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☆ Grand jury in Georgia heard recording of Trump call to state House speaker -report
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-16 | by ( Eric Beech | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

The existence of such a recording, or that it was played for the 23-member special grand jury during the course of its eight-month investigation, has not been previously reported. Ralston and other state legislative leaders never called a special session, and the Georgia House speaker himself testified before the special Fulton County grand jury in July 2022, according to local media accounts. The George elections grand jury also is known to have examined a previously disclosed call Trump made on Jan. 2, 2021, to then-Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger falsely claiming that the November election results were fraudulent. That report, submitted to the Fulton County district attorney in January before the panel was dissolved, included who the grand jury recommended should be indicted. The special grand jury, unlike a regular grand jury, was not empowered to issue indictments, only recommendations, and the decision on whether to press charges ultimately rests with the district attorney, Fani Willis.

☆ Georgia special grand jury heard a recorded call in which Trump pressured the state's House Speaker to convene a session to overturn the 2020 vote: report
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-16 | by ( Lloyd Lee | Azmi Haroun | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Jurors heard a recording of the call during the grand jury proceedings, AJC reported. The Atlanta newspaper spoke with five of the 23 special grand jury members who took part in Georgia's probe of efforts to overturn the 2020 election by Trump and his allies. According to AJC, Ralston was among the ranks who denied Trump's request. The special grand jury completed its report in January and recommended multiple indictments. "It is not a short list," Emily Kohrs, the forewoman of the grand jury, told The New York Times.

☆ French bulldog claims title of top US purebred, dethroning Labrador retriever
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-16 | by ( Rich Mckay | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

2 spot the previous year, according to the club, which maintains the largest registry of purebred dog pedigrees in the country. They're great companions, cute and show great affection," said breeder Johnny Danley Jr., of Atlanta. But we sell to blue-collar, 9-to-5 people who want to spend a little for a great companion," Danley said. The breed's rising popularity - and price tag - has led to a surge in French bulldog thefts in recent years, according to the club. The former top dog, the even-tempered Labrador retriever, still has plenty of fans, as it slipped a notch to the No.

☆ Dyeing Easter eggs? The fake ones are cheaper than the real thing at Target and Walmart as egg prices soar
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-15 | by ( Dominick Reuter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Egg prices are off of their January peak, but a dozen still costs more than $4, inflation numbers show. With Easter approaching, fake-egg dye kits from Walmart and Target may be cheaper than the real thing. The high cost of eggs led one of the largest dollar store chains to decide not to carry them for now. (Actual egg prices vary substantially by geography.) Easter decorators aren't the only ones adjusting their plans due to the still-high cost of eggs this spring.

☆ Travelers who don't know how to go off the grid bring 7 suitcases and a microwave to stay in a yurt, according to owners of rustic Airbnbs
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-14 | by ( Dan Latu | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Travelers may crave a break from their phones, but going off the grid can prove difficult for some. Courtesy of the KernohansIn Missouri, Michael Loftis built an off-the-grid cabin for his family, but eventually moved them to a town nearby. Many guests are quick to ask Kernohan if bears or other wildlife are a threat to their stay. Courtesy of Michael LoftisTo add to the rustic mood of his cabin, Loftis has furnished it with antiques, including a clawfoot tub and a 1920s gas-powered cookstove. Thankfully, she was safe, but it reminded Loftis that many guests are unfamiliar with old-school appliances.

☆ Tiger Woods's NDA battle with Erica Herman is dragging his obsession with privacy into the spotlight
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-14 | by ( Jack Newsham | Katherine Long | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +13 min

Tiger Woods's ex-girlfriend Erica Herman claims he evicted and abused her, but she has an NDA. Davis wasn't the first person asked to keep Tiger Woods's name out of his mouth, and according to a $30 million lawsuit filed earlier this month by Woods's ex-girlfriend Erica Herman, he wasn't the last. The battle over Herman's NDA is a window into Woods's longtime obsession with privacy. In October 2021, exhibits and transcripts were sealed in an unsuccessful case brought by the family of an employee at Tiger Woods's restaurant who died in a drunk driving incident. When Woods's image imploded in 2009, he used nondisclosure agreements to stanch the gush of details about his personal life into the media.

☆ Chick-fil-A Wants to Serve Its Chicken Sandwiches in Asia and Europe
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-13 | by ( Heather Haddon | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Chick-fil-A Inc. is reaching beyond North America with a $1 billion plan to take its signature crispy chicken-breast sandwich overseas. The Atlanta-based company said it plans to open restaurants in Europe and Asia by 2026, with locations in five international markets by 2030.

☆ Chick-fil-A is making another attempt to crack the international market with a $1 billion investment
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-13 | by ( Nancy Luna | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

By going abroad, Chick-fil-A will compete with US-based rivals such as KFC and McDonald's, which have been in Asia for years. Chick-fil-A restaurants generate higher revenue per location than any other US chain. In the US, Chick-fil-A is the third largest restaurant chain, in terms of sales, according to market research firm Technomic. Only McDonald's and Starbucks generate more revenue than Chick-fil-A, which reported sales of $16.7 billion in 2021. Chick-fil-AIt's unclear how many restaurants the chain would build abroad, but it is targeting five international markets by 2030, Cathy told the Journal.

March 9 (Reuters) - A U.S. appeals court on Thursday upheld a Florida law barring people under age 21 from buying a gun, rejecting a challenge by the National Rifle Association gun rights lobby group. Two Republican state lawmakers have introduced a measure to lower the age to 18, as it was previously. Federal law already imposes a 21-year age requirement for handguns. A federal judge in 2021 upheld the law, finding it was a kind of "longstanding" restriction that courts had upheld in the past. The 11th Circuit panel decided on Thursday that this one was, pointing to more than a dozen 19th century state laws barring people under 21 from buying guns.

☆ U.S. trade deficit widens moderately in January
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

WASHINGTON, March 8 (Reuters) - The U.S. trade deficit widened moderately in January as both imports and exports increased strongly. The trade deficit increased 1.6% to $68.3 billion, the Commerce Department said on Wednesday. Economists polled by Reuters had forecast the trade deficit rising to $68.9 billion. Adjusting for inflation, the goods trade deficit increased 3.6% to $101.8 billion in January. A smaller trade deficit was one of the contributors to the economy's 2.7% annualized growth rate in the fourth quarter.

☆ American Airlines prepared to match Delta's pilot pay rates, CEO says
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

CHICAGO, March 7 (Reuters) - American Airlines (AAL.O) is prepared to match the pay rates and profit-sharing formula that rival Delta Air Lines (DAL.N) has provided in its new pilot contract, Chief Executive Robert Isom said on Tuesday. Isom told American pilots that matching Delta's deal will result in a contract worth more than $7 billion for them. Delta's pilots last week ratified a new contract that is widely expected to be a benchmark for contract negotiations at rival carriers. To match Delta's deal, Isom said American pilots would receive on average pay increases of 21% in the first year of contract. Total pay increases in the fourth year of the contract deal would be 40%, he said.

☆ In Selma, Biden presses for voting rights on 'Bloody Sunday' anniversary
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-06 | by ( Jeff Mason | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

SELMA, Alabama, March 5 (Reuters) - President Joe Biden pressed for the passage of measures to strengthen U.S. voting rights during a visit to Selma, Alabama, on Sunday to commemorate the 58th anniversary of "Bloody Sunday," when state troopers beat peaceful protesters marching against discrimination. It also came as his efforts to pass voting rights legislation have stalled in Congress. Coverage of the brutality of that day against the marchers, including John Lewis, a Black civil rights activist who went on to become a U.S. congressman, shocked the nation and helped spark the 1965 Voting Rights Act. DeSantis recently rejected an Advanced Placement high school course in African American studies claiming that it contained a political agenda, drawing criticism from civil rights leaders and educators. In January, Biden spoke at the Atlanta church of slain civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr.Biden's visit to Selma follows Vice President Kamala Harris's trip there last year for the anniversary of the march.

☆ Jaguars' Ridley reinstated after suspension for gambling
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

March 6 (Reuters) - Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Calvin Ridley has been fully reinstated after serving one year of an indefinite suspension for violating the National Football League's gambling policy, the NFL said on Monday. The former first-round pick is eligible to participate in all team activities, effective immediately, the NFL said. Gambling is considered one of the most egregious offenses a player can commit in the NFL. The Jaguars said in a statement that they expect Ridley to participate in their off-season program in April. "We look forward to building a relationship with Calvin as both an individual and as a player," the team said.

The plaintiffs accused Ocala of violating the U.S. Constitution's First Amendment "establishment clause," which restricts governmental involvement in religion. Ocala city officials helped organize and conduct the one-hour prayer vigil held in response to a series of shootings in which three children were struck by stray bullets. The city then appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court. A federal district court will now weigh the plaintiffs' establishment clause claims in light of the football coach ruling. The conservative-majority Supreme Court in recent years has chipped away at the wall separating church and state, eroding American legal traditions aimed at barring government officials from promoting any particular faith.

☆ Police, protesters clash at site of Atlanta police center; 35 arrested
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-06 | by ( Daniel Trotta | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

March 5 (Reuters) - Fires broke out at the construction site of an Atlanta police training center on Sunday after a demonstration at the property led to clashes between police and protesters and 35 people were arrested, police said. Opponents of the site say they want to save an important green space near the greater Atlanta metropolitan area of 6 million people. "We call on all people of good conscience to stand in solidarity with the movement to stop Cop City and defend the Weelaunee Forest," reads a statement on a website called Defend The Atlanta Forest. With more events planned in coming days, Atlanta police said they and other law-enforcement agencies had "multi-layered strategy that includes reaction and arrest." Demonstrators at that time gathered to protest against the killing by law enforcement of an activist during a raid to clear the construction site.

☆ Atlanta police arrest 23 on terrorism charges after protest at training site
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-06 | by ( Rich Mckay | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

ATLANTA, March 6 (Reuters) - Two dozen people face domestic terrorism charges in Atlanta after they were arrested during violent clashes between officers and protesters at a police training center construction site, authorities said on Monday. The 23 people who face charges were part of a group detained on Sunday by police who said they launched bricks, rocks, Molotov cocktails and fireworks at officers after they breached the construction site, where a new Atlanta Public Safety Training Center is being built. Opponents of the site say they want to save an important green space near the greater Atlanta metropolitan area of 6 million people. The site was subject to a protest in January that briefly turned violent as demonstrators set a police car on fire and smashed windows of buildings. Demonstrators at that time gathered to protest the law enforcement killing of an activist during a raid to clear the construction site.

☆ Biden to spotlight voting rights, Black voters in 'Bloody Sunday' Selma visit
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-05 | by ( Jeff Mason | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

It also is happening with Biden's efforts to pass voting rights legislation stalled in Congress. The president will speak at the Edmund Pettus Bridge, where state troopers clubbed and used tear gas against the 1965 voting rights marchers, including John Lewis, a Black civil rights activist who went on to become a U.S. congressman. Coverage of the brutality shocked the nation and helped spark the 1965 Voting Rights Act. "President Biden will talk about the importance of commemorating Bloody Sunday so that history cannot be erased," White House spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters on Friday. "He will highlight how the continued fight for voting rights is ... integral to delivering economic justice and civil rights for Black Americans."

☆ Asian stocks gain as prospects of China recovery, and Fed caution
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-03 | by ( Julie Zhu | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

HONG KONG, March 3 (Reuters) - Asian shares rose on Friday on prospects for a steady economic recovery in China, and after Wall Street reversed losses overnight following remarks by the Atlanta Federal Reserve chief that signalled a measured approach raising U.S. interest rates. Global markets have been buffeted by a raft of strong U.S. data over recent weeks, including U.S. jobless claims overnight, that suggested the Fed would need to keep rates higher for longer. MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan (.MIAPJ0000PUS) was up 0.7%, on track for its first weekly rise in five. U.S. stocks rose on Thursday, reversing earlier losses, as Treasury yields pulled back from earlier highs, following the rates comments from Atlanta Fed President Bostic. The two-year yield , which rises with traders' expectations of higher Fed fund rates, rose to 4.8879%compared with a U.S. close of 4.904%.

☆ A growing number of car buyers have loans worth more than their vehicles — and experts are worried about a surge of delinquencies
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-03 | by ( Bianca Giacobone | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Car sales with a trade-in with negative equity rose from 14.9% to 17.4% in one year. Having negative equity means having a car debt that's more than the value of the car itself. The number of Americans that are upside down on their car loans is increasing. The combination of rising interest rates and declining used car prices after pandemic-induced highs has left some customers in difficult situations. As a result, a record number of car buyers are committing to paying $1,000 or more for their car loans, risking missed or late payments.

WASHINGTON, March 2 (Reuters) - The impact of higher U.S. interest rates on the economy may only begin to "bite" in earnest this spring, an argument for the Federal Reserve to stick with "steady" quarter-point rate increases, Atlanta Federal Reserve President Raphael Bostic said on Thursday. "I am still very much of a mindset that slow and steady is going to be the appropriate course of action," Bostic said in comments to reporters. The cumulative effect of the Fed rate increases "should bite through the spring ... He has penciled in another half percentage point of increases as likely needed, but that depends on what upcoming data show about an economy that continues to outperform expectations. The Fed targets a 2% rate of annual increase in the Personal Consumption Expenditures price index, which as of January was increasing at a 5.4% annual rate.

☆ Delta Pilots Approve Four-Year Contract With 34% Raises
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-01 | by ( Andrew Tangel | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Delta Air Lines Inc.’s pilots ratified a new contract that provides 34% pay increases over a four-year agreement, setting a potential bar as other U.S. carriers and their pilots’ unions pursue similar contract negotiations. Delta said the agreement, which runs through December 2026, would position the airline’s approximately 15,000 pilots to continue leading the industry in total compensation and work-rule improvements. The Air Line Pilots Association, which represents Delta pilots, said 78% of the Atlanta-based carrier’s pilots ratified the agreement.

☆ Delta pilots wrap voting on new contract with big raises
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-01 | by ( Leslie Josephs | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Delta and the pilots' union had reached a preliminary agreement in December. The Delta pilots are expected to approve the deal Wednesday. United , American and Southwest pilots' unions are still in negotiations. Contract talks between airlines and labor unions have been fraught at times, as aviators seek higher pay and better schedules. Alaska Airlines pilots won raises in their latest labor deal last year.

☆ A year later, the Fed still has a long way to go in the fight against inflation
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-01 | by ( Jeff Cox | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +9 min

The rate hikes appeared to have quelled some of the inflation surge that inspired the policy tightening. Indeed, Fed officials for months stuck to the narrative that inflation was "transitory" and would abate on its own. Fed Chairman Jerome Powell recently insisted that he and his colleagues are taking "forceful steps" now to bring down inflation. The index most recently showed an annual inflation rate of 6.4%, down from a peak around 9% in the summer of 2022. Citigroup economist Andrew Hollenhorst thinks the Fed could tame key inflation metrics to around 4% by the end of this year.

☆ Millennials are building up a mountain of debt in pursuit of the middle-class American dream — and they're starting to miss credit card payments at an alarming rate
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-28 | by ( Jacob Zinkula | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

This debt load is beginning to takes it toll — the NY Fed's report found that millennials are missing credit card and auto loan payments at rising rates. Millennials are starting to miss credit card paymentsAfter falling over the last few years as borrowers paid down their balances, US credit card debt rose $61 billion in the fourth quarter, the largest increase in the history of the NY Fed's data, which dates back to 1999. This increase brought total credit card balances to $986 billion, surpassing the pre-pandemic high of $927 billion. Inflation has caused many millennial consumers to spend more, save less, and ultimately turn to credit card debt as pandemic-era savings have run out. While there are surely several factors fueling credit card debt among millennials, the high cost of childcare and related expenses surely aren't helping.

☆ Asia stocks feel rate pain, dollar on a roll
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-27 | by ( Wayne Cole | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

China has manufacturing surveys and the National People's Congress kicks off at the weekend and will see new economic policy targets and policies, as well as a reshuffling of government officials. S&P 500 futures were flat, while Nasdaq futures edged up 0.1%. Fed futures now have rates peaking around 5.42%, implying at least three more hikes from the current 4.50% to 4.75% band. Markets have also nudged up the likely rate tops for the European Central Bank and the Bank of England. Ten-year Treasury bonds also yield more than twice the estimated dividend yield of the S&P 500 Index, and with much less risk.

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