O. J. Simpson: O.J. Simpson has died at age 76 after a battle with cancer. Simpson, known for his sports and movie careers, stood trial for the murders of his ex-wife Nicole and Ronald Goldman and was found not guilty. Simpson played professional football in the NFL, largely with the Buffalo Bills. In 1968 he won the Heisman Trophy. Television viewers in the U.S. were glued to their sets when police chased Simpson in his white Ford Bronco on Los Angeles highways for several hours.
Arizona law: Republicans who control the Arizona State Legislature have blocked an attempt to repeal the 1864 law that bans abortions and mandates prison sentences of up to five years for anyone who helps a woman obtain one. Rather than allow a debate on the matter and a vote, the Republicans adjourned the legislature for a week over the objections of Democrats. Democratic lawmakers started yelling “shame, shame” at the Republicans. Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs said that what the Republicans did is unconscionable.
Aid to Gaza: Israel’s Defense Minister Yoav Gallant says Israel plans to flood Gaza with humanitarian aid. He said that the plan calls for 500 trucks a day to deliver food, medicine and other supplies to civilians in Gaza. As many as 300 truckloads a day have been allowed into Gaza recently. Gallant said that pressure from the U.S. helped Israel make the decision to allow more aid to go into Gaza.
Gun rule: The Justice Department today announced a new rule to expand the definition of when a person is engaged in the business of dealing in firearms. The new rule expands when a federal firearms license is required and also expands when federal background checks of customers are required. The new rule eliminates the so-called gun show loophole that allows unlicensed people to sell guns without doing background checks on customers. According to U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland, “Under this regulation, it will not matter if guns are sold on the internet, at a gun show, or at a brick-and-mortar store: if you sell guns predominantly to earn a profit, you must be licensed, and you must conduct background checks.” Garland said the new regulation is a historic step in the Justice Department’s fight against gun violence and it will save lives.
Producer Price Index: Inflation at the wholesale level continued to inch upward in March according to new government statistics released today. The Producer Price Index rose 0.2% in March, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The March increase was less than the 0.6% increase in February and 0.4% increase in January. For the 12 months ended in March, producer prices were up 2.1%. The Producer Price Index tracks the average change in prices received by a U.S. producer for goods and services sold for personal consumption, capital investment, government use and export.
Unemployment: The Department of Labor reported today that initial claims for unemployment insurance went down in the week ending April 6 by 11,000. There were 211,000 people filing initial unemployment insurance claims. The 4-week moving average for new unemployment claims was 214,250, a decrease of 250 from the previous week’s revised average. The unemployment rate was 1.2% for the week ending March 30, unchanged from the previous week. For the week ending March 23, New York’s unemployment rate was 1.9% and Connecticut’s rate was 1.8%.
Johnson and Trump: House Speaker Mike Johnson went to meet with Donald Trump at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago home in Florida after Trump got Republicans in the House to kill a bill that Johnson was trying to pass. The bill would reauthorize FISA, the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. Intelligence agencies rely on FISA when conducting spy activities. Trump has claimed that the intelligence agencies were spying on him and his presidential campaigns. Trump and Johnson were scheduled to make a joint announcement on an undisclosed subject and then hold a news conference at Mar-a-Lago tomorrow.
