Screenwriter Aaron Sorkin had a fictional U.S. poet laureate deliver these thoughts about artistry and audience on “The West Wing.” “An artist’s job is to captivate you for however long we’ve asked for your attention.”

2. Debate-watchers in the Biden and Trump camps seem to agree on something: Biden had a bad night - Friday, June 28, 2024

WASHINGTON (AP) — "Oh, Joe." That gasp, from patrons at a Chicago bar when President Joe Biden first stumbled verbally in his debate with Donald Trump, spoke for a lot of Americans on Thursday night.

3. 'It just rang': In crises, US-China hotline goes unanswered - Friday, February 10, 2023

WASHINGTON (AP) — Within hours of an Air Force F-22 downing a giant Chinese balloon that had crossed the United States, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin reached out to his Chinese counterpart via a special crisis line, aiming for a quick general-to-general talk that could explain things and ease tensions.

4. UN demands end to military activity at Ukraine nuke plant - Friday, August 12, 2022

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The U.N. nuclear chief warned Thursday that "very alarming" military activity at Europe's largest nuclear plant in southeastern Ukraine could lead to dangerous consequences for the region and called for an end to attacks at the Russian-controlled Zaporizhzhia facility.

5. US-China ties on a precipice after Pelosi visit to Taiwan - Friday, July 29, 2022

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S.-China relations are teetering on a precipice after House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's visit to Taiwan.

Pelosi received a rapturous welcome in Taipei and was applauded with strong bipartisan support in Washington, despite the Biden administration's misgivings. But her trip has enraged Beijing and Chinese nationalists and will complicate already strained ties even after her departure.

6. Fury at the shaken Capitol over the attack, security, virus - Friday, January 8, 2021

WASHINGTON (AP) — This time the fury enveloping the U.S. Capitol comes not from an insurgent mob but from within.

The anger on display is searing — Democrat against Republican; Republican against Republican; legislators of both parties against the catastrophic security failure that left top leaders of the government vulnerable to last week's violence as well as to the coronavirus in their ranks.

7. Work safety strike, virus lockdown protest set for May Day - Friday, May 1, 2020

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Essential workers will strike nationwide on May Day to demand safer conditions during the coronavirus outbreak, while other groups plan rallies against tight stay-at-home orders they say are crippling the U.S. economy.

8. Celebrated singer-songwriter John Prine has died at 73 - Friday, April 3, 2020

John Prine, the ingenious singer-songwriter who explored the heartbreaks, indignities and absurdities of everyday life in "Angel from Montgomery," "Sam Stone," "Hello in There" and scores of other indelible tunes, died Tuesday at the age of 73.

9. An American Classic - Friday, October 25, 2019

Earl Scruggs stood straight. A fledgling banjo player for Bill Monroe’s Bluegrass Boys, Scruggs had just paid dearly out of his $60 weekly paycheck to have his pants dry cleaned. He knew if he sat down he’d ruin the crease.

10. Essra Mohawk lived sex, drugs and rock 'n roll life - Friday, August 23, 2019

Uncle Meat leans back on the piano bench – arm-swept clear of the CDs and assorted implements of a musician’s life that fill it and the rest of the living room of the home in Bellevue – and sings a joyous, or at least joy-filled and powerful song titled “Rollin’ With The Punches.”

11. Secours looks to stars in praise of scouts who discovered them - Friday, March 16, 2018

Willie Mays – or at least recounting the day she met and filmed the man some say is the greatest baseball player ever – makes Molly Secours light up.

Actually, almost anything about baseball makes her happy.

12. Top Middle Tennessee residential transactions for July 2017 - Friday, August 18, 2017

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

13. AP-NORC poll: Few favor Trump move to ditch Paris accord - Friday, June 16, 2017

WASHINGTON (AP) — Less than one-third of Americans support President Donald Trump's decision to withdraw from the Paris climate accord, a new poll shows, and just 18 percent of respondents agree with his claim that pulling out of the international agreement to reduce carbon emissions will help the U.S. economy.

14. Nashville's most romantic restaurants for 2017 - Friday, February 3, 2017

No matter what romance means to you, Nashville has you covered – and then some. Here’s the list of where to go to celebrate love and some seriously good food.

360 Wine Bar Bistro

6000 Highway 100, 615 353-5604, www.360bistro.com

15. Baker Donelson security chair joins Nashville office - Friday, September 23, 2016

Alisa L. Chestler, the chair of Baker Donelson’s Privacy and Information Security Team, has joined Baker Donelson’s Nashville office. Chestler will continue to maintain a presence in the firm’s Washington, D.C. office, where she was previously based.

16. Hooker fights for right to die on his terms - Friday, August 14, 2015

John Jay Hooker, a household name in Middle Tennessee if nowhere else, is suffering from stage 4 metastatic cancer with weeks, not months to live.

Known for his flamboyant character, elaborate costumes and a history of running for public office in Tennessee (and never winning), Hooker has a reputation for fighting on and on. Whether it’s in the courtroom, the General Assembly or on the public stage, he has always liked being in the spotlight and being in control.

17. Chemical regulation overhaul bill faces opposition in Senate - Friday, March 13, 2015

WASHINGTON (AP) — A bipartisan bill that would update regulation of harmful chemicals for the first time in nearly 40 years is drawing opposition from some Democrats and environmental groups, who charged on Wednesday that the measure is a step backward in protecting health and the environment.

18. Nashville’s most romantic restaurants - Friday, February 6, 2015

Romance means something different for everyone, but most people can agree that if there is low lighting, soft music, a charming companion and something delicious to eat, you’ve already got the makings of one outstanding evening.

19. Obama's health law finally gets real for America - Friday, November 1, 2013

WASHINGTON (AP) — Now is when Americans start figuring out that President Barack Obama's health care law goes beyond political talk, and really does affect them and people they know.

With a cranky federal website complicating access to new coverage and some consumers being notified their existing plans are going away, the potential for winners and losers is creating anxiety and confusion.

20. It don’t come easy: Hard lessons in home buying - Friday, March 29, 2013

It has never been difficult to find new material during my years of real estate writing, as each deal has its own personality. While my clients, past and present, often think they find themselves or their experiences sprinkled among the prose, they are wrong.