Meharry Medical College holds Commencement activities See page 3
President Biden calls Black Press ‘heroes’ during WHCD speech See page 2
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Volume XXXVii, Number 18
People Are Talking Shock television talk show host Jerry Springer dies at 79
Jerry Springer in 2011. (photo courtesy of Wikipedia) by Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire senior national correspondent Jerry Springer, who already had a controversial political career when he later took the reins of a genre-changing talk show, has died. Springer’s death was confirmed by Jene Galvin, a longtime friend who served as executive producer of the outlandish talk show host’s podcast. He was 79. As the New York Times noted, by the mid-1990s, The Jerry Springer Show set new standards for tawdriness on American television. The confrontational and fightbaiting program turned the talkshow format into an “arena for shocking confessions, adulteryfueled screaming matches and not infrequent fistfights.” Many now recognize the show as the beginning of the reality television boom that has made people like the Kardashian family rich and famous. Springer earned a law degree from Northwestern University in 1968. He won election to the Cincinnati City Council in 1971, where scandal struck. He resigned in 1974 after writing a check to a Kentucky massage parlor for prostitution services. Voters brought Springer back a year later, and in 1977, he won the Cincinnati mayor’s race. His unsuccessful run for governor in 1982 also didn’t lack the degradation that would highlight his 1990s talk show. Springer boasted of his prostitution arrest during the campaign. “The next governor is going to have to take some heavy risks and face some hard truths,” he said. “I’m prepared to do that. This commercial should be proof. I’m not afraid, even of the truth, and even if it hurts.” “He finished third in the Democratic primary and made a career change, joining WLWT-TV first as a news commentator and then an anchor, and later as managing editor, winning or sharing multiple Emmy Awards for local coverage over the next decade,” the New York Times reported. The Jerry Springer Show, a Continued on page 5 The Nashville PRIDE Newspaper is on Facebook and follow us on Twitter: @pridenews
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Vanderbilt Poll: Consensus on guns, abortion exists between Tennessee’s MAGA Republicans, Democrats In its semiannual statewide survey, the Vanderbilt Poll measured significant bipartisan support for various gun regulations, basic protections for abortion access as well as health care access for the LGBTQ community. The survey was conducted April 19–23 among 1,003 registered Tennessee voters. “It’s hopeful that while 58% of respondents view Tennesseans as divided, there is a fairly strong agreement on basic next steps in our most politically divisive issues,” said John Geer, co-director of the Vanderbilt Poll and Ginny and Conner Searcy Dean of the College of Arts and Science and professor of political science at Vanderbilt University. “At the same time, 74% of registered voters say they’d prefer their elected leaders compromise across the aisle rather than strictly pursue their own values and priorities.” “This points to there being an opportunity for broad, popular progress at the state level,” said Josh Clinton, co-director of the Vanderbilt Poll, who holds the Abby and Jon Winkelried Chair at Vanderbilt and is a professor of political science. “The special session that Gov. Bill Lee has called to address guns and public safety is the first such chance, but there are many other issues on which the public agree and which paint a logical path forward in the next full session.” Since May 2012, the Vanderbilt Poll has asked registered voters to rank what issue should be the Tennessee government’s top priority. For 20 consecutive surveys, guns ranked last or nearly last. This April, it ranked as the third-most important issue, just two percentage points behind education and three points behind the economy. On April 11, in response to The Covenant School shooting in Nashville, Lee signed an executive order strengthening background
Vanderbilt’s Statewide poll reveals that 82% support Gov. Bill Lee’s executive order on gun background checks, three-quarters of voters support a red flag gun law, and contrary to current law, the majority of voters of all party affiliations think abortion should be legal to protect the life and health of the mother. checks for firearm purchases. This action is supported by 82% of Tennesseans with only 10% opposing it. This support carries through key demographics across the state. Seventy-two percent of selfdescribed MAGA Republicans and 81% of non-MAGA Republicans support the governor’s executive order, as do 91% of Democrats and 78% of Independents. Among those who strongly or somewhat favor the National Rifle Association, support for the executive action is also strong at 74% and 77%, respectively. An overwhelming majority of registered voters also support a so-called ‘red flag’ law that would temporarily restrict access to guns for individuals
Tenn. State Museum hosts Free Events May 13 and May 18
Authors Elizabeth Elkins and R Scott Williams with their books. By Cass Teague phies — each with a unique The Tennessee State Museum approach — of two legendary Ten(TSM) hosts two free special events nessee figures. in May you might be interested in. Author Elizabeth Elkins sorts TN Writers / TN Stories: Elizabeth through the legends and nails down Elkins and Scott Williams is Satur- the facts in order to present the true day, May 13, 2023, from 10:30 AM story of “Nashville's First Citizen,” - 12:00 Noon and The Lunch and while Scott Williams uncovers what Learn: Bicentennial Mall: How the propelled Crockett’s fascinating Park Created a Cultural Destination journey, while also examining the is on Thursday, May 18, 2023, from birth of Tennessee during one of the 12:00 Noon - 1:00 PM. most fascinating periods in AmeriThe May 13 event explores two can history. This event takes place in books -- Elizabeth Elkins’ We the Digital Learning Center at TSM, Should Soon Become Respectable: and includes an opportunity to purNashville's Own Timothy Demon- chase books through the Museum breun (Vanderbilt University Press) store and get them signed by the and R. Scott Williams’ The Acciden- author. tal Fame & Lack of Fortune of West Elizabeth Elkins is a professional Tennessee's David Crockett. The songwriter and writer, with a Masprogram will explore these biograContinued on page 5
who are at a high risk of harming themselves or others. Such a law would likely be the focus of the special legislative session called for by Lee. Some fundamental tenets of abortion access have bipartisan support as well, even among self-identified MAGA Republicans. Currently in Tennessee, abortion is illegal at any stage of pregnancy, with no exceptions for rape or incest. At the time of the survey, a physician who performed an abortion to save the life or physical well-being of the mother can be charged with a felony unless they can affirmatively prove the mother was at risk. Tennessee is the only Continued on page 5
Judge finds officer guilty of aiding murder of George Floyd
Tou Thao by Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire senior national correspondent Tou Thao, a former police officer in Minneapolis, Minnesota, was found guilty of aiding and abetting the second-degree manslaughter of George Floyd in May 2020, according to court documents. Judge Peter Cahill’s 177-page ruling states that Thao ignored his orders and encouraged his colleagues to use the dangerous, prone restraint on Floyd. “Like the bystanders, Thao could see Floyd’s life slowly ebbing away as the restraint continued,” Cahill wrote in the verdict. “Yet Thao consciously decided to participate in Floyd’s death Continued on page 5
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