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News reports from around the world.
Trump, Republicans Blast Biden Easter Sunday Transgender Declaration
President Biden has drawn a strong response from the Trump campaign and religious conservatives for proclaiming March 31 — which corresponds with Easter Sunday this year — as “Transgender Day of Visibility.” President Biden issued the proclamation on Friday, calling on all Americans to-quote-” join us in lifting up the lives and voices of transgender people throughout our Nation…” This year the March 31’s designation fall on Easter Sunday. The Trump campaign is calling on the White House to issue an apology to what it calls the millions of Catholics and Christians across America who believe Easter is for one celebration only — the resurrection of Jesus Christ,” House Speaker Mike Johnson, called the president’s decision “outrageous and abhorrent.”
Listen DownloadLast quarter’s economic growth revised up to healthy 3.4% annual rate
( ) -q-26- UNDATED (Correspondent Jeremy House) “buildings and software.”
The U.S. economy grew at a 3.4% annual pace from October through December.
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TAG: Correspondent Jeremy House reporting.
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VERBATIM: The Commerce Department says the latest figure was an upgrade from its previous estimate of 3.2%. The department’s revised measure of the nation’s gross domestic product confirmed that the economy decelerated from its 4.9% rate of expansion in the July-to-September quarter. But last quarter’s growth came in the face of higher interest rates and was powered by growing consumer spending, exports and business investment in buildings and software.
Small business owners face tax changes ahead of tax filing deadline
( ) -q-26- UNDATED (Correspondent Jeremy House) “tax-filing software.”
As Tax Day approaches, there are plenty of things small business owners should keep in mind when filing taxes this year.
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TAG: Correspondent Jeremy House reporting. Quarterly estimated tax payments are generally required for small businesses throughout the year.
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VERBATIM: April 15 is still the annual tax deadline for many small businesses. Unlike individuals however, small businesses can have varying deadlines depending on the type of company, the state the taxes are filed in, and other factors. Since business tax filing is complex, most experts recommend small business owners work with a professional tax adviser rather than trying to file on their own or even with tax-filing software.
Interior Department rule aims to crack down on methane leaks
( ) -q-21- UNDATED (Correspondent Jeremy House) “greenhouse gas pollution.”
The Biden administration has issued a final rule aimed at limiting methane leaks from oil and gas drilling on federal and tribal lands.
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TAG: Correspondent Jeremy House reporting. The actions follow a more comprehensive methane-reduction plan announced by the Environmental Protection Agency in December. Oil and gas production is the nation’s largest industrial source of methane, the primary component of natural gas.
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VERBATIM: It’s the latest action by the White House to crack down on emissions of methane, a potent greenhouse gas. The rule issued by the Interior Department’s Bureau of Land Management, will tighten limits on gas flaring on federal lands. It will also require that energy companies improve methods to detect methane leaks that add to planet-warming greenhouse gas pollution.
Home Depot buying supplier to professional contractors in $18 billion deal
( ) -q-17- UNDATED (Correspondent Jeremy House) “and pool contractors.”
Home Depot is buying SRS Distribution, a materials provider for professionals.
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TAG: Correspondent Jeremy House reporting.
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VERBATIM: It’s a deal valued at approximately $18.25 billion. The home improvement retailer says the acquisition will help speed up its growth with the contractors. SRS provides materials for those including professional roofers, landscapers and pool contractors.
Trump Media Surges In First Day Of Trading On Wall Street
Shares of Donald Trump’s social media company rose about 16% in the first day of trading. The winning session boosted the value of Donald Trump’s large stake in the company as well as that of smaller investors, many of whom purchased shares as a show of support for the former president. Trump holds a nearly 60% stake in Trump Media & Technology Group. Based on Tuesday’s closing stock price the company –which runs the social media platform Truth Social-is worth about $4.6 Billion.
Listen DownloadNBC To Cut Ties With Former RNC Chair Ronna McDaniel
NBC News will cut ties with former Republican National Committee chief Ronna McDaniel, hired last week as an on-air political contributor. The decision was conveyed in a memo to staff from the top official of the network’s news division after a furious protest by some of its journalists and commentators. The move comes four days after the network said that McDaniel had joined as a paid contributor to offer political analysis. The response from journalists and others within the network was swift — and public. It’s caused many observers to question the network’s commitment to diversity of perspective in it’s on-air coverage.
Listen DownloadFarmers in tractors block Brussels to protest EU policies
( ) -q-26- UNDATED (Correspondent Jeremy House) “and environmental rules.”
Dozens of tractors sealed off streets close to European Union headquarters where the 27 EU agriculture ministers were planning to address the crisis in the sector that has led to months of protests.
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TAG: Correspondent Jeremy House reporting.
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VERBATIM: The farmers are protesting anything from what they see as excessive red tape to increased environmental measures, cheap imports and unfair trading practices. With protests taking place from Finland to Greece, Poland, and Ireland, the farmers have already won a slew of concessions from E-U and national authorities. They include a loosening of controls on farms to a weakening of pesticide and environmental rules.
Bird flu, weather and inflation conspire to keep egg prices high
( ) -q-19- UNDATED (Correspondent Jeremy House) “to 2021 levels.”
Egg prices are at near-historic highs in many parts of the world.
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TAG: Correspondent Jeremy House reporting. One major culprit is avian flu. In 2022 alone, more than 131 million poultry worldwide died or were culled on farms affected by the disease. Higher chicken feed costs due to weather and inflation have also impacted egg prices.
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VERBATIM: The high cost reflects a market scrambled by disease, high demand and growing costs for farmers. While global prices are lower than they were at this time last year, they remain elevated. A senior global specialist with a Dutch financial services firm doesn’t expect them to return to 2021 levels.
China to challenge Biden’s electric vehicle plans at the WTO
( ) -v-33- UNDATED (Correspondent Jeremy House) “std.”
China says it has filed a complaint at the World Trade Organization over U.S. subsidies for electric vehicles. Correspondent Jeremy House reports.
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VERBATIM: The Chinese Commerce Ministry says it has turned to the WTO dispute settlement process to protest American requirements that vehicles use parts from specific regions to qualify for subsidies. A statement posted online says the U.S. formulated discriminatory subsidy policies for new energy vehicles under its Inflation Reduction Act in the name of responding to climate change. It says the U.S. move excluded Chinese products, distorted fair competition and disrupted the global supply chain for new energy vehicles…JH reporting.
Netanyahu Calls Off High-Level DC Visit Over Lack Of U.S. Support At UN
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has canceled a planned visit to the U.S. by a high-level delegation after today’s (Monday’s) U.N. Security Council vote demanding an immediate cease-fire in Gaza. The resolution passed 14-0 on Monday after the U.S. decided not to use its veto power and instead abstained. Netanyahu accused the U.S. of “retreating” from what he said had been a “principled position” by allowing the vote to pass without conditioning the cease-fire on the release of hostages held by Hamas. The Israeli delegation was to present White House officials with plans for an expected ground invasion of the strategic Gaza town of Rafah,
Listen DownloadSenate Democrats Kill Amendment To Stop Illegal Alien Flights
Senate Democrats banded together last week to reject an amendment to stop President Biden from resettling unlimited numbers of illegal immigrants in all 50 states. United States Senator Bill Hagerty (R-TN), last week forced a vote on his amendment to the appropriations bill that would prohibit taxpayer funds from being used to secretly fly illegal aliens from other nations directly into states across the country. The flights allow the illegals to resettle in American communities, at U.S. taxpayer expense. Hagerty also notes the flights allow President Biden to artificially reduce the the record-breaking number of border crossings happening under his watch.
Listen DownloadChick-Fil-A changes its no-antibiotics-in-chicken pledge
( ) -q-24- UNDATED (Correspondent Jeremy House) “of animal illness.”
The fast-food chain Chick-Fil-A has backtracked from its decade-old “no antibiotics ever” pledge.
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TAG: Correspondent Jeremy House reporting. Livestock producers have long used antibiotics to boost rapid weight gain in animals such as chickens, pigs, cows and sheep, although many nations, including the United States, have begun to restrict the practice.
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VERBATIM: The pledge was intended to help prevent human antibiotic resistance linked to the rampant use of the drugs in livestock production. Instead, the company says it will embrace a standard known as “no antibiotics important to human medicine.” The new pledge entails avoidance of such medicines commonly used to treat people and limits the use of animal antibiotics to cases of animal illness.
European regulators investigate Apple, Google and Meta
( ) -q-26- UNDATED (Correspondent Jeremy House) “breaking up businesses.”
European Union regulators have opened investigations into Apple, Google and Meta.
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TAG: Correspondent Jeremy House reporting. The rules have the broad but vague goal of making digital markets “fairer” and “more contestable.”
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VERBATIM: They’re the first cases under a sweeping new law designed to stop Big Tech companies from cornering digital markets that took effect earlier this month. The European Commission says it was investigating the companies for “non-compliance” with the Digital Markets Act. It’s a broad rulebook that targets Big Tech “gatekeeper” companies forcing them to comply with a set of do’s and don’ts, under threat of hefty financial penalties or even breaking up businesses.
Big brands could pivot easily if TikTok goes away
( ) -q-24- UNDATED (Correspondent Jeremy House) “social media networks.”
A lot of “What ifs” still surround a bill the U.S. House passed last week that would mandate TikTok′s Beijing-based parent company to sell its stake in the platform or face a nationwide ban.
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TAG: Correspondent Jeremy House reporting. Industry analysts say it will be more difficult for smaller firms and solo entrepreneurs to rebound if TikTok goes away.
Listen Download285,000 Dodge, Chrysler sedans recalled for side air bag inflators
More than a quarter-million Dodge and Chrysler sedans are being recalled. Stellantis is recalling nearly 285-thousand Dodge Chargers and Chrysler 300s from the 2018 through 2021 model years. The automaker says the side air bag inflators can explode with too much force during a crash and hurl metal fragments at drivers and passengers. Documents posted by U.S. safety regulators say Stellantis has seven warranty claims, but no reports of injuries.
Listen DownloadMidwest, Northeast hit with winter weather advisories and snow
Winter isn’t over yet in parts of the country. The calendar says spring, but don’t tell that to folks in the Midwest and Northeast. Parts of Montana, the Dakotas, Minnesota, Illinois, and Wisconsin are under winter weather advisories. Minnesota could see a foot of snow over the weekend, and some New England states could also see 12 to 18 inches in the coming days.
Listen DownloadNew bipartisan bill would require online labeling of AI-generated videos, audio
( ) -q-31- UNDATED (Correspondent Jeremy House) “users would know.”
New bipartisan legislation introduced in the House would require the identification and labeling of online content generated using artificial intelligence.
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TAG: Correspondent Jeremy House reporting. If passed, the proposal would complement an executive order on AI signed by President Joe Biden last fall.
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VERBATIM: The proposal aims to protect users from the risks of so-called AI deepfakes. They are lifelike images, videos and audio created by artificial intelligence that can be hard or impossible to tell from the real thing. The bill introduced by Republican Neal Dunn of Florida and Anna Eshoo of California would require AI developers to identify their products using metadata visible to online platforms. The platforms would then be required to label AI content so users would know.
EU to impose tariffs on Russian grain
( ) -q-26- UNDATED (Correspondent Jeremy House) “27-nation bloc.”
The European Commission wants to prevent Russia from using agriculture products as a tool to wreak havoc on the E.U. market.
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TAG: Correspondent Jeremy House reporting.
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VERBATIM: The commission will impose tariffs on grain imports from Russia and Belarus. Imports of cereals, oilseeds and derived products from Russia and its Belarus ally are just about 1% of the overall size of the EU market. But with angry farmers already worried by the increase of cheap Ukrainian imports, the EU fears Russia will be encouraged to take advantage of the tense situation to further destabilize the 27-nation bloc.
California lawmakers seek ways to combat retail theft while keeping progressive policy
( ) -q-25- UNDATED (Correspondent Jeremy House) “for repeat offenders.”
California lawmakers are split on how to best address the retail theft cases that have proliferated in the state.
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TAG: Correspondent Jeremy House reporting. Proposition 47, an initiative approved by voters in 2014, reduced penalties for certain retail theft and drug offense charges.
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VERBATIM: Governor Gavin Newsom says the state has enough tools to go after professional crime rings. He urges lawmakers to work on legislation bolstering existing laws and cracking down on resellers of stolen goods. But Republican and moderate Democrat lawmakers say California needs to consider all options to end the crisis. They want to go back to voters to implement harsher jail sentences for repeat offenders.
With police departments facing a hiring crisis, some policies are being loosened
( ) -q-27- UNDATED (Correspondent Jeremy House) “with 36-percent previously.”
The Philadelphia Police Department is seeing success in more recruits passing the entry physical fitness exam thanks to a new law that changed the standards.
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TAG: Correspondent Jeremy House reporting.
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VERBATIM: It is part of a broader effort nationally to reevaluate policies that keep applicants out of the job pool amid a hiring crisis. To close the gap, police departments nationally are reconsidering policies on tattoos, previous drug use, physical fitness and college credits. Since the law took effect late last year in Philadelphia, 51% of people testing have passed the entry physical exam, compared with 36% previously.
