VOL. 44 | NO. 40 | Friday, October 2, 2020
TENNESSEE TITANS
Is it better to be lucky than good? It certainly seems to be working for the Tennessee Titans after three games.
First down: Figure out how to stop the run. Dalvin Cook ran wild for 181 yards last week. That’s after James Robinson of Jacksonville ran for more than 100 yards the week before. That has to be figured out by Mike Vrabel, who is the head coach and de facto defensive coordinator this season. Some of it comes from missed tackles. Some is bad gap fits and getting out of position. But whatever is wrong, it cannot continue to happen.
GUEST COLUMNIST
A Davidson County chancellor took much-needed action last week when she gave public accountability a boost and set the Attorney General’s Office straight on the Open Meetings Act.
NEWSMAKERS
Michael Eric Dyson, a globally renowned scholar of race, religion and contemporary culture, will join Vanderbilt as Centennial Chair and University Distinguished Professor of African American and Diaspora Studies in the College of Arts and Science and University Distinguished Professor of Ethics and Society in the Divinity School on Jan. 1.
BRIEFS
Pilgrimage Music and Cultural Festival producers have scheduled the next event for Sept. 25-26 following a one-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
BEHIND THE WHEEL
You’ve probably heard the phrase “your mileage may vary” with regard to how your real-world fuel economy compares to the EPA estimate. The adage refers to gasoline-powered vehicles, but the same applies to electric vehicles.
BUSINESS BOOK REVIEW
Your crystal ball is broken. There’s no seer on your payroll, no Tarot mat in the breakroom and nobody’s consulting the stars on your behalf. Sometimes, though, it would be nice to have one of those available so you could see the into future.
PERSONAL FINANCE
Interest in sustainable investing is soaring as more people become convinced that making a positive impact can be profitable as well as good for the planet and society. Unfortunately, the Labor Department doesn’t think these investments belong in your 401(k).
MILLENNIAL MONEY
If you’re looking for a self-improvement task in this pandemic era, try teaching yourself to use contactless payments with your phone or “tap-to-pay” credit and debit cards.
TENNESSEE TITANS
NASHVILLE (AP) — The Tennessee Titans have had another positive test result to raise their outbreak to 23 cases, a person familiar with the situation told The Associated Press on Thursday.
NASHVILLE AREA
NASHVILLE (AP) — Citizens have a chance to weigh in on a proposal to remove endangered species status from the Nashville crayfish, whose only known habitat is the Mill Creek watershed in Tennessee.
STATEWIDE
NASHVILLE (AP) — The U.S. Department of Agriculture has set aside up to $30 million to help protect and restore wetlands on agricultural lands in Tennessee.
MEDIA
PARIS (AP) — A French appeals court upheld an order for Google to open negotiations with French publishers over payments to use their news content.
TECHNOLOGY
LONDON (AP) — A committee of British lawmakers is urging the government to consider banning Chinese technology giant Huawei from next-generation mobile phone networks two years earlier than planned.
VIRUS OUTBREAK
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump said Thursday that he is ready to hold campaign rallies and he credited an experimental drug treatment with helping his recovery from COVID-19, although there is no way for the president or his doctors to know whether the drug had any effect.
White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows hosted a large wedding for his daughter that appeared to violate a Georgia order and city of Atlanta guidelines aimed at stopping the spread of COVID-19, an Atlanta newspaper reported Thursday.
LONDON (AP) — The British government is mulling fresh restrictions on everyday life in England amid mounting fears that hospitals in some of the country's hot spots may soon be overwhelmed by growing numbers of patients laid low by the coronavirus.
PARIS (AP) — Paris region health authorities ordered hospitals to activate emergency measures starting Thursday to cope with fast-rising numbers of COVID-19 patients, who now fill 40% of the region's intensive care units.
STEBNYK, Ukraine (AP) — Coronavirus infections in Ukraine began surging in late summer, and the ripples are now hitting towns like Stebnyk in the western part of the country, where Dr. Natalia Stetsik is watching the rising number of patients with alarm and anguish.
NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS
WASHINGTON (AP) — The number of Americans seeking unemployment benefits fell slightly last week to a still-high 840,000, evidence that job cuts remain elevated seven months into the pandemic recession.
ARMONK, N.Y. (AP) — IBM says it is breaking off a $19 billion chunk of its business to focus on cloud computing.
NEW YORK (AP) — Morgan Stanley will buy the investment management firm Eaton Vance in a deal valued at about $7 billion.
ROME (AP) — Pope Francis told European anti-money laundering experts Thursday that the Vatican was committed to "clean finance," as he denounced financial speculation amid a spiraling corruption investigation in the heart of the Holy See.
ELECTION 2020
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump vowed Thursday to skip next week's debate with Democratic nominee Joe Biden after organizers said it would be held virtually because of the president's COVID-19 diagnosis — more evidence that the race will be defined by the coronavirus despite the White House's attempts to make it about almost anything else.
BOSTON (AP) — Several high-profile cases of voters getting incorrect blank absentee ballots in the mail are raising questions about how often such mix-ups occur and whether they could affect this year's presidential election.
OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Facebook said it's readied new safeguards for the 2020 U.S. elections that have it better prepared to deal with candidates who prematurely declare victory or contest official results and the possibility of voter intimidation by alleged — and potentially armed — "poll watchers."
WASHINGTON (AP) — In normal times, vice presidential debates don't matter much. But in an election year as wild as 2020, everything is magnified.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Although more buttoned-up on the stage than his boss, Vice President Mike Pence nevertheless echoed many of President Donald Trump's falsehoods Wednesday in the one and only debate with Democratic rival Kamala Harris.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The vice presidential debate featured plexiglass barriers to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. They were no match for the night's most talked-about intruder — a fly that briefly buzzed around the stage before landing and staying on Mike Pence's head.
WASHINGTON (AP) — It had the ingredients of a President Donald Trump campaign speech: dangerous immigrants, attacks on Democrat-run cities, even a mention of "America First."
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 7
PREDATORS
The Nashville Predators traded center Nick Bonino to the Minnesota Wild for forward Luke Kunin on Wednesday, a swap on the second day of the NHL draft that sent two picks to the Wild and one back to the Predators.
TENNESSEE TITANS
NASHVILLE (AP) — The NFL's investigation into how Tennessee turned into the league's first COVID-19 outbreak found "several specific incidents" of the Titans possibly breaking protocols dealing with the coronavirus pandemic, according to a person with knowledge of the probe.
NASHVILLE SC
NASHVILLE (AP) — Joe Willis made four saves for his league-leading seventh shutout of the season and Nashville played Minnesota United to a scoreless draw on Tuesday night in the first meeting between the clubs.
UT SPORTS
Right tackle Cade Mays and No. 14 Tennessee are about to add another juicy chapter to a Southeastern Conference football soap opera.
MIDSTATE
In a business where family tradition tends to matter, Chris Fletcher stepped up Wednesday to follow in his grandfather's footsteps to lead production of the Jack Daniel's whiskey brand.
COURTS
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — The Texas Supreme Court ruled Wednesday that 2 million Houston voters cannot receive unsolicited mail ballot applications from local elections officials who are dramatically expanding ways to vote in November in the nation's third-largest county, a key battleground in Texas.
PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday turned away a last-ditch effort by the Maine Republican Party to stop ranked choice voting from being used for the first time in the state's presidential contest.
A federal judge in New Jersey declined on Tuesday to grant a preliminary injunction sought by the Trump campaign to stop New Jersey's mail-in ballot program.
WASHINGTON (AP) — On the Supreme Court's menu: Google, Oracle copyright clash.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett served as a "handmaid," the term then used for high-ranking female leaders in the People of Praise religious community, an old directory for the group's members shows.
MEDIA
OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Facebook said it will ban groups that openly support QAnon, the baseless conspiracy theory that paints President Donald Trump as a secret warrior against a supposed child-trafficking ring run by celebrities and "deep state" government officials.
VIRUS OUTBREAK
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump has returned to the Oval Office for the first time since he was diagnosed and hospitalized with COVID-19.
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump remained out of sight for a second day Wednesday recovering from COVID-19, but he made his presence known on social media as he tweeted broadsides against Democrats, floated false disease figures and pushed lawmakers to take up piecemeal economic aid proposals after nixing negotiations on a broader assistance package.
A drug company says it has asked the U.S. government to allow emergency use of an experimental antibody therapy based on early results from a study that suggested the drug reduced symptoms, the amount of virus, hospitalizations and ER visits for patients with mild or moderate COVID-19.
LONDON (AP) — The Scottish government ordered pubs in Scotland's two biggest cities to close and restricted food and drink business in the rest of the country as Britain seeks to control a surge in coronavirus cases. The U.K. government is mulling whether to follow suit and tighten restrictions for England.
BRUSSELS (AP) — Brussels on Wednesday decided at that all bars, dance halls and cafeterias will have to close for a month to counter a surge in coronavirus cases.
LONDON (AP) — Swiss pharmaceutical firm Roche said Wednesday that problems at a U.K. warehouse are delaying shipments of testing products to clinics and hospitals, triggering concerns that COVID-19 testing may be disrupted as infection rates rise around Britain.
NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — About 8,800 part-time union workers at Walt Disney World in Florida will be part of the 28,000 layoffs in Disney's parks division in California and Florida, union officials said Wednesday.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The head of the IRS, on the defensive over millions of Americans in danger of missing coronavirus relief payments, said Wednesday the agency is reaching out to low-income and homeless people, military personnel and veterans and those with limited English to notify them they may be eligible for the aid.
Stocks closed broadly higher on Wall Street Wednesday after President Donald Trump appeared to backtrack on his decision to halt talks on another rescue effort for the economy.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal Reserve officials expressed concern at their most-recent meeting that the U.S. economy recovery could falter if Congress failed to approve another round of pandemic relief.
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. consumers cut back on their borrowing in August, with credit card use dropping for a sixth straight month, reflecting caution in the midst of the pandemic-triggered recession.
Ruby Tuesday is filing for bankruptcy protection, the latest casual restaurant chain to suffer from coronavirus-related closures and changing consumer habits.
JOHANNESBURG (AP) — Up to 150 million people could slip into extreme poverty, living on less than $1.90 a day, by late next year depending on how badly economies shrink during the COVID-19 pandemic, the World Bank said Wednesday in an outlook grimmer than before.
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump on Wednesday tried to salvage a few priority items lost in the rubble of COVID-19 relief talks that he himself blew up, pressing for $1,200 stimulus checks and new aid for airlines and other businesses hard hit by the pandemic. But it's not clear whether he can undo the self-inflicted political damage so close to the election.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Democratic lawmakers are calling for Congress to rein in Big Tech, possibly forcing Facebook, Google, Amazon and Apple to break up their businesses, while making it harder for them to acquire others and imposing new rules to safeguard competition.
After years of calling Big Tech too big, Democratic lawmakers are calling for Congress to rein in Facebook, Google, Amazon and Apple by breaking them up, limiting future mergers and blocking self-dealing that could hurt competitors.
Microsoft says the U.S. Labor Department is scrutinizing its efforts to boost Black employment and leadership at the tech company.
ELECTION 2020
WASHINGTON (AP) — Vulnerable Republicans are increasingly taking careful, but clear, steps to distance themselves from President Donald Trump, one sign of a new wave of GOP anxiety that the president's crisis-to-crisis reelection bid could bring down Senate candidates across the country.
WASHINGTON (AP) — A single House race in Montana could determine the presidential election.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Kamala Harris has again tested negative for the coronavirus.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Kamala Harris' chief of staff says the Democratic campaign is confident in the safety measures for Wednesday's vice presidential debate.
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump's return to the White House is poised to reshape the campaign's final four weeks as aides debated how to move past an extraordinary setback while grappling with how to send an infected president back on the road.
WASHINGTON (AP) — It's one of the most obscure functions of Congress, little known or understood even by most lawmakers. But it may have once put staffers in possession of one of the most enduring mysteries of the Donald Trump era: his tax data, which The New York Times revealed to the world.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The FBI and the Department of Homeland Security's cybersecurity agency have issued a series of advisories in recent weeks aimed at warning voters about problems that could surface in the election — as well as steps Americans can take to counter the foreign interference threat.
NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL POLITICS
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — The White House said Wednesday that U.S. President Donald Trump plans to appoint a man who once advised creditors in financial disputes involving Puerto Rico and Argentina to a federal control board overseeing the U.S. territory's finances.
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 6
TENNESSEE TITANS
NASHVILLE (AP) — Coach Mike Vrabel says the Tennessee Titans stand by how they've followed the NFL's protocols for the coronavirus pandemic and hope the league will allow the team back inside the building Wednesday.
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell is warning the league's 32 teams of penalties including potential forfeits of games for violations of COVID-19 protocols that force changes in the schedule.
STATE GOVERNMENT
NASHVILLE (AP) — A Tennessee panel on Monday conditionally approved a license for a fourth sportsbook operator under the state's online-only sports betting program, which is expected to begin allowing wagers Nov. 1.
STATEWIDE
NASHVILLE (AP) — Tennessee election officials have adjusted rules for when first-time voters who want to vote by mail must provide identifying documents, following action by a federal court last month.
NASHVILLE (AP) — The only debate scheduled thus far between the candidates seeking to win Tennessee's open Senate seat has been called off.
MEMPHIS (AP) — Antivirus software entrepreneur John McAfee has been charged with evading taxes after failing to report income made from promoting cryptocurrencies while he did consulting work, made speaking engagements and sold the rights to his life story for a documentary, prosecutors in Tennessee said Monday.
NASHVILLE AREA
NASHVILLE (AP) — A university in Tennessee's capital city says it is still on track to host the third and final presidential debate later this month.
ENVIRONMENT
LONDON (AP) — Prime Minister Boris Johnson pledged Tuesday that every home in Britain will be powered by wind energy in a decade as the government kick-starts a "green industrial revolution'' that will create hundreds of thousands of jobs.
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — One of the largest coal-fired power plants in the U.S. Southwest would undergo a $1.4 billion overhaul as part of a proposal to keep the plant operating for at least another decade while meeting stricter environmental requirements aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
TRANSPORTATION
Boeing is lowering its expectations around demand for new planes over the next decade as the coronavirus pandemic continues to undercut air travel.
DALLAS (AP) — Southwest Airlines will cut pay for nonunion workers in January and says union workers must also accept less pay or face furloughs next year as the pandemic continues to hammer the airline business.
COURTS
WASHINGTON (AP) — Shuttered by COVID-19 infections, the Republican-led Senate is refusing to delay confirmation of President Donald Trump's pick for the Supreme Court. They are even willing to make special arrangements so sick senators can vote for Judge Amy Coney Barrett, and Democrats appear powerless to stop them.
VIRUS OUTBREAK
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Food and Drug Administration released updated safety standards Tuesday for makers of COVID-19 vaccines after the White House blocked their formal release, the latest political tug-of-war between the Trump administration and the government's public health scientists.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Still sickened by COVID-19, President Donald Trump plunged back on Tuesday into playing down the disease that hospitalized him for three days and has so far killed more than 210,000 Americans. He compared it anew to the seasonal flu and signaled he plans to return soon to the campaign trail.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The chairman of the joint chiefs of staff and other top military leaders are under quarantine after a senior Coast Guard official tested positive for the coronavirus, two U.S. officials said.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The West Wing is a ghost town. Staff members are scared of exposure. And the White House is now a treatment ward for not one — but two — COVID-19 patients, including a president who has long taken the threat of the virus lightly.
WASHINGTON (AP) — His press secretary once described President Donald Trump as the "most tested man in America" when it came to COVID-19. And variations on that message were the White House ready response any time critics questioned the president's lax approach to following guidelines for avoiding the novel coronavirus.
NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS
Stocks dropped on Wall Street Tuesday after President Donald Trump ordered a stop to negotiations with Democrats on a coronavirus economic stimulus bill until after the election.
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump abandoned COVID-19 relief talks on Tuesday, saying they won't resume until after the election. The move came as the chairman of the Federal Reserve said that further fiscal intervention is needed to prevent the economy from spiraling downward.
WASHINGTON (AP) — House Speaker Nancy Pelosi says President Donald Trump is "putting himself first at the expense of the country" by halting negotiations over a new coronavirus aid package from Congress.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration announced plans Tuesday to sharply limit visas issued to skilled workers from overseas, a move officials said was a priority amid job losses caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — A U.S. government watchdog agency faulted the Trump administration Tuesday for its handling of a COVID-19 relief effort that awarded companies breaks on payments for oil and gas extracted from public lands in Western states in more than 500 cases.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell warned Tuesday that a tentative recovery from the pandemic recession could falter unless the federal government supplies additional economic support.
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. employers advertised slightly fewer jobs in August as hiring ticked up modestly.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. trade deficit rose in August to the highest level in 14 years.
GENEVA (AP) — The World Trade Organization is predicting a 9.2% drop in merchandise trade this year, saying the hit from the pandemic doesn't appear to be bad as first thought - though the recovery may be slower than anticipated and could worsen if case counts rise again.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The head of the International Monetary Fund says that the global economy has started on a long climb to stronger growth with prospects looking a little better than four months ago.
LONDON (AP) — Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Tuesday promised to use the COVID-19 pandemic as a catalyst to build a stronger Britain led by private enterprise, and took aim at "potshot, snipeshot" opponents who want to prolong government bailout programs forever.
BRUSSELS (AP) — A top European Union official dealing with the United Kingdom said Tuesday that a cliff-edge rupture between the two without even a basic trade deal by the end of the year is becoming more likely by the day.
CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — The Australian government on Tuesday announced plans to cut income taxes, create jobs for young people and stimulate business investment with a raft of pandemic measures that would create a record 214 billion Australian dollar ($153 billion) deficit in the current fiscal year.
ELECTION 2020
WASHINGTON (AP) — Four weeks ahead of Election Day, senior national security officials provided fresh assurances about the integrity of the elections in a video message Tuesday, putting them at odds with President Donald Trump's efforts to discredit the vote.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Michelle Obama is going after President Donald Trump in a scathing new video that accuses him of "willful mismanagement" of the coronavirus crisis and of racism. She calls on Black and all young voters not to "waste" their votes.
WASHINGTON (AP) — With President Donald Trump ill with COVID-19, Vice President Mike Pence took the lead role in campaigning Monday, starting a swing through key states to bolster the president's chance for reelection.
MONDAY, OCTOBER 5
MUSIC INDUSTRY
NASHVILLE (AP) — Country stars Reba McEntire and Darius Rucker are promising laughs and good music when they co-host this year's CMA Awards in November.
STATEWIDE
LONDON (AP) — Shares in the company that owns the Knoxville-based Regal and Cineworld and Picturehouse movie theaters fell as much as 58% after it said it will temporarily close the venues because delays to the latest James Bond film left it with few blockbusters to attract customers during the pandemic.
NASHVILLE (AP) — Tennesseans are running out of time to register to vote in the Nov. 3 general election.
NASHVILLE (AP) — Tennesseans have a new tool to help them file workers' compensation claims — an app that lets them fill out key forms by speaking into a smartphone.
TENNESSEE TITANS
NASHVILLE (AP) — The New England Patriots and Kansas City Chiefs returned all negative results, allowing their game rescheduled for Monday night to be played, and the Tennessee Titans have their first day clear of positive results in a week, a person familiar with the situation told The Associated Press.
SPORTS
INGLEWOOD, Calif. (AP) — Golden Tate finally got his chance to face Jalen Ramsey, and the personal animosity between the two players exploded on Sunday after the Los Angeles Rams' 17-9 victory over the New York Giants.
COURTS
NASHVILLE (AP) — A Tennessee death row inmate who has always claimed innocence asked the governor on Monday to commute his sentence to life in prison.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court, already poised to take a significant turn to the right, opened its new term Monday with a jolt from two conservative justices who raised new criticism of the court's embrace of same-sex marriage.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court began its new term Monday with a remembrance of "a dear friend and a treasured colleague," the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court is allowing a class-action lawsuit to proceed from minor league baseball players who allege they are being paid less than minimum wage.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court refused on Monday to take up an appeal from South Dakota's only death row inmate, who was sentenced to death after he pleaded guilty to taking part in a torture killing 20 years ago.
VIRUS OUTBREAK
BETHESDA, Md. (AP) — President Donald Trump said Monday he's leaving the military hospital where he has been treated for COVID-19 and will continue his recovery at the White House. He said he's feeling good and the nation should not be afraid of the virus that has killed more than 209,000 Americans.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Timeline of President Donald Trump's medical care since he was diagnosed with coronavirus. It isn't known how Trump became infected; several people who were in close contact with the president in the days before his diagnosis also have coronavirus infections.
WASHINGTON (AP) — More Americans blame the U.S. government instead of foreign nations for the coronavirus crisis in the United States, a rebuke to the Trump administration's contention that China or other countries are most at fault, a new poll shows.
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump's main doctor says in a health update that the medical team treating the president is "cautiously optimistic," but also notes that the president is "not yet out of the woods."
WASHINGTON (AP) — Some answers emerged Saturday on President Donald Trump's condition as he battles the coronavirus, but Trump's medical team withheld some key information in their first full, televised update.
WASHINGTON (AP) — White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany says she has tested positive for COVID-19. This comes days after President Donald Trump tested positive for the coronavirus.
WASHINGTON (AP) — One month from Election Day, President Donald Trump is facing a credibility crisis as yawning as his health crisis, at a moment when he needs the public's trust the most.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Two Republican members of the Senate Judiciary Committee have tested positive for the coronavirus, raising questions about the timing of Supreme Court confirmation hearings for Judge Amy Coney Barrett and whether additional senators may have been exposed. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell declared the confirmation process was going "full steam ahead."
WASHINGTON (AP) — The scene at the White House a week ago was one of normalcy in these most abnormal times: a crowd of revelers gathered in the Rose Garden, a band playing, the mingling of the elite, good cheer everywhere, handshakes and hugs left and right.
MADRID (AP) — Although the speed of new coronavirus infections is waning, hard-hit Spain has accumulated more than 800,000 cases since the beginning of the pandemic as scientists and health workers redouble their criticism for how the country's politicians have responded to it.
LONDON (AP) — The British government faced huge questions Monday over its coronavirus testing system after a tripling in the number of daily positive cases over the weekend that was blamed on a technical glitch.
PARIS (AP) — French authorities placed the Paris region on maximum virus alert on Monday, banning festive gatherings and requiring all bars to close but allowing restaurants to remain open, as numbers of infections increased rapidly.
NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS
NEW YORK (AP) — Wall Street rallied Monday as hopes for economic aid from Washington helped it recover all its knee-jerk losses after learning President Donald Trump tested positive for the coronavirus.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. services sector, where most Americans work, grew for a fourth straight month in September as the country continued to reopen following a spring shutdown.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. economy faces risks from a potential resurgence of the coronavirus and from the failure so far of Congress to provide additional financial support for struggling individuals and businesses.
WASHINGTON (AP) — This spring, Magdalena Valiente was expecting her best year as a Florida-based concert promoter. Now, she wonders if the career she built over three decades is over.
NEW YORK (AP) — Add last-minute holiday shopping to the list of time-honored traditions being upended by the coronavirus pandemic. Retailers are kicking off the holiday season earlier than ever this year in hopes of avoiding big in-store crowds and shipping bottlenecks in November and December.
ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Microsoft has announced plans to build three data center sites in greater Athens, providing a badly needed investment of up to $1 billion to the Greek economy which has been hammered by the pandemic.
ELECTION 2020
WASHINGTON (AP) — Joe Biden says he's willing to go forward with an in-person debate later this month "if scientists say it's safe," even after President Donald Trump was diagnosed with COVID-19.
WASHINGTON (AP) — If a ballot is tossed because of some issue — maybe a missing signature or it got damaged — will the voter be notified that the ballot's been invalidated? And can the voter cast a new ballot?
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump's long-hidden tax returns leaked out. His first debate performance ignited a firestorm over white supremacy. He was hospitalized for COVID-19 after months of playing down the threat of a pandemic that has killed more than 200,000 Americans.
WASHINGTON (AP) — It's a month before Election Day and President Donald Trump is in the hospital, infected with a virus that has killed more than 209,000 Americans. What happens in the election — already well underway — should his condition take a turn for the worse?
WASHINGTON (AP) — Nine ballots discarded in Pennsylvania. A mail carrier who altered a handful of affidavit ballot applications. People being sent double ballots.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Vice President Mike Pence is in a familiar spot: standing by President Donald Trump.
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 2
TENNESSEE TITANS
NASHVILLE (AP) — The Tennessee Titans now know when they are rescheduled to play the Pittsburgh Steelers after the first NFL game postponed by a COVID-19 outbreak.
NASHVILLE (AP) — The NFL's first COVID-19 outbreak has expanded to 14 within the past week with two more Tennessee Titans testing positive, according to a person familiar with the situation.
NASHVILLE (AP) — The Tennessee Titans find themselves back in a waiting mode, hoping the NFL allows them back inside their headquarters by Tuesday.
STATE GOVERNMENT
NASHVILLE (AP) — Tennessee officials accidentally listed 13 pallets of coronavirus testing materials and other supplies on an auction site, officials said.
VIRUS OUTBREAK
WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House said Friday that President Donald Trump had contracted COVID-19 and was suffering "mild symptoms" as the virus that has killed more than 205,000 Americans spread to the highest reaches of the U.S. government.
WASHINGTON (AP) — House Speaker Nancy Pelosi says she's praying for the president and hopes his testing positive for COVID-19 might be a "learning experience" about the virus.
TOKYO (AP) — News that the world's most powerful man was infected with the world's most notorious disease dominated screens large and small, drawing instant reactions of shock, sympathy, undisguised glee and, of course, the ever-present outrage and curiosity surrounding President Donald Trump.
JOHANNESBURG (AP) — President Donald Trump has joined a growing group of world leaders who have been infected with the coronavirus. Some, like Trump, had been accused of not taking the pandemic seriously. A few are now sending Trump their wishes for a speedy recovery. At 74, the U.S. president is the oldest head of state to become infected with the virus, and his age puts him at higher risk of serious complications from COVID-19.
WASHINGTON (AP) — With just a month to go until the election, President Donald Trump had a busy schedule during the week the coronavirus hit home with him. Trump tweeted early Friday that he and first lady Melania Trump had tested positive for the coronavirus.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Text of a statement from Sean Conley, physician to the president:
NEW YORK (AP) — Amazon said Thursday that nearly 20,000 of its front-line U.S. workers have tested positive or been presumed positive for the virus that causes COVID-19.
MADRID (AP) — Madrid's regional government has appealed against a national order that requires a partial lockdown of the Spanish capital, just hours before a Friday night deadline for enacting the restrictions in the European coronavirus hot spot.
BANKING
FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — With consumers increasingly using cashless ways to buy things, the European Central Bank on Friday took a step closer to issuing a digital version of the euro currency shared by 19 countries, saying it had to be ready to launch digital money if a changing world requires it.
AUTO INDUSTRY
Tesla's third-quarter sales jumped 44% as global demand for its electric vehicles outpaced that of most other automakers.
DETROIT (AP) — In normal times, a 9.7% drop in auto sales would cause executives to sweat profusely. These are not normal times.
NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS
NEW YORK (AP) — Major U.S. stock indexes ended lower at the end of another bumpy day after President Donald Trump tested positive for the coronavirus.
House Democrats on Friday proposed a new $28.8 billion bailout for the airline industry after the carriers began furloughs of more than 32,000 workers to cut costs during a pandemic that has devastated air travel.
WASHINGTON (AP) — America's employers added 661,000 jobs in September, the third straight month of slower hiring and evidence from the final jobs report before the presidential election that the economic recovery has weakened.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Just how resilient is the U.S. economy's recovery from the coronavirus recession? The weakening of the nation's job-generating machine in September — for a third straight month — reinforced doubts.
BRUSSELS (AP) — The European Union and Britain said Friday the gap separating them in their fraught talks on a rudimentary trade agreement following the Brexit divorce remained yawning and called for intensified negotiations in the final couple of weeks.
SAN DIEGO (AP) — A judge on Thursday temporarily lifted a visa ban on a large number of work permits, undercutting a measure that the Trump administration says protects American jobs in a pandemic-wracked economy.
FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — Annual inflation in the 19-country eurozone sagged further below zero in September, bolstering expectations that the European Central Bank will add to its emergency stimulus efforts to help cushion the impact of the pandemic on the economy.
ELECTION 2020
WASHINGTON (AP) — Hitched to Donald Trump, Republicans in Congress are facing perhaps their biggest loyalty test yet as the administration's response to the COVID-19 crisis comes under new scrutiny after the president and the First Lady tested positive for the virus just weeks before the November election.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Nearly $11 billion dollars will be spent by federal candidates and political action committees during the 2020 election cycle, a jaw-dropping sum that will far surpass records set in the past.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The National Guard has designated military police units in two states to serve as rapid reaction forces so they can respond quickly to any potential civil unrest around the country, following violent protests that rocked the nation's capital and several states this summer.
An election year already defined by a cascade of national crises descended further into chaos Friday with President Donald Trump declaring that he's tested positive for the coronavirus after consistently playing down the threat.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Most Americans are concerned at least somewhat by the potential for foreign interference in November's election, and a majority believes that Russia sought in 2016 to influence the outcome of that race, according to a new poll that underscores the anxiety and political divisions heading into the final weeks of the presidential contest.
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump doesn't want to talk about abortion.
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump has floated the unconstitutional idea of delaying the Nov. 3 election. His administration violated a judge's order on the 2020 census and could be held in contempt. Another court ruled that he illegally sidestepped Congress to find billions for his border wall.
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Computer thumb drives used to program Philadelphia voting machines were stolen from a city warehouse along with the laptop of an employee from the machines' manufacturer.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden has again shattered fundraising records, topping his already gargantuan August cash haul during the month of September, according to two people with direct knowledge of the situation.
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden appealed to the nation's Roman Catholic voters on Thursday during a charity dinner that traditionally has been used to promote collegiality and good humor.
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 1
MIDSTATE
NASHVILLE (AP) — A manufacturer of N95 respirator masks plans to set up a $25 million facility in Tennessee that is expected to create 220 jobs over the next three years.
UT SPORTS
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) — Southeastern Conference Commissioner Greg Sankey has agreed to approve transfer waiver requests for players who switched schools inside the league.
COURTS
WASHINGTON (AP) — Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett signed a 2006 newspaper ad sponsored by an anti-abortion group in which she said she opposed "abortion on demand" and defended "the right to life from fertilization to the end of natural life."
LONDON (AP) — Ireland's Supreme Court has ruled that bread sold by the fast food chain Subway contains so much sugar that it cannot be legally defined as bread.
WASHINGTON (AP) — A judge ruled on Thursday that the Trump administration can move forward with its lawsuit against former national security adviser John Bolton over that his tell-all book, which officials say contains classified information.
REAL ESTATE
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. construction spending increased 1.4% in August, led by a surge in single-family homes.
ENVIRONMENT
LONDON (AP) — A ban on plastic straws, drink stirrers and cotton buds took effect Thursday in England after a six-month delay caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
MEDIA
CHICAGO (AP) — Facebook and Twitter promised to stop encouraging the growth of the baseless conspiracy theory QAnon, which fashions President Donald Trump as a secret warrior against a supposed child-trafficking ring run by celebrities and government officials, after it reached an audience of millions on their platforms this year.
LONDON (AP) — Google will pay publishers $1 billion over the next three years for their content, the company's latest effort to defuse tensions over its dominance of the news industry.
WASHINGTON (AP) — A Senate panel has moved to compel testimony from the CEOs of social media giants Facebook, Google and Twitter, as lawmakers opened a new front in rhetorical battles over hate speech, misinformation and perceived political bias on internet platforms a month before the presidential election.
HEALTH CARE
WASHINGTON (AP) — The nation's largest doctors' group on Thursday asked the Supreme Court to strike down a Trump administration rule that's had a far-reaching impact on family planning by prohibiting taxpayer-funded clinics from referring women for abortions.
CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — Former coal CEO Robert E. Murray, who has fought federal regulations on the industry, has filed an application with the U.S. Department of Labor for black lung benefits, according to a published report.
VIRUS OUTBREAK
The head of Pfizer, one of the drugmakers racing to develop a coronavirus vaccine, told employees he was disappointed that its work was politicized during this week's presidential debate and tried to reassure U.S. staff that the company won't bend to pressure to move more quickly.
Carnival Cruise Line is canceling most U.S. sailings through the end of this year, the latest sign that the cruise industry's recovery from the coronavirus pandemic could still be many months away.
October is prime time for flu vaccinations, and the U.S. and Europe are gearing up for what experts hope is high demand as countries seek to avoid a "twindemic" with COVID-19.
LONDON (AP) — The European Medicines Agency has started a "rolling review" process for the COVID-19 vaccine being developed by Oxford University and AstraZeneca, a move it hopes will speed any eventual approval.
NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS
NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stocks climbed on Thursday, but only after pinballing through another shaky day of trading, as Wall Street waits to see if Washington can get past its partisanship to deliver another economic rescue package.
U.S. airlines began furloughing more than 32,000 employees on Thursday after a federal prohibition on job cuts expired.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The number of Americans seeking unemployment benefits declined last week to a still-high 837,000, evidence that the economy is struggling to sustain a tentative recovery that began this summer.
SILVER SPRING, Md. (AP) — U.S manufacturing grew at a slightly slower pace last month, continuing to rebound from spring's coronavirus recession.
FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — Unemployment rose for a fifth straight month in Europe in August and is expected to grow further amid concern that extensive government support programs won't be able keep many businesses hit by coronavirus restrictions afloat forever.
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. consumer spending slowed in August and personal income fell as a $600 weekly benefit for Americans who are unemployed during the pandemic expired.
ROME (AP) — The Vatican released a detailed budget, balance sheet and earning statement for the first time Thursday as it seeks to reassure Catholics amid a corruption scandal that has exposed its shoddy financial management.
NEW YORK (AP) — The massive losses Donald Trump has claimed on his tax returns were reportedly due at least in part to the huge deductions he took against the income his businesses made before and after he became president.
ELECTION 2020
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump says he "enjoyed" debating former Vice President Joe Biden, but he is falsely claiming that Biden is trying to get out of the next two debates.
WASHINGTON (AP) — With just over a month to go before Americans head en masse to the polls in an extraordinarily contentious election, Facebook is expanding restrictions on political advertising, including new bans on messages claiming widespread voter fraud.
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump on Wednesday tried to walk back his refusal to outright condemn a far right fascist group during his debate with Democrat Joe Biden, but the inflammatory moment was far from the first time the president has failed to denounce white supremacists or has advanced racist ideas.
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump has signed a bill to fund the government through Dec. 11, averting the possibility of a government shutdown when the new fiscal year starts Thursday.
NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL POLITICS
WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House is backing a $400 per week pandemic jobless benefit and is dangling the possibility of a COVID-19 relief bill of $1.6 trillion as last-ditch, pre-election negotiations hit a critical phase Thursday. But pessimism is again seeping into the talks and the two sides switched back to attacking each other in public.
SAN DIEGO (AP) — Refugee advocates, including faith-based groups that President Donald Trump is courting in his re-election bid, called on Congress Thursday to halt his administration's plans to slash the limit on refugees allowed into the U.S. to a record low, saying it goes against America's values.