FullAutoNews's Podcast

Sourced from the APNews:

Sources include APNews and CNBC.

Stories sourced from APNews.com

A little longer bit than usual.  US News.

The United States military, led by Army Gen. Mark Milley, is providing increased assistance to Ukraine, including expanded training and the provision of weapons systems, in an effort to support Ukraine's military needs and the ongoing war. In the meantime, Republican Jim Banks has announced his candidacy for the U.S. Senate seat from Indiana, and the White House is releasing information about the discovery of classified documents at President Joe Biden's home and former office on an "appropriate" basis, while withholding some information to protect the Justice Department's investigation. Additionally, former President Donald Trump will be joining U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham and Gov. Henry McMaster at his first public 2024 presidential campaign event in South Carolina. The government is also taking "extraordinary measures" to avoid a default, such as suspending payments to retirement funds and reinvesting maturing government bonds in retirement savings accounts. Finally, The Netherlands plans to join the U.S. and Germany's efforts to train and arm Ukraine with advanced Patriot defense systems.

Welcome to the Full Auto News Podcast, here are the stories that you should know.

Welcome to the Full Auto News Podcast, here are the  stories that you should know.  Now, with better transitions:

Welcome to the Full Auto News Podcast, here are the stories that you should know.

 A massive storm system with severe winds and tornadoes cut a path across the US South, killing at least seven people in Georgia and Alabama. In Selma, Alabama, a city with a history of the civil rights movement, the tornado damaged buildings and tossed cars in the streets. Six deaths were recorded in Autauga County, Alabama, where an estimated 40 homes were damaged or destroyed. Alabama Governor Kay Ivey declared a state of emergency for six counties and the high winds and heavy rain damaged homes and left tens of thousands of customers without power in parts of Georgia, Mississippi and Alabama. 

In more weather news:

 After tidal surges and high winds from the remnants of a rare typhoon caused extensive damage to homes along Alaska's western coast in September, the U.S. government stepped in to help residents with Federal Emergency Management Agency paperwork. These documents were mistranslated with bizarre phrases, and the California company hired to translate them was fired. Alaska Native leader Tara Sweeney called for a congressional oversight hearing to investigate the practice, and U.S. Rep. Mary Peltola, who is Yup'ik, said she was disappointed but confident FEMA would make the necessary changes. The mistranslated passages were found to originate from a book of field notes collected on Russia's Chukotka Peninsula from the 1940s.

Bernice King, the daughter of the late civil rights icon, Rev. Martin Luther King Jr, is hoping to spur progress by helping Americans personalize the ongoing struggle for racial equity and harmony. This year's celebration of MLK Day of Service includes events such as statue unveilings, symposiums, community service projects and more. There is also a National Day of Racial Healing on Tuesday, an event held by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, which encourages communities to come together to talk about racism and healing.

On, to U.S. Politics,

In naming a special counsel to investigate the presence of classified documents at President Joe Biden’s Delaware home and former office, Attorney General Merrick Garland described the appointment as underscoring the Justice Department’s commitment to independence and accountability in particularly sensitive investigations. Even as Garland made a point Thursday of saying the department’s own “normal processes” can handle all investigations with integrity, the appointment seemed to nod to a reality that probes that involve a president — in this case, Garland’s boss — are different. Garland appointed Robert Hur, a former senior Justice Department official in the Trump administration, as special counsel. He joins Jack Smith, a former public corruption prosecutor who is investigating the documents found at Mar-a-Lago, and John Durham, who’s secured one guilty plea and lost two criminal trials in three and a half years investigating the Trump-Russia probe. The purpose of the special counsels is to ensure ultimate Justice Department oversight of sensitive investigations rather than vest them with an independent prosecutor who could operate unchecked and without supervision.  

 Donald Trump's company is facing a $1.6 million fine for tax crimes. Trump himself was not on trial and denied any knowledge of his executives evading taxes illegally. The criminal case involved financial practices and pay arrangements that the company halted when Trump was elected president in 2016. Trump faces several other legal challenges as he looks to retake the White House in 2024.

And that should be enough to make you dangerous.

US News mostly.

Transcript:
Welcome to the Full Auto News Podcast, here are some trending stories that you might have missed:

Winning the Mega Millions jackpot can vary depending on where you buy your ticket due to state taxes, which range from 3% to 10.9%. Eight states do not charge taxes on jackpot winnings, which would be the maximum payout of either $446 million or $851 million, depending on whether the winner takes a lump sum or an annuity. Tickets purchased outside of your state or district are subject to the state taxes of the state in which the ticket was purchased."

Guess I'll buy a ticket then.  Sounds a like a good investment.  Wonder where I'll put the winnings?

The former governor of Sweden's central bank, Stefan Ingves, has warned of rising household debt levels and a looming correction in property prices. House prices in Sweden have risen steadily for the last decade, but now they are tumbling. The downturn is a direct consequence of the Riksbank's aggressive interest rate hikes from 0% to 2.5%, which has taken many households by surprise. Economists predict a 20%-25% drop in home prices from peak to trough and a stabilization of prices when mortgage rates have peaked in the spring. The correction puts Swedish property back to its pre-pandemic state and erases the pandemic-induced uptick in prices. Ingves has also noted that the structural difficulties in the housing market have not been addressed by the political process, which has led to the current situation.

Now, back to America.  

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has adopted a cautious approach to the influx of Cuban migrants in his state, activating the National Guard late last week while avoiding fiery conservative rhetoric. He is eyeing an aggressive conservative policy agenda over the coming months to strengthen his prospective Republican candidacy. DeSantis' handling of the Cuban migrants poses a test for him, as his would-be 2024 rivals and Democratic operatives comb through his record, hoping to weaken his political standing. He is also planning to bolster his conservative bona fides in Florida's upcoming legislative session.

Im starting to think this O-SINTthing is catching on.

As alarms began to go off globally about the novel coronavirus, Washington officials turned to intelligence agencies for insights but found open source intelligence was more useful. U.S. spy agencies are falling behind because they have not embraced collecting open-source intelligence as adversaries have, leading some experts to suggest creating a new agency or center to focus on open-source work and advanced technologies.

And, one last story:

Doug Emhoff, the husband of Vice President Kamala Harris, is set to visit Poland and Germany to mark International Holocaust Remembrance Day and to hold meetings aimed at combatting rising antisemitism in the US and around the world. Emhoff will participate in a wreath-laying ceremony at Auschwitz-Birkenau and meet with Jewish communities and civil society leaders. His trip comes as he takes on an increasingly vocal role in addressing anti-Jewish rhetoric and violence globally.

And that should be enough to make you dangerous.

Sources APNews and CNBC