WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate has whisked a $40 billion package of military, economic and food aid for Ukraine and U.S. allies to final congressional approval, putting a bipartisan stamp on America's biggest commitment yet to turning Russia's invasion into a painful quagmire for Moscow.

2. Supreme Court nominee's 'empathy' is flashpoint for Senate - Friday, March 25, 2022

WASHINGTON (AP) — Empathy is not a quality many Republican senators want to see in the next Supreme Court justice.

Traditionally considered an admirable attribute, the ability to empathize with another's plight has become a touchstone for GOP opposition to Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson.

3. Jackson heading for likely confirmation despite GOP darts - Friday, March 25, 2022

WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal judge Ketanji Brown Jackson faced down a barrage of Republican questioning Wednesday about her sentencing of criminal defendants, as her history-making bid to join the Supreme Court veered from lofty constitutional questions to attacks on her motivations on the bench.

4. Jackson defends record anew on confirmation third day - Friday, March 18, 2022

WASHINGTON (AP) — Supreme Court nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson returned to the Senate for a third day of hearings Wednesday as Republicans try to paint her as soft on crime and Democrats herald the historic nature of her nomination to become the first Black woman on the high court.

5. Jackson pushes back at GOP critics, defends record - Friday, March 18, 2022

WASHINGTON (AP) — Facing Republican senators' pointed questions, Supreme Court nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson forcefully defended her record as a federal judge Tuesday and declared she will rule "from a position of neutrality" if confirmed as the first Black woman on the high court.

6. What to watch as Jackson's Supreme Court hearings begin - Friday, March 18, 2022

WASHINGTON (AP) — After meeting privately with almost half the members of the Senate, it's time for Supreme Court nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson to testify publicly this week before the Senate Judiciary Committee. If confirmed, as is expected, she would be the first Black woman to sit on the high court in its more than 200-year history.

7. Jackson pledges to decide cases 'without fear or favor' - Friday, March 18, 2022

WASHINGTON (AP) — Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson is telling senators she would defend the Constitution and decide cases "without fear or favor" if she is confirmed to the Supreme Court.

She is delivering her opening statement Monday at her high court confirmation hearing. She is the first Black woman nominated to the Supreme Court.

8. US misjudged Ukraine's will to fight Russia, officials admit - Friday, March 11, 2022

WASHINGTON (AP) — Top U.S. intelligence officials admitted Thursday that they underestimated Ukraine's ability to defend itself against Russia's invasion, a mistake for intelligence agencies that have otherwise been lauded for accurately predicting Russian President Vladimir Putin's intention to launch a war.

9. Russia conflict separates GOP traditionalists from newcomers - Friday, February 25, 2022

NEW YORK (AP) — As Russia intensified its aggression toward neighboring Ukraine earlier this week, Republican Sen. Rob Portman of Ohio blasted President Vladimir Putin's provocations as a "clear violation of international law."

10. Blackburn threatens anti-shutdown measure over fake crack pipe story - Friday, February 11, 2022

WASHINGTON (AP) — No, the word "Senate" is not Latin for "It's never easy." But sometimes it seems that way.

The House easily approved two bills last Tuesday with broad bipartisan support. There's no doubt Senate approval is inevitable, sooner rather than later.

11. Sportsbooks pick a winner in Tennessee - Friday, February 11, 2022

With Super Bowl LVI fast approaching, you might be surprised by the number of friends and co-workers who are talking about bets they’ve placed via one of Tennessee’s nine legal online sportsbooks.

12. Report: Opioid fight needs new strategy, Cabinet leadership - Friday, February 4, 2022

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. needs a nimble, multipronged strategy and Cabinet-level leadership to counter its festering overdose epidemic, a bipartisan congressional commission advises.

With vastly powerful synthetic drugs like fentanyl driving record overdose deaths, the scourge of opioids awaits after the COVID-19 pandemic finally recedes, a shift that public health experts expect in the months ahead.

13. US plans diplomatic boycott of Beijing Winter Olympics - Friday, December 3, 2021

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. will stage a diplomatic boycott of the upcoming Winter Olympics in Beijing t o protest Chinese human rights abuses, the White House confirmed Monday, a move that China has vowed to greet with "firm countermeasures."

14. Garland defends school violence memo against GOP criticism - Friday, October 29, 2021

WASHINGTON (AP) — Attorney General Merrick Garland defended a Justice Department memo aimed at combating threats and violence against teachers, administrators and other school officials while Republicans insisted that he rescind the directive. He signaled no plans to do so despite their criticism

15. Garland defends school board memo amid Republican criticism - Friday, October 22, 2021

WASHINGTON (AP) — Attorney General Merrick Garland on Wednesday defended a memo aimed at combating threats against school officials nationwide while Republicans insisted he rescind the directive. He signaled he had no plans to do so despite their criticism.

16. US general: Afghan collapse rooted in 2020 deal with Taliban - Friday, September 24, 2021

WASHINGTON (AP) — Senior Pentagon officials said Wednesday the collapse of the Afghan government and its security forces in August could be traced to a 2020 U.S. agreement with the Taliban that promised a complete U.S. troop withdrawal.

17. Joint Chiefs chairman calls Afghan war a 'strategic failure' - Friday, September 24, 2021

WASHINGTON (AP) — The top U.S. military officer called the 20-year war in Afghanistan a "strategic failure" and acknowledged to Congress that he had favored keeping several thousand troops in the country to prevent a collapse of the U.S.-supported Kabul government and a rapid takeover by the Taliban.

18. Buttigieg visiting closed Interstate 40 bridge in Tennessee - Friday, June 4, 2021

MEMPHIS (AP) — U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg traveled to Tennessee on Thursday to learn how the closure of the Interstate 40 bridge connecting that state and Arkansas has affected freight movement since it was shut down more than three weeks ago when a crack was found in the span.

19. Talk of Trump 2024 run builds as legal pressure intensifies - Friday, June 4, 2021

WASHINGTON (AP) — Donald Trump was calling into yet another friendly radio show when he was asked, as he often is, whether he's planning a comeback bid for the White House. "We need you," conservative commentator Dan Bongino told the former president.

20. GOP seeks political opening amid tense Israel-Hamas fighting - Friday, May 14, 2021

WASHINGTON (AP) — Republicans trying to drive a wedge between Democrats and chip away at President Joe Biden's support are zeroing in on the violence in the Middle East, laying blame on his administration and aiming to make his liberal critics the face of the party heading into the midterm elections.

21. US under Biden will no longer call migrants 'illegal aliens' - Friday, April 16, 2021

WASHINGTON (AP) — Employees of the two main U.S. immigration enforcement agencies were directed Monday to stop referring to migrants as "aliens," a dated term that many people consider offensive.

Memos issued by Customs and Border Protection, as well as Immigration and Customs Enforcement, tells employees to use the words "non-citizen" or "migrant." The change reflects guidelines set by the Biden administration, which is reversing many of the anti-immigrant policies of former President Donald Trump.

22. Biden aims to prevent border crossings from swamping agenda - Friday, March 19, 2021

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration is scrambling to manage a growing humanitarian and political challenge at the U.S.-Mexico border that threatens to overshadow its ambitious legislative agenda.

23. Senate confirms Merrick Garland to be US attorney general - Friday, March 5, 2021

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate has confirmed Merrick Garland to be the next U.S. attorney general with a strong bipartisan vote, placing the widely-respected, veteran judge in the post as President Joe Biden has vowed to restore the Justice Department's reputation for independence.

24. Conservative gathering to feature Trump's false fraud claims - Friday, February 26, 2021

WASHINGTON (AP) — A gathering of conservatives this weekend in Florida will serve as an unabashed endorsement of former President Donald Trump's desire to remain the leader of the Republican Party — and as a forum to fan his false claim that he lost the November election only because of widespread voter fraud.

25. Pandemic first job for HHS pick but health agenda is broader - Friday, February 19, 2021

WASHINGTON (AP) — Health secretary nominee Xavier Becerra told senators Tuesday that confronting the coronavirus pandemic will be his first priority if confirmed, but he also pledged to expand health insurance, rein in prescription drug costs and reduce racial and ethnic disparities in medical care.

26. Key senators oppose Biden budget pick, confirmation at risk - Friday, February 19, 2021

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden's nomination of Neera Tanden to lead the White House Office of Management and Budget was thrown further into doubt on Monday as moderate Republican Sens. Susan Collins of Maine and Mitt Romney of Utah said they would vote against confirming her.

27. White House budget chief nominee apologizes for past tweets - Friday, February 5, 2021

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden's choice to the lead the Office of Management and Budget apologized Tuesday for spending years attacking top Republicans on social media as she tried to convince senators she'll leave partisan politics behind if confirmed.

28. Trump's sway over GOP tested as impeachment heads to Senate - Friday, January 22, 2021

WASHINGTON (AP) — The impeachment case  against Donald Trump is heading toward a historic Senate trial, but Republican senators are easing off their criticism of the former president and shunning calls to convict him over the deadly riot at the U.S. Capitol.

29. Senate confirms Biden 1st Cabinet pick as Democrats control - Friday, January 22, 2021

WASHINGTON (AP) — Three new senators were sworn into office Wednesday after President Joe Biden's inauguration, securing the majority for Democrats in the Senate and across a unified government to tackle the new president's agenda at a time of unprecedented national challenges.

30. Timing of Trump trial uncertain as Pelosi gives no clues - Friday, January 15, 2021

WASHINGTON (AP) — House Speaker Nancy Pelosi offered no clues Friday on her plans to send President Donald Trump's impeachment to the Senate for trial, but made it clear that Democrats intend to move swiftly on Joe Biden's legislative priorities, including funding for coronavirus vaccines and relief aid.

31. EXPLAINER: How Congress will count Electoral College votes - Friday, January 1, 2021

WASHINGTON (AP) — Wednesday's congressional joint session to count electoral votes could drag late into the night as some Republicans plan to challenge Democrat Joe Biden's victory in at least six states.

32. GOP's Biden vote revolt is atypical challenge for McConnell - Friday, January 1, 2021

WASHINGTON (AP) — Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell thinks it's dangerous for his party to challenge President-elect Joe Biden's election triumph. But some Republicans are charging ahead anyway, and this time McConnell is facing dynamics he can't fully control.

33. Trump, allies in desperate bid to undo Biden win at Congress - Friday, January 1, 2021

WASHINGTON (AP) — With mounting desperation, President Donald Trump called on Republican lawmakers Monday to reverse his election loss to Joe Biden when Congress convenes for a joint session this week to confirm the Electoral College  vote.

34. Biden's transition contends with probe into son's finances - Friday, December 11, 2020

WILMINGTON, Del. (AP) — President-elect Joe Biden's historically challenging transition to power is suddenly becoming even more complicated.

A federal investigation into the finances of Biden's son Hunter threatens to embolden congressional Republicans, who have already shown little willingness to work with the incoming president or even acknowledge his clear victory in last month's election. For sure, it will complicate Senate confirmation hearings for Biden's yet-to-be-named attorney general, who could ultimately have oversight of the investigation into the new president's son.

35. Biden's pick to head OMB brings experience, Twitter enemies - Friday, December 4, 2020

WASHINGTON (AP) — Neera Tanden has delighted in labeling Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell as "Moscow Mitch"; in the wake of the acrimonious vote to confirm Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, she cuttingly dismissed Maine Republican Sen. Susan Collins as "the worst."

36. GOP objects to Biden nominees, a sign of what's to come - Friday, November 27, 2020

WASHINGTON (AP) — President-elect Joe Biden's Cabinet picks are quickly running into the political reality of a narrowly controlled Senate that will leave the new Democratic administration dependent on rival Republicans to get anything done.

37. Political fight brewing over Biden's WH budget chief nominee - Friday, November 27, 2020

WILMINGTON, Del. (AP) — President-elect Joe Biden's pick to lead the Office of Management and Budget is quickly emerging as a political battle that could disrupt his efforts to swiftly fill out his administration.

38. Biden seeks swift Cabinet votes, but GOP Senate stays silent - Friday, November 20, 2020

WASHINGTON (AP) — As President-elect Joe Biden started rolling out his administrative team, one voice has been notably silent: Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell.

Senate Republicans will hold great sway in confirming or denying Biden's Cabinet nominees, regardless of which party controls the narrowly split Senate after runoff elections. But key Republican senators, including the GOP leader, are keeping quiet, for now, choosing their battles ahead.

39. 'America is back': Biden pushes past Trump era with nominees - Friday, November 20, 2020

WILMINGTON, Del. (AP) — Declaring "America is back," President-elect Joe Biden introduced his national security team, his first substantive offering of how he'll shift from Trump-era "America First" policies by relying on experts from the Democratic establishment to be some of his most important advisers.

40. 'America is back': Biden pushes past Trump era with nominees - Friday, November 20, 2020

WILMINGTON, Del. (AP) — Declaring "America is back," President-elect Joe Biden introduced his national security team on Tuesday, his first substantive offering of how he'll shift from Trump-era "America First" policies by relying on experts from the Democratic establishment to be some of his most important advisers.

41. Outlaw country artist Billy Joe Shaver dead at 81 - Friday, October 23, 2020

NASHVILLE (AP) — Outlaw country singer songwriter Billy Joe Shaver, who wrote songs like "Honky Tonk Heroes," "I Been to Georgia on a Fast Train" and "Old Five and Dimers Like Me," has died He was 81.

42. Infected senator vows 'moon suit' to vote Trump's court pick - Friday, October 2, 2020

WASHINGTON (AP) — Shuttered by COVID-19 infections, the Republican-led Senate is refusing to delay confirmation of President Donald Trump's pick for the Supreme Court. They are even willing to make special arrangements so sick senators can vote for Judge Amy Coney Barrett, and Democrats appear powerless to stop them.

43. Biden urges pause on Trump court pick until after election - Friday, September 25, 2020

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump is pushing for quick confirmation of Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett while his Democratic rival, Joe Biden, implored the Republican-led Senate to hold off on voting on her nomination until after the Nov. 3 election to "let the people decide."

44. Trump Supreme Court list includes Sens. Ted Cruz, Tom Cotton - Friday, September 4, 2020

WASHINGTON (AP) — Hoping to replicate a strategy that has long been seen as key to his appeal among conservative voters, President Donald Trump on Wednesday announced he is adding 20 names to a list of Supreme Court candidates that he's pledged to choose from if he has future vacancies to fill.

45. AP FACT CHECK: Is Trump's America great again or hellscape? - Friday, August 28, 2020

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Republican National Convention begged this question: Why are President Donald Trump's most fervent supporters describing the state of his union as a hellscape?

It was perhaps the central paradox for voters wondering what to believe in the rhetoric, because it defied logic to believe it all. Are Americans living in a dystopia or in an America made great again by Trump?

46. AP FACT CHECK: Trump distorts record; BLM falsely accused - Friday, August 28, 2020

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump claimed accomplishments he didn't earn on the pandemic, energy and veterans at a Republican convention finale that also heard Black Lives Matter baselessly accused of coordinating violent protests across the country.

47. Pence aide: NBA protests over Kenosha are 'absurd and silly' - Friday, August 28, 2020

WASHINGTON (AP) — Vice President Mike Pence's chief of staff said Thursday that NBA protests over the police shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wisconsin, are "absurd and silly" when compared with the league's relative silence about human rights violations in China, where U.S. pro basketball has a large audience.

48. Hagerty vs. Bradshaw in race to succeed US Sen. Alexander - Friday, August 7, 2020

NASHVILLE (AP) — The race to succeed retiring U.S. Sen. Lamar Alexander in November will feature a matchup between a Republican candidate endorsed by President Donald Trump and a Black activist who pulled off an astonishing upset victory over the Democratic establishment's choice — with a campaign war chest of less than $10,000.

49. Endangered GOP senators are driving force for virus deal - Friday, July 31, 2020

WASHINGTON (AP) — A small but singularly influential group is a driving force for an agreement on a stalled coronavirus relief bill: endangered Senate GOP incumbents who need to win this fall if Republicans are going to retain control of the majority.

50. Tennessee GOP Senate race a new test for Trump's endorsement - Friday, July 17, 2020

NASHVILLE (AP) — President Donald Trump's endorsement clout will get another test in the Aug. 6 open Republican U.S. Senate primary in Tennessee.

Bill Hagerty, Trump's former ambassador to Japan, has the president's endorsement in a race against Manny Sethi, a Nashville trauma surgeon who doesn't disagree with Trump on a whole lot, either — other than his preference of candidate.

51. Trump: I'll veto defense bill to keep Confederate base names - Friday, June 26, 2020

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump is vowing to veto a massive defense bill to keep military bases such as Fort Bragg named after Confederate officers, swimming against sentiment in his own party and imperiling a 3% pay raise for the troops.

52. House adopts bill to make DC 51st state; Senate GOP opposes - Friday, June 26, 2020

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Democratic-controlled House approved a bill Friday to make the District of Columbia the 51st state, saying Congress has both the moral obligation and constitutional authority to ensure that the city's 700,000 residents are allowed full voting rights, no longer subject to "taxation without representation.''

53. Rulings help moderate image of conservative Supreme Court - Friday, June 19, 2020

WASHINGTON (AP) — In two major decisions this week on LGBT rights and immigration, the conservative-leaning Supreme Court handed President Donald Trump somewhat surprising defeats.

"Do you get the impression that the Supreme Court doesn't like me?" Trump tweeted shortly after the court ruled Thursday that his administration hadn't acted properly in ending the 8-year-old Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, which protects some 650,000 young immigrants from deportation.

54. Businesses, colleges plead with Trump to preserve work visas - Friday, June 12, 2020

BOSTON (AP) — Gregory Minott came to the U.S. from his native Jamaica more than two decades ago on a student visa and was able to carve out a career in architecture thanks to temporary work visas.

Now a U.S. citizen and co-founder of a real estate development firm in Boston, the 43-year-old worries that new restrictions on student and work visas expected to be announced as early as this week will prevent others from following a similar path to the American dream.

55. Analysis: Trump emulates strongman tactics, tests his limits - Friday, June 5, 2020

WASHINGTON (AP) — A phalanx of law enforcement officers and soldiers is positioned on the streets of the nation's capital to keep protesters at bay. Helicopters circle overhead, sometimes dipping low to buzz the crowd. The country's leader warns that he's willing to go further to "dominate" the streets.

56. New York Times says senator's op-ed didn't meet standards - Friday, June 5, 2020

NEW YORK (AP) — In an embarrassing about-face, The New York Times said Thursday that an opinion piece it ran by U.S. Sen. Tom Cotton advocating the use of federal troops to quell nationwide protests about police mistreatment of black Americans did not meet its standards.

57. Pelosi to Trump: Be a 'healer in chief' - Friday, May 29, 2020

WASHINGTON (AP) — House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Tuesday called on President Donald Trump to be a "healer in chief" and not a "fanner of the flame" as the nation reels from mass protests over the treatment of black people in the United States.

58. Trump criticism aside, governors call for more federal help - Friday, April 17, 2020

WASHINGTON (AP) — A chorus of governors from both parties pushed back hard after President Donald Trump accused Democrats of playing "a very dangerous political game" by insisting there is a shortage of tests for the coronavirus. The governors countered that the White House must do more to help states do the testing that's needed before they can ease up on stay-at-home orders.

59. McConnell: Impeachment 'diverted attention' from coronavirus - Friday, March 27, 2020

WASHINGTON (AP) — Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell says President Donald Trump's impeachment trial distracted the federal government from the novel coronavirus as it reached the United States in January, despite warnings at the time from public health experts and members of Congress about the spread of the virus.

60. White House seeks $850B economic stimulus amid virus crisis - Friday, March 13, 2020

WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House is proposing a roughly $850 billion economic rescue package Tuesday amid the coronaviru s outbreak, a sweeping stimulus for businesses and taxpayers unseen since the Great Recession of 2008.

61. Officials seek $750 billion in economic aid to thwart virus - Friday, March 13, 2020

WASHINGTON (AP) — With an urgency unseen since the Great Recession, Congress is rushing to develop a sweeping economic lifeline for American households and businesses suddenly capsized by the coronavirus outbreak.

62. Senate Democrats seek $750B for new coronavirus aid package - Friday, March 13, 2020

WASHINGTON (AP) — Senate Democrats are proposing a new coronavirus aid package, with at least $750 billion to boost hospital capacity, unemployment insurance and other direct aid for American households, businesses and the health care industry.

63. Business asks government to act to avert 'devastating' hit - Friday, March 13, 2020

WASHINGTON (AP) — The nation's largest business organization asked the Trump administration and Congress on Monday to act rapidly to help companies have access to cash and avert a "potentially devastating" hit to the economy as the coronavirus pandemic forced closures and quarantines that threatened to choke off commerce worldwide.

64. Trump administration to allow more seasonal foreign workers - Friday, March 6, 2020

WASHINGTON (AP) — An additional 35,000 temporary foreign workers will be allowed into the U.S. this year to fill seasonal jobs amid a tight labor market, the Trump administration said Thursday.

In expanding the number of so-called H-2B visas for temporary non-farm workers, the administration is siding with business groups and members of Congress who have argued that there are not enough Americans to fill many service-sector and food-processing jobs across the country.

65. Senate: Obama officials hamstrung by Russia election attack - Friday, February 7, 2020

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Obama administration was ill-prepared to handle and failed to respond effectively to Russian interference during the 2016 election, according to a bipartisan congressional report released Thursday. It noted officials feared getting caught up in a heavily politicized environment and undermining public confidence in the electoral process.

66. Trial highlights: Conspiracy theories and fidget spinners - Friday, January 24, 2020

WASHINGTON (AP) — Democrats argued that President Donald Trump sought a phony investigation of a political rival and pursued a discredited conspiracy theory about Ukraine, while restless senators played with a new toy Thursday during Trump's impeachment trial.

67. Senate tech critic to Facebook CEO: Sell WhatsApp, Instagram - Friday, September 20, 2019

WASHINGTON (AP) — As Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg met Thursday with President Donald Trump and other critics of the tech industry, the Senate's most vocal detractor offered a challenge: Sell your WhatsApp and Instagram properties to prove you're serious about protecting data privacy.

68. Texas billionaire H. Ross Perot dies aged 89 - Friday, July 5, 2019

DALLAS (AP) — H. Ross Perot, the colorful, self-made Texas billionaire who rose from a childhood of Depression-era poverty and twice ran for president as a third-party candidate, has died. He was 89.

69. Top Middle Tennessee residential sales for March 2019 - Friday, April 12, 2019

Top residential real estate sales, March 2019, for Davidson, Williamson, Rutherford, Wilson and Sumner counties, as compiled by Chandler Reports.

70. Top Middle Tennessee residential sales for February 2019 - Friday, March 15, 2019

Top residential real estate sales, February 2019, for Davidson, Williamson, Rutherford, Wilson and Sumner counties, as compiled by Chandler Reports.

71. Trump warns Europeans not to try to evade Iran sanctions - Friday, January 25, 2019

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration is closely eyeing efforts in Europe to set up an alternative money payment channel to ease doing business with Iran and avoid running afoul of sanctions the U.S. has levied on the Islamic republic.

72. Senate upholds Treasury decision to ease Russia sanctions - Friday, January 11, 2019

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate has narrowly upheld a Treasury Department decision to lift sanctions from three companies connected to Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska.

A vote to move forward on a Democratic resolution that would have reversed Treasury's decision failed Wednesday on a 57-42 vote, just short of the 60 votes needed. The vote came up short even though several Republicans had criticized the sanctions move and 11 of them voted with Democrats.

73. Trump says he's eager to sign sweeping criminal justice bill - Friday, December 14, 2018

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate passed a sweeping criminal justice bill Tuesday that addresses concerns that the nation's war on drugs had led to the imprisonment of too many Americans for non-violent crimes without adequately preparing them for their return to society.

74. Blackburn wins Tennessee Senate race, keeping seat for GOP - Friday, November 2, 2018

NASHVILLE (AP) — Republican U.S. Rep. Marsha Blackburn won a grueling, expensive contest Tuesday to become the first female U.S. senator from Tennessee, keeping a key midterm seat under GOP control.

75. Trump faces complaints that new Iran sanctions are too weak - Friday, October 26, 2018

WASHINGTON (AP) — A battle is brewing between the Trump administration and some of the president's biggest supporters in Congress who are concerned that sanctions to be re-imposed on Iran early next month won't be tough enough.

76. Top Middle Tennessee commercial sales for August 2018 - Friday, September 28, 2018

Top commercial real estate sales, August 2018, for Davidson, Williamson, Rutherford, Wilson and Sumner counties, as compiled by Chandler Reports.

77. Some GOP lawmakers critical of relief program for farmers - Friday, July 20, 2018

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration says it will provide $12 billion in emergency relief to ease the pain of American farmers slammed by President Donald Trump's escalating trade disputes with China and other countries.

78. Trump rattles NATO, knocking its value, assailing Germany - Friday, July 6, 2018

BRUSSELS (AP) — Under fire for his warm embrace of Russia's Vladimir Putin, President Donald Trump jolted the NATO summit Wednesday by turning a spotlight on Germany's ties to Russia and openly questioning the value of the military alliance that has defined American foreign policy for decades.

79. Trump claims Germany 'controlled' by Russia, Merkel differs - Friday, July 6, 2018

BRUSSELS (AP) — President Donald Trump barreled into a NATO summit Wednesday with claims that a natural gas pipeline deal has left Germany "totally controlled" and "captive to Russia" as he lobbed fresh complaints about allies' "delinquent" defense spending during the opening of what was expected to be a fraught two-day meeting.

80. Iran deal comparisons cloud Trump's North Korea summit - Friday, June 8, 2018

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump's triumphant assertions about the success of the unprecedented Singapore summit are being met with skepticism and outright derision from critics seizing on the contradiction between his withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal and his willingness to accept vague pledges from North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

81. Trump cancels summit, citing 'open hostility' by North Korea - Friday, May 25, 2018

WASHINGTON (AP) — In a dramatic diplomatic turn, President Donald Trump on Thursday called off next month's summit with North Korea's Kim Jong Un, calling the cancellation a "tremendous setback" for peace and stressing that the US military was ready to respond to any "foolish or reckless acts" by the North.

82. Trump cancels summit, citing 'open hostility' by North Korea - Friday, May 18, 2018

WASHINGTON (AP) — In a dramatic diplomatic turn, President Donald Trump on Thursday canceled next month's summit with North Korea's Kim Jong Un, citing the "tremendous anger and open hostility" in a recent statement by the North.

83. Pompeo facing rare opposition from Senate panel - Friday, April 20, 2018

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump's nominee for secretary of state, Mike Pompeo, is facing serious opposition before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, which may not have enough votes to recommend him for confirmation because all Democrats, and at least one Republican, have said they will oppose him.

84. Why Trump's effort to curb immigration could hurt US economy - Friday, February 23, 2018

WASHINGTON (AP) — America's 21st century job market increasingly demands high-tech skills and knowledge. Yet consider this: Nearly half the new jobs the government foresees emerging by 2026 will require only a high school diploma — or none at all.

85. Top Middle Tennessee residential sales for January 2018 - Friday, February 16, 2018

Top residential real estate sales, January 2018, for Davidson, Williamson, Rutherford, Wilson and Sumner counties, as compiled by Chandler Reports.

86. Congress takes on immigration issue amid election pressures - Friday, February 9, 2018

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate begins a rare, open-ended debate on immigration and the fate of the "Dreamer" immigrants on Monday, and Republican senators say they'll introduce President Donald Trump's plan. Though his proposal has no chance of passage, Trump may be the most influential voice in the conversation.

87. Trump immigration plan draws criticism from top Senate Dem - Friday, January 26, 2018

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate's top Democrat dismissed President Donald Trump's immigration proposal as a "wish list" for hard-liners on Friday as the plan drew harsh reviews from Democrats and some conservatives.
Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., expressed satisfaction that Trump had provided some clarity to his immigration goals, which have befuddled members of both parties and hindered progress in Congress. The White House plan unveiled Thursday offers a pathway to citizenship for 1.8 million young immigrants living in the U.S. illegally in exchange for new restrictions on legal immigration and $25 billion in border security.
Schumer expressed relief that Trump "finally acknowledged that the Dreamers should be allowed to stay here and become citizens," a reference to those young immigrants. But he said Trump's plan "flies in the face of what most Americans believe" and called the proposal "the wish list that anti-immigration hardliners have advocated for for years."
The White House proposal was labeled "Trump Amnesty Disaster" in an email distributed by conservative figure Richard Viguerie, who wrote that the numbers of immigrants it would allow in the U.S. "will make Republicans a permanent minority party."
Senior White House officials cast the plan as a centrist compromise that could win support from both parties and enough votes to pass the Senate. But it comes with a long list of concessions that many Democrats, and also conservative Republicans, especially in the House, may find impossible to swallow.
The plan would provide a pathway to citizenship for the roughly 690,000 younger immigrants protected from deportation by the Obama-era Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program — as well as hundreds of thousands of others who independent estimates say qualify for the program, but never applied.
Trump announced last year that he was doing away with the program, but he gave Congress until March to come up with a legislative fix.
The plan would not allow parents of those immigrants to seek lawful status, the officials said.
In exchange, Trump's plan would dramatically overhaul the legal immigration system. Immigrants would only be allowed to sponsor their spouses and underage children to join them in the U.S., and not their parents, adult children or siblings. The officials said it would only end new applications for visas, allowing those already in the pipeline to be processed. Still, immigration activists said the move could cut legal immigration in half.
It would also end a visa lottery aimed at diversity, which drew Trump's attention after the New York City truck attack last year, redirecting the allotment to bringing down the existing backlog in visa applications.
The officials spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to publicly discuss the plan before its release.
Under the plan, recipients could have their legal status revoked due to criminal behavior or national security threats, the officials said, and eventual citizenship would require still-unspecified work and education requirements — and a finding that the immigrants are of "good moral character."
The nonpartisan Migration Policy Institute said it believes the largest share of the White House's 1.8 million people who'd be eligible for citizenship — 1.3 million — are people who currently meet all of DACA's eligibility requirements. These include years in the U.S., their ages now and when they entered this country, and whether they have a high school or equivalent education.
Another 400,000 are people who'd be eligible for DACA protection but for their education. And 100,000 more are people who are under age 15 —the minimum age allowed for most people requesting protection under the program.
Trump ended the DACA program in September, setting a March 5 deadline for Congress to provide legal protections or the program's recipients would once again be subject to deportation. The officials said Trump would only sign legislation providing those protections if the other immigration changes he is proposing are implemented.
Trump earlier this month had deferred to a bipartisan group of lawmakers in the House and Senate to craft an immigration proposal, saying he would sign whatever they passed. But as talks on Capitol Hill broke down — in part because of controversy Trump ginned up using vulgar language to describe African countries — the White House decided to offer its own framework.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and others had also complained the president had failed to sufficiently lay out his priorities, leaving them guessing about what he might be willing to sign. One official said the Thursday release represents a plan for the Senate, with the administration expecting a different bill to pass the House.
McConnell thanked the president and his aides for providing the outline. "I am hopeful that as discussions continue in the Senate on the subject of immigration, Members on both sides of the aisle will look to this framework for guidance as they work towards an agreement," he said in a statement.
Doug Andres, a spokesman for House Speaker Paul Ryan, echoed the sentiment saying: "We're grateful for the president showing leadership on this issue and believe his ideas will help us ultimately reach a balanced solution."
Rep. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., an immigration hard-liner, called Trump's plan "generous and humane, while also being responsible" and said he'd work toward its passage. He said that besides protecting DACA recipients, "It also will prevent us from ending up back here in five years by securing the border and putting an end to extended-family chain migration."
But some of Congress' more conservative members seemed unwilling to open the citizenship door for the Dreamers.
"DACA itself didn't have a pathway to citizenship," said Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, who battled Trump in 2016 for the GOP presidential nomination. "So I think it would be a profound mistake and not consistent with the promises we made to the voters to enact a pathway to citizenship to DACA recipients or to others who are here illegally."
Democrats were also raging. House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., blasted the plan as "part of the Trump Administration's unmistakable campaign to make America white again."
Democratic Whip Dick Durbin, D-Ill., urged Republicans to join together with Democrats to reach a bipartisan alternative.
"Dreamers should not be held hostage to President Trump's crusade to tear families apart and waste billions of American tax dollars on an ineffective wall," he said in a statement.
Rep. Michelle Lujan Grisham, D-N.M., who chairs the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, said the White House was using DACA recipients "as bargaining chips for sweeping anti-immigrant policies."
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88. Middle Tennessee's $1M-plus residential transactions for 2017 - Friday, January 19, 2018

There were 735 homes selling for $1 million or more in Davidson, Williamson, Rutherford, Sumner and Wilson counties in 2017, according to Chandler Reports.

Davidson County had the most with 386, followed by Williamson (316), Sumner (21), Wilson (10) and Rutherford (2).

89. Trump accuses Democrat of undermining trust on immigration - Friday, January 12, 2018

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump turned his Twitter torment on the Democrat in the room where immigration talks with lawmakers took a famously coarse turn, saying Sen. Dick Durbin misrepresented what he had said about African nations and Haiti and, in the process, undermined the trust needed to make a deal.

90. Trump's immigration remarks lambasted from left and right - Friday, January 12, 2018

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump on Friday denied using certain "language" during a private meeting with lawmakers as fury spread over his comments about immigrants. But neither he nor the White House disputed the most controversial of his remarks: using the word "shithole" to describe Africa nations and saying he would prefer immigrants from countries like Norway instead.

91. Senate GOP insisting on Obamacare repeal for tax overhaul - Friday, November 10, 2017

WASHINGTON (AP) — Senate Republicans said Tuesday they are intent on repealing the Obama health care law requirement that Americans get health insurance, targeting the provision as a way to pay for GOP legislation cutting corporate taxes and individual rates.

92. GOP senator says fate of 'dreamers' must wait for next year - Friday, November 3, 2017

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump and Republican senators agree that the fate of tens of thousands of young immigrants in the U.S. illegally will be decided next year.

That's the word from Arkansas Sen. Tom Cotton, who joined other lawmakers at a White House meeting on Thursday. Cotton says they agreed the must-pass, year-end spending bill in December won't include protections for young immigrants.

93. House GOP set to unveil tax overhaul; keeps retirement rules - Friday, October 27, 2017

WASHINGTON (AP) — House Republicans are set to unveil their far-reaching tax overhaul Thursday, making major changes yet looking to preserve current tax rules for retirement accounts popular with middle-class Americans and to retain a top income-tax rate for million-dollar earners.

94. House GOP to keep income tax rate for wealthiest earners - Friday, October 27, 2017

WASHINGTON (AP) — Furiously working to finish a tax bill, House Republicans have decided to keep the income tax rate for the wealthiest earners in the face of Democratic criticism that the overhaul pushed by President Donald Trump would benefit the rich.

95. GOP Sen. Corker announces he won't seek re-election - Friday, September 22, 2017

WASHINGTON (AP) — Republican Sen. Bob Corker of Tennessee, the chairman of the powerful Foreign Relations Committee and a political force on financial issues, announced Tuesday he would not seek re-election.

96. AP FACT CHECK: Trump immigration pitch on shaky ground - Friday, July 28, 2017

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump's endorsement of legislation to restrict and reshape legal immigration is based on some shaky assumptions, such as the idea that low-wage green-card holders are flooding in to take jobs from Americans.

97. Trump backs GOP plan to push legal immigration changes - Friday, July 28, 2017

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump on Wednesday embraced legislation from two Republican senators that would place new limits on legal immigration and seek to create a system based more on merit and skills than family ties.

98. Top Midstate commercial transactions for second quarter 2017 - Friday, July 28, 2017

Top commercial real estate sales, second quarter 2017, for Davidson, Williamson, Rutherford, Wilson and Sumner counties, as compiled by Chandler Reports.

99. Top Middle Tennessee commercial transactions for June 2017 - Friday, July 21, 2017

Top commercial real estate sales, June 2017, for Davidson, Williamson, Rutherford, Wilson and Sumner counties, as compiled by Chandler Reports.

100. Trump says new health care law will be 'kind' - Friday, June 9, 2017

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump is having lunch with Republican senators to discuss the repeal and replacement of the Affordable Care Act.

Trump said President Barack Obama's health care law "had been broken and it's been a broken promise." He said a replacement will be "generous, kind" and show "heart" and promised more funding.