Friday, July 17, 2026

Good Morning! On this day in 2010, country studio musician Fred Carter Jr. died in Nashville at the age of 76, leaving behind a legacy of working with legends like Willie Nelson, Dolly Parton, and Waylon Jennings.

A German World Cup superfan spent an evening at a rural Tennessee ranch this week and documented his experience with Southern hospitality on social media. What's your best memory of Southern hospitality on display?

Today's sponsor is Miso Robotics, offering investors the opportunity to get in early on an AI-powered restaurant automation company before it goes public.

TN Courting Paramount Skydance for Move

Tennessee's economic and community development commissioner sent a letter to Paramount Skydance CEO David Ellison in early July, encouraging the entertainment giant to consider relocating its headquarters to Tennessee.

The pitch focused on the state's low taxes, business climate, and creative workforce in addition to Nashville's entertainment history. Paramount confirmed receiving the letter but declined further comment, and the state has not announced any incentive package or identified a specific site.

The overture comes as Paramount faces a California-led antitrust lawsuit over its proposed merger with Warner Bros. Discovery, filed by a coalition of 12 state attorneys general seeking to block the deal on competition grounds.

Ellison already has a Tennessee connection through his father, Larry Ellison, who is overseeing Oracle's large East Bank campus development in Nashville.

Cyclosporiasis Cases Spreading Statewide

The cyclosporiasis outbreak has reached more than 1,700 cases across 31 states, including at least six in Shelby County and two in Knox County.

Tennessee is currently reporting between 11 and 30 confirmed cases statewide, but health officials warn the true case count is likely much higher since many go unreported. The majority of cases nationwide are in Michigan, where over 3,000 instances have been reported.

The parasite spreads through contaminated food and water rather than person-to-person contact, and cooking food to 158 degrees reliably kills it.

Aggressive washing of raw produce offers only partial protection, as the parasite can hide in small crevices in berries and lettuce leaves and is difficult to fully remove.

German Soccer Superfan Explores TN

German soccer superfan Freddy, whose cross-country World Cup road trip has attracted hundreds of thousands of social media followers, returned to Southeast Tennessee after his earlier Chattanooga stop.

He spent an evening at a rural Polk County ranch watching Spain defeat France in the World Cup semifinals before heading out to Parksville Lake. Locals invited Freddy and his crew for target shooting, lake time, food, and drinks, a night he described as a perfect example of Southern hospitality.

He wrote that people in the region live "one big shared life" where doors are always open, and everyone is welcome, calling it unlike anything he had encountered on his road trip.

At one point, Freddy joked he was never going to leave, and ended his post with a simple promise: "We will be back." Follow his journey via social media here.

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Big Money Gets In Pre-IPO in AI

AI stocks now make up about 45% of the S&P 500. But, in AI, the smart money increasingly moves sooner because the biggest breakout gains often happen when investors get in before companies go public. In fact, last year, a whopping 67% of private-stage investments were in AI companies, up from 9% in 2022.

And yet, those opportunities are almost always reserved for the 1%.

Restaurant robotics pioneer Miso Robotics isn’t, and 40K everyday folks like you have already joined big money players like industry powerhouse Ecolab as investors.

Miso’s Flippy Fry Station AI robot has logged 200K+ hours in kitchens across the $1T fast-food industry. Its tech is used by big-name customers like White Castle, Jersey Mike’s, Cinnabon, and more. And Miso just acquired ~300 patents from Zume Pizza, a food robotics pioneer that raised $450 million.

Flippy alone represents a $4B/year revenue opportunity in the US. Become an early-stage shareholder in Miso today. Hurry to earn bonus shares.

➤ Memphis: A restaurant owner is defending his decision to deny service to National Guard members assigned to the Memphis Safe Task Force, saying he opposes "military policing" of civilian streets. (More)

➤ Sumner County: Missing teen Sebastian Rogers' father has filed two federal lawsuits alleging the sheriff's office mishandled the investigation and that the Department of Children's Services failed to protect him beforehand. (More)

➤ Hendersonville: Firefighters saved most of the Cozy Nook Cafe after a Tuesday fire. Many were daily regulars, and the owners, former firefighters themselves, are hosting a dinner to honor the crew. (More)

➤ Hamilton County: Tennessee is seeking public input on making McDonald Farm its 70th state park. The nearly 2,500-acre site near Graysville will connect to the Cumberland Trail State Park. (More)

➤ White Pine: Norfolk Southern is reopening a 17-mile rail line connecting Bulls Gap and White Pine today, resuming freight service on a corridor that's sat dormant since 2018. (More)

➤ Wilson County: Federal agents raided the home of controversial pastor Greg Locke over alleged church fund misappropriation. No arrest was made, and Locke says he has nothing to hide. (More)

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➤ Tennessee baseball retained much of its 2026 recruiting class through the MLB draft, with prospects, including catcher Sean Dunlap, turning down professional contracts to play for the Vols. (More)

➤ The Nashville Predators will open their 2026-27 season against the Minnesota Wild on Oct. 1 at Bridgestone Arena. (See Schedule)

➤ The Knoxville Smokies, the Chicago Cubs’ Double-A affiliate, will give DeSean Bishop bobbleheads to the first 1,000 fans attending “Tennessee Night” on Aug. 15. The bobblehead depicts the Vols running back and Knoxville native kneeling in prayer. (More)

➤ Yesterday’s Results: The Open | MLB | WNBA

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➤ BRIDGES Engine, a University of Tennessee-led initiative, received an initial $15 million award and could receive up to $160 million to convert rural Tennessee farmland into bioproduct manufacturing operations. (More)

➤ EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin keynoted the Tennessee Chamber of Commerce's Infrastructure Summit in Franklin on Tuesday, saying the agency will pursue environmental protection and economic growth simultaneously. (More)

➤ Nashville is proposing to refinance nearly $483 million in Music City Center debt to improve the city's credit profile and free up funds for East Bank infrastructure and development. (More)

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“Cobots” Are Transforming This $1T Market

They’re not replacing humans; they’re working with them. That’s the promise of “cobots,” or collaborative robots.

In a robotics market NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang called “one of the largest industries ever,” the cobot segment is projected to grow 15X by 2035.

And Miso Robotics is proving its value in the $1T fast-food industry.

Their Flippy fry station AI robot boosts restaurant profits up to 4X, already logging 200K hours in live kitchens alongside human employees for brands like White Castle.

Flippy carries $4B/year in U.S. revenue potential on its own. And that's just one piece of Miso’s platform.

Big-name brands like Jersey Mike’s and Cinnabon just became customers. Industry powerhouse Ecolab already invested. Join them as an early-stage shareholder in Miso today. Hurry for bonus shares.

This is a paid advertisement for Miso Robotics’ Regulation A offering. Please read the offering circular at invest.misorobotics.com

➤ Centennial Park's first permanent dining destination opens in late August. The Croquet Cafe will occupy the park's historic 1963 Croquet Clubhouse, with proceeds supporting park beautification and Parthenon preservation. (More)

➤ The owner of Yum Yums soul food restaurant in South Pittsburg has reached the quarterfinals of the Food Network's Favorite Chef competition, with a $25,000 prize and national feature at stake. (More)

➤ A new book called Declaration: I Am Tennessee spotlighted 30 Knox County writers and their relationship with the state during its launch party last night at the East Tennessee History Center. (More)

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The following stories are featured exclusively on The Flyover Podcast—a daily show that gives you the most important headlines in under 15 minutes. Clicking the links will take you directly to these stories:

➤ President Trump's longtime teleprompter operator is accused of using inside knowledge of the president's speeches to win $100,000 in bets. (Hear Details)

➤ Pentagon Chief Pete Hegseth is now mandating annual testosterone screening for service members over 30 years old across the entire military. (Hear Episode)

➤ The Trump administration is moving to fence off a historic public square beside the White House, escalating a broader security overhaul. (Listen Now)