AFN NEWS ON THE HOUR

Thursday, July 19, 2018

1) From ABC News, I’m Richard Cantu. Just one day after offering a clarification on Russian meddling in the 2016 election, President Trump once again contradicts the U.S. Intelligence Community. ABC’s Cecilia Vega questioned the President before today’s cabinet meeting. “He was answering my question. He looked right at me. I asked point-blank “Do you believe that Russia is still interfering and targeting the United States? And he said, “No,” and that, and then “Thank you, no,” and then ___ try to usher us out of the room, and I went back and I asked again, and he again said, “No, thank you very much.” But White House Spokeswoman Sarah Sanders says the President was saying no to taking more questions. Tennessee Republican Senator Bob Corker calls it an unclear message from the White House at the time of clear evidence of Russian meddling. “I think it a signal that this central intelligence goes to absolutely believe their attempting meddling in our elections is very demoralizing.” The President tells CBS that he holds Russian President Putin personally responsible for meddling in U.S. elections.

2) Prosecutors say 29-year-old Maria Butina accused of being a covert Russian agent was likely in contact with Kremlin operatives while living in the U.S. She pleaded not guilty but is being held without bond.

3) A judge in Georgia has ruled that a young immigrant hoping to serve as a state lawmaker can’t. Maria Palacios became a U.S. citizen last year, and in March just started to run for a state representative. “To me, Gainesville, Georgia is my home.” Believing, though, she is now a U.S. citizen, Secretary of State Brian Kemp who’s running for governor and just tough on immigrant platform says she can’t run. Now in the proceeding that took less than 5 minutes, Fulton County’s Superior Court judge Craig Schwall ruled Palacios can’t run for office until she lived in Georgia as a U.S. citizen for at least two years. ABC’s Pete Combs.

4) Prison guard killed in Minnesota: The State Corrections Department reports 16-year veteran officer Joseph Gomm was attacked by a convicted murderer in the building at the prison east to the Twin Cities.

5) Wall Street; the Dow closed up 79 points. The NASDAQ was down fractionally. You’re listening to ABC News.

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From the Fox Business Network, more than 8 in 10 workers surveyed by recruiting firms Accounting Principals and Ajilon say they are either looking for a new job or open to a better job opportunity. Regardless of how content employers are, it appears they want out of the workforce when they are fairly young. // That’s because, as a separate report from Bankrate finds, the average American thinks the ideal age to retire is 61. // Google getting slapped with a record $5 billion antitrust fine by the European Union. The EU accusing the company of forcing cellphone makers to use Android operating system to load Google search and browser apps. The company says it will appeal the fine. // Finally, “America’s Team” is also the richest team on the planet. For the third year in a row, Forbes is naming the Dallas Cowboys the most valuable sports franchise in the world. How much is America’s Team worth? Try 4.8 billion bucks. From the Fox Business Network, I’m Charles Payne.

AFN NEWS ON THE HOUR

Thursday, July 12, 2018

1) From ABC News, I’m Richard Cantu. The NATO summit started off with President Trump accusing Germany of being captive to Russia. His worry is over $12 million natural gas deal. “A couple hours after those comments, the President had a meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, and if you thought he was getting to go after her in person, he didn’t. There was no tension on display. There was actually pretty cordial, very quick ---. The President said they had a great meeting. He said they had a tremendous relationship, and he was asked if the pipeline came up in your conversations. All he says was “Yes, we did discuss that.” No hints he said whether or not he got a little contentious behind the scene away from the camera.” ABC’s Karen Travers in Brussels.

2) In this country, some of the president’s Republican supporters including Utah Sen. Orrin Hatch said the President’s wrong on this one. “I think sometimes you can, you can be a little too critical of other counterparts. I don’t think we should be critical. She is really good.” Hatch was in Germany last week in support of NATO.

3) In Florida, more than a dozen survivors of the MSD high school massacre have filed a civil rights lawsuit, asserting school and Broward County officials didn’t do enough to prevent February slaughter of 17 people. An attorney says the suit is about specific officers who failed the students.

4) The first fire chief to arrive at the World Trade Center on September 11th, 2001 is retiring. Chief Joe Pfeifer saw American Flight 11 slice to the World Trade Center and set up the command post in the north tower lobby, where he watched his brother Kevin head upstairs never to return. “Those tragedies motivated us to move forward.” Pfeifer could have retired 17 years ago. Instead, he created the FDNY‘s Counterterrorism and Emergency Preparedness plan. Aaron Katersky, ABC News, New York.

5) The World Cup final is set. “Goal there!” Fans in Zagreb at the end of Croatia’s 2-1 extra-time victory over England, the Croats head into their first-ever World Cup final Sunday against France. You’re listening to ABC News.

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From the Fox Business Network, a lot of job hunters could be also house hunters. That’s because a new survey from Glassdoor finds more than 1 in 4 job applicants are from people outside the company’s area. Salary and work culture are the big reasons why new hires are willing to make them move. // A big recall for anyone who has a pet. Ikea calling back its LURVIG water dispenser. Apparently pets can get their heads stuck and suffocated. So far two deaths have been reported worldwide. // Here on Wall Street, stocks breaking a 4-day winning streak, the major markets falling after President Trump threats a new round of tariff against China. // And then, listen up! If you’re looking for something fun and inexpensive to do with kids on Thursday. Build-A-Bear is having its first-ever Pay Your Age Day. Kids and even adults can build their own furry friend and pay dollar amount based on how old they are. With the Fox Business Report, I am Maria Bartiromo.

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.