American Dew

A popular softdrink is changing it’s name for the country’s 250th birthday!

VERBATIM: In celebration of America’s 250th birthday, Mountain Dew is releasing limited-edition 12-ounce cans and 20-ounce bottles under the name “American Dew.” Available through the summer, American Dew also celebrates Mountain Dew’s 78th anniversary.

Mountain Dew Marketing Vice President Michael Smith said in a news release, “Tasting Great Since ’48 is our tribute to where we started – and to the fans who’ve carried the brand forward for nearly 80 years. American Dew is a tangible celebration of that story, created to mark this moment in a meaningful way.”

Bernie Bennett reporting.

Spirit Airlines Bankruptcy

Spirit Airlines declares bankruptcy. Correspondent Bernie Bennett has this report.

[VERBATIM:
Spirit announced early Saturday that it had “started an orderly wind-down of operations, effective immediately,” after efforts to obtain a $500 million federal bailout stalled. All Spirit flights had been cancelled.

Losing Spirit, known for its ultra-low fares, will likely mean costlier tickets on other airlines. An analysis of aviation analytics found average fares jumped 23%, or roughly $60, for a round-trip flight when Spirit exited a route.

Bernie Bennett, Washington.

——————

The House Passes the Homeland Security BIll

House approves bill to fund the Department of Homeland Security and end the record shutdown. Bernie Bennett has more.

VERBATIM:
After weeks of delay, the House voted Thursday to fund much of the Department of Homeland Security, but not its immigration enforcement operations, and sent the bipartisan package to President Donald Trump to sign, ending the longest agency shutdown in history.

The White House had warned that temporary funding that President Trump had tapped to pay Transportation Security Administration and other agency personnel would “soon run out,” and that sparked new threats of airport disruptions.

DHS has been without routine funds since Feb. 14, causing hardship for workers, though much of Mr. Trump’s immigration agenda that is central to the dispute is being funded separately.

Bernie Bennett, Washington.

Virginia Supreme Court Weighs in on Redistricting Vote

The Virginia Supreme Court is considering whether to block new U.S. House districts narrowly approved by voters. Here’s correspondent Bernie Bennett with the story.

VERBATIM: The court is to hear arguments Monday in a case contending that the Democratic-led General Assembly violated procedural rules when it placed a constitutional amendment before voters. If the court agrees, it could invalidate the amendment, making last Tuesday’s vote meaningless.

Democrats hope to win as many as four additional seats under the new Virginia map. The case is part of a national redistricting battle between Republicans and Democrats seeking an advantage in the November elections.

Bernie Bennett, Washington.

Netanyahu Faces Challengers

Wars with Iran and its proxies haven’t gone according to plan for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and that could mean trouble for Israel’s longest-serving prime minister in elections scheduled for later this year.

VERBATIM:
At the start of the U.S.-Israeli campaign against Iran in late February, Netanyahu said the goal was to degrade the Islamic Republic’s military, eradicate its nuclear and ballistic missile programs and create the conditions for its overthrow.

While Iran’s military has been badly damaged, it is still a threat to neighbors and ships in the Strait of Hormuz – and Netanyahu’s other goals remained unfulfilled when a ceasefire was announced earlier this month.

Netanyahu’s government is in the final months of its four-year term and is required to hold elections by the end of October.

Two opposition politicians – Naftali Bennett and Yair Lapid – announced Sunday that they would join forces in the next election.

Bernie Bennett reporting.

Ohio Governor’s Race

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) – Ohio’s Republican primary for governor is a few weeks away, but there are few signs that the top candidate sees it as a competitive race.

VERBATIM:
The primary season has exposed potential vulnerabilities for former presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy.

The biotech billionaire is focused mostly on his likely general election opponent, Democrat Amy Acton. She’s the state’s former public health director.

Ramaswamy feels so assured of gliding through the May 5 vote that his campaign has all but ignored his GOP opponent so far. That’s Casey Putsch, an engineer and vehicle designer who calls himself “The Car Guy.”

If enough voters stay home in the fall, Ohio could see its first Democratic governor in 20 years.

Bernie Bennett reporting.

President Trump on Unity

President Donald Trump is calling for unity after what he says he feels was a third assassination attempt.

VERBATIM:
The President spoke on Saturday night about the experience shortly after a man armed with guns and knives tried to rush past the security perimeter inside a Washington hotel where the president was about to address the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner.

Mr. Trump suggested his politics made him a target but is saying there’s a need for bipartisan healing. President Trump tells Fox News Channel that after the incident, he would have given a “speech of love” if the event hadn’t been curtailed.

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said increasingly polarizing political rhetoric was partly to blame for so many violent incidents around the President.

Bernie Bennett, Washington.

White House Media in Action

Journalists in the nation’s capital are accustomed to chasing stories. But on Saturday night, the story came to them! Reporter Bernie Bennett has details.

[VERBATIM: Hundreds of reporters, gathered as President Donald Trump prepared to speak, thrust suddenly into chaos when a gunman tried to storm the annual White House Correspondents’ Association dinner.

In the aftermath, safety and coverage blended as some of the nation’s most powerful reporters and editors tried to figure out what was unfolding in front of them.

Once it became apparent that something serious had happened, many of the journalists in tuxedos and gowns moved swiftly into work mode – recording video and photos of the scene on their mobile phones, and wrestling with spotty service to get the news out as swiftly as they could.

Bernie Bennett, Washington.

GOP Wants AI Regulation on the Ballot

Republican candidates are making Artificial Intelligence a campaign issue in some key races.

————————————-

VERBATIM:

Doug Fiefia (fee-uh-FEE-uh) once worked at Google. Now he’s a Utah state representative running to be a state senator. And like some other tech employees who’ve gone into politics, he’s made regulating the artificial intelligence industry a campaign centerpiece. That’s put him on a collision course with President Donald Trump’s administration!

Earlier this year, it helped block the lawmaker’s state proposal requiring companies to include child safety protocols. The White House wants a single national AI standard. But with no progress on that front in Congress, state lawmakers are struggling to address concerns about the game-changing technology.

Bernie Bennett reporting.

Mortgage Rates Below Seven Percent

Mortgage rates are lingering right below 7 percent after reaching a four-week low last Friday.

[CutID: <Cuts> MORTGAGE RATES-bennett-q-MONpm.mp3
Time: 26s
Title: MORTGAGE RATES-bennett-q-MONpm
Out-cue: “the fourth quarter”]

VERBATIM: The weekly national average for 30-year mortgage rates has hit 6.36 percent, according to Bankrate, and the national average for 15-year mortgage rates has hit 5.73 percent.

It follows a February drop below 6 percent for 30-year mortgages, which happened for the first time in more than three years. But starting in March, rates started to tick up.

Homeowners are hoping to see lower rates stick as predicted by Fannie Mae. The Federal Housing Finance Agency said rates are expected to hit 5.7 percent by the fourth quarter.

State Dept. Restricts Sinoloa Cartel

The State Department on Monday issued visa restrictions for 75 people who they say are linked to the Sinaloa Cartel in an effort to quell the Mexican transnational crime organization’s drug trafficking operations.

VERBATIM:
Secretary of State Marco Rubio wrote in a statement, “The Sinaloa Cartel smuggles illicit fentanyl, which the President designated as a Weapon of Mass Destruction, and other deadly drugs that harm American communities.”

In September, the U.S. Treasury Department also sanctioned members of a Sinaloa Cartel faction known as Los Mayos.

President Trump created the “Shield of the Americas” to partner with other heads of state on efforts to end transnational drug trafficking, illegal immigration and violent activity in the Western Hemisphere.

Bernie Bennett, Washington.

Businesses Can Apply for Tariff Refunds

A refund system for businesses that paid tariffs which the U.S. Supreme Court eventually struck down… is scheduled to launch on Monday. Reporter Bernie Bennett has the story.

[CutID: <Cuts> TARIFF REFUNDS-bennett-v-MONam.mp3
Time: 29s
Title: TARIFF REFUNDS-bennett-v-MONam
Out-cue: “soc”]

VERBATIM:
U.S. Customs and Border Protection says importers and their brokers will be able to begin claiming refunds online beginning at 8 a.m.

It’s the first step in a complicated process that also might eventually lead to refunds for consumers who were billed for some or all of the tariffs on products shipped to them from outside the United States.

In a 6-3 decision, the Supreme Court ruled in late February that President Donald Trump usurped Congress’ taxation authority when he set double-digit import tax rates on products from almost every other country.

Bernie Bennett reporting.

Paul Revere Commemorative Ride Will Be ReEnacted

BOSTON (AP) – The historic midnight ride of Paul Revere is set to be reenacted Monday but with some modern-day tweaks: It will be run in the middle of the day, and the horse and rider will get a police escort.

VERBATIM:
Revere’s ride took place on April 18, 1775, when the silversmith and express rider was dispatched to Lexington to warn Revolutionary leaders Samuel Adams and John Hancock that the British were coming to arrest them.

Revere reached Lexington around midnight, and another rider, William Dawes, got there along a different route soon after with the same message.

Their efforts resulted in militiamen confronting a much larger contingent of British regulars marching from Boston on the Lexington Battle Green. The British regulars were eventually chased back to Boston, where militias pinned them down for 11 months in what became known as the Siege of Boston.

Bernie Bennett reporting.

A top Election Official in Arizona to Get more Authority

PHOENIX (AP) – The top election official in Arizona’s most populous county will get more authority in running elections after a judge sided with his office in a legal fight with the local board that shares responsibility for overseeing the vote.

VERBATIM:
The decision could have broad implications in one of the nation’s most prominent battleground states, which will have several high-profile races this fall.

Justin Heap, the Republican recorder in Maricopa County, which includes Phoenix, sued the predominantly Republican county board of supervisors last summer alleging it had illegally taken control of certain aspects of election administration.

Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Scott Blaney mostly sided with Heap’s office in his ruling, which was filed Thursday but appeared on the public docket Friday.

Bernie Bennett reporting.

U.S.S. Gerald Ford Returns to Gulf Region

The world’s largest aircraft carrier, the USS Gerald R. Ford, has again entered the waters of the Middle East. Reporter Bernie Bennett has details.

[CutID: <Cuts> USS FORD-RED SEA-bennett-v-SATam.mp3
Time: 25s
Title: USS FORD-RED SEA-bennett-v-SATam
Out-cue: “soc”]

VERBATIM: The Ford, which until recently was operating in the Eastern Mediterranean, transited the Suez Canal, along with a pair of destroyers, the USS Mahan and the USS Winston S. Churchill, and is now operating in the Red Sea, according to a defense official.

The Ford’s arrival makes it the second aircraft carrier in the region in addition to the USS Abraham Lincoln in the Arabian Sea. The USS George H. W. Bush is also heading toward the region and is currently off the coast of S. Africa.

Bernie Bennett reporting.

China Willing to Store Uranium from Iran

China is willing to take custody of highly enriched uranium from Iran. Reporter Bernie Bennett has details.

VERBATIM: China is open to taking possession or downgrading some 970 pounds of enriched uranium that President Trump says must be removed from Iran as part of a deal to end the war.

At the moment, it appears President Trump wants the U.S. to take custody of the material that is believed buried under nuclear sites badly damaged in an American bombardment last June.

But China, which is Iran’s biggest trading partner, is signaling it would be open if asked by Washington and Tehran to take the uranium or down-blend to levels that could be used for civilian applications.

Bernie Bennett reporting.

Iran Said it Opened Strait of Hormuz… BUT….

BEIRUT (AP) – Iran said it fully reopened the Strait of Hormuz to commercial vessels, but President Donald Trump said the American blockade “will remain in full force” until Tehran reaches a deal with the U.S., including on its nuclear program.

VERBATIM:
Iranian officials said the blockade was a violation of last week’s ceasefire agreement between Iran and the U.S. Iran’s parliamentary speaker posted on X early Saturday that the strait “will not remain open” if the blockade continues.

President Trump imposed the blockade earlier this week after Iran restricted traffic through the strait due to fighting in Lebanon, which Iran claimed was a breach of the Pakistan-brokered ceasefire. Mr. Trump later suggested a second round of direct US-Iran talks could happen this weekend.

Bernie Bennett reporting.

Will Kirk’s Trial Be Televised?

Cameras in the courtrooms have long exposed the inner workings of some of America’s most spectacular criminal cases. Now calls to bar cameras from Tyler Robinson ‘s trial in the killing of Charlie Kirk is reigniting the debate over whether they belong.

VERBATIM:
Robinson’s attorneys want cameras banned from a Utah courtroom, pointing to sometimes sensationalist media coverage they fear will foster widespread bias against their client as he faces prosecution in last September’s shooting death of the conservative activist on a college campus.

Prosecutors want cameras allowed, and suggested they could help dispel conspiracy theories and “distorted narratives” swirling around the case since Kirk was shot while speaking to a crowd of thousands.

Bernie Bennett reporting.

Strait of Hormuz is Open to All

Iran declares the Strait of Hormuz to be open!

VERBATIM:
Iran’s foreign minister says the crucial Strait of Hormuz trade route “is declared completely open” for commercial vessels. Abbas Araghchi said the move was made “in line with the ceasefire in Lebanon,” and “for the remaining period of ceasefire.” Ships would have to use the “coordinated route” laid out by Iranian authorities.

Iran’s deputy foreign minister says Tehran rejects any temporary ceasefire and is seeking a comprehensive end to the war across the region.

A Hezbollah official announced that the group will approach the ceasefire with “caution and vigilance”.

Bernie Bennett reporting.

Israel & Lebanon Hold Ceasefire

JERUSALEM (AP) – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says he has agreed to a 10-day ceasefire in Lebanon.

VERBATIM:
In a video statement, Netanyahu said he was taking the step in an attempt “to advance” peace efforts with Lebanon.
Speaking with reporters outside the White House, President Donald Trump says he’s hopeful.

IS-LEB-TRUMP CUT-a-06-THUpm “the White House”

Israel and Lebanon opened negotiations this week in Washington aimed at forging a peace agreement. The Hezbollah militant group, which has been fighting Israel for six weeks, has said it opposes the dialogue.

Bernie Bennett in Washington.

—————-

Former Lt. Gov. Kills Wife and Self

A former candidate for Governor of Virginia, takes his own life and that of his wife. Bernie Bennett has this report.

VERBATIM:
Police say that Justin Fairfax, Virginia’s former Lt. Governor and a rising star in the Democratic party before his career was derailed by sexual assault allegations, killed his wife before killing himself.

Fairfax County Police Chief Kevin Davis says the couple was found dead at their northern Virginia home in Annandale after their teenage son called 911 shortly after midnight Thursday.

Fairfax and his wife, Dr. Cerina Fairfax, were going through a divorce, and Fairfax was served recently with paperwork that indicated when he was next to appear in court.

Bernie Bennett, Washington.

Europe Has Only 6 More Weeks of Jet Fuel

The head of the International Energy Agency says Europe has ‘maybe 6 weeks of jet fuel left.’

[CutID: <Cuts> EUROPE-JET FUEL-bennett-v-THUam.mp3
Time: 31s
Title: EUROPE-JET FUEL-bennett-v-THUam
Out-cue: “soc”]

VERBATIM: IEA Executive Director Fatih Birol painted a sobering picture of the global repercussions of what he called “the largest energy crisis we have ever faced,” stemming from the pinch-off of oil, gas and other vital supplies through the Strait of Hormuz.

Dr. Birol says the impact will be “higher petrol prices, higher gas prices, high electricity prices.”

In Europe, he said, “I can tell you soon we will hear the news that some of the flights from city A to city B might be canceled as a result of lack of jet fuel.”

Bernie Bennett reporting.

Maine Democrat Candidate for U.S. Senate is pro-Hezbollah

Video surfaces in a Senate contest in Maine of the Democrat candidate praising Hamas for killing Israelis in 2014.

VERBATIM:
Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner repeatedly praised the tactics used by Hamas terrorists in comments made about a graphic video of a Hamas raid into Israel in 2014, in which terrorists killed at least five Israeli soldiers.

In archived posts from his now-deleted Reddit profile under the username “P-Hustle,” Platner commented on a video post titled “Helmet Footage from Hamas cross-border raid,” which showed the attack on multiple Israeli soldiers.

I’m Bernie Bennett.

New Jersey Election Could Decide House Majority

A race for an open House seat in New Jersey goes to the polls today (Thursday).

(POSSIBLE OUTCUE:
The winner will serve out the final months of Sherrill’s term, and the two could meet again in November.)

VERBATIM: Analilia Mejia will try to expand Democratic momentum in New Jersey as she and Republican Joe Hathaway compete in Thursday’s special election to fill the U.S. House seat vacated by Mikie Sherrill when she was elected governor last year.

Mejia, who has support from Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, emerged from a crowded Democratic primary in February, while Hathaway, a council member in suburban Randolph, was unchallenged.

The contest will decide which party controls the seat in the closely divided House, with the midterms of President Donald Trump’s second term on the horizon.

Bernie Bennett reporting.