Axios Nashville

June 02, 2025
It's Monday! Let's party like it's 2005.
☀️ Today's weather: Sunny with a high near 87.
This newsletter is 920 words — a 3.5-minute read.
1 big thing: Pressure mounts over immigration crackdown
Nashville is facing mounting pressure from the Trump administration and congressional Republicans as part of the continuing fallout from an immigration crackdown that resulted in nearly 200 arrests.
- Two House committees launched investigations into Mayor Freddie O'Connell's response to the May operation.
- The U.S. Department of Homeland Security included Nashville on a new list of "sanctuary jurisdictions" that it accused of "deliberately obstructing the enforcement of federal immigration laws and endangering American citizens."
Why it matters: The White House has said the pushback in Nashville could make the city a target for larger immigration sweeps.
Catch up quick: ICE and DHS officers worked with the Tennessee Highway Patrol to conduct scores of traffic stops in south Nashville, which is home to many Hispanic residents, last month. Metro police was not involved.
- In response to the operations, O'Connell updated a preexisting executive order to require Metro agencies to report communications with federal immigration officials, so that Metro would know about future ICE activity in advance.
- U.S. Rep. Andy Ogles then sent a letter to the House Judiciary and Homeland Security committees urging them to investigate O'Connell over the executive order.
What he's saying: O'Connell told reporters on Friday that his focus is on "getting violent criminals off the streets and protecting innocent Nashvillians."
- O'Connell reiterated that Nashville is not a sanctuary city. (Tennessee outlawed sanctuary cities years ago and state lawmakers made it illegal for elected officials to support so-called sanctuary policies earlier this year.)
- "I'm puzzled by what criteria they used to include Nashville" on the list of "sanctuary jurisdictions," he said.
O'Connell also denied allegations that the city was working in any way to obstruct federal immigration enforcement. He said the city was focused instead on "transparency."
- "We have been guided by a full understanding of state and federal law and will continue to be," he said.
The big picture: O'Connell has become a prominent target for elected Republicans and right wing influencers, many of whom have accused the mayor of obstruction.
- Ogles and others seized on a public city database that listed ICE interactions in Nashville, including the names of some federal agents. The mayor's office said names that were mistakenly included in the database have been removed.
Between the lines: One of O'Connell's top priorities since he took office in 2023 has been repairing relationships between the liberal Nashville and conservative state leaders.
- Escalating scrutiny could stymie his progress.
2. Taylor Swift officially owns her entire music catalog
Taylor Swift owns everything.
The latest: The superstar purchased the rights to her first six albums, she announced last week. The big buy followed a years-long quest to obtain control over her earliest work on Music Row.
Why it matters: The battle captivated her fans and reenergized her career. It also opened a debate on what ownership artists should have over their work.
Zoom in: Swift initially reclaimed her old music through rerecorded versions of albums like "1989" and "Red," branded as "Taylor's Version." The exploration of her older work fueled the success of her record-breaking Eras Tour.
- Billboard reports she bought the original masters for about $360 million.
Friction point: Fans hoping to revisit Swift's "Reputation" era got bad news. The singer said she had struggled to finish that rerecording, although she did hint she would share unreleased "vault songs" tied to the album.
Yes, but: Swift still seems willing to revisit the music that made her a breakout star in country music. She said she had finished rerecording her debut album — "I really love how it sounds now."
3. The Setlist: Reba, Jelly Roll, Tim McGraw light up rodeo
🤠 The first-ever Music City Rodeo took over Bridgestone Arena for three days. In addition to traditional competition, the event featured performances from Reba McEntire, Jelly Roll and Tim McGraw. (NewsChannel 5)
🏛️ The downtown building that formerly housed Nashville's federal court has been approved for sale. (Tennessean)
🏈 Titans coach Brian Callahan is trying to ease expectations that Cam Ward will be starting quarterback this season. (AP)
4. Airport drop-off is changing for Ubers and Lyfts
Attention travelers: If you're taking an Uber to the Nashville International Airport, you will no longer get dropped off right outside of the security line.
State of play: The airport announced that it will stop allowing curbside drop-offs for ride-share vehicles.
- Instead, Ubers and Lyfts will take travelers to the terminal parking garage where arriving passengers already go to pick up a ride after a flight.
- The change, which takes effect tomorrow, aims to reduce curbside congestion in the drop-off area. (Family or friends will still be able to drop you off curbside.)
Between the lines: Airport officials say it takes less than 10 minutes to walk from the parking garage to the terminal lobby. Passengers should build time for the walk into their schedules.
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5. Music Monday: How are these already oldies?!
👋 Adam here! It's been a whopping 20 years since I graduated from Father Ryan High School.
- I met with some of my old classmates over the weekend for our reunion.
State of play: We talked about kids, jobs and creaky joints. But one of my favorite topics was the retro music of our graduation year.
- This week's Music Monday is dedicated to the pretty epic jams that dominated the radio waves in 2005.
Zoom in: This is the perfect playlist for all of the Hollaback Girls who danced to "We Belong Together" at prom.
- It includes Kelly Clarkson's classic heartbreak banger "Since U Been Gone" and The Killers' ever-ubiquitous "Mr. Brightside."
Cheers to our quiz winners: Doug J., Rob D., Ann Marie O., Vinny T., Jamie H., Todd Z., Debbie D. and Doug H.
Our picks:
Nate is on vacation. His song of the day is "I Love You All the Time" by the Eagles of Death Metal.
Adam is deeply jealous of Nate's diet of European delicacies on vacation. He's looking for the best baked goods Nashville can offer.
This newsletter was edited by Jen Burkett.
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