By JONATHAN MATTISE

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — The Democratic and Republican ballots aren’t short on candidates in Tuesday’s Tennessee primary special election to replace a GOP congressman who stepped aside this summer, including one who landed President Donald Trump’s endorsement last week.

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The race to replace former U.S. Rep. Mark Green centers on one of three districts that GOP lawmakers drew as safely red in 2022 by dividing left-leaning Nashville. The Dec. 2 general election could gauge the popularity of Trump’s aggressive second-term agenda, especially with suburban Republican voters.

The 7th Congressional District spans 14 counties, bordering both Kentucky and Alabama. Its voters elected Green by 21 percentage points in 2024 and by nearly 22 points in 2022. Along with parts of Nashville, it includes rural areas, wealthy suburbs and part of the Fort Campbell military installation.

GOP weighs late Trump endorsement

With 11 Republicans on the ballot, Matt Van Epps turned heads when Trump backed him on Friday, the day after in-person early voting had ended. The endorsement prompted another high-profile candidate, state Rep. Lee Reeves, to announce he was suspending his campaign and backing Van Epps, a former general services commissioner in the administration of GOP Gov. Bill Lee. The governor and Green had already endorsed Van Epps. Trump lauded Van Epps for his military service.

It was too late to remove Reeves’ name from the ballot.

The field includes two other Republican state representatives, Gino Bulso and Jody Barrett. Bulso is a Brentwood attorney who has been an outspoken advocate for socially conservative policies, including those that target LGBTQ+ people’s rights. Bulso has poured almost $700,000 of his own wealth into the race.

Outside groups have spent more than $3.1 million, almost all on the GOP side, with upwards of $1.1 million opposing Barrett.

School choice interests who have denounced Barrett’s vote against Gov. Lee’s statewide school voucher expansion are behind many of the attack ads against Barrett. Barrett, an attorney from Dickson, has said he pushed back against the “elites” in his own party and has praised a school choice tax credit initiative touted by Trump. He has the House Freedom Fund’s backing.

Those three have drawn the most attention, but they aren’t the only well-funded GOP candidates. Mason Foley, a health care businessman and former staffer for Kentucky Sen. Mitch McConnell, loaned his campaign $325,000. And Stewart Parks, who was pardoned by Trump after entering the Capitol during the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection, contributed roughly $300,000 to his campaign through contributions and loans.

The state flag of Tennessee stands outside the office of Tennessee’s 7th Congressional District in Washington, Sept. 2, 2025, which has a seat that became vacant following the resignation of Rep. Mark Green, R-Tenn. on July 20. (AP Photo/Robert Yoon)

Also vying for the GOP nomination are Montgomery County Commissioner Jason Knight; Adolph Agbéko Dagan, a Clarksville businessman; former state legislative staffer Tres Wittum; and Joe Leurs, a retired Nashville Police undercover detective. Stuart Cooper, a Franklin businessman, also suspended his campaign and endorsed Van Epps after Trump’s endorsement.

Democrats attack Trump policies

The four Democratic candidates in the race, meanwhile, have attacked the legislation Trump dubbed the “Big, Beautiful Bill,” in addition to his tariffs.

Rep. Aftyn Behn is a social worker and community organizer who has focused on women’s reproductive health rights, including as a plaintiff in a lawsuit against a Tennessee law banning adults from helping minors get an abortion without parental permission. A judge has halted the provision’s enforcement.

Rep. Vincent Dixie, a businessman in the bail bond industry, has touted his record of having served as the first Black leader of a legislative caucus in state history. He said in a campaign video from a garbage truck that “Washington has been piling up garbage for working families.”

Rep. Bo Mitchell, who works in employee benefits, has focused on access to health care and his roots in Dickson County, a rural part of the district.

Darden Copeland founded the public affairs firm named Calvert Street Group and has worked as a consultant on Democratic campaigns. He has seized on being in the private sector amid a field of elected officials.

By BERNARD CONDON

NEW YORK (AP) — Tesla rolled out new, cheaper versions of two of its electric car models on Tuesday in hopes the offerings will help revive flagging sales but investors dumped its stock anyway.

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The new Model Y, costing just under $40,000 with a stripped-down interior, comes in a brutal year for Tesla as it tries to attract more customers despite an aging lineup, stiff competition from foreign EV makers and anti-Elon Musk boycotts targeting the company.

The reaction from the stock market after the news broke suggests the new models are not expected to help much.

“Investors were looking for something truly different, not an iteration of a old product,” said Edmunds analyst Ivan Drury, speaking as Tesla stock dropped sharply in the last minutes of trading. “I can’t imagine this will bring levels back to what they want.”

Tesla also announced a cheaper version of its Model 3 for under $37,000. For New York residents taking advantage of a state rebate, the price was below $35,000.

Tesla has talked about a cheaper car to appeal to more cost-conscious consumers for years, though the two new “standard” models are priced well above the $25,000 price tag promised. They come as customers are widely expected to hold off from purchases over the next several months due to the recent expiration of a $7,500 federal tax credit for electric vehicles.

Tesla stock fell 4.5% to $443.09 on Tuesday after closing the day before up more than 5% on anticipation of the new model announcement.

Compared to previous models, the new Model Y comes with a shorter 321-mile driving range, fewer audio speakers and a fabric interior, not microsuede. The model also lacks a panoramic glass roof and a touchscreen in the second row.

This model faces stiff competition in the $40,000 range for EVs from vehicles including Ford’s Mustang Mach-E, Chevrolet’s Equinox EV and Hyundai’s Ioniq 5.

The new Model 3 has also cut down on the driving range, ambient lighting and other features.

By BRUCE SCHREINER

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — Kentucky’s attorney general claimed Tuesday that the online gaming platform Roblox has become a “playground for predators” as he announced a lawsuit accusing the company of lax child safety measures.

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The Kentucky suit, filed by his office Monday in a state court, is the latest action alleging that the wildly popular site isn’t doing enough to protect children on its gaming services.

To bolster safeguards for children and teenagers flocking to the site, the company needs to install effective age verifications and content filters, Kentucky Attorney General Russell Coleman said. Added parental notifications also are needed, he said.

Courtney Norris, a Kentucky mother of three who joined Coleman at a news conference, said she mistakenly viewed Roblox as a safe online gaming choice for her children.

“I came to realize, later than I would like to admit, that it actually is the ‘Wild West’ of the internet, targeted at children,” she said.

The company is facing a growing backlash. The Kentucky suit comes after Louisiana sued the company in August. A suit was filed in Iowa after a 13-year-old girl was allegedly introduced to an adult predator on the platform, then kidnapped and trafficked across multiple states and raped.

Roblox on Tuesday pushed back against the allegations.

“We have rigorous safety measures in place from advanced AI models to an expertly trained team of thousands moderating our platform 24/7 for inappropriate content,” the company said in a statement. “No system is perfect and our work on safety is never done. We are constantly innovating our safety systems, including adding 100 new safeguards, such as facial age estimation, this year alone.”

Roblox says it has 111 million daily active users. The company said in an email Tuesday that it implements strict safety defaults for its youngest users. It said the platform’s users under 13 cannot directly message others on Roblox, outside of games or experiences, and cannot directly message others during games or experiences unless the default setting is changed using parental controls.

The company said it has rigorous text chat filters to block inappropriate words and phrases, attempts to direct under-13 users off the platform and the sharing of personal information such as phone number or address. It does not allow user-to-user image sharing and prohibits sexual conversations, it said.

The Kentucky lawsuit gives a starkly different portrayal of the platform.

Despite assurances its site is safe, the company has failed to install basic safety controls, the suit said. Roblox also fails to inform its users and their parents about “dangers inherent” on the platform, it said.

Coleman, a Republican, said the site’s “cartoonish figures and experiences” appeal to children, but he warned that “underneath this cartoonish, innocent veneer is something sinister. The platform has become a playground for predators who seek to harm our children.”

The Kentucky suit alleges that children are exposed to “violent or sexual situations within the Roblox universe, with parents reporting children contacted by strangers using third-party chat apps that function as if they are part of the game.”

Norris said that like many parents, she considered it a safe choice for her children.

“I described it as a ‘fenced-in backyard’ for kids’ gaming,” she said Tuesday. “And that is the genius and the danger I found of Roblox — the illusion of safety it gives parents like me.”

“The reality is, Roblox makes it nearly impossible to police as a parent,” she added.

The suit claims that Roblox’s lax protections violate Kentucky’s Consumer Protection Act and asks a judge to order the company into compliance. The suit seeks penalties of up to $2,000 for each violation of the consumer protection law.

Coleman said his office is open to negotiating a settlement with Roblox.

“Our goal is not to shut a platform down,” Coleman said. “Our goal is for Roblox to be safe.”

Roblox said it shares the goal of keeping kids safe online, and said it would welcome discussions with Coleman’s office to “ensure they have a clear understanding of all Roblox is doing to keep users safe.”

How do you decide which locally made product rises above the rest in a state known for products ranging from medical devices to all-terrain vehicles and even SPAM? You let the people decide.

The MRZR, a versatile military vehicle built by Polaris in Roseau, Minn., was crowned the winner of the 2025 “Coolest Thing Made in Minnesota” manufacturing competition on Oct. 7, 2025. (Courtesy of Minnesota Chamber of Commerce)

Votes have been tallied and Polaris’ MRZR was announced Tuesday as the winner of the second annual Coolest Thing Made in Minnesota contest, hosted by the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce and BMO.

“It has been incredible to watch (the MRZR) advance week after week and seeing it named the winner is a proud moment for all of us,” said a spokesperson for Polaris in a statement. “Being recognized as the ‘Coolest Thing Made in Minnesota’ is not just about the MRZR. It is about the people who build it, the mission it serves, and the pride we have in Minnesota manufacturing.”

Announced at the 2025 Manufacturers’ Summit, the MRZR outlasted the competition over the course of five weeks of matchups, which started with 64 products and drew tens of thousands of votes from across the state.

“This contest captured the imagination of Minnesotans across the state, shining a spotlight on the pride we share in our manufacturers and the incredible things they build,” said Doug Loon, president and CEO of the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce, in a news release. “Polaris is a spectacular reflection of that strength and ingenuity.”

About the winner

Built on a dedicated military line in Roseau, the MRZR is a versatile military vehicle with blackout lighting, collapsible roll cages for helicopter transport and an Arctic kit that can withstand -40 degrees Fahrenheit.

First launched in 2012, MRZRs have been used in every U.S. military branch and more than 50 allied forces worldwide.

A military version of Polaris’ RZR, the driving force behind the MRZR came from the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, as it was designed for U.S. Special Forces to navigate Afghanistan’s rugged terrain.

“The MRZR’s origin … speaks to its purpose and impact, making it a natural fit for this recognition,” Polaris said. “That kind of origin story, combined with the innovation and purpose behind it, made the MRZR a natural choice.”

Competition to return

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If your favorite product didn’t win this year, don’t lose hope. The manufacturing competition will return next year to crown its third winner, the chamber announced.

“Manufacturing is one of the largest and most dynamic sectors of Minnesota’s economy – employing more than 300,000 people and driving innovation across every corner of the state,” said Jennifer Byers, vice president of Grassroots and Chamber Relations at the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce, in the release.

The diversity of Minnesota manufacturing is encapsulated in the competition’s first two winners: This year’s all-terrain military vehicle and last year’s Scotch Magic Tape from 3M Co.

Nominations for the third annual “Coolest Thing Made in Minnesota” competition are expected to open next summer.