News - Friday, September 6, 2024

Anxious Titans fans will finally get to see their new-look team in a meaningful game Sunday against the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field. It’ll also be the first time some of the Titans own players will see their team play. And that’s a concern.

All the Titans’ moves this offseason to beef up the defense, improve the weapons on offense and repair the offensive line were all done with one thing in mind – give Will Levis his best opportunity to prove he can be this team’s franchise quarterback.

The regular season is here at long last, and the Titans are heading to Chicago to face the Bears, who are more optimistic than they have been in a long time thanks to rookie quarterback Caleb Williams, chosen with the first overall pick. Here are four things the Titans must be wary of Sunday at Soldier Field.

New Hamilton County Circuit Court Judge Alex McVeagh was sworn into his new role last week, surrounded by family, colleagues and supporters at the Hamilton County Courthouse.

McVeagh was elected to the seat Aug. 2, and was replaced as general sessions judge by Victoria “Tori” Smith the day before his investiture.

In just a few short weeks we will elect from among us those people we will place in positions of authority over us. This is a civic tradition we have faithfully repeated for almost two hundred 50 years. Regardless of whom we elect, and regardless of whether we supported or opposed them, we rely on them to follow the rule of law.

When we talk about the members of our board of directors, it’s impossible not to notice the breadth of experience and passion each brings. These individuals are more than just leaders – they are the driving force behind our association’s success.

Chattanooga Mayor Tim Kelly selected department veteran and current Assistant Chief John Chambers to be the Chattanooga Police Department’s next chief of police.

The appointment caps a two-month selection process that whittled a competitive field of applicants for a job that drew national interest and a pool of talented, external and internal candidates. Following interviews with the two finalists, Chambers emerged as the clear choice, earning unanimous support from the Mayor’s Advisory Committee.

Chattanooga Mayor Tim Kelly last week unveiled the city’s first-ever brand, which was cocreated by local talent with input from residents across the community.

The city realized the need for a unifying visual identity as part of the redesign of the city website, which is expected to be finished next month. The city’s new brand is a comprehensive toolbox that will flex and grow across city departments, initiatives and agencies in the years to come, unifying what in the past has been a fragmented and discordant public presence.

It’s probably not on your calendar, but September is Life Insurance Awareness Month. And it’s a pretty good idea to be aware of what life insurance can do for you.

Life insurance can help you in two main ways. First, life insurance policies offer a death benefit that can assist your family if you’re no longer around. And second, some types of life insurance offer the chance to build cash value, which can work for you during your lifetime.

Longtime celebrity watchers may not have been shocked when Jennifer Lopez filed for divorce from Ben Affleck, but what was surprising was that Lopez’s divorce petition did not include any mention of a prenuptial agreement.

A prenup is a legal document for soon-to-be-married couples that lays out how they will divide their assets during their marriage and if they divorce. They’re common for celebrities and very wealthy couples, but divorce law attorney Raiford Dalton Palmer says you should consider one even if you don’t have a lot of money.

As housing prices continue to rise, many people in the United States are veering toward a new-ish style of living space: the tiny house. A report by Investment Property Exchange Services finds 73% of Americans would consider living in a tiny home.

It’s unnerving to face the prospect of a 50th high school reunion, one of those undeniable signposts of geezerdom, like Medicare, Social Security and hip-replacement surgery. It’s even more unnerving when the reunion is three years late.

Caroline Kerr was surrounded by veterans last season on the University of Tennessee women’s volleyball team. This season, the redshirt sophomore setter is a veteran.

Coming off one of the most successful runs in program history, the Lady Vols are retooling this year with a roster filled with younger players and new faces.

Most job seekers have very strong feelings on one particular topic: job interview assessments. It is not uncommon in today’s job market for an employer to ask you to take an assessment. Yes, they may ask you to take a test.

An employer might ask you to “do a case study.” Another might ask you to take an IQ test or to write a paper. Another might ask you to write a sample marketing plan.

Car buyers have more tools than ever to get the right vehicle at the right price. Still, mistakes can happen quite easily. Often, car buyers get blinded by emotion or rushed timing. Edmunds’ experts reveal the four biggest mistakes car shoppers often make and offer tips to avoid them.

WASHINGTON (AP) — In the first court hearing in nearly a year, a lawyer for Donald Trump clashed on Thursday with the judge in the federal election interference prosecution of the former president after suggesting the government was rushing forward with an "illegitimate" indictment at the height of the White House campaign.

PHOENIX (AP) — Former President Donald Trump said Thursday he would create a government efficiency commission to audit the entire federal government, an idea suggested by billionaire Elon Musk, who would lead it.

The commission is the latest attention-grabbing alliance between Trump and Musk, who leads companies including Tesla and SpaceX and has become an increasingly vocal supporter of Trump's bid to return to the White House.

NEW YORK (AP) — Most U.S. stocks fell following a mixed round of data on the economy, keeping them on track for their worst week since April.

The S&P 500 slipped 0.3% Thursday for a third straight drop, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 0.5%.

NEW YORK (AP) — After months of dozens of restaurant closings and headlines about "endless shrimp" woes, Red Lobster says it will soon exit from Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.

A U.S. bankruptcy judge on Thursday approved the casual seafood chain's reorganization plan, which includes a lender group led by asset manager Fortress acquiring the business. The green light arrives under just four months after Red Lobster filed for bankruptcy protection as it pursued a sale, following years of mounting losses and dwindling customers while it struggled to keep up with competitors.

LAKE FOREST, Ill. (AP) — It's time for Caleb Williams to deliver.

The quarterback taken with the No. 1 pick in the draft makes his highly anticipated debut when the Chicago Bears host the Tennessee Titans on Sunday.

"I'm excited to see him," Bears coach Matt Eberflus said. "And I'm excited to lean in and lean on his teammates. Because that's what you have to do with a quarterback. He's got guys around him that have played a lot of years."

WASHINGTON (AP) — The federal election interference case against Donald Trump inched forward Thursday, with a judge permitting prosecutors to file court documents later this month that could detail unflattering allegations about the former president as the Republican nominee enters the final weeks of his White House run.

NEW YORK (AP) — Veering from the campaign trail to a courtroom, Donald Trump quietly observed Friday as one of his lawyers fought to overturn a verdict finding the former president liable for sexual abuse and defamation.

The Republican nominee and accuser E. Jean Carroll, a writer, sat at tables about 15 feet (4.5 meters) apart, in a federal appeals court. He didn't acknowledge or look at Carroll as he passed directly in front of her on the way in and out, but he shook his head at points, such as when Carroll's attorney said he sexually attacked her.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Justice Department has charged a Russian-born U.S. citizen and former adviser to Donald Trump's 2016 presidential campaign with working for a sanctioned Russian state television network and laundering the proceeds.

Indictments announced Thursday allege that Dimitri Simes and his wife received over $1 million dollars and a personal car and driver in exchange for work they did for Russia's Channel One since June 2022. The network was sanctioned by the U.S. in 2022 over Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

WASHINGTON (AP) — From jail, Shane Jenkins helped sell T-shirts, tote bags and other merchandise promoting the notion that he and other rioters who attacked the U.S. Capitol are political prisoners unjustly held in pretrial detention.

WASHINGTON (AP) — A retired New York police officer told a jury that he was acting in self-defense when he tackled a police officer and grabbed his gas mask during the Jan. 6 riot.

Jurors deliberated for less than three hours before convicting the 20-year NYPD veteran, Thomas Webster, of all six counts in his indictment.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — A federal judge has sentenced the Kansas City Chiefs superfan known as "ChiefsAholic" to more than 17 years in prison for a string of 11 bank robberies across seven states where he stole nearly $850,000 to finance his social media stardom.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Vice President Kamala Harris raised well more than double what former President Donald Trump took in from donors in August, her campaign announced Friday, saying it raised $361 million from nearly 3 million donors in her first full month as a candidate.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Donald Trump 's campaign says that it brought in $130 million in August, not as much as the month prior but a figure that his advisers said put the GOP nominee in good position for the remaining two months of the general election campaign.

NEW YORK (AP) — Hours after ABC News released the rules for next Tuesday's presidential debate, resolving a final dispute in Donald Trump's favor, the former president was on the attack — against ABC News.

"I think a lot of people will be watching to see how nasty they are, how unfair they are," he said Wednesday on a Fox News town hall.

LONDON (AP) — Google was slammed Friday by U.K. regulators who say it's taking advantage of its dominance in digital advertising to thwart competition in Britain, ratcheting up pressure that the tech giant is facing on both sides of the Atlantic over its "ad tech" business practices.

BRASILIA, Brazil (AP) — A judge in the Brazilian state of Rondonia has found two beef slaughterhouses guilty of buying cattle from a protected area of former rainforest in the Amazon and ordered them, along with three cattle ranchers, to pay a total of $764,000 for causing environmental damage, according to the decision issued Wednesday. Cattle raising drives Amazon deforestation. The companies Distriboi and Frigon and the ranchers may appeal.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Hiring by America's employers picked up a bit in August from July's tepid pace, and the unemployment rate dipped for the first time since March in a sign that the job market may be cooling but remains sturdy.

Employers added a modest 142,000 jobs, up from a scant 89,000 in July, the Labor Department said Friday. The unemployment rate ticked down to 4.2% from 4.3% in July, which had been the highest level in nearly three years. Hiring in June and July, though, was revised sharply down by a combined 86,000. July's job gain was the smallest since the pandemic.

NEW YORK (AP) — LL Flooring, the hardwood flooring retailer formerly known as Lumber Liquidators, is going out of business.

Less than a month after filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, the Virginia-based company says it is now "winding down operations" after failing to find a buyer in recent negotiations with prospective bidders. That means all of its remaining stores will soon close their doors.

TOKYO (AP) — The parent company of the Japanese 7-Eleven convenience store chain said Friday that it's turning down a takeover offer from Alimentation Couche-Tard Inc. of Canada.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The IRS has collected $1.3 billion from high wealth tax dodgers since last fall, the agency announced Friday, crediting spending that has ramped up collection enforcement through President Joe Biden's signature climate, health care and tax package signed into law in 2022.

NASHVILLE (AP) — Five-time Pro Bowl wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins will be a game-time decision Sunday for the Tennessee Titans' season opener in Chicago after returning to practice this week while recovering from a left knee injury he suffered July 31.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Justice Samuel Alito reported Friday that he accepted $900 worth of concert tickets from a German princess, but disclosed no trips paid for by other people, according to a new financial disclosure form.

The required annual filing, for which Alito has often sought an extension, doesn't include details of the event tickets gifted by socialite Gloria von Thurn und Taxis of Germany. Alito didn't report any outside income from teaching or book contracts.

NEW YORK (AP) — Donald Trump's sentencing in his hush money case has been postponed until after the November election, granting the former president a hard-won reprieve as he navigates the homestretch of his current campaign and the aftermath of his criminal conviction.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Shortly after appearing in court for an appeal of a decision that found him liable for sexual abuse, Donald Trump stepped Friday in front of television cameras and brought up a string of past allegations of other acts of sexual misconduct, potentially reminding voters of incidents that were little-known or forgotten.

WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal appeals court on Friday upheld the conviction of a former U.S. Capitol police officer who tried to help a Virginia fisherman avoid criminal charges for joining a mob's attack on the building that his law-enforcement colleagues defended on Jan. 6, 2021.

CHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) — Former Vice President Dick Cheney, a lifelong Republican, will vote for Kamala Harris for president, his daughter Liz Cheney said Friday.

Liz Cheney, who herself endorsed Harris on Thursday, made the announcement when asked by Mark Leibovich of The Atlantic magazine during an onstage interview at The Texas Tribune Festival in Austin.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Justice Department officials are turning to the 3D-printing industry to help stop the proliferation of tiny pieces of plastic transforming weapons into illegal homemade machine guns on streets across America.

The rising threat of what are known as machine gun conversion devices requires "immediate and sustained attention," U.S. Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco said Friday. That means finding ways to stop criminals from exploiting technology to make the devices in the first place, she said.

NEW YORK (AP) — Another rout hit Wall Street Friday, with formerly high-flying technology stocks again taking the brunt, after a highly anticipated update on the U.S. job market came in weak enough to add to worries about the economy.

The S&P 500 dropped 1.7% to close out its worst week since March 2023. Broadcom, Nvidia and other tech companies led the market lower as worries continue that their prices soared too high in the boom around artificial intelligence, and they dragged the Nasdaq composite down by a market-leading 2.6%.

CHICAGO (AP) — This wasn't exactly the debut Caleb Williams envisioned. Good thing for him, his defense made just enough plays.

Tyrique Stevenson returned an interception 43 yards for the go-ahead touchdown, part of a defensive performance that bailed out Williams, and the Chicago Bears beat the Tennessee Titans 24-17 on Sunday.

After the first shake-up of the college football season, the Southeastern Conference grabbed six of the top seven spots in the AP Top 25 — a first in the 88-year history of the rankings — and Notre Dame tumbled all the way to No. 18 on Sunday after being stunned at home.

The Southeastern Conference has taken over The Associated Press college football poll, grabbing six of the first seven spots.

The 16-team SEC set a new standard for hoarding high AP Top 25 rankings, with Georgia at No. 1, No. 2 Texas, No. 4 Alabama, No. 5 Mississippi, No. 6 Missouri and No. 7 Tennessee. Half of the top 16 comes from the SEC.

NASHVILLE (AP) — Athletes Unlimited will play its fourth women's basketball season in Nashville starting Feb. 5 through March 2, league officials announced Monday.

AU Pro Basketball debuted in Las Vegas in 2022 and played the 2023 and 2024 seasons in Dallas. The 2025 season featuring 24 games will be played at Municipal Auditorium in Music City, with 29 of the 40 players having WNBA experience.

MEMPHIS (AP) — Jury selection was scheduled to begin Monday in the federal trial of three former Memphis officers charged with violating the civil rights of Tyre Nichols, the 29-year-old man whose fatal beating was caught on police cameras while also triggering protests and calls for police reform.

MEMPHIS (AP) — Tyre Nichols screamed for his mother while Memphis police beat him after a traffic stop on Jan. 7, 2023, about a block from where he lived with his parents. The 29-year-old died in a hospital three days afterward.

In an analysis of what the officers claimed happened on that night, The Associated Press sifted through hundreds of pages of evidence and hours of video from the scene, including officer body cameras. The cameras showed a starkly different scene than the one painted in the officers' words.

NEW YORK (AP) — He had some help: Morgan Wallen tops the 2024 Country Music Association award nominations with seven.

For a third year in a row, Wallen is up for both the top prize — entertainer of the year — and the male vocalist categories.

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — A federal trial is set to begin Monday over claims that supporters of former President Donald Trump threatened and harassed a Biden-Harris campaign bus in Texas four years ago, disrupting the campaign on the last day of early voting.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. (AP) — One month after a judge declared Google's search engine an illegal monopoly, the tech giant faces another antitrust lawsuit that threatens to break up the company, this time over its advertising technology.

The Justice Department and a coalition of states contend that Google built and maintains a monopoly over the technology that matches online publishers to advertisers. Dominance over the software on both the buy side and the sell side of the transaction enables Google to keep as much as 36 cents on the dollar when it brokers sales between publishers and advertisers, the government contends in court papers.

ATLANTA (AP) — From her earliest campaigns in California to her serving as President Joe Biden's running mate, Kamala Harris has honed an aggressive but calibrated approach to debates.

She tries to blend punch lines with details that build toward a broader narrative. She might shake her head to signal her disapproval while her opponent is speaking, counting on viewers to see her reaction on a split screen. And she has a go-to tactic to pivot debates back in her favor: saying she's glad to answer a question as she gathers her thoughts to explain an evolving position or defend a past one.

NEW YORK (AP) — He claimed she would raise taxes and accused her of supporting open border policies that allowed an influx of migrants into the country. He blamed her for a litany of the current administration's failures and cast her potential presidency as four more years of the same.

DETROIT (AP) — The U.S. government's road safety agency wants the auto industry to design new vehicles including i ncreasingly large SUVs and pickup trucks so they reduce pedestrian deaths and injuries.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said Monday that it's proposing a new rule setting testing and performance requirements to minimize the risk of pedestrian head injuries.

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — An Omani state-run oil and gas company announced Monday it will make an initial public offering of its exploration and production business, potentially seeking billions in a major move toward privatization in the sultanate.

NEW YORK (AP) — After securing a last-minute buyer, LL Flooring is reversing course on shutting down all of its stores.

The hardwood flooring retailer formerly known as Lumber Liquidators signed an agreement with private equity firm F9 Investments for a sale of its business on Friday afternoon. Under terms of the deal, expected to close by the end of September, F9 will acquire 219 stores and a Virginia distribution center — as well as LL Flooring's intellectual property and other assets.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Corporate policies meant to advance diversity and inclusion in the workplace are legal and should be expanded to promote broad economic prosperity and reduce racial wealth inequities, according to a new report by the Congressional Black Caucus.

WASHINGTON (AP) — How to curb and counter China's influence and power — through its biotech companies, drones and electric vehicles — will dominate the U.S. House's first week back from summer break, with lawmakers taking up a series of measures targeting Beijing.

BRUSSELS (AP) — European Union countries are buying too much of their defense equipment abroad, almost two thirds of it in the United States, and failing to invest enough in joint military projects, a landmark report on EU competitiveness warned on Monday.

WASHINGTON (AP) — House Republicans on Sunday issued a scathing report on their investigation into the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, blaming the disastrous end of America's longest war on President Joe Biden's administration and minimizing the role of former President Donald Trump, who had signed the withdrawal deal with the Taliban.

NASHVILLE (AP) — The Tennessee Titans and quarterback Will Levis are going through some growing pains.

First-year coach Brian Callahan's challenge is speeding up Levis' learning curve after a very painful lesson, blowing a 17-point lead to lose the season opener 24-17 in Chicago.

MEMPHIS (AP) — Jury selection began Monday in the federal trial of three former Memphis officers charged with violating the civil rights of Tyre Nichols, the 29-year-old man whose fatal beating was caught on police cameras, triggering protests and calls for police reform.

MEMPHIS (AP) — Tyre Nichols screamed for his mother while Memphis police beat him after a traffic stop on Jan. 7, 2023, about a block from where he lived with his parents. The 29-year-old died in a hospital three days later.

In an analysis of what the officers claimed happened on that night, The Associated Press sifted through hundreds of pages of evidence and hours of video from the scene, including officer body cameras. The cameras showed a starkly different scene to that described by the officers.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Two people who prosecutors say were motivated by white supremacist ideology have been arrested on charges that they used the social media messaging app Telegram to encourage acts of violence against minorities, government officials and critical infrastructure in the United States, the Justice Department said Monday.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Donald Trump has signaled support for a potentially historic federal policy shift to reclassify marijuana as a less dangerous drug, putting his position in line with that of his Democratic opponent, Kamala Harris.

The commonality reflects a major shift toward broad public support for legalization in recent years and marks the first time that both major-party presidential candidates support broad cannabis reform, according to the U.S. Cannabis Council.

CUPERTINO, Calif. (AP) — Apple on Monday charged into the artificial intelligence craze with a new iPhone lineup that marks the company's latest attempt to latch onto a technology trend and transform it into a cultural phenomenon.

The four different iPhone 16 models will all come equipped with special chips needed to power a suite if AI tools that Apple hopes will make its marquee product even more indispensable and reverse a recent sales slump.

NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks closed higher on Wall Street, ending a four-day losing streak.

The S&P 500 added 1.2% Monday. The benchmark index is coming off its worst week in nearly a year and a half. The Dow Jones Industrial Average and the Nasdaq composite also rose 1.2%.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Americans were duped out of more than $5.6 billion last year through fraud schemes involving cryptocurrency, the FBI said in a report released Monday that shows a 45% jump in losses from 2022.

The FBI received nearly 70,000 complaints in 2023 by victims of financial fraud involving bitcoin, ether and other cryptocurrencies, according to the FBI. The most rampant scheme was investment fraud, which accounted for $3.96 billion of the losses.

WASHINGTON (AP) — House Speaker Mike Johnson is heeding the demands of the more conservative wing of his Republican conference and has teed up a vote this week on a bill that would keep the federal government funded for six more months and require states to obtain proof of citizenship, such as a birth certificate or passport, when registering a person to vote.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Calling it "unserious and unacceptable," House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries rejected on Monday a proposal from Speaker Mike Johnson that links continued government funding for six months with a measure to require proof of citizenship when registering to vote.

MEMPHIS (AP) — Potential jurors in the federal trial of three former Memphis police officers charged with violating Tyre Nichols ' civil rights were asked Monday whether heavy media coverage and publicly released video of him being beaten to death could influence their ability to be fair.

LAWRENCEBURG, Ky. (AP) — As bourbon fans flocked to the Wild Turkey visitors' center, sitting near the entrance was no ordinary greeter. Jimmy Russell, who has lived through so much of the distillery's rich history, was at his post as a goodwill ambassador, signing whiskey bottles, posing for photos and chatting up tourists about his favorite topics — making bourbon and sipping it.

NEW YORK (AP) — At the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony last year, Sheryl Crow was about to sing her hit "Everyday Is a Winding Road" when she invited a rock icon up on stage.

BRUSSELS (AP) — Apple on Tuesday lost its last bid to avoid paying 13 billion euros ($14.34 billion) in back taxes to Ireland, in a finale to a dispute with the European Union that centered on sweetheart deals that Dublin was offering to attract multinational businesses with minimal taxes across the 27-nation bloc. The final decision by the EU's top court was quickly hailed as a landmark victory over corporate greed.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Kamala Harris and Donald Trump will meet for the first time face-to-face Tuesday night for perhaps their only debate, a high-pressure opportunity to showcase their starkly different visions for the country after a tumultuous campaign summer.

NEW YORK (AP) — The White Stripes sued former President Donald Trump on Monday in a case that alleges he used their hit song "Seven Nation Army" without permission in a video posted to social media.

The band has accused Trump and his presidential campaign of copyright infringement for playing the song's iconic opening riff over a video of Trump boarding a plane for campaign stops in Michigan and Wisconsin last month.

LONDON (AP) — A hedge fund investor has bought The Spectator, one of the world's oldest political magazines, for 100 million pounds ($131 million) after a months-long search for a new owner for the publication, those involved in the sale said Tuesday.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — A daredevil billionaire rocketed back into orbit Tuesday, aiming to perform the first private spacewalk and venture farther than anyone since NASA's Apollo moonshots.

Unlike his previous chartered flight, tech entrepreneur Jared Isaacman shared the cost with SpaceX this time around, which included developing and testing brand new spacesuits to see how they'll hold up in the harsh vacuum.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The inflation-adjusted median income of U.S. households rebounded last year to roughly its 2019 level, overcoming the biggest price spike in four decades to restore most Americans' purchasing power.

The proportion of Americans living in poverty also fell slightly last year, to 11.1%, from 11.5% in 2022. But the ratio of women's median earnings to men's widened for the first time in more than two decades as men's income rose more than women's in 2023.

HONG KONG (AP) — China's exports grew for a fifth consecutive month, in a sign of growing demand abroad even as imports fell amid a slowing Chinese economy.

Exports in August expanded by 8.7% to $308.65 billion compared to the same period last year, according to data released by China's customs office Tuesday, beating economists' estimates of about 6.5%. The export figures for August were also up from the 7% rise in July.

NEW YORK (AP) — Employee wages are one of the biggest costs for small businesses. A new survey found some owners may be seeing a bit of relief when it comes to wages. But while some say wage growth has stabilized or slowed, others note they haven't seen any moderation in their industries yet.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Alabama Sen. Tommy Tuberville is blocking the quick promotion of the top military aide to Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin over concerns that he and other senior staff did not immediately notify President Joe Biden when Austin was hospitalized with complications from cancer treatment earlier this year.

WASHINGTON (AP) — House Speaker Mike Johnson is hosting a ceremony Tuesday to posthumously present Congress' highest honor — the Congressional Gold Medal — to 13 U.S. service members who were killed during the disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan, even as the politics of a presidential election swirl around the event.

MEMPHIS (AP) — The process of picking a jury marched on Tuesday in the federal trial of three former Memphis police officers charged with federal civil rights violations in the January 2023 beating death of Tyre Nichols.

A pool of 200 candidates answered questionnaires ahead of jury selection to assess their ability to serve on the panel. They answered questions from U.S. District Judge Mark Norris about whether they could be fair and impartial in the face of heavy media coverage before the trial and whether watching video of the beating would be a problem for them if they are chosen.

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — An amendment to restore abortion rights in Missouri will be on the ballot, the state's Supreme Court ruled Tuesday.

The proposal to enshrine abortion rights in the constitution is expected to widely undo the state's 2022 near-total abortion ban if passed. Judges ruled hours before the Tuesday deadline for changes to be made to the November ballot.

WASHINGTON (AP) — House Speaker Mike Johnson vowed Tuesday to press ahead with requiring proof of citizenship for voter registration as part of a bill to avoid a partial government shutdown when the new fiscal year begins Oct. 1, though the measure appeared likely to be voted down.

NEW YORK (AP) — BMW is lowering sales and earnings targets for the 2024 fiscal year, in a move the luxury German car maker said was partially triggered by hefty expenses of addressing a braking system recall that impacts more than 1.5 million vehicles worldwide.

NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stocks drifted to a mixed close following several weeks of sharp swings.

The S&P 500 rose 0.4% higher Tuesday. The Dow Jones Industrial Average slipped 0.2%, and the Nasdaq composite rose 0.8%.

Oracle jumped to help lead the market after delivering better profit and revenue for the latest quarter than analysts expected.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The first U.S. troops to deploy after the Sept. 11 attacks are suffering from radiation exposure that the government has yet to officially recognize 23 years later. They are a final group of 9/11 service members that comedian Jon Stewart, a champion for first responders, can't leave behind.

WASHINGTON (AP) — House Speaker Mike Johnson on Tuesday posthumously presented Congress' highest honor — the Congressional Gold Medal — to 13 U.S. service members who were killed during the disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan, even as the politics of a presidential election swirled around the event.

MEMPHIS (AP) — Opening statements were expected Wednesday in the federal trial of three former Memphis police officers charged with federal civil rights violations in the January 2023 beating death of Tyre Nichols.

Prosecutors and defense lawyers are slated to address a jury for the first time in the death of Nichols, which was caught on police cameras and intensified calls for police reform in the U.S. Prosecutors and defense lawyers agreed Tuesday on the 12 jurors and four alternates chosen from a pool of 200 candidates. The trial is expected to last three to four weeks.

NEW YORK (AP) — The MTV Video Music Awards return Wednesday night with a whole lot of Taylor Swift. Will she become the most-awarded musician in VMAs history?

The pop star leads the nominations with 12 — eight for her "Fortnight" music video, two social categories and nods in the best pop and artist of the year categories. She's followed by her "Fortnight" collaborator Post Malone, who has 11. He is nominated along with Swift 10 times and earned his 11th nom for his country hit "I Had Some Help," featuring Morgan Wallen.

NEW YORK (AP) — Caroline Ellison, a former top executive in FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried 's collapsed cryptocurrency empire and his former girlfriend, is seeking no prison time at her sentencing later this month.

NASHVILLE (AP) — Music superstar Taylor Swift has officially launched her Kamala Harris era.

Shortly after the Democratic nominee and former President Donald Trump finished their first, and likely only, presidential debate Tuesday evening, Swift, who is nearing the end of her "Eras Tour," released a lengthy Instagram post announcing her support for Harris — as well as a link to a voter registration website.

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Kamala Harris pressed a forceful case against Donald Trump on Tuesday in their first and perhaps only debate before the presidential election, repeatedly goading him in an event that showcased their starkly different visions for the country on abortion, immigration and American democracy.

WASHINGTON (AP) — To many Democrats, Kamala Harris was everything Joe Biden was not in confronting Donald Trump on the debate stage: forceful, fleet of foot, relentless in going after her opponent.

In a pivot from Biden's debate meltdown in June, Democrats who gathered in bars, watch parties and other venues Tuesday night found lots to cheer in her drive to rattle the Republican.

In their first and perhaps only debate, former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris described the state of the country in distinctly different ways. As the two traded jabs, some old false and misleading claims emerged along with some new ones.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Donald Trump and Kamala Harris faced each other on the debate stage for the first — and possibly the last — time.

The Democratic vice president opened Tuesday night's faceoff with a power move, marching across the stage to Trump's lectern to shake his hand.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The first meeting between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump featured some sharp comments and memorable moments.

Here are some of the most notable — and quotable — exchanges from Tuesday night's debate:

WASHINGTON (AP) — Former President Donald Trump spoke heatedly in the presidential debate about wanting Russia's war in Ukraine to be over — but twice refused to directly answer a question about whether he wanted U.S. ally Ukraine to win.

Trump also falsely claimed Tuesday that the war had killed "millions" since Russia invaded Ukraine 2 1/2 years ago, while the United Nations says 11,700 civilian deaths have been verified. Trump also claimed without evidence that Vice President Kamala Harris, his Democratic opponent, had bungled a diplomatic mission just days before Russia launched the invasion.

WASHINGTON (AP) — When President Joe Biden gave bumbling remarks about abortion on the debate stage this summer, it was widely viewed as a missed opportunity — a failure, even — on a powerful and motivating issue for Democrats at the ballot box.

The difference was stark, then, on Tuesday night, when Vice President Kamala Harris gave a forceful defense of abortion rights during her presidential debate with Republican Donald Trump.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Former President Donald Trump persisted in saying during the presidential debate that he won the 2020 election and took no responsibility for any of the mayhem that unfolded at the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, when his supporters stormed the building to block the peaceful transfer of power.

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Former President Donald Trump on Tuesday amplified false rumors that Haitian immigrants in Ohio were abducting and eating pets, repeating during a televised debate the type of inflammatory and anti-immigrant rhetoric he has promoted throughout his campaigns.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Taylor Swift, one of the music industry's biggest stars, endorsed Kamala Harris for president shortly after the presidential debate ended.

"I think she is a steady-handed, gifted leader and I believe we can accomplish so much more in this country if we are led by calm and not chaos," Swift wrote late Tuesday in an Instagram post, which included a link to a voter registration website.

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — The first general election ballots for the presidential race are going out Wednesday as Alabama officials begin mailing them to absentee voters with the Nov. 5 contest less than two months away.

North Carolina had been scheduled to start sending absentee ballots last Friday, but that was delayed after Robert F. Kennedy Jr. successfully sued to have his name removed from the ballot. He has filed similar challenges in other presidential battleground states after he dropped his campaign and endorsed Republican nominee Donald Trump.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — State police in Florida are showing up at the homes of voters who signed a petition to get an abortion rights amendment on the ballot in November as part of a state probe into alleged petition fraud.

Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis has defended police visiting the homes of Floridians who signed the petition. Critics say the investigation is a brazen attempt to intimidate voters in the country's third-largest state from protecting access to abortion — and that the probe comes long after a deadline to challenge petition signatures has passed.

The ABC News moderators were great. No, actually they were a "disgraceful failure." They cut off Kamala Harris too much. No, actually they corrected Donald Trump unfairly.

Such is the contentious tenor of the times in 2024's campaign season. And so it went Tuesday night at Trump's and Harris' first — and quite possibly only — debate.

DETROIT (AP) — Jeep and Ram maker Stellantis will spend $406 million retooling three Michigan factories so they can build electric vehicles or battery parts to support a strategy of making vehicles powered by both gasoline and batteries.

With its investment announcement Wednesday, the company is taking a step toward meeting some commitments that it agreed to in a new contract ratified last fall by the United Auto Workers union after a bitter six-week strike. It's aimed at countering union arguments that Stellantis won't keep commitments and doesn't want to invest in U.S. factories.

NEW YORK (AP) — Single mother Rebecca Wood, 45, was already dealing with high medical bills in 2020 when she noticed she was being charged a $2.49 "program fee" each time she loaded money onto her daughter's school lunch account.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The post-pandemic spike in U.S. inflation eased further last month as year-over-year price increases reached a three-year low, clearing the way for the Federal Reserve to cut interest rates and likely shaping the economic debate in the final weeks of the presidential race.

HONG KONG (AP) — China must reprioritize economic growth and reforms and boost investor confidence by leveling the playing field for all companies in the country, a European business group said Wednesday.

With "business confidence now at an all-time low" over lagging domestic demand and overcapacity in certain industries, the annual European Business in China Position Paper called on China to open its economy and allow a more free market to determine resource allocation. It also recommended introducing policies to boost domestic demand.

NASHVILLE (AP) — Jim Sasser, who served 18 years in the U.S. Senate and six years as ambassador to China, has died. He was 87.

Gray Sasser, his son, said his father died Tuesday evening at his home in Chapel Hill, N.C., of an apparent heart attack.

MEMPHIS (AP) — Three former Memphis police officers charged in the January 2023 beating death of Tyre Nichols stood by his body and laughed after they punched, kicked and hit him with a baton in an attack that a prosecutor says was punishment because he tried to run away.

NEW YORK (AP) — A venture capital firm has closed down a grant contest for Black women business owners as part of a settlement agreement with a conservative group that had filed a lawsuit alleging the program was discriminatory, both sides announced Wednesday.

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (AP) — Amid the explosion of legal gambling in the United States, some things have remained off-limits, including betting on the outcome of U.S. elections.

But that could be about to change.

A federal judge in Washington has struck down a decision by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission to prohibit a company from offering what amounts to bets on the outcome of Congressional elections.

NEW YORK (AP) — Donald Trump emerged Wednesday from a rocky debate against Kamala Harris looking to regain his footing with 54 days until Election Day, the first ballots already going out in Alabama and other states on the cusp of early voting.

Not even three months ago, Trump stepped off the debate stage in Atlanta having watched President Joe Biden deliver a disjointed, whispery performance that eventually led the 81-year-old Democrat to end his reelection bid and endorse Harris, his vice president. By the end of Tuesday night, it was the 78-year-old Trump on the defensive after the 59-year-old Harris controlled much of the debate, repeatedly baiting the Republican former president into agitated answers replete with exaggerations and mistruths.

NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stock indexes stormed back from big early drops to finish higher, led by a handful of highly influential Big Tech companies. The S&P 500 gained 1.1% Wednesday after erasing a morning wipeout of 1.6%. A majority of the index's stocks still finished lower for the day, but gains for Nvidia and other tech stocks were enough to drive it to a third straight gain and back within 2% of its all-time high set in July. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose by 124 points, or 0.3%, after rallying back from a drop of 743 points. The Nasdaq composite jumped 2.2%.

NEW YORK (AP) — Campbell is ready to drop the soup — at least from its official name.

Campbell Soup Co. announced its intention to change its name at an annual meeting of investors on Tuesday. The 155-year-old food seller, which is most famous for its assortment of namesake canned soups, says it would now like to be known as "The Campbell's Co."

NEW YORK (AP) — With presidential candidates looking on, some 9/11 victims' relatives appealed to them Wednesday for accountability as the U.S. marked an anniversary laced with election-season politics.

In a remarkable tableau, President Joe Biden, former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris stood together at ground zero just hours after Trump and Harris faced off in their first-ever debate. Trump and Biden — the successor whose inauguration Trump skipped — shook hands, and former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg appeared to facilitate a handshake between Harris and Trump.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Speaker Mike Johnson pulled a vote Wednesday on a temporary spending bill that would keep federal agencies and programs funded for six months as it became increasingly clear the measure lacked the support to pass as a potential partial government shutdown looms.

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced more than $700 million in aid for Ukraine Wednesday during a visit to Kyiv, aiming to bolster the energy grid that Russia has repeatedly pounded ahead of an expected difficult winter.

FLORHAM PARK, N.J. (AP) — Aaron Rodgers faced an uncertain playing future a year ago as he limped off the field with what turned out to be a torn Achilles tendon.

NASHVILLE (AP) — A couple of NFL defenders have advice for Will Levis if the Tennessee Titans quarterback will listen.

Taking the sack can be the best play.

That's what Chicago defensive lineman DeMarcus Walker said after Levis threw a pick-6 even with the defender's arms wrapped around the quarterback's legs. That helped turn a 17-0 lead into a 24-17 loss in Chicago in Tennessee's opener.

The Nashville Bar Association has selected the 2025 NBF Leadership Class. In 2014, the Nashville Bar Foundation established the NBF Leadership Forum – a local leadership program for lawyers with three to eight years of experience – designed to bring together emerging leaders who participate in monthly workshops for nine months to help them realize their potential and to benefit the legal profession and our local community.

KNOXVILLE (AP) — The No. 7 Tennessee Volunteers have several recent examples to keep them from taking Kent State for granted Saturday night.

Just look at Notre Dame and Penn State last week.

Then-No. 5 Notre Dame lost on its own field to Northern Illinois. No. 8 Penn State narrowly escaped Bowling Green.

NASHVILLE (AP) — Rock & Roll Hall of Famer Jon Bon Jovi and a video production assistant persuaded a woman standing on the ledge of a pedestrian bridge in Nashville to come back over the railing to safety.

Police say the encounter happened Tuesday on the Seigenthaler Pedestrian Bridge, which spans the Cumberland River.

NEW YORK (AP) — Disgraced movie mogul Harvey Weinstein has been indicted on additional sex crimes charges ahead of his retrial in New York, Manhattan prosecutors said at a hearing Thursday.

The indictment will remain under seal until Weinstein's arraignment on the new charges, which is scheduled for Sept. 18.

An estimated 67.1 million people watched the presidential debate between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump, a sharp increase from the June debate that eventually led to President Joe Biden dropping out of the race.

The debate was run by ABC News but shown on 17 different networks, the Nielsen company said. The Trump-Biden debate in June was seen by 51.3 million people.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump are making a beeline for swing states that they hope to flip in their favor this year, both of them trying to expand their narrow paths to victory in a closely fought presidential campaign.

CHICAGO (AP) — Former President Donald Trump repeatedly declined to say during this week's debate if he would veto a national abortion ban if he were elected again — a question that has lingered as the Republican nominee has shifted his stances on the crucial election issue.

BRISTOL, Pa. (AP) — The presidential debate this week was the final affront to Rosie Torres' lifelong Republicanism. She said her allegiance to Donald Trump, already strained by his stand on abortion, snapped in the former president's "eye opener" encounter with Kamala Harris.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Young women are more liberal than they have been in decades, according to a Gallup analysis of more than 20 years of polling data.

Over the past few years, about 4 in 10 young women between the ages of 18 and 29 have described their political views as liberal, compared with two decades ago when about 3 in 10 identified that way.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate has the potential for history-making this fall, with not one, but two, Black women possibly elected to the chamber, a situation never seen in America since Congress was created more than 200 years ago.

Delaware's Lisa Blunt Rochester marks the milestone by saying that the reason she does this work is not about making history, "but to make a difference, an impact, on people's lives."

WASHINGTON (AP) — Jim Duggan uses ChatGPT almost daily to draft marketing emails for his carbon removal credit business in Huntsville, Alabama. But he'd never trust an artificial intelligence chatbot with any questions about the upcoming presidential election.

ATLANTA (AP) — Presidential candidates Cornel West and Claudia De la Cruz are disqualified from running for president in Georgia, two state court judges ruled Wednesday, saying that their electors didn't file the proper paperwork.

For now at least, the decision means votes for West and De la Cruz won't be counted in Georgia, even if their names remain on ballots because it's too late to remove them. Military and overseas ballots are scheduled to be mailed starting Tuesday.

LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Former Michigan governors and elected officials from both parties are joining a wider effort to combat misinformation and attacks on voting and ballot-counting in several swing states ahead of the fast-approaching presidential election.

STERLING HEIGHTS, Mich. (AP) — To Ruth Breeden, whose job is to assemble Ram trucks in this Detroit suburb, a simmering dispute between the United Auto Workers union and Stellantis isn't merely about whether her employer will reopen a distant factory in Illinois. To her, the standoff is a danger sign for all UAW workers.

FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — With inflation subsiding, the European Central Bank cut interest rates again on Thursday to prop up tepid growth with lower borrowing costs for companies and home buyers. The U.S. Federal Reserve likely won't be far behind in joining the rate-cutting process.

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. wholesale price increases mostly slowed last month, the latest evidence that inflation pressures are cooling enough for the Federal Reserve to begin cutting interest rates next week.

The Labor Department said Thursday that its producer price index — which tracks inflation before it reaches consumers — rose 0.2% from July to August. That was up from an unchanged reading a month earlier. But measured from a year ago, prices were up just 1.7% in August, the smallest such rise since February and down from a 2.1% annual increase in July.

HONG KONG (AP) — American companies in China are seeing record-low profits, with business confidence at an all-time low amid U.S.-China tensions and a slowing Chinese economy, according to a report published Thursday by a U.S. business group.

Out of 306 companies polled, a record-low 66% were profitable in 2023, according to the China business report published by the American Chamber of Commerce in Shanghai.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration on Thursday proposed a new rule that would require the largest U.S. companies to pay at least 15% of their profits in taxes.

Treasury Department officials estimate that about 100 of the biggest corporations — those with at least $1 billion in annual profits — would be forced to pay more in taxes under a provision that was included in the administration's 2022 Inflation Reduction Act. Democratic members of Congress, including Elizabeth Warren, a senator from Massachusetts, have urged the White House to implement the tax.

WASHINGTON (AP) — A government investigation into Atlanta Federal Reserve President Raphael Bostic's securities trades and investments has found he violated several of the central bank's ethics policies.

The Fed rules violations "created the appearance" that Bostic acted on confidential Fed information and that he had a conflict of interest, but the Fed's Office of Inspector General concluded there were no violations of federal insider trading or conflict of interest laws, according to a report issued Wednesday.

WASHINGTON (AP) — As part of the 30th anniversary of the signing of the landmark Violence Against Women Act, the White House on Thursday is set to announce new efforts to address online harassment and abuse, and to help ease housing issues that many survivors of domestic violence face when they are trying to escape abusers.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Attorney General Merrick Garland will denounce "conspiracy theories" and "dangerous falsehoods" targeting the Justice Department during a speech Thursday to employees as he forcefully pushes back against Republican claims of politicization.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. government on Thursday responded to Venezuela's disputed July presidential election by imposing sanctions against 16 allies of President Nicolás Maduro, accusing them of obstructing the vote and carrying out human rights abuses.

BOSTON (AP) — Vermont U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders said Wednesday he is prepared to pursue contempt charges against Steward Health Care CEO Ralph de la Torre if he fails to show up at a hearing Thursday despite being issued a subpoena.

Sanders said de la Torre needs to answer to the American people about how he was able to reap hundreds of millions of dollars while Steward Health Care, which operated about 30 hospitals nationwide, had to file for bankruptcy in May.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Speaker Mike Johnson postponed a vote Wednesday on a temporary spending bill that would keep federal agencies and programs funded for six months as opposition from both parties thwarted his first attempt at avoiding a partial government shutdown in three weeks.