GREENSBORO, N.C. (AP) — Clemson is the preseason pick to win the Atlantic Coast Conference for the seventh time in eight seasons. That's according to voting results released following last week’s ACC media days. Media members picked the Tigers on 103 of 164 votes.

ATLANTA – Adopting a comprehensive family leave insurance system would benefit both Georgia’s business climate and health outcomes, according to a report released Tuesday. Setting up a system that would allow Georgians to take time off for having a child or other caregiving duties would have numerous benefits, said members of the Georgia Coalition for Paid Leave, an alliance of more than 20 organizations.

DULUTH, Ga. – Former Southern Baptist Convention President Fred Luter Jr. will be one of the featured speakers at this year’s SPARK church strengthening conference. The fiery pastor of Franklin Avenue Baptist Church in New Orleans, Luter was the first African American elected SBC president and, a decade later, remains a sought-after preacher at church conferences across the nation.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. economy is caught in an awkward, painful place. A confusing one, too. Growth appears to be sputtering, home sales are tumbling and economists warn of a potential recession ahead. But consumers keep spending, businesses keep posting profits and the economy keeps adding hundreds of thousands of jobs each month. In the midst of it all, prices have accelerated to four-decade highs, and the Federal Reserve is desperately trying to douse the inflationary flames with higher interest rates.

O'FALLON, Mo. (AP) — Record rainfall has caused widespread flash flooding across the St. Louis area, closing multiple roadways and prompting rescues from vehicles and homes. There were no immediate reports Tuesday of injuries to people, but several puppies drowned when water got into a building at a stray dog rescue operation in St. Peters.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Although Americans need to have productive conversations regarding challenges in our society, there is no consensus on who is in the best position to generate healthy conversations around these issues. According to a study from Lifeway Research, fewer than 1 in 5 Americans say their elected president is in the best position to generate healthy conversations on challenges facing society. And 14% believe local church pastors are.

MOSCOW (AP) — Russia's space chief says the country will opt out of the International Space Station after 2024 and focus on building its own orbiting outpost. Yuri Borisov, who was appointed earlier this month to lead the state-controlled space corporation Roscosmos, said during Tuesday's meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin that Russia will fulfill its obligations to other partners at the International Space Station before it leaves the project.

ATLANTA – The Georgia Ports Authority handled a record 5.76 million twenty-foot equivalent container units during the last fiscal year, up 8% over fiscal 2021, the agency reported Tuesday. Several external developments are playing a role in the increased activity at the Port of Savannah, including labor-management disputes at West Coast ports and the diversion of cargo ships to Savannah from an overcrowded Port of Charleston.

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Michael Harris II and Matt Olson homered, Austin Riley stretched his hitting streak to 18 games and the Atlanta Braves beat the Philadelphia Phillies 6-3 to end a two-game skid. Dansby Swanson added three hits and Spencer Strider was sharp over six innings as Atlanta remained the only team in baseball without a three-game losing streak this season.

DETROIT (AP) — General Motors’ second-quarter net income fell 40% from a year ago as shortages of computer chips and parts hobbled factory output and caused the company’s U.S. sales to fall more than 15%. The Detroit automaker said it made $1.67 billion from April through June, in part because it couldn’t deliver 95,000 vehicles during the quarter because they were built without one part or another.

Coca-Cola posted higher-than-expected sales in the second quarter due to price increases and continuing improvement in demand at restaurants and other venues. The Atlanta-based company said revenue grew 12% in the April-June period to $11.3 billion. That was well ahead of the $10.56 billion Wall Street forecast, according to analysts polled by FactSet.

McDonald’s sales fell short of expectations in the second quarter, a sign that menu price increases could be taking a toll on U.S. demand. The Chicago burger giant said its revenue fell 3% to $5.72 billion in the April-June period. That was short of Wall Street’s forecasts, according to analysts polled by FactSet.

BRUSSELS (AP) — European Union governments have agreed to ration natural gas this winter to protect against further supply cuts by Russia as it pursues its invasion of Ukraine. Energy ministers on Tuesday approved a draft European law meant to lower demand for gas by 15% from August through March.

NEW YORK (AP) — Walmart is lowering its profit outlook for its fiscal second quarter and for the full year. The nation’s largest retail cites surging inflation on basics like food that is making shoppers cut back on discretionary items, particularly clothing, that carry higher profit margins.

CONCORD, N.H. (AP) — The trial for a commercial truck driver charged with causing the deaths in 2019 of seven members of a Marine motorcycle club is starting Tuesday. Jurors on Monday traced Volodymyr Zhukovskyy’s route from a New Hampshire auto dealership to the crash site about 10 miles away.

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — The temperatures in Portland, Oregon, could top 100 degrees Fahrenheit on Tuesday amid the hottest stretch of a week-long heat wave in the Pacific Northwest region that rarely experiences such scorching weather. Forecasters have issued an excessive heat warning for parts of Oregon and Washington. Highs in Seattle could hit the 90s and temperatures in eastern Oregon and Washington could close in on 110 F.

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russia has targeted Ukraine’s Black Sea regions of Odesa and Mykolaiv with air strikes, hitting private buildings and port infrastructure. Ukraine’s military said that the Kremlin’s forces used air-launched missiles in Tuesday's attack. In the Odesa region, a number of private buildings in villages on the coast were hit and caught fire, the report said.

LONDON (AP) — The two candidates vying to be Britain’s next prime minister have sparred over how to help families struggling with the soaring cost of living in a testy televised debate. Foreign Secretary Liz Truss and former Treasury chief Rishi Sunak are battling to succeed Boris Johnson as head of Britain’s governing party.

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Bryson Stott homered, doubled and drove in five runs to lift the Philadelphia Phillies to a 6-4 comeback victory over the Atlanta Braves. Alec Bohm doubled and had three hits for the Phillies, who rebounded from a three-game sweep at home against the lowly Chicago Cubs last weekend.

NASHVILLE — In 28 years with the Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee, Lynn Richmond has had several job titles, but she has never changed positions.  During those 28 years, Richmond worked behind the scenes in planning and making sure the SBC annual meetings took place without a hitch.

PHILADELPHIA (BP) – Younger Christians who engage with Scripture are more apt to care for prisoners and immigrants as neighbors than are older Christians, the latest release from the 2022 State of the Bible reveals.

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Authorities in the Bahamas are combing shorelines and open waters in hopes of finding more survivors after a boat carrying up to an estimated 60 Haitian migrants apparently capsized. Divers have found the bodies of 15 women, one man, and a toddler, while another 20 men and five women have been rescued since Sunday, according to Bahamian officials.

PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — The federal government is conducting a review of four dams on a Maine river that could result in a lifeline for the last wild Atlantic salmon in the U.S. The last of the wild salmon live in a group of rivers in Maine and have been listed under the Endangered Species Act since 2000.

WASHINGTON, DC – Congressman Barry Loudermilk is a Constitutional Conservative who represents northwest Georgia’s 11th Congressional District in Washington. He is a Baptist, a Christian gentleman, and a faithful follower of Christ, whose values and voting record reflect a Biblical worldview.

VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) — Authorities say a man who targeted homeless people fatally shot two men in a Vancouver, British Columbia, suburb before being shot and killed by police. Police issued a cellphone alert early Monday saying they were at the scene of several shootings “involving transient victims.”