News - Friday, December 6, 2024

Ask any busy attorney to describe their workload and they might exclaim, “I have a lot on my plate,” or “I’m burning the candle at both ends,” or, “I’m up to my ears in briefs.”

A casual inspection of attorney Darren Kennedy might lead one to believe he’s somehow escaped the juggernaut of labors that has befallen many of his peers. He wears a relaxed smile like it’s an article of well-tailored clothing, his posture is best described as welcoming and his calm voice carries no hint of tension.

“The risk reasonably to be perceived defines the duty to be obeyed, and risk imports relation; it is risk to another or to others within the range of apprehension,” wrote Judge Benjamin Cardozo in his decision in Palsgraf v. Long Island in 1928.

Chambliss, Bahner & Stophel recently rolled out the welcome mat for three new associate attorneys: Naudia Gray, Sawyer Richardson and Colin Wolfe.

President and managing shareholder Mark Cunningham says the trio of fresh talent will bring “valuable insights and innovative perspectives to a multitude of practice areas.”

A few weeks ago, we introduced the “Consumer Guide: Ten Questions to Ask a Seller’s Agent” from the National Association of Realtor (NAR) to help sellers understand the key questions to ask when selecting an agent. This week, we’re diving into the NAR’s “Consumer Guide to Buyer’s Agents” to help those who are ready to find their dream home.

Skylar Jones was 2 months old when doctors diagnosed her with spinal muscular atrophy, an illness that causes progressive muscle weakness and atrophy. Tragically, there is no cure.

“Skylar’s doctors told my husband and me that we’d be lucky to see her first birthday,” the late infant’s mother, Ashley Jones, recalls.

Chambliss Center for Children is launching a capital campaign to revitalize its facilities.

The organization designed the fundraiser to address critical updates to its aging facilities and enable it to continue to provide child care, early childhood education, foster care, transitional living for teens and temporary housing for children entering the foster care system.

The corner of West MLK Boulevard and Market Street is once again aglow with activities, decorations and lights as EPB continues an 80-plus-year tradition with its annual holiday windows display.

EPB employees designed and assembled the installation, which they dubbed “Chattanooga Polar Palooza.”

Longtime Chattanooga resident Shadrina Booker is serving as the new chief executive officer of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Chattanooga.

Booker previously served as the agency’s chief development and marketing officer and the city of Chattanooga’s director of community engagement.

Inflation might be high or low at different times, but it’s always with us, except in those rare periods of deflation. During your working years, when you may receive boosts in your salary, you at least have the potential to keep up with inflation – but what happens when you retire? As a retiree, what can you do to cope with the rising cost of living?

By Liam Gibson | Wealth of Geeks

Artificial intelligence-powered apps have the potential to provide low-cost financial advice to the masses. Yet, a new study finds AI only delivers correct answers about half the time.

A recent College Investor report reports Google AI overviews appear misleading or inaccurate in 43% of finance-related searches.

One of the big curiosities about Kim Caldwell when she was hired as the University of Tennessee women’s basketball coach was how she would be able to recruit.

 Caldwell spent one season coaching at Marshall and seven seasons with a Division II program before taking over the Lady Vols. The level of players required to compete in the SEC and become a national title contender is higher on Rocky Top.

The Tennessee Titans seem to be unable to handle prosperity.

Following a surprising upset in Houston the week before, the Titans players and coaches were excited and hoping to use the victory as a springboard to “stack some wins.”

Electric vehicles are growing in popularity but still make up a small percentage of total car sales. More than two decades of vehicle and infrastructure development have yielded only a 6.8% market share for EVs in the United States.

Part of the problem is range anxiety – owners’ fear that they won’t be able to get where they need to go on a full charge. But as charging stations proliferate and EV range increases, that fear should fade.

WASHINGTON (AP) — An imprisoned far-right extremist group leader who was the top target of the federal investigation of the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol balked at answering a prosecutor's questions about the attack when he testified on Thursday at the trial of a police officer accused of leaking him confidential information.

DETROIT (AP) — Honda is recalling nearly 206,000 SUVs in the U.S. because the fuel filler neck can separate from the filler pipe in a crash, allowing gasoline to leak and increasing the risk of a fire.

The recall covers certain 2023 and 2024 Passports and some 2023 through 2025 Pilots.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Nearly 100 former senior U.S. diplomats and intelligence and national security officials have urged Senate leaders to schedule closed-door hearings to allow for a full review of the government's files on former Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, Donald Trump's pick to be national intelligence director.

NASHVILLE (AP) — The Tennessee Titans have the slimmest of playoff hopes and must win out to have any chance of keeping them alive.

Figuring out who they are would be a first step in the right direction. The Titans (3-9) also must bounce back from last week's ugly loss at Washington that cost this franchise yet another chance to string together consecutive wins for the first time in more than two years.

MONTREAL (AP) — Sam Montembeault stopped 29 shots and Patrik Laine scored his second goal in two games for the Canadiens to lead Montreal past the Nashville Predators 3-0 on Thursday night.

Jake Evans scored a short-handed goal and Joel Armia added an empty-netter for Montreal.

KNOXVLLE (AP) — Tennessee landed the top-rated offensive line prospect in the 2025 recruiting class when David Sanders announced on Thursday he would play for the Volunteers.

NASHVILLE (AP) — A U.S. Department of Justice investigation found that the Memphis Police Department committed a host of civil rights violations, including using excessive force, making illegal traffic stops and disproportionately targeting Black people in the majority Black city.

One of the country's largest health insurers reversed a change in policy Thursday after widespread outcry, saying it would not tie payments in some states to the length of time a patient went under anesthesia.

Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield said in a statement that its decision to backpedal resulted from "significant widespread misinformation" about the policy.

WASHINGTON (AP) — America's job market rebounded in November, adding 227,000 workers in a solid recovery from the previous month, when the effects of strikes and hurricanes had sharply diminished employers' payrolls.

Last month's hiring growth was up considerably from a meager gain of 36,000 jobs in October. The government also revised up its estimate of job growth in September and October by a combined 56,000.

BANGKOK (AP) — China has banned exports of key materials used to make a wide range of products, including smartphones, electric vehicles, radar systems and CT scanners, swiping back at Washington after it expanded export controls to include dozens of Chinese companies that make equipment used to produce advanced computer chips.

KASHIMA, Japan (AP) — The signs at Nippon Steel read: "The world through steel," underlining why Japan's top steelmaker is pursuing its $15 billion bid to acquire U.S. Steel.

"We can't expect demand in Japan to grow as the population is declining. We need to invest in production that leads to growth," a company official, Masato Suzuki, said Friday while giving reporters a look at a Nippon Steel plant in Ibaraki prefecture, north of Tokyo.

MONTEVIDEO, Uruguay (AP) — The European Union and the Mercosur group of Latin American countries have agreed to terms for a long-anticipated free trade deal, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced Friday in Uruguay's capital of Montevideo.

LONDON (AP) — The European Union said Friday it sent TikTok an urgent request for more information about Romanian intelligence files suggesting that Moscow coordinated influencers on its platform to promote an election candidate who became the front-runner in the presidential election.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump said Thursday he has selected former Sen. David Perdue of Georgia to serve as his ambassador to China, leaning on a former business executive turned politician to serve as the administration's envoy to America's most potent economic and military adversary.

GREENVALE, N.Y. (AP) — Not yet even in office, Donald Trump said Thursday he's already accomplished more than President Joe Biden did in his entire term, an outsized claim by the president-elect just a month out from the election.

Trump, who has been largely ensconced at his Mar-a-Lago club in recent weeks as he's worked to staff his new administration, made the comment as he ventured to New York's Long Island to be honored as part of Fox Nation's annual Patriot Awards on Fox's streaming platform.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden is weighing whether to issue sweeping pardons for officials and allies who the White House fears could be unjustly targeted by President-elect Donald Trump's administration, a preemptive move that would be a novel and risky use of the president's extraordinary constitutional power.

PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — The think tank behind Project 2025, the conservative blueprint linked to President-elect Donald Trump, is launching an effort to back Trump's imperiled selection for secretary of defense in its latest attempt to wield influence in the incoming Republican administration.

NEW YORK (AP) — He's one of the most famous corporate leaders in the world, delivering products embraced by billions. But it's the haters that companies like Mark Zuckerberg's Meta worry about."

In an era when online anger and social tensions are increasingly directed at the businesses consumers count on, Meta last year spent $24.4 million on guards, alarms and other measures to keep Zuckerberg and the company's former chief operating officer safe.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court agreed Friday to settle a years-long legal dispute over whether Palestinian authorities can be sued in U.S. courts by Americans killed or wounded in terrorism attacks in the Middle East.

The federal appeals court in New York has repeatedly ruled in favor of the Palestine Liberation Organization and the Palestinian Authority, despite Congress' efforts to allow the victims' lawsuits to be heard.

WASHINGTON (AP) — A Texas man who was the first rioter to go on trial for the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol was resentenced on Friday to nearly seven years in prison after he delivered an angry, profane rant to the judge who agreed to modestly reduce his original sentence.

PASADENA, Calif. (AP) — The Rose Bowl is the next stop on No. 1 Oregon's national championship quest.

And Ohio State or Tennessee will be the Ducks' opponent in the 111th edition of the Granddaddy of Them All.

Oregon (13-0) received the top seed in the first 12-team College Football Playoff on Sunday, sending the Ducks to celebrate the new year in Pasadena for the ninth time in school history as they continue to fight for their school's first national title.

NASHVILLE (AP) — If misery loves company, the Jacksonville Jaguars made sure they have just that at the bottom of the AFC South.

Even better?

The Tennessee Titans sit below them now in the standings thanks to the Jaguars' second win in three trips to Music City.

NEW YORK (AP) — Taylor Swift's Eras Tour brought in $2.2 billion in its nearly two-year run, making it the highest-grossing tour of all time for a second year in a row, Pollstar estimates from data collected across 149 shows.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court on Monday rejected an appeal from Boston parents who claimed a temporary admissions exam policy for the city's elite high schools discriminated against white students and those of Asian descent.

Justices Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas dissented from their colleagues' decision to leave in place lower court rulings in favor of the plan, which was used just once during the coronavirus pandemic. A third justice, Neil Gorsuch, said he also was troubled by the policy.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court rejected a challenge to Hawaii's gun-licensing law on Monday, though three justices expressed a willingness to hear arguments over the issue later.

The majority did not explain their reasoning in a brief order declining to take the case. But Justice Clarence Thomas, joined by Justice Samuel Alito, wrote that he would vote to hear a case to "reaffirm that the Second Amendment warrants the same respect as any other constitutional right."

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court on Monday rejected an appeal from Wisconsin parents who wanted to challenge a school district's guidance for supporting transgender students.

The justices, acting in a case from Eau Claire, left in place an appellate ruling dismissing the parents' lawsuit.

BRUSSELS (AP) — Even before the French and German governments collapsed, Europe's economy had enough difficulties. Tepid growth and lagging competitiveness versus the U.S. and China. An auto industry that's struggling. Where to find billions for defense against Russia? And now Donald Trump threatening tariffs.

BANGKOK (AP) — China's top leaders have pledged to loosen monetary policy and provide more support for the slowing economy, while Premier Li Qiang swiped at threats of higher tariffs on Chinese exports, saying they hinder global growth.

Shares in Hong Kong jumped Monday after state media released a report on the meeting by the ruling Communist Party's Politburo that said leaders would "implement more active fiscal policies and moderately loose monetary policies."

NEW YORK (AP) — Activist investor Barington Capital Group is calling on department store retailer Macy's to develop an internal real estate subsidiary, reduce capital expenditures, and explore strategic options for its Bloomingdale's and Bluemercury chains among other changes to boost its slumping stock, according to its proposal made public Monday.

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — The Trump Organization said Monday it has leased its brand to two new real estate projects in Saudi Arabia just weeks before President-elect Donald Trump returns to the White House.

It will partner with Dar Global, a London-based luxury real estate developer that will lease the Trump brand but fully own and develop the projects in the Saudi capital, Riyadh. The two have partnered on other projects in the region, including the development of a golf resort in neighboring Oman.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden said Sunday that the sudden collapse of the Syrian government under Bashar Assad is a "fundamental act of justice" after decades of repression, but it was "a moment of risk and uncertainty" for the Middle East.

WASHINGTON (AP) — In the history of American politics, there's no shortage of presidents who promised to shake up Washington once they got to the White House. But Donald Trump may prove to be in a class of his own, and he appears more interested in beating the federal government into submission than recalibrating it.

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump has announced that he is appointing one of his defense attorneys in the New York hush money case as counselor to the president.

Alina Habba, 40, defended Trump earlier this year, also serving as his legal spokesperson. Habba has been spending time with the president-elect since the election at his Florida club Mar-a-Lago.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Donald Trump said he can't guarantee that his promised tariffs on key U.S. foreign trade partners won't raise prices for American consumers and he suggested once more that some political rivals and federal officials who pursued legal cases against him should be imprisoned.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Democrat Adam Schiff stood on the Senate floor almost five years ago as a House impeachment manager and made a passionate case that Donald Trump should be removed from office for abusing the power of the presidency. "If right doesn't matter, we're lost," he told the senators, his voice cracking at one point.

Tennessee is the new No. 1 in men's college basketball after a massive shakeup in the AP Top 25.

The Vols received 58 first-place votes from a 62-person media panel Monday to reach No. 1 for the first time since the 2018-19 season. Tennessee climbed two spots from last week after Kansas lost twice and Auburn fell to No. 4 Duke. The Tigers remained No. 2 and received three first-place votes.

Tennessee has returned to The Associated Press Top 25 at No. 19, ending the school's longest drought in the 48-year history of the women's basketball poll.

The Lady Vols (7-0) had not been ranked since Nov. 27, 2023, a span of 22 polls. Since the rankings began in 1976, Tennessee has been in the Top 25 in 779 of 870 total weeks (89.5%).

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Pentagon is temporarily pausing flights again of its fleet of V-22 Ospreys after weakened metal components possibly played a role in another near crash, the latest setback for an embattled aircraft whose safety problems have grown.

NEW YORK (AP) — Her memories of recording "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree" are a little hazy. She remembers the producer placing decorations around the studio and blasting the air conditioner on a warm Nashville day to create a holiday spirit. The musicians, she recalls, nailed it in a couple of takes.

NEW YORK (AP) — Kim Caldwell brought her fast-paced pressing style to Tennessee this season.

It had been successful when she coached at the Division II level at Glenville State and then last season at Marshall.

NASHVILLE (AP) — The Tennessee Titans ' playoff hopes are over earlier than at any point since 2015 when a coach was fired midseason.

The franchise's third different coach since then is busy trying to build for the future in his debut year.

It certainly doesn't help that team officials are busy trying to sell pricey tickets for the Titans' enclosed stadium scheduled to open in 2027.

WASHINGTON (AP) — A proposed western railroad expansion aimed at boosting crude oil production in Utah is coming before the Supreme Court Tuesday in a case that could have wider impact on federal environmental regulation. Here's a look at the case, which includes a recusal by one justice and arguments about how far the government should go in considering potential harm to the environment against the backdrop of climate change.

WILMINGTON, Del. (AP) — Attorneys for Meta shareholders asked a Delaware judge Monday to sanction the company's former Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg and fellow Facebook board member and current White House chief of staff Jeff Zients for deleting emails related to the Cambridge Analytica privacy scandal, despite being told to preserve such records.

RENO, Nev. (AP) — A probate commissioner has ruled against Rupert Murdoch's effort to change his family's trust to give one of his sons control of his media empire and ensure Fox News maintains its conservative editorial slant, according to a sealed document obtained by The New York Times.

BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Chinese electric battery giant CATL and automaker Stellantis announced Tuesday that they will build a major battery factory in northern Spain.

The partners said the plant will be located in Zaragoza and start producing lithium iron phosphate batteries by the end of 2026.

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — OpenAI has publicly released its new artificial intelligence video generator Sora but the company won't let most users depict people as it monitors for patterns of misuse.

Users of a premium version of OpenAI's flagship product ChatGPT can now use Sora to instantly create AI-generated videos based on written commands. Among the highlighted examples are high-quality video clips of sumo-wrestling bears and a cat sipping coffee.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal prosecutors sidestepped some Justice Department rules when they seized the phone records of reporters as part of media leak investigations during the Trump administration, according to a new watchdog report being released as the aggressive practice of hunting for journalists' sources could again be resurrected.

TOKYO (AP) — U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin met with officials in Japan on Tuesday to reaffirm the importance of their alliance and Washington's commitment to regional security as threats rise from China and North Korea.

BEIJING (AP) — A former chairman of the state-owned bank China Everbright Group was jailed 12 years for embezzlement and bribery, official broadcaster CCTV said Tuesday.

Tang Shuangning, who had also held senior posts at the People's Bank of China and the China Banking Regulatory Commission, was arrested in January, part of a wider wave of prosecutions of senior officials accused of financial crimes.

SEATTLE (AP) — Boeing has laid off hundreds of additional employees in Washington state and California as part of planned cuts that will eventually reduce the company's workforce by about 17,000.

Nearly 400 Boeing employees were laid off in Washington state and more than 500 in California, news outlets reported Monday.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration said Tuesday it will recognize and support a new Syrian government that renounces terrorism, destroys chemical weapons stocks and protects the rights of minorities and women.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement that the U.S. would work with groups in Syria and regional partners to ensure that the transition from President Bashar Assad's deposed government runs smoothly. He was not specific about which groups the U.S. would work with, but the State Department has not ruled out talks with the main Syrian rebel group despite its designation as a terrorist organization.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The grinding war between Ukraine and its Russian invaders has escalated ahead of Donald Trump's inauguration, with President Joe Biden rushing out billions of dollars more in military aid before U.S. support for Kyiv's defenses is thrown into question under the new administration.

TORONTO (AP) — Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Monday that Americans "are beginning to wake up to the real reality that tariffs on everything from Canada would make life a lot more expensive" and said he will retaliate if Donald Trump goes ahead with them.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump's pick for intelligence chief, Tulsi Gabbard, faced fresh scrutiny Monday on Capitol Hill about her proximity to Russian-ally Syria amid the sudden collapse of that country's hardline Assad rule.

Gabbard ignored shouted questions about her 2017 visit to war-torn Syria as she ducked into one of several private meetings with senators who are being asked to confirm Trump's unusual nominees.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump has promised to end birthright citizenship as soon as he gets into office to make good on campaign promises aiming to restrict immigration and redefining what it means to be American.

But any efforts to halt the policy would face steep legal hurdles.

WASHINGTON (AP) — House Republicans teed up a vote this week on bipartisan legislation to gradually expand by 66 the number of federal judgeships across the country. Democrats, though, are having second thoughts now that President-elect Donald Trump has won a second term.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court seemed to favor a Utah oil railroad expansion in arguments on Tuesday, but appeared more skeptical of putting strict new limits on a key national environmental law.

The justices were weighing a multibillion-dollar project that could quadruple oil production in the remote area of sandstone and sagebrush. Backers of the project asked the justices to get the project back on track and urged them limit the scope of environmental reviews under the National Environmental Policy Act to speed up development.

NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. consumers who were "tricked" into purchases they didn't want from Fortnite maker Epic Games are now starting to receive refund checks, the Federal Trade Commission said this week.

Back in 2022, Epic agreed to pay a total of $520 million to settle complaints revolving around children's privacy and payment methods on its popular Fortnite game. The FTC alleged the video game giant used deceptive online design tactics to trick Fortnite players, including children, into making unintended purchases "based on the press of a single button."

WASHINGTON (AP) — A task force looking into the assassination attempts against Donald Trump during his presidential campaign is recommending changes to the Secret Service, including protecting fewer foreign leaders during the height of the election season and considering moving the agency out of the Department of Homeland Security.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell fell and sprained his wrist while walking out of a GOP luncheon on Tuesday, the latest in a series of medical incidents for him in recent years.

McConnell, who is stepping down from his leadership post at the end of the year, was walking out of his weekly party lunch with Wyoming Sen. John Barrasso when he tripped and fell, Barrasso said, before walking back to his office on his own. Medical personnel were seen heading into his office minutes later.

NASHVILLE (AP) — Jonathan Huberdeau and Kevin Rooney each scored a goal and added an assist to lead the Calgary Flames to a 4-3 comeback victory over the skidding Nashville Predators on Tuesday night.

Brayden Pachal and Nazem Kadri also scored and Dan Vladar made 17 saves for the Flames, who had lost six of seven.

NASHVILLE (AP) — At least 26 enslaved people died on the Tennessee plantation of President Andrew Jackson between 1804 and the end of the Civil War in 1865. Where they were laid to rest is knowledge that had been lost to time.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court is allowing a class-action lawsuit that accuses Nvidia of misleading investors about its past dependence on selling computer chips for the mining of volatile cryptocurrency to proceed.

The court's decision Wednesday comes the same week that China said it is investigating the the microchip company over suspected violations of Chinese anti-monopoly laws. The justices heard arguments four weeks ago in Nvidia's bid to shut down the lawsuit, then decided that they were wrong to take up the case in the first place. They dismissed the company's appeal, leaving in place an appellate ruling allowing the case to go forward.

DETROIT (AP) — General Motors said Tuesday it will retreat from the robotaxi business and stop funding its money-losing Cruise autonomous vehicle unit.

Instead the Detroit automaker will focus on development of partially automated driver-assist systems for personal vehicles like its Super Cruise, which allows drivers to take their hands off the steering wheel.

NEW YORK (AP) — Remember what you searched for in 2024? Google does.

Google released its annual "Year in Search" on Tuesday, rounding up the top trending queries entered into its namesake search engine in 2024. The results show terms that saw the highest spike in traffic compared to last year — ranging from key news events, notably global elections, to the most popular songs, athletes and unforgettable pop-culture moments that people looked up worldwide.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Fueled by pricier used cars, hotel rooms and groceries, inflation in the United States moved slightly higher last month in the latest sign that some price pressures remain elevated.

Consumer prices rose 2.7% in November from a year earlier, up from a yearly figure of 2.6% in October. Excluding volatile food and energy costs, so-called core prices increased 3.3%, the same as in the previous month. Measured month to month, prices climbed 0.3% from October to November, the biggest such increase since April. Core prices also rose 0.3% for a fourth straight month.

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Google on Wednesday unleashed another wave of artificial intelligence designed to tackle more of the work and thinking done by humans as it tries to stay on the technology's cutting edge while also trying to fend off regulatory threats to its empire.

NEW YORK (AP) — Macy's profit and sales slumped in the third quarter with many customers of the department store chain continuing to divert spending to basics like groceries as they deal with broadly higher prices.

The New York retailer which owns upscale Bloomingdale's and the cosmetics chain Bluemercury raised sales expectations for the year, but lowered profit projections, sending shares plunging 10% before the opening bell.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump is promising expedited federal permits for energy projects and other construction worth more than $1 billion. But like other Trump plans, the idea is likely to run into regulatory and legislative hurdles, including a landmark law that requires federal agencies to consider the environmental impact before deciding on major projects.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Secretary of State Antony Blinken testified Wednesday before the House Foreign Affairs Committee, facing questions for the last time about some of the darkest moments of Joe Biden's presidency: the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden has approved a new national security memorandum ahead of Donald Trump's return to the White House that could serve as a road map for the incoming administration as it looks to counter growing cooperation among China, Iran, North Korea and Russia, the White House said Wednesday.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump made another flurry of job announcements on Tuesday, selecting Andrew Ferguson as the next chair of the Federal Trade Commission, Ron Johnson was nominated to be ambassador to Mexico, and Kimberly Guilfoyle to be ambassador to Greece.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden said Tuesday he was "stupid" not to put his own name on pandemic relief checks in 2021, noting that Donald Trump had done so in 2020 and likely got credit for helping people out through this simple, effective act of branding.

HELENA, Mont. (AP) — A Montana law banning gender-affirming medical care for transgender minors will remain temporarily blocked, the state Supreme Court ruled Wednesday, after justices agreed with a lower court judge who found the law likely violates the state's constitutional right to privacy.

TORONTO (AP) — Canada's central bank lowered its key interest rate by half a percentage point on Wednesday and called President-elect Donald Trump's threat to impose sweeping new tariffs on Canada "a major source of new uncertainty."

The Bank of Canada's decision marked the fifth consecutive reduction since June and brings the central bank's key rate down to 3.25%. Forecasters were widely expecting a big rate cut after the November labor force survey showed the unemployment rate rose to 6.8%.

NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stock indexes got back to climbing on Wednesday after the latest update on inflation appeared to clear the way for more help for the economy from the Federal Reserve.

The S&P 500 rose 0.8% to break its first two-day losing streak in nearly a month and finished just short of its all-time high. Big Tech stocks led the way, which drove the Nasdaq composite up 1.8% to top the 20,000 level for the first time. The Dow Jones Industrial Average, meanwhile, lagged the market with a dip of 99 points, or 0.2%.

NEW YORK (AP) — Macy's said Wednesday that it has tightened internal financial accounting measures after completing a probe of a rogue employee who hid $151 million in delivery expenses over a span of nearly three years.

A probe into the coverup forced Macy's to postpone the release of its full third-quarter earnings report late last month.

WASHINGTON (AP) — FBI Director Christopher Wray told bureau workers Wednesday he plans to resign at the end of President Joe Biden's term in January, an announcement that came a week and a half after President-elect Donald Trump said he would nominate loyalist Kash Patel for the job.

Three other regional teams are making bowl appearances this year, and a longtime West Tennessee bowl game features former Southwest Conference rivals.

Vanderbilt to Birmingham Bowl

The 6-6 Commodores, making their first bowl appearance of the Clark Lea era, are headed to the Dec. 27 Birmingham Bowl to face Georgia Tech (7-5) at 2:30 p.m. (ESPN) in what should be an entertaining matchup.

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) — Southeastern Conference coaches have picked Tennessee running back Dylan Sampson and South Carolina defensive end Kyle Kennard as the league's offensive and defensive players of the year.

The SEC released the individual awards, voted on by the 16 head coaches, on Wednesday. South Carolina's Shane Beamer was named coach of the year.

NASHVILLE (AP) — The Tennessee Titans ' most consistent scoring threat in an ugly season now is on the injury report, and that's why they brought back a player for a bit of insurance.

Kicker Nick Folk worked through some soreness, making a pair of field goals for Tennessee's only points last week in the Titans' loss to the Jaguars, his longest a 46-yarder. Both Folk and Brayden Narveson were on the field Wednesday during the portion of practice open to reporters, though the Titans listed Folk among six who did not practice.

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — The largest artificial intelligence data center ever built by Facebook's parent company Meta is coming to northeast Louisiana, the company said Wednesday, bringing hopes that the $10 billion facility will transform an economically neglected corner of the state.

WASHINGTON (AP) — A former FBI informant accused of falsely claiming that President Joe Biden and his son Hunter accepted bribes has agreed to plead guilty to federal charges, according to court papers filed Thursday.

As part of the plea deal with Justice Department special counsel David Weiss, Alexander Smirnov will admit he fabricated that the story that became central to the Republican impeachment inquiry in Congress.

TORONTO (AP) — The premier of Canada's most populous province said Wednesday he will cut off energy to the United States if President-elect Donald Trump imposes sweeping tariffs on all Canadian products.

Trump has threatened to impose a 25% tax on all products entering the U.S. from Canada and Mexico unless they stem the flow of migrants and drugs.

BANGKOK (AP) — The Biden administration plans to raise tariffs on solar wafers, polysilicon and some tungsten products from China to protect U.S. clean energy businesses.

The notice from the U.S. Trade Representative's office said tariffs on Chinese-made solar wafers and polysilicon will rise to 50% from 25% and duties on certain tungsten products will increase from zero to 25%, effective on Jan. 1, following a review of Chinese trade practices under Section 301 of the 1974 Trade Act.

TRENTON, N.J. (AP) — It's not an accident that "The Sopranos," the quintessential show about New Jersey, opens with its main character driving past gasoline and oil storage tanks along the New Jersey Turnpike.

From the outskirts of New York to the Delaware River shoreline across from Philadelphia, New Jersey is home to numerous oil and natural gas facilities.

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — The Australian government said Thursday it will tax large digital platforms and search engines unless they agree to share revenue with Australian news media organizations.

The tax would apply from Jan. 1 to tech companies that earn more than 250 million Australian dollars ($160 million) a year in revenue from Australia, Assistant Treasurer Stephen Jones and Communications Minister Michelle Rowland said.

NEW YORK (AP) — The Biden administration has finalized a rule limiting overdraft fees banks can charge, as part of the White House's campaign to reduce junk fees that hit consumers on everyday purchases, including banking services. President Joe Biden had called the fees, which can be as high as $35, "exploitative," while the banking industry has lobbied extensively to keep the existing fee structures in place.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Wholesale costs in the United States picked up sharply last month, signaling that price pressures are still evident in the economy even though inflation has tumbled from the peak levels it hit more than two years ago.

The Labor Department reported Thursday that its producer price index — which tracks inflation before it reaches consumers — rose 0.4% last month from October, up from 0.3% the month before. Measured from 12 months earlier, wholesale prices climbed 3% in November, the sharpest year-over-year rise since February 2023.

BANGKOK (AP) — Chinese leaders wrapped up a two-day planning meeting in Beijing on Thursday with pledges to take a more proactive approach in pepping up the world's second-largest economy, but gave no details on new stimulus measures.

A state-run CCTV report on the annual meeting mainly reiterated a strategy outlined earlier in the week after a session of the ruling Communist Party's powerful Politburo at which leaders pledged to loosen monetary policy and adopt a more proactive fiscal approach.

FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — The European Central Bank has cut rates by a quarter percentage point amid signs of weakening growth and concern about the impact of political chaos in France and the possibility of new U.S. import tariffs.

The bank's rate-setting committee made the decision Thursday at its skyscraper headquarters in Frankfurt to lower the benchmark from 3.25% to 3%.

NEW YORK (AP) — Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, said it has donated $1 million to President-elect Donald Trump's inauguration fund.

The donation comes just weeks after Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg met with Trump privately at Mar-a-Lago. A Meta spokesperson confirmed the offering Thursday. The news was first reported by The Wall Street Journal.

WASHINGTON (AP) — She's an Iraq War combat veteran and sexual assault survivor who has advocated for years to improve how the military handles claims of sexual misconduct.

But when Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, appeared initially cool to the nomination of President-elect Donald Trump 's choice of Pete Hegseth to serve as defense secretary — a man who once said women should not serve in combat and who has himself been accused of sexual assault — she faced an onslaught of criticism from within her own party, including threats of a potential primary challenge in 2026.

WASHINGTON (AP) — As several of President-elect Donald Trump's choices for high-level positions in his incoming administration face scrutiny on Capitol Hill, a poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research shows that Americans have their own doubts.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump said Wednesday that he's picking Kari Lake as director of Voice of America, installing a staunch loyalist who ran unsuccessfully for Arizona governor and a Senate seat to head the congressionally funded broadcaster that provides independent news reporting around the world.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Senate Democrats failed Wednesday to confirm a Democratic member of the National Labor Relations Board after independent Sens. Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema opposed the nomination, thwarting their hopes of locking in a majority at the federal agency for the first two years of President-elect Donald Trump's term.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden is commuting the sentences of roughly 1,500 people who were released from prison and placed on home confinement during the coronavirus pandemic and is pardoning 39 Americans convicted of nonviolent crimes. It's the largest single-day act of clemency in modern history.