VOL. 42 | NO. 8 | Friday, February 23, 2018
STATE GOVERNMENT
Gov. Bill Haslam’s plan to shake up the University of Tennessee Board of Trustees is getting blitzed by legislators, some contending it’s linked to the hiring of the Tennessee Vols football coach.
Legislation sending revenue from Sunday wine sales to prekindergarten expansion faces a battle on several fronts when it reaches a committee in early March.
SAM STOCKARD: VIEW FROM THE HILL
That burning smell emanating from the General Assembly isn’t coming from the flame of bipartisanship. More likely it’s the result of scorched-earth politics.
The last Democrat to win statewide elected office in Tennessee eight years ago acknowledges times have changed.
RICHARD COURTNEY: REALTY CHECK
In March of 1836, the Battle of the Alamo occurred in San Antonio, Texas.
REAL ESTATE
Top commercial real estate sales, January 2018, for Davidson, Williamson, Rutherford, Wilson and Sumner counties, as compiled by Chandler Reports.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Long-term U.S. mortgage rates crept higher this week, upping the costs of borrowing to purchase a home just as more of the millennial generation is entering the real estate market.
PREDATORS
As impressive a performance as the Predators have put on through three quarters of the regular season, they’ve looked in recent weeks like a team in need of a boost.
NEWSMAKERS
Bass, Berry & Sims PLC has appointed Kevin H. Douglas to serve as chair of the firm’s Corporate & Securities Practice Group.
BRIEFS
HealthStream, a Nashville-based platform in healthcare for workforce development, has announced a seven-year deal with Press Ganey Associates.
BEHIND THE WHEEL
It’s true that cars with a manual transmission are a dying breed. In fact, manual-equipped vehicles make up less than 3 percent of current U.S. car sales, Edmunds research finds.
CAREER CORNER
College is expensive; private college is even more so. My undergraduate school is now charging approximately $50,000 per year, just for tuition.
GUERRILLA MARKETING
A routine misstep in marketing campaigns is to neglect your customers and what they need, want and value.
MUSIC INDUSTRY
NASHVILLE (AP) — Chris Stapleton, who released two top-selling albums last year, leads the Academy of Country Music Awards with eight nominations, including his first entertainer of the year nomination.
STATEWIDE
ATHENS (AP) — An automotive supplier will invest $190 million to expand operations at a Tennessee plant, a move that will allow the company to add 320 jobs.
REAL ESTATE
WASHINGTON (AP) — Spending on U.S. construction projects was unchanged in January, held back by a sharp fall in commercial real estate building.
COURTS
JACKSON (AP) — A family has been convicted of defrauding federal health care programs of millions of dollars by selling back braces and power wheelchairs to people who did not need them in three states, prosecutors said.
NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS
NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stock indexes wavered Thursday as investors dissected Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell's latest comments before Congress for clues about the future path of interest rates.
WASHINGTON (AP) — American manufacturers said they expanded in February at the fastest pace in nearly 14 years — gains driven in part by a jump in hiring.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Americans lifted their spending just 0.2 percent in January, while their incomes jumped because of last year's tax cuts.
NEW YORK (AP) — The rift between major U.S. companies and the gun lobby is growing.
NEW YORK (AP) — Best Buy is reporting surging sales at stores and it's topped Wall Street's profit and revenue expectations for the fourth quarter. The consumer electronics retailer also provided a 2019 outlook above analysts' estimates.
MOSCOW (AP) — U.S. oil company Exxon Mobil says it will withdraw from its joint venture with Russia's state-controlled Rosneft due to U.S. and European sanctions against the country.
NATIONAL POLITICS
WASHINGTON (AP) — More than half of Americans, including large majorities of blacks and Hispanics, think President Donald Trump is a racist. More than half think his policies have made things worse for Hispanics and Muslims, and nearly half say they've made things worse for African Americans.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Putting fellow Republicans in the hot seat, President Donald Trump is calling for quick and substantial changes to the nation's gun laws even as he criticizes lawmakers for being too fearful of the National Rifle Association to act.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Harshly criticized yet again by his boss, Attorney General Jeff Sessions has abandoned his usual stony silence and pushed back against President Donald Trump for saying Sessions' response to Republican complaints about the FBI was "disgraceful."
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump planned to announce Thursday whether he'll impose tariffs or quotas on steel and aluminum imports, a White House official said.
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 28
STATE GOVERNMENT
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — A bill that would expand the number of teachers allowed to carry guns in Tennessee schools has cleared its first legislative hurdle.
Bolstered by House Speaker Beth Harwell’s tie-breaking vote, Rep. Jeremy Faison’s medical marijuana legislation took an important step Tuesday in the General Assembly.
SPORTS
WINNIPEG, Manitoba (AP) — Roman Josi had this one circled on his calendar.
REAL ESTATE
WASHINGTON (AP) — The pace of Americans signing contracts to buy homes fell 4.7 percent in January to its lowest level in more than three years, due to a lack of homes for sale, higher prices and rising mortgage rates.
NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS
NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stocks sank again on Wednesday and cemented February as the worst month for the market in two years.
NEW YORK (AP) — Dick's Sporting Goods will immediately stop selling assault-style rifles and ban the sale of all guns to anyone under 21, the company said Wednesday, as its CEO took on the National Rifle Association by calling for tougher gun laws after the massacre in Florida.
NEW YORK (AP) — So long Papa John's, hello Pizza Hut.
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. economic growth was revised down slightly to a still-solid 2.5 percent rate in the final three months of last year.
BOSTON (AP) — Amazon is seeking a new office in Boston's Seaport District, a move that could bring 2,000 employees to the city in the next few years.
NATIONAL POLITICS
WASHINGTON (AP) — White House Communications Director Hope Hicks, one of President Donald Trump's most loyal aides, is resigning.
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump's former campaign chairman Paul Manafort maintained his innocence on Wednesday to new charges he acted as an unregistered foreign agent and directed an international money-laundering conspiracy.
WASHINGTON (AP) — House Speaker Paul Ryan on Tuesday showed little interest in stricter gun control proposals being floated in Congress, leaving the issue in the hands of wary Senate leaders and President Donald Trump, whose shifting views have left no clear strategy for legislative action.
WASHINGTON (AP) — White House communications director Hope Hicks acknowledged to a House intelligence panel that she has occasionally told "white lies" for President Donald Trump but has not lied about anything relevant to the Russia investigation, according to those present for Hicks' closed-door testimony.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Republicans spent much of the last decade firing up their base with a vow to repeal President Barack Obama's health care overhaul. But when it came to doing the deed, they found promises much easier than execution.
TUESDAY, FEBRURY 27
STATEWIDE
NASHVILLE (AP) — Tennessee's gubernatorial candidates are largely fine with proposed TennCare work requirements, with some concerns.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Tennessee Republican Sen. Bob Corker has decided anew not to seek re-election this fall, his chief of staff said Tuesday, after spending recent weeks reconsidering his initial decision to leave the chamber where he's served since 2007.
MIDSTATE
FRANKLIN (AP) — A superintendent in Tennessee who is charged with assault in an encounter with a student will not be asked by the school board to take a leave of absence or end his contract.
STATE GOVERNMENT
NASHVILLE (AP) — Two Democratic lawmakers are proposing a ban on child marriages in Tennessee.
TECHNOLOGY
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court appeared ready Tuesday to allow the government to force American technology companies to hand over emails and other digital information sought in criminal probes but stored in the internet cloud outside the U.S.
REAL ESTATE
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. home prices rose at the fastest 12-month pace in more than three years in 2017, as potential home buyers fought over a limited number of available properties.
HEALTH CARE
WASHINGTON (AP) — Amid the outcry over the Florida school shootings, the Trump administration says it is "actively exploring" ways to help states expand inpatient mental health treatment using Medicaid funds.
NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS
NEW YORK (AP) — Treasury yields rose Tuesday, and the Standard & Poor's 500 index slid to its first loss in four days after the head of the Federal Reserve said that he's feeling more optimistic about the economy.
NEW YORK (AP) — As the gun debate heats up following the massacre at a Florida high school, companies are under growing pressure to pick a side: whether to stand by the National Rifle Association or walk away.
WASHINGTON (AP) — American consumers are the most confident they've been since 2000.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell told Congress Tuesday that the outlook for the U.S. economy "remains strong" despite the recent stock market turbulence, keeping the central bank on track to gradually raise interest rates.
WASHINGTON (AP) — New orders for long-lasting manufactured goods fell 3.7 percent in January, the biggest decline since July 2017, following two months of increases that reflected strength in the country's industry.
NEW YORK (AP) — Macy's broke out of its three-year sales funk, reporting a healthy sales gain at existing stores for the holiday period as it benefited from an improving economy and its own initiatives like an overhauled customer loyalty program.
WASHINGTON (AP) — When Jerome Powell testifies to Congress on Tuesday in his first public appearance as chairman of the Federal Reserve, investors will be paying close attention to his every word.
LONDON (AP) — Comcast, the owner of NBC and Universal Pictures, has launched a bid for European pay TV broadcaster Sky that threatens to thwart a rival offer by media mogul Rupert Murdoch' 21st Century Fox.
NEW YORK (AP) — Just as "Black Panther" is setting records at the box office, a new study finds that diverse audiences are driving most of the biggest blockbusters and many of the most-watched hits on television.
ATLANTA (AP) — Georgia's lieutenant governor on Monday threatened to prevent Delta Air Lines from getting a lucrative tax cut after the company ended its discount program with the National Rifle Association, in the latest fallout from a deadly school shooting in Florida.
NATIONAL POLITICS
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump declared he's willing to take on the National Rifle Association over gun legislation, but Republicans who control Congress aren't so sure. They prefer to consider only modest changes to firearms limits in response to the mass shooting at a Florida high school.
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 26
STATE GOVERNMENT
NASHVILLE (AP) — Jack Daniel's wants state lawmakers to ensure that distillers aren't subject to Tennessee property tax on whiskey barrels, which the company says it hasn't had to pay at least since Prohibition ended eight decades ago.
MUSIC INDUSTRY
LONDON (AP) — If you think there's no escape from the songs of Ed Sheeran, you may be right.
SPORTS
NASHVILLE (AP) — The Nashville Predators continued to bolster their forward depth as they acquired Ryan Hartman from the Chicago Blackhawks.
NASHVILLE (AP) — Nashville Predators forward Mike Fisher has made his return from a brief retirement official by signing a one-year, $1 million contract for the remainder of the season.
CBS Corp. is rolling out a 24-hour streaming sports news network that will feature the day's top news, highlights and analysis.
NASHVILLE (AP) — Pekka Rinne showed no signs of a letdown following his milestone 300th victory.
REAL ESTATE
WASHINGTON (AP) — Sales of new U.S. homes fell in January for the second straight month, possibly dragged down again by bad weather.
HEALTH CARE
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Billionaire Warren Buffett says he hopes the new health care initiative his company has started with Amazon and JP Morgan Chase will deliver significant cost savings.
COURTS
NEW YORK (AP) — Ruling in the case of a gay skydiving instructor, a federal appeals court in New York on Monday became the second one in the country to declare that U.S. anti-discrimination law protects employees from being fired over their sexual orientation.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court on Monday rejected the Trump administration's highly unusual bid to bypass a federals appeals court and get the justices to intervene in the fate of a program that protects hundreds of thousands of young immigrants from deportation.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court is hearing arguments in a case that could deal a painful financial blow to organized labor.
NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS
NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks jumped on Monday, with gains again accelerating in the last hour of trading, as markets around the world continue to claw back from a sharp tumble earlier this month.
WASHINGTON (AP) — When Jerome Powell testifies to Congress on Tuesday in his first public appearance as chairman of the Federal Reserve, investors will be paying close attention to his every word.
WASHINGTON (AP) — America's 21st century job market increasingly demands high-tech skills and knowledge. Yet consider this: Nearly half the new jobs the government foresees emerging by 2026 will require only a high school diploma — or none at all.
WASHINGTON (AP) — A majority of business economists now view the government's tax and spending policy as moving too aggressively to stimulate economic growth, setting up a potential increase in the deficit in the coming years, a new survey shows.
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Billionaire Warren Buffett says American businesses are getting a significant boost from the tax overhaul, but health care costs remain a drag so he hopes a new initiative his company started with Amazon and JP Morgan Chase will deliver significant savings.
NATIONAL POLITICS
WASHINGTON (AP) — Looking for common ground with your neighbor these days? Try switching subjects from the weather to Congress. Chances are, you both agree it's terrible.
WASHINGTON (AP) — After a 10-day break, members of Congress are returning to work under hefty pressure to respond to the outcry over gun violence. But no plan appears ready to take off despite a long list of proposals, including many from President Donald Trump.
WASHINGTON (AP) — On a clear, dry June evening in 2015, cars and trucks rolled slowly in a herky-jerky backup ahead of an Interstate 75 construction zone in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Barreling toward them: an 18-ton tractor-trailer going about 80 mph.
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump is looking for a fix to a problem that doesn't exist — stopping foreign countries from picking out troublesome people for a lottery to move to the U.S. They don't get to do that.
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 23
NASHVILLE AREA
NASHVILLE (AP) — The Nashville mayor's office is citing a legal opinion that says the lead prosecutor and his office should recuse themselves from the investigation of the mayor's affair with her former bodyguard.
NASHVILLE (AP) — Nashville Mayor Megan Barry's attorney says they've provided her personal cellphone's passcode to the authorities investigating her affair with her former bodyguard.
NASHVILLE (AP) — State investigators have found a nude photo and partially nude photo of a woman that they believe were taken with the work cellphone of Nashville Mayor Megan Barry's former lead bodyguard, with whom she has admitted having an extramarital affair, according to court documents filed Thursday.
SPORTS
NASHVILLE (AP) — For a guy who was drafted 258th overall in 2004, Pekka Rinne has put together quite a career.
STATE GOVERNMENT
NASHVILLE (AP) — Some Tennessee Senate leaders say they support President Donald Trump's push to ban bump stocks and bar those under 21 from buying semi-automatic rifles, and they want similar proposals discussed at the state level. But support from House Republican leadership was more tepid.
STATEWIDE
NASHVILLE (AP) — Tennessee's Senate leader and 18 other Republican state senators have endorsed U.S. Rep. Marsha Blackburn in her U.S. Senate bid.
MIDSTATE
FRANKLIN (AP) — A schools superintendent in Tennessee has been charged with assault in connection with an encounter with a high school student.
HEALTH CARE
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — A bipartisan group of governors working to strike compromise on hot-button policy issues will take on the health care question at an event Friday.
WASHINGTON (AP) — A leading liberal policy group is raising the ante in the health care debate with a new plan that builds on Medicare to guarantee coverage for all.
AUTO INDUSTRY
BERLIN (AP) — Automaker Volkswagen AG says its net profit increased by more than half last year, while revenue climbed more than 6 percent.
YOKOHAMA, Japan (AP) — In the future Nissan envisions, driverless cars will pick up children from school and recommend restaurants to tourists in various languages.
BEIJING (AP) — BMW Group said Friday it is talking with China's biggest SUV maker about a possible partnership to produce electric versions of its MINI as automakers ramp up electric development under pressure from Beijing to meet sales quotas.
DETROIT (AP) — A veteran executive who has led Ford's Lincoln luxury brand will now head American operations, replacing an executive who was ousted this week over allegations of inappropriate behavior.
NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS
Wall Street capped several days of choppy trading Friday with a broad rally that gave the stock market a modest gain for the week.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Federal Reserve says it expects that the ongoing strength of the U.S. economy will warrant gradual increases in interest rates this year, delivering the same steady-as-it-goes message under new leader Jerome Powell as it had provided under Janet Yellen.
NEW YORK (AP) — Shoppers at self-checkout lanes scanning all their groceries after they're done shopping? Old school. More stores are letting customer tally their choices with a phone app or store device as they roam the aisles.
NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. companies are taking a closer look at investments, co-branding deals and other ties to the gun industry and its public face, the National Rifle Association, after the latest school massacre.
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Its sales under pressure with fewer grocery lists including processed foods, General Mills will try to balance its own shift in that direction, and its revenues, with the $8 billion acquisition of Blue Buffalo, a higher end pet food products company.
National Public Radio has adopted a series of measures to improve its workplace culture, following an independent investigation into sex harassment issues stemming from the ouster of a top executive.
NEW YORK (AP) — Subway is shaking up its loyalty rewards program, giving customers the ability to earn $2 discounts instead of free Footlongs.
WASHINGTON (AP) — In a dramatic escalation of pressure and stakes, special counsel Robert Mueller filed additional criminal charges Thursday against President Donald Trump's former campaign chairman and his business associate.
NATIONAL POLITICS
WASHINGTON (AP) — A former top adviser to President Donald Trump's election campaign pleaded guilty Friday to federal conspiracy and false-statements charges in the special counsel's Russia investigation.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Chester Trayhan's grandchildren are working, so he's feeling better about the economy these days. But his view of the country's overall direction is pretty grim, darkened by what he sees as a surge in racism and violence fueled by President Donald Trump.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration is hitting more than 50 vessels, shipping companies and trade businesses with sanctions in the latest bid to turn up the pressure on North Korea over its nuclear program, a senior administration official said Friday.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The nation should keep assault rifles out of the hands of anyone under 21, President Donald Trump says, defying his loyal supporters in the National Rifle Association amid America's public reckoning over gun violence. He also pushed hard for arming security guards and many teachers in U.S. schools.
NEW DELHI (AP) — As criticism mounted that the American president's eldest son was pushing an ethics boundary by making a foreign policy speech at an Indian business summit, conference organizers hurriedly changed the speech's title.
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump has ordered his Justice Department to ban rapid-fire bump stocks like the ones used in last year's Las Vegas massacre— but officials aren't sure they can.
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — A request by Republican leaders in the Pennsylvania Legislature to stop a new congressional map from being implemented is now in the hands of the nation's highest court.