News - Friday, July 4, 2025

On a brisk and biting January morning in 2018, a woman walked through the doors of Michel & Ward’s downtown Chattanooga office wearing a surgical mask. This was more than two years before COVID-19 made face coverings common. When she sat down across from Alix Michel and David Ward – the firm’s only two attorneys – she removed the mask.

Doug Hamill knew the case would be a fight.

BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee had a team of seasoned attorneys, led by one of the most respected litigators in the state. Bob Boston of Holland & Knight was at the helm for BlueCross, bringing his deep experience as the company’s longtime employment counsel. Hamill, a Chattanooga-based attorney, was joined only by his paralegal, Krista Guinn.

For generations, civil litigation has occasionally carried the cadence of an old Bible story: David, with his sling and stone, defying the might of Goliath. But attorney Marcus Chatterton, a tech-minded litigator with Balch & Bingham in Birmingham, Alabama, says that parable no longer fits the modern courtroom, where technology, litigation funding, and shifting legal strategies are rendering the underdog’s triumph a relic of the past.

By David Laprad

In the age of cybercrime, even the most powerful law firms can find themselves in an impossible position: fighting a battle against an enemy who might not even have a name.

“I come from a relatively large law firm,” says Marcus Chatterton, an intellectual property litigator based in Birmingham, Alabama. “We typically represent businesses, many of them well-resourced. But sometimes, we find ourselves pursuing someone who’s more or less anonymous – a hacker, a scammer – and it feels insurmountable. We might never find out who they are.”

David Laprad of the Hamilton County Herald won first place in the Tennessee Press Association statewide contest for Best Single Feature for his article on Christy Howard, a 50-year-old Chattanooga woman who suffers from epilepsy, and her quest to climb Mount Kilimanjaro.

Buying a home isn’t just about finding the right property – it’s also about being financially and mentally ready for the journey. From credit scores and down payments to timing and budgeting, there’s a lot to consider before you begin the search.

Celebrating Independence Day might remind you of the many freedoms you enjoy. But have you thought of what you might need to do to attain financial freedom?  

Your first step is to define what financial independence signifies to you. For many people, it means being able to retire when they want and to enjoy a comfortable retirement lifestyle. So, if this is your vision as well, consider taking these steps:

Joe Rogers is spending a little time celebrating the independence of not having to write a column this week…or next. He’ll be back in two weeks, but meanwhile, enjoy this set of musings from July 2022.

I don’t think of myself as a rebel, college alma mater (Hotty toddy!) notwithstanding. But I staged a mini-protest the other night at a Sounds game by refusing to stand and take off my hat as requested.

Transferring to the University of Tennessee for his fifth year of college basketball helped boost Chaz Lanier’s draft stock. Lanier showed professional organizations he was capable of making the jump to a high-level Division I program and improving his all-around game.

Most electric vehicles are five-passenger sedans or SUVs. But automakers are increasingly expanding their lineups to cater to shoppers wanting a three-row EV that can serve as a family hauler. 

These EVs can seat six or seven passengers, haul lots of cargo and potentially have more than 300 miles of driving range. They also come standard with many advanced safety features. 

WASHINGTON (AP) — House Republicans propelled President Donald Trump's $4.5 trillion tax breaks and spending cuts bill to final congressional passage Thursday, overcoming multiple setbacks to approve his signature second-term policy package before a Fourth of July deadline.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Republicans muscled President Donald Trump's tax and spending cut bill through the House on Thursday, the final step necessary to get the bill to his desk by the GOP's self-imposed deadline of July 4th.

At nearly 900 pages, the legislation is a sprawling collection of tax breaks, spending cuts and other Republican priorities, including new money for national defense and deportations.

SANTIAGO, Chile (AP) — Mikayla Blakes scored 27 points and the United States beat Brazil 92-84 to secure a berth in next year's World Cup in Germany.

"What a performance by our team. Knew it would be a tough physical game. It was what we expected," U.S. coach Kara Lawson said. "Brazil is a wonderful team. The power they have in the frontcourt gave us some challenges. Our team continued to fight, and we felt like if we could wear down with our depth a little bit maybe in the fourth quarter we could pull away."

The health of U.S. children has deteriorated over the past 17 years, with kids today more likely to have obesity, chronic diseases and mental health problems like depression, a new study says.

Much of what researchers found was already known, but the study paints a comprehensive picture by examining various aspects of children's physical and mental health at the same time.

Prices are falling for the popular obesity treatments Wegovy and Zepbound, but steady access to the drugs remains challenging.

The medications still amount to around $500 per month for those without insurance — out of reach for many patients. And even for people with insurance, coverage remains uneven.

NEW YORK (AP) — Eight members of the OPEC+ alliance of oil exporting countries say they will boost production by 548,000 barrels per day in August in a move that could further reduce gas prices this year.

The group that includes Saudi Arabia and Russia made the decision at a virtual meeting Saturday. They cited a "steady global economic outlook" and low oil inventories.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration is stepping up pressure on trading partners to quickly make new deals before a Wednesday deadline, with plans for the United States to start sending letters Monday warning countries that higher tariffs could kick in Aug. 1.

RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — The BRICS bloc of developing nations on Sunday condemned the increase of tariffs and attacks on Iran, but refrained from naming U.S. President Donald Trump. The group's declaration, which also took aim at Israel's military actions in the Middle East, also spared its member Russia from criticism and mentioned war-torn Ukraine just once.

FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — The European Union expects to find out on Monday whether President Donald Trump will impose punishing tariffs on America's largest trade partner in a move economists have warned would have repercussions for companies and consumers on both sides of the Atlantic.

BRIDGEWATER, N.J. (AP) — Elon Musk said he's carrying out his threat to form a new political party after his fissure with President Donald Trump, announcing the America Party in response to the president's sweeping tax cuts law.

Musk, once an ever-present ally to Trump as he headed up the slashing agency known as the Department of Government Efficiency, broke with the Republican president over his signature legislation, which was signed into law Friday.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump on Monday set a 25% tax on goods imported from Japan and South Korea, as well as new tariff rates on Malaysia, Kazakhstan, South Africa, Laos and Myanmar, all of which would go into effect on Aug. 1.

Trump provided notice by posting letters on Truth Social that were addressed to the leaders of the various countries. The letters warned them to not retaliate by increasing their own import taxes, or else the Trump administration would further increase tariffs.

NEW YORK (AP) — Just over three months ago, President Donald Trump unveiled his most sweeping volley of tariffs yet — holding up large charts from the White House Rose Garden to outline new import taxes that the U.S. would soon slap on goods from nearly every country in the world.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Jeffrey Epstein did not maintain a "client list," the Justice Department acknowledged Monday as it said no more files related to the wealthy financier's sex trafficking investigation would be made public despite promises from Attorney General Pam Bondi that had raised the expectations of conservative influencers and conspiracy theorists.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration is ending the temporary status for nearly 80,000 Hondurans and Nicaraguans that has allowed them to live and work in the U.S. for a quarter of a century after a devastating hurricane hit Central America, according to federal government notices — a move that comes as the White House pushes to make more immigrants in the U.S. eligible for deportation.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration is revoking the terrorism designation of a group led by Syria's new president as part of a broader U.S. engagement with the transitional government since the ouster of former leader Bashar Assad late last year.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Former federal officials and outside experts have warned for months that President Donald Trump's deep staffing cuts to the National Weather Service could endanger lives.

After torrential rains and flash flooding struck Friday in the Texas Hill Country, the weather service came under fire from local officials who criticized what they described as inadequate forecasts, though most in the heavily Republican state stopped sort of blaming Trump's cuts. Democrats, meanwhile, wasted little time in linking the staff reductions to the disaster, which is being blamed for the deaths of at least 80 people, including more than two dozen girls and counselors attending a summer camp on the banks of the Guadalupe River.

WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal judge has allowed the Trump administration to rescind nearly $800 million dollars in grants for programs supporting violence reduction and crime victims.

U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta in Washington on Monday denied a preliminary injunction sought by five organizations on behalf of all recipients of the more than 360 grant awards, and granted a motion by the federal government to dismiss the case. Mehta called the Department of Justice's actions "shameful," but said the court lacked jurisdiction and the organizations had failed to state a constitutional violation or protection.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on Monday praised a company that makes $7-a-pop meals that are delivered directly to the homes of Medicaid and Medicare enrollees.

He even thanked Mom's Meals for sending taxpayer-funded meals "without additives" to the homes of sick or elderly Americans. The spreads include chicken bacon ranch pasta for dinner and French toast sticks with fruit or ham patties.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Foreign tourists are trickling back to China after the country loosened its visa policy to unprecedented levels. Citizens from 74 countries can now enter China for up to 30 days without a visa, a big jump from previous regulations.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump on Monday set a 25% tax on goods imported from Japan and South Korea, as well as new tariff rates on a dozen other nations that would go into effect on Aug. 1.

Trump provided notice by posting letters on Truth Social that were addressed to the leaders of the various countries. The letters warned them to not retaliate by increasing their own import taxes, or else the Trump administration would further increase tariffs.

NEW YORK (AP) — Amazon is extending its annual Prime Day sales and offering new membership perks to Gen Z shoppers amid tariff-related price worries and possibly some consumer boredom with an event marking its 11th year.

The e-commerce giant's promised blitz of summer deals for Prime members starts at 3:01 a.m. Eastern time on Tuesday. For the first time, Seattle-based Amazon is holding the now-misnamed Prime Day over four days; the company launched the event in 2015 and expanded it to two days in 2019.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The State Department is warning U.S. diplomats of attempts to impersonate Secretary of State Marco Rubio and possibly other officials using technology driven by artificial intelligence, according to two senior officials and a cable sent last week to all embassies and consulates.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The IRS says pastors who endorse political candidates from the pulpit should not have to risk losing their tax-exempt status.

The move effectively calls for a carve out for religious organizations from the rarely used IRS rule called the Johnson Amendment, put in place in 1954 and named after then-Sen. Lyndon Johnson.

WASHINGTON (AP) — While the Trump administration explores ways to encourage Americans to have more babies and reverse the United States' falling birth rate, a new poll finds that relatively few U.S. adults see this as a priority or share the White House's concerns.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump is reshaping a student loan cancellation program into what some fear will become a tool for political retribution, taking aim at organizations that serve immigrants and transgender youth.

Public Service Loan Forgiveness allows government employees, such as teachers and firefighters, plus many who work for nonprofits, to have their student loans canceled after they've made payments for 10 years. The Education Department is preparing an overhaul that would strip the benefit from organizations involved in "illegal activities," with the final determination left up to the U.S. education secretary. A draft proposal released by the department includes definitions of illegal activity that center on immigration, terrorism and transgender issues.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump said Monday the U.S. will have to send more weapons to Ukraine, just days after ordering a pause in critical weapons deliveries to Kyiv.

The comments by Trump appeared to be an abrupt change in posture after the Pentagon announced last week that it would hold back delivering to Ukraine some air defense missiles, precision-guided artillery and other weapons because of what U.S. officials said were concerns that stockpiles have declined too much.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The government of El Salvador has acknowledged to United Nations investigators that the Trump administration maintains control of the Venezuelan men who were deported from the U.S. to a notorious Salvadoran prison, contradicting public statements by officials in both countries.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Former President Joe Biden's physician has asked to delay his testimony before the House oversight committee this week, citing the need for an agreement that will respect doctor-patient confidentiality rules as part of the investigation into Biden's health in office.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court on Tuesday cleared the way for President Donald Trump's plans to downsize the federal workforce despite warnings that critical government services will be lost and hundreds of thousands of federal employees will be out of their jobs.

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Real estate investors are snapping up a bigger share of U.S. homes on the market as rising prices and stubbornly high borrowing costs freeze out many other would-be homebuyers.

Nearly 27% of all homes sold in the first three months of the year were bought by investors -- the highest share in at least five years, according to a report by real estate data provider BatchData.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration is dropping plans to allow continued use of the last type of asbestos legally allowed in U.S. manufacturing after an outcry from asbestos opponents.

The Environmental Protection Agency said in a court filing Monday that it will now defend the Biden administration's ban of chrysotile asbestos, which is used in products like brake blocks and sheet gaskets.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump's decision to send more defensive weapons to Ukraine came after he privately expressed frustration with Pentagon officials for announcing a pause in some deliveries last week — a move that he felt wasn't properly coordinated with the White House, according to three people familiar with the matter.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump said Tuesday that he's "not happy" with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, saying Moscow's ongoing war in Ukraine is "killing a lot of people" on both sides.

"I'm not happy with him, I can tell you that much right now. This is killing a lot of people," Trump said of Putin during a meeting with his Cabinet.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump leapt to the defense of Attorney General Pam Bondi on Tuesday in the face of mounting criticism from far-right influencers and conservative internet personalities over the Justice Department's abrupt refusal to release additional documents from the Jeffrey Epstein sex-trafficking investigation.