U.S. and world news for April 27

Jerry Springer dies: TV personality Jerry Springer has died in Chicago at age 79. Springer’s TV program and been broadcast for about 30 years. For several years the program was produced at NBC’s studios in Stamford. Springer served for two years as mayor of Cincinnati, Ohio, in the late 1970s. Springer’s show was popular with audiences but drew sharp criticism for its content, which highlighted romantic and family disputes and often involved guests physically fighting with each other, usually over the affections of a woman. Springer recently had been appearing on a podcast.

Slower economic growth: The U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis reported today that the U.S. economy grew at a rate of 1.1% in the first quarter of 2023, almost half of the 2% that had been expected. The slowdown in the economy was accompanied by an increase in personal savings. The personal saving rate, which is personal saving as a percentage of disposable personal income, was 4.8% in the first quarter, compared with 4.0% in the fourth quarter of 2022. The job market appears to be strong, with the Labor Department reporting today that the number of new unemployment insurance claims went down by 16,000 last week to 230,000.

Tucker Carlson speaks: Fired Fox News host Tucker Carlson has released a two-minute video on Twitter in which he doesn’t mention his firing. Carlson complains about the difficulty in finding places where people still tell the truth. Carlson made no mention of the $787.5 million Dominion/Fox News defamation settlement resulting from Fox News personalities including himself having lied about Dominion Voting Systems and spread false claims of fraud in the 2020 Presidential Election.

Trump rape trial continues: The civil trial of Donald Trump on allegations of rape continues today with E. Jean Carroll, who accuses Trump of having raped her in the Bergdorf Goodman department store in the 1990s, expected to undergo cross-examination. In her testimony yesterday, Carroll gave a graphic description of Trump’s alleged assault in a dressing room at the store.

Disney sues DeSantis: The Walt Disney Company has filed a lawsuit in federal court against Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. Disney alleges that DeSantis has used the power of government to campaign against Disney and hurt its business while trampling on its free speech rights. After Disney criticized the so-called “Don’t Say Gay” law that DeSantis championed, DeSantis began his campaign against the company.

Powerful new weight loss drug: Drug company Eli Lilly said today it will apply for fast-track approval from the Food and Drug Administration to allow its diabetes drug Mounjaro to be used for weight loss. Eli Lilly says a study showed that the drug brought about a weight loss of up to 16% in people with Type 2 Diabetes. An additional study showed that people without diabetes lost up to 22% of their body weight, or up to 50 pounds.

Debt ceiling bill: Republicans in the House have passed with a two-vote margin a bill pushed by House Speaker Kevin McCarthy that raises the country’s debt ceiling while cutting $4.5 trillion in government spending. The bill would make sharp cuts in social programs such as food stamps and Medicaid while also cutting spending for the transition to clean energy. It is expected to be killed in the Senate but could be a starting point for fresh negotiations on raising the debt ceiling.

Cover photo of Jerry Springer by David Shankbone / Wikimedia Commons