VOL. 42 | NO. 26 | Friday, June 29, 2018
ELECTION 2018
Though we often complain about our government, we count on it every day, in large ways and small.
Is investment in public infrastructure important? And should Tennessee have more dedicated revenue sources to pay for construction and maintenance of infrastructure across the state, or is the existing tax structure – primarily the state tax on fuel, and wheel taxes – sufficient to pay for what Tennessee needs to sustain and grow its economy?
RICHARD COURTNEY: REALTY CHECK
It can be difficult to spot “For Sale” signs in between all the political signage dotting the landscape. But they are sprouting in more and more yards around town as inventory is expanding and showings are slowing.
REAL ESTATE
Top commercial real estate sales, May 2018, for Davidson, Williamson, Rutherford, Wilson and Sumner counties, as compiled by Chandler Reports.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Long-term U.S. mortgage rates were flat to lower this week. The benchmark 30-year rate marked its fourth decline in the past five weeks.
UT SPORTS
Don’t look for any campaign propaganda to be mailed out. There won’t be any personal stumping. Heck, Larry Seivers even refused to fluff up his own bio. If the former University of Tennessee two-time All-America wide receiver finds his way into the College Football Hall of Fame, it will happen because of the numbers and the memories that made him one of the game’s best in the 1970s.
NASHVILLE SC
Only four months ago, Nashville SC was still little more than a concept. Music City's first fully professional soccer team consisted only of players in training at that point, players who were just learning one another's names – let alone new strategies and tactics.
NEWSMAKERS
G. Gordon Bonnyman, staff attorney and former executive director of the Tennessee Justice Center, has been awarded a 2018 Kutak-Dodds Prize, which honors civil legal aid attorneys and public defenders who through the practice of law have significantly enhanced the quality of life for individuals who cannot afford legal representation by the by the National Legal Aid & Defender Association.
BRIEFS
Bridgestone Americas, Inc., a subsidiary of Bridgestone Corporation, has now donated $1 million in in-kind donations to Maplewood High School’s Automotive Training Center since it opened in 2015.
BEHIND THE WHEEL
Imagine that you are looking for a used car on a popular site, such as Autotrader, Cars.com or Craigslist. You find exactly the one you want, with a very attractive price.
CAREER CORNER
Have you ever been asked, “How much do you make?” in a job interview? This question usually shows up during the first phone call.
GUERRILLA MARKETING
Savvy sales managers are looking to reach, hire and retain the next wave of sales professionals, and they have found their answer in Gen Z. Born between 1996 and 2010 (ages 22 and under), Gen Z is the largest generation ever to enter our workforce.
COURTS
WASHINGTON (AP) — Vice President Mike Pence has met with some of the contenders for the Supreme Court vacancy created by Justice Anthony Kennedy's retirement, The Associated Press has learned.
NASHVILLE (AP) — A Tennessee panel is accepting applications for two judicial vacancies.
TECHNOLOGY
A computer can trounce a human chess master and solve complex mathematical calculations in seconds. Can it do a better job investing your money than a flesh-and-blood portfolio manager?
MOSCOW (AP) — The Russian Internet company Yandex said Thursday that its public search engine has been turning up dozens of Google documents that appear meant for private use, suggesting there may have been a data breach.
REAL ESTATE
WASHINGTON (AP) — Long-term U.S. mortgage rates fell this week, offering a slight degree of relief to would-be homebuyers.
NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS
U.S. stocks are up broadly in early trading Thursday, turning major indexes higher for the week as markets reopen following the Independence Day holiday. Technology stocks and health care and consumer-focused companies accounted for much of the market's gains. Oil prices fell.
TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Iran's representative to OPEC says U.S. President Donald Trump should stop tweeting about wanting lower oil prices, saying that doing so has the opposite effect.
WASHINGTON (AP) — A private survey shows that American businesses added 177,000 workers in June, a sign of health and resilience for the U.S. labor market and economy.
BEIJING (AP) — China rejected "threats and blackmail" ahead of a threatened U.S. tariff hike, striking a defiant stance Thursday in a dispute companies worry could flare into a full-blown trade war and chill the global economy.
BEIJING (AP) — The Latest on the trade dispute between China and the U.S. that may result in the two sides each imposing higher duties on billions of dollars' worth of each other's exports. (all times local):
BEIJING (AP) — China says it's girded for a trade war with the U.S. and can give as good as it gets, but behind the official bravado lies a deep unease over trade friction with Washington.
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump says OPEC is "doing little to help" rising gas prices and claims "if anything, they are driving prices higher."
LONDON (AP) — British Prime Minister Theresa May's office disclosed details Thursday of a plan for customs ties with the European Union that she hopes will unite warring pro-Brexit and pro-EU factions of her Conservative government.
NATIONAL POLITICS
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Democrats and Republicans once largely agreed that the upcoming midterm elections would hinge on the economy, health care and President Donald Trump's popularity. Not anymore.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Long before Viktor Vekselberg was tied to a scandal over the president and a porn star, the Russian oligarch had been positioning himself to extend his influence in the United States.
TUESDAY, JULY 3
MUSIC INDUSTRY
NASHVILLE (AP) — Musician, singer-songwriter and producer Richard Swift, who has been in bands such as The Shins, The Arcs and The Black Keys, has died. He was 41.
STATEWIDE
NASHVILLE (AP) — Tuesday is the deadline to register to vote in Tennessee's August primary elections.
MEMPHIS (AP) — A key leader at a Catholic diocese post in Tennessee has resigned days after archbishops visited Memphis to investigate him.
CHATTANOOGA (AP) — Hamilton County election commissioners have signed off on a Republican candidate to replace state Rep. Gerald McCormick, who recently withdrew from the August primary for his seat.
PREDATORS
NASHVILLE (AP) — The Nashville Predators have signed forward Colin Blackwell to a two-year, two-way contract.
SPORTS
Terrell Owens has decided to celebrate his induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame at Chattanooga, where he played college football.
EDUCATION
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration is rescinding Obama-era guidance that encouraged schools to take a student's race into account to encourage diversity in admissions, a U.S. official said Tuesday.
COURTS
NEW YORK (AP) — A federal judge in New York City says a legal challenge to the addition of a citizenship question to the census form is strong enough to go forward.
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump has interviewed four prospective Supreme Court justices so far. Who are they?
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump has interviewed four prospective Supreme Court justices and had plans to meet with a few more as his White House aggressively mobilizes to select a replacement for retiring Justice Anthony Kennedy.
WASHINGTON (AP) — As President Donald Trump considers his next Supreme Court pick, some Republicans in Congress want him to consider pulling from their ranks on Capitol Hill.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Leonard Leo had barely finished briefing Senate Republicans about the just-concluded Supreme Court term when he heard the news that Justice Anthony Kennedy was retiring as he drove back to his office. The longtime executive vice president of the conservative Federalist Society may have been caught off guard, but he was hardly unprepared.
NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS
U.S. stocks closed lower Tuesday following a swift sell-off in the final minutes of a shortened trading session ahead of the Independence Day holiday.
WASHINGTON (AP) — To understand why the United States and China stand on the brink of a trade war, consider the near-death experience of American Superconductor Corp.
BEIJING (AP) — China said Tuesday it's "fully prepared" for a trade war with the United States as hopes dwindle for a breakthrough in tensions this week between the world's two biggest economies.
TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Iran issued a new warning over Mideast oil supplies as the United Arab Emirates said on Tuesday it could increase its own production, the latest remarks to follow President Donald Trump's demand for lower global energy prices.
NEW YORK (AP) — Amazon's Prime Day deals are coming to the aisles of Whole Foods as the online retailer seeks to lure more people to its Prime membership after a recent price hike.
LONDON (AP) — A major British business group warned Tuesday that companies need answers over Britain's post-Brexit relations with the European Union, as British Prime Minister Theresa May tried to unite her feuding government around a common vision for future trade with the bloc.
NATIONAL POLITICS
WASHINGTON (AP) — As Secretary of State Mike Pompeo prepares to travel this week to North Korea, experts cautioned that the Trump administration's plan to dismantle the North's nuclear weapons and missiles in a year is both unrealistic and risky.
MONDAY, JULY 2
STATEWIDE
NASHVILLE (AP) — A miniseries that airs beginning this month highlights the personal stories behind six iconic Tennessee brands.
NASHVILLE (AP) — A new fire chief has been appointed for the Tennessee Department of Agriculture Division of Forestry.
PREDATORS
The Calgary Flames have landed the top free agent still on the market, signing forward James Neal to a five-year, $28.75 million contract.
NASHVILLE (AP) — The Nashville Predators have signed forward Zac Rinaldo to a one-year, two-way contract.
NASHVILLE (AP) — The Nashville Predators have signed forwards Connor Brickley and Rocco Grimaldi, and defenseman Jarred Tinordi to one-year, two-way contracts.
AUTO INDUSTRY
BRUSSELS (AP) — The European Union on Monday slammed the Trump administration for considering tariffs on auto imports, saying they could lead to global retaliation against some $300 billion in U.S. goods amid signs of a brewing trade war.
COURTS
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump interviewed four prospective Supreme Court justices Monday and planned to speak with a few more, as he powered forward with a speedy selection process to fill the fresh vacancy.
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A divided California Supreme Court has ruled that online review site Yelp.com cannot be ordered to remove posts against a San Francisco law firm that a judge determined were defamatory.
TECHNOLOGY
NEW YORK (AP) — Facebook says more than 800,000 users may have been affected by a bug that unblocked people they previously had blocked.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Hey, did my congressman really say that? Is that really President Donald Trump on that video, or am I being duped?
NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS
U.S. stocks closed higher Monday after a last-minute market rally erased the losses from a daylong slump.
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump is warning the World Trade Organization that if the United States isn't treated "properly, we will be doing something."
NEW YORK (AP) — The cost of investing keeps dropping as savvier investors push companies to lower or do away with high fees and commissions.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Spending on U.S. construction projects edged up 0.4 percent in May, while April's figure was revised down significantly — signs that new building is still uneven despite a growing economy.
WASHINGTON (AP) — American factories expanded at an unexpectedly fast pace in June, another sign of strength for U.S. industry. But U.S. manufacturing will have to contend in coming months with uncertainty over trade and a strengthening dollar.
MEXICO CITY (AP) — The morning after his crushing election victory, Mexico's president-elect Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador thanked President Donald Trump for his congratulation message and said he'll contact the U.S. leader to "reach an understanding."
TOKYO (AP) — Trade ministers and officials from 16 Asian countries agreed Sunday to speed up negotiations on outstanding issues and reach a basic agreement on a regional trade pact by the end of this year.
NEW YORK (AP) — Dell is going public again after a five-year sojourn as a privately held company.
NATIONAL POLITICS
NEW YORK (AP) — President Donald Trump's longtime personal lawyer, who once said he would do anything to protect the president, told ABC News in an interview released Monday that he now puts "family and country first."
WASHINGTON (AP) — Boasting about his tax cuts, President Donald Trump inflated his role in boosting the economy to mythical proportions, claiming full credit for U.S. growth that was already in the making and ignoring the reality of a mounting deficit. On immigration, he and administration officials repeatedly spread questionable alarms by linking weak border enforcement to pervasive crime and a "surge" in MS-13 gangs.
MEXICO CITY (AP) — Angry and frustrated over corruption and violence, Mexican voters delivered a tidal wave presidential election victory to leftist Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, giving him a broad mandate to upend the political establishment and govern for the poor.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Republican Sen. Susan Collins, a key vote on President Donald Trump's pick for the Supreme Court, said Sunday she would oppose any nominee she believed would overturn the landmark Roe v. Wade decision that legalized abortion.
FRIDAY, JUNE 29
STATEWIDE
NASHVILLE (AP) — Republican U.S. Rep. Marsha Blackburn says President Donald Trump's administration should reconsider broad tariffs to avoid unintended negative consequences on Tennessee's economy and workers, her toughest stance on tariffs yet.
NASHVILLE (AP) — Congresswoman Diane Black labels businessmen Randy Boyd and Bill Lee moderates in the first Tennessee gubernatorial race attack ad by a campaign.
NASHVILLE AREA
NASHVILLE (AP) — The U.S. Department of Agriculture has awarded $450,000 to Tennessee State University for food safety research.
COURTS
WASHINGTON (AP) — Justice Anthony Kennedy's successor will have a chance over a likely decades-long career to tackle a host of big issues in the law and have a role in shaping the answers to them.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Republican game plan for selecting the next member of the Supreme Court was ready to go even before longtime Justice Anthony Kennedy made his retirement announcement this week.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Is Roe v. Wade really in peril? The worst fears — and highest hopes — excited by the prospect of a new Supreme Court justice may well be overblown.
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump has a shot at remaking the Supreme Court into a conservative bulwark, at a time when America remains deeply divided on such issues as women's rights, immigration and the environment.
NEW YORK (AP) — Jared Kushner's family company is suing a New Jersey city, alleging it delayed construction of a major twin-tower project because of "political animus" toward President Donald Trump.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court is leaving in place a decision that barred a North Carolina county from opening its meetings with Christian prayers.
ATLANTA (AP) — A former software developer for Equifax faces insider trading charges related to the company's massive data breach last year, federal prosecutors in Atlanta said Thursday.
AUTO INDUSTRY
WASHINGTON (AP) — Foreign automakers, American manufacturers and classic-car enthusiasts are coming out against President Donald Trump's plan to consider taxing imported cars, trucks and auto parts.
TOKYO (AP) — Japan's government has warned in a report that a higher U.S. tariff on auto imports could backfire, jeopardizing hundreds of thousands of American jobs created by Japanese auto-related companies, raising prices for U.S. consumers and devastating the U.S. and global economy.
TECHNOLOGY
NEW YORK (AP) — Comcast is dealing with a widespread outage of some of its services.
LONDON (AP) — The head of the U.K. Parliament's media committee slammed Facebook on Friday for what it described as evasive behavior in answering questions on fake news.
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Kroger Co. is about to test whether it can steer supermarket customers away from crowded grocery aisles with a fleet of diminutive driverless cars designed to lower delivery costs.
HEALTH CARE
Amazon.com Inc. is buying PillPack, an online pharmacy that offers pre-sorted dose packaging and home delivery.
NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS
NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stocks finished mostly higher Friday, but they surrendered most of an early gain as worries about rising tariffs once again dampened investors' enthusiasm as the second quarter came to an end.
NEW YORK (AP) — Amazon wants you to deliver its packages for them.
NEW YORK (AP) — Citigroup is agreeing to refund $335 million to a group of customers who may have been overpaying interest on their credit cards.
TORONTO (AP) — Canada announced billions of dollars in retaliatory tariffs against the U.S. on Friday in a tit for tat response to the Trump administration's duties on Canadian steel and aluminum.
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S consumers increased their spending just 0.2 percent in May, a disappointing result after two months of much stronger gains. Meanwhile, inflation — as measured by a gauge monitored by the Federal Reserve — rose at the fastest pace in six years.
BEIJING (AP) — China is ending limits on foreign ownership in auto manufacturing, insurance and other fields but didn't directly address complaints about trade and technology that are fueling conflict with Washington.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Federal Reserve has given the OK to 32 of the 35 biggest banks in the U.S. to raise their dividends and buy back shares, judging their financial foundations sturdy enough to withstand a major economic downturn.
NEW YORK (AP) — As shoppers increasingly demand that everything from hot meals and groceries to dresses, bedding and electronics be dropped off at their doorsteps, retailers are betting big on delivery services that will get them there faster.
Their membership has been declining for decades. They've been bedeviled by crippling new laws, and by a devastating U.S. Supreme Court decision just this week. From all appearances, it would seem that labor unions are an endangered species.
Importers of Iranian oil are facing pressure from the United States to find another energy source or be hit with sanctions.
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. economic growth in the first quarter was revised down to a lackluster 2 percent — a sharp deceleration and the poorest showing in a year. But economists expect a significant rebound in the current quarter, forecasting a sizzling growth rate of 4 percent or more.
NEW YORK (AP) — Toys R Us is closing its last U.S. stores by Friday, the end of a chain known to generations of children and parents for its sprawling stores, brightly colored logo and Geoffrey the giraffe mascot.
NATIONAL POLITICS
BRUSSELS (AP) — The European Union issued a stark assessment of the gridlocked Brexit talks Friday, saying there's been "no substantial progress" on the key issue of the Irish border and advising EU nations to ramp up their preparations for the possibility that Britain could crash out of the bloc without a deal.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate battle over Donald Trump's Supreme Court nominee is off to a fiery start — even before the president makes his choice. Republican and Democratic leaders traded accusations and barbed comments Thursday on the new vacancy, abortion rights and the debate to come.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Republicans accused top federal law enforcement officials Thursday of withholding important documents from them and demanded details about surveillance tactics during the Russia investigation in a contentious congressional hearing that capped days of mounting partisan complaints.