Three friends in Las Vegas have attended all Super Bowls in person

They’ve attended all the Super Bowls in-person… and they’re in Las Vegas again this year to keep their streak alive. The three friends say they are the final fans who can claim membership in the exclusive “never missed a Super Bowl” club. Don Crisman of Maine, Gregory Eaton of Michigan and Tom Henschel, who splits time between Florida and Pennsylvania are now all in their 80s. This year would have made Eaton happy, had his Detroit Lions made it to the big game. Each treasures the memories of the games they’ve seen. As they take in Super Bowl 58, they’re hoping they can all make it all the way to the 60th edition of the game two years from now.

Mexico’s president proposes pensions equal to people’s full salaries at retirement

Mexico’s president has proposed giving people pensions equal to their full salaries at the time they retire, something no other country does

VERBATIM:

President Andres Manuel López Obrador leaves office in September, and he really wants his party’s candidate to win the June 2 elections. But analysts say it may also be an attempt to set the agenda for the next administration, by saddling the future president with unrealistically high expectations. For the moment, López Obrador doesn’t have the votes in Congress to get the pension plan passed.

JPMorgan Chase plans to open at least 500 new branches in the next three years

JPMorgan Chase plans to open at least 500 new branches in the next three years

VERBATIM:

It will reverse a decade-long industry trend where banks like JPMorgan and Bank of America have closed branches as fewer Americans need to cash a paycheck or pull money out of an ATM. The new branches will be primarily located in cities such as Boston, Charlotte, Washington, D.C. as well as Philadelphia and Minneapolis. These are markets that Chase has expanded into in recent years, and are cities that are noticeably dominated by other big banks.

Growing optimism about U.S. economy driving a record run on Wall Street

Growing optimism about prospects for the U.S. economy are driving a record run on Wall Street, with the S&P 500 Index starting the week at an all-time high

VERBATIM:

The diversified stock index that includes some of the best-known companies on the planet sits above five-thousand for the first time. It opens the week at five-thousand-26. Analysts say investors’ fears of a recession are fading, with growing optimism for a “soft landing” for the economy, with inflation brought to heel without a recession. There are also hopes that the Fed will begin cutting interest rates before too much longer, lowering the cost of borrowing. Rich Thomason reporting.

China, US hold economic talks as trade issues heat up on the campaign trail

( ) -q-27- UNDATED (Correspondent Jeremy House) “China if elected.”

Chinese and U.S. officials have met in Beijing for talks on tough issues dividing the two largest economies.

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TAG: Correspondent Jeremy House reporting.

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VERBATIM: China’s Ministry of Finance said Beijing raised objections to higher tariffs on Chinese exports, two-way investment restrictions and other limits on trade and technology. The U.S. Treasury Department said U.S. officials reiterated concerns over Chinese industrial policy practices and overcapacity, and the resulting impact on U.S. workers and firms. Former President Donald Trump has vowed to sharply raise tariffs on China if elected.

NTSB: Bolts on Boeing jetliner were missing before mid-flight panel blowout

( ) -q-20- UNDATED (Correspondent Jeremy House) “of the Max.”

Investigators say bolts that helped secure a panel on the Boeing jetliner were missing before the panel blew off the plane in midflight last month.

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TAG: Correspondent Jeremy House reporting. Both airlines have been returning their planes to service since the Federal Aviation Administration approved guidelines for inspections of the part that blew out, called a door plug.

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VERBATIM: The National Transportation Safety Board has issued a preliminary report into the January 5 accident. The loss of the panel forced pilots of the Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 Max 9 jet to make a harrowing emergency landing. Alaska and United Airlines are the only U.S. carriers using that particular model of the Max.

IRS expects to collect hundreds of billions more in overdue, unpaid taxes

( ) -q-28- UNDATED (Correspondent Jeremy House) “to 2031 period.”

The IRS says it expects to collect hundreds of billions of dollars more in overdue and unpaid taxes than previously anticipated using funding provided to the agency by the Inflation Reduction Act.

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TAG: Correspondent Jeremy House reporting.

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VERBATIM: A new analysis by the Treasury Department and the IRS says tax revenues are expected to increase by as much as $561 billion from 2024 to 2034. That is substantially more than previous estimates. The Congressional Budget Office in 2022 estimated that tax revenues would increase by $180.4 billion over the 2022 to 2031 period.

White House urges Congress to make internet more affordable

( ) -q-20- UNDATED (Correspondent Jeremy House) “to stay connected.”

The White House is pressing Congress to extend a federal program that helps families afford internet.

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TAG: Correspondent Jeremy House reporting. Congress approved the program through the bipartisan infrastructure law, which included a total of $65 billion for broadband-related investments.

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VERBATIM: The Affordable Connectivity Program is projected to run out of money at the end of April. Twenty-three million families are currently enrolled in the program and receive a discount on their monthly internet bills. If Congress does not appropriate more funding for the program, the enrolled families will either lose access to the internet or be required to pay more to stay connected.

Paris votes to slap SUVs with sky-high parking costs at Olympics

Parisians have voted to muscle SUVs off the French capital’s streets by making them much more expensive to park. It’s the latest leg in a drive by Socialist Mayor Anne Hidalgo to make the host city for this year’s Olympic Games greener and friendlier for pedestrians and cyclists. The official results from Sunday’s ballot show that more than 54% of the votes supported the measure to triple parking fees for large SUV drivers from out of town to 19-dollars, 50-cents per hour in the city’s center. Paris City Hall says just under 6% of the 1.3 million eligible voters cast ballots at the 39 voting stations set up around the city.

Financial regulators in China try to ease concerns about stock price manipulation

( ) -q-25- UNDATED (Correspondent Jeremy House) “throughout the day.”

China’s stock market regulators have renewed their effort to reassure jittery investors by promising to crack down on stock price manipulation and “malicious short selling.”

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TAG: Correspondent Jeremy House reporting.

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VERBATIM: Share prices still sank on Monday, despite signs authorities may have sought to intervene with heavy buying of big cap shares like state-owned banks. Markets in China have been trading near five-year lows on heavy selling of property shares that have suffered with a slump in the real estate market. Shares in Shanghai and the smaller market in Shenzhen, near Hong Kong, swung between big losses and small gains throughout the day.

Samsung chief acquitted of financial crimes related to 2015 merger

( ) -q-24- UNDATED (Correspondent Jeremy House) “and accounting fraud.”

A South Korean court has acquitted Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Jae-yong of financial crimes.

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TAG: Correspondent Jeremy House reporting.

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VERBATIM: The crimes were related to a contentious merger in 2015 that tightened Lee’s grip over South Korea’s biggest company. The ruling by a Seoul court could ease the legal troubles of the Samsung heir less than two years after he was pardoned of bribery in a separate case. Prosecutors had sought a five-year jail term for Lee, who was accused of stock price manipulation and accounting fraud.

Australia’s inflation slowed to lowest rate in three years

Australia has reported inflation slowed in the last quarter to its lowest rate in three years, raising hopes of a ‘soft landing’ for the nation’s economy

VERBATIM:

The Australian Bureau of Statistics revealed the latest consumers price index data had slowed to 4.1%, down from 5.4% at the last quarterly update in September. The result means the annual inflation rate is at its lowest level since December 2021. The latest results will support the case that inflation is being tamed, moderating the need for the Reserve Bank of Australia to lift its official cash rate when it next meets on February 6.

Philippines, Vietnam sign South China Sea agreements

The Philippines and Vietnam have signed agreements to avoid incidents in the South China Sea and broaden cooperation between their coast guards

VERBATIM:

The growing alliance will likely be frowned upon by China, which claims virtually the entire waters. The agreements, along with discussions on enhancing information-sharing and training exchanges between the Vietnamese and Philippine militaries, were forged during a recent visit to Hanoi by Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. Both sides agreed to boost trade and investment and signed a key deal on rice.

US employers added surprisingly robust 353,000 jobs in January

( ) -q-22- UNDATED (Correspondent Jeremy House) “half-century low.”

The nation’s employers delivered a surprising burst of hiring to begin 2024.

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TAG: Correspondent Jeremy House reporting. The latest gains far exceeded expectations and showcased employers’ willingness to keep hiring to meet steady consumer spending.

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VERBATIM: The Labor Department says 353,000 jobs were added in January. It’s the latest sign of the economy’s continuing ability to shrug off the highest interest rates in two decades. The report showed that last month’s job gain topped the 333,000 that were added in December. The unemployment rate stayed at 3.7%, just off a half-century low.

Tesla recalling nearly 2.2M vehicles for software update to fix warning lights

( ) -q-21- UNDATED (Correspondent Jeremy House) “of a crash.”

Tesla is recalling nearly all of the vehicles it has sold in the U.S. because some warning lights on the instrument panel are too small.

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TAG: Correspondent Jeremy House reporting. The recall covers the 2012 through 2023 Model S, the 2016 through 2023 Model X, the 2017 through 2023 Model 3, the 2019 through 2024 Model Y and the 2024 Cybertruck. Tesla has already started releasing the software update.

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VERBATIM: Documents posted by U.S. safety regulators say the recall will be done with an online software update. The agency says in the documents that the brake, park and antilock brake warning lights have a smaller font size than required by federal safety standards. That can make critical safety information hard to read, increasing the risk of a crash.

US lawmakers urge Hungarian leader to immediately approve Sweden’s NATO membership

( ) -q-30- UNDATED (Correspondent Jeremy House) “vote on ratification.”

A bipartisan group of U.S. lawmakers is urging Hungary to immediately ratify Sweden’s application to join NATO.

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TAG: Correspondent Jeremy House reporting. Shaheen and Tillis also said that continuing to hold up the process would harm Budapest’s relations with its allies. Senator Ben Cardin of Maryland in a separate statement, called Orbán “the least reliable member of NATO.”

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VERBATIM: Senators Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire and Thom Tillis of North Carolina released a joint statement calling on Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán to advance Sweden’s bid without delay. The lawmakers say that patience with the Central European country is “wearing thin.” Hungary is the only country in the 31-nation military alliance that hasn’t yet backed Sweden’s membership bid. Frustration has mounted within NATO as Budapest has repeatedly pushed back a vote on ratification.

Exxon overcomes falling crude prices in Q4 to top profit expectations

( ) -q-16- UNDATED (Correspondent Jeremy House) “Arabia and Russia.”

Exxon Mobil’s fourth-quarter revenue and profits declined as the oil giant was weighed down by a hefty impairment charge tied to regulatory issues in California.

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TAG: Correspondent Jeremy House reporting. In addition, the war between Israel and Hamas still potentially runs the risk of igniting a broader conflict in the Middle East.

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VERBATIM: Despite the declines, Exxon posted a healthy adjusted profit. And smaller rival Chevron also posted quarterly earnings that beat results. Both companies also raised their dividends. Oil markets are being stretched by cutbacks in oil production from Saudi Arabia and Russia.

More Americans apply for unemployment benefits but layoffs still historically low

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

The number of Americans filing for jobless benefits rose last week to the highest level in 11 weeks.

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TAG: Correspondent Jeremy House reporting.

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VERBATIM: The Labor Department says applications for unemployment benefits climbed to 224,000 for the week ending January 27, an increase of 9,000 from the previous week. Overall, 1.9 million Americans were collecting jobless benefits during the week that ended January 20. That’s an increase of 70,000 from the previous week.

Musk wants Tesla investors to switch carmaker’s corporate registration to Texas

( ) -q-21- UNDATED (Correspondent Jeremy House) “California in 2021.”

Elon Musk wants Tesla investors to decide on moving the company’s corporate listing to Texas.

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TAG: Correspondent Jeremy House reporting. Musk had polled X users earlier on the same question, with 87.1% of 1.1 million respondents voting yes.

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VERBATIM: The electric car company’s CEO says Tesla would get shareholders to vote on whether to switch its corporate registration to Texas, where its physical headquarters is located. Musk’s decision came after a Delaware court decided he shouldn’t get a multibillion-dollar pay package. He moved Tesla’s headquarters to Austin, Texas, from California in 2021.

China has nudged Japan aside as No. 1 auto exporter, Japanese data show

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

Data from a Japanese auto industry association show that China overtook Japan as the world’s largest vehicle exporter last year.

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TAG: Correspondent Jeremy House reporting. Much of the increase was driven by shipments of electric and hybrid vehicles. Japan’s car exports totaled 4.2 million in 2022. It had held the role as top exporter since 2017.

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VERBATIM: The Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association reported Japan exported 4.42 million vehicles in 2023. That’s up 16% from a year earlier, while domestic auto sales totaled nearly 4.78 million vehicles. According to figures released earlier by the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers, China exported 4.91 million vehicles last year. That was nearly 58% more than the year before.

Inflation in Europe edges down again

( ) -q-26- UNDATED (Correspondent Jeremy House) “Yemen’s Houthi rebels.”

Inflation is headed down in Europe.

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TAG: Correspondent Jeremy House reporting. The attacks are forcing ships carrying goods and fuel to Europe to take longer voyages to avoid the area, raising costs and threatening to slow the decline in inflation.

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VERBATIM: The official figure checks in at 2.8%. That’s more relief for consumers whose paychecks didn’t go as far after inflation peaked at record-high double digits in 2022. The decline also is fueling speculation that it might soon be time for the European Central Bank to start cutting interest rates. But the newfound relief is at risk from attacks on ships in the Red Sea by Yemen’s Houthi rebels.

Google’s parent posts double-digit revenue growth in 4th quarter, but ad sales slow

( ) -q-19- UNDATED (Correspondent Jeremy House) “and online advertising.”

Google’s corporate parent returned to double-digit revenue growth during last year’s final quarter.

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TAG: Correspondent Jeremy House reporting. The rebound followed an unprecedented drop in Google’s ad revenue coming out of the pandemic following nearly 20 years of uninterrupted growth. But Google’s ad sales lagged overall revenue growth, raising investor worries about the road ahead.

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VERBATIM: It’s a sign the internet powerhouse has regained its footing even as it grapples with regulatory and competitive threats to its digital empire. The results marked the third consecutive quarter of escalating revenue growth for the Mountain View, California, company. Most of the sales were made through Google’s dominance of search and online advertising.

Samsung reports decline in profit but anticipates business improvement

( ) -q-27- UNDATED (Correspondent Jeremy House) “and other products.”

Samsung Electronics has reported an annual 34% decline in operating profit for the last quarter.

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TAG: Correspondent Jeremy House reporting. Meanwhile, macroeconomic uncertainties could continue to affect its business in the near-term.

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VERBATIM: Sluggish demands for Samsung’s TVs and other consumer electronics products offset hard-won gains from a slowly recovering computer chip market. The South Korean technology giant said it expects its business to improve throughout 2024. It’s forecasting larger demands for semiconductors that power artificial intelligence features increasingly used in smartphones, personal computers and other products.

Microsoft profit soars 33% on AI, cloud-computing investments

( ) -q-23- UNDATED (Correspondent Jeremy House) “from last year.”

Microsoft says that its profit for the October-to-December quarter soared 33%, powered by its significant investments in artificial intelligence technology.

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TAG: Correspondent Jeremy House reporting. Analysts polled by FactSet Research expected Microsoft post revenue of $61.14 billion.

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VERBATIM: The increase was attributable in large part to growth in the company’s cloud-computing unit, where Microsoft focuses most of its AI investments. The company reported net income for the quarter of $21.87 billion. The Redmond, Washington, software maker posted revenue of $62.02 billion in the quarter, up 18% from last year.