Marist Poll: Guilty Trump Verdict Not Likely To Sway 2024 Voters

Iceland-Volcano

GRINDAVIK, Iceland (AP) — Lava continued to spurt from a volcano in southwestern Iceland on Thursday but the activity had calmed significantly from when it erupted a day earlier. Correspondent Bernie Bennett reports.

Blue to Red? VA Poll Now Puts Trump Even With Biden

Governor: Biden Plan To Shutter Montana Mine Will Cripple Power Grid

“Politics!” Critics Blast Biden For Opening Gas Reserves

First-Term Senators Charting New Course For GOP

Mining giant BHP pledges to invest in South Africa economy

( ) -q-29- UNDATED (Correspondent Jeremy House) “to green energy.”

Australian mining giant BHP Group has pledged to invest in South Africa’s economy as it seeks support for a 49.3 billion dollar bid to acquire Anglo American.

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Out-cue: to green energy]

TAG: Correspondent Jeremy House reporting.

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VERBATIM: Anglo American was founded in South Africa more than a century ago and remains one of its biggest employers. The London-based company last week rejected BHP’s latest offer, raising concerns about its complex structure. The proposed deal would require Anglo American to spin off two South African units, Anglo American Platinum and Kumba Iron Ore, as BHP seeks to focus on copper and other products expected to benefit from transition to green energy.

Owner of UK’s Royal Mail accepts takeover offer from Czech billionaire

( ) -q-22- UNDATED (Correspondent Jeremy House) “wanted more assurances.”

The owner of Britain’s Royal Mail postal service says it has accepted a 4.6 billion dollar takeover offer from Czech investor Daniel Křetínský.

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TAG: Correspondent Jeremy House reporting. Křetínský has a vast, Europe-wide portfolio of business interests that includes stakes in Macy’s, Foot Locker and U.K. supermarket chain Sainsbury’s. A union official cautiously welcomed the deal but said it wanted more assurances.

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VERBATIM: Under the deal, Křetínský’s EP Group would buy International Distribution Services, which owns Royal Mail, for $4.72 per share. Including debt, the deal values IDS at 6.6- billion dollars. IDS said no major job losses were planned as part of the deal, which must be approved by shareholders.

Inflation pressures lingering from pandemic are keeping Fed rate cuts on pause

( ) -q-24- UNDATED (Correspondent Jeremy House) “to hospital prices.”

Hopes for interest rate cuts this year by the Federal Reserve are steadily fading.

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Out-cue: to hospital prices]

TAG: Correspondent Jeremy House reporting. Though Fed officials say they expect inflation in those areas to eventually cool, they’ve signaled that they’re prepared to wait as long as it takes.

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VERBATIM: A stream of recent remarks by Fed officials have underscored their intention to keep borrowing costs high as long as needed to curb persistently elevated inflation. A key reason for the delay in rate cuts is that the inflation pressures that are hurting the economy are being driven largely by lingering forces from the pandemic. They include items ranging from apartment rents to auto insurance to hospital prices.

What to know about Mexico’s upcoming historic elections

( ) -q-24- UNDATED (Correspondent Jeremy House) “to exert power.”

Mexicans will vote Sunday in historic elections weighing gender, democracy and populism, as they chart the country’s path forward in voting shadowed by cartel violence.

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Out-cue: to exert power]

TAG: Correspondent Jeremy House reporting. Also at play is the political legacy of President Andrés Manuel López Obrador and Mexico’s often tumultuous relationship with the United States.

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VERBATIM: With two women leading the contest, Mexico will likely elect its first female president. The election will also be the biggest in the country’s history. More than 20,000 congressional and local positions are up for grabs, according to the National Electoral Institute. The number of contested posts has fed bloodshed during the campaigns, as criminal groups have used local elections as an opportunity to exert power.

Nigeria is emerging as a critical mineral hub

( ) -q-29- UNDATED (Correspondent Jeremy House) “officials is common.”

Nigeria’s government is cracking down on illegal mining.

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TAG: Correspondent Jeremy House reporting. The mineral deposits are located in remote areas with minimal government presence. Officials say profits from illicit mining practices has helped arm militia groups in the north of the county.

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VERBATIM: Authorities have made dozens of arrests of unlicensed miners since April for allegedly stealing the country’s lithium, a critical mineral used in batteries for electric vehicles, smartphones and power systems. The recent arrests come as Nigeria seeks to regulate its mining operations of critical minerals, curb illegal activity and better benefit from its mineral resources. Illegal mines are rife in the country’s fledging industry as corruption among regulatory officials is common.

China has threatened trade with some countries after feuds

( ) -q-28- UNDATED (Correspondent Jeremy House) “allegation “completely unfounded.'”

The U.S. State Department has set up an eight-person team known as “the firm” to provide help to countries cut off from Chinese trade.

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Out-cue: allegation completely unfounded]

TAG: Correspondent Jeremy House reporting.

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VERBATIM: The team emerged after Washington stepped in to help Lithuania when the northern European country found its cargo shipments to and from China stranded two years ago during a feud over Taiwan. State Department officials say Washington sees ”the firm” as an emergency response when a country fears facing economic pressure from China. The Chinese Embassy in the U.S. says Beijing opposes economic coercion and calls the American allegation “completely unfounded.”

“Wrongheaded Approach”: Analyst Says Biden Letting Election Politics Guide Israel Policy

Missionary Daughter, Son-in-Law Of Missouri State Rep. Killed in Haiti

US pushes for Ukraine aid, united front against China’s trade practices at G7 finance meeting

( ) -q-22- UNDATED (Correspondent Jeremy House) “leaders in June.”

The United States is seeking to build support for squeezing more money for Ukraine out of frozen Russian assets.

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Out-cue: leaders in June]

TAG: Correspondent Jeremy House reporting.

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VERBATIM: The U.S. move comes as finance ministers from the Group of Seven rich democracies open a two-day meeting in Italy. Another key topic pushed by U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen will be building a united front against China’s subsidies for solar panels and electric cars. The meeting aims to build consensus for final decisions at a summit of G7 national leaders in June.

Singapore Airlines tightens cabin safety measures after turbulence killed one, injured dozens

( ) -q-18- UNDATED (Correspondent Jeremy House) “and buckle up.”

Singapore Airlines says it will halt meal services and get all cabin crew to buckle up when planes fly through turbulence.

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Out-cue: and buckle up]

TAG: Correspondent Jeremy House reporting. A Singapore Airlines plane with 211 passengers and 18 crew members was hit by severe turbulence and diverted to Thailand. A 73-year-old British man died of a suspected heart attack. Forty-eight people remained hospitalized Friday. Singapore’s Transport Minister Chee Hong Tat said investigators have obtained data from the cockpit and flight data recorders.

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VERBATIM: The moves are part of tighter cabin measures after one person died and dozens were injured on a flight from London this week. The airline says meal service will also now be suspended, in addition to hot beverages, when the seat belt sign is on. It said crew members must also return to their seats and buckle up.

UN countries adopt treaty to better trace origins of genetic resources under global patent system

( ) -q-25- UNDATED (Correspondent Jeremy House) “like tropical plants.”

U.N. member countries have concluded a new treaty to help ensure that traditional knowledge about genetic resources is properly traced.

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TAG: Correspondent Jeremy House reporting.

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VERBATIM: It marks the first time the 193 member states of the U.N.’s World Intellectual Property Organization have reached agreement on patent protections about historic knowledge from indigenous cultures. Those cultures have long been exploited by colonists, traders and others. The treaty doesn’t address compensation for indigenous communities for their historic know-how about products drawn from things like tropical plants.

Jim Talent: Hard For Biden Team To Sell Message He Cant “Reliably Carry”.

A former U.S. senator says President Biden’s occasional verbal missteps are creating problems for his campaign staff. Former Senator Jim Talent [R-MO] says not only are Biden’s senior moments sometimes embarrassing, but make it hard for speech writers to select a winning strategy, since everything depends of Biden’s ability to deliver that message reliably.

Senator Rick Scott [R-FL] Joins List To Replace McConnell

Florida Senator Rick Scott [R-FL] has thrown his hat into the ring to replace Mitch McConnell [R-KY] when he steps down as party leader later this year. Scott says his top concerns are the nation’s nearly $35-TRILLION debt, the unsecured border, and U.S. foreign policy. Scott joins GOP Whip John Thune [R-SD] and Senator John Cornyn [R-TX]  in hoping to replace McConnell when he steps down as Republican leader in November.

US applications for jobless benefits fall as labor market continues to thrive

( ) -q-24- UNDATED (Correspondent Jeremy House) “one year ago.”

The number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits fell last week as layoffs remained historically low levels.

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Out-cue: one year ago]

TAG: Correspondent Jeremy House reporting. Weekly unemployment claims are considered a proxy for the number of U.S. layoffs in a given week.

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VERBATIM: According to the Labor Department, jobless claims for the week ending May 18 fell by 8,000 to 215,000. That was down from 223,000 the week before. In total, 1.79 million Americans were collecting jobless benefits during the week that ended May 11. That’s  from up 8,000 from the previous week and 84,000 more than the same time one year ago.

Federal Reserve minutes: Policymakers saw a longer path to rate cuts

( ) -q-22- UNDATED (Correspondent Jeremy House) “rate policies were.”

Federal Reserve officials have concluded that it would take longer than they previously thought for inflation to cool enough to justify reducing their key interest rate, now at a 23-year high.

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Time: 22s
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Out-cue: rate policies were]

TAG: Correspondent Jeremy House reporting.

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VERBATIM: The conclusion came during a meeting earlier this month on the heels of several unexpectedly high inflation readings. Minutes of the meeting showed that officials also debated whether their benchmark rate was exerting enough of a drag on the economy to further slow inflation. Many officials noted that they were uncertain how restrictive the Fed’s rate policies are.

Nvidia’s profit soars, underscoring its dominance in chips for artificial intelligence

( ) -q-28- UNDATED (Correspondent Jeremy House) “the previous year.”

Nvidia overshot Wall Street estimates as its quarterly profit skyrocketed.

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Out-cue: the previous year]

TAG: Correspondent Jeremy House reporting. Nvidia also announced a 10-for-1 stock split, a move that it noted will make its shares more accessible to employees and investors. The company, based in Santa Clara, California, carved out an early lead in the hardware and software needed to tailor its technology to AI applications.

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VERBATIM: The increase was bolstered by the chipmaking dominance that has made the company an icon of the artificial intelligence boom. Its net income rose more than sevenfold compared with a year earlier, jumping to $14.88 billion in the first quarter from $2.04 billion a year earlier. Revenue more than tripled in the quarter, rising to $26.04 billion from $7.19 billion in the previous year.

Allies debate how to squeeze cash for Ukraine out of frozen Russian assets

Ukraine’s allies are looking for ways to squeeze money out of frozen Russian assets and use the money to help Ukraine fend off Russia’s invasion. The Russian central bank holdings were kept outside the country, and Western countries quickly froze them after the February 2022 invasion. Many Ukraine supporters want to confiscate the $260 billion to make Russia pay for the widespread damage in Ukraine, and to keep Ukraine going in the fight. Europe, where most of the money is held, has balked at confiscating the funds outright over legal concerns.

Senators Cruz, Britt Introduce Bill To Protect IVF Services