Trump Threatens Visa Overstay Crackdown04/23 05:59
Trump Threatens Visa Overstay Crackdown04/23 05:59 The Trump administration is considering suspending or limiting entry to the U.S. for individuals from countries with high rates of short-term visa overstays -- a proposal vaguely reminiscent of the controversial travel bans President Donald Trump pursued during his first year in office. WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Trump administration is considering suspending or limiting entry to the U.S. for individuals from countries with high rates of short-term visa overstays -- a proposal vaguely reminiscent of the controversial travel bans President Donald Trump pursued during his first year in office. In a memo signed Monday, Trump directs officials to examine new ways to minimize the number of people overstaying their business and tourist visas as part of a renewed focus on immigration as the 2020 campaign kicks into high gear. And it says the administration is considering developing "admission bonds" -- people entering the country would pay a fee that would be reimbursed when they leave -- in an effort to improve compliance. "We have laws that need to be followed to keep Americans safe and to protect the integrity of a system where, right now, there are millions of people who are waiting in line to come to America to seek the American Dream," Trump said in a statement. More people are in the U.S. because they overstay visas than because they cross the border illegally, according to the nonpartisan Center for Migration Studies. Some of the countries with high overstay rates include Chad, Djibouti, Eritrea, Liberia, the Solomon Islands, Benin and Burkina Faso. Officials say 20 countries have rates over 10 percent. The memo gives the secretaries of state and homeland security 120 days to come up with recommendations, including potentially limiting how long visas last. The idea of restricting travel from high overstay countries is part of a long list of proposals being tossed around by officials as they try to appease a president who has been seething over the influx of migrants at the border as he tries to make good on his 2016 campaign promises and energize his base going into 2020. The ideas have ranged from the extreme -- including Trump's threat to completely shut down the southern border and resume the widely denounced practice of separating children from parents -- to more subtle tweaks to the legal immigration system. Plans are also in the works to have border patrol agents, instead of asylum officers, conduct initial interviews to determine whether migrants seeking asylum have a "credible fear" of returning to their homelands. And the administration has been weighing targeting the remittance payments people living in the country illegally send home to their families and moving forward with plans to punish immigrants in the country legally for using public benefits, such as food stamps. (KA)
2020 Presidential Contenders Clash 04/23 06:02
2020 Presidential Contenders Clash 04/23 06:02 The fight for the Democratic Party's soul played out Monday as some of the leading presidential contenders clashed in a series of prime-time town halls over free college, free health care and whether President Donald Trump should be impeached. 2020 Democrats talk health care, free college, impeachment MANCHESTER, N.H. (AP) -- The fight for the Democratic Party's soul played out Monday as some of the leading presidential contenders clashed in a series of prime-time town halls over free college, free health care and whether President Donald Trump should be impeached. Five 2020 hopefuls representing different wings of the party were set to address young voters in first-in-the-nation primary state New Hampshire by night's end. While they took turns on stage, the forum marked the first time this young presidential primary season in which multiple candidates appeared on national television for the same prime-time event. The first three, Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar, Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, offered sharply different approaches to some of the policy challenges expected to define their party's push to defeat Trump next year. Sanders, a front-runner in the crowded Democratic field who has pushed much of his party to the left in recent years, was asked to defend his decision to embrace democratic socialism. "It's a radical idea. Maybe not everyone agrees. But I happen to believe we ought to have a government that represents working families and not just the 1 percent," he said. With primary voting roughly nine months away, the Democratic Party is just beginning the high-stakes process of deciding what kind of Democrat is best positioned to defeat Trump next year. The first formal debate, however, isn't for another two months. Republicans, led by Trump, have spent much of the last year warning voters that Democrats would take the country toward socialism should they win in 2020. Klobuchar, who has cast herself as a Midwestern pragmatist well positioned to appeal to the middle of the country, refused to embrace "Medicare for All," free college or Trump's impeachment. "I wish I could staple a free college diploma to every one of your chairs," Klobuchar told the audience of college students. "I have to be straight with you and tell you the truth." Warren, a champion for her party's more liberal wing, called for an "ultra-millionaires' tax" on income over $50 million to help pay for free college, free child care for all children 5 and younger, free universal prekindergarten and student-debt forgiveness. "We say good for you that you have now gotten this great fortune," she said of the nation's wealthiest taxpayers. "But you gotta pay something back so everybody else gets a chance." There was virtually no discussion of immigration, an issue that has largely defined Trump's presidency, but Republican National Committee Chair Ronna McDaniel attacked Warren on social media for supporting "amnesty." Most of the Democrats seeking the presidency support a pathway to legal status for immigrants in the country illegally, particularly those brought to the country as children. Just five of the roughly 20 Democratic presidential candidates participated in Monday's forum. Former Vice President Joe Biden, expected to announce his candidacy later in the week, was among the missing. CNN did not explain how it chose the participants. The cable network has held prime-time town halls for many of the candidates, including four of the five who appeared Monday. On impeachment, an issue that has exposed deep divisions within the Democratic Party in recent days, only Warren openly called for elected officials to begin proceedings to remove the president from office. Democratic leaders, including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, have urged a more cautious approach because impeachment would be nearly impossible politically without significant Republican support. "There is no political inconvenience exception to the United States Constitution," Warren said. "If any other human being in this country had done what's documented in the Mueller report, they would be arrested and put in jail." Klobuchar, like Sanders, sidestepped direct questions about impeachment. Sanders warned that pushing too hard to remove the president before the next election might distract from Democrats' priorities on health care and the economy. California Sen. Kamala Harris and South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg were also set to face voters Monday night. (CZ)
Census Question Goes to Supreme Court 04/23 06:05
Census Question Goes to Supreme Court 04/23 06:05 The Supreme Court is set to hear arguments over the Trump administration's plan to ask about citizenship on the 2020 census, a question that could affect how many seats states have in the House of Representatives and their share of federal dollars over the next 10 years. WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Supreme Court is set to hear arguments over the Trump administration's plan to ask about citizenship on the 2020 census, a question that could affect how many seats states have in the House of Representatives and their share of federal dollars over the next 10 years. Three federal courts have blocked the Commerce Department from adding the citizenship question. Those courts have ruled that Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross violated federal law in the way he went about trying to include the question for the first time since 1950. They found that millions of Hispanics, who tend to vote for Democrats, and immigrants would go uncounted. The lower court judges dismissed Ross' contention that the question, and the detailed information it would produce on where eligible voters live, is needed to aid in the enforcement of the federal Voting Rights Act. Two of the three judges also ruled that asking if people are citizens would violate the provision of the Constitution that calls for a count of the population, regardless of citizenship status, every 10 years. Census Bureau experts have concluded that the census would produce a more accurate picture of the U.S. population without a citizenship question because people might be reluctant to say if they or others in their households are not citizens. Federal law requires people to complete the census accurately and fully. The Supreme Court is hearing the case on a tight timeframe, even though no federal appeals court has yet to weigh in. A decision is expected by late June, in time to print census forms for the April 2020 population count. The administration argues that the commerce secretary has wide discretion in designing the census questionnaire and that courts should not be second-guessing his action. States, cities and rights groups that sued over the issue don't even have the right to go into federal court, the administration says. It also says the question is plainly constitutional because it has been asked on many past censuses and continues to be used on smaller, annual population surveys. Opponents of the question obtained documents and testimony that showed Ross had begun pressing for a citizenship question soon after he became secretary in 2017, and that he had consulted Steve Bannon, who had been President Donald Trump's top political adviser, and then-Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach. Emails showed that Ross himself had invited the Justice Department request to add the citizenship question. The Supreme Court has sent somewhat conflicting signals about how it might resolve the case. The justices allowed the first trial, in New York, to take place, over the administration's objection. Justices Samuel Alito, Neil Gorsuch and Clarence Thomas would have halted the trial. The high court also prevented the challengers from taking sworn testimony from Ross, though it allowed the questioning of other officials. (KA)
Easter Bombings a Response to NZ Attack04/23 06:08
Easter Bombings a Response to NZ Attack04/23 06:08 COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) -- Sri Lanka's state minister of defense said Tuesday that the Easter attack on churches, hotels and other sites in the South Asian nation was "carried out in retaliation" for the shooting massacre at two New Zealand mosques last month, according to a statement. The minister, Ruwan Wijewardene, told Parliament the government possessed information that the series of bombings in and outside of Colombo that killed more than 300 people was carried out "by an Islamic fundamentalist group" in response to the Christchurch attacks. He did not provide evidence or explain the source of the information. Wijewardene blamed "weakness" within Sri Lanka's security apparatus for failing to prevent the nine bombings. "By now it has been established that the intelligence units were aware of this attack and a group of responsible people were informed about the impending attack," he said. "However, this information has been circulated among only a few officials." As Sri Lanka's leaders wrangled with the implications of an apparent homegrown militant attack and massive intelligence failure, security was heightened Tuesday for a national day of mourning and the military was employing powers to make arrests it last used during the devastating civil war that ended in 2009. The six near-simultaneous attacks on three churches and three luxury hotels and three related blasts later Sunday was Sri Lanka's deadliest violence in a decade. Wijewardene said the death toll from the attack now stood at 321 people, with 500 wounded. Word from international intelligence agencies that a local group was planning attacks apparently didn't reach the prime minister's office until after the massacre, exposing the continuing political turmoil in the highest levels of the Sri Lankan government. On April 11, Priyalal Disanayaka, Sri Lanka's deputy inspector general of police, signed a letter addressed to the directors of four Sri Lankan security agencies, warning them that a local group was planning a suicide attack in the country. The intelligence report attached to his letter, which has circulated widely on social media, named the group allegedly plotting the attack, National Towheed Jamaar, named its leader as Zahran Hashmi, and said it was targeting "some important churches" in a suicide terrorist attack that was planned to take place "shortly." The report named six individuals likely to be involved in the plot, including someone it said had been building support for Zahran and was in hiding since the group clashed with another religious organization in March 2018. On Monday, Sri Lanka's health minister held up a copy of the intelligence report while describing its contents, spurring questions about what Sri Lanka police had done to protect the public from an attack. It was not immediately clear what steps were taken by any of these security directors. Disanayaka did not answer calls or messages seeking comment. Among the 40 people arrested on suspicion of links to the bombings were the driver of a van allegedly used by the suicide attackers and the owner of a house where some of them lived. Heightened security was evident at an international airport outside the capital where security personnel walked explosive-sniffing dogs and checked car trunks and questioned drivers on roads nearby. Police also ordered that anyone leaving a parked car unattended on the street must put a note with their phone number on the windscreen, and postal workers were not accepting pre-wrapped parcels. A block on most social media since the attacks has left a vacuum of information, fueling confusion and giving little reassurance the danger had passed. Even after an overnight curfew was lifted, the streets of central Colombo were mostly deserted Tuesday and shops closed as armed soldiers stood guard. Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe said he feared the massacre could unleash instability and he vowed to "vest all necessary powers with the defense forces" to act against those responsible. Authorities said they knew where the group trained and had safe houses, but did not identify any of the seven suicide bombers, whose bodies were recovered, or the other suspects taken into custody. All seven bombers were Sri Lankans, but authorities said they strongly suspected foreign links. Also unclear was a motive. The history of Buddhist-majority Sri Lanka, a country of 21 million including large Hindu, Muslim and Christian minorities, is rife with ethnic and sectarian conflict. In the nation's 26-year civil war, the Tamil Tigers, a powerful rebel army known for using suicide bombers, had little history of targeting Christians and was crushed by the government in 2009. Anti-Muslim bigotry fed by Buddhist nationalists has swept the country recently. In March 2018, Buddhist mobs ransacked businesses and set houses on fire in Muslim neighborhoods around Kandy, a city in central Sri Lanka that is popular with tourists. After the mob attacks, Sri Lanka's government also blocked some social media sites, hoping to slow the spread of false information or threats that could incite more violence. Sri Lanka, though, has no history of Islamic militancy. Its small Christian community has seen only scattered incidents of harassment. (KA)
China Lashes Out at US Over Iran Oil 04/23 06:39
China Lashes Out at US Over Iran Oil 04/23 06:39 BEIJING (AP) -- Beijing on Tuesday again lashed out at a U.S. decision to impose sanctions on countries that buy Iranian oil, calling it a violation of China's interests that will intensify turmoil in the Middle East and international energy markets. Foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said the U.S. is operating outside its jurisdiction in unilaterally imposing the sanctions. He said normal interactions between Iran and other countries are "reasonable and lawful" and deserving of respect and protection. "The relevant actions of the U.S. will also intensify the turmoil in the Middle East and international energy market," Geng said. "We urge the U.S. to play a constructive role in a responsible manner, instead of the other way around. In addition, we have already made complaints with the U.S. on this matter," he said. Geng said China will work to safeguard its companies' interests, reflecting its desire to secure foreign markets as it pursues its massive "Belt-and-Road" infrastructure initiative. China is one of Iran's biggest oil markets and was a strong backer of the agreement to lift sanctions in return for Iran curbing its nuclear weapons program that was scrapped by President Donald Trump. The Trump administration said Monday that it will no longer exempt any countries from U.S. sanctions if they continue to buy Iranian oil, stepping up pressure on Iran in a move that primarily affects the five remaining major importers. Along with India and U.S. treaty allies Japan, South Korea and Turkey, China was one of the countries primarily affected by the announcement. Oil prices soared to their highest level since October on Tuesday. The sanctions could potentially remove up to 1.2 million barrels of oil per day from international markets, according to industry experts. However, that number will likely be lower, depending on how countries respond and just how much oil Iran continues to export. (KA)
NKorea's Kim Needs a Win in Putin Talks04/23 06:41
NKorea's Kim Needs a Win in Putin Talks04/23 06:41 TOKYO (AP) -- When North Korean leader Kim Jong Un meets with Russian President Vladimir Putin for their first one-on-one meeting, he will have a long wish list and a strong desire to notch a win after the failure of his second summit with President Donald Trump. But it's not entirely clear how much Putin can or will oblige. Despite a relationship that goes back to the very foundation of North Korea, relations between Pyongyang and Moscow haven't always been the picture of comradery, or even particularly close. A look at what Kim is hoping to get out of his furtive pivot north, and why he might be looking to shake things up as his talks with the U.S. and parallel campaign to win massive investment from South Korea have stalled: ___ KIM'S WISH LIST Kim has two urgent concerns as he heads to the summit. More than 10,000 North Korean laborers still employed in Russia, many working in the logging industry in the Russian Far East, are being kicked out by the end of this year as a 2017 U.N. sanctions resolution takes effect. The laborers, who previously numbered as many as 50,000, have provided a revenue stream estimated by U.S. officials in the hundreds of millions of dollars that the Kim regime would like to keep flowing. Kim is also looking at the possibility of a food shortage this summer. Russia has shown a willingness to provide humanitarian aid and just last month announced that it had shipped more than 2,000 tons of wheat to the North Korean port of Chongjin. But his decision to more actively court Putin undoubtedly goes deeper than that. Despite all the talk in Washington about denuclearization, Kim's primary concern is improving his country's economy. After the breakdown in his February summit with Trump in Hanoi, his efforts to get out from under sanctions that are keeping him from doing that have reached an impasse. North Korea has long depended on China as its primary trading partner. But that reliance, and the influence it threatens to give Beijing, makes many officials in Pyongyang nervous. Kim has also pushed Seoul hard to participate in joint inter-Korean projects to rebuild its railroads and improve its moribund infrastructure. His appeal to Korean unity, however, has run headfirst into the South's allegiance to Washington, which has warned Seoul against any actions that would undermine sanctions. According to internal documents obtained by a South Korean researcher and published this week in a Japanese newspaper, Kim wants to boost trade with Russia tenfold --- to $1 billion --- by 2020. That would obviously require some significant easing of sanctions, which would seem unlikely. But it would also require a change in Russian behavior. Unlike China, which has lots of businessmen on the ground in North Korea, Russia has a very small footprint in the North. Officials have long talked about big projects --- including rail routes to Europe, or pipelines across the Korean Peninsula --- but Putin hasn't shown much interest in actually carrying them out. ___ WHY NOW? The Kim-Putin meeting, whose exact date has not been announced, is coming surprisingly late in the game. It's been nearly a year and a half since Kim announced his plan to emerge from relative isolation at home and expand diplomatic relations with China and South Korea and open denuclearization talks with Washington. He has since held four summits with Chinese President Xi Jinping, three with South Korean President Moon Jae-in and two with Trump. The summitry has done a lot toward establishing Kim as a serious player on the world stage. But the Hanoi summit showed his limitations. It ended with no agreements on either denuclearization measures or the lifting of sanctions, which may now be even more difficult to accomplish since both sides are digging in on hard-line negotiation positions. Kim's decision to meet with Putin now may reflect his frustrations over that. Putin has more experience with North Korea's leaders than most. He visited Pyongyang in 2000, and met with Kim's father, Kim Jong Il, in Moscow in 2001 and in Vladivostok in 2002. Former President Dmitry Medvedev also met Kim Jong Il in Vladivostok, in 2011. Moscow played an instrumental role in bringing Kim's grandfather, Kim Il Sung, to power and helped rebuild the country after the 1950-53 Korean War. Those ties fell apart after the 1991 Soviet collapse and Russia's decision to end support for former Soviet allies amid its own economic meltdown. Like Kim, Putin is no admirer of Washington's use of sanctions as a political tool. Even a cautious statement of solidarity with the North, or a rebuttal of any of Washington's "maximum pressure" policies, would be a win for Kim. But Putin has a lot on his plate and good reason to be cautious about making any big new commitments. He particularly doesn't want to anger China. Immediately after seeing Kim, Putin will fly to Beijing for a major international meeting on China's "Belt and Road" initiative, which could be lucrative for Russia. ___ WHAT'S NEXT? If Putin chooses to take a more hands-on approach to North Korea, Washington's efforts to keep Kim's focus on denuclearization could get a lot more complicated. He has already expressed his opposition to Trump's sanctions-centric approach. It's also in Putin's general interest to weaken Washington's influence in the region --- though, like China, Russia does not want a chaotic collapse in the North that would create a wave of refugees and economic instability. So what's the bottom line? Even if he isn't planning to make any immediate changes in his policies toward Pyongyang, meeting with Kim provides a good opportunity for Putin to reassert himself as a player in a contest for political influence that is, after all, right on his own border. And for Kim, with the pressure from Washington not likely to let up soon, keeping all options open makes a lot of sense. (KA)
PGE Seeks Rate Hike for Wildfire Safety04/23 06:45
PGE Seeks Rate Hike for Wildfire Safety04/23 06:45 SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) -- California utility Pacific Gas & Electric Corp. is asking state regulators for another increase in rates and profits, saying it's needed for wildfire safety and to attract investment as the utility goes through bankruptcy. The Sacramento Bee reports Monday that the request and a previous one could result in average PG&E customer bills rising more than $22 a month for electricity and natural gas. Southern California Edison and San Diego Gas & Electric, the state's other major utilities, also asked the Public Utilities Commission for greater profit margins, saying they need to offer investors a higher return for taking on financial insecurity related to wildfires. Gov. Gavin Newsom and other state officials are trying to figure out how to deal with PG&E's bankruptcy --- and utilities in general --- in the state marked by deadly wildfires. A November fire that essentially wiped out the Northern California town of Paradise was the deadliest and most destructive in state history. PG&E spokeswoman Lynsey Paulo said Monday's filing reflects the utility's financial predicament as it invests in safety upgrades. "This is neither the best nor the preferred solution," she said, adding that PG&E wants to "reduce the ask" and is open to discussing alternatives with state officials that would reduce the size of the increase. The request is likely to anger some lawmakers who are already upset with the utility's role in deadly wildfires of 2017 and 2018, as well as consumer advocates. "While California is working hard to reduce wildfire risk and create a sustainable energy future, PG&E is requesting massive increases in costs to ratepayers in order to generate profits for investors --- all while wildfire victims' claims sit in bankruptcy," said a statement from Nathan Click, the governor's spokesman. "The governor strongly believes ratepayers shouldn't be on the hook for unnecessary increases as the state's process plays out," Click said. "It's like PG&E is looking for bailouts under any rock they can find," said Mark Toney of The Utility Reform Network. "That is just a stunning amount." Also Monday, PG&E Corp. announced it has added Fred Buckman, former CEO of Consumers Energy and PacifiCorp, to its boards of directors. The utility also announced it will hire Christopher Hart, former chairman of the National Transportation Safety Board, as an independent safety adviser. (KA)
S&P 500, Nasdaq Close at Record Highs 04/23 16:04
S&P 500, Nasdaq Close at Record Highs 04/23 16:04 The S&P 500 hit an all-time high Tuesday, marking the stock market's complete recovery from a nosedive at the end of last year. (AP) -- The S&P 500 hit an all-time high Tuesday, marking the stock market's complete recovery from a nosedive at the end of last year. The benchmark index's previous record was set last September, shortly before the market sank in the fourth quarter amid fears of a recession, an escalating trade war between the U.S. and China, and concern the Federal Reserve was moving too aggressively to raise interest rates. Those concerns have eased or taken a back seat to more optimism among investors this year. Investors are more confident in the prospects for steady, if slower, growth. And they've been encouraged by an increasingly hands-off Federal Reserve, which has signaled this year that it may not raise interest rates at all in 2019 after seven increases the prior two years. Traders are also feeling more optimistic about the global economy. In China, economic growth held steady at 6.4% in the first quarter of the year as increased government efforts to stem a slowdown gained traction. In the U.S., job growth rebounded in March following a surprisingly weak February. And the uncertainty over the costly trade dispute between the U.S. and China has eased in recent weeks amid signs that both sides are making progress toward reaching a resolution. The S&P 500 has now recovered all of the ground it lost last fall, gaining 24.8% since it hit a bottom on Christmas Eve. "New highs, in and of themselves, tend to be bullish and tend to beget more new highs," said Willie Delwiche, investment strategist at Baird. "You have the combination of Fed friendliness, the economy still in good shape and some expectations from an earnings front being reset that create a fundamental backdrop that isn't all together unfavorable for stocks." Tuesday's broad rally was driven by big U.S. companies turning in solid results for the first quarter. That surprised investors because analysts have forecast the worst quarter of earnings growth in years. The S&P 500 index gained 25.71 points, or 0.9%, to 2,933.68. It's previous record high was 2,930.75, which was set on Sept. 20. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 145.34 points, or 0.5%, to 26,656.39. The Nasdaq composite index climbed 105.56 points, or 1.3%, to 8,120.82, beating the record high close of 8,109.69 it reached on Aug. 29. Small-company stocks rose much more than the rest of the market, a bullish sign indicating that investors were more willing to take on risk. The Russell 2000 index picked up 25.05 points, or 1.6%, to 1,585.09. It finished well below the peak it reached last August. At the sector level, technology and industrial stocks are leading the way this year, with gains of 27.2% and 22.4%, respectively. While the S&P 500's latest milestone reflects renewed optimism about stocks, where the market goes from here depends largely on corporate earnings growth. To that end, the breadth of earnings growth is key, said Delwiche. "You could argue that a bulk of the decline last year was concern about the global economy and whether or not the Fed was tightening too, much too soon," Delwiche said. "The question is: What's next? "In terms of identifying what's next for the market, you really need to see how the average stock does," he said. "Is the average stock able to come through with earnings growth? Is the average stock able to rally? Or have the past six-seven months been just one big action-reaction and we're left with spinning heads but not much else?" Delwiche noted that while the S&P and Nasdaq notched new highs Tuesday, the number of individual stocks making new highs is relatively small. "That's a cause for concern," he said. On Tuesday, Hasbro, Lockheed Martin and Twitter all surprised Wall Street with strong profit and revenue. Analysts are watching corporate reports closely this week as they gauge whether first quarter earnings for U.S. companies will be as bad as predicted. Wall Street has been forecasting a contraction during the quarter. Stocks are under a little less pressure following the latest round of earnings results. That's not only because the earnings have been mostly solid, but also because companies have been issuing optimistic forecasts. "We're getting a nice forward-looking picture from those companies," said J.J. Kinahan, chief market strategist for TD Ameritrade. There are still many big companies yet to report earnings and it's far too early to conclude that the results will beat Wall Street's modest expectations. Reports from Caterpillar, Boeing and Microsoft are all going to be closely watched Wednesday. Hasbro surged 14.2% after the toy company reported strong growth in its various franchises, which include Transformers toys, which benefited from the hit movie "Bumblebee" and "Magic: The Gathering Arena." The turnaround comes as Hasbro and other toy makers recover from the bankruptcy of Toys R Us. Coca-Cola surprised Wall Street with its beverage sales during the first quarter after it previously warned of slower growth this year. The stock rose 1.7%. Twitter surged 15.6% after surprising Wall Street by adding more users than analysts had expected during the first quarter. Lockheed Martin rose 5.7% after raising its forecast for the year on a solid outlook for jet and arms production. Bond prices rose. The yield on the 10 year Treasury fell to 2.57% from 2.59% late Monday. Energy futures closed mostly higher. U.S. crude gained 1.1% to settle at $66.30 per barrel. Oil has been climbing since dropping below $43 in late December. Brent crude rose 0.6% to close at $74.51 per barrel. Wholesale gasoline inched 0.1% higher to $2.13 per gallon. Heating oil rose 0.7% to $2.12 per gallon. Natural gas fell 2.7% to $2.46 per 1,000 cubic feet. Gold slipped 0.3% to $1,273.20 per ounce, silver dropped 1.2% to $14.79 per ounce and copper fell 0.3% to $2.89 per pound. The dollar fell to 111.83 Japanese yen from 111.94 yen late Monday. The euro weakened to $1.1215 from $1.1259. (CZ)
