VOL. 37 | NO. 40 | Friday, October 4, 2013
WASHINGTON (AP) — Indiana GOP Rep. Marlin Stutzman said he wanted respect in the budget standoff. Instead, he got ridicule from President Barack Obama and Senate Democrats.
REAL ESTATE
Home buyers moving to the Nashville region from other states are turning the real estate market on its head, buying expensive new homes in urban neighborhoods that once were overlooked and creating fast-growing suburbs around the city.
REALTY CHECK
The late Ronald Reagan delivered some of the best one-liners, sometimes two-liners, of any modern-day president.
TERRY McCORMICK
Jake Locker’s sprained hip certainly puts a damper on the encouraging developments he’s shown the past two weeks.
NEWSMAKERS
J. Alexander’s LLC, operator of J. Alexander’s restaurants and Stoney River Legendary Steak restaurants, has promoted Jessica Hagler to assistant vice president and controller.
GUERRILLA MARKETING
Sales is a tough profession, an art that can take years of practice to master.
THE WORLDLY INVESTOR
I recently received an email from a client asking how in the world the U.S. would overcome its bulging debt pile. There are three parts to this answer.
SMART STUFF 4 WORK
I first ran across the term structural tension in a book called “The Path of Least Resistance” by Robert Fritz. Structural tension has to do with the kind of tension that naturally moves things toward some sort of resolution.
I SWEAR
Bummer! I drove in from Tulsa a while ago. No big deal that my teammates and I suffered an ignominious defeat on the golf course this morning.
KAY'S COOKING CORNER
This past Saturday afternoon, we went to lunch with several family members. As you can guess, we had a lot of fun. There was plenty of joking and laughing during the few hours we spent together.
NASHVILLE AREA
NASHVILLE (AP) — The Nashville Public Library is one of 10 around the country selected to pilot a new oral history project featuring immigrants.
AUTO INDUSTRY
WASHINGTON (AP) — Lives and property are at greater risk because auto recalls and investigations of safety defects have been put on hold during the partial government shutdown, safety advocates said.
HEALTH CARE
WASHINGTON (AP) — The government's new health insurance marketplaces are drawing lots of rotten tomatoes in early reviews, but people are at least checking them out.
NATIONAL BUSINESS
WASHINGTON (AP) — Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew on Thursday urged Congress to raise the government's borrowing limit before Oct. 17, warning that a Republican idea to prioritize payments with cash on hand could cause "irrevocable damage" to the U.S. economy.
NEW YORK (AP) — Several retailers are reporting modest sales gains for September as shoppers, worried about the partial government shutdown and overall economy pulled back from the prior month.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The number of people applying for U.S. unemployment benefits jumped by 66,000 last week to a seasonally adjusted 374,000. But the spike was largely because California processed a huge backlog of claims and the partial government shutdown prompted some companies to cut jobs.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Average U.S. rates on fixed mortgages were little changed this week, staying near their lowest levels in three months.
LOS ANGELES (AP) — The number of U.S. homes set on the path to foreclosure slid to a seven-year low in the third quarter, reflecting a gradually improving housing market and fewer homeowners falling behind on mortgage payments.
BEIJING (AP) — China has achieved another world-beating status its leaders don't want: Biggest oil importer.
NEW YORK (AP) — The stock market broke out of a three-week funk Thursday as Washington moved closer to a deal to avert a U.S. government default.
Oil prices edged above $101 a barrel on Thursday on hopes that U.S. political leaders will find a deal to raise the debt ceiling and after the temporary abduction of the Libyan prime minister reminded investors of threats to crude supplies.
NATIONAL POLITICS
WASHINGTON (AP) — Facing a fresh deadline, House Speaker John Boehner said Thursday that Republicans would vote to extend the government's ability to borrow money for six weeks — but only if President Barack Obama first agrees to fresh negotiations on spending cuts. Under the Republican plan, the partial government shutdown would continue in the meantime.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Maybe it's time to call in a mediator — if there's one not on furlough.
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama is hosting top House Republicans to seek an opening in an impasse that has shuttered much of the government and threatens a catastrophic federal default.
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 9
STATE LEGISLATURE
NASHVILLE (AP) - State Rep. Charles Curtiss says he will not seek re-election. The 66-year-old Sparta Democrat didn't give a specific reason for his decision but said Wednesday he wanted to give candidates considering running for his District 43 seat plenty of time to plan.
STATEWIDE
NASHVILLE (AP) - The Tennessee Registry of Election Finance on Wednesday dismissed a complaint from an ex-Democratic Party official who said Gov. Bill Haslam should have disclosed how much he paid an outside adviser.
COURTS
NASHVILLE (AP) — The state Supreme Court has upheld a death sentence for a Memphis-area man in a 3-2 decision.
AUTO INDUSTRY
FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — German luxury automaker BMW says sales rose 6.7 percent in September thanks to stronger demand in the United States and Asia.
NATIONAL BUSINESS
WASHINGTON (AP) — Starting in about a decade, Kingston, Jamaica, will probably be off-the-charts hot — permanently. Other places will soon follow. Singapore in 2028. Mexico City in 2031. Cairo in 2036. Phoenix and Honolulu in 2043.
WASHINGTON (AP) — A U.S. debt default in the event that a politically divided Congress fails to raise the federal borrowing limit would imperil the entire global economic recovery, a senior International Monetary Fund official warned Wednesday.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Capping a lengthy and politically charged search, President Barack Obama will nominate Janet Yellen, the Federal Reserve's vice chair, to be chairman of the nation's powerful central bank, succeeding Ben Bernanke at a pivotal time for the economy and the Fed's monetary policies.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Federal Reserve's decision last month to maintain the size of its economic stimulus was a shocker. Just about everyone expected a pullback in its bond purchases, which have helped keep loan rates low.
NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks are closing mostly higher on early signs of progress on ending a budget stalemate in Washington.
BANGKOK (AP) — The price of oil fell Wednesday, a day after the International Monetary Fund lowered its forecast for global growth through the end of next year.
MILWAUKEE (AP) — The federal government shutdown could leave America's craft brewers with a serious hangover.
NEW YORK (AP) — Twitter and Comcast have signed a TV partnership that will let viewers access television shows and buy movie tickets directly from a tweet.
NEW YORK (AP) — Jos. A. Bank proposed to acquire rival Men's Wearhouse in a $2.3 billion deal that could potentially create a suit and tuxedo juggernaut with close to 2,000 stores.
NATIONAL POLITICS
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama is inviting Republican lawmakers to the White House as pressure builds on both sides to resolve their deadlock over the federal debt limit and the partial government shutdown.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Americans are holding Republicans primarily responsible for the partial government shutdown as public esteem sinks for all players in the impasse, President Barack Obama among them, according to a new poll. It's a struggle with no heroes.
WASHINGTON (AP) — About 3.8 million veterans will not receive disability compensation next month if the partial government shutdown continues into late October, Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki told lawmakers Wednesday. Some 315,000 veterans and 202,000 surviving spouses and dependents will see pension payments stopped.
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama and House Speaker John Boehner are increasing the pressure on each other to bend in their deadlock over the federal debt limit and the partial government shutdown. Even as they do, there are hints they might consider a brief truce.
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 8
STATEWIDE
NASHVILLE (AP) - Gov. Bill Haslam and fellow Republicans in the Tennessee General Assembly appear to be at odds about who will be blamed for the shutdown of the federal government.
HEALTH CARE
WASHINGTON (AP) — The federal government's biggest foray into online commerce has left millions of tech-savvy Americans thoroughly bewildered.
COURTS
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court is tackling a challenge to limits on contributions by the biggest individual donors to political campaigns.
NATIONAL BUSINESS
NEW YORK (AP) — The stock market's slow bleed got a little worse Tuesday.
NEW YORK (AP) — Oil traders appeared more confident than stock traders Tuesday that the U.S. can avoid defaulting on its debt.
The government expects most households to pay more for heat this winter, although heating oil users will see their bills drop slightly.
BALI, Indonesia (AP) — The U.S. and 11 other nations negotiating an Asia-Pacific free trade pact said Tuesday they are on track to agree a comprehensive deal before the year's end.
NEW YORK (AP) — Google is introducing a $279 laptop that runs its Internet-centric Chrome operating system, borrowing many of the high-end features found in models that cost $1,000 or more.
BRUSSELS (AP) — European lawmakers have approved sweeping new regulations to curb smoking, including limits on electronic cigarettes, bigger warnings on cigarette packs and a ban on menthol.
NATIONAL POLITICS
WASHINGTON (AP) — After weeks of gridlock, House Republicans floated broad hints Tuesday they might be willing to pass short-term legislation re-opening the government and averting a default in exchange for immediate talks with the Obama administration on reducing deficits and changing the three-year-old health care law.
MONDAY, OCTOBER 7
MUSIC INDUSTRY
NASHVILLE (AP) - Taylor Swift, Jason Aldean and most of the major nominees have signed on to perform at the Country Music Association Awards next month.
MIDSTATE
MURFREESBORO (AP) - Middle Tennessee State University is offering a new education doctorate that is the first of its kind in the state.
COURTS
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court is opening for business in the midst of a partial government shutdown.
NATIONAL BUSINESS
NEW YORK (AP) — Investors sent the Standard & Poor's 500 index to its lowest close in a month Monday as few signs emerged of a deal to end the U.S. government shutdown and raise the nation's borrowing limit.
The price of oil fell to $103 a barrel Monday as a partial U.S. government shutdown entered a second week and crude production in the Gulf of Mexico got back on track after a storm system passed through.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Americans cut back on using their credit cards in August for a third straight month, a sign that consumers remain cautious about spending.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The new $100 bill, with an array of high-tech features designed to thwart counterfeiters, will get its coming out party on Tuesday, partial government shutdown or not.
NEW YORK (AP) — They speak different languages, live in countries rich and poor, face horrible job markets and healthy ones. When it comes to money, though, they act as one: They're holding tight to their cash, driven more by a fear of losing what they have than a desire to add to it.
NEW YORK (AP) — People don't just watch TV anymore; they talk about it on Twitter. From the comfort of couches, they share reactions to touchdowns and nail-biting season finales — and advertisers and networks are taking note.
NATIONAL POLITICS
WASHINGTON (AP) — Senate Democrats intend to introduce legislation by mid-week to raise the nation's debt limit without the type of unrelated conditions Republicans have said they intend to seek, officials said Monday, as the White House signaled it would accept even a brief extension in borrowing authority to prevent an unprecedented default.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The United States moved closer to the possibility of the first-ever default on the government's debt Sunday as Speaker John Boehner adamantly ruled out a House vote on a straightforward bill to boost the borrowing authority without concessions from President Barack Obama.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Key lawmakers and aides on Capitol Hill say they don't know how the battles over funding the government and increasing the nation's debt limit might be resolved. In interviews, they lay out several possibilities, all of which face huge political impediments:
WASHINGTON (AP) — The No. 2 House Democrat says a key factor extending the government shutdown is fear among moderate Republicans about a tea party challenge.
WASHINGTON (AP) — A government shutdown is having far-reaching consequences for some, but minimal impact on others.
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 4
NASHVILLE AREA
NASHVILLE (AP) - The Tennessee Titans are collecting baby items for charity. The annual baby shower drive takes place at LP Field beginning at 10 a.m. Sunday before the Titans take on the Kansas City Chiefs.
NASHVILLE (AP) — Authorities say river traffic on the Cumberland River has been shut down after a barge struck a power line that fell into the water.
BOISE, Idaho (AP) — Private prison giant Corrections Corp. of America will leave Idaho after more than a decade marked by scandal and lawsuits surrounding its operation of the state's largest prison.
STATEWIDE
NASHVILLE (AP) - Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam pledged Thursday to improve the salaries of the state's teachers amid criticism of his education commissioner who has proposed changes that include tying teacher licenses to student test data.
STATE LEGISLATURE
NASHVILLE (AP) - State Rep. Eric Watson, the chairman of the House Criminal Justice Committee, says he won't seek re-election to the Legislature next year and will instead run for sheriff of Bradley County.
AUTO INDUSTRY
FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — Daimler AG's luxury brand Mercedes-Benz sold a record number of cars in September.
Shares of Tesla Motors fell another 5 percent Thursday as investors in the high-flying company assessed the fallout from a fire in one of its $70,000 electric cars.
NATIONAL BUSINESS
BETHESDA, Md. (AP) — Lockheed Martin says it will furlough 3,000 employees on Monday due to the government shutdown.
NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks are inching higher in early trading, but the market is still on track for a second losing week in a row.
The price of crude rose to near $104 a barrel Friday as offshore oil rigs in the Gulf of Mexico braced for Tropical Storm Karen. Investors were also keeping a close watch on developments in Washington D.C. as the partial shutdown of the U.S. government entered a fourth day.
NEW YORK (AP) — Twitter has unsealed the documents for its planned initial public offering of stock and says it hopes to raise up to $1 billion in one of the year's most eagerly awaited stock market debuts.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Growth at U.S. service companies slowed in September from an eight-year high in August, as sales fell sharply, new orders dipped and hiring weakened.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The number of Americans seeking unemployment benefits rose just 1,000 last week to a seasonally adjusted 308,000, hovering near six-year lows. Companies are still cutting very few jobs, however the decline in layoffs has not been accompanied by a pickup in hiring.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Average U.S. rates on fixed mortgages fell for the third straight week to their lowest point in three months, as a decline in consumer confidence and the onset of the government shutdown forced rates down.
NATIONAL POLITICS
WASHINGTON (AP) — House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi says no progress has been made toward ending the government shutdown because "it's very hard to negotiate with the Republicans when they can't negotiate with themselves."
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama decided to stay home from economic summits in Asia as Democrats stepped up pressure Friday on congressional Republicans to rein in their tea party faction and reopen the government with no strings attached.