VOL. 42 | NO. 29 | Friday, July 20, 2018
TIM GHIANNI: STREET LEVEL
The Olympics-dreaming Madison Square Garden figure skater whose voice highlighted legendary music halls throughout Manhattan is about half-way through her 11-5 shift as a waitress at Brown’s Diner. And she’s got the blues.
SAM STOCKARD: VIEW FROM THE HILL
Just when workers at the state’s college campuses thought it was safe to go back in the water, corporate sharks are once again circling.
UT SPORTS
Working for Pro Football Hall of Fame to protect a sport ‘under attack’
Loving football just wasn’t enough. The game didn’t love Michael Munoz back at times. His credentials:
RICHARD COURTNEY: REALTY CHECK
A Nashville real estate broker joined a relocating couple last week in their search for a home in the area. While they knew they needed to be close to their place of employment, there was no other criterion. They have no children, no pets and no preference as far as attached, unattached or yard size.
REAL ESTATE
Top residential real estate sales, June 2018, for Davidson, Williamson, Rutherford, Wilson and Sumner counties, as compiled by Chandler Reports.
June 2018 real estate trends for Davidson, Williamson, Rutherford and Sumner counties, as compiled by Chandler Reports.
Second quarter 2018 real estate trends for Davidson, Williamson, Rutherford and Sumner counties, as compiled by Chandler Reports.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Long-term U.S. mortgage rates edged slightly lower this week.
ELECTION 2018
“An educated citizenry is a vital requisite for our survival
Gov. Haslam and the General Assembly have invested in education during the last eight years. Has that been a good investment and should it continue? What do the candidates propose for the next four to eight years?
BRIEFS
McGlinchey Stafford PLLC is expanding into Tennessee with a Nashville office.
BEHIND THE WHEEL
The Audi Q5 and the BMW X3 are two of the most popular compact luxury SUVs out today. Shoppers are typically drawn to the Q5 and the X3 because of their appealing mix of refinement, utility, safety and performance.
CAREER CORNER
Do you ever feel like you’re struggling to take your career to the next level? If so, you’re not alone.
GUERRILLA MARKETING
Mobile marketing tactics are do-or-die for companies that want to remain relevant.
STATEWIDE
NASHVILLE (AP) — Marsha Blackburn is supposed to do well among Tennessee's hog farmers and whiskey makers.
TENNESSEE TITANS
NASHVILLE (AP) — The Tennessee Titans have filled their final roster spot by agreeing to terms with defensive lineman Claude Pelon before their first practice of training camp.
EDUCATION
NASHVILLE (AP) — The University of Tennessee's newly retooled board of trustees is set to discuss the election of a board chairman.
COURTS
KNOXVILLE (AP) — A woman who says she was raped by two former Tennessee football players testified Wednesday and explained why she initially told police she didn't want the men arrested.
REAL ESTATE
WASHINGTON (AP) — Long-term U.S. mortgage rates edged up slightly this week, reaching their highest levels since late June.
AUTO INDUSTRY
TOKYO (AP) — Nissan Motor Co.'s profits plunged 14 percent in the latest quarter as U.S. and European sales fell sharply and raw material costs rose.
NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS
A steep sell-off in Facebook is leading a slide in technology stocks that weighed on U.S. indexes in early trading Thursday. Investors hammered shares in the social media giant after it reported slower revenue growth in the second quarter. The technology sector's losses outweighed gains in consumer goods companies, banks and industrial stocks.
GENEVA (AP) — Ambassadors from the United States and China exchanged barbs at the World Trade Organization on Thursday over the countries' simmering trade dispute.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Orders for long-lasting U.S. factory goods rose in June after declining for two months, a sign manufacturing is still growing despite a series of global trade disputes.
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Oil prices rose to a 10-day high Thursday after Saudi Arabia's state-owned oil company announced it was temporarily halting crude shipments through a strategic Red Sea shipping lane after Yemen's Shiite rebels attacked two tankers in the strait the previous day.
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump and European leaders pulled back from the brink of a trade war over autos Wednesday and agreed to open talks to tear down trade barriers between the United States and the European Union.
NEW YORK (AP) — Comcast is reporting a stronger-than-expected second-quarter profit even as it struggles to keep cable TV subscribers.
BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. (AP) — HBO's programming chief pushed back Wednesday against the possibility that the cable channel will suffer under new owner AT&T.
NATIONAL POLITICS
WASHINGTON (AP) — A CNN correspondent was barred from attending an open press event at the White House on Wednesday because of questions she asked President Donald Trump earlier in the day.
WASHINGTON (AP) — A group of 11 House conservatives introduced articles of impeachment against Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, the Justice Department official who oversees special counsel Robert Mueller's Russia investigation.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Pushing back against allegations of attempting to alter the historical record, the White House said Wednesday that the omission of a key question from its transcript of President Donald Trump's news conference with Russian President Vladimir Putin "was by no means malicious."
WEDNESDAY, JULY 25
MUSIC INDUSTRY
WASHINGTON (AP) — Cher, composer Phillip Glass, country music star Reba McEntire and jazz legend Wayne Shorter will be honored for lifetime achievements in the arts at this year's Kennedy Center Honors.
TENNESSEE TITANS
NASHVILLE (AP) — Taylor Lewan answered the biggest question for the Tennessee Titans heading into training camp by showing up for work along with the rest of his teammates.
PREDATORS
NASHVILLE (AP) — The Nashville Predators have signed defenseman Dan Hamhuis to a two-year contract worth a total of $2.5 million.
UT SPORTS
KNOXVILLE (AP) — Tennessee's football team is holding a fan day Aug. 5 that includes an open practice and autograph session.
HEALTH CARE
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration's Medicare chief is slamming "Medicare for All," the proposal from Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders for a national health care plan that would cover all Americans.
COURTS
WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal judge is allowing Maryland and the District of Columbia to proceed with their lawsuit accusing President Donald Trump of unconstitutionally accepting gifts from foreign and state interests through his Washington hotel. The decision Wednesday clears the way for the plaintiffs to seek financial records from the president's company.
NASHVILLE (AP) — A Tennessee judge has ruled that three of country singer Glen Campbell's children can contest the validity of two wills that excluded them from any inheritance.
REAL ESTATE
WASHINGTON (AP) — Sales of new U.S. homes tumbled 5.3 percent in June and the median sales price also slipped, a potentially ominous sign for the U.S. housing market.
AUTO INDUSTRY
An escalating trade war and steep tariffs on steel and aluminum is putting pressure on earnings for automakers, prompting General Motors to slash its outlook while also weighing down shares of Ford Motor Co. and auto parts companies.
NEW YORK (AP) — General Motors, facing rising commodity costs in a trade showdown with Europe and elsewhere, cut its outlook for the year.
MILAN (AP) — Fiat Chrysler Automobiles has lowered its full-year targets after second-quarter profits sank by 35 percent, but confirmed the carmaker had eliminated its net industrial debt.
NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS
Technology companies led a broad rally in U.S. stocks Wednesday that gave the market its third consecutive gain and nudged the Nasdaq composite to an all-time high.
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump and European Union leaders announced Wednesday they have agreed to work toward "zero tariffs" and "zero subsidies" on non-automobile goods and would work to resolve U.S. tariffs on steel and aluminum imports that have roiled European markets.
NEW YORK (AP) — Facebook's user base and revenue grew more slowly than expected in the second quarter as the company grappled with privacy issues, sending its stock tumbling after hours.
A U.S. motorcycle manufacturer announced plans to increase production in Poland after President Donald Trump ordered tariffs on steel and aluminum and the European Union retaliated with tariffs on motorcycles, but the company said Wednesday the move will not reduce jobs at its U.S. plants.
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump told European leaders Wednesday that the U.S. wants a "fair trade deal" with the European Union as both sides sought to defuse tensions in an escalating trade battle involving some of the world's biggest economies.
EL SEGUNDO, Calif. (AP) — Mattel says it will cut 2,200 jobs as the maker of Barbie dolls and Hot Wheels cars tries to save money.
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Green Thumb Industries had a business plan, expertise and plenty of ambition to grow its marijuana business. What the Chicago-based company didn't have was access to enough capital to make it all happen.
JOHANNESBURG (AP) — Chinese President Xi Jinping said Wednesday the world faces "a choice between cooperation and confrontation" amid a trade war with the United States that he warned would have no winner.
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Ohio's Republican governor on Wednesday helped open the Ohio State Fair by blasting President Donald Trump's trade battles, which have left some farmers feeling less than festive amid the funnel cakes and butter sculptures.
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Many farmers remain critical of President Donald Trump's tariffs and the damage done to commodity prices and markets but were appreciative Tuesday that he offered to provide some cash to help offset their losses.
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump is calling China "vicious" on trade and says it is targeting U.S. farmers specifically because "they know I love & respect" them.
HELSINKI (AP) — Top European Union officials were going into a meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday warning they are ready to put tariffs on $20 billion of American goods if he puts duties on car imports.
LUXEMBOURG (AP) — European Union judges have ruled that the four-fingered shape of the KitKat chocolate bar is not distinctive enough to be trademarked.
REVERE, Mass. (AP) — The owner of a company that makes candies such as Necco wafers and Sweethearts has unexpectedly shut down operations at its Massachusetts plant.
NATIONAL POLITICS
Students who are defrauded by their schools would have a harder time getting their federal loans erased under new rules proposed by the Trump administration Wednesday.
WASHINGTON (AP) — While Donald Trump has positioned himself as a tough, "law and order" president, he has mostly excluded one group of offenders from his sights: those of the corporate class, according to a report released Wednesday by Washington-based watchdog Public Citizen.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration says it will provide $12 billion in emergency relief to ease the pain of American farmers slammed by President Donald Trump's escalating trade disputes with China and other countries.
WASHINGTON (AP) — One House bill, backed mostly by Republicans, would repeal a tax imposed on some medical devices to help pay for President Barack Obama's health care law, a statute they despise. With another, still a bare-bones outline, the GOP would make last year's $1.5 trillion tax cut permanent and expand reductions for families, homeschooling and businesses.
TUESDAY, JULY 24
TENNESSEE TITANS
NASHVILLE (AP) — The Tennessee Titans are releasing outside linebacker Kevin Dodd, an unceremonious finish for a former second-round pick who never came close to living up this draft position.
PREDATORS
FRANKLIN (AP) — Nashville Predators forward Austin Watson Tuesday pleaded no contest to domestic assault but can have the misdemeanor charge dismissed if he fulfills terms of his judicial diversion program.
STATEWIDE
NASHVILLE (AP) — Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Phil Bredesen has said Vice President Mike Pence was "name-calling" in a tweet against him, and wondered if Pence can't think of something better to say than calling him liberal.
MUSIC INDUSTRY
Nashville-based pop artist Ben Folds, who notably helped save Music Row’s Studio A; Brenda Lee, who is known as “Little Miss Dynamite and of “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” fame; Grand Ole Opry member Jeannie Seely; and GRAMMY-winning artist and comedian Ray Stevens will receive stars on the Music City Walk of Fame during an induction ceremony on Aug. 21, 2018 at 11:30 a.m. in Music City Walk of Fame Park, the Nashville Convention & Visitors Corp announced today.
NASHVILLE AREA
NASHVILLE (AP) — Officials say a former Metro councilman died as a result of a probable overdose on cocaine and opioids.
MIDSTATE
SMITHVILLE (AP) — A Tennessee mayor and his son have been charged with theft.
COURTS
KNOXVILLE (AP) — A prosecutor in the trial of former Tennessee football players A.J. Johnson and Michael Williams says they used their status as athletes to rape a woman in a "case about power, privilege and protection."
AUTO INDUSTRY
MILAN (AP) — Fiat Chrysler's second-quarter earnings presentation was meant to celebrate long-time CEO Sergio Marchionne's achievement of eliminating all debt for the formerly troubled company. Instead, it will be overshadowed by his early and sudden exit for serious health problems and the debut of his replacement, Mike Manley.
PARIS (AP) — PSA Group, the maker of Peugeot and Citroen cars, is doing what General Motors failed to do in 20 years: make the mass market brands Opel Vauxhall profitable.
NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS
The major U.S. stock indexes finished mostly higher Tuesday as investors welcomed strong corporate earnings reports from Google parent Alphabet and other companies.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The government announced a $12 billion plan Tuesday to assist farmers who have been hurt by President Donald Trump's trade disputes with China and other trading partners.
MILWAUKEE (AP) — Harley-Davidson expects new tariffs to increase the company's annual costs by as much as $100 million as long as the trade dispute between the U.S. and other countries goes on.
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump declared Tuesday that "Tariffs are the greatest!" and threatened to impose additional penalties on U.S. trading partners as he prepared for negotiations with European officials at the White House.
LONDON (AP) — The British government plans to expand its powers to block takeovers by foreign companies that pose national security concerns.
NATIONAL POLITICS
WASHINGTON (AP) — House Republicans have launched an effort to expand the massive tax law they muscled through Congress last year, aiming to make permanent the individual tax cuts and small-business income deductions now set to expire in 2026.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Republican House Speaker Paul Ryan is dismissing President Donald Trump's threat to revoke the security clearances of six former top national security and intelligence officials who have been critical of his administration.
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump's explosive Twitter threat to Iran's leader comes as his administration is ratcheting up a pressure campaign on the Islamic republic that many suspect is aimed at regime change.
WASHINGTON (AP) — As the presidential tweets ricochet from one world hot spot to another, a Trump Doctrine has emerged: Claim matchless strength, suffer no slight and counter-punch harder than you are hit — at least verbally.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Competing in a contested runoff campaign for Georgia's governor, Brian Kemp didn't see it coming: the single-most prized endorsement in Republican politics.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House is turning up the pressure on Senate Democrats to meet with President Donald Trump's Supreme Court nominee, though with little success.
MONDAY, JULY 23
STATEWIDE
KNOXVILLE (AP) — Two leading Democratic candidates for Tennessee governor were largely in agreement on the issues during their final debate Sunday night before the Aug. 2 primary.
NASHVILLE (AP) — The Tennessee Lottery says it had record sales last year.
NASHVILLE (AP) — Opponents of a constitutional amendment that has enabled tougher abortion restrictions in Tennessee are appealing to the U.S. Supreme Court for a recount, saying the state's quirky method for counting votes on ballot measures unfairly compels citizens to make one choice dependent on another.
MIDSTATE
MURFREESBORO (AP) — A former Tennessee sheriff sentenced to about four years in prison for charges related to profiting from the sale of electronic cigarettes to inmates has sent a letter to President Donald Trump asking for a pardon.
HEALTH CARE
Private equity firm Apollo Global Management will spend about $5.6 billion to buy the rural hospital chain LifePoint and combine it with health system operator RCCH HealthCare Partners.
UT SPORTS
KNOXVILLE (AP) — Tennessee has dismissed defensive lineman Ryan Thaxton from the team following his arrest on charges of false imprisonment and domestic assault.
TENNESSEE TITANS
NASHVILLE (AP) — Titans linebacker Kevin Dodd has been placed on the "did not report" list, putting his future with Tennessee in question.
REAL ESTATE
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. sales of existing homes fell 0.6 percent in June, the third straight monthly decline, as higher prices and a limited supply of listings have sidelined many would-be buyers.
AUTO INDUSTRY
MILAN (AP) — Fiat Chrysler shares were volatile Monday as investors expressed worry about the exit of ailing CEO Sergio Marchionne, whose driven and creative management style has been the company's fortune.
Tesla has asked some of its suppliers to refund a portion of what the auto maker has already spent to help it become profitable, the Wall Street Journal reports.
NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS
U.S. stock indexes capped a day of listless trading with a mixed finish Monday, as gains by banks and technology companies were offset by losses in other sectors.
BERLIN (AP) — The head of an influential German industry organization is calling on the U.S. and the European Union to put an end to the escalating trade dispute between the two economic superpowers.
NEW YORK (AP) — The New York tabloid Daily News cut half of its newsroom staff Monday including Jim Rich, the paper's editor in chief.
BERLIN (AP) — Britain's top diplomat warned Monday that the country could crash out of the European Union next year without an agreement on future relations with Brussels because of the hard line taken by EU negotiators.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Papa John's is attempting to ward off its controversial founder from amassing a controlling stake in the company by adopting a "poison-pill" plan.
NATIONAL POLITICS
WASHINGTON (AP) — After months of tumult, Pentagon official Robert Wilkie is expected to become secretary of Veterans Affairs when the Senate votes Monday to confirm him, taking on the task of fulfilling President Donald Trump's promises to fire bad VA employees and steer more patients to the private sector.
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump is mischaracterizing newly released FBI documents on the agency's wiretapping of Carter Page, a onetime campaign adviser. Among his false claims is that the FBI relied on a politically tainted source and withheld that aspect from the court. The documents, available online after media outlets sued for their release, actually suggest the opposite.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Dozens of web addresses implying U.S. senators were "for sale" have been quietly and mysteriously purchased online, amid heightened concerns on Capitol Hill that foreign agents — especially Russians — might be trying to meddle in upcoming midterm elections.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Capping a week of drama, back tracking, a double negative and blistering statements from allies about his attitude toward Russian election interference, President Donald Trump on Sunday was back to referring to "a big hoax."
WASHINGTON (AP) — It was a week of bewilderment over what President Donald Trump really thinks about Russian interference in the U.S. election and what he and Russia's Vladimir Putin told each other in their private meeting. The confusion was fed by Trump's vacillating statements about the summit.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The agency that supervises the nation's nuclear weapons stockpile would essentially lose direct Cabinet oversight under legislation that Congress is negotiating.
FRIDAY, JULY 20
REGION
FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — Concerned that global trade disputes could escalate — with Kentucky bourbon makers caught in the crosshairs — the industry has invited whiskey associations from across the world to discuss ways to defuse the conflicts.
STATEWIDE
MURFREESBORO (AP) — The Tennessee Journalism Hall of Fame has inducted seven new honorees.
NASHVILLE (AP) — The number of Tennesseans with Confederate battle flag license plates has reached its highest point in a decade.
AUTO INDUSTRY
WASHINGTON (AP) — Automakers, dealers and suppliers are united in opposition to President Donald Trump's proposed tariffs on imported cars, trucks and auto parts.
BRUSSELS (AP) — The European Union says it is already preparing measures to retaliate against the United States if President Donald Trump puts tariffs on imported cars and auto parts.
TECHNOLOGY
NEW YORK (AP) — Facebook said Friday that it has suspended Boston-based analytics firm Crimson Hexagon while it investigates how it collects and shares Facebook and Instagram's user data.
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump says the European Union's record $5 billion fine against tech giant Google proves his point that the EU is taking advantage of the U.S.
NEW YORK (AP) — Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg is clarifying his stance pertaining to Holocaust deniers after getting some blowback on social media.
HEALTH CARE
WASHINGTON (AP) — Cheered on by a handful of activists, liberal House Democrats announced outside the Capitol that they were forming a caucus to push for "Medicare for All" — shorthand for government-financed health care.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Would you want to know if you harbor a gene linked to Alzheimer's or another incurable disease? A new poll finds most Americans would.
NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS
NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stocks are little changed Friday as traders shrug off the latest trade threats from President Donald Trump and focus on company earnings reports, which contained some better-than-expected results from big names including Microsoft. Bond yields are rising and the dollar is falling.
TOKYO (AP) — Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe warned the U.S. on Friday that higher tariffs on auto imports would backfire and harm not only America's jobs and economy but also devastate the global economy.
BEIJING (AP) — China's central bank is allowing its tightly controlled currency to drift lower against the dollar, a move that could help Chinese exporters cope with U.S. tariff hikes but also might reignite an outflow of capital Beijing spent months trying to stanch.
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Many anxious American farmers are delaying purchases and investment while hoping for a truce in a U.S.-China trade war that has left their crops at a competitive disadvantage overseas.
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump on Thursday cast aside concerns about the Federal Reserve's independence, saying he was "not happy" with the Fed's recent interest rate increases.
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump is pressing U.S. companies and trade associations to bolster their job training opportunities as employers search for qualified skilled workers to fill vacancies.
NEW YORK (AP) — Comcast is dropping its bid for Fox's entertainment businesses, paving the way for Disney to boost its upcoming streaming service by buying the studios behind "The Simpsons" and X-Men.
BRUSSELS (AP) — The European Union's executive arm is urging member states to prepare for all possible Brexit scenarios including one where Britain leaves the bloc in a disorderly fashion, and without a deal with Brussels outlining future relations or trade arrangements.
NATIONAL POLITICS
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump on Friday escalated his threats to punish China for its trade policies, warning anew that he's prepared to impose tariffs on all Chinese imports and arguing that Beijing has manipulated its currency at the expense of the United States.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — As Charlotte, North Carolina, celebrates being chosen Friday to host the 2020 Republican National Convention, an undercurrent of concern about the potential for violence runs through the Democratic-leaning city.
NEW YORK (AP) — President Donald Trump's former personal lawyer secretly recorded Trump discussing a possible payment to a former Playboy model who said she had an affair with him, a person familiar with an investigation into the attorney told The Associated Press on Friday.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Unbowed by swirling criticism of his summit encounter with Vladimir Putin, President Donald Trump swiftly invited the Russian leader to the White House this fall for a second get-together. Putin's ambassador to the U.S. said Moscow is open to discussing such a meeting, even as confusion abounds over exactly what they discussed the first time.
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Two California Democrats said Thursday they'll bring back legislation that would require presidential candidates to release their tax returns before they could appear on the ballot in the largest U.S. state.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate Finance Committee narrowly approved on a party-line vote President Donald Trump's choice to become the new head of the IRS, with the panel's Democrats protesting the nomination because of a new IRS policy allowing some groups to hide their donors' identities.
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Trump's nominee to take over the nation's consumer watchdog agency exasperated some Democrats with vague answers at a Senate hearing Thursday, but Kathy Kraninger appears to be on her way to getting confirmed later this year.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Republicans on the House Intelligence Committee have blocked a move to subpoena the American translator from the Helsinki summit to testify about the private talks between President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump said Thursday he wants another meeting with Russia's Vladimir Putin to start implementing ideas they discussed in Helsinki, casting the summit as a starting point for progress on a number of shared concerns.
WASHINGTON (AP) — A top GOP senator says President Donald Trump needs to understand that he's "misjudging" Russian leader Vladimir Putin.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Republican-controlled House is moving forward with a spending bill that eliminates new funding for election security grants to states, amid protests by Democrats who say Republicans are not doing enough to prevent Russian meddling in U.S. elections.
WASHINGTON (AP) — So which Democrat would President Donald Trump most like to run against in 2020?
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump "disagrees" with Russian President Vladimir Putin's offer to allow the U.S. to question 12 Russians accused of interfering in the 2016 election in exchange for permitting Russia to interview Americans the Kremlin accuses of unspecified crimes, the White House said Thursday.