VOL. 48 | NO. 28 | Friday, July 12, 2024
RICHARD COURTNEY: REALTY CHECK
Middle Tennessee real estate sales in June were 13% lower than June 2023 and May 2024, which is probably no surprise to anyone with a house languishing on the market.
REAL ESTATE
Top Davidson County residential real estate sales for June 2024, as compiled by the Nashville Ledger.
LOS ANGELES (AP) — The average rate on a 30-year mortgage fell slightly this week, providing modest relief for home shoppers facing record-high home prices.
UT SPORTS
As little as three years ago, Dalton Knecht was playing for a junior college in Colorado. Today, he’s a first-round NBA Draft pick playing for one of the most illustrious organizations in sports.
NEWSMAKERS
Thompson Burton has welcomed Brian T. Boyd as a partner and Johnathan E. Billings as an associate.
BRIEFS
Nashville Mayor Freddie O’Connell’s administration has joined the Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee, First Horizon, the Metro Housing Division and other funding partners to launch the Nashville Catalyst Fund, a new tool to create, preserve and develop more affordable housing.
BEHIND THE WHEEL
Toyota has come out with an all-new 2024 Land Cruiser. This latest model of this long-running SUV is smaller and less expensive than before and comes with a hybrid powertrain that gets better fuel economy than the previous V8.
CAREER CORNER
Do you ever wonder what your life would have been like if you had taken a different path? What if you had studied something different in college or worked in a different industry? What if you had a different role at work?
SPORTS
DALLAS (AP) — Southeastern Conference quarterbacks fall into a few categories this year.
DALLAS (AP) — Flashing a horns down hand signal while playing Texas won't automatically draw a penalty in the Southeastern Conference.
STATE GOVERNMENT
NASHVILLE (AP) — Tennessee election officials who sent letters last month to 14,375 registered voters asking them for proof of citizenship now say the recipients won't be kicked off voting rolls if they don't respond. The state clarified the position in a follow-up letter to all those didn't respond to the first correspondence. Nearly 3,200 have provided evidence of U.S. citizenship, and more than 300 have requested to be removed from the voter rolls, according to the state elections office. Those on the original mailing list were chosen based on data from the state Department of Safety and Homeland Security, which has information about whether residents were U.S. citizens when they first interacted with that department.
COURTS
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden is seriously considering proposals to establish term limits for U.S. Supreme Court justices, and an ethics code that would be enforceable under law amid growing concerns that the justices are not held accountable, according to three people briefed on the plans.
WASHINGTON (AP) — A judge's stunning decision to dismiss the classified documents case against Donald Trump brought an abrupt halt to what experts have considered the strongest and most straightforward of the prosecutions of the former president. But it's hardly the final word.
Tyson Foods heir and executive John R. Tyson has pleaded not guilty to a charge of driving while intoxicated.
WASHINGTON (AP) — A former CIA employee and senior official at the National Security Council has been charged with serving as a secret agent for South Korea's intelligence service, the U.S. Justice Department said.
ELECTION 2024
WASHINGTON (AP) — California Rep. Adam Schiff on Wednesday became the highest-profile Democrat to call for President Joe Biden to drop his reelection bid, even as the party pushed ahead with plans for a virtual vote to formally make Biden its nominee in the first week of August.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Nearly two-thirds of Democrats say President Joe Biden should withdraw from the presidential race and let his party nominate a different candidate, according to a new poll, sharply undercutting his post-debate claim that "average Democrats" are still with him even if some "big names" are turning on him.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Democrats will look to hold a virtual vote to make President Joe Biden their party's nominee in the first week of August, as Biden has rebuffed calls from some in his party to quit the race after his disastrous debate performance against Donald Trump.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Department of Homeland Security's inspector general said Wednesday it has opened an investigation into the Secret Service's handling of security for former President Donald Trump on the day a gunman tried to assassinate him at a Pennsylvania rally.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Joe Biden and Donald Trump are two presidents with unfinished business and an itch to get it done.
LAS VEGAS (AP) — President Joe Biden returned to the campaign trail on Tuesday for the first time since the attempted assassination of Donald Trump, continuing his calls to calm the divisive rhetoric on both sides but also arguing that doing so "doesn't mean we should stop telling the truth" about his Republican rival.
WASHINGTON (AP) — When Ohio Sen. JD Vance traveled to the Munich Security Conference earlier this year, he wasn't there to reassure Europe and other global allies that America would aid Ukraine in its war against Russia, as all of the other senators were.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Vice President Kamala Harris and Republican JD Vance on Tuesday had their first chat since the Ohio senator became the GOP vice presidential nominee, but the two sides are still working on terms for participating in a debate, according to three people familiar with the matter.
There aren't a lot of facts. There are, however, an avalanche of conclusions.
INFRASTRUCTURE
Dozens of aging bridges in 16 states will be replaced or improved with the help of $5 billion in federal grants announced Wednesday by President Joe Biden's administration, the latest beneficiaries of a massive infrastructure law.
MILITARY
WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. Navy has exonerated 256 Black sailors who were found to be unjustly punished in 1944 following a horrific port explosion that killed hundreds of service members and exposed racist double standards among the then-segregated ranks.
ECONOMY
WASHINGTON (AP) — Having worked in the Federal Reserve system her entire career, Loretta Mester rose to become president of the Cleveland Fed for a decade until her retirement on June 30.
LONDON (AP) — The Bank of England is facing a dilemma about whether to cut interest rates next month after official figures Wednesday showed inflation holding steady at its target against expectations of a modest decline, possibly as a result of Taylor Swift's Eras Tour.
NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS
NEW YORK (AP) — Wall Street's record-breaking rally ran into a wall, as worries about potentially worsening trade tensions with China hit stocks of chip companies.
LAS VEGAS (AP) — The Mirage is about to vanish from the Las Vegas Strip.
NEW YORK (AP) — Five Below said Tuesday that its CEO and President Joel Anderson has stepped down amid languishing sales at the discount retailer catering to teens.
NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL POLITICS
WASHINGTON (AP) — Sen. Bob Menendez has shown no sign he will voluntarily resign from the Senate following his conviction on bribery charges, leaving Democratic senators contemplating an expulsion effort to force him from office.
MILWAUKEE (AP) — Former Trump White House official Peter Navarro, released from prison Wednesday, condemned the Biden administration for what he called the "weaponization" of the justice system, even as he pledged to offer a message of national unity when he speaks to the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Republican chairman of the House Oversight and Accountability Committee issued a subpoena Wednesday to Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle compelling her to appear before the committee on Monday for what is scheduled to be the first congressional hearing into the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump.
TUESDAY, JULY 16
SPORTS
Mississippi coach Lane Kiffin came to SEC Media Days on Monday still grieving the death of his father, Monte Kiffin, a longtime and well-respected NFL assistant.
MUSIC INDUSTRY
After a widely panned performance of the U.S. national anthem at the MLB Home Run Derby, country singer Ingrid Andress apologized Tuesday and said she was drunk.
COURTS
NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez was convicted on Tuesday of all the counts he faced at his corruption trial, including accepting bribes of gold and cash from three New Jersey businessmen and acting as a foreign agent for the Egyptian government.
NEW YORK (AP) — The second phase of the trial in a civil lawsuit against the National Rifle Association began Monday in Manhattan, with New York Attorney General Letitia James seeking an independent monitor to oversee the powerful gun rights group's finances.
LONDON (AP) — An Australian computer scientist found to have falsely claimed to be the mysterious creator of the bitcoin cryptocurrency will be referred to British prosecutors for possible perjury and forgery charges, a London judge said Tuesday.
ELECTION 2024
MILWAUKEE (AP) — A company is now selling $299 sneakers showing an image of Donald Trump with streaks of blood on his cheek and pumping his fist in the air after he was the target of an assassination attempt in Pennsylvania.
WASHINGTON (AP) — A contingent of House Democrats is wary of swiftly nominating President Joe Biden as the party's pick for reelection, circulating a letter Tuesday raising "serious concerns" about plans for a virtual roll call as soon as July 21, ahead of the Democratic National Convention in August.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The first night of the Republican National Convention kept its official focus on the economy Monday even after Saturday's shooting at a rally in Pennsylvania in which former President Donald Trump was injured.
LAS VEGAS (AP) — President Joe Biden returns to the campaign trail Tuesday for the first time since the attempted assassination of his Republican rival, former President Donald Trump, aiming to sharpen the choice voters will face this November in the wake of the attack.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Libertarians in Colorado want to put Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on the ballot to create chaos.
The assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump, who is running for reelection, is fueling a range of false claims and conspiracy theories as authorities seek information about the 20-year-old shooter's background and motive, how he obtained the AR-style rifle he fired at Trump and security at the venue that failed to stop the shooting.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Democrats are trying to offer political counterprograming to the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, announcing $15 million to fund campaign operations in seven key swing states — even as some in the party have urged President Joe Biden to bow out of November's election.
Officials are demanding to know how an armed man was able to get to the top of a building and shoot former President Donald Trump. A report of a suspicious man had reached police and witnesses pointed and shouted at an armed man on a roof nearby where Trump was speaking.
MEDIA
MSNBC "Morning Joe" host Joe Scarborough said Tuesday he was "surprised and disappointed" the news show was pulled off the air the day before and hasn't received a good explanation about why.
TECHNOLOGY
LONDON (AP) — British regulators opened a preliminary investigation on Tuesday into Microsoft's hiring of an AI startup's key staff over concerns that it could thwart competition in the booming artificial intelligence market.
NEW YORK (AP) — Cybersecurity firm Kaspersky says it's shutting down all of its operations in the United States, just weeks after the Commerce Department banned the use of the company's software in the country.
REAL ESTATE
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden is ready to propose a 5% cap on annual rent increases for tenants of major landlords as he tries to show he's doing something about the high cost of housing, according to a person familiar with the plan.
ECONOMY
WASHINGTON (AP) — The International Monetary Fund is upgrading its economic outlook this year for China, India and Europe while modestly lowering expectations for the United States and Japan. But it says worldwide progress against accelerating prices has been slowed by stickier-than-expected inflation for services, from airline travel to restaurant meals.
NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS
NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stocks rose to records after several big companies delivered better-than-expected profits for the spring.
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Billionaire Elon Musk says he's moving the headquarters of SpaceX and social media company X to Texas from California.
Small business sales growth slowed in June as consumers took a pause on spending. That's according to new data from financial services and payments provider Fiserv.
NEW YORK (AP) — Amazon's popular Prime Day sales event has been "a major cause of injuries" for warehouse workers who pick and pack customer orders at the e-commerce giant's facilities across the United States, according to a report released Tuesday by Sen. Bernie Sanders.
NEW YORK (AP) — Open Society Foundations, the philanthropic organizations that billionaire investor George Soros has built up since the 1970s, revealed its first new major commitment on Tuesday after a years-long internal reorganization, pledging $400 million over eight years to support green economic development.
NEW YORK (AP) — Shoppers paused their spending in June from May, defying economic forecasts for a pullback and proving their resilience in the face of an uncertain economy
NEW YORK (AP) — Bank of America said its profits fell in the second quarter, as higher interest rates ate into BofA's expenses, including its large consumer banking franchise.
NEW YORK (AP) — Amazon Prime Day is here, and experts are reminding consumers to be wary of scams.
UnitedHealth topped second-quarter forecasts but remains cautious about the year as it continues to eat costs from a massive cyberattack and deals with rising medical expenses.
NEW YORK (AP) — Walmart has spent three years overhauling its mix of adult apparel to make it stylish as well as sensible for middle America. Now, the nation's largest retailer is seizing the back-to-school shopping season to take another shot at fashion respectability.
NEW YORK (AP) — Goldman Sachs is posting a 150% jump in second quarter profits Monday, helped by a resurgence of dealmaking and underwriting that has revived investment banking after the slowdown of the previous couple years.
NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL POLITICS
WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. on Tuesday imposed sanctions on a group of Mexican accountants and firms allegedly linked to a timeshare fraud ring run by the Jalisco New Generation drug cartel.
MONDAY, JULY 15
SPORTS
DALLAS (AP) — Southeastern Conference Commissioner Greg Sankey unofficially opened the league's first football season as 16-team league Monday in a massive hotel ballroom in North Texas, a new setting for SEC Media Days at a time when everything about college sports seems to be in flux.
COURTS
WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal judge in Florida dismissed the classified documents case against former President Donald Trump on Monday, siding with defense lawyers who said the special counsel who filed the charges was illegally appointed by the Justice Department.
NEW YORK (AP) — The second phase of the civil trial against the National Rifle Association and its top executives began Monday in Manhattan, with New York Attorney General Letitia James seeking an independent monitor to oversee the powerful gun rights group.
ELECTION 2024
MILWAUKEE (AP) — Former President Donald Trump chose Sen. JD Vance of Ohio as his running mate on Monday, picking a onetime critic who became a loyal ally and is now the first millennial to join a major-party ticket at a time of deep concern about the advanced age of America's political leaders.
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden has directed the U.S. Secret Service to protect independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr., after the attempted assassination of Donald Trump, the Homeland Security secretary said Monday.
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden on Sunday urged Americans to reject political violence and recommit themselves to resolving their differences peacefully, saying the upcoming presidential election will be a "time of testing" in the aftermath of the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The 20-year-old man who tried to assassinate former President Donald Trump first came to law enforcement's attention at Saturday's rally when spectators noticed him acting strangely outside the campaign event. The tip sparked a frantic search but officers were unable to find him before he managed to get on a roof, where he opened fire.
BUTLER, Pa. (AP) — Former President Donald Trump called for unity and resilience Sunday after an attempt on his life injected fresh uncertainty into an already tumultuous presidential campaign, while President Joe Biden implored Americans to "cool it down" in the final stretch and "resolve our differences at the ballot box."
WASHINGTON (AP) — Within minutes of the gunfire, the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump spawned a vast sea of claims — some outlandish, others contradictory — reflecting the frightening uncertainties of the moment as well as America's fevered, polarized political climate.
AUTO INDUSTRY
DETROIT (AP) — Tesla CEO Elon Musk on Monday appeared to confirm a report that the company's much-ballyhooed event to unveil a robotaxi will be delayed beyond its scheduled Aug. 8 date.
YOUR MONEY
NEW YORK (AP) — It's summertime, and the bargains seem easy at a time when many consumer prices are high.
HEALTH CARE
WASHINGTON (AP) — What if there was a way to peer into your body and spot early signs of cancer and other life-threatening ailments before they became serious?
MEDIA
Trump Media surged in the first day of trading following an assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump.
ECONOMY
WASHINGTON (AP) — Chair Jerome Powell said Monday that the Federal Reserve is becoming more convinced that inflation is headed back to its 2% target and said the Fed would cut rates before the pace of price increases actually reached that point.
BANGKOK (AP) — China's economy expanded at a slower-than-forecast 4.7% annual rate in the last quarter, the government reported Monday, while emphasizing signs of improvement in factory output, income and investment.
NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS
NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stocks ticked to the edge of records Monday as Wall Street's momentum keeps driving it upward.
NEW YORK (AP) — OpenAI whistleblowers have filed a complaint with the Securities and Exchange Commission and asked the agency to investigate whether the ChatGPT maker illegally restricted workers from speaking out about the risks of its artificial intelligence technology.
Macy's is terminating its monthslong buyout talks with two investment firms, citing a substandard offer and the lack of certainty over financing.
LONDON (AP) — British luxury fashion house Burberry said Monday it has appointed Joshua Schulman, formerly head of Michael Kors and Coach, as its new chief executive officer as the company warned it expected to record an operating loss in the first half of the year amid slumping retail sales.
NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL POLITICS
BEIJING (AP) — China's ruling Communist Party started a four-day meeting Monday that is expected to lay out a strategy for self-sufficient economic growth in an era of heightened national security concerns and restrictions on access to American technology.
FRIDAY, JULY 12
NASHVILLE AREA
NASHVILLE (AP) — When Bonnie Seymour took a job as assistant curator of Nashville's Parthenon museum, one of the first things she did was to look through the collections. Among paintings by American artists and memorabilia from Tennessee's 1897 Centennial Exposition — the event for which the Parthenon was built — she found a random assortment of pre-Columbian pottery from Mexico.
NEW YORK (AP) — Dollar General has agreed to pay a $12 million fine and improve conditions at its thousands of retail stores nationwide to make them safer for workers, the U.S. Department of Labor said Thursday.
MUSIC INDUSTRY
NEW YORK (AP) — The Beastie Boys are suing the parent company of Chili's in a case that accuses the chain restaurant of running an advertisement that used the hip-hop trio's smash hit "Sabotage" without permission.
COURTS
WASHINGTON (AP) — A New Jersey man who authorities say was on his way to Ukraine to join a volunteer fighting unit has been arrested in an alleged plot to attack a U.S. electrical substation to advance his white supremacist views, the Justice Department said Thursday.
NEW YORK (AP) — Donald Trump's lawyers are imploring a New York judge to overturn his hush money conviction and dismiss the case, arguing his historic trial was "tainted" by evidence that shouldn't have been allowed because of the Supreme Court's recent presidential immunity ruling.
ELECTION 2024
WASHINGTON (AP) — Nancy Pelosi's phone lit up the night of President Joe Biden's debate performance with a question that has yet to be fully resolved: Now what?
WASHINGTON (AP) — Joe Biden's tribulations were previewed in Hollywood days before he got on the debate stage.
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden used his closely watched news conference Thursday to deliver a forceful defense of his foreign and domestic policies and batted away questions about his ability to serve another four years, declaring: "I'm not in this for my legacy. I'm in this to complete the job."
NEW YORK (AP) — Toward the end of his closely watched news conference Thursday night on the sidelines of the NATO summit, President Joe Biden was talking about being examined by doctors for his mental acuity. Suddenly, a little frustration slipped through.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Joe Biden faced a test Thursday that he had avoided so far this year — a solo news conference with questions from the White House press corps.
WASHINGTON (AP) — A conservative think tank that is planning for a complete overhaul of the federal government in the event of a Republican presidential win is suggesting that President Joe Biden might try to hold the White House "by force" if he loses the November election.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Four years ago, candidate Joe Biden stood before supporters at a Detroit high school, flanked by Kamala Harris and other rising Democratic stars, and called himself a bridge to the next generation of leaders.
NEW YORK (AP) — Hungary's nationalist prime minister, Viktor Orbán, traveled to Florida on Thursday and met with former President Donald Trump following a NATO summit in Washington, a move likely to aggravate frustrations among Western allies over similar secretive trips he made to Russia and China in recent days.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Joe Biden's tribulations were previewed in Hollywood days before he got on the debate stage.
HEALTH CARE
WASHINGTON (AP) — Relatively few Americans fully endorse the idea that a fertilized egg should have the same rights as a pregnant woman. But a significant share say it describes their views at least somewhat well, according to a new poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.
TECHNOLOGY
In the race to stay ahead in artificial intelligence, the biggest technology companies are swallowing up the talent and products of innovative AI startups without formally acquiring them.
ECONOMY
WASHINGTON (AP) — Wholesale prices in the United States rose by a larger-than-expected 2.6% last month from a year earlier, a sign that some inflation pressures remain high.
HONG KONG (AP) — China's exports beat forecasts in June, customs data showed Friday, while imports grew less than expected.
NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS
NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stocks rose Friday after some mixed signals on big banks' profits and inflation did little to dent Wall Street's belief that easier interest rates are on the way.
PRAGUE (AP) — The Czech brewer Budvar, which has been embroiled in a long legal dispute with U.S. beer giant Anheuser-Busch over the use of the Budweiser brand, said Friday it increased its net profit, output and exports in 2023.
NEW YORK (AP) — Signs of consumers slowing down their spending and falling behind on their bills weighed down shares of the big banks on Friday. JPMorgan Chase and Wells Fargo saw their adjusted profits fall, while Citigroup saw sluggish spending on its credit cards.
NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL POLITICS
WASHINGTON (AP) — Western intelligence agencies have uncovered Russian plots to carry out assassinations, arson and other sabotage in Europe against companies and people linked to support for Ukraine's military — one of the most serious being a plan to kill the head of a German arms manufacturer, a Western government official said.
WASHINGTON (AP) — NATO leaders met this week to celebrate the alliance's 75th anniversary under the cloud of deep political uncertainty in its most powerful member — the United States.
THURSDAY, JULY 11
TENNESSEE TITANS
NASHVILLE (AP) — The Tennessee Titans signed three-time Pro Bowl safety Jamal Adams on Thursday.
SPORTS
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — College athletes whose efforts primarily benefit their schools may qualify as employees deserving of pay under federal wage-and-hour laws, a U.S. appeals court ruled Thursday in a setback to the NCAA.
WEST TENNESSEE
NASHVILLE (AP) — A federal judge has ruled that a Tennessee woman has a constitutional right to post a yard sign with profane language condemning both President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump.
MIDSTATE
CLARKSVILLE (AP) — A Fort Campbell soldier found dead in her home earlier this year died of nearly 70 stab wounds, according to an autopsy report.
COURTS
NEW YORK (AP) — The founder of Archegos Capital Management, a hedge fund that collapsed in 2021, was convicted Wednesday of securities and market manipulation fraud in a scheme that prosecutors said cost global investment banks billions of dollars.
ELECTION 2024
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden's ability to run for reelection faced crucial tests Thursday as he prepared for questions at a highly anticipated press conference and his team met privately with skeptical senators on Capitol Hill. The outreach came even as more House Democrats called for him to exit the race.
NEW YORK (AP) — Hungary's nationalist prime minister, Viktor Orbán, will travel to Florida on Thursday to meet with former President Donald Trump following a NATO summit in Washington, a move likely to aggravate frustrations among Western allies over similar secretive trips he made to Russia and China in recent days.
WASHINGTON (AP) — As he prepares to accept the Republican nomination for the third time, Donald Trump has promised new efforts to expand his coalition — and, in particular, to win over more of the nonwhite voters who largely rejected him during the 2020 election.
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden met Wednesday with the executive council of the AFL-CIO, America's largest federation of trade unions, to shore up support from a critical constituency as he beats back continued calls to step aside in the 2024 campaign.
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden has a fresh opportunity Thursday to try to prove to the American public that he's capable of serving another four years after his shocking debate flop threw the future of his presidency into doubt. But Biden is not known as a master of the big rhetorical moment and his recent cleanup efforts have proved inadequate.
AUTO INDUSTRY
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration is awarding nearly $2 billion in grants to General Motors, Fiat Chrysler and other carmakers to help restart or expand electric vehicle manufacturing and assembly sites in eight states, including the presidential battlegrounds of Michigan, Pennsylvania and Georgia.
MEDIA
NEW YORK (AP) — Many of the swing states in this fall's election contain small, independent news organizations that can't afford comprehensive election coverage. The Associated Press said Thursday that it will help them in coming weeks and months.
NEW YORK (AP) — CBS News President Ingrid Ciprian-Matthews said Wednesday she's resigning after less than a year in her role, and CNN announced that it was eliminating approximately 100 jobs in continued signs of upheaval for the media business.
ENVIRONMENT
The federal government announced a $241.5 million settlement with Marathon Oil on Thursday for alleged air quality violations at the company's oil and gas operations on the Fort Berthold Indian Reservation in North Dakota.
TECHNOLOGY
BERLIN (AP) — Germany will bar the use of components made by Chinese companies Huawei and ZTE from core parts of the country's 5G networks, in two steps starting in 2026, the nation's top security official said Thursday.
LONDON (AP) — The European Union on Thursday accepted Apple's pledge to open its "tap to pay" iPhone payment system to rivals as a way to resolve an antitrust case and head off a potentially hefty fine.
YOUR MONEY
WASHINGTON (AP) — The IRS announced Thursday that it has collected $1 billion in back taxes from high-wealth tax cheats — a milestone meant to showcase how the agency is making use of the money it received as part of the Biden administration's signature climate, health care, and tax package signed into law in 2022.
BANKING
NEW YORK (AP) — A pair of government regulators slapped Citigroup with a $135.6 million fine on Wednesday, saying the bank has made insufficient progress in resolving longstanding internal control and risk issues. It's a major blow to Jane Fraser, the bank's CEO, who has staked her career on making Citi leaner and less complex.
ECONOMY
WASHINGTON (AP) — Inflation in the United States cooled in June for a third straight month, a sign that the worst price spike in four decades is steadily fading and may soon usher in interest rate cuts by the Federal Reserve.
Fewer Americans filed for unemployment benefits last week as the labor market remains sturdy despite high interest rates.
NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS
NEW YORK (AP) — Most U.S. stocks rose Thursday after the latest update on inflation bolstered Wall Street's belief that relief on interest rates may come as soon as September.
NEW YORK (AP) — Destructive storms like Hurricane Beryl that knocked out power to 3 million homes and businesses in Texas are growing more frequent and intense, and insurers are jacking up rates in response.
PepsiCo reported higher-than-expected earnings in the second quarter but acknowledged that after raising prices every quarter for more than two years, customers are not buying as many of its snacks and drinks.
Americans are traveling in record numbers this summer, but Delta Air Lines said Thursday that it saw second-quarter profit drop 29% due to higher costs and discounting of base-level fares across the industry.
ISSAQUAH, Wash. (AP) — Costco bargain hunters are going to have to pay an additional $5 to $10 annually as the popular warehouse chain prepares to raise its membership fees for the first time in seven years.
NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL POLITICS
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration said Thursday that it's providing $244 million to expand and update the federal government's registered apprenticeship program — an effort to bring more people into higher-paying work that doesn't require a college degree.
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden announced a new $225 million aid package for Ukraine on Thursday, including a Patriot missile system to bolster its air defenses against a deadly onslaught of Russian airstrikes.