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VOL. 44 | NO. 34 | Friday, August 21, 2020

Return to the one-room schoolhouse

Parents turn to pods, alternative tools to cope with shutdowns

Williamson County mom Jenny Myhr’s mornings are just as hectic as ever. The pandemic that changed most aspects of life the past six months is no longer providing slower mornings or a reduced schedule.

Tennesseans receive Amerigroup support

Amerigroup and its Foundation are donating $125,000 to nonprofit organizations in Tennessee to support ongoing efforts related to COVID-19.

RICHARD COURTNEY: REALTY CHECK

Many Realtors in market but few achieve excellence

The fall selling season is fast approaching, and many sellers who chose to sit out the spring market with the Safer at Home order in place are back in the game and ready to sell.

Local Weather
Currently
Nashville, TN
41.0°F
Overcast
Wind: Southwest at 4.6 mph
Humidity: 47%

EVENTS

Webinar: Next Normal Series. With school back in session, the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) will again become a hot issue for many small to medium-sized employers. This webinar will provide an overview of the FFCRA and ways employers can try to navigate the FFCRA during this uncertain time. Plus, now that many employers have spent their Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans, employers need to seek to have them forgiven. The webinar will provide an update on the PPP and advice on seeking forgiveness for employers’ PPP loans. Thursday, 10-11 a.m. Information and online password

more events »

REAL ESTATE

Top Davidson County commercial real estate sales for July 2020

Top commercial real estate sales, July 2020, for Davidson County, as compiled by Chandler Reports.

US long-term mortgage rates rise; 30-year at 2.99%

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. average rates on long-term mortgages rose this week though they remain at historically low levels. The key 30-year loan nudged toward 3%.

TENNESSEE TITANS

Humphries looking for better luck, more catches in 2010

Ankle sprain took 6 games away in 2019

Adam Humphries doesn’t look like your typical NFL player. Perhaps generously listed at 5-11, 195 pounds, Humphries said he is not often taken as an NFL player when he goes out in public.

Wilson gives Titans high marks for virus safety

First-round pick Isaiah Wilson knows the protocol regarding the coronavirus and the NFL. That’s because Wilson began his professional career on the Reserve/COVID-19 list after signing his rookie contract and reporting to training camp.

Titans' Davis healthy, receiver ready to earn new contract

NASHVILLE (AP) — Nobody expects more of Tennessee wide receiver Corey Davis than Davis himself.

NEWSMAKERS

Wiseman Ashworth names Marsicano, Bills members

Michele T. Marsicano and Anthony C. Bills have been named members at Wiseman Ashworth Law Group.

BRIEFS

Christmas Parade to become virtual event

Officials from Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt have announced a new virtual format for this year’s Nashville Christmas Parade, scheduled for Saturday, Dec. 5.

BEHIND THE WHEEL

Top picks for those who don’t want to stop for gas

Many Americans are wary of flying because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Driving is one alternative to minimize your exposure to large crowds and still get an opportunity to see some sights this summer. You can also reduce your social contact on a road trip by driving a vehicle with an exceptionally long range.

BUSINESS BOOK REVIEW

‘Bee Fearless’ is a honey for young entrepreneurs

Sometimes, a thousand ideas buzz around in your head. You’re creative and like to come up with fun ideas.

PERSONAL FINANCE

Why taking Social Security early costs too much

Starting Social Security early typically means getting a smaller benefit for the rest of your life. The penalty is steep: Someone who applies this year at age 62 would see their monthly benefit check reduced by nearly 30%.

CAREER CORNER

A site for every career: Use the right online tool

We’re facing record-breaking unemployment, up by 1.8 million for July with a rate of 10.2%, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports. These staggering numbers mean many people are looking for new jobs.

MILLENNIAL MONEY

Add increased costs to grocery list if you use delivery

I haven’t set foot in a grocery store in nearly four months. With a 10-month-old baby to think about, my husband and I have kept trips to the store to a minimum out of an abundance of caution during the pandemic. We’re fortunate to have just about every grocery delivery service at our disposal, and we’ve taken advantage.

TOURISM

Smokies to reopen more campgrounds, picnic areas

Great Smoky Mountains National Park will reopen additional campgrounds and picnic areas on Sept. 3 after their closure due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

NASHVILLE SC

Orlando beats Nashville in lone MLS game played Wednesday

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Rookie Daryl Dike scored two goals in the second half and Orlando City SC beat Nashville SC 3-1 in the only game played in Major League Soccer on Wednesday night.

VIRUS OUTBREAK

Rapid $5 coronavirus test doesn't need specialty equipment

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Food and Drug Administration on Wednesday authorized the first rapid coronavirus test that doesn't need any special computer equipment to get results.

REAL ESTATE

More Americans sign contracts to buy homes in July

SILVER SPRING, Md. (AP) — More Americans signed contracts to buy homes in July, suggesting the current hot housing market could continue in the fall.

AUTO INDUSTRY

Sometime soon, your car will park itself in urban garages

DETROIT (AP) — So after the coronavirus threat has passed, you head downtown for a baseball game.

NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS

Fed: Rates to stay ultra-low even after inflation picks up

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Federal Reserve announced a significant change Thursday in how it manages interest rates by saying it plans to keep rates near zero even after inflation has exceeded the Fed's 2% target level.

U.S. economy plunged an annualized 31.7% in second quarter

BALTIMORE (AP) — The U.S. economy shrank at an alarming annual rate of 31.7% during the April-June quarter as it struggled under the weight of the viral pandemic, the government estimated Thursday. It was the sharpest quarterly drop on record.

More than 1 million Americans file for unemployment, again

WASHINGTON (AP) — Just over 1 million Americans applied for unemployment benefits last week, a sign that the coronavirus outbreak continues to threaten jobs even as the housing market, auto sales and other segments of the economy rebound from a springtime collapse.

White House is mulling options to prevent airline furloughs

The White House is considering whether it can take action to prevent thousands of job losses in the airline industry a month before the election if it cannot reach a deal with Congress on a broader package of additional pandemic relief.

ELECTION 2020

More companies pledge to give workers time to vote

A growing number of U.S. companies are pledging to give workers time off to vote in the presidential election this November, an effort that's gaining steam despite the government's reluctance to make Election Day a federal holiday.

GOP Convention takeaways: Pence pounces while crises swirl

WASHINGTON (AP) — Republicans proceeded with the third night of their national convention, but many Americans — particularly those in the path of Hurricane Laura — were focused on more immediate concerns.

AP FACT CHECK: Pence presses a distorted case on economy

WASHINGTON (AP) — Vice President Mike Pence and fellow Republicans pressed a distorted case Wednesday that President Donald Trump took over a moribund economy from Barack Obama and supercharged it. That's not what happened.

GOP's focus on Trump leaves scant room for Congress hopefuls

WASHINGTON (AP) — All national political conventions are ultimately about the presidential candidate. That's especially true at this year's Republican National Convention, where leading speakers demonstrated a single-minded focus on President Donald Trump but barely mentioned the party's struggle to protect its Senate majority and gain ground in the House.


WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 26
TOURISM

Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum plans reopening

NASHVILLE (AP) — The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum plans to reopen to the public on Sept. 10, according to a news release.

Report: Tennessee travel spending hit record $23B in 2019

NASHVILLE (AP) — A new report says Tennessee saw $23 billion in travel spending last year, again setting a new record.

COURTS

Ex-pharmaceutical company boss faces insider trading charges

NEW YORK (AP) — The former head of a pharmaceutical company was arrested Tuesday in California on insider trading charges, accused of feeding secrets that enabled friends and family to earn over $700,000 illegally.

ENVIRONMENT

Environmental groups sue to block Alaska's Arctic drilling

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — Environmental groups filed lawsuits aimed at halting efforts by the Trump administration to open up wide swaths of Alaska's Arctic to oil drilling.

BANKING

Bank profits slump 70% as virus rakes businesses, households

NEW YORK (AP) — The U.S. banking industry's second-quarter profits fell by 70% from a year ago as low interest rates and the economic turmoil of the COVID-19 pandemic weighed heavily on big and small banks alike.

TECHNOLOGY

Facebook: Apple privacy changes will muck up online ads

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Facebook is pushing back on new Apple privacy rules for its mobile devices — and putting app developers in the middle.

VIRUS OUTBREAK

New COVID-19 mandates on health care facilities get pushback

WASHINGTON (AP) — Threatening fines and funding cut-offs, the Trump administration on Tuesday issued new COVID-19 requirements for nursing homes and hospitals, prompting immediate pushback from beleaguered industries.

TECHNOLOGY

Google location-tracking tactics troubled its own engineers

Google's own engineers were troubled by the way the company secretly tracked the movements of people who didn't want to be followed until a 2018 Associated Press investigation uncovered the shadowy surveillance, according to unsealed documents in a consumer fraud case.

ELECTION 2020

Judge orders Tennessee to mention virus on mail voting form

NASHVILLE (AP) — A judge has ordered Tennessee election officials to clearly communicate on absentee ballot applications that people can vote by mail if they believe they or someone in their care face a higher risk of COVID-19.

Scant mention of brewing crises at Republican convention

WASHINGTON (AP) — As Republicans make the case for a second Trump term at their convention, trouble is brewing outside.

Kanye West qualifies for Tennessee presidential ballot

NASHVILLE (AP) — Rapper and producer Kanye West will be on Tennessee's presidential ballot in November, the state election's office confirmed.

Takeaways from GOP convention: Power, positivity and policy

WASHINGTON (AP) — The second day of the Republican National Convention started with a decidedly different, more positive tone, with an emphasis on Americans who say have they benefited from President Donald Trump's policies.

Lobster fisher's pro-Trump speech sets off political spat

PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — A Maine lobster fisher spoke in favor of President Donald Trump's trade policies during the Republican National Convention on Tuesday, earning a rebuke from the state's Democratic party, which faults Trump for hurting the industry.

Trump's convention gives platform to some with fringe views

WASHINGTON (AP) — An advocate of "household voting" in which husbands get the final say. A woman who has argued that school sex ed programs are "grooming" children to be sexualized by predators like Jeffrey Epstein. A candidate who has peddled in racist tropes and bizarre QAnon conspiracy theories.

AP Analysis: Trump's convention aims to airbrush his tenure

WASHINGTON (AP) — At President Donald Trump's Republican convention, he is welcoming to immigrants, not the architect of some of the nation's harshest anti-immigration policies.

AP FACT CHECK: GOP taps distortions to heap praise on Trump

WASHINGTON (AP) — Eric Trump echoed falsehoods of his father, Melania Trump credited her husband with a dubious religious first, and the president's economic adviser wholly distorted the conditions Donald Trump inherited as Republicans stepped up to praise him at their national convention Tuesday.

NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS

More blowout profit from tech companies push S&P 500 higher

More blowout profit reports from big tech companies pushed the S&P 500 to another record high on Wednesday.

Oil industry shuts platforms, rigs, refineries as storm hits

NEW YORK (AP) — The energy industry braced for catastrophic storm surges and winds as Hurricane Laura cut a dangerous path across the coastlines of Texas and Louisiana, making landfall early Thursday.

No sweat: Dick's crushes 2Q as consumers focus on fitness

At home workouts and outdoor athletic activities are shaping up to be good business for Dick's Sporting Goods. The retailer's second-quarter results easily beat Wall Street's expectations as consumers continue to focus on health and wellness while stuck at home amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Powell edges toward loosening the Fed's stance on inflation

WASHINGTON (AP) — For decades, the Federal Reserve made clear its readiness to raise interest rates at the earliest signs of creeping inflation.

Orders for big-ticket US manufactured goods jumped 11.2%

WASHINGTON (AP) — Orders to U.S. factories for big-ticket manufactured goods jumped 11.2% in July, the third consecutive monthly gain.

Nordstrom's 2Q sales down 53% hurt by pandemic fallout

NEW YORK (AP) — Nordstrom Inc. on Tuesday reported a larger-than-expected loss and a 53% drop in sales for its fiscal second quarter, during which the pandemic forced the upscale department store chain to temporarily close its stores.

Secretive Palantir lifts veil before Wall Street stock sale

BOSTON (AP) — Palantir Technologies Inc., a data-mining company with deep ties to U.S. intelligence and military agencies, has shed a good deal of its trademark secrecy about its business in filing for a Wall Street stock offering.


TUESDAY, AUGUST 25
UT SPORTS

UT restricts tickets to about 25% of Neyland's seats

KNOXVILLE (AP) — Tennessee will be selling tickets for approximately 25% of the fan seats at Neyland Stadium this season, officials announced Tuesday. The stadium has a capacity of 102,455, counting everybody in the building, which could mean around 25,000 fans.

TENNESSEE TITANS

Answer on who's calling Titans' defensive plays elusive

NASHVILLE (AP) — The big question for months has been how Tennessee coach Mike Vrabel will replace defensive coordinator Dean Pees.

STATE GOVERNMENT

Tennessee approved for additional federal unemployment funds

MEMPHIS (AP) — Tennessee has received approval for federal funding to augment the amount of money distributed to unemployed people in the state, officials said.

COURTS

6th Circuit: OK to ration hepatitis C treatment to prisoners

NASHVILLE (AP) — In a split decision, a panel of the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Monday upheld Tennessee's rationing of life-saving hepatitis C drugs to prisoners as constitutional.

EDUCATION

Tennessee State, UT vet school collaborate for admission

NASHVILLE (AP) — Tennessee State University and the University of Tennessee College of Veterinary Medicine are working together to help college graduates get admitted to veterinary schools.

VIRUS OUTBREAK

New virus cases decline in the US and experts credit masks

NEW YORK (AP) — The number of Americans newly diagnosed with the coronavirus is falling — a development experts say most likely reflects more mask-wearing but also insufficient testing — even as the disease continues to claim nearly 1,000 lives in the U.S. each day.

Tennessee faces lawsuit for letting counties require masks

NASHVILLE (AP) — Tennessee is facing a lawsuit over Republican Gov. Bill Lee's decision to let counties issue certain orders to curb the COVID-19 pandemic, with a particular focus on their authority to require people to wear masks.

FDA chief apologizes for overstating plasma effect on virus

WASHINGTON (AP) — Responding to an outcry from medical experts, Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Stephen Hahn on Tuesday apologized for overstating the life-saving benefits of treating COVID-19 patients with convalescent plasma.

Revved by Sturgis Rally, COVID-19 infections move fast, far

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) — The hundreds of thousands of bikers who attended the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally may have departed western South Dakota, but public health departments in multiple states are trying to measure how much and how quickly the coronavirus spread in bars, tattoo shops and gatherings before people traveled home to nearly every state in the country.

TECHNOLOGY

Swiss team claims 1st jump, free fall from solar plane

BERLIN (AP) — A Swiss team working to take a solar-powered plane to the edge of space says it has performed the first jump and free fall from an electric aircraft.

BANKING

Bank profits slump 70% as virus rakes businesses, households

NEW YORK (AP) — The U.S. banking industry's second quarter profits fell by 70% from a year ago, the FDIC said Tuesday, as low interest rates and the economic turmoil of the COVID-19 pandemic weighed heavily on big and small banks alike.

REAL ESTATE

July sales of new homes surge 13.9%, far more than thought

SILVER SPRING, Md. (AP) — Sales of new homes jumped again in July, rising 13.9% as the housing market continues to gain traction following a spring downturn caused by pandemic-related lockdowns.

S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller: US home prices rise 3.5% in June

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. home prices rose at a slightly slower pace in June, but the U.S. housing market continued to show resilience in the face of the coronvavirus pandemic.

BANKING

Credit Suisse to shut 37 bank branches in Switzerland

BERLIN (AP) — Swiss bank Credit Suisse said Tuesday that it plans to close 37 branches in its home country as part of an effort to streamline its business, and said that some job cuts are inevitable.

NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS

S&P 500 shakes off a bumpy start, pushes to another record

NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks were mixed on Wall Street Tuesday, but gains were strong enough for tech companies and other pockets of the market to carry the S&P 500 to its fourth straight gain and another record high.

US consumer confidence falls in August to lowest in 6 years

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. consumer confidence fell for the second consecutive month, sinking to the lowest levels in more than six years as a resurgence of COVID-19 infections in many parts of the country heightened pessimism.

AP-NORC poll: Many in US shoring up finances amid downturn

WASHINGTON (AP) — It's the paradox of a pandemic that has crushed the U.S. economy: 12.9 million lost jobs and a dangerous rash of businesses closing, yet the personal finances of many Americans have remained strong — and in some ways have even improved.

American Airlines plans 19,000 furloughs, layoffs in October

DALLAS (AP) — American Airlines said Tuesday it will cut more than 40,000 jobs, including 19,000 through furloughs and layoffs, in October as it struggles with a sharp downturn in travel because of the pandemic.

Alibaba's Ant Group files for IPO in Hong Kong, Shanghai

HONG KONG (AP) — Ant Group, the financial technology arm of Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba Group, on Tuesday filed for a dual listing in Hong Kong and Shanghai, in what may be the largest share offering since the coronavirus pandemic began.

ELECTION 2020

Trump's convention blurs official business, politics

WASHINGTON (AP) — Plenty of presidents have walked right up to the line separating official business from politics — or even stepped over it. President Donald Trump has blown past it with a bulldozer, and his planned Republican convention speech from the White House lawn this week might be the latest and most blatant example yet.

Republican convention showcases rising stars, dark warnings

WASHINGTON (AP) — A rising generation of Republican stars offered an optimistic view of President Donald Trump's leadership but was undermined on the opening night of the GOP's scaled-back convention by speakers issuing dark warnings about the country's future and distorting the president's record, particularly on the coronavirus pandemic.

AP FACT CHECK: Trump, GOP distort on health care, vote fraud, more

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump made a dizzying array of misleading claims about voting fraud and health care as fellow Republicans opened their convention with speeches distorting the agenda of his Democratic rival, Joe Biden.

Republican Convention takeaways: All Trump, all the time

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump aggressively asserted control over the Republican National Convention on Monday, overshadowing the prime-time speakers, as he made clear he wants voters to focus on him.

NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL POLITICS

Trump: acting homeland security secretary will lead agency

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump said Tuesday he will nominate acting Secretary of Homeland Security Chad Wolf to the top spot in the agency, rewarding a forceful advocate for administration policy whose leadership has been challenged on legal grounds.


MONDAY, AUGUST 24
NASHVILLE AREA

Fisk University cuts ties with president after allegations

NASHVILLE (AP) — Fisk University announced Monday that it has ended its relationship with its president two weeks after placing him on leave over allegations in a temporary order of protection that an acquaintance sought against him.

MUSIC INDUSTRY

Musician Justin Townes Earle dead at age 38

NEW YORK (AP) — Singer-songwriter Justin Townes Earle, a leading performer of American roots music known for his introspective and haunting style, has died at 38.

STATE GOVERNMENT

Tennessee to provide extra $300 in unemployment benefits

NASHVILLE (AP) — Tennessee will provide an additional $300 per week in federal assistance to people who are unemployed due to the coronavirus pandemic.

TECHNOLOGY

First day of school for thousands and Zoom gets glitchy

NEW YORK (AP) — Zoom is experiencing partial outages during the first day of school for thousands of students who are relying on the video conferencing technology to connect with educators.

TikTok sues Trump over his pending order to ban its app

NEW YORK (AP) — Video app TikTok is suing the Trump Administration over its efforts to ban the popular Chinese-owned service  over national-security concerns.

Apple CEO Tim Cook is fulfilling another Steve Jobs vision

BERKELEY, Calif. (AP) — Apple co-founder Steve Jobs, who died in 2011, was a tough act to follow. But Tim Cook seems to be doing so well at it that his eventual successor may also have big shoes to fill.

Taiwan says Alibaba-linked e-commerce site a security risk

TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — Taiwan declared an e-commerce platform linked to China's Alibaba Group a potential security risk and told its operator Monday to register as a company from the rival mainland or dispose of its ownership stake.

ENVIRONMENT

Norwegian fund drops Exxon, Chevron over climate lobbying

BERLIN (AP) — A Norwegian pension fund said Monday that it is divesting over $47 million from 27 companies, including Exxon and Chevron, as part of its commitment to combating climate change. The fund warned other major oil and gas companies it might drop them as well.

VIRUS OUTBREAK

Trump announces plasma treatment authorized for COVID-19

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump announced emergency authorization to treat COVID-19 patients with convalescent plasma — a move he called "a breakthrough," one of his top health officials called "promising" and other health experts said needs more study before it's celebrated.

AP FACT CHECK: Trump's baseless claim of 'deep state' at FDA

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump is leveling unfounded attacks on his Food and Drug Administration and distorting the science on effective treatments for COVID-19.

ELECTION 2020

Republicans nominate Trump; he questions election integrity

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — President Donald Trump turned a surprise opening-day appearance at his party's scaled-down national political convention into an new opportunity to cast doubt on the integrity of the fall election just moments after delegates nominated him for a second term.

Civil rights group pushes back at GOP condemnation

WASHINGTON (AP) — Republican National Committee delegates approved a resolution condemning the Southern Poverty Law Center, calling the legal advocacy group dedicated to fighting extremism "a far-left organization with an obvious bias."

AP-NORC poll: Trump faces pessimism as GOP convention opens

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump is promising to outline an optimistic vision for America at this week's Republican convention. But he'll be speaking to a public deeply pessimistic about the direction of the country and overwhelmingly dissatisfied with his and the federal government's handling of the coronavirus pandemic.

Flake backs Biden, makes conservative case against Trump

PHOENIX (AP) — Former Republican Sen. Jeff Flake on Monday backed Democrat Joe Biden for president, decrying a culture of name-calling, tribalism, "tinfoil-hat conspiracy theories" that he says has gripped his party.

Trump's vision of American greatness at center of convention

WASHINGTON (AP) — Republicans will aim to recast the story of Donald Trump's presidency when they hold their national convention, featuring speakers drawn from everyday life as well as cable news and the White House while drawing a stark contrast with Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden.

Tennessee recruiting more poll workers for November election

NASHVILLE (AP) — Tennessee is back on the lookout for poll workers, this time for the Nov. 3 election that requires a crew of about 17,000.

NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS

US stocks join global rally amid COVID treatment hopes

NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks plowed higher on Wall Street Monday, as hopes for a COVID-19 treatment and vaccine had investors looking ahead to the possibility of a healthier economy that has shed the virus.

Jim Bakker gets PPP loans during legal fight on fraud claims

When the U.S. government extended pandemic hardship loans to thousands of religious institutions, Jim Bakker and Morningside USA, his ministry in Blue Eye, Missouri, were among the most high-profile recipients.

NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL POLITICS

Consultant charged in covert lobbying of Trump officials

WASHINGTON (AP) — An American consultant has been charged in an illicit lobbying effort to get the Trump administration to drop an investigation into the multi-billion-dollar looting of a Malaysian state investment fund, and to arrange for the return of a Chinese dissident living in the U.S.

Top Trump aide Kellyanne Conway to leave White House

WASHINGTON (AP) — Kellyanne Conway, one of President Donald Trump's most influential and longest serving advisers, announced Sunday that she would be leaving the White House at the end of the month.

'Hoax' book reveals extent of internal unease at Fox

NEW YORK (AP) — Brian Stelter knows critics accuse Fox News of bending the truth in order to maintain its staunch support of and closeness to President Donald Trump. As CNN media reporter and host of "Reliable Sources," he's often one of them.

Emergency postal aid stalls as WH rejects House-passed bill

WASHINGTON (AP) — Help for the U.S. Postal Service landed in stalemate Sunday as the White House dismissed an emergency funding bill aimed at shoring up the agency before the November elections as "going nowhere" and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi urged senators to act quickly.

DeJoy says Trump attacks on mail-in ballots 'not helpful'

WASHINGTON (AP) — Postmaster General Louis DeJoy told lawmakers Monday that he has warned allies of President Donald Trump that the president's repeated attacks on mail-in ballots are "not helpful," but denied that recent changes at the Postal Service are linked to the November elections.

In recordings, Trump's sister says he 'has no principles'

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump's older sister, a former federal judge, is heard sharply criticizing her brother in a series of recordings, at one point saying of the president, "He has no principles."


FRIDAY, AUGUST 21
REAL ESTATE

Low rates and heavy buyer demand send US home sales surging

SILVER SPRING, Md. (AP) — Spurred by ultra-low mortgage rates, home buyers rushed last month to snap up a limited supply of existing houses, causing the pace of purchases to jump by a record-high 24.7%.

COURTS

Loughlin, Giannulli get prison time in college bribery plot

BOSTON (AP) — Breaking their silence for the first time since their arrest, "Full House" star Lori Loughlin and fashion designer Mossimo Giannulli apologized Friday for using their wealth and privilege to bribe their daughters' way into the University of Southern California as crew recruits.

VIRUS OUTBREAK

Mounting US deaths reveal an outsize toll on people of color

As many as 215,000 more people than usual died in the U.S. during the first seven months of 2020, suggesting that the number of lives lost to the coronavirus is significantly higher than the official toll. And half the dead were people of color — Blacks, Hispanics, Native Americans and, to a marked degree unrecognized until now, Asian Americans.

Tennessee asks fed about more public virus info from schools

NASHVILLE (AP) — Tennessee could release more data on COVID-19 cases in schools after all, as long as Gov. Bill Lee first gets the answer he wants from the federal government.

ELECTION 2020

Postmaster: No pre-election return of mail boxes, equipment

WASHINGTON (AP) — Pressed by senators, Postmaster General Louis DeJoy said Friday he was unaware of recent mail operation changes until they sparked a public uproar. But he also said he has no plans to restore mailboxes or high-speed sorting machines that have been removed.

Biden vows to defeat Trump, end US 'season of darkness'

WILMINGTON, Del. (AP) — Joe Biden accepted the Democratic presidential nomination with a vow to be a unifying "ally of the light" who would move an America in crisis past the chaos of President Donald Trump's tenure.

Analysis: Drive to beat Trump unites Democrats behind Biden

WASHINGTON (AP) — Nearly everything in American life has changed in the 16 months between the launch of Joe Biden's White House campaign and his address Thursday night as the Democratic presidential nominee. A pandemic has killed more than 170,000 Americans and remade work and school. A soaring economy is now sagging.

In moving speech, boy says Biden helped him overcome stutter

WASHINGTON (AP) — Even in a week filled with emotional endorsements of Joe Biden, Brayden Harrington's stands out.

AP FACT CHECK: Dems on minimum wage and poverty

WASHINGTON (AP) — Americans tuned into the Democratic National Convention were told Thursday that the higher minimum wage favored by presidential candidate Joe Biden would lift all full-time workers out of poverty. That's not what $15 an hour is likely to do.

Pelosi endorses Kennedy over Markey in US Senate primary

WASHINGTON (AP) — House Speaker Nancy Pelosi endorsed Democratic Rep. Joe Kennedy III on Thursday in his bid to oust Sen. Edward Markey in the Massachusetts Democratic primary, backing a young challenger against a veteran lawmaker with whom she's served in Congress since 1987.

Kanye West fails to qualify on Ohio ballot in November

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Kanye West won't appear on Ohio's ballot as an unaffiliated presidential candidate this November because of mismatched information on the rapper's signature-gathering documents, Ohio's elections chief said Friday.

Wisconsin election officials: Kanye off presidential ballot

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Wisconsin election officials decided Thursday to keep rapper Kanye West off the battleground state's presidential ballot in November because his campaign turned his nomination papers moments after the deadline.

NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS

S&P 500 ticks higher to record, powered again by tech stocks

NEW YORK (AP) — The S&P 500 ticked higher to close at another all-time high Friday, powered by strength for technology stocks and a couple reports on the U.S. economy that were better than expected.

Movie theater trade group establishes COVID-19 protocols

As movie theaters come back to life across the country, the National Association of Theater Owners is helping to take the guess work out of safe operating practices in the era of COVID-19.

Longtime Amazon executive Jeff Wilke to retire next year

NEW YORK (AP) — Amazon's retail chief Jeff Wilke, who helped the company transform itself from an online bookstore into a global colossus, is retiring early next year.

European economic rebound slows as virus cases rise

LONDON (AP) — The European economy's rebound from the coronavirus recession slowed in August, as a pick up in new confirmed cases appeared to hobble the reopening of some businesses and travel from their near-complete shutdown in the spring.

Goodyear: Attire supporting police OK, but no political wear

WASHINGTON (AP) — The CEO of Goodyear Tire and Rubber Co. said Thursday that it will allow employees to wear attire supporting law enforcement, though it will continue to ask them not to express support for any political candidates while on the job.

NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL POLITICS

House ethics: Gaetz broke rules, not law, with Cohen tweet

WASHINGTON (AP) — The House Ethics Committee on Friday said Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., broke House rules but not the law when he tweeted a warning last year to President Donald Trump's former lawyer, Michael Cohen.

AP Exclusive: Barr 'vehemently opposed' to pardoning Snowden

WASHINGTON (AP) — Attorney General William Barr said he would be "vehemently opposed" to any attempt to pardon former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden, after the president suggested he might consider it.

Watchdog: Census lacks door knockers needed for 2020 count

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — The U.S. Census Bureau is short by more than 25% of the door knockers needed for the 2020 census, according to its watchdog agency, and it's about to let go of its least productive census takers.

Bannon's Chinese host an irritant to Communist Party

BEIJING (AP) — The self-exiled Chinese tycoon on whose 150-foot (45-meter) yacht President Donald Trump's former chief strategist, Steve Bannon, was arrested is a high-profile irritant to the ruling Communist Party.

A growing list: Trump associates ensnared in legal troubles

WASHINGTON (AP) — The arrest Thursday of President Donald Trump's former chief strategist Steve Bannon adds to a growing list of the president's associates ensnared in legal trouble.


THURSDAY, AUGUST 20
STATE GOVERNMENT

Tennessee Democratic leader tests positive for COVID-19

NASHVILLE (AP) — Tennessee's top Democratic House leader has tested positive for COVID-19, the lawmaker's office said on Thursday.

NASHVILLE AREA

Chief: Tennessee officers broke down door of innocent family

NASHVILLE (AP) — Three Tennessee police officers have been decommissioned after they broke down the door of an innocent family early Tuesday morning.

COURTS

Trump appeals as judge OKs Manhattan DA getting tax returns

NEW YORK (AP) — A federal judge on Thursday cleared the way for Manhattan's top prosecutor to get President Donald Trump's tax returns, rejecting a last-ditch attempt by his lawyers to block a subpoena issued to his accounting firm.

Ex-Trump adviser Steve Bannon charged in border wall scheme

NEW YORK (AP) — President Donald Trump's former chief strategist, Steve Bannon, was pulled from a yacht and arrested Thursday on allegations that he and three associates ripped off donors trying to fund a southern border wall, making him the latest in a long list of Trump allies to be charged with a crime.

Former Tennessee officer gets 20 years for multiple rapes

CHATTANOOGA (AP) — A former Tennessee police officer who admitted to sexually assaulting three women in his custody and using a stun gun on another victim has been sentenced to 20 years in federal prison.

TECHNOLOGY

EU regulators wrangle over Twitter data privacy penalty

LONDON (AP) — European Union privacy regulators are wrangling over the penalty Ireland's data privacy watchdog was set to issue Twitter for a data breach, pushing back the case's long awaited conclusion under the bloc's tough new data privacy rules.

AUTO INDUSTRY

Chinese electric car brand NIO looks at expansion abroad

BEIJING (AP) — Chinese electric car brand NIO plans to start expanding to Western markets next year and might export a battery-swapping service that could help it compete with rival Tesla, the company's chairman said Thursday.

Reports: Nissan failed to report income for Ghosn in Japan

TOKYO (AP) — The case against former Nissan executive Carlos Ghosn may have taken another turn as Japanese media report allegations that the automaker declared as expenses 1.15 billion yen ($10.8 million) in his taxable personal income.

TRANSPORTATION

Uber, Lyft threaten California shutdown over driver status

NEW YORK (AP) — Ride-hailing giants Uber and Lyft are saying they will shut down their California operations if a new law goes into effect overnight that would force both companies to classify their drivers as employees.

American Airlines will drop flights to 15 cities in October

American Airlines will drop flights to 15 smaller U.S. cities in October when a federal requirement to serve those communities ends.

ENVIRONMENT

Young activists meet Merkel, press case for climate action

BERLIN (AP) — Young activists, including Swedish teenager Greta Thunberg, held talks Thursday with German Chancellor Angela Merkel to press their demands for tougher action on curbing climate change and to get their cause back on the political agenda.

VIRUS OUTBREAK

1 in 5 nursing homes short on PPE and staff in virus rebound

WASHINGTON (AP) — One in five U.S. nursing homes faced severe shortages of protective gear like N95 masks this summer even as the Trump administration pledged to help, according to a study released Thursday that finds facilities in areas hard-hit by COVID 19 also struggled to keep staff.

Teachers could stay in classroom if exposed to COVID-19

ATLANTA (AP) — New guidance from President Donald Trump's administration that declares teachers to be "critical infrastructure workers" could give the green light to exempting teachers from quarantine requirements after being exposed to COVID-19 and instead send them back into the classroom.

Pandemic pushes expansion of 'hospital-at-home' treatment

As hospitals care for people with COVID-19 and try to keep others from catching the virus, more patients are opting to be treated where they feel safest: at home.

ELECTION 2020

Biden seeking party, national unity in convention climax

WILMINGTON, Del. (AP) — Joe Biden is hoping to start unifying divided America as well as the nation's diverse Democrats Thursday night as he accepts his party's presidential nomination in the climax of recent history's most unorthodox national convention.

Kanye West submits petitions to appear on Tennessee ballot

NASHVILLE (AP) — Rapper and music producer Kanye West submitted a petition Thursday to appear on Tennessee's ballot this November as an unaffiliated presidential candidate, the state election's office says.

Tennessee: No perjury charges if mail voters claim COVID risk

NASHVILLE (AP) — Tennessee authorities cannot pursue perjury charges against voters who seek mail ballots by concluding on their own that they, or someone in their care, have a health condition that increases their risk for COVID-19, an attorney for the state said in court Thursday.

Mail-delivery concerns put spotlight on ballot deadlines

ATLANTA (AP) — U.S. Postal Service warnings that it can't guarantee mailed ballots will arrive on time have put a spotlight on the narrow time frames most states allow to request and return those ballots.

Obama, in scathing Trump rebuke, warns democracy on the line

WASHINGTON (AP) — Former President Barack Obama painted a unsparing portrait of American democracy on the brink if President Donald Trump wins in November, warning in a scathing, and at times emotional, address Wednesday that his successor is both unfit for office and apathetic to the nation's founding principles.

Harris seizes historic moment in accepting VP nomination

WILMINGTON, Del. (AP) — Kamala Harris accepted the Democratic nomination for vice president on Wednesday, cementing her place in history as the first Black woman on a major party ticket and promising she and Joe Biden will rejuvenate a country ravaged by a pandemic and riven by racial and partisan divides.

Trump eager to troll Biden outside his Scranton birthplace

WASHINGTON (AP) — On Joe Biden's big day, President Donald Trump is planning to show up in his rival's old backyard.

NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS

Tech gains send indexes higher even as most other stocks fall

NEW YORK (AP) — Major indexes managed to eke out gains on Wall Street even as most stocks fell following more discouraging data on the economy.

Rise in jobless claims reflects still-struggling US economy

WASHINGTON (AP) — The coronavirus recession struck swiftly and violently. Now, with the U.S. economy still in the grip of the outbreak five months later, the recovery looks fitful and uneven — and painfully slow.

Study: Craft distillers see sales evaporate amid pandemic

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — For five months, no rum has flowed for visitors at Jaime Windon's distillery in Maryland, drying up a crucial part of her revenue stream. Windon's tasting room remains shuttered by the coronavirus, another victim of the pandemic's devastating impact on the world economy.

Thousands of chicks arrive dead to farmers amid USPS turmoil

PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — At least 4,800 chicks shipped to Maine farmers through the U.S. Postal Service have arrived dead in the recent weeks since rapid cuts hit the federal mail carrier's operations, U.S. Rep. Chellie Pingree said.

NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL POLITICS

Embattled postal leader is Trump donor with deep GOP ties

WASHINGTON (AP) — Louis DeJoy, the embattled leader of the U.S. Postal Service, is the first postmaster general in nearly two decades who is not a career postal employee. That doesn't mean he's unfamiliar with the agency.

Trump reaffirms plan to withdraw all US troops from Iraq

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump on Thursday reaffirmed his plan to withdraw all U.S. troops from Iraq as quickly as possible as he met with the prime minister of Iraq to discuss ways to rein in pro-Iran militias in the country and counter residual threats from Islamic State sleeper cells.

US set to demand restoration of UN sanctions against Iran

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The Trump administration is set on Thursday to demand the restoration of all international sanctions on Iran in a move that will further isolate the United States at the United Nations, test the credibility of the Security Council and possibly deal a fatal blow to one of former President Barack Obama's signature foreign policy achievements.

Trump, Iraqi leader discuss IS, US troops and Iran

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump and the prime minister of Iraq met Thursday to discuss ways to confront Iranian aggression in the region, threats from Islamic State sleeper cells and the president's desire to shrink the U.S. military's footprint in the country.

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