A White House visit from the superstar would add fuel to several theories that she has the power to bolster President Biden’s re-election bid and sink the prospects of his likely challenger, Donald Trump.
German, Danish leaders launch construction of new ammunition plant as Europe ramps up production
BERLIN — The leaders of Germany and Denmark joined in a ground-breaking ceremony for a new ammunition factory on Monday, underlining Europe’s efforts to ramp up its weapons production as Russia’s war in Ukraine grinds on.
The plant being built by defense company Rheinmetall at its existing site in Unterluess in northern Germany is expected eventually to produce around 200,000 artillery shells per year along with explosives and possibly other components, including warheads. Rheinmetall is shouldering the cost of about 300 million euros ($324 million).
Rheinmetall said that production at the site will primarily meet the needs of Germany’s military, the Bundeswehr. The company said the priority is to start production as soon as possible and it expects construction to take about a year.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, who attended the ceremony with his defense minister and Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, said Rheinmetall was “laying the foundation for supplying the Bundeswehr and our partners in Europe with artillery ammunition independently and above all durably.”
He said that was particularly important in light of Ukraine’s ammunition needs, German news agency dpa reported.
“We have managed so far by delivering a great deal from our stocks,” but that is becoming ever more difficult, he added. “It is important that we do everything to increase production worldwide.”
Russia’s arms industry far outweighs Ukraine’s, and Kyiv has relied on Western help to match Moscow’s firepower. But the 27-nation EU’s plans to produce 1 million artillery rounds for Ukraine have fallen short, with only about a third of the target met.
The war in Ukraine heightened anxiety in Germany about the preparedness of its own armed forces, prompting Scholz days after the Russian invasion to announce what he called a “turning point” in military spending.
Germany plans to spend 2% of its gross domestic product this year, an aim NATO allies set themselves a decade ago, after long falling short. It also has become Ukraine’s second-biggest military supplier after the United States.
Connecticut church pastor accused of selling meth out of rectory
WOODBURY, Conn. — A Connecticut pastor has been arrested on allegations that he sold crystal meth out of his church’s rectory, police said.
The reverend of a United Methodist Church in Woodbury was taken into custody Friday after police received a tip about the drugs, authorities said.
The pastor was charged with possession of narcotics with intent to sell, possession of a controlled substance and use of drug paraphernalia, among other charges.
The reverend was released on $10,000 bail and was ordered to appear in Waterbury Superior Court on Feb. 23.
Phone and email messages were left Monday for the pastor and the church.
State police said in a news release that the pastor was found in possession of crystal methamphetamine in both rock form and that had been liquefied into a hypodermic needle.
Police said they arrested the pastor at the site of a purported drug deal set up by a cooperating witness who had tipped them off, the Republican-American of Waterbury reported.
A shooter opened fire in a Houston church. Gunfire has also scarred other Texas places of worship
AUSTIN, Texas — The weekend shooting at Joel Osteen’s megachurch in Houston is not the first time gunfire has caused panic and tragedy at a Texas house of worship.
It also underscored the ease of bringing weapons into sanctuaries in a state with few limits on gun possession, as well as a growing effort by some churches to provide armed security, either through volunteers or paid off-duty officers.
The shooting Sunday at Lakewood Church ended when two off-duty officers, who were working security, returned fire on a shooter who police say entered the building with a long rifle and a backpack. A 5-year-old who accompanied her into the church was also shot and critically injured, authorities said.
Here is a look at shootings at other places of worship in Texas and the laws surrounding firearms:
In November 2017, a gunman killed 26 people, including eight children, and wounded 20 more at the First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs. The gunman later died of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound after being shot and chased by two men who heard the gunfire at the church.
In December 2019, a man pulled out a shotgun during a service at West Freeway Church of Christ in White Settlement and killed two worshippers, before he was shot and killed by two congregants who were part of a volunteer security team.
In September 1999, a man shot and killed seven people and wounded seven others before taking his own life at Wedgwood Baptist Church in Fort Worth.
Texas does not require a license to carry a handgun or a rifle, although state law sets a handgun minimum age requirement at 21. Texas has also been an “open carry” state, which allows people to carry their weapons in plain view, since 2015, and eliminated the handgun license requirement in 2021.
In the first regular legislative session after the Sutherland Springs massacre, Texas lawmakers in 2019 clarified state law to allow the carrying of weapons in houses of worship, unless specifically banned by a congregation with written and oral notice.
Texas law does not require churches to provide armed security, although they are allowed to have volunteer security teams or hire security from law enforcement or licensed guards.
Police said the two Lakewood security team members who took down the shooter on Sunday are an off-duty officer from the Houston Police Department and a Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission agent. Both will be placed on administrative leave while their respective agencies investigate the shooting.
Houston Police Chief Troy Finner and other authorities at the scene praised the officers for taking down the shooter.
“She had a long gun, and it could have been worse,” Finner said. “But they stepped up and did their job.”
Republicans work to recruit female and minority candidates even as they criticize diversity programs
WASHINGTON — House Republicans are critical of diversity and inclusion programs within the federal government and elsewhere, but they see recruiting women and minority candidates, along with veterans, as key to expanding their slim majority in November.
Rep. Richard Hudson, the chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee, recently listed for reporters a slew of candidates that he described as fitting the “formula” for the GOP expanding their ranks in November.
There was Prasanth Reddy, a cancer doctor who immigrated to the U.S. from India and joined the military after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. He’s running for a congressional seat in northeast Kansas. Then there was Alison Esposito, a gay former police detective running for a seat in New York.
Another example Hudson cited was George Logan, whose parents came to the U.S. from Guatemala and is running for a seat in Connecticut. Also, there’s Kevin Lincoln, an African-American and Hispanic mayor in Stockton, Calif., and Mayra Flores, who is making another run. She made history by becoming the first Mexican-born congresswoman, but she subsequently lost in the 2022 mid-terms.
“These are not run-of-the-mill generic Republicans,” Hudson said.
Republicans are hoping the gains they made in the 2022 midterm elections will continue with their latest slate of candidates. House Democrats have a sizeable advantage when it comes to minority voters and don’t intend to cede any ground, announcing a $35 million investment last month focused on reaching out to voters of color through polling, organizing and ads. The contest to appeal to female and minority voters will certainly be one of the factors determining which party controls the House next year.
Hudson noted that in the last presidential election, prognosticators were predicting that Republicans would lose seats.
“We beat 15 Democrats and every one of those we beat with a woman, a minority candidate or a veteran,” Hudson said. “That’s really been the playbook for the last two cycles. And so we’re using that same formula.”
When asked what she makes of the House Republican focus on recruiting females and minorities, the chair of the campaign arm for House Democrats was skeptical.
“I think they say a lot of things, but I think their actions really are what folks should look at,” said Rep. Suzan DelBene, the chair of the campaign arm for House Democrats. “And their actions have been the opposite. They mock diversity and equity, and they put forward policies that go against diverse communities across the county.”
DelBene is referring in part to the scores of policy mandates that House Republicans have included in spending bills. Most of the bills sought to prohibit taxpayer dollars from going to offices and programs related to diversity, equity and inclusion, which focus on ensuring fair treatment and participation of all people, especially those that have been subject to discrimination.
It’s not just House Republicans seeking to end such programs. Republican lawmakers in at least 17 states have proposed some three dozen bills to restrict or require public disclosure of DEI initiatives, according to an Associated Press analysis using the bill-tracking software Plural.
Hudson sidestepped on whether the focus on attracting female and minority candidates as House Republican candidates clashes with efforts to clamp down on diversity and inclusion programs within the federal government and elsewhere. He described it as “apples and oranges” and saying “I just haven’t given a lot of thought to that.”
“The motivation is we want our Congress to reflect America. And we believe that if we have dynamic candidates with compelling life stories, then they can win any district because they are not generic Republicans,” he said.
Hudson will see early test results on the GOP strategy as soon as Tuesday in a New York special election to replace Republican Rep. George Santos, who was booted from office by colleagues in December. Tom Suozzi is the Democratic candidate, seeking a return to the seat he held for three terms before making an unsuccessful run for governor.
The Republican candidate is Mazi Pilip, an Ethiopian immigrant, former Israeli paratrooper and mother of seven. Hudson said she an example of the type of candidate he believes can break through to voters with a compelling life story.
“She’s a mom. She’s a soldier. She’s an immigrant. It’s the American dream,” Hudson said.
The emphasis on diversity that Hudson noted, the recruiting of minorities and females, makes sense politically given the increased racial and ethnic diversity of U.S. voters.
According to the Pew Research Center, the number of Hispanics eligible to vote has increased by about 12% over the past four years and the number of Asian Americans eligible to vote has grown by about 15%. The number of Blacks eligible to vote has grown by 7%. That’s compared to an overall increase in eligible voters of 3%.
Another example of the Republican outreach to women is Rep. Elise Stefanik’s E-Pac, which was launched after the 2018 mid-terms to support and increase the number of women in Congress. The PAC’s website notes that in the 2020 elections, 11 out of the 15 districts that flipped to Republicans were won by women endorsed by the PAC, and that it supported a record number of Hispanic women in the 2022 elections.
“They have their own DEI offices. They don’t like to call them that,” said Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., specifically citing the PAC. “But the Republican Party is full of their own DEI initiatives because they actually find that their performance, like many other organizations, can sometimes stand to benefit from diverse perspectives.”
Stefanik said she was proud of helping expand the ranks of female Republicans in the House, and “we’re going to win with the strongest candidates.”
Steven Horsford, the chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, said he was glad Republicans were acknowledging the importance of recruiting women and minorities.
“They also need to acknowledge it in their agenda,” Horsford said. “They cannot be speaking in one voice and then doing in another something that’s weakening the very things that help create an inclusive environment for everybody.”
Republicans have made gains in increasing their minority and female members, but still lag Democrats on most fronts.
Republicans doubled their number of Black members in the House to four in the last election, while there are 55 Black Democratic members. The Hispanic and Latino ranks in the House include 15 Republicans and 37 Democrats.
Women make up 126 members of the House, with 92 being Democrats and 34 being Republicans. The statistics don’t include those delegates and the resident commissioner for Puerto Rico, who cannot vote on the final passing of bills but are members of Congress.
JetBlue shares jump 15% as activist Carl Icahn reports stake and calls shares undervalued
Carl Icahn at the 6th annual CNBC Institutional Investor Delivering Alpha Conference on Sept. 13, 2016.
Heidi Gutman | CNBC
Activist investor Carl Icahn on Monday reported a nearly 10% stake in JetBlue Airways, saying the airline stock is undervalued. Shares of JetBlue spiked more than 15% in extended trading.
Icahn amassed the stake in a series of purchases in January and February, according to regulatory filings. He has had plans to continue discussions with the company “regarding the possibility of board representation,” the records said.
JetBlue said in a statement, “We are always open to constructive dialogue with our investors as we continue to execute our plan to enhance value for all of our shareholders and stakeholders.”
Representatives for Icahn were not immediately available to comment.
This is not Icahn’s first investment involving the airline industry. In one of his more infamous activist campaigns, the corporate raider took TWA private in the late 1980s, only to see the airline struggle and file for bankruptcy.
JetBlue has been cutting costs and working to improve operations in an effort to return to profitability after a post-Covid travel surge and a blocked merger with budget carrier Spirit Airlines. A federal judge last month ruled against a combination of the two airlines, citing reduced competition.
JetBlue had argued it needed the tie-up to help it compete against the largest American carriers. JetBlue and Spirit are appealing the judge’s ruling.
In the past 12 months, JetBlue’s stock is down more than 27% as of Monday’s close. The NYSE Arca Airline Index, which tracks the broader sector, is up nearly 7% during the same period.
JetBlue’s new CEO, Joanna Geraghty, took the helm Monday, and the carrier has appointed a pair of airline veterans to get it back on track.
— CNBC’s John Melloy and Leslie Josephs contributed to this report.
Don’t miss these stories from CNBC PRO:
- Three stocks that could replace Tesla in the ‘Magnificent 7’
- Morgan Stanley hikes Nvidia price target ahead of earnings: ‘AI demand continues to surge’
- Vanguard launches two new ETFs to hit this sweet spot of tax-free fixed income
- Berkshire Hathaway topped $600,000 a share last week, aiming at $1 trillion market value