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Trump names new Small Business Administration chief

FILE PHOTO - U.S. treasurer Jovita Carranza speaks during her swearing in ceremony at the Treasury Department building in Washington, U.S
FILE PHOTO - U.S. treasurer Jovita Carranza speaks during her swearing in ceremony at the Treasury Department building in Washington, U.S., June 19, 2017. REUTERS/Carlos Barria

April 5, 2019

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – President Donald Trump said on Thursday he will nominate U.S. Treasurer Jovita Carranza to lead the Small Business Administration.

If confirmed by the U.S. Senate, Carranza will replace World Wrestling Entertainment co-founder Linda McMahon, who announced last week she was stepping down as SBA administrator.

“Jovita was a great Treasurer of the United States – and I look forward to her joining my Cabinet!” Trump said in a tweet announcing her nomination.

Carranza served as SBA deputy administrator from 2006 to 2009. Prior to that she worked at United Parcel Service, rising from box handler to president of its Latin America and Caribbean operations.

(Reporting by Eric Beech; Editing by Sandra Maler)

Source: OANN

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Mnuchin says hopes U.S.-China trade talks nearing ‘final round’

U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin at the IMF and World Bank Spring Meetings in Washington
U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin leaves the G-20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors' meeting at the IMF and World Bank's 2019 Annual Spring Meetings, in Washington, April 12, 2019. REUTERS/James Lawler Duggan

April 13, 2019

By David Lawder and Pete Schroeder

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said on Saturday a U.S.-China trade agreement would go “way beyond” previous efforts to open China’s markets to U.S. companies and hoped that the two sides were “close to the final round” of negotiations.

Mnuchin, speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the International Monetary Fund and World Bank spring meetings, said that he and U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer would hold two calls next week with Chinese Vice Premier Liu He. The officials also were discussing whether more in-person meetings were necessary to conclude an agreement.

“I think we’re hopeful that we’re getting close to the final round of concluding issues,” Mnuchin said.

Beijing and Washington are seeking a deal to end a bitter trade war marked by tit-for-tat tariffs that have cost the world’s two largest economies billions of dollars, disrupted supply chains and rattled financial markets.

Among the issues under discussion are U.S. demands that China open more sectors of its economy to foreign and U.S. firms. Asked whether such an opening would go beyond what was contemplated in the 2016 Bilateral Investment Treaty negotiations, he replied:

“We are making progress, I want to be careful. This is not a public negotiation … this is a very, very detailed agreement covering issues that have never been dealt with before,” Mnuchin said. “This is way beyond anything that looked like a bilateral investment treaty.

The BIT talks, pursued by former President Barack Obama’s administration, stalled as China refused to satisfy U.S. demands to open significant sectors of its economy to foreign investment. The talks were not taken up by the Trump administration, which pursued tariffs on Chinese goods instead, leading to the current talks.

Mnuchin called the agreement under negotiation “the most significant change in the trading relationship in 40 years,” adding that it would have “real enforcement on both sides.”

(Reporting by David Lawder and Pete Schroeder; Editing by Paul Simao)

Source: OANN

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Kim Foxx’s chief ethics officer, integrity unit director resign following Smollett controversy

Two ranking executives inside the Cook County State’s Attorney's Office have submitted their resignations — including State’s Attorney Kim Foxx’s chief ethics officer, April Perry, whom Foxx cited as the person who advised her to “recuse” herself from the Jussie Smollett case that has rocked the Chicago office, Fox News learned Thursday.

Mark Rotert, the director of the office's Conviction Integrity Unit, has also submitted his resignation, according to a Foxx spokesperson. Perry and Rotert are scheduled to work their last days on the job in May.

"While I feel lucky to have been able to spend the last 15 years of my career in public service, I am looking forward to my next endeavor in the private sector where I have the opportunity to continue to work toward increasing the safety of our community," Perry wrote in an April 15 letter obtained by Fox News.

Chicago's top prosecutor has been criticized for how she handled Smollett’s criminal case — including her questionable recusal and how her office suddenly dropped the charges against the 36-year-old "Empire" actor on March 26.

A grand jury indicted the actor on 16 counts in early March. Foxx's office dropped the charges about three weeks later, explaining that Smollett was offered "deferred prosecution" because he forfeited his $10,000 bond and performed some community service. Much of the legal community has rebuked Foxx’s explanation including the National District Attorneys Association and the Illinois Prosecutors Bar Association which concluded that Foxx "fundamentally misled the public" and should have recused her entire office from the case.

STATE'S ATTORNEY KIM FOXX REPORTEDLY CALLS JUSSIE SMOLLETT 'WASHED UP CELEB WHO LIED TO COPS' IN TEXT MESSAGE

Last February, during the height of the investigation into Smollett’s claim that he was a victim of a hate crime, the state's attorney's office released a statement saying Foxx recused herself from investigating Smollett "out of an abundance of caution" because Foxx had discussed the case with a Smollett family member. "Shortly after the incident occurred in late January, State’s Attorney Foxx had conversations with a family member of Jussie Smollett about the incident and their concerns, and facilitated a connection to the Chicago Police Department who were investigating the incident," a statement from the office read.

In media interviews, Foxx revealed it was Perry who advised her to recuse herself and touted Perry as the office’s first ethics officer. However, her office later had to clarify that Foxx recused herself only in the "colloquial" sense -- not what was accepted as the standard legal recusal which would involve her entire office, and the appointment of a special prosecutor.

On March 8, it became public that Smollett was indicted on 16 felony counts for allegedly lying to police over a staged assault against himself earlier this year — after discussing the move with Perry.

Foxx has stood by her office's decisions. She invited the Cook County inspector general's office to investigate the case, and the IG confirmed to Fox News that it was.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

President Trump said last month he's asked for a federal review of Foxx's decisions.

Rotert, meanwhile, told the Chicago Sun-Times that the Smollett controversy "had absolutely zero percent to do with my decision."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Source: Fox News National

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Boy Scout ranch focuses on wildfire recovery as season nears

Tucked away in the foothills of the southern Rockies, the Philmont Scout Ranch has become a holy grail, its stretches of untamed wilderness and challenging backcountry treks drawing more than 1 million Boy Scouts and other adventurers from across the United States over the past 80 years.

For many of those who have spent time at the mountain retreat, they can't get enough. It gets in the blood, it's infectious and it's the reason there was so much heartbreak last year when a wildfire ripped through the heart of the ranch.

Dozens of miles of trails were wiped out along with campsites, leaving behind a scar that will take years and millions of dollars to restore.

The work is necessary, ranch managers and troop leaders say, pointing to Philmont as a crown jewel of the scouting experience.

"There's just a real sense of loss, kind of a grieving process so to speak," said Roger Hoyt, a longtime Scout leader and Philmont's general manager. "But at the end of the day, nature does renew itself and I think from the tragedy and the heartache comes this sense of renewal and opportunity."

More than a half-million dollars already has been raised and the rebuilding effort is well underway with the installation of 85 new campsites and work to shore up some of the ash-covered hillsides.

Crews were sidelined in January due to snow, but work has resumed in the lower elevations as the clock ticks down for the start of the summer season.

And it will be a banner season with a record number of Scouts — possibly as many as 24,000 — expected to pass through Philmont, Hoyt said. Some of them initially planned to make the trek in 2018 but were derailed due to the fire and the subsequent closure of the backcountry.

With nearly one-fifth of Philmont blackened, the ranch is not alone in its new mission to become more resilient as western land managers face larger and hotter wildfires fueled by overgrown forests and dry conditions.

In 2018, more than 8.7 million acres (13,594 square miles) burned across the U.S., with most of that being in the West, according to the National Interagency Fire Center . Records were broken in California, which marked its deadliest and most destructive blaze in November as the town of Paradise was destroyed and 85 people were killed.

Scientists have said the 2018 season was part of a longer trend of larger and more frequent fires in the western United States.

In New Mexico, more than 382,000 acres (597 square miles) burned in 2018 and the state has seen its largest and most destructive fires on record within the last decade.

Hoyt estimates Philmont Scout Ranch will spend $1 million in the next year on conservation and fire mitigation projects. That includes addressing silt that's washing down from barren slopes to clearing fuel from the forest floor, thinning trees and creating fuel breaks to keep fires from racing across other parts of the ranch.

While the work is relatively low-cost, it's labor intensive, Hoyt said.

In March alone, 140 volunteers spent over 6,000 hours on fire mitigation and restoration projects.

Within two years, he hopes pockets of the burned area can be used as an outdoor classroom for visiting Scouts.

On the other side of the country, members of Troop 715 are preparing for this summer's journey to Philmont. The Richmond, Virginia-based group was gathering over the weekend for a 2-mile (3-kilometer) backpacking trip so they could learn about what gear to take and what to leave behind. They'll eventually work up to covering 10 miles (16 kilometers) a day.

Then there's the first aid training and other skills that will help when they're far from civilization, said Scout Master Steve Tyler, who will be accompanied by his sons, including one who is an Eagle Scout and will have just graduated the U.S. Military Academy at West Point.

Aside from being immersed in what Tyler calls "big sky country," he said another highlight is summiting Baldy Mountain — a 12,441-foot (3,793-meter) peak on Philmont's northern boundary not far from the Colorado border.

"Around here, the horizon is about 100 yards away and you're looking at a tall oak tree," Tyler said of his Virginia surroundings. "So it's very, very different out there. It is a special experience."

Source: Fox News National

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MLB notebook: Cubs’ Lester (hamstring) heads to IL

FILE PHOTO: MLB: Pittsburgh Pirates at Chicago Cubs
FILE PHOTO: Apr 8, 2019; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Cubs starting pitcher Jon Lester (34) pitches during the first inning against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Wrigley Field. Mandatory Credit: Patrick Gorski-USA TODAY Sports

April 10, 2019

Chicago Cubs ace Jon Lester will be placed on the 10-day injured list Tuesday and miss “one, maybe two” starts with a hamstring strain, manager Joe Maddon announced Tuesday.

The left-hander got hurt while running the bases during the Cubs’ six-run second inning Monday in Chicago’s home opener against the Pittsburgh Pirates. He doubled home a run and later scored from second base on a single by Ben Zobrist.

“Sometimes when you have elite speed, these things can happen,” Lester said Tuesday in a tongue-in-cheek message on Twitter.

Lester, 35, is 1-0 with a 2.57 ERA in three starts this season. The five-time All-Star is 178-98 with a 3.49 ERA in 14 major league seasons.

–The Cleveland Indians placed right-handed starter Mike Clevinger on the 10-day injured list, but he will be out for much longer.

Clevinger sustained a right upper back/Teres major muscle strain during his Sunday start. Manager Terry Francona called the injury “fairly significant” and told reporters it could be six to eight weeks “before we’re even looking at him picking up a ball.”

Clevinger (1-0) has not allowed a run in two starts this season while striking out 22 in 12 innings. He left the Sunday game after five innings.

–Pittsburgh right-hander Chris Archer, Cincinnati outfielder Yasiel Puig and Reds manager David Bell received suspensions for their roles in a bench-clearing brawl Sunday.

Archer received a five-game suspension for intentionally throwing a fastball behind the back of Derek Dietrich during the fourth inning in Pittsburgh. In his first at-bat, Dietrich had dropped his bat and stood to admire his towering 436-foot home run.

Puig drew a two-game suspension for “his aggressive actions during the incident,” the league said in a statement. Bell, who raced onto the field to argue that Archer should have been ejected, received a one-game suspension for his actions.

–Former New York Mets outfielder Lenny Dykstra has sued ex-teammate Ron Darling, alleging defamation over comments Darling made about him in his new book.

TMZ Sports reported that the lawsuit was filed in New York. Dykstra wants Darling to pay damages for “defamation and intentional infliction of emotional distress.”

Darling has stood by an allegation he made in his book that Dykstra shouted racial slurs at Boston Red Sox pitcher Dennis “Oil Can” Boyd in the 1986 World Series. Darling wrote that the insults were “worse than anything Jackie Robinson might have heard.”

–The Boston Red Sox reinstated second baseman Dustin Pedroia from the injured list ahead of the team’s home opener against the Toronto Blue Jays.

The club optioned infielder Tzu-Wei Lin to make room for Pedroia on the active roster. Pedroia started and went 1-for-4.

Pedroia, 35, began the season on the IL while battling inflammation in his surgically repaired left knee. He played in just three games in 2018 with 13 plate appearances. Before Tuesday, his most recent major league game was May 29, 2018, against the Blue Jays.

–The Washington Nationals reached an agreement with right-handed reliever Bud Norris on a minor league deal, pending results of a physical, according to The Athletic.

Norris, 34, spent spring training with the Toronto Blue Jays, posting a 9.00 ERA in three innings before injuring his forearm and getting released on April 2.

Norris spent the 2018 season in the St. Louis Cardinals’ bullpen, going 3-6 with 28 saves and a 3.59 ERA in 64 appearances.

–A Texas woman has sued the Houston Astros for more than $1 million, contending her left index finger was injured permanently last summer when the team mascot shot a giveaway shirt in her direction using a “T-shirt cannon.”

Jennifer Harughty said she was sitting behind third base last July 8 when the mascot, Orbit, launched a T-shirt at close range, resulting in a broken finger.

“It was a life-changing event that I think if it happened to anybody else … they would feel the same way,” Harughty told KTRK-TV in Houston.

–Field Level Media

Source: OANN

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The Latest: Egypt begins vote on extending el-Sissi’s rule

The Latest on Egypt's vote on a referendum potentially extending President el-Sissi's rule to 2030 (all times local):

9 a.m.

Egyptians have begun voting on constitutional amendments aimed at keeping President el-Sissi in power until 2030.

The referendum comes amid an unprecedented crackdown on dissent in recent years. El-Sissi's government has arrested thousands of people, most of them Islamists but also prominent secular activists, and rolled back freedoms won in a 2011 pro-democracy uprising.

The proposed changes were blasted by critics as another major step toward authoritarian rule.

___

8:35 a.m.

Egyptians are being asked to vote on constitutional amendments that would allow President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi to stay in power until 2030.

The three-day voting period for the nationwide referendum starts at 9 a.m. (0700 GMT) Saturday on proposed changes that would also further enshrine the military's role in politics. Parliament, packed with el-Sissi supporters, overwhelmingly approved the amendments on Tuesday.

Opposition parties have called on voters to reject the changes, seen by critics as a step backward to authoritarianism eight years after a pro-democracy uprising.

The vote comes amid an unprecedented crackdown by authorities on dissent since the military ouster of an elected but divisive president in 2013.

El-Sissi came to power in 2014 and was re-elected for a second four-year term last year.

Source: Fox News World

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Trump likely to visit Japan for state visit in May: NHK

U.S. President Donald Trump listens to a question in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington
U.S. President Donald Trump listens to a question after signing "Space Policy Directive 4", the directive to establish a Space Force as the sixth branch of the Armed Forces, in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, U.S., February 19, 2019. REUTERS/Jim Young

February 20, 2019

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. President Donald Trump will likely visit Japan for a state visit on May 26, Japanese broadcaster NHK reported on Wednesday, citing Japanese officials.

The White House and the Japanese embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

(Reporting by Makini Brice; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama)

Source: OANN

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FILE PHOTO: The logo of the OPEC is seen at OPEC's headquarters in Vienna
FILE PHOTO: The logo of the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries at OPEC’s headquarters in Vienna, Austria December 5, 2018. REUTERS/Leonhard Foeger/File Photo

April 26, 2019

JOINT BASE ANDREWS, Md. (Reuters) – U.S. President Donald Trump said on Friday he called the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and told the cartel to lower oil prices.

“Gasoline prices are coming down. I called up OPEC, I said you’ve got to bring them down. You’ve got to bring them down,” Trump told reporters.

(Reporting by Roberta Rampton; Writing by Makini Brice; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama)

Source: OANN

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Sonia Bompastor, director of the Olympique Lyonnais womenÕs Youth Academy, leads a training at the OL Academy near Lyon
Sonia Bompastor, director of the Olympique Lyonnais womenÕs Youth Academy, leads a training at the OL Academy in Meyzieu near Lyon, France, April 16, 2019. REUTERS/Emmanuel Foudrot

April 26, 2019

By Julien Pretot

MEYZIEU, France (Reuters) – Olympique Lyonnais president Jean-Michel Aulas was wringing out his women’s team shirts in the locker room on a rainy London day eight years ago when he decided it was time to take gender equality more seriously.

It was halftime in their Champions League semi-final second leg against Arsenal at Meadow Park with 507 fans watching and Aulas realized that his players did not have a another kit for the second half.

“Next time, there will be a second set just like for the men, that’s how it’s going to work from now on,” he said.

Lyon have since won five Champions League titles to become the most successful women’s team in Europe and recently claimed a 13th consecutive domestic crown.

They visit Chelsea on Sunday in the second leg of their Champions League semi-final, with a fourth straight title in their sights.

At the heart of their achievements is a pervasive ethos that promotes gender equality throughout the club, starting in the youth academy.

In 2013, Aulas appointed former Lyon and France player Sonia Bompastor as head of the Women’s Academy — the female equivalent of one of France’s top youth set-ups that has produced players such as Karim Benzema, Alexandre Lacazette and Hatem Ben Arfa.

At the Youth Academy, girls and boys share the same facilities.

“Pitches, physiotherapy rooms are the same for all,” the 38-year-old Bompastor told Reuters.

As the girls train under the watch of former Lyon and France international Camille Abily, the screams of the boys practicing can be heard nearby.

The boys and girls also benefit from the same psychological support that includes hypnosis sessions and yoga.

“We have a ‘mental ability’ cell and the hypnotist acts on the girls’ subconscious, on their deeply held beliefs after observing them on and off the pitch,” Bompastor added.

SAME TREATMENT

One message the Academy staff are trying to convey is that girls are as good as boys.

“Women’s nature is such that we have low self-esteem. So self-esteem is a big topic for our girls,” said Bompastor.

This is not the case with the boys, she added.

“Some 14, 15-year-old boys still think they would beat our professional players, we tell them this would not be happening. We still need to work on those beliefs,” she said.

Female players also have to face questions that their male counterparts do not, Bompastor explained.

“In France there is a problem with the way women are considered, there are high aesthetic expectations. So we get heavy questions on femininity, intimate questions that men don’t get,” she said.

OL’s Academy has been held up as a shining example for others to follow, even in the U.S., where women’s soccer has a wider audience than in Europe.

“About one third of the (senior women’s) squad comes from the Academy, we have a good balance,” said Bompastor.

“I’m getting tons of requests from American universities and foreign clubs, who want to come and visit our facilities.”

‘ONE CLUB’

The salaries of the senior players is one area where there remains a large discrepancy between Lyon’s men’s and women’s teams.

While the three best-paid women players in the world are at Lyon with Ballon d’Or winner Ada Hegerberg earning 400,000 euros ($445,520) a year, this figure is dwarfed by the around 4 million euros earned annually by men’s player Memphis Depay.

There is, however, a level of interaction between the men’s and women’s players that is not present at many other clubs.

“When you talk about OL you talk about women and men, you talk about one club and you feel it when you are here or outside in the city,” Germany defender Carolin Simon told Reuters.

“We see it when we play in the big stadium. It’s not ‘normal’ for women’s football,” the 26-year-old, who joined the club last year, added.

Lyon’s female players also enjoy respect from their male counterparts, Simon said.

“It’s very cool, it’s a big honor to feel that it doesn’t matter if you are a professional man or woman. We talk with the men, there are handshakes, it’s a good atmosphere and it’s also why we are successful,” said Simon.

“The men respect us and it’s not just for the cameras.”

Her team mate, England’s Lucy Bronze, sees the men’s respect as key to improving women’s football.

“We might not be paid the same but they are just normal with us, they see us as footballers the same as they are,” Bronze told Reuters.

“Being at Lyon has really opened my eyes. To improve women’s football, it starts with having the respect of your male counterparts. It’s the biggest thing because they can influence so many people.”

(Reporting by Julien Pretot; Editing by Toby Davis)

Source: OANN

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FILE PHOTO: Ethiopian migrants, stranded in war-torn Yemen, sit on the ground of a detention site pending repatriation to their home country, in Aden, Yemen
FILE PHOTO: Ethiopian migrants, stranded in war-torn Yemen, sit on the ground of a detention site pending repatriation to their home country, in Aden, Yemen April 24, 2019. REUTERS/Fawaz Salman/File Photo

April 26, 2019

GENEVA (Reuters) – Yemeni authorities have rounded up about 3,000 irregular migrants, predominantly Ethiopians, in the south of the country, “creating an acute humanitarian situation,” the U.N. migration agency said on Friday.

“IOM is deeply concerned about the conditions in which the migrants are being held and is engaging with the authorities to ensure access to the detained migrants,” the International Organization for Migration said.

The migrants are held in open-air football stadiums and in a military camp, it said in a statement.

The detentions began on Sunday in the city of Aden and the neighboring province of Lahj, which are under the control of the internationally recognized government backed by Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. Iran-aligned Houthi rebels control Sanaa, the capital, and other major urban centers.

Both sides are under international diplomatic pressure to implement a United Nations-sponsored ceasefire deal agreed last year in Sweden and to prepare for a wider political dialogue that would end the four-year-old war.

Thousands of migrants arrive in Yemen every year, mostly from the Horn of Africa, driven by drought and unemployment at home and lured by the wages available in the Gulf.

(Writing by Maher Chmaytelli, Editing by William Maclean)

Source: OANN

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U.S. dollar notes are seen in this picture illustration
U.S. dollar notes are seen in this November 7, 2016 picture illustration. Picture taken November 7. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration

April 26, 2019

(Reuters) – Following are five big themes likely to dominate thinking of investors and traders in the coming week and the Reuters stories related to them.

1/DOLLAR JUGGERNAUT

The dollar has zipped to near two-year highs, leaving many scratching their heads. To many, it’s down to signs the U.S. economy is chugging ahead while the rest of the world loses steam. After all, Wall Street is busily scaling new peaks day after day.

Never mind the cause, the effect is stark. The euro has tumbled to 22-month lows against the dollar and investors are preparing for more, buying options to shield against further downside. Emerging-market currencies are also in pain, with Turkish lira and Argentine peso both sharply weaker.

Now U.S. data need to keep surprising on the upside or even just meet expectations. The International Monetary Fund sees U.S. growth at 2.3 percent this year. For Germany, the forecast is 0.8 percent. The U.S. economy’s rude health has given rise to speculation the Fed might resume raising interest rates. Unlikely. But as other countries — Canada, Sweden and Australia are the latest — hint at more policy easing, there seems to be one way the dollar can go. Up.

(GRAPHIC: Dollar outperforms G10 FX – https://tmsnrt.rs/2Dz17S5)

2/FED: UP OR DOWN?

Wall Street is near record highs and recession worries are receding, so as we mentioned above, investors might wonder if the Federal Reserve will start raising rates again.

Such a pivot is unlikely after the Fed killed off rate-rise expectations at its March meeting. And the latest Reuters poll all but puts to bed any risk of rates will go up this economic cycle, given inflation remains below the Fed’s alarm threshold and unemployment is the lowest in generations.

Before the March rate-pause announcement, a preponderance of economists penciled in one or more increases this year. But that has flipped. A majority of those surveyed April 22-24 see no further tightening through December and more are leaning toward a cut by the end of next year.

Indeed, interest rate futures imply Fed Funds will be below the current 2.25-2.50 percent target range by this December.

Recent positive consumer spending and exports data have eased market concerns of a sharp economic slowdown. But inflation probably needs to run hot for a long period to panic policymakers off their wait-and-see course.     

(GRAPHIC: Federal funds and the economy – https://tmsnrt.rs/2DzjTZz)

3/HEISEI TO REIWA

Next week ends three decades of Japan’s Heisei era. Heisei, or Achieving Peace, began in 1989 near the peak of a massive stock market bubble and closes with the country trapped in low growth, no inflation, and negative interest rates.

The new era that dawns on May 1 is called Reiwa, meaning Beautiful Harmony. It begins when Crown Prince Naruhito ascends the Chrysanthemum Throne. But do investors really want harmony? What they want to see is a bit of economic growth and inflation to shake up the status quo.

The Bank of Japan’s stimulus toolkit to revive a long-suffering economy is anything but harmonious and yet it’s set to stay. The central bank confirmed recently rates will stay near zero for a long time. But the coming days may not be harmonious or peaceful for currency markets. A 10-day Golden Week holiday kicks off on April 29 and investors are fretting over the risk of a “flash crash” – a violent currency spasm that can occur in times of thin trading turnover.

The year has already seen two yen spikes and many, including Japan’s housewife-trader brigade – so-called Mrs Watanabes – appear to have bought yen as the holiday approaches. Their short dollar/long yen positions recently reached record highs, stock exchange data showed.

(GRAPHIC: Japan stocks: from Hensei to Reiwa – https://tmsnrt.rs/2W6a7Fe)

4/EARNING TURNING

Quarterly earnings were supposed to be the worst in Europe in almost three years, but with a third of results in, things are looking a little rosier.

Two-thirds of companies’ results have beat expectations, and they point to earnings growth of 4.5 percent year-on-year. Financials have delivered the biggest surprises, according to analysis by Barclays.

That might just show how low expectations were. In fact, analysts are still taking a red pen to their estimates.

The latest I/B/E/S data from Refinitiv shows analysts on average expect first-quarter earnings-per-share for STOXX 600-listed companies to fall 4.2 percent. That would be their worst quarter since 2016 and down sharply from an estimated 3.4 percent just a week earlier.

Those estimates may end up being a little too bearish as earnings season goes on, quelling worries that Europe is heading toward a corporate recession.

GSK and Reckitt Benckiser will give the market a glimpse of the health of the consumer products market and spending on everything from toothpaste, washing powder and paracetamol.

(GRAPHIC: Earnings forecasts – https://tmsnrt.rs/2DuO2ZF)

5/WAITING FOR THE OLD LADY

Sterling has gone into the doldrums amid the Brexit delay and unproductive talks between the UK government and the opposition Labour party on a EU withdrawal deal. The resurgent dollar, meanwhile, has taken 2 percent off the pound in April. It is unlikely the Bank of England will be able to rouse it at its May 2 meeting.

Despite robust retail and jobs data of late, the economic picture is gloomy – 2019 growth is likely to be around 1.2 percent, the weakest since 2009, investment is down and Governor Mark Carney says business uncertainty is “through the roof”.

Indeed, expectations for an interest rate increase have been whittled down; Reuters polls forecast rates will not move until early 2020, a calendar quarter later than was forecast a month ago. The hunt for a new governor to replace Carney in October adds more uncertainty to the mix.

The recent run of UK data has fueled hopes of economic rebound. That’s put net hedge fund positions in the pound into positive territory for the first time in nearly a year. The Old Lady of Threadneedle Street might temper some of that optimism.

(GRAPHIC: Sterling positions – https://tmsnrt.rs/2XJwUXX)

(Reporting by Alden Bentley in New York, Vidya Ranganathan in Singapore; Karin Strohecker, Josephine Mason and Saikat Chatterjee in London; compiled by Sujata Rao; edited by Larry King)

Source: OANN

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Democratic presidential candidate Elizabeth Warren suggested that doctors and nurses don’t treat African American women the same way they do white women.

Warren appeared on Wednesday together with a number of other 2020 Democratic candidates at the She The People Forum in Houston, discussing issues concerning women of color.

WARREN’S $1.25T EDUCATION PLAN ‘SWEEPING’ GIVEAWAY TO THE WEALTHY AT EXPENSE OF THE POOR, WAPO EDITORIAL BOARD SAYS

The Massachusetts senator announced on stage a plan to decrease the childbirth mortality rate among black women while identifying a systematic problem with how they are treated.

“And there is a specific problem, as you rightly identified, for women of color who are three, four times more likely to die in childbirth,” Warren said.

“And here’s the thing, even after we do the adjustments for income, for education, this is true across the board. This is true for well-educated African American women, for wealthy African American women, and the best studies that I’m seeing put it down to just one thing, prejudice,” she added.

“That doctors and nurses don’t hear African American women’s medical issues the same way that they hear the same things from white women.”

“That doctors and nurses don’t hear African American women’s medical issues the same way that they hear the same things from white women.”

— Elizabeth Warren

CHARLIE KIRK: WARREN AND OTHER DEMS OFFER FREE MONEY – BUT DON’T TELL YOU PRICE WILL BE YOUR FREEDOM

Warren went on to get into details of her plan, noting that hospitals will be given bonuses if they manage to reduce the childbirth mortality rate among black women in an effort to give financial incentives for those doctors and nurses to provide better care.

“And if they don’t, then they’re going to have money taken away from them,” Warren added.

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“I want to see the hospitals see it as their responsibility to address this problem head-on and make it a first priority. The best way to do that is to use the money to make it happen because we gotta have change, and we gotta have change now.”

Source: Fox News Politics

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