News - Friday, September 13, 2024

In the fall of 2015, when Shannon Burger was hired as a financial consultant to steer Chattanooga CARES back on track, the place was in such disarray from high turnover, loss of grants and audit woes that some staff members were skeptical she could help turn it around.

Chattanooga Bar Association president Steven Smith presents Judge Tori Smith with a robe given by the CBA.

Smith succeeds Judge Alex McVeagh, whose General Sessions Court seat came open when he was elected to the Circuit Court.

As we dive into Realtor Safety Month this September, it’s a good time to reflect on the importance of safety for Realtors and their clients. While the nature of real estate transactions involves meeting new people and visiting unfamiliar properties, there are several safety protocols that can help protect everyone involved.

Millennials now account for half of all timeshare owners, a 2022 report by the American Resort Development Association finds. In fact, the average age of a timeshare owner is now 39 years old.

In the past decade, the timeshare industry has been quietly transforming from something your grandparents owned for an annual week in January to a dynamic, anytime vacation rental.

Newly released data from Tourism Economics and the Tennessee Department of Tourist Development reveals that Hamilton County generated $1,732,526,000 in visitor spending in 2023, marking a 6.36% increase from the previous year.

“Hamilton County’s continued growth in tourism highlights the incredible efforts of our community and its dedication to remaining a premier destination,” says Barry White, Chattanooga Tourism Co. President and CEO. “The success we’re experiencing not only boosts our local economy but also strengthens our businesses and supports essential community initiatives.

Cindy Todd has been named chair of the Greater Chattanooga Public Television Corporation board of directors, the governing board of WTCI PBS. WTCI PBS’s mission is to enrich lives through quality programs and services that educate, engage and inspire a lifetime of learning and exploration.

Investment opportunities don’t stop at the U.S. border. But what should you know about investing internationally?

To begin with, what is an international investment? Essentially, it’s an investment in companies based outside the United States. Investors can purchase individual foreign stocks, but many people choose international mutual funds or international exchange-traded funds (ETFs), which can be traded like stocks and track a specific market index. It’s also possible to invest in bonds issued by foreign governments or entities.

A recent Monmouth University study shows more than one-third of United States residents wish to move abroad. Pollsters report 34% of respondents would settle in another country if given the opportunity. Fifty years ago, only 10% of Americans responded similarly.

As Generation X, those born between 1965 and 1980, inches closer to retirement, concerns over credit card debt and a lack of retirement savings become primary focuses, especially when compared to what younger generations worry about.

Gen X represents over 65 million people, or around 20% of the global population, Pew Research Center as of April 2020 shows.

Managers are often drained by the people part of their jobs. After working for years as an individual contributor, they are finally rewarded with a management role. But, management is not as fun as they had hoped.

In addition to their old tasks, the manager is now saddled with a job that feels like a combination of a therapist and a babysitter. But instead of watching over children, they are tending to middle-aged adults.

About the only thing that will be remembered from Brian Callahan’s debut as the head coach of the Tennessee Titans will be the ugly interception from Will Levis that basically threw the game away.

It was already third down, so be it a sack or an incompletion, the Titans were going to punt and turn the game back over to their defense, hoping to hang on to a 17-16 lead.

Believe it or not, there were a few things from Sunday for the Titans to be encouraged about.

Atop that list was the play of Tennessee’s rebuilt defensive unit, which dominated the game Sunday and gave an indication that an aggressive, attacking style is back for the Titans.

The Titans return to Nissan Stadium for their home opener against the Jets with plenty to clean up and try to fix after their collapse Sunday in Chicago.

First down

Learn and move on. Quarterback Will Levis pledged to learn from his season-opening mistakes and work to clean things up as the Titans face Aaron Rodgers and the New York Jets. There won’t be time to dwell on mistakes, but the Titans offense must run more smoothly in terms of execution. Penalties and runs for losses were as much a problem as the pressure on Levis from the pass rush. That must be curtailed against the Jets.

If it was easy, everyone would be doing it. But it’s not, so you’re on your own. Think of it as a challenge. Seriously, you’ve never known a roadblock you couldn’t go around, no fence you couldn’t climb, no chasm you couldn’t jump.

The Hyundai Santa Fe and Kia Sorento are like pro football’s Kelce brothers, Travis and Jason: Both have had distinguished careers, both offer different strengths and you’d be glad to have either on your team.

But chances are you can only afford one of these SUVs. Which one will be the better buy? Edmunds’ car experts break down the key differences.

MEMPHIS (AP) — Three former officers charged in the beating death of Tyre Nichols did not comply with Memphis Police Department training policies when they punched, kicked and hit the 29-year-old motorist with a baton after a January 2023 traffic stop, a police lieutenant testified Thursday.

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (AP) — People began betting Thursday on which political party would win control of Congress in the November elections after a judge's ruling allowing the wagers — the only ones to be legally approved by a U.S. jurisdiction.

New York startup company Kalshi began taking what amounts to bets on the outcome of the November congressional elections after a judge refused to block them from doing so.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Several leading artificial intelligence companies pledged Thursday to remove nude images from the data sources they use to train their AI products, and committed to other safeguards to curb the spread of harmful sexual deepfake imagery.

NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stocks pulled closer to their records on Thursday following a couple reports on the economy that came in close to expectations.

The S&P 500 rose 0.7% and climbed back within 1.3% of its record set in July following a shaky summer. It remains on track for a fourth winning week in the last five.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. House this week approved a sweeping package of bills to counter China's influence, shoring up a largely bipartisan push to ensure America comes out ahead in the competition between the world's superpowers.

The efforts would ban Chinese-made drones, limit China-linked biotech companies from access to the U.S. market, strengthen sanctions and deepen ties with Asian countries. The campaign to target Beijing this week shows how curbing China's power has emerged as a rare issue of political consensus.

WASHINGTON (AP) — A resolution introduced by Congressional Democrats would make clear that U.S. emergency rooms need to provide emergency abortions when a woman's health or life is at risk, despite strict state abortion bans.

Legislators cited a report by The Associated Press that found more than 100 pregnant women have been denied care since 2022 in introducing the two-page proposal on Thursday.

NASHVILLE (AP) — The NFL did the New York Jets and four-time NFL MVP Aaron Rodgers no favors scheduling their first three games over the span of 11 days.

The Tennessee Titans have a different challenge.

SEATTLE (AP) — Kumar Rocker's debut in the majors finally arrived. It was a mixed bag for his highly anticipated first outing.

Rocker threw four innings for the Texas Rangers on Thursday night in their series opener against the Seattle Mariners. It was the conclusion of a lengthy journey through the pro game for the one-time college phenom and the top pitching prospect in the Rangers organization.

NASHVILLE (AP) — Firestone will continue as the only tire supplier for all IndyCar racing under a long-term extension between Bridgestone America and Penske Entertainment.

The length of the deal announced Thursday was not detailed. But the agreement will keep Firestone as the only tire supplier for all IndyCar races, the INDY NXT developmental series and the Indianapolis 500. Firestone is wrapping up its 25th straight year as IndyCar's tire supplier going into Sunday's season finale at Nashville Superspeedway.

NASHVILLE (AP) — An Alaska Airlines jet taking off in Nashville braked to a rapid stop on the runway to avoid a possible collision Thursday with a Southwest Airlines plane, and federal agencies are investigating the incident.

The Federal Aviation Administration said the Alaska pilots aborted their takeoff because the Southwest plane was cleared to cross the end of the same runway.

MEMPHIS (AP) — A Tennessee judge ruled Wednesday that three gun control questions can go on the November ballot in Memphis, even as top Republican state leaders have threatened to withhold tens of millions of dollars in state funding should city leaders put the initiative before voters.

NEW YORK (AP) — A federal appeals court has rejected Donald Trump's request to halt postconviction proceedings in his hush money criminal case, leaving a key ruling and the former president's sentencing on track for after the November election.

A three-judge panel of the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Manhattan cited the postponement last week of Trump's sentencing from Sept. 18 to Nov. 26 in denying his motion for an emergency stay.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump launched campaign blitzes Thursday with dramatically different approaches to attracting swing-state voters who will decide the presidential contest.

In North Carolina, Democratic nominee Harris used rallies in Charlotte and Greensboro to tout endorsements from Republicans who have crossed the aisle to back her. She also promised to protect access to health care and abortion, while delighting her partisan crowds with celebrations of her debate performance Tuesday, taking digs at Trump and cheerleading for her campaign and the country.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Even as she promoted her efforts to boost clean energy, Vice President Kamala Harris said in Tuesday's debate that the Biden-Harris administration has overseen "the largest increase in domestic oil production in history because of an approach that recognizes that we cannot over rely on foreign oil."

WASHINGTON (AP) — Former President Donald Trump plans to deliver remarks next Monday about cryptocurrency and the launch of the company World Liberty Financial, a crypto platform controlled by the Republican nominee's sons Donald Jr. and Eric.

His speech will come 50 days before Election Day, an extraordinary use of dwindling campaign time to promote a personal business. The Republican former president has long mixed his political and business interests and marketed sneakers, photo books and Trump-branded Bibles during his 2024 campaign.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Justice Department is preparing criminal charges in connection with an Iranian hack that targeted Donald Trump's presidential campaign in a bid to shape the outcome of the November election, two people familiar with the matter said Thursday.

JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — The Alaska Supreme Court ruled Thursday that a man currently serving a 20-year prison sentence can remain on the November ballot in the state's U.S. House race.

In a brief order, a split court affirmed a lower court ruling in a case brought by the Alaska Democratic Party; Justice Susan Carney dissented. A full opinion explaining the reasoning will be released later.

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — Indonesia and Vietnam signed multibillion-dollar energy transition deals in 2022 that were heralded as drastic shifts in financing that would enable the coal-dependent countries to pivot to cleaner energy.

The deals, known as Just Energy Transition Partnerships, were funded by developed nations to help the two countries phase out and retire their heavily polluting coal-fired power plants and replace them with clean energy alternatives such as solar or geothermal.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Top Biden administration officials on Thursday discussed the future of artificial intelligence at a meeting with a group of executives from OpenAI, Nvidia, Microsoft and other companies. The focus was on building data centers in the United States and the infrastructure needed to develop the technology.

WASHINGTON (AP) — California firefighters had to douse a flaming battery in a Tesla Semi with about 50,000 gallons (190,000 liters) of water to extinguish flames after a crash, the National Transportation Safety Board said Thursday.

In addition to the huge amount of water, firefighters used an aircraft to drop fire retardant on the "immediate area" of the electric truck as a precautionary measure, the agency said in a preliminary report.

MOSCOW (AP) — Russia's central bank raised its key interest rate by a full percentage point to 19% to combat high inflation as government spending on the military strains the economy's capacity to produce goods and services and drives up workers' wages.

SEATTLE (AP) — Aircraft assembly workers walked off the job early Friday at Boeing factories near Seattle and elsewhere after union members voted overwhelmingly to go on strike and reject a tentative contract that would have increased wages by 25% over four years.

OTTAWA, Ontario (AP) — Canada's largest airline and business leaders on Thursday urged the federal government to intervene in labor talks with its pilots in hopes of avoiding a shutdown, but the labor minister said the two sides should negotiate a deal.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden said Thursday joined scores of advocates and survivors of domestic abuse to mark the 30th anniversary of the landmark Violence Against Women Act, a law he wrote and championed as a U.S. senator because he wanted to "change the culture of America" around this touchy issue.

WASHINGTON (AP) — A California biotechnology company that helps doctors detect genetic causes for cancer is among those that could be cut out of the U.S. market over ties to China, underscoring the possible tradeoffs between health innovation and a largely bipartisan push in Congress to counter Beijing's global influence.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Ukraine's push to ease restrictions on the use of weapons from the United States and Britain will be discussed Friday in White House talks between President Joe Biden and Prime Minister Keir Starmer.

Ukraine wants approval to use some weapons to strike deeper into Russia and there are signs Biden might shift U.S. policy in response. Russian President Vladimir Putin warned that Ukraine's use of long-range weapons would put NATO at war with Moscow.

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Mortgage rates haven't been this attractive in more than a year, good news for homeowners eager to refinance.

Many homeowners have already jumped at the opportunity to lower their monthly payment, spurring a surge in mortgage refinancing applications.

NASHVILLE (AP) — IndyCar star Colton Herta, one of Nashville's newest residents, can see promotion of the season finale all around the city.

He made a joke that there are plenty of billboards around Nashville — Pato O'Ward complained two weeks ago the sign outside the Milwaukee Mile advertised a previously-held NASCAR event and not that days IndyCar race — and Herta stressed efforts have been strong to promote Sunday's championship-deciding race.

NEW YORK (AP) — Tech behemoth Oracle has agreed to settle a class action lawsuit for $115 million over allegations that it tracked consumer activity both on and offline.

The suit alleges Oracle captured, compiled, and sold individuals' data to third parties without their consent. Oracle maintains its practices were lawful, that it disclosed its activities, and it admitted no wrongdoing.

WASHINGTON (AP) — A man who worked as a U.S. State Department diplomatic security officer pleaded guilty on Friday to joining a mob's attack on the U.S. Capitol over three years ago, court records show.

Kevin Michael Alstrup is scheduled to be sentenced on Feb. 12 by U.S. District Judge Randolph Moss.

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (AP) — Just hours after it began, legal betting on the outcome of U.S. Congressional elections has been put on hold by a federal appeals court.

The Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit issued an order Thursday night temporarily freezing the matter until it can consider and rule on the issue. No timetable was initially given.

RANCHO PALOS VERDES, Calif. (AP) — Donald Trump refused on Friday to weigh in on recent racist and conspiratorial comments from right-wing provocateur Laura Loomer, who traveled with him earlier this week to the debate and several 9/11 memorial events.

LAS VEGAS (AP) — In the heart of Las Vegas' Chinatown, on the second floor of a sprawling shopping plaza that serves as a hub for the city's Asian community, residents gather for a celebration of the annual Dragon Boat Festival.

Some stop in to grab shiny, red packages of premade zongzi, a rice dish wrapped in bamboo leaves often eaten during the Chinese holiday.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Americans' outlook on the economy improved for the second straight month in September, bolstered by lower prices for long-lasting goods such as cars and furniture and the prospect of interest rate cuts by the Federal Reserve.

The University of Michigan's consumer sentiment index ticked up to 69 in its preliminary reading, its highest level since May and up from 67.9 in August. The gain was driven by consumers' perceptions that prices have improved for durable goods, the report from University of Michigan said.

NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stocks closed out their best week of the year with more gains on Friday and climbed to the cusp of their records.

The S&P 500 rose 0.5% for a fifth straight gain and is just 0.7% below its all-time high set in July. Rallies for Microsoft, Broadcom and other big technology stocks helped it claw back almost all its losses from last week, which was its worst in nearly 18 months.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden has voiced his opposition to Nippon Steel buying U.S. Steel, but the federal government appears to be in no hurry to block the deal.

White House officials earlier this month did not deny that the president would formally block the acquisition. But the necessary report from the government's Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States has yet to be submitted to the White House.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration is cracking down on cheap products sold out of China, expanding a push to reduce U.S. dependence on Beijing and bolster homegrown industry, but that could trigger higher prices for U.S. consumers who flock to popular shopping sites like Temu and Shein.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. State Department announced new sanctions on Russian state media Friday, accusing a Kremlin news outlet of working hand-in-hand with the Russian military and running fundraising campaigns to pay for sniper rifles, body armor and other equipment for soldiers fighting in Ukraine.

NASHVILLE (AP) — Aaron Rodgers wants to make clear that he technically now has two victories as quarterback of the New York Jets.

Not his first.

Braelon Allen, the NFL's youngest player, ran for a 20-yard touchdown with 4:31 left to put Rodgers and the New York Jets ahead to stay as they beat the Tennessee Titans 24-17 on Sunday.

The Southeastern Conference and Big Ten occupy 64% of this week's AP Top 25, with 16 ranked teams combined, the most ever by two conferences in one poll.

The third Top 25 of the regular season had a new No. 1 in Texas on Sunday, one of nine SEC teams in the poll. That's one short of the record 10 the SEC had in the first regular-season poll of 2015. For the second straight week, the SEC has six of the top seven teams.

LEBANON (AP) — Alex Palou easily drove to his third IndyCar championship in four years when challenger Will Power's seatbelt came loose minutes into the season-deciding finale Sunday at Nashville Superspeedway.

Tito Jackson, one of the brothers who made up the beloved pop group the Jackson 5, has died. He was 70.

Tito was the third of nine Jackson children, which include global superstars Michael and sister Janet, part of a music-making family whose songs are still beloved today.

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — The man suspected in an apparent assassination attempt targeting former President Donald Trump camped outside a golf course with food and a rifle for nearly 12 hours before a Secret Service agent confronted him and opened fire, according to court documents filed Monday.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Joe Wiederien was an unlikely candidate to challenge a Republican congressman in one of the nation's most competitive House districts.

A fervent supporter of former President Donald Trump, Wiederien was registered as a Republican until months earlier. A debilitating stroke had left him unable to drive. He had never run for office. For a time, he couldn't vote because of a felony conviction.

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (AP) — Allowing people to bet on the outcome of U.S. elections poses a great risk that some will try to manipulate the betting markets, which could cause more harm to the already fragile confidence voters have in the integrity of results, according to a federal agency that wants the bets to be banned.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Republican vice presidential candidate JD Vance did not back away on Sunday from the false claims he and Donald Trump have been making that Haitians in an Ohio community are abducting and eating pets, even as the state's GOP governor and other officials insist there is no evidence of such behavior.

KAAAWA, Hawaii (AP) — Ryan Wesley Routh portrayed himself online as a man who built housing for homeless people in Hawaii, tried to recruit fighters for Ukraine to defend itself against Russia, and described his support and then disdain for Donald Trump — even urging Iran to kill him.

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — Former President Donald Trump is safe following what the FBI says "appears to be an attempted assassination" while playing golf two months after another attempt on his life at a rally in Pennsylvania.

Local authorities said the U.S. Secret Service agents protecting Trump fired at a man pointing an AK-style rifle with a scope as Trump was playing on one of his Florida golf courses in West Palm Beach.

ATLANTA (AP) — Trying to defend their narrow Senate majority with a challenging slate of contests on Republican-leaning turf, Democrats are pumping $25 million into expanded voter outreach across 10 states.

The new spending from the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, first shared with The Associated Press, comes less than two months until the Nov. 5 election and as Democrats are benefiting from a fundraising surge since President Joe Biden ended his reelection bid in July and endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris as the party standard-bearer.

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Donald Trump was the target of what the FBI said "appears to be an attempted assassination" at his golf club in West Palm Beach, Florida, on Sunday, just nine weeks after the Republican presidential nominee survived another attempt on his life. The former president said he was safe and well, and authorities held a man in custody.

GLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) — Three weeks after dropping his independent presidential campaign, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has become a ubiquitous campaigner for Donald Trump, urging his own loyal followers to cast their lot with the former president who said he'd give Kennedy a job if he returns to the White House.

BLUFFTON, South Carolina (AP) — On the first day of his American National Government class, Prof. Kevin Dopf asks how many of his students are United States citizens. Every hand shoots up.

"So, how did all you people become citizens?" he asks. "Did you pass a test?"

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — The next generation of Buffetts — Howard, Susie and Peter — is poised to become one of the most powerful forces in philanthropy when their 94-year-old father, the legendary businessman and leader of Berkshire Hathaway, Warren Buffett, eventually passes away.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Warren Buffett's adult children — Susie, Howard and Peter Buffett — have long track records as philanthropists, giving away more than $15 billion of their dad's money through their foundations since 2006.

But because they don't habitually seek publicity about their donations, they've flown under the radar as a force within philanthropy.

RENO, Nev. (AP) — A probate court in Nevada is set to begin reviewing evidence behind closed doors in a case that could determine who will control Rupert Murdoch's media empire after his death.

Murdoch, 93, arrived at court Monday for the hearing. Last year, he moved to change the terms of his irrevocable family trust in a bid to ensure that his eldest son, Lachlan, remains in charge of his cadre of newspapers and television networks, including The Wall Street Journal and Fox News Channel, according to reporting by The New York Times based on a sealed court document.

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Kameale Terry saw it coming before almost anyone else did. She realized the expanding network of electric vehicle charging stations across the U.S. would need a workforce to maintain it.

The realization came as she found herself back in South Central Los Angeles — where she grew up — taking care of her mom, who was on her third recurrence of cancer. It was 2016 and she had left a job in banking to come home. Now she needed some work flexibility to address her mom's needs.

WASHINGTON (AP) — American consumers and home buyers, business people and political leaders have been waiting for months for what the Federal Reserve is poised to announce this week: That it's cutting its key interest rate from a two-decade peak.

It's likely to be just the first in a series of rate cuts that should make borrowing more affordable now that the Fed has deemed high inflation to be all but defeated.

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — The man suspected in an apparent assassination attempt targeting Donald Trump camped outside a golf course with food and a rifle for nearly 12 hours, lying in wait for the former president before a Secret Service agent thwarted the potential attack and opened fire, according to court documents filed Monday.

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Pennsylvania's Supreme Court on Monday upheld a lower court ruling that rejected a bid to get independent presidential candidate Cornel West on the ballot for the November election in the battleground state.

The courts sided with the secretary of state's office under Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro in rejecting West's candidacy paperwork. The decision also sets in motion the process for counties to start printing, testing and sending out mail-in ballots to voters who requested one ahead of the Nov. 5 election.

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — Former President Donald Trump wasn't harmed by Sunday's apparent assassination attempt as he golfed near his Florida club. The second attack on his life is likely to further unsettle an election cycle already marked by upheaval.

BLUFFTON, South Carolina (AP) — On the first day of his American National Government class, Prof. Kevin Dopf asks how many of his students are United States citizens. Every hand shoots up.

"So, how did all you people become citizens?" he asks. "Did you pass a test?"

NEW YORK (AP) — The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed at another all-time high after recouping its losses from early September.

The S&P 500 rose close to its own record, but was held back by losses in Big Tech companies like Apple and Nvidia. The Dow added 0.6% Monday, the S&P 500 rose 0.1%, and the Nasdaq composite fell 0.5%.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The United States announced new sanctions Monday against a commercial spyware company headed by a former Israeli military officer whose program allowed easy access to almost any information stored on a smartphone.

U.S. officials and private researchers say Intellexa Consortium's products have been used for mass surveillance campaigns around the world, allowing unscrupulous users to track and obtain sensitive information from dissidents, journalists, political candidates and opposition figures.

NASHVILLE (AP) — Punt blocked. Ugly fumble by the young quarterback. An interception. Rinse and repeat with the exact same 24-17 score and only the opponent and location are different.

The result is an 0-2 start for the Tennessee Titans under first-year coach Brian Callahan. Making it worse is they had leads in both games, including their home-opening 24-17 loss to the New York Jets.

MEMPHIS (AP) — Tyre Nichols posed no threat to police when he was snatched out of his car during a traffic stop that preceded a fatal beating by five Memphis officers, according to testimony Monday by a former officer who has pleaded guilty in the case, which led to national protests and sparked renewed calls for police reform.

NEW YORK (AP) — Sean "Diddy" Combs presided over a sordid empire of sexual crimes, coercing and abusing women for years, threatening them to keep them in line and enlisting a cast of aides to cover it up, according to an indictment unsealed Tuesday.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Presidential election campaigning revs back up Tuesday, with Donald Trump heading to Michigan and Vice President Kamala Harris answering questions at a forum for Black journalists in Pennsylvania — even as authorities continue to investigate a second apparent assassination attempt against Trump that's roiled the race.

LONDON (AP) — Meta said it's banning Russia state media organization from its social media platforms, alleging that the outlets used deceptive tactics to amplify Moscow's propaganda. The announcement drew a rebuke from the Kremlin on Tuesday.

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Florida law enforcement will launch a criminal investigation of the apparent assassination attempt targeting former President Donald Trump, Gov. Ron DeSantis said Tuesday.

The state-level probe will run parallel to the federal investigation into Ryan Wesley Routh, who was charged Monday with federal firearms offenses. DeSantis said Florida prosecutors will pursue the most serious charges available under state law, including attempted murder.

MARIETTA, Ga. (AP) — The election director in Cobb County, an Atlanta suburb where votes will be fiercely contested in this year's presidential race, recently organized a five-hour training session. The focus wasn't solely on the nuts-and-bolts of running this year's election. Instead, it brought together election staff and law enforcement to strategize on how to keep workers safe and the process of voting and ballot-counting secure.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump launched his family's cryptocurrency venture, World Liberty Financial, with an interview on the X social media platform in which he also gave his first public comments on the apparent assassination attempt against him a day earlier.

NEW YORK (AP) — For all the debate about just how rich former President Donald Trump is, one thing is clear: His ownership stake in Trump Media & Technology Group makes him a billionaire.

The company behind the Truth Social platform is worth more than $3.5 billion on Wall Street, and Trump owns more than half of it. So far, Trump and other insiders in the company known as TMTG have been unable to cash in because a "lock-up agreement" has prevented them from selling any of their shares since TMTG began trading publicly in March.

NEW YORK (AP) — Hours after an apparent attempt on Donald Trump's life over the weekend, Elon Musk took to his social platform X to post a thinking emoji and a comment that "no one is even trying to assassinate" the Democratic president and vice president.

RENO, Nev. (AP) — Rupert Murdoch and four of his children on Monday went before a Nevada probate commissioner behind closed doors to an evidentiary hearing that could decide who controls Murdoch's media empire after his death.

The hearing scheduled to resume Tuesday and continue into next week comes after Murdoch, 93, moved last year to change the terms of his irrevocable family trust.

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Kroger and Albertsons were expected to present their closing arguments Tuesday in a U.S. District Court hearing on their proposed merger, which the federal government hopes to block.

Over the course of the three-week hearing in Portland, Oregon, the two companies have insisted that merging would allow them to lower prices and more effectively compete with retail giants like Walmart and Amazon.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Americans spent a bit more at retailers last month, providing a small boost to the economy just as the Federal Reserve considers how much to cut its key interest rate.

Retail sales ticked up 0.1% from July to August, after jumping the most in a year and a half the previous month, the Commerce Department said Tuesday. Online retailers, sporting goods stores, and home and garden stores all reported higher sales.

NEW YORK (AP) — More than two decades ago, when gay men and lesbians were prohibited from serving openly in the U.S. military and no state had legalized same-sex marriages, a national LGBTQ+ rights group decided to promote change by grading corporations on their workplace policies.

WASHINGTON (AP) — A bipartisan group of lawmakers plans to introduce legislation Tuesday that would prohibit political campaigns and outside political groups from using artificial intelligence to misrepresent the views of their rivals by pretending to be them.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate will vote for the second time this year on whether to consider legislation that would establish a nationwide right to in vitro fertilization — Democrats' latest election-year attempt to force Republicans into a defensive stance on women's health issues.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Secretary of State Antony Blinken heads to Egypt on Tuesday for his 10th trip to the Middle East since the war in Gaza began nearly a year ago, this one aimed partly at refining a proposal to present to Israel and Hamas for a cease-fire deal and release of hostages.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Arrests for illegal border crossings from Mexico rose slightly in August, authorities said Monday, ending a stretch of five straight months of declines and signaling that flows may be leveling off.

The Border Patrol made 58,038 arrests on the Mexican border during the month, hovering near four-year lows but up 2.9% from 56,399 in July, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection. The total was in line with preliminary estimates.

NEW YORK (AP) — The billionaire Microsoft co-founder and philanthropist Bill Gates thinks the richest governments should increase their support for African countries that have been overshadowed by development funding increasingly going toward the humanitarian response to the war in Ukraine as well as support for refugees around the world in recent years.

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Venezuela's main opposition coalition on Monday called on the U.S. to cancel the licenses that allow Chevron and other energy companies to operate in the South American country to pressure President Nicolás Maduro to negotiate a transition from power.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Vice President Kamala Harris is set to conduct a rare extended campaign interview Tuesday, taking questions from a trio of journalists from the National Association of Black Journalists just a month after former President Donald Trump 's appearance before the same organization turned contentious over matters of race and other issues.

WASHINGTON (AP) — House Speaker Mike Johnson will move ahead with a temporary spending bill that would prevent a partial government shutdown when the new budget year begins on Oct. 1, despite the headwinds that prompted him to pull the bill from consideration last week.

KNOXVILLE (AP) — Tennessee has announced a price hike for football tickets starting in 2025 with most of the increase going specifically to help pay players.

The increase announced Tuesday morning in an email to season-ticket holders notes a new 10% talent fee for all invoices to "help fund the proposed revenue share" for athletes and help Tennessee attract and keep the best talent. A video link features athletic director Danny White explaining the reason for the price hike per seat across Neyland Stadium.

MEMPHIS (AP) — A former Memphis police officer testified Tuesday that he punched a "helpless" Tyre Nichols at least five times while two colleagues held his arms and said "hit him," then lied to his supervisor about their use of force in a beating that proved fatal.

NEW YORK (AP) — The video was seen millions of times across social media but some viewers were suspicious: It featured a young Black woman who claimed Vice President Kamala Harris left her paralyzed in a hit-and-run accident in San Francisco 13 years ago.

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Vice President Kamala Harris on Tuesday decried Republican Donald Trump for inflammatory rhetoric about migrants in Springfield, Ohio and on other topics, saying voters should make sure he "can't have that microphone again."

WASHINGTON (AP) — Vice President Kamala Harris said Tuesday that the death of a young Georgia mother who died after waiting 20 hours for a hospital to treat her complications from an abortion pill shows the consequences of Donald Trump's actions.

Amber Thurman's death, first reported Monday by ProPublica, occurred just two weeks after Georgia's strict abortion ban was enacted in 2022 following the U.S. Supreme Court's decision to overturn nationwide abortion rights. Trump appointed three of the justices who made that decision and has repeatedly said he believes states should decide abortion laws.

WASHINGTON (AP) — A secretive group that recruited retired and disabled supporters of Donald Trump to run as third-party spoiler candidates in some of the nation's most competitive congressional districts was accused of violating campaign finance law in a complaint filed with the Federal Election Commission on Tuesday.

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — The FBI and U.S. Postal Service on Tuesday were investigating suspicious packages that have been sent to or received by elections officials in at least eight states, but there were no immediate reports that any of the packages contained hazardous material.

NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stock indexes remained stuck in place on Tuesday as Wall Street made few big moves ahead of what's expected to be the first cut to interest rates in more than four years.

The S&P 500 edged up by 1.49, or less than 0.1%, to 5,634.58. It remains 0.6% below its all-time closing high set in July, and it briefly rose above that mark during the morning.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Republicans have blocked for a second time this year legislation to establish a nationwide right to in vitro fertilization, arguing that the vote is an election-year stunt after Democrats forced a vote on the issue.

The Senate vote was Democrats' latest attempt to force Republicans into a defensive stance on women's health issues and highlight policy differences between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump in the presidential race, especially as Trump has called himself a " leader on IVF."

Sixth-ranked Tennessee had piled up 37 points and nearly 300 yards of offense by the time the first quarter mercifully came to an end last week against Toledo. It turned out that mercy for the Rockets was still quite a ways away.

The Vols pushed their lead to 65-0, and that gaudy yardage total over 500, by the time the teams trudged to the locker rooms at Neyland Stadium. That is when Tennessee finally pulled back on the reins of coach Josh Heupel's high-powered offense, content to kick just a couple of second-half field goals and move on to bigger games against better opponents.

NASHVILLE (AP) — A former Tennessee prison official and a former executive at a private contractor have been charged with conspiracy to obstruct justice and commit perjury after they were accused of rigging a bid on a $123 million contract, federal prosecutors announced Tuesday.

NEW YORK (AP) — Sean "Diddy" Combs is widely recognized as one of the most influential figures in hip-hop, but his indictment Tuesday on sex trafficking and racketeering charges further clouds his legacy. For some, it may change their relationship to his music.

NEW YORK (AP) — For 10 months, rumblings, lawsuits, law enforcement raids and mounting allegations of widespread sexual abuse had surrounded Sean "Diddy Combs. The business empire, cultural cachet and fatherly image he had cultivated in the decades since he became a hot young hip-hop mogul in the 1990s had begun to erode.

BALTIMORE (AP) — The U.S. Justice Department on Wednesday sued the owner and manager of the cargo ship that caused the Baltimore bridge collapse, seeking to recover more than $100 million that the government spent to clear the underwater debris and reopen the city's port.

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Vice President Kamala Harris on Tuesday decried Republican Donald Trump for inflammatory rhetoric about migrants in Springfield, Ohio, and on other topics, saying voters should make sure he "can't have that microphone again."

Sitting down for a rare extended campaign interview Tuesday with a trio of journalists from the National Association of Black Journalists, Harris said her heart breaks after threats of violence have disrupted the city following comments amplified by Trump and his running mate alleging, without evidence, that immigrants are kidnapping and consuming people's pets.

WASHINGTON (AP) — A 22-year-old woman who became an abortion rights advocate after she was raped by her stepfather as a child tells her story in a new campaign ad for Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris.

Hadley Duvall says in voiceover that she's never slept a full night in her life — her stepfather first started abusing her when she was five years old, and impregnated her when she was 12. As she speaks, images of Duvall as a child flash on the screen. The soundtrack of the ad is a song by Billie Eilish, who endorsed the vice president on Tuesday.

DETROIT (AP) — Former President Donald Trump on Tuesday repeated false claims that Chinese automakers are putting up large factories in Mexico, vowing during a stop in the automaking state of Michigan to slap 200% tariffs on any vehicles the unbuilt plants make and ship to the United States.

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — The FBI and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service on Tuesday were investigating the origin of suspicious packages that have been sent to or received by elections officials in more than 15 states, but there were no immediate reports of injuries or that any of the packages contained hazardous material.

FLINT, Mich. (AP) — Former President Donald Trump said Tuesday that he's meeting next week with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi when Modi visits the U.S.

Modi is scheduled to be in the United States this weekend, along with the leaders of Australia and Japan, for a summit of the so-called Quad hosted by President Joe Biden in his Wilmington, Delaware, hometown. The group is formally called the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, and it began as a partnership after the devastating 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Americans can now renew their passports online, bypassing a cumbersome mail-in paper application process that often caused delays.

The State Department announced Wednesday that its online passport renewal system is now fully operational.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Having all but tamed inflation, the Federal Reserve is poised to do something Wednesday it hasn't done in more than four years: Cut its benchmark interest rate, a step that should lead to lower borrowing costs for consumers and businesses just weeks before the presidential election.

NEW YORK (AP) — Tupperware Brands, the company that revolutionized food storage decades ago, has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.

Orlando, Florida-based Tupperware plans to continue operating during the bankruptcy proceedings and will seek court approval for a sale, "in order to protect its iconic brand," the company said just before midnight on Tuesday.

LONDON (AP) — Google won a court challenge on Wednesday against a 1.49 billion euro ($1.66 billion) European Union antitrust fine imposed five years ago that targeted its online advertising business.

The EU's General Court said it was throwing out the 2019 penalty imposed by the European Commission, which is the 27-nation bloc's top antitrust enforcer.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Sen. Bernie Sanders is preparing several resolutions that would stop more than $20 billion in U.S. arms sales to Israel, a longshot effort but the most substantive pushback yet from Congress over the devastation in Gaza ahead of the first year anniversary of the Israel-Hamas war.

TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — A company based in Hungary was responsible for manufacturing the pagers that exploded in an apparent Israeli operation targeting Hezbollah, another firm said Wednesday. The attack marked a new escalation in the conflict between the two foes that has often threatened to escalate into all-out war.

NEW YORK (AP) — In what appears to be a sophisticated, remote attack, pagers used by hundreds of members of Hezbollah exploded almost simultaneously in Lebanon and Syria Tuesday, killing at least 12 people — including two children — and wounding thousands more.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The House is scheduled to vote Wednesday on Speaker Mike Johnson's proposal that links the funding of the federal government for the new budget year with a mandate that states require proof of citizenship when people register to vote.

GATLINBURG (AP) — The highest peak at Great Smoky Mountains National Park is officially reverting to its Cherokee name more than 150 years after a surveyor named it for a Confederate general.

The U.S. Board of Geographic Names voted on Wednesday in favor of a request from the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians to officially change the name Clingmans Dome to Kuwohi, according to a news release from the park. The Cherokee name for the mountain translates to "mulberry place."

NEW YORK (AP) — Lawyers for Sean "Diddy" Combs asked a judge Wednesday to let him await his sex trafficking trial at his luxury home on an island near Miami Beach, rather than a grim federal jail in Brooklyn.

Combs' lawyers offered a $50 million bail package — using his mansion as collateral — in exchange for releasing him to home detention with GPS monitoring. A hearing on the request was scheduled for Wednesday afternoon. On Tuesday, a U.S. magistrate judge in Manhattan ordered Combs held without bail.

BALTIMORE (AP) — The owner and manager of the cargo ship that caused the deadly Baltimore bridge collapse recklessly cut corners and ignored known electrical problems on the vessel, the Justice Department alleged Wednesday in a lawsuit seeking to recover more than $100 million that the government spent to clear the underwater debris and reopen the city's port.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Vice President Kamala Harris on Wednesday criticized Republican Donald Trump's promise to deport millions of people who are in the United States illegally, questioning whether he would rely on massive raids and detention camps to carry it out.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The International Brotherhood of Teamsters declined Wednesday to endorse Kamala Harris or Donald Trump for president, saying neither candidate had sufficient support from the 1.3 million-member union.

"Unfortunately, neither major candidate was able to make serious commitments to our union to ensure the interests of working people are always put before Big Business," Teamsters President Sean M. O'Brien said in a statement. "We sought commitments from both Trump and Harris not to interfere in critical union campaigns or core Teamsters industries — and to honor our members' right to strike — but were unable to secure those pledges."

NEW YORK (AP) — Law enforcement officials on Long Island worked quickly on Wednesday to publicly knock down social media posts falsely reporting that explosives had been found in a car near former President Donald Trump's planned rally in New York.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Representatives for former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris ' transition teams met for the first time at the White House, the Biden administration announced Wednesday, as the outgoing administration plans to smooth the handoff to whomever wins in November.

NEW YORK (AP) — MrBeast is accused of creating "unsafe" employment conditions, including sexual harassment, and misrepresenting contestants' odds at winning his new Amazon reality show's $5 million grand prize in a lawsuit filed Tuesday by five unnamed participants.

BRIGANTINE, N.J. (AP) — Opponents of offshore wind around the U.S. are pelting projects with lawsuits seeking to cancel them or tie them up for years in costly litigation.

The court cases represent another hurdle the nascent industry must overcome, particularly along the East Coast where opposition to offshore wind farms is vocal and well-organized.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration is moving to clarify how homeowners and businesses can receive lucrative tax credits for installing electric vehicle chargers.

A rule proposed Wednesday by the Treasury Department would make credits worth up to $1,000 for individuals and $100,000 for businesses available for each EV charger that is installed. If finalized, the new rule would be especially valuable to businesses that plan to install multiple chargers and would be eligible for significant credits to offset the expense.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Federal Reserve on Wednesday cut its benchmark interest rate by an unusually large half-point, a dramatic shift after more than two years of high rates that helped tame inflation but also made borrowing painfully expensive for American consumers.

NEW YORK (AP) — The Federal Reserve has cut its benchmark interest rate from its 23-year high, with consequences for debt, savings, auto loans, mortgages and other forms of borrowing by consumers and businesses.

On Wednesday, the Fed announced that it reduced its key rate by an unusually large half-percentage point, to between 4.75 and 5 percent, the first rate cut in more than four years.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Below is the statement the Federal Reserve released Wednesday after its latest policy meeting ended:

Recent indicators suggest that economic activity has continued to expand at a solid pace. Job gains have slowed, and the unemployment rate has moved up but remains low. Inflation has made further progress toward the Committee's 2 percent objective but remains somewhat elevated.

NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stock indexes edged lower Wednesday after the Federal Reserve kicked off its efforts to prevent a recession with a bigger-than-usual cut to interest rates.

The S&P 500 slipped 0.3% to pull 0.9% below its all-time high set in July. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dipped 103 points, or 0.2%, though it remains close to its record set on Monday. The Nasdaq composite lost 0.3%.

ROCHESTER, N.Y. (AP) — The National Toy Hall of Fame is floating the idea of inducting balloons.

Praised for their versatility and universal appeal, balloons made the list Wednesday of 12 finalists being considered for the honor later this year, alongside other first-time contenders including the trampoline and the party game Apples to Apples.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The House scheduled a vote Wednesday evening on Speaker Mike Johnson's proposal that links the funding of the federal government for the new budget year with a mandate that states require proof of citizenship when people register to vote.

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Sales of previously occupied U.S. homes fell in August to the slowest annual pace in nearly a year even as mortgage rates eased and the supply of properties on the market continued to rise.

Existing home sales fell 2.5% last month, from July, to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 3.86 million, the National Association of Realtors said Thursday.

Will Levis has not looked at his social media for the past couple of weeks, and the Tennessee Titans quarterback spent part of Wednesday switching phone numbers to stop fans from deluging his cell with texts sharing their thoughts on his play.

"I just think that's the healthiest way to go about it, and I don't want to or care to see anything that people say about me," Levis said. "And I'm just going to keep chugging along regardless of what they say. So yeah, but it sucks that the world is the way that it is and I'm looking forward to having some privacy."

NORMAN, Okla. (AP) — It's finally here for No. 15 Oklahoma.

After all the hype and waiting, the Sooners will play their first Southeastern Conference game Saturday night against No. 6 Tennessee.

"It's huge," Oklahoma coach Brent Venables said. "I mean, this is a historical moment for this university and certainly the football program and all the athletic programs here at the university. So to be a part of that is really special, and again, the vision is it's going to take us to a place that's been the elite conference in all of college football. We're taking an elite program and making it even stronger. And so we're looking forward to an amazing, strong partnership."

NEW YORK (AP) — Decades into one of the most consistent careers in contemporary country music, and you'd think Keith Urban has this whole album thing worked out. But his 11th studio album, "High," out Friday, was no walk in the park.

It's been four years since 2020's "The Speed of Now Part 1," and in that time, Urban wrote another record, "615," and scrapped it.

COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — Vanderbilt and Missouri both got wake-up calls last week, albeit much different ones.

The Commodores got the worst kind: one that ended with a loss on a last-minute touchdown by Georgia State, preventing them from getting off to a 3-0 start for the first time since 2017, long before coach Clark Lea arrived.

NASHVILLE (AP) — Sam Surridge scored a goal in the 19th minute, Joe Willis had three saves the Nashville SC beat the Chicago Fire 1-0 Wednesday night.

Surridge played a header, off an arcing entry from Hany Mukhtar, that went high above the crossbar before dropping inside the post to give Nashville a 1-0 lead.

TOKYO (AP) — The six-year-old criminal case of Greg Kelly, an American ensnared in the scandal of Nissan's former boss Carlos Ghosn, turned a page in a Japanese court Thursday, with his lawyer demanding "justice" with a verdict of total innocence.

WASHINGTON (AP) — In the summer of 1941, James F. Byrnes became a Supreme Court justice. Little over a year later, he had had enough and left the court to take a key role in planning the nation's wartime economy.

Americans have become accustomed in recent decades to justices who retire only after decades on the bench, or like Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Antonin Scalia, who died while on the bench. Ginsburg and Scalia are among nearly half the 116 men and women who have been justices who died while still serving or within a few months of retirement.

MEMPHIS (AP) — A former Memphis police officer charged in the fatal beating of Tyre Nichols sent his ex-girlfriend a photo of the badly injured man on the night he was punched, kicked and hit with a police baton following a traffic stop, according to trial testimony Wednesday.

FLINT, Mich. (AP) — The FBI is investigating suspicious packages sent to elections officials in more than a dozen states. State police have begun sweeps of schools in an Ohio community where conspiracy theories have fueled bomb threats. Violent rhetoric is rippling across social media.

LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Leaders of a Democratic protest vote movement against the Israel-Hamas war said Thursday that they would not endorse Vice President Kamala Harris ' presidential bid but strongly urged their supporters to vote against Donald Trump in November.

PHOENIX (AP) — Vice President Kamala Harris is stepping up her efforts to win over voters who belong to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, enlisting prominent members of the faith to make the case in pivotal Arizona that Donald Trump does not align with the church's values.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Until recently, Lillian Dunsmuir of Bullhead City, Arizona, "didn't really think about" Kamala Harris and had no opinion of the vice president. But now she likes what she's seeing.

"She's funny. I think she's very smart. She can speak well," said Dunsmuir, a 58-year-old real estate agent. "I would feel safe with her because I think she can handle herself with foreign leaders. I like her because she's for pro-choice, and so am I."

WASHINGTON (AP) — When the Rev. Lee Scott publicly endorsed Kamala Harris for president during the Evangelicals for Harris Zoom call on Aug. 14, the Presbyterian pastor and farmer said he was taking a risk.

"The easy thing for us to do this year would be to keep our heads down, go to the ballot box, keep our vote secret and go about our business," Scott told the group, which garnered roughly 3,200 viewers according to organizers. "But at this time, I just can't do that."

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Democrats are stepping up their outreach to Polish Americans in this year's presidential election as Kamala Harris and Donald Trump vie for support from a community that could play a decisive role in razor-thin battleground state contests.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Both major presidential candidates are making appearances Thursday meant to fire up their core supporters, with Vice President Kamala Harris participating in a livestream with Oprah Winfrey and Donald Trump attending an event with prominent Jewish donors before addressing a gathering of the Israeli-American Council.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Former President Donald Trump, following an apparent assassination attempt on him on Sunday, claimed that overheated rhetoric from Democrats was responsible for him being under threat.

It turns out, records show, that threats come with the office that he once held and is trying to win again, and occur far more frequently than is widely known.

NEW YORK (AP) — Journalists at a news site that covers the Haitian community in the United States say they've been harassed and intimidated with racist messages for covering a fake story about immigrants eating the pets of people in an Ohio town.

RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — Some Brazilian users regained access to X on Wednesday despite a nationwide ban put in place by the country's Supreme Court, a reunion apparently resulting from the social network changing the way its servers are accessed.

But the renewed access may be short-lived.

LONDON (AP) — The European Union said Thursday it will outline steps to compel Apple to open up its iPhone and iPad operating systems to competing technologies under the bloc's tough new digital rulebook, which threatens hefty fines for breaches.

The EU's executive branch, the European Commission, said it has opened two "specification proceedings" that will spell out what Apple needs to do under the 27-nation bloc's Digital Markets Act.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Hackers are demanding $6 million in bitcoin from the operator of the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport for documents they stole during a cyberattack last month and posted on the dark web this week, an airport official said Wednesday.

LONDON (AP) — The Bank of England kept its main interest rate unchanged at 5% Thursday despite a big cut from the U.S. Federal Reserve, its first since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic more than four years ago.

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Sales of previously occupied U.S. homes fell in August to the slowest annual pace in nearly a year even as mortgage rates eased and the supply of properties on the market continued to rise.

Existing home sales fell 2.5% last month, from July, to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 3.86 million, the National Association of Realtors said Thursday.

BOSTON (AP) — Members of a U.S. Senate committee looking into the bankruptcy of Steward Health Care adopted two resolutions Thursday designed to hold CEO Ralph de la Torre in contempt — one for civil enforcement and another for criminal contempt — for not testifying before the panel.