NEW YORK (AP) — Oil was lower Thursday afternoon, as traders waited to learn more about the possible impact of a tropical storm in the Gulf of Mexico, the wrangling over the debt ceiling in Washington and the debt crisis in Europe.
NEW YORK (AP) — Big Oil continued to make big money in the second quarter.
NATIONAL POLITICS
WASHINGTON (AP) — As a crucial vote neared, Republican leaders pleaded with their fractious rank and file Thursday to support a House plan to stave off an unprecedented government default. Many of the chamber's GOP freshmen, crucial to passage, were climbing aboard, but leaders weren't ready to claim victory.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Bob Krogman, an Air Force veteran who survived three helicopter crashes over North Vietnam, leaves little doubt about what he thinks of politicians when asked about the debt ceiling debate in Washington.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Movie clips, some coarse talk and behind-the-scenes hardball.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The nation's health care tab is on track to hit $4.6 trillion in 2020, accounting for about $1 of every $5 in the economy, government number crunchers estimate in a report out Thursday.
WEDNESDAY, JULY 27
NATIONAL BUSINESS
WASHINGTON (AP) — Wealthy countries all over the world are dealing with debts and strained budgets as they mop up after the Great Recession and brace for the budget-busting retirement of the baby boomer generation.
TOKYO (AP) — Nissan's quarterly profit dropped a smaller-than-expected 20 percent as Japanese automakers took a battering from the quake and tsunami disaster that disrupted car production and destroyed dealerships.
Oil prices fell below $99 a barrel Wednesday in Europe after a report showed U.S. crude supplies unexpectedly jumped last week, suggesting demand may be weakening.
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. businesses cut back on orders for aircraft, autos, heavy machinery and computers in June, sending demand for long-lasting manufactured goods lower for the second month in the past three.
NEW YORK (AP) — Delta Air Lines said 2,000 workers took voluntary buyouts and it will reduce its flying more than planned later this year as it cuts costs to make up for higher fuel prices.
NATIONAL POLITICS
WASHINGTON (AP) — House Democrats said Wednesday that President Barack Obama should invoke a little-known constitutional provision to prevent the nation from going into default if Congress fails to come up with a plan to raise the debt ceiling.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Six days away from a potentially calamitous government default, House Republicans appeared to be coalescing Wednesday around a work-in-progress plan by House Speaker John Boehner to increase the U.S. borrowing limit and chop $1 trillion in federal spending. But the White House dismissed the proposal as a waste of time, and it got a thumbs-down from Senate Democrats and tea party activists, too.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The head of a top credit rating agency says that some of the deficit-cutting plans being considered by Congress could bring the U.S. debt burden down to a level that would allow the country to keep its triple-A credit rating.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Congressional budget analysts say a Senate Democratic plan to cut spending and increase the nation's borrowing authority would save $2.2 trillion over 10 years.
WASHINGTON (AP) — When President Barack Obama complains about House Republicans unwilling to compromise on a deficit reduction package, he's talking about Rep. Jim Jordan, a former wrestling champion from Ohio who is becoming a driving force in the debt debate on Capitol Hill.
TUESDAY, JULY 26
NASHVILLE AREA
FRANKLIN (AP) — Protesters in Franklin said on Tuesday that lawmakers in Washington are "holding America hostage" as they argue over increasing the nation's borrowing limit.
NASHVILLE (AP) — A Nashville woman has been sentenced to three years in prison for health care fraud amounting to $650,000.
STATEWIDE
NASHVILLE (AP) - The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation has found no criminal wrong-doing by former State Revenue Commissioner Reagan Farr.
NATIONAL BUSINESS
NEW YORK (AP) — Two years into the recovery, Americans' confidence in the economy continues its rollercoaster ride.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The wealth gaps between whites and minorities have grown to their widest levels in a quarter-century. The recession and uneven recovery have erased decades of minority gains, leaving whites on average with 20 times the net worth of blacks and 18 times that of Hispanics, according to an analysis of new Census data.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Home prices rose for the second straight month in most major U.S. cities and are stabilizing after years of declines. But analysts say the trend in prices hardly signals a rebound for the troubled housing market.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Fewer Americans bought new homes in June, evidence that the housing market remains weak.
Oil rose Tuesday as lawmakers continued to talk about the nation's debt limit and the dollar weakened on uncertainty about the economy.
DEARBORN, Mich. (AP) — Ford Motor Co. says its second-quarter profit dropped slightly as higher sales were offset by the cost of developing new products and expanding sales in Asia.
DETROIT (AP) — Chrysler retreated to a loss for the second quarter, but only because the expense of shedding its government debt erased what would have been a modest profit.
NEW YORK (AP) — UPS says it still expects to grow earnings this year despite an "uneven economic environment." It's keeping its forecast for the year after reporting second-quarter earnings rose 26 percent.
NATIONAL POLITICS
WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House threatened on Tuesday to veto emergency legislation pending in the House to avert a threatened national default, a pre-emptive strike issued as Republican Speaker John Boehner labored to line up enough votes to pass the measure.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Senate Democrats and House Republicans are pushing rival plans to reduce future budget deficits and avert a potential government default next week. Neither plan raises taxes or cuts major benefit programs such as Medicare, Medicaid or Social Security.
WASHINGTON (AP) — House GOP leaders are planning a vote Thursday on a proposed amendment to the Constitution requiring a balanced budget.
WASHINGTON (AP) — In unprecedented back-to-back appearances on nationwide television, President Barack Obama and House Speaker John Boehner clashed Monday night over the cause and cure for the nation's debt crisis. The two men spoke as Congress remained gridlocked on legislation to avert a threatened default after Aug. 2.
WASHINGTON (AP) — In Traverse City, Mich., work on replacing a 30-year-old air traffic control tower at Cherry Capital Airport has been halted. The job was about 40 percent completed, and crews had planned to lift the "cab" section to the top of the tower this week, airport manager Kevin Klein said.
MONDAY, JULY 25
STATEWIDE
NASHVILLE (AP) - Tennessee has been awarded a $1 million grant to fund innovative ways to improve the state's college completion rates.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — A campaign watchdog group and Democrats are criticizing Republicans for accepting thousands of dollars from special interests and lobbying firms at a fundraiser this spring despite a ban on in-session fundraising.
NATIONAL BUSINESS
WASHINGTON (AP) — The wealth gaps between whites and minorities have grown to their widest levels in a quarter-century. The recession and uneven recovery have erased decades of minority gains, leaving whites on average with 20 times the net worth of blacks and 18 times that of Hispanics, according to an analysis of new Census data.
NEW YORK (AP) — If the U.S. defaults on its debt, it would send shockwaves through oil markets that could push fuel prices higher, analysts said Monday.
NEW YORK (AP) — Stock futures are falling a day after congressional leaders failed to agree on a deal to raise the nation's debt limit.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner says the economy may have slowed during the second quarter of the year, but he's looking for it to pick up.
NEW YORK (AP) — BlackBerry maker Research In Motion Ltd. is cutting 2,000 jobs as part of a cost savings plan announced last month and is shuffling some senior executives.
NATIONAL POLITICS
WASHINGTON (AP) — In a blunt challenge to President Barack Obama, House Republicans drafted legislation Monday to avert a potentially devastating Aug. 2 government default — but along lines the White House has already dismissed. U.S. and world financial markets shrugged off the uncertainty.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House is getting behind a proposal by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid to avert a debt-limit crisis by trimming $2.7 trillion of government spending. The White House stopped short of issuing a veto threat against a competing House Republican plan.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid says a debt limit standoff between Democrats and the Republican-led House is being driven by GOP extremists.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The third ranking Democrat in the Senate says a deficit-reduction proposal put forward by Majority Leader Harry Reid has the best chance of ending the political stalemate and avoiding a government default.
FRIDAY, JULY 22
STATEWIDE
NASHVILLE (AP) - A Tennessee environmental group is concerned that new Environmental Protection Agency guidelines on surface mining and water quality offer fewer protections for the state's waterways than the interim guidelines they replaced.
KNOXVILLE (AP) — Gov. Bill Haslam's Cabinet members have taken fewer out-of-state trips this year than their predecessors did in their last six months of Gov. Phil Bredesen's administration.
NASHVILLE (AP) - Gov. Bill Haslam says state officials are discussing the impact of a lowered credit rating if the U.S. government's credit rating is downgraded.
NASHVILLE (AP) - Gov. Bill Haslam says state officials are discussing the impact of a lowered credit rating if the U.S. government's credit rating is downgraded.
NASHVILLE (AP) - Occidental Chemical Corp. of Dallas has announced plans to build a plant in Humphreys County, Tenn., that will create approximately 85 full-time jobs.
NASHVILLE AREA
FRANKLIN (AP) - A Las Vegas hotel has sued the founder of the for-profit Tea Party Nation, saying the Tennessee attorney owes more than a half-million dollars for a canceled convention.
NASHVILLE (AP) — The Tennessee Immigrant & Refugee Rights Coalition has honored two individuals and a public TV station for their leadership in immigration matters.
NATIONAL BUSINESS
WASHINGTON (AP) — Strong second-quarter earnings from McDonald's, General Electric and Caterpillar on Friday are just the latest proof that booming profits have allowed Corporate America to leave the Great Recession far behind.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Unemployment rates rose in more than half of U.S. states in June, evidence that slower hiring is affecting many parts of the country.
SINGAPORE (AP) — Oil prices rose toward $100 a barrel Friday in Asia after European leaders reached an aid deal aimed at stanching Greece's financial crisis.
TOKYO (AP) — World stock markets climbed Friday as investors signaled their approval of a massive new bailout plan for Greece and broader measures to tackle the continent's debt problems.
NEW YORK (AP) — General Electric Co. said Friday that earnings grew 21 percent in the second quarter as its GE Capital lending arm continued to recover from the recession.
OAK BROOK, Illinois (AP) — McDonald's net income rose 15 percent in the second quarter, as it continued to bring in more customers, especially in Europe.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The economy's spring slump appears to be extending into the summer, according to a slew of mixed data released Thursday.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. government no longer owns a piece of Chrysler.
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Google Inc.'s quarterly lobbying expenses surpassed $2 million for the first time as the U.S. government conducts a wide-ranging investigation into the Internet search leader's business practices.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Banking regulators refused to commit to releasing details of their investigations into illegal foreclosure practices by the nation's largest banks.
NATIONAL POLITICS
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama and House Speaker John Boehner searched on Friday for an elusive debt-limit compromise as the Senate rejected a House plan containing deep spending cuts and for the moment put aside a last-ditch fallback option.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Speaker John Boehner declared Friday that the House has "done its job" toward resolving the impasse over raising the government's debt limit and said it was time for the Senate to act.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The House's rabble-rousing Republican freshmen and tea partyers have loudly refused to cut a deal as the GOP battles President Barack Obama over the government's debt. Yet when it's time for John Boehner to hunt votes for whatever accord he reaches with the White House, the House speaker will have a large pool of veteran GOP lawmakers to target.
WASHINGTON (AP) — It's hard to know which is more surprising: a Democratic president pushing historic cuts in spending, including Social Security and Medicare. Or a Republican-controlled House refusing to accept the deal and declare a huge victory for long-sought GOP goals.
WASHINGTON (AP) — A top Republican House member says he thinks Speaker John Boehner lacks the GOP votes needed to pass his debt-ceiling plan in the House.