VOL. 43 | NO. 45 | Friday, November 8, 2019
RICHARD COURTNEY: REALTY CHECK
Nashville’s schools are often denigrated for their shortcomings when test scores are released each year. State scores are not good, either, Tennessee placing anywhere from 36th to 43rd nationally, depending on the source.
REAL ESTATE
Home sales increased 7% in Williamson County in October with 618 sales recorded for the month compared to 579 in October 2018.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Mortgage rates slipped this week from the highest level since July and remain at historically low levels that are helping would-be purchasers to buy homes.
NEWSMAKERS
The Tennessee Aviation Hall of Fame has recognized Nashville International Airport President and CEO Douglas E. Kreulen, A.A.E., as Tennessee’s 2019 Aviation Person Of The Year.
TENNESSEE TITANS
Fate intervened and made an interesting, yet defining, turn for Titans safety Kevin Byard in 2012 when he was coming out of Martin Luther King High School in Lithonia, Georgia.
The Kansas City Chiefs will bring their high-powered offense to Nissan Stadium on Sunday, and chances are they will have quarterback Patrick Mahomes back after time missed with a knee injury.
Nissan Stadium will be a focal point for NFL fans this week, but not because of the Titans. Rather, the focus will be on the Kansas City Chiefs and the likely return of Patrick Mahomes.
UT SPORTS
Marquez Callaway thought it was a bit strange that he was allowed to return home only a week before his first career game in a Tennessee uniform.
BRIEFS
Laffer Investments, Inc., an SEC registered investment adviser based in Nashville, has been acquired by ButcherJoseph Financial Holdings, LLC, an investment banking firm.
BEHIND THE WHEEL
The fall season coincides with the reveal of the latest smartphones and operating systems from Apple and Google. This year in particular marks the first time the two brands have significantly overhauled their automotive software – Apple CarPlay and Android Auto – to make them easier to use.
PERSONAL FINANCE
Here’s an illustration of the many ways slow payment systems can inconvenience you and cost you money.
CAREER CORNER
I saw the perfect profile for a recruiter recently. “I am not a ninja / purple squirrel / unicorn hunter, nor someone who hires ‘rock stars.’ I am a strategic and tactical recruiter, meaning I partner with leaders and we hire – at scale, for the niche skills required to make the difference to a business.”
MILLENNIAL MONEY
My husband and I have a Thanksgiving routine. Before the family arrives or the turkey is carved, we gather in the living room. As Christmas music plays in the background, he turns on his laptop, and I mine.
MUSIC INDUSTRY
NASHVILLE (AP) — The lack of women on country radio is as tired as a bad country song cliche, but the Country Music Association Awards is trying to set the stage for them to reign, both as the hosts, as performers and perhaps the night's biggest winners.
STATEWIDE
NASHVILLE (AP) — For Alexa Maqueo-Toledo, who traveled with her mom to a small town in Tennessee from Mexico when she just a toddler, sitting back while the Supreme Court prepares to determine her future wasn't an option.
MIDSTATE
COLUMBIA (AP) — A Popeyes worker recorded throwing a woman onto the pavement outside a restaurant in Tennessee has been charged with felony aggravated assault.
LYNCHBURG (AP) — The Tennessee distillery that produces Jack Daniel's whiskey is once again teaming up with a military support group to help service members and their families get home for the holidays.
TENNESSEE TITANS
NASHVILLE (AP) — Forcing Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs to settle for a bunch of field goals gave the Tennessee Titans a chance to stay close.
NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS
NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stocks mostly fell on Monday as uncertainty continues to hang over U.S.-China trade talks, or at least over investors' perception of them.
BEIJING (AP) — Chinese e-commerce giants Alibaba and JD.com reported more than $60 billion in sales Monday on Singles Day, an annual marketing event that is the world's busiest online shopping day.
LONDON (AP) — The British economy avoided falling into recession in the third quarter of the year, but annual growth is running at a near-decade low rate as a result of ongoing uncertainty related to Britain's departure from the European Union and a subdued global backdrop, official figures showed Monday.
TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Iran has discovered a new oil field in the country's south with over 50 billion barrels of crude, its president said Sunday, a find that could boost the country's proven reserves by a third as it struggles to sell energy abroad over U.S. sanctions.
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Saudi Arabia's state-owned oil giant Aramco released a lengthy document late Saturday that lays the ground for investors to buy into the world's most profitable company, but it remains unknown how much is on offer.
COURTS
WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal judge on Monday dismissed President Donald Trump's lawsuit against New York officials that was aimed at preventing the release of his tax returns.
WASHINGTON (AP) — White House acting chief of staff Mick Mulvaney is facing opposition, including from a former Trump administration adviser, in his bid to join a lawsuit over testimony in the House impeachment inquiry.
NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL POLITICS
WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal prosecutors are asking a judge to set a sentencing date for next month for former Trump campaign official Rick Gates.
WASHINGTON (AP) — For only the fourth time in U.S. history, the House of Representatives has started a presidential impeachment inquiry. House committees are trying to determine whether President Donald Trump violated his oath of office by asking Ukraine to investigate political rival Joe Biden's family and the 2016 U.S. presidential election all while the White House was withholding military aid to the East European ally that borders Russia.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Rep. Peter King, a moderate Republican who has represented a Long Island congressional district for nearly 30 years, announced Monday he won't seek reelection, enhancing Democrats' chances to grab yet another suburban House seat as they defend their majority in 2020.
WASHINGTON (AP) — It's been his drumbeating demand: "Read the transcript!"
FRIDAY, NOV. 8
STATE GOVERNMENT
NASHVILLE (AP) — Gov. Bill Lee said Friday that his newly enacted school voucher law won't go into effect next year if the state isn't ready, adding that he'll know by early 2020 when to begin implementing the program.
NASHVILLE AREA
NASHVILLE (AP) — Nashville's mayor has released an emergency cold weather plan for sheltering the city's homeless community, weeks after reversing a decision to close the winter overflow facilities.
MIDSTATE
GALLATIN (AP) — Investors on ABC's "Shark Tank" are funding a product pitched by a 13-year-old Tennessee boy who initially developed the idea for a fourth-grade project.
STATEWIDE
NASHVILLE (AP) — The U.S. Department of Justice has announced approximately $95 million in awards to support public safety efforts in Tennessee.
NASHVILLE (AP) — Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee has announced the 28 projects that will benefit from a $25 million pot of money set aside for career and technical education.
TENNESSEE TITANS
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Patrick Mahomes will start for the Kansas City Chiefs against the Tennessee Titans on Sunday, just over two weeks after the quarterback's season was jeopardized by a dislocated kneecap.
PREDATORS
DENVER (AP) — With a dizzying flurry of goals in one electric eight-minute stretch, the Colorado Avalanche rediscovered their offense and ended nearly four years of frustration at home against Nashville.
AUTO INDUSTRY
BERLIN (AP) — Outgoing European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker says he does not think U.S. President Donald Trump will impose new tariffs targeting European automobiles.
TOKYO (AP) — Honda has become the latest automaker to report weaker earnings as global demand softens.
EDUCATION
The U.S. Education Department is forgiving student loans for more than 1,500 borrowers who attended a pair of for-profit colleges that shut down last year.
TECHNOLOGY
If you woke up to a weird text that seemed totally out of place, you aren't alone. A mysterious wave of missives swept America's phones overnight, delivering confusing messages from friends, family and the occasional ex.
Allegations that two former Twitter employees spied on users for the Saudi government have spotlighted the threat posed by insiders who exploit their access to the mountains of sensitive data held by tech companies.
COURTS
WASHINGTON (AP) — Steve Bannon, who served as chief executive of Donald Trump's presidential campaign, told jurors Friday he saw Roger Stone as "an access point" to WikiLeaks, which later released hacked emails damaging to Hillary Clinton during the 2016 campaign.
NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS
NEW YORK (AP) — The stock market capped another week of healthy gains on Friday, but it ended on more of a befuddled note than a bang as confusion about the U.S.-China trade war hung over the market.
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump on Friday dismissed a Chinese official's assertion that his administration has agreed to roll back some of the higher tariffs it's imposed on Chinese goods.
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump said Friday his administration will pursue raising the age to purchase electronic cigarettes from 18 to 21 in its upcoming plans to combat youth vaping.
NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL POLITICS
WASHINGTON (AP) — Former national security adviser John Bolton was "part of many relevant meetings and conversations" relevant to the House impeachment inquiry of President Donald Trump that are not yet public, his lawyer said Friday.
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump says he's weighing an invitation from Russia President Vladimir Putin (POO'-tihn) to attend the May 9 Victory Day parade in Moscow.
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump insisted Friday he has not been damaged by impeachment testimony detailing efforts by him and his administration to pressure Ukraine to publicly investigate his political rivals.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Interior Department is proposing to award one of the first contracts for federal water in perpetuity to a powerful rural California water district that had long employed Secretary David Bernhardt as a lobbyist.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Michael Bloomberg is reaching out to prominent Democrats in key states and scrambling to meet fast-approaching primary filing deadlines, his first steps toward formalizing a late run for the Democratic presidential nomination.
WASHINGTON (AP) — A forthcoming book by an anonymous author identified only as "a senior official in the Trump administration" describes President Donald Trump as volatile, incompetent and unfit to be commander in chief, according to excerpts published Thursday by The Washington Post.
WASHINGTON (AP) — There were three words President Donald Trump wanted to hear from the Ukraine president: Investigations, Biden, Clinton.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Acting White House Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney has stood up Democrats in their impeachment inquiry, skipping his 9 a.m. deposition as Democrats wrap up closed-door interviews and move into a public phase of the investigation.
THURSDAY, NOV. 7
HEALTH CARE
WASHINGTON (AP) — Sen. Elizabeth Warren's plan to pay for "Medicare for All" without raising taxes on the middle class departs from how the U.S. has traditionally financed bedrock social insurance programs. That might impact its political viability now and in the future.
NASHVILLE (AP) — Officials with Tennessee's Medicaid program want to expand postpartum health insurance for low-income women.
TECHNOLOGY
LONDON (AP) — U.S. President Donald Trump's technology adviser warned Thursday about China exporting authoritarianism globally in parallel with its rise as a tech power.
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Saudi Arabia, frustrated by growing criticism of its leaders and policies on social media, recruited two Twitter employees to spy on thousands of accounts that included prominent opponents, U.S. prosecutors have alleged.
ENVIRONMENT
NEW YORK (AP) — Climate change may be the defining risk for oil and gas companies in coming decades, and attorneys for New York state are saying Exxon Mobil misled investors about how it was handling that risk.
COURTS
NEW YORK (AP) — A judge Thursday ordered President Donald Trump to pay $2 million to an array of charities as a fine for misusing his own charitable foundation to further his political and business interests.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Roger Stone has long admired Richard Nixon, so much so that he even has a tattoo of the late president's face on his back. But on Thursday, federal prosecutors used a Nixon quote to try to help make their case against Stone, a longtime political provocateur and confidant of Donald Trump.
NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS
NEW YORK (AP) — In the stock market, it's all about trade now.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Consumer borrowing rose in September at a modest pace, led by higher student and auto loans, though a category that mostly includes credit cards fell for the second straight month.
NEW YORK (AP) — Gap says CEO Art Peck is stepping down as the company continues to grapple with slumping sales.
ROCHESTER, N.Y. (AP) — Matchbox Cars, the coloring book and the collectible card game Magic: The Gathering were inducted Thursday into the National Toy Hall of Fame, recognized for an enduring appeal that keeps them on store shelves today.
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Pacific Gas & Electric reported substantial losses for the third quarter on Thursday, driven by catastrophic wildfires that have been blamed on the utility's outdated transmission lines. The company anticipates those costs could escalate to as much as $6.3 billion.
LONDON (AP) — The growth outlook for the British economy has deteriorated largely as a result of a gloomier global backdrop, the Bank of England said Thursday as it refrained from cutting rates in the run-up to a general election that could have huge repercussions on Brexit.
NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL POLITICS
WASHINGTON (AP) — There were three words President Donald Trump wanted to hear from the Ukraine president: Investigations, Biden, Clinton.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Former national security adviser John Bolton failed to appear for an interview with impeachment investigators Thursday, making it unlikely that he will provide testimony to the House about President Donald Trump's handling of Ukraine.
WASHINGTON (AP) — A senior State Department envoy has written a highly critical assessment of the Trump administration's abrupt withdrawal of troops from northeast Syria, U.S. officials said Thursday.
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump wanted Attorney General William Barr to hold a press conference to declare he broke no laws during his July phone conversation with Ukraine's president in which Trump pressed his Ukrainian counterpart to investigate Democrats, according to a person familiar with the matter.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Former national security adviser John Bolton failed to show up for an interview with impeachment investigators Thursday, making it unlikely that he will provide any testimony to the House about President Donald Trump's handling of Ukraine.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Bernie Sanders is adding his support to a call by some of his fellow presidential hopefuls for decriminalizing illegal border crossings, a proposal that's further exposing deep ideological divides in the Democratic primary and may prove politically treacherous for the party in the general election.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Democrats announced they will launch public impeachment hearings next week, intending to bring to life weeks of closed-door testimony and lay out a convincing narrative of presidential misconduct by Donald Trump.
BRUSSELS (AP) — European Union foreign ministers on Monday affirmed their support for the nuclear deal with Iran, after the Islamic Republic began enrichment work at its Fordo site in a fresh act of defiance that seems likely to spell the end of the painstakingly crafted international agreement.