House Launches Probe Into Alleged Retaliation On TSA Whistlblowers

Former Senator Jim Talent Says Harris Deserves Tough Questions

Economic growth for Q2 is revised up to a solid 3% annual rate

( ) -v-35- WASHINGTON (Correspondent Jeremy House) “std.”

The U.S. economy grew last quarter at a healthy 3% annual pace. Correspondent Jeremy House reports.

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VERBATIM: The Commerce Department had previously estimated that the nation’s gross domestic product expanded at a 2.8% rate from April through June. Fueled by strong consumer spending and business investment, the second-quarter growth marked a sharp acceleration from a sluggish 1.4% growth rate in the first three months of 2024. Consumer spending, which accounts for about 70% of U.S. economic activity, rose at a 2.9% annual rate last quarter, up from 2.3% in the government’s initial estimate…JH, Washington

Rail worker’s death highlights union questions about remote control trains

( ) -q-23- UNDATED (Correspondent Jeremy House) “and reassemble trains.”

The CSX worker who discovered his friend run over by a pair of remote-control locomotives last year sees two-person crews as a simple solution to preventing similar deaths.

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TAG: Correspondent Jeremy House reporting. A Federal Railroad Administration spokesperson says the agency is scrutinizing the use of remote control. The expanded use of remote-control trains outside of rail yards is also attracting attention.

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VERBATIM: The worker’s testimony is a part of an update released by the National Transportation Safety Board into the September 2023 death of Fred Anderson. The idea of two-person crews isn’t expected to be popular with the railroads. They’ve come to rely heavily on having one person control trains moving around a railyard to take apart and reassemble trains.

Nvidia stock slips even after strong earnings, demand for AI chips surges

( ) -q-26- UNDATED (Correspondent Jeremy House) “artificial intelligence boom.”

Nvidia may have exceeded Wall Street estimates as its profit jumped, although investors seemed less than impressed.

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TAG: Correspondent Jeremy House reporting.

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The company reported a net income of to $16.6 billion. Adjusted for one-time items, net income was $16.95 billion. Revenue rose to $30 billion, up 122% from a year ago and 15% from the previous quarter. Nvidia has been buffeted by the chipmaking dominance that has cemented the company’s place as the poster child of the artificial intelligence boom.

New rules make it harder for criminals to launder money by paying cash for homes

( ) -q-23- UNDATED (Correspondent Jeremy House) “for money laundering.”

The Treasury Department has issued new regulations aimed at making it harder for criminals to launder money by paying cash for residential real estate.

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TAG: Correspondent Jeremy House reporting.

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VERBATIM: Under the rules, investment advisors and real estate professionals will be required to report cash sales of residential real estate to legal entities, trusts and shell companies. The new disclosure rules come as part of an ongoing effort to combat money laundering and the movement of dirty money through the American financial system. All-cash purchases of residential real estate are considered a high risk for money laundering.

Sen. Rick Scott Says Opponent Mischaracterizing His Abortion Stance

Cal Dems Advance Zero Down, Zero Interest Home Loan Bill For Illegals

Continetti: “Absolutely Fair” To Grill Harris On Border Czar Failures

US Navy shipbuilder agrees to pay $24 million in fraud settlement

( ) -q-25- UNDATED (Correspondent Jeremy House) “are awaiting trial.”

A shipbuilder for the U.S. Navy has agreed to admit wrongdoing and pay $24 million to settle an accounting fraud investigation.

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TAG: Correspondent Jeremy House reporting.

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VERBATIM: The U.S. Department of Justice says from 2013 through July 2016, Austal USA conspired to mislead shareholders and investors about its financial condition. The company pleaded guilty to one count of securities fraud and one count of obstruction of a federal audit. Three former Austal USA executives were indicted last year on accounting fraud charges. They are awaiting trial.

Railroad BNSF stresses safety but held back by longstanding industry issues

( ) -q-19- UNDATED (Correspondent Jeremy House) “industry for years.”

Freight railroad BNSF is generally striving to improve safety on a consistent basis, but that message doesn’t always reach front-line workers.

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TAG: Correspondent Jeremy House reporting. This is the second report the agency has completed since the disastrous February 2023 Norfolk Southern derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, as it works to review all the major railroads.

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VERBATIM: The workers don’t feel comfortable reporting safety concerns for fear of being disciplined. That’s according to an assessment released by the Federal Railroad Administration. The review of BNSF’s safety culture also shows that the company continues to be held back by some of the same issues that have been common across the industry for years.

Questions about the safety of Tesla’s ‘Full Self-Driving’ system are growing

( ) -q-22- UNDATED (Correspondent Jeremy House) “a widespread scale.”

Tesla says its vehicles that are equipped with the latest versions of its vaunted “Full Self-Driving” system can travel from point to point with little human intervention.

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TAG: Correspondent Jeremy House reporting. Some analysts say they doubt that Tesla is even close to deploying a fleet of autonomous robotaxis by next year as CEO Elon Musk has predicted it will.

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VERBATIM: Despite the claim, a series of alarming recent incidents have drawn the attention of federal regulators. They’ve been investigating Tesla’s automated driving systems because of dozens of crashes that raised safety concerns. The problems have led people who monitor autonomous vehicles to become more skeptical that Tesla’s system will ever be able to operate safely on a widespread scale.

US consumer confidence rises in August

(   ) -q-27- UNDATED (Correspondent Jeremy House) “133.1 last month.”

A combination of encouraging news on the economy and inflation has led to an increase in U.S. consumer confidence.

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TAG: Correspondent Jeremy House reporting. The index measures both Americans’ assessment of current economic conditions and their outlook for the next six months. Consumer spending accounts for nearly 70% of U.S. economic activity and is closely watched by economists.

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VERBATIM: The Conference Board reports its gauge of consumer sentiment rose during August to 103.3 from an upwardly revised 101.9 the month before. The measure of Americans’ short-term expectations for income, business and the job market rose to 82.5 from 81.1 in July. Consumers’ view of current conditions rose to 134.4 in August from 133.1 last month.

Spain’s leader begins West Africa tour in Mauritania

( ) -q-20- UNDATED (Correspondent Jeremy House) “period last year.”

Spain’s prime minister has embarked on a three-day tour of West Africa.

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TAG: Correspondent Jeremy House reporting. Sánchez begins his visit to Mauritania before continuing south to Gambia and Senegal. The three coastal nations have become the main departure points used by smugglers to launch overcrowded boats.

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VERBATIM: Pedro Sanchez’s trip comes as the European nation struggled to contain the number of people making the dangerous Atlantic voyage by boat to the Canary Islands. Spain’s Interior Ministry says that more than 22,000 people have disembarked on the islands since January. That’s more than double the number for the same period last year.

France’s Macron: arrest of the head of Telegram messaging app not political

( ) -v-32- UNDATED (Correspondent Jeremy House) “std.”

French President Emmanuel Macron says the arrest in France of the CEO of the popular messaging app Telegram, Pavel Durov, wasn’t a political move but part of an independent investigation. Correspondent Jeremy House reports.

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VERBATIM: In France’s first public comment on the arrest, Macron posted on the social media platform X that his country “is deeply committed” to freedom of expression. He also notes however, that “freedoms are upheld within a legal framework, both on social media and in real life, to protect citizens and respect their fundamental rights.” French media reported that Durov was detained at a Paris airport Saturday on an arrest warrant alleging his platform has been used for money laundering, drug trafficking and other offenses.

Flights returning to normal in Colombia as jet fuel shortage is resolved

( ) -q-22- UNDATED (Correspondent Jeremy House) “domestic air passengers.”

The Colombian airlines Avianca and Latam Colombia say they’re operating most of their flights today (TUESDAY) and resume full schedules Wednesday.

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TAG: Correspondent Jeremy House reporting. On Sunday, Colombia’s national oil company announced it had imported 100,000 barrels of jet fuel to ensure supplies for domestic airlines after the carriers complained they were not receiving enough fuel from suppliers.

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VERBATIM: The resumptions come following warnings on Monday that the airlines would have to cancel dozens of flights due to shortages of jet fuel. The late announcements capped off a turbulent day for Colombia’s aviation industry that saw hundred of passengers grounded and others struggling to rebook their flights. The two companies carry more than 70% of Colombia’s domestic air passengers.

Canada imposes a 100% tariff on imports of Chinese-made EVs

( ) -v-39- UNDATED (Correspondent Jeremy House) “std.”

Canada’s government is imposing a 100% tariff on imports of Chinese-made electric vehicles that matches U.S. tariffs. Correspondent Jeremy House reports.

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VERBATIM: Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government began 30-day consultation on the issue earlier this summer to counter what Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland has said is a clear effort by Chinese companies to generate a global oversupply. Canada’s move comes weeks after both the United States and the European Commission announced plans to impose higher import tariffs on Chinese EVs. U.S. national security advisor Jake Sullivan encouraged Canada to do the same during a meeting with Trudeau and cabinet ministers at a cabinet retreat in Halifax, Nova Scotia..JH reporting.

Kroger and Albertsons head to court to defend merger plan

( ) -q-19- UNDATED (Correspondent Jeremy House) “raise grocery prices.”

Kroger and Albertsons are defending their plan to merge in a hearing beginning Monday (TODAY) in federal court in Oregon.

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TAG: Correspondent Jeremy House reporting. Following the three-week hearing, U.S. District Judge Adrienne Nelson will decide whether to grant the FTC’s request for a preliminary injunction, which would block the merger while the case goes through in-house proceedings at the FTC.

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VERBATIM: In October 2022, the chains proposed what would be the largest supermarket merger in U.S. history. They say joining together would help them compete with big rivals like Walmart and Costco. But the Federal Trade Commission sued to try to block the merger, saying it would eliminate competition and raise grocery prices.

French authorities arrest Telegram CEO Pavel Durov at a Paris airport

( ) -q-22- UNDATED (Correspondent Jeremy House) “France from Azerbaijan.”

French broadcast media reports say the founder and CEO of the popular messaging service Telegram has been detained at a Paris airport.

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TAG: Correspondent Jeremy House reporting.

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VERBATIM: Pavel Durov is being held on an arrest warrant alleging his platform has been used for money laundering, drug trafficking and other offenses. Durov is a dual citizen of France and Russia. French broadcasters LCI and TF1 reported that Durov was arrested in Paris over the weekend after landing in France from Azerbaijan.

Cruise teams up with Uber to provide robotaxis

(   ) -q-25- UNDATED (Correspondent Jeremy House) “San Francisco street.”

Cruise’s trouble-ridden robotaxis are on the road to joining Uber’s ride-hailing service next year.

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TAG: Correspondent Jeremy House reporting. Cruise’s robotaxis are still sidelined in California, but some of its Chevy Bolts are giving autonomous rides in Phoenix and Dallas with humans behind the wheel to take over if something goes wrong.

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VERBATIM: It’s part of a multiyear partnership bringing together two companies that once appeared poised to compete for passengers. The alliance is the latest change in direction for Cruise since its license to provide driverless rides was suspended in October 2023. The suspension came after one of its robotaxis dragged a jaywalking pedestrian who had been struck by a human-driven vehicle across a darkened San Francisco street.

Italy, EU locked in long-running battle over lucrative beach concessions

( ) -q-23- UNDATED (Correspondent Jeremy House) “without open procedures.”

The latest chapter in a seemingly endless saga over the management of Italy’s lucrative beach concessions has set Italian beaches on fire this summer.

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TAG: Correspondent Jeremy House reporting. After the latest extension approved by the conservative government of Giorgia Meloni until the end of the year, Rome has now run out of options and will be forced to comply with EU rules from early 2025.

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VERBATIM: For nearly two decades, the European Commission has been locked in a legal tug-of-war with Italy over its beach concession practices. Officials have accused Italy of lacking transparency and breaching competition rules. Italian governments have staunchly resisted EU directives requiring competitive tendering, persistently renewing the existing beach concessions without open procedures.

U.S. applications for unemployment benefits inch up

( ) -q-21- UNDATED (Correspondent Jeremy House) “the week before.”

The number of Americans filing for unemployment benefits rose modestly last week.

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TAG: Correspondent Jeremy House reporting. Weekly filings for unemployment benefits, which are a proxy for layoffs, remain low by historic standards.

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VERBATIM: The Labor Department says jobless claims rose by 4,000 to 232,000 for the week of August 17th. The four-week average of claims ticked down by 750 to 236,000. For the week ending August 10, 1.86 million Americans were collecting jobless benefits, 4,000 more than the week before.

Delta and American Airlines extend the suspension of flights to Israel

( ) -q-19- UNDATED (Correspondent Jeremy House) “to Israel indefinitely.”

Delta Air Lines is extending its suspension of flights between the U.S. and Israel by another month, through October 31.

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TAG: Correspondent Jeremy House reporting. All three airlines broke off the flights shortly after the war between Israel and Hamas began last October, when the militant group attacked Israelis.

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VERBATIM: The extension is in response to the ongoing war in Gaza. Delta’s announcement follows news from American Airlines that it plans to suspend flights to Israel through late March of next year. American updated a travel advisory on its website over the weekend. United Airlines has stopped flying to Israel indefinitely.

California announces new deal with tech to fund journalism, AI research

( ) -q-26- UNDATED (Correspondent Jeremy House) “to their content.”

California will be the first U.S. state to direct millions of dollars from taxpayer money and tech companies to help pay for journalism and AI research.

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TAG: Correspondent Jeremy House reporting.

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VERBATIM: Under a new agreement, the state and tech companies would collectively pay roughly $250 million over five years to support California-based news organizations and create an AI research program. The initiatives are set to kick in in 2025 with $100 million the first year. The deal effectively marks the end of a legislation that would force tech companies to pay media companies for linking to their content.