VOL. 46 | NO. 32 | Friday, August 12, 2022
RICHARD COURTNEY: REALTY CHECK
Things have changed. Realtors have begun to incorporate the “price improvement” verbiage into their vocabularies and their postings, and many of the nearly 2,000 new Realtors in the area are venturing into uncharted waters with a sales technique known as “open houses.”
REAL ESTATE
WASHINGTON (AP) — Average long-term U.S. mortgage rates soared this week in a continued volatile market as the key 30-year loan rate jumped back over 5%.
TENNESSEE TITANS
Rookie QBs are fun to talk about, hard to watch
When you get something new, it’s human nature to give it special attention and hold it in high regard. It doesn’t matter whether it is a new house, a new car, a new phone or, in the case of Tennessee Titans fans, a new quarterback.
After draft classes that have not shown success collectively the past couple of seasons, the Titans came into 2022 needing their selections to make some immediate contributions if they are to fill holes and remain an AFC contender.
UT SPORTS
Because of the blink-and-you-might-miss-it style and amount of points scored, Tennessee’s offense usually gets most of the attention. But it could be Tennessee’s defense that determines the true potential of the team during the 2022 season.
NEWSMAKERS
Heather H. Sveadas has joined Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP as counsel in the health care practice group.
BRIEFS
A new study led by Vanderbilt showed the sustained benefits of health coaching for patients with chronic conditions like heart disease and diabetes.
BEHIND THE WHEEL
New cars are pricier than ever with inflation, low inventory and now rising interest rates taking a toll on prices.
PERSONAL FINANCE
Inflation is scary. Groceries, gas, airfare, car purchases, utilities: In so many areas, your buying power is shrinking as prices continue to rise.
MILLENNIAL MONEY
Amid rising inflation, interest rates and recession worries, money is getting tighter for many folks – and probably for you. Yet there might be charitable organizations you want to support, friends or family asking for financial help and things you want to buy for yourself.
TENNESSEE TITANS
3:44pmNASHVILLE (AP) — The Tennessee Titans have a competition for the job backing up Ryan Tannehill, and coach Mike Vrabel has made it very clear they want rookie Malik Willis throwing more.
4:48amBALTIMORE (AP) — Tyler Huntley went 16 of 18 for 110 yards and a touchdown in the first half, and the Baltimore Ravens extended their record streak of preseason victories to 21 with a 23-10 win over the Tennessee Titans on Thursday night.
COURTS
3:30pmWASHINGTON (AP) — The FBI recovered documents that were labeled "top secret" from former President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida, according to court papers released Friday after a federal judge unsealed the warrant that authorized the unprecedented search this week.
3:31pmWASHINGTON (AP) — Republicans in Congress who are relying on Donald Trump to excite voters in the fall elections are not only defending the former president against the FBI search of his Mar-a-Lago home but politically capitalizing on it with grave and potentially dangerous rhetoric against the nation's justice system.
3:31pmWASHINGTON (AP) — The FBI search of former President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate has already sent reverberations across the country, even as new details emerge about what agents were looking for in the investigation into whether he took classified records from the White House to his Florida residence.
4:54amWASHINGTON (AP) — Former President Donald Trump called late Thursday for the "immediate" release of the federal warrant the FBI used to search his Florida estate, hours after the Justice Department had asked a court to unseal the warrant, with Attorney General Merrick Garland citing the "substantial public interest in this matter."
11:05amNEW YORK (AP) — Capping an extraordinary week in Donald Trump's post-presidency, a New York judge ordered Friday that his company and its longtime finance chief stand trial in the fall on tax fraud charges stemming from a long-running criminal investigation into Trump's business practices.
ENVIRONMENT
3:34pmBILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — A diesel pipeline in Wyoming owned by a company that's being sued by federal prosecutors over previous spills in two other states cracked open and released more than 45,000 gallons (205,000 liters) of fuel, a state official said Friday.
COVID-19
4:55amNEW YORK (AP) — The nation's top public health agency relaxed its COVID-19 guidelines Thursday, dropping the recommendation that Americans quarantine themselves if they come into close contact with an infected person.
NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS
3:38pmStocks are closing higher on Wall Street, giving the S&P 500 its first 4-week winning streak since November.
3:33pmNEW YORK (AP) — Best Buy, the nation's largest consumer electronics chain, is trimming jobs in an effort to adjust to new changes in consumer behavior as the virus wanes.
4:51amWASHINGTON (AP) — Whether it's the fitness tracker on your wrist, the "smart" home appliances in your house or the latest kids' fad going viral in online videos, they all produce a trove of personal data for big tech companies.
4:51amPHOENIX (AP) — U.S. transportation officials announced $2.2 billion for local infrastructure projects on Thursday, paving the way for new bridges, roads, bike lanes, railways and ports in scores of communities across the country.
4:49amLONDON (AP) — The United Kingdom's economy shrank in the three months to June, figures released Friday showed — a smaller-than-expected contraction that nevertheless added to jitters about the rocky months ahead.
4:50amSEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korea's president will formally pardon Samsung heir Lee Jae-yong, one year after he was released on parole from a prison sentence for bribing former President Park Geun-hye as part of the massive corruption scandal that toppled Park's government, the justice minister announced Friday.
NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL POLITICS
3:36pmWASHINGTON (AP) — Democrats pushed their flagship climate change and health care bill toward House passage Friday, placing President Joe Biden on the brink of a back-from-the-dead triumph on his leading domestic goals that the party hopes will bolster their prospects in November's elections.
3:35pmWASHINGTON (AP) — With inflation raging near its highest level in four decades, Congress is poised to approve President Joe Biden's signature Inflation Reduction Act. Its title raises a tantalizing question: Will the measure actually tame the price spikes that have inflicted hardships on American households?
9:15amWASHINGTON (AP) — The biggest investment ever in the U.S. to fight climate change. A hard-fought cap on out-of-pocket prescription drug costs for Medicare recipients. A new corporate minimum tax to ensure big businesses pay their share.
4:54amWASHINGTON (AP) — After decades of inaction in the face of escalating natural disasters and sustained global warming, Congress hopes to make clean energy so cheap in all aspects of life that it's nearly irresistible. The House is poised to pass a transformative bill Friday that would provide the most spending to fight climate change by any one nation ever in a single push.
UKRAINE
4:47amUNITED NATIONS (AP) — The U.N. nuclear chief warned Thursday that "very alarming" military activity at Europe's largest nuclear plant in southeastern Ukraine could lead to dangerous consequences for the region and called for an end to attacks at the Russian-controlled Zaporizhzhia facility.
4:49amKYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Thrown between hope and despair, expectations were raised Friday that the first U.N. grain transport ship could soon be leaving Ukraine for Africa while more Russian shelling struck the east of the country.
THURSDAY, AUGUST 11
MUSIC INDUSTRY
NASHVILLE (AP) — A Grammy-winning group of the world's top percussionists has reunited after 15 years on a new record that aims to bring the world together in rhythm and dance.
TOURISM
GATLINBURG (AP) — Masks will once again be required for visitors inside all Great Smoky Mountains National Park buildings due to the high transmission of the COVID-19 outbreak.
MUSIC INDUSTRY
ATLANTA (AP) — Tens of thousands of Music Midtown festivalgoers are no longer going to descend on Atlanta's massive Piedmont Park next month to cheer on hip-hop star Future or watch beloved rock band My Chemical Romance take the stage.
COURTS
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Justice Department has asked a court to unseal the warrant the FBI received before searching the Florida estate of former President Donald Trump, Attorney General Merrick Garland said Thursday, acknowledging the extraordinary public interest in the case.
NASHVILLE (AP) — A prominent prison reform advocate who disguised himself as a construction worker to hide guns, handcuff keys and hacksaw blades in the walls of a Nashville jail under construction pleaded guilty to a federal firearms charge on Thursday.
WASHINGTON (AP) — An off-duty Virginia police officer who stormed the U.S. Capitol with a fellow officer was sentenced Thursday to more than seven years in prison, matching the longest prison sentence so far among hundreds of Capitol riot cases.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Recently retired Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer has become the honorary co-chairman of a nonpartisan group devoted to education about the Constitution, joining Justice Neil Gorsuch at a time of intense political polarization and rising skepticism about the court's independence.
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — The director of the FBI had strong words Wednesday for supporters of former President Donald Trump who have been using violent rhetoric in the wake of his agency's search of Trump's Mar-a-Lago home.
MEDIA
Walt Disney Co. said Wednesday it is raising prices for streaming subscribers in the U.S. who want to watch Disney+ without ads, as more viewers switch to what CEO Bob Chapek described as the "best value in streaming."
AUTO INDUSTRY
BRUSSELS (AP) — The European Union expressed concern Thursday that a new U.S. tax credit plan aimed at encouraging Americans to buy electric vehicles would discriminate against European producers and break World Trade Organization rules.
TRANSPORTATION
NEW YORK (AP) — Gas prices have fallen from the record highs they reached earlier this summer, but they're still much higher than a year ago. And with inflation driving up the cost of pretty much everything else, finding the funds to cover your commute may be increasingly tricky.
NEW YORK (AP) — Gas prices are falling but still higher than they were a year ago. And inflation has made most everything else more expensive. If you're looking to save money on your commute, here are some tips:
DALLAS (AP) — Travelers got some welcome news in Wednesday's inflation report from the government: Airfares are coming down, and at a faster clip.
COVID-19
LONDON (AP) — The number of coronavirus deaths fell by 9% in the last week while new cases remained relatively stable, according to the latest weekly pandemic report released by the World Health Organization Wednesday.
NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS
NEW YORK (AP) — An afternoon pullback left stock indexes on Wall Street mixed, erasing most of their morning gains fueled by another encouraging report about inflation. The S&P 500 closed 0.1% lower Thursday.
WASHINGTON (AP) — After decades of inaction in the face of escalating natural disasters and sustained global warming, Congress hopes to make clean energy so cheap in all aspects of life that it's nearly irresistible. The House is poised to pass a transformative bill Friday that would provide the most spending to fight climate change by any one nation ever in a single push.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Prices at the wholesale level fell from June to July, the first month-to-month drop in more than two years and a sign that some of the U.S. economy's inflationary pressures cooled last month.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The number of Americans who signed up for unemployment benefits rose last week to the highest level since November, though the U.S. job market continues to show signs of strength.
CHICAGO (AP) — McDonald's will start reopening restaurants in Ukraine in the coming months, a symbol of the war-torn country's return to some sense of normalcy and a show of support after the American fast-food chain pulled out of Russia.
BERLIN (AP) — German Chancellor Olaf Scholz pledged his government won't leave citizens freezing or unable to pay their energy bills but acknowledged Thursday that his country faces considerable challenges in the coming months.
UKRAINE
COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called on Western nations Thursday to provide more money to help Ukraine's military keep fighting nearly 5½ months after Russia invaded its neighbor.