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 ___ ___.

AFN NEWS ON THE HOUR

Thursday, June 28, 2018

 
 

1) From ABC News, I’m Richard Cantu. A crucial hope on the U.S. Supreme Court is retiring. Justice Anthony Kennedy will leave at the end of July. “It’s not like he was ‘a’ swing justice. He was ‘the’ swing justice. He was the one that both sides had to appeal to for decade now, and we haven’t seen a change in the balance of power in the Supreme Court for decades. It has been a long time since it has been anything close to announcing this report.” ABC News political director Rick Klein.

 

2) President Trump says the search for a new justice will begin immediately but Washington State Democratic Senator Patty Murray says the vote should wait. Justice Republican forced in 2016 during the election year. “I hope that Sen. McConnell follows his own advice that in a decision this knowledge of this much magnitude that touches so many people that he allows the voters to weigh in.” Kennedy was appointed by President Reagan.

 

3) A compromising immigration bill failed in the House, nearly half of the Republicans opposing the measure.

 

4) We’ll learn tomorrow when and where President Trump and Russian President Putin will hold their summit. National security advisor John Bolton, “Both President Trump and President Putin feel that it is important for these two leaders of these two critically important countries to get together and discuss their mutual problems and areas of cooperation.” Bolton who just met with Putin in Moscow says he believes the President will discuss Russia’s interference in the 2016 election.

 

5) A man accused of running down Heather Heyer during the Charlottesville counter-protest last year is facing new charges on top of murder. “In filing federal hate crime charges, prosecutors said Fields was full of hate and believed white people were superior to other races and peoples.” ABC’s Aaron Katersky.

 

6) The patriarch of musical Jackson family died. A county coroner says Joe Jackson died in Las Vegas at the age of 89. He launched the careers of the Jackson-5, Michael Jackson and Janet Jackson.

 

7) On Wall Street, the Dow lost 165 points. You’re listening to ABC News.

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From the Fox Business Network; workers wasting no time getting worked up when they return from a vacation. Around a quarter of working adults tell the American Psychological Association that a positive effect of vacation like feeling less stress and having more energy go away as soon as they return to work. The 40 percent say the benefit only lasts a few days. // Investors are stressing about the trade conflict again. The Dow, NASDAQ and the S&P500 all closing lower on Wednesday. // Food maker Conagra is eating up some of its competition. The company behind such brands as Marie Calendar’s, Hunt’s, Reddi-wip is buying Pinnacle Foods. Pinnacle’s popular brands include Bird Eye and Duncan Hines. The total price tags 10.9 billion bucks. // And attention, jobseekers, forget looking for summer jobs? Calls are already high for the holidays. That’s in addition to still looking to fill positions for the busy back-to-school season. With the Fox Business Report, I’m Charles Payne.

 

AFN NEWS ON THE HOUR

Thursday, June 21, 2018

 
 

1) From ABC News, I’m Richard Cantu. Under mounting pressure from the public and his own political party, President Trump has signed an executive order. He says we’ll keep together immigrant families caught crossing into the U.S. illegally. “We can have strong, very strong borders, but we’re going to keep the families together. I didn’t like the sight or the feeling of families being separated.” The President now on his way to Duluth for a rally for a Republican congressional candidate says his zero-tolerance immigration policy will continue. Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar says his agency will start reuniting detained immigrant children with their parents, but most say how quickly that will happen. Congressional Democrats say the executive order is no way to get immigration law passed. New York Democratic Congressman Jerry Nadler says the White House is playing political poker with children. “He uses what amounts to government-sponsored child abuse as political leverage, a bargaining chip.” Democrats say despite the newly signed order ending family separation, the President is still using DREAMer children to get Democrats to found the border wall. Andy Field, ABC News Capitol Hill.

 

2) Michael Cohen, President Trump’s one-time confidant and personal attorney, has resigned as the deputy finance chairman of the Republican National Committee panel. Cohen’s resignation letter reviewed by ABC News said it is simply impossible for him to dedicate the attention the role deserves because of the ongoing special counsel investigation and the theft investigation by federal prosecutors here in New York. Cohen’s letter also included his first public policy split from President Trump. As the son of a Polish holocaust survivor, Cohen wrote, the images and sounds of this family separation policy heart-wrenching. ABC’s Aaron Katersky.

 

3) Disney is sweetening its offer for 21st Century Fox. The corporate parent of ABC News is now offering more than $71 billion for Fox’s entertainment business in a counter bid to Comcast’s nearly $66 billion offer.

 

4) On Wall Street, the Dow lost 42 points. You’re listening to ABC News.

 

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From the Fox Business Network; many moms and dads across the country are either crying or celebrating. That’s because more their adult children are leaving the nest. According to real estate company CoStar group, around 31% of millennials were still shacking up with their parents last year. That’s down from around 32% in 2016. It’s apparently not enough for them buying a new place when they do move out because the existing home sales falling for the second straight month in May. Supply shortage of homes in the market, high prices and rising mortgage rates, all playing big factors. // A big stay on Wall Street following Tuesday’s selloff, while the Dow fell, the S&P500 rose and the NASDAQ, Russell 2000, closed at all-time high. // A major milestone for Instagram, the social media company, saying it just crossed 1 billion monthly active users. The company also officially unveiling its long-form video platform. With the Fox Business Report, I am David Asman.

 

 

AFN NEWS ON THE HOUR

Thursday, June 14, 2018　

1) From ABC News, I’m Richard Cantu. Carrying around debt is getting more expensive. “No surprise from the Federal Reserve announcing that it’s raising interest rates 1/4 of a percent from 1 and 3/4 to 2%. It’s also calling for up to four rate hikes this year in total. In other words, one or two more by the end of 2018. One of the main reasons for the decision, unemployment falling to 3.8% in May to a low that we haven’t seen in nearly two decades.” ABC’s Daria Albinger.

 

2) President Trump’s personal attorney Michael Cohen is looking for new legal representation in his federal criminal case. “Michael Cohen’s attorneys have been rushing to review nearly 4 million items seized from him back in April, but now ABC News has learned those attorneys, Stephen Ryan and Todd Harrison, are not expected to represent Cohen going forward. No replacement lawyers have been named and we’re told Cohen is likely to cooperate now with federal prosecutors.” ABC’s Aaron Katersky.

 

3) Tennessee Republican Senator Bob Corker for now stymied in his bid to pass amendment requiring congressional approval for tariffs says he thinks the GOP is acting like a cult, because members fear President Trump. “Not a good place for any party that they end up with a cult-like situation as it relates to a president that happens to be of, purportedly, of the same party.” Senate Majority Whip John Cornyn, an ally of the President, said he would not dignify caucus comment with a response.

 

4) The outcome was never in doubt in any emergency session. The UN General Assembly voted to blame Israel for the violence in Gaza and rejected the U.S. call to condemn Hamas for attacks on Israel.

 

5) Antarctica is melting faster than ever. An international team of ice experts reports the frozen continent lost almost 3 trillion tons of ice since 1992 enough to cover all of Texas with nearly 13 feet of water. You’re listening to ABC News.

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From the Fox Business Network, America is taking a hike, the Federal Reserve hiking interest rates by 1/4 points for the second time this year on Wednesday. Of course, this means consumers pay more when they borrow money or use their credit cards, but still also make more money from higher savings rates. // Stocks taking ahead of word of two more hikes that are coming this year. The Dow, NASDAQ and S&P500 all closing lower. // It looks like a majority of students are planning to work once a school year is over. A new report from OppLoans finds 63% of teens and young adults already have a job lined up for the summer. Nearly half says they’ll use some money for college or living expenses. // And if you already have a job and feeling sleepy at work, __ __ __ __. Nine out of ten employers telling the National Safety Council that tired employees are having a negative effect on their business, and more than half saying they have workers actually fall asleep on the job. With the Fox Business Report, I’m Charles Payne.

 

AFN NEWS ON THE HOUR

Friday, June 8, 2018 Thursday

 
 

1) From ABC News, I’m Richard Cantu. The summit, before the summit, “I think I am very well prepared. I don’t think I have to prepare very much.” President Trump in the Oval Office says he prepares to leave for Singapore, and what would be a historic summit with North Korean Leader Kim. “About attitude, it’s about willingness to get things done.” Later appearing with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, heard here through a translator “We will have greater peace and stability, and also this will be a dramatic and transformational moment.”

 

2) House Republicans huddled trying to find agreement between conservatives and moderates on helping DREAMer immigrants stay in the U.S. legally. Supporters are three votes shy of a procedural measure that would force a showdown on the issue. Speaker Paul Ryan says the discharge position would not be productive. “Our new deadline is not to have a deadline but to work with our members to get things done in aborted discharge petition, so obviously time is of the essence.”

 

3) A federal judge in Baltimore sentenced former Police Sergeant Wayne Jenkins to 25 years in prison. He led a corrupt police task force. “Authorities say he falsified records and stole drugs and hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash from people detained or arrested by his Gun Trace Task Force. Jenkins pleaded guilty earlier this year to charges of racketeering, robbery and more. He is the second member of the now disbanded task force to be sentenced. Three more members of that task force scheduled to be sentenced this week.” ABC Mark Remillard.

 

4) A failure of a water treatment plant in southern Iowa has forced thousands of residents in nine counties to boil tap water before using. It’s been going on since Sunday and will be this weekend at the earliest before repairs are made.

 

5) Anticipating blood-shed during a mass protest on the border of Gaza tomorrow, Israeli military aircraft dropped leaflets across the Gaza Strip, warning residents to stay far from the border during the demonstration.

 

6) On Wall Street, stocks closed mixed, the Dow up 95 points, the NASDAQ down 54. You’re listening to ABC News.

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From the Fox Business Network, American household net wealth topping $100 trillion for the first time ever during the first three months of the year. A big boost in home values helping offset some declines in stock portfolios. // Meantime, if you look to buy that dream house, you might wanna act fast. According to real estate website Trulia, home sold in April stayed on the market for 64 days. That’s the fastest turnaround since the housing crash more than a decade ago. // And you’re gonna need some more bucks to buy coffee at Starbucks. It’s raising the price of a regular cup of coffee by 10-20 cents in most U.S. stores. Price is staying the same for its specialty drinks, at least for now. // And how about display hang-up? According to a new report from tracking service YouMail, Americans were bombarded with more than 4 billion robocalls last month, the most ever. That’s up more than 50% from the same time last year. With the Fox Business Report, I am David Asman.