Tennessee's Republican Caucus has selected its nominee to replace ousted House Speaker Glen Casada. The presumptive new leader, Cameron Sexton, has promised a less heavy-handed approach to running the House. But the scandal facing state government is not completely over.
Investigations continue into Casada's finances, his allegations of vote-trading, and his alleged "kill lists," wherein he dictated which measures would live or die before they could even be brought before committees. Blocking lawmakers -- both Democrats and his detractors on the Republican side -- from participating in the legislative process has raised questions about whether Casada should be removed completely from the legislature.
Political analyst Otis Sanford weighs in on this, and a new initiative by Shelby County Schools to "laser focus" on the problem of underachievement among black males in the educational system. Sanford says the crisis needs to be addressed if the city is going to improve its statistics on crime, unemployment and quality of life.
