U.S. and world news for March 20

Texas immigration law: A federal appeals court is blocking the new Texas immigration law that allows local police to arrest and deport immigrants. The appeals court ruling came after the U.S. Supreme Court refused to step in and rule on whether the law is constitutional. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signed the new law in December but no action has been taken to try to enforce its provisions.

Boeing’s production: Boeing warned Wall Street in a conference call today that it expects profits for its commercial airplane division would be down by about 20% as a result of the Alaska Airlines incident in which a door plug on 737 blew out while the plane was climbing to cruising altitude. Boeing also said that it was slowing production of new 737 Max airplanes as a result of the FAA auditing production and requiring more stringent safety protocols.

Engine test: North Korea’s official news agency said today that leader Kim Jung Un attended a test of a new rocket engine that is being developed to power a new high-speed long-range missile. Kim was quoted as saying the new missile could reach the U.S. and is part of an expanded line of North Korean weapons designed to deter the U.S from attacking North Korea. Kim said that he wants to be sure that North Korea’s enemies know about the new missile.

Vietnam’s government: Vietnam’s President Vo Van Thuong has resigned, the country’s Communist Party announced today. He had been in office for only about a year. It was not clear when a successor would be named. It’s believed the resignation was connected with an investigation into government corruption. Thuong had been appointed president after the president at the time was forced to resign because of what was described at the time as wrongdoing.

Intel’s $19.5B funding: The Department of Commerce has reached a preliminary agreement with Intel to provide up to $8.5 billion in direct funding and another $11 billion in loans to finance the construction and expansion of Intel’s U.S. facilities. The expanded and new Intel facilities in Arizona, Ohio, New Mexico and Oregon are expected to create an additional 30,000 jobs. The funding is being made under the CHIPS and Science Act. President Biden’s trip today to an Intel plant in Arizona was planned to allow him to add more to what he said in the State of the Union Address about his administration investing in America.

Associated Press: The New York Times reported and the Associated Press (AP) confirmed that the Gannett Newspapers will stop using daily news material from the AP. Gannett is the largest newspaper chain in the U.S. It has been a member of the AP for more than a century. It also is reported that the McClatchy newspapers have decided to drop the AP. The AP said that Gannett and McClatchy combined have more than 230 publications. Gannett said not using the AP will give it the opportunity to invest further in its own newsrooms. Both Gannett and McClatchy plan to end their use of AP daily news coverage on March 25.