VOL. 46 | NO. 47 | Friday, November 25, 2022
REAL ESTATE
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Mortgage rates are more than double what they were a year ago, so many homebuyers are looking for ways to put off some of the pain for a few years.
JOE ROGERS: MY TAKE
This Sunday night at the Tennessee Performing Arts Center, “A Drag Queen Christmas” will be presented for the eighth consecutive year. And, maybe, the last.
TENNESSEE TITANS
Quicker than Phillips, Fisher
Unless you looked it up, you probably would never know Mike Vrabel just reached a milestone in his coaching career with last week’s win in Green Bay.
The Todd Downing DUI arrest hours after the Green Bay game pockmarked the Titans’ victory in Lambeau Field, taking the focus off the team and putting it onto a preventable distraction.
The Titans return home after playing twice in five days against Denver and Green Bay to try and exorcize a demon from last year – the Cincinnati Bengals. It won’t erase the disappointment of last year when the Bengals came to Tennessee and upset the Titans on their way to the Super Bowl, but it would give the Titans a win against another quality AFC opponent, something that can come in handy come playoff-seeding time.
NASHVILLE (AP) — Tennessee offensive coordinator Todd Downing said Wednesday he can't think of anything he's faced in his career "much tougher" than what he's dealing with right now, and the issue is all of his own doing.
NEWSMAKERS
Bass, Berry & Sims has added Betsy F. Knotts as counsel in Nashville, marking the 34th new attorney announced firmwide in 2022.
BRIEFS
GivingMatters.com, an initiative of The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee, is partnering with GivingTuesday (Nov. 29), a global generosity movement created in 2012 and sparking a year-round global movement that inspires hundreds of millions of people to give, collaborate and celebrate generosity.
BEHIND THE WHEEL
The best luxury sport sedans have historically come from European automakers. But there’s one U.S. brand that isn’t ready to fully cede control: Cadillac.
BUSINESS BOOK REVIEW
Your entire life is like a gigantic game of “Chutes and Ladders.” Shake the dice, move two steps ahead and you hit a ladder that takes you to higher places on the game board.
PERSONAL FINANCE
Back in 2016, Jamie Clark of Seattle was a software engineer who planned to take a year off work to finish a master’s degree in computational linguistics. One year turned into three and a career change into financial planning.
CAREER CORNER
One of the topics I’m often asked about is personal brand. And, part of your personal brand comes across in the way that you say thank you.
MILLENNIAL MONEY
Spouses share a lot, but no matter your relationship status your credit score belongs to you and you alone.
NASHVILLE PREDATORS
NASHVILLE (AP) — Roman Josi scored at 3:50 of overtime to give the Nashville Predators a 2-1 victory over the Anaheim Ducks on Tuesday night.
SPORTS
Former NFL quarterback Trent Dilfer, who has been coaching a high school team in Tennessee for the last four years, is the leading candidate to become the new coach at UAB, a person with knowledge of the search told The Associated Press on Tuesday night.
COURTS
NEW YORK (AP) — Former President Donald Trump's inaugural address clocked in at just 16 minutes. Closing arguments that are slated for Thursday in his company's criminal tax fraud case? Prosecutors and defense lawyers say those could take seven hours or more.
ATLANTA (AP) — The South Carolina Supreme Court says former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows must testify before a special grand jury that's investigating whether then-President Donald Trump and his allies illegally tried to influence the 2020 election in Georgia.
NASHVILLE (AP) — A Tennessee panel is accepting applications to fill the vacancy that will be left by Justice Sharon Lee's planned retirement next summer.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes was convicted Tuesday of seditious conspiracy for a violent plot to overturn President Joe Biden's election, handing the Justice Department a major victory in its massive prosecution of the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection.
HEALTH CARE
An experimental Alzheimer's drug modestly slowed the brain disease's inevitable worsening, researchers reported Tuesday -- but it remains unclear how much difference that might make in people's lives.
NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS
WASHINGTON (AP) — Despite high interest rates and chronic inflation, the U.S. economy grew at a 2.9% annual rate from July through September, the government said Wednesday in an upgrade from its initial estimate.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Congress is moving swiftly to prevent a looming U.S. rail workers strike, reluctantly intervening in a labor dispute to stop what would surely be a devastating blow to the nation's economy if the transportation of fuel, food and other critical goods were disrupted.
FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — Inflation in Europe has eased for the first time in more than a year as energy prices drifted down from painful highs, but the double-digit rate still hovers near a record that has robbed consumers of their spending power and led economists to predict a recession.
BERLIN (AP) — The German government said Wednesday that it plans to ease entry rules for immigrants from outside the European Union to help meet Germany's demand for skilled workers.
STOCKHOLM (AP) — Low-cost fashion brand H&M said Wednesday that it will be reducing its global workforce by around 1,500 positions as part of a plan to reduce costs and further improve efficiency.
U.S. senators from both parties expressed skepticism Tuesday that a proposed merger between grocery giants Kroger and Albertsons would result in lower prices for consumers.
NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL POLITICS
WASHINGTON (AP) — Emboldened House Democrats are poised to usher in a new generation of leaders with Rep. Hakeem Jeffries becoming the first Black American to head a major political party in Congress as long-serving Speaker Nancy Pelosi and her team step aside.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The United States isn't seeking to sever economic ties with China — even as Washington takes steps to protect America's technological and military prowess from Beijing, U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo said.
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden plans to make new commitments to Native American nations during the government's first in-person summit on tribal affairs in six years.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Democrats considering shaking up the order of their 2024 presidential primary are waiting on President Joe Biden, anxious to see if he'll endorse stripping Iowa of its traditional leadoff spot or discourage major changes while mulling his own potential reelection bid.
UKRAINE
BUCHAREST (AP) — U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken condemned Russia's weeks-long assault on Ukraine's power grid, saying as NATO scrambled Wednesday to scrape up replacement electrical gear that Russia had turned its war machine to strikes aiming to "turn off the heat…so that civilians suffer."
BRUSSELS (AP) — The European Union proposed Wednesday to set up a U.N.-backed specialized court to investigate possible war crimes committed by Russia in Ukraine, and to use frozen Russian assets to rebuild the war-torn country.
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 29
UT SPORTS
Quarterbacks Caleb Williams of Southern California, C.J. Stroud of Ohio State and Hendon Hooker of Tennessee have been named finalists for the Maxwell Award as the player of the year in college football.
SPORTS
MURFREESBORO (AP) — Middle Tennessee will play San Diego State in the Hawaii Bowl on Dec. 24 on the campus of the University of Hawaii after the bowl game was canceled in 2020 and 2021 because of the coronavirus pandemic.
GREENSBORO, N.C. (AP) — The Atlantic Coast and Southeastern conferences are set to begin an annual inter-conference men's and women's basketball battle next season.
STATE GOVERNMENT
NASHVILLE (AP) — Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee has set election dates to fill the opening left by the death of Democratic state Rep. Barbara Cooper.
NASHVILLE (AP) — A Tennessee panel on Monday approved a $40 million state economic incentive for a company that plans to invest $3.2 billion to develop a cathode materials plant for electric vehicle batteries.
COURTS
NEW YORK (AP) — The defense rested Monday at the Trump Organization's criminal tax fraud trial after a contentious day in court, putting the case involving former President Donald Trump's real estate empire on track for deliberations next week.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The last conversation Sandra Torres had with her 10-year-old daughter was about her nervous excitement over whether she'd make the all-star softball team. Hours later, Eliahna Torres was one of 19 children and two teachers massacred at their elementary school in Uvalde, Texas.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court on Tuesday wrestled with a politically tinged dispute over a Biden administration policy that would prioritize deportation of people in the country illegally who pose the greatest public safety risk.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court is making a fuller reopening to the public following more than two and a half years of closures related to the coronavirus pandemic.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court said Monday in a letter to Congress that there is "nothing to suggest" that Justice Samuel Alito violated ethics standards following a report that a 2014 decision he wrote was leaked in advance of its announcement.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes was convicted Tuesday of seditious conspiracy for a violent plot to overturn President Joe Biden's election, handing the Justice Department a major victory in its massive prosecution of the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection
AUTO INDUSTRY
DETROIT (AP) — New electric vehicle models from multiple automakers are starting to chip away at Tesla's dominance of the U.S. EV market, according to national vehicle registration data.
ENVIRONMENT
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Interior Department on Monday proposed rules to limit methane leaks from oil and gas drilling on public lands, the latest action by the Biden administration to crack down on emissions of methane, a potent greenhouse gas that contributes significantly to global warming.
MEDIA
Twitter will no longer enforce its policy against COVID-19 misinformation, raising concerns among public health experts that the change could have serious consequences if it discourages vaccination and other efforts to combat the still-spreading virus.
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — The Federal Trade Commission and a handful of states announced settlements Monday with Google and iHeartMedia related to misleading radio advertisements about a Google cellphone.
COVID-19
BERLIN (AP) — It is time for China to move away from massive lockdowns and toward a more targeted approach to COVID-19, the head of the International Monetary Fund said days after widespread protests broke out, a change that would ease the impact to a world economy already struggling with high inflation, an energy crisis and disrupted food supply.
ENERGY
BEIJING (AP) — China is ready to "forge closer partnership" with Russia in energy, a state news agency quoted President Xi Jinping as saying in a letter Tuesday, potentially expanding ties that irk Washington by helping the Kremlin resist sanctions over its war on Ukraine.
NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS
Stocks ended an unsteady day with mixed results as gains for energy companies were offset by losses in technology and other sectors. Trading was uneven Tuesday as investors closely watch developments in China and economic data amid worries about stubbornly hot inflation. The S&P 500 slipped 0.2% and the tech-heavy Nasdaq lost 0.6%. The Dow Jones Industrial Average ended just barely in the green and small-company stocks rose. Treasury yields rose. The yield on the 10-year Treasury note, which helps set mortgage rates, rose to 3.76%. Crude oil prices rose.
U.S. consumer confidence fell for the second straight month in November amid ongoing high inflation, rising interest rates, and layoffs in the tech sector.
BERLIN (AP) — German inflation slipped back slightly to 10% in November, official figures showed Tuesday, but galloping prices remain a major headache for Europe's biggest economy.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Two Federal Reserve officials said Monday that they favor raising the Fed's key rate to roughly 5% or more and keeping it at its peak through next year — longer than many on Wall Street have expected.
NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL POLITICS
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate will vote Tuesday on bipartisan legislation to protect same-sex and interracial marriages, moving Congress closer to passing the landmark bill and ensuring that such unions are enshrined in federal law.
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden said Tuesday he hopes both parties' lawmakers can work together to keep the government open, boost spending for Ukraine and avert a crippling rail strike. But the Republicans' pick to be the next House speaker shrugged off the sunny talk, serving notice that things are "going to be different" once the GOP takes control of the chamber.
BAY CITY, Michigan (AP) — President Joe Biden hit the road Tuesday to push his economic agenda, aiming to maintain momentum after his party's better-than-expected showing in the midterm elections.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration on Tuesday announced plans for a second Summit for Democracy next year, this time to be co-hosted by the governments of Costa Rica, the Netherlands, South Korea and Zambia.
WASHINGTON (AP) — China is expanding its nuclear force and is on pace to nearly quadruple the number of warheads it has by 2035, rapidly closing its gap with the United States, the Pentagon said in a report released Tuesday.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The House committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol is expected to interview former Secret Service agent Tony Ornato on Tuesday about Donald Trump's actions on the day of the insurrection, according to a person familiar with the matter.
WASHINGTON (AP) — House Republicans are promising aggressive oversight of the Biden administration once they assume the majority next year, with a particular focus on the business dealings of presidential son Hunter Biden, illegal immigration at the U.S.-Mexico border and the originations of COVID-19.
WASHINGTON (AP) — French President Emmanuel Macron is headed to Washington for the first state visit of Joe Biden's presidency — a revival of diplomatic pageantry that had been put on hold because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. Rep. A. Donald McEachin, D-Va., died Monday after a battle with colorectal cancer, his office said. He was 61.
WASHINGTON (AP) — A growing number of Republicans, including former Vice President Mike Pence, criticized Donald Trump on Monday for dining with a Holocaust-denying white nationalist and the rapper formerly known as Kanye West days after launching his third campaign for the White House.
UKRAINE
BUCHAREST, Romania (AP) — NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg reaffirmed the military alliance's commitment to Ukraine on Tuesday, saying that the war-torn nation will one day become a member of the world's largest security organization.
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — An uneasy calm hung over Kyiv on Tuesday as residents of the Ukrainian capital did what they could to prepare for anticipated Russian missile attacks aiming to take out more energy infrastructure as winter sets in.
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 28
TENNESSEE TITANS
NASHVILLE (AP) — The Tennessee Titans must work through some offensive issues to relieve the pressure on both two-time NFL rushing champ Derrick Henry and one of the league's stingiest defenses.
NASHVILLE (AP) — The Tennessee Titans are not among the NFL's highest-scoring teams.
SPORTS
KNOXVILLE (AP) — Lindsay Whalen, who helped the Minnesota Lynx win four WNBA championships, will be inducted into the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame next spring as part of a five-member class.
NEW YORK (AP) — The United States' 0-0 draw against England in the World Cup drew 19.98 million viewers for English- and Spanish-language broadcasts, the third-most watched men's soccer game on U.S. television.
COURTS
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court seemed ready Monday to side with a onetime top aide to ex-New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo and others convicted of corruption related to an upstate economic development project dubbed the Buffalo Billion.
NEW YORK (AP) — There was talk of impeachment Monday at the Trump Organization's criminal tax fraud trial — not former President Donald Trump's, which happened twice — but whether lawyers for his company were angling to impeach their own witness, longtime Trump accountant Donald Bender.
NASHVILLE (AP) — The Governor's Council for Judicial Appointments has forwarded three names to Gov. Bill Lee to consider for a vacancy on the Court of Criminal Appeals.
MEDIA
LONDON (AP) — Irish regulators slapped Facebook parent Meta with a 265 million-euro ($277 million) fine Monday, the company's latest punishment for breaching strict European Union data privacy rules.
NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS
Stocks fell broadly on Wall Street as protests spread in China calling for President Xi Jinping to step down amid growing anger over severe restrictions imposed as part of his "zero COVID" strategy in the world's second-largest economy.
BRUSSELS (AP) — The head of the European Central Bank said Monday she does not believe inflation has peaked after reaching the highest levels on record.
NEW YORK (AP) — Days after flocking to stores on Black Friday, consumers are turning online for Cyber Monday to score more discounts on gifts and other items that have ballooned in price because of high inflation.
Cryptocurrency lender BlockFi is filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection as the fallout from the collapse of crypto exchange FTX spreads outward.
NEW YORK (AP) — Don't look for plastic partitions or faraway benches when visiting Santa Claus this year. The jolly old elf is back, pre-pandemic style, and he's got some pressing issues on his mind.
NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL POLITICS
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration said Monday that Russia has abruptly and without explanation postponed the scheduled resumption of arms control talks this week.
WASHINGTON (AP) — "We the People" is Jill Biden's holiday theme with White House decorations designed for "the people" to see themselves in the tree ornaments, mantel displays, mirrors and do-it-yourself creations that have turned the mansion's public spaces into a winter wonderland.
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden is strengthening U.S. policy aimed at stemming sexual violence in war conflict zones, elevating the problem — increasingly documented in Ukraine and elsewhere — to the level of a possible serious human rights abuse that triggers sanctions and other actions against foreign perpetrators.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Republican leader Kevin McCarthy is in the fight of his political life, grinding through the promises and proposals, cajoling and deal-making necessary to win over reluctant colleagues whose support he needs to become House speaker.
UKRAINE
BUCHAREST (AP) — NATO returns on Tuesday to the scene of one of its most controversial decisions, intent on repeating its vow that Ukraine — now suffering through the 10th month of a war against Russia — will join the world's biggest military alliance one day.
KYIV (AP) — Ukraine prepared for more Russian strikes on Monday and warned of the possibility for a new round of evacuations from the capital during a relative lull from the airstrikes on energy facilities and other key infrastructure in recent weeks.
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 25
STATE GOVERNMENT
NASHVILLE (AP) — A Kentucky doctor and state senator has been appointed commissioner for the Tennessee Department of Health, officials said.
NASHVILLE (AP) — Tennessee House Republicans have nominated Speaker Cameron Sexton to serve a third term in the chamber's top leadership position.
NASHVILLE (AP) — A former Tennessee state senator accused of violating federal campaign finance laws pleaded guilty to two charges on Tuesday after initially calling the case against him a political witch hunt.
COURTS
NEW YORK (AP) — Donald Trump reported losses on his tax returns every year for a decade, including nearly $700 million in 2009 and $200 million in 2010, his longtime accountant testified Tuesday, confirming long-held suspicions about the former president's tax practices.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court on Tuesday cleared the way for the imminent handover of former President Donald Trump's tax returns to a congressional committee after a three-year legal fight.
WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal appeals court appeared deeply skeptical Tuesday that former President Donald Trump was entitled to challenge an FBI search of his Florida estate or to have an independent arbiter review documents that were seized from the home.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Jurors have gone home for the long Thanksgiving weekend after deliberating most of Tuesday in the Jan. 6 Capitol riot case accusing Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes and four of his extremist group associates of a violent plot to stop the transfer of presidential power from Republican Donald Trump to Democrat Joe Biden.
HEALTH CARE
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. health regulators on Tuesday approved the first gene therapy for hemophilia, a $3.5 million one-time treatment for the blood-clotting disorder.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration announced Tuesday that it's seeing a big uptick in the number of new customers buying private health insurance for 2023 from the Affordable Care Act's marketplace.
AUTO INDUSTRY
NASHVILLE (AP) — As millions of people travel the interstates this Thanksgiving, many will encounter patches of traffic at a standstill for no apparent reason — no construction or accident. Researchers say the problem is you.
ENERGY
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Treasury Department released new details Tuesday of its long-awaited plan to impose a price cap on Russian oil, but the U.S. and its allies are still finalizing how much they'll pay for petroleum exports that have helped fund the war in Ukraine.
NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS
WASHINGTON (AP) — Most Federal Reserve officials at their last meeting favored reducing the size of their interest rate hikes "soon''— just before raising their benchmark rate by a substantial three-quarters of a point for a fourth straight time.
Stocks closed higher on Wall Street following the release of the minutes from the Federal Reserve's most recent policy meeting, which showed Fed officials agreed that smaller rate hikes would likely be appropriate "soon."
NEW YORK (AP) — Consumers holding out for big deals — and some much-needed relief from soaring costs on just about everything — may be disappointed as they head into the busiest shopping season of the year.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits rose to the highest level since August but still remains low by historic standards.
NEW YORK (AP) — On a recent evening in early November, shoppers at the Bryant Park holiday market in New York City were in the holiday spirit well before Black Friday. The scent of pine wafted from candle sellers' booths, people snapped up gingerbread cookies and hot apple cider and ice skaters swirled figure eights around the rink in the center of the market.
ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — New York is taking a first-in-the-nation step to tap the brakes on the spread of cryptocurrency mining, under legislation that Gov. Kathy Hochul signed Tuesday.
NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL POLITICS
WASHINGTON (AP) — People in their 80s lead countries, create majestic art and perform feats of endurance. One entered the record books for scaling Mount Everest. It's soon time for Joe Biden, 80 on Sunday, to decide whether he has one more mountain to climb — the one to a second term as president.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The United States on Wednesday imposed sanctions against three more Iranian security officials in response to the Tehran government's continued crackdown on protests after 22-year-old Mahsa Amini died while being held by the morality police for violating the country's strictly enforced Islamic dress code.
WASHINGTON (AP) — House Republican leader Kevin McCarthy on Tuesday called on Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas to resign over management of the U.S. southern border with Mexico, warning that the new House GOP majority will open investigations that could lead to impeachment proceedings.
UKRAINE
WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. is sending an additional $400 million in ammunition and generators to Ukraine, the White House announced Wednesday, and is pulling the gear from its own stockpiles to get the support to Kyiv as fast as possible as Russia continues to target Ukraine's energy sources and winter sets in.
VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Francis on Wednesday linked the suffering of Ukrainians now to the 1930s "genocide artificially caused by Stalin," when the Soviet leader was blamed for creating a man-made famine in the country believed to have killed more than 3 million people.
BRUSSELS (AP) — The European Parliament on Wednesday overwhelmingly backed a resolution calling Russia a state sponsor of terrorism for its invasion of and actions in Ukraine.