A leading Tennessee Republican offered a warning to his party as he prepares to leave office.

"We have people on my side that are doing everything they can to pull us further right and further right," outgoing state Rep. Jeremy Faison said in a new docuseries analyzing politics in the South.

• "And I'm like, 'That's not where America's at.'"

What he's saying: "If we're not careful, our party is gonna continue to meddle with stuff that has nothing to do with anything — that is not what all of Tennessee cares about — and we'll lose our super majority."

The big picture: Faison made the remarks on "Long Play," a series and podcast from the progressive media company Crooked Media that analyzes Democratic momentum in some Southern states.

• Hosts Mitch Landrieu, the former mayor of New Orleans, and Democratic strategist Jennifer Palmieri highlighted Tennessee as a state where Republicans have established a vise-like grip on politics.
• Palmieri said most Republicans didn't want to talk to them about the dynamic.

Zoom in: Faison, who is retiring this year after 16 years representing Cosby, said his party's extreme positions were part of his decision not to seek reelection.

• While discussing the factors behind his move, he mentioned the effort to allow public schools to reject undocumented students. Other Republican leaders backed the bill, but he voted against it.
• "That bill didn't pass, thank goodness," Faison said. "But that's kind of where the mainstream GOP is at."

Reality check: While Faison was wary of the trajectory of his party, he leaves the General Assembly with a staunchly conservative record.

• He has chaired the House Republican Caucus since 2019, and was a prominent supporter of many of his party's major priorities.

Even so, he said, he has felt pushback from his colleagues.

• "When I got elected, I was considered like this far-right wing Tea Party knuckle-dragging Neanderthal," he joked. "Turns out now that there's a good portion of my caucus who think I'm pretty moderate to liberal.
• "We're allowing some of the more extremes to set the tone."

Zoom out: The episode also covered the recent Memphis redistricting fight, which Faison defended, as well as the long-standing tensions between the state and Nashville's progressive leadership.

• "The national Republican strategy right now is to attack cities," Mayor Freddie O'Connell said.
• "Basically, if a Democratic city is becoming too successful, they can come put the cram-down on it."

Share this story ... Watch the episode on YouTube

Top state Republicans are considering a special legislative session to address rising property taxes amid outcry from downtown Nashville honky-tonk owners.

Why it matters: Hospitality businesses in Nashville say they have been pushed to the brink and need the state government's help.

What they're saying: House Speaker Cameron Sexton confirmed through a spokesperson that he has spoken with Gov. Bill Lee's office and they "are looking at all possible solutions."

• State Sen. Jack Johnson also told "The Matt Murphy Show" on Tuesday he is "deeply, deeply concerned about the impact of these property taxes on some of these businesses."
• Johnson confirmed he has also spoken to Lee's office about the issue.

Catch up quick: Axios Nashville reported last year how property values skyrocketed on Lower Broad, with some building values increasing by over 400% during Davidson County's latest appraisal.

• State equalization law required the city to lower the property tax rate after the reappraisal process. But if your value went up more than the county-wide average of 45%, then your property taxes stood to increase.
• In response, a record-setting number of property owners appealed their appraisals. There are so many appeals that property owners won't have their appeals hearings until later this year, even though tax bills were due in February.

Driving the news: Country artist John Rich, who owns a bar on Lower Broad, brought the issue back this month with a video he posted on social media.

• "The lights are going out on Broadway," he warned.

Go deeper to read the full story including why legislative solutions are complicated.

🚔 Nashville police say a pilot program testing out "drone first responders," which capture quick video footage from emergency calls, led to 20 arrests during a 30-day period.

• Metro Council is set to vote next week on a measure that would limit police use of drone cameras. (Tennessean)

🔍 A new investigation found that a Tennessee company that oversees the state's highest security juvenile justice facilities failed to report suspected physical and sexual abuse to the state. (WPLN, in partnership with ProPublica)

🤖 A fleet of Tesla Cybercabs, which are designed to be self-driving, has been parked in Cool Springs for weeks, but Tesla hasn't commented on its plans for the Nashville market. (Nashville Scene)

The Wilson County – Tennessee State Fair returns for its 130th year today, and repeat visitors will notice some upgrades.

By the numbers: The fair features more than 60 amusement park rides, many of which have gotten a facelift during the off season.

• The 65-foot-tall "Century Wheel" is among the rides that got a full makeover. (If that's not tall enough for you, there is a 105-foot-high Ferris wheel as well.)

The big picture: Organizers expect a crowd of more than 800,000 to visit the Lebanon fairgrounds this month. Other attractions include live music, livestock competitions and of course classic fair food.

If you go: The fair runs Aug. 13-22. First-day visitors will get a discount — opening day tickets start at $12 for adults and at $4.50 for kids ages 6-12.

• More ticket information