Israel Unlikely To Accept U.S. Ceasefire Proposal, Former Ambassador Says

February home sales hit strongest pace in a year as more houses hit market

( ) -q-24- UNDATED (Correspondent Jeremy House) “sales in January.”

Existing home sales increased to a one-year high in February as supply improved.

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TAG: Correspondent Jeremy House reporting. Housing inventory surged 5.9% to 1.07 million units last month. It was up 10.3% from one year ago.

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VERBATIM: National Association of Realtors says home sales jumped 9.5% last month to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 4.38 million units, the highest level since February 2023. Economists had forecast home resales would fall to a rate of 3.94 million units. The rebound occurred despite a plunge in pending home sales in January.

Japan’s exports rise nearly 8% in February on strong car, machinery shipments

( ) -q-18- UNDATED (Correspondent Jeremy House) “up almost 16-percent.”

Japan has reported its exports rose 7.8% in February from a year earlier on strong shipments of cars and electrical machinery.

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TAG: Correspondent Jeremy House reporting. The strength in exports come as good news, coming a day after the Bank of Japan raised a key interest rate for the first time in 17 years, no longer setting it below zero.

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VERBATIM: Government numbers show Japan’s trade deficit sank to $2.5 billion, falling by more than half from a year earlier. Imports of food, medical products and computers climbed. Exports to the United States rose 18% and exports to the EU were up almost 16%.

California wants to pay doctors more money to see Medicaid patients

( ) -q-23- UNDATED (Correspondent Jeremy House) “a permanent fix.”

California wants to pay doctors more money to convince them to see more Medicaid patients.

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TAG: Correspondent Jeremy House reporting. Medicaid is the government-funded health insurance program for people with low incomes or disabilities.

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VERBATIM: Democrats have greatly increased the number of people eligible for Medicaid in California. But the rates Medicaid pays doctors have not kept up. Last year, California increased a tax on managed care providers. California took the money from this tax and used it to get more money from the federal government. California plans to use this money to increase rates for doctors. But the tax is not a permanent fix.

One Tech Tip: How to spot AI-generated deepfake images

( ) -q-29- UNDATED (Correspondent Jeremy House) “and people’s teeth.”

AI fakery is quickly becoming one of the biggest problems confronting Americans online.

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TAG: Correspondent Jeremy House reporting. Video and image generators like DALL-E, Midjourney and OpenAI’s Sora make it easy — just type a request and the system spits it out.

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VERBATIM: Deceptive pictures, videos and audio are proliferating thanks to the rise and misuse of generative artificial intelligence tools. With AI deepfakes cropping up almost every day, it’s getting harder to tell what’s real from what’s not. Fake images can be used for scams and identity theft or propaganda and election manipulation. To spot a deepfake, experts advise people to look for the consistency of shadows and lighting, the edges of faces and people’s teeth.

Rasmussen Gives House Republicans 6% Edge In November Election

Senator Says GOP 2024 Election Hopes Riding On Grassroots Vote Effort

Congressman Accuses China Of Spreading Lies About TikTok Bill

Senator Rand Paul Says He’ll Delay Passage Of Costly “Minibus” Bill

Senator Cotton Says Democrat Anti-Semitism Cause Of WH Tone On Israel

UK inflation falls by more than expected in February, triggering talk of lower interest rates

( ) -q-22- UNDATED (Correspondent Jeremy House) “and a quarter-percent.”

Price rises in the U.K. eased more than anticipated in February.

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TAG: Correspondent Jeremy House reporting.

GOP state attorneys push back on Biden’s proposed diversity rules for apprenticeship programs

( ) -v-33- UNDATED (Correspondent Jeremy House) “std.”

Republican attorneys general in two dozen states are pushing back against a proposed Biden administration rule that seeks to expand diversity in apprenticeship programs. Correspondent Jeremy House has the details.

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VERBATIM: The proposed rule change would set new standards for registered apprenticeships that provide paid on-the-job training and education for skilled workers. The Republican attorneys general contend a requirement to recruit and hire people from “underserved communities” could amount to race-based discrimination. The proposal also would require state apprenticeship agencies to have plans for diversity, equity and inclusion. That could run counter to some new state laws prohibiting such initiatives in government and education…JH reporting.

French regulators fine Google $272 million in dispute with news publishers

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

France’s competition watchdog has hit Google with another big fine tied to a long-running dispute over payments to French publishers for their news. Correspondent Jeremy House reports.

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VERBATIM: The French Competition Authority says it issued the $272 million penalty because of Google’s failure to comply with some commitments it made in a negotiating framework. The dispute is part of a larger effort by authorities in the European Union and around the world to force Google and other tech companies to compensate news publishers for content. The U.S. tech giant was forced to negotiate with French publishers after a court in 2020 upheld an order saying payments were required by a 2019 European Union copyright directive…JH reporting.

Senator Lindsey Graham Proposes Interest-Free Loans To Ukraine

Unilever is cutting 7,500 jobs and spinning off its ice cream business

( ) -v-38- UNDATED (Correspondent Jeremy House) “std.”

Unilever says it’s cutting 7,500 jobs and spinning off its ice cream business to reduce costs and boost profits. Correspondent Jeremy House has more on the story.

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VERBATIM: The London-based company that makes Ben & Jerry’s ice cream, Dove soaps and Vaseline says its ice cream business, which also includes Magnum bars would benefit from separate ownership to increase growth. It says the split is expected to be completed by the end of next year. The British consumer goods company with 128,000 employees also says it’s launching a “productivity program” that’s expected to lead to a reduction of about 7,500 mostly office-based jobs worldwide and save $867 million over the next three years…JH reporting.

Average Wall Street bonus last year was $176,500, down slightly from 2022

( ) -q-23- UNDATED (Correspondent Jeremy House) “the slight decline.”

The average Wall Street bonus fell slightly last year to $176,500.

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TAG: Correspondent Jeremy House reporting.

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VERBATIM: New York state comptroller reports the average bonus for employees in New York City’s securities industry was down 2% from 2022. The slight dip came even as Wall Street profits were up slightly. The comptroller’s office says that firms took a more cautious approach to compensation as more employees joined the industry, which accounts for the slight decline.

The Bank of Japan ends its negative interest rate policy

( ) -q-23- UNDATED (Correspondent Jeremy House) “for tightening credit.”

Japan’s central bank has raised its benchmark interest rate for the first time in 17 years, ending a longstanding policy of negative rates meant to boost the economy.

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TAG: Correspondent Jeremy House reporting. Tuesday’s decision allowed room for adjustments and the BOJ said the economy still faces ”extremely high uncertainties.”

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VERBATIM: The Bank of Japan’s call rate was raised to a range of 0 to 0.1% from minus 0.1% at a policy meeting that confirmed expectations of a shift away from ultra-lax monetary policy. It’s the first rate hike since February 2007. The bank had set a target of about 2% inflation as the key indicator for tightening credit.

Poll: Trump Endorsed Bernie Moreno Has Big Lead In Ohio GOP Primary

Emerson Poll: Trump Endorsed Moreno With Big Lead Heading Into Ohio GOP Senate Primary

United Airlines CEO tries to reassure customers about airline safety

( ) -q-25- UNDATED (Correspondent Jeremy House) “grabbed United’s attention.”

The CEO of United Airlines is trying to reassure travelers that the airline is safe despite a series of recent incidents ranging from a panel falling off a plane to an engine fire.

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TAG: Correspondent Jeremy House reporting.

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VERBATIM: CEO Scott Kirby says United will review safety training for all employees. Kirby says the airline was already planning an extra day of training for pilots starting in May and changes in training curriculum for new mechanics. In a message to customers, Kirby says the recent incidents are reminders of the importance of safety. He says while the flight issues are all unrelated, they have grabbed United’s attention.

Stores and restaurants use paid memberships to make customers feel special

( ) -q-24- UNDATED (Correspondent Jeremy House) “cost $99 annually.”

Paid loyalty programs are all the rage in the restaurant and retail worlds.

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TAG: Correspondent Jeremy House reporting. There’s also a shopping app called Long Story Short that will cost members $1,000 monthly for anonymous access to hard-to-get luxury goods.

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VERBATIM: If you’re looking for reliable sales in an unpredictable spending environment, look for companies which have extended their points-based loyalty tiers. They’re making their most dependable customers feel valued for an up-front fee. So how much does it cost to feel special? Target is taking on the Amazon Prime juggernaut with a paid loyalty program that will cost $99 annually.

Fallen British tech star to tell inside story of rotten Hewlett Packard deal in trial

( ) -q-19- UNDATED (Correspondent Jeremy House) “a costly debacle.”

An $11 billion acquisition that backfired on Silicon Valley pioneer Hewlett Packard more than a decade ago is being dug up at a trial in San Francisco.

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TAG: Correspondent Jeremy House reporting. The alleged perpetrators in the trial are former Autonomy CEO Mike Lynch, who was once lionized as an example of British ingenuity, and Stephen Chamberlain, a former finance executive at Autonomy.

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VERBATIM: The trial is exploring whether the deal was an illegal rip-off or a case of botched management. The trial revolves around HP’s acquisition of British software maker Autonomy. It was a deal that was celebrated as coup when it was announced in 2011, only to blow up into a costly debacle.

Home sellers cut list prices as spring buying season

More homeowners eager to sell their homes are lowering their initial asking price in a bid to entice prospective buyers as the spring homebuying season gets going. According to Realtor.com, some 14.6% of U.S. homes listed for sale last month had their price lowered. That’s up from 13.2% a year earlier. The share of home listings that have had their price lowered is running slightly higher than the monthly average on data going back to January 2017.

Feds investigating a tire problem on an American Airlines flight to LA

The Federal Aviation Administration says it’s investigating an incident in which an American Airlines plane flying from Dallas to Los Angeles suffered a tire problem. American flight 345 landed safely at Los Angeles International Airport earlier this week. American says pilots got a warning of low pressure in one of the tires. The plane, a Boeing 777, has 14 tires to handle the pressure of takeoffs and landings.