VOL. 43 | NO. 25 | Friday, June 21, 2019
JOE ROGERS: MY TAKE
The Metro election arrives in about six weeks, the absolute most momentous Metro election since – well, since the last one, I guess. Some 100-plus candidates are running for one office or another.
VANDERBILT SPORTS
Shortly after Vanderbilt’s 2018 season ended one win short of the College World Series with an extra-inning defeat, Philip Clarke changed the background on his cellphone to TD Ameritrade Park Omaha.
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Fans at the College World Series and across the Southeastern Conference may have never seen Preacher Franklin.
RICHARD COURTNEY: REALTY CHECK
Are open houses a valuable real estate tool or simply a way for real estate brokers to pad their mailing lists?
REAL ESTATE
Top residential real estate sales, May 2019, for Davidson, Williamson, Rutherford, Wilson and Sumner counties, as compiled by Chandler Reports.
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. long-term mortgage rates were little changed this week. The key 30-year, fixed-rate loan hovered around an average 3.8% for the third straight week.
GUEST COLUMNIST
More than 22 year ago, a group of citizens in Englewood filed a lawsuit against their city, alleging that their Board of Commissioners did not provide adequate notice of a meeting in which it selected a route for a highway expansion project.
NEWSMAKERS
Class action plaintiffs’ attorney John Spragens has launched a new plaintiffs’ law firm representing consumers, whistleblowers and victims of abuse, discrimination, medical malpractice, serious injury and wrongful death.
BRIEFS
Nashville-based Cumberland Consulting has been recognized as one of the top three consulting firms in the 2019 Payer IT Consulting report by KLAS, a peer-reviewed health care technology research organization.
BEHIND THE WHEEL
The Honda Pilot has always been a strong choice for a midsize, three-row, crossover SUV. But Kia has recently introduced an all-new model known as the Telluride that it hopes will attract shoppers with its bold styling and value.
PERSONAL FINANCE
Many people worry about running out of money in retirement. That’s understandable, since we don’t know how long we’ll live, what our future costs might be and what kind of returns we can expect on our savings.
CAREER CORNER
There’s a riddle hidden at the end of job interviews. As a candidate, you show up to an interview believing you’ll be talking about fit. And, you do – at first.
MILLENNIAL MONEY
While serving in the U.S. Marine Corps, Erik Goodge was severely wounded during a deployment to Afghanistan. After returning home, the veteran became passionate about finances as he navigated his post-military life and benefits.
VANDERBILT SPORTS
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Vanderbilt swept the Southeastern Conference regular-season and tournament titles, set the league record for wins, tied the record with 13 draft picks and lost back-to-back games just twice.
EDUCATION
MURFREESBORO (AP) — Middle Tennessee State University has signed a five-year agreement with Moi University of Kenya for collaboration between their aerospace departments on teaching, research and student exchanges.
STATE GOVERNMENT
NASHVILLE (AP) — House Republicans leaders say their caucus will meet July 24 to vote for a new leader as members prepare for House Speaker Glen Casada to resign later this summer following a series of scandals.
AUTO INDUSTRY
FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — Carmaker Ford said Thursday it is shedding 12,000 jobs in Europe to increase profitability, part of a global trend of cost cuts by automakers facing shifting consumer tastes and heavy investments in electric cars.
REAL ESTATE
WASHINGTON (AP) — More Americans signed contracts to purchase homes in May compared with the prior month, a sign buyers may be ready take advantage of low interest rates and stabilizing home prices.
TECHNOLOGY
SHENZHEN, China (AP) — Chinese tech giant Huawei warned Thursday a U.S. senator's proposal to block the company from pursuing damages in patent courts would be a "catastrophe for global innovation."
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg says the company is evaluating how it should handle "deepfake" videos created with artificial intelligence and high-tech tools to yield false but realistic clips.
COURTS
WASHINGTON (AP) — In two politically charged rulings, the Supreme Court dealt a huge blow Thursday to efforts to combat the drawing of electoral districts for partisan gain but also put a hold on the Trump administration's effort to add a citizenship question to the 2020 census.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court is forbidding President Donald Trump's administration from adding a citizenship question to the 2020 census for now. The court says the Trump administration's explanation for wanting to add the question was "more of a distraction" than an explanation.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court says law enforcement officers can generally draw blood without a warrant from an unconscious person suspected of driving drunk or while on drugs.
NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS
SEATTLE (AP) — Amazon will add more than 1,500 package pickup locations in a partnership with the national pharmacy chain Rite Aid.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. economy grew at a healthy 3.1% rate in the first three months of this year, but signs are mounting that growth has slowed sharply in the current quarter amid slower global growth and a confidence-shaking trade battle between the United States and China.
OSAKA, Japan (AP) — Trade and geopolitical tensions, and the looming threat of climate change, are on the agenda as the presidents of the United States and China and other world leaders gather in Osaka, Japan, for a summit of the Group of 20 major economies.
NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL POLITICS
ATLANTA (AP) — More than 120 million Americans cast ballots in the 2018 midterm elections, with turnout surging to that of a typical presidential year in some states and the highest percentages of voters in places that have expanded access to the polls, according to an analysis of data released Thursday by the U.S. Election Assistance Commission.
MIAMI (AP) — Ten Democrats railed against a national economy and a Republican administration they argued exist only for the rich as presidential candidates debated onstage for the first time in the young 2020 season, embracing inequality as a defining theme in their fight to deny President Donald Trump a second term in office.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell demanded Thursday that House Democrats drop their insistence for changes in a $4.6 billion border aid package that the Senate passed with overwhelming bipartisan support and instead give final congressional approval to the legislation.
MIAMI (AP) — Democrats hoping that Wednesday night's first presidential debate of the 2020 campaign would be clarifying probably came away disappointed. There were no major stumbles but few standout moments as 10 candidates vied for the nation's attention.
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 26
NASHVILLE AREA
NASHVILLE (AP) — Software-based bookkeeping company Pilot.com is opening its new account management headquarters in Nashville.
STATEWIDE
DALLAS (AP) — FedEx Corp. posted weak quarterly results in its core express business and warned Tuesday that its profit in the year ahead will be hurt by slowing growth in the world economy and the decision to drop a contract with retail giant Amazon.
MUSIC INDUSTRY
NASHVILLE (AP) — Alabama-born drummer Jerry Carrigan, who was in the first rhythm section for FAME Studio in Muscle Shoals and later an in-demand session player in Nashville, Tennessee, died at age 75 in Chattanooga.
VANDERBILT SPORTS
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Vanderbilt's go-to guy throughout the postseason once again delivered a dominant performance.
UT SPORTS
KNOXVILLE (AP) — Tennessee athletic director Phillip Fulmer has said from the time he took over that his No. 1 priority is to turn around the slumping football program.
AUTO INDUSTRY
DETROIT (AP) — Tesla is close to setting a quarterly record for deliveries, but the company is having trouble shipping vehicles to the right places as the second quarter comes to a close, CEO Elon Musk told workers in an internal memo.
ENVIRONMENT
PARIS (AP) — French President Emmanuel Macron sees himself as a global climate crusader but even a watchdog that he created says his government is lagging on its promises to the planet.
TOKYO (AP) — Japan has a plastic problem. In a country where cleanliness and neat packaging have long been considered good service, almost everything, from single bananas to individual pieces of vegetables, pastries, pens and cosmetics is sold plastic-wrapped.
TECHNOLOGY
PARIS (AP) — Facebook is agreeing to help French police identify hate speech suspects, in what the French government is celebrating as a global first.
COURTS
NASHVILLE (AP) — A Tennessee law barring ministers ordained online from officiating at marriage ceremonies is being challenged in federal court.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court on Wednesday struck down a Tennessee law that makes it hard for outsiders to break into the state's liquor sales market.
PARIS (AP) — A leading French consumer group has filed a class-action lawsuit accusing Google of violating the European Union's landmark 2018 privacy rules.
WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal judge ruled Tuesday that a lawsuit that accuses President Trump of profiting off the presidency in violation of the Constitution's emoluments clause can move forward.
NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS
Stocks closed slightly lower on Wall Street Wednesday after an early rally fueled by optimism over the next round of trade talks between the U.S. and China lost momentum toward the end of the day.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The stock market has taken in stride the almost daily drumbeat of President Donald Trump's attacks on Federal Reserve Chair Jay Powell, caring more about how the two men tackle their respective jobs than how they handle each other.
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump says he's under little pressure to reach a trade deal with China when he meets late this week with President Xi Jinping and is prepared to impose further tariffs on Chinese imports.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Orders to U.S. factories for long-lasting manufactured goods fell sharply in May while demand in a category that tracks business investment rose modestly.
BOSTON (AP) — Employees at online home furnishings retailer Wayfair walked out Wednesday to protest the company's decision to sell $200,000 worth of furniture to a government contractor that runs a detention center for migrant children in Texas.
BERLIN (AP) — German Chancellor Angela Merkel is downplaying suggestions that the Group of 20 global powers, whose leaders meet in Japan later this week, could play a major role in resolving conflicts such as the standoff between Iran and the U.S.
LONDON (AP) — The governor of the Bank of England gave his biggest hint yet that he'd back a stimulus package for the British economy if the country crashes out of the European Union at the end of October with no deal.
NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL POLITICS
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump misstated his record on poverty and how tariffs work as he weighed in on Twitter and in an interview Wednesday with bold claims at odds with reality.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The GOP-held Senate on Wednesday passed a bipartisan $4.6 billion measure to deliver aid to the southern border before the government runs out of money to care for thousands of migrant families and unaccompanied children.
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump and Democrats blamed each other Wednesday for the deaths of a migrant father and his toddler daughter whose bodies were seen in searing photographs, symbolizing the perils faced by those trying to cross illegally into the U.S.
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump on Wednesday listed steps his administration had taken to bolster conservative causes and oppose abortion, warning evangelical voters that it all could change very quickly with the "wrong person" in the White House.
WASHINGTON (AP) — A top Environment Protection Agency official who helped lead the Trump administration's rollback of Obama-era restrictions of carbon emissions is resigning amid a congressional probe into whether he improperly aided former industry clients.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Sixty seconds for answers, a television audience of millions and, for some candidates, a first chance to introduce themselves to voters.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The chairman of the House Judiciary Committee says he expects special counsel Robert Mueller to have "a profound impact" when he testifies before Congress on July 17, even though Mueller has said he won't provide any new information.
TUESDAY, JUNE 25
MIDSTATE
NASHVILLE (AP) — Gov. Bill Lee has announced that Xtend Healthcare LLC is expanding its operations in Tennessee.
VANDERBILT SPORTS
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Michigan could sense the momentum slipping away.
STATEWIDE
DALLAS (AP) — A lawsuit filed by FedEx against the U.S. government over export rules follows a dispute over diverted shipments that were intended for Huawei Technologies, the Chinese telecommunications-equipment giant.
AUTO INDUSTRY
YOKOHAMA, Japan (AP) — Scandal-battered Nissan won its shareholders' approval Tuesday for a new system of committees to oversee governance and for keeping Chief Executive Hiroto Saikawa on its board.
TECHNOLOGY
LONDON (AP) — An ambitious group of state-backed hackers has been burrowing into telecommunications companies in order to spy on high-profile targets across the world, a U.S. cybersecurity firm said in a report published Tuesday.
REAL ESTATE
WASHINGTON (AP) — Sales of new U.S. homes slumped 7.8% in May, as sales plunged in the pricier Northeastern and Western markets.
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. home price gains slowed for the 13th straight month in April, evidence that weaker demand is keeping prices in check even as mortgage rates fall.
NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS
Technology and internet companies led a broad slide for U.S. stocks Tuesday after discouraging economic data and cautionary remarks from the head of the Federal Reserve weighed on the market.
WASHINGTON (AP) — American businesses are bracing for a painful escalation in President Donald Trump's trade war with China.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell said Tuesday the economic outlook has become cloudier since early May, with rising uncertainties over trade and global growth causing the central bank to reassess its next move on interest rates.
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. consumer confidence dropped to the lowest level since September 2017 as heightened trade tensions apparently took a toll on Americans' spirits.
BEIJING (AP) — China hopes a meeting later this week between President Donald Trump and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping will help build trust and resolve "outstanding issues," a foreign ministry spokesman said Tuesday.
BEIJING (AP) — China on Tuesday criticized Washington's efforts to enforce U.S. law abroad following a news report three Chinese banks might be penalized over dealings with North Korea.
NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL POLITICS
WASHINGTON (AP) — Melania Trump announced Tuesday that Stephanie Grisham, her longtime spokeswoman and confidante, will succeed Sarah Sanders as White House press secretary.
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump's abrupt decision against military strikes may have prevented open military conflict with Iran, but it also showed him anew to be an unpredictable, unreliable partner at home and abroad.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Democratic leaders in the House proposed tighter requirements for the care of unaccompanied refugee children as they sought to pass a $4.5 billion emergency funding bill to address the humanitarian crisis involving the thousands of migrant families detained after crossing the U.S.-Mexico border.
VIENNA (AP) — Austria's Supreme Court of Justice has ruled that a Ukrainian oligarch who prosecutors say had business ties to President Donald Trump's ex-campaign manager, Paul Manafort, can be extradited to the United States in a bribery case.
The U.S. Treasury's watchdog says it will look into why the redesign of the $20 bill featuring abolitionist Harriet Tubman was delayed.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The sprawling Democratic presidential field is incredibly diverse, but a new poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs finds Democrats give a collective shrug to gender, race and age as factors they're considering when supporting a candidate.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House said Monday it will not allow presidential counselor Kellyanne Conway to appear before a House committee looking into allegations that she repeatedly violated a federal law that limits political activity by government workers.
MONDAY, JUNE 24
EDUCATION
NASHVILLE (AP) — Tennessee State University says it's receiving $2 million from the state to help retain students who excel academically but are from underserved communities.
VANDERBILT SPORTS
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Vanderbilt coach Tim Corbin gets right to the point when he discusses his protege, Erik Bakich.
SPORTS
NASHVILLE (AP) — Former Kentucky center Dorie Harrison is transferring to Lipscomb.
TECHNOLOGY
WASHINGTON (AP) — As Congress bears down on big tech companies, two senators want to force giants like Google, Facebook and Amazon to tell users what data they're collecting from them and how much it's worth.
LONDON (AP) — A senior Facebook executive says the social media site is in favor of regulation to address some of the dark problems of the internet.
ENVIRONMENT
WASHINGTON (AP) — As Democratic presidential hopefuls prepare for their first 2020 primary debate this week, 74 medical and public health groups aligned on Monday to push for a series of consensus commitments to combat climate change, bluntly defined by the organizations as "a health emergency."
HEALTH CARE
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court will decide whether insurance companies can collect $12 billion from the federal government to cover their losses in the early years of the health care law championed by President Barack Obama.
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump signed an executive order Monday that calls for upfront disclosure by hospitals of actual prices for common tests and procedures to keep costs down .
COURTS
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court has struck down a section of federal law that prevented officials from registering trademarks seen as scandalous or immoral, handing a victory Monday to California fashion brand FUCT.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court sided with businesses and the U.S. government Monday in a ruling about the public's access to information, telling a South Dakota newspaper it can't get the data it was seeking.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court is rejecting an early challenge to President Donald Trump's authority to impose tariffs on imported steel based on national security concerns.
NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS
The U.S. stock market capped a day of listless trading with modest losses Monday as investors focused on upcoming trade talks between the U.S. and China.
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump is continuing efforts to pressure the U.S. central bank system, saying the stock markets and economic growth would be much higher if not for its actions.
BEIJING (AP) — Chinese and U.S. trade negotiators are discussing ways to resolve disputes ahead of a meeting between Presidents Donald Trump and Xi Jinping at the G-20 summit in Japan later this week, a Chinese official said Monday.
BERLIN (AP) — A closely watched survey is showing that German business confidence has fallen to a near five-year low as managers' expectations for the coming six months have deteriorated.
NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL POLITICS
WASHINGTON (AP) — Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is meeting this week with Sept. 11 first responders following withering criticism from comedian Jon Stewart that Congress had failed to ensure that a victims' compensation fund never runs out of money.
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Monday targeting Iran's supreme leader and his associates with financial sanctions, the latest action the U.S. has taken to discourage Tehran from developing nuclear weapons and supporting militant groups.
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump is suggesting the United States should not protect ships in the strategic Strait of Hormuz without compensation from other countries.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Nearly two dozen Democratic presidential candidates have crisscrossed the country for six months selling their vision for the United States. But, on the eve of the first debates in the campaign , a new poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research shows most Democratic voters haven't fully tuned in.
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump has a silent partner behind several of the accomplishments he likes to boast about: Barack Obama.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said he wants to build a global coalition against Iran during urgent consultations in the Middle East, following a week of crisis that saw the United States pull back from the brink of a military strike on Iran.
FRIDAY, JUNE 21
NASHVILLE AREA
NASHVILLE (AP) — Nashville's mayor is proposing a reboot on electric scooters that would eliminate the program and remove all scooters from city streets but consider adding back one or two scooter companies if they can meet safety and accessibility requirements.
NASHVILLE (AP) — Tennessee officials are proposing more than $10 million in economic incentives for Nashville-based SmileDirectClub's expansion.
MEDIA
MORRISTOWN (AP) — Lakeway Publishers says it does not plan to close any newspapers as part of a Chapter 11 bankruptcy and restructuring.
EDUCATION
MURFREESBORO (AP) — Middle Tennessee State University's Board of Trustees has approved a 2.37% increase in tuition and fees beginning this fall.
REAL ESTATE
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. home sales jumped 2.5% in May, as lower mortgage rates appeared to help buyers overcome affordability challenges.
HEALTH CARE
WASHINGTON (AP) — Roughly one in every six times someone is taken to an emergency room or checks in to the hospital, the treatment is followed by a "surprise" medical bill, according to a study released Thursday. And depending on where you live, the odds can be much higher.
AUTO INDUSTRY
TOKYO (AP) — Mitsubishi Motors Corp. shareholders approved on Friday the ouster of Carlos Ghosn, who was pivotal in the Japanese automaker's three-way partnership with Nissan and Renault until he was arrested on financial misconduct charges last year.
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Self-driving car pioneer Waymo is teaming up with automakers Renault and Nissan to make its first journey outside the U.S. with a ride-hailing service that will dispatch a fleet of robotaxis in France and Japan.
COURTS
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court says prosecutors must prove that people charged with violating federal gun laws knew they were not allowed to have a weapon. The government says the decision could affect thousands of prosecutions of convicted criminals who are barred from having a firearm.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court on Friday threw out the murder conviction and death sentence for a black man in Mississippi because of a prosecutor's efforts to keep African Americans off the jury. The defendant already has been tried six times and now could face a seventh trial.
WASHINGTON (AP) — With one sentence Thursday, Justice Samuel Alito signaled his willingness to throw out the Supreme Court's 84-year-old record of support for the broad powers of federal agencies, which reaches back to the New Deal.
WASHINGTON (AP) — A 40-foot-tall, World War I memorial cross can continue to stand on public land in Maryland, the Supreme Court ruled Thursday in an important decision about the use of religious symbols in American life.
TECHNOLOGY
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — Americans prefer a space program that focuses on potential asteroid impacts, scientific research and using robots to explore the cosmos over sending humans back to the moon or on to Mars, a poll shows.
NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS
Wall Street finished a milestone-setting week on a downbeat note Friday after a late flurry of selling nudged stocks lower, ending the market's four-day winning streak.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The United States is blacklisting five Chinese organizations involved in supercomputing, calling them national security threats and cutting them off from critical U.S. technology.
NEW YORK (AP) — Hawaii, Massachusetts, Minnesota and Nevada are joining the legal fight against T-Mobile's $26.5 billion bid for Sprint in a case that lawyers on both sides say they hope will reach trial in October.
BRUSSELS (AP) — The European Union insisted Friday that it will not reopen the Brexit withdrawal agreement with the U.K. government whoever succeeds Theresa May as British prime minister.
TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — Terry Gou, chairman of Foxconn, the world's largest contract assembler of consumer electronics for companies such as Apple, said Friday he was stepping down amid speculation he could be planning a presidential run next year.
HANOI, Vietnam (AP) — Millions of pigs have been culled in China and Vietnam as a U.N. food agency urges Asian governments to make containing virulent African swine fever their top priority.
Wall Street capped a broad rally for stocks Thursday by driving the S&P 500 index to an all-time high.
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau sought to demonstrate a united front Thursday in the uphill effort to get a replacement for the North American Free Trade Agreement over the finish line.
BRUSSELS (AP) — European Union leaders have agreed to prolong economic sanctions against Russia for another six months over its continued destabilization of Ukraine.
ALEXANDRIA, Va. (AP) — Walmart agreed Thursday to pay $282 million to settle civil and criminal allegations of overseas corruption, including payment through a Brazilian subsidiary of more than $500,000 to an intermediary known as a "sorceress" for her uncanny ability to make permit problems disappear.
NEW YORK (AP) — Shares of work messaging platform Slack are expected to start trading on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker "WORK."
BEIJING (AP) — China warned Thursday that threats and tariffs will not resolve trade tensions between the two biggest economies and blasted Republican Sen. Marco Rubio for his criticism of technology giant Huawei over patents.
NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL POLITICS
WASHINGTON (AP) — The House intelligence committee says it will subpoena Russia-born business executive Felix Sater after he did not appear for a scheduled interview Friday to discuss his behind-the-scenes role in Donald Trump's effort to build a skyscraper in Moscow during the presidential election.
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump said Friday the U.S. was "cocked and loaded" to retaliate against Iran for downing an unmanned American surveillance drone, but he canceled the strikes 10 minutes before they were to be launched after being told 150 people could die.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Former top White House adviser Hope Hicks was blocked by President Donald Trump's lawyers from answering questions more than 150 times in a combative interview with the House Judiciary Committee this week, according to Democrats who released a 273-page transcript on Thursday.
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump declared Thursday that "Iran made a very big mistake" in shooting down a U.S. surveillance drone near the Persian Gulf but suggested it was a foolish error rather than an intentional escalation of the tensions that have led to fears of open conflict.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate has voted to block the Trump administration from selling arms to Saudi Arabia, launching a new challenge to President Donald Trump's alliance with the country amid rising tensions in the Middle East.
MOSCOW (AP) — Russian President Vladimir Putin said Thursday that he's open for a meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump but doesn't expect quick progress on easing tensions with Washington.