PDF of Rep. Jim Cooper's speech — in which he called his father a racist, he used a number of slurs (not casually, but to prove a point), and proposed a Constitutional amendment.

J-Gar has the highlights.

The governor has put even more things in the blind trust than were there in the campaign:

The difference in the degree of disclosure is stark for Haslam, whose family business, Knoxville-based Pilot Flying J, is ranked by Forbes as the nation's sixth largest privately owned company with $29.2 billion in annual sales:

As a candidate in 2010, Haslam listed 250 separate investments worth $10,000 or more.

In his latest disclosure, filed April 5, he listed only 11 such investments.

The governor's refusal to opt in on health care means Tennessee's poorest citizens could be left out while legal immigrants get coverage.

Go figure:

Republican Gov. Bill Haslam's refusal so far to expand Medicaid under federal health reform could mean that Tennessee's poorest residents won't have access to health coverage in 2014 but some lawful immigrants will, experts say.

That's because legal immigrants with incomes below 100 percent of the poverty level -- $11,170 for a single person or $23,050 for a family of four -- will be eligible for federal subsidies to buy private coverage through health insurance exchanges.

American citizens with the same income levels, however, can't participate in the exchange because the law envisioned those with incomes up to 138 percent of the poverty level would be covered through the Medicaid expansion.

The House and Senate Republicans aren't raising money together:

"The Senate made a decision to end the joint fundraising efforts. That decision is fine with the House,” Harwell said in a statement to The City Paper late Friday. “I have a good working relationship with the lieutenant governor and all members of the state Senate and look forward to working with them on other projects."

So this newly elected Republican gets sworn in and asks the old veteran lawmaker where the Democrats sit.

"Why do you wanna know that?"

"So I can see the enemy."

"Hahaha," the vet laughed. "The Democrats aren't the enemy. The Democrats are the opposition. The Senate is the enemy."

That story is (probably?) fiction.

Andrea Zelinski's breakdown of the session-ending House/Senate squabble is real.

Looks like things aren't heading towards a good place for Albert Tieche.

Al Jazeera America eyes Nashville as a bureau site.

The "How To Wink At A Muslim" commish apologized in a way.

The guy who is overseeing the internal investigation at Pilot is the same guy that hired Bill Haslam at Saks. Neat!

So why is the BRT going to go down West End instead of Charlotte?

For his part, Dean recently told reporters that the West End corridor was the one most likely to receive federal support, based on ridership and density. Setting aside, however, whether the decision should depend on what the federal government will support, the question of ridership numbers is far from settled.

For a three-year period ending in the fall of 2012, Charlotte Avenue had a higher ridership on the current bus service than West End, even though more buses ran down West End more frequently. Since that time, though, MTA has increased its service on West End, with two buses now running twice as often as one does on Charlotte. And voilà! The West End ridership has surpassed Charlotte's.

Does that prove there are more riders to be had on West End if transit options are improved? Perhaps. But one wonders what would happen if potential riders on Charlotte were offered the same service.