AFN NEWS ON THE HOUR

Thursday, May 24, 2018

  

1) From ABC News, I’m Richard Cantu. Now, Mr. President, you may not block critics from your Twitter feed, so says a federal judge in New York City ruling that doing so is a free speech violation. “This ruling isn’t really a loss for Trump or a win for his critics. It’s a victory for the openness of the Internet generally and Twitter feed specifically. The court held it would violate the First Amendment for the President to be able to pick and choose who gets to see and respond his messages on Twitter.” ABC News legal analyst Royal Oakes. In the statement the Justice Department says it disagrees with the judge and is considering its next steps.

 

2) President Trump’s put a name on his latest attempt to discredit Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s Russia investigation. The President now calling it Spy-gate on an unproven theory that the fed spied on his campaign. Former FBI Director James Comey called it wrong and described what went on as spy. Outside the White House, “I did a great service for our country by firing James Comey.” Two Republicans, allies of the President, sit down tomorrow with Federal Intelligence and law enforcement officials going over highly classified information about an FBI source who spoke with members of the Trump campaign. No Democrats, Minority Leader Charles Schumer says that’s wrong. “Leader Pelosi and I are sending a letter to Attorney General Rosenstein and Director Wray to request they reconsider holding the meeting at all and if they move forward to do so in a bipartisan fashion,” __ __, congressional sources tell ABC News that the White House is expected to arrange a bipartisan briefing.

 

3) Trying to quell the firestorm over national anthem protests, NFL owners unanimously approved new policy decreeing players can stay in the locker room during the Star Spangled Banner. But if they’re on the field, they better be standing. Commissioner Roger Goodell, “If anyone is on the field and is disrespectful to the anthem or the flag, there will be a fine from the league against the team.”

 

4) And update on Wall Street with the Dow closing 52 points higher, and the NASDAQ gaining 47. You’re listening to ABC News.

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From the Fox Business Network; taking a vacation form going on vacation, only around 1/3 of workers telling bankrate.com that they plan to use all of their time off this year. Some of those who do maybe take their staycation because nearly one in four says they really can’t afford vacation this summer. // And if you can’t afford a trip, maybe ask your kids for a loan. According to the company RoosterMoney, kids between ages of 4 and 14 are saving nearly 1/3 of their allowances. // For the matter who pays you to get away, you might want to wait until late fall to go anywhere. That’s because US Airlines are expecting more than 246 million people to travel between the beginning of June and the end of August and that’s a record high. // Fifteen percent of workers telling CareerBuilder that they fought with coworkers about temperature in the office, and the majority say that being too hot or too cold hurts their productivity. With the Fox Business Report, I’m David Asman.

 

 AFN NEWS ON THE HOUR

Thursday, May 17, 2018　

 

1) From ABC News, I’m Richard Cantu. The White House story today has North Korea threatens to pull out of the next month summit with President Trump over the U.S. demanding to denuclearize. “This is something that we fully expected,” White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders says. It’s all part of the bargaining. “The President is very used to being ready for tough negotiations and if they wanna meet, we’ll be ready, and if they don’t, that’s OK, too. We’ll continue with the campaign of maximum pressure. That’s the case.” The summit’s scheduled for June 12th in Singapore.

 
2) The President released his financial disclosure report of footnote state. He reimbursed attorney Michael Cohen for as much as $250,000 for expenses last year. But there’s no mention of 130 grand paid to Stormy Daniels. The report says the President didn’t have to disclose the payment to Cohen, but did so in the interest of transparency.

 

3) Gina Haspel cleared a big hurdle to becoming CIA director by a 10-to-5 vote in the Senate Intelligence Committee recommending her confirmations. “Setting her up free, final senate vote in the coming days to be CIA director. Two of the committee seven Democrats sided with Republicans and backing her including the Committee’s top Democrat Mark Warner. The support followed Haspel’s acknowledgement that the CIA should not have conducted enhanced interrogation.” ABC’s Serena Marshall on Capitol Hill.

 

4) An environmental mystery; levels of the most common kind of ozone depleting chlorofluorocarbon (CFC 11) phased out over the last three decades have been rising since 2013. Federal planetary scientist Steve Montzka wrote a story, wrote a study published in the journal Nature. “The production of this gas was phased out about a decade ago, so we expected that its decline rate would have increased rather than slowed down.” Steve thinks CFC 11 might be bleeding off from products including building insulation manufactured before its production was banned.

 

5) Wall Street now closed up 63 points. The NASDUQ was a 47-point gainer. You’re listening to ABC News.

 

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From the Fox Business Network, for the 3rd consecutive year the No.1 financial regret for Americans is not saving enough for retirement followed by no emergency savings. The new survey by Bankrate.com also finding 1 in 4 have no plan to fix their money problems. // No regret for investors on Wall Street Wednesday, the Dow rising along with the other major indexes. Russell 2,000 which tracks smaller companies closing at all-time high. // For some real concerns about real state, a new report from the company ValueInsured shows more than 2/3 believe the housing market is unhealthy. Rising home prices and rising interest rates are the big reasons why. // Amazon wants to make shopping at Whole Foods more appetizing. The company is now offering its Amazon Prime members at 10% discount and some items are already on sale. The program launches in Florida on Wednesday and goes nationwide this summer. With the Fox Business Report, I am David Asman.

AFN NEWS ON THE HOUR

Thursday, May 10, 2018

 

 

 

1) From ABC News, I’m Richard Cantu. The White House answering questions about the business activities of Michael Cohen, formerly President Trump’s personal attorney. This after Stormy Daniels’ attorney asserted that Cohen accepted $1/2 million from a New York investment firm with ties to a Russian billionaire close to Vladimir Putin. Was Cohen providing insights to the new administration? White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders, “I’m not gonna get into somebody else’s qualifications. That’s something that an independent company that hires an individual would have to make that determination, not me.”

 

2) President Trump is set to greet three U.S. citizens released by North Korea when they return to the U.S. before dawn tomorrow. The detainees released after Secretary of State Mike Pompeo visited Pyongyang. President Trump says to greet them at Joint Base Andrews outside Washington at 2 a.m. North Korea said it was a hard decision but a gesture of goodwill before Trump and Kim summit. Planning that summit brought Pompeo to North Korea, only the second Secretary of State who visited the country and the highest ranking official to have met Kim Jong-un. ABC’s Conor Finnegan in Washington.

 

3) Gina Haspel, President Trump’s choice to run the CIA went before the Senate Intelligence Committee. She used to run a post 911 black site for terror detainees but wants no part of that. “I don’t believe that torture works.” Committee Democrat Martin Heinrich of New Mexico then posed the question. “What would you do if the President ordered you to get back in that business?” “Senator, the President has elected me to give them advice. I would not restart under any circumstances an interrogation program at CIA under any circumstances.” “Thank you.” Protestors disrupted the hearing with chants of “Prosecute the Torturers.”

 

4) His assistant says 86-year-old civil rights activist Andrew Young will be transferred to a hospital in Atlanta tomorrow. Young took sick in Nashville over the weekend. His daughter says Young had a minor infection and ran a fever and he’s recovering well.

 

5) On Wall Street, the Dow closed up 182 points. The NASDAQ was a 73-point gainer. You’re listening to ABC News.

 

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From the Fox Business Network, more than half of all Americans who are not yet retired believe they will be financially comfortable when they do retire, but not everybody thinks that will be certain pretty because the poll which was done by Gallup also finds 46% fear they won’t have enough money. // The Dow, NASDAQ and S&P-500 all rallying as oil prices hit the highest level since November 2014. // Sears is teaming up with Amazon to make buying and installing tires a little easier to get in the next few weeks. Customers who buy tires from Amazon will be able to have them installed at a Sears’ auto center. Shares of Sears soaring nearly 16% on the news. // Finally, if you’re planning to take your mom out for a meal on Mother’s Day, you’ll have lots of company because the National Restaurant Association predicts around 87 million adults will go out to restaurants on Sunday, and another 1/3 plan on having a home cook meal. With the Fox Business Report, I am David Asman.

AFN NEWS ON THE HOUR

Thursday, May 3, 2018　

 

1)  From ABC News, I’m Richard Cantu. At least five members of Puerto Rico’s Air National Guard were killed when their C-130 transport crashed during a training mission and burned outside Savannah, Georgia. There were 9 crew aboard, 4 unaccounted for. Master Sgt. Roger Parsons of the Savannah based 156th Airlift Wing, calls it devastating. “As an interim safety board, they will be securing the scene and they will secure that scene for as long as it takes to start the process of investigating this to find out what the cause was and looking all the factors in this.” The doomed transport plane was headed for Arizona.

 

2) Further shakeup in the President Trump’s legal team in the Russian investigation. Ty Cobb announced he is retiring at the end of May. The President’s to hire veteran Washington attorney Emmet Flood to replace Cobb. “Ty Cobb has been a White House clean person to the special counsel’s Russia probe, working with President Trump’s outside attorneys. His retirement comes as the President’s legal team is actively negotiating with Robert Mueller and his team about a possible interview with Mr. Trump. Earlier today, Cobb spoke to ABC’s Powerhouse Politics podcast and said a presidential interview with special counsel Robert Mueller has not been rule out.” ABC’s Karen Travers at the White House.

 

3) No change in the cost of money. The nation’s central bank leaving unchanged its benchmark interest rates, 1 and 1/2 to 1 and 3/4%. “The Federal Reserve raised interest rates in April. So Bankrate Greg McBride wasn’t surprised to see it hold in May.” “We don’t see anything from economic standpoint that would warn them of raising rates in successive meetings.” “But he says all the signs point toward an increase in June, lower unemployment, strong business investment and inflation nearing the Fed’s 2% target. Daria Albinger, ABC News.”

 

4) The jury in Charlottesville, Virginia convicted White man Jacob Scott Goodwin in the beating of Black man during a white nationals rally last August. The jury recommending a 10-year sentence for Goodwin.

 

5) On Wall Street, it was a down day, the Dow closing off 174 points, the NASDAQ losing 30. You are listening to ABC News.

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From the Fox Business Network; a new law for vehicles could help a lot of accidents in the rearview camera beginning Wednesday. All new cars sold in this country must have backup cameras. Obviously the move is designed to improve safety as more than 200 people are killed and another 12,000 injured each year by vehicle’s backing up. // And the company Hotloans is putting a price tag on __. The firm estimates that it costs around 9500 bucks a year on an average to raise a child. They say it’s cheapest in Montana __, the most expensive in Washington, D.C. at nearly $18,000 a year. // Good news for parents who need more money, though, to raise their kids. The payroll company ADP says business has added 24,000 new workers last month. The government jobs report comes up Friday. The new survey that’s on Accountemps found employees are disengaged more than 1/4 of the time. With the Fox Business Report, I’m Neil Cavuto.