Kroger follows Walmart and Dick's Sporting Goods in becoming the third major retailer to impose tighter regulations on gun sales. Up until now, Kroger sold guns at 43 of its Fred Meyer locations in Alaska, Idaho, Oregon, and Washington. Both companies recently released statements saying the tightening of gun restrictions is in reaction to the Parkland school shooting that left 17 people dead. Kroger and Walmart both stopped selling assault-style weapons a few years ago.
NBC Universal will cut the number of ads it airs in primetime by 20%. The media giant owns networks such as NBC, Telemundo, USA, MSNBC, E!, and others. Linda Yaccarino, chairman of advertising and client partnerships, says this is a necessary move to retain customers who are increasingly turning towards streaming platforms. The changes will go into effect by the fourth quarter.
Hope Hicks, one of President Trump's closest aides, is out as White House communications director. Her resignation comes a day after she told lawmakers on Capitol Hill that she tells "white lies" for the president. Ben Dreyfuss, senior editor at Mother Jones, says while the timing of this seems suspect, many reports claim Hicks had been considering leaving the White House for months now. Dreyfuss also weighs in on the latest with special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation. Mueller is reportedly interested in President Trump's efforts to push Attorney General Jeff Sessions out last summer. The president has been attacking Sessions on Twitter in recent days.
Congressman John Delaney (D-MD) joins us to discuss the future of artificial intelligence. He's created a bipartisan A.I. Caucus in Congress that will focus on harnessing this technology for good. Too often people are scared of A.I. technology because they fear robots will take their jobs, but Delaney believes it's important to work with the private sector to incorporate A.I. into the business world.
Ben & Jerry’s co-founder Jerry Greenfield is leaving the ice cream brand after 47 years. He says the freedom the company used to have to speak up on social issues has been stifled
The Federal Reserve cut its key interest rate by a quarter-point Wednesday and projected it would do so twice more this year as concern grows at the central bank about the health of the nation’s labor market. The move is the Fed’s first cut since December and lowered its short-term rate to about 4.1%, down from 4.3%. Fed officials, led by Chair Jerome Powell, had kept their rate unchanged this year as they evaluated the impact of tariffs, tighter immigration enforcement, and other Trump administration policies on inflation and the economy. The only dissenter was Stephen Miran, the recent Trump-appointee.
After a late-night vote and last-minute ruling, the Federal Reserve began a key meeting on interest rate policy Tuesday with both a new Trump administration appointee and an official the White House has targeted for removal.
The Trump administration has issued its first warnings to online services that offer unofficial versions of popular drugs like the blockbuster obesity treatment Wegovy.
Albania's Prime Minister Edi Rama says his new Cabinet will include an artificial intelligence “minister” in charge of fighting corruption. The AI, named Diella, will oversee public funding projects and combat corruption in public tenders. Diella was launched earlier this year as a virtual assistant on the government's public service platform. Corruption has been a persistent issue in Albania since 1990. Rama's Socialist Party won a fourth consecutive term in May. It aims to deliver EU membership for Albania in five years, but the opposition Democratic Party remains skeptical.
The Trump administration has asked an appeals court to remove Lisa Cook from the Federal Reserve’s board of governors by Monday, before the central bank’s next vote on interest rates. Trump sought to fire Cook Aug. 25, but a federal judge ruled late Tuesday that the removal was illegal and reinstated her to the Fed’s board.
