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☆ These ETFs promise investors downside protection — at a cost
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-08 | by ( Michelle Fox | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

Investors looking for protection against market downside are turning toward buffer exchange-traded funds, also known as defined-outcome ETFs. Buffer ETFs have exploded in popularity in recent years, although they are still a small slice over the overall industry. How buffer ETFs work Managers use a set of equity options when building a fund. Recently, Calamos announced a new product line of 12 ETFs that offers 100% downside protection. The first in the line, Calamos S & P 500 Structured Alt Protection ETF (CPSM) , began trading May 1.

Persons: Lan Anh Tran, Morningstar, Tran, Todd Sohn, Strategas, Sohn, Calamos, Russell, Matt Kaufman, Kaufman, Morningstar's Tran, HELO 1Y, It's Organizations: Morningstar, Strategas Securities, Capital Management, Equity, PGIM, Allianz, BlackRock, Treasury, Trust, JPMorgan Hedged Equity, JPMorgan Locations: BlackRock

☆ TikTok Sues U.S. Government Over Law Forcing Sale or Ban
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-07 | by ( Sapna Maheshwari | David Mccabe | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Less than two weeks after President Biden signed a bill that will force TikTok’s Chinese owner, ByteDance, to sell the popular social media app or face a ban in the United States, TikTok said it sued the federal government on Tuesday, arguing the law was unconstitutional. TikTok said that the law violated the First Amendment by effectively removing an app that millions of Americans use to share their views and communicate freely. It also argued that a divestiture was “simply not possible,” especially within the law’s 270-day timeline, pointing to difficulties such as Beijing’s refusal to sell a key feature that powers TikTok in the United States. “For the first time in history, Congress has enacted a law that subjects a single, named speech platform to a permanent, nationwide ban, and bars every American from participating in a unique online community with more than one billion people worldwide,” the company said in the 67-page petition it provided, which initiates the lawsuit. “There is no question: The act will force a shutdown of TikTok by Jan. 19, 2025.”TikTok is battling for its survival in the United States, with the fight set to play out primarily in courts over the next few months.

Persons: Biden, TikTok, Jan, ” TikTok Locations: United States, China

☆ Ahead of retail earnings, here's what we know about the consumer so far
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-07 | by ( Robert Hum | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

There are signs that the U.S. consumer is still spending, especially on experiences. But stubbornly high prices are squeezing consumers with lower incomes, pressuring everyday purchases and corporate profits. Broadly speaking, credit card companies like American Express, Visa and MasterCard have described spending trends as "relatively strong," "relatively stable," and even "healthy." Priceline parent Booking Holdings told analysts there are no signs consumers are taking shorter vacations or trading down in their hotel choices. McDonald's added that "the consumer is certainly being very discriminating in how they spend their dollar."

Persons: Brandon Bell, Morgan Stanley's Michael Wilson, Morgan Stanley, Mike Stocker, Stanley Black, Decker, —, Anton Pinsky, Beata Zawrzel, Laxman Narasimhan, Shack, Domino's, Pavlo Gonchar Organizations: Getty, Home Depot, Walmart, American Express, Visa, MasterCard, PayPal, Booking Holdings, Las, Port, Tribune, Service, Consumers, Whirlpool, Corp, Starbucks Corp, Nurphoto, Lightrocket Locations: Austin , Texas, U.S, Las Vegas, Port of Miami, Krakow, Poland, Russia, Ukraine

☆ ‘You’re a Go’: How Miscues and Confusion Delayed the National Guard on Jan. 6
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-07 | by ( Luke Broadwater | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

As a pro-Trump mob stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, the commanders and members of the District of Columbia National Guard waited in frustration for hours for the order to help put down the riot unfolding just minutes from where they were stationed. With marauders assaulting the police and people dying at the Capitol, Gen. William J. Walker, then the commander of the D.C. Guard, turned to colleagues and openly contemplated defying his chain of command and sending his troops immediately to help the overrun Capitol Police restore order. “If I could send them right now without being fired, I would send them right now,” General Walker told Brig. Gen. Aaron R. Dean II, then the Guard’s adjutant general. What General Walker did not know as he fumed was that his superiors at the Pentagon had already agreed that the Guard needed to be deployed but, because of a huge miscommunication, hadn’t conveyed the order.

Persons: William J, Walker, ” General Walker, Brig, Aaron R, Dean II, General Walker, fumed, hadn’t Organizations: Trump, Capitol, District of Columbia National Guard, D.C, Guard, Capitol Police, ”, Pentagon

☆ Warren Buffett's Apple trim epitomizes one of Jim Cramer's major investing rules
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-07 | by ( Morgan Chittum | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Warren Buffett's reasons this weekend for trimming Berkshire Hathaway's massive Apple stake exemplify one of Jim Cramer's primary rules of investing. More recently, Jim steadfastly stood by his "own it, don't trade it" conviction as Apple shares went on a rough ride earlier this year. As a subscriber to the CNBC Investing Club with Jim Cramer, you will receive a trade alert before Jim makes a trade. THE ABOVE INVESTING CLUB INFORMATION IS SUBJECT TO OUR TERMS AND CONDITIONS AND PRIVACY POLICY , TOGETHER WITH OUR DISCLAIMER . NO FIDUCIARY OBLIGATION OR DUTY EXISTS, OR IS CREATED, BY VIRTUE OF YOUR RECEIPT OF ANY INFORMATION PROVIDED IN CONNECTION WITH THE INVESTING CLUB.

Persons: Warren, Jim Cramer's, Jim, Buffett, Tim Cook, CNBC's Becky Quick, Cook, Becky, Jim likes Apple, Apple, Jim Cramer, Warren Buffett Organizations: Apple, Developers, CNBC, Berkshire Locations: Berkshire, Omaha , Nebraska

☆ U.S. automakers like GM are rapidly losing ground in China, once an engine for growth
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-06 | by ( Michael Wayland | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +13 min

China was once a profit engine for GM, and its top sales market from 2010 to 2023. GM revealed several vehicles last week in China, including plug-in hybrid versions of its Buick GL8 minivan, a best-seller in China, and the Chevrolet Equinox crossover. "We think clearly that market has shifted and the landscape has shifted … with the capability of the Chinese [automakers]," Barra said. But it has had to aggressively cut prices to compete against Chinese automakers such ay BYD, Nio and others. Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares earlier this year called Chinese automakers his company's "No.

Persons: Mary Barra, Jeff Kowalsky, we're, Barra, Paul Jacobson, GM wasn't, John Murphy, Michael Dunne, Dunne, Mark Fulthorpe, They'll, they've, Tesla, lockdowns, Elon Musk, Tingshu Wang, Reuters Tesla, Morgan Stanley, Adam Jonas, Musk, Junheng Li, Stellantis, Carlos Tavares, Zhu Jiangming, We've, We're, Ford, John Lawler, Lawler Organizations: General Motors Co, Bloomberg, Getty, General, GM, U.S, Chevrolet, SAIC, GM Pan, Asia Automotive Technology Center, Nurphoto, PSA Groupe, Chrysler, EVs, GM's, Buick, Wuling Motors, Motors, Bank of America Securities, China, Hummer, Durant Guild, America's, Detroit, P Global Mobility, Ford Motor, Tesla, Reuters, EV, Baidu, Warren Capital, Ford, Guangzhou Automobile Group, India & Asia, Lincoln, Lincoln Nautilus Locations: Detroit , Michigan, China, Barra, Beijing, Asia, Shanghai, Russia, India, Thailand, Australia, North America, South Korea, Brazil, Europe, GM's U.S, Qingdao, East China's Shandong, Indonesia, U.S, Nio, Greater China, South America

☆ Trump, Who Has Celebrated Violent Protests, Cheers Campus Crackdowns
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-06 | by ( Jess Bidgood | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Who said this, in reference to the clearing of protests on Columbia University’s campus last week? It was a beautiful thing to watch.”And who said this, in reference to the attempted insurrection at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021? “It was a beautiful day.”The answer in both cases, of course, is former President Donald Trump, who is wielding self-serving and frequently inaccurate stories about both events as tools in his presidential campaign. He has denounced the campus protests as lawless chaos even as he depicts the Jan. 6 rioters as heroes — and appears to be trying to play one episode off the other as he seeks to sanitize his own record as president. He has praised the arrests of protesters, and suggested in an interview with Time magazine that he would call in the National Guard to quell protests if they were happening on his watch.

Persons: Donald Trump, —, Trump Organizations: Columbia, U.S, Capitol, Time, National Guard Locations: York, Gaza

☆ Man Behind California Forever, Silicon Valley's City of the Future
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-05 | by ( Hugh Langley | Adam Rogers | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +29 min

He sees California Forever. And if he can't undo the damage, there may never be a California Forever. California Forever may be a subdivision, but it's precisely the kind of subdivision America needs right now. But here's the thing: California Forever may be a subdivision, but it's precisely the kind of subdivision America needs right now. Places like California Forever aren't being opposed by the people who are desperate for a place to live.

Persons: Jan Sramek's, Goldman Sachs, Sramek, Reid Hoffman, Laurene Powell Jobs, Marc Andreessen —, They've, Christie Hemm, Peter Thiel, Jan Sramek, Jan, Thiel, Goldman, CheatSheet, Sramek's, hadn't, Jonas Rave, who's, —, Guy Saidenberg, Evernote, Marc Andreessen, Jane Jacobs, He's, he'd, Robert Moses, growth.y Christie Hemm, Flannery, Bronson Johnson, David George, Andreessen Horowitz, Marilyn Farley, Farley, Solano County's, Kathleen Threlfall, Bill Mortimore, California Forever's, Jessica Christian, he's, Lyle Lanley, Solano, Sam Houston, weren't, Gabriel Metcalf, You've, John Garamendi, Garamendi, isn't, they'll, latte, Christie, Travis, I've, aren't, They're Organizations: Silicon, California, BI Development, University of Cambridge, London School of Economics, Party, Rising Star, Facebook, York, Sramek's, BI Sramek, Google, American, Planners, Sacramento -, Travis Air Force Base, Area, titans, Farmers, councilwoman, California Forever, Sacramento Municipal Utility District, Air Force, Flannery Associates, Disney, San Francisco, Vallejo Naval, Historical Museum, Rep, BI, Solano, Sierra, Goldman Locations: San Francisco, It's, Sramek, California, Rio Vista, Solano County, Napa, Sacramento, Silicon Valley, America, London, Zurich, England, Czech Republic, Dřevohostice, York, British, Eastern Europe, Cambridge, Bay Area, Hayes Valley, America's cutest, Atlanta, Phoenix, Copenhagen, Barcelona, New York, Sacramento - San Joaquin, San Francisco Bay, Lake Tahoe, Toledo , Ohio, Silicon, Google's, Toronto, Big Tech, China, Calif, Springfield, Vallejo, He's, Atherton, Foreverville, Fairfield, Austin, Solano, Valley, Europe

☆ Netanyahu's Cabinet votes to close Al Jazeera offices in Israel
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-05 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Wael Al-Dahdouh, Al Jazeera bureau chief in Gaza, center, comforts relatives at the funeral of his son, Al Jazeera journalist Hamza Dahdouh, killed in an Israeli airstrike, in Rafah, southern Gaza, on Sunday, Jan. 7, 2024. Photographer: Ahmad Salem/Bloomberg via Getty ImagesIsraeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday that his government has voted unanimously to shut down the local offices of Qatar-owned broadcaster Al Jazeera. Israel has long had a rocky relationship with Al Jazeera, accusing it of bias against it. Israel accuses Al Jazeera of collaborating with Hamas. Al Jazeera, the Doha-based broadcaster funded by Qatar's government, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Persons: Wael Al, Al, Hamza Dahdouh, Antony Blinken, Ahmad Salem, Benjamin Netanyahu, Al Jazeera, Netanyahu, Israel, Al Jazeera's, Saddam Hussein Organizations: Bloomberg, Getty Images, Al Locations: Al Jazeera, Gaza, Rafah, Qatar, Doha, Israel, Al, East Jerusalem, Iraq

☆ Campaign Updates: At the R.N.C. donor retreat, Trump calls the Biden administration the ‘Gestapo.’
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-05 | by ( Maggie Haberman | Shane Goldmacher | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +8 min

“You have to respect the office of the presidency,” Mr. Trump said. “When you are Democrat, you start off essentially at 40 percent because you have civil service, you have the unions and you have welfare,” Mr. Trump said on Saturday. director whom Mr. Trump fired amid an investigation into Mr. Trump and his campaign, was connected to the Blagojevich investigation. Mr. Trump also mocked the physical appearance of Jack Smith, the special counsel who has indicted him twice. At another point, Mr. Trump said that if anyone wanted to donate $1 million to the R.N.C.

Persons: Donald J, Trump, Biden’s, ” Mr, Trump baselessly, Biden, “, Mr, ”, William P, Barr, Michael Whatley, Mitt Romney, Hope Hicks, Rod Blagojevich, Blagojevich’s, James B, Blagojevich, Jack Smith, Smith, Mike Johnson, Roe, Wade, Trump’s, — Susie Wiles, Chris LaCivita, Tony Fabrizio — Organizations: Republican National Committee, The New York Times, Trump, Democratic, Mr, Sun Locations: New York, Florida, Palm Beach, Fla, Manhattan, Illinois, Minnesota, Virginia, Nevada , Arizona, Georgia, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin

☆ Trump’s bombardment of dishonesty: Fact-checking 32 of his false claims to Time
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-04 | by ( Daniel Dale | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +43 min

We’re paying for close to 100% of NATO.”Facts First: Trump’s claim is false. They don’t pay their bills.”Facts First: Trump’s claim is false. (It rose to about $314 billion in 2020, Trump’s last full year in office.) Facts First: Trump’s claim is false. Facts First: Trump’s claim that “nobody died other than Ashli” is false.

Persons: Donald Trump, Trump, “, William Barr, Bill Barr, Barr, Bill, I’m, ”, it’s, Biden, Joe Biden, Tamar Hermann, Hermann, Bill Clinton, “ Trump, ” Trump, …, National Guard Trump, I’ve, George Floyd, Tim Walz, Walz, Paul —, –, Erwan, George Washington, “ don’t, they’re, Stoltenberg, Trump’s, Lagadec, Marc Lipsitch, Barack Obama, European Union won’t, Cortellessa, “ Moody’s, Moody’s, Mark Zandi, Zandi, ’ ” Zandi, Joe Biden’s, rioter Ashli Babbitt, Brian Sicknick, Sicknick, Trump’s ‘, patriotically, ‘, patriotically ’, ” Nancy Pelosi, Nancy Pelosi, “ Nancy Pelosi, Pelosi, Christopher Miller, Miller, Eric Cortellessa, Alvin Bragg’s, Bragg, Matthew Colangelo, Colangelo, Alvin Bragg, ” Cortellessa, Hillary Clinton, —, Roe, Wade, Kimberly Mutcherson, “ Donald Trump’s, Maya Manian, Mary Ziegler, Davis, Ziegler, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Roe should’ve, ’, Crime Biden, don’t, “ Biden, he’s, James Biden, Jeff Asher, Asher, It’s, ” “, ” Asher Organizations: Washington CNN, Time, Trump, NATO, Capitol, Trump’s, Trade Center, didn’t, World Trade Center, Department, ISIS, CNN, Democratic, White House, White, South Korea Trump, Pentagon’s Defense Manpower Data, Biden Administration, Congressional Research Service, Israel, Israeli Democracy Institute, National Guard, Minnesota Democratic Gov, Minnesota National Guard, Guard, North Atlantic Treaty Organization, George Washington University’s Elliott School of International Affairs, Transatlantic, for Disease Control, World Bank, Washington Post, Harvard, Harvard’s, National, Trump -, of Health, Human Services, Strategic, Biden, U.S . International Trade Commission, European, Benz, Volkswagen, BMW, European Union, US, European Automobile Manufacturers ’ Association, Bloomberg Economics, US Capitol Police, Capitol Police, “, Republican, Democratic Rep, National Guardsmen, District of Columbia National Guard, Army, Capitol Police Board, Senate, Justice Department, Pulitzer Foundation, Pulitzer, New York Times, Electoral, Democrat, ” Rutgers Law, American University, university’s Health, University of California, ”, Customs, Border Protection, Crime, Manchurian, Republicans, FBI Locations: “, New York City, Saudi, Florida, al Qaeda, New York, Texas, Mexico, South Korea, Trump , South Korea, South, Korea, Israel, Washington, Trump , Minneapolis, Minneapolis, Trump, Minnesota, St, United States, Germany, Brussels, Belgium, Harvard University, China, EU, DC, Trump’s, ”, York, Manhattan, York’s, Russia, That’s

☆ Campaign Updates Noem, under fire for her new book, joins other V.P. contenders at G.O.P. donor retreat.
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-04 | by ( Chris Cameron | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +4 min

That will be corrected in future editions of the book, too, said Ian Fury, the chief of communications for Ms. Noem. “It was brought to our attention that the upcoming book ‘No Going Back’ has two small errors,” Mr. Fury said. “I had the chance to travel to many countries to meet with world leaders — some who wanted our help, and some who didn’t,” Ms. Noem writes. The conversation that Ms. Noem describes having with Ms. Haley, the former South Carolina governor who dropped out of the Republican presidential primary in March, suggests that Ms. Haley had threatened her because they were both prominent Republican women. It was weird.”Chaney Denton, a spokeswoman for Ms. Haley, said Ms. Noem’s story was inaccurate.

Persons: Kristi Noem, Kim Jong, Noem, Donald J, Trump, Noem’s, Nikki Haley, Ian Fury, Mr, Fury, Kim, “, —, Ms, I’d, Haley, “ I’ve, I’ve, ” Chaney Denton, “ Nikki, ” Ms, Denton, Sean Hannity, ” Organizations: North Korean, The New York Times, South, House Armed Services Committee, North, Republican, Trump, Cricket, Fox News Locations: South Dakota, North Korean, South Carolina

☆ Corn hits 3-month high; soy, wheat climb on global crop weather woes
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-04 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Wheat futures hit a one-week high on renewed concerns over dry weather in Russia, the world's biggest wheat supplier. In Argentina, corn stunt disease spread by leaf-cutter insects and adverse weather prompted the Buenos Aires grains exchange to slash its estimate for Argentina's 2023/24 corn harvest by 3 millions metric tons to 46.5 tons. In wheat, Russia's IKAR agricultural consultancy cut its forecast for the country's crop to 91 million metric tons from 93 million tons and its wheat exports to 50.5 million metric tons from 52 million tons. Wheat futures jumped as weather forecasts showed the region getting virtually no rain in the coming two weeks. Managed money funds held a net short position in CBOT wheat futures at the beginning of 2024 because of a strong dollar and slow U.S. demand, Zuzolo said.

Persons: Jim Niewold, Susan Stroud, Mike Zuzolo, Nature, Zuzolo Organizations: Chicago Board of Trade, Global, Analytics Locations: Loda , Illinois, Brazil, Russia, Brazil's Rio Grande do Sul, Argentina, Buenos Aires, South America

☆ Here's how much money you'd have lost if you invested $1,000 in Peloton when it went public
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-03 | by ( Cheyenne Devon | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

As the company searches for a new CEO, Peloton Chairperson Karen Boone and Peloton Director Chris Bruzzo will serve as interim co-CEOs. How much you'd have if you invested $1,000 in PelotonPeloton has come a long way from when the company was founded in 2012. If you had invested $1,000 in Peloton in 2019, 2021 or 2023, here's how much it would be worth now. CNBC's calculations are based on the company's May 2 closing share price of $3.13. And if you had invested $1,000 in Peloton in 2019 when it first went public, your investment would have decreased by about 89% and be worth about $108 as of May 2.

Persons: it's, Barry McCarthy, John Foley, He'll, Karen Boone, Chris Bruzzo Organizations: Interactive Locations: New York

☆ BlackRock says now is the time to lock in higher yields and move cash into bonds
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-03 | by ( Michelle Fox | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Investors with cash on the sidelines may want to start moving some of that money into bonds, according to a new report from BlackRock. The bond market has seen some volatility amid the uncertainty around interest rates and the Federal Reserve's monetary policy. Bond yields move inversely to prices. US10Y YTD mountain 10-year Treasury yields Yields are at levels not seen in 20 years, he pointed out. Aggregate Bond ETF year to date The iShares Core Total USD Bond Market ETF (IUSB) is also a passively managed, broad bond market fund which adds exposure to potentially higher-yielding names.

Persons: Steve Laipply, shouldn't, Laipply Organizations: Federal, Treasury, BlackRock, Fed, Core, Aggregate Bond, Bloomberg U.S, SEC, Aggregate, Bond Locations: BlackRock

☆ Hope Hicks Reluctantly Confronts the Man She ‘Totally Understands’ in Court
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-03 | by ( Michael M. Grynbaum | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

On Friday, the audience in the courtroom tensed when prosecutors announced the next person to testify on their behalf: Hope Hicks. She was the meticulously dressed, unfailingly polite aide, a former fashion model who developed a nuanced awareness of, and bottomless patience for, her mercurial charge. “She totally understands him,” Paul Manafort, Mr. Trump’s one-time campaign manager, said in 2016. Unlike other aides, she never had a falling out with Mr. Trump (or wrote a tell-all memoir), serving as the White House communications director and returning for the final year of his administration. But their closeness took a hit when it emerged in 2022 that she had voiced anger in a text message to a colleague over the fallout on Mr. Trump’s staff from the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol.

Persons: Donald J, Hope Hicks, Hicks’s, barker, ” Paul Manafort, Trump’s, Trump Organizations: Trump, White House, Capitol

☆ Murders, imprisonment and violence: Threats to press freedom grow in Latin America
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-03 | by ( Esteban Campanela | Sol Amaya | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +13 min

These are just the tip of the iceberg of the challenges faced by many media workers in Latin America, where experts say the status of press freedom is increasingly worrisome. The Prosecutor’s Office confirmed in a press conference that they believed the crime was linked to his journalistic work. Last week, the Mexican president criticized the US State Department’s report on human rights in the world, which refers to concerns over press freedom in Mexico, saying that US authorities should “be respectful”. In a publication in social network X, Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez said US officials are not concerned about the human rights of Cubans and that the United States has its own human rights violations. Nicaragua: Ortega-Murillo regime targets journalismHarassment of the press in Nicaragua has been widely reported on numerous occasions.

Persons: CNNE, Francisco Cobos, ”, Cobos, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, López Obrador, Enrique Peña Nieto, Felipe Calderón, Lourdes Maldonado López, Maldonado López, Séptimo Día, Roberto Figueroa, Xochitl Zamora, Lourdes Maldonado, Maldonado ´, Marco Ugarte, AP López Obrador, Andres Oppenheimer, Javier Milei, Lopez Obrador, Abraham Jimenez, Jimenez, civically, “, Miguel Diaz, Yamil Lage, Jiménez, Bruno Rodríguez, Ortega, Murillo, Juan Lorenzo Hollman Chamorro, Hollman Chamorro, Chamorro, Carlos Fernando Chamorro, Rosario Murillo, … provocateurs, Chávez, Vos, Chavez, ” Edgar López, López, Juan Pablo Lares, Maximiliano Bruzual, Ariana Cubillos, Nicolas, Maduro’s, Yván Gil, ” Jeannine Cruz, Gustavo Petro, Nayib Bukele, Gonzalo Zegarra, Rey Rodríguez, Manuela Castro, Ana María Cañizares, Ivonne, José Álvarez, Elvin Sandoval, Iván, Sarmenti, Español Organizations: CNN, Amnesty International, Protect Journalists, Univision, Televisa, Prosecutor’s, AP, CIA, Canel, Getty, Cuban Foreign, La Prensa, National Police, ”, El, Regional, Democracy, Nicaraguan, State Department, National College of Journalists, Venezuelan, TC Television, Communication, “ Locations: Mexico, Cuba, Venezuela, Nicaragua, Latin America, Mexican, American, Tamaulipas, McAllen , Texas, Tijuana, Morelos, Tijuana , Mexico, Spain, Cuban, Havana, AFP, United States, Costa Rica, El Confidencial, Managua, NIcaragua, Sur, Washington, Venezuelan, “, Caracas, ”, Ecuador, Guayaquil, America, Argentina, Colombian

☆ Who Is Hope Hicks, Once One of Trump’s Most Trusted Advisers?
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-03 | by ( Maggie Haberman | Matthew Haag | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Hope Hicks was 26 years old and had no political experience when Donald J. Trump plucked her from a job at his daughter Ivanka’s clothing business and hired her for his presidential campaign in 2015. In the years that followed, she rose to be one of his most trusted advisers, eventually serving as the White House communications director. But Mr. Trump has been angry with Ms. Hicks since 2022, when text messages emerged during a House investigation into his efforts to stay in power after his election loss. The messages showed that she had been critical of him after the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the Capitol by his supporters. Now, Ms. Hicks, 35, has taken the stand in Mr. Trump’s hush-money trial in a Lower Manhattan courtroom.

Persons: Hope Hicks, Donald J, Trump, Hicks, Trump’s, Michael D, Cohen Organizations: White House, Capitol, Trump Locations: Lower Manhattan, Manhattan

☆ Asia markets mostly lower after Federal Reserve holds rates; Yen strengthens further
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-02 | by ( Shreyashi Sanyal | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

An employee works at the Tokyo Stock Exchange (TSE), operated by Japan Exchange Group Inc. (JPX), in Tokyo, Japan, on Thursday, Jan. 13, 2022. Asia-Pacific stock markets were largely lower on Thursday, after the U.S. Federal Reserve opted to hold interest rates steady at the end of its two-day meeting. Fed Chair Jerome Powell ruled out the possibility of a rate hike, easing worries over the central bank likely not being able to rein in inflation. Focus will be on the Japanese yen , which had a volatile start to the week amid suspected government intervention to prop up the currency on Monday. It was last trading at 155.83 against the U.S. dollar.

Persons: Jerome Powell Organizations: Tokyo Stock Exchange, Japan Exchange Group Inc, U.S . Federal, U.S . Locations: Tokyo, Japan, Asia, Pacific

☆ Top New York official asks Best Buy about its commitment to LGBTQ groups after conservative pressure
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-02 | by ( Matt Lavietes | Brooke Sopelsa | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

The New York state comptroller sent a letter to Best Buy last week questioning whether the company changed its commitment to inclusivity and supporting LGBTQ groups. The comptroller's office manages the state's $207 billion public pension fund, which has invested in Best Buy. He also denied that the NCPPR pressured Best Buy to stop supporting LGBTQ groups in general. "This contentious and vast disagreement between radical gender theory activists and the general public has nothing to do with Best Buy selling electronics." Peck did not ask Best Buy to stop its donations to the HRC, saying in the email, "We understand that it's unrealistic for Best Buy to leave HRC in the near future because of their political clout."

Persons: Thomas DiNapoli, Corie, Barry, J, Patrick Doyle, DiNapoli, Scott Shepard, Shepard, Trevor, Carly Charlson, Charlson, Eric Bloem, Bloem, Ethan Peck, Peck, Marina Rizzo, hadn't, Rizzo Organizations: NBC News, Securities, Exchange Commission, National Center for Public Policy Research, Best, NBC, NCPPR's Free Enterprise, SAGE, GLAAD, Human Rights, SEC, NCPPR's Free Enterprise Institute, HRC, PRIDE Locations: York, States

☆ Election Updates: Trump will not commit to accepting result of 2024 race, and repeats lie about 2020.
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-02 | by ( Michael Gold | Chris Cameron | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +4 min

I don’t change on that,” Mr. Trump said, according to The Journal Sentinel. Mr. Trump now faces dozens of felony charges in connection with those events. Months before any voting has taken place, Mr. Trump has regularly made the baseless claim that Democrats are likely to cheat to win. Mr. Trump has for years promoted the lie that he won Wisconsin in 2020, and he did so again in the Journal Sentinel interview. A self-described conspiracy theorist, she has relentlessly promoted false claims that the 2020 election was stolen.

Persons: Donald J, Trump, I’ll, Mr, it’s, ” Mr, Trump’s, Biden, “, you’re, ”, we’re, Jan, Robin Vos, Christina Bobb, Bobb, The Trump, ” “ Organizations: The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, The Journal Sentinel, Capitol, Democrats, Wisconsin, Journal Sentinel, Republican, Legislature, Senate, Republican Party, Trump, Republican National, America News Network, Republican National Committee Locations: Freeland , Mich, Arizona, Freeland, Waukesha, Wis, Wisconsin

☆ Opinion | Chris Christie and Bill Barr Have Some Explaining to Do
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-02 | by ( Frank Bruni | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

He’s jumping, along with all the other Republicans in moral free fall. “Supporting a man McConnell has clearly deemed unfit for the office may make McConnell craven, cynical or absurd, but he’s not alone in his decision.” Far from it. Christie at least isn’t supporting Trump. And it’s a reason that he can hold his head higher than Sununu, Barr or McConnell can. I’m asking Christie to remember that less than six months ago, he called Trump “a dictator.” And seemed to believe that.

Persons: Sununu, Trump, Matt Lewis, Barr, Mitch McConnell, Shocker, McConnell, “, ’ ” Lewis, McConnell craven, he’s, Christie, Biden, ” I’m, ” Organizations: Daily, Republican, Trump, Republicans Locations: America, Chicago, United States

☆ Opinion | The Biden Campaign’s High-Powered Effort to Define R.F.K. Jr.
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-02 | by ( Michelle Cottle | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

Jr. took from both candidates but slightly more from President Biden. But our strong feeling is that the more that Democratic-leaning voters are exposed to R.F.K. Whereas the Biden campaign is focused on making a positive for case for President Biden, our focus really is just highlighting the negatives and vulnerabilities of the third-party, independent candidates, most notably R.F.K. Jr. voters, I would say they tend to be younger, women, voters of color and lower propensity voters, right? Cottle: What about younger voters?

Persons: Smith, R.F.K, Jr, Biden, Kennedy, R.F.K ., Cottle, You’re, They’re, ’, MAGA Organizations: Democratic, New York Times, MSNBC Locations: Gaza

Mr. Trump now faces dozens of felony charges in connection with those events. As he campaigns in battleground states this year, Mr. Trump has repeatedly tried to sow doubt about the integrity of the fall election, while repeating many of the same lies that he used to assail the integrity of the 2020 election. Months before any voting has taken place, Mr. Trump has regularly made the baseless claim that Democrats are likely to cheat to win. “Democrats rigged the presidential election in 2020, but we’re not going to allow them to rig the presidential election — the most important day of our lives — in 2024,” Mr. Trump said at a rally in Freeland, Mich. Mr. Trump has for years promoted the lie that he won Wisconsin in 2020, and he did so again in the Journal Sentinel interview.

Persons: Trump’s, Biden, Trump, “, you’re, ”, we’re, ” Mr, Jan, Robin Vos Organizations: Capitol, Democrats, Wisconsin, Journal Sentinel, Republican, Legislature Locations: Freeland , Mich

☆ Qualcomm gives better-than-expected revenue forecast as company pushes AI-powered smartphones
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-01 | by ( Kif Leswing | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Qualcomm reported second-quarter earnings on Wednesday that surpassed Wall Street expectations, and provided a strong guide for the current quarter. Qualcomm said it expected between $8.8 billion and $9.6 billion in sales in the current quarter, higher than Wall Street expectations of $9.05 billion. Analysts were looking for earnings guidance of $2.17 per share, versus the company's forecast of between $2.15 and $2.35. Qualcomm called out strong demand for "premium tier" smartphones that require the most advanced chips, especially in China. Qualcomm said that revenue from Chinese phone makers increased 40% on an annual basis during the quarter.

Persons: Cristiano Amon, Amon, — Organizations: Qualcomm Locations: Las Vegas , Nevada, iPhones, China

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