Tennessee leaders react to Trump shooting

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This is Executive Editor Mark Russell, and you're reading the Daily Briefing, our one-stop digital shop for the best Memphis stories from our award-winning Commercial Appeal team.

Politicians from Shelby County and Tennessee are reacting to the news of former President Donald Trump being rushed off stage with blood on his face while speaking to supporters in Pennsylvania, Brooke Muckerman reports in this story.

Trump was ushered off stage after loud popping sounds rang out as he was speaking to supporters at Butler, Pennsylvania, near Pittsburgh.

Gov. Bill Lee and other Tennessee leaders took to social media Saturday evening to show support for Trump in the immediate aftermath of a shooting at his rally in Butler, Pennsylvania , Hadley Hixson reports in this story.

Trump was addressing a crowd of supporters at 6:15 p.m. when gunshots rang out toward the former president. He reached for his ear and appeared to have blood on his face and ear as Secret Service officers escorted him away from the scene. Here's a story with everything you need to know, including the identification of the suspected sniper as a Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, man, USA Today reported in this story.

A federal appeals court on Friday upheld a Tennessee policy prohibiting transgender individuals from changing the sex marker on their birth certificate.

In a 2-1 decision, the 6th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals ruled the Tennessee policy is constitutional, writing that "there is no fundamental right to a birth certificate recording gender identity instead of biological sex." The majority called the policy, which is an outlier in the U.S., "a nondiscriminatory form of government speech embraced by some States about an undeniable historical fact," Evan Mealins reports in this story.

An attorney from Lambda Legal, a civil rights organization focusing on the LGBTQ+ community representing the plaintiffs, said the group was disappointed in the decision and is considering next steps.

MAS updates: Memphis Mayor Paul Young has announced the appointment of a new interim director at Memphis Animal Services, Mary Claire Borys, to take charge of the animal shelter while an investigation into MAS is ongoing.

Former MAS director Ty Coleman was placed on administrative leave following the death of a dog, Lulu, in late June. Memphis Animal Services announced Lulu's death on June 26 after she was placed in outdoor kennels amid scorching heat. These kennels provided no shade, and on the day she died, June 24, temperatures rose to 98 degrees, according to the National Weather Service , and a heat advisory was in place.

Other concerns have arisen about the temporary absence of a full-time vet and an exodus of staff since Coleman was appointed director. Memphis Animal Services did not have a vet premise permit for one day following Coleman being placed on administrative leave, Nell Rainer reports in this story .

xAI update : xAI's supercomputer site in Memphis could use up to 150 megawatts of power an hour during peak times and according to Doug McGowen, CEO and President of Memphis Light, Gas and Water, the utility company is making moves to ensure the needs do not impact the area's electric grid stability, Brooke Muckerman reports in this story.

Praising Edey: Grizzlies draft pick Zach Edey has already drawn plenty of rave reviews after his first NBA Summer League game — including from Memphis Tigers coach Penny Hardaway.

Hardaway appeared on Tuesday's episode of "The Big Podcast with Shaq" and talked about his reaction to the Grizzlies' taking Edey at No. 9 overall in last month's NBA Draft, Jonah Dylan reports in this story.

"I think the Grizzlies had to make a decision on a center, because we needed a center," Hardaway said. "And Zach Edey, come on man. He's not some bum. Zach Edey can really play. Now on this level of the NBA, it's going to be fast for guys. They're going to be pulling him out of the paint and bringing him on the perimeter. But if you watched him, he's pretty mobile to be that big. He's not this slow guy that can't move.

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This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Tennessee leaders react to Trump shooting