Tennessee

A storm-chasing journalist reporting on the deadly tornados tearing through parts of the U.S. got a little too close to the story when he was injured as his car was picked up by fierce winds and hurled through the air.

Nick Sortor, who co-hosts The Roundtable Show podcast and has previously appeared as a correspondent on Tucker Carlson ‘s show, shared shocking photos from the scene on Friday with his 103,000 followers on Twitter .

One picture showed blood pouring down his face, while others detailed the damage to his “totaled” Jeep , with broken glass and other debris littering his front seat after the horrifying smash in Tennessee.

“I truly believed I was going to die at the moment my car was picked up and tossed off the road by this massive tornado in Tennessee,” he wrote in the post, below.

The reporter revealed he had tried to send an earlier tweet warning residents of the dangers immediately after the accident, but had been “unable” to post it. It was not clear whether he was unable to do so due to his injuries, his phone being damaged, or poor cell reception during the storm. But he posted a screengrab of that failed message, which contained the shot of his bloodied face and read: “IF YOU’RE IN WESTERN TENNESSEE GET OUT OF THE WAY. TORNADO INBOUND.”

Sharing that screengrab, he wrote: “I truly appreciate everyone’s words of support. It means more than you know. I attempted to post this immediately after the tornado to serve as a dire warning, but I was unable. My Jeep is totaled, but that’s nothing compared to the lives ruined here.”

Newsweek has reached out to Sortor for further information and comment.

Earlier in the day, Sortor, who is usually based in Lexington, Kentucky, had tweeted that he was en route to Arkansas as a mass casualty incident was declared in the state after a massive tornado touched down near Little Rock. Hundreds of people were feared injured when tornados ripped through the region, with videos capturing the size and scale of the twisters yesterday.

Meanwhile, one music fan was killed and 28 others were injured when the roof of a theater collapsed in strong winds in Belvidere, Illinois, on Friday evening during a heavy metal concert.

The grim tornado death toll continues to grow across the U.S., with ABC News reporting that 11 people had been confirmed killed, with dozens injured, across 5 states.

The U.S. is hit by more tornadoes than any other country, with 1,200 a year on average .

A judge appointed by former President Donald Trump dealt a blow to Tennessee Republicans ‘ new law that would effectively ban public drag performances just hours before it was set to go into effect.

Last month, Tennessee Governor Bill Lee signed into a law legislation that would ban “adult cabaret entertainment” in public areas that can be viewed by minors, making it the first state to criminalize some drag performances. The law applies to a wide array of performers including “go-go dancers, exotic dancers, strippers, male or female impersonators or similar entertainers,” but has made headlines for its emphasis on drag queens.

The law was passed amid conservatives’ nationwide push for restrictions regarding LGBTQ+ rights , specifically for transgender individuals and drag queens. Republicans argue these laws are necessary to protect children. Critics, however, call attention to the lack of data to back up concerns that drag queens pose a threat to children, viewing the legislation as unfairly targeting the LGBTQ+ community.

However, Republicans’ attempt to ban drag performances in Tennessee hit its latest roadblock on Friday, when Judge Thomas Parker temporarily halted the law, just hours before it was set to go into effect on Saturday.

Parker, who serves as a judge for the United States District Court for the Western District of Tennessee, ruled against Republicans in a 15-page ruling. He was appointed by Trump, who has voiced support for policies restricting LGBTQ+ rights in the past.

Parker sided with a Memphis-based LGBTQ+ theater organization Friends of George’s that filed a lawsuit challenging the new law last week. The temporary halt will last for at least two weeks, according to The Commercial Appeal, a Memphis daily newspaper.

Parker pointed to his concerns about the law infringing on the United States Constitution.

He wrote that while states are “laboratories of democracy” that can “test laws and policies enacted by The People,” these laws still have “constraints” from the U.S. Constitution, which in the First Amendment prohibits lawmakers from passing bills restricting the freedom of speech.

“The United States Constitution—a law that is supreme even to the Tennessee General Assembly’s acts—has placed some issues beyond the reach of the democratic process,” Parker wrote. “First among them is the freedom of speech.”

Parker continued: “If Tennessee wishes to exercise its police power in restricting speech it considers obscene, it must do so within the constraints and framework of the United States Constitution. The Court finds that, as it stands, the record here suggests that when the legislature passed this Statute, it missed the mark.”

He also raised concerns about the vagueness of the law.

“A law is unconstitutionally vague if individuals of ‘common intelligence must necessarily guess at its meaning and differ as to its application,'” he wrote.

Meanwhile, other Republican-led state legislatures have put forward bills that have been criticized as targeting the LGBTQ+ community. Kentucky has also introduced a bill that would crack down on drag shows . According to the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), at least 435 anti-LGBTQ+ bills have been introduced across the country.

Newsweek reached out to the Tennessee Republican Party for comment via email.