VOL. 48 | NO. 32 | Friday, August 9, 2024
REAL ESTATE
Top Davidson County residential real estate sales for July 2024, as compiled by the Nashville Ledger.
The average rate on a 30-year mortgage fell this week to its lowest level in more than a year, a welcome affordability boost for prospective home shoppers and homeowners looking to refinance their home loan to a lower rate.
TENNESSEE TITANS
Nick Westbrook-Ikhine is like that extra car that sits in the driveway.
With DeAndre Hopkins sidelined for the remainder of training camp with a knee injury, all eyes once again are focused on Treylon Burks.
Nick Westbrook-Ikhine is the only rookie from 2020 Tennessee Titans still with the club five years later. It was the failure of that draft class and the one after that led to the downfall of then-general manager Jon Robinson and also played a part in the departure of Mike Vrabel after a second consecutive losing season last year.
UT SPORTS
After returning from Tennessee’s Citrus Bowl victory versus Iowa last season, Nico Iamaleava was ready to get right back to work.
NEWSMAKERS
Wiseman Ashworth Trauger has added three associate attorneys, Megan Frazier, Matt Holman and Katie Koss.
BRIEFS
The Tennessee Titans and WeGo Public Transit are partnering once again to offer a convenient and comfortable ride to and from home games with the Titans Express.
BEHIND THE WHEEL
Much like film cameras losing out to digitals, the disappearance of the manual transmission from cars seems inevitable. Modern automatic transmissions are better for quick and efficient shifting, and automakers have largely switched to them entirely for their vehicles.
BUSINESS BOOK REVIEW
It starts early-on. At first, it seems spontaneous: Parents who enjoy their interests naturally display those passions to small children who are dragged along for the ride. The child observes and absorbs until one day, parental interest becomes child’s obsession. And in “The Truths We Hold” by Kamala Harris, that’s how a politician is made.
Home is where the heart is. It’s where folks take you in because they love you and put up with your nonsense for the same reason. It’s where you go when there’s nowhere else, a haven both for body and soul. Home is where the heart is. And, his “Hillbilly Elegy” by J.D. Vance, Donald Trump’s vice presidential running mate, it’s also where troubles begin.
SPORTS
Goodbye, Nick Saban. Hello, Oklahoma and Texas. For the first time in 17 years, Alabama's iconic coach won't be prowling the sidelines in the Southeastern Conference. With one longtime juggernaut headed to an ESPN gig and semi-retirement, two others enter the fray.
COURTS
NEW YORK (AP) — Donald Trump has lost his latest bid for a new judge in his New York hush money criminal case as it heads toward a key ruling and potential sentencing next month.
NASHVILLE (AP) — An Army soldier has pleaded guilty to charges that accuse him of selling sensitive information related to U.S. military capabilities, including dozens of documents addressing topics ranging from rocket systems to Chinese military tactics.
ELECTION 2024
ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s independent presidential campaign suffered a blow this week when a judge in New York invalidated his petition to put his name on the state ballot, a ruling that could potentially create problems for the candidate as he faces challenges elsewhere.
Election officials in Arizona and Missouri this week announced that abortion-rights supporters in their states had gathered enough petition signatures to put proposed amendments enshrining abortion rights into their states' constitutions, bringing to seven the number of states with abortion votes set for November.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Kamala Harris' presidential campaign is launching a $90 million advertising effort over the next three weeks to introduce the Democrat to voters and sharpen the contrast with Republican Donald Trump.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Vice President Kamala Harris has a perceived advantage over former President Donald Trump on several leadership qualities such as honesty, a poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research finds, although Americans are slightly more likely to trust Trump on the economy and immigration.
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden, watching tens of thousands of migrants from Central America reach the U.S.-Mexico border just a few months into his administration, tapped his second-in-command to help address the influx — a decision that has exposed Vice President Kamala Harris to one of her biggest political liabilities.
WASHINGTON (AP) — As thousands of immigrants approached the U.S. border in early 2021, President Joe Biden tapped his second-in-command to address the influx. The decision has exposed Vice President Kamala Harris to one of her biggest political liabilities.
ASHEVILLE, N.C. (AP) — Donald Trump will have another opportunity Wednesday to recalibrate his presidential comeback bid, this time with a rally and speech in North Carolina that his campaign is billing as a significant economic address.
YOUR MONEY
NEW YORK (AP) — If you've noticed that you're paying more than before for the same amount of groceries, you're not the only one. Inflation is easing, but grocery prices are still high — up 21%, on average, since inflation started to surge more than three years ago.
ECONOMY
WASHINGTON (AP) — A top Federal Reserve official warned Wednesday that the Fed needs to cut its key interest rate before the job market weakened further or it would risk moving too late and potentially imperil the economy.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Year-over-year inflation reached its lowest level in more than three years in July, the latest sign that the worst price spike in four decades is fading and setting up the Federal Reserve for an interest rate cut in September.
NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS
NEW YORK (AP) — Wall Street ticked higher after the latest update on inflation came in almost exactly as economists expected.
NEW YORK (AP) — Consumers spent more at small businesses in July, a rebound fueled by strong sales of general merchandise and health and personal care products.
M&M's maker Mars is buying Kellanova, the maker of Cheez-Its and Pop-Tarts, for nearly $30 billion, vastly expanding the number of household-name brands under one roof.
DALLAS (AP) — Elliott Investment Management is launching a proxy fight with Southwest Airlines and plans to nominate 10 candidates for the 15-member board of an the airline where performance has lagged behind competitors.
NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL POLITICS
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — A top Democrat in the U.S. House says it will take a shift of power in Congress to ensure that legislation is finally passed to extend and expand a compensation program for people exposed to radiation following uranium mining and nuclear testing carried out by the federal government.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. has approved $20 billion in arms sales to Israel, including scores of fighter jets and advanced air-to-air missiles, the State Department announced Tuesday.
TUESDAY, AUGUST 13
NASHVILLE AREA
The Payne Stewart Award has become one of the most cherished honors on the PGA Tour, and it took on special meaning for Nashville's Brandt Snedeker when he was announced as this year's recipient.
UT SPORTS
Tennessee announced on Tuesday a long-term deal with travel-center giant Pilot that will preserve the names of Neyland Stadium and Shields-Watkins Field while giving the Knoxville-based company prominent signage throughout the stadium, including on the playing surface.
STATE GOVERNMENT
NASHVILLE (AP) — Millions of dollars are being spent this year to steer voters toward candidates for Republican-led Legislatures who not only support school vouchers, but will become key figures in implementing school choice programs in states across the U.S.
COURTS
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A former central Kansas police chief who led a raid last year on a weekly newspaper has been charged with felony obstruction of justice and is accused of persuading a potential witness for an investigation into his conduct of withholding information from authorities.
ATLANTA (AP) — A year after a Georgia grand jury accused Donald Trump and others of illegally trying to overturn the 2020 presidential election in the state, the case has stalled with no chance of going to trial before the end of this year.
WASHINGTON (AP) — A Colorado bed-and-breakfast operator who promotes herself online as the "J6 praying grandma" was sentenced on Monday to six months of home confinement in her Capitol riot case after the judge railed against "offensive" comments she has made about the criminal justice system.
ELECTION 2024
WASHINGTON (AP) — Vice President Kamala Harris is trying to outmaneuver former President Donald Trump and address old vulnerabilities on her policy positions as she starts to fill in how she would govern if elected in November.
Former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris agree on one thing, at least: Both say they want to eliminate federal taxes on workers' tips.
At least three news outlets were leaked confidential material from inside the Donald Trump campaign, including its report vetting JD Vance as a vice presidential candidate. So far, each has refused to reveal any details about what they received.
ASHBURN, Va. (AP) — A burglary was reported over the weekend at a Virginia campaign office for former President Donald Trump, and authorities are investigating whether anything was stolen.
NEW YORK (AP) — Donald Trump recounted his assassination attempt in vivid detail and promised the largest deportation in U.S. history during a high-profile return to the social media platform formerly known as Twitter — a conversation that was plagued by technical glitches.
ATLANTA (AP) — At the Republican National Convention and multiple rallies since, former President Donald Trump has been greeted as a hero who narrowly escaped assassination and is destined to lead a new American golden age.
WASHINGTON (AP) — In some corners of the Democratic Party, last week felt like déjà vu.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The FBI is investigating allegations that sensitive documents from Donald Trump's presidential campaign were stolen in a cyber intrusion, as well as attempts to gain access to Vice President Kamala Harris' campaign, days after the Trump campaign declared it had been hacked by Iran.
MEDIA
As X's owner and most followed user, Elon Musk has increasingly used the social media platform as a microphone to amplify his political views and, lately, those of right-wing figures he's aligned with. There are few modern parallels to his antics, but then again there are few modern parallels to Elon Musk himself.
AUTO INDUSTRY
DETROIT (AP) — The United Auto Workers union has filed unfair labor practice charges against Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump and Tesla CEO Elon Musk after the two discussed on social media about Musk supposedly firing striking workers.
DETROIT (AP) — Ford and Mazda are warning the owners of more than 475,000 older vehicles in the U.S. not to drive them because they have dangerous Takata air bag inflators that have not been replaced.
HANOI, Vietnam (AP) — In April 2016, Elon Musk invited Indians to preorder the upcoming Tesla Model 3. Vishal Gondal was one of the first to sign up, paying a $1,000 deposit for a car that never arrived.
HEALTH CARE
BOSTON (AP) — Steward Health Care said it has reached an agreement to sell its nationwide physicians network to a private equity firm.
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden is zeroing in on the policy goals closest to his heart now that he's no longer seeking a second term and will visit New Orleans on Tuesday to promote his administration's "moonshot" initiative aiming at dramatically reducing cancer deaths.
The unprecedented mental health crisis for children in the United States often surfaces where they spend much of their days: school. With that in mind, Google's philanthropic arm is directly financing high school wellbeing projects on a classroom crowdfunding platform.
TRAVEL
WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal safety agency is recommending that air tours and other commercial aircraft operators be required to have certificated dispatchers to help pilots plan their flights.
ECONOMY
NEW YORK (AP) — Consumers spent more at small businesses in July, a rebound fueled by strong sales of general merchandise and health and personal care products.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Wholesale price increases in the United States eased in July, suggesting that inflation pressures are further cooling as the Federal Reserve moves closer to cutting interest rates, likely beginning next month.
NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS
NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stocks rallied Tuesday to one of their best days of the year after the first of several highly anticipated reports on the economy this week came in better than expected.
Starbucks, struggling with fading sales and disgruntled investors, said Tuesday it's replacing CEO Laxman Narasimhan with Brian Niccol, the chairman and CEO of Chipotle.
Home Depot's second-quarter sales rose slightly as the nation's biggest home improvement retailer benefitted from an $18 billion acquisition this spring, but customers continued to rein in spending because of broadly higher costs and elevated interest rates.
MONDAY, AUGUST 12
SPORTS
Georgia is No. 1 in The Associated Press Top 25 preseason college football poll for the second straight year as the superconference era begins with the SEC and Big Ten dominating the top 10 of the rankings.
COURTS
WASHINGTON (AP) — Hunter Biden's lawyers say prosecutors are inappropriately trying to insert "politically-charged" allegations about his foreign business dealings into the upcoming federal tax trial against the president's son.
ELECTION 2024
Donald Trump was once a cheerleader of publicizing hacked materials. "Russia, if you're listening," Trump said during a press conference in his 2016 presidential run, when Hillary Clinton's deleted personal emails were a hot topic, "I hope you are able to find the 30,000 emails that are missing."
WASHINGTON (AP) — Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz is branching out this week and holding his first solo events as Vice President Kamala Harris ' running mate, making a five-state dash for campaign cash and addressing a key union gathering.
WASHINGTON (AP) — JD Vance has endorsed former President Donald Trump's call for the White House to have "a say" over the Federal Reserve's interest rate policies — a view that runs counter to decades of economic research suggesting that politically independent central banks are essential to controlling inflation and maintaining confidence in the global financial system.
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Robert F. Kennedy Jr. can remain on North Carolina's presidential ballots after a state judge on Monday refused to block printing his name and those of other candidates of the "We the People" party that was recently certified by the State Board of Elections.
WASHINGTON (AP) — At the top of his first speech as her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz turned to Vice President Kamala Harris and declared, "Thank you for bringing back the joy." The next day, Harris took the theme a step further, branding the Democratic ticket "joyful warriors."
Former President Donald Trump reportedly has used a slur often targeted at women to describe Vice President Kamala Harris during at least two private conversations. His campaign denies it.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Vice President Kamala Harris has repeatedly taunted her opponent's seeming reluctance to debate, telling a series of raucous audiences about Donald Trump's criticisms of her: "As the saying goes, if you've got something to say, say it to my face."
MANKATO, Minn. (AP) — Jacob Reitan said he told Gwen Walz he was gay before he told his parents.
HEALTH CARE
WASHINGTON (AP) — Bleeding and in pain, Kyleigh Thurman didn't know her doomed pregnancy could kill her.
NEW YORK (AP) — Unexpectedly high medical bills are common in the United States, but there are ways to get relief. According to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, one in five Americans are affected by outstanding medical debt, for a total cost of $88 billion.
AGRICULTURE
NEW YORK (AP) — They're adorable. They require less food and space. And without much coaxing, they might help cut the grass.
MEDIA
WASHINGTON (AP) — In the name of consumer protection, a slew of U.S. federal agencies are working to make it easier for Americans to click the unsubscribe button for unwanted memberships and recurring payment services.
EDUCATION
Christina Westman dreamed of working with Parkinson's disease and stroke patients as a music therapist when she started studying at St. Cloud State University.
ECONOMY
WASHINGTON (AP) — The great inflation spike of the past three years is nearly spent — and economists credit American consumers for helping slay it.
NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS
NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stocks drifted through a quiet Monday to finish mixed, as markets around the world stabilized following a wild week of extreme swings.
NEW YORK (AP) — Gym operator Blink Fitness has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.
FRIDAY, AUGUST 9
MUSIC INDUSTRY
VIENNA (AP) — Austrian authorities on Friday announced a third arrest in connection with the foiled conspiracy to attack three now-canceled Taylor Swift concerts, even as disappointed fans charmed Vienna by trading friendship bracelets and singing the pop star's songs in the streets.
TENNESSEE TITANS
EL SEGUNDO, Calif. (AP) — Kristian Fulton entered his first training camp with the Los Angeles Chargers looking to regain his confidence and prove he could be a starting cornerback.
HEALTH CARE
U.S. health officials on Friday approved a nasal spray to treat severe allergic reactions, the first needle-free alternative to shots like EpiPen.
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Fifteen states filed a federal lawsuit Thursday against the Biden administration over a rule that is expected to allow 100,000 immigrants brought to the U.S. illegally as children to enroll next year in the federal Affordable Care Act's health insurance.
COURTS
WASHINGTON (AP) — A California man with a history of political violence was sentenced on Friday to 20 years in prison for repeatedly attacking police with flagpoles and other makeshift weapons during the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol.
ELECTION 2024
WASHINGTON (AP) — Former President Donald Trump mixed up two prominent politicians from California when he told a harrowing tale of almost crashing in a helicopter.
NEW YORK (AP) — Iran is accelerating online activity that appears intended to influence the U.S. election, in one case targeting a presidential campaign with an email phishing attack, Microsoft said Friday.
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris next week will make their first trip together since Biden ended his candidacy and Harris took over as the Democratic standard-bearer.
PHOENIX (AP) — Vice President Kamala Harris and her new running mate will hold a rally in Arizona on Friday as part of their tour of electoral battlegrounds, visiting a state where Harris passed over a prominent Democrat in favor of Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz.
In his first news conference since Vice President Kamala Harris became the Democratic nominee for president, former President Donald Trump said he would debate her on Sept. 10 and pushed for two more debates. The Republican presidential nominee spoke for more than an hour, discussing a number of issues facing the country and then taking questions from reporters. He made a number of false and misleading claims. Many of them have been made before.
BOZEMAN, Mont. (AP) — With control of the Senate potentially at stake, Donald Trump is visiting Montana on Friday hoping to remedy some unfinished business from 2018, when he campaigned repeatedly in Big Sky Country in a failed bid to oust incumbent Democratic Sen. Jon Tester.
AUTO INDUSTRY
TOKYO (AP) — Toyota promised Friday to strengthen oversight of its vehicle certification so the scandal that surfaced recently over improper tests will never recur.
BEIJING (AP) — The Chinese government said Friday it has filed a complaint with the World Trade Organization over European Union tariffs on electric vehicles made in China.
BANGKOK (AP) — Auto sales in China faltered in July, falling 5% from a year earlier, the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers said Friday, although exports jumped about 20% as makers of electric vehicles expanded into global markets.
TECHNOLOGY
LOS ANGELES (AP) — California is partnering with tech giant Nvidia to help train the state's students, college faculty, developers and data scientists in artificial intelligence, officials announced Friday.
REAL ESTATE
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Mortgage rates haven't been this attractive in more than a year, good news for homeowners eager to refinance.
MEDIA
NEW YORK (AP) — A small brand safety initiative is ceasing operations — days after being targeted by social media platform X in a lawsuit alleging the group helped coordinate a "massive advertiser boycott" after billionaire Elon Musk bought the company in 2022.
NEW YORK (AP) — MrBeast has ordered a full assessment of the internal culture in his YouTube empire as well as an investigation into "allegations of inappropriate behavior by people in the company," according to a confidential memo obtained by The Associated Press.
YOUR MONEY
NEW YORK (AP) — Current and former Cash App users could be eligible for a hefty piece of a proposed class-action settlement from the popular online payment service.
NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS
NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks are closing a wild, whipsaw week for Wall Street with modest gains.
THURSDAY, AUGUST 8
MUSIC INDUSTRY
NEW YORK (AP) — Kelsea Ballerini is beaming. It's not a nervous smile, though she admits to feeling scared. She's been hard at work at her fifth full-length album, "Patterns," and on Oct. 25 the world is finally going to hear it — hear her, in a collection of songs she describes as an "accurate snapshot" of her life. And lately, people have been curious. The story they're going to get, she assures, is not the one they're anticipating.
VIENNA (AP) — Both suspects in a foiled plot to attack Taylor Swift shows in Vienna appeared to be inspired by the Islamic State group and al-Qaida, Austrian authorities said Thursday, and investigators found bomb-making materials at one of their homes. Officials said one of the two confessed to planning to "kill as many people as possible outside the concert venue."
VIENNA (AP) — Both suspects in a foiled plot to attack Taylor Swift shows in Vienna appeared to be inspired by the Islamic State group and al-Qaida, Austrian authorities said Thursday, and investigators found bomb-making materials at one of their homes. Officials said one of the two confessed to planning to "kill as many people as possible outside the concert venue."
TENNESSEE TITANS
NASHVILLE (AP) — Tennessee coach Brian Callahan said Thursday that Titans cornerback Caleb Farley will miss several weeks with a hamstring injury.
SPORTS
BRISTOL (AP) — Bristol Motor Speedway is gearing up for Major League Baseball next season.
COURTS
The Arizona grand jury that indicted 18 Republican supporters of Donald Trump who falsely claimed he won the state in the 2020 election wanted to consider also charging the former president, but prosecutors urged them not to, according to court documents filed this week.
ELECTION 2024
ABC News says that both Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump and his Democratic counterpart, Kamala Harris, have agreed to meet in a debate on Sept. 10.
PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Donald Trump recommitted to debating Vice President Kamala Harris after recently backing out, holding a lengthy news conference Thursday in which he taunted his new rival, boasted of his crowd on Jan. 6, 2021, and lashed out at questions about the enthusiasm her campaign has been generating.
NEW YORK (AP) — Roughly 3 in 4 American adults believe the upcoming presidential election is vital to the future of U.S. democracy, although which candidate they think poses the greater threat depends on their political leanings, according to a poll.
WAYNE, Mich. (AP) — Vice President Kamala Harris and her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, played up their support for organized labor at a Detroit-area union hall on Thursday, with the Democratic nominee saying "we're all in this together" as the new ticket lavishes attention on a crucial base of support.
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — While former President Donald Trump and running mate JD Vance have been hammering Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz over his response to the violence that erupted after George Floyd's murder, Trump told the governor at the time that he fully agreed with how Walz handled it.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The makings of a presidential ticket began in an unusual spot six months ago: a Minnesota abortion clinic.
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Gov. Tim Walz and his fellow Democrats have enacted big changes in the two years that they've had full control of the Minnesota Legislature, from expansions of abortion and LGBTQ+ rights to tax credits and other initiatives aimed at making life easier for families.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Nancy Pelosi's influence can be seen all across the Democratic Party shakeup that in a few short, agonizing weeks has reengineered the 2024 presidential ticket and the race for the White House.
PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Former President Donald Trump says he will hold a news conference Thursday at Mar-a-Lago, his Florida beachside compound, making his first public appearance since Vice President Kamala Harris became the Democratic presidential nominee and selected Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as her running mate.
Ohio Sen. JD Vance, Donald Trump's running mate, defended on Wednesday a false claim the former president made about Vice President Kamala Harris ' racial identity, suggesting wrongly that Harris had downplayed her Black heritage in trying to suggest she's inauthentic.
REAL ESTATE
LOS ANGELES (AP) — A recent pullback in mortgage rates is spurring more homeowners to refinance their home loan and lower their monthly payments.
ENVIRONMENT
The world is falling well short of a promise made at global climate talks last year to triple the amount of wind power, according to a report by an energy think tank released Thursday.
Earth's string of 13 straight months with a new average heat record came to an end this past July as the natural El Nino climate pattern ebbed, the European climate agency Copernicus announced Wednesday.
ECONOMY
The number of Americans filing for jobless benefits fell last week but remain at slightly elevated though not troubling levels.
NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS
NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stocks rallied Thursday in Wall Street's latest sharp swerve after a better-than-expected report on unemployment eased worries about the slowing economy.
Beyond Meat on Wednesday reported better-than-expected sales in the second quarter despite continuing weak demand for its plant-based burgers, chicken and other products.