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Barr assembles ‘team’ to look into counterintelligence investigation on Trump campaign in 2016, official says

Attorney General Bill Barr has assembled a "team" to investigate the origins of the FBI's counterintelligence investigation into the Trump campaign, an administration official briefed on the situation told Fox News on Tuesday.

Barr told lawmakers at a contentious hearing on Tuesday that he was reviewing the bureau's “conduct” during the summer of 2016. Republicans have repeatedly called for a thorough investigation of the FBI's intelligence practices following the conclusion of Special Counsel Robert Mueller's probe.

This is a developing story; please check back for updates.

Source: Fox News Politics

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Trump says ‘young bartender’ AOC has Dems ‘shaking’: ‘They’re petrified of her’

President Donald Trump mocked freshman Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., on Tuesday over her signature Green New Deal, referring to the progressive proposal to combat climate change as being “done by a young bartender.”

Trump didn’t explicitly name Ocasio-Cortez in his address at the National Republican Congressional Committee dinner in Washington, though he cautioned lawmakers against being too quick to defeat the plan, in hopes of campaigning against it in his 2020 re-election bid, the Hill reported.

OCASIO-CORTEZ: WE REACTED TO 9/11, SO WHERE'S THE REACTION ON CLIMATE CHANGE?

"The Green New Deal, done by a young bartender, 29 years old," Trump told the crowd of House GOP lawmakers. "A young bartender, wonderful young woman.”

Trump then blasted the Green New Deal as “the craziest thing,” and chided establishment Democrats as “petrified” of Ocasio-Cortez and her progressive ideas, the Hill reported.

WHAT IS THE GREEN NEW DEAL? A LOOK AT THE ECONOMIC AND CLIMATE CONCEPT PUSHED BY PROGRESSIVES

"The Green New Deal. The first time I heard it, I said, 'That’s the craziest thing.' You have senators that are professionals, that you guys know, that have been there for a long time ... and they’re standing behind her shaking. They’re petrified of her," Trump said.

The Green New Deal calls for a massive overhaul of the nation’s economy and energy use, with an estimated cost that could reach well into the tens of trillions of dollars. The legislation failed to pass a test vote last week in the Senate.

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Ocasio-Cortez worked as a bartender and political organizer in New York City before unseating 10-term incumbent U.S. Rep. Joe Crowley in a Democratic primary last year.

A rising star in the Democratic Party, Ocasio-Cortez recently rallied the progressive base against a plan by the Democratic Party's campaign arm to protect incumbents from would-be primary challengers such as herself.

Source: Fox News Politics

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UN decries killing of 7 children in Yemen explosion

The U.N. humanitarian coordinator in Yemen has decried the killing of 13 civilians, including seven children, in a large explosion over the weekend in the rebel-held capital, Sanaa.

Lise Grande described the killings in a statement Monday as "terrible, senseless deaths and injuries and we offer our deep condolences to the families of the victims."

The cause of Sunday's blast at a warehouse remains unclear, which Yemeni officials say injured over 100 people and damaged nearby schools.

The Houthi rebels, who gained control of the capital in 2014, said the Saudi-led coalition had targeted the warehouse with an airstrike. The coalition denied carrying out any strikes in the area.

Yemen's internationally-recognized government said the rebels had stored weapons at the warehouse.

Source: Fox News World

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The downfall of Jet Airways: How India’s premium airline crumbled

FILE PHOTO: Workers cover the cockpit window of a Jet Airways aircraft parked at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport in Mumbai
FILE PHOTO: Workers cover the cockpit window of a Jet Airways aircraft parked at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport in Mumbai, India, March 26, 2019. REUTERS/Francis Mascarenhas/File Photo

April 9, 2019

By Anshuman Daga and Aditi Shah

SINGAPORE/NEW DELHI (Reuters) – In early January, Jet Airways and its main lender, State Bank of India, met with aircraft lessors to assure them there was a plan to rescue the debt-laden carrier so it could pay them, sources familiar with the matter said.

The idea was to shore up confidence in one of India’s biggest brands, squeezed by low fares and high costs. But some lessors quickly lost patience as the bank did not provide details and Jet’s founder angrily defied them to take back planes.

At one point, the airline’s usually jovial founder and chairman, Naresh Goyal, banged his fist on a table, jarring some of the lessors who had flown to Mumbai from Dublin, Singapore and Dubai, said one person who attended the discussions. “That meeting went horribly wrong,” recalled the executive from a global leasing firm, who did not want to identified because the meeting was not public.

Goyal’s emotional outburst and Jet’s subsequent failure to pay up as promised may have pushed the relationship between the airline and its lessors to a breaking point, two other executives who were at the meeting said, prompting some to take the drastic step of pulling their planes from its fleet.

That has led Jet, which blazed trails in one of the world’s fastest-growing air travel markets, to cancel hundreds of flights. Saddled with more than $1.2 billion in debt, and with dwindling revenue, the airline has said it also owes money to banks, pilots and suppliers.

It was not immediately clear how much money Jet owes.

Jet did not respond to multiple requests for comment but has said it is “actively engaged” with all its lessors. Goyal did not respond to requests for comment.

“Aircraft lessors have been supportive of the company’s efforts in this regard,” Jet said in its most recent statement to the Mumbai stock exchange on April 2.

The loss of aircraft and friction with lessors is just the latest major setback for Jet, which has been struggling for years, beset by an insurgent group of low-cost Indian competitors.

Purchases of wide-body aircraft 13 years ago and ambitions for the international market may have set Jet on its current course, industry insiders say.

The 26-year-old airline has posted losses in eight of the past 10 years and its share of the domestic passenger market has fallen to about 15.5 percent in 2018 from 22.5 percent in 2015.

About 60 percent, or more than $600 million, has been wiped off Jet’s market value over the past year.

Now, with the airline’s running out of ways to make money, state-run banks, led by SBI, took a temporary stake in Jet, promised a new loan of 15 billion rupees ($216 million) and forced 69-year-old Goyal to resign as chairman.

On Monday, Jet’s lenders laid out terms for potential bidders to buy up to 75 percent stake in the carrier. Expressions of interest are due on Wednesday, with final bids due on April 30. [L3N21Q14Z]

But lessors remain concerned, and some, such as Avolon, SMBC Aviation Capital, Aircastle and a subsidiary of Mitsubishi Corp, have asked India’s aviation regulator to de-register a combined 18 planes, according to the regulator’s website.

“Despite Goyal’s departure from Jet, lessors don’t seem to think the carrier can be rescued, judging by the urgency in repossessing aircraft,” said Shukor Yusof, the head of aviation consultancy Endau Analytics.

That adds complications for any potential new investor, two industry sources said.

“How we do business with Jet in the future will depend a lot on the new investor and how they manage the relationship,” said one of the executives who was at the January meeting.

Aercap Holdings, GE Capital Aviation Services, Avolon and BOC Aviation are among the big lessors grounding Jet’s aircraft, leasing and industry sources say. Aercap, Avolon and BOC Aviation declined to comment. GE Capital Aviation Services said Jet was a long-standing customer and it remains in regular contact with the airline.

SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST

The humbling of one of India’s most successful international brands illustrates the challenge of making money in the country’s aviation sector, dominated by low-cost carriers such as IndiGo and SpiceJet Ltd.

The Indian market is also highly price-sensitive, and airlines compete to keep fares low, even at a loss, to continue expanding. The domestic market has seen around 20 percent growth in the number of passengers over the past few years.

Carriers including IndiGo, SpiceJet and Vistara, a joint venture between Singapore Airlines and Tata Sons, have over 1,000 planes on order from Boeing Co and Airbus SA.

“India’s aviation market is cut-throat and it is survival of the fittest. One needs not only deep pockets but a deep threshold for pain,” said Yusof, adding that lessors will still seek business in the country despite the inherent risks.

When India’s Kingfisher Airlines went bankrupt in 2012, lessors were forced to write off millions of dollars in losses and thousands of people lost their jobs.

FALL FROM GRACE

When Goyal and his wife, Anita, started Jet in 1993, state-run Air India was the only formidable opponent, and the country’s aviation market was just taking off.

Goyal’s pitch was ensuring the country’s biggest private carrier had impeccable service – a world-class product built in India, industry executives said.

Jet’s problems began when it embarked on an aggressive international expansion plan, said an industry executive who has been associated with the airline.

The carrier ordered 22 wide-body aircraft for delivery over about 18 months, starting in 2006, depleting cash, the executive said.

Then Jet bought a struggling Indian airline called Sahara for 14.5 billion rupees ($209 million) in 2007 that had an ageing fleet and did not fit Jet’s corporate culture, the industry executives said.

Meanwhile, a newcomer, low-cost carrier IndiGo, had begun chipping away at Jet’s market share with cheap fares, one of the executives said.

In 2013, Jet was close to running out of cash, but survived collapse when Abu Dhabi’s Etihad Airways bought a 24 percent stake in the Indian airline. As part of the deal, Etihad also bought three pairs of Jet’s landing slots at London’s Heathrow airport and 51 percent stake in its frequent flyer program.

To compete with low-cost carriers, Jet has lowered prices without reducing its expensive services. High fuel prices and hefty taxes have compounded the spending issues, industry executives said.

Goyal, however, said in a statement last week after stepping down that the airline will “regain its rightful place in the company of global greats.”

HUMONGOUS TASK

Goyal’s penchant for control, which helped him build the airline, has been a stumbling block for potential investors. Tata Sons was in talks with Jet in November for a deal that never materialized, sources have said.

Etihad has also been reluctant to increase its stake in the carrier for similar reasons, sources have said.

If no suitable investors turn up at the auction, lenders will pursue alternative plans, they said, without specifying what those might be.

SpiceJet has been in talks with lessors to take some of Jet’s aircraft, a source has said.

Indian rules cap foreign airline investment in domestic carriers at 49 percent, and the government is eager to see Jet remain with an Indian entity, sources have said. That narrows the list of potential investors, aviation financiers and leasing executives said.

“It will be a humongous task for whoever comes in,” one of the industry executives said.

For an interactive link on the biggest airlines click https://tmsnrt.rs/2I7ITuI

For an interactive link on Jet’s average daily flights, click https://tmsnrt.rs/2FeFDel

For an interactive link on Jet’s grounded planes, click https://tmsnrt.rs/2HTmgKl

(Reporting by Anshuman Daga in SINGAPORE and Aditi Shah in NEW DELHI; Additional reporting by Tanvi Mehta in MUMBAI and Gaurav Dogra in BENGALURU; Editing by Gerry Doyle)

Source: OANN

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Pet zebra escapes Florida home, is fatally shot by its owner

Authorities say a pet zebra escaped from a Florida home and was shot and killed by its owner, who wasn't licensed to own the animal.

News outlets report the Nassau County Sheriff's Office says the zebra, named Shadow, injured itself somehow while escaping Wednesday in the town of Callahan.

Neighbors told WTLV-TV that the zebra was cornered by the owner and killed as authorities responded to the scene.

Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission investigators say the owner didn't have a valid captive wildlife license. Authorities didn't immediately release person's identity.

No other exotic animals were found on the property and the commission is trying to determine how the zebra escaped.

Source: Fox News National

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George Conway identifies himself as ‘windmill cancer survivor’ on Twitter in apparent dig at Trump

George Conway has taken another jab at President Trump, this time labeling himself a “windmill cancer survivor” in his Twitter profile.

It's an apparent reference to the president’s speech at the National Republican Congressional Committee's annual spring dinner on April 2, where he said wind turbine noise causes cancer. (Politifact has labeled that claim false.)

GEORGE CONWAY WAS TURNED DOWN FROM JOB, JEALOUS OF WIFE, TRUMP CAMPAIGN MANAGER SAYS

Conway, the spouse of White House adviser Kellyanne Conway, has become an outspoken critic of the president via Twitter messages, calling the president “pathological” and “incoherent” -- and even suggesting he has a “disorder” and an inquiry needs to be conducted regarding his “condition of mind.”

George Conway, husband of White House adviser Kellyanne Conway and vocal Trump critic, took a subtle dig at the president in his Twitter profile, calling himself a "windmill cancer survivor."

George Conway, husband of White House adviser Kellyanne Conway and vocal Trump critic, took a subtle dig at the president in his Twitter profile, calling himself a "windmill cancer survivor." (George Conway / Twitter)

Trump recently fired back at Conway, calling him “jealous” of his wife’s success and a “stone cold LOSER & husband from hell!”

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Kellyanne Conway has herself weighed in on the bitter feud, calling her husband’s attacks on Trump “unusual” and thanking the president for defending her.

Source: Fox News Politics

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California engineer allegedly tried to poison, kill colleague with ‘toxic amount of cadmium,’ police say

A chemical engineer in Northern California was arrested last week on attempted murder charges after allegedly poisoning his coworker's water and food with toxic metal cadmium over several years, according to court records.

David Xu, a 34-year-old senior materials engineer at Berkeley Engineering And Research, was arrested Thursday, jail records online showed.

Court documents obtained by KTVU stated that a female coworker, also an engineer, noted "a strange taste or smell from her water and food" that was left unattended in her office that happened many times over the course of more than a year.

After consuming the food or water, the unnamed coworker experienced "immediate and significant health problems," even going to the hospital for emergency care.

ARKANSAS MEN IN BULLETPROOF VESTS SHOOT EACH OTHER AFTER NIGHT OF DRINKING, INVENT ELABORATE COVER STORY: COPS

Two of the women's relatives after got sick after drinking from her water bottle in November and December, Berkeleyside reported.

Surveillance video from the victim's office showed that Xu added a substance to the woman's water bottle, according to police. Later testing of the bottle and all three victims revealed the presence of cadmium, a toxic metal.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says in an online factsheet that cadmium is considered a "cancer-causing agent."

"When eaten, large amounts of cadmium can severely irritate the stomach and cause vomiting and diarrhea," the agency states. "Breathing high levels of cadmium damages people’s lungs and can cause death."

PENNSYLVANIA MAN WHO LIED ABOUT MILITARY SERVICE, LIES ABOUT ADDICTION PROGRAM -- AND JUDGE DROPS THE HAMMER

Xu is charged with 3 felonies, including premeditated attempted murder and poisoning for the incidents involving the woman and her relatives.

In a court appearance on Tuesday, the 34-year old did not enter a plea.

"These are allegations, only allegations," defense attorney Julia Jayne told reporters outside of court. "Charges have been filed, and I think all of you and the public knows that when charges are brought, an individual, per our constitutional system, is presumed innocent, and that's exactly how I intend to proceed with this case."

CLICK HERE FOR THE FOX NEWS APP

Xu remains held without bail, pending his next appearance in court, according to KTVU.

The 34-year-old earned three degrees from the University of California, Berkeley, including a Ph.D. In 2013, he passed the State of California's Professional Engineering examination, the San Francisco Business Times reported at the time.

Source: Fox News National

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FILE PHOTO - A worker sits on a ship carrying containers at Mundra Port in the western Indian state of Gujarat
FILE PHOTO: A worker sits on a ship carrying containers at Mundra Port in the western Indian state of Gujarat April 1, 2014. REUTERS/Amit Dave/File Photo

April 26, 2019

(Reuters) – India has once again delayed the implementation of higher tariffs on some goods imported from the United States to May 15, a government official said on Friday.

The new tariff structure was to come into force from May 2, the spokeswoman said without citing reasons for the delay.

Angered by Washington’s refusal to exempt it from new steel and aluminum tariffs, New Delhi decided in June last year to raise the import tax from Aug. 4 on some U.S. products including almonds, walnuts and apples.

But since then, New Delhi has repeatedly delayed the implementation of the new tariff.

Trade friction between India and the U.S. has escalated after U.S. President Donald Trump announced plans earlier this year to end preferential trade treatment for India that allows duty-free entry for up to $5.6 billion worth of its exports to the United States.

In a further blow, U.S. on Monday demanded buyers of Iranian oil stop purchases by May or face sanctions, ending six months of waivers which allowed Iran’s eight biggest buyers including India to continue importing limited volumes.

(Reporting by Manoj Kumar in New Delhi and Kanishka Singh in Bengaluru; Editing by Anil D’Silva and Raissa Kasolowsky)

Source: OANN

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One of Joe Biden’s newly-hired senior advisers has seemingly had a very recent change of heart.

Symone Sanders, a prominent Democratic strategist and Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., staffer in 2016, was announced as one of the big-name members of Team Biden on Thursday.

But Sanders, who has also served as a CNN contributor, is seen in resurfaced footage from November 2016 expressing her opposition to a white person leading her party after Donald Trump’s election.

“In my opinion, we don’t need white people leading the Democratic party right now,” Sanders told host Brianna Keilar during a discussion on Howard Dean potentially becoming DNC chairman.

BIDEN HIRES FORMER BERNIE SANDERS’ SPOKESPERSON AS SENIOR ADVISER

“The Democratic party is diverse, and it should be reflected as so in leadership and throughout the staff, at the highest levels. From the vice chairs to the secretaries all the way down to the people working in the offices at the DNC,” she said.

Sanders wrapped up her remarks by saying: “I want to hear more from everybody. I want to hear from the millennials and the brown folks.”

Footage of the interview was resurfaced by RealClearPolitics.

After news of her hiring broke on Thursday, Sanders backed her new boss on Twitter.

TRUMP ASSESSES 2020 DEMS; TAKES SWIPES AT BIDEN, SANDERS; DISMISSES HARRIS, O’ROURKE; SAYS HE’S ROOTING FOR BUTTIGIEG

“@JoeBiden & @DrBiden are a class act. Over the course of this campaign, Vice President Biden is going to make his case to the American ppl. He won’t always be perfect, but I believe he will get it right,” she wrote.

The hiring of Sanders has been viewed as another indication of the expected tough fight that Biden and Sanders are in for as the two frontrunners battle a deep Democratic field.

While Sanders himself didn’t torch Biden as he jumped into the race, it’s clear that many of his progressive supporters view the former vice president as a threat.

Biden’s entry into the race – at least in the early going – sets up a battle between himself and Sanders, who thanks to his fierce fight with eventual nominee Hillary Clinton for the 2016 Democratic nomination, enjoys name ID on the level of the former vice president.

BIDEN VOWS THAT ‘AMERICA IS COMING BACK,’ SPARKING ‘MAGA’ COMPARISONS

Justice Democrats — who also called Biden “out-of-touch” – is an increasingly influential group among the left of the party. They’ve championed progressive Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York as well as Sanders. The group was founded by members of Sanders 2016 presidential campaign.

Biden has pushed back against the perception that he’s a moderate in a party that’s increasingly moving to the left. Earlier this month he described himself as an “Obama-Biden Democrat.”

And Biden said he’d stack his record against “anybody who has run or who is running now or who will run.”

Former Democratic National Committee chair Donna Brazile – a Fox News contributor – highlighted that “Joe Biden can occupy his own lane in large part because he’s earned it. He’s earned the right to call himself whatever.”

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

But she emphasized that “elections are not about the past, they’re about the future…I do believe he has the right ingredients. The question is can he find enough people to help him stir the pot.”

Fox News Andrew O’Reilly contributed to this report.

Source: Fox News Politics

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Baltimore Mayor Catherine Pugh, who is facing increased calls for her immediate resignation, remains in poor health and is not “lucid” enough to decide whether to step down, her attorney told reporters late Thursday.

Steve Silverman, speaking outside one of Pugh’s residences which was raided by the FBI and IRS earlier in the day, said the embattled city leader could make a decision as early as next week.

“She is leaning toward making the best decision in the best interest in the citizens of Baltimore City,” he said, adding that Pugh has “several options” to consider.

“She just needs to be physically and mentally sound and lucid enough to make appropriate decisions.”

BALTIMORE MAYOR CATHERINE PUGH, ON LEAVE AMID BOOK PROBE, HAS HOMES AND CITY HALL OFFICE RAIDED BY FEDS

Silverman said Pugh met with a doctor at home Thursday and plans to do so again Friday, the Baltimore Sun reported.

In the latest image-tarnishing scandal for struggling Baltimore, the first-term Democratic mayor faces accusations that she used children’s book deals to cover up kickbacks for favorable treatment as a state lawmaker and city leader that earned her roughly $800,000 over several years.

BALTIMORE’S ACTING MAYOR SAYS HE ‘WOULD HATE TO SEE’ EMBATTLED MAYOR RETURN AFTER BOOK SCANDALS

As a state senator, 69-year-old Pugh sold $500,000 worth of her self-published “Healthy Holly” illustrated paperbacks to the University of Maryland Medical System, a major state employer whose board she sat on for nearly 20 years.

Baltimore police officers stand outside the house of Baltimore Mayor Catherine Pugh in Baltimore, MD., Thursday, April 25, 2019. Agents with the FBI and IRS are gathering evidence inside the two homes of Pugh and also in City Hall. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)

Baltimore police officers stand outside the house of Baltimore Mayor Catherine Pugh in Baltimore, MD., Thursday, April 25, 2019. Agents with the FBI and IRS are gathering evidence inside the two homes of Pugh and also in City Hall. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)

UMMS reportedly paid Pugh for 100,000 copies of her books between 2011 and 2018 with the stated intention of distributing the books to schools and day care centers. But some 50,000 copies remain unaccounted for and officials are probing if they were even printed.

Pugh also made $300,000 in bulk sales to other customers including health carriers that did business with the city of Baltimore.

BALTIMORE CITY COUNCIL CALLS ON EMBATTLED MAYOR CATHERINE PUGH TO RESIGN IMMEDIATELY

The politically isolated Pugh slipped out of sight on April 1 after a hastily organized press conference where she called her no-contract book deals a “regrettable mistake.” That same day, Maryland’s governor called on the state prosecutor to investigate allegations of “self-dealing.”

Pugh took an indefinite leave of absence, citing her health deteriorating intensely after a bout with pneumonia.

Federal agents arrive at the Maryland Center for Adult Training in Baltimore. MD, Thursday, April 25, 2019. Agents with the FBI and IRS are gathering evidence inside the two homes of Baltimore Mayor Catherine Pugh and in City Hall, as well as the office of her lawyer and the home of a top aide.

Federal agents arrive at the Maryland Center for Adult Training in Baltimore. MD, Thursday, April 25, 2019. Agents with the FBI and IRS are gathering evidence inside the two homes of Baltimore Mayor Catherine Pugh and in City Hall, as well as the office of her lawyer and the home of a top aide. (Loyd Fox/Baltimore Sun via AP)

On Thursday morning, agents with the FBI and IRS searched her two Baltimore homes, her City Hall offices, and a nonprofit organization she once led. The home of at least one of Pugh’s aides was also scoured.

Silverman said federal agents also served a subpoena at his law firm, retrieving Pugh’s original financial records. They did not seek any attorney-client privileged communications, he said.

Pugh’s attorney said she was “emotionally extremely distraught” following the searches by FBI and IRS agents.

“There was nothing incriminating that came out of her home,” Silverman said.

UMMS spokesman Michael Schwartzberg told reporters that the medical system received a grand jury witness subpoena seeking documents and information related to Pugh.

Other probes against Pugh include a review by the city ethics board and the Maryland Insurance Administration.

BALTIMORE MAYOR’S $500G DEAL FOR ‘HEALTHY HOLLY’ CHILDREN’S BOOKS DRAWS SCRUTINY

In recent weeks, the calls for Pugh’s resignation have intensified with the strongest voice coming from Republican Gov. Larry Hogan, who did not mince words after Thursday’s early morning raids.

“Now more than ever, Baltimore City needs strong and responsible leadership. Mayor Pugh has lost the public trust,” he said. “She is clearly not fit to lead. For the good of the city, Mayor Pugh must resign.”

Federal Bureau of Investigation, and Internal Revenue Service agents search the home of Baltimore Mayor Catherine Pugh in Baltimore, MD., Thursday, April 25, 2019. Agents with the FBI and IRS are gathering evidence inside the two homes of Baltimore Mayor Catherine Pugh and in City Hall.

Federal Bureau of Investigation, and Internal Revenue Service agents search the home of Baltimore Mayor Catherine Pugh in Baltimore, MD., Thursday, April 25, 2019. Agents with the FBI and IRS are gathering evidence inside the two homes of Baltimore Mayor Catherine Pugh and in City Hall. (Jerry Jackson/Baltimore Sun via AP)

Many of her fellow Democrats, including those on Baltimore’s demoralized City Council and state lawmakers, are also insisting that Pugh put the citizens’ interests above any attempt to preserve her political career.

City Council member Brandon Scott called the Thursday raids “an embarrassment to the city.”

However, only a conviction can trigger a mayor’s removal from office, according to the city solicitor. Baltimore’s mayor-friendly City Charter currently provides no options for ousting its executive.

Six of Pugh’s staffers joined her on paid leave earlier this month; three of them were fired this week by the acting mayor.

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Pugh came to office in late 2016 after edging out ex-Mayor Sheila Dixon, who had spent much of her tenure fighting corruption charges before being forced to depart office in 2010 as part of a plea deal connected to the misappropriation of about $500 in gift cards meant for needy families.

She would certainly face a bruising 2020 Democratic primary if she were to return and run for reelection. Veteran City Council leader Bernard “Jack” Young, who is serving as acting mayor, said as she went on leave that he would merely be a placeholder. But this week, before the raids, he said “it could be devastating for her” if she tried to return.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Source: Fox News National

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FILE PHOTO: Cases of Pepsi are shown for sale at a store in Carlsbad
FILE PHOTO: Cases of Pepsi are shown for sale at a store in Carlsbad, California, U.S., April 22, 2017. REUTERS/Mike Blake/File Photo

April 26, 2019

By Amit Dave and Mayank Bhardwaj

AHMEDABAD/NEW DELHI (Reuters) – PepsiCo Inc has sued four Indian farmers for cultivating a potato variety that the snack food and drinks maker claims infringes its patent, the company and the growers said on Friday.

Pepsi has sued the farmers for cultivating the FC5 potato variety, exclusively grown for its popular Lay’s potato chips. The FC5 variety has a lower moisture content required to make snacks such as potato chips.

PepsiCo is seeking more than 10 million rupees ($142,840.82) each for alleged patent infringement.

The farmers grow potatoes in the western state of Gujarat, a leading producer of India’s most consumed vegetable.

“We have been growing potatoes for a long time and we didn’t face this problem ever, as we’ve mostly been using the seeds saved from one harvest to plant the next year’s crop,” said Bipin Patel, one of the four farmers sued by Pepsi.

Patel did not say how he came by the PepsiCo variety.

A court in Ahmedabad, the business hub of Gujarat, on Friday agreed to hear the case on June 12, said Anand Yagnik, the lawyer for the farmers.

“In this instance, we took judicial recourse against people who were illegally dealing in our registered variety,” A PepsiCo India spokesman said. “This was done to protect our rights and safeguard the larger interest of farmers that are engaged with us and who are using and benefiting from seeds of our registered variety.”

PepsiCo, which set up its first potato chips plant in India in 1989, supplies the FC5 potato variety to a group of farmers who in turn sell their produce to the company at a fixed price.

The All India Kisan Sabha, or All India Farmers’ Forum, has asked the Indian government to protect the farmers.

The farmers’ forum has also called for a boycott of PepsiCo’s Lay’s chips and the company’s other products.

The Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment.

PepsiCo is the second major U.S. company in India to face issues over patent infringement.

Stung by a long-standing intellectual property dispute, seed maker Monsanto, which is now owned by German drugmaker Bayer AG, withdrew from some businesses in India over a cotton-seed dispute with farmers, Reuters reported in 2017. (reut.rs/2ncBknn)

(Reporting by Amit Dave in AHMEDABAD and Mayank Bhardwaj in NEW DELHI; Editing by Martin Howell and Louise Heavens)

Source: OANN

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FILE PHOTO: The Archer Daniels Midland Co (ADM) logo is displayed on a screen on the floor of the NYSE in New York
FILE PHOTO: The Archer Daniels Midland Co (ADM) logo is displayed on a screen on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York, U.S., May 3, 2018. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid/File Photo

April 26, 2019

By P.J. Huffstutter and Shradha Singh

CHICAGO/BENGALURU (Reuters) – Archer Daniels Midland Co said on Friday it was considering spinning off its ethanol business after slim biofuel margins and Midwestern floods slammed the U.S. grains merchant’s profit, which tumbled 41 percent in the first quarter.

ADM said it was creating an ethanol subsidiary, which will include dry mills in Columbus, Nebraska; Cedar Rapids, Iowa; and Peoria, Illinois.

The ethanol subsidiary will report as an independent segment, the company said, allowing options “which may include, but are not limited to, a potential spin-off of the business to existing ADM shareholders.”

Results were hit by the “bomb cyclone” blizzards that devastated the Midwest and Great Plains this year, causing massive flooding across Nebraska, Iowa and Missouri, washing out rail lines and wreaking havoc in the moving and processing of corn, soybeans and wheat. One-sixth of U.S. ethanol production was halted.

In March, ADM warned Wall Street that flooding and severe winter weather in the U.S. Midwest would reduce its first-quarter operating profit by $50 million to $60 million.

“The first quarter proved more challenging than initially expected,” said Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Juan Luciano, with earnings down in its starches, sweeteners and bioproducts unit. Luciano said impacts of the severe weather ultimately “were on the high side of our initial estimates”.

Ongoing problems in the ethanol industry added to the problems and “limited margins and opportunities” for ADM, Luciano said.

The ethanol industry has been in the midst of a historic downswing due to the U.S.-China trade war, excess domestic supply and weak margins.

ADM, which had been an ethanol pioneer, signaled to Wall Street in 2016 that it was hunting for options and considering sales of its U.S. dry ethanol mills. Luciano told Reuters this year that offers ADM had received for the mills were too low.

In addition, ADM said it planned to repurpose its corn wet mill in Marshall, Minnesota, to produce higher volumes of food and industrial-grade starches.

Other major traders are alsy trying to distance themselves from struggling ethanol businesses. Louis Dreyfus Company BV spun off its Brazilian sugar and ethanol business Biosev in 2013. Rival Bunge sold its sugar book and has sought a buyer for its Brazilian mills since 2013.

ADM, which makes money trading, processing and transporting crops, such as corn, soybeans and wheat, has been looking to strengthen its core business. Last month it said it would seek voluntary early retirements of some North American employees and cut jobs as part of a restructuring effort.

The company expects to lower 2019 capital spending by 10 percent to between $800 million and $900 million.

Net earnings attributable to the company fell to $233 million, or 41 cents per share, in the three months ended March 31, from $393 million, or 70 cents per share, a year earlier.

Revenue fell to $15.30 billion from $15.53 billion. On an adjusted basis, the company earned 46 cents per share, while analysts on average had estimated 60 cents, according to IBES data from Refinitiv.

(Reporting by Shradha Singh in Bengaluru; Editing by Shounak Dasgupta, Chizu Nomiyama and David Gregorio)

Source: OANN

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