Town Hall News

(Reuters) – U.S. aviation regulators are forecasting nearly 313,000 flights over the seven-day Memorial Day holiday period, up 4.5% over 2022 levels but still slightly below 2019 pre-pandemic levels. The Federal Aviation Administration said May 25 will be the busiest single day over the May 24-30 period with about 51,200 flights that is the traditional kickoff to the busy U.S. summer travel season. There were about 321,000 flights in the […]

ABOARD AIR FORCE ONE (Reuters) – White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan, asked on Wednesday about a recent break-in at his home, said he had “total faith” in the Secret Service. The Secret Service on Tuesday said it was investigating a security incident at the site of “protectee” but did not name Sullivan. The Washington Post this week reported that an intruder entered Sullivan’s home last month without being […]

By Lucy Craymer WELLINGTON (Reuters) – New Zealand is set to deliver what it calls a “no frills” budget on Thursday as falling tax revenues squeeze coffers and inflation risks cap cyclone reconstruction efforts, constraining stimulus as the Labour government in an election year. Finance minister Grant Robertson has said the budget will focus on fiscal sustainability as they cut NZ$4 billion ($2.54 billion) in spending to fund programmes viewed […]

By Lucy Craymer WELLINGTON (Reuters) – New Zealand is set to deliver what it calls a “no frills” budget on Thursday as falling tax revenues squeeze coffers and inflation risks cap cyclone reconstruction efforts, constraining stimulus as the Labour government in an election year. Finance minister Grant Robertson has said the budget will focus on fiscal sustainability as they cut NZ$4 billion ($2.54 billion) in spending to fund programmes viewed […]

By Michael Holden and Jonathan Allen LONDON/ NEW YORK (Reuters) -Britain’s Prince Harry, his wife Meghan and her mother were involved in a “near catastrophic” car chase with press photographers after they attended an awards ceremony in New York, Harry’s spokesperson said on Wednesday. The incident involved “a ring of highly aggressive paparazzi” in half a dozen cars with blacked out windows, driving dangerously and putting the lives of the […]

By Chuck Mikolajczak NEW YORK (Reuters) – U.S. stocks climbed on Wednesday on optimism over a potential deal on the $31.4 trillion debt ceiling and as a rebound in regional bank shares eased concerns about an escalation in the sector’s troubles. President Joe Biden and top U.S. congressional Republican Kevin McCarthy on Wednesday reiterated their determination to strike a deal soon to raise the federal debt ceiling and avoid an […]

By John McCrank NEW YORK (Reuters) – The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on Wednesday voted to propose a plan to bolster the resiliency of clearing houses during times of significant market stress, such as the 2021 “meme stock” trading frenzy. Clearing agencies and their infrastructure are often referred to as the plumbing of the market, and stand between buyers and sellers of every trade, taking on the risk if […]

By Brendan Pierson, Tom Hals and Andrew Goudsward (Reuters) -U.S. appeals court judges began hearing arguments on Wednesday in a legal battle over the availability of the abortion pill mifepristone, with potentially far-reaching consequences for abortion access across the United States. Lawyers for the federal government are urging a three-judge panel of the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans to overturn last month’s unprecedented ruling by U.S. […]

By Susan Heavey, Doina Chiacu, Andrea Shalal WASHINGTON (Reuters) -President Joe Biden and top U.S. congressional Republican Kevin McCarthy on Wednesday underscored their determination to reach a deal soon to raise the federal government’s $31.4 trillion debt ceiling and avoid an economically catastrophic default. After a monthslong standoff, the Democratic president and the speaker of the House of Representatives on Tuesday agreed to negotiate directly on a deal. An agreement […]