AFN NEWS

Thursday, December 20, 2018　

1) From ABC News, I’m Scott Goldberg. A big swing on Wall Street after the Federal Reserve announces raising interest rates again for the fourth time this year. The Dow went from being up 381 points to down 351 points at the close. Despite pressure from President Trump to keep interest rates the same, Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell says, “Political considerations have played no role whatsoever in our discussions or decisions about monetary policy.” The Fed Chair saying they raise rates another 1/4% to keep inflation low and that presidential tweets didn’t sway them. “Nothing will deter us from doing what we think is the right thing to do.” Andy Field, ABC News, Washington.

2) A U.S. official told ABC News the Trump Administration is pulling all U.S. troops out of Syria within the next 30 days. The decision by President Trump is not a popular one with Democrats or Republican. “Colossal, in my mind, mistake, a grave error.” That’s Marco Rubio from Florida, a Republican. Chris Coons from Delaware, a Democrat. “To abandon the ground that we have gained and the allies who have fought alongside us in Syria, I think it would be a profound strategic mistake.” President Trump tweeted this morning that ISIS has been defeated. That’s despite the Pentagon releasing statement last week saying the fight against ISIS is not over.

3) It looks like the federal government will not shut down on Friday. The Senate’s advancing a stopgap measure kicking the deadline in February.

4) Former Attorney General Loretta Lynch was on Capitol Hill today. “Republicans are just now wrapping up their month-long investigation into the handling of the FBI’s investigation into former Secretary of State and Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton’s use of a private email server. Lynch was criticized during the presidential campaign for speaking with former President Bill Clinton at an airport as Federal investigators reviewed his wife’s use of private email. ABC’s Stephanie Ramos.

5) Federal judges blocked the Trump Administration for denying asylum to immigrants who claimed to be victims of domestic or gang violence. You’re listening to ABC News.

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From the Fox Business Network; markets finishing in the red after the Federal Reserve raised interest rates by 1/4 points. The Dow dropping 352 points, the NASDAQ lost 147 and the S&P 500 closing down 39. Oil futures climbing as supplies decline for the third straight week. The Energy Information Administration reporting domestic crude supplies fell by $1/2 million last week. Futures plunging yesterday to the lowest level in nearly 16 months. // The number of new enrolments in Obama Care exceeding expectations after a Federal judge ruled the Affordable Care Act is unconstitutional. Supporters of Obama Care are certain to appeal. // And Lion Air beefing with Boeing as both sides are steeled with the fallout from the deadly crash two months ago. A new Boeing 737 Max 8 plunged into the Java Sea in Indonesia killing all 189 people on board. A preliminary report saying faulty sensors caused the plane to enter a dive. With the Fox Business Report, I’m Steve __.

AFN NEWS

Thursday, December 13, 2018　

1) From ABC News, I’m Scott Goldberg. Politically wounded Theresa May has survived the confidence vote within her own party. By a vote of 200-117, her ruling conservative party colleagues have given Theresa May lukewarm support to carry on, but the road ahead remains incredibly steep and fraught with the yet more political dangers. The next hurdle, trying to get her UK exit from Euro plan through Parliament over the next few weeks. Something few here think will happen. ABC’s Tom Rivers at the foreign desk in London.

2) Tomorrow in the French Parliament, President Emmanuel Macron faces a confidence vote. It follows weeks of violent anti-government protests.

3) President Trump’s former personal lawyer and right-hand man Michael Cohen will soon be headed to federal prison. He was sentenced today by a judge to three years behind bars after Cohen pleaded guilty to a number of crimes including paying hush money to two women who claimed to have had affairs with the President. “Make no mistakes. The President of the United States was front and center in this proceeding today. He talked about being in mental incarceration from the moment that he met the President of the United States, and that he acknowledged again that he did these acts at the direction of the President of the United States.” ABC’s chief justice correspondent Pierre Thomas talking about Michael Cohen. In addition to Cohen’s sentence, federal prosecutors said the publisher of The National Enquirer won’t be prosecuted for killing an unflattering story about President Trump.

4) The National Enquirer’s corporate parent AMI admitted the purpose of buying former Playboy model Karen McDougal’s story of an affair with Donald Trump and never publishing it was to help the Trump campaign. The practice known as “catch and kill” costs $150,000 and at the time AMI coordinated with President Trump’s former fixer and lawyer Michael Cohen. ABC’s Aaron Katersky.

* AMI = American Media Inc.

5) A senior White House official says Republican Congressman Mark Meadows, North Carolina, is out of the running for the next White House Chief of Staff. They said the President told him he needs Meadows in Congress. You’re listening to ABC News.

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From the Fox Business Network; on Wall Street, major averages closing in the green. Stocks rising on investor optimism about U.S.-China trade relations. Among the gainers today, tech and energy companies, while real estate and utilities were among the laggards. Trade sensitive stocks like Boeing and Caterpillar were among the Dow gainers, while Verizon and Walmart were among the Dow losers with the Dow closing in the green but paring from session high closing up 157 points, the NASDAQ up 66, S&P 500 up 14, and Verizon was among the Dow laggards today with the stocks falling over 2 and 1/2 percent after the Telecom giant said it would take a $4.6 billion hit for Oath media and expensive Internet venture that never panned out. Verizon is taking a charge in the fourth quarter to cover weak revenue and earnings from Oath. It says that the benefits from integrating Yahoo and AOL with the enterprise were less than expected. With the Fox Business Report, I’m Hilarie Barsky.

AFN NEWS

Thursday, December 6, 2018　

1) From ABC News, I’m Scott Goldberg. A somber ceremony for former President George H.W. Bush at the National Cathedral. Broken up by light moments, his friends and family recalled the 41st President’s love of jokes. The common theme in all of the eulogies for former President George H.W. Bush on Thursday, his sense of humor. His son George W. Bush, “He placed great value on a good joke, so I chose Simpson to speak.” A reference to Alan Simpson, former senator from Wyoming who had the crowd laughing with lines like this about Bush 41. “And he threw his head back and gave that great laugh, but he never, ever could remember a punchline. And I mean never.” Karen Travers, ABC News, Washington. The casket carrying the 41st President’s body is now on its way to Houston, where he will be buried tomorrow.

2) On this national day of mourning, stock markets were closed. The day after, the Dow dropped almost 800 points, following a tweet from President Trump calling himself Tariff Man. “A key issue here on Wall Street is confusion over the true prospects for a deal with China on tariffs coming out of the G 20 Summit. It sounded from the White House like there was a very real possibility of a long-term deal being struck, but in a series of tweets yesterday from President Trump, we received some mixed signals.” ABC’s Rebecca Jarvis. President Trump once again tweeted today about the possibility of a deal with China, saying that country is sending quote “very strong signal that plans to deliver.”

3) A search and rescue operation is under way for U.S. Marine aircraft off the coast of Japan. They say there was a mishap during training.

4) And a Border Patrol agent who confessed to shooting four women in the head and leaving their bodies in rural Texas has been charged with capital murder. Now, the charge is upgraded against Juan David Ortiz by grand jury. You’re listening to ABC News.

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From the Fox Business Network; to honor the life and legacy of President George H.W. Bush, U.S. markets were closed today during a national day of mourning. The last time the markets closed to honor the death of a president was more than a decade ago in 2007 after President Gerald Ford died. // And most Federal Reserve districts reporting modest or moderate economic growth in recent weeks, though four regions said growth had slowed or was slight. According to the Fed’s Beige Book, a snapshot of the economy gleaned from discussions with business contacts in the Fed’s 12 districts. Policymakers will review the Beige Book report as they prepare for their mid-December meeting where they’re expected to approve a quarter point rate hike for the fourth time this year. // And Google’s self-driving car spin-off is finally ready to give it a whirl today in profit from its nearly decade-old technology. Waymo introducing a small-scale ride-hailing service in the Phoenix area that will include a human behind the wheel in case the robotic vehicles malfunction. With the Fox Business Report, I’m Hilarie Barsky.

AFN NEWS

Thursday, November 29, 2018　

1) From ABC News, I’m Scott Goldberg. House Democrats voted to nominate Nancy Pelosi for Speaker of the House once again. The majority of House Democrats chose the nominee longtime leader Nancy Pelosi for Speaker of the House. The California Representative became the first female speaker in 2007. This time she ran unopposed but a small group of members vowed to vote against her. Pelosi will have several weeks to firm up her support, cut deals and flex her power before the full House vote on her nomination January 3rd. Kenneth Moton, ABC News, the Capitol.

2) The Senate has advanced the resolution to end U.S. military involvement in Yemen. This is a rebuke to the White House that comes after lawmakers on both sides __ were upset about a briefing they got this afternoon. “Secretary Mattis met with senators on U.S.-Saudi relationships and concerned about the war in Yemen, and what the CIA knows about Jamal Khashoggi’s death. ‘We have no smoking gun that the Crown Prince was involved.’ CIA reports there is a high probability he was. President Trump saying the U.S.-Saudi relationship isn’t worth risking over that possibility. Andy Field, ABC News, Washington.

3) President Trump’s lead attorney says lawyers for former Trump campaign Chairman Paul Manafort shared information with the President’s legal team about what Manafort told the special counsel. “This cooperation with the Trump lawyers simply shows how scared, literally petrified both Manafort and Trump are.” This afternoon Senate blocked a vote on the bill that would protect Mueller, if the President tried to fire him.

4) Officials say a body discovered in North Carolina is believed to be missing 13-year-old Hania Aguilar who was kidnapped outside of her house three weeks ago. “This is the outcome that we all feared that was going to happen. We did not want to hear this.” Lumberton Police Chief Michael McNeil and investigators say her body was discovered yesterday along a road.

5) On Wall Street, the Dow gained more than 600 points today. You’re listening to ABC News.

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From the Fox Business Network; on Wall Street, all the major averages ending sharply higher for the third straight day of gains. Investors are welcoming remarks by Fed Chair Jerome Powell who painted a rosy picture of the U.S. economy, while addressing the economic club of New York today. Powell suggested that the Fed might be willing to raise interest rates at the slower pace next year. // Among the Dow leaders today, Boeing, Caterpillar and Visa, while Verizon and United Technologies were among the laggers. The Dow ending its session high, closing up 618 points. The NASDAQ up 209, S&P 500 up 62. // And shares of online furniture and home goods retailer Wayfair rallying today, closing up over 14% after the company said its online sales were up 58% over the holiday shopping weekend compared with the last year. While Cyber Monday was the peak sales day of the holiday weekend, Black Friday marked the highest growth day. With the Fox Business Report, I’m Hilarie Barsky.