News - Friday, July 3, 2026

Imagine a Coca-Cola can stretched to 240 feet in diameter and nearly five stories tall.

Now imagine two of them rising from the landscape along Interstate 75.

For months, motorists have driven past the towering concrete structures near South Chickamauga Creek, watching them gradually take shape. Most people never get a closer look.

Outside Chattanooga’s Downtown Public Library, ribbons of blue-green flow across the plaza, weaving between oversize flowers painted in shades of pink and cream.

Created as part of Chattanooga’s Amplify Chatt initiative, the mural transforms an ordinary stretch of sidewalk into a welcoming public gathering place.

This installment of Food FAQ dives into the flavorful world of Middle Eastern cuisine with lunch at the brand-new Shawarma Taste in Red Bank. Ready your palate!

I had a fantastic lunch at Shawarma Taste today! I’m thrilled to have them in Red Bank.

Ah, then it seems my job here is done.

People say you get what you pay for. But in today’s economy, it can feel like you’re paying more and getting less. Riverfront Nights turns that equation on its head.

Instead of asking audiences to settle for second-rate entertainment, Riverfront Nights delivers far more bang for your buck than you’d expect from many ticketed shows – let alone a free concert.

The week of June 13-18, 12 members of Greater Chattanooga Realtors traveled to Washington, D.C. for the 2026 Realtors Legislative Meetings, where they met with members of Congress and congressional staff to advocate for policies that increase housing supply, build stronger communities and support self-employed professionals.

Nate Ament didn’t shy away from tough coaching when he chose to attend the University of Tennessee. Rick Barnes and his staff were going to make sure the highly-touted freshman wasn’t cut any slack.

After being selected by the Milwaukee Bucks in the first round of last week’s NBA Draft, Ament expects nothing to change in his new home.

Margaret had saved diligently for decades. Every paycheck, a portion went toward her retirement account. Then, the day finally came: she retired. Suddenly, the hardest part wasn’t the saving. It was learning to spend.

If that sounds familiar, you’re not alone. Many retirees find the shift from building savings to living off them emotionally difficult, even when they’ve planned carefully. Here are five smart strategies that can help you feel more confident about what’s ahead.

Your tongue can barely stay behind your teeth. Is it Rocky Road that’s tempting you or chocolate chip cookie dough? Maybe something with caramel on top or just plain vanilla dressed up in a rainbow of sprinkles. 

Have you ever had a bad ice cream cone on a hot summer’s day? Probably not – so dip into the new book “Ice Cream Queen” by Lokelani Albanza, and have a taste.

Happy birthday to us United States of Americans! We’re (almost) 250! And we don’t look a day over, what … 234? 218? Remember the Bicentennial and that flotilla of tall sailing ships in New York Harbor? Remember anything else? Seems like yesterday, right?

Two new hybrid SUVs have hit the market in the last two years from brands known for their outdoorsy images: the Jeep Cherokee and the Subaru Forester. The Jeep Cherokee has been redesigned for 2026 after a three-year hiatus. Notably, every new Cherokee has a hybrid power train that gets more than 30 mpg.

NEW YORK (AP) — After weeks of complaints from frustrated fans, StubHub is being sued by customers who say the ticket reseller's inability to fulfill orders crushed their dreams of going to World Cup.

Julia Reeker Moghal and Reuben Renteria, both of California, sued the ticketing giant this week in federal court in New York, alleging that "false and misleading" sales practices left them without the tickets they purchased for group stage matches last month.

Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce have donated $26 million to charities this week ahead of their Friday wedding at Madison Square Garden.

The donations were spread out across 20 local and national charities, according to Swift's publicist, with many located in areas where the couple has deep ties. The announcement did not include any mention of Swift and Kelce's wedding, but a law enforcement official briefed on security plans has told AP that the wedding will be held Friday, with a smaller rehearsal dinner Thursday night.

WASHINGTON (AP) — A former Olympian was indicted Thursday on a felony charge in what President Donald Trump has called vandalism of the Reflecting Pool.

David Hearn, a former Olympic canoe racer, was indicted on a single count of property destruction in Washington, D.C. court.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court on Thursday declined to intervene after a judge ordered a former Fox News reporter to be fined $800 a day if she refuses to reveal her confidential source for stories about a Chinese American scientist who was investigated by the FBI but never charged.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The head of the FBI's Chicago field office is abruptly leaving his position, according to a resignation message he sent to colleagues and multiple people familiar with the situation who said he was told to retire.

Douglas DePodesta has served as special agent in charge in Chicago, one of the FBI's largest offices, for nearly two years and has been with the bureau since 2002.

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. employers slowed hiring last month and added only 57,000 jobs, less than half the previous month's total and a sign companies still have a cautious economic outlook.

The Labor Department said Thursday that the unemployment rate declined to a low 4.2% from 4.3% in May, though the drop mostly occurred because many people out of work gave up looking and were no longer counted as unemployed.

NEW YORK (AP) — More drops for chip stocks and other AI winners overshadowed gains for the majority of Wall Street.

The S&P 500 was little changed Thursday, even though more than two-thirds of the stocks within the index rose. The Dow Jones Industrial Average climbed 1.1% to another record, while the Nasdaq composite dropped 0.8% after erasing an early gain.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Consultants tied to President Donald Trump may have engaged in financial fraud, tricking donors who wanted to support the nation's bipartisan 250th anniversary organizer into sending their money instead to a rival group set up by his administration, according to a report released Thursday by House Democrats.

Today will be a fairytale. Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce's wedding is slated to take place Friday at Madison Square Garden, where the couple's closest friends and family — and several hundred more — will attend what is expected to be an elaborate event inside the iconic New York venue.

WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal judge on Thursday demanded firmer commitments from the Trump administration that it would not go ahead with plans to renovate a historic golf course in Washington, D.C., until the matter was resolved in court, pointing to comments by the president as an indication that the changes could be moving ahead.

WASHINGTON (AP) — On Saturday, President Donald Trump's administration plans to launch Trump Accounts, tying the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence to an effort to boost financial independence for American kids.

Under the program, parents can open special investment accounts for any child born during Trump's second term and automatically receive $1,000 from the government. Accounts can be opened for older children — as long as they don't turn 18 before the end of the calendar year — but they will not receive the $1,000. The accounts are set to open for deposits July 4, which is also the day the Treasury Department plans to transfer the $1,000 bonus.

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Friday condemned senators who blocked changes to a world-first social media ban for children, saying tech giants would use the delay to destroy incriminating documents that could be used as evidence against them.

TORONTO (AP) — Canada took a step Thursday toward opening a new route for its vast oil reserves to Asian markets as Prime Minister Mark Carney advanced a Pacific Coast pipeline from Alberta, seeking to reduce the country's dependence on the U.S. while easing separatist tensions and preserving environmental protections.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump has berated and belittled many of his European counterparts expected to attend next week's NATO summit in Turkey. But host Recep Tayyip Erdogan has drawn on his close ties with the U.S. president to secure his presence at the Ankara event — an appearance that may even come with a significant gift related to Turkish defense.

President Donald Trump has been warning recently that communism will pose a threat to the U.S. if Democrats win in the upcoming midterm elections.

"It's the biggest threat to our country, including World War I, World War II, Pearl Harbor, September 11th," he said on Wednesday, segueing into a political message as he visited the newly constructed Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library in North Dakota.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump reshaped this year's U.S. Senate map by sidelining some Republican incumbents and promoting loyalists to replace them. Now the question is whether he'll put his money where his mouth is.

With four months to go until November's elections, it's still unclear how much MAGA Inc., the country's largest political war chest with $382 million in the bank as of last month, plans to spend on key races. The silence has persisted even as Senate Republican leaders have urged Trump's team, both privately and publicly, to pick up the tab for the president's decisions.

HOPKINTON, R.I. (AP) — At Ashawaug Farm in southwest Rhode Island, Dawn and Cassius Spears preserve their Indigenous knowledge of agriculture through the cultivation and keeping of three Narragansett heritage crops: white corn, succotash beans and crookneck squash.

BRUSSELS (AP) — Dozens of diamonds spell out two giant letter "T" next to the Stars and Stripes and "1776" and "2026." Dozens more frame the numbers 45 and 47 in the shape of Superman's logo. A diamond-winged eagle carries a ruby shield and clutches an olive branch of emeralds, below a radiant "250" and atop the phrase "250 YEARS USA" etched in 18-karat gold.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump joined second lady Usha Vance on her podcast where guests read picture books to children, but Trump, who is notorious for veering off script, offered a running commentary on his predecessors, his physique, and how he's spending his time in the White House.

NASHVILLE (AP) — The Nashville Predators signed newcomer Mavrik Bourque to a six-year, $33 million contract Saturday.

The 24-year-old Bourque was acquired from Dallas on Wednesday in a trade that also sent defenseman Ilya Lyubushkin to the Predators.

GENEVA (AP) — European soccer body UEFA criticized FIFA for an "incomprehensible and unjustifiable decision" to let United States forward Folarin Balogun play at the World Cup against Belgium on Monday despite a red card in his previous game.

UEFA said in a statement FIFA "crossed a red line" with its decision not to enforce Balogun's mandatory one-game ban, after the world soccer body came under pressure from U.S. President Donald Trump.

SEATTLE (AP) — U.S. President Donald Trump intervened on behalf of star U.S. forward Folarin Balogun, whose red-card suspension was lifted in a decision that allows him to play in a World Cup match against Belgium on Monday.

Balogun, the American leader with three goals in the tournament, received a red card for stepping awkwardly on the right ankle of Tarik Muharemovic of Bosnia-Herzegovina in a 2-0 round of 32 win on Wednesday, triggering an automatic one-game suspension.

WASHINGTON (AP) — A prescription refill program that quietly launched in Utah earlier this year has kicked off a big medical debate: Is artificial intelligence ready to take over tasks that, until now, could only be performed by doctors?

The program allows Utah residents to skip the doctor's office and get their prescriptions refilled online by an AI chatbot called Doctronic. It's a seemingly simple step toward making healthcare more convenient for patients and prescribers.

NEW YORK (AP) — A handful of countries in the OPEC+ oil-producing alliance plan to increase their outputs modestly next month, which would bring more oil online after fuel prices have fallen to levels not seen since before the U.S. and Israel's war with Iran.

LONDON (AP) — Sky, the UK-based TV, internet and mobile phone provider owned by Comcast, has agreed to buy ITV's media and entertainment arm for up to 1.6 billion pounds ($2.1 billion) after months of talks to create a major competitor to the global streaming giants.

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — The Trump administration plans to open a 528-bed holding facility for migrant families and unaccompanied children next to an airport hub, positioning itself to speed up deportations.

The location in Alexandria, Louisiana, would remove logistical headaches caused by wrangling children from foster homes and shelters across the country and not having anywhere to put them during final preparations for flight. Those obstacles were apparent last year when Guatemalan children were awoken at night and given almost no time to get to Harlingen, Texas, where they waited on an airport tarmac for hours.

REDMOND, Wash. (AP) — Microsoft is cutting 4,800 jobs, about 2.1% of its global workforce, including a large number of workers at its Xbox video game business.

The layoffs included 1,600 Xbox workers, with more to come this year in a broader reorganization designed to "reset" Xbox as it faces heightened competition, the company said Monday.

NEW YORK (AP) — The United States' 250th birthday carries ambitions to galvanize Americans behind nationwide community-service drives and patriotic brand launches. Well-known U.S. nonprofits hope to inspire a record-setting level of volunteerism, while major companies such as Walmart and Coca-Cola are sponsoring tributes and selling limited-edition merchandise.

MALINDI, Kenya (AP) — The unfinished restaurant is still little more than concrete walls and wooden beams. As her daughter sweeps away the last piles of sand, 54-year-old Nuru Mohammed directs women hanging fishing nets to serve as décor. In a few days, the beachside restaurant on Kenya's Indian Ocean coast will open, offering another way to earn a living.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump on Monday rang the opening bells for the New York Stock Exchange and the Nasdaq from the golden confines of the Oval Office, a symbolic act that reflects how he has increasingly tied his presidency to the stock market.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump got what he wanted from NATO at last year's summit: an alliance whose members had largely acceded to his demands to step up their defense spending.

This week when he meets leaders in Turkey, his mission is to enforce that pledge.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump on Sunday posted a falsified image of former President Barack Obama and his wife, Michelle Obama, waving before boarding an Air Force One that had been spray-painted with graffiti.

It came months after another racist post by the president that showed the couple as primates in a jungle. That one was deleted after stiff, bipartisan backlash.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump on Monday took credit for getting FIFA to review a red card issued against the United States' star forward Folarin Balogun at the World Cup but said he did not demand an outcome.

"All I did was ask for a review," Trump said when asked about it during an unrelated Oval Office event. "I didn't say, 'You have to do this.'"

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday declined to block Texas from enforcing a state law that requires apps stores to verify users' ages and obtain parental consent for minors seeking to download apps or make in-app purchases on mobile phones.

NEW YORK (AP) — States across the country saw steep drops in the number of people covered by the Affordable Care Act over the past year, with Ohio and Oklahoma each losing nearly one-third of enrollees, according to new federal data that provides the first complete 50-state breakdown of sharp enrollment declines following the January expiration of enhanced subsidies.

TORONTO (AP) — The premiers of Alberta and Ontario on Monday proposed a pipeline to carry western Canadian oil to the country's east, part of Canada 's push to diversify exports beyond its dominant U.S. market.

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith said the proposed 3,300-kilometer (2,050-mile) pipeline would run from Hardisty, Alberta, to Sarnia, Ontario, carrying up to 500,000 barrels of oil a day with potential for up to 800,000 barrels. She said the corridor eventually could extend to Canada's Atlantic coast, opening the door to oil exports to Europe.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Staff for Kentucky Sen. Mitch McConnell said last week that the senator is "continuing his recovery" in a hospital while the Senate is out of session. But his office has released no details about the former Republican leader's condition during his weekslong hospitalization or whether he will be at the Capitol when the Senate returns next week.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump said Monday that he's building a granite helipad on the White House lawn, insisting that the landing area is needed to accommodate new, more powerful presidential choppers.

Confirmation of the project came as construction crews had already begun working on the helipad on the South Lawn, where the president had UFC build a temporary arena for a cage fight celebrating his 80th birthday. He said the project would be privately funded and estimated its cost at up to $6 million.

NASHVILLE (AP) — Anyone who has watched an episode of "9-1-1: Nashville" could be forgiven for thinking the city is constantly beset by tornadoes that turn outdoor concerts into scenes of carnage and blow scooter-riding tourists onto the tops of water towers.

NASHVILLE (AP) — The grandfather of a man who was shot and killed by the Tennessee National Guard in Memphis over the weekend says he wants answers from law enforcement.

Evaniel Johnson said he is waiting to see if video footage supports the police narrative that his 20-year-old grandson, Tyrin Johnson, turned toward U.S. guard members with a gun while running from them early Sunday. Memphis police say the guard members were responding to a report of gunfire.

SEATTLE (AP) — Shortly after Romelu Lukaku scored the goal that capped a commanding 4-1 win over the United States, Belgium's all-time leading goal scorer held his right hand to his ear.

On American soil, and in the aftermath of star U.S. forward Folarin Balogun being permitted to play after a one-game red-card suspension was controversially lifted by FIFA, Lukaku egged on the crowd of 66,925 at Lumen Field. The Red Devils then took to social media to poke more fun in light of what they considered no laughing matter, posting above the photo the words: "Overturn this."

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — The Wisconsin Supreme Court on Tuesday rejected an attempt by a conservative activist to obtain guardianship records in an effort to find ineligible voters in the presidential battleground state.

The case has been winding its way through the courts for years and stems from attempts by conservatives to overturn President Joe Biden's victory in Wisconsin over President Donald Trump in 2020.

LOS ANGELES (AP) — A lawsuit filed Tuesday alleges that the Trump administration's immigration agencies have been sharing confidential information about Iranian asylum seekers with the Iranian government, violating national immigration regulations and endangering countless Iranians, court filings argue.

NEW YORK (AP) — A former Democratic commissioner of one of the country's top civil rights agencies dropped a lawsuit Monday challenging her dismissal by President Donald Trump, citing a recent Supreme Court ruling that dramatically enhanced the president's power over independent agencies.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump's mass pardons for supporters who stormed the U.S. Capitol don't apply to a Virginia man charged with planting pipe bombs near the national headquarters of the Democratic and Republican parties on the eve of the Jan. 6, 2021, riot, a federal judge ruled Monday.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump on Monday sought to take credit for recent price cuts by Walmart, but a statement by the retailer made no mention of the administration's involvement in its decision.

The president has faced public backlash over inflation rising during his watch, as prices climbed initially in the aftermath of his tariffs and later with the start of the Iran war in late February. Trump described a recent bipartisan measure to trim housing costs as "a yawn" and tried to blame the Democrats for inflation staying elevated.

HONG KONG (AP) — A debate over ownership of traditional Chinese symbols has cropped up after a court ordered a local tea chain to pay French luxury brand Louis Vuitton $1.5 million over trademark infringement claims.

Chinese state-media and online commentators are questioning if the four-petal flower design in the fashion house's 130-year-old signature monogram is derived from patterns dating back to ancient China. Some are accusing the company of "monopolizing" traditional Chinese patterns.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Rahm Emanuel, a potential Democratic presidential candidate and longtime defender of Israel, will denounce Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Tel Aviv this week and deliver a bracing message that the country's relationship with the United States is "at a crossroads."

NEW YORK (AP) — After decades of reliable bipartisan backing for Israel, a new AP-NORC poll reveals a dramatic erosion of support for the longtime U.S. ally, with rising opposition from Democrats and signs of division among Republicans.

The survey by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research arrives at a moment when a once-consensus foreign policy issue is increasingly polarizing Americans along partisan and generational lines, driven by criticism for Israel's conduct nearly three years after the outbreak of its latest war with Hamas in Gaza.

PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — With Democrats across the U.S. abandoning their support of Maine Democratic Senate nominee Graham Platner following an allegation of sexual assault, party leaders found themselves Tuesday scrambling to determine next steps in their effort to win a high-stakes race against Republican Sen. Susan Collins.