from Washington Post ....

Republican Ashley Nickloes is the only woman in a seven-way primary race to fill a congressional seat held by one family for five decades. She’s also the only military pilot in the race, running against a litany of odds, including the strong possibility that she’ll lose to a popular career politician who hunts Bigfoot and made it easier for Tennesseans to eat their roadkill.

Can this female military pilot defeat a Bigfoot hunter in Tennessee’s wackiest primary?

Because the Trumpublican Party has nothing else to run on.

They had to make up something for you to be afraid of because their tax cuts are a lie that benefit only their wealthy benefactors and bankrupt the government, they took health care away from millions and want to take it away from millions more, they dream of canceling Social Security and Medicare, they gutted environmental protections and enabled toxic polluters, their trade policies are hurting American farmers and blue collar workers, they are rolling back consumer financial protections to enable predatory lenders, they are looking the other way on finance industry regulations to bring back high risk, high stakes gambling with your money, they gave fraudulent student lenders a pass, and they are scheming to eliminate public education. Oh, and they won't call out their immoral, illiterate leader on his lies and reckless behavior or his illicit dealings with international thugs and oligarchs.

But never mind all that. Look! There's a brown person! Is he legal? He looks dangerous! Lock up his family!

Also, Hillary's emails!

They think we are dumb enough to fall for their grift. Be smart. Don't be a mark. Do the right thing.

Betty Bean in search of the real Randy Boyd...

Indivisible East Tennessee, a grassroots progressive advocacy group, surveyed Democratic candidates for Governor and U.S.Congress.

As an editorial aside, the survey is long, covers a lot of topics I had no opinion on or didn't even know about, and has some loaded questions. It also asks a lot of questions about campaign strategy that no candidate in their right mind would answer. Is Coach Jeremy Pruitt going to hand over his playbook to Kirby Smart? I don't think so.

Anyway, Craig Fitzhugh, Karl Dean, and Renee Hoyos responded to the questionnaire. Fitzhugh and Hoyos gave straightforward answers. Dean talked around a few of the questions without actually answering, and maybe that's understandable for an experienced politician trying to thread the red state needle.

Josh Williams declined to respond, "citing concerns of releasing policy stances and strategy to a third-party organization," and withdrew his name from consideration for endorsement according to Indivisible East TN.

Here are the the completed surveys:

• Renee Hoyos (U.S. Congress, TN2)
• Craig Fitzhugh (Governor)
• Karl Dean (Governor)

P.S. I'd like to see the Republican candidates' answers to some of these questions, but it wouldn't take a rocket scientist to guess what they'd be.

Knox News has posted a Democratic endorsement for U.S. 2nd Congressional District in Tennessee. It doesn't really matter to me who they endorse. They've been endorsing primarly Republicans in general elections. Thus, their choices are irrelevant.

We have two good candidates in Hoyos and Williams.

However, Joshua Williams is a Clinical Psychologist, not a Psychiatrist. In the KNS endorsement, they said Williams "earned a doctorate in psychiatry." No, he earned a doctorate in psychology. A psychiatrist is a medical doctor. They said Williams "now works as a psychiatrist visiting patients in the city’s hospitals," No, he is a psychologist.

I wish they could get the information right. Anyhoo... , probably not going to happen.

Guess who's coming to dinner ....

Intel chief's shocked reaction to Putin invite

33 Tennessee 24.12%

50 Knoxville, TN 25.2%

Stats reveal how many Americans volunteer and where

Democratic TV host Lisa Plawchan interviews Tennessee House District 89 Democratic Primary Candidates Keifel Agostini and Coleen Martinez on the Friday evening DTV show that airs on Community TV at 7:30 PM on Friday, July 20.

CTV airs on cable channels

Comcast Channel 12
Charter Channel 193
Wow! Channel 6
ATT Uverse Channel 99

and it streams live at (here!)

Early voting continues until July 28th. Find your early voting location (here!)

Do-it-yourself firearms like The Liberator have been nicknamed "Ghost Guns" because they don't have serial numbers and are untraceable.

Wilson has built a website where people will be able to download The Liberator and digital files for an AR-15 lower receiver, a complete Baretta M9 handgun and other firearms. Users will also be able to share their own designs for guns, magazines and other accessories.

He says the files will be a good resource for builders, even though it's not yet practical for most people to 3-D print most of the guns.

Americans can legally download 3-D printed guns starting next month

TNJ On the Hill: Republican gubernatorial candidate Beth Harwell’s campaign has sent out an advisory to political reporters to alert them to a “major announcement” at a news conference at the state Capitol on Friday.

If she drops out, will she throw her support to Lee?

UPDATE: Press conference was to highlight support for medical marijuana. Move along. Nothing to see here.

The Trump administration announced Wednesday that it is relaxing rules for the disposal of spent coal used to fuel hundreds of power plants nationwide.

Trump's EPA rolls back Obama-era coal ash regulations

The Commercial Appeal came to "feel like we had a Nashville publication in town," according to the paper's former columnist (and probably most well-known face) Geoff Calkins.

"That job changed, and I found instead of focusing on journalism, I was focusing on clicks," Calkins said of the web strategies of the paper's new owners, Gannett Co. "I was writing for bosses in Nashville for a publication that was produced, laid out, printed, directed all outside the city of Memphis."

Huh. That sounds familiar. Anyway, the Memphis Flyer reports that an online-only startup, The Daily Memphian, will provide an antidote to the generic Commercial Appeal McPaper. They apparently have a wealthy benefactor and a staff in place, and plan to launch in the fall.

Read more at the Memphis Flyer...

Picked just now, 10", 1lb 9oz. Not biggest we've had, but pretty big.

Thus, all is well in the garden.

Although, from George Will,

This sad, embarrassing wreck of a man

America’s child president had a play date with a KGB alumnus, who surely enjoyed providing day care.

Like many of you, I’m terribly disturbed by what’s happening to Latin American refugees at our southern border. In doing a little research, I was shocked to find out that there are numerous companies that have sprung up, and which are each making many tens of millions of dollars a year based on a business model that literally requires immigrant family breakups. These companies are being given massive incentives by the Trump administration to delay and deny immigrant parents’ reunification with their children. I have a new blog post up about what I found HERE.

Also, FYI, I’m back on Twitter after a prolonged absence and would love to connect there with any and all other KnoxViews-ers. You’ll find me @thekatieallison

Amazon's Prime Day sale starts at 3PM today for a day and a half of deals. If you are not a Prime member, you can get a free 30-day trial to take advantage of the sale. Keep checking the Prime Day page for new deals as they pop up.

More info:

• Prime Day guide
• Prime free 30-day trial
• Prime Day deals

Some sample deals:

• Amazon Echo Dot, $30
• Fire TV Stick, $20
• Kindle Paperwhite, $80
• Fire 7 Tablet, $30
• Fire HD 8 Tablet, $50

Regarding Putin from the NY Times in 2007;

The world needs a “new architecture of international economic relations based on trust and mutually beneficial integration,” he said. “Today protectionism, which the W.T.O. is meant to fight, often comes from developed economies.”

He said that more than 60 percent of the world’s output was produced outside the G-7 countries: the United States, Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and Canada.

(link...)

With Russia marginalized globally, it'd be tough for the Russian president to disrupt NATO, the EU, the IMF, the G7 and the WTO to get the new economic relations he's sought for over a decade.

If only he had somebody to do the disrupting for him.

According to the Tennessee Dept. of State Election Division, more than twice as many Republicans (30,262) have voted as of 7/14/2018 than Democrats (12,205).

Blount County
Democrats 225
Republicans 619

Knox County
Democrats 956
Republicans 1,986

Only a few counties have recorded more Democratic voters than Republicans.

Davidson County (Nashville)
Democrats 764
Republicans 312

Hardeman County (East of Memphis)
Democrats 281
Republicans 182

Haywood County (West of Jackson)
Democrats 146
Republicans 125

Lauderdale County (North of Memphis)
Democrats 204
Republicans 178

Van Buren County (Between Chattanooga and Cookeville, near Fall Creek Falls State Park)
Democrats 31
Republicans 30

Knox County voting opportunities

From July 13-28, for 14 days, 106 hours, at 10 locations that tens of thousands? of people drive by
during those time periods. Maybe 5-6 days a week. How many people will spend 10 minutes, or less, to stop in and vote?

Or, on August 2, 2018 there are 89 locations to vote. Located close to peoples homes, open from morning until 8 pm.

How many will vote?

Knox County election

From the Tennessean/News Sentinel...

FYI, both Fitzhugh and Dean say they support federally funded Medicaid expansion. All the Republicans are opposed.

Is there anything else you need to know?

Also, Harwell appears to be the most rational Republican candidate. And probably the most qualified among that bunch. I guess that, and the fact that she isn't kissing Trump's butt, is why she doesn't seem to be getting much traction.

Anyway, Democrats have two great candidates.