Tennessee, which is home to one of the nation's only historically Black medical schools, saw its share of Black medical school students fall to its lowest point in decades this school year.

Why it matters: Having doctors who resemble the patients they're serving can improve health outcomes and enable patients to feel more comfortable voicing health concerns, multiple studies suggest.

• Black patients being treated by Black doctors may experience less medical racism, whether that means better treatment in the emergency room or not having pain or other risk factors dismissed.
• Only 5% of doctors in the U.S. are Black, even though Black Americans comprise 14% of the general population.

The big picture: There are five medical schools with M.D. programs in Tennessee. Belmont University, the newest addition, enrolled its first class last year.

• Meharry Medical College in Nashville is one of only a few historically Black medical schools in the country. Meharry president James Hildreth is part of a national effort to educate more Black doctors.

State of play: Tennessee has consistently outperformed the nation when it comes to educating new Black doctors. But during the 2024-25 academic year, the Volunteer State fell below the national benchmark, according to the Association of American Medical Colleges, which has collected data on this topic since 1978.

• The AAMC data tracks the number of enrolled first-year Black medical students.

By the numbers: In Tennessee, 30 first-year medical students this school year were Black. That accounts for 7.9% of the state total, Nationally, 8.9% of new medical students were Black.

• Both figures have dropped in recent years.

The latest: Belmont and the historically Black college Tennessee State University announced a new program yesterday aiming to address this dynamic, and chip away at the national doctor shortage, by "increasing opportunities for underrepresented students in medicine."

• The partnership would give qualifying students the chance to pursue an accelerated track through undergraduate studies at TSU followed by medical school at Belmont. Students would need to meet Belmont's admission standards during their last year at TSU.
• "By partnering with TSU, we're creating meaningful opportunities for talented students from underserved communities to pursue their medical dreams while addressing critical health care needs," Belmont associate dean Karen Lewis said in a statement.

Between the lines: The recent national dip in Black medical school student enrollment follows the U.S. Supreme Court decision to strike down affirmative action in higher education.

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Metro Council will likely take a decisive vote on a proposal to overhaul the police department's policy for using private companies' video surveillance footage.

Why it matters: Council rejected a proposed contract between police and a private firm to oversee the video footage, citing concerns over privacy and the use of the technology to enforce federal immigration laws.

• In response to that battle, Metro Councilmember Rollin Horton crafted a broad policy for how police can use a network of video cameras owned by businesses and private property owners.

State of play: The plan up for a key second vote tonight is for the policy, not the contract. But Horton is one of several members who voted against the contract last year.

• If his legislation is approved, which is likely, it would seem to give the contract a better chance of passing as well.
• Police want to use a network of privately-owned video cameras to solve certain crimes. The technology gives police instant access. Private businesses opt into the program to share their footage.

Council will also vote on a resolution asking the police department to evaluate safety plans for Metro Nashville Public Schools. The legislation was filed in the wake of the Antioch school shooting.

• Metro Councilmember Emily Benedict's proposal to move the Historic Zoning Commission's staff to the Planning Department is also on the agenda. Benedict's plan must be approved at three meetings in order to take effect.

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Heavy rain caused flooding in Tennessee over the weekend. The storm system led to at least 11 deaths in Kentucky. (Axios)

📚 More than 1,100 books were banned from school libraries in Tennessee last year. (Tennessean, subscription)

🏛️ Republican lawmakers have proposed new bills that would punish Tennessee nonprofits that help undocumented immigrants. (Tennessee Lookout)

In the beginning of her new music video with Sabrina Carpenter, Dolly Parton thumbs through a vintage Nashville newspaper.

Zoom in: Eagle-eyed Nashvillians will recognize it as a copy of the city's old afternoon paper the Nashville Banner, which stopped publishing in 1998. (A new organization with the same name now exists in digital form.)

• Parton peruses the paper before duetting with Carpenter on a new, country version of Carpenter's No. 1 hit "Please Please Please."

Driving the news: We were eager to track down the edition Parton is reading.

• After a few minutes of searching, Shane Savitsky, the managing editor of Axios Local, found the answer: the Aug. 19, 1977 edition covering Elvis Presley's funeral.

💭 Shane's thought bubble: I thought like a music video production assistant. If I wanted an old Nashville newspaper for Dolly, I'd probably just buy one online. So I searched "Nashville Banner newspaper" on eBay, and as luck would have it, the first result showed exactly what we were looking for.

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Nashville endured an especially rainy week. Remembering those soggy days where there wasn't much to do besides sit inside and listen to music, we created a rain-themed Music Monday playlist.

• Nate's favorite stormy song is "No Rain" by Blind Melon.
• Adam's is "Gentle Rain" by Barbra Streisand.

☂️ Reply to this email with rain-related suggestions. We'll add them to our playlist.