VOL. 43 | NO. 37 | Friday, September 13, 2019
JIM MYERS: CULINARITY
The pawpaws ripen in the heat, fall to the ground and, in short order, sprint from soft to rot. This time of year they demand attention.
TENNESSEE TITANS
Somewhere in all the excitement of Sunday’s season-opening 43-13 victory in Cleveland, a very important, but perhaps under-appreciated occurrence took place that, if it keeps up, could help the Tennessee Titans throughout the 2019 season.
The Titans stunned the Cleveland Browns in the season opener and now return home on a day that will be special even before the ball is kicked off against the visiting Indianapolis Colts.
NASHVILLE (AP) — The Tennessee Titans are honoring their past by retiring the Nos. 27 and 9 of Eddie George and the late Steve McNair.
RICHARD COURTNEY: REALTY CHECK
Residential real estate is loaded with myths and misinformation. Well meaning, well heeled, highly educated men and women of brilliance often utter sentences that make responses difficult.
REAL ESTATE
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. long-term mortgage rates rose this week but remained at historically low levels.
UT SPORTS
Stephanie Bible had just picked up her first set of hearing aids at a location near the University of Tennessee campus. She was only 4, suffered from partial hearing loss and had already gone through cancer treatment.
NEWSMAKERS
Baker Donelson’s Nashville law office announces that seven of its attorneys have been named Lawyers of the Year by the 2020 edition of Best Lawyers in America.
BRIEFS
Nashville’s 6th & Peabody, the 30,000-square-foot entertainment complex at 423 6th Ave., has officially opened.
PERSONAL FINANCE
Breaking up can be hard to do if the other party doesn’t want to let you go. People who move out of high-tax states may learn this the hard way — through a residency audit.
BEHIND THE WHEEL
Many college-bound students, whether it be a freshman leaving home for the first time or a grad student needing more reliable transportation, require the purchase of a vehicle. To help out, Edmunds has identified five common requirements for college drivers and recommended a slightly used vehicle for each.
AUTO INDUSTRY
DETROIT (AP) — A United Auto Workers official says about seven to nine union picketers were arrested for blocking a roadway at a General Motors plant in Tennessee.
STATEWIDE
KNOXVILLE (AP) — The University of Tennessee will set up a livestream at a rock that's often painted by students to promote events, but was recently marred by an anti-Semitic message.
UT SPORTS
KNOXVILLE (AP) — Tennessee cornerback Bryce Thompson will travel to the Volunteers' game at No. 9 Florida after getting arrested last month on a misdemeanor domestic assault charge.
HEALTH CARE
WASHINGTON (AP) — Putting her stamp on the health care issue that worries consumers the most, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Thursday unveiled an ambitious plan to lower drug prices for seniors on Medicare and younger people with private insurance.
A cheap, daily pill that combines four drugs has been tested for the first time in the United States to see if it works as well among low-income Americans as it has in other countries to treat conditions leading to heart attacks and strokes.
NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS
LONDON (AP) — The Bank of England kept its main interest rate unchanged at 0.75% Thursday, its last scheduled interest rate decision before Britain is due to leave the European Union.
TOKYO (AP) — Japan's central bank opted Thursday to keep its monetary policy unchanged despite the growing signs of trouble that prompted the Federal Reserve to cut its benchmark rate.
NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL POLITICS
WASHINGTON (AP) — The House is set to pass a government-wide temporary spending bill to prevent a federal shutdown when the budget year ends Sept. 30.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The government's intelligence watchdog is set to testify Thursday in a closed session before the House intelligence committee about the handling of a whistleblower complaint.
WASHINGTON (AP) — A president with few ideological constants, Donald Trump has consistently been leery of getting entangled in overseas military engagements. It's a stance shaped by his belief that wars in places like Vietnam, Afghanistan and Iraq have drained America's resources at home and its reputation abroad.
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump is pouring cold water on prospects for a bipartisan compromise on gun legislation, even as his aides circulate a draft plan on Capitol Hill.
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump's nominee to run the Labor Department faces a Senate confirmation hearing, even as Democrats argue that they haven't had enough time to scour his record of legal work for corporate interests.
WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 18
AUTO INDUSTRY
ROMULUS, Mich. (AP) — The strike against General Motors by the United Auto Workers is playing out amid a corruption scandal inside the UAW that has caused distrust of the union leadership among many rank-and-file members.
DETROIT (AP) — Union and company bargainers are making progress toward a new contract as a strike by United Auto Workers that brought 33 General Motors factories to a halt continued into its third day.
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump announced Wednesday that his administration is revoking California's authority to set auto mileage standards stricter than those issued by federal regulators.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration is poised to revoke California's authority to set auto mileage standards, asserting that only the federal government has the power to regulate greenhouse gas emissions and fuel economy.
TENNESSEE TITANS
LORMAN, Miss. (AP) — Alcorn State University says it will officially retire the No. 9 jersey worn by former quarterback Steve McNair later this season.
STATEWIDE
NEW YORK (AP) — FedEx shares tumbled after the delivery giant blamed slowing economic growth and trade tension for a disappointing quarter and cut its forecast of full-year earnings.
COURTS
NASHVILLE (AP) — The family of a college student who was killed by a man fleeing Tennessee authorities has filed a lawsuit against the police department that was chasing the suspect at the time.
REAL ESTATE
WASHINGTON (AP) — The pace of U.S. home construction jumped 12.3% last month to a 12-year high on a surge in apartment building.
HEALTH CARE
David A. Jones Sr., who borrowed $1,000 to launch a nursing home company that grew into the $37 billion health insurance and health care giant Humana Inc., died Wednesday at age 88.
TECHNOLOGY
WASHINGTON (AP) — Executives of Facebook, Google and Twitter told Congress on Wednesday that they've gotten better and faster at detecting and removing violent extremist content on their social media platforms in the face of mass shootings fueled by hatred.
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Facebook is slashing the price and the size of the Portal, its screen and camera-equipped gadget for making video calls with friends and family as it attempts to get the device into more homes.
ENVIRONMENT
WASHINGTON (AP) — Most Americans are at least somewhat confident that the world will step up in its fight against global warming — but there are limits to their optimism.
NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS
NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks are rebounding at the close of trading, led by banks and big tech names, after the Federal Reserve delivered an expected cut in interest rates.
WASHINGTON (AP) — A sharply divided Federal Reserve cut its benchmark interest rate Wednesday for a second time this year but declined to signal that further rate cuts are likely this year.
The Federal Reserve has cut its benchmark interest rate again, big news for the U.S. economy but something that will likely have a muted impact on Americans' personal finances, experts say.
LONDON (AP) — The British government is halting the takeover of a U.K. aerospace company by a U.S. private equity firm to assess whether it affects national security.
NEW YORK (AP) — The price of oil fell Wednesday after Saudi officials announced oil production halted by an attack on the heart of its oil industry would be fully restored within weeks.
STRASBOURG, France (AP) — The risk of Britain leaving the European Union without a divorce deal remains "very real," European Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker declared Wednesday as EU lawmakers debated the ramifications of a no-deal Brexit.
BEIJING (AP) — China's government is releasing pork from stockpiles to help cool surging prices ahead of Oct. 1 celebrations of the Communist Party's 70th anniversary in power.
NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL POLITICS
WASHINGTON (AP) — The acting director of national intelligence is balking at demands from the House intelligence committee to turn over a secret whistleblower complaint or appear at a hearing this week, escalating a weeklong standoff.
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump said Wednesday he's naming hostage negotiator Robert O'Brien, who Trump had monitor the criminal case in Sweden against American rapper A$AP Rocky, as his new national security adviser.
TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Iran warned the U.S. that any action taken against it following an attack on Saudi oil installations will "immediately" be met with a response from Tehran, its state-run news agency reported Wednesday, further raising Mideast tensions.
STRASBOURG, France (AP) — British Prime Minister Boris Johnson was accused by European Union officials Wednesday of failing to negotiate seriously and branded the "father of lies" by a lawyer in the U.K. Supreme Court, as his plan to leave the EU in just over six weeks faced hurdles on both sides of the Channel.
LONDON (AP) — The British government was back at the country's Supreme Court on Wednesday, arguing that Prime Minister Boris Johnson's decision to suspend Parliament for five weeks just before the country is set to leave the European Union was neither improper nor illegal.
TUESDAY, SEPT. 17
MUSIC INDUSTRY
NASHVILLE (AP) — Carrie Underwood, Kane Brown, Luke Combs, Dan + Shay and Thomas Rhett will be honored as the country's top stars at the 10th annual CMT Artists of the Year television special.
STATEWIDE
NASHVILLE (AP) — Tennessee would become the first state in the nation to receive its Medicaid funding in a lump sum under a proposal seeking to drastically overhaul the program that provides health care services to low-income and disabled residents.
VANDERBILT SPORTS
NASHVILLE (AP) — Vanderbilt will be without a trio of Commodores for the rest of the season because of injuries.
MEDIA
NEW YORK (AP) — Comcast's NBCUniversal said Tuesday that its upcoming streaming service will be called Peacock, in an homage to NBC's logo. It will become the home for some of the company's most popular shows, including "Parks and Recreation" and "The Office."
AUTO INDUSTRY
DETROIT (AP) — Contract talks between the United Auto Workers and General Motors showed some signs of progress as a strike by more than 49,000 employees extended into a second day.
ENVIRONMENT
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration is poised to revoke California's authority to set auto mileage standards, asserting that only the federal government has the power to regulate greenhouse gas emissions and fuel economy.
HEALTH CARE
The tentative multibillion-dollar settlement with OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma would raise money to help clean up the opioid mess by ... selling more OxyContin.
NEW YORK (AP) — Purdue Pharma gets its day in court Tuesday after the OxyContin maker filed for bankruptcy and negotiated a potential multi-billion dollar settlement to resolve thousands of lawsuits.
TECHNOLOGY
A growing number of countries are following China's lead in deploying artificial intelligence to track citizens, according to a research group's report published Tuesday.
NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS
NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stock indexes ticked closer to record heights on Tuesday, but the modest moves belied plenty of churning underneath.
DALLAS (AP) — The price of gasoline crept higher after a weekend attack devastated Saudi Arabian oil output, but if the disruption to global supplies is short-lived, the impact on the U.S. economy will probably be modest.
WASHINGTON (AP) — When it previously met in late July, the Federal Reserve cut its benchmark interest rate for the first time since America's financial system stood on the edge of collapse more than a decade ago.
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. factory output increased in August at a solid clip, reversing a sharp drop in July, as production of metals, machinery and chemicals all rose.
BEIJING (AP) — A Chinese envoy will head to Washington on Wednesday to prepare for trade negotiations.
TOKYO (AP) — Officials in Japan appeared wary over the prospects for a trade deal with the U.S. after President Donald Trump said he was prepared to sign a pact soon.
HONG KONG (AP) — AB InBev, the world's largest brewer that produces Budweiser and Corona, on Tuesday revived plans to list its Asian business in Hong Kong but halved the size of its initial public offering to $4.8 billion.
NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL POLITICS
WASHINGTON (AP) — Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell says Congress remains "in a holding pattern" on gun control as lawmakers await proposals from the White House.
WASHINGTON (AP) — In less than three years, President Donald Trump has named more former lobbyists to Cabinet-level posts than his most recent predecessors did in eight, putting a substantial amount of oversight in the hands of people with ties to the industries they're regulating.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Democrats' first impeachment hearing quickly turned hostile Tuesday as their sole witness, former Trump campaign manager Corey Lewandowski, stonewalled many of their questions and said they were "focusing on petty and personal politics."
WASHINGTON (AP) — As they investigate President Donald Trump, Democrats on the House Judiciary Committee will hold their first official hearing in what they are calling an impeachment investigation.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The good news is that it doesn't look like a bitterly polarized Washington will stumble into another government shutdown.
LONDON (AP) — The British government and its opponents faced off Tuesday at the U.K. Supreme Court in a high-stakes legal drama over Brexit that will determine whether new Prime Minister Boris Johnson broke the law by suspending Parliament at a crucial time ahead of Britain's impending departure from the European Union.
MONDAY, SEPT. 16
NASHVILLE AREA
NASHVILLE (AP) — A bodybuilder from Nashville, Tennessee, has won the 2019 Mr. Olympia competition and the title's $400,000 prize.
REGION
EPES, Ala. (AP) — More than a century in the making, the 234-mile (376-kilometer) Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway was supposed to fulfill a dream of "orderly growth and prosperity" when it opened in 1985, snaking its way through the poor, rural Deep South.
TENNESSEE TITANS
NASHVILLE (AP) — Tennessee quarterback Marcus Mariota finds himself needing a strong performance on a short week to help erase a struggling performance in the Titans' home opener.
NASHVILLE (AP) — The Colts keep changing quarterbacks, not that it matters when they play the Titans.
UT SPORTS
KNOXVILLE (AP) — Tennessee linebacker Jeremy Banks was arrested early Sunday morning after a records check during a traffic stop revealed he had an active warrant for failure to appear on an earlier charge.
HEALTH CARE
BOSTON (AP) — OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma has embarked on a multibillion-dollar plan to settle thousands of lawsuits over the nation's deadly opioid crisis by transforming itself in bankruptcy court into a sort of hybrid between a business and a charity.
AUTO INDUSTRY
DETROIT (AP) — More than 49,000 members of the United Auto Workers went on strike Monday against General Motors, bringing more than 50 factories and parts warehouses to a standstill in the union's first walkout against the No. 1 U.S. automaker in over a decade.
CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — Volkswagen has agreed to pay up to 127 million Australian dollars ($87 million) to settle an Australian class action stemming from the 2015 diesel emissions scandal, the German automaker and a lawyer said Monday.
NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS
Airlines, cruise lines and other companies in fuel-dependent industries dragged U.S. stocks lower Monday after an attack on Saudi Arabia's biggest oil processing facility sent crude prices soaring.
NEW YORK (AP) — They're simple, cheap and now the most popular way for many people to invest in the U.S. stock market: index funds.
WASHINGTON (AP) — For a second straight time, the Federal Reserve is set to cut interest rates this week to try to protect the economy from the consequences of a global slowdown and President Donald Trump's trade war with China.
NEW YORK (AP) — Small manufacturers and retailers are losing confidence in the national economy yet remain upbeat about their own prospects.
Global energy prices spiked Monday by 15% after a weekend attack on key oil facilities in Saudi Arabia caused the worst disruption to world supplies on record.
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — The weekend drone attack on the world's largest crude oil processing plant in Saudi Arabia that dramatically cut into global oil supplies is the most visible sign yet of how Aramco's stability and security is directly linked to that of its owners — the Saudi government and its ruling family.
LUXEMBOURG (AP) — Boris Johnson was booed by protesters and berated by Luxembourg's leader on a visit to the tiny nation Monday for his first face-to-face talks with the European Union chief about securing an elusive Brexit deal.
NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL POLITICS
NEW YORK (AP) — New York City prosecutors have subpoenaed President Donald Trump's tax returns, a person familiar with the matter told The Associated Press on Monday.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The House Oversight Committee says it is investigating whether Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao acted improperly to benefit herself or her family's shipping company.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. tried to build its case Monday that Iran was behind the fiery weekend attack on key Saudi Arabian oil facilities that raised new war worries and sent energy prices soaring. Iran denied responsibility, while President Donald Trump said the United States was "locked and loaded" to respond if necessary.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The country described by the Democrats running for president is mired in child poverty, riven with economic unfairness and broken in its approach to health care, crime and guns. The country presented by President Donald Trump is roaring and ascendant , shattering all economic records for performance.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Several Democratic presidential candidates have lined up to call for the impeachment of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh in the face of a new, uninvestigated allegation of sexual impropriety when he was in college.
FRIDAY, SEPT. 13
EDUCATION
NASHVILLE (AP) — Top education officials say they are preparing to implement Tennessee's newly enacted voucher law a full year ahead of schedule while unveiling key requirements surrounding the program.
NASHVILLE AREA
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — John Cooper has won the election for Nashville mayor, giving the growing southern city its third mayor in less than two years.
PREDATORS
NASHVILLE (AP) — P.K. Subban now is with the New Jersey Devils, and Matt Duchene finally is a member of the Nashville Predators.
COURTS
MEMPHIS (AP) — A federal judge has thrown out a lawsuit challenging the security of voting machines in Tennessee's largest county and calling for a switch to a handwritten ballot and a voter-verifiable paper trial.
WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal appeals court in Washington on Friday threw out a 5-cent hike to the price of a first class "Forever Stamp" along with other adjustments made in January to the price of first-class mail.
BOSTON (AP) — "Desperate Housewives" star Felicity Huffman was sentenced Friday to 14 days in prison for paying $15,000 to rig her daughter's SAT scores in the college admissions scandal that ensnared dozens of wealthy and well-connected parents.
For months, the judge overseeing national litigation over the opioids crisis urged all sides to reach a settlement that could end thousands of lawsuits filed by state and local governments.
KNOXVILLE (AP) — The Tennessee Court of Appeals has ruled that a lawsuit against opioid makers can move forward, overturning a lower court that had dismissed the claims.
NASHVILLE (AP) — A federal judge has blocked Tennessee's new restrictions for registering voters from taking effect on Oct. 1, saying Thursday that any benefit of the law won't likely outweigh its potential harm.
FRANKLIN (AP) — A Tennessee woman has pleaded guilty to attempting to poison her children with a mixture of NyQuil and antidepressants.
STATEWIDE
KNOXVILLE (AP) — A 97.5-ton rock that's often painted by students to promote events at the University of Tennessee was covered by an anti-Semitic message on the anniversary of the terror attacks.
KNOXVILLE (AP) — A federal magistrate judge has banned two men found guilty of bear poaching from hunting anywhere or entering any national forest for two years.
LAKELAND, Fla. (AP) — If you're carrying a gun, the Publix supermarket chain doesn't want to see it.
MUSIC INDUSTRY
NASHVILLE (AP) — John Prine's winning streak has continued at the Americana Music Association's annual awards ceremony in Nashville, though his two-year reign as Americana artist of the year has ended.
AUTO INDUSTRY
DETROIT (AP) — Leaders of the United Auto Workers union have extended contracts with Ford and Fiat Chrysler indefinitely, but the pact with General Motors is still set to expire Saturday night.
DETROIT (AP) — The U.S. government's road safety agency is investigating complaints that the Nissan Rogue's automatic emergency braking can turn on when no obstacle is in the way.
FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — Environmentalist staged a protest Thursday at the start of the Frankfurt Motor Show, hours after German Chancellor Angela Merkel acknowledged that her government and the country's powerful automakers face a "Herculean task" meeting the goals set for combating climate change.
TECHNOLOGY
WASHINGTON (AP) — House lawmakers investigating the market dominance of Big Tech are asking Google, Facebook, Amazon and Apple for a broad range of documents including internal communications.
PARIS (AP) — Tech giant Google says it has paid over one billion dollars to French authorities to settle a years-long dispute over allegations of tax fraud.
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Facebook is trying to coax "news deserts" into bloom with the second major expansion of a tool that exposes people to more local news and information. But the social network confesses that it still has a lot to learn.
ENVIRONMENT
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump gets some of his worst marks from the American people when it comes to his handling of climate change, and majorities believe the planet is warming and support government actions that he has sometimes scoffed at.
NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS
The S&P 500 notched its third straight weekly gain Friday, even as the major U.S. stock indexes ended the day mostly lower.
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Pacific Gas & Electric has agreed to pay $11 billion to a group of insurance companies representing most of the claims from Northern California wildfires in 2017 and 2018 as the company tries to emerge from bankruptcy, the utility announced Friday.
LONDON (AP) — The London Stock Exchange is rejecting an unsolicited takeover bid from its Hong Kong counterpart, citing "fundamental concerns" about the offer.
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. retail sales rose moderately in August, driven higher by a jump in auto buying and healthy online sales, evidence that consumers are still spending enough to support growth.
BEIJING (AP) — China will lift punitive tariffs imposed on U.S. soybeans and pork in a trade war with Washington, a state news agency said Friday, adding to conciliatory gestures by the two sides ahead of negotiations.
LONDON (AP) — Officials say British Prime Minister Boris Johnson will hold Brexit talks with European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker in Luxembourg.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. government's budget deficit increased by $169 billion to $1.07 trillion in the first 11 months of this budget year as spending grew faster than tax collections.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Federal Reserve and the European Central Bank are struggling mightily to invigorate their economies at a time when growth is slowing, governments remain on the sidelines and the banks' usual stimulative tools appear less effective than in the past.
Stocks rose on Wall Street Thursday after the U.S. and China took steps to ease tensions in their costly trade war, putting investors in a buying mood.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate has confirmed President Donald Trump's nomination of Michelle Bowman to serve a full 14-year term on the seven-member Federal Reserve board.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The United States and China traded conciliatory gestures, raising hopes they can de-escalate a standoff over trade that has shaken financial markets and cast gloom over the global economy.
FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — The European Central Bank delivered a new blast of monetary stimulus Thursday to help the shaky economy in the face of uncertainties like the U.S.-China trade conflict and Brexit.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Consumer prices slowed in August, rising by a slight 0.1%, reflecting a big drop in the cost of gasoline and other energy products.
NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL POLITICS
WASHINGTON (AP) — A Republican-controlled Senate committee on Thursday rejected Democratic attempts to cut President Donald Trump's latest border wall request and prevent him from again funding the project without congressional approval. Democrats threatened to filibuster a Pentagon spending bill.
HOUSTON (AP) — Joe Biden parried attack after attack from liberal rivals Thursday night on everything from health care to immigration in a debate that showcased profound ideological divides between the Democratic Party's moderate and progressive wings.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Joe Biden is the Democratic front-runner. And there were moments in Thursday night's debate when he looked the part.
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump pledged Thursday to protect the Second Amendment, hours after huddling with top advisers to discuss gun control measures he might be willing to publicly stand behind.
WASHINGTON (AP) — A Republican-controlled Senate committee approved a Pentagon funding bill on Thursday, rejecting Democratic attempts to cut President Donald Trump's border wall request and his moves to pay for the project without congressional approval.
The CEOs of more than 100 companies are stepping into the nation's gun debate, imploring Congress to expand background checks and enact a strong "red flag" law.
WASHINGTON (AP) — House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler says there's no confusion about what his committee is doing: It's an impeachment investigation, no matter how you want to phrase it.