VOL. 46 | NO. 41 | Friday, October 14, 2022
JOE ROGERS: MY TAKE
One of my favorite sayings, variously attributed and rendered, goes like this: It’s better to remain quiet and be thought a fool than to speak and remove all doubt. I call your attention now to recent utterings by State Sen. Janice Bowling (R-Tullahoma) and State Rep. Mary Littleton (R-Dickson).
RICHARD COURTNEY: REALTY CHECK
Nashville-area homes sales declined 13.5% in September compared to September 2021, data from the Greater Nashville Realtors reveals.
REAL ESTATE
Top residential real estate sales, September 2022, for Davidson County, as compiled by the Nashville Ledger.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Average long-term U.S. mortgage rates reached their highest level in more than two decades this week and are likely to climb further as the Federal Reserve has all but promised more rate increases in its battle to tamp down persistent inflation.
TENNESSEE TITANS
The Tennessee Titans don’t mind swimming upstream. In the pass-happy NFL of today, Sunday saw the Titans winning a game by scoring their first points of the second half in nearly a month and hanging on for dear life at the end with David Long’s goal-line interception.
The Titans have been far from perfect as they head into the bye week. But they have a golden opportunity in front of them coming out of the week off, playing Indianapolis again, just three weeks after beating them on the road.
The Titans are heading into the bye week at 3-2 after a rocky start and a three-game win streak. The turnaround is a credit to the players and coaches, but there still is plenty of work to be done going forward if this team is going to continue winning and make a playoff push.
NEWSMAKERS
Five Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP associates have been appointed to DRI Young Lawyers Committee leadership roles, including Casey L. Miller of the firm’s Nashville office.
BRIEFS
Nashville Soccer Club begins its MLS Cup playoff push on the road against LA Galaxy, after finishing the regular season in Los Angeles with a win against Western Conference leader LAFC.
BUSINESS BOOK REVIEW
It’s over. The last page is read, the credits are rolling, your plate is clean, you’ve said your goodbyes for tonight, for this weekend, for this month, forever.
BEHIND THE WHEEL
The Tesla Model S has enjoyed a nearly 10-year head start on the premium electric sedan competition, but the gap is beginning to close. There’s a newcomer giving the Model S a run for its money, and it comes from a fellow startup. The 2022 Lucid Air is an all-electric luxury sedan that can compete with the Model S in some areas and surpass it in others.
PERSONAL FINANCE
Any 401(k) can help you save for retirement. A great 401(k) allows you to save a whole lot more.
CAREER CORNER
As I’ve shared before, I’m a fan of working from home. Although it comes with pros and cons, the benefits are often undeniable.
MILLENNIAL MONEY
I can be so mean to myself. My inner critic roasts my actions like a political attack ad, with claims that are cruel, overstated and often inaccurate. My ad would assert that I’m stupid with money, bad at decision-making and a crybaby to boot – all endorsed by yours truly.
NASHVILLE PREDATORS
NASHVILLE (AP) — Gabriel Vilardi scored the shootout winner and had a goal and an assist in regulation in the Los Angeles Kings' 4-3 victory over the Nashville Predators on Tuesday night.
VANDERBILT SPORTS
NASHVILLE (AP) — Vanderbilt has signed Jerry Stackhouse to an extension as he enters his fourth season as the Commodores' head coach.
TENNESSEE TITANS
NASHVILLE (AP) — Delanie Walker knew his broken ankle was bad when he didn't feel any pain while on the field in Miami.
ELECTION 2022
NASHVILLE (AP) — Early voting kicks off Wednesday in Tennessee for the November midterm general election.
COURTS
WASHINGTON (AP) — Former President Donald Trump once predicted that a special prosecutor appointed during his administration would uncover "the crime of the century" — a conspiracy to sink his 2016 campaign.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Oath Keepers extremists were prepared to use "any means necessary" on Jan. 6, 2021, to stop the certification of Democrat Joe Biden's electoral victory, a member of the group testified Tuesday.
PERSONAL FINANCE
WASHINGTON (AP) — Taxpayers will get fatter standard deductions for 2023 and all seven federal income tax bracket levels will be revised upward as the government allows people to shield more of their money from taxation because of persistently high inflation.
HEALTH CARE
WASHINGTON (AP) — COVID-19 drove a dramatic increase in the number of women who died from pregnancy or childbirth complications in the U.S. last year, a crisis that has disproportionately claimed Black and Hispanic women as victims, according to a report released Wednesday..
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. regulators on Wednesday authorized a booster dose of the COVID-19 vaccine made by Novavax.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal health advisers ruled Wednesday that a drug intended to prevent premature births doesn't work, clearing the way for U.S. regulators to follow through on a long-delayed effort to get it off the market.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The government announced plans Tuesday to award millions of dollars in grants to expand all-hours mental health and substance abuse care in more communities around the country.
EDUCATION
The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation announced Wednesday that it is making grants of more than a $1 billion as part of a sweeping national plan to improve math education over the next four years. Its goal: to help students succeed in school and land well-paying jobs when they graduate, given research that shows the connection between strong math skills and career success.
MEDIA
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Netflix reversed its recent subscriber losses with a summertime gain that management is hoping to build upon with the upcoming launch of a cheaper version of the video streaming service that will include ads for the first time.
BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) — Two top New York state officials on Tuesday called on lawmakers to outlaw the creation of videos of homicides, citing the viral spread across the internet of footage livestreamed by a gunman as he killed Black shoppers and workers during a racist mass shooting at a Buffalo supermarket.
ENERGY
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden will announce the release of 15 million barrels of oil from the U.S. strategic reserve Wednesday as part of a response to recent production cuts announced by OPEC+ nations, and he will say more drawdowns are possible this winter, as his administration rushes to be seen as pulling out all the stops ahead of next month's midterm elections.
DALLAS (AP) — President Joe Biden plans to release 15 million barrels of oil or more from the U.S. strategic reserves in an effort to stop gasoline prices from rising now that OPEC and its allies plan to cut production.
TRANSPORTATION
Spirit Airlines shareholders voted Wednesday to accept a $3.8 billion buyout from JetBlue Airways, but the deal could still face a challenge from federal antitrust regulators.
AUTO INDUSTRY
DETROIT (AP) — Tesla reported Wednesday that its third-quarter profit more than doubled from a year ago, fueled by higher vehicle sales.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration on Wednesday awarded $2.8 billion in grants to build and expand domestic manufacturing of batteries for electric vehicles in 12 states. A total of 20 companies will receive grants for projects to extract and process lithium, graphite and other battery materials, manufacture components and strengthen U.S. supply of critical minerals, officials said.
GREER, S.C. (AP) — BMW will invest $1 billion in its sprawling factory near Spartanburg, South Carolina, to start producing electric vehicles and an additional $700 million to build a electric-battery plant nearby.
BERLIN (AP) — Germany wants to massively expand the country's charging network for electric cars, spending 6.3 billion euros ($6.17 billion) over the next three years as it expects more and more drivers to turn away from combustion cars to more climate-friendly vehicles.
NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS
A broad slide on Wall Street reversed two days of gains for stocks Wednesday, as Treasury yields climbed to multiyear highs, tempting traders with higher returns on relatively low-risk investments.
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Warren Buffett's company completed its largest acquisition in years Wednesday with its $11.6 billion purchase of the Alleghany insurance conglomerate.
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The federal government announced Tuesday a program that will provide $1.3 billion in debt relief for about 36,000 farmers who have fallen behind on loan payments or face foreclosure.
United Airlines earned $942 million in the third quarter as vacationers paid higher fares and packed planes over the summer, and the airline offered an upbeat forecast of late-year earnings.
NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL POLITICS
WASHINGTON (AP) — Former Vice President Mike Pence on Wednesday warned against the growing populist tide in the Republican Party as he admonished "Putin apologists" unwilling to stand up to the Russian leader over his assault on Ukraine.
BRUSSELS (AP) — The European Union has shown rock-solid unity in confronting Russia over its war in Ukraine, but EU leaders lack that common purpose heading into Thursday's summit to seek joint measures to contain an energy crisis that has already dented their economy and threatens to spread hardship among the bloc's 450 million people this winter.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Many Americans remain pessimistic about the state of U.S. democracy and the way elected officials are chosen -- nearly two years after a divisive presidential election spurred false claims of widespread fraud and a violent attack on the U.S. Capitol.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Presidents Joe Biden and Andrés Manuel López Obrador spoke Tuesday as a growing number of migrants from crisis-gripped Venezuela arrive at the U.S.-Mexico border.
UKRAINE
MOSCOW (AP) — Russian President Vladimir Putin declared martial law Wednesday in the four regions of Ukraine that Moscow illegally annexed and given additional emergency powers to the heads of all regions of Russia.
WASHINGTON (AP) — House GOP leader Kevin McCarthy warned Tuesday that Republicans will not write a "blank check" for Ukraine if they win back the House majority, reflecting his party's growing skepticism about financial support for Kyiv as it battles Russia's invasion.
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russian missile strikes and shelling of energy utilities left more Ukrainian villages, towns and parts of two cities without power on Wednesday, authorities said, tightening an energy squeeze that threatens misery for millions in winter.
JERUSALEM (AP) — The Iranian-made drones that Russia sent slamming into central Kyiv this week have complicated Israel's balancing act between Russia and the West.
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 18
UT SPORTS
Tennessee quarterback Hendon Hooker, two Big Ten running backs and Alabama pass-rusher Will Anderson Jr. highlight The Associated Press midseason All-America team presented by Regions Bank, selected by AP Top 25 voters and released Tuesday.
TENNESSEE TITANS
NASHVILLE (AP) — Tennessee Titans coach Mike Vrabel hopes to get outside linebacker Bud Dupree back for Sunday's game with the Indianapolis Colts.
NASHVILLE (AP) — The Tennessee Titans and Nashville have their eyes on hosting a Super Bowl, a Final Four, a College Football Playoff game and much more after lining up the last financing for an estimated $2.1 billion domed stadium they hope opens for the start of the 2026 season.
ELECTION 2022
NASHVILLE (AP) — Democrat Heidi Campbell led in fundraising and spending last quarter in an open U.S. House race in Tennessee, where Republican Andy Ogles has taken a lower-key general election approach in a Nashville congressional district that the GOP redrew in hopes of picking up a seat.
PERSONAL FINANCE
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden on Monday officially kicked off the application process for his student debt cancellation program, opening the door for millions of Americans to apply for up to $20,000 in forgiveness. The Biden administration touts it as a simple, straightforward application that should only take about five minutes. Here's how to apply.
AUTO INDUSTRY
DETROIT (AP) — Eleven additional people were killed in U.S. crashes involving vehicles that were using automated driving systems during a four-month period earlier this year, according to newly released government data, part of an alarming pattern of incidents linked to the technology.
FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — Europe is leading the push into battery-powered cars as electric vehicles enter the mainstream — even as the industry faces challenges including supply shortages, a spotty charging network and a looming recession.
TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — The company that assembles smartphones for Apple Inc. and other global brands unveiled an electric SUV on Tuesday that will be produced for a Taiwanese automaker under a similar contract model.
MEDIA
LONDON (AP) — The British Broadcasting Corp. marked 100 years of broadcasting on Tuesday, a century after a group of wireless manufacturers founded the company and began filling the airwaves with its first daily radio service.
LONDON (AP) — Facebook parent Meta said Tuesday that it will sell off Giphy after running out of options to thwart a ruling by U.K. regulators, who again found that the deal to buy the GIF-sharing platform would limit competition and innovation.
NEW YORK (AP) — The media organization Semafor launched on Tuesday with no less an ambition than reinventing the news story.
ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) — The nation's first tax on digital advertising was struck down as unconstitutional by a Maryland judge on Monday. It's a law that attorneys for Big Tech have contended unfairly targets companies like Facebook, Google and Amazon in a separate federal case against the same law.
ENERGY
BERLIN (AP) — Senior members of Germany's environmentalist Greens party indicated Tuesday that they would accept Chancellor Olaf Scholz's decision to extend the lifetime of the country's three remaining nuclear plants for a few months.
NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS
Stocks rose on Wall Street, adding to weekly gains for major indexes that have been mired in a broad slump amid inflation and recession concerns.
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Last year was a roller coaster ride for theme parks worldwide, with U.S. water parks approaching pre-pandemic levels and parks in China struggling with lockdowns, according to a new report.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Joe Biden — a president who wants to move past fossil fuels — is rushing to increase oil supplies ahead of next month's midterm elections.
NEW YORK (AP) — Amazon workers in upstate New York overwhelmingly rejected a union bid on Tuesday, handing a second defeat to the labor group that's been attempting to drag the company to the negotiating table since its historic win earlier this year.
Johnson & Johnson topped third-quarter expectations thanks to growth in pharmaceutical sales, but the health care giant continued to tread cautiously with its outlook due to the strong dollar.
NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL POLITICS
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden promised Tuesday that the first bill he sends to Capitol Hill next year will be one that codifies Roe v. Wade — if Democrats control enough seats in Congress for Biden to sign abortion protections into law — in a speech designed to energize his party's voters just three weeks ahead of the November midterms.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Moments after she flipped a longtime Republican congressional seat in 2018, Iowa Democrat Cindy Axne declared that "Washington doesn't have our back and we deserve a heck of a lot better."
WASHINGTON (AP) — A veteran senator's objections over Egypt's human rights record, including its holding of an estimated 60,000 political prisoners, have compelled the Biden administration to trim a symbolically significant $75 million off its planned annual military aid to that country.
UKRAINE
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Airstrikes cut power and water supplies to hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians on Tuesday, part of what the country's president called an expanding Russian campaign to drive the nation into the cold and dark and make peace talks impossible.
KIVSHARIVKA, Ukraine (AP) — Nine-year-old Artem Panchenko helps his grandmother stoke a smoky fire in a makeshift outdoor kitchen beside their nearly abandoned apartment block. The light is falling fast and they need to eat before the setting sun plunges their home into cold and darkness.
They are precise, small in size, able to effectively penetrate air defenses when fired in groups and, above all, they're cheap.
MONDAY, OCTOBER 17
TENNESSEE TITANS
NASHVILLE (AP) — The Tennessee Titans have lined up the last financing for an estimated $2.1 billion domed stadium that will put the franchise in position to host a Super Bowl once the new building opens with a target date of the beginning of the 2026 season.
UT SPORTS
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) — The Southeastern Conference has fined Tennessee $100,000 for a wild, field-storming celebration after a win over Alabama.
Tennessee moved to No. 3 in The Associated Press college football poll behind No. 1 Georgia and No. 2 Ohio State after knocking off Alabama.
MUSIC INDUSTRY
NASHVILLE (AP) — Two artists who started their careers outside of country music were inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame as early rock pioneer Jerry Lee Lewis and bluegrass performer-turned-country star Keith Whitley joined the ranks.
NASHVILLE AREA
NEW YORK (AP) — Goodlettsville-based Dollar General is facing another $1.68 million in fines after government safety inspectors found violations at four of the chain's stores in Alabama, Florida and Georgia, the federal regulators announced Monday.
EAST TENNESSEE
GATLINBURG (AP) — A campground at Great Smoky Mountains National Park that has been closed for nine years has been reopened, park officials said.
COURTS
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Justice Department declared Monday that Steve Bannon should serve six months behind bars and pay a $200,000 fine for defying a congressional subpoena from the House committee investigating the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court on Monday rejected an appeal seeking to give people born in American Samoa U.S. citizenship.
On Monday, disgraced Theranos CEO Elizabeth Holmes will play one of her last cards to avoid a prison sentence when a federal judge questions a key prosecution witness who expressed post-trial regrets about testimony that helped convince a jury to convict her for investor fraud.
PERSONAL FINANCE
WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. Education Department has begun accepting applications for President Joe Biden's student debt cancellation — a plan that makes 43 million Americans eligible for at least some debt forgiveness.
HEALTH CARE
WASHINGTON (AP) — The maker of the only U.S. drug intended to prevent premature births is making a last-ditch effort this week to keep its medication on the market, even as health regulators insist that it doesn't work.
ENVIRONMENT
Lifelong Cleveland resident Steve Gove recalls when the Cuyahoga River symbolized shame — fetid, lifeless, notorious for catching fire when sparks from overhead rail cars ignited the oil-slicked surface.
MEDIA
The rapper formerly known as Kanye West is offering to buy right-wing friendly social network Parler shortly after being booted off Twitter and Instagram for antisemitic posts.
KAMPALA, Uganda (AP) — Ugandan activists launched a legal challenge Monday to controversial new legislation criminalizing some internet activity in the East African country.
BERLIN (AP) — Germany announced Monday that it is issuing fines of 5.125 million euros ($5 million) against the operators of the messaging app Telegram for failing to comply with German law.
ENERGY
BEIJING (AP) — China plans to boost coal production through 2025 to avoid a repeat of last year's power shortages, an official said Monday, adding to setbacks in efforts to cut climate-changing carbon emissions from the biggest global source.
AUTO INDUSTRY
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — A California ballot measure that would tax the rich to help put more electric cars on the road may seem tailor-made to win support from Democrats in a state known for climate leadership, but Proposition 30 has one notable opponent: Gov. Gavin Newsom. That's put the Democratic governor on the opposite side of his own party and against his traditional environmental allies.
BANKING
NEW YORK (AP) — Bank of America's profits fell by 8% in the third quarter as the bank set aside cash to cover potential loan losses. It's the latest bank to start socking away money for a potential recession, as Wall Street's biggest banks have become increasingly gloomy on the U.S. economy going into the winter.
Credit Suisse has agreed to pay $495 million as part of a settlement with the U.S. over a yearslong dispute tied to mortgage-backed securities, an investment vehicle that played a central role in the 2008 financial crisis.
NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS
Wall Street kicked off a busy week of corporate earnings with a broad rally Monday, the latest about-face for a market that has been unsteadily lurching between gains and losses in recent weeks.
NEW YORK (AP) — The startup union that clinched a historic labor victory at Amazon earlier this year is slated to face the company yet again, aiming to rack up more wins that could force the reluctant retail behemoth to the negotiating table.
NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL POLITICS
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Treasury Department said Monday that it has sanctioned a group of high-ranking members of the Somalia-based al-Shabab militant group, who act as key middle men between the group and local companies in Somalia.
WASHINGTON (AP) — From his home in Collegeville, Pennsylvania, Graeme Dean says there's plenty that's disheartening about the state of the country and politics these days. At the center of one of this year's most competitive U.S. Senate races, he's on the receiving end of a constant barrage of vitriolic advertising that makes it easy to focus on what's going wrong.
WASHINGTON (AP) — This year's midterm elections are playing out as a strange continuation of the last presidential race — and a potential preview of the next one.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Two years ago, candidate Joe Biden loudly denounced President Donald Trump for immigration policies that inflicted "cruelty and exclusion at every turn," including toward those fleeing the "brutal" government of socialist Nicolas Maduro in Venezuela.
LONDON (AP) — As British Prime Minister Liz Truss struggles to retain her authority, one man is seen to be in the real position of power to restore order and credibility to the Conservative government and limit the damage caused by Truss' economic plans.
UKRAINE
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Waves of explosive-laden suicide drones struck Ukraine's capital Monday, setting buildings ablaze and tearing a hole in one while sending people scurrying for shelter or attempting to shoot down the kamikazes.
BRUSSELS (AP) — The European Union on Monday approved a military training mission in Europe for thousands of Ukrainian troops and a plan to provide around 500 million euros ($486 million) in extra funds to help buy weapons for the war-torn country.
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — When massive, coordinated Russian bombardments shook cities and towns across Ukraine a week ago to trigger a new phase in the Kremlin's war, one strike left a huge crater in a popular Kyiv children's playground and ripped open a central intersection.
BRUSSELS (AP) — NATO on Monday began its long-planned annual nuclear exercises in northwestern Europe as tensions simmer over the war in Ukraine and President Vladimir Putin's threat to use any means to defend Russian territory.
MONDAY, OCTOBER 10
MUSIC INDUSTRY
NEW YORK (AP) — Dolly Parton was jokingly uncharitable after the crowd at the Carnegie Medal of Philanthropy ceremony tried singing along with her during her acceptance speech at Gotham Hall.
NASHVILLE PREDATORS
NASHVILLE (AP) — Mason Marchment scored twice, Jake Oettinger made 30 saves and the Dallas Stars beat the Nashville Predators 4-1 on Thursday night.
ELECTION 2022
NASHVILLE (AP) — Less than a month before Election Day, Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee has no plans to participate in a debate against Democratic opponent Dr. Jason Martin.
STATE GOVERNMENT
NASHVILLE (AP) — Public housing agencies in Tennessee can no longer include provisions in their leases that bar tenants from having guns in their homes, a state appeals panel has ruled.
NASHVILLE (AP) — Tennessee Secretary of State Tre Hargett has taken a plea deal after he was charged with driving under the influence after leaving a bar in June.
PERSONAL FINANCE
WASHINGTON (AP) — More than 9 million people and families who did not receive their advance child tax credit checks, stimulus payments and other tax rebates will soon get a letter from the IRS to claim their money.
ENERGY
ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Friday that Turkey and Russia have instructed their respective energy authorities to immediately begin technical work on a Russian proposal that would turn Turkey into a gas hub for Europe.
HEALTH CARE
UnitedHealth trumped third-quarter expectations and hiked its 2022 forecast again as one of the largest U.S. health insurance providers moved deeper into delivering care.
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The U.S. Department of Agriculture on Friday proposed sweeping changes in the way chicken and turkey meat is processed that are intended to reduce illnesses from food contamination but could require meat companies to make extensive changes to their operations.
BANKING
NEW YORK (AP) — The outlook for the U.S. economy from Wall Street's biggest banks is getting gloomier, with many top executives saying they're preparing for a potential downturn or a recession.
NEW YORK (AP) — Key financial regulators on Friday approved U.S. Bank's $8 billion acquisition of Japanese financial titan MUFG's Union Bank franchise, clearing big regulatory hurdles for a deal that will push U.S. Bank closer to the size of Wall Street's mega banks.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Wells Fargo easily beat Wall Street's third-quarter revenue forecasts as higher interest rates helped offset a steep decline in home lending.
NEW YORK (AP) — JPMorgan Chase & Co.'s third quarter profit fell by 17% from a year earlier, as the bank set aside roughly a billion dollars to cover potential losses in an economic recession that CEO Jamie Dimon has said could come in six to nine months.
NEW YORK (AP) — JPMorgan Chase and the rapper formerly known as Kanye West are ending their business relationship, but the breakup is not a result of the controversy over the hip-hop star's recent antisemitic comments.
NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS
Stocks ended broadly lower on Wall Street, leaving most major indexes in the red for the week, as more concerns emerged about inflation.
NEW YORK (AP) — The pace of sales at U.S. retailers was unchanged in September from August as rising prices for rent and food chipped away at money available for other things.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Atlanta Federal Reserve Bank President Raphael Bostic said Friday that many of his financial trades and investments in the past five years inadvertently violated the central bank's ethics rules, and he has revised all his financial disclosures since becoming president in 2017.
WASHINGTON (AP) — What keeps driving inflation so high? The answer, it seems, is nearly everything.
Two of the nation's largest grocers have agreed to merge in a deal they say would help them better compete with Walmart, Amazon and other major companies that have stepped into the grocery business.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal regulators and Facebook parent Meta are battling over Meta's proposed acquisition of virtual-reality company Within Unlimited and its fitness app Supernatural.
NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL POLITICS
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration is putting forth seven new Justice Department and judicial nominations covering three U.S. attorney's offices in Texas and other senior posts. One is a prosecutor who vowed to seek the death penalty for a man who killed nearly two dozen people in a racist attack at a Walmart.
WASHINGTON (AP) — In an extraordinary step, the House Jan. 6 committee has voted unanimously to subpoena former President Donald Trump — a final effort to get the full story of the Capitol insurrection as the panel wraps up its work by the end of the year.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The House Jan. 6 committee voted unanimously to subpoena former President Donald Trump, demanding his personal testimony as it unveiled startling new video and described his multi-part plan to overturn his 2020 election loss, which led to his supporters' fierce assault on the U.S. Capitol.
WASHINGTON (AP) — As rioters stormed through the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi was sheltering in a secure location and trying to do what her job demands: take charge of a situation.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The House Jan. 6 committee took the extraordinary action of subpoenaing former President Donald Trump on Thursday as it issued a stark warning in its final public hearing before the midterm election: The future of the nation's democracy is at stake.
LOS ANGELES (AP) — President Joe Biden is set to highlight his administration's efforts to lower prescription drug costs on Friday as part of his three-state Western tour this week, as he confronts a sobering inflation report in the waning weeks before midterm elections.
UKRAINE
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Defense Department has gotten a request from SpaceX and Tesla founder Elon Musk to take over funding for his satellite network that has provided crucial battlefield communications for Ukrainian military forces during the war with Russia, U.S. officials said Friday.
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 13
VANDERBILT SPORTS
ATHENS, Ga. (AP) — The Georgia Bulldogs are back atop the rankings, even though their style points are a bit lacking.
NASHVILLE AREA
NASHVILLE (AP) — First lady Jill Biden travelled to Tennessee's capitol city Wednesday to encourage Americans once more to roll up their sleeves and get their COVID-19 booster shot ahead of the upcoming holiday season.
STATE GOVERNMENT
NASHVILLE (AP) — A Nashville social club's owner has reached a deal to plead guilty to a campaign finance scheme alleged against him and a Tennessee state senator who has criticized the charges as a "political witch hunt."
COURTS
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court on Thursday rejected former President Donald Trump's plea to step into the legal fight over the FBI search of his Florida estate.
NEW YORK (AP) — New York's attorney general has asked a judge to bar Donald Trump's company from selling or transferring assets without court approval, saying it had engaged in a devious attempt to duck potential penalties in her fraud lawsuit against the former president.
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — Florida school shooter Nikolas Cruz will be sentenced to life without parole for the 2018 murder of 17 people at Parkland's Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, after the jury said Thursday that it could not unanimously agree that he should be executed — a decision that left some parents in tears as they exited the courtroom.
WASHINGTON (AP) — A member of the Oath Keepers who traveled to Washington before the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol testified Wednesday about a massive cache of weapons the far-right extremist group stashed in a Virginia hotel room.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Andy Warhol and Prince held center stage in a copyright case before the Supreme Court on Wednesday that veered from Cheerios and "Mona Lisa" analogies to Justice Clarence Thomas' enthusiasm for the "Purple Rain" showman.
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — A federal judge on Wednesday approved a plan to restructure some $6 billion of debt held by Puerto Rico's Highways and Transportation Authority as the U.S. territory emerges from bankruptcy.
HEALTH CARE
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration said Thursday that the COVID-19 public health emergency will continue through Jan. 11 as officials brace for a spike in cases this winter.
MEDIA
SAN RAMON, Calif. (AP) — Netflix next month will unveil the first version of its video streaming service with ads, giving cost-conscious viewers a chance to watch most of its shows at a steep discount in exchange for putting up with commercial interruptions.
AUTO INDUSTRY
TOKYO (AP) — A new electric car company that brings together two big names in Japanese business, Honda and Sony, officially kicked off Thursday.
PERSONAL FINANCE
WASHINGTON (AP) — Millions of Social Security recipients will get an 8.7% boost in their benefits in 2023, a historic increase but a gain that will be eaten up in part by the rising cost of everyday living.
NEW YORK (AP) — Tens of millions of older Americans will see a major increase in benefits this January when a new cost-of-living adjustment (or COLA) is added to Social Security payments.
ENVIRONMENT
LISBON, Portugal (AP) — A prize worth 1 million euros ($970,000) is being awarded to two intergovernmental bodies for their work on climate change.
ENERGY
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Saudi Arabia said Thursday that the U.S. had urged the kingdom to postpone a decision by OPEC and its allies — including Russia — to cut oil production by a month. Such a delay could have helped reduce the risk of a spike in gas prices ahead of the U.S. midterm elections next month.
PARIS (AP) — France has for the first time started conveying natural gas to Germany, French gas network operator GRTgaz said Thursday, as Berlin strives to diversify its energy supply following the interruption of Russian gas deliveries.
NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS
NEW YORK (AP) — Wall Street staged its biggest comeback in years as stocks roared back from steep morning losses caused by a worse-than-expected report on inflation.
NEW YORK (AP) — Amazon said Thursday its Prime members ordered more than 100 million items during a sales event this week that analysts are expecting to be a bellwether for the holiday shopping season.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Warning that inflation threatens to become "a runaway train,'' the managing director of the International Monetary Fund urged policymakers to keep up the fight against rising prices even it means more pain at a time of extraordinary economic turmoil.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Inflation in the United States accelerated in September, with the cost of housing and other necessities intensifying pressure on households, wiping out pay gains and ensuring that the Federal Reserve will keep raising interest rates aggressively.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits rose slightly last week but remains historically low even as the U.S. economy slows in the midst of decades-high inflation.
STOCKHOLM (AP) — Swedish home furnishings giant IKEA said Thursday that despite "unprecedented challenges" caused by the war in Ukraine, supply chain disruptions, increased inflation and lingering fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic, 2022 had been an "exceptional year."
Walgreens Boots Alliance topped earnings forecasts in the final quarter of fiscal 2022, and the drugstore chain's early look at 2023 also fell mostly above expectations.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House hosted a summit Thursday to help speed up construction projects tied to the roughly $1 trillion infrastructure law as the Biden administration tries to improve coordination with the mayors and governors who directly account for 90% of the spending.
Delta Air Lines reported a $695 million third-quarter profit as higher average fares this summer and a lucrative credit-card business more than offset higher fuel prices.
LONDON (AP) — A senior member of the U.K. government on Thursday rejected suggestions that Prime Minister Liz Truss should step down after lawmakers from her own party criticized Truss for economic policies that have sparked turmoil on financial markets.
NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL POLITICS
WASHINGTON (AP) — The House Jan. 6 committee has subpoenaed Donald Trump for his testimony about the 2021 Capitol attack.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Former President George W. Bush and his wife, Laura, are returning to Washington next month to be recognized for their work on combatting HIV/AIDS worldwide.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Treasury Department's internal watchdog is investigating whether Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis improperly used federal pandemic aid to fly migrants to Martha's Vineyard as part of his effort to "transport illegal immigrants to sanctuary destinations."
UKRAINE
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russia's forces used Iranian-made kamikaze drones to attack Ukraine's capital and Odesa regions Thursday and slammed other areas with missiles as Moscow punished the country for a fourth day for a truck bomb attack on a landmark Russian bridge.
BRUSSELS (AP) — NATO's secretive Nuclear Planning Group met Thursday as the military alliance presses ahead with plans to hold a nuclear exercise next week as concerns deepen over President Vladimir Putin's insistence that he will use any means necessary to defend Russian territory.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Ukrainian leaders are pressing the U.S. and Western allies for air defense systems and longer-range weapons to keep up the momentum in their counteroffensive against Russia and fight back against Moscow's intensified attacks.
Olga Lopatkina paced around her basement like a trapped animal. She hadn't heard from her six adopted children stranded in Mariupol for over a week, and she didn't know what to do.