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Secret Service reeling after sex scandals, social media embarrassments, director’s ousting

The Secret Service -- the agency charged with protecting America's most vital leaders, including the President -- is facing renewed scrutiny amid the controversy surrounding an agent inserting a thumb drive with apparent Chinese malware into a computer and the separate ouster of the outfit's director.

The malware incident, which occurred when an unidentified agent allegedly inserted a malicious thumb drive, found in the possession of a Chinese woman arrested at President Trump's Mar-a-Lago club last month, into an agency computer -- that then began installing unwanted files.

SECRET SERVICE UNDER FIRE AFTER AGENT TESTIFIES AGENCY INSERTED MALICIOUS THUMB DRIVE INTO COMPUTER

The incident was confirmed by Secret Service agent Samuel Ivanovich’s testimony in the case of Yujing Zhang, 32, who was charged with unlawfully entering a restricted area and making false statements to federal law enforcement officers. Prosecutors said she isn’t accused of spying at this time, but noted there are "a lot of questions that remain to be answered."

“Assertions that U.S. Secret Service agents are incompetent to carry out forensic examinations on digital media (ie thumbdrives, laptops, cellphones, etc.) is outlandish and not rooted in fact.”

— Secret Service

Amid the criticism, the Secret Service issued a statement denying the incident and contradicting its own agent’s testimony.

“Assertions that U.S. Secret Service agents are incompetent to carry out forensic examinations on digital media (ie thumbdrives, laptops, cellphones, etc.) is outlandish and not rooted in fact,” a Secret Service spokesperson said in a statement.

Beyond that, Director Randolph "Tex" Alles was ousted from his position by Trump this week as part of a larger shakeup of the Department of Homeland Security, the government arm to which the Secret Service reports.

But this isn’t the first time the Secret Service has come under fire for reportedly embarrassing -- or potentially harmful -- blunders.

Multiple breaches

Since Trump's election, there have been dozens of attempts by protesters or members of the so-called "resistance" to enter the White House and hurt the president. Some of the perpetrators have penetrated security rings and come dangerously close to White House officials.

Back in February, a man managed to breach a security perimeter after claiming he had an appointment with Trump to discuss the border wall, Green New Deal and his hope to “bring peace to the world.”

MAN CLAIMING APPOINTMENT WITH TRUMP STRIKES SECRET SERVICE OFFICER OUTSIDE WHITE HOUSE, AUTHORITIES SAY

Christopher Henry Alexander Davis, 29, of Herndon, Va., reportedly engaged in a physical struggle with Secret Service officers after they tried to handcuff him. At one point, he “struck [the officer] with his right forearm to the left side of the [officer's] face and nose,” according to court records.

In March 2017, Jonathan Tuan Tran, 26, jumped over a White House fence while allegedly carrying two cans of mace -- including one inside his jacket pocket.

The man got so deep into the compound he was seen hiding behind one of the mansion’s column before being apprehended. He was able to freely roam around the compound for about 16 minutes before the Secret Service detained him.

SUSPECTED WHITE HOUSE FENCE JUMPER CHARGED WITH CARRYING 'DANGEROUS WEAPON,' SEEN BEHIND MANSION COLUMN

Trump was inside the building at the time of the breach. The Secret Service insisted the man had no hazardous materials, despite court records contradicting that statement.

Agent against Trump

The recent controversies involving the agency also include an anti-Trump agent who said she would rather go to jail than take a bullet for Trump.

Kerry O’Grady, the special agent in charge of the Secret Service’s Denver district, was placed on paid leave about two years ago amid an investigation that unearthed her troubling comments on Social media.

O’Grady reportedly posted on Facebook in October, writing: "As a public servant for nearly 23 years, I struggle not to violate the Hatch Act."

She added: “So I keep quiet and skirt the median. To do otherwise can be a criminal offense for those in my position. Despite the fact that I am expected to take a bullet for both sides. But this world has changed and I have changed. And I would take jail time over a bullet or an endorsement for what I believe to be disaster to this country and the strong and amazing women and minorities who reside here. Hatch Act be damned. I am with Her."

SECRET SERVICE AGENT WHO SUGGESTED SHE WON’T TAKE BULLET FOR TRUMP ON PAID LEAVE, REPORT SAYS

She later retracted her comments and told the Washington Examiner she would indeed protect the president.

“It was an internal struggle for me but as soon as I put it up, I thought it was not the sentiment that I needed to share because I care very deeply about the mission,” she said.

She continued to be on a Secret Service payroll; though, she appears to no longer hold the top role within her department. She also reportedly helped to organize an anti-Trump Women’s March in Denver back in January.

Secret Service 'covers up' Russian spy hire

The Secret Service was also criticized after the agency hired a suspected Russian spy who went on to work at the U.S. embassy in Moscow for a decade before being dismissed in 2017 amid scrutiny from counter-intelligence officers

The Russian national, a woman, was hired by the Secret Service and came under suspicion in 2016 during a routine security sweep carried out by the State Department, according to sources quoted by the Guardian.

“The Secret Service is trying to hide the breach by firing [her]. The damage was already done but the senior management of the Secret Service did not conduct any internal investigation to assess the damage and to see if [she] recruited any other employees to provide her with more information.”

— A source

SUSPECTED RUSSIAN SPY WORKED IN US EMBASSY IN MOSCOW FOR A DECADE, REPORTS SAY

The woman was dismissed in 2017 after an investigation found she was regularly having unauthorized meetings with the FSB, the Russian intelligence agency.

“The Secret Service is trying to hide the breach by firing [her],” a source told the newspaper. “The damage was already done but the senior management of the Secret Service did not conduct any internal investigation to assess the damage and to see if [she] recruited any other employees to provide her with more information.”

Careless acts

An off-duty Secret Service agent who had been assigned to Vice President Mike Pence's security detail was arrested in 2017 in Maryland for allegedly soliciting a prostitute

Quincy Thomas Torregano, the agent, notified the Secret Service of his own arrest by local police and was suspended at the time for an internal investigation.

SECRET SERVICE AGENT ARRESTED, SUSPENDED AFTER ALLEGED HOTEL MEETING WITH PROSTITUTE

“The Secret Service is aware of an alleged incident involving an off-duty Secret Service employee,” The spokesman said, adding that the agency takes “allegations of criminal activity very seriously.”

The statement continued: “The employee’s security clearance and access to all Secret Service facilities has also been suspended. We are exploring the full range of disciplinary actions."

The outcome of the investigation remains unclear.

SECRET SERVICE LAPTOP STOLEN IN NEW YORK

Another agent, meanwhile, managed to lose a Secret Service laptop that contained “highly sensitive information such as floor plans and evacuation protocol for Trump Tower, compromising security.

The computer was stolen the agent’s vehicle parked in front of a New York residence.

“The U.S. Secret Service can confirm that an employee was the victim of a criminal act in which our Agency issued laptop computer was stolen,” the agency said in a statement in 2017. “An investigation is ongoing and the Secret Service is withholding additional comment until the facts are gathered.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Source: Fox News National

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Andrew McCabe: Didn't Expect to Be FBI Acting Director for Very Long

Former acting FBI Director Andrew McCabe said Sunday said he felt he wasn’t going to be in the job “for very long” after James Comey was fired as director in May 2017.

In an interview on CBS News’ “Face The Nation,” McCabe was pressed on a text between anti-President Donald Trump FBI staffers Lisa Page and Peter Strzok in which they they wrote of the “need to open the case we've been waiting on now while Andy is acting” FBI director.

“I can't tell you what Lisa and Pete were referring to in their private texts,” McCabe replied. “I think I've been very clear publicly about how the investigators felt about the work that we needed to do in May of 2017 after Director Comey was fired. They made a recommendation to me that we open cases. I acted on that recommendation.

“I was feeling, I felt very strongly at that time that I needed to make those decisions quickly because I anticipated I would not be in the acting role for very long and I didn't know who would be coming in behind me or how they would handle the ongoing investigation that we thought was important to conclude,” he said.

McCabe also was quizzed on what the pair meant when they wrote in 2016 of an “insurance policy” against Trump’s election.

“Lisa Page, Pete Strzok and I and many other members of that investigative team met in my office, in conference rooms around FBI headquarters all the time,” McCabe said. 

“I can't sit here and tell you years later the circumstances of exactly that instance that they seem to be referring to in that text. I also wasn't a participant in that text, so I can't add too much more to your understanding of it.”

Strzok has denied any plot behind his texts with Page, and McCabe said “I take him at his word for that description.”

Source: NewsMax Politics

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MGM Resorts announces 254 layoffs, says more job cuts coming

Las Vegas-based casino company MGM Resorts International has announced a first phase of layoffs in a cost-cutting operational shift as it aims to boost earnings.

The Las Vegas Review-Journal reports the 254 layoffs announced Thursday will cut labor costs by $100 million.

In a letter to employees, CEO Jim Murren calls it streamlining and says more positions will be eliminated in coming weeks.

MGM Resorts in January announced its MGM 2020 plan to boost earnings by $200 million by next year.

It says the current cuts affect managers, not union workers.

The company has about 77,000 employees and is the largest employer in Nevada.

It's under investor pressure to improve earnings after share prices have fallen 12 percent since August.

MGM shares closed Thursday at $27.75, down 14 cents.

Source: Fox News National

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Trump administration to end fuel economy talks with California: official

Fuel tanks are shown in National City, California
Fuel tanks are shown in National City, California, U.S. June 27, 2018. REUTERS/Mike Blake

February 20, 2019

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The Trump administration has decided to end negotiations with California over plans to roll back fuel economy rules, an official confirmed on Wednesday.

The official, asked about a report by The Daily Caller News Foundation, offered no further details and it was not immediately clear when an announcement would be made.

(Reporting by Steve Holland; Writing by Makini Brice; Editing by Tim Ahmann)

Source: OANN

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Veteran Reporter Woodward Calls For FBI, CIA To Be Investigated Over Steele Dossier

Bob Woodward, the reporter who broke open the Watergate scandal, has called for the FBI and CIA to be investigated regarding the agencies’ handling of the debunked dossier that formed the basis of the Mueller investigation of the Trump campaign.

During an interview with Fox News’s Chris Wallace, Woodward declared that the dossier authored by former British intelligence agent Christopher Steele “has got a lot of garbage in it”.

“What I found out recently, which was really quite surprising, the dossier, which really has got a lot of garbage in it and Mueller found that to be the case, early in building the intelligence community assessment on Russian interference, in an early draft, they actually put the dossier on page two in kind of a breakout box.”

“I think it was the CIA pushing this. Real intelligence experts looked at this and said no, this is not intelligence, this is garbage and they took it out,” Woodward added.

“But in this process, the idea that they would include something like that in one of the great stellar intelligence assessments, as Mueller also found out, is highly questionable.” he added, saying that it “Needs to be investigated.”

Last week, President Trump slammed the FBI, stating that the intelligence agency conspired against his presidential campaign.

Trump addressed the ‘fake’ dossier, which was funded in part by Fusion GPS, a political intelligence firm working for the DNC, calling it a “total fraud on your President and the American people!”

He also took aim at “Crooked Hillary” noting that eleven payments were made to the former to British spy Steele by the FBI in 2016.

Judicial Watch is suing for communication and payment records between the FBI, Steele, and his private firm, Orbis Business Intelligence.

Source: InfoWars

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Who’s next? Daltrey and Townshend set for ‘full throttle’ tour, album

Roger Daltrey and Pete Townshend of British band The Who pose for a picture at Wembley Stadium in London
Roger Daltrey and Pete Townshend of British band The Who pose for a picture at Wembley Stadium in London, Britain March 13, 2019. REUTERS/Dylan Martinez

March 15, 2019

By Marie-Louise Gumuchian

LONDON (Reuters) – “I hope I die before I get old,” The Who sang in their 1965 hit “My Generation”.

But more than 50 years on, the veteran rock band’s two surviving original members are set for a new tour named “Moving On!” and the release of their first album of new music in 13 years.

Singer Roger Daltrey and guitarist/songwriter Pete Townshend, now in their 70s, will take the stage in May as part of The Who’s current six-member lineup and backed by an orchestra to play venues in the United States and Canada as well as London’s Wembley Stadium in July.

After tours of past hits, namely the hugely influential rock operas “Tommy” and “Quadrophenia”, Daltrey, who performed with an orchestra last year, said it was time to do something “that reflects where we are in our lives at the moment”.

“We’re old men now…we can’t go out there and pretend it’s going to be anywhere like we were 40, 50 years ago,” he told Reuters in an interview at Wembley.

“Adding the orchestra…can elevate the music into a place where it feels kind of grown up…(but) people mustn’t think just because there’s an orchestra with The Who that it’s going to be watered down. We’ll be playing exactly full throttle like we usually do.”

Emerging in 1960s London, The Who, which included the late drummer Keith Moon and bass player John Entwistle, have sold more than 100 million records worldwide, with hits like “Won’t Get Fooled Again” and “I Can See For Miles”.

“We could never have imagined it (the group’s ongoing success,” Daltrey said.

“I was coming to (Wembley) stadium today and taking the same journey I used to take every night in the group van…All the memories come back.”

Townshend, the band’s principal songwriter and famed for thrashing his guitar on stage, said he felt “grateful” they could still perform.

“Roger and I are very lucky to be alive,” he said. “We’re lucky to be reasonably healthy. We’re lucky that we can still play the music that we grew up with.”

The Who this year are also planning to release their first album of new music since 2006’s “Endless Wire”.

“We went through so many different phases so now really the challenge is just writing music which is good music which suits Roger and I,” Townshend said.

“I’m a real, real hard taskmaster when it comes to what I sing and whether, whether it’s a good song or not. And I’ll tell you he’s still got it,” Daltrey said.

The singer has said “Moving On!” is not a farewell tour, but acknowledged the duo’s advancing years.

“One of them’s gonna be (a farewell tour), we might not make the end of this one,” he joked. “Every time you hit the stage there’s a possibility of game over at our age.”

(Reporting by Marie-Louise Gumuchian; editing by Jason Neely)

Source: OANN

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New dam collapse in Brazil; no casualties reported

Brazil has suffered another mining dam collapse, though this time there are no reports of dead or missing.

The Rondonia state environment secretary says the dam in Oriente Novo gave way after a waterspout damaged its structure on Friday.

Authorities say there's no risk of contamination from the water, sand and clay that spilled from the dam owned by the Metalmig company.

A dam owned by mining giant Vale collapsed on Jan. 25, killing at least 217 people and leaving 84 missing in Minas Gerais state. Vale said last week that auditors have determined that another dam in that state could collapse at any time and people in three cities practiced evacuation drills on Wednesday.

Source: Fox News World

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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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