues. That's why you have insurance.

Nero is tuning his fiddle. Can you hear him?

America might be in a recession already. It’s impossible to tell officially, as the public officials who make those calls have been furloughed or fired.
...
The American economy is cleaving into the have-nots and the have-yachts.

And what has Nero done about it? He’s building a Big, Beautiful Ballroom.

Who could have known Alabama allowed a political humorist in the state?

And, Alabama sending $300 to needy families, $5M to food banks as shutdown continues.

I'm behind on Tennessee government. What is Tennessee government doing to help SNAP recipients who are not receiving benefits?

No SNAP benefits or direct assistance for Tennesseans. The TN Gov has said he will take $5 million out of TennCare surplus to send to food banks.

The president takes it to the Hamptons. Federal judges have told the president to feed the needy. He continues to refuse to help those in need and takes it to the U.S. Supreme Court. That's the thanks his followers get for voting for him.

As the federal government shutdown drags on, the hunger crisis is growing. More than 1 million federal workers are once again going without a paycheck, while 42 million people didn’t receive their food benefits at the start of the month. Grocery prices continue to climb while lines at food pantries are growing. And food banks are straining under the weight of growing need and shrinking budgets.

The country is now facing the perfect storm for a hunger emergency. But the president, a billionaire, is sick of hearing about hungry people.

Fact-Checking Misinformation About SNAP.
We examined falsehoods about SNAP eligibility and costs and the number of unauthorized immigrants receiving benefits.

An event in the Oval Office on Thursday was suddenly halted when a White House guest collapsed behind the President.

Monster by Steppenwolf lyrics

Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi will not seek reelection to the U.S. House, bringing to a close her storied career as not only the first woman in the speaker’s office but arguably the most powerful in American politics.
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her first campaign slogan was “a voice that will be heard.”

And with that backing, she became a speaker “whose voice would certainly be heard,” she said.

Someone who has done so much for our country. I can only hope we can show her we heard and respected her actions.

This November's full moon will also be a supermoon, according to NASA.

The full moon will reach peak illumination in the United States on Wednesday, Nov. 5, 2025, at 8:19 a.m. ET, according to the U.S. Naval Observatory's Astronomical Applications Department.

The Old Farmer's Almanac, which began publishing full moon names in the 1930s, says the beaver moon got its name because this is the time of year when beavers take shelter in their lodges after gathering food for the winter.

At 5:30 p.m. EST (2230 GMT), the moon will reach its closest point to the Earth for the year, known as perigee, at a distance of 221,726 miles (356,833 kilometers). Nine hours and 11 minutes prior to that, the moon will officially turn full.

Tennessee Secretary of State Tre Hargett notified the president he is referring 42 “potential non-U.S. citizens” (out of state’s 4.3 million voters) to the FBI for illegal votes.

Those potential illegal voters account for 0.0001% of all registered voters in Tennessee.

Hah. Guess the system must be gutted.

The president "has given us Democrats an opening on all the things he has not delivered on, but we have got to do our part of actually not only relying on his failure but putting together a positive agenda to get the working-class voters back..."

Yes, let's talk about what Democrats have done and will do.

The USDA said in a Friday memo it couldn’t use contingency funds or money from other sources to cover all or part of the roughly $8 billion needed for November’s SNAP allotment. The position seemed to contradict a September contingency plan, since deleted from the USDA’s website, that said Congress intended “that SNAP’s operations should continue” and that contingency funds “are also available to fund participant benefits in the event that a lapse occurs in the middle of the fiscal year.”

“There are clear steps the administration can and must take immediately to ensure that millions of families across the country can put food on their table in November,” congressional Democrats said in a letter to the USDA on Friday. “Choosing not to ensure SNAP benefits reach those in need this November would be a gross dereliction of your responsibilities to the American people.”

Thanks again Burchett, Blackburn, Hagerty, etc. for "flailing and failing".

Update:

D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb joined 22 attorneys general and three governors Tuesday in suing the U.S. Department of Agriculture and Secretary Brooke Rollins, accusing them of unlawfully suspending the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), which helps more than 40 million Americans afford food.

Of course, not from Tennessee.

The U.S. government is under shutdown originated by the GOP. They appear to want to hurt those in need of medical care but can't fully take on the cost. Now they appear to want to hurt those in need of food.

Tennessee's Governor warns 690,000 Tennesseans their SNAP benefits may lapse in shutdown

Next they'll be announcing that the federal government can not longer assist residents of Tennessee in need of health care through the Affordable Care Act.

Thanks again Burchett, Blackburn, Hagerty, etc. for "flailing and failing".

Timothy Mellon, the grandson of financier and former U.S. treasury secretary Andrew Mellon, and is an heir to the Mellon family’s banking and railroad fortune, theoretically, maybe, rumored to have donated $130 million "to help pay the U.S. military amid the government shutdown...."

Well, isn't that special. Who does it help?

Legal experts have warned that the $130 million donation may be a violation of the Antideficiency Act, which bars federal agencies from spending funds that haven’t been appropriated by Congress.

Tennessee cattlemen are not happy.

The Tennessee Cattleman’s Association is challenging a proposal made by President Donald Trump on purchasing Argentine beef to bring down consumer prices in the U.S.

U.S. cattle producers are proud to provide the safest, highest-quality beef on earth. We simply ask that the government not undercut them by importing more Argentinian beef in order to manipulate prices.

Thanks again Burchett, Blackburn, Hagerty, etc. for "flailing and failing".

363 miles that transformed America.

"Americans’ pockets hold digital devices delivering oceans of information and distractions. But another technology that dramatically shaped the nation’s life, and had revolutionary consequences abroad, was a ditch. Raise a glass as the 200th birthday of the Erie Canal is celebrated on Sunday."

The Erie Canal turns 200 in 2025
This is it! The Erie Canal Bicentennial presents a once in a lifetime opportunity to experience the canal that transformed America and to commemorate its influence on New York and the nation.

Fascinating. Primarily buit by hand.

Twitter/X

Hahaha...

When the Trumans moved into the executive mansion in 1945, they found it badly in need of repair after twelve years of neglect during the Great Depression and World War II. In 1946, Congress authorized $780,000 ($11 million in 2020 dollars) for repairs.

Oh, and the Obama administration adapted a tennis court to also be used for basketball.

The president’s East Wing demolition isn’t a normal White House renovation. The sudden destruction of the White House's East Wing to make way for a massive gilded ballroom is a huge departure from previous remodels and renovations.

The scale, speed and lack of transparency we’re seeing from President Donald Trump’s determination to build a 90,000-square foot ballroom makes it by far the most absurd — and potentially unethical — “renovation” project any president has undertaken.

Whatever. Our U.S. Representative is no longer relevant.

"The House has, quite literally, ground to a halt. The chamber has not voted since Sept. 19 and Speaker Mike Johnson refuses to call members back, preventing them from doing any legislative work. He has refused to seat a new duly elected Democratic member from Arizona one month after her victory, though he encouraged her to return home and work for constituents she does not yet officially represent because he won’t administer her the oath of office.

As the Trump administration shifts billions of dollars around to take care of its priorities during the shutdown with scant input from lawmakers, ignoring Congress’s clear constitutional supremacy over the power of the purse, Republicans in control have done nothing to push back."

Thanks Burchett, Blackburn, Hagerty, etc. for "flailing and failing". The Democrats wants to protect healthcare for those less fortunate. Republicans want to forgive felons, spend $300+ million on a glass house for their master, $200 million in Argentina while ruining soybean farmers and cattle ranchers economies. Now, the current administration's FBI is bragging about an NBA gambling bust while continuing to deny the insurrection on Jan. 6, 2020, having already pardoned the insurrectionists. Heckuva job Tim, Marsha, Bill, etc.

The president's confusion (lies) grows and spreads to administration staff.

NBC News’ Kristen Welker on Wednesday interviewed Mehmet Oz — the former talk show host and heart surgeon who now runs the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services...where she "aired a montage of Trump making the boasts, including promises to slash costs “by 1,200, 1,300, 1,400, 1,500%,” even though, as critics have repeatedly pointed out, it would essentially make medications free or even see people being paid to receive them."
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"Oz creatively replied: “The president does the calculation by saying, ‘OK, if a drug was $100 and you reduce it to $50, it’s 100% cheaper because you’re taking $50 off and left with only $50, so the amount you took off the price is equal to the amount that’s left. They’re equal, so it’s 100%.’”

"Welker pointed out that Trump has boasted about reducing drug prices by up to 1,500%. Oz fired back: “Well, if you take a drug that is $200 or $240 like we did last week and reduce it to $10, those are the numbers you’re talking about.”

What happens when a physician and a salesman walk into the White House?