The election of Republican Kelly Ayotte as New Hampshire's governor means 13 women will serve as a state's chief executive next year, breaking the record of 12 set after the 2022 elections.

Governors hold powerful sway in American politics, shaping state policy and often using the experience and profile gained to launch campaigns for higher offices.

2. Congress targets Chinese influence in health tech. It could come with tradeoffs - Friday, September 13, 2024

WASHINGTON (AP) — A California biotechnology company that helps doctors detect genetic causes for cancer is among those that could be cut out of the U.S. market over ties to China, underscoring the possible tradeoffs between health innovation and a largely bipartisan push in Congress to counter Beijing's global influence.

3. Congress targets Chinese influence in health tech. It could come with tradeoffs - Friday, September 13, 2024

WASHINGTON (AP) — A California biotechnology company that helps doctors detect genetic causes for cancer is among those that could be cut out of the U.S. market over ties to China, underscoring the possible tradeoffs between health innovation and a largely bipartisan push in Congress to counter Beijing's global influence.

4. Tennessee House panel advances a bill that would criminalize helping minors get abortions - Friday, February 9, 2024

NASHVILLE (AP) — Tennessee would be the latest state to make it illegal for an adult to help a minor get an abortion without parental consent under legislation that advanced Tuesday inside the GOP-controlled Statehouse.

5. Haley campaigns in South Carolina after losing to Trump in the New Hampshire primary - Friday, January 19, 2024

Donald Trump and President Joe Biden have won the New Hampshire primaries.

The former president clinched his second straight victory in his quest for the 2024 GOP nomination after knocking out most of the field with a commanding win in Iowa. His GOP rival Nikki Haley, meanwhile, came up short in her effort to capitalize on her strength with independent and anti-Trump voters eager for a fresh voice to lead the party.

6. New lawsuits target state restrictions on abortion pills - Friday, January 20, 2023

WASHINGTON (AP) — Supporters of abortion rights filed separate lawsuits Wednesday challenging two states' abortion pill restrictions, the opening salvo in what's expected to a be a protracted legal battle over access to the medications.

7. How Tennessee, other U.S. states have banned, limited, protected abortion - Friday, June 24, 2022

The U.S. Supreme Court has overturned Roe v. Wade, the 1973 decision that had provided a constitutional right to abortion. Friday's ruling is expected to lead to abortion bans in roughly half the states. In anticipation of the decision, several states led by Democrats have taken steps to protect abortion access. The decision also sets up the potential for legal fights between the states over whether providers and those who help women obtain abortions can be sued or prosecuted.

8. US safety, savings rules set stage for baby formula shortage - Friday, May 20, 2022

WASHINGTON (AP) — A massive recall is getting most of the blame for the U.S. baby formula shortage, but experts say the products have long been vulnerable to this type of crisis due to decades-old policies that have allowed a handful of companies to corner the market.

9. Picasso exhibit coming to Frist in February - Friday, December 18, 2020

The Frist Art Museum has announced an exhibition of art by Pablo Picasso will make its sole U.S. appearance in Nashville.

Entitled ‘Picasso. Figures.’ the collection is from the Musée national Picasso-Paris and features 75 works of the human figure.

10. AP FACT CHECK: Is Trump's America great again or hellscape? - Friday, August 28, 2020

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?

It was perhaps the central paradox for voters wondering what to believe in the rhetoric, because it defied logic to believe it all. Are Americans living in a dystopia or in an America made great again by Trump?

11. AP FACT CHECK: Trump, GOP distort on health care, vote fraud, more - Friday, August 21, 2020

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.

12. Senate acts to restrain Trump's military powers against Iran - Friday, February 14, 2020

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate approved a bipartisan measure Thursday limiting President Donald Trump's authority to launch military operations against Iran.

The measure, authored by Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., says Trump must win approval from Congress before engaging in further military action against Iran. Eight Republicans joined with Democrats to pass the resolution by a 55-45 vote.

13. Senate moves toward vote restraining Trump on Iran - Friday, February 7, 2020

WASHINGTON (AP) — A bipartisan measure limiting President Donald Trump's authority to launch military operations against Iran is moving toward approval in the Senate.

The resolution, authored by Democratic Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia, asserts that Trump must win approval from Congress before engaging in further military action against Iran. Eight Republicans sided with Democrats Wednesday on a procedural motion to force a vote on the issue as soon as Thursday.

14. AP FACT CHECK: Distortions in Trump's legal defense - Friday, January 17, 2020

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump's defense against impeachment charges, as laid out in his legal argument released Monday, has distortions at its core.

Trump through his lawyers assails Democrats for trying to upend the results of an election, which is precisely the point of impeachment in the Constitution. The case asserts Trump committed no crime, a benchmark for impeachment that the Constitution's authors avoided adopting in a well-documented debate.

15. Dem senator says he has 51 votes to restrain Trump on Iran - Friday, January 10, 2020

WASHINGTON (AP) — A Democratic senator says he has at least 51 votes to support a bipartisan resolution asserting that President Donald Trump must seek approval from Congress before engaging in further military action against Iran.

16. FDA food sampling finds contamination by 'forever chemicals' - Friday, May 31, 2019

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Food and Drug Administration's first broad testing of food for a worrisome class of nonstick, stain-resistant industrial compounds found substantial levels in some grocery store meats and seafood and in off-the-shelf chocolate cake, according to unreleased findings FDA researchers presented at a scientific conference in Europe.

17. Senate confirms acting EPA chief for permanent role - Friday, March 1, 2019

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate on Thursday confirmed former coal industry lobbyist Andrew Wheeler to lead the Environmental Protection Agency, despite concerns by Democrats and one Republican about regulatory rollbacks he's made in eight months as the agency's acting chief.

18. HealthStream buys Denver health care firm - Friday, January 18, 2019

HealthStream, a Nashville-based provider of workforce and provider solutions for the health care industry, has acquired Providigm LLC.

A Denver-based company focused on quality assurance and performance improvement in health care, Providigm primarily serves skilled nursing facilities.

19. Banker Ayers to receive 2019 Horatio Alger Award - Friday, December 21, 2018

The Horatio Alger Association of Distinguished Americans, Inc., a nonprofit educational organization honoring the achievements of outstanding individuals and encouraging youth to pursue their dreams through higher education, has selected James W. Ayers, executive chairman of the board, FirstBank, as a recipient of its 2019 award.

20. Tennessee GOP gov hopefuls mixed feelings on Trump tariffs - Friday, May 11, 2018

MARTIN (AP) — President Donald Trump's plan to raise tariffs on foreign aluminum and steel drew concerns from most candidates for governor at a forum on Thursday, who said they worry a trade war could harm Tennessee's farm exports, particularly soybeans.

21. US companies take a stand, raise age to purchase guns - Friday, March 2, 2018

NEW YORK (AP) — Kroger and L.L. Bean said Thursday they will no longer sell guns to anyone under 21, becoming the third and fourth major retailers this week to put restrictions in place that are stronger than federal laws. The announcements follow those by Dick's Sporting Goods and Walmart, emphasizing the pressure companies are facing to take a stand.

22. Agency-by-agency highlights of Trump's 2019 budget - Friday, February 9, 2018

Highlights from President Donald Trump's budget for fiscal year 2019, released Monday.

INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION

The Trump administration wants NASA out of the International Space Station by 2025 and to have private businesses running the place instead.

23. This year's fight for the tech industry: Patent trolls - Friday, April 10, 2015

WASHINGTON (AP) — The same week that Alex Haro and Chris Hulls raised $50 million for their mobile app, Life360, the business partners got a letter. It said they had three days to pay licensing fees to a company they had never heard of because their app violated its patented technology.

24. Developers worried about new rules for phone apps - Friday, December 14, 2012

WASHINGTON (AP) — A cellphone game for kids about U.S. geography, "Stack the States," gets rave reviews from parents. Its creator, Dan Russell-Pinson, considered making the 99-cent app better by adding a feature to allow children to play online against one another. But with the Federal Trade Commission issuing more stringent online child privacy rules, he's not even pursuing the idea.

25. Goodman to co-chair Nashville Music Council - Friday, July 15, 2011

Mayor Karl Dean has announced that Music Row veteran Randy Goodman will serve as co-chairman of the Nashville Music Council. Goodman most recently was president of Lyric Street Records in Nashville.