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VOL. 46 | NO. 15 | Friday, April 15, 2022
SPECIAL EMPHASIS: COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE

Nashville’s cranes find new habitats

Developers think outside the core to redefine ‘downtown’ parameters

Standing on the John Seigenthaler Pedestrian Bridge in downtown Nashville, you can look in any direction and see why the city is considered the hottest place in the country for commercial real estate investment.

Future of work, living takes shape in suburbs

The future of the office, or at least one vision of that future, is coming into focus in suburbs surrounding Nashville, where commutes require a comfortable pair of shoes or a bicycle instead of a car.

Top Davidson County commercial sales for March 2022

Top commercial real estate sales, March 2022, for Davidson County, as compiled by the Nashville Ledger.

Local Weather
Currently
Nashville, TN
44.1°F
Overcast
Wind: North at 9.2 mph
Humidity: 71%

EVENTS

Maury Alliance Young Professionals Mixer. Come enjoy a drink, meet other Young Professionals, and win door prizes at DB’s Eats and Beats. This is a casual event and everyone is welcome. DB’s Eats and Beats, 1144 Riverside Drive, Columbia. Wednesday, 5-6:30 p.m. Free, but RSVP appreciated. Information

more events »

RICHARD COURTNEY: REALTY CHECK

Electric Avenue sale shocking; interest rates curbing frenzy

If a person decided to rock down to Electric Avenue in order to buy a home, said person might be shocked to find the cost of Electric had jumped even more than the price of gasoline.

JOE ROGERS: MY TAKE

‘Marriage light’ bill another waste of lawmaker time

Among the appropriate responses to legislative snake oil: When a lawmaker begins the presentation of a bill by assuring colleagues that it doesn’t change current law on the very topic it addresses, cock an eyebrow.

UT SPORTS

‘Squirrel’ White scurries into hearts of players, coaches

If people didn’t realize Marquarius White is known for speed, his nickname is a dead giveaway.

NEWSMAKERS

Burr & Forman appoints Nashville managing partner

Burr & Forman LLP has named Ken Bryant office managing partner of the firm’s Nashville location. He succeeds C. Tucker Herndon, who was recently appointed to the firm’s executive committee.

BRIEFS

Echo Health Ventures plants Tennessee flag

Echo Health Ventures is establishing a local presence in Tennessee led by Echo Health Advisors principal Hayley Hovious, who joined the company in March following seven years as president of the Nashville Health Care Council.

BEHIND THE WHEEL

Five SUVs to help you save money at the pump

With gas prices reaching record highs, many car shoppers may be asking which SUVs are the most fuel-efficient? Edmunds brings you five options to consider so you can spend less time and money at the pump.

PERSONAL FINANCE

Small home fixes can have a big impact on safety

Home hazards – fires, flooding, injuries and death, for example – can have costly consequences. But preventing accidents or disasters or minimizing the damage when they happen isn’t as expensive as you might think.

CAREER CORNER

Burned out? Find a soft landing before you jump

Burnout at work is real, and it’s happening more now than ever, perhaps due to the high stress and change we have faced over the last two years. I heard from a reader this week who is experiencing burnout in the workplace, as you might be, too. The most important part of the burnout experience is how you manage it.

MILLENNIAL MONEY

8 tactics to break some bad credit card cycles

Upon paying off between $12,000 and $15,000 in credit card debt in 2019, Yamiesha Bell, a special education teacher in New York, didn’t break up with her credit cards.

PREDATORS

Granlund's shootout winner leads Predators over Flames 3-2

NASHVILLE (AP) — Matt Duchene scored his 40th goal of the season and Mikael Granlund had the only goal of the shootout to lead the Nashville Predators to a 3-2 victory over the Calgary Flames on Tuesday night.

STATEWIDE

Trump-backed hopeful, 2 others booted off Tenn. GOP ballot

NASHVILLE (AP) — Tennessee Republican officials have removed three congressional hopefuls from the GOP primary ballot, including one candidate backed by former President Donald Trump.

Boyd Foundation to offer dog park grants across Tennessee

KNOXVILLE (AP) — Twenty communities across Tennessee will be awarded $25,000 to help build or enhance existing dog parks, said Randy and Jenny Boyd, with the Boyd Foundation.

COURTS

DOJ: 21 people charged nationwide with $150M in COVID fraud

WASHINGTON (AP) — Twenty-one people have been charged in the past nine days as part of a nationwide enforcement push to root out those who exploit the pandemic through health care fraud schemes, the Justice Department announced Wednesday.

Tennessee plans 1st COVID-19-era execution, more scheduled

NASHVILLE (AP) — Tennessee is set to execute its first inmate Thursday since the start of the pandemic, planning a lethal injection procedure that has become less common in the state than the electric chair in recent years.

Man gets house arrest for pointing laser at Memphis planes

MEMPHIS (AP) — A Mississippi man has been sentenced to house arrest and probation for pointing a green laser at FedEx airplanes flying into Memphis International Airport in Tennessee, federal prosecutors said.

Feds indict 2 men accused of impersonating federal agents

WASHINGTON (AP) — Two men accused of impersonating federal agents and offering gifts and free apartments to Secret Service officers have been indicted by a federal grand jury, prosecutors said Tuesday.

Judge sends Assange extradition decision to UK government

LONDON (AP) — A British judge on Wednesday formally approved the extradition of Julian Assange to the United States to face spying charges. The case will now go to Britain's interior minister for a decision, though the WikiLeaks founder still has legal avenues of appeal.

AUTO INDUSTRY

Rivian electric car plant blasted by foes at Georgia meeting

MONROE, Ga. (AP) — Opponents trying to derail a $5 billion, 7,500-job electric truck plant in Georgia dominated a state meeting this week that was meant to gather suggestions on how to design the plant to mitigate any impact on the environment.

REAL ESTATE

March home sales fall as mortgage rates, home prices climb

Sales of previously occupied U.S. homes slowed in March to the slowest pace in nearly two years as a swift rise in mortgage rates and record-high prices discouraged would-be homebuyers.

COVID-19

Majority of Americans want masks for travelers: AP-NORC poll

FARGO, N.D. (AP) — A majority of Americans continue to support a mask requirement for people traveling on airplanes and other shared transportation, a new poll finds. A ruling by a federal judge has put the government's transportation mask mandate on hold.

Moving beyond masks: Biden toils to put pandemic behind him

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden's administration has been working for months to prepare people to rethink their personal risk calculations as the nation gets used to the idea of living with an endemic COVID-19.

NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS

Indexes end mixed, Netflix plunges on subscriber losses

NEW YORK (AP) — Wall Street's major stock indexes ended mixed Wednesday after another day of choppy trading, while Netflix lost more than a third of its value after reporting its first subscriber loss in more than a decade and predicting more grim times ahead.

IMF, World Bank chiefs warn of debt squeeze in poor nations

WASHINGTON (AP) — The heads of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank warned Wednesday that rising interest rates are squeezing the world's poorest countries as they struggle with the coronavirus and soaring food prices.

Musk lawyer: Gag order would trample on free speech rights

DETROIT (AP) — Elon Musk's lawyer says a federal judge would trample on the Tesla CEO's free speech rights if he ordered Musk to stop talking about 2018 tweets saying he had the funding to make Tesla a private company.

CSX to pay workers more in advance of expected rail raises

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — CSX has agreed to start paying some of its employees more in advance of raises the railroad expects to agree to as part of ongoing national contract talks.

Biden launches $6B effort to save distressed nuclear plants

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration is launching a $6 billion effort to rescue nuclear power plants at risk of closing, citing the need to continue nuclear energy as a carbon-free source of power that helps to combat climate change.

NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL POLITICS

Florida Senate passes bill to end Disney self-government

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — The Florida Senate on Wednesday passed a bill to repeal a law allowing Walt Disney World to operate a private government over its properties in the state, escalating a feud with the entertainment giant over its opposition to what critics call the "Don't Say Gay" law.

Yellen, Ukraine official walk out of Russia's G-20 remarks

WASHINGTON (AP) — Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and Ukraine's Finance Minister Serhiy Marchenko walked out of a Group of 20 meeting Wednesday as Russia's representative started talking.

Biden to attend White House Correspondents' Association gala

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden plans to attend the White House Correspondents' Association's annual dinner, the first time a sitting president will be at the event since Barack Obama in 2016.

GOP lawmakers vote remotely more often after initial scorn

WASHINGTON (AP) — More than 50 Republicans who once joined a lawsuit claiming the House's pandemic-era proxy voting was unconstitutional have themselves voted by proxy this year, remotely without showing up.

UKRAINE

Cryptocurrency firms are latest Russian sanctions targets

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. rolled out new sanctions on Wednesday against more than 40 individuals and entities accused of evading the ongoing wave of penalties imposed on Russia as punishment for invading Ukraine.

Ukraine war refugees top 5 million as assault intensifies

WARSAW, Poland (AP) — After spending weeks with no electricity or water in the basement of her family's home in Ukraine, Viktoriya Savyichkina made a daring escape from the besieged city of Mariupol with her 9- and 14-year-old daughters.

Russia pressures Mariupol as it focuses on Ukraine's east

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russian forces pressured a stubborn pocket of resistance in Mariupol amid renewed hopes Wednesday for an evacuation of thousands of civilians from the shattered port city that is a key battleground in Moscow's new onslaught to take control of Ukraine's eastern industrial heartland.

Russia's Chernobyl seizure seen as nuclear risk 'nightmare'

CHERNOBYL, Ukraine (AP) — Here in the dirt of one of the world's most radioactive places, Russian soldiers dug trenches. Ukrainian officials worry they were, in effect, digging their own graves.

China looks to learn from Russian failures in Ukraine

BANGKOK (AP) — With its ground troops forced to pull back in Ukraine and regroup, and its Black Sea flagship sunk, Russia's military failings are mounting. No country is paying closer attention than China to how a smaller and outgunned force has badly bloodied what was thought to be one of the world's most powerful armies.


TUESDAY, APRIL 19
AUTO RACING

All-female IndyCar team to race in Music City Grand Prix

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — IndyCar team owner Beth Paretta announced Tuesday she intends to bring back her all-female team for three races this season but doesn't intend to compete at next month's Indianapolis 500.

VANDERBILT SPORTS

Scotty Pippen Jr. signing with agent, heading to NBA draft

NASHVILLE (AP) — Vanderbilt guard Scotty Pippen Jr. is entering the NBA draft, and the Southeastern Conference's leading scorer is signing with an agent.

COURTS

Knox County Schools to pay $145K to settle masking lawsuit

KNOXVILLE (AP) — A Tennessee school district has agreed to pay $145,000 to settle a lawsuit filed by parents who objected to the district's decision to drop mask requirements this year during the coronavirus pandemic.

ENVIRONMENT

Study: Redlining tied to more oil, gas wells in urban areas

Minority neighborhoods where residents were long denied home loans have twice as many oil and gas wells as mostly white neighborhoods, according to a new study that suggests ongoing health risks in vulnerable communities are at least partly tied to historical structural racism.

Energy shift creates opening for 'world's largest batteries'

LUDINGTON, Mich. (AP) — Sprawled like a gigantic swimming pool atop a bluff overlooking Lake Michigan is an asphalt-and-clay pond holding enough water to produce electricity for 1.6 million households.

MEDIA

Netflix shares drop 22% after it loses 200K subscribers

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Netflix's video streaming service suffered the first loss in worldwide subscribers in its history, deepening troubles that have been mounting since enjoying a surge from a captive audience locked down during the pandemic's early stages.

Instagram adds fundraising to Reels to help nonprofits

NEW YORK (AP) — Meta Platforms Inc., the social media giant formerly known as Facebook, plans to celebrate Earth Day by expanding its offering of fundraising tools and making them more easily available to 1.5 million nonprofits on its Facebook and Instagram platforms, including those involved in fighting climate change.

COVID-19

EXPLAINER: What happens in the post-mask world of travel?

DALLAS (AP) — A ruling by a federal judge has ended — at least for now — the requirement that people wear masks on planes and public transportation, and there is plenty of confusion about the new, post-mask world of travel.

J&J suspends COVID-19 vaccine sales forecast

Johnson & Johnson is suspending sales forecasts for its COVID-19 vaccine only a few months after saying the shot could bring in as much as $3.5 billion this year.

Cheers, fear as judge strikes down U.S. transit mask mandate

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — A federal judge's decision to strike down a national mask mandate was met with cheers on some airplanes but also concern about whether it's really time to end one of the most visible vestiges of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Court ruling creates mishmash of transportation mask rules

A decision by a federal judge in Florida to throw out a national mask mandate for public transportation across the U.S. created a confusing patchwork of rules for passengers as they navigate airports and transit systems.

Moderna announces step toward updating COVID shots for fall

Moderna hopes to offer updated COVID-19 boosters in the fall that combine its original vaccine with protection against the omicron variant. On Tuesday, it reported a preliminary hint that such an approach might work.

Japan approves Novavax COVID-19 vaccine

TOKYO (AP) — Japan's health ministry on Tuesday formally approved Novavax's COVID-19 vaccine, a fourth foreign-developed tool to combat the infections as the country sees signs of a resurgence led by a subvariant of fast-spreading omicron.

NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS

Tech stocks rally after an early loss, leading market higher

NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks closed higher on Wall Street Tuesday as technology stocks rallied following a weak start.

Biden restores rigorous environmental review of big projects

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration is restoring federal regulations that require rigorous environmental review of major infrastructure projects such as highways, pipelines and oil wells — including likely impacts on climate change and nearby communities. The longstanding reviews were scaled back by the Trump administration in a bid to fast-track projects and create jobs.

Citing Russia's war, IMF cuts global growth forecast to 3.6%

WASHINGTON (AP) — The International Monetary Fund on Tuesday downgraded the outlook for the world economy this year and next, blaming Russia's war in Ukraine for disrupting global commerce, pushing up oil prices, threatening food supplies and increasing uncertainty already heightened by the coronavirus and its variants.

NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL POLITICS

Florida Gov DeSantis pushes to end Disney self-government

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Tuesday asked the Legislature to repeal a law allowing Walt Disney World to operate a private government over its properties in the state, the latest salvo in a feud between the Republican and the media giant.

Finance heads urged to boost fight against food insecurity

WASHINGTON (AP) — Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen urged world finance leaders Tuesday to "get concrete" as they look for ways to combat a looming crisis over food insecurity around the globe that Russia's war in Ukraine has made even worse.

White House commits to barring anti-satellite missile tests

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration says it is barring anti-satellite missile testing by the United States, a move that White House officials say is meant to underscore its hopes of establishing new norms for military action in space.

AP source: Kimberly Guilfoyle meets with Jan. 6 committee

WASHINGTON (AP) — Kimberly Guilfoyle, the fiancée of former President Donald Trump's eldest son, met with the House committee investigating the U.S. Capitol insurrection Monday — more than a month after she abruptly ended a voluntary interview with lawmakers — according to a person familiar with the matter.

UK's Boris Johnson faces wrath of lawmakers over partygate

LONDON (AP) — Prime Minister Boris Johnson is facing British lawmakers on Tuesday for the first time since he was fined by police for attending a birthday party in his office that broke coronavirus lockdown rules.

UKRAINE

Russia ratchets up battle for control of eastern Ukraine

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russia ratcheted up its battle for control of Ukraine's eastern industrial heartland, intensifying assaults on cities and towns along a front hundreds of miles long in what officials on both sides described as a new phase of the war.

In Iran, Russia's war on Ukraine is a political flash point

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — During its 1979 Islamic Revolution, Iran embraced the protest cry of "neither East nor West," rejecting both the U.S. and the Soviet Union, then locked in the Cold War. The phrase to this day hangs over the doors of Iran's Foreign Ministry.


MONDAY, APRIL 18
TENNESSEE TITANS

Titans confident they can compete vs. AFC's influx of talent

The Tennessee Titans have noticed the influx of talent from the NFC into the AFC. After posting the conference's best record to earn the No. 1 seed last season with a string of six straight winning seasons, they like what they have.

PREDATORS

Playoff-bound Blues score 7 in 2nd period, beat Preds 8-3

NASHVILLE (AP) — The St. Louis Blues set a franchise record for goals in a period, hanging seven on Nashville in the second period of an 8-3 win over the Predators on Sunday.

STATEWIDE

IRS offering extra time for taxpayers affected by disasters

NASHVILLE (AP) — Income tax returns are due this week, but Tennessee residents and businesses in 14 counties hit by disasters in the past year will get some extra time.

COURTS

Justices reject states' appeal over cap on tax deductibility

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court on Monday rejected a challenge from New York, New Jersey, Connecticut and Maryland to the 2017 tax law that capped federal tax deductions for state and local taxes.

High court won't hear New York City teacher vaccine dispute

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court is declining to wade into a lawsuit filed by four New York City public school employees over a policy that they be vaccinated against COVID-19.

PERSONAL FINANCE

On Tax Day, an extension may be better than rushing a return

WASHINGTON (AP) — Monday is Tax Day — the federal deadline for individual tax filing and payments — and the IRS expects to receive tens of millions of last-minute filings electronically and through paper forms.

HEALTH CARE

FDA investigating Lucky Charms after reports of illness

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is investigating Lucky Charms cereal after dozens of customers complained of illness after eating it.

VIRUS OUTBREAK

Florida judge voids US mask mandate for planes, other travel

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — A federal judge in Florida has voided the national mask mandate covering airplanes and other public transportation as exceeding the authority of U.S. health officials in the coronavirus pandemic.

Shanghai reports first deaths in current COVID-19 outbreak

BEIJING (AP) — Shanghai authorities on Monday reported the first COVID-19 deaths in the latest outbreak in China's most populous and wealthiest city.

NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS

Stocks edge lower as earnings roll in, natural gas soars

NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks closed slightly lower after a wobbly day of trading Monday as worries about rising interest rates and high inflation keep a lid on Wall Street despite some better-than-expected profit reports from banks.

Shareholders await Musk's next move in Twitter takeover bid

DETROIT (AP) — Twitter has dropped a major roadblock in front of Elon Musk's effort to take over the company, leaving investors to wonder about the mercurial Tesla CEO's next move.

EXPLAINER: What Twitter's 'poison pill' is supposed to do

Twitter is trying to thwart billionaire Elon Musk's takeover attempt with a "poison pill" — a financial device that companies have been wielding against unwelcome suitors for decades.

Bank of America Q1 profits fall 12%, much less than rivals

NEW YORK (AP) — Bank of America posted a 12% decline in first-quarter profits from a year earlier, a decline that was much less than the ones its rivals had reported the previous week. The nation's second-largest bank was helped by higher net interest income and no noticeable exposure to Russian assets.

Biden to require US-made steel, iron for infrastructure

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration is taking a key step toward ensuring that federal dollars will support U.S. manufacturing — issuing requirements for how projects funded by the $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure package source their construction material.

Congress seeks compromise to boost computer chip industry

WASHINGTON (AP) — A global computer chip shortage has made it harder for consumers to get their hands on cars, computers and other modern-day necessities, so Congress is looking to boost chip manufacturing and research in the United States with billions of dollars from the federal government.

China's economy grows still-weak 4.8% in January-March

BEIJING (AP) — China's economic growth edged up to a still-weak 4.8% over a year earlier in the first three months of 2022 as industrial cities shut down to fight coronavirus outbreaks, threatening to disrupt global trade and manufacturing.

NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL POLITICS

Migrant crossings spike as US plans to lift curb on asylum

WASHINGTON (AP) — Migrants attempted to cross the U.S.-Mexico border at the highest level in two decades as the U.S. prepares for even larger numbers with the expected lifting of a pandemic-era order that turned away asylum seekers.

Yellen to see Ukraine PM, avoid Russians at global meetings

WASHINGTON (AP) — Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen plans to meet with Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal during this week's big meetings of global economic leaders in Washington — but she'll be trying to avoid most contact with Russian officials who plan attend some portions of the event virtually.

Mexican leader fails to pass limits on foreign energy firms

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador failed to find enough votes late Sunday to pass a constitutional reform limiting private and foreign firms in the electrical power industry, marking the first major legislative setback for the president.

France: EU fraud agency investigating candidate Le Pen

PARIS (AP) — Paris prosecutors are studying a report by the European Union's fraud agency accusing French far-right presidential candidate Marine Le Pen and other members of her nationalist party of misusing public funds while serving in the European Parliament.

UKRAINE

German bosses, unions jointly oppose boycott of Russian gas

BERLIN (AP) — Germany's employers and unions have joined together in opposing an immediate European Union ban on natural gas imports from Russia over its invasion of Ukraine, saying such a move would lead to factory shutdowns and the loss of jobs in the bloc's largest economy.

Syrian fighters ready to join next phase of Ukraine war

BEIRUT (AP) — During a visit to Syria in 2017, Vladimir Putin lavished praise on a Syrian general whose division played an instrumental role in defeating insurgents in the country's long-running civil war. The Russian president told him his cooperation with Russian troops "will lead to great successes in the future."

Bosnians warn Ukrainians: It's a long journey to justice

SARAJEVO, Bosnia (AP) — Regardless of how the Russian war in Ukraine ends, getting justice for human rights abuses suffered during the conflict will inevitably be a long and painful process for those who survive to tell of the atrocities they witnessed.


FRIDAY, APRIL 15
PREDATORS

Draisaitl, Smith power Edmonton over Predators 4-0

NASHVILLE (AP) — Leon Draisaitl had three goals and Mike Smith made 30 saves, leading the Edmonton Oilers to a 4-0 win over the Nashville Predators on Thursday night.

STATE GOVERNMENT

Amid false 2020 claims, GOP states eye voting system upgrade

NASHVILLE (AP) — For years, Tennessee Democratic Senate Minority Leader Jeff Yarbro's call to require the state's voting infrastructure to include a paper record of each ballot cast has been batted down in the Republican-dominated Legislature.

Tennessee moves bill limiting shackles on pregnant inmates

NASHVILLE (AP) — Tennessee lawmakers are advancing a bill strictly limiting the shackling of pregnant inmates.

STATEWIDE

Tennessee tree planting grants applications available

NASHVILLE (AP) — Tennessee's Community Tree Planting Program is accepting applications for its cost-share program that pays half the cost of trees and associated expenses for public tree planting projects.

AUTO INDUSTRY

Modest-income buyers being priced out of new-vehicle market

DETROIT (AP) — Two years after the pandemic tore through the economy, America's auto market looks something like this: Prices are drastically up. Supply is drastically down. And gasoline costs drastically more.

Macron, Le Pen decry 'shocking' Stellantis CEO pay

PARIS (AP) — French President Emmanuel Macron and his far-right challenger in the French presidential vote, Marine Le Pen, on Friday both decried as "shocking" the multimillion euro payout to the CEO of carmaker Stellantis.

ENVIRONMENT

Climate toll on Arctic military bases: Sunken runways, damaged roads

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. military bases in the Arctic and sub-Arctic are failing to prepare their installations for long-term climate change as required, even though soaring temperatures and melting ice already are cracking base runways and roads and worsening flood risks up north, the Pentagon's watchdog office said Friday.

Expanding drought leaves western US scrambling for water

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Tumbleweeds drift along the Rio Grande as sand bars within its banks widen. Smoke from distant wildfires and dust kicked up by intense spring winds fill the valley, exacerbating the feeling of distress that is beginning to weigh on residents.

MEDIA

Twitter adopts 'poison pill' defense in Musk takeover bid

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) — Twitter said Friday that its board of directors has unanimously adopted a "poison pill" defense in response to Tesla CEO Elon Musk's proposal to buy the company and take it private.

News publisher Lee faces renewed pressure from hedge funds

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Newspaper publisher Lee Enterprises is facing renewed pressure from a hedge fund to speed up its transition to digital publishing and consider adding new digital-savvy leaders to its board after successfully fighting off a hostile takeover from a different hedge fund.

VIRUS OUTBREAK

FDA authorizes 1st breath test for COVID-19 infection

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Food and Drug Administration on Thursday issued an emergency use authorization for what it said is the first device that can detect COVID-19 in breath samples.

NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS

Biden picks Michael Barr for Fed's bank regulation post

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden said Friday he plans to nominate Michael Barr, the dean of the University of Michigan's public policy school, to be the Federal Reserve's vice chairman of supervision.

EXPLAINER: What is Musk really doing as he guns for Twitter?

Mercurial billionaire Elon Musk now says he wants to buy Twitter outright, taking it private to restore its commitment to what he terms "free speech." But his offer, which seemed to fall flat with investors on Thursday, raises as many questions as it answers.

NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL POLITICS

Trump adviser Miller grilled about Trump's speech on Jan. 6

WASHINGTON (AP) — Lawmakers pressed Stephen Miller, a top aide to former President Donald Trump, during a daylong closed-door interview about Trump's speech at a rally that preceded the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection at the Capitol, according to two people familiar with Miller's testimony.

EXPLAINER: Why is Texas policing its border with Mexico?

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Gov. Greg Abbott's decision to impose additional inspections of trucks entering Texas from Mexico is his latest move in an unprecedented foray into border security, which has long been the federal government's domain.

Bidens paid 24.6% taxes on $610,702 earnings, returns show

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden and his wife, Jill, earned $610,702 during their first year in the White House and paid $150,439 in federal income taxes. That was a rate of 24.6% for 2021, well over the average of around 14%.

UKRAINE

Police: More than 900 civilian bodies found in Kyiv region

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — More than 900 civilian bodies have been discovered in the region surrounding the Ukrainian capital following the withdrawal of Russian forces — most of them fatally shot, police said Friday, an indication that many people were "simply executed."

US and Russia clash over cause of food price rises

UNTED NATIONS (AP) — The U.S. ambassador to the United Nations accused Russia on Thursday of making the precarious food situation in Yemen and elsewhere even worse by invading Ukraine, calling it "just another grim example of the ripple effect Russia's unprovoked, unjust, unconscionable war is having on the world's most vulnerable."

Russia loses warship, says attacks on Kyiv will increase

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — A day after Moscow suffered a stinging symbolic defeat with the loss of the flagship of its Black Sea fleet, Russia's Defense Ministry promised Friday to ramp up missile attacks on the Ukrainian capital in response to Ukraine's alleged military "diversions on the Russian territory."

Ukraine's port of Mariupol holds out against all odds

LVIV, Ukraine (AP) — Under relentless bombardment and a Russian blockade, the key port of Mariupol is holding out, but weapons and supplies shortages could weaken the resistance that has thwarted the Kremlin's invasion plans.


THURSDAY, APRIL 14
STATE GOVERNMENT

Homeless camps on public land risk felony in Tennessee bill

NASHVILLE (AP) — Tennessee lawmakers are close to sending Republican Gov. Bill Lee a proposal that would threaten felony penalties against homeless people who camp on local public property — including in parks — and misdemeanors for camping around highways.

Tennessee high court reinstates new state Senate districts

NASHVILLE (AP) — The Tennessee Supreme Court on Wednesday reinstated the new state Senate map drawn up by Republicans this year in redistricting, ruling that a lower panel of judges didn't properly consider how blocking the map and extending the candidate filing deadline would harm elections officials and cause voter confusion.

State: Residency law too late to remove Trump-backed hopeful

NASHVILLE (AP) — A new rule imposing residency requirements on most U.S. House and Senate hopefuls won't achieve some Tennessee Republican lawmakers' goal of nudging at least one GOP candidate backed by President Donald Trump off the primary ballot, even as the governor allowed it to become law without signing it Wednesday.

COURTS

Man blaming Trump's 'orders' for riot actions found guilty

WASHINGTON (AP) — An Ohio man who testified he was "following presidential orders" from Donald Trump when he stormed the U.S. Capitol was convicted Thursday of obstructing Congress from certifying Joe Biden's 2020 electoral victory.

REAL ESTATE

US long-term mortgage rates rise; 30-year loan reaches 5%

WASHINGTON (AP) — Long-term U.S. mortgage rates continued to climb this week as the key 30-year loan rate reached 5% for the first time in more than a decade amid persistent high inflation.

HEALTH CARE

E-cigs using synthetic nicotine come under FDA oversight

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. regulators will soon begin cracking down on vaping companies using a now-closed loophole, including a line of fruit-flavored e-cigarettes that have become teenagers' top choice.

UnitedHealth tops Q1 forecasts, raises 2022 outlook

UnitedHealth Group delivered a better-than-expected first quarter and raised its 2022 forecast, as Medicare Advantage grow and care delivery once again helped the health care giant.

MEDIA

Tesla CEO Elon Musk offers to buy Twitter for $43 billion

Tesla CEO Elon Musk is offering to buy Twitter, saying the social media platform he has criticized for not living up to free speech principles needs to be transformed as a private company.

AUTO INDUSTRY

Tesla issues 2nd recall for obstructing pedestrian warning

DETROIT (AP) — Tesla is recalling nearly nearly 595,000 vehicles in the U.S., most for a second time, because a "Boombox" function can play sounds over an external speaker and obscure audible warnings for pedestrians.

BANKING

Big bank profits decline as deal-making, mortgages slow

NEW YORK (AP) — Four big banks reported noticeable declines in their first-quarter profits Thursday, as the volatile markets and war in Ukraine caused deal-making to dry up while a slowdown in the housing market meant fewer people sought to get a new mortgage or refinance.

VIRUS OUTBREAK

Pfizer to seek COVID booster for healthy 5- to 11-year-olds

Pfizer said Thursday it wants to expand its COVID-19 booster shots to healthy elementary-age kids.

UK clears 6th COVID shot despite canceling deal for doses

LONDON (AP) — British authorities have authorized a coronavirus vaccine for adults made by French drugmaker Valneva, despite the government's decision last year to cancel an order for at least 100 million doses.

NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS

US stocks fall; investors eye Elon Musk's offer for Twitter

NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks are closing lower on Wall Street Thursday as investors gave mixed reviews to earnings from four of the nation's largest banks. The S&P 500 fell 1.2% and ended a shortened trading week with a decline of more than 2%. The yield on the 10-year Treasury rose to 2.83% as inflation worries continue to overhang the markets. Investors again turned their attention to the drama surrounding Tesla CEO Elon Musk and Twitter. Musk offered to buy the social media company for $54.20 a share, two weeks after revealing he'd accumulated a 9% stake. The Commerce Department said retail sales rose 0.5% in March.

Amazon CEO Jassy says he wants to improve warehouse safety

In his first letter to Amazon shareholders, CEO Andy Jassy offered a defense of the wages and benefits the company gives its warehouse workers while also vowing to improve injury rates inside the facilities.

IMF chief: Ukraine war and inflation threaten global economy

WASHINGTON (AP) — The head of the International Monetary Fund warned Thursday that Russia's war against Ukraine was weakening the economic prospects for most of the world's countries and called high inflation "a clear and present danger'' to the global economy.

US jobless claims rise but remain near a half-century low

WASHINGTON (AP) — The number of people seeking unemployment benefits ticked up last week but remained at a historically low level, reflecting a robust U.S. labor market with near record-high job openings and few layoffs.

Retail sales up 0.5% in March despite soaring inflation

NEW YORK (AP) — Retail sales rose modestly in March, but higher prices for food, gasoline and other basics took a big share of consumers' wallets.

Amazon adds 5% 'fuel and inflation surcharge' to seller fees

Amazon is taking a step to offset its rising costs, announcing Wednesday it will add a 5% "fuel and inflation surcharge" to fees it charges third-party sellers who use the e-commerce giant's fulfillment services.

European Central Bank gives no clear date for rate hikes

The head of the European Central Bank said Thursday that the bank would raise interest rates "some time after" ending its pandemic stimulus efforts later this year, even as pressure increases to follow the United States, United Kingdom and other countries in taking a harder line to combat soaring consumer prices.

NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL POLITICS

AP sources: Trump aide Stephen Miller to speak to 1/6 panel

WASHINGTON (AP) — Stephen Miller, who served as a top aide to President Donald Trump, will appear Thursday before the congressional committee investigating the Jan. 6 insurrection, according to two people familiar with the matter.

Thinking small: Biden scrounges for ways to break through

WASHINGTON (AP) — With his sweeping domestic agenda on hold and images of horror in Ukraine dominating headlines, President Joe Biden is scrounging for ways to demonstrate that he's still making progress for Americans at a time when many feel the country is heading in the wrong direction.

Talk of race, sex in schools divides Americans: AP-NORC poll

WASHINGTON (AP) — Americans are deeply divided over how much children in K-12 schools should be taught about racism and sexuality, according to a new poll released as Republicans across the country aim to make parental involvement in education a central campaign theme this election year.

UKRAINE

Biden approves $800M in new military assistance for Ukraine

WASHINGTON (AP) — In anticipation of a new Russian offensive in eastern Ukraine, President Joe Biden on Wednesday approved an $800 million package of military assistance, including additional helicopters and the first provision of American artillery.

Kremlin crackdown silences war protests, from benign to bold

A former police officer who discussed Russia's invasion on the phone. A priest who preached to his congregation about the suffering of Ukrainians. A student who held up a banner with no words — just asterisks.

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