News - Friday, November 1, 2024

When Jackson Malcolm wants to unwind, he discards the shackles of everyday life and dives headlong into nature. He’s not selective about what he does in the great outdoors, either. Whether he’s hiking, paddleboarding or whitewater rafting, he says the open air is one of his favorite places for hitting his reset button.

Former South Carolina lawyer Alex Murdaugh once devised a way to steal money from his clients. Today, he’s a convicted killer and the subject of a continuing legal education seminar about his staggering downfall and how attorneys can avoid the same tragic missteps.

Maryville College recently honored a Chattanooga attorney and his wife for making a positive impact on the deaf community in Tennessee.

Joshua Anderson – an associate with Gearhiser, Peters, Elliott & Cannon – and Molly Ridgeway Anderson are the recipients of Maryville’s 2024 Kin Takahashi Award for Young Alumni.

In every successful journey, there’s a passion for making a difference. This holds true for Denise Murphy, a dedicated member of the Greater Chattanooga Realtors community.

With a background rooted in education and mentorship, her commitment to helping others and her deep sense of purpose drove her transition into real estate. Denise’s story is one of growth, service, and steadfast dedication to building relationships and uplifting the community.

Officials of the Raines Group recently promoted Tony Brock to vice president of leasing.

“The Raines Group has been blessed with many outstanding professional staff members over the years – and Tony is among the best,” says William B. Raines, Jr., president and founder of the company.

Erlanger has appointed Deborah Spielman as vice president and chief executive officer of Children’s Hospital at Erlanger. Spielman makes history as the first female CEO of the hospital.

In her new role, Spielman will focus on expanding pediatric services, strengthening core care programs and supporting the staff at Children’s Hospital at Erlanger.

Hamilton County Register of Deeds Marc Gravitt says statements made to appear as though they originated with the local government are being mailed to Hamilton County property owners from an organization called the “Clerk’s Property Office.”

On Sept. 19, a pied tamarin named Daphne gave birth to two healthy offspring at the Chattanooga Zoo.

Pied tamarins weigh about 1 pound and growing to about 1 foot long. They’re a part of the Callitrichidae family, which is made up of many of the world’s smallest primates, including marmosets and other tamarins.

In the popular imagination, receiving an inheritance always sounds like a good thing. After all, who doesn’t want a financial windfall?

And inheritances can certainly be life-altering events. But they can cause challenges, so you’ll want to help your heirs be prepared.

Between finding openings, sending out your resume and interviewing, looking for a job is tough. Now a growing trend of scammers impersonating recruiters is making it even harder.

In the last year, job scams have been on the rise, according to Eva Velasquez, president and CEO of the Identity Theft Resource Center, a nonprofit that helps consumers when their identities are compromised.

Why do you think most job seekers are looking for a new job? Many managers would confidently report their employees leave because they are looking for more pay. And, to some degree, this theory makes sense.

But employees are often not honest with their employers about why they’re leaving. They often offer the old “it’s not you, it’s me” line in breaking up the work relationship. In exit interviews, employees will often avoid sharing the real reason they are moving on to another job.

I was going to use the space for this week’s column to do a nice little feature story on a Titans player and his role on the team.

But that has been postponed for now due to the need for an emergency therapy session for Titans fans in the wake of being absolutely demolished Sunday in Detroit.

The Titans are back home for what will almost certainly be a half-empty Nissan Stadium Sunday when they face the 2-6 New England Patriots. The Titans need a win in the worst way. Here are some of their keys.

First down

Play Levis and turn him loose. If Will Levis’ shoulder is healthy enough for him to practice and play, then put him back out there. Yes, the offense has looked a little better at times with Mason Rudolph at QB. But the Titans know what he is, a decent backup.

Defensive intensity and leadership at the guard position will not be a problem for the University of Tennessee men’s basketball team this season as the Vols have two of the best in the country returning to their backcourt.

Seniors Zakai Zeigler and Jahmai Mashack will be setting the tone for Tennessee as the Vols begin their quest to defend their SEC regular-season title. No. 12 Tennessee opens the season Nov. 4 against Gardner-Webb in Food City Center.

Looking to add spark to a lineup that to that point had lost this season’s opening five games, the Predators made a call to the Milwaukee Admirals of the AHL to recall forward Zach L’Heureux.

One of the final cuts from the roster coming out of training camp, L’Heureux played four games with the Admirals after being sent back. In those four games, he scored three goals and added two assists.

Buying a hybrid can significantly boost fuel efficiency and lower monthly fuel bills. And these days, there are plenty of new hybrid cars, SUVs and even trucks to choose from. But what if you can’t afford to buy a new car? Consider buying a used one.

HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — U.S. Rep. Jahana Hayes isn't a member of the historically Black sororities and fraternities known as the "Divine Nine."

But throughout her hotly contested reelection campaign this year, Hayes, the first Black woman to represent Connecticut in Congress, has sometimes felt like she's a fellow soror, the term used by Black Greek organizations for sorority sisters. On their own, members have shown up to call voters, organize fundraisers, knock on doors, cheer Hayes on at campaign events and even offer pro bono legal help.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Hacking a local election system in the United States wouldn't be easy, and secretly altering votes on a scale massive enough to change the outcome of the presidential race would be impossible, election officials have said, thanks to decentralized systems, paper records for nearly all ballots, exhaustive reviews, legal due process and decades of work by American election officials, volunteers and citizens.

WASHINGTON (AP) — As a presidential race profoundly shaped by Americans' frustration with high prices nears its end, the government said Thursday that an inflation gauge closely watched by the Federal Reserve has dropped to near pre-pandemic levels.

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Kamala Harris said Thursday that Donald Trump's comment that he would protect women "whether the women like it or not" showed that the Republican presidential nominee does not understand women's "agency, their authority, their right and their ability to make decisions about their own lives, including their own bodies."

WASHINGTON (AP) — Boeing overcharged the Air Force nearly $1 million for spare parts on C-17 cargo planes, including an 8,000% markup for simple lavatory soap dispensers, according to the Pentagon's inspector general.

The Defense Department's auditor reviewed prices paid for 46 spare parts on the C-17 from 2018 to 2022 and found that 12 were overpriced and nine seemed reasonably priced. It couldn't determine the fairness of prices on the other 25 items.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Americans can start signing up Friday for health care coverage offered through the Affordable Care Act marketplace for 2025, days before a presidential election that could threaten eligibility and raise costs for millions of those in the program.

NEW YORK (AP) — The downside of high expectations thumped Wall Street on Thursday, and Microsoft and Meta Platforms dragged U.S. stock indexes lower despite delivering strong profits for the summer.

The S&P 500 sank 1.9% for its worst day in eight weeks and fell further from its record set earlier this month. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 378 points, or 0.9%, while the Nasdaq composite tumbled 2.8% for a second straight loss after setting its latest all-time high.

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Amazon reported a boost in its quarterly profits Thursday and exceeded revenue estimates, sending the company's stock up in after-hours trading.

For the three months that ended on Sept. 30, the Seattle-based tech giant posted a revenue of $158.9 billion, higher than the $157.28 billion analysts had expected.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Some 8,000 North Korean soldiers are now in Russia near Ukraine's border and are preparing to help the Kremlin fight against Ukrainian troops in the coming days, the Biden administration said Thursday.

The new figure from is a dramatic increase from a day earlier, when Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin would only say "some" of the troops had moved toward Ukraine's border in the Kursk region, where Moscow's forces have struggled to push back a Ukrainian incursion

NASHVILLE (AP) — Jerod Mayo and Brian Callahan are going through the challenges first-year NFL coaches usually face.

Balancing the need to win now with the patience needed when developing young quarterbacks. It's not easy, and Mayo brings his New England Patriots to Music City on Sunday to play Callahan's Titans with both near the bottom of the NFL standings.

NASHVILLE (AP) — Leon Draisaitl scored two goals and assisted another to lead the Edmonton Oilers to a 5-1 victory over the Nashville Predators on Thursday night.

Viktor Arvidsson, Corey Perry and Zach Hyman also scored, and Calvin Pickard made 26 saves for the Oilers, who have won three of their last four. Edmonton played its first game since losing team captain Connor McDavid to an ankle injury in the first period of Monday night's 6-1 loss to the Blue Jackets.

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Los Angeles County is taking on Pepsi and Coke for their role in plastic pollution.

In a lawsuit filed Wednesday, the county alleged PepsiCo and Coca-Cola companies have misled the public about the recyclability of their plastic bottles and downplayed the negative environmental and health impacts of plastic disposal.

GLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) — Donald Trump is suggesting that former Rep. Liz Cheney, one of his most prominent Republican critics, should have rifles "shooting at her" to see how she feels about sending troops to fight. It was his latest suggestion that his rivals should be targeted with violence.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Next week's presidential election isn't just a referendum on Donald Trump and Kamala Harris. It's also a measure of the influence the world's richest man wields over American democracy.

Elon Musk, the South African-born tech and business titan, has spent at least $119 million mobilizing Trump's supporters to back the Republican nominee. His social media platform, X, has become a firehose of pro-Trump propaganda. And he's playing a starring role in Trump-style rallies in critical battleground states.

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) — A co-chair of Donald Trump's transition team said Trump supporter Robert F. Kennedy Jr. wants access to federal health data so he can show vaccines are unsafe and lead to them being pulled from the market in a second Trump administration.

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump will host dueling rallies within seven miles of one another on Friday night in the Milwaukee area as part of a final push for votes in swing-state Wisconsin's largest county.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Never before in a presidential election cycle has there been so much discussion of the child tax credit — a tool many Democrats and Republicans have endorsed as a way to lift children and young families out of poverty.

Just three years ago, child poverty rates fell significantly when President Joe Biden's administration raised the child tax credit and made even the poorest families eligible. But the expansion only lasted a year. Congress declined to renew it.

ATLANTA (AP) — Donald Trump has made his opposition to transgender rights central to his closing argument before Election Day, using demeaning language and misrepresentations to paint an exceedingly narrow slice of the U.S. population as a threat to national identity.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden tried to explain this week that he doesn't really think Donald Trump's supporters are "garbage," but that doesn't mean that other people don't believe the label occasionally fits.

"I would say that some of them are garbage," said Samantha Leister, 32, who went to see Kamala Harris at a rally in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The nation's deep partisan divisions extend to trust in the vote tallies for this year's election, as a new poll finds that Republicans are much more skeptical than Democrats that ballots will be counted accurately.

Voters generally show more distrust toward nationwide voting results compared to the tallies done by their own local election offices, according to the survey from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Donald Trump is traveling to New Mexico and Virginia in the campaign's final days, taking a risky detour from the seven battleground states to spend time in places where Republican presidential candidates have not won in decades.

LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Donald Trump is set to visit Dearborn, Michigan — the nation's largest Arab-majority city — on Friday, according to a local business owner who first insisted the former president call for peace in Lebanon before hosting him.

Metro Detroit is home to nation's largest concentration of Arab Americans, with a large chunk of them living in Dearborn. The city — which President Joe Biden won by a 3-to-1 margin — has been roiled by political turmoil, with many upset with the Biden administration's handling of the Israel-Hamas war.

PALMDALE, Calif. (AP) — This election, he has warned, is about the economy. Freedom. Stopping Project 2025 and the MAGA extremes.

And, after the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol, it's about democracy.

And yet, Hakeem Jeffries, in line to make history as the first Black speaker of the House, says he is choosing to stay calm, as Democrats work to wrest control of the chaotic U.S. House from Republicans.

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — The news rippled through Treasure Island, Florida, almost like a third storm: The mayor planned to move off the barrier island a month after Hurricane Helene flooded tens of thousands of homes along the Gulf Coast and two weeks after Hurricane Milton also ravaged the state.

WASHINGTON (AP) — America's employers added just 12,000 jobs in October, a total that economists say was held down by the effects of strikes and hurricanes that left many workers temporarily off payrolls. The report provided a somewhat blurry view of the job market at the end of a presidential race that has pivoted heavily on voters' feelings about the economy.

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Apple snapped out of a recent iPhone sales slump during its summer quarter, an early sign that its recent efforts to revive demand for its marquee product with an infusion of artificial intelligence are paying off.

Sales of the iPhone totaled $46.22 billion for the July-September period, a 6% increase from the same time last year, according to Apple's fiscal fourth-quarter report released Thursday. That improvement reversed two consecutive year-over-year declines in the iPhone's quarterly sales.

ERWIN (AP) — Rescue workers in Tennessee said Friday they have recovered the body of the final person still missing after massive flooding from Hurricane Helene hit a plastics factory there.

Rosa Andrade, 29, was one of six employees killed after they were unable to escape the rising waters around Impact Plastics in Erwin, a small town in East Tennessee. Surviving workers have stated they were not allowed to leave until water had flooded the plant's parking lot and the power went out. Eleven people were swept away and only five were rescued.

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Kamala Harris said Friday it was "disqualifying" for Donald Trump to say former Rep. Liz Cheney, one of the former president's most prominent Republican critics, should have rifles "shooting at her" to see how she feels about sending troops to fight.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Kamala Harris ' campaign is actively warning business leaders that Donald Trump has a pattern of disregard for democracy and the rule of law that would threaten U.S. economic growth — a closing argument designed to show the possible consequences for companies and workers if he returns to the White House.

WASHINGTON (AP) — A video purporting to depict voter fraud in Georgia is fake and the work of "Russian influence actors," U.S. intelligence officials said Friday as they warned that foreign efforts to undermine faith in the integrity of next week's elections may persist long after votes have been cast.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The IRS on Friday announced an increase to the amount individuals can contribute to their 401(k) plans in 2025 — to $23,500, up from $23,000 in 2024.

The Internal Revenue Service detailed the increases in its annual cost-of-living adjustments for pension plans and other retirement accounts.

NEW YORK (AP) — Amazon led U.S. stock indexes higher on Friday, while a surprisingly weak jobs report marred by some unusual occurrences cemented bets on Wall Street for another cut to interest rates next week.

The S&P 500 rose 0.4% to recover some of its loss from the day before, which was its worst in eight weeks. The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 288 points, or 0.7%, while the Nasdaq composite gained 0.8%.

NASHVILLE (AP) — Mason Rudolph told first-year Titans coach Brian Callahan not to worry after a rookie quarterback's amazing play with no time left to force overtime.

This time, Rudolph promised Tennessee would win.

Nick Folk kicked a 25-yard field goal with 2:32 left in overtime and the Titans beat the New England Patriots 20-17 Sunday, giving Callahan his first victory at home this season.

Oregon, Georgia, Miami and BYU remained the top four seeds in the The Associated Press College Football Playoff projection on Sunday, the final edition of the bracket before the CFP releases its first rankings of the season.

Oregon, Georgia and Miami won over the weekend to hold their coveted seeds as projected conference champions, as did BYU, which was idle.

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — South Carolina was fined $250,000 by the Southeastern Conference for fans rushing the field after the Gamecocks' 44-20 win over then No. 10 Texas A&M at Williams-Brice Stadium on Saturday night.

The school was fined by the league for its second violation under its policy, which was last amended in 2023. The Gamecocks were fined $100,000 in January when the men's basketball team defeated No. 6 Kentucky 79-62.

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — A lawyer for Elon Musk 's political action committee told a judge in Philadelphia on Monday that so-called "winners" of his $1 million-a-day voter sweepstakes in swing states are not chosen by chance but are instead chosen to be paid "spokespeople" for the group.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court said Monday it will take up a new redistricting case involving Louisiana's congressional map with two mostly Black districts.

The court won't hear arguments until early next year and the 2024 elections are proceeding under the challenged map, which could boost Democrats' chances of retaking the closely-divided House of Representatives.

WASHINGTON (AP) — It's the election that no one could have foreseen.

Not so long ago, Donald Trump was marinating in anger at Mar-a-Lago after being impeached twice and voted out of the White House. Even some of his closest allies were looking forward to a future without the charismatic yet erratic billionaire leading the Republican Party, especially after his failed attempt to overturn an election ended in violence and shame. When Trump announced his comeback bid two years ago, the New York Post buried the article on page 26.

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — A presidential campaign that has careened through a felony trial, an incumbent president being pushed off the ticket and multiple assassination attempts comes down to a final sprint across a handful of states on Election Day eve.

EAST LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Two days out from Election Day, Kamala Harris dashed through four stops across battleground Michigan on Sunday without uttering Donald Trump's name, while urging voters not to fooled by the GOP nominee's disparagement of the electoral system that he falsely claims is rigged against him.

GASTONIA, N.C. (AP) — Donald Trump says he will be the "protector" of women, whether they like it or not.

He's campaigned with men who use sexist and crude language and who have expressed alarm at the idea that wives might vote differently from their husbands.

LITITZ, Pa. (AP) — Donald Trump delivered a profane and conspiracy-laden speech two days before Tuesday's presidential election, talking about reporters being shot and suggesting he "shouldn't have left" the White House after his 2020 loss to Democrat Joe Biden.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Election Day is nearly upon us. In a matter of hours, the final votes in the 2024 presidential election will be cast.

In a deeply divided nation, the election is a true toss-up between Democrat Kamala Harris and Republican Donald Trump.

PHOENIX (AP) — Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a prominent proponent of debunked public health claims whom Donald Trump has promised to put in charge of health initiatives, said Saturday that Trump would push to remove fluoride from drinking water on his first day in office if elected president.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A federal judge ruled Sunday that Iowa can continue challenging the validity of hundreds of ballots from potential noncitizens even though critics said the effort threatens the voting rights of people who've recently become U.S. citizens.

DETROIT (AP) — The U.S. government's auto safety regulator has ended a 2 1/2-year investigation into Ford engine failures after the company replaced engines or extended the warranty on some vehicles.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says in documents posted Monday on its website that its analysis traced the problem to intake valves that can fracture inside some 2.7-liter and 3-liter turbocharged engines.

ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — The United Arab Emirates opened its annual oil-and-gas summit on Monday as it plans to increase the country's energy output as global prices stay volatile and world politics remain uncertain ahead of the U.S. presidential election.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Japan has grounded its fleet of V-22 Osprey aircraft again after an incident last Sunday where one of the hybrid helicopter-aircraft tilted unexpectedly and hit the ground while trying to take off.

The V-22 was taking part in the joint U.S. military exercise Keen Sword and carrying 16 passengers, including three U.S. service members. During takeoff it "became unstable as it swayed from side to side, and the left wing, the lower part of the aircraft came into contact with the ground and part of the aircraft was damaged, so the flight was aborted," Japan's Ground Self Defense Forces said in a statement.

WASHINGTON (AP) — No one knows how Tuesday's presidential election will turn out, but the Federal Reserve's move two days later is much easier to predict: With inflation continuing to cool, the Fed is set to cut interest rates for a second time this year.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Senate Republicans vying to replace longtime leader Mitch McConnell have been crossing the country to campaign and fundraise for colleagues, making their final arguments before a consequential ballot the week after the presidential election. But their pitches are mostly behind closed doors, and most GOP senators won't yet say which lawmaker they are backing.

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — A lawyer for Elon Musk 's political action committee told a judge in Philadelphia on Monday that the so-called winners of his $1 million-a-day voter sweepstakes in swing states haven't won by chance but instead were selected to be paid "spokespeople" for the group.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Some Republican-led states say they will block the Justice Department's election monitors from going inside polling places on Election Day, pushing back on federal authorities' decades-long practice of watching for violations of federal voting laws.

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — A presidential campaign that has careened through a felony trial, an incumbent president being pushed off the ticket and multiple assassination attempts comes down to a final sprint across a handful of states on Election Day eve.

NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stocks drifted lower Monday ahead of a momentous week full of potential flashpoints in Washington, D.C., and around the world.

The S&P 500 slipped 0.3%, though it remains near its record set last month. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 257 points, or 0.6%, while the Nasdaq composite slipped 0.3%.

GENEVA (AP) — China has moved forward with a complaint at the World Trade Organization that alleges the European Union has improperly set anti-subsidy tariffs on new Chinese-made electric vehicles.

The Chinese diplomatic mission to the WTO said Monday it "strongly opposes" the measures and insisted its move was designed to protect the EV industry and support a global transition toward greener technologies.

NASHVILLE (AP) — The Tennessee Titans find themselves at the midpoint of their season right about where they started.

Needing to know what they have in quarterback Will Levis. Seeing Levis start — and finish — with a victory would be even better.

EL SEGUNDO, Calif. (AP) — A fresh haircut isn't the only thing that had coach Jim Harbaugh feeling good on Monday.

His Los Angeles Chargers are 5-3 at the midway point of the season and in possession of the AFC's sixth seed after Sunday's 27-10 victory over the Cleveland Browns.

NASHVILLE (AP) — Darcy Kuemper made 16 saves for his first shutout of the season and 32nd overall, helping the Los Angeles Kings beat the Nashville Predators 3-0 on Monday night.

Adrian Kempe had a goal and an assist and Anze Kopitar and Kevin Fiala also scored. The Kings have won two of their last three.

NASHVILLE (AP) — Devin McGlockton had 24 points and 13 rebounds and Vanderbilt won its season opener 102-63 over Maryland Eastern Shore on Monday night.

McGlockton mad all 10 of his field-goal attempts, including three dunks. He was good on 4 of 5 free throws.

KNOXVILLE (AP) — Chaz Lanier scored 18 points and Jordan Gainey had 16 as No. 12 Tennessee beat Gardner-Webb 80-64 on Monday night in the season opener for both teams.

Zakai Zeigler added 13 points and nine assists for the Volunteers, while Jahmai Mashack scored 10. Felix Okpara led the Vols' rebounding with nine.

NASHVILLE (AP) — The Department of Justice said Monday that federal agents have arrested a Tennessee man with ties to white nationalist groups who they say attempted to use what he believed to be an explosive-laden drone to destroy a Nashville energy facility.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Election Day voting unfolded largely smoothly across the nation Tuesday but with scattered reports of extreme weather, ballot printing errors and technical problems causing delays.

Most of the hiccups occurring by mid-day were "largely expected routine and planned-for events," said Cait Conley, senior adviser to the director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, in a press briefing. She said the agency was not currently tracking any national, significant incidents impacting election security.

NASHVILLE (AP) — U.S. Rep. Andy Ogles is hoping to fend off a Democratic opponent in Tennessee in a race complicated by an FBI investigation into the first-term Republican's campaign finances.

Ogles, a member of the conservative Freedom Caucus, faces Democrat Maryam Abolfazli in his Republican-favoring 5th District, which includes a section of left-leaning Nashville and winds through five conservative-voting counties.

NASHVILLE (AP) — Tennessee voters will decide whether to reelect Republican U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn to a second term or choose Democratic state Rep. Gloria Johnson.

Tennessee hasn't elected a Democrat to a statewide position in nearly two decades, but Johnson is hoping her recent meteoric rise to fame from nearly being expelled by state lawmakers last year will woo enough voters.

WASHINGTON (AP) — A presidential campaign marked by upheaval and rancor was finally headed for an Election Day finale, as Americans decided whether to send Donald Trump back to the White House or elevate Kamala Harris to the Oval Office.

Voters faced a stark choice between two candidates who have offered drastically different temperaments and visions for the world's largest economy and dominant military power. More than 82 million people voted early. Those casting ballots on Tuesday mostly encountered a smooth process around the country, with isolated reports of some hiccups that regularly happen, including long lines, technical issues and ballot printing errors.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Election Day is here. Polls opened Tuesday across the nation and Americans cast ballots in the 2024 presidential election. In a deeply divided nation, the election is a true toss-up between Democrat Kamala Harris and Republican Donald Trump.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Election Day voting was underway across much of the U.S. on Tuesday morning after tens of millions of Americans had already cast their ballots. Those early votes included record numbers in Georgia, North Carolina and other battleground states that could decide the winner.

PITTSBURGH, Pa. (AP) — Donald Trump has spent nearly a decade bragging about his crowds. Lately, he's been making the same boasts to swaths of empty seats.

In his third presidential bid, Trump for the first time is facing an opponent who stages her own massive rallies, calling further attention to the fact that his crowds, however enthusiastic they are, sometimes have failed to fill large venues and often thinned out as he spoke.

Former President Donald Trump is stepping up his demands that the winner of the presidential race be declared shortly after polls close Tuesday, well before all the votes are counted.

Trump set the pattern in 2020, when he declared that he had won during the early morning hours after Election Day. That led his allies to demand that officials "stop the count!" He and many other conservatives have spent the past four years falsely claiming that fraud cost him that election and bemoaning how long it takes to count ballots in the U.S.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The nation's federal law enforcement and election security agencies debunked two new examples of Russian election disinformation on the eve of Election Day, highlighting attempts by foreign actors to sow doubt in the U.S. voting process and warning that the efforts run the risk of inciting violence against election officials.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Voters in nine states are deciding whether their state constitutions should guarantee a right to abortion, weighing ballot measures that are expected to spur turnout for a range of crucial races.

Passing certain amendments in Arizona, Florida, Missouri, Nebraska and South Dakota likely would lead to undoing bans or restrictions that currently block varying levels of abortion access to more than 7 million women of childbearing age who live in those states.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Control of Congress is at stake Tuesday, with ever-tight races for the House and Senate that will determine which party holds the majority and the power to boost or block a president's agenda, or if the White House confronts a divided Capitol Hill.

WICHITA, KANSAS (AP) — Sobs of relief broke out in a federal courtroom in Kansas on Monday as dozens of people whose life savings had been embezzled by a bank CEO learned that federal law enforcement had recovered their money.

"I just can't describe the weight lifted off of us," said Bart Camilli, 70, who with his wife Cleo had just learned they'd recover close to $450,000 — money Bart began saving at 18 when he bought his first individual retirement account. "It's life-changing."

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korea's privacy watchdog on Tuesday fined social media company Meta 21.6 billion won ($15 million) for illegally collecting sensitive personal information from Facebook users, including data about their political views and sexual orientation, and sharing it with thousands of advertisers.

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Saudi Arabian oil giant Aramco reported third-quarter profits of $27.5 billion on Tuesday, down about 15% from last year as low oil prices ate into its revenues.

Aramco, formally known as the Saudi Arabian Oil Co., had revenues of $111.1 billion over the quarter, the company said in a filing on Riyadh's Tadawul stock exchange. It had $113 billion in revenues the same quarter last year.

NEW YORK (AP) — Bernard "Bernie" Marcus, the co-founder of The Home Depot, the world's largest home improvement chain, a billionaire philanthropist, and a big Republican donor, has died. He was 95.

Marcus died Monday in Boca Raton, Florida, surrounded by family, according to a Home Depot spokesperson.

TOKYO (AP) — Nintendo, the Japanese video game maker behind the Super Mario franchise, said Tuesday that its profit fell 60% in the first half of the fiscal year, as demand waned for its Switch console, now in its eighth year since going on sale.

Kyoto-based Nintendo Co. reported a 108.7 billion yen ($715 million) profit for the April-September period, as sales slipped 34% from the previous year to 523 billion yen ($3.4 billion).

WASHINGTON (AP) — Election Day voting unfolded largely smoothly across the nation Tuesday with only scattered reports of delays from extreme weather, ballot printing errors and technical problems.

Most of the hiccups occurring by midday were "largely expected routine and planned-for events," said Cait Conley, senior adviser to the director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, in a press briefing. She said the agency was not currently tracking any national, significant incidents impacting election security.

PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Donald Trump is refusing to say how he voted on Florida's abortion measure — and getting testy about it.

The former president was asked twice after casting his ballot in Palm Beach, Florida, on Tuesday about a question that the state's voters are considering. If approved, it would prevent state lawmakers from passing any law that penalizes, prohibits, delays or restricts abortion until fetal viability — which doctors say is sometime after 21 weeks.

WASHINGTON (AP) — A presidential campaign marked by upheaval and rancor headed for its Election Day finale on Tuesday, as Americans decided whether to send Donald Trump back to the White House or elevate Kamala Harris to the Oval Office.

Voters faced a stark choice between two candidates who have offered drastically different temperaments and visions for the world's largest economy and dominant military power. More than 82 million people voted early. Those casting Election Day ballots mostly encountered a smooth process around the country, with isolated reports of hiccups that regularly happen, including long lines, technical issues and ballot printing errors.

NEW YORK (AP) — The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced that students eligible for free or reduced price school meals cannot be charged processing fees beginning in 2027.

School districts currently work with processing companies to offer cashless payment systems for families. But the companies can charge "processing fees" for each transaction. By law, students who are eligible for reduced price meals cannot be charged more than 30 cents for breakfast and 40 cents for lunch. With processing fees, however, families can end up paying 10 times that amount. Processing companies charge as much as $3.25 or 4% to 5% per transaction, according to a recent report from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.