AFN NEWS ON THE HOUR

Thursday, July 5, 2018　

1) From ABC News, I’m Richard Cantu. Across this country, Fourth of July plan is sidetracked. Here in New York City, “I just see an unauthorized person climbed up the Statue of Liberty at this time.” Police are trying to coax a woman down from the Statue’s base. She climbed up there apparently in protest of Trump Administration’s immigration enforcement policies. Liberty Island evacuated. “All vacation was ruined.”

2) In Houston, flooding rain forced cancellation of all Freedom Over Texas celebrations. Mayor Sylvester Turner, “Mother Nature had its own way of calling on us, so in some parts of our city right at I-10 and 610, we’ve got as much as 8 inches of rain.” And communities across at least four western states have cancelled fireworks. Hot dry conditions right for wildfires.

3) Overseas, Scotland Yard confirms that two Britons found critically ill were exposed to the same nerve agent that sickened the former Russian spy and his daughter eight miles away earlier this year.

4) Back in this country, a group of Republican senators in Moscow are putting government officials on notice. The story from Washington and ABC’s Andy Field: “Kansas Republican Sen. Jerry Moran didn’t pull punches with Russian officials in Moscow. ‘If you want this relationship to improve, you need to demonstrate to us that all elections are off-limits for your interference.” Senators Richard Shelby and John Thune joining the U.S. delegation in Moscow, saying Russian officials continue denying that they hacked U.S. elections.” Andy Field, ABC News, Washington.

5) Civil rights groups are slamming Trump Administration’s reversal of Obama-era policy which encouraged schools to use race as a factor in admissions. “This issue is certainly going to come up for the Supreme Court again in the next few years, as the case is involving Harvard’s affirmative action policy. A lawsuit filed that said the university discriminates against Asian students. Civil liberties groups called this announcement from the Trump Administration and on...”

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From the Fox Bossiness Network, despite reports to the contrary, many people are ready to embrace robots, and majority of Americans say they are ready and willing to accept them. And even take orders from them at work, according to a new study. Oracle and research firm Future Workplace teaming up in polling more than 1300 employees and human resource leaders about the advancement of artificial intelligence at work, and they were surprised to find that most people are looking forward to embracing the technology very soon. According to the report, 70% say they are using some form of AI in their personal way, while on the flip side only 6% of human resource professionals are actively using it. Of those polled, many workers view artificial intelligent as a way to eliminate routine tasks, increase their productivity and create a better employee experience overall. With the Fox Business Report, I am ___ ___.