apparently – USA NEWS LIVE

Trump apparently plans to attend the launch of the SpaceX “Starship,” scheduled for Tuesday in Texas

enzo2go — Tue, 19 Nov 2024 22:46:17 +0000

By ZEKE MILLER

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump appears to be planning on attending one SpaceX “Starship” rocket launches on Tuesday, based on the newest information from the founder Elon Musk Influence within the Republican sphere of influence.

The Federal Aviation Administration has issued temporary flight restrictions over Brownsville and Boca Chica, Texas, for a VIP visit coinciding with SpaceX's launch window for a test of its giant Starship rocket from its launch facility within the Gulf of Mexico. Flight restrictions imposed over Trump's home in Palm Beach, Florida, when he’s there can be briefly lifted while Texas security measures are in place.

Trump's visit comes at a time when billionaire Musk has been at Trump's side almost continuously as he builds his government. He attended meetings at Trump's Mar-a-Lago club, accompanied him to meetings with Capitol Hill Republicans in Washington last week and to a UFC fight on Saturday in New York.

Trump often regaled audiences in the course of the campaign with a dramatic account of the newest Starship test, which included this Conquering the Booster at its launch pad by a pair of mechanical arms.

Musk pumped an estimated $200 million through his political motion committee to assist elect Trump and was named together with the previous Republican Party presidential nominee Vivek Ramaswamyto steer one Advisory Board Tasked by Trump with dramatically reducing the price of presidency and reshaping the way in which Washington works, it has created a spark ethical concerns about Musk's diverse interests before the federal government.

The Trump transition team didn’t immediately reply to a request for comment on the president-elect's plans.

Originally published: November 18, 2024 at 2:19 pm PST

image credit : www.mercurynews.com

Trump apparently the goal of an assassination attempt in Florida

enzo2go — Sun, 15 Sep 2024 23:46:42 +0000

policy

WASHINGTON (AP) — The FBI said Sunday it’s investigating “an apparent assassination attempt” on Donald Trump at his golf club in West Palm Beach, Florida, just nine weeks after the Republican presidential candidate survived one other assassination attempt. Trump said he was secure and sound.

Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw said U.S. Secret Service agents shot a person who pointed a scoped AK rifle on the club while Trump was on the golf course. Bradshaw said the shooter also had two backpacks hanging from a fence and a GoPro camera. He was about 350 to 450 yards from Trump and hid within the bushes while the previous president played golf on a close-by hole. The man dropped the weapon and fled in an SUV. He was later taken into custody in a neighboring county.

The incident was the most recent shocking moment in a campaign yr marked by unprecedented upheaval. It got here about two months after Trump was shot in an assassination attempt at a rally in Pennsylvania, a bullet grazing his ear. Just every week later, President Joe Biden withdrew from the race.

Vance doesn’t shrink back from making false claims about migrants in Ohio, even within the face of threats against the community

In an email to his supporters, Trump wrote: “There have been gunshots near me, but before the rumor mill gets out of control, I want you to hear this first: I AM SAFE AND I AM FINE!”

“Nothing will stop me. I will NEVER SURRENDER!” said the previous president.

The golf course was partially closed to Trump during his game, and agents were a couple of holes ahead of him after they noticed the person with the firearm, Bradshaw said. There are several areas across the property where golfers are visible from the fence. Secret Service agents and officers in golf carts and on ATVs typically secure the realm several holes ahead and behind Trump when he’s golfing. Agents also typically bring an armored vehicle onto the course to quickly provide protection for Trump within the event of a threat.

Trump returned to Florida this weekend from a West Coast tour that included a Friday night rally in Las Vegas and a fundraiser in Utah. His campaign had not shared Trump's plans for Sunday. He often spends the morning playing golf before eating lunch at his club, considered one of three he owns within the state.

Since the assassination attempt in July, security measures against the previous president have been stepped up. When he was at Trump Tower in New York, a row of dump trucks was parked in a wall in front of the constructing. And at outdoor rallies, he now speaks from behind a bulletproof glass fence.

According to an individual conversant in the matter, Trump was safely returned to his private Mar-a-Lago club, where he lives in neighboring Palm Beach, after the incident.

The White House said President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic presidential nominee, have each been briefed and are being kept updated on the status of the investigation. The White House added that it was “relieved” to know that Trump was secure.

Harris said in a press release that she was “glad” that Trump was secure, adding that “violence has no place in America.”

In an X-post, Senator Lindsey Graham, RS.C, considered one of Trump's key allies in Congress, said he had spoken to Trump after the incident and that Trump was in “good spirits” and “one of the strongest people I have ever known.”

Martin County Sheriff William D. Snyder said the suspect was arrested minutes after the FBI, Secret Service and Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office issued a “very urgent BOLO” alert detailing the vehicle being sought, its license plate number and an outline of the occupant.

Snyder said his officers “immediately flooded” northbound I-95, targeting every exit between the Palm Beach County border to the south and the St. Lucie County border to the north.

“One of my patrol cars saw the vehicle, found the matching license plate frame and we made our way to the vehicle,” Snyder said. “We were able to clamp down on the car, bring it to a safe stop and arrest the driver.”

Snyder told WPTV the suspect “was not armed when we got him out of the car.”

The man had a peaceful, composed demeanor and showed little emotion when he was stopped by police, Snyder said. In addition, the suspect didn’t ask why he was stopped.

“He never asked, 'What is this about?' Obviously there were police officers with long guns and flashing lights, there was a lot going on. He never questioned it,” Snyder said.

A Justice Department spokeswoman said Attorney General Merrick Garland has been briefed on the situation and receives regular updates.

The Martin County Sheriff's Office post stated that the suspect was arrested near Palm City, Florida, about 45 miles north of Trump's golf course. The northbound lanes of I-95 were closed, the Sheriff's Office said.

A message sent to campaign staff requesting information on the safety situation and whereabouts of Trump's vice presidential candidate and Senator JD Vance of Ohio didn’t receive a direct response.

Max Egusquiza of Palm Beach described the emergency response outside Trump's golf course in West Palm Beach.

“From what I saw, five black, unmarked SUVs blocked a gray Mercedes in front of the golf course. About 20 or more police cars fled from the surrounding streets,” he said.

Trump is scheduled to talk live about cryptocurrencies on social media site X on Monday night to launch his son's crypto platform. He is predicted to accomplish that from his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida. The former president is scheduled to return to the campaign trail on Tuesday to attend a town hall meeting in Flint, Michigan, together with his former press secretary, Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, followed by a campaign rally on Wednesday in New York on Long Island.

He is scheduled to attend and speak on the Israel-American Council National Summit in Washington, DC later this week and hold a rally in Wilmington, North Carolina on Saturday.

image credit : www.boston.com

Shares suspended after apparently premature publication

enzo2go — Thu, 29 Aug 2024 23:39:48 +0000

Gap raised its full-year earnings forecast on Thursday after the corporate reported better-than-expected results at its biggest brand, Old Navy.

The clothing company's second-quarter results were released sooner than planned after the corporate “accidentally” posted them on its website after which removed them, a Gap spokesperson told CNBC.

“As soon as the error was discovered, we notified the NYSE and trading in our shares was temporarily suspended,” the spokesman said, adding that the outcomes were released “due to an administrative error.”

Gap's stock price was suspended just before 10:00 a.m. ET. The company then released its quarterly results at 11:12 a.m. ET. Following the discharge, shares rose greater than 2% after being suspended for many of the morning.

Here's what the corporate reported in comparison with Wall Street expectations, based on an analyst survey by LSEG:

Earnings per share: 54 cents in comparison with expected 40 cents
Revenue: $3.72 billion in comparison with expected $3.63 billion

The company's net income for the three-month period ended Aug. 3 nearly doubled from the identical period a yr ago. Gap reported earnings of $206 million, or 54 cents a share, compared with $117 million, or 32 cents a share, a yr earlier.

Revenue rose to $3.72 billion, up about 5% from $3.55 billion in the identical period last yr.

For the complete yr, Gap now expects gross margin to be two percentage points higher than previously forecast (at the very least 1.5 percentage points). The company also expects operating profit to extend by about 50 percent. Previously, it had expected a rise of just over 40 percent.

Over the past yr, Gap has worked to show its business around, reversing a sales slump and, under the leadership of CEO Richard Dickson – the previous Mattel Manager credited with reviving the Barbie empire.

Since Dickson took the helm, sales at the corporate's 4 brands – Banana Republic, Old Navy, Athleta and its namesake company – have rebounded and the corporate is finding its voice amongst its peers again. In addition to sales and relevance, Gap's profit and balance sheet have also improved significantly under Dickson. The company ended the quarter with $2.1 billion in money, money equivalents and short-term investments, up 59% yr over yr.

Although the second quarter results didn’t exceed expectations, they represent a big improvement in comparison with the previous yr.

“We've really focused on our strategic priorities, and the top priority has been to maintain financial and operational rigor, which, as far as we can define it, becomes the foundation of how we operate and drives better processes and cultural accountability,” Dickson said in an interview with CNBC.

“The revitalization of our brands is made possible by financial and operational discipline, and you see it. You see it in the results, you see it in our stores. You see it on our websites,” he added.

“We're building stronger brand identities. They're supported by on-trend products,” Dickson said. “We're reinforcing these with better storytelling. Our media mix has become much more innovative and in general I'm proud of the brand's portfolio work in the context of cultural relevance.”

According to StreetAccount, comparable sales rose 3 percent within the quarter, in step with analysts' expectations of three.1 percent growth. According to StreetAccount, the gross margin was higher than forecast at 42.6 percent and above the 40.8 percent expected by analysts.

Here’s a more in-depth have a look at each brand’s performance:

Old Navy

Revenue rose 8% to $2.1 billion, with comparable sales up 5%, higher than the 4.3% growth expected by analysts, based on StreetAccount. The company has worked to enhance its assortment and ensure its offerings are usually not only reasonably priced but additionally fashionable.

“We have upped our fashion quotient, so to speak,” Dickson said. “Alongside a much more disciplined approach with financial and operational rigor, we are now ramping up our efforts and seeing the results of our renewal strategy.”

As consumers feel the brunt of inflation and high rates of interest, many have switched to cheaper alternatives. Dickson says Old Navy is seeing “growth across all income groups.”

“If there's a perceived flight to value, Old Navy is right in the middle of it,” Dickson said. “We're becoming the style authority and the brand in the value space, and so we're refocusing on our strategic approach, our strategic priorities. I think we're seeing the success of that.”

gap

Revenue on the namesake company rose 1% to $766 million within the quarter, with comparable sales up 3%, just under the three.4% increase expected by analysts. As Dickson tries to revive cultural relevance to the corporate, that has helped the namesake company increase sales, he said.

Banana Republic

Gap's high-end workwear line has hurt the corporate's overall performance. Both revenue and comparable sales were flat year-over-year within the second quarter, in comparison with StreetAccount's estimate of a 0.5 percent increase. The company said it was working to “improve pricing and assortment” to enhance the brand's performance.

“In some cases we have overreached, and in other cases we could build in a stronger value orientation to achieve greater economies of scale,” Dickson said when asked what the corporate is doing to enhance its pricing.

“Our new merchandising strategies include expanding the variety of products in the store and finding the right mix, so to speak. And last but not least, it's about really improving fit. That's an important aspect of any brand, but particularly in the women's area of Banana Republic, it's a challenge that we're really focused on,” he said.

athlete

Sales at Gap's athleisure brand Athleta fell 1% to $388 million, while comparable sales fell 4%. The results weren’t comparable to analyst estimates.

Athleta, one in every of Gap's strongest brands through the pandemic, was in a downward spiral and a significant drag on the corporate's performance until it appointed former Alo Yoga president Chris Blakeslee as CEO last summer. Since then, Blakeslee has worked to enhance Athleta's assortment and create more excitement for the road through recent products and collaborations with athletes.

In a press release, the corporate stated that it expects Athleta to return to positive comparable sales growth for the rest of the yr.

image credit : www.cnbc.com