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☆ Wall St Week Ahead Inflation report, bond yields in focus as U.S. stocks rally pauses
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-04 | by ( Carolina Mandl | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Investors are also closely watching the path of Treasury yields, which rattled equity markets in recent days by rising to fresh year highs. The S&P 500 fell 2.27% this week, its biggest weekly decline since March 10. Janasiewicz of Natixis said a stronger-than-expected consumer price reading next week could spark a decline of up to 5% in the S&P 500. A stronger-than-expected inflation number next week could also boost Treasury yields further. Rising yields on Treasuries, viewed as among the world's safest investments because they are backed by the U.S. government, can dull the allure of stocks.

Persons: Brendan McDermid, Jack Janasiewicz, Natixis, Aaron Chan, Refinitiv, Tim Murray, Rowe Price, Brent, Ann Miletti, Fitch, Keith Lerner, Lerner, Carolina Mandl, Lewis Krauskopf, Ira Iosebashvili, David Gregorio Our Organizations: U.S, REUTERS, Federal Reserve, Natixis Investment, Amazon.com, Cruise, Treasury, U.S ., Advisory, Wall Street, Amazon, Google, Apple, BofA Global Research, JPMorgan, Carolina, Thomson Locations: Wall St, New York, U.S, Stocks, Refinitiv

☆ Fact Check-Anti-Biden message on Las Vegas ‘Sphere’ created using TikTok filter
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-25 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

An anti-Joe Biden message was not displayed across the exterior of the ‘Sphere’ entertainment venue in Las Vegas, despite an image circulating online. Reuters traced the image to video created by a TikTok filter. The earliest iteration Reuters could find of the screenshot stems from a TikTok video published on July 11 viewable (here), archived (ghostarchive.org/archive/ECD8s). The TikTok video is linked to a filter called “Las Vegas Sphere” connected to a TikTok account @reality_mixer. The user in question published a TikTok video on July 10 indicating that they created the filter (vm.tiktok.com/ZGJqSfddL/), archived (ghostarchive.org/archive/3NeYU).

Persons: Joe Biden, “ Biden, Read Organizations: Reuters, Sphere Entertainment Locations: Las Vegas, U.S

☆ US State Dept has not had substantive communication with North Korea since US soldier crossed border
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

WASHINGTON, July 24 (Reuters) - The U.S. State Department has not had any substantive communication with North Korea since U.S. soldier Travis King crossed into the North last week, State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller told reporters on Monday. A U.S. flag hangs on the porch and a "Proud parent of a U.S. Army soldier" sticker adorns the car outside the home of 23-year-old Private Travis King's mother in Racine, Wisconsin, U.S., July 19, 2023. REUTERS/Eric Cox/File PhotoMiller said Washington has made outreach to ascertain the whereabouts of King and to ascertain information about his safety, but have not received any response. King, a U.S. Army private serving in South Korea, sprinted into North Korea on July 18 while on a tour of the Demilitarized Zone on the inter-Korean border. Reporting by Simon Lewis, Jasper Ward and Daphne Psaledakis; Editing by Chris ReeseOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Travis King, Matthew Miller, Travis King's, Eric Cox, Miller, Washington, King, Simon Lewis, Jasper Ward, Daphne Psaledakis, Chris Reese Organizations: U.S . State Department, State, U.S . Army, REUTERS, Thomson Locations: North Korea, U.S, Racine , Wisconsin, South Korea

Pentagon officials had widely expected the nomination to go to Admiral Samuel Paparo, who leads the Navy in the Pacific and who has experience grappling with the growing challenge from China. "Throughout her career, Admiral Franchetti has demonstrated extensive expertise in both the operational and policy arenas," Biden said in a statement, noting that she was the second woman ever to achieve the rank of four-star admiral in the U.S. Navy. Last year, Biden picked Admiral Linda Fagan to lead the U.S. Coast Guard, making her its first female commanding officer. Franchetti would become the first woman to lead a military service within the Defense Department and to join the Joint Chiefs of Staff, a group of eight top uniformed service members who advise the president on military issues. Biden also elevated Paparo, nominating him to become the commander of all U.S. military forces in the Pacific.

Persons: Andrew Kelly, Joe Biden, Lisa Franchetti, Biden, Samuel Paparo, Franchetti, Admiral Franchetti, Linda Fagan, Stephen, Koehler, Paparo, Tommy Tuberville, Charles " C.Q, Brown, Tuberville, Steve Holland, Phil Stewart, Jasper Ward, Rami Ayyub, Sharon Singleton, Rosalba O'Brien Organizations: U.S . Marines, U.S . Navy, U.S . Navy Wasp, Fleet, REUTERS, WASHINGTON, Navy, Joint Chiefs, Staff, Pentagon, Pacific, U.S . Naval Forces Korea, U.S . Coast Guard, Department of Defense, Department of Homeland Security, Defense Department, Joint Chiefs of Staff, U.S . Pacific Fleet, Senate, Air Force, Marine Corps, United States Armed Forces, Thomson Locations: U.S, Bataan, New York, China

[1/2] A U.S. flag flies outside a branch of the Silicon Valley Bank in Wellesley, Massachusetts, U.S., March 13, 2023. REUTERS/Brian SnyderWASHINGTON, June 20 (Reuters) - The U.S. Justice Department antitrust division plans to expand the scope of its bank merger review process, the department's chief said on Tuesday, in a sign the agency may get tougher when scrutinizing such deals. The comments are likely to disappoint the industry, which had been hoping Democratic President Joe Biden's administration would be more open to allowing deals after a spate of bank failures since March. Specifically, Kanter said any merger review for antitrust purposes must go beyond traditional factors like the impact on local depositors and branches, and consider a broader set of issues. "We believe this policy change will not be as negative for bank mergers as it may first appear," he added.

Persons: Brian Snyder WASHINGTON, Jonathan Kanter, Joe Biden's, Kanter, Biden, Isaac Boltansky, Cowen, Jaret Seiberg, Pete Schroeder, Deepa Babington, Michelle Price Organizations: Bank, REUTERS, U.S . Justice Department, Brookings Institution, Democratic, Justice Department, Silicon Valley Bank, DOJ, Thomson Locations: U.S, Wellesley , Massachusetts, Silicon

REUTERS/Brian SnyderWASHINGTON, June 20 (Reuters) - The head of the U.S. Justice Department's antitrust division on Tuesday urged the government to update bank merger guidelines to reflect "current market realities," in a sign authorities are likely to cast a wider net in scrutinizing deals in the sector. “There are good reasons ... to question whether the 1995 guidance sufficiently reflects current market realities," he said in a speech at the Brookings Institution, a think tank. "What we're saying is market realities have shifted, and when we apply the law, we have an obligation to ensure we are addressing the world as it exists today." President Joe Biden signed an executive order in 2021 directing the Justice Department to work with bank regulators to update merger guidelines and heighten scrutiny of deals. In his remarks, Kanter said he was focused on the antitrust implications of any bank mergers, and that broader factors were best left to the primary bank regulators to consider.

Persons: Brian Snyder WASHINGTON, Jonathan Kanter, Biden, Kanter's, Kanter, hasn't, Joe Biden, Pete Schroeder, Deepa Babington Organizations: Bank, REUTERS, U.S . Justice, Brookings Institution, Department, Justice Department, Silicon Valley Bank, Thomson Locations: U.S, Wellesley , Massachusetts, Silicon

☆ Fact Check-Did Biden break Flag Code during White House Pride event? Experts weigh in
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-20 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

A Reuters photo of the flag display with the Progress Pride flag hanging between two U.S. flags can be seen (here). The Progress Pride flag is a reimagined version of the traditional Pride Flag, with added stripes (white, pink, light blue, black and brown) to represent the Trans community as well as minority or marginalized communities (here), (here). Other critics were less specific, saying the Progress Pride flag was displayed as more prominent overall. Consulted by Reuters Fact Check, vexillologists (flag experts) offered different perspectives on whether the White House display was a violation of the Flag Code. The U.S. flag on top of the White House can be seen in photos from the Pride celebration (here), (here), (here).

Persons: Joe Biden, Charles Spain, observer’s, Peter Keim, ”, Keim, “, Scot Guenter, Guenter, Read Organizations: White, Congressional Research Service, Reuters, Flag Research Center, U.S, ”, FRC, Facebook, Flag Foundation, San Jose State University, American Vexillological Association, NAVA, “, U.S . Locations: U.S, ” Spain, ”, American

☆ Fact Check-Biden did not replace the U.S. flag at the Marine Corps Memorial with a Pride flag
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-15 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

A satirical article about U.S. President Joe Biden switching the Stars and Stripes flag of the United States at the U.S. Marine Corps War Memorial in Washington D.C. with a Pride flag was shared online as if it were factual. Posts on social media shared a photograph in which the monument, representing the U.S. victory on the Japanese island of Iwo Jima during World War Two, bears a Pride flag instead of its usual American flag (here). However, the claim stems from a satirical website and the image circulating is digitally altered. Christopher Hershey, Chief of Staff at the George Washington Memorial Parkway, maintained by NPS and where the Marine Corps War Memorial is located, said in an email that the U.S. flag at the monument has not been replaced. This allegation stems from a satirical article by website Babylon Bee.

Persons: Joe Biden, “ Impeach Biden, Biden, Christopher Hershey, George Washington, “, ”, Read Organizations: U.S . Marine Corps, U.S, Reuters, National Park Service, Staff, George, George Washington Memorial, NPS, Marine Corps, “ Biden, Iwo, U.S . Locations: United States, Washington, Iwo Jima, U.S

☆ Fact Check-Google’s Memorial Day doodle featured the US flag and poppies
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-02 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Google changed its iconic logo, or doodle, to grey on Memorial Day on May 29, 2023 to honor U.S. military members who have lost their lives in service. Posts shared online (here) and (here) show colorful doodles alongside a classic, unmodified doodle for Memorial Day 2023. The Memorial Day 2023 Google doodle was different to the classic design, however. News reports about previous Memorial Day doodles with similar gray themes can be seen (here) and (here). The Google doodle for Memorial Day on May 29, 2023 included a gray Google logo, an image of the U.S. flag and an animation of red poppies in the search results thanking those who have served.

Persons: “, ”, Colette Garcia, Read Organizations: Google, United States, U.S, Reuters, U.S . Locations: U.S

☆ Fact Check-Disney is not replacing all US flags with Pride flags this June
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-26 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Disney World is not replacing all U.S. flags at its park with Pride flags during the month of June contrary to claims on social media that originated from a satire account. The narrator of the video can be heard saying, “Disney World is replacing all American flags with the pride flag. It will only be done throughout June to celebrate Pride month. In fact, Disney will have a Pride flag retreat at 5 o’clock every day to the song ‘I Will Survive’. Disney World is not replacing all the U.S. flags on its property with pride flags for the month of June.

☆ Fact Check-Burning Bible or pride flag is protected in US, absent other crimes
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-26 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

But if you burn a trans Pride flag, it’s a hate crime. Another example on Facebook adds that burning the Bible and the U.S. flag is “permitted” (here). However, said Robert Post, a law professor at Yale Law School (law.yale.edu/robert-c-post), the First Amendment does not protect an individual from liability for burning a pride flag or Bible. “If you burn someone else’s Pride flag with the intent of trashing gays because of their status, it might be a hate crime,” Neuborne said. Burning the Bible and the pride flag are protected by the U.S. Constitution’s First Amendment, but circumstances of the burning can lead to charges for hate crime or other types of crimes.

Montana Governor Greg Gianforte on Wednesday signed legislation to ban TikTok in the state, effective Jan. 1. The TikTok users argue the state seeks to "exercise powers over national security that Montana does not have and to ban speech Montana may not suppress." The suit adds users believe the law violates their First Amendment rights. "Montana can no more ban its residents from viewing or posting to TikTok than it could ban the Wall Street Journal because of who owns it or the ideas it publishes," the lawsuit said. TikTok has faced growing calls from U.S. lawmakers and state officials to ban the app nationwide over concerns about potential Chinese government influence over the platform.

☆ Fact Check-Ukrainian coat of arms predates use of trident symbol by far-right nationalists
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-18 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The Ukrainian coat of arms, a trident, is an official symbol of the country and dates back over a thousand years. The blue shield with a gold trident-like symbol is seen on the Military of Defense of Ukraine site and is currently listed as the country’s official coat of arms (here). FAR-RIGHT NATIONALISTS ADOPTED THE SYMBOLFar-right Ukrainian nationalists during the pre-WW2 era “naturally used symbols that were historically associated with Ukraine,” Mark Pitcavage, senior research fellow at the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) Center on Extremism said, including what is now the Ukrainian coat of arms. The Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists (OUN), was founded in 1929 to “liberate Ukraine from Soviet rule and create an independent Ukrainian state,” according to Reuters reporting from 2015 (here). While far-right Ukrainian nationalists have used the trident symbol, the symbol is from a millennium earlier, is on Ukraine’s coat of arms, and is not proof Zelenskiy is connected to extremists.

☆ Montana to become first US state to ban TikTok
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-17 | by ( David Shepardson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/File PhotoWASHINGTON, May 17 (Reuters) - Montana Governor Greg Gianforte on Wednesday signed legislation to ban the Chinese-owned TikTok from operating in the state, making it the first U.S. state to ban the popular short video app. Montana will make it unlawful for Google and Apple's app stores to offer the TikTok app within its borders. TikTok, which has over 150 million American users, is facing growing calls from U.S. lawmakers and state officials to ban the app nationwide over concerns about potential Chinese government influence over the platform. TikTok, owned by Chinese tech company ByteDance, said in a statement the bill "infringes on the First Amendment rights of the people of Montana by unlawfully banning TikTok," adding that they "will defend the rights of our users inside and outside of Montana." Montana, which has a population of just over 1 million people, said TikTok could face fines for each violation and additional fines $10,000 per day if they violate the ban.

☆ Factbox: Jack Teixeira: Who is the man arrested over leaked Pentagon documents?
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

WASHINGTON, April 14 (Reuters) - Jack Douglas Teixeira was arrested on Thursday for allegedly leaking a trove of highly classified documents online. Teixeira served with the Air National Guard in Massachusetts, as did his stepfather. His unit, the 102nd intelligence wing of the Massachusetts National Guard, is responsible for providing intelligence support to many units of the military. Teixeira joined the Air National Guard in 2019, part of the National Guard that reports to the governor of their respective state or territory. The National Guard is made up of reserve troops that often hold civilian jobs or attend schools, and often respond to domestic emergencies.

BALLINA, Ireland, April 14 (Reuters) - U.S. President Joe Biden on Friday was set to wrap up his nostalgic three-day tour to Ireland, the longest ever by an U.S. leader, with a rally in the West of Ireland hometown of his great-great-great-grandfather. Biden started his tour on Wednesday in Belfast on a more serious note by urging political leaders there to restore their powersharing government. Biden will address a crowd in front of St Muredach's Cathedral, whose construction Blewitt was involved with in the 1820s. "It is a homecoming for him," said Joe Blewitt, a distant cousin of Biden's. Ahead of the visit the town was being decorated with U.S. flags, bunting and cardboard cutouts of Biden peering out of windows.

[1/3] An applicant is measured for height during a recruiting session for cabin crew jobs at Hainan Airlines in Beijing, China, March 30, 2023. Carriers including Xiamen Airlines, China Southern Airlines (600029.SS) and Spring Airlines (601021.SS) are now on a hiring spree as domestic travel recovers and they plan to resume flights to popular international destinations. China Southern, which plans to hire 3,000 cabin crew this year, said it already had more than seven times as many applicants by the end of December. Before the pandemic, around 10% of cabin crew applications were typically successful, industry experts said. As the peak summer season approaches, Chinese airlines are adding international capacity.

☆ U.S. spending $5 billion to speed up development of new COVID vaccines
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/IllustrationWASHINGTON, April 10 (Reuters) - The U.S. government is spending over $5 billion on an effort to speed up the development of new COVID-19 vaccines and treatments, a Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) spokesperson and a Biden administration official said on Monday. "While our vaccines are still very effective at preventing serious illness and death, they are less capable of reducing infections and transmission over time," the HHS spokesperson said. "Project NextGen will accelerate and streamline the rapid development of the next generation of vaccines and treatments through public-private collaborations," said the administration official. The project, set to be based at HHS, will coordinate across the government and with the private sector on advancing a pipeline of new vaccines and treatments, the HHS spokesperson said. The project also seeks to speed up the development of vaccines that produce mucosal immunity and can be administered through the nose, in hopes they can dramatically reduce infection and transmission rates.

The state's 21-year age minimum, enacted as part of a 2003 gun control law, had been challenged in a 2021 lawsuit by three gun rights groups - Minnesota Gun Owners Caucus, Firearms Policy Coalition and Second Amendment Foundation - and three individuals. The plaintiffs argued in their lawsuit that the age minimum violated the Second Amendment because 18- to 20-year-olds were permitted to possess guns at the time of the United States' founding. Menendez wrote that she had "reservations" about the historical analysis demanded by the Supreme Court, noting that "judges are not historians." Circuit Court of Appeals recently upheld a 21-year age minimum for handgun purchases in Florida, based on 19th-century laws, but said those laws only concerned gun sales, not the right to carry guns. Reporting By Brendan Pierson in New York, Editing by Alexia Garamfalvi and Bill BerkrotOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ First Citizens is reportedly near a deal to buy Silicon Valley Bank
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-26 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

A U.S. flag flies outside a branch of the Silicon Valley Bank in Wellesley, Massachusetts, U.S., March 13, 2023. First Citizens BancShares was in advanced talks to acquire Silicon Valley Bank and is close to making a deal, Bloomberg reported on Sunday, citing people familiar with the matter. First Citizens could reach a deal as soon as Sunday to acquire Silicon Valley Bank from the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), the report said. First Citizens and FDIC did not immediately respond to Reuters requests for comment. Read the full Bloomberg report here.

Speaking alongside Netanyahu after talks in Berlin, Scholz said he hoped that a compromise on the reforms suggested by Israel's President Isaac Herzog was not off the table. Netanyahu visited Germany while protests erupted once again in Israel over the reforms by his far-right government that have triggered mass unrest in recent weeks. Netanyahu called criticism of the plans "absurd", assuring Scholz that "Israel will remain a liberal democracy". Netanyahu wanted the meeting with Scholz to focus on efforts to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons. Netanyahu, who is on trial for corruption charges that he denies, says the judicial changes will strengthen democracy and boost business.

☆ Biden proposes stricter limits on toxic wastewater from coal plants
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-08 | by ( Emma Newburger | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

McNally as it passes Mitchell Power Plant, a coal-fired power-plant operated by American Electric Power (AEP), on the Ohio River in Moundsville, West Virginia. The Environmental Protection Agency on Wednesday proposed stricter limits on how coal-fired power plants dispose of wastewater containing pollutants like arsenic and mercury, which have contaminated the country's rivers, lakes, streams and underground aquifers. In 2021, the Biden administration said it was kicking off a new rulemaking process to reverse the wastewater rollback and would unveil new requirements on wastewater by next fall. Meanwhile, many coal plants were allowed to dispose of toxic wastewater into waterways as the agency drafted new limits. "EPA's proposed science-based limits will reduce water contamination from coal-fired power plants and help deliver clean air, clean water, and healthy land for all."

☆ Asia stocks see bright side after Nvidia sounds upbeat
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-23 | by ( Tom Westbrook | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Shares in the giant Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (2330.TW) rose 2.2% to lift Taiwan's benchmark (.TWII) 1.3%. A 4% gain for SK Hynix (000660.KS) and a 2% gain for Samsung (005930.KS) drove South Korea's Kospi (.KS11) 1% higher. The Bank of Korea also offered some relief by ending a year-long run of uninterrupted rate hikes with a pause - as expected. Wall Street indexes fell overnight and are eyeing their worst week of the year so far as stronger-than-forecast U.S. labour, inflation, retail sales and manufacturing figures have traders pricing interest rates staying higher for longer. "Markets have been forced to reprice interest rate expectations, not just higher, but also questioning the view that once peak rates are hit, central banks will pivot quickly to cutting interest rates," said ANZ economist Finn Robinson.

☆ Stocks struggle to make headway as rate rises loom
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-23 | by ( Tom Westbrook | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan (.MIAPJ0000PUS) touched its lowest since Jan. 6 in early trade. Nasdaq futures (.NQc1) rose 0.9% after a revenue beat at chip designer Nvidia (NVDA.O) sent its shares up 9% after-hours. Oil nursed sharp overnight losses, and Brent crude futures clung to support around $80 a barrel on Thursday. "Markets have been forced to reprice interest rate expectations, not just higher, but also questioning the view that once peak rates are hit, central banks will pivot quickly to cutting interest rates," said ANZ economist Finn Robinson. The Bank of Korea did, however, offer some dose of relief by ending a year-long run of uninterrupted rate hikes with a pause.

China widened its dispute with the United States on Monday, claiming that U.S. high-altitude balloons had flown over its airspace without permission more than 10 times since the beginning of 2022. Washington called that a surveillance balloon, while China has insisted it was a weather-monitoring craft blown badly off course. A White House spokeswoman denied it, and accused China of violating the sovereignty of the United States and more than 40 other countries across five continents with surveillance balloons linked to its military. "It has repeatedly and wrongly claimed the surveillance balloon it sent over the United States was a weather balloon and to this day has failed to offer any credible explanations for its intrusion into our airspace and the airspace of others." Reuters GraphicsThe three objects were flying at altitudes that could have posed a risk to air traffic, officials have said.

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