Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee called Wednesday for moving the bust of Confederate Gen. Nathan Bedford Forrest from a place of honor at the Capitol building to the state museum in order to provide more historical context to the likeness of the slave trader and early Ku Klux Klan leader.

Knox County and Shelby County on Friday joined Nashville and Memphis in requiring people to wear face masks in many public settings to slow the spread of the new coronavirus. The orders come as the virus cases continue to surge in Tennessee. The state recorded 1,822 new cases on Friday, a new one-day record. That tops the previous record of 1,806 set on Wednesday.

Tennessee congressional candidate Christopher Hale tweeted and promptly deleted an image of a couple pointing guns at protesters in St. Louis late Wednesday.

Tennessee became one of the last states to expand mail-in voting earlier this month when Davidson County Chancellor Ellen Hobbs Lyle ruled that voters under 60 can request an absentee ballot because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

As Confederate symbols and statues have come down around the South at an unprecedented rate in the past month, Tennessee's own controversial bust of Nathan Bedford Forrest has remained firmly situated, roped off from the reach of the public inside the state Capitol.

On June 19, the Supreme Court ruled against the Trump administration and upheld the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, but those who fall under the program still face many barriers in Tennessee.

State Rep. Robin Smith is drawing fire on Twitter after the Hixson Republican retweeted and commented on a photo from a conservative internet activist's Twitter account that shows looped hand straps on a bus, an allusion to the controversy over a noose-like pull rope found in the garage of NASCAR driver Bubba Wallace.

Public school students in Georgia would see fewer state standardized tests under a bill passed by the state House, but lawmakers want the state to keep national comparisons and keep counting remaining high school tests as part of a student's course grade.

In Tennessee's open race to replace retiring U.S. Sen. Lamar Alexander, a political group backed by a member of GOP candidate Manny Sethi's campaign is attacking his primary opponent Bill Hagerty and Alexander, calling the two "liberal" and "best friends."

NASHVILLE — Tennessee lawmakers wrapped up their annual meeting on Friday, but Gov. Bill Lee is already weighing calling them back into special session after the last-minute collapse in the House of a business-backed bill to provide retroactive legal immunity from civil lawsuits related to the coronavirus.

The Tennessee General Assembly early Friday morning gave final approval to what proponents say is one of the nation's strictest anti-abortion laws with a provision that bars the procedure as early as 11 days into a pregnancy.

NASHVILLE — The Tennessee General Assembly ended its annual session early Friday morning after failing to come to agreement on an effort by businesses, schools, nonprofits and others to make it tougher for people to win COVID-19 liability lawsuits.

A bill that would impose a flat tax of 50 cents on trips in Georgia taxis, ride-hailing services and limousines is on its way to Gov. Brian Kemp's desk for his signature or veto.

Georgia's governor and the state school superintendent plan to ask for federal permission to suspend all state standardized testing in public schools for a second year.

Gov. Bill Lee announced Thursday that he will sign a proclamation recognizing Juneteenth, the cultural holiday commemorating the emancipation of enslaved black people in the United States.

A majority of Chattanooga leaders support ongoing police protests but do not support calls to defund police amid nearly three weeks of unrest in the city following the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis.

A contentious bill that was killed in the final moment's of last year's legislative session passed narrowly in the Georgia House this week.

NASHVILLE — Tennessee House Republicans on Thursday approved what proponents believe would be one of the nation's strictest anti-abortion laws with a provision that bars the procedure upon detection of a hormone associated with pregnancy that shows up as early as 11 days.

A handful of activists protested at Chattanooga City Council Chairman Chip Henderson's home Wednesday night as tensions continued to rise around the police budget and the cutoff of public comments at a council meeting.

NASHVILLE — Tennessee's Republican-dominated House and Senate are headed in different directions on the state's coronavirus-ravaged state budget, with the House spending plan including a $100 million sales tax holiday.

A Georgia Senate committee wants to protect businesses, governments, property owners and emergency personnel from being sued if someone claims they contracted COVID-19 because of them.

Protesters brought calls for changes to Georgia's laws regarding use of force and voting to the General Assembly on Monday, as some lawmakers inside the Capitol mounted a renewed push for a bill requiring heavier penalties for hate crimes. Others, though, expressed more support for police than protesters.

First-time poll worker Kirubel Behailu thought he'd become more familiar with Georgia's new voting machines at a quiet election site during Tuesday's primary.