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Yahoo
21 hours ago
- Business
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At North Charleston town hall, Clyburn says voters must ‘work like hell' to oppose Trump
NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCBD) — U.S. Rep. Jim Clyburn brought his town hall tour to North Charleston on Thursday, urging attendees to use the most powerful tool at their disposal to resist President Donald Trump's administration: their vote. 'We must break our silence,' Clyburn told dozens of voters who filed into the banquet room of Royal Missionary Baptist Church on a rainy night. 'We cannot allow things to be said and go unanswered, and the loudest voice that you can raise is your vote.' It was the latest stop on a series of listening sessions that Clyburn, the state's lone congressional Democrat, has been holding across the state as he seeks to rally supporters against Trump's 'chaotic, destructive' agenda. At each one, a common theme has emerged, the congressman told News 2 in a brief interview after the event. 'People are very, very concerned about the direction of the country,' he said. 'This country is at a crossroads. You can sense it.' Clyburn spoke during the more than two-hour town hall about the impacts of the Republicans' sweeping tax bill, which passed the House last week. It includes many of the president's legislative priorities, from extending tax cuts enacted in 2017 during Trump's first term to increased funding for immigration enforcement to scaling back federal programs like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and Medicaid. GOP runs into voter buzzsaw of criticism on Trump's 'big, beautiful bill' The bill imposes stricter work requirements for Medicaid recipients, which the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office estimated would result in more than $700 million in spending cuts but also lead to millions of people losing health coverage. 'I think the Medicaid cuts are alarming,' Sam Lourie, a 30-year-old who lives in West Ashley, told News 2 after the event. 'I just don't think the average American realizes how close it's going to hit home until it does, and for me personally, I think it's very unnecessary for the overarching goal that [Republicans] are trying to accomplish.' Clyburn also addressed the economic consequences of Trump's 25% tariff on the auto industry, tying it to job losses at Volvo's Ridgeville plant. He criticized a May 8 deal made with the United Kingdom, a hub for luxury car manufacturing, that slashes tariffs to 10% for the first 100,000 vehicles imported to the United States. 'He did not give a break to them,' Clyburn said, referencing the thousands of workers employed by automobile companies in South Carolina, including Volvo, Mercedes-Benz, and BMW. The event concluded with the congressman fielding questions on various issues, from a veteran who worried about losing his benefits to a rising high school senior concerned about how he will pay for college next year. In responding to 17-year-old Zuriel Nyamutsaka's question about higher education, Clyburn emphasized the importance of federal Pell Grants, a need-based scholarship that more than six million students rely on. He pointed to a provision tucked into the 'big, beautiful bill' that would increase the number of credit hours required to receive the maximum grant amount from 12 to 15, noting that about a quarter of current recipients would lose close to $1,500 if it passed. 'Why?' he asked rhetorically. 'So that some billionaires can get another big tax credit.' But not all the frustration was directed toward Republicans, with some lamenting about what they see as an inability on the part of Democrats to effectively counter the growing right-wing movement, both from elected officials and their fellow voters. 'I'm disenchanted with our party,' one woman said. 'We need to stop being so polite. We don't have to be rude, but we need to stop being so polite and we need to fight back.' Speaking to News 2 afterwards, Clyburn defended his party's tone and efforts in the early months of Trump's second term. 'I don't think we're doing anything wrong,' he said. 'I think that the problem that we have is that Democrats are civil in our approach. You don't see us using profane language when we try to connect with people. You don't see us doing things that would be detrimental to people.' Still, he pointed to recent wins in special elections across the country as evidence that Democrats' messaging is resonating with voters. 'We may not be connected to all the people in the viewing audience, but we seem to be making pretty good connections with those people when they go to the polls,' he added. Thursday's town hall was hosted by the Racial Justice Network. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
a day ago
- General
- Yahoo
Homeland Security identifies Nashville as sanctuary city
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — Nashville now finds itself on a list that includes Los Angeles, Chicago and a handful of states as the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) identified Music City as a sanctuary city. The list was 'created to identify sanctuary jurisdictions, which are determined by factors like compliance with federal law enforcement, information restrictions, and legal protections for illegal aliens,' according to DHS. Metro Nashville appears to quietly remove names from immigration report following GOP criticism The determination by DHS could lead to a felony charge because there is a Tennessee law that criminalizes sanctuary city policies. DHS is putting politicians on notice to comply with federal law as 'sanctuary cities protect dangerous criminal aliens from facing consequences and put law enforcement in peril.' Nashville is the only Tennessee city on the list with Shelby County as the only county to make the list. Each jurisdiction on the list will reportedly receive formal notification of its non-compliance with federal statutes. DHS is demanding these jurisdictions immediately review and revise policies to align with federal immigration laws and renew their obligation to protect American citizens. A metro document released this week detailed 35 immigration-related interactions between Metro police and federal agencies. As of Thursday, all names have been removed from the public version of the report TN congressman criticized for social media post about Nashville Community Review Board The move to make that information public is criticized by some Tennessee lawmakers. News 2 reached out to Mayor Freddie O'Connell's office for comment on the document changes and the growing controversy. We have yet to hear back. News 2 has also reached out to Metro Legal and the Tennessee Attorney General for comment on Nashville's appearance in Homeland Security's list, but there has been no response yet. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Business
- Yahoo
‘We've lost quite a bit': Gun shops across the state lose revenue as TBI troubleshoots firearm background check system outage
GOODLETTSVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — Tennessee's Instant Check System has been down for days, causing sales losses for gun store owners across the state. The firearm purchase login page for Tennessee FlexCheck, which is the system used across the Volunteer State, displayed an error message reading, 'We are currently unable to run background checks. We are working quickly to resolve it. Please check your emails for more information and updates.' 📧 Have breaking news come to you: → The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, which helps oversee the system, told News 2 that the agency had been troubleshooting an outage. The TBI said that the outage was related to a 'planned system change' from the agency's vendor, which was outside of the organization's control. The vendor told the TBI they were working as quickly as possible to resolve the issue. Phillip Arrington, who owns Goodlettsville Gun Shop and has been in the business for about 30 years, told News 2 that the store had experienced about five or six outages so far this year — each lasting more than 24 hours — with other shorter outages throughout the year as well. This outage has lasted for about three days. 'It's getting to a point where we can't tell customers, 'Yeah, we'll get your background check! It's an instant check!' Arrington told News 2. 'It's no longer an instant check because there is no pattern to when it's going to be reliable.' The TBI told News 2 that in 2024, TICS had been fully operational 99.46% of the time and is only closed on the Fourth of July, Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day. The agency did not provide outage statistics for this year. No firearms could be sold in the state of Tennessee due to the outage, Arrington said, nor could firearms be taken in on consignment or any pawned. Some customers have been unhappy and even angry as a result of the outage. 'We've lost quite a bit [of money], but nothing compared to what some of the bigger stores have lost,' Arrington added. '…We have nothing to tell our customers. It basically stops everything we're doing. There's no sense in advertising because we can't sell anything.' ⏩ Additionally, the TBI confirmed that some agencies lost access to the National Crime Information Center as a result of the outage. Law enforcement agencies utilize the NCIC to input information about missing children as well as information about crimes and criminals — like apprehending fugitives. It's unclear when the outage will be resolved. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Buford Pusser's granddaughter says grandfather represented ‘respect and integrity'
McNAIRY COUNTY, Tenn. (WKRN) – Famed Tennessee Sheriff Buford Pusser died more than 50 years ago, but his daughter carried on the legacy before she died in 2018. Now the torch has been passed to the next generation. Buford's granddaughter shared what she wants people to know about her famous family. News 2 asked Madison Garrison Bush when she first started hearing stories about her grandfather. 'Honestly, before I came out of the womb,' said Garrison Bush. 'A lot of people have told me he was a gentle giant until you crossed that line.' Who was legendary lawman Buford Pusser? Garrison Bush never met her grandfather, but she knows him well through the stories passed down to her. 'He gave a lot of second chances. He would say what's right is right, what's wrong is wrong.' She said the first time her grandfather's legacy really hit her, she was on a first-grade field trip with her classmates to the Buford Pusser Museum in Adamsville. 'That first grade field trip to the museum, and the kids were like, 'Will you sign our souvenirs?' And they were my peers. And I was like, 'I guess. sure.'' For Garrison Bush, her grandfather was ahead of his time. She's proud to say that he was the first in Tennessee to hire a Black deputy. And she admits his way of serving justice would not work in today's day and age, but when need be, he showed compassion as well. She said he would allow inmates to work and earn some money. 'He would release them during the day so that they could go to work. So that they can provide for their family and then return back to the jail when the workday is done…To me, he represents respect, integrity.' When Garrison Bush was older, her parents allowed her to watch the 1973 film Walking Tall about her grandfather. The film chronicles both Buford's crime-fighting actions, but also his wife's, Pauline, tragic murder. Questions remain decades after death of Pauline Pusser She remembers watching the film with her mother. 'It hurt my mom, just like it hurt my grandad, to have to walk out during the really hard scenes when we lost part of our family during all of this.' Garrison Bush left McNairy County, but she's never left behind the Pusser family legacy. Over the years, she's come back home to the festival, just like her mother, Dwana, did, in order to award the Buford Pusser Festival Law Enforcement Award to an exemplary officer of the law. 'To me, it is a way and such an honor to keep his legacy alive in doing what I saw my mother do my whole life.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Sheriff Buford Pusser's lasting impact on Tennessee law enforcement
McNAIRY COUNTY, Tenn. (WKRN) – One sheriff has had a massive influence on law enforcement decades after his death. Buford Pusser is a Tennessee legend, even Hollywood took notice. News 2 spoke with the current McNairy County sheriff about Pusser's impact on crime fighting. Sheriff Buford Pusser kept law and order in McNairy County back in the 1960s. When Hollywood portrayed him in the 1970s film Walking Tall, he carried a big stick to fend off criminals. However, that stick, historians say, is somewhat of a myth. What's not a myth is how Pusser left a permanent mark on law enforcement. 'Whatever you think of him – good, bad – he did motivate people to get into law enforcement for the right reason. I think my whole generation of law enforcement officers, not just in Tennessee, but across the country and all across the world, who were motivated by those movies,' said Sheriff Guy Buck. Who was legendary lawman Buford Pusser? Buck currently occupies the sheriff seat in McNairy County that Pusser once sat in. Even though more than 50 years have passed, Buck still gets asked about his famous predecessor. Pusser was well-known for serving justice with his own style. According to one story, instead of hauling a car theft suspect off to jail, he tied the man to a pole to publicly humiliate him. Sheriff Buck admits that law enforcement today is not what it was when Pusser served this small county from 1964 to 1970. 'Law enforcement is very different. We would all go to jail for the things that we did in 1984, much less the things they did in 1964. It's a different world. It's a completely different world,' said Buck. 'Good guy, bad guy, something in between?' we asked Buck. Buford Pusser's granddaughter says grandfather represented 'respect and integrity' 'I think he was a human being. And he was a sheriff in the '60s. And, I think, if you were to ask anybody about any sheriff in the '60s, they would have different opinions. Some would think they were good, some would think they were bad. Obviously, Buford is no different,' said Buck. Buford Pusser is no longer top cop in McNairy County, but his name is truly synonymous with law enforcement. And, also creating an opportunity for this county to become a place where visitors can come from all over and pay their respects to law enforcement. In fact, they recently unveiled this memorial to do just that. 'It is a granite wall that contains 796 names of every police officer who has died in the line of duty since Tennessee became a state,' said Buck. 'So many of those stories have never had a voice, and they do out here now.' The county also hosts an annual law enforcement appreciation ceremony at the Buford Pusser Festival. Leaders here envision a future McNairy County where people from Memphis to Johnson City can gather to pay their respects to law enforcement, and it all started with one man, Sheriff Buford Pusser. 'You can't say sheriff without thinking of Buford Pusser,' said Buck. Sheriff Pusser was known for professionalizing the department by hiring paid deputies and purchasing squad cars. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
