Daily HEADLINES from around the world, nation, state and area.
Readers should engage critically with the headlines by querying the search engine of choice (ex: Google, Bing, Yahoo, DuckDuckGo) and discover the truth behind the headlines, seeking reliable sources for the ‘rest of the story.’ Simply copy a headline and enter in the search engine to see all versions of the story.
World headlines:
China and Vietnam sign trade agreements
The presidents of China and Vietnam signed multiple cooperation agreements as they work to mitigate impeding U.S. tariffs. China is facing 145% on U.S. duties and Vietnam is facing 46% coming in July.
Peace talks stall with Hamas demands
Palestine and Egyptian officials working on the rebooting the Gaza ceasefire and the freeing of Israeli hostages appear stalled with the Hamas demand that any agreement must lead to an end to the war in Gaza.
National headlines:
Keep up with Congress
Congress is on recess until May as no meetings are scheduled except one on April 30.
Stocks reacting to tariff retreat
Follow the stock market: Market Watch.
All-female space crew makes spaceflight
An all-female space crew including Katy Perry, Gayle King and Lauren Sanchez (Jeff Bezos’ fiancée) took off on Blue Origin’s 11th human flight. The 10-minute spaceflight launched and landed in West Texas.
State headlines:
Tax extension, no penalty for some Tennesseans
Tennesseans affected by severe storms, tornadoes and flooding on April 2, 2025, will have until Nov. 3, 2025, to file their taxes. The latest list of eligible locations available on the IRS’s tax relief in disaster situations page on their website.
TN lawmakers take aim at mass violence threats
State Rep. William Lamberth (R-Portland) introduced bill HB1314 that will make it a Class E felony to threaten any kind of mass violence either in-person or online. Mass violence is defined as threats to conduct an act that a reasonable person would conclude leads to the serious injury or death of four people or more. The bill did not have any mandatory reporting language, so educators could choose not to report threats if they do not believe they’re credible.
Local headlines:
Weather: Early rain with clearing skies and mild temps
According to the National Weather Service, we have a slight chance of rain early today with a clear skies and a high near 64 and a low tonight around 40. Wednesday is to be sunny with a high of 64.
Pastor abducted for ransom
Josh Sullivan, a missionary pastor from East Tennessee, was delivering his regular sermon at Fellowship Baptist Church in Motherwell, South Africa, last week when four men kidnapped him for an undisclosed ransom.
Mayor Kincannon to give State of the City from Covenant Health Park
At 11:30 a.m. on Friday, April 25, 2025, Mayor Indya Kincannon will present the 2025-26 budget during her State of the City Address at the new stadium park.
“Covenant Health Park is a significant public investment that belongs to the people of Knoxville,” Mayor Kincannon said. “The publicly-owned stadium will have just opened for Smokies baseball on April 15, and One Knoxville SC will play its first match there on Saturday, April 26. It’s an ideal venue to update everyone on the State of the City.”
There will be no assigned seating. Mayor Kincannon will deliver her address from the field, and attendees will seat themselves in the grandstand. A limited menu of ballpark eats will be served from the concourse concession stands.
RSVP by calling the city’s 3-1-1 line (3-1-1 or 865-215-4311) by Friday, April 18.
Free shuttles to the State of the City from two locations: the City County Building (Main Avenue pickup) and the Civic Coliseum Garage C. The free buses will run from 10:30-11:30 a.m., and they will be returning guests to the City County Building and Civic Coliseum Garage from 12:30-1:30 p.m.
Clayton says science museum is going to happen
Who knows what and when the museum will be built, but Jim Clayton expressed disappointment in the statement he would pull funding from the museum and vowed there would be a science museum. See full coverage from WATE-6 News.
Remember to, fact-check information:
- Snopes – One of the oldest and most well-known fact-checking sites
- FactCheck.org– A non-profit organization that monitors the factual accuracy of statements made by public officials.
- PolitiFact– Focuses on political claims and provides a “Truth-O-Meter” rating to assess their accuracy.
See previous article for more tips on how to assess reliability.
KnoxTNToday’s goal is to inform, uplift and entertain. Send stories or comments to news@knoxtntoday.com.
