“Gimmick”: Republicans Blast Schumer Border Vote As Political Theater

Petrochemical company fined more than $30 million for 2019 explosions near Houston

( ) -v-32- UNDATED (Correspondent Jeremy House) “and the environment.”

A Texas petrochemical company has pleaded guilty to a violation of the Clean Air Act. Correspondent Jeremy House reports.

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VERBATIM: TPC Group has agreed to pay more than $30 million in connection with two explosions that injured workers and caused the evacuation of thousands. Two explosions at a TPC Group plant in the coastal city of Port Neches (NAY chess) the day before Thanksgiving 2019 prompted the evacuation of more than 50,000 people from the area. The DOJ says the explosions also caused more than $130 million in offsite property damage and other impacts to human health and the environment…JH reporting.

Target sales decline to start the year, but it sees improvement

( ) -q-21- UNDATED (Correspondent Jeremy House) “basics this summer.”

Target is reporting a decline in quarterly revenue as still-stubborn inflation cuts into shoppers’ spending.

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TAG: Correspondent Jeremy House reporting. Target reported net income of $942 million, or $2.03 per share, in the quarter ended May 4. Earnings per share was $2.03. The company’s revenue slipped 3.1% to $24.53 billion, from $25.32 billion. Analysts were expecting $2.06 per share on revenue of $24.51 billion.

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VERBATIM: The Minneapolis retailer has also delivered a muted profit outlook. But it said it expects it will get back to quarterly sales growth in the current quarter. The fiscal first-quarter report comes as Target is looking for ways to reverse a sales malaise. On Monday, it announced plans to cut prices on thousands of consumer basics this summer.

UK inflation falls to 2.3%, lowest level in nearly 3 years

( ) -q-18- UNDATED (Correspondent Jeremy House) “the coronavirus pandemic.”

Inflation in the U.K. fell sharply to its lowest level in nearly three years in April on the back of big declines in domestic bills.

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TAG: Correspondent Jeremy House reporting. The fall also takes inflation nearer to the Bank of England’s target rate of 2% and is likely to pile pressure on its nine-member rate-setting panel to cut interest rates from the current 16-year high of 5.25%.

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VERBATIM: The Office for National Statistics says inflation, as measured by the consumer prices index, fell to 2.3% in the year to April. That’s down from 3.2% in March. That is the lowest level since July 2021 when the global economy was still being held back by the coronavirus pandemic.

Ducey: 11 States Now Embrace Universal School Choice. Goal is 26 by 2026.

Johnson: House Will Extend Invite To Netanyahu With Or Without Schumer

Senator Cruz: Trump NY Trial All About 2024 Election Interference

GOP Sen. Cotton Blasts Trump Judge For Giving Jury Week off

Both Trump and Biden poised to preserve heavy tariffs on imports

One would think President Biden and former president Donald Trump could not agree on the time of day. But as Correspondent Jeremy House reports, they actually DO agree on one issue. When it comes to trade policy, the two presumptive presidential nominees have embraced surprisingly similar approaches. Which means that whether either man wins the presidency, the United States seems poised to maintain a protectionist trade policy. The protectionist tilt of the two presidential contenders reflects the widespread view that opening the nation to more imports wiped out American manufacturing jobs and shuttered factories.

At Seoul AI summit, Google, Meta, and OpenAI pledge safe development

( ) -q-19- UNDATED (Correspondent Jeremy House) “benefits and innovation.”

The world’s leading artificial intelligence companies pledged at the start of a mini summit on AI to develop the technology safely, including pulling the plug if they can’t rein in the most extreme risks.

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TAG: Correspondent Jeremy House reporting. The two-day AI Seoul Summit co-hosted by the South Korean and U.K. governments is a follow-up to November’s AI Safety Summit at Bletchley Park in the United Kingdom.

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VERBATIM: Some 16 AI companies made voluntary commitments to AI safety as the talks got underway. World leaders are expected to hammer out further agreements on artificial intelligence as they gather virtually to discuss AI’s potential risks. They will also come up with ways to promote its benefits and innovation.

Macy’s tops expectations for Q1 as luxury and beauty sales shine

( ) -q-28- UNDATED (Correspondent Jeremy House) “of 4.82-billion dollars.”

Macy’s sales and profits fell during the first quarter as higher costs and other financial challenges had customers pulling back on spending.

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TAG: Correspondent Jeremy House reporting. Macy’s raised its outlook for sales and profits for the second quarter.

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VERBATIM: Macy’s reported earnings of $62 million for the quarter ended May 4. That compares with $155 million in the year-ago period. Revenue dipped to $4.85 billion, down from $4.98 billion in the year-ago period. According to a survey by FactSet however, Wall Street had been looking for a profit of 16 cents per share, on sales of $4.82 billion.

Senator Graham Blasts ICC For Israeli Arrest Warrants

Minnesota GOP Selects Former NBA Player To Challenge Klobuchar

Former Congressman Campbell: Tim Scott Likely Trump VP Choice

Former NSA O’Brien: Most Israeli Leaders Secretly Hoping For Trump Win

Bruce Nordstrom, who helped grow family-led department store chain, dies at 90

( ) -q-21- UNDATED (Correspondent Jeremy House) “reins in 1968.”

Bruce Nordstrom, a retail executive who helped expand his family’s Pacific Northwest department store chain into an upscale national brand, has died.

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TAG: Correspondent Jeremy House reporting. The company went public in 1971 and expanded its footprint across the U.S. while also launching the lower-priced Nordstrom Rack stores.

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VERBATIM: Seattle-based Nordstrom said its former chairman died at his home over the weekend. He was 90. The chain traces its roots back to a Seattle shoe store opened by his grandfather, Swedish immigrant John Nordstrom, and a partner in 1901. Bruce Nordstrom and other members of the third generation took leadership reins in 1968.

Red Lobster seeks bankruptcy protection days after closing dozens of restaurants

( ) -q-19- UNDATED (Correspondent Jeremy House) “to stay afloat.”

Red Lobster has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection shortly after closing some of its restaurants.

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TAG: Correspondent Jeremy House reporting.

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VERBATIM: Red Lobster has been struggling for some time, with lease and labor costs piling up in recent years. The company said it had more than $1 billion in debt and less than $30 million in cash on hand. It plans to sell its business to its lenders, and in turn, it will receive financing to stay afloat.

Things to know about an AI safety summit in Seoul

( ) -q-28- UNDATED (Correspondent Jeremy House) “of digital ministers.”

South Korea is hosting a mini-summit this week on risks and regulation of artificial intelligence.

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TAG: Correspondent Jeremy House reporting.

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VERBATIM: The meetings follow an inaugural AI safety meeting in Britain that drew a diverse crowd of tech luminaries, researchers and officials. The gathering in Seoul aims to build on work started at the U.K. meeting on reining in threats posed by cutting edge artificial intelligence systems. It will feature a leaders’ virtual summit co-chaired by South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak along with an in-person meeting of digital ministers.

Senator Claims Chinese Border Crossers Engaged in Pot Farming, Human Trafficking

Former U.S. Senator Says Biden Double-Talk Has Caused U.S. To Lose Credibility

Former Senator Jim Talent [R-MO] says President Biden’s vascillating support for Israel has dealt a blow to U.S. credibility.

House Panel Votes To Subpoena Audio Of Hur Interview With President

Consumer sentiment drops to 6-month low on inflation, unemployment fears

( ) -q-20- UNDATED (Correspondent Jeremy House) “a year ago.”

Consumer sentiment fell sharply in May to the lowest level in six months.

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TAG: Correspondent Jeremy House reporting. Consumers’ outlook has generally been gloomy since the pandemic and particularly after inflation first spiked in 2021.

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VERBATIM: The drop came as Americans cited concerns about stubbornly high inflation and interest rates as well as fears that unemployment could rise. The University of Michigan’s consumer sentiment index dropped to 67.4 this month from a final reading of 77.2 in April. That is still about 14% higher than a year ago.

TikTok to start labeling AI-generated content as technology becomes more universal

( ) -q-23- UNDATED (Correspondent Jeremy House) “audio and video.”

TikTok says it’s going to start automatically labeling content that’s made by artificial intelligence when it’s uploaded from certain platforms.

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TAG: Correspondent Jeremy House reporting.

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VERBATIM: TikTok says its efforts are an attempt to combat misinformation from being spread on its social media platform. TikTok’s policy in the past has been to encourage users to label content that has been generated or significantly edited by AI. It also requires users to label all AI-generated content where it contains realistic images, audio and video.

European companies are less upbeat about China’s vast market as its economy slows

( ) -q-18- UNDATED (Correspondent Jeremy House) “weak job market.”

An annual survey of more than 500 European companies has found that slowing growth in China is weighing on company plans to expand their businesses in the world’s second largest economy.

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TAG: Correspondent Jeremy House reporting. The survey found that about one-third of the companies were optimistic about expanding their business this year, down from more than half in 2023, and only 15% were optimistic about profit growth.

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VERBATIM: China still ranks high as a place to invest. However, the share of companies considering an expansion of their operations in the country this year fell to 42%, the lowest ever recorded. The government is launching programs to boost consumer spending, but confidence remains low because of a weak job market.