VOL. 44 | NO. 35 | Friday, August 28, 2020
TENNESSEE TITANS
What if they held a football game and nobody came? It’s a new twist on an old cliché, but with the COVID-19 regulations in place and Mayor John Cooper keeping a tight rein on activities in Davidson County, the Tennessee Titans are about to experience just that when they open the season at home Sept. 20 against Jacksonville.
There was a time in the NFL when teams like the Indianapolis Colts and others – primarily dome teams – were accused of piping in artificial noise to bother opposing teams and to increase their home-field advantage.
NEWSMAKERS
Former Davidson County prosecutor Zoe K. Sams has been named deputy director of the Tennessee District Attorneys General Conference. Most recently, she served as the director of legislation and Safe Baby Court statewide coordinator for the Tennessee Department of Children Services.
BRIEFS
Vanderbilt University Medical Center has been awarded a one-year, $34 million grant by the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, part of the National Institutes of Health, to conduct a nationwide study of “convalescent plasma” as a treatment for COVID-19.
BEHIND THE WHEEL
A rule of thumb for car buying is that a used vehicle will provide greater savings and better value than a new vehicle. But “better value” isn’t applicable to every car, especially right now.
PERSONAL FINANCE
If you earn a decent income but have trouble saving, the culprits could be the roof over your head and the car in your driveway.
CAREER CORNER
There are many days when 2020 feels like the year that will never end. If someone had been taking bets in 2019 about how this year would play out, we all would have lost.
MILLENNIAL MONEY
The Great Recession demolished jobs across the U.S., and eventually came for mine, too. After graduating in 2009, I worked four months as an entry-level executive assistant at a nonprofit before being laid off.
TENNESSEE TITANS
NASHVILLE (AP) — The Tennessee Titans made a switch at kicker Thursday, agreeing to terms with four-time Pro Bowler Stephen Gostkowski and waiving Greg Joseph.
NASHVILLE SC
NASHVILLE (AP) — Benji Michel scored his first goal of the season, Pedro Gallese had three saves and Orlando City tied Nashville SC 1-1 on Wednesday night.
STATEWIDE
DELANO (AP) — Tree and shrub seedlings are now available for purchase through the Tennessee Department of Agriculture's division of forestry, the department announced Wednesday.
NASHVILLE (AP) — A Tennessee board is scheduled to meet in mid-September to vote on the nominations of six properties to the National Register of Historic Places.
AUTO INDUSTRY
DETROIT (AP) — General Motors and Honda say they have signed a deal to explore sharing vehicle underpinnings and propulsion systems in North America.
DETROIT (AP) — Safety features such as automatic emergency braking and forward collision warnings could prevent more than 40% of crashes in which semis rear-end other vehicles, a new study has found.
FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — The market share of electric cars in Europe increased during and immediately after the worst of the pandemic lockdowns, industry figures showed Thursday, even as overall sales of vehicles of all types plunged during the second quarter. The new figures come as automakers ramp up electric car production under pressure to meet tough new emissions limits next year.
ENVIRONMENT
The United Nations chief urged Japan and other wealthy nations on Thursday to give up their reliance on coal and other fossil fuels and commit to investments in green energy as they recover from the coronavirus pandemic.
VIRUS OUTBREAK
Can I get the coronavirus twice? It seems possible, though how often it happens isn't known.
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Tyson Foods is planning to open medical clinics at several of its U.S. plants to improve the health of its workers and better protect them from the coronavirus.
NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS
WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. trade deficit surged in July to $63.6 billion, the highest level in 12 years, as imports jumped by a record amount.
SILVER SPRING, Md. (AP) — U.S. productivity rose at a 10.1% rate in the second quarter as the number of hours worked declined by the largest amount since the government started compiling the data more than 70 years ago.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Growth in the U.S. services sector, where most Americans work, slowed in August after big rebounds in June and July, indicating lingering problems stemming from the coronavirus pandemic.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The number of laid-off Americans applying for unemployment benefits fell to a still-elevated 881,000 last week, evidence that the viral pandemic keeps forcing many businesses to slash jobs.
BOSTON (AP) — Housing advocates say the Trump administration's surprise national moratorium on evictions only delays a wave of crushing debt and homelessness, and an attorney representing landlords questions whether the measure is aimed at voters ahead of the November election.
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — International port operator DP World reached a deal Thursday with one of Canada's biggest pension-fund managers to pour an additional $4.5 billion into their joint venture of ports and terminals.
PARIS (AP) — Facing resurgent virus infections, France's government is unveiling details Thursday of a 100 billion-euro ($118 billion) recovery plan aimed at creating jobs, saving struggling businesses and pulling the country out of its worst economic slump since World War II.
ELECTION 2020
WILMINGTON, Del. (AP) — Joe Biden is calling the struggle to reopen U.S. schools amid the coronavirus a "national emergency" and accusing President Donald Trump of turning his back to stoke passions instead about unrest in America's cities.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Progressives trying to shove Congress to the left by competing in this year's Democratic primaries ousted three moderate incumbents, won other victories and established themselves as a force that's not going away.
WASHINGTON (AP) — As the 2020 presidential race between President Donald Trump and Democrat Joe Biden heats up, Attorney General William Barr warned of the potential of substantial fraud in voting by mail — but he omitted necessary context, and states that rely on the process say there is little evidence of such activity.
With just two months left until the U.S. presidential election, Facebook says it is taking more steps to encourage voting, minimize misinformation and reduce the likelihood of post-election "civil unrest."
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 2
VANDERBILT SPORTS
NASHVILLE (AP) — Derek Mason has plenty of experience back on his Vanderbilt defense. Better yet, the coach believes his Commodores are fast, talented and deep enough to have an impact in the Southeastern Conference.
TENNESSEE TITANS
NASHVILLE (AP) — Tennessee scored lots of points and piled up lots of yards with Ryan Tannehill at quarterback over the span of just 10 games.
SPORTS
WASHINGTON (AP) — Four members of Congress sent a letter to NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell on Wednesday questioning the league's formula for making concussion settlement payments to Black former players.
TRANSPORTATION
United Airlines said Wednesday it plans to furlough 16,370 employees in October, down from an earlier target of 36,000 after thousands of workers took early retirement, buyouts, or long-term leaves of absence with the industry facing a slow recovery from the pandemic.
COURTS
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration on Wednesday imposed sanctions on the chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court and one of her top aides for continuing to investigate war crimes allegations against Americans.
VIRUS OUTBREAK
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration said Wednesday it won't pay more than $60 million in dues it owes to the World Health Organization and will use the money instead to pay down other contributions to the United Nations. The announcement came just a day after the White House announced the U.S. would not participate in a WHO-run project to develop and distribute a COVID-19 vaccine.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden says the issue of safely reopening America's schools is a "national emergency."
WASHINGTON (AP) — A second Trump administration appointee has been ousted at the Food and Drug Administration in the wake of the agency's botched announcement about an experimental therapy for COVID-19, which medical experts said damaged the health regulator's credibility with the public.
CHATTANOOGA (AP) — Hamilton County is suing a business that it says isn't complying with a mask mandate put into place due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Millions of Americans are counting on a COVID-19 vaccine to curb the global pandemic and return life to normal.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration said Tuesday that it will not work with an international cooperative effort to develop and distribute a COVID-19 vaccine because it does not want to be constrained by multilateral groups like the World Health Organization.
WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal official said Tuesday the government plans to ship rapid coronavirus tests to assisted living facilities, moving to fill a testing gap for older adults who don't need the constant attention of a nursing home.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration is canceling some of its remaining orders for ventilators, after rushing to sign nearly $3 billion in emergency contracts as the COVID-19 pandemic surged in the spring.
NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS
WASHINGTON (AP) — The federal budget deficit is projected to hit a record $3.3 trillion as huge government expenditures to fight the coronavirus and to prop up the economy have added more than $2 trillion to the federal ledger, the Congressional Budget Office said Wednesday.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average surged more than 450 points Wednesday as the stock market notched its best day in nearly two months.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The latest Federal Reserve survey of U.S. economic activity found generally modest gains in August but also pessimism about the future given the threats posed by the coronavirus.
New York (AP) — When the coronavirus outbreak forced cruise lines to cancel trips to Alaska, it wiped out Midgi Moore's tour business, leaving her with thousands of dollars in deposits to refund.
SILVER SPRING, Md. (AP) — DraftKings shares jumped in midday trading after announcing that basketball legend Michael Jordan would take an ownership stake in the company in exchange for becoming a special adviser to the sports betting site.
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. companies added jobs at a modest pace last month, a private survey found, a sign that while hiring continues, it is only soaking up a relatively small proportion of the unemployed.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration has issued a directive halting the eviction of certain renters though the end of 2020 to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Pressed by Democrats to quickly negotiate a new coronavirus relief package, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said Tuesday the administration remains willing to work on a bipartisan agreement to help small businesses, the unemployed, children and schools. Democratic leaders in Congress are holding it up with hardened positions, he said.
NEW YORK (AP) — Macy's got more people to shop on its website and app, but it wasn't enough to make up for plummeting sales inside its department stores.
LONDON (AP) — Virgin Atlantic's 1.2 billion-pound ($1.6 billion) restructuring plan was approved Wednesday by the High Court in London, allowing the international airline to continue rebuilding its operations after the devastation caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — Australia's economy suffered its sharpest economic contraction since the Great Depression due to the pandemic, with data released Wednesday confirming the country is in its first recession in 28 years.
ELECTION 2020
WASHINGTON (AP) — Representatives from Fox News, C-SPAN and NBC will moderate the upcoming debates between President Donald Trump and Democratic challenger Joe Biden.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden raised $364 million in August, a record sum that will give him ample resources to compete in the final two months of the campaign against President Donald Trump.
WASHINGTON (AP) — As thunderstorms threatened, President Donald Trump sped through a V-J Day speech during a visit Wednesday to Wilmington, North Carolina.
Joe Biden plans to hammer President Donald Trump on Wednesday for not helping the nation's schools reopen safely during the coronavirus pandemic, as the Democratic challenger tries to keep the spotlight on the Republican incumbent's handling of the outbreak and the nation's overall security.
KENOSHA, Wis. (AP) — After struggling for much of the year to settle on a clear and concise reelection message, President Donald Trump appears to have found his 2020 rallying cry.
NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL POLITICS
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration on Wednesday stepped up its battle with China by further restricting the ability of Chinese diplomats to travel, hold meetings with academics and host cultural events in the United States.
WASHINGTON (AP) — A former friend and adviser of Melania Trump said Tuesday that she made recordings of her conversations with the first lady because she needed evidence to protect herself amid questions about the costs of President Donald Trump's inauguration.
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 1
MUSIC INDUSTRY
NASHVILLE (AP) — Country star Miranda Lambert turns her "Wildcard" into an ace as she's the leading nominee at the 2020 Country Music Association Awards, including her first entertainer of the year nomination in five years.
UT SPORTS
Tennessee proved a season ago it can do more than just compete with the Volunteers winning their final six games, capped by a comeback bowl victory.
VANDERBILT SPORTS
NASHVILLE (AP) — Derek Mason has plenty of experience back on his Vanderbilt defense. Better yet, the coach believes his Commodores are fast, talented and deep enough to have an impact in the Southeastern Conference.
STATEWIDE
NASHVILLE (AP) — A program that offers college classes inside two Tennessee prisons is getting an online reboot.
COURTS
WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal appeals court in Washington declined to order the dismissal of the Michael Flynn prosecution, permitting a judge to scrutinize the Justice Department's request to dismiss its case against President Donald Trump's former national security adviser.
More than 50 Black former McDonald's franchise owners are suing the burger chain, saying the company steered them to less-profitable restaurants and didn't give them the same support and opportunities given white franchisees.
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korean prosecutors on Tuesday indicted Samsung heir Lee Jae-yong on charges of stock price manipulation and other financial crimes, setting up what could be a protracted legal battle to determine whether the 52-year-old billionaire illegally cemented his control over the business giant.
REAL ESTATE
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. construction spending edged up a tiny 0.1% in July, breaking a string of losses due to disruptions caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
AUTO INDUSTRY
DETROIT (AP) — A day after its 5-for-1 stock split took effect, Tesla is announcing plans to sell up to $5 billion worth of common shares.
MEDIA
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Facebook threatened to block Australian publishers and individuals from sharing news stories on its platform in reaction to an Australian measure that could require it to compensate media organizations for its use of their stories.
TECHNOLOGY
SAN RAMON, Calif. (AP) — Samsung's second attempt at a foldable smartphone will come with a $2,000 price tag and a few elite perks aimed at affluent consumers still able to afford the finer things in life during tough times.
VIRUS OUTBREAK
Apple and Google are trying to get more U.S. states to adopt their phone-based approach for tracing and curbing the spread of the coronavirus by building more of the necessary technology directly into phone software.
Can I use a face shield instead of a mask? No. Health officials don't recommend the clear plastic barriers as a substitute for masks because of the lack of research on whether they keep an infected person from spreading viral droplets to others.
NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS
Wall Street kicked off September with another set of milestones Tuesday, as an afternoon rally carried the S&P 500 and Nasdaq composite to all-time highs.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Pressed by Democrats to quickly negotiate a new coronavirus relief package, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said Tuesday the administration remains willing to work on a bipartisan agreement to help small businesses, the unemployed, children and schools. Democratic leaders in Congress are holding it up with hardened positions, he said.
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Mask slackers will now have to provide photographic proof they're wearing a face covering before boarding an Uber.
WASHINGTON (AP) — American factories expanded last month at the fastest pace since late 2018, continuing a rebound from the coronavirus recession.
NEW YORK (AP) — Zoom surged in early trading Tuesday, making the video conferencing company more valuable than well-established companies in the auto and aviation industries.
NEW YORK (AP) — Walmart is launching a new membership service that it hopes can compete with Amazon Prime.
FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — The unemployment rate across the 19 countries that use the euro currency rose modestly to 7.9% in July, official figures showed Tuesday. The number of people losing their jobs has been held down by temporary government job-support programs and the relaxation of some coronavirus containment measures.
ELECTION 2020
NASHVILLE (AP) — A federal judge will not block Tennessee's implementation of a law that requires verifying signatures of voters looking to cast ballots by mail.
OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Facebook said Tuesday that it removed a small network of accounts and pages linked to Russia's Internet Research Agency, the "troll factory" that has used social media accounts to sow political discord in the U.S. since the 2016 presidential election.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. Chamber of Commerce has decided to endorse 23 freshmen House Democrats in this fall's elections, a bipartisanship move by an organization that has long leaned strongly toward Republicans.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Justice Department announced new restrictions Tuesday on how it conducts any secret national security surveillance of candidates for federal office or their staff members and advisers.
PITTSBURGH (AP) — The battle over who can keep Americans safe after recent deadly protests has emerged as the sharpest dividing line for the presidential campaign's final weeks, with Joe Biden on Monday condemning the violence and President Donald Trump defending a supporter accused of fatally shooting two men.
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump has pulled most of his advertising from TV over the past week, ceding the airwaves to Democratic rival Joe Biden, who is currently outspending him by more than 10-to-1, advertising data shows.
NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL POLITICS
KENOSHA, Wis. (AP) — President Donald Trump charged into the latest eruption in the nation's reckoning over racial injustice on Tuesday, blaming "domestic terror" that he said fueled the violence in Kenosha, Wisconsin, and declaring it was enabled by Democratic leaders.
WASHINGTON (AP) — A new book is reviving questions about President Donald Trump's unscheduled visit to Walter Reed military hospital last fall with the revelation that "word went out" for Vice President Mike Pence to stand by to temporarily assume presidential powers if Trump had to receive anesthesia for a medical procedure.
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump is not waiting for a trial to sort out what happened on the streets of Kenosha, Wisconsin, where prosecutors say a 17-year-old with a semi-automatic rifle fatally shot two men on a night of protest and violence. He's giving an account at odds with the authorities who charged Kyle Rittenhouse with homicide.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration says that it has recovered nearly 70% of the government relief payments that went to dead people.
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump is diving head-first into the latest eruption in the nation's reckoning over racial injustice with a trip Tuesday to Kenosha, Wisconsin, over the objections of local leaders.
WASHINGTON (AP) — It's become a pattern when unrest flares in a city: President Donald Trump suggests he has National Guard troops ready to send to the scene and takes credit for dispatching them and restoring calm while he accuses Democrats of being squishy on law and order.
WASHINGTON (AP) — A former friend and adviser of Melania Trump says it was "the worst mistake of my life" to work for President Donald Trump and his family, lashing out at the first lady for not defending her over questions about costs for the presidential inauguration she helped produce.
MONDAY, AUGUST 31
NASHVILLE SC
NASHVILLE (AP) — Anibal Godoy scored his first goal in three years, Joe Willis had five saves and Nashville SC beat Inter Miami 1-0 on Sunday night in a matchup of expansion teams.
NASHVILLE AREA
NASHVILLE (AP) — Nashville International Airport will split into two terminals while it enters an extended phase of construction.
REGION
KNOXVILLE (AP) — The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission has concluded that a Tennessee Valley Authority executive retaliated against a safety whistleblower.
COURTS
NASHVILLE (AP) — Abortion rights groups on Monday filed a lawsuit challenging a newly enacted Tennessee law that would require women undergoing drug-induced abortions be informed the procedure can be reversed.
WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal appeals court in Washington declined Monday to order the dismissal of the Michael Flynn prosecution, permitting a judge to scrutinize the Justice Department's request to dismiss its case against President Donald Trump's former national security adviser.
WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal appeals court panel on Monday again threw out a lawsuit by House Democrats to compel former White House counsel Don McGahn to appear before a congressional committee.
ENVIRONMENT
BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — The Trump administration on Monday finalized its weakening of an Obama-era rule aimed at reducing pollution from coal-burning power plants that has contaminated streams, lakes and underground aquifers
PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — President Donald Trump wants to dramatically expand aquaculture production in the United States, but a coalition of environmentalists believes his plan would be bad for the oceans, unnecessary for food security and difficult to implement.
AUTO INDUSTRY
TOKYO (AP) — Former Mitsubishi Motors Chief Executive Osamu Masuko, who engineered the Japanese automaker's alliance with Nissan, has died. He was 71.
TRANSPORTATION
This could be the final boarding call for the $200 ticket-change fee that has enraged so many U.S. airline travelers over the past decade.
TECHNOLOGY
NEW YORK (AP) — Getting an Amazon packaged delivered from the sky is closer to becoming a reality.
VIRUS OUTBREAK
As the Summer of COVID draws to a close, many experts fear an even bleaker fall and suggest that American families should start planning for Thanksgiving by Zoom.
NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS
Stocks ended lower on Wall Street Monday, but the market still closed out August with its fifth monthly gain in a row.
SAN RAMON, Calif. (AP) — Zoom's videoconferencing service is deepening its integral role in life during the pandemic as tens of thousands more businesses and other users pay for subscriptions to get more control over their virtual meetings.
NEW YORK (AP) — When Archie Jafree heard that Lord & Taylor filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in early August, he was sad about the fate of the storied retailer with roots dating back to 1824.
PARIS (AP) — On the cusp of a crucial month of negotiations on a post-Brexit trade deal between the European Union and the United Kingdom, France has lambasted the government of Prime Minister Boris Johnson for what it sees as deliberate stalling and for harboring unreasonable expectations.
TOKYO (AP) — Billionaire investor Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway said Monday it has taken stakes of just over 5% in five major Japanese trading houses in what it says is a long-term investment.
ELECTION 2020
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Joe Biden is forcefully condemning the violence at recent protests while also blaming President Donald Trump for fomenting the divide that's sparking it. He's dismissing his presidential opponent as incapable of tackling the violence himself.
NEW YORK (AP) — Within President Donald Trump's campaign, some privately feared the worst heading into the national conventions.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Republican National Convention begged this question: Why are President Donald Trump's most fervent supporters describing the state of his union as a hellscape?
WASHINGTON (AP) — Racing the political clock, frustrated Democrats on Sunday searched for a way to force the Trump administration to continue briefing Congress in person about foreign attempts to interfere in the November election.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Democrats accused President Donald Trump of trying to inflame racial tensions and incite violence to benefit his campaign after he praised supporters who clashed with protesters during a deadly night in Portland, Oregon. and announced he will travel to Kenosha, Wisconsin, amid anger over the shooting of another Black man by police.
FRIDAY, AUGUST 28
COURTS
NASHVILLE (AP) — A Nashville man who committed bank fraud while awaiting sentencing for stealing tax refund checks was sentenced this week to more than four years in prison.
AUTO INDUSTRY
TOKYO (AP) — The decades-old dream of zipping around in the sky as simply as driving on highways may be becoming less illusory.
BERLIN (AP) — Amazon says it's buying 1,800 electric delivery vans from Mercedes-Benz, the biggest such order for the German automaker to date.
TECHNOLOGY
NEW YORK (AP) — Amazon, the company that made shopping from a La-Z-Boy possible, is going into the fitness-tracking business.
VIRUS OUTBREAK
WASHINGTON (AP) — Democratic vice presidential candidate Sen. Kamala Harris said Friday "nobody's going to be punished" if she and running mate Joe Biden implement the nationwide mask mandate they have called for during the coronavirus pandemic.
LONDON (AP) — Britain is preparing to revise its laws to allow the emergency use of any effective coronavirus vaccine before it is fully licensed — but only if the shots meet required safety and quality standards.
LONDON (AP) — The British government is encouraging workers to return to their offices amid concern that the number of people working from home during the coronavirus pandemic is hurting coffee bars, restaurants and other businesses in city centers.
NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. consumers increased their spending by 1.9% last month, a dose of support for an economy struggling to emerge from the grip of a pandemic that has held back a recovery and kept roughly 27 million people jobless.
NEW YORK (AP) — Lord & Taylor, one of the country's oldest department store chains, is going out of business after filing for bankruptcy earlier this month.
ELECTION 2020
WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. armed forces will have no role in carrying out the election process or resolving a disputed vote, the top U.S. military officer told Congress in comments released Friday.
WASHINGTON (AP) — After spending a pandemic spring and summer tethered almost entirely to his Delaware home, Joe Biden plans to take his presidential campaign to battleground states after Labor Day in his bid to unseat President Donald Trump. No itinerary is set, according to the Democratic nominee's campaign, but the former vice president and his allies say his plan is to highlight contrasts with Trump, from policy arguments tailored to specific audiences to the strict public health guidelines the Biden campaign says its events will follow amid COVID-19. That's a notable difference from a president who on Thursday delivered his nomination acceptance on the White House lawn to more than 1,000 people seated side-by-side, most of them without masks, even as the U.S. death toll surpassed 180,000. "He will go wherever he needs to go," said Biden's campaign co-chairman Cedric Richmond, a Louisiana congressman. "And we will do it in a way the health experts would be happy" with and "not the absolutely irresponsible manner you saw at the White House."
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump pardoned a woman on Friday who was a featured speaker on the final night of the Republican National Convention and had praised him as a compassionate leader.
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump blasted Joe Biden as a hapless career politician who will endanger Americans' safety as he accepted his party's renomination on the South Lawn of the White House. While the coronavirus kills 1,000 Americans each day, Trump defied his own administration's pandemic guidelines to speak for more than an hour to a tightly packed, largely maskless crowd.
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump refused to allow the coronavirus to deny him the crowd he craved for the Republican National Convention. He ordered up a scene never before seen at the White House: an American president using the South Lawn as the official backdrop for such overtly political activity. The federal guidelines about keeping distance, avoiding crowds and wearing masks to fight the spread of the virus were emphatically ignored.
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump claimed accomplishments he didn't earn on the pandemic, energy and veterans at a Republican convention finale that also heard Black Lives Matter baselessly accused of coordinating violent protests across the country.
WASHINGTON (AP) — As he laid out his case for reelection, President Donald Trump deployed a powerful, and familiar, political tactic: fear.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Republican National Convention — the first political convention ever held at the White House — has ended with opera and fireworks.
NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL POLITICS
WASHINGTON (AP) — The House Foreign Affairs Committee is moving to hold Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in contempt after he has repeatedly rejected the committee's subpoenas for records related to Ukraine that the department has turned over to the Republican-led Senate.
TOKYO (AP) — Japan's longest-serving prime minister, Shinzo Abe, said Friday he is stepping down because a chronic health problem has resurfaced. He told reporters that it was "gut wrenching" to leave many of his goals unfinished.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Capping a week of protests and outrage over the police shooting of a Black man in Wisconsin, civil rights advocates began highlighting the scourge of police and vigilante violence against Black Americans at a commemoration of the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Sen. Rand Paul, who was surrounded by screaming protesters when he and his wife left President Donald Trump's Republican National Convention speech at the White House, claimed without evidence on Friday that he had been "attacked by an angry mob" of the type that would be unleashed in Joe Biden's America.
THURSDAY, AUGUST 27
REGION
NASHVILLE (AP) — The Tennessee Valley Authority has hired a new independent consultant to take a fresh look into its executive compensation after President Donald Trump earlier this month blasted the CEO as being "ridiculously overpaid," the federal utility's board chairman said Thursday.
REAL ESTATE
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. average rates on long-term mortgages fell this week, with historically low levels continuing to fuel demand for homes.
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
DETROIT (AP) — A former president of the United Auto Workers union was charged with corruption Thursday, accused of conspiring with his successor and others to embezzle money for golf, vacation villas and fine dining.
VIRUS OUTBREAK
NASHVILLE (AP) — Nashville is relaxing some of its virus restrictions after seeing a slow-down in the spread of COVID-19.
MOSCOW (AP) — The Russian president on Thursday praised a coronavirus vaccine that Russia approved for use earlier this month as effective and safe, a clear bid to address international skepticism about the shots that have only been studied for two months in a few dozen people.
PARIS (AP) — The virus is actively circulating in about 20% of France's regions and masks will now be required for everyone in Paris — but the government is determined to reopen schools next week, get workers back on the job and kick off the Tour de France cycling race on Saturday.
NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS
NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks edged further into record heights on Wall Street Thursday after the Federal Reserve made a major overhaul to its strategy, one that could keep interest rates low for longer.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Home sales are booming. Stocks are setting record highs. Industrial production is clambering out of the ditch it fell into early this year.
WASHINGTON (AP) — House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and White House chief of staff Mark Meadows were set to discuss a stalled COVID-19 aid package but the outlook for any swift resolution appeared bleak as President Donald Trump's team and congressional Democrats have been unable to agree on a compromise.
NEW YORK (AP) — The energy industry is assessing damages caused by storm surges and high winds as Hurricane Laura cut a dangerous path across the coastlines of Texas and Louisiana, making landfall early Thursday.
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.
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.
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.
ELECTION 2020
WASHINGTON (AP) — It was a scene from a bygone era: Vice President Mike Pence shaking hands with and fist-bumping audience members who rushed forward, shoulder to shoulder, to greet him and the president after Pence's speech at the Republican National Convention.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Joe Biden said Thursday that President Donald Trump is "rooting for more violence" amid racially charged unrest in Wisconsin, and that he'd be willing to visit the state himself to try and defuse tensions.
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.
NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL POLITICS
WASHINGTON (AP) — Vice President Mike Pence's chief of staff said Thursday that NBA protests over the police shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wisconsin, are "absurd and silly" when compared with the league's relative silence about human rights violations in China, where U.S. pro basketball has a large audience.
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (AP) — NBA players didn't come to Disney solely for a restart. They also wanted social reform.