News - Friday, July 11, 2025

Jennifer Dorsey doesn’t put on airs. When she talks about rising through the ranks at Pratt Home Builders to become its president, she doesn’t mention titles or accolades. Instead, she talks about drafting boards, framing lumber and floor plans sketched in her head.

Meat eaters don’t usually flock to vegan restaurants. They often meet even the idea of plant-based cuisine with skepticism.

“What do you even eat?” is a common refrain, usually accompanied by a look of concern that falls somewhere between confusion and pity.

At the recent National Association of Realtor meetings in Washington, D.C., the Secret Service warned about a new cryptocurrency scam targeting real estate transactions. 

In its risk reduction tips, NAR provides the following overview of how the scam works and best practices to protect yourself, whether you’re an agent or a consumer looking to buy or sell.

Hamilton County’s real estate market saw billions of dollars in activity during fiscal year 2024–25, with more than $3.8 billion in property changing hands and more than $5 billion in mortgages recorded, a new report from Register of Deeds Marc Gravitt states.

A new chapter has opened in Chattanooga’s legal community with the launch of Abbott, Weiss, Faith & Darnell, a newly restructured law firm that combines decades of legal experience with a deep commitment to client advocacy.

The firm has welcomed two new named members, Brittany Thomas Faith and Zachery Darnell, and selected Joshua P. Weiss as its new managing member.

If you’re planning to retire within the next few years – or you’ve recently retired – market volatility might feel especially unsettling. After years of saving and planning, you’re now entering a stage where your portfolio may shift from growth to providing income. The five-year window before and after your retirement date is especially critical – when market downturns can have an outsized impact on your long-term financial security.

The Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office (HCSO) is making waves with the introduction of a powerful new tool in its public safety arsenal: a state-of-the-art patrol vessel named Marine One.

Sheriff Austin Garrett officially unveiled the 28-foot Munson Boats catamaran during a recent ceremony, celebrating what he described as a major investment in the agency’s marine-based operations and overall public safety mission.

Children’s Hospital at Erlanger has unveiled two cutting-edge critical care transport vehicles that will expand its ability to deliver intensive care to newborns and children across a 150-mile radius.

Custom-built for neonatal and pediatric patients, the new vehicles provide the same level of care as a neonatal or pediatric intensive care unit while en route to Erlanger. The additions mark a major step forward in the hospital’s capacity to deliver lifesaving care outside the walls of its facility.

Candace Parker didn’t get a chance to have a farewell tour before she retired from professional basketball in 2024. Parker made the announcement in a social media post, ending her career without stepping on the court again.

Fans, former teammates and coaches are getting a second chance of sorts to honor Parker this summer. She is having her jersey retired by two WNBA organizations. The former Tennessee star saw her No. 3 jersey raised to the rafters at Crypto.com Arena by the Los Angeles Sparks June 29. The Chicago Sky will be retiring her jersey later this summer in her hometown.

This summer’s used-car shoppers have noticed something frustrating: climbing prices. 

The average transaction price for a 3-year-old used vehicle has reached $30,522, the latest Edmunds’ Used Car Report found. That’s up 2.3% from the same time last year and marks the first time since mid-2023 that this number has climbed back to more than $30,000.

NEW YORK (AP) — On a recent afternoon, Mahmoud Khalil sat in his Manhattan apartment, cradling his 10-week-old son as he thought back to the pre-dawn hours spent pacing a frigid immigration jail in Louisiana, awaiting news of the child's birth in New York.

CONCORD, N.H. (AP) — The legal fight over President Donald Trump's order ending birthright citizenship is advancing on a path toward the U.S. Supreme Court.

A New Hampshire federal judge on Thursday issued a ruling prohibiting the president's January executive order ending birthright citizenship for children born to those without legal status from taking effect anywhere in the U.S.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Senate Republicans on Thursday blocked an attempt to reverse a little-noticed provision from their tax and spending cuts law that professional gamblers warn could be the end of their industry.

Democratic Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto of Nevada sought unanimous passage of a bill that would roll back the change on gambling tax deductions, but Republican Sen. Todd Young of Indiana objected, stalling the proposal for now.

WASHINGTON (AP) — White House budget director Russell Vought suggested in a Thursday letter that Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell is in violation of government building rules in the renovation of the Fed's headquarters.

WASHINGTON (AP) — A bill to regulate college sports introduced in the House on Thursday would offer limited antitrust protection for the NCAA, while barring schools from using student fees to pay for college athletic programs.

Co-sponsors of the SCORE Act includes seven Republicans and two Democrats, which gives the bill a fair chance of passage in the House. It would need at least seven Democratic votes in the Senate, where its chances are viewed as slim.

DAYTON (AP) — A small town in eastern Tennessee courted national publicity and attention a century ago when local leaders planned a test trial over the teaching of evolution in public schools. What they got from the eight-day Scopes trial was more than they bargained for.

WASHINGTON (AP) — A divided federal appeals court on Friday threw out an agreement that would have allowed accused Sept. 11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed to plead guilty in a deal sparing him the risk of execution for al-Qaida's 2001 attacks.

The decision by a panel of the federal appeals court in Washington, D.C., undoes an attempt to wrap up more than two decades of military prosecution beset by legal and logistical troubles. It signals there will be no quick end to the long struggle by the U.S. military and successive administrations to bring to justice the man charged with planning one of the deadliest attacks ever on the United States.

GREENBELT, Md. (AP) — The Trump administration hasn't decided where it would deport Kilmar Abrego Garcia if he is freed from a Tennessee jail, but a U.S. immigration official said Thursday that Mexico and South Sudan could be willing to accept the El Salvador native.

PARIS (AP) — French prosecutors have launched a police investigation into alleged data tampering and fraud involving X, Elon Musk's social media platform.

The Paris prosecutor's office, in a statement Friday, announced the opening of the investigation, and said that a branch of the French gendarmerie is conducting the inquiry.

CHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) — The developer of what would be the first new coal mine in Wyoming in decades plans to process the fossil fuel to extract hard-to-get metals that are crucial for tech products and military hardware.

Energy Secretary Chris Wright, former West Virginia U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin, Wyoming Gov. Mark Gordon, and Wyoming's congressional delegation are on the VIP list for a groundbreaking ceremony Friday at the Ramaco Resources, Inc., Brook Mine outside Ranchester in far northern Wyoming.

DETROIT (AP) — Global Citizen is turning to cities as it looks to break through what it sees as widespread political gridlock hindering large-scale action on its goal of ending extreme poverty worldwide.

The nonprofit advocacy group has rallied the private sector and foreign dignitaries to solve humanitarian challenges together, driving millions of dollars toward replenishing international aid and eradicating polio since 2008. But Global Citizen co-founder Simon Moss said Thursday it is local officials who are increasingly joining traditional international players in shaping whether communities are equipped to tackle urgent crises.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump said in a letter that he will raise taxes on many imported goods from Canada to 35%, deepening a rift between two North American countries that have suffered a debilitating blow to their decades-old alliance.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump is escalating his pressure campaign to get the Federal Reserve chairman to either lower interest rates or quit his post by targeting the expensive renovation at the central bank's headquarters.

The latest step came Thursday when Russ Vought, Trump's top budget adviser, sent a letter to Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell saying the president is "extremely troubled" that plans may have violated government building rules with an "ostentatious overhaul."

RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva said Thursday that he will impose retaliatory tariffs on the United States if President Donald Trump follows through on a pledge to boost import taxes by 50% over the South American country's criminal trial against his predecessor, Jair Bolsonaro.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Just months after President Donald Trump returned to office amid a wave of anti-immigration sentiment, the share of U.S. adults saying immigration is a "good thing" for the country has jumped substantially — including among Republicans, according to new Gallup polling.

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — The U.S. State Department is firing more than 1,300 employees on Friday in line with a dramatic reorganization plan from the Trump administration that critics say will damage America's global leadership and efforts to counter threats abroad.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The United States is selling weapons to its NATO allies in Europe so they can provide them to Ukraine as it struggles to fend off a recent escalation in Russia's drone and missile attacks, President Donald Trump and his chief diplomat said.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's trip to Washington this week netted President Donald Trump another nomination for the Nobel Peace Prize he covets, but the ceasefire the U.S. leader sought for the war in Gaza didn't emerge.

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Democrats used a Louisiana town hall Thursday night to preview one of their main strategies for attempting to retake the U.S. House next year, ripping into the health care changes in the just-passed Republican tax and spending bill.

ROME (AP) — The co-sponsors of a new bipartisan U.S. sanctions package targeting Russia briefed European allies and Ukraine on the legislation Thursday, in an effort to show continued resolve to help Kyiv and force Moscow to the negotiating table through what they describe as a "game-changer" bill.

SARAJEVO, Bosnia-Herzegovina (AP) — An independent U.N. investigator and outspoken critic of Israel's actions in Gaza said Thursday that "it was shocking" to learn that the Trump administration had imposed sanctions on her but defiantly stood by her view on the war.

WASHINGTON (AP) — World leaders, lawmakers and even one Native American tribe are deploying a novel strategy for remaining on good terms with Presidential Donald Trump: Praise his peacemaking efforts and nominate him for a Nobel Peace Prize.

The announcements of nominations are piling up for the mercurial Republican president, who has long coveted the prestigious award. The honor, according to Albert Nobel's wishes, is given to "the person who shall have done the most or the best work for fraternity between nations, for the abolition or reduction of standing armies and for the holding and promotion of peace congresses."

NEW YORK (AP) — A "click-to-cancel" rule, which would have made it easier for consumers to end unwanted subscriptions, has been blocked by a federal appeals court days before it was set to go into effect. But there are ways to end those subscriptions and memberships, even if they take some work.

SAO PAULO (AP) — President Donald Trump's threat to boost import taxes by 50% on Brazilian goods could drive up the cost of breakfast in the United States. The prices of coffee and orange juice — two staples of the American morning diet — could be severely impacted if there's no agreement by Aug. 1.

PHOENIX (AP) — Most American teenagers say it is important to them to graduate from college, with girls especially describing it as a key step for accomplishing their life goals, according to a new poll.

Teenagers also generally are more upbeat than adults on college despite concerns about tuition costs, soaring student loan debt and the politicization of many issues in higher education.

NEW YORK (AP) — Nursing homes already struggling to recruit staff are now grappling with President Donald Trump's attack on one of their few reliable sources of workers: immigration.

Facilities for older adults and disabled people are reporting the sporadic loss of employees who have had their legal status revoked by Trump. But they fear even more dramatic impacts are ahead as pipelines of potential workers slow to a trickle with an overall downturn in legal immigration.

BENGALURU, India (AP) — India's government is seeking to limit temperature settings on new air conditioners to save electricity in the country that considered the fastest-growing market for them.

The power minister proposed a rule in June requiring air conditioners sold in the country to have thermostats that can be set no lower than 20 Celsius (68 Fahrenheit).

PARIS (AP) — The European Union will suspend retaliatory tariffs on U.S. goods scheduled to take effect Monday in hopes of reaching a trade deal with the Trump administration by the end of the month.

"This is now the time for negotiations," European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen told reporters in Brussels on Sunday, after President Donald Trump sent a letter announcing new tariffs of 30% on goods from the EU and Mexico starting Aug. 1.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Democrats and Republicans don't agree on much, but they share a conviction that the government should help American manufacturers, one way or another.

Democratic President Joe Biden handed out subsidies to chipmakers and electric vehicle manufacturers. Republican President Donald Trump is building a wall of import taxes — tariffs — around the U.S. economy to protect domestic industry from foreign competition.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump said Monday he would punish Russia with tariffs if there isn't a deal to end the war in Ukraine within 50 days, the latest example of his growing frustration with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Trump made the announcement during an Oval Office meeting with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell has asked an inspector general to review the cost of the central bank's building renovations that White House officials have attacked as "ostentatious."

EAST PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) — After driving through a downpour to take her son to day camp, Darleen Reyes told camp administrators the rain would have kept her away but her son insisted on going.

As she marked her son's name present on a clipboard at the Boys & Girls Club camp one day last week, she laughed about braving a flash flood warning to get there.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Senate Republicans will test the popularity of Department of Government Efficiency spending cuts this week by aiming to pass President Donald Trump's request to claw back $9.4 billion in public media and foreign aid spending.

Senate Democrats are trying to kill the measure but need a few Republicans uncomfortable with the president's effort to join them.

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — U.S. President Donald Trump's special envoy to Ukraine and Russia met with Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv on Monday, as anticipation grew over a possible shift in the Trump administration's policy on the three-year war.

WASHINGTON (AP) — In many ways, the assassination attempt against Donald Trump at a Pennsylvania campaign stop was a perfect storm of failings coming together that allowed 20-year-old Michael Thomas Crooks to climb on top of a nearby building and take eight shots at the once and future president.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump prides himself on being a dealmaker, but his negotiating style is more ultimatum than compromise.

In the last week, Trump has slapped trading partners with tariffs rather than slog through prolonged talks to reach agreements. He ratcheted up the pressure on the Federal Reserve to cut interest rates. And his administration launched a new investigation into higher education as he tries to reshape universities.