VOL. 47 | NO. 28 | Friday, July 7, 2023
RICHARD COURTNEY: REALTY CHECK
Last week the house located at 540 Close Lane sold for $2.395 million with Davey Hackett of Parks serving as the listing agent and the venerable, highly regarded Hall Rosson of Freeman Webb representing the buyer.
REAL ESTATE
Top Davidson County residential real estate sales for June 2023, as compiled by the Nashville Ledger.
NEWSMAKERS
Bass, Berry & Sims has added Remy Servis and Megan E. Smit in the firm’s Nashville office.
BRIEFS
The Metropolitan Action Commission’s Summer Cooling program provides air conditioning units at no cost to at-risk residents.
BEHIND THE WHEEL
Three-row SUVs have been a popular choice among car shoppers with large families. They typically seat up to eight passengers and still provide enough cargo space for luggage and other items.
BUSINESS BOOK REVIEW
At least you won’t have to move. You keep telling yourself that, ever since the boss decided to downsize this year, workplace and all. A reduced staff and work-from-home options means a smaller office and big change, which is fine with you. In the new book “Black Folk” by Blair LM Kelley, your ancestors never had it this good.
PERSONAL FINANCE
Blasting the air conditioning to counteract stifling heat can provide much-needed relief this summer, but the utility bills that follow might not be as pleasant. Making matters worse, the price of electricity has been steadily climbing over the past two years, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reports.
MILLENNIAL MONEY
A recent study found that 90% of millennials have some form of non-mortgage debt, with an average balance of $90,590.
MUSIC INDUSTRY
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Is non-English language music the future of the music business? Perhaps.
COURTS
WASHINGTON (AP) — A man charged in the Capitol riot who had guns and hundreds of rounds of ammunition in his van when he was arrested near former President Barack Obama's Washington home will remain in jail while he awaits trial, a federal magistrate judge ruled Wednesday.
NEW YORK (AP) — The Justice Department on Tuesday said that Donald Trump can be held personally liable for remarks he made about a woman who accused him of rape — a reversal of its position that Trump was protected because he was president when he made the remarks.
HEALTH CARE
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration on Wednesday moved to reduce children's exposure to lead, proposing stricter limits on dust from lead-based paint in older homes and child-care facilities.
BRUSSELS (AP) — The European Union on Wednesday slapped a $475 million fine on U.S. biotech giant Illumina for buying cancer-screening company Grail without regulators' approval, the latest setback for the deal.
ENVIRONMENT
BRUSSELS (AP) — The European Union's parliament on Wednesday backed a major plan to protect nature and fight climate change in a cliffhanger vote that had the 27-nation bloc's global green credentials at stake.
HONG KONG (AP) — Hong Kong will immediately ban the import of aquatic products from Fukushima and other Japanese prefectures if Tokyo discharges treated radioactive wastewater into the sea, a top official in the city said Wednesday.
TECHNOLOGY
WASHINGTON (AP) — Three large tax preparation firms sent "extraordinarily sensitive" information on tens of millions of taxpayers to Facebook parent company Meta over the course of at least two years, a group of congressional Democrats reported on Wednesday.
WASHINGTON (AP) — State-backed Chinese hackers foiled Microsoft's cloud-based security in hacking the email accounts of officials at multiple U.S. agencies that deal with China ahead of Secretary of State Antony Blinken's trip to Beijing last month, officials said Wednesday.
ECONOMY
WASHINGTON (AP) — Squeezed by painfully high prices for two years, America's households have gained some much-needed relief with inflation reaching its lowest point since early 2021 — 3% in June compared with a year earlier — thanks in part to easing prices for gasoline, airline fares, used cars and groceries.
LONDON (AP) — The Bank of England warned Wednesday that U.K. households are facing mounting financial difficulties from the sharp increase in interest rates but expressed hope that the country's biggest banks are resilient enough to offer more help than they could before the global financial crisis 15 years ago.
NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS
NEW YORK (AP) — Wall Street returned to its highest level in more than a year on Wednesday after a report showed inflation cooled a bit more than expected last month, which hopefully takes some more pressure off the economy.
If you can't beat them, join them. In a major reversal, Domino's Pizza said Wednesday it's partnering with Uber Eats to make deliveries in the U.S. and 27 international markets.
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — San Francisco's 127-year-old Anchor Brewing Co. will shut down after years of declining sales, citing tough economic conditions.
NEW DELHI (AP) — Electronics giant Foxconn backed out of a $19.5 billion semiconductor joint venture with Indian mining conglomerate Vedanta Ltd. due to "external issues unrelated to the project," it says, in a potential setback for Prime Minister Narendra Modi's ambitions to build a chipmaking industry.
Computer chip and software maker Broadcom's $61 billion proposed purchase of cloud technology company VMware got the green light Wednesday from European Union regulators who were satisfied by concessions to ease competition concerns.
NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL POLITICS
WASHINGTON (AP) — The politics of inflation took a sharp turn Wednesday with a report showing consumer prices rose at the slowest pace since the early months of Joe Biden's presidency.
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden wants Ukraine to win the war against Russia. But he doesn't want World War III — especially with nuclear weapons.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration calls it a "student loan safety net." Opponents call it a backdoor attempt to make college free. And it could be the next battleground in the legal fight over student loan relief.
WASHINGTON (AP) — FBI Director Chris Wray defended the "real FBI" during a contentious congressional hearing Wednesday, rejecting a litany of grievances from angry Republicans who are harshly critical of the bureau, threatening to defund some operations and claiming the Justice Department is unfair to political conservatives, including Donald Trump.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Alabama Sen. Tommy Tuberville on Tuesday backed off his defense of white nationalists, telling reporters in the Capitol that white nationalists "are racists."
TUESDAY, JULY 11
MUSIC INDUSTRY
NEW YORK (AP) — The trouble between Ticketmaster and Taylor Swift's"Eras" tour isn't over — with the latest snafu impacting fans hoping to score tickets in France.
NEW YORK (AP) — Red Hot Chili Peppers, Ms. Lauryn Hill and Megan Thee Stallion will headline this year's Global Citizen Festival as the anti-poverty nonprofit looks to focus attention on increasing inequality for girls and young women around the world.
COURTS
Dozens of insurance companies are suing Minneapolis-based Xcel Energy to recoup money paid out to homes and businesses lost in Colorado's most destructive wildfire in 2021.
MIAMI (AP) — Lawyers for former President Donald Trump are asking a judge to postpone his criminal trial without setting a new date as he stands accused of illegally hoarding classified documents at his Florida estate.
WASHINGTON (AP) — When Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas headlined a 2017 program at McLennan Community College in Texas, his hosts had more than a speech in mind. Working with the prominent conservative lawyer Ken Starr, school officials crafted a guest list for a dinner at the home of a wealthy Texas businessman, hoping an audience with Thomas would be a reward for school patrons -– and an inducement to prospective donors.
WASHINGTON (AP) — For decades, the University of Hawaii law school has marketed its Jurist-In-Residence program to the Supreme Court as an all-expenses-paid getaway, with the upside of considerable "down time" in paradise.
WASHINGTON (AP) — In a monthslong inquiry, which included reviewing tens of thousands of pages of documents from more than 100 public records requests, The Associated Press has examined what happens behind the scenes when Supreme Court justices travel to colleges and universities for lectures and other events.
WASHINGTON (AP) — For colleges and libraries seeking a boldfaced name for a guest lecturer, few come bigger than Sonia Sotomayor, the Supreme Court justice who rose from poverty in the Bronx to the nation's highest court.
WASHINGTON (AP) — An Associated Press examination of the ethics practices of the U.S. Supreme Court relied on documents obtained from more than 100 public records requests to public colleges, universities and other institutions that have hosted the justices over the past decade.
HEALTH CARE
BOSTON (AP) — Medical giant HCA Healthcare, which operates 180 hospitals in the U.S. and Britain, says the personal data of about 11 million patients in 20 states may have been stolen in a data breach.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal officials on Tuesday called for more testing and research on xylazine, the powerful animal sedative that's spreading through the nation's illicit drug supply, but they stopped short of recommending new restrictions on the veterinary medication.
AUTO INDUSTRY
DETROIT (AP) — Stellantis and the U.S. government are urging the owners of some 2003 Dodge Ram pickups to stop driving them after a passenger was killed by an exploding Takata air bag inflator.
DETROIT (AP) — Whenever the United Auto Workers union begins negotiating a new contract with Detroit's three automakers, threats of a strike are typically heard on the floor of the old Chrysler transmission plant in Kokomo, Indiana.
ENVIRONMENT
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Environmental Protection Agency is enforcing stricter limits on hydrofluorocarbons, highly potent greenhouse gases used in refrigerators and air conditioners that contribute to global warming.
MEDIA
LOS ANGELES (AP) — The owner of the Los Angeles Times has sold sister paper The San Diego Union-Tribune to MediaNews Group, which owns hundreds of papers around the country, the paper announced Monday.
NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS
A federal judge has handed Microsoft a major victory by declining to block its looming $69 billion takeover of video game company Activision Blizzard. Regulators sought to ax the deal saying it will hurt competition.
NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks closed higher on Wall Street as investors wait for updates on inflation and corporate profits.
New York (AP) — A dissenting group composed of some former members of the fledgling union that successfully organized an Amazon warehouse in New York has filed a lawsuit accusing the union of violating its own constitution and is asking a court to step in and force an election for union officers.
LONDON (AP) — Amazon is disputing its status as a big online platform that needs to face stricter scrutiny under European Union digital rules taking effect next month, the first Silicon Valley tech giant to push back on the pioneering new standards.
NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL POLITICS
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden's pick to serve as America's top military officer warned senators Tuesday of the difficulties posed by any potential conflict in Asia and described how he would use lessons learned from the Ukraine war to help the U.S. military prepare.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Vice President Kamala Harris said Tuesday that the government plans to put a cap on how much families pay for child care as part of the Child Care & Development Block Grant program.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The United States on Tuesday formally rejoined the U.N.'s scientific, educational and cultural organization after a five-year absence.
VILNIUS, Lithuania (AP) — U.S. President Joe Biden on Tuesday hailed an agreement for Sweden to join NATO as more work remained to determine a path forward for Ukraine's future with the alliance. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy criticized as "absurd" the absence of a timetable for his country's entry.
WASHINGTON (AP) — A U.S. intelligence assessment says Iran is not pursuing nuclear weapons at the moment but has ramped up activities that could help it develop them.
MONDAY, JULY 10
STATE GOVERNMENT
Roy Herron, a longtime Tennessee state lawmaker and former chairperson of the state Democratic Party, died Sunday from injuries sustained in a jet ski accident. He was 69.
COURTS
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — The Biden administration asked a federal appeals court Monday to temporarily block a lower court's order limiting executive branch officials' discussions with social media companies about controversial online posts.
FRANKLIN (AP) — A Tennessee soccer coach is accused of drugging and raping at least 10 boys after photos and videos of the children were discovered on his cell phone, police said.
MEDIA
NEW YORK (AP) — Celebrities, lawmakers, brands and everyday social media users are flocking to Meta's freshly minted app Threads to connect with their followers, including many Twitter refugees tired of the drama surrounding Elon Musk's raucous oversight of that platform.
The New York Times is disbanding its sports department and will rely on coverage from The Athletic, a website it acquired last year for $550 million.
TECHNOLOGY
LONDON (AP) — The European Union signed off Monday on a new agreement over the privacy of people's personal information that gets pinged across the Atlantic, aiming to ease European concerns about electronic spying by American intelligence agencies.
NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS
NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks ticked higher on Wall Street Monday ahead of a week with updates on where inflation and corporate profits are heading.
NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL POLITICS
WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. Marine Corps is without a confirmed leader for the first time in a century as Gen. David Berger stepped down as commandant on Monday and a Republican senator is blocking approval of his successor.
WASHINGTON (AP) — As the Russian invasion of Ukraine continues with no end in sight, NATO's much-celebrated unity faces fresh strains when leaders gather for their annual summit this week in Vilnius, Lithuania.
WASHINGTON (AP) — After major blows to his agenda by the Supreme Court, President Joe Biden is intent on making sure voters will have the final say.
WASHINGTON (AP) — A U.S. drone strike killed an Islamic State group leader in Syria hours after the same MQ-9 Reaper drones were harassed by Russian military jets over the western part of the country, according to the Defense Department.
FRIDAY, JULY 7
UT SPORTS
Two-time Olympic gold-medalist and former Tennessee star Nikki McCray-Penson has died. She was 51.
MUSIC INDUSTRY
LOS ANGELES (AP) — In 2010, newly anointed as a Grammy winner, Taylor Swift released "Speak Now," her third studio album and her first without a single songwriting collaboration.
COURTS
WASHINGTON (AP) — A review panel says former New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani should be disbarred in Washington for how he handled litigation challenging the 2020 election on behalf of then-President Donald Trump.
HELENA, Mont. (AP) — A transgender woman, the owners of an independent bookstore and an educator who teaches in costume are among those challenging Montana's first-in-the-nation law that bans people dressed in drag from reading to children in public schools or libraries.
WASHINGTON (AP) — A Louisiana-based federal judge's order broadly limiting executive branch communications with social media companies could cause "grave harm" by preventing the government from "engaging in a vast range of lawful and responsible conduct," Biden administration attorneys said in a motion filed Thursday with a federal appeals court.
ENVIRONMENT
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Some of the nation's largest truck makers on Thursday pledged to stop selling new gas-powered vehicles in California by the middle of the next decade, part of an agreement with state regulators aimed at preventing lawsuits that threatened to delay or block the state's emission standards.
Maritime nations agreed Friday to slash emissions from the shipping industry to net zero by about 2050 in a deal that several experts and nations say falls short of what's needed to curb warming to agreed temperature limits.
HEALTH CARE
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. officials granted full approval to a closely watched Alzheimer's drug on Thursday, clearing the way for Medicare and other insurance plans to begin covering the treatment for people with the brain-robbing disease.
ECONOMY
WASHINGTON (AP) — Another month, another solid gain for America's job market.
NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS
NEW YORK (AP) — Wall Street drifted to a mixed close after data suggested the U.S. job market is still warm enough to keep the economy growing but maybe not so hot that it stokes inflation much higher.
NEW YORK (AP) — Uber Eats, DoorDash and Grubhub sued New York City on Thursday to block its new minimum pay rules for food delivery workers.
NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL POLITICS
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden on Friday rolled out a new set of initiatives to reduce health care costs: a crackdown on scam insurance plans, new guidance to prevent surprise medical bills and an effort to reduce medical debt tied to credit cards.
WASHINGTON (AP) — For a century, the League of Women Voters in Florida formed bonds with marginalized residents by helping them register to vote — and, in recent years, those efforts have extended to the growing Asian American and Asian immigrant communities.
BEIJING (AP) — Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen is visiting Beijing as part of efforts to revive U.S.-Chinese relations that are at their lowest level in decades due to disputes over technology, security and other irritants.
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden's administration has decided to provide cluster munitions to Ukraine and is expected to announce on Friday that the Pentagon will send thousands of them as part of a new military aid package worth up to $800 million for the war effort against Russia, according to people familiar with the decision.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The United States has decided to send cluster munitions to Ukraine to help its military push back Russian forces entrenched along the front lines.
RICHMOND, Ky. (AP) — The last of the United States' declared chemical weapons stockpile was destroyed at a sprawling military installation in eastern Kentucky, Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell announced Friday, a milestone that closes a chapter of warfare dating back to World War I.
THURSDAY, JULY 6
COURTS
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Justice Department on Wednesday disclosed some of the previously blacked-out portions of a warrant application it submitted last year to gain authorization to search former President Donald Trump's Florida property for classified documents.
MIAMI (AP) — Donald Trump's valet, Walt Nauta, pleaded not guilty Thursday to charges that he helped the former president hide classified documents from federal authorities, appearing with a new Florida-based lawyer to represent him as the case moves forward.
MEDIA
NEW YORK (AP) — Threads, a text-based app built by Meta to rival Twitter, is live.
AUTO INDUSTRY
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — The company that wants to mine for critical minerals in southeast Nebraska has signed a deal with Stellantis, giving the automaker access to the rare earth elements used to produce high-powered magnets needed for its electric vehicles.
DETROIT (AP) — U.S. automobile safety regulators are zeroing in on changes that Tesla has made to its Autopilot partially automated driving system, including how it makes sure drivers pay attention and how it detects and responds to objects.
ENERGY
LONDON (AP) — The head of global energy giant Shell says it would be "irresponsible" to cut oil and gas production at a time when the world economy is still dependent on fossil fuels.
ENVIRONMENT
The president of this year's United Nations' climate talks urged the oil and gas industry Thursday to reach net zero greenhouse gas emissions by or before 2050 in a speech to oil producing states.
ECONOMY
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. job openings slipped in May but remained at levels high enough to illustrate that the American labor market remains resilient in the face of sharply higher interest rates.
The number of Americans applying for jobless benefits rose last week, but remains at healthy levels despite the Federal Reserve's attempt to cool the labor market by raising interest rates.
NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS
NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks closed lower after reports suggested the U.S. job market remains much more resilient than expected. The S&P 500 fell 0.8% Thursday. The Dow lost 366 points, or 1.1%, and the Nasdaq fell 0.8%. While a sturdy labor market keeps the economy out of a long-expected recession, it could also push the Federal Reserve to keep interest rates higher for longer in its campaign to defeat high inflation. That in turn could mean more pressure down the line on the economy and financial markets. Treasury yields jumped as traders increasingly bet on rates staying higher for longer.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Reward programs, including birthday freebies and discounts, have long been a way for brands to build loyalty and incentivize spending. But now some companies are becoming a bit more stingy — and customers are taking notice.
NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL POLITICS
WASHINGTON (AP) — Former President Donald Trump posted on his social media platform what he claimed was the home address of former President Barack Obama on the same day that a man with guns in his van was arrested near the property, federal prosecutors said Wednesday in revealing new details about the case.
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden is heading to South Carolina on Thursday to make the case that economic measures he pushed through Congress despite stiff Republican opposition are helping to keep the deep red state — and others that voted for Donald Trump in 2020 — humming.
CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — Australia's center-left government distanced itself Thursday from the postponement of Donald Trump Jr.'s speaking tour in Australia.