VOL. 46 | NO. 26 | Friday, July 1, 2022
Different cities, different rules frustrate even best intentions
On any given day, a small but fiercely dedicated army arrives to do battle. They come in SUVs, small sedans and pickup trucks. Their battle attire is tank tops, Bermuda shorts and flip-flops.
Kay Baker is an occupational therapist. Her husband, Matt Keasey, is a neuroscientist. So, naturally, they got into the zero-waste business. Well, it wasn’t that straight of a line.
JOE ROGERS: MY TAKE
Happy (almost) Fourth of July! In honor of the 246th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, here’s a quiz about it and other historical bits from the early days of the country.
RICHARD COURTNEY: REALTY CHECK
The recent increase in interest rates by the Federal Reserve Board has slowed the residential real estate market as buyers and lenders re-assess the buyers’ borrowing abilities. Coupled with a downturn in the stock market, the residential market is resting in some areas and at some prices.
REAL ESTATE
WASHINGTON (AP) — Average long-term U.S. mortgage rates eased back this week after shooting up nearly three-quarters of a point in recent weeks.
MIDSTATE
A sampling of Independence Day events around Middle Tennessee, each featuring fireworks and other fun for families.
NEWSMAKERS
Nashville attorney Edward D. Lanquist Jr. has been installed as vice president of the Tennessee Bar Association and will advance to the presidency in 2024.
BRIEFS
Reaction to the Supreme Court’s 6-3 vote overturning Roe v. Wade last week ranged from rage to celebration, with abortion rights advocates decrying the decision while anti-abortion forces moving to restrict access as quickly as possible.
BEHIND THE WHEEL
BMW, with its well-established history of developing luxury sport sedans, has set its sights on dominating the all-electric segment with its new 2022 i4. The BMW i4 is about the size of a 3 Series and offers an engaging driving experience.
CAREER CORNER
Have you ever had a close family member die? Sometimes the pain of the loss is so great that it’s hard to even say to another person, “My grandfather died.” It makes it real. And, it makes it more painful.
PERSONAL FINANCE
With travel prices soaring, customers might be tempted to pick the cheapest base option they find. But the base price of airfare and hotels represents only a fraction of the total costs. A parade of add-on fees await any traveler trying to navigate the checkout process, ballooning the final price. Experts call it “drip pricing.”
MILLENNIAL MONEY
The race to a mental health treatment can feel like a marathon when you might not have the energy or ability to even make it to the starting line. You may be faced with limited affordable options and a lack of available therapists.
PREDATORS
Julien BriseBois wanted to explain his plan to Ryan McDonagh in person, laying out exactly why he was asking the veteran defenseman to waive his no-trade clause.
NASHVILLE SC
NASHVILLE (AP) — Jaroslaw Niezgoda scored the tying goal for the Portland Timbers in a 2-2 draw with Nashville on Sunday.
NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL POLITICS
WASHINGTON (AP) — More witnesses are coming forward with new details on the Jan. 6 U.S. Capitol riot following former White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson's devastating testimony last week against former President Donald Trump, says a member of a House committee investigating the insurrection.
WASHINGTON (AP) — More evidence is emerging in the House's Jan. 6 investigation that lends support to recent testimony that President Donald Trump wanted to join an angry mob that marched to the Capitol where they rioted, a committee member said Sunday.
NEW YORK (AP) — The Supreme Court's overturning of Roe v. Wade has ushered in a new era of funding on both sides of the abortion debate.
UKRAINE
BAKHMUT, Ukraine (AP) — Torched forests and cities burned to the ground. Colleagues with severed limbs. Bombardments so relentless the only option is to lie in a trench, wait and pray.
POKROVSK, Ukraine (AP) — Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday declared victory in the eastern Ukrainian region of Luhansk, one day after Ukrainian forces withdrew from their last remaining bulwark of resistance in the province.
FRIDAY, JULY 1
ELECTION 2022
NASHVILLE (AP) — Tennesseans are running out of time to register to vote in the Aug. 4 primary election.
COURTS
WASHINGTON (AP) — More than 500 days into his presidency, Joe Biden's hope for saving the Earth from the most devastating effects of climate change may not quite be dead.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. Supreme Court declined Thursday to take up a case involving a state law that gives California-based flight crews more generous meal and rest breaks than required by federal rules.
AUTO INDUSTRY
Chip shortage keeps driving up auto prices, cutting sales
DETROIT (AP) — The global shortage of computer chips and other parts forced General Motors to build 95,000 vehicles without certain components during the second quarter.
TRANSPORTATION
DALLAS (AP) — American Airlines is offering pilots raises of nearly 17% by the end of 2024, a sign of the leverage that pilots enjoy as airlines struggle with a labor shortage.
NEW YORK (AP) — Shares of Spirit Airlines rose Thursday after it postponed a vote for the second time on a proposed merger with Frontier Airlines, allowing for a bidding war over the budget airline between Frontier and JetBlue Airways to play out.
NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS
Stocks shook off a morning slump and ended higher Friday, but not enough to erase their losses for the week.
SILVER SPRING, Md. (AP) — The potential sale of the Kohl's department store chain has fallen apart in a shaky retail environment of rising inflation and consumer anxiety.
ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (AP) — The main union for Atlantic City casino workers reached agreements on new contracts with four casinos on Thursday, providing for what one its president called "the best contract we've ever had" and labor peace that will avoid a strike on Fourth of July weekend, one of the casinos' busiest of the year.
NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL POLITICS
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden told Democratic governors Friday that he is "looking at all the alternatives" for protecting abortion access following the Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade.
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden will present the nation's highest civilian honor, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, to 17 people, including actor Denzel Washington, gymnast Simone Biles and the late John McCain, the Arizona Republican with whom Biden served in the U.S. Senate.
WASHINGTON (AP) — A new poll finds a growing percentage of Americans calling out abortion or women's rights as priorities for the government in the wake of the Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, especially among Democrats and those who support abortion access.
ISTANBUL (AP) — Turkey's media watchdog has banned access to the Turkish services of U.S. public service broadcaster Voice of America and German broadcaster Deutsche Welle, prompting criticism of censorship.
UKRAINE
WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. announced on Friday that it will provide Ukraine with $820 million in new military aid, including new surface-to-air missile systems and counter-artillery radars to respond to Russia's heavy reliance on long-range strikes in the war.
It has not been an easy week for Russian President Vladimir Putin.
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russian missile attacks on residential areas in a coastal town near the Ukrainian port city of Odesa early Friday killed at least 19 people, authorities reported, a day after Russian forces withdrew from a strategic Black Sea island.
THURSDAY, JUNE 30
STATE GOVERNMENT
NASHVILLE (AP) — As Tennesseans prepare to enjoy fireworks and cookouts over the long weekend, a long slate of new state laws affecting transgender athletes, which books can be in school libraries, homeless camps, and harsh criminal sentences will go into effect Friday.
NASHVILLE (AP) — A cyberattack on a software company has disrupted unemployment benefits and job seeking assistance for thousands of people in several states.
COURTS
WASHINGTON (AP) — Ketanji Brown Jackson was sworn in to the Supreme Court on Thursday, shattering a glass ceiling as the first Black woman on the nation's highest court.
WASHINGTON (AP) — In a blow to the fight against climate change, the Supreme Court on Thursday limited how the nation's main anti-air pollution law can be used to reduce carbon dioxide emissions from power plants.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court said Thursday that gun cases involving restrictions in Hawaii, California, New Jersey and Maryland deserve a new look following its major decision in a gun case last week.
WASHINGTON (AP) — About half of Americans believe former President Donald Trump should be charged with a crime for his role in the U.S. Capitol attack on Jan. 6, 2021, a new poll shows.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court ruled on Thursday that the Biden administration properly ended a Trump-era policy forcing some U.S. asylum-seekers to wait in Mexico.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The House Jan. 6 committee has heard dramatic testimony from former White House aides and others about Donald Trump's relentless efforts to overturn the 2020 election — and his encouragement of supporters who stormed the U.S. Capitol bent on achieving his goal. But the big question remains: Was any of it criminal?
WASHINGTON (AP) — Last week, as he marked his 74th birthday, Clarence Thomas achieved two long-sought goals: expanding gun rights and overturning Roe v. Wade 's nationwide protection for abortion.
TRANSPORTATION
DALLAS (AP) — Airlines that have stumbled badly over the last two holidays face their biggest test yet of whether they can handle big crowds when July Fourth travelers mob the nation's airports this weekend.
MEDIA
NEW YORK (AP) — Despite a growing recognition of the problem, the United States continues to see newspapers die at the rate of two per week, according to a report issued Wednesday on the state of local news.
ENVIRONMENT
WASHINGTON (AP) — Amos Hochstein, President Joe Biden's point man for global energy problems, says he knows that transitioning away from the climate-wrecking pollution of fossil fuels is the only way to go. He advocates urgently for renewable energy, for energy-smart thermostats and heat pumps.
TECHNOLOGY
PLYMOUTH, Mass. (AP) — A crewless robotic boat retracing the 1620 sea voyage of the Mayflower has landed near Plymouth Rock.
COVID-19
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court declined on Thursday to take up a case involving a COVID-19 vaccine requirement for health care workers in New York that does not offer an exemption for religious reasons.
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. health officials said Wednesday they have agreed to purchase another 105 million doses of Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine in anticipation of a fall booster campaign.
NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS
Stocks fell again on Wall Street Thursday, closing out the worst quarter for the market since the onset of the pandemic in early 2020. The S&P 500 index lost 0.9%.
WASHINGTON (AP) — A measure of inflation that is closely tracked by the Federal Reserve rose 6.3% in May from a year earlier, unchanged from its level in April.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Slightly fewer Americans applied for unemployment benefits last week, reflecting a robust job market despite rising job cuts in some sectors of the economy that have cooled in recent months.
A big opioid settlement and a COVID-19 vaccine slowdown dragged on third-quarter earnings for Walgreens, but the drugstore chain still topped expectations.
NEW YORK (AP) — Oil prices are high, and drivers are paying more at the pump. But the OPEC oil cartel and allied producing nations may not be much help as they decide Thursday how much more crude to send to world markets.
BERLIN (AP) — Germany's vice chancellor said Thursday he suspects that Russia may not resume natural gas deliveries to Europe through the Nord Stream 1 pipeline after planned maintenance work in July, complicating the outlook for this winter.
NEW YORK (AP) — Amazon is limiting how many emergency contraceptives consumers can buy, joining other retailers who put in place similar caps following the Supreme Court decision overruling Roe v. Wade.
LONDON (AP) — The European Union has agreed on new rules subjecting cryptocurrency transfers to the same money-laundering rules as traditional banking transfers.
NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL POLITICS
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden said Thursday that he would support an exception to the Senate filibuster to protect abortion access, a shift that comes as Democrats coalesce around an election-year message intended to rally voters who are outraged or deflated by the Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Treasury Department said Thursday it has blocked a $1 billion Delaware-based trust connected to sanctioned Russian oligarch Suleiman Abusaidovich Kerimov.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The House committee investigating the Jan. 6 insurrection issued a subpoena Wednesday to former White House counsel Pat Cipollone, whose reported resistance to Donald Trump's schemes to overturn his 2020 election defeat has made him a long-sought and potentially revelatory witness.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg on Thursday launched a $1 billion first-of-its-kind pilot program aimed at helping reconnect cities and neighborhoods racially segregated or divided by road projects, pledging wide-ranging help to dozens of communities despite the program's limited dollars.
UKRAINE
MOSCOW (AP) — The lower house of Russia's parliament gave final approval Thursday to a bill that would allow the banning of foreign news media in response to other countries' actions against Russian news outlets.