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New Thai government may be unstable, short-lived

Thailand's election Sunday is likely to produce a weak unstable government whether it's a civilian or military-backed party that cobbles together a coalition, setting off a new phase of uncertainty in a country that's a U.S. ally in Southeast Asia and one of the world's top tourist destinations.

The election is Thailand's first since its military seized power from an elected government in May 2014. It was the conservative establishment's third major attempt by either military or legal coup to eradicate the influence of Thaksin Shinawatra, a tycoon who made his fortune in telecommunication and upended Thailand's politics with a populist political revolution nearly two decades ago.

Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha, who as army chief led the 2014 coup, is hoping to stay in power with a hybrid political system that relies on an appointed Senate and a 20-year national strategic plan to limit the power of political parties not aligned with the military.

"It will be unstable," said Prajak Kongkirati, a political science lecturer at Thammasat University. "Whatever party wins, Prayuth or Thaksin's side, both governments will be weak and unstable," he said. "The government can collapse within a year or a year and a half and we might have a new election quite soon."

Prayuth's five years as junta leader have been marred by complaints of human rights violations and growing economic inequality. Thailand's ties with the U.S. cooled because of the coup and Prayuth is seeking greater international legitimacy with an election meant to provide the appearance of a return to democracy.

If the junta had one success, it was reinforcing its claim to be protector of Thailand's monarchy, an institution at the heart of Thai society, following the death of King Bhumibol Adulyadej in 2016 after a reign of seven decades and the succession of his son Maha Vajiralongkorn.

Critic say the new military-designed political system is intrinsically unstable because it is not accepted by all sides and will be the beginning of a new round of struggle in Thailand.

The country's prime minister will not be directly elected by its 51 million voters. Instead 750 lawmakers — 500 from an elected lower house of parliament and 250 from a junta-appointed Senate — will decide by simple majority. The prime minister does not have to be a member of parliament.

None of the major political parties is likely to have enough elected lawmakers to choose a prime minister and form a government outright. Chaotic outcomes, such as a military favored prime minister chosen with Senate backing that lacks a majority in the parliament, are possible.

Sunday's vote is the latest episode in a sometimes violent political struggle that pits Thaksin's political machine against a conservative establishment led by the ultra-royalist military.

Thaksin swept to power in 2001 with social welfare policies aimed at uplifting the majority rural poor. He lives in exile after he was ousted by a 2006 military coup and accused of abuse of power, corruption and self-enrichment. Some saw him as disrespectful to the monarchy.

The 2014 coup ousted the government that was led by Thaksin's sister Yingluck Shinawatra, who was the head of the Thaksin-allied Pheu Thai party at the time.

On Friday, Thaksin hosted a glittering wedding reception in Hong Kong for his youngest daughter, causing a sensation and substantial media and online coverage in Thailand. Guests included the Thai king's sister Princess Ubolratana Mahidol, who last month made a spectacular but quickly aborted attempt to be a prime ministerial candidate for a small Thaksin-allied party.

Though ostensibly a family affair, the ceremony's timing two days ahead of the election seemed to implicitly say: Don't forget me and my political allies when you go out to vote.

The Pheu Thai party remains broadly popular, especially in the country's north and northeast, home to the majority of voters, and its current leader Sudarat Keyuraphan has urged all Thais to vote, hoping a high turnout will derail Prayuth's plans to stay in power.

"If Pheu Thai does reach the number needed to form a new government, it is unclear how the military leadership would respond," said John Ciorciari, a Southeast Asia expert at the University of Michigan.

"Regardless of the election result, it is unlikely to put an end to Thailand's protracted political crisis," he said.

___

Associated Press writers Grant Peck and Kaweewit Kaewjinda contributed.

Source: Fox News World

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NBA roundup: Bledsoe leads Bucks past Rockets

NBA: Houston Rockets at Milwaukee Bucks
Mar 26, 2019; Milwaukee, WI, USA; Milwaukee Bucks guard Eric Bledsoe (6) grabs a rebound between Houston Rockets center Clint Capela (15) and guard James Harden (13) during the second quarter at Fiserv Forum. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports

March 27, 2019

Eric Bledsoe stole the spotlight from the MVP front-runners, and the Milwaukee Bucks coasted to a 108-94 victory over the visiting Houston Rockets on Tuesday.

Bledsoe paired 23 points with seven assists and was the catalyst during a third-quarter run that enabled the Bucks to seize control. He scored 16 consecutive points for Milwaukee during one stretch, sinking four 3-pointers, as the Bucks extended a five-point lead into a 79-65 advantage.

Rockets guard James Harden and Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo were relatively quiet. Harden posted 23 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists but shot 1 of 9 from 3-point range. Antetokounmpo tallied 19 points and 14 rebounds with five turnovers.

Harden, Eric Gordon and P.J. Tucker shot a combined 2 of 22 from beyond the 3-point arc for Houston.

Celtics 116, Cavaliers 106

Al Horford broke a fourth-quarter tie with a layup and capped a 14-4 run with an alley-oop slam, helping visiting Boston brush aside Cleveland.

The win, paired with a later loss by the Detroit Pistons, allowed the Celtics to clinch a playoff berth for the fifth year in a row. Horford finished with 19 points and a team-high eight rebounds for Boston, which snapped a four-game losing streak.

With the Celtics giving Kyrie Irving a night off, Jayson Tatum and Marcus Smart shared team-high scoring honors with 21 points apiece. Collin Sexton had a game-high 24 points for the Cavaliers.

Clippers 122, Timberwolves 111

Danilo Gallinari scored 25 points, and Lou Williams added 20 as visiting Los Angeles officially clinched a playoff spot and increased its winning streak to six games by topping Minnesota in Minneapolis.

Montrezl Harrell scored 18 points for the Clippers. The lone downside for Los Angeles was that by clinching a postseason berth, the Clippers must give their 2019 first-round draft pick to the Boston Celtics to complete the Jeff Green trade of February 2016.

Karl-Anthony Towns scored 24 points with 13 rebounds as the Timberwolves lost for the sixth time in their past seven games.

Hornets 125, Spurs 116 (OT)

Kemba Walker had 38 points, 11 assists and nine rebounds and was brilliant in overtime, and Charlotte remained red hot with a victory over visiting San Antonio.

Walker scored 11 of his points in overtime, including the Hornets’ first seven of the extra session, as Charlotte outscored the Spurs 19-10. The Hornets, who also got a career-high 24 points from Dwayne Bacon, claimed their fourth consecutive win, which is a first this season.

DeMar DeRozan led the Spurs with 30 points and grabbed eight rebounds. LaMarcus Aldridge had 20 points and 15 rebounds, and Marco Belinelli scored 17 and pulled down 10 boards.

Magic 104, Heat 99

Nikola Vucevic scored 18 of his team-high 24 points in the second half as Orlando defeated host Miami in a key contest. Both teams are battling for the eighth and final playoff berth in the Eastern Conference, and the Magic vaulted over the Heat by a half-game in the standings.

Vucevic also added a game-high 16 rebounds and five assists, leading Orlando to its sixth straight win.

Miami, 10-5 in its past 15 games, was led by Dion Waiters, who scored a game-high 26 points. Reserve Dwyane Wade scored 22 points, including 18 in the second half.

Nuggets 95, Pistons 92

Jamal Murray scored 33 points, and host Denver built a 27-point halftime lead, then withstood a furious Detroit rally to claim a victory.

Nikola Jokic had 23 points and 15 rebounds for the Nuggets, who were outscored 53-29 in the second half.

The Pistons’ Blake Griffin had 29 points, 15 rebounds and five assists but missed a potential tying 3-pointer in the closing seconds. Reggie Jackson added 17 points, and Andre Drummond contributed 13 points and 17 rebounds.

Raptors 112, Bulls 103

Norman Powell had 20 points off the bench, and Serge Ibaka added 16 points and eight rebounds to help Toronto defeat visiting Chicago. The victory salvaged the final game of a three-game homestand after the Raptors had lost the first two.

Kawhi Leonard and Kyle Lowry each added 14 points for the Raptors while Pascal Siakam had 13. OG Anunoby had 10 points for Toronto before he groggily left the court with assistance with 4:10 to play in the game after a collision.

Wayne Selden scored 20 points for the Bulls, and Shaquille Harrison added 15. Chicago has lost two in a row after winning the previous two games.

Hawks 130, Pelicans 120

Rookie Trae Young had 33 points and 12 assists as visiting Atlanta defeated New Orleans.

The Hawks earned their third consecutive victory to tie their longest winning streak of the season. DeAndre’ Bembry and Dewayne Dedmon added 18 points each for Atlanta.

Julius Randle scored 24 to lead the Pelicans, who lost for the ninth time in 10 games. Christian Wood, playing in his second game since being claimed off waivers, had a career-high 23 points. New Orleans’ Frank Jackson scored 20 before leaving the game after sustaining a concussion.

Lakers 124, Wizards 106

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope shot 6-for-12 from 3-point distance and scored 29 points to help Los Angeles defeat visiting Washington. The Lakers won two in a row for the first time since mid-January.

LeBron James had 23 points and 14 assists, and JaVale McGee contributed 20 points, 15 rebounds and four blocks for the Lakers.

Bradley Beal scored 32 points for the Wizards, who lost their fifth straight game to match their longest streak of the season.

Kings 125, Mavericks 121

De’Aaron Fox scored 10 of Sacramento’s final 15 points in the last 2:27 as the visitors earned a victory at Dallas.

Fox finished with 23 points, eight assists and five rebounds. Buddy Hield had 17 points, going just 4 of 13 from the floor, but he hit a 3-pointer from the wing with 1:07 to go to retake the lead for the Kings, 119-116.

Rookie Luka Doncic led Dallas with 28 points and his seventh triple-double of the season. He wound up with 12 assists and 12 boards. His night could have been spectacular if not for missing all nine of his 3-point attempts.

–Field Level Media

Source: OANN

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Arizona firefighters rushed to hospitals after explosion at battery facility

Eight firefighters, from two separate agencies, were hospitalized Friday after an explosion at an Arizona Public Service facility in Surprise, where utility-sized lithium batteries used in the storage and distribution of solar energy are housed.

FDNY SPIRIT RUN HONORS FIREFIGHTERS WHO BATTLED NOTRE DAME FIRE

Four firefighters from the Peoria Fire-Medical Department were seriously injured. One firefighter was in critical condition after being knocked unconscious. Two others were in serious condition, Capt. Ken Wier told FOX 10 of Phoenix.

Three of the most seriously hurt firefighters were airlifted to Maricopa County Medical Center's burn unit in Phoenix while the fourth was transported to a West Valley hospital, Michael Selmer, a spokesman for the department, told AZCentral.com.

Four additional firefighters from the city of Surprise were taken to a hospital for non-life-threatening injuries, Battalion Chief Julie Moore of the Surprise Fire Department told AZCentral.

Fire teams from Peoria and Surprise both responded to APS McMicken Energy Storage facility around 6 p.m. after someone passing by spotted spoke, Moore said. Firefighters began inspecting a utility-size lithium battery for hazardous chemical levels. An explosion occurred as a Peoria Fire hazmat team attempted to enter the facility.

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APS spokesman Alan Bunnell said the facility will cooperate with a full investigation into the cause of the explosion. He said firefighters were called to the site to investigate a possible equipment failure. Meanwhile, firefighters from various agencies in Phoenix gathered outside the Maricopa Medical Center on Friday evening to rally behind their fellow first-responders, AZCentral reported.

Source: Fox News National

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2018 was low point and turning point for Danske Bank: chairman

FILE PHOTO: General view of the Danske Bank building in Copenhagen
FILE PHOTO: General view of the Danske Bank building in Copenhagen, Denmark, September 27, 2018. REUTERS/Jacob Gronholt-Pedersen/File Photo

March 18, 2019

COPENHAGEN (Reuters) – Last year was a low point for Danske Bank due to the massive money laundering scandal linked to its Estonian branch, but also a turning point for the Danish bank, its chairman told investors at an annual general meeting in Copenhagen on Monday.

“2018 became a low point for Danske Bank. But I also see it as a turning point,” Karsten Dybvad said, adding the bank began an internal dialogue about its role in society.

(Reporting by Teis Jensen; Editing by Mark Potter)

Source: OANN

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Pakistan PM Khan appoints new finance ministry chief in major reshuffle

FILE PHOTO: U.S. Special Representative for Afghanistan & Pakistan Holbrooke co-chairs a session with Pakistan's Finance Minister Shaikh during the Pakistan Development Forum in Islamabad
FILE PHOTO: U.S. Special Representative for Afghanistan & Pakistan Richard Holbrooke (L), co-chairs a session with Pakistan's Finance Minister Abdul Hafeez Shaikh during the Pakistan Development Forum in Islamabad November 14, 2010. REUTERS/Adrees Latif

April 19, 2019

By Asif Shahzad and Drazen Jorgic

ISLAMABAD (Reuters) – Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan made a sweeping cabinet reshuffle on Thursday after only seven months in power and appointed Abdul Hafeez Shaikh as de facto finance minister to steer the country through worsening economic turmoil.

Pakistan is on the brink of signing up for it 13th International Monetary Fund (IMF) bailout since the late 1980s in a bid to stave off a balance of payments crisis and ease ballooning current account and fiscal deficits.

Khan’s government inherited a wobbly economy but the former cricketer has come under intense criticism for failing to fulfill his promises that he would steady the ship and bring prosperity to Pakistan.

Khan late on Thursday announced 10 ministerial appointments in a shakeup that included the departure of Finance Minister Asad Umar, who has been a close ally to Khan for many years.

Shaikh, who already served as finance minister from 2010-2013 under the opposition Pakistan Peoples Party when it was in power, has been appointed as “Adviser on Finance” but will be heading the finance ministry once again.

In Pakistan it is common for financial experts to be given the title of “adviser”, rather than federal minister, to head the finance ministry when they are not a sitting member of parliament.

Earlier in the day Umar, announcing that he would step down, said Pakistan would still go into an IMF program but warned his successor that he faces a tough job ahead.

“No one should expect from the new finance minister that things could be better in three months’ time,” Umar told reporters in capital Islamabad on Thursday afternoon.

“The next budget will be a difficult one,” he added, referring to annual spending plans for the financial year ending June 2020 due to announced in May.

Umar, who had been asked to quit on Wednesday night, said he still strongly believed Khan was the best hope for the country.

Influential Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry has been moved to the science and technology ministry, while retired Brigadier Ijaz Ahmed Shah has been appointed as Interior Minister. Energy expert Nadeem Babar has been appointed to lead the petroleum ministry.

GLOOMY PICTURE

Khan was widely expected to turn to a steady hand to replace businessman Umar, who was the former chief executive of Engro, Pakistan’s biggest private conglomerate.

Shaikh, a U.S-educated economist who worked at Harvard University, also spent many years working for the World Bank and had also been the privatization minister during the government of former military dictator General Pervez Musharraf.

Speculation that Umar would be replaced had been rife for months, with some business groups and investors unhappy with Umar’s strategy of seeking short-term loans from allies such as China and Saudi Arabia instead of finalizing an IMF rescue package after Khan assumed power in August.

Khan’s government has got temporary relief from allies, including China and Saudi Arabia, who offered short-term loans worth more than $10 billion to buffer foreign currency reserves and ease pressure on the current account.

But it was not enough.

Umar has been leading negotiations with the IMF but has faced criticism over a worsening economic outlook on his watch, with inflation at a five-year high and the local rupee currency down about 35 percent since Dec 2017.

The central bank last month cut growth estimates, forecasting the economy to expand 3.5 to 4 percent in the 12 months to the end of June, well short of a government target of 6.2 percent. The IMF paints a gloomier picture, predicting growth of 2.9 percent in 2019 and 2.8 percent next year.

(Additional reporting by Saad Sayeed; Writing by Drazen Jorgic; Editing by Robert Birsel, Clarence Fernandez and Andrew Heavens)

Source: OANN

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What is the scariest retirement healthcare number?

FILE PHOTO: A nurse walks along the hallways of the East Arkansas Family Health Center in Lepanto
FILE PHOTO: A nurse walks along the hallways of the East Arkansas Family Health Center in Lepanto, Arkansas, U.S., May 2, 2018. Picture taken May 2, 2018. REUTERS/Karen Pulfer Focht

April 2, 2019

By Beth Pinsker

NEW YORK (Reuters) – A typical couple could potentially spend $285,000 on out-of-pocket healthcare costs in retirement.

But that is hardly the scariest number you need to consider when it comes to medical costs as you age.

This estimate, released on Tuesday by Fidelity Workplace Consulting, is based on Medicare premiums for Americans 65 and older, plus the deductibles and co-pays required for medical care and prescription drugs. It also accounts for inflation and investment growth.

If you have $1 million in retirement savings and plan to spend a healthy 4 percent of that per year plus Social Security, your monthly healthcare budget would need to account for about $5,000 per year per person.

These bulk figures sound large, yet what is not included may be even more worrisome:

– Long-term care

Since Medicare, the government health plan for those over 65, does not cover long-term care costs, Fidelity’s average spend does not include it either.

But this is where you find the big price tag. The average cost of nursing care is more than $80,000 per year according to the Administration on Aging, an agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Home healthcare can be even more expensive at $20 an hour.

While Medicaid is a government safety net for low-income individuals of any age, it does not work for all nursing homes, nor for home care. The only way to insure against running out of money for private-pay nursing homes or home care is to get long-term care insurance. The problem? It is so expensive that even the companies selling long-term care policies are getting out of the business.

Genworth, the biggest provider, just announced that it is not going to sell traditional individual policies and hybrid ones with annuities through brokers. While group policies and direct-sales will still be available, it is just one more contraction in an already shrinking market.

There are still ways to protect yourself. Jesse Slome, executive director of the American Association for Long-Term Care Insurance, favors a some-is-better-than-none approach. Limited long-term care policies, which have lower premiums and lower benefits, sold by companies such as New York Life and Mutual of Omaha, will at least pay some of your costs, he said.

– Dental and vision

Medicare does not cover dental and vision costs. The good news? “Those are things most people can anticipate and afford,” said Hope Manion, senior vice president, Fidelity Workplace Consulting

As 66-year-old Slome learned in a year on Medicare, it is hard to let go of savings you worked so hard to accumulate. Slome noted this as he was about to head out to the optometrist for a long-avoided update to his eyewear.

“I was moving something in the garage and a hedge clipper scratched the glasses. I have distance glasses and computer glasses and reading glasses. All three pairs will be redone – this is a thousand-dollar visit,” Slome lamented.

A smart way to leverage retirement savings for ad hoc medical costs is through health savings accounts, which allow triple-tax-free savings for healthcare costs, Manion said. You will need a high-deductible health plan to qualify, however.

– Pre-Medicare healthcare costs

Americans between the ages of 50 and 64 are the ones who need to worry most about healthcare costs, because some people cannot keep working even if they want to. Fifty-four percent of people in this age group are worried about covering healthcare costs before Medicare kicks in, according to a recent survey from AARP.

“That age band is really scary,” Manion said. “That’s when premiums skyrocket.”

This is also typically the time when chronic health conditions worsen and doctors pile on prescriptions as well as procedures. Medicare does a better job managing these costs than private-pay insurance, Manion said.

Last year Slome went into the hospital just a few weeks before he became eligible for Medicare. In three days, he blew through $6,500, all out-of-pocket costs because he had a high-deductible plan.

“Three weeks later, it would have been zero!” Slome said.

(Editing by Lauren Young and Phil Berlowitz)

Source: OANN

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Savannah sees massive trash mess after St. Patrick's Day celebrations, sparking anger

The city that hosts the largest St. Patrick's Day parade in the South was left with the largest cleanup in the South on Saturday after revelers littered a downtown square with cups, food wrappers and other garbage.

Organizers of the festivities in Savannah, Ga., posted images of the rubbish in Wright Square with a chipper caption noting that "thanks to City staff and civic-minded volunteers the clean-up is well underway!" The image had been shared 1,320 times as of Sunday afternoon and drawn 330 comments.

"This is appalling," one user commented. "Who would be surprised to find that the jerks responsible for this mess don't come from Savannah?"

"Until they start arresting and/or fining people, they will continue to do so," wrote another. "Savannah needs to develop a spine!!!"

An estimated 300,000 people were expected to attend the annual parade, which was first held in 1824 and has ballooned into a sprawling street party.

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The Associated Press reported that bars opened in the city at 7 a.m. Saturday. The parade and related festivities were held a day early to avoid conflicting with religious services. New York City and Chicago also held their St. Patrick's Day parades on Saturday.

"Savannah's like a bad drug," said Bruce Souers, a Savannah native who's been attending parades for five decades, as he sipped Jameson Irish whiskey from a plastic cup. "Once it's in your blood, you can't get rid of it."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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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