News - Friday, June 13, 2025

The parking lot at Acropolis Mediterranean Grill is full at 2 p.m. on a Thursday afternoon. It’s not a special event, there’s no celebrity in the dining room and yet the tables are brimming with families, couples, solo diners and staff who greet regulars by name.

Heather Heatherly and Kelly Hutt didn’t set out to start a fitness revolution in Chattanooga’s Southside – but when the opportunity came, they ran with it.

Heatherly, 42, is a Nashville native with a lifelong background in ballet and yoga. “Movement has always been at the core of my being,” she says. “As I got older, I realized yoga alone wasn’t enough. I needed strength work to stay healthy.”

In 1971, Samuel C. Hurst, Ph.D., invented the world’s first electronic touch interface in an Oak Ridge basement. Half a century later, the device’s descendants are used for everything from paying for purchases to tracking global shipping and receiving data. And the company Hurst started, Elographics (now Elo Touch Solutions), continues to roll out products and services from its global headquarters in Knoxville.

If you’d been standing at the corner of McCallie and Highland Park avenues a few years ago, you would’ve seen a vista of overgrown weeds and abandoned industrial buildings – not a gathering of picnic tables and taco enthusiasts. You definitely wouldn’t have spotted a menu offering Bangkok Shrimp or Chicken Tikka Masala tacos – or frozen Cheerwine with booze.

June is National Homeownership Month – the perfect time to mull the joys and responsibilities that come with owning a home. With warmer weather settling in, now is also an ideal moment to get ahead of summer’s challenges.

Nicole Slaughter Graham at HouseLogic.com offers expert-backed advice to help homeowners keep things running smoothly indoors during the hot summer months. From boosting energy efficiency to refreshing your living space, these tips are a great reminder that a little planning now can make a big difference all season long.

For readers in the Tennessee Valley, summer usually signals lake season – lazy weekends on the water, family barbecues and, for some, dreams of a second home on Chickamauga or Nickajack. But in 2025, that dream is colliding with an uneasy economy.

The city of Red Bank’s Active Older Adult program continues to feature free classes and special events aimed at residents 55 and older. All activities will take place at the Red Bank Community Center, located at 3653 Tom Weathers Drive. This month’s highlights include a return visit from local author and historian Lawrence Miller, who will present historic photos and stories about Red Bank Monday, June 9. Red Bank Police Sergeant Steve Hope will lead a discussion on fraud prevention and theft awareness Thursday, June 26. In addition to these events, the AOA program continues to offer chair yoga, qi gong, guided exercise, music jam, bingo and art sessions presented by The Chattery and supported by a grant from Tennessee Arts Build. Complete schedule

Susan Caminez of the Chattanooga Symphony and Opera has been selected to participate in the League of American Orchestras’ prestigious Essentials of Orchestra Management program. She is one of 35 orchestra and arts professionals chosen from around the world for the ten-day leadership development intensive.

This fall, Chattanooga will serve as the host of the 2025 Medal of Honor Celebration, a weeklong event recognizing American citizens whose lives exemplify the values tied to the nation’s highest military honor.

Scheduled for Sept. 30-Oct. 4, the celebration will culminate with the 2025 Patriot Awards Gala Saturday, Oct. 4, at the Chattanooga Convention Center. The gala will honor four individuals whose work and values reflect the principles of patriotism, citizenship, courage, integrity, sacrifice and commitment.

Some financial decisions can be challenging, like whether to use your money to reduce your debt or to invest. If you already have a significant amount of debt and not a lot in savings or investments, it can be hard to figure out which issue should be a priority.

If you wanted a midsize truck 10 years ago, your choices included an aging Toyota Tacoma or an even older Nissan Frontier design. Today, renewed versions of the Chevrolet Colorado, Ford Ranger and Honda Ridgeline have revitalized the segment enough to have spawned a new compact pickup class, led by the Ford Maverick and Hyundai Santa Cruz.

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — A Republican member of the South Carolina House who prosecutors say used the screen name "joebidennnn69" has been arrested and charged with 10 counts of distributing sexual abuse material involving children.

RJ May was arrested at his Lexington County home after a lengthy investigation and was ordered Thursday by a federal judge to remain jailed until his trial.

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Democratic U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla on Thursday was forcefully removed from Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem's news conference in Los Angeles and handcuffed by officers as he tried to speak up about immigration raids that have led to protests in California and around the country.

NASHVILLE (AP) — Cam Ward talks so much that Tennessee coach Brian Callahan asked the rookie if he needed to wait until the Titans quarterback stopped before calling a play during practice.

NASHVILLE (AP) — A Tennessee judge is scheduled to hear arguments Friday about whether Kilmar Abrego Garcia can be released from jail pending the outcome of a trial on human smuggling charges.

In a motion asking U.S. Magistrate Judge Barbara Holmes to order Abrego Garcia detained, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Tennessee Rob McGuire described him as both a danger to the community and a flight risk. Abrego Garcia's attorneys disagree. They point out that he was already wrongly detained in a notorious Salvadoran prison thanks to government error, and argue that due process and "basic fairness" require him to be set free.

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Thursday temporarily blocked a federal judge's order that directed President Donald Trump to return control of National Guard troops to California after he deployed them there following protests in Los Angeles over immigration raids.

NEW YORK (AP) — More than 1.15 million power banks are under recall across the U.S. after some fires and explosions were reported by consumers.

According to a Thursday notice from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, electronics maker Anker Innovations is recalling certain "PowerCore 10000" power banks because the lithium-ion battery inside can overheat.

NEW YORK (AP) — Popular online services across the globe were disrupted Thursday due to ongoing issues at Google Cloud.

Tens of thousands of users of Spotify, Discord and other platforms began noticing issues with their services early in the afternoon, according to Downdetector, which tracks outages.

SEATTLE (AP) — President Donald Trump on Thursday pulled the U.S. out of an agreement with Washington, Oregon and four American Indian tribes to work together to restore salmon populations and boost tribal clean energy development in the Pacific Northwest, deriding the plan as "radical environmentalism" that could have resulted in the breaching of four controversial dams on the Snake River.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Consumer sentiment increased in June for the first time in six months, the latest sign that Americans' views of the economy have improved as inflation has stayed tame and the Trump administration has reached a truce in its trade fight with China.

VENTURA, Calif. (AP) — Large-scale immigration raids at packinghouses and fields in California are threatening businesses that supply much of the country's food, farm bureaus say.

Dozens of farmworkers have been arrested recently after uniformed federal agents fanned out on farms northwest of Los Angeles in Ventura County, which is known for growing strawberries, lemons and avocados.

NEW YORK (AP) — Oil prices are leaping, and stocks are slipping Friday on worries that Israel's attack on Iranian nuclear and military targets could escalate further and damage the flow of crude around the world, along with the global economy.

The PGA Tour is hiring longtime NFL executive Brian Rolapp as the first CEO of its new commercial division, created two years ago when tour reached a tentative agreement with the Saudi backers of LIV Golf, The Associated Press confirmed Thursday.

Jay Monahan, who announced the framework agreement in June 2023, will stay on as commissioner of the PGA Tour. Monahan announced in December the search for a CEO of PGA Tour Enterprises, now backed by a $1.5 billion investment from Strategic Sports Group.

LOS ANGELES (AP) — After a week of tense protests over the federal immigration raids, about 200 Marines have moved into Los Angeles and will protect federal property and personnel, a military commander said Friday.

Maj. Gen. Scott Sherman, commander of Task Force 51 who is overseeing the 4,700 troops deployed, said Friday that the Marines have finished training on civil disturbance.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump's administration this week provided deportation officials with personal data -- including the immigration status -- on millions of Medicaid enrollees, a move that could make it easier to locate people as part of his sweeping immigration crackdown.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Republican tax bill approved by the U.S. House of Representatives would cost the poorest Americans roughly $1,600 a year while increasing the income of the wealthiest households by an average of $12,000 annually, according to a new analysis released Thursday by the Congressional Budget Office.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Tech billionaire Elon Musk has lost some of his luster with Republicans since his messy public falling-out with President Donald Trump last week, a new survey finds.

Fewer Republicans view Trump's onetime government efficiency bulldog "very favorably" compared with April, according to the poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.

WASHINGTON (AP) — When videos first rocketed around the internet Thursday afternoon showing security officers forcibly removing Democratic Sen. Alex Padilla from a news conference with Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem in California, senators in both parties were already gathered together for a long series of votes.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The House narrowly voted Thursday to cut about $9.4 billion in spending already approved by Congress as President Donald Trump's administration looks to follow through on work done by the Department of Government Efficiency when it was overseen by Elon Musk.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Eight years after President Donald Trump was dazzled by a grand military parade down the Champs-Élysées in Paris, he is finally getting a chance to try to top the spectacle.

His long-delayed dream is expected to be realized Saturday with an extravaganza of American military might featuring tanks and other armored vehicles rolling through the nation's capital, thousands of soldiers marching the streets and military aircraft flying overhead. In a final flourish, an elite parachute team is to jump from above the White House, land near Trump and hand him an American flag.

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem pledged to carry on with the Trump administration's immigration crackdown despite waves of unrest across the U.S.

Hours after her comment Thursday, a judge directed the president to return control to California over National Guard troops he deployed after protests erupted over the immigration crackdown, but an appeals court quickly put the brakes on that and temporarily blocked the order that was to go into effect on Friday. The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals scheduled a hearing on the matter for Tuesday.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The United States is shifting military resources, including ships, in the Middle East in response to Israel's strikes on Iran and a possible retaliatory attack by Tehran, two U.S. officials said Friday.

The Navy has directed the destroyer USS Thomas Hudner, which is capable of defending against ballistic missiles, to begin sailing from the western Mediterranean Sea toward the eastern Mediterranean and has directed a second destroyer to begin moving forward so it can be available if requested by the White House.

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Israel launched a blistering attack on the heart of Iran's nuclear and military structure Friday, deploying warplanes and drones smuggled into the country to target key facilities and kill top generals and scientists -- a barrage it said was necessary before its adversary got any closer to building an atomic weapon.

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Israel attacked Iran early Friday with a barrage of airstrikes that took out top military officers and hit nuclear and missile sites, calling it just the beginning and raising the potential for an all-out war between the two bitter Middle East adversaries. It appeared to be the most significant attack Iran has faced since its 1980s war with Iraq.

NASHVILLE (AP) — Kilmar Abrego Garcia, whose mistaken deportation has become a flashpoint in President Donald Trump's immigration crackdown, pleaded not guilty on Friday to human smuggling charges in a federal court in Tennessee.

The detention hearing was the first chance the Maryland construction worker has had in a U.S. courtroom to answer the Trump administration's allegations against him since he was mistakenly deported in March to a notorious prison in El Salvador.

NEW YORK (AP) — Oil prices leapt, and stocks fell on worries that escalating violence following Israel's attack on Iranian nuclear and military targets could damage the flow of crude around the world, along with the global economy. The S&P 500 fell 1.1% Friday. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 1.8%, and the Nasdaq composite sank 1.3%. The strongest action was in the oil market, where crude prices jumped 7.3% and returned to where they were early this year. Iran is one of the world's major producers of oil, and escalating fighting could limit its flow. Markets worry that rising oil prices could push inflation higher.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court said Monday it will hear from a faith-based pregnancy center in New Jersey challenging a state investigation into whether it misled people into thinking its services included referrals for abortion.

The justices agreed to consider an appeal from First Choice Women's Resource Centers, which wants to block a 2023 subpoena from Democratic New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin seeking information about the crisis pregnancy center's donors, advertisements and medical personnel. It has not yet been enforced.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court on Monday ordered a New York court to take a new look at whether some religious organizations should be excluded from a state regulation requiring health insurance plans to cover abortions.

The justices acted after the court unanimously ruled earlier in June that Wisconsin discriminated against a Catholic charity by forcing it to pay state unemployment taxes.

NEW YORK (AP) — Millions of Americans are seeing their credit scores suffer now that the U.S. government has resumed referring missed student loan payments for debt collection.

After 90 days of non-payment, student loan servicers report delinquent, or past-due, accounts to major credit bureaus, which use the information to recalculate the borrower's score. Falling behind on loan payments therefore can affect an individual's credit rating as severely as filing for personal bankruptcy.

PARIS (AP) — The Louvre, the world's most-visited museum and a global symbol of art, beauty and endurance, has withstood war, terror, and pandemic — but on Monday, it was brought to a halt by its own striking staff, who say the institution is crumbling under the weight of mass tourism.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump on Sunday directed federal immigration officials to prioritize deportations from Democratic-run cities, a move that comes after large protests erupted in Los Angeles and other major cities against the Trump administration's immigration policies.

LEAVENWORTH, Kan. (AP) — Leavenworth, Kansas, occupies a mythic space in American crime, its name alone evoking a short hand for serving hard time. The federal penitentiary housed gangsters Al Capone and Machine Gun Kelly — in a building so storied that it inspired the term "the big house."

LEAVENWORTH, Kan. (AP) — Private prison operators are marketing their shuttered lockups to federal immigration officials as President Donald Trump pushes for mass deportations, with some facilities nabbing lucrative no-bid contracts.

When Trump, a Republican, took office, politically connected private-prison giants CoreCivic Inc. and The Geo Group Inc. had around 20 idle facilities, partially the result of sentencing reforms that reduced prison populations.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Just over a month after Pope Leo XIV became the first U.S.-born pontiff in the history of the Catholic Church, a new poll shows that American Catholics are feeling excited about their new religious leader.

About two-thirds of American Catholics have a "very" or "somewhat" favorable view of Pope Leo, according to the new survey from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research, while about 3 in 10 don't know enough to have an opinion. Very few Catholics — less than 1 in 10 — view him unfavorably.

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The man accused of killing a Minnesota lawmaker and wounding another went to the homes of two other lawmakers to carry out more carnage on the night of the shootings, a federal prosecutor said.

But one of the other lawmakers was not home and the suspect left the other house after police arrived, acting U.S. Attorney Joseph Thompson said at a press conference Monday.

NEW YORK (AP) — The Trump family said it is licensing its name to a new mobile phone service, the latest in a string of ventures that have been announced while Donald Trump is in the White House despite ethical concerns that the U.S. president could mold public policy for personal gain.

CALGARY, Alberta (AP) — President Donald Trump would have unique influence over the operations of U.S. Steel under the terms of what the White House calls an "investment" being made by Japan-based Nippon Steel in the iconic American steelmaker.

Administration officials over the past few days provided additional insight into the "golden share" arrangement that the federal government made as a condition for supporting the deal.

KANANASKIS, Alberta (AP) — When U.S. President Donald Trump last came to Canada for a Group of Seven summit, the enduring image was of him seated with his arms folded defiantly as then-German Chancellor Angela Merkel stared daggers at him.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Republican Sen. Josh Hawley has been clear about his red line as the Senate takes up the GOP's One Big Beautiful Bill Act: no Medicaid cuts.

But what, exactly, would be a cut?

Hawley and other Republicans acknowledge that the main cost-saving provision in the bill – new work requirements on able-bodied adults who receive health care through the Medicaid program -- would cause millions of people to lose their coverage. All told, estimates are 10.9 million fewer people would have health coverage under the bill's proposed changes to Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act. That includes some 8 million fewer in the Medicaid program, including 5.2 million dropping off because of the new eligibility requirements.

WASHINGTON (AP) — As Republican senators consider President Donald Trump's big bill that could slash federal spending and extend tax cuts, a new survey shows most U.S. adults don't think the government is overspending on the programs the GOP has focused on cutting, like Medicaid and food stamps.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump rejected a plan presented by Israel to the U.S. to kill Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, according to a U.S. official familiar with the matter.

The Israelis informed the Trump administration in recent days that they had developed a credible plan to kill Khamenei.

TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — Iran fired a new wave of missile attacks at Israel early Monday, killing at least eight people, while Israel warned hundreds of thousands of people in the middle of Tehran to evacuate ahead of new strikes.

The warning came on the fourth day of the conflict, when the Israeli military claimed it had achieved air superiority above the Iranian capital and could fly over the city without facing major threats. The military has issued similar evacuation warnings for civilians in parts of Gaza and Lebanon ahead of strikes.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Nine days after he helped defend the U.S. Capitol from a mob of Trump supporters, Metropolitan Police Officer Jeffrey Smith shot and killed himself while driving to work. Over four years later, Smith's widow is trying to prove to a jury that one of the thousands of rioters who stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, is responsible for her husband's suicide.

WASHINGTON (AP) — As Republican senators consider President Donald Trump's big bill that could slash federal spending and extend tax cuts, a new survey shows most U.S. adults don't think the government is overspending on the programs the GOP has focused on cutting, like Medicaid and food stamps.

LONDON (AP) — WhatsApp said Monday that users will start seeing ads in parts of the app, as owner Meta Platforms moves to cultivate a new revenue stream by tapping the billions of people that use the messaging service.

Advertisements will be shown only in the app's Updates tab, which is used by as many as 1.5 billion people each day. However, they won't appear where personal chats are located, developers said.

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The man accused of killing a Minnesota lawmaker and wounding another went to the homes of two other legislators on the night of the shootings, intending to inflict more carnage against those on his hitlist, a federal prosecutor said Monday.

NEW YORK (AP) — Calm returned to Wall Street, and U.S. stocks rallied, while oil prices gave back some of their initial spurts following Israel's attack on Iranian nuclear and military targets at the end of last week.

The S&P 500 climbed 0.9% Monday to recover most of its drop from Friday. The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 0.8%, and the Nasdaq composite rose 1.5%. They joined a worldwide rise for stock prices.

NEW YORK (AP) — The Trump family is licensing its name to a new mobile phone service, the latest in a string of ventures announced while Donald Trump is in the White House despite ethical concerns that the U.S. president could mold public policy for personal gain.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump has fired a Democratic commissioner for the federal agency that oversees nuclear safety as he continues to assert more control over independent regulatory agencies.

Christopher Hanson, a former chairman of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, said in a statement Monday that Trump terminated his position as NRC commissioner without cause, "contrary to existing law and longstanding precedent regarding removal of independent agency appointees."

KANANASKIS, Alberta (AP) — World leaders at the Group of Seven summit in Canada scrambled Monday to find a way to contain the escalating conflict between Israel and Iran, with U.S. President Donald Trump warning that Tehran needs to curb its nuclear program before it's "too late."

MEMPHIS (AP) — The NAACP filed an intent to sue Elon Musk's artificial intelligence company xAI on Tuesday over concerns about air pollution generated by a supercomputer located near predominantly Black communities.

The xAI data center began operating gas turbines last year, emitting air pollution, without first applying for a permit under an exemption that allowed them to do so for 364 days. The permit application now being considered by the Shelby County Health Department calls for the use of 15 turbines, though the Southern Environmental Law Center says there are as many as 35 turbines located at the sprawling facility.

WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal judge ruled Monday it was illegal for the Trump administration to cancel several hundred research grants, adding that the cuts raise serious questions about racial discrimination.

U.S. District Judge William Young in Massachusetts said the administration's process was "arbitrary and capricious" and that it did not follow long-held government rules and standards when it abruptly canceled grants deemed to focus on gender identity or diversity, equity and inclusion.

MEMPHIS (AP) — A Tennessee judge did not have the authority to give Pervis Payne, who was formerly on death row, concurrent sentences of life in prison after ruling that he was intellectually disabled and could not be executed for two 1987 killings, the state Supreme Court said Monday.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Climate change has tripled the frequency of atmospheric wave events linked to extreme summer weather in the last 75 years and that may explain why long-range computer forecasts keep underestimating the surge in killer heat waves, droughts and floods, a new study says.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Retail sales fell sharply in May as consumers pulled back from a spending surge early this year to get ahead of President Donald Trump's sweeping tariffs on nearly all imports.

Sales at retail stores and restaurants dropped 0.9% in May, the Commerce Department said Tuesday, after a decline of 0.1% in April. The figure was pulled down by a steep drop in auto sales, after Americans ramped up their car-buying in March to get ahead of Trump's 25% duty on imported cars and car parts. Excluding autos, sales fell 0.3%.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. economy is mostly in good shape but that isn't saving Federal Reserve chair Jerome Powell from a spell of angst.

As the Fed considers its next moves during a two-day meeting this week, most economic data looks solid: Inflation has been steadily fading, while the unemployment rate is still a historically low 4.2%. Yet President Donald Trump's widespread tariffs may push inflation higher in the coming months, while also possibly slowing growth.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Senate Republicans on Monday proposed deeper Medicaid cuts, including new work requirements for parents of teens, as a way to offset the costs of making President Donald Trump's tax breaks more permanent in draft legislation unveiled for his "big, beautiful bill."

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate is expected to approve legislation Tuesday that would regulate a form of cryptocurrency known as stablecoins, the first of what is expected to be a wave of crypto legislation from Congress that the industry hopes will bolster its legitimacy and reassure consumers.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Threats to members of Congress are on the rise, security officials told senators on Tuesday at an emergency briefing in the wake of the killing of a Minnesota state lawmaker in her home over the weekend.

U.S. Capitol Police leaders and Senate security officials said that threats against elected officials, including federal lawmakers, has "dramatically increased," said Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer after the briefing, "and that means we need more protection."

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump said Tuesday that he he won't call Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz after the targeted shootings of two state lawmakers because it would "waste time."

One of the lawmakers and her husband were killed.

The Republican president spoke to reporters early Tuesday aboard Air Force One as he flew back to Washington after abruptly leaving an international summit in Canada because of rising tensions in the Middle East between Israel and Iran. Asked if he planned to call Walz, Trump said the Democratic governor is "slick" and "whacked out" and said, "I'm not calling him."

KANANASKIS, Alberta (AP) — Six of the Group of Seven leaders are trying on the final day of their summit Tuesday to show the wealthy nations' club still has the clout to shape world events despite the early departure of U.S. President Donald Trump.

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — The International Atomic Energy Agency said Tuesday that it now believes Israeli airstrikes on Iran's Natanz enrichment site had "direct impacts" on the facility's underground centrifuge halls.

This marks the first time the United Nations' nuclear watchdog has assessed damage from the strikes in the underground parts of Natanz, which is the main enrichment facility of Iran's nuclear program.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump said Tuesday the U.S. knows where Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is hiding during the Israel-Iran conflict but doesn't want him killed "for now."

Trump urged, in a social media posting, Iran's "UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER" as the five-day conflict continues to escalate.

WASHINGTON (AP) — An Illinois toy company challenged President Donald Trump's tariffs in front of the Supreme Court on Tuesday in a long shot bid to press the justices to quickly decide whether they are legal.

Learning Resources Inc. filed an appeal asking the Supreme Court to take up the case soon rather than let it continue to play out in lower courts. The company argues the Republican president illegally imposed tariffs under an emergency powers law rather than getting approval from Congress.

NEW YORK (AP) — The possibility that music mogul Sean "Diddy" Combs might testify at his federal sex trafficking trial all but vanished Tuesday after his lawyer predicted a defense presentation lasting as little as two days and a judge said jurors could begin deliberations as early as next week.

NEW YORK (AP) — New York City comptroller and Democratic mayoral candidate Brad Lander was arrested by federal agents at an immigration court Tuesday after he linked arms with a person that authorities were attempting to detain.

A reporter with The Associated Press witnessed Lander's arrest at a federal building in Manhattan. The person Lander was walking out of the courtroom was also arrested.

Tax credits for crucial clean energy and home energy efficiency projects would still be phased out, albeit less quickly, under Senate Republicans' proposed changes to a massive tax bill, while electric vehicle incentives and other provisions intended to move the United States away from fossil fuels would be gutted rapidly.

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. regulators will begin offering faster reviews to new medicines that administration officials deem as promoting "the health interests of Americans," under a new initiative announced Tuesday.

Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Marty Makary said the agency will aim to review select drugs in one to two months. FDA's long-standing accelerated approval program generally issues decisions in six months for drugs that treat life-threatening diseases. Regular drug reviews take about 10 months.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump's tax and budget bill would increase deficits by $2.8 trillion over the next decade after including other economic effects, according to a more fulsome analysis of the measure released Tuesday by the Congressional Budget Office.

NASHVILLE (AP) — Vanderbilt has plenty of options for divvying up revenue sharing under the House settlement with a two-time national baseball champ and both men's and women's basketball coming off NCAA Tournament berths.

Combined with a record of more losing seasons than bowl berths seemingly would make for an easy decision to invest anywhere but football.

A federal court has temporarily blocked the Trump administration from clawing back millions in public health funding from four Democrat-led municipalities in GOP-governed states.

It's the second such federal ruling to reinstate public health funding for several states.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court on Wednesday upheld Tennessee's ban on gender-affirming care for transgender minors, a stunning setback to transgender rights.

The justices' 6-3 decision in a case from Tennessee effectively protects from legal challenges many efforts by President Donald Trump's Republican administration and state governments to roll back protections for transgender people. Another 26 states have laws similar to Tennessee's.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court on Wednesday restarted plans to temporarily store nuclear waste at sites in rural Texas and New Mexico, even as the nation is at an impasse over a permanent solution.

The justices, by a 6-3 vote, reversed a federal appeals court ruling that invalidated the license granted by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to a private company for the facility in southwest Texas. The outcome should also reinvigorate plans for a similar facility in New Mexico roughly 40 miles (65 kilometers) away.

A small, growing number of employers are putting health insurance decisions entirely in the hands of their workers.

Instead of offering traditional insurance, they're giving workers money to buy their own coverage in what's known as Individual Coverage Health Reimbursement Arrangements, or ICHRAs.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Environmental Protection Agency told a federal appeals court it will reconsider the Biden administration's ban on the last type of asbestos used in the United States to determine whether it went "beyond what is necessary."

Asbestos is linked to tens of thousands of deaths annually and causes mesothelioma as well as other cancers. It has been largely phased out in the United States. Last year, the Biden administration sought to finish the decades-long fight by banning chrysotile asbestos. At the time, the EPA called it a milestone in the fight against cancer.

HAYWARD, Calif. (AP) — Amazon is gearing up to make as many as 10,000 robotaxis annually at a sprawling plant near Silicon Valley as it prepares to challenge self-driving cab leader Waymo. Tesla CEO Elon Musk is also vying to join the autonomous race.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits dipped to 245,000 last week, hovering at historically low levels, the Labor Department said Wednesday.

U.S. jobless claims ticked down from 250,000 the week before. Economists had expected last week's claims to match that at 250,000.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The inflation-fighters at the Federal Reserve are expected to keep their key interest rate unchanged Wednesday for the fourth straight time. That's likely to shift attention to how many interest rate cuts they forecast for this year.

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Nippon Steel and U.S. Steel said Wednesday they have finalized their "historic partnership," a year-and-a-half after the Japanese company first proposed its deal to buy the iconic American steelmaker for nearly $15 billion.

The pursuit by Nippon Steel for the Pittsburgh company was buffeted by national security concerns and presidential politics in a premier battleground state, delaying the transaction for more than a year after U.S. Steel shareholders approved it. It also forced Nippon Steel to expand the deal, including adding a so-called "golden share" provision that gives the federal government a say in some matters.

BRUSSELS (AP) — Russia poses a direct threat to the European Union through acts of sabotage and cyberattacks, but its massive military spending suggests that President Vladimir Putin also plans to use his armed forces elsewhere in the future, the EU's top diplomat warned on Wednesday.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate passed legislation Tuesday that would regulate a form of cryptocurrency known as stablecoins, the first of what the industry hopes will be a wave of bills to bolster its legitimacy and reassure consumers.

The fast-moving legislation, which passed by a 68-30 vote and will be sent to the House for potential revisions, comes on the heels of a 2024 campaign cycle in which the crypto industry ranked among the top political spenders in the country, underscoring its growing influence in Washington and beyond.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is returning to Capitol Hill on Wednesday for the last in a series of often combative hearings before lawmakers, who have pressed him on everything from a ban on transgender troops to his use of a Signal chat to share sensitive military plans.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Tulsi Gabbard left no doubt when she testified to Congress about Iran's nuclear program earlier this year.

The country was not building a nuclear weapon, the national intelligence director told lawmakers, and its supreme leader had not reauthorized the dormant program even though it had enriched uranium to higher levels.

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem was taken to the hospital on Tuesday after experiencing an allergic reaction, her spokeswoman said.

"She is alert and recovering," said the statement from department spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin, who said the hospital treatment was out of an "abundance of caution." Noem, 53, heads a sprawling department with roughly 260,000 employees handling immigration enforcement, airport security, disaster response and other matters.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Sen. Alex Padilla on Tuesday encouraged Americans to peacefully protest against President Donald Trump's administration and said it's "it's time to wake up" in his first extended remarks in the Senate since he was forcibly removed from Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem's press conference in Los Angeles last week as he tried to speak up about immigration raids.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration has given 36 countries, most of them in Africa, a Wednesday deadline to commit to improve vetting of travelers or face a ban on their citizens visiting the United States.

A weekend diplomatic cable sent by the State Department instructs embassies and consulates in the 36 countries to gauge their host countries' willingness by Wednesday to improve their citizens' travel documentation and take steps to address the status of their nationals who are in the United States illegally.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump would not say Wednesday whether he has decided to order a U.S. strike on Iran, a move that Tehran warned anew would be greeted with stiff retaliation if it happens.

"I may do it, I may not do it," Trump said in an exchange with reporters at the White House . "I mean, nobody knows what I'm going to do."

WASHINGTON (AP) — Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told lawmakers Wednesday that the Pentagon was providing possible options to President Donald Trump as he decides next steps on Iran but would not say whether the military was planning to assist with Israeli strikes, an action that could risk dragging America into a wider war in the Middle East.

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Iran's supreme leader on Wednesday rejected U.S. calls for surrender in the face of blistering Israeli strikes and warned that any military involvement by the Americans would cause "irreparable damage" to them, in recorded video aired by state TV.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. has approved the world's only twice-a-year shot to prevent HIV, maker Gilead Sciences announced Wednesday. It's the first step in an anticipated global rollout that could protect millions – although it's unclear how many in the U.S. and abroad will get access to the powerful new option.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The go-broke dates for Medicare and Social Security 's trust funds have moved up as rising health care costs and new legislation affecting Social Security benefits have contributed to earlier projected depletion dates, according to an annual report released Wednesday.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. State Department said Wednesday it is restarting the suspended process for foreigners applying for student visas but all applicants will now be required to unlock their social media accounts for government review.

The department said consular officers will be on the lookout for posts and messages that could be deemed hostile to the U.S., its government, culture, institutions or founding principles.

NEW YORK (AP) — Honda is recalling more than 259,000 of its cars across the U.S. due to a problem that can cause the brake pedal to shift out of position, potentially interfering with a driver's ability to stop or slow down.

According to documents published by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the recall covers certain Honda Pilots between model years 2023 and 2025 — as well cars under the auto maker's luxury Acura brand: 2021-2025 Acura TLX and 2023-2025 Acura MDX vehicles.

HAYWARD, Calif. (AP) — Amazon is gearing up to make as many as 10,000 robotaxis annually at a sprawling plant near Silicon Valley as it prepares to challenge self-driving cab leader Waymo. Tesla CEO Elon Musk is also vying to join the autonomous race.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal Reserve officials expect inflation to worsen in the coming months but they still foresee two interest rate cuts by the end of this year, the same as they projected in March.

The Fed kept its key rate unchanged for the fourth straight meeting Wednesday, and said the economy is expanding at "a solid pace." Changes to the Fed's rate typically — though not always — influence borrowing costs for mortgages, auto loans, credit cards, and business loans.

NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stocks drifted to a mixed finish on Wednesday after the Federal Reserve indicated it may cut interest rates twice this year, though it's far from certain about that.

The S&P 500 finished nearly unchanged and edged down by less than 0.1% after flipping between modest gains and losses several times. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dipped 44 points, or 0.1%, and the Nasdaq composite rose 0.1%.

WASHINGTON, D.C. (AP) — The acting chair of the federal agency that enforces workers rights acknowledged Wednesday that transgender workers are protected under civil rights laws but defended her decision to drop lawsuits on their behalf, saying her agency is not independent and must comply with President Donald Trump's orders.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump on Wednesday downplayed any notion that his supporters are cooling on him amid uncertainty over whether he will order a U.S. strike on Iran, addressing a rift between some of his most vocal MAGA backers and national security conservatives.

WASHINGTON (AP) — California's two U.S. senators demanded on Wednesday that the Trump administration stop using personal data of millions of Medicaid enrollees — including their immigration status — as part of its sweeping deportation campaign.

In a letter to top administration officials, Democratic Sens. Adam Schiff and Alex Padilla expressed alarm over an Associated Press report last week that detailed how deportation officials had obtained the sensitive data over the objections of career health officials. They wrote that health officials needed to stop sharing the information and that the Department of Homeland Security should "destroy any and all such data" it had obtained.

NASHVILLE (AP) — Nashville captain Roman Josi is expected at training camp in September after the Predators said Wednesday the defenseman was diagnosed with postural tachycardia syndrome or POTS late last season.

"He has been undergoing treatment since that diagnosis and is progressing exceptionally well," general manager Barry Trotz said in a statement. "We concur with Roman that with continued management and treatment, he can return to the ice for the 2025-26 season and continue with his elite hockey career."

HARTFORD (AP) — Heavy rain, flooding and a rock slide have again closed a section of the major cross country highway Interstate 40 along its narrow corridor through the Great Smoky Mountains.

The slide and flood happened Wednesday afternoon around mile marker 450 in Tennessee, just to the west of the state line with North Carolina, the Tennessee Department of Transportation said on social media.

NASHVILLE (AP) — A U.S. Supreme Court decision Wednesday upholding Tennessee's ban on gender-affirming care for minors is leaving transgender children and their parents uncertain and anxious about the future.

The court handed President Donald Trump's administration and Republican-led states a significant victory by effectively protecting them from at least some of the legal challenges against many efforts to repeal safeguards for transgender people.

LONDON (AP) — Google faced a big setback Thursday in its attempt to overturn a multibillion-dollar European Union antitrust penalty involving Android after a top court's legal adviser sided with regulators.

The European Court of Justice's advocate general, Juliane Kokott, recommended in a non-binding opinion that Google's appeal against the fine worth more than 4 billion euros ($4.7 billion) should be dismissed.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump said Wednesday he plans to tap Chad Meredith, a former state solicitor general in Kentucky, for a federal judgeship in the state — a move that could face objections from Sen. Rand Paul, who opposed the nomination three years ago.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. has approved the world's only twice-a-year shot to prevent HIV, the first step in an anticipated global rollout that could protect millions – although it's unclear how many in the U.S. and abroad will get access to the powerful new option.

LE BOURGET, France (AP) — About once a month, French drone manufacturer Henri Seydoux makes what has become a necessary pilgrimage for many in his business — he goes to Ukraine.

Because for drone technology, there is no harder place to survive than the frontlines of the war against Russia's invasion, where both sides are using unmanned aerial machines of all shapes and sizes to kill and to observe, reshaping modern warfare.

LONDON (AP) — The Bank of England warned Thursday about the "highly unpredictable" geopolitical environment as it kept its main interest rate unchanged at the two-year low of 4.25%.

ST. PETERSBURG, Russia (AP) — Russia's economy is "on the brink of going into a recession," the country's economy minister said Thursday, according to Russian media reports.

Economy Minister Maxim Reshetnikov delivered the warning at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, the annual event in Russia's second largest city designed to highlight the country's economic prowess and court foreign investors.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Farmers, cattle ranchers and hotel and restaurant managers breathed a sigh of relief last week when President Donald Trump ordered a pause to immigration raids that were disrupting those industries and scaring foreign-born workers off the job.

MILAN (AP) — Global sales of personal luxury goods are "slowing down but not collapsing," according to a Bain & Co. consultancy study released Thursday.

Personal luxury goods sales that eroded to 364 billion euros ($419 billion) in 2024 are projected to slide by another 2% to 5% this year, the study said, citing threats of U.S. tariffs and geopolitical tensions triggering economic slowdowns.

NEW YORK (AP) — More and more celebrities are looking to attach their names to your phone. Or rather, wireless services that could power it.

From cosmetics to snacks and signature spirits, brands launched or co-owned by high-profile figures are just about everywhere you look today. But several big names are also venturing into the market for mobile virtual network operators — or MVNOs, an industry term for businesses that provide cell coverage by leasing infrastructure from bigger, more established carriers.

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Hackers with possible links to Israel have drained more than $90 million from Nobitex, Iran's largest cryptocurrency exchange, according to blockchain analytics firms.

The group that claimed responsibility for the hack leaked on Thursday what it said was the company's full source code. "ASSETS LEFT IN NOBITEX ARE NOW ENTIRELY OUT IN THE OPEN," the group wrote on its Telegram account.

BEERSHEBA, Israel (AP) — Israel's defense minister overtly threatened Iran's supreme leader on Thursday after the latest missile barrage from Iran damaged the main hospital in southern Israel and hit several other residential buildings near Tel Aviv. Israel meanwhile struck a heavy water reactor that is part of Iran's nuclear program.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The State Department has begun evacuating nonessential diplomats and their families from the U.S. embassy in Israel as hostilities between Israel and Iran intensify and President Donald Trump warns of the possibility of getting directly involved in the conflict.