Advertise on podcast: Climbing the Charts with Angie Lawless and Brandon Miller

There's a bill of biblical proportions in the Tennessee Legislature. Some are questioning its constitutionality.  State House Rep. Gino Bulso filed HB1419. The legislation, which Bulso refers to as the "Protecting Religious Liberty and Expression in Public School Act" would require religion to be taught in Tennessee schools and permits prayer on campuses. In this episode of Climbing the Charts, Angie Lawless and Brandon Miller sit down with Sara Mayeaux, a Vanderbilt Law professor to discuss whether or not it's a violation of separation of church and state.  

Nashville has a cost of living crisis. Less than 9% of Nashvillians can afford a typical home in Nashville. It's even worse for minorities. Less than 1% of Black and Brown communities can afford a typical home. The crisis has been exacerbated by our city's zoning code which limits affordable and middle income housing. There's a new push by the Planning Department to amend it. The enthusiasm comes after the recent release of Nashville's Unified Housing Strategy. The document outlines code reforms addressing affordability. In this episode of Climbing the Charts, Angie Lawless and Brandon Miller sit down with Metro Nashville's Director of Housing Angela Hubbard to understand Nashville's Unified Housing Strategy and how it could be implemented.

Nashville has taken on  many titles — Music City, Athens of the South, Smashville and Cashville, but tech bros have coined a new name, "Bitcoin City," in honor of the thriving crypto community that has formed.  The city is home to Bitcoin Magazine, the world's largest web3 media outlet and Bitcoin Park, a globally renowned grassroots crypto community. Last year, Nashville even hosted Bitcoin Conference, the largest crypto conference in the world.  In this episode of Climbing the Charts, Angie Lawless and Brandon Miller sit down with the Founder of Bitcoin Park, Rod Roudi, to explore just how Nashville became "Bitcoin City."

Nashville is more than a hub for musicians. It's a hub for business. Over the last decade, corporations like Amazon and Oracle have flocked to the southern city. Pro business politics and tax incentives are part of the allure. But business isn't the only thing ballooning in our sunbelt city. Housing costs have skyrocketed. More than 50 percent of Nashvillians are cost burdened by housing expenses — meaning they spend more than 30-percent of their monthly income on rent or a mortgage. In this episode of Climbing the Charts, Angie Lawless and Brandon Miller sit down with Stephanie Coleman the CEO of the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce to understand how the public and private sector are working together to address the city's cost of living crisis while continuing to attract new companies.

Every city has a family who shapes it. New York City had the Rockefellers. St. Louis had the Bushes. Boston had the Kennedys. Nashville has the Bone family. They are attorneys by trade but political powerhouses and real estate tycoons in practice. In this episode of Climbing the Charts, Angie Lawless and Brandon Miller sit down with Charles Robert Bone. The Nashville Post called the attorney turned developer "one of the most recognizable figures in Nashville's legal, political and development circles." His resume defends that descriptor. Before joining Southwest Value Partners as Managing Director of Real Estate Investment, Bone was the President and CEO of Bone McAllester Norton, a prominent Nashville law firm. He is also the founder of Phoenix Boats, a bass boat manufacturer based in Winchester, TN, the Southern Steak & Oyster, a beloved restaurant in SoBro, and Acme Feed & Seed, a popular, multi-level restaurant, bar, and event space located on Lower Broadway. Bone has served on several boards, including: The Community Foundation of Middle TN, the Oasis Center, and Hands On Nashville. Most recently, Bone has taken on a key role in one of the most transformative projects in Nashville's modern history—Nashville Yards. The massive mixed-use development is redefining the city's skyline and economic future, blending innovation, entertainment, and urban vibrancy in the heart of downtown. The Nashville Democrat has also worked on local, state, and federal campaigns including, but not limited to: former Mayor Karl Dean's gubernatorial race, Harold Ford's 2006 Senate race, and both of former President Barack Obama's campaigns.  

In March, the mayor's office announced the closing of one of the city's oldest and lagest homeless encampments — Old Tent City. The 40-year-old site sits just outside downtown, on Anthes Drive. 120+ people have called this area underneath I-24 home. The city says these individuals will be placed in transitional housing. Metro plans to provide the unhoused with access to the wrap around services so they can succeed and find stability. In this episode of Climbing the Charts, Angie Lawless and Brandon Miller sit down with April Calvin, the Director of Nashville's Office of Homeless Services to learn more about the city's plan.  

Nuclear energy is part of Tennessee's past and present. Oak Ridge played an important role in the Manhattan Project during WW2, and today, 48% of our state's energy comes from nuclear energy. In this episode of the Spirit of Bipartisanship, hosts Angie Lawless and Brandon Miller sit down with Republican Rep. Clark Boyd, who chairs the business and utilities subcommittee where nuclear energy is a conversation, and Democratic Rep. Sam McKenzie, a retired Oak Ridge physicist, to learn about the push to build a first of its kind nuclear reactor right here in Tennessee.  

Tennessee is 1 of 10 states that has not expanded Medicaid. It is estimated that more than 150,000 Tennesseans would qualify for coverage if the state opted to expand the program.  In this episode of the Spirit of Bipartisanship, hosts Angie Lawless and Brandon Miller sit down with Republican Reps. Brock Martin and Pat Marsh and Democratic Rep. Jesse Chism to hear the arguments against and for expansion.  

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.