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$100 million in venture capital
Luminary, a podcast service that has raised $100 million in venture capital, launches today. The company recently caused a commotion when it tweeted a bunny holding a sign that read, “Podcasts don’t need ads.” There is both free and paid content available on Luminary, but the service will launch without pod-world mainstays such as Reply All from Gimlet Media and The Daily from The New York Times. [The Verge]
2.4 percent increase
The Trump administration announced Monday that it would impose sanctions on certain countries — including U.S. allies — unless they stop buying oil from Iran, a policy “intended to bring Iran’s oil exports to zero,” according to a White House statement. Crude oil prices rose 2.4 percent on the news. [The Washington Post]
Up to $50,000
Elizabeth Warren, the Massachusetts senator and Democratic presidential candidate, has announced a $1.25 trillion plan to cancel vast swaths of student loan debt and eliminate tuition at public colleges. Warren proposes to eliminate up to $50,000 in student loan debt for everyone with a household income of less than $100,000 and a portion of the debt for those making between $100,000 and $250,000. The plan would be funded by an increase in taxes on the wealthiest families and corporations. [The New York Times]
84 percent of New Hampshirites
Seth Moulton, a Massachusetts congressman, has joined the phalanx of Democrats running for president, a group which now ties a record — with the 2016 GOP — for the largest ever primary field. While Moulton is not especially well known, he may have a sneaky advantage afforded to presidential candidates hailing from Massachusetts: 84 percent of early voting New Hampshire residents live in the Boston media market. [FiveThirtyEight]
11-day strike
The Stop & Shop supermarket company and its striking workers have reached a tentative agreement to end an 11-day work stoppage. The three-year agreement includes wage increases and maintains health coverage. The union said the deal was “a powerful victory for the 31,000 hardworking men and women of Stop & Shop who courageously stood up to fight for what all New Englanders want.” [The Associated Press]
15 instances
“Nobody disobeys my orders,” President Trump claimed Monday at the White House Easter Egg Roll. However, The Washington Post tallied 15 instances documented in the Mueller report of aides disobeying the president. They include disobedience on the parts of Trump’s White House counsel, campaign manager, chief of staff, defense secretary, staff secretary, deputy attorney general, deputy national security adviser, director of national intelligence and chief economic adviser. [The Washington Post]
From ABC News:
News headlines today: April 23, 2019
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