National

Family Dollar had net sales loss of -1.2% in 4th quarter, leading to 970 stores set for closure

13Mar

By nadiaNo Comments

Family Dollar had net sales loss of -1.2% in 4th quarter, leading to 970 stores set for closure

By BRIAN PORTER | The Rocky Mountain Voice Dollar Tree, Inc., [DLTR] dropped 15% in early trading Wednesday following news it would close nearly 1,000 stores, mostly within the lowest-performing Family Dollar franchise. The company’s fourth quarter earnings report, released Wednesday, indicates that while Dollar Tree had net sales of plus-6.3% the Family Dollar brand had losses of minus-1.2%. “We finished the year strong, with fourth quarter results reflecting positive traffic trends, market share gains and adjusted margin improvement across both segments,” said Chairman and CEO Rick Dreiling in a statement. “While we are still in the early stages of our transformation[al] journey, I am proud of what our team accomplished in 2023 and see a long runway of growth ahead of us.”...

February inflation report a setback for Fed rate cut plans; prices up 3.2%

12Mar

By nadiaNo Comments

National, The Washington Post

February inflation report a setback for Fed rate cut plans; prices up 3.2%

By Rachel Siegel | The Washington Post The Federal Reserve is looking for steady, reliable signs that inflation is simmering down before it cuts interest rates this year. So far, 2024 has not delivered. Data released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics on Tuesday showed prices rose 3.2 percent over last year, slightly outpacing forecasts of 3.1 percent. Prices also rose 0.4 percent in February over the previous month — in line with expectations, but still hotter than economists would like to see. Those top-line figures represent just a snippet of a bigger economic story. But they also added a dose of uncertainty about whether the Fed’s inflation fight is getting tougher after 2023’s remarkable progress. Markets dipped slightly into the red shortly after Tuesday’s open, before postin...

Supreme Court extends freeze on Texas illegal immigration law

12Mar

By nadiaNo Comments

National, The Epoch Times

Supreme Court extends freeze on Texas illegal immigration law

By Tom Ozimek | The Epoch Times The U.S. Supreme Court issued an order on March 12 that extends for at least another week its temporary pause on enforcement of Texas’ immigration law, which would have allowed state police to arrest people suspected of crossing the U.S.-Mexico border illegally. Justice Samuel Alito, who oversees the federal circuit handling the case, issued an administrative stay on Tuesday, postponing the implementation of Texas Senate Bill 4 until March 18. The move follows a similar March 4 decision that imposed a temporary freeze on SB4, which was signed into law by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott in December 2023 and was set to go into effect on March 5. READ THE FULL STORY AT THE EPOCH TIMES

Ken Buck announces he will leave Congress on March 22, scrambling race to replace him that includes Lauren Boebert

12Mar

By nadiaNo Comments

National, The Colorado Sun

Ken Buck announces he will leave Congress on March 22, scrambling race to replace him that includes Lauren Boebert

By Jesse Paul | The Colorado Sun U.S. Rep. Ken Buck will leave Congress on March 22, the Windsor Republican announced Tuesday in a decision that’s sure to scramble the already highly contentious and competitive race to replace him that includes Lauren Boebert. “It has been an honor to serve the people of Colorado’s 4th District in Congress for the past nine years,” Buck said in a written statement. “I want to thank them for their support and encouragement throughout the years. Today, I am announcing that I will depart Congress at the end of next week. I look forward to staying involved in our political process, as well as spending more time in Colorado and with my family.” Buck, who was already planning to retire after his current term ends in January 2025, didn’t p...

Biden says he never meant to keep classified documents; Hur stands by report on President’s memory

12Mar

By nadiaNo Comments

National, Stars & Stripes

Biden says he never meant to keep classified documents; Hur stands by report on President’s memory

By ZEKE MILLER, COLLEEN LONG AND FARNOUSH AMIRI | Stars & Stripes Over five hours of interviews, President Joe Biden repeatedly told a special counsel that he never meant to retain classified information after he left the vice presidency, but he was at times fuzzy about dates and said he was unfamiliar with the paper trail for some of the sensitive documents he handled. A transcript of the Biden interviews was made public Tuesday, just as the special counsel, Robert Hur, went before the House Judiciary Committee to face questions about his investigation of the Democratic president. Hur, in his report, concluded that Biden should not face criminal charges over his mishandling of documents but also impugned the president’s age and competence. The special counsel stood by his assess...

Boeing whistleblower found dead days after testifying against company

12Mar

By nadiaNo Comments

DENVER7, National

Boeing whistleblower found dead days after testifying against company

By Elina Tarkazikis | Denver7 A Boeing whistleblower who raised concerns about the company's production standards was found dead days after testifying against the company. Sixty-two-year-old John Barnett of Louisiana had worked for Boeing for 32 years before retiring in 2017 because of his health, according to the BBC. In the lead-up to his death, he had been giving evidence in a whistleblower lawsuit against the aircraft giant. The Charleston County Coroner's Office in South Carolina confirmed to several news outlets that Barnett died on March 9 of what appeared to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound. He was found dead in his truck in a hotel parking lot. READ THE FULL STORY AT DENVER7

Trump Secret Service driver refutes ‘third-hand’ claim J6 committee relied upon from star witness

11Mar

By nadiaNo Comments

National, The Epoch Times

Trump Secret Service driver refutes ‘third-hand’ claim J6 committee relied upon from star witness

By Zachary Stieber | The Epoch Times The Secret Service agent who was driving the SUV with then-President Donald Trump inside on Jan. 6, 2021, refuted the claim that President Trump grabbed for the wheel of the vehicle, according to a U.S. House of Representatives report issued on March 11. The agent, who is not being identified by name by lawmakers, told a House panel that he “did not see him reach.” President Trump “never grabbed the steering wheel,” the agent said. “I didn’t see him lunge to try to get into the front seat at all.” READ THE FULL STORY AT THE EPOCH TIMES

They’re just using a different tool to control water now

11Mar

By nadiaNo Comments

Commentary, National

They’re just using a different tool to control water now

By GREG WALCHER | GregWalcher.com There are at least 25 different types of wrenches commonly found in toolboxes. There are box-end, open-end, combination, and crescent wrenches. For particular jobs, one might reach for a lug wrench, basin wrench, oil filter wrench, or an impact, flare-nut, strap, chain, or torque wrench. Like most people, I also have socket wrenches, Allen wrenches, and pipe wrenches. My dad taught us that every job is easier with the right tools, but he also knew there were several ways to accomplish any task. If one wrench won’t work, you try a different wrench. That is exactly what environmental industry lawyers, and their government allies, are doing in the wake of the Supreme Court’s ruling in Sackett v. EPA. That is the case in which the Court finally decl...

Donald Trump Jr. suggests MAGA is ‘the new Republican Party’

11Mar

By nadiaNo Comments

National, New York Post

Donald Trump Jr. suggests MAGA is ‘the new Republican Party’

By Ryan King | New York Post Donald Trump Jr. mused that the “Make America Great Again” movement has replaced the old guard of the Republican Party. Trump Jr. hailed the recent leadership shakeup at the Republican National Committee backed by his father and argued that it illustrates the MAGA takeover. “I think the RNC is gonna be a little bit more of that old-school establishment. That Republican Party frankly no longer exists outside of the D.C. Beltway. But it takes a little while to make that transition,” Trump Jr. said on Newsmax’s “The Balance.” READ THE FULL STORY AT THE NEW YORK POST

Among the statistic most meant to mislead, you have the Unemployment Rate

11Mar

By nadiaNo Comments

Commentary, National

Among the statistic most meant to mislead, you have the Unemployment Rate

Source: Critically Thinking Substack One of the most monitored of all U.S. statistics — and one frequently used for the most political gain — is the Unemployment Rate. It sounds simple enough (and actually should be) but when bureaucrats and politicians got their hands on it, it’s merely a shadow of itself. In his most recent work, John Droz Jr. takes a look at how deceptive the Unemployment Rate can be, falling in line with Mark Twain's theory on the subject of "lies, damned lies and statistics." READ THE FULL COMMENTARY AT THE CRITICALLY THINKING SUBSTACK