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H&M limits free deliveries for low-spending loyalty club members

FILE PHOTO: Logo of H&M is seen in a display window of a store in Zurich, Switzerland
FILE PHOTO: The logo of H&M is seen in a display window of a store in Zurich, Switzerland January 7, 2019. REUTERS/Arnd Wiegmann/File Photo

April 9, 2019

STOCKHOLM (Reuters) – Fashion retailer H&M has reintroduced delivery fees for its core brand’s loyalty club members on small online orders to cut logistics costs and help restore group profitability.

The world’s second-biggest clothing retailer, whose core H&M chain accounts for the bulk of group sales, is investing heavily in adapting to rapidly changing consumer habits after seeing profits fall and inventories pile up in recent years.

A new version of the customer loyalty scheme separates members into a “base” tier or a “plus” tier depending on how many points they earned in the past year, according to Samuel Holst, head of the fast-growing H&M Club.

It means base members in Germany, the Swedish group’s biggest market, will need to spend at least 25 euros ($28) to get free delivery. In its home market, the minimum outlay is 200 Swedish crowns ($22).

“We have a lot of logistics around the customers that shop online,” Holst told Reuters in an interview at H&M’s headquarters. “For the plus level, deliveries will remain free for all purchases, but for the base level there will be a cap, ” he said. “You will need to shop for a certain amount to get free delivery. Returns remain free for all. “

Holst declined to say how much H&M expects to save from the move.

The company has an H&M Club in 16 of the H&M brand’s 71 markets. It plans to add seven more markets, including the United States, by the end of the year.

The number of members doubled in 2018 to 30 million, helped by the introduction of free deliveries and returns for all members. Another 5 million joined in the first quarter of 2019.

“We want to keep up the growth pace we’ve had so far, and increase it this year,” Holst said.

Members earn points through reviews and rating purchases, and otherwise interacting with H&M in the app, as well as on purchases, he said.

H&M’s move to rein in free deliveries for scheme members comes after German online clothing marketplace Zalando recently introduced a minimum order threshold in Italy to increase orders.

(Reporting by Anna Ringstrom; Editing by Mark Potter)

Source: OANN

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The Latest: Sudanese army defends its ouster of president

The Latest on the situation in Sudan (all times local):

11:35 a.m.

The Sudanese army claims it has no ambition to hold the reins of power for long after ousting President Omar al-Bashir, saying it responded to calls from the people against his rule.

Col. Gen. Omar Zein Abedeen told a press conference on Friday that the military wants to "guide the country forward" and act as a "tool for change."

Zein Abedeen, a member of the transitional council that took over on Thursday after al-Bashir was arrested, tried to strike a conciliatory tone, saying: "We came for you."

He says al-Bashir is in custody but declined to provide more details. He said al-Bashir's top government members, including the vice president and associates, are also under arrest but didn't elaborate.

He pledged the military would stay only as long as it's needed.

___

9:30 a.m.

Sudanese pro-democracy protesters who spent four months on the streets rallying against the country's autocratic president are now defying the military leaders who overthrew Omar al-Bashir the day before.

Thousands kept up their sit-in outside the military headquarters in Khartoum overnight and into Friday morning despite a curfew imposed by the army after it arrested al-Bashir.

Organizers of the demonstration say they'll keep up the campaign. It wasn't clear if the army would move against the protesters.

The mood in the crowd appeared festive, with protesters playing music and chanting, "Down again" — a reference Defense Minister Awad Mohammed Ibn Ouf.

Ouf, on a U.S. sanctions list for Darfur genocide, was sworn in as head of the new military transitional council that has taken charge for the next two years.

Source: Fox News World

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Take your best shot: Life Lessons with soccer star Alex Morgan

Soccer star Alex Morgan
Soccer star Alex Morgan is seen in this undated photo released to Reuters on March 25, 2019. Courtesy Ryan Pfluger/Handout via REUTERS

March 27, 2019

By Chris Taylor

NEW YORK (Reuters) – Everyone has a dream of making it to the top, but what happens when you actually get there? Only a handful of people even know what that is like.

One of them is Alex Morgan, the soccer phenom and forward for the U.S. women’s national soccer team – ranked #1 on the planet, by the way – heading into the World Cup in France starting this June.

For the latest in Reuters’ “Life Lessons” series, the 29-year-old idol for young girls worldwide reminisces about how she dribbled her way to global stardom – and talks about what will come after the final whistle.

Q: Did you have a backup career in mind, in case soccer didn’t work out?

A: I had a dream that I wrote down on a yellow sticky note when I was seven years old. It said, ‘Dear mom, my dream is to be a professional soccer player. Love, Ali.’ My mom kept that for years.

At the time there wasn’t even a professional league, and I had never even seen the women’s national team play. So I never even thought about a Plan B, even though I went on to study political economy in college.

Q: When you did make it as a pro, how did you handle fame and wealth?

A: For two years after I started on the national team, I couldn’t receive any checks because I was playing for the NCAA. They have very strict rules about that. So my bank account in college was pretty grim, and my diet involved ramen noodles or finding the cheapest takeout.

Since I was a student-athlete, they did let me eat at the university cafes, so I would usually be there for breakfast, lunch and dinner. A lot of times I would be down to a few bucks, wondering how to get through the next couple of days before my food card was replenished.

So when I did become a professional player and started getting paid, that was a nice change. Nowadays I manage to save around 70 percent of what I make.

Q: What have you learned about managing money?

A: As a professional athlete, your income isn’t steady. Sometimes you get big checks and then sometimes you don’t get much for a couple of months. Lump sums come in randomly, since a lot of what I make is through partnerships with sponsors. So it’s been a learning curve for me to navigate that.

Q: You have started numerous side ventures, so what lessons about entrepreneurship can you share?

A: For me, with my book series and the movie I did for Nickelodeon, I like to take chances when the pressure is on. When I control things as much as possible, that is when I want to bet big, because I have a good sense of what I am able to do. So how I act in the business world is quite similar to how I act on the soccer pitch. I am happy betting on myself, and I tend to achieve more when my back is against the wall.

Q: Where do you spend your philanthropic time and money?

A: The main focus is kids and animals. I do a lot of work with Boys & Girls Clubs, and I’m an ambassador for UNICEF. I also support the ASPCA, because I am passionate about giving animals a voice. I even adopted a vegan diet, because it didn’t feel fair to have a dog I adore, and yet eat meat all the time.

Q: Have you envisioned what your retirement from soccer is going to look like?

A: I would love to start a family, and live in southern California, maybe in San Diego. My husband (LA Galaxy midfielder Servando Carrasco) definitely wants to stay in the soccer world, and I am enjoying dipping my toes into new areas, like books and movies. It is an exciting time.

Q: For that future family, what life lessons would you like to pass along?

A: Something I would want for my kids is to be confident and dream big, regardless of what obstacles are in the way. That is what I did when I was seven, not even knowing that professional soccer was a possibility. I would love for that message to hit home with them.

(Editing by Beth Pinsker and G Crosse)

Source: OANN

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Ex-MLB closer Wetteland indicted on child sex charges

FILE PHOTO: Former Texas Rangers John Wetteland throws out the first pitch ahead of Game 6 of MLB's ALCS baseball playoffs between the Detroit Tigers and the Rangers in Arlington
FILE PHOTO: Former Texas Rangers John Wetteland throws out the first pitch ahead of Game 6 of MLB's ALCS baseball playoffs between the Detroit Tigers and the Rangers in Arlington, Texas, October 15, 2011. REUTERS/Mike Stone

March 28, 2019

Former major-league relief pitcher John Wetteland was indicted Thursday by a grand jury in Denton County, Texas, on child sex-abuse charges, according to multiple reports.

That means the grand jury found enough evidence to continue with prosecution of the case. Wetteland was arrested in January and released on a $25,000 bond.

Wetteland, who lives in Trophy Club, Texas, was indicted on three charges of aggravated sexual assault of a child, the Dallas Morning News reported. The alleged acts reportedly occurred in the mid-2000s.

Wetteland, 52, amassed 330 saves over the course of his 12-year career that started with the Los Angeles Dodgers. He also pitched for the Montreal Expos and the New York Yankees before moving on to Texas in 1997. Wetteland notched a career-high 43 saves three different years.

He was a three-time All Star and finished sixth in Cy Young voting in 1999 with the Rangers.

Wetteland coached baseball and taught Bible studies at Liberty Christian School, a private college prep school in Argyle, Texas, after retiring from baseball, but apparently has no connection to the school at this time, the Dallas Morning News reported in January.

Wetteland spent time as a bullpen coach for the Washington Nationals and Seattle Mariners after his playing career ended.

–Field Level Media

Source: OANN

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StanChart CEO says fears of Chinese growth slowdown, trade war are receding

China Development Forum in Beijing
Standard Chartered PLC Group Chief Executive Bill Winters attends the China Development Forum in Beijing, China March 23, 2019. REUTERS/Thomas Peter

March 26, 2019

HONG KONG (Reuters) – Standard Chartered PLC Chief Executive Bill Winters said on Tuesday fears over a growth slowdown in China’s economy and the impact of the U.S.-China trade tensions are “receding a bit”.

Winters was speaking at the Credit Suisse Asian Investment Conference in Hong Kong.

The trade dispute, which began some eight months ago, has affected the flow of billions of dollars of goods between the biggest and second biggest economies in the world.

(Reporting by Sumeet Chatterjee; Writing by Anshuman Daga; Editing by Muralikumar Anantharaman)

Source: OANN

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Exclusive: Lessors to Jet Airways plan to de-register many more planes in coming days – sources

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

April 5, 2019

By Aditya Kalra and Aditi Shah

NEW DELHI (Reuters) – Lessors to India’s Jet Airways Ltd are planning to ask the country’s aviation regulator to de-register many more planes leased to the airline, three sources told Reuters, signaling that a planned bailout of the troubled carrier is failing to assuage their concerns.

About six of Jet’s lessors are likely to apply to India’s Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) to de-register up to 15 of the grounded planes, over the next 10 days, said one of the sources with direct knowledge of the situation.

Once a plane is de-registered, the lessors are free to take them out of the country and lease them to other airlines.

While some lessors have already taken a few planes out of India after a mutual agreement with Jet, sources have told Reuters, the latest series of applications to the DGCA would be on a non-consensual basis.

Jet did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Jet, India’s oldest private carrier now controlled by its lenders, has had to ground more than three-quarters of its fleet of 119 planes, many due to non-payment to lessors, leading to hundreds of flight cancellations.

Avolon, one of the world’s biggest aircraft lessors, on Thursday applied to the DGCA to take two of its planes placed with Jet outside of India, making it the first to pull planes out on a non-consensual basis.

About 100 of Jet’s 119 mainly Boeing Co planes are leased by companies such as Avolon, GE Capital Aviation Services (GECAS) and Aercap Holdings. It was not immediately clear which of the lessors were planning to apply for de-registration in the coming days.

(Editing by Martin Howell)

Source: OANN

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UN rights envoy says Laos focus on big projects hurting poor

A United Nations human rights expert is urging Laos to focus less on big, foreign-invested dam and railway contracts and devote more resources to helping its children and the poor.

Philip Alston, the U.N. rapporteur on poverty, said Laos' economy can only thrive if its leaders do a better job of educating and caring for all of its people.

Alson made the remarks in a news conference live streamed from the Laotian capital of Vientiane on Thursday after touring rural Laos, including an area devastated by a dam collapse last year.

He said huge infrastructure projects create too few jobs and too much debt.

A Lao foreign ministry official took issue with the comments, saying Alston's conclusions were based on only a few people and on "misperceptions."

Source: Fox News World

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U.S. President Trump departs for travel to Indianapolis from the White House in Washington
U.S. President Donald Trump talks to reporters as he departs for travel to Indianapolis, Indiana from the White House in Washington, U.S., April 26, 2019. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst

April 26, 2019

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday said trade talks with China are going very well, as the world’s two largest economies seek to end talks with a trade agreement to defuse tensions.

Trump said on Thursday he would soon host China’s President Xi Jinping at the White House.

Earlier this week, the White House said that Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer would travel to Beijing for more talks on a trade dispute marked by tit-for-tat tariffs between the two countries.

(Reporting by Jeff Mason; Writing by Makini Brice; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama)

Source: OANN

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Representatives of Russian Transneft, Ukranian Ukrtransnafta, Polish Pern and Belarusian Belneftekhim gather to hold talks on fixing tainted oil supplies to Europe, in Minsk
Representatives of Russian Transneft, Ukranian Ukrtransnafta, Polish Pern and Belarusian Belneftekhim gather to hold talks on fixing tainted oil supplies to Europe, in Minsk, Belarus April 26, 2019. REUTERS/Vasily Fedosenko

April 26, 2019

By Katya Golubkova and Andrei Makhovsky

MOSCOW/MINSK (Reuters) – Russia is confident it can soon resolve a problem of polluted Russian oil contaminating a major pipeline serving Europe and affecting supplies as far west as Germany, a senior official said on Friday at talks with importers about the issue.

Russian Deputy Energy Minister Pavel Sorokin did not give a precise timeframe but Moscow has previously said it would pump clean oil to the border with Belarus from April 29, seeking to end a crisis hitting the world’s second-largest crude exporter.

Sorokin was speaking at talks with officials from Belarus, Poland and Ukraine in Minsk on the issue. Belarus said the issue had cost it $100 million, while analysts say alternative supply routes for refiners cannot fully fill the gap.

Poland, Germany, Ukraine and Slovakia have suspended imports of Russian oil via the Druzhba pipeline. Halting those supplies has knock-on effects further along the network.

The problem arose last week when an unidentified Russian producer contaminated oil with high levels of organic chloride used to boost oil output but which must be separated before shipment as it can destroy refining equipment.

Russia’s Energy Ministry said pipeline monopoly Transneft and other Russian companies had a plan to mitigate the effects of the contaminated oil. It did not give details.

Russian officials have said contaminated oil has already been pumped into storage in Russia and Friday’s talks would focus on how to partially withdraw the tainted crude from the Druzhba pipeline running via other countries.

The suspension cuts off a major supply route for Polish refineries owned by Poland’s PKN Orlen and Grupa Lotos, as well as plants in Germany owned by Total, Shell, Eni and Rosneft.

Some refiners have outlined plans for alternative supplies, but analysts say other routes cannot meet the shortfall.

OIL PRICES

Ukraine’s Ukrtransnafta suspended the transit of oil through the pipeline on Thursday, closing supplies via Druzhba’s southern route to Slovakia, the Czech Republic and Hungary.

The pipeline issue, which has supported global oil prices, lifted Russian Urals crude differentials to an all-time high on Thursday.

With pipeline supplies to Europe shut, Russia faces a challenge of how to divert about 1 million barrels per day (bpd) that was meant to be shipped through the network to other destinations at the time when export capacity is at its limits.

State-run Russian Railways held talks with energy firms on using up to 5,000 rail tankers to transport crude, RIA news agency reported on Friday.

Concerns about the quality of Urals crude also caused delays in loadings at the Baltic port of Ust-Luga, when buyers refused to lift cargoes, resulting in a brief shutdown of the port on Wednesday and Thursday. An Ust-Luga official and traders said on Friday loadings had resumed.

Russian loading plans indicate it aims to boost Urals exports in May before the expiry of a deal on output cuts agreed with the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and its allies, Reuters calculations and Energy Ministry data show.

The provisional loading plan for Russia’s Baltic Sea ports and Novorossiisk in May show exports rising to 10.7 million tonnes, the highest level in half a decade.

Minsk estimated its loss from lower oil product exports due to contaminated Russian oil at around $100 million, Russia’s Interfax news agency reported on Thursday, citing Belarusian state oil company Belneftekhim.

Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Kozak, in charge of government energy policy, said this week that those found responsible for contaminating the oil could be fined. He did not provide names.

(Reporting by Agnieszka Barteczko in WARSAW, Sandor Peto in BUDAPEST, Jason Hovet in PRAGUE, Matthias Williams and Natalia Zinets in KIEV, Katya Golubkova, Olesya Astakhova, Gleb Gorodyankin, Olga Yagova and Maxim Rodionov in MOSCOW, Andrei Makhovsky in MINSK; writing by Katya Golubkova; editing by Michael Perry and Edmund Blair)

Source: OANN

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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.”

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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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