News - Friday, October 18, 2024

People claim she could sell ice to Eskimos, Realtor Amy Evans says.

Evans, 42, demonstrated her ability to close a hard sell when she convinced the man who’s now her husband to become a Tennessee Vols football fan. When they met, he had no interest in the sport, but now he bleeds orange and white like the rest of her family, she grins.

Attorney C. Mark Warren didn’t mind the drive to the Dome Building, the stately Georgia Avenue edifice where he and his law partner, John Mark Griffin, housed their personal injury firm Warren & Griffin for 18 years.

However, Warren did mind spending about 15 minutes a day riding up and down the elevators to reach the various floors to which his and Griffin’s firm had expanded since it first settled into the space in 2006.

The U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee and the Supreme Court Historical Society will host the opening of an exhibit created by the students of the 2024 “Supreme Court and My Hometown” summer civics camp at the Joel W. Solomon Federal Building and United States Courthouse Thursday, Oct. 24, 5 p.m.

Chattanooga attorney Donna Mikel has become a fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers, one of the premier legal associations in the United States and Canada.

Founded in 1950, the college is composed of members of the trial bar from the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico. Fellowship in the college is extended by invitation and after careful investigation to “experienced trial lawyers of diverse backgrounds who have mastered the art of advocacy and whose professional careers have been marked by the highest standards of ethical conduct, professionalism, civility and collegiality,” notes a statement from the college.

In the wake of Hurricane Helene’s devastating impact on upper East Tennessee and Western North Carolina, communities are rallying together to support relief efforts. Here at Greater Chattanooga Realtors, members have been donating crucial supplies to help support this mission.

Erlanger has tapped Rita Bunch to serve as the vice president and chief executive officer of Erlanger East and Erlanger North hospitals.

Bunch previously served as president of Sentara Martha Jefferson Hospital in Charlottesville, Virginia. During her tenure, she opened new locations and spearheaded a major restructuring of the hospital’s emergency department.

Habitat for Humanity of Greater Chattanooga will accept online applications for its Critical Home Repair program Nov. 4-15. The program is used to address issues many homeowners  over the age of 60 face as they struggle to remain in their homes.

The fifth annual Chattanooga Motorcar Festival brought the excitement of classic cars and innovative new vehicle designs to the Scenic City Oct. 11-13. The event included live music, a Saturday morning parade led by racing champion and Grand Marshal David Hobbs, the J. Willard Marriott Ferrari Club, car club displays, specialty car displays, a gathering of air-cooled Porsches, celebrity panel discussions, a street festival and more. The weekend concluded with the Concours d’Elegance, a juried competition among vintage, historic and classic cars that featured vehicles from around the globe vying for class trophies. The proceeds will benefit Chattanooga’s NeuroScience Innovation Foundation, a local Alzheimer’s and brain health research foundation.

I’d just unfolded my fortune cookie-shaped napkin and spread it across my lap when my server arrived to take my order. One of the perks of being the first diner through the front door must be quick service, I said to the woman, who beamed as she nodded.

With the presidential election just a few weeks away, the public is naturally interested in not just the outcome but what the results will mean for issues of national importance.

As a citizen, you likely share these concerns. But how about as an investor? After the votes are counted – or even before – should you make some moves in anticipation of possible changes in policy?

A new survey from MarketWatch Guides finds couples in a DINK relationship (“Dual Income, No Kids”) are four times more likely than parents to say they have no financial stress. What’s more, they accumulate money at a faster rate. DINKs report saving twice as much as parents each month ($908 instead of $413).

Tennessee’s offense has hit a few rough spots over the last few weeks, with the Vols struggling to create explosive plays, stretch defenses and generate points. It’s been up to Dylan Sampson to carry a larger load, and the junior running back has answered the call.

Five games into learning a new system and getting used to new weapons, Will Levis and the Tennessee Titans are stuck in second gear.

New coach Brian Callahan continues to work, as does Levis, but the desired results have not been forthcoming for the Titans, now 1-4 after Sunday’s home 20-17 loss to the Indianapolis Colts.

The Titans, already struggling at 1-4, face a daunting two-game road trip to Buffalo and Detroit. It will be a big ask, but here are the Titans best hopes for pulling an upset against Buffalo.

First down

Run the ball effectively. The Titans’ best hope might be to run the ball often and run it well.

The Ford F-150 Lightning and Tesla Cybertruck are two intriguing options for someone thinking about buying an electric pickup truck. They also couldn’t be more different.

The Lightning looks and drives much like a traditional gas-powered F-150. The Cybertruck, in contrast, looks like nothing else and ignores convention with its stainless-steel body and square steering wheel. Yet both trucks are capable of towing a trailer, hauling a bunch of gear or taking the family out to dinner.

NASHVILLE (AP) — Three-time Pro Bowl safety Jamal Adams' tenure with the Tennessee Titans ended Thursday on his 29th birthday with his release after the team placed the eight-year veteran on reserve/non-football injury list last weekend.

That roster move came after the Titans (1-4) already had declared Adams out with a hip injury. Adams started one of three games played for Tennessee, and he had just one tackle Sept. 30 in the Titans' one win at Miami.

WASHINGTON (AP) — An Alabama man was arrested Thursday for his alleged role in the January hack of a U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission social media account that led the price of bitcoin to spike, the Justice Department said.

Eric Council Jr., 25, of Athens, is accused of helping to break into the SEC's account on X, formerly known as Twitter, allowing the hackers to prematurely announce the approval of long-awaited bitcoin exchange-traded funds.

WASHINGTON (AP) — A former Long Island funeral home owner pleaded guilty on Thursday to spraying wasp killer at police officers and assaulting two journalists, including an Associated Press photographer, during a mob's riot at the U.S. Capitol nearly four years ago.

NEW YORK (AP) — Former President Donald Trump will trade the rally stage for comedy Thursday night as he headlines the annual Al Smith charity dinner, where he was jeered while delivering an especially pointed speech eight years ago.

Vice President Kamala Harris is skipping attending the event in person as she campaigns in battleground states, breaking with presidential tradition. But she will appear on screen in a recorded video, organizers said.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Mitch McConnell said after the 2020 election that then-President Donald Trump was "stupid as well as being ill-tempered," a "despicable human being" and a "narcissist," according to excerpts from a new biography of the Senate Republican leader that will be released this month.

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Just weeks before the U.S. presidential election, TikTok approved advertisements that contained election disinformation even though it has a ban on political ads, according to a report published Thursday by the nonprofit Global Witness.

Former NBC News anchor Brian Williams will be working again on election night, anchoring a live special with results and analysis to stream on Amazon Prime Video.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Global finance leaders face a major uncertainty as they meet in Washington next week: Who will win the U.S. presidential election and shape the policies of the world's biggest economy?

Republican nominee former President Donald Trump and Democratic nominee Vice President Kamala Harris have spoken little about their plans for the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank. But their differing views on trade, tariffs and other economic issues will be on the minds of the finance leaders as they attend the financial institutions' annual meetings.

NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stocks drifted around their record heights Thursday following the latest signals that the U.S. economy continues to hum.

The S&P 500 finished virtually unchanged after flirting with its all-time high for much of the day. The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 161 points, or 0.4%, to its own record set the day before, while the Nasdaq composite was close to flat.

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Kamala Harris said Thursday that Israel's killing of Hamas' top leader offers "an opportunity to finally end the war in Gaza," talking plainly about next steps even as the pro-Palestinian demonstrators who gathered outside her campaign event underscored the complicated politics at play.

ABOARD AIR FORCE ONE (AP) — President Joe Biden said Thursday that the killing of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar by Israeli troops is a "good day for Israel, for the United States, and for the world," calling it an "opportunity" to free hostages held by the militant group and end the yearlong war in Gaza.

NASHVILLE (AP) — Brett Kulak scored twice and Connor McDavid added his first goal of the season to lead the Edmonton Oilers to a 4-2 victory over the reeling Nashville Predators on Thursday night.

Jeff Skinner also scored and Calvin Pickard made 25 saves for the defending Western Conference champion Oilers, who have won consecutive games after beginning the season with a three-game skid.

NASHVILLE (AP) — A three-judge panel on Thursday ruled that Tennessee doctors who provide emergency abortions to protect the life of the mother cannot have their medical licenses revoked or face other disciplinary actions while a lawsuit challenging the state's sweeping abortion ban continues.

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (AP) — Kamala Harris and Donald Trump will both be scouring for votes in Michigan on Friday as they try to lock down support in this key political battleground.

Harris, the Democratic vice president, is scheduled to begin her day in Grand Rapids for a rally with other Democratic leaders. She then goes to Lansing, where she'll speak at a United Auto Workers union hall and promote the White House's record of supporting domestic car manufacturing.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Kremlin could not have asked for better publicity at a better time when Ben Swann, a self-described independent journalist who promotes conspiracy theories, released a 12-part video series he promised would reveal dark truths about Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Vice President Kamala Harris will make her first campaign appearances with Barack Obama and Michelle Obama, two of the most popular figures in the Democratic Party, at get-out-the-vote events this month in Georgia and Michigan.

It will be the former first lady's first time hitting the trail for Harris.

LA CROSSE, Wis. (AP) — Joy Olson proudly wore a "Make America Joyful Again" button Thursday as she waited in line to attend a Kamala Harris rally. But that doesn't mean the 70-year-old retiree with the happiest of names wants the Democratic nominee to shy away from taking the heat to Republican Donald Trump.

NEW YORK (AP) — Former President Donald Trump laced into Vice President Kamala Harris and other Democrats on Thursday in a pointed and at times bitter speech as he headlined the annual Al Smith charity dinner in New York.

Trump, in remarks that often felt more like a rally performance than a comedy routine, repeatedly criticized Harris over her decision to skip the event in a break from presidential tradition as she campaigned in Wisconsin.

ATLANTA (AP) — National and state Republicans on Thursday appealed a judge's ruling that said seven election rules recently passed by Georgia's State Election Board are "illegal, unconstitutional and void."

The Republican National Committee and the Georgia Republican Party are appealing a ruling from Fulton County Superior Court Judge Thomas Cox, who ruled Wednesday that the State Election Board did not have the authority to pass the rules and ordered it to immediately inform all state and local election officials that the rules are void and not to be followed.

DETROIT (AP) — The U.S. government's road safety agency is again investigating Tesla's "Full Self-Driving" system, this time after getting reports of crashes in low-visibility conditions, including one that killed a pedestrian.

The National Highway Safety Administration says in documents that it opened the probe on Thursday after the company reported four crashes after Teslas entered areas of low visibility including sun glare, fog and airborne dust.

ROME (AP) — Workers in Italy's troubled automotive sector are holding a national strike on Friday for the first time in 20 years, with a massive demonstration crossing the center of Rome.

Tens of thousands automotive workers marched through the capital's streets, waving the unions' red flags and holding banners asking for better work conditions.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration is shelling out billions of dollars for clean energy and approving major offshore wind projects as officials race to secure major climate initiatives before President Joe Biden's term comes to an end.

Biden wants to establish a legacy for climate action that includes locking in a trajectory for reducing the nation's planet-warming greenhouse gas emissions. Former President Donald Trump has pledged to rescind unspent funds in Biden's landmark climate and health care bill and stop offshore wind development if he returns to the White House in January.

WASHINGTON (AP) — It's a trend that has surprised many: Why, despite being squeezed by high prices, have Americans kept spending at retail stores and restaurants at a robust pace?

One key reason is a relatively simple one: Wealthier consumers, boosted by strong gains in income, home equity and stock market wealth, have increasingly driven the spending.

NEW YORK (AP) — American Express' third-quarter profit topped analysts' expectations as the credit card company's cardholders continue to spend, with many holding a balance.

American Express earned $2.51 billion, or $3.49 per share, for the period ended Sept. 30. That compares with $2.45 billion, or $3.30 per share, a year earlier.

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Kamala Harris said Thursday that Israel's killing of Hamas' top leader offers "an opportunity to finally end the war in Gaza," talking plainly about next steps even as the pro-Palestinian demonstrators who gathered outside her campaign event underscored the complicated politics at play.

FRANKLIN (AP) — Former NFL quarterback Jay Cutler was arrested and charged with driving under the influence and possession of a handgun after a minor collision on Thursday.

Cutler, 41, was given a $5,000 bond and was released, according to a statement from the Franklin Police Department.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The judge overseeing Donald Trump's 2020 election interference case made public Friday a heavily redacted trove of documents that provide a small glimpse into the evidence prosecutors will present if the case ever goes to trial.

The nearly 1,900 pages of documents collected by special counsel Jack Smith's team were initially filed under seal to help U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan decide what allegations can proceed to trial following the Supreme Court opinion in July that conferred broad immunity on former presidents for official acts they take in office.

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A federal judge on Friday delayed an order requiring Google to open up its Android app store to more competition until an appeals court decides whether to block the shake-up because of legal questions surrounding a jury's verdict that branded Google as an illegal monopolist.

PHOENIX (AP) — It was Donald Trump's mispronunciation that first caught attention.

"Also, we have many Asur-Asians in our room," Trump said at a weekend rally in Prescott Valley, Arizona. "We have some incredible people in our room."

Asur-Asians?

NEW YORK (AP) — Judges seeking appointments to the federal bench. Wealthy Republicans hoping for ambassadorships. Criminals who wanted pardons.

They were among the big spenders at Donald Trump 's Washington, D.C., hotel while he was president. And many got what they wanted, according to a report released Friday by Democrats on the House Oversight Committee.

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (AP) — Kamala Harris and Donald Trump both sought support from Arab American voters Friday as they campaigned in Michigan, trying to lock down support in a battleground state that could decide the presidential race next month.

SOUTHPORT, Conn. (AP) — The Diamond Sports Group's channels will soon be branded as FanDuel Sports Network.

The Diamond Sports Group, which is going through bankruptcy proceedings, and FanDuel made the announcement Friday. Diamond's channels had been Bally Sports since baseball's Opening Day in 2021. The name change will take place Oct. 21.

NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stocks rose to more records and closed out their longest weekly winning streak of the year. The S&P 500 rose 0.4% Friday.

The benchmark index squeaked past the all-time high it set early this week and logged is sixth straight winning week. The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 0.1% to its own record set the day before, and the Nasdaq composite gained 0.6%.

GENEVA (AP) — The United States is expressing disappointment over a decision by the Swiss government not to adopt all measures in the latest round of European Union sanctions against Russia over its war in Ukraine.

Amb. Scott Miller, the top U.S. envoy in the Swiss capital, expressed hope that Bern will work to close a "loophole" that allows overseas subsidiaries to get around sanctions, which aim to punish the Russian government over President Vladimir Putin's all-out war in Ukraine launched in February 2022.

Oregon became the fourth team this season to hold the No. 1 ranking in The Associated Press college football poll, moving into the top spot on Sunday for the first time in 12 years after Texas lost at home to Georgia.

Vanderbilt made its first appearance since the 2013 season, at No. 25, and defending national champion Michigan fell out after a second straight loss dropped it to 4-3.

Oregon took over as the No. 1 seed in The Associated Press College Football Playoff bracket projection Sunday.

The Ducks, coming off a 35-0 win at Purdue, moved to the top line as the projected Big Ten champion and new No. 1 team in the AP Top 25.

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) — It doesn't appear to matter who's under center for the Tennessee Titans lately — Will Levis or, in the interim, Mason Rudolph.

The same issues — unproductive second halves, turnovers and penalties — that affected the Titans through their first five games, re-appeared in a 34-10 loss to the Buffalo Bills on Sunday that has Tennessee (1-5) off to its worst start since 2015.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court rejected an appeal Monday from Michael Cohen, who wanted to hold his former boss ex-president Donald Trump liable for a jailing he said was retaliation for writing a tell-all memoir.

The justices did not detail their reasoning in the brief, routine order released just over two weeks before Election Day when Trump is running for another term.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Kamala Harris ' campaign and affiliated Democratic groups raised about $633 million for the quarter, which ended last month, pushing their total to over $1 billion while maintaining a large financial advantage over Republican candidate Donald Trump in the presidential election's final sprint.

BAKER, Nev. (AP) — Few things say America like Janille and Tom Baker's ranch, with its grazing cattle, scrub brush-dotted desert and snow-capped mountains.

If only they could get American citizens to work on it.

FEASTERVILLE-TREVOSE, Pa. (AP) — Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump manned the fry station at a McDonald's in Pennsylvania on Sunday before staging an impromptu news conference, answering questions through the drive-thru window.

As reporters and aides watched, an employee showed Trump how to dunk baskets of fries in oil, salt the fries and put them into boxes using a scoop. Trump, a well-known fan of fast food and a notorious germophobe, expressed amazement that he didn't have to touch the fries with his hands.

LATROBE, Pa. (AP) — Donald Trump's campaign suggested he would begin previewing his closing argument Saturday night with Election Day barely two weeks away. But the former president kicked off his rally with a detailed story about Arnold Palmer, at one point even praising the late, legendary golfer's genitalia.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Voters remain largely divided over whether they prefer Republican Donald Trump or Democrat Kamala Harris to handle key economic issues, although Harris earns slightly better marks on elements such as taxes for the middle class, according to a new poll.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration said Tuesday that it would provide up to $325 million to Hemlock Semiconductor for a new factory, a move that could help give Democrats a political edge in the swing state of Michigan ahead of election day.

NEW YORK (AP) — New GoFundMe tools will make it easier to circulate causes across online platforms in a push to cater toward younger generations.

The crowdfunding site hopes to meet digital natives in the online spaces where they frequently advocate, streamlining the donation experience to encourage more charity and connecting traditional nonprofits with a demographic that prefers direct contributions over institutional giving. Among the features rolling out this fall are fundraising widgets for video game streamers, personalized profiles to highlight users' philanthropic interests and an integrated button on Instagram to donate.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Jill Biden trained her educator's eye on the White House public tour and on Monday unveiled an updated design to teach visitors more about the mansion's history and events that unfolded in some of its famous rooms.

A new stop on the tour is the Diplomatic Reception Room, previously off-limits. This ground-floor room is where President Franklin D. Roosevelt recorded his "fireside chats." Snippets of some of those conversations will now play for visitors.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Secretary of State Antony Blinken is heading again to the Middle East, making his 11th trip to the region since the Gaza war erupted last year and as Israel steps up attacks against Hezbollah in Lebanon.

The State Department said Blinken will depart on Monday for a weeklong trip to Israel and a number of Arab countries, on a visit that also comes as Israel weighs retaliation against Iran for ballistic missile attacks earlier this month.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Millions of people with private health insurance would be able to pick up over-the-counter methods like condoms, the "morning after" pill and birth control pills for free under a new rule the White House proposed on Monday.

Right now, health insurers must cover the cost of prescribed contraception, including prescription birth control or even condoms that doctors have issued a prescription for. But the new rule would expand that coverage, allowing millions of people on private health insurance to pick up free condoms, birth control pills, or "morning after" pills from local storefronts without a prescription.

SWANNANOA, N.C. (AP) — Surveying storm damage in North Carolina, former President Donald Trump on Monday blasted federal emergency responders whose work has been stymied by armed harassment and a deluge of misinformation, but he said he was not concerned that the aftermath of Hurricane Helene would affect election results in the battleground state.

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Kamala Harris teamed up with Liz Cheney on Monday to make a bipartisan appeal to Republican voters uneasy about Donald Trump, describing the former president as a malignant force that needs to be removed from American politics.

NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stocks edged back from their all-time highs Monday as some of the steam came out of Wall Street's long, record-breaking rally.

The S&P 500 slipped 0.2%, coming off a sixth straight winning week, its longest such streak of the year. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 344 points, or 0.8%, from its own record that was likewise set on Friday, while the Nasdaq composite rose 0.3%.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden is "deeply concerned" about the unauthorized release of classified documents on Israel's preparation for a potential retaliatory attack on Iran, a White House spokesman said Monday.

The Biden administration is still not certain if the classified information was leaked or hacked, White House national security spokesman John Kirby said. Officials don't have any indication at this point of "additional documents like this finding their way into the public domain," he said.

NASHVILLE (AP) — Titans coach Brian Callahan has been on coaching staffs in their first seasons with a new NFL team and knows how challenging that can be.

Now he's experiencing it himself desperately searching for a right tackle and evaluating a second-year quarterback in a new offense.

LOS ANGELES (AP) — A film production company that helped make "Blade Runner 2049" has sued Tesla and its CEO Elon Musk for using an AI-generated image resembling a scene from the science fiction movie to market Tesla's new robotaxis.

Alcon Entertainment said it refused all permissions but Tesla allegedly used artificial intelligence to "do it all anyway" when the carmaker unveiled its long-awaited robotaxi on Oct. 10 during a live-streamed event at a Warner Bros. studio lot in Burbank, California.

NEW YORK (AP) — Former Abercrombie & Fitch CEO Mike Jeffries, his romantic partner and a third man were arrested Tuesday on charges of luring dozens of men into sex parties held around the world, sometimes by dangling the promise of modeling for the clothing retailer.

WASHINGTON (AP) — When Joe Biden dropped out of the presidential race and Kamala Harris jumped in, a cascade of Zoom meetings with hundreds of thousands of participants popped up seemingly out of nowhere and helped propel her to the Democratic nomination.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Vice President Kamala Harris will head to reliably Republican Texas just 10 days before Election Day in an effort to refocus her campaign against former President Donald Trump on reproductive care, which Democrats see as a make-or-break issue this year.

WASHINGTON (AP) — For the past year, Project 2025 has endured as a persistent force in the presidential election, its far-right proposals deployed by Democrats as shorthand for what Donald Trump would potentially do with a second term at the White House.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Both Kamala Harris and Donald Trump see economic policy as their best chance to win Latino voters. But their approaches are very different.

In an interview with Telemundo on Tuesday afternoon, Vice President Harris plans to highlight how her agenda would create more opportunities for Latino men — a strategy born out of roughly a dozen focus groups and polling.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — After a month of updating Floridians on hurricanes, Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis is now focusing his official office on fighting an abortion rights amendment, holding a campaign-like rally at state expense two weeks before the election.

Surgery schedules around the country may be washed out for several more weeks while a crucial IV and sterile fluids factory remains shut down for hurricane-related damage.

People often plan non-emergency surgeries in the fall and early-winter months when their insurance coverage will pick up more of the bill, but they may have to wait while health systems preserve supplies for emergencies.

A recall of hundreds of frozen waffle products and other toaster foods sold in many U.S. grocery stores has expanded because they may be contaminated with dangerous listeria bacteria, the manufacturer said Tuesday.

TreeHouse Foods Inc., of Oak Brook, Illinois, said the updated recall includes all products made at a factory in Ontario, Canada, and sold at stores including Albertson's, Aldi, Dollar General, Kroger, Publix, Target, Walmart and others. The recall includes frozen toaster waffles, Belgian waffles and pancakes, the company said.

NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. taxpayers will again see higher standard deductions for 2025, allowing them to shield more of their money from taxation on future returns.

The Internal Revenue Service detailed the increases in its annual inflation adjustments announced Tuesday. For single taxpayers and married individuals filing separately in tax year 2025, the standard deduction is rising to $15,000 — up $400 from 2024.

DETROIT (AP) — U.S. sales are down and a once-reliably profitable joint venture in China is losing money, but General Motors still managed to post a third quarter profit of $3 billion Tuesday, slightly less than it made a year ago.

The Detroit automaker reported $48.8 billion in revenue from July through September, 10% more than last year, aided by U.S. average vehicle sale prices that were steady with last quarter at over $49,000.

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Venezuela's top prosecutor on Monday announced the arrest of a former oil minister and accused him of working with the U.S. government to undermine the industry that drives the country's economy.

Attorney General Tarek William Saab announced on Instagram the detention of Pedro Tellechea, who became Venezuela's oil czar in January 2023 following the resignation of one of President Nicolás Maduro's closest allies under a cloud of corruption allegations.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The FBI said Tuesday that it is investigating the unauthorized release of classified documents on Israel's preparation for a potential retaliatory attack on Iran.

White House national security spokesman John Kirby said Monday that the Biden administration is still not certain if the classified information was leaked or hacked but that officials don't have any indication at this point of "additional documents like this finding their way into the public domain."

WASHINGTON (AP) — The global war against inflation has largely been won — and at surprisingly little cost to economic growth, the International Monetary Fund declared Tuesday.

In its latest assessment of the global economy, the IMF predicted that worldwide inflation will cool from 6.7% last year to 5.8% this year and to 4.3% in 2025. It estimates that inflation will fall even faster in the world's wealthy countries, from 4.6% last year to 2.6% this year and 2% — the target range for most major central banks — in 2025.

WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal rule banning fake online reviews is now in effect.

The Federal Trade Commission issued the rule in August banning the sale or purchase of online reviews. The rule, which went into effect Monday, allows the agency to seek civil penalties against those who knowingly violate it.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen is telling world financial leaders that the U.S. economy has grown stronger because the Biden administration rejected isolationism, offering a barely veiled criticism of former President Donald Trump's policies two weeks before the U.S. election.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump on Tuesday called his Democratic opponent Kamala Harris "lazy," criticizing the vice president with a word long used to demean Black people in racist terms.

"Who the hell takes off when you have 14 days left," Trump said at a campaign event in Doral, Florida, aimed at courting Latino voters. "She's lazy. She's lazy as hell."

WASHINGTON (AP) — Groups in Russia created and helped spread viral disinformation targeting Democratic vice presidential candidate Tim Walz, a senior U.S. intelligence official said Tuesday.

The content, which includes baseless accusations about the Minnesota governor's time as a teacher, contains several indications that it was manipulated, said the official with the Office of the Director of National Intelligence.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Both Kamala Harris and Donald Trump promoted economic policy Tuesday as their best chance to win Latino voters. But their approaches are very different.

In an interview with Telemundo on Tuesday afternoon, Vice President Harris plans to highlight how her agenda would create more opportunities for Latino men — a strategy born out of roughly a dozen focus groups and polling.

DETROIT (AP) — Shares of General Motors jumped more than 10% Tuesday after the automaker posted a third-quarter profit of $3 billion, just slightly less the same quarter a year ago. It was the stock's biggest single day surge since March of 2020.

NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stock indexes barely budged after a quiet day of mixed trading on Tuesday.

The S&P 500 edged down by less than 0.1%. It was a tiny loss, but it still marked the first back-to-back drop for the index in a month and a half. The index fell modestly on Monday after coming off a sixth straight winning week, its longest such streak of the year.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The two-time defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs are acquiring three-time All-Pro wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins from the Tennessee Titans, replenishing a position group that has been ravaged by injuries, a person familiar with the deal told The Associated Press on Wednesday.

NASHVILLE (AP) — Juuse Saros made 33 saves and the Nashville Predators ended their season-opening five-game losing streak with a 4-0 victory over the Boston Bruins on Tuesday night.

Ryan O'Reilly and Luke Evangelista had a goal and an assist each while Tommy Novak and Gustav Nyquist also scored for the Predators, who entered the game as the only team in the NHL without points in the standings.

GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) — Southeastern Conference quarterbacks may have played themselves out of the Heisman Trophy race for now.

Well, maybe not Vanderbilt's Diego Pavia. But he could be next.

Alabama's Jalen Milroe has more interceptions than touchdown passes in four league games. Georgia's Carson Beck has leveled off against SEC competition, getting picked off eight times in his last four outings, including three at Alabama and three more at Texas last week.

Coach Rick Barnes is back for his 10th season with the Volunteers the defending SEC regular season champs starting the season ranked No. 12. Tennessee finished last season in the Elite Eight and ranked fifth for a program still looking for its first Final Four berth.

KNOXVILLE (AP) — Tennessee guard Kaiya Wynn is expected to miss the season after tearing her right Achilles tendon, coach Kim Caldwell announced Tuesday.

The 6-foot senior from Nashville was hurt Oct. 18 in practice. Tennessee said in a release that Wynn will have surgery and seek a medical redshirt to play the 2025-26 season with the Lady Vols.

The Vanderbilt Commodores start a new era with Mark Byington hoping to tap into the magic he showed taking James Madison to the NCAA Tournament as a No. 12 seed that knocked off Wisconsin.

He replaces Jerry Stackhouse, who went 70-92 over five seasons. Byington has to lure fans back to Memorial Gym in a season where the competition only gets tougher in the expanded Southeastern Conference. Nine of the 16 SEC teams are ranked to start the season. Byington had to build a schedule from scratch along with much of the roster with 10 transfers.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Conservatives already have a supermajority on the Supreme Court as a result of Donald Trump's presidency. If Trump wins a second term, the right side of the court could retain control for several more decades.

Justices Clarence Thomas, 76, and Samuel Alito, 74, are the two oldest members of the court. Either, or both, could consider stepping down knowing that Trump, a Republican, would nominate replacements who might be three decades younger.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Donald Trump's longest-serving chief of staff is warning that the Republican presidential nominee meets the definition of a fascist and that while in office, Trump suggested that Nazi leader Adolf Hitler "did some good things."

WASHINGTON (AP) — A new series of Kamala Harris campaign ads seek to highlight increasingly perilous medical care for women since the fall of Roe v. Wade by telling the story of a Texas woman who got a life-threatening infection when she couldn't get proper treatment after she miscarried and how she may no longer be able to have children.

PITTSBURGH (AP) — At the University of Pittsburgh, as freshmen students took their first steps on campus and swarms of lanternflies buzzed through the air, the sounds of Taylor Swift and Chappell Roan drifted from a folding table draped with an iridescent pink tablecloth.

ATLANTA (AP) — Charlie Kirk and Vivek Ramaswamy took the stage recently in downtown Atlanta, a decidedly liberal environment for two famous conservatives to hold court with college students.

WASHINGTON (AP) — In battleground Pennsylvania, Kamala Harris warned that democracy and reproductive rights were at stake as she campaigned alongside a former Republican congresswoman.

Going to the same state the day before, Donald Trump served French fries at a closed McDonald's.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Vice President Kamala Harris said Tuesday that her team is prepared to challenge Donald Trump if he tries to prematurely declare victory in the 2024 election — but she's first focused on beating the Republican nominee.

Harris spoke to NBC News just two weeks before Election Day, as part of a media blitz meant to deliver her closing argument before as many persuadable voters as possible. She said she was not concerned about the role sexism could play in the election, as she stands to be the first woman elected to the White House, and again defended President Joe Biden's fitness for office.

GREENSBORO, N.C. (AP) — Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump on Tuesday hurled a series of personal attacks at Vice President Kamala Harris, calling her "lazy" — a word long used to demean Black people in racist terms — and repeatedly questioning her intelligence and stamina.

DETROIT (AP) — Detroit rapper Eminem stepped into the political arena Tuesday in his hometown, where he spoke briefly at a rally for Vice President Kamala Harris ' presidential campaign before welcoming former President Barack Obama to the stage.

"As most of you know, the city of Detroit and the whole state of Michigan mean a lot to me. And going into this election, the spotlight is on us more than ever," Eminem, a longtime critic of former President Donald Trump, told the crowd. "And I think it's important to use your voice. So I'm encouraging everybody to get out and vote."

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Sales of previously occupied U.S. homes slowed in September to the weakest annual pace in nearly 14 years even as mortgage rates eased and the supply of properties on the market continued to climb.

Existing home sales fell 1% last month, from August, to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 3.84 million, the National Association of Realtors said Wednesday. That marks the second straight monthly decline and the slowest annual sales pace since October 2010 when the housing market was still in a deep slump following the late-2000s real estate crash.

BEIJING (AP) — A senior executive for Volkswagen in China has been deported for allegedly using cocaine and marijuana while on vacation in Thailand, according to Chinese authorities and German media reports.

A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson confirmed Wednesday that a Volkswagen employee had been deported after being detained for 10 days. A Beijing police report said an investigation had determined that the 56-year-old man, which it identified only by the initial J, had used both drugs on Oct. 5 and that he had been sentenced to detention from Oct. 10-20 as an administrative penalty.

DALLAS (AP) — The U.S. government fined American Airlines $50 million for failing to provide wheelchair assistance to passengers with disabilities and damaging thousands of wheelchairs over a five-year period,

The Transportation Department said Wednesday that "in some cases," wheelchair users were injured, but it did not give a number.

Newspapers in the United States closed at the rate of more than two per week during 2023, but a burst of activity among digital entrepreneurs illustrated some tiny shoots of growth in what has become a desert-like climate for local news.

A total of 127 newspapers closed last year, while the 81 digital sites gained was the most in any year since the Medill Local News Initiative at Northwestern University began measuring that activity in 2018, and possibly the most ever.

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — The tiny Mideast nation of Kuwait has banned the release of the video game "Call of Duty: Black Ops 6," which features the late Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein and is set in part in the 1990s Gulf War.

Kuwait has not publicly acknowledged banning the game, which is a tentpole product for the Microsoft-owned developer Activision and is set to be released on Friday worldwide. However, it comes as Kuwait still wrestles with the aftermath of the invasion and as video game makers more broadly deal with addressing historical and cultural issues in their work.

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — Whether it's digging for metals and minerals for cellphones and electric vehicles or coal for power generation, mining around the world has skyrocketed since 2000, causing widespread destruction of tropical forests, degrading the environment and displacing Indigenous and local communities, the World Resources Institute says in a report released Wednesday.

McDonald's said Wednesday that customers should feel confident ordering from its restaurants despite a deadly E. coli outbreak linked to its Quarter Pounders.

McDonald's U.S. President Joe Erlinger said in an interview on the "Today" show that the company has removed the Quarter Pounder from its menu in the 10 states where dozens of people were sickened, as well as in several other states.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House said Wednesday that Group of Seven allies are moving forward with providing Ukraine with $50 billion in loans for Ukraine backed by frozen Russian assets.

Leaders of the wealthy democracies agreed earlier this year to engineer the mammoth loan to help Ukraine in its fight for survival after Russia's invasion. Interest earned on profits from Russia's frozen central bank assets would be used as collateral.

KAZAN, Russia (AP) — Russia's President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday hosted China's Xi Jinping, India's Narendra Modi and other world leaders at a summit of the BRICS bloc of developing economies, part of the Kremlin's efforts to challenge Western global clout.

NASHVILLE (AP) — The Tennessee Titans made their second trade Wednesday by swapping linebackers with Seattle, sending Ernest Jones to the Seahawks for linebacker Jerome Baker, a person familiar with the deal told The Associated Press on Wednesday.

ALLEN PARK, Mich. (AP) — Detroit Lions coach Dan Campbell says the team is prepared to play without receiver Jameson Williams.

"I'm not really supposed to talk about it," Campbell said Wednesday.

John Calipari was asked recently what it will feel like when Feb. 1 finally rolls around.

"What's February 1st?" he replied with mock innocence. "That's my dad's birthday."

It's also the day Calipari, who will be about three months into his first season coaching Arkansas, walks back into Rupp Arena, where he spent the past 15 seasons coaching Kentucky. Few other games in the SEC this season will have a brighter spotlight on them, especially given both of the teams are ranked in the preseason AP Top 25 men's basketball poll.

Opportunity comes knocking Saturday for two of the surprise teams in college football.

No. 25 Vanderbilt, in an Associated Press regular-season poll for the first time since 2008 and coming off 10 consecutive losing seasons, hosts No. 5 Texas three weeks after it shocked the nation with its upset of then-No. 1 Alabama.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Kamala Harris said Wednesday that recently reported comments Donald Trump made to his longest-serving chief of staff offer a window into who the former president "really is" and the kind of commander in chief he would be.

In interviews with The New York Times and The Atlantic published Tuesday, John Kelly warned that the Republican nominee meets the definition of a fascist and that while in office he suggested that Nazi leader Adolf Hitler "did some good things."

ATLANTA (AP) — Voting machines reversing votes. More voters registered than people eligible. Large numbers of noncitizens voting.

With less than two weeks before Election Day, a resurgence in conspiracy theories and misinformation about voting is forcing state and local election officials to spend their time debunking rumors and explaining how elections are run at the same time they're overseeing early voting and preparing for Nov. 5.

NEW YORK (AP) — Foreign adversaries have shown continued determination to influence the U.S. election –- and there are signs their activity will intensify as Election Day nears, Microsoft said in a report Wednesday.

Russian operatives are doubling down on fake videos to smear Vice President Kamala Harris' campaign, while Chinese-linked social media campaigns are maligning down-ballot candidates who are critical of China, the company's threat intelligence arm said Wednesday.

NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stocks fell Wednesday as more steam came out of Wall Street's huge, record-breaking rally.

The S&P 500 sank 0.9% for its first three-day losing streak since early September. It was coming off two small losses since setting an all-time high on Friday, and the pullback follows a superb run where the index had rallied to six straight winning weeks, its longest such streak of the year.

NEW YORK (AP) — A federal regulator on Wednesday ordered Apple and Goldman Sachs to pay a combined $89 million for deceiving consumers and mishandled transaction disputes of Apple Card customers.

The Consumer Finance Protection Bureau orders point to "customer service breakdowns and misrepresentations" around Apple and Goldman's credit card partnership. Apple failed to send tens of thousands of Apple Card disputes to Goldman, and when such customer disputes were reported, the investment bank did not follow federal requirements for investigating, the agency said.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. said Wednesday that 3,000 North Korean troops have deployed to Russia and are training at several locations, calling the move very serious and warning that those forces will be "fair game" if they go into combat in Ukraine.

NASHVILLE (AP) — The Tennessee Titans got a jump on the NFL trade deadline by starting to stock up Wednesday on draft picks with a pair of trades.

More moves are likely for a franchise mired in a 1-5 start that is the Titans' worst since 2015 that cost Ken Whisenhunt his job after going 1-6 to open his second season. Tennessee could reach 1-6 Sunday after a game at Detroit (5-1).

NEW YORK (AP) — October is Cybersecurity Awareness Month, which means it’s the perfect time to learn how to protect yourself from scams.

“Scams have become so sophisticated now. Phishing emails, texts, spoofing caller ID, all of this technology gives scammers that edge,” says Eva Velasquez, president and CEO of the Identity Theft Resource Center.

JACKSONVILLE, Ala. (AP) — Tyler Huff threw for 137 yards and a touchdown, and he ran it 18 times for 151 yards and two more scores as Jacksonville State beat Middle Tennessee 42-20 on Wednesday night.

Jacksonville State (4-3, 3-0 Conference USA) has a four-game winning streak for the first time since 2020 when the team won seven in a row while at the FCS level.

WASHINGTON (AP) — An American cryptocurrency executive held in Nigeria for the past eight months has been released after authorities there announced they were ending his money laundering trial on health and diplomatic grounds.

Tigran Gambaryan, Binance's head of financial crime compliance, was freed on humanitarian parole and was returning to the United States to receive medical attention, White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said in a statement Thursday announcing the release.

LONDON (AP) — Chipmaker Intel won a fresh victory Thursday in a long-running battle with European Union competition watchdogs after the bloc's top court confirmed a lower tribunal's decision to overturn a billion-euro antitrust penalty.

The EU's Court of Justice upheld the decision to annul the fine issued more than a decade ago, dismissing an appeal from the European Commission, the 27-nation bloc's top antitrust enforcer.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Florida is suing the Justice Department to stop federal authorities from blocking the state's investigation into the second attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump.

On Wednesday, the state's Republican Attorney General Ashley Moody filed a complaint against Attorney General Merrick Garland after the Justice Department told Florida to temporarily halt its investigation until the federal probe concluded. Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis previously said that Florida would pursue state charges against the suspect, Ryan Routh, who is already facing federal charges.

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Beyoncé is expected to appear Friday in her hometown of Houston at a rally for Vice President Kamala Harris, according to three people familiar with the matter.

Harris' presidential campaign has taken on Beyonce's 2016 track "Freedom" as its anthem, and the singer's planned appearance brings a high-level of star power to what has become a key theme of the Democratic nominee's bid: freedom.

ATLANTA (AP) — Georgia election officials acted quickly earlier this month to thwart an attempt to flood the state's absentee voter portal in an apparent attempt to crash the site, the secretary of state's office said.

The attack was limited to that part of the state's website, which voters use to request an absentee ballot. Users may have experienced a brief slowdown, but the site never crashed and no data was compromised, said Gabriel Sterling, a top official at the agency.

WASHINGTON (AP) — If the presidential election hinged on abortion or climate change, Kamala Harris might be feeling pretty comfortable about her chances on Nov. 5, based on the polls. The Democratic nominee is also competitive on economic issues against Republican Donald Trump.

ASTON, Pa. (AP) — Vice President Kamala Harris plans to lay out her campaign's closing argument by returning to the site near the White House where Donald Trump helped incite a mob that attacked the U.S. Capitol in January 2021 — hoping it will crystalize for voters the fight between defending democracy and sowing political chaos.

ASTON, Pa. (AP) — Vice President Kamala Harris said that she believes that Donald Trump "is a fascist" after his longest-serving chief of staff said the former president praised Adolf Hitler while in office and put personal loyalty above the Constitution.

NEW YORK (AP) — Among the legacy news outlets that have come up empty in their efforts to interview Kamala Harris and Donald Trump during the general election campaign: NPR, The New York Times, PBS and The Washington Post.

Yet Harris chose to meet with Alex Cooper for her "Call Her Daddy" podcast and talk a little Bay Area basketball with the fellows on "All the Smoke." Trump rejected "60 Minutes," but has hung out with the bros on the "Bussin' With the Boys" and "Flagrant."

WASHINGTON (AP) — The last time Donald Trump ran for president, the lawyers most directly involved in his efforts to overturn the election wound up sanctioned, criminally prosecuted or even sued for millions of dollars.

This time around, Republican party leaders are working to present a more organized, skilled legal operation even as Trump continues to deny he lost the 2020 election and sows doubt about the integrity of the upcoming one.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Kamala Harris went to a Philadelphia suburb on Wednesday night for a CNN town hall, where she faced questions from undecided voters. The event was arranged after Donald Trump declined to participate in a second debate with her.

With less than two weeks to go until the election, here are some key moments from the town hall.

DULUTH, Ga. (AP) — Donald Trump implored supporters at a Georgia rally to vote for him — with an early ballot or in-person on Election Day — in a state that will be crucial in the presidential election.

"Just vote — whichever way you want to do it," Trump said at the event Wednesday organized by conservative provocateur Charlie Kirk and the group he founded.

DETROIT (AP) — Tesla's third-quarter net income rose 17.3% compared with a year ago on stronger electric vehicle sales, and an optimistic CEO Elon Musk predicted 20% to 30% sales growth next year.

The strong performance changed the trajectory of the year for the Austin, Texas-based company, which had seen sales and profits decline in the first two quarters.

WASHINGTON (AP) — New rules from the White House on the use of artificial intelligence by U.S. national security and spy agencies aim to balance the technology's immense promise with the need to protect against its risks.

The rules being announced Thursday are designed to ensure that national security agencies can access the latest and most powerful AI while also mitigating its misuse, according to Biden administration officials who briefed reporters on condition of anonymity under ground rules set by the White House.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Two weeks after setting a nationwide deadline for removal of lead pipes, the Biden administration is imposing strict new limits on dust from lead-based paint in older homes and child-care facilities.

A final rule announced Thursday by the Environmental Protection Agency sets limits on lead dust on floors and window sills in pre-1978 residences and child-care facilities to levels so low they cannot be detected.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The world economy, buffeted by conflict and growing geopolitical rivalries, is in danger of getting stuck in a slow-growth, high-debt rut, the head of the International Monetary Fund warned Thursday. She also urged Chinese leaders to take more decisive action to jump-start their country's sluggish economy or risk seeing economic growth plummet.

From Boar's Head deli meat and waffles to McDonald's Quarter Pounders, this year's illness outbreaks — some deadly — and food recalls may have Americans wondering whether there are new risks in the U.S. food supply.

But experts say it's business as usual when it comes to the complicated task of keeping food safe.

DALLAS (AP) — Southwest Airlines will replace several members of its board with candidates pushed by Elliott Investment Management to end a monthslong fight with the hedge fund, which is pressuring the airline to boost profits and the stock price.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Russia has helped amplify and spread false and misleading internet claims about recent hurricanes in the United States and the federal government's response, part of a wider effort by the Kremlin to manipulate America's political discourse before the presidential election, new research shows.