05152025 BUSINESS

THURSDAY, MAY 15, 2025

PM: Financial bills will keep sector competitive

• Bahamas sees 3.4% growth, exceeding global forecasts

• PM touts record GDP, cites strong post-COVID rebound

• $14.1B GDP milestone signals economy’s strong recovery

By FAY SIMMONS Tribune Business Reporter jsimmons@tribunemedia.net

A COMPENDIUM of financial bills passed in Parliament yesterday will ensure the country’s continued adherence to international standards set by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), said Prime Minister Philip Davis.

Mr Davis said this would ensure the financial services sector remains competitive.

During his contribution in the House of Assembly yesterday, Mr Davis said the financial sector must continue to remain complaint as the administration advocates for fairness from the international community.

“As we implement reforms, we do so with a clear vision to create a financial services sector that is modern, transparent, compliant, efficient and trusted by investors worldwide. To achieve this vision, we must keep our momentum going,” said Mr Davis.

“Let’s continue outperforming forecasts and avoiding blacklists. Let’s continue advocating for fairness in the application of standards and rules on a global stage to ensure that everyone is playing by the same rules and has the same opportunity for success. And most importantly, let’s continue building a sector

White: Montagu mess shows need for better city planning

By FAY SIMMONS Tribune Business Reporter jsimmons@tribunemedia.net

AFTER the removal of signs in the Montagu Beach area, St Anne’s MP Adrian White has called for more strategic city planning and an equal application of regulations for all parties.

Speaking in Parliament yesterday, Mr White called for the government to zone more green areas exclusively for recreational use, and not economic purposes.

Highlighting the number of signs recently removed from Montagu through an initiative launched by the Beaches and Parks Authority and the number of unlicenced vendors still operating at the park, Mr White said policies need to be put in place to regulate vendor activity on public parks.

“We need to have a plan to preserve green spaces. I’ve recently heard. after it

• White slams “act first, ask later” attitude on public land use.

• MP criticizes unequal enforcement of park rules, calls for fairness.

• Without clear policy, public spaces risk overcommercialization, says White.

was raised in this honourable house, the issue of increased signage, commercial signage at Montagu Park, the increased amount of vendors operating, apparently without licence,” said Mr White.

“Now under the Parks and Beaches Authority, [there’s] a campaign to remove unauthorised signs, and a number of signs have been removed from Montagu in particular, but not all signs. But as it related to the vendors that are operating there, there seem to be an acceptance that some of these persons were there

without permission from Parks and Beaches Authority.

But it didn’t appear as though there was going to be a policy implemented so that certain parks would have no vendors, so that certain areas would be purely left for the peaceful enjoyment by Bahamians.”

Mr White reiterated his objections to having Montagu Beach serve as a commercial area instead of an area residents use solely for recreational purposes, Mr White said the enforcement of rules should be done

consistently and equally to all stakeholders.

“What it sounded like from the executive director was that we’re aware that there are vendors operating there, and we’re going to bring them in so that they can go through the proper permitting and approval process. That’s not the enforcement of the laws we want. We shouldn’t be a

FNM challenges BNSI’s economic growth figures

By FAY SIMMONS Tribune Business Reporter jsimmons@tribunemedia.net

THE average Bahamian is not feeling the effects of the 3.4 percent growth rate, according to FNM financial spokesman Kwasi Thompsonwho said many still struggle to keep their businesses and personal finances afloat.

Speaking in Parliament yesterday, as a compendium of financial legislation was being

debated, Mr Thompson said the increased growth rate, mentioned by Prime Minister Philip Davis during his contribution, was “concentrated” among a few individuals that are “well connected” and not felt by all residents.

“The Bahamas National Statistical Institute (BNSI), as was said by the Prime Minister, says that the economy grew by 3.4 percent last year. But unfortunately, most Bahamians are

wondering, who is actually feeling it?”, he asked.

“We actually listen to the unions. We have heard parents trying to stretch their pay cheques to afford groceries and school fees. We hear from young people frustrated with the lack of opportunities, wondering if they will ever be able to own their own home. We see small business owners fighting to stay afloat as costs continue

Union says foreign musicians are harming Bahamian artists

BY ANNELIA NIXON Tribune Business

FOREIGN artists are taking the bread out of Bahamian artists’ mouths, according to the United Artists Bahamas Union (UABU).

With the primary objective of protecting Bahamian musicians and entertainers and their welfare, the UABU released a public message addressed to the Department of Immigration and the Department of Labour, stating that they have not and will not “give a letter of support for any foreign artist competing with our Bahamian artists at homecomings, regattas,

independence celebrations, [or] junkanoo parade”.

“We understand that there are a number of events taking place on the Family Islands with foreign artists,” UABU Secretary General Linc Scavella said.

BY ANNELIA NIXON Tribune

there’s so much that needs to be done,” Molly McIntosh, owner of the Bluff House Beach Resort and Marina, said. “We read in the papers that they’re doing this in Exuma and that in Grand Bahama and Cat Island is getting a new airport, medical facility or whatever. But here in Abaco, it’s a huge amount of business and money that’s going back into the central government. So I would like to see some more money put into the infrastructure, such as the roads. That’s a very good example. You know, the potholes are so bad, tyres get blown all the time, and it makes it more expensive to do business.”

Owner of the Island Spirit Mobile Spa and Wellness Suzette Colquhoun said Abaco is the new second city. Based in Treasure Cay, Ms Colquhoun noted that

VYBZ KARTEL

KWASI THOMPSON

ADRIAN WHITE

PHILIP DAVIS KC

Dames leads agricultural progress in South Andros

By the Bahamas Agriculture and Marine Science Institute

AGRICULTURAL

extension officers play a vital role in the nation’s Family Island farming communities. These men and women often bridge the gap between farmers and modern agricultural knowledge, providing access to tools, inputs and best practices and techniques. Their services empower farmers with the skills and resources needed to improve productivity, sustainability and resilience against challenges like climate change, pest infestations, irrigation issues and a lack of supplies. By offering educational and training opportunities connected to best practices and providing access to new technologies and market insights, extension programmes enhance food security, boost local economies and improve livelihoods. These programmes also foster community development by promoting collaboration, encouraging innovation and addressing unique local needs, ultimately contributing to the overall growth and sustainability of farming communities.

The Bahamas Agriculture and Marine Science Institute (BAMSI) has a dedicated extension programme in place with officers spread throughout the Family Islands; North and South Andros, Cat Island, Eleuthera and Long Island. The officers who facilitate these programmes are well trained, experienced agriculturalists backed by the full support of the Institute. They work hard to offer dynamic extension services to their communities and their efforts have bolstered the local agriculture sector as they engage the community in meaningful ways.

Frederica Dames is BAMSI’s extension officer in South Andros. She is a daughter of the rich soils of the ‘Big Yard’, and she brings to the table a solid academic background, experience in farming and a passion for people and community. Among her accomplishments, Ms Dames was selected to join the US Department of State’s ExchangeAlumni network in 2024 as part of the prestigious International Visitor Leadership Programme (IVLP) focused on Climate Smart Agriculture in the Caribbean.

In 2023 she was the recipient of the Prime Minister’s Youth Female Farmer of the Year Award during the Agrarian Awards hosted by the Ministry of Agriculture. And she was selected as the Valedictorian of BAMSI’s Class of 2021, graduating with an Associate degree in Agriculture. Highlighting the dual approach of BAMSI’s initiatives on the South Andros community, Ms Dames said: “BAMSI’s extension services have had an impact on the community of South Andros in two ways. First, through multiple seedling distribution exercises farmers, registered and unregistered, have been introduced to new seed varieties and best varieties for the local climate. Additionally, residents have been introduced to BAMSI programs that would increase their knowledge in areas of special interest. These areas include flats fishing, poultry production, backyard farming, landscaping, hydroponics and aquaponics.”

Educational outreach has also been a priority. BAMSI partnered with local schools to inspire the next generation of agricultural and marine science professionals. “Through collaboration with the guidance department of South Andros High, several students have applied and been accepted to the Flats Fishing Programme. Additionally, in conjunction with two local farms, tours were conducted throughout the year. These tours highlighted the importance of producers in a community food system. Participants included staff and students of Reverend Euthal Rodgers Primary School and Deep Creek Preschool as well as members of the SDA Adventurers Club.”

Providing technical support to farmers and fishers has been another cornerstone of BAMSI’s efforts.

“Several farmers were assisted with crop planning and farm design. Additionally, information was given to promote best agriculture practices, including but not limited to mulching for water conservation, proper use and application of fertilisers and pest management,” Ms Dames said. Increased participation in BAMSI programs has further strengthened the community. “There has been a noticeable increase in community participation. This growth has been driven by continuous advertisement of events and encouragement of residents to become food secure,” she shared.

Ms Dames also pointed out areas for improvement. “I think BAMSI’s extension services in South Andros would benefit from becoming more mobile in 2025. The opportunity to have the extension officers visit farms on a regular basis would give farmers motivation to express their problems and seek solutions. A monthly pop-up market would give extension services, producers, and processors an opportunity of being more visible in the community.”

Despite the progress, challenges unique to rural

communities persist. “The main challenge is connecting face to face with farmers on a regular basis,” Ms. Dames said. She noted however, that she is able to leverage technology to address this gap. “We were able to utilize apps to connect with farmers for distribution of information and diagnosis of non-emergent problems.” While local farmers appreciate the resources that BAMSI offers, a lack of agricultural supplies on the island, such as seeds, fertilisers, feed, plastic mulch and irrigation systems, remains a significant issue.

The seedling programme stood out as a major success for 2024. “Approximately 9,000 seedlings were distributed between March and November 2024,” Ms Dames said. Looking ahead, she envisions an expanded role for extension services in South Andros. “In 2025, I see BAMSI extension services evolving to address the socioeconomic impact of farming, the role of Indigenous knowledge in sustainable agriculture and the incorporation of services that link producers to markets.”

Plans for 2025 also include increasing student enrollment in agriculture and marine science programs, expanding hot pepper production and promoting climate-smart agricultural practices. A community market is also on the horizon to foster stronger connections between producers, processors and consumers.

For Ms Dames, the work of an extension officer is deeply personal. “The future of South Andros motivates me to continue the work that I currently do. It is my hope that the food system in South Andros develops to be self-sustaining.”

Reflecting on lessons learned in 2024, she emphasised the importance of reducing reliance on offisland suppliers. “In 2024, I learned that reliance on offisland suppliers can delay production on the island for weeks or even months. In 2025, I hope to move toward more sustainable practices and encourage farmers to do so as well.” Through its extension services, BAMSI is not only equipping farmers with tools and knowledge but also fostering a culture of resilience and sustainability.

As Ms Dames summed up, success is measured by “the availability and diversity of local produce throughout the year, an increase in the number of farmers (registered or unregistered), and community interest in attending demonstration/ distribution exercises”. Farmers, fishers and residents are encouraged to connect with BAMSI extension officers to learn more about how these services can support their goals. Together, they are shaping a more sustainable future for South Andros.

• To learn more about the BAMSI’s extension services or to connect with Ms Dames – visit www.bamsibahamas.edu.bs or email info@bamsibahamas.com.

FREDERICA Dames (left) pictured at the Agrarian Awards hosted by the Ministry of Agriculture in 2023. She was the recipient of the Prime Minister’s Youth Female Farmer of the Year Award.

MS. Dames with students from the Rev. Euthal Rodgers Primary School in South Andros.

Outlier signs up Leno for power capital raise

By ANNELIA NIXON

OUTLIER Energy (Bahamas) Limited has announced that it has engaged Leno Corporate Services Limited to lead a capital raise for new power generation for delivery to Bahamas Power and Light (BPL) in the Family Islands. In a statement, Outlier said the initiative aligns with the Government’s national grid modernisation strategy.

The capital raise is for five microgrid projects awarded by the Ministry of Energy and Transport including Harbour Island, Moore’s Island, Staniel Cay, Black Point, Farmers Cay, and Bimini.

COST RIGHT ONLINE PLATFORM FOR FREEPORT TO ALSO SERVE NASSAU

AML Foods Limited has announced the launch of its new e-commerce platform for Cost Right Freeport - but after the fire that destroyed the Cost Right building in Nassau, people in New Providence can also make use of the platform for deliveries. The site, www.costrightfreeport.com, includes the option for in-store pickup or delivery within Freeport.

The statement said: “These projects are integral to the Government’s 2024 initiative to repower the Family Islands through renewable energy microgrids, promoting economic growth, job creation, and environmental resilience.

After evaluating multiple Bahamian and Wall Street-based banks, Outlier selected Leno for its deep-rooted presence, its commitment to fostering

local investment opportunities and its strong interest in Outlier’s mission to improve access to reliable power generation for the communities Outlier serves.”

Financing is expected to comprise of both equity and debt financing.

In accordance with the Ministry of Energy and Transportation’s mandate that at least 51 percent of the power generation

ownership in the Family Islands be Bahamian, Outlier anticipates the projects will secure majority Bahamian ownership.

“Leno’s capabilities and depth here in Nassau and across the Family Islands made the decision easy for us,” said Judson Wilmott, regional manager of Outlier Energy (Bahamas) Ltd. “Leno understands infrastructure investment here in The Bahamas and is

unquestionably well-versed in serving investors in a way that supports their goals and ours. It’s a win-win.”

“This project goes beyond improving power generation—it’s about giving Bahamians the opportunity to invest in a sector that will shape our country’s future,” said Andre White, chief operating officer of Leno Corporate Services.

“It was always part of our strategic plan to launch e-commerce for Cost Right Freeport,” said Renea Bastian, vice president of marketing and communications at AML Foods.

“However, the loss of our Nassau store made it even more critical to act quickly and provide our loyal members in the capital as well as on the family islands with a way to continue shopping with us. I am incredibly proud of our team for their hard work and dedication to expediting this project.”

In light of the closure of their Cost Right Nassau location, the new platform also extends its service to Nassau and the Family Islands. Members on these islands can now order wholesale groceries, general merchandise, appliances, and clothing online, with free delivery to Solomon’s Yamacraw or the Family Island mailboat of their choice in Nassau.

PM: Financial bills will keep sector competitive

and an economy that is ripe with opportunities for Bahamians. This compendium represents an important step forward in achieving these objectives.”

The compendium of legislation includes amendments to the Trustee Act, the Financial Transactions Reporting Act (FTRA) the Banks and Trust Companies Regulation Act, Nonprofit Organisations Act, the International Business Companies Act, the register of Beneficial Ownership Act, the Companies Act, and the Proceeds of Crime Act.

Mr Davis said his administration is “undeniably

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moving in the right direction through sound decision making and data-driven policies” which he said is demonstrated by the 3.4 percent growth rate for 2024 that exceeded international projections.

“We are addressing our fiscal and economic challenges our economy has shown encouraging signs of growth outperforming international projections. While international agencies are projected growth rates, for example, between 1.5 percent and two percent for 2024, the actual figures from the Bahamas National Statistical Institute indicate real Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth of 3.4 percent for 2024,” said Mr Davis.

Gershwin Greene, director of e-commerce at AML Foods Limited, said: “No matter where they live in The Bahamas, our members have access to the same efficient service, wide selection, and quality products they enjoy in-store with the launch of the Freeport E-commerce website.

“The platform accepts all major debit and credit cards, and shopping is currently exclusive to Cost Right members. Existing members can easily start shopping by linking their membership to the platform. To do this, they just need to create an online account using the same email address and phone number associated with their membership. We’re also working on a quick and convenient way for customers to purchase a membership card online and as soon as this is confirmed we will notify customers.”

He noted that many other countries with a similar economic structure has not seen the same level of growth post pandemic and GDP numbers exceed those seen in 2019.

“This cannot be explained away as good luck, nor is It the inevitable outcome of a post-COVID growth. Many other countries with similar tourism and servicebased economies have not been so fortunate. Yet, for consecutive years, we have outpaced the projections of analysts and experts,” said Mr Davis.

“It is clear that our approach to managing and growing our economy has yielded promising results. Our GDP now stands at $14.1bn in real terms, which is the largest our economy has ever been, exceeding pre-pandemic GDP figures in 2019 by over $1.5bn.

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The new platform includes member pricing consistent with instore rates; customisable product substitution preferences; real-time order tracking and access to order history; and the ability to schedule orders up to seven days in advance.

“The launch of this new platform reflects AML Foods’ ongoing commitment to enhancing and modernising the shopping experience for our customers across The Bahamas,” added Ms Bastian. She also explained that the company is currently seeking a location in the capital to resume online order fulfillment for Cost Right Nassau. “Until the store that was lost is rebuilt, the Nassau website when reactivated, will offer the top 200-250 Cost Right club items, but the full product assortment will be available on the Freeport e-commerce site.”

“There is nothing inevitable about this level of growth. Instead, what we see is the product of record levels of investment, widespread infrastructure development throughout New Providence and the Family Islands, expanded opportunities for employment and entrepreneurship for Bahamians and discipline stewardship for our major industries, including the financial services industry.”

Chamber empowers SMEs with training, job fair

A JOB fair and professional training day will be held on Saturday by the Abaco Chamber of Commerce.

The event will be held at the newly opened Friends of the Environment campus in Marsh Harbour.

The chamber said in a statement: “This dual-event initiative is designed to support business professionals, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), entrepreneurs, and job seekers through targeted training and workforce development opportunities.”

Chamber president Chantelle Sands said: “In alignment with our commitment to workforce development and training, the chamber is focused on empowering upcoming business professionals and the local business community on ways to diversify their businesses and operations, safeguard digital assets, and elevate the quality of services provided across the island.”

The morning session, from 8.30am to 1pm, will feature a professional training workshop. Led by Ian Ferguson, executive director and CEO of the Tourism Development Corporation , the workshop will offer strategies to

strengthen customer service delivery and operational performance and how Abaco businesses can tap into new markets and get funding assistance. Ricardo Saunders, information security and compliance analyst at Cable Bahamas Ltd, will present on cybersecurity. ‘ He said: “We recognise that it is essential for these businesses to understand the risks and responsibilities that with operating in a digital environment. To this end, we are thrilled to provide practical strategies to safeguard business data, protect customer information and build a culture of security awareness across teams.”

The afternoon session, 1.30pm to 5.30pm will open with remarks from the Ministry of Labour, and will feature a job fair. Disney Cruise Line is continuing its partnership with the Abaco Chamber of Commerce. Other participating organizations include Bakers Bay Golf & Ocean Club, and Aliv. Lunch will be provided, and early registration is encouraged. contact the Abaco Chamber office at 699-3261, 806-1009, or 804-1343, or email info@ abacochamber.org.

Abaconians: We contribute - so why don’t we get support?

second home owners play a huge role in Abaco.

“It’s horrible,” Ms Colquhoun said. “I mean, Abaco is becoming like the second city in The Bahamas. I don’t think people highlight that enough, but there’s a lot going on in Abaco. I would say Freeport used to be the second city, and now most of the Freeportians are over here, Nassau over here, because they have a lot of construction going on. They have a lot of big private… like Bakers Bay, Winding Bay. A lot of people come in. So it’s way more traffic in Abaco now than it was before. Second homeowners... I think if it wasn’t for them, we wouldn’t survive around here, if it wasn’t for the [second] homeowners.

Eric Bethel, another Treasure Cay resident added: “This is what I don’t understand. Abaco, before Dorian, generated 19 percent of GDP for the entire Bahamas. 19 percent. That’s almost, what? A fifth of all the GDP for The Bahamas. A lot of tourists that come to Abaco have money. They come on their jets. They come with their yachts. They got money. Why is the government not trying to build that up? That’s a cash cow for the government if they would put a couple dollars into that island. I mean, you got people with these yachts and these planes and stuff. If they would put a couple dollars in some infrastructure to do something, they could be helping themselves and generating money. But they don’t really want to

do anything it seems like. They’re more focused on doing stuff in Nassau. Abaco is like a backwater.”

“I grew up in Nassau, but it seems like most of the government funds go to Nassau or Freeport, but the out islands don’t really get much. That’s always a problem with Town Council in Marsh Harbour, they’re always saying, you know, we can only do so much because we don’t have the funds. Same in Treasure [Cay]. There’s no funds, and the government’s not putting any money towards anything. So not much is getting done.”

Noting that one of the most important upgrades the island needs is repairs on the SC Bootle Highway, Abaco residents described the road as having no lights and massive potholes,

leading to countless car accidents and deaths, as well as damage to vehicles.

“There’s been countless deaths on that road too,”

Mr Bethel told Tribune Business. “There’s no lighting, there’s no guard rails, there’s nothing going from Treasure [Cay] to Marsh [Harbour] anyway.”

Ms Colquhoun said she has canceled appointments to avoid driving the highway and some of her clients shy away from that road as well, which negatively impacts her business.

“People who work say they work Baker’s Bay… that’s almost two hours of dark, bumpy, bad road you gotta drive on,” Ms Colquhoun said. “Sometimes you can’t see nothing because sometimes even those wild hogs run across the road. You can’t see

UNION SAYS FOREIGN MUSICIANS ARE HARMING BAHAMIAN ARTISTS

“That is not a good thing for our Bahamian artists, because soon they will occupy our good job opportunities. And I think one of the artists I heard that was being advertised is the same Vybz Kartel.

“I understand he’s one of the artists that’s supposed to be in Andros for the 21st for that weekend, Crab Fest weekend. And that’s not good. The government should not allow that, because that is the thing that the Family Islanders look forward to - seeing the local Bahamian artists. In many cases, that’s their only source of income, doing

these Family Island regattas and homecomings. These are the opportunities our Bahamian artists look forward to, because the hotels are not hiring them, and so the only income they get is from these, regattas and homecomings.”

Mr Scavella believes foreign artists should be banned from performing at Bahamian cultural events, adding that the union has told the Department of Immigration that they would not support any foreign artist coming to the country during the month of July when Independence celebrations are ongoing.

“If we having our Independence celebration, we’re

not going to support any foreign artists coming into town during that month, because we want that whole month of July to be focused on our Bahamian culture,”

Mr Scavella said. “And so we’re not going to support and we already told immigration that.

“The [immigration] director… you know how they say ‘that’s above my pay grade’. But I don’t agree with that, with that ‘above pay grade thing’. If you have a responsibility, there’s no pay grade that can ban you from doing your job. So that’s what they normally say. So in other words, you are saying the minister has

nothing because there is no lights on the road other than your headlights in front of you. The chances before you see anything, you’d have to be in front of your headlight, which is probably too late then.

“It definitely impacts business, and people don’t want to drive that road sometimes. I’ll have clients who want to come but they don’t want to drive that. I get flat tires and stuff like that. And like I said, sometimes you have to make the decision whether you run into a car or you drop in the hole. So sometimes if I don’t have to go, although I really would like to go, like I had a good week, I sometimes cancel my appointments in Marsh Harbour just because of the roads.”

to make that call. But that is a no-brainer.

“I was just advised that Trinidad had a situation similar, and they just cut that out. So I’ll have to go and look at the story. Somebody just informed me that Trinidad had that same issue, and the government took a stand against it.”

Mr Scavella said the foreign artists who have been approved to perform at upcoming cultural events, received the green light from their rival and legacy union the Bahamas Musicians and Entertainers Union (BMEU).

“They’re going to the BMEU because they don’t have to come through the requirements that we have,” Mr Scavella said. “We have

stiff rules and regulations, and they don’t like that, so they will go to them where the slackness is. That’s how come they’re getting away. And then, in some cases, the government, neither the union, knows what is going on on the Family Island.”

The UABU has recently revealed that they are pushing for a rotating system in which foreign artists seeking approval to perform in The Bahamas be directed to either the UABU or the BMEU based on an organised system to ensure equality and fairness among the unions.

“So immigration will be in control of that,” Mr Scavella said. “So they will say, ‘Okay, the last artist came in, came into BMEU. So this one will go to UABU. So sometimes we may get one that just maybe collect $75 and they may get one

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Mr Bethel and Ms Colquhoun also spoke on the lack of a Fire Department on Abaco, giving credit to second home owners, and volunteers who have been battling the recent fires. Mr Bethel clarified that without those volunteers there’d be no fire services in Abaco.

“I was a police officer in Florida,” Mr Bethel said. “I was also in the military, and in the States, the fire service is an essential function that the government usually provides; fire, police, medical, ambulances and stuff. If it wasn’t for the volunteers in Abaco, there would be no fire service. The government doesn’t give Treasure Cay any fire trucks or equipment. That’s all volunteers and all donations. The government doesn’t do anything.”

that gets $75,000, but it goes both ways. The other time it will come back to them in that way. The Minister of Labour, she thought that was not difficult to accomplish. She said she and her director will assist in getting immigration to look at that.”

The union has also been hoping for an advisory board made up of members from each union. However, Mr Scavella said he is informed by the Director of Labour, Mr Howard Thompson that the BMEU is disinterested.

“There is no progress there,” Mr Scavella added. “As a matter of fact, the director of labour advised me that he tried to get that meeting, and they told him, no they don’t want to meet with us. And so we move on from that. We say to them, the director of labour and to the minister, as well as the minister of immigration, set the policy and invite them to the meeting. If they don’t come, that’s their business.

“They should make the policy as to what it will be and invite the two unions to the meeting about their policy, and whoever don’t show up, then they make the decision without them.”

FNM challenges BNSI’s economic growth figures

to rise. The reality, I believe, is that growth, if it is really happening, is being concentrated among a wellconnected few, not for all.”

Mr Thompson said the reasons behind the growth rate projections for 2024 given by international organisations differs so vastly from the actual growth rate revealed by the BNSI.

“We also need to look at why there is such a marked difference between the Bahamas National Statistical Institute figures when compared to international organisations like the IMF and the private sector rating agencies like Moody’s and S&P,” said Mr Thompson. “Also remember that the recent IMF figures suggest, in line with the Bahamas Central Bank’s expectation, a more subdued growth this

year, GDP growth will be 1.7 percent this year, falling to 1.6 percent in 2026 and falling again to 1.5 percent in 2027.”

He said the rise in youth unemployment is also concerning and questioned how the economy will continue to grow if there are little opportunities for young people. “I am also particularly concerned about youth

unemployment. According to the latest data, it is rising. Almost one in five Bahamians under 25 are unemployed. What sort of economy are we building if it doesn’t provide opportunities for the next generation? It shows the so-called growth the PLP talks is doing little for the ordinary people,” said Mr Thompson.

Court rules in favor of The New York Times over texts between the EU chief and a pharma boss

By SAM McNEIL Associated Press

A TOP European court ruled on Wednesday that the European Commission failed to provide a credible explanation for refusing The New York Times access to text messages sent between its President Ursula von der Leyen and a pharmaceutical boss during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The case highlights questions about transparency at the commission, which insists that text messages and other "ephemeral" electronic communications do not necessarily constitute documents of interest that should be saved or made public.

"Today's decision is a victory for transparency and accountability in the European Union, and it sends a powerful message that ephemeral communications are not beyond the reach of public scrutiny," Nicole Taylor, a spokesperson for The New York Times, said after the court annulled the commission's decision.

According to a statement from the EU's General Court in Luxembourg, the U.S. newspaper's lawyers "succeeded in rebutting the presumption of non-existence and of nonpossession of the requested documents."

The statement said that "the commission cannot merely state that it does not hold the requested documents but must provide credible explanations enabling the public and the court to understand why those documents cannot be found."

It said the commission had failed to explain "in a plausible manner" why the messages did not contain important information.

It also said the commission "has not sufficiently clarified whether the requested text messages were deleted and, if so,

whether the deletion was done deliberately or automatically or whether the president's mobile phone had been replaced in the meantime." The commission said it would study the ruling and decide on "next steps," which could refer to an appeal before the European Court of Justice (ECJ), the EU's top court. It is unclear if the text messages in question still exist, and if so, who has access to them. Von der Leyen was responsible for deciding whether the texts constituted documents of value.

Transparency advocates argue that the EU's increasingly powerful executive branch should maintain a paper trail of all its dealings and release documents when asked.

"This should serve as a catalyst for the commission to finally change its restrictive attitude to freedom of information," said Shari Hinds, a policy officer for Transparency International, an anti-corruption group.

Païvi Leino-Sandberg, a law professor at the University of Helsinki who has a pending legal challenge

before the same court about the commission's internal documentation rules, called the news "a huge victory for transparency."

"The commission lost so completely (in this ruling) and on every possible ground that overturning this in the ECJ seems extremely unlikely," she said.

The New York Times said text messages were exchanged between von der Leyen and Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla as COVID19 ravaged communities from Portugal to Finland and the EU scrambled to buy billions of vaccines.

Von der Leyen was under intense scrutiny, especially after AstraZeneca stumbled to deliver vaccine doses to the 27-nation bloc.

Amid fierce international competition for access to the vaccines, von der Leyen was praised for her leading role during the pandemic. But she also faced sharp criticism for the opacity of the negotiations to quickly gather 2.7 billion euros ($2.95 billion) to place an order for more than a billion doses.

At the same time as she was reported to be

The BNSI unveiled data showing the Bahamian economy grew by 3.4 percent in real terms during 2024. That estimate, which strips out the impact of inflation on the data, was some 1.4 percentage points higher than the International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) estimate for last year. The Institute’s figures, if accurate, would place

Bahamian economic output last year some $195.44m, or almost $200m, higher than that projected by the IMF. The former’s data shows that the Bahamian economy, following its post-COVID reflation and recovery, expanded by 38.9 percent in four years or almost $4bn, growing from $10.158bn at the pandemic’s peak to $14.108bn in 2024.

WHITE: MONTAGU MESS SHOWS NEED FOR BETTER CITY PLANNING

FROM PAGE B1

nation where you can act first and ask later. That’s not a policy,” said Mr White.

“That is a policy that ultimately leads to us continuing to be behind on where we need to go through our development and progress as a nation, everyone should follow the rules. There should be a plan in place so that not only do the ministers, not only do parliamentarians, not only do Bahamians, but even anybody living the country, they know what they can do and what they cannot do. And if there’s something that they cannot do, they know how they can go about it, the proper way, the legal way. We don’t have to cure problems, if we don’t invite them to begin with, we should do

exchanging messages directly with the Pfizer boss, von der Leyen was publicly praising the company as " a reliable partner."

Von der Leyen was appointed to head the commission for a second five-year term last July.

Critics say the 66-year-old former German defense minister dislikes having her decisions questioned, and that she centralized power at the commission's headquarters, where she lives when in Brussels.

away with an act first, ask later, approach”

He said the government should hire more employees at the Department of Physical Planning to conduct site visits.

“We also need a government that is going to ensure that there is application of our zoning rules, that there is land use plans and land use policies that there’s not clear cut destruction of our environmental areas,” said Mr White.

“We need to have more persons that can come from The Department of Physical Planning to inspect sites where persons are applying for certain types of business licenses, whether it’s alcohol licences in too close proximity to schools or in too close proximity to churches.”

SYRINGES with the Pfizer vaccine against COVID-19 disease are ready at a new vaccination center in Paris, Thursday, May 6, 2021.

Photo:Michel Euler/AP

TRUMP’S MIDDLE EAST VISIT COMES AS HIS FAMILY

DEEPENS ITS BUSINESS, CRYPTO TIES IN THE REGION

By WILL WEISSERT

Associated Press

IT'S NOT just the "gesture" of a $400 million luxury plane that President Donald Trump says he's smart to accept from Qatar. Or that he effectively auctioned off the first destination on his first major foreign trip, heading to Saudi Arabia because the kingdom was ready to make big investments in U.S. companies.

It's not even that the Trump family has fastgrowing business ties in the Middle East that run deep and offer the potential of vast profits.

Instead, it's the idea that the combination of these things and more — deals that show the close ties between a family whose patriarch oversees the U.S. government and a region whose leaders are fond of currying favor through money and lavish gifts — could cause the United States to show preferential treatment to Middle Eastern leaders when it comes to American affairs of state.

Before Trump began his visit to Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, his sons Eric and Donald Jr. had already traveled the Middle East extensively in recent weeks. They were drumming up business for The Trump

Organization, which they are running in their father's stead while he's in the White House.

Eric Trump announced plans for an 80-story Trump Tower in Dubai, the UAE's largest city. He also attended a recent cryptocurrency conference there with Zach Witkoff, a founder of the Trump family crypto company, World Liberty Financial, and son of Trump's doeverything envoy to the Mideast, Steve Witkoff.

"We are proud to expand our presence in the region," Eric Trump said last month in announcing that Trump Tower Dubai was set to start construction this fall.

The presidential visit to the region, as his children work the same part of the world for the family's moneymaking opportunities, puts a spotlight on Trump's willingness to embrace foreign dealmaking while in the White House, even in the face of growing concerns that doing so could tempt him to shape U.S. foreign policy in ways that benefit his family's bottom line.

Nowhere is the potential overlap more prevalent than in the Middle East

The Trump family's business interests in the region include a new deal to build a luxury golf resort

in Qatar, partnering with Qatari Diar, a real estate company backed by that country's sovereign wealth fund. The family is also leasing its brand to two new real estate projects in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia's capital, in partnership with Dar Global, a London-based luxury real estate developer and subsidiary of private Saudi real estate firm Al Arkan.

The Trump Organization has similarly partnered with Dar Global on a Trump Tower set to be built in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, and an upcoming Trump International Hotel and luxury golf development in neighboring Oman.

During the crypto conference, a state-backed investment company in Abu Dhabi announced it had chosen USD, World Liberty Financial's stablecoin, to back a $2 billion investment in Binance, the world's largest cryptocurrency exchange. Critics say that allows Trump family-aligned interests to essentially take a cut of each dollar invested.

"I don't know anything about it," Trump said when asked by reporters about the transaction on Wednesday.

Then there's the Saudi government-backed LIV Golf, which has forged

Chinese businesses view tariff pause with caution and uncertainty

By HUIZHONG WU Associated Press

WHILE U.S. President Donald Trump has talked of victory after reaching a weekend deal with China to reduce the sky-high tariffs levied on each others' goods, businesses in China are reacting to the temporary deal with caution.

The U.S. and China have cut the tariffs levied on each other in April, with the U.S. cutting the 145% tax Trump imposed last month to 30%. China agreed to lower its tariff rate on U.S. goods to 10% from 125%. The lower tariff rates came into effect on Wednesday.

U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, announcing the reduction in tariff rates this weekend in Geneva, had said, "We do want

trade." While the markets have responded to the agreement with gusto, rebounding to the levels before Trump's tariffs, business owners remain wary. Businesses like one kitchen utensil factory in southern Guangdong province were eager to get back to work. The business said they put at least four orders from their American clients back into production on Tuesday after the tariff pause was announced.

"We thought the negotiation would bring the tariffs down a bit, but didn't expect it would be so much," said Margaret Zhuang, a salesperson for the utensil factory in Guangdong province, one of China's manufacturing hubs.

The two countries are now planning to start negotiations for a longer-term deal.

Kahlee Yu, sales manager of Yangjiang Hongnan Industry and Trade Company, which also manufactures kitchen utensils, said he was reaching out to American customers again. "We're a little bit optimistic about the trade deal between the two sides. But it is still possible the tariff policies will change again, resulting in no orders from our American clients," he said.

However happy they were in the moment, the damage from tariffs announced in April has already been done, Zhuang added, as they are seeing fewer orders. Currently,

ESTATE OF JOYCE LORANE ROBERTS a.k.a. JOYCE

LORRANE ROBERTS a.k.a. JOYCE LORRAINE ROBERTS a.k.a. JOYCE ROBERTS nee HIGGS

TAKE NOTICE that anyone having a claim against the Estate of JOYCE LORANE ROBERTS a.k.a. JOYCE LORRANE ROBERTS a.k.a. JOYCE LORRAINE ROBERTS a.k.a. JOYCE ROBERTS nee HIGGS late of 8th Street, Spanish Wells, St. George’s Cay, Bahamas, who died on the 26h day of June, 2012, may submit such claim in writing to the law firm of MAILLIS & MAILLIS, Chambers, Fort Nassau House, Marlborough Street, Nassau, Bahamas, tel: (242) 322-4292/3, fax: (242) 323-2334 ON OR BEFORE the 30th May, A.D., 2025.

ESTATE OF JOAN MARIE ROBERTS

TAKE NOTICE that anyone having a claim against the Estate of JOAN MARIE CAREY late of #19 Buen Retiro, Eastern District, New Providence, Bahamas, who died on the 26th day of June, 2024, may submit such claim in writing to the law firm of MAILLIS & MAILLIS, Chambers, Fort Nassau House, Marlborough Street, Nassau, Bahamas, tel: (242) 322-4292/3, fax: (242) 323-2334 ON OR BEFORE the 30th May, A.D., 2025.

close business relationships with the president and hosted tournaments at Trump's Doral resort in South Florida.

"Given the extensive ties between LIV Golf and the PIF, or between Trump enterprises more generally and the Gulf, I'd say there's a pretty glaring conflict of interest here," said Jon Hoffman, a research fellow in defense and foreign policy at the libertarian think tank the Cato Institute. He was referring to Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund, which has invested heavily in everything from global sports giants to video game maker Nintendo with the aim of diversifying the kingdom's economy beyond oil.

Trump said he did not talk about LIV Golf during his visit in Saudi Arabia.

The president announced in January a $20 billion

investment for U.S. data centers promised by DAMAC Properties, an Emirati company led by billionaire Dubai developer Hussain Sajwani. Trump bills that as benefiting the country's technological and economic standing rather than his family business. But Sajwani was a close business partner of Trump and his family since long before the 2016 election.

White House bristles at conflict of interest concerns

Asked before he left for the Middle East if Trump might use the trip to meet with people tied to his family's business, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said it was "ridiculous" to "suggest that President Trump is doing anything for his own benefit."

"The president is abiding by all conflict of interest laws," she said.

Administration officials have brushed off such concerns about the president's policy decisions bleeding into the business interests of his family by noting that Trump's assets are in a trust managed by his children. A voluntary ethics agreement released by The Trump Organization also bars the firm from striking deals directly with foreign governments.

But that same agreement still allows deals with private companies abroad. In Trump's first term, the organization released an ethics pact prohibiting deals with both foreign governments and foreign companies.

The president, according to the second-term ethics agreement, isn't involved in any day-to-day decision-making for the family business.

she has orders for products up until June. Earlier this year, before Trump's trade war began, they had orders for production extending to August.

The uncertainty also means companies are less willing to make new investments. Kelvin Liao, sales director at Action Composites, a manufacturer of carbon fiber auto parts in Dongguan, a major city in Guangdong, said he was originally planning to buy a piece of land to build a new factory, but opted instead to rent because of the tariff situation.

"It is good to reach a trade deal between the two

countries. But people have already lost confidence in Trump, and we will take a wait-and-see attitude," he said. "We believe the signing a trade deal is just a pause and the ultimate goal of the US is to curb China's development." Tariffs also remain in place for some industries, which are not part of the general deal. Hong Kong businessman Danny Lau, who owns an aluminumcoating factory, said his company still faces about a 75% tariff from tariffs levied at different points since 2018 by the U.S. Still he welcomed the news from the weekend, saying he would reach out to existing American customers to gauge their views. "Although the policy change doesn't cover our industry, we hope talks will continue and there will be better news during the 90-day pause," he said. In April, some Chinese businesses said they would focus their attention on exporting to other markets, given how high the American tariffs were. Analysts said previously that the tariffs could cause Chinese businesses to diversify their supply chains and move part of their manufacturing capacity abroad, including to the U.S.

ESTATE OF DALE ELLERTON ROBERTS a.k.a DALE ELBERTON ROBERTS

TAKE NOTICE that anyone having a claim against the Estate of DALE ELLERTON ROBERTS a.k.a. DALE ELBERTON ROBERTS late of 8th Street, Spanish Wells, St. George’s Cay, Bahamas, who died on the 22nd day of February, 2020, may submit such claim in writing to the law firm of MAILLIS & MAILLIS, Chambers, Fort Nassau House, Marlborough Street, Nassau, Bahamas, tel: (242) 322-4292/3, fax: (242) 323-2334 ON OR BEFORE the 30th May, A.D., 2025.

PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP, center, Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani and Kelly Ortberg, President and Chief Executive Officer, The Boeing Company, left, share a moment during a signing ceremony at the Amiri Diwan in Doha, Qatar, Wednesday, May 14, 2025.

Photo:Alex Brandon/AP

VISITORS talk to a sale rep for televisions at the 137th Canton Fair, in Guangzhou in southern China’s Guangdong province on April 15, 2025.

Photo:Ng Han Guan/AP

FUNDS FROM MIGRANTS SENT BACK HOME HELP FUEL SOME TOWNS’ ECONOMIES. A GOP PLAN TARGETS THAT

By FATIMA HUSSEIN and MEGAN JANETSKY Associated Press

ISRAEL Vail's entire life in the small western Guatemalan town of Cajolá is built off the money that his three children send home from the United States.

The money from their construction jobs paid for the two-story white home where Vail now lives — and where his children, who are in the U.S. illegally, would also reside if they ever get deported. Vail, 53, invested some of the money in opening a local food shop, which he uses to keep his family afloat.

In small migratory towns like Cajolá, it is not unusual for the entire economy to be built off remittances, the funds sent by migrant workers back to their home countries.

"People here, they don't live luxuriously, but they live off remittances," Vail said.

House Republicans have included in President Donald Trump's big priority bill a 5% excise tax on remittance transfers that would cover more than 40 million people, including green card holders and nonimmigrant visa holders, such as people on H-1B, H-2A and H-2B visas. U.S. citizens would be exempt.

Trump also recently announced that he is finalizing a presidential memorandum to "shut down remittances" sent by people in the U.S. illegally.

White House and Treasury officials have not responded to requests for comment from The Associated Press on specifics of the presidential memorandum that Trump previewed in an April 25 Truth Social post and how it would work.

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum shot back against the measure and called on Republican lawmakers to reconsider it, saying it "would damage the economy of both nations and is also contrary to the spirit of economic freedom that the U.S. government claims to defend."

"Remittances are the fruit of the efforts of those who, through their honest work, strengthen not only the Mexican economy but also the United States', which is why we consider this measure to be arbitrary and unjust," she said.

Remittance experts, local leaders and former migrants say that banning, limiting or adding a tax on certain remittances could damage communities that rely on them, prove burdensome to American citizens and firms and, paradoxically, end up causing even more illegal migration to the U.S.

The influx of money provides an important economic lifeline to residents of poorer towns that often have little access to jobs or income. Remittances provide opportunities for people in their home country, making it less likely they would take the risk of migrating to the United States, the experts say.

"Any measure to reduce remittances will have a negative impact on the U.S. national interest," said Manuel Orozco, director of the Migration, Remittances, and Development Program at the Inter-American Dialogue. "It will have an effect on the homeland."

Proponents of efforts to target remittances say they are an effective tax on people in the U.S. illegally and could be a revenue generator for the U.S. government.

Mark Krikorian, executive director of the Center for Immigration Studies, an anti-immigration think tank, acknowledges that limiting, banning or taxing remittances would make it more difficult for immigrants in the U.S. illegally. "One of the main reasons people come here is to work and send money home," Krikorian said. "If that's much more difficult to do, it becomes less appealing to come here."

More than

1,000

Starbucks baristas go on strike to protest new dress code

By DEE-ANN DURBIN AP Business Writer

MORE than 1,000 Starbucks baristas at 75 U.S. stores have gone on strike since Sunday to protest a new company dress code, a union representing the coffee giant's workers said Wednesday.

Starbucks put new limits starting Monday on what its baristas can wear under their green aprons. The dress code requires employees at company-operated and licensed stores in the U.S. and Canada to wear a solid black shirt and khaki, black or blue denim bottoms.

Under the previous dress code, baristas could wear a broader range of dark colors and patterned shirts. Starbucks said the new rules would make its green aprons stand out and create a sense of familiarity for customers as it tries to establish a warmer, more welcoming feeling in its stores.

But Starbucks Workers United, the union that represents workers at 570 of Starbucks' 10,000 companyowned U.S. stores, said the dress code should be subject to collective bargaining.

"Starbucks has lost its way. Instead of listening to baristas who make the Starbucks experience what it is, they are focused on

all the wrong things, like implementing a restrictive new dress code," said Paige Summers, a Starbucks shift supervisor from Hanover, Maryland. "Customers don't care what color our clothes are when they're waiting 30 minutes for a latte." Summers and others also criticized the company for selling styles of Starbucks-branded clothing that employees no longer are allowed to wear to work on an internal website. Starbucks said it would give two free black T-shirts to each employee when it announced the new dress code.

Starbucks said Wednesday that the strike was

having a limited impact on its 10,000 companyoperated U.S. stores. By the union's own count, less than 1% of Starbucks workers are participating in the strikes, and in some cases the strikes closed stores for less than an hour, the company said. "It would be more productive if the union would put the same effort into coming back to the table that they're putting into protesting wearing black shirts to work," Starbucks said in a statement. "More than 99% of our stores are open today serving customers — and have been all week."

MONEY sent home to Cajola, Guatemala, from the U.S. paid for the construction of dozens of homes, as shown, Nov. 29, 2021.

Photo:Megan Janetsky/AP

STARBUCKS baristas stand on stage, March 20, 2019, during an annual shareholders meeting in Seattle.

Photo:Ted S. Warren/AP

DIVISIONS EMERGE AMONG

HOUSE REPUBLICANS OVER HOW MUCH TO CUT TAXES AND MEDICAID IN TRUMP’S BILL

By LISA MASCARO and KEVIN FREKING Associated Press

CHEERS broke out early

Wednesday as Republicans on the House Ways and Means Committee signed off on the GOP tax breaks bill after a grueling roundthe-clock session that pushed President Donald Trump's package past overwhelming Democratic opposition.

But there's still more work to do.

House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., also worked past midnight trying to resolve issues with Trump's plan. Opposition is mounting from various corners of the GOP majority as he tries to muscle the party's signature package to passage without any votes from Democrats.

On the one hand, the conservative leader of the Freedom Caucus derides the new Medicaid work requirements as a "joke" that do not go far enough at cost-cutting. Meanwhile, a handful of GOP lawmakers from New York and other high-tax states are refusing to support the measure unless changes are made to give deeper state and local tax deductions, called SALT, for their constituents back home.

"To say we have a gulf is an understatement," said Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, a

leader of the conservative wing. Roy said there is "a significant number of us who could not bless this product" in its current form.

Nevertheless, momentum is building toward an end-of-the-week inflection point to stitch together the sprawling package. That means combining hundreds of pages of bill text covering $5 trillion in tax breaks and at least $1.5 trillion in spending reductions on Medicaid, food stamps and green energy programs to deliver Trump's secondterm legislative priority.

Democrats decry the package as a give away to the wealthy at the expense of safety net programs that millions of Americans rely on. But Johnson insists the Republican majority is on track to pass the package by Memorial Day, May 26, sending it to the Senate where Republicans are crafting their own version. With his slim majority, he can only afford a few defections from his ranks.

"We're still on target," Johnson said at the Capitol. "The American people are counting on us."

Democrats also stayed up all night forcing marathon public hearings. One at the House Energy and Commerce Committee was still going more than 26 hours later before finishing

Wednesday afternoon. All told, Democrats proposed hundreds of amendments trying to change the package, with dozens of votes that largely failed.

"It is a cruel, mean, rotten bill," said Rep. Jim McGovern, D-Mass., as the House Agriculture Committee debated changes to the Supplemental Nutrition and Assistance Program, known as SNAP.

The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office said at least 7.6 million fewer people would have health insurance with the changes to Medicaid, and possibly more with additional changes to the Affordable Care Act.

The CBO also gave lawmakers a preliminary analysis showing that 3 million fewer people each month would participate in the SNAP food program under the changes proposed.

More than 70 million Americans rely on Medicaid for health care, and about 40 million use SNAP.

The Republicans are targeting Medicaid and SNAP for a combined $1 trillion in cuts as a way to offset the costs of the tax package, but also to achieve GOP goals of reining in the social safety net programs.

Most of the cost-savings would come from imposing stiffer work requirements

Ford recalls nearly 274,000 Navigator and Expedition SUVs due to risk of loss of brake function

NEW YORK Associated Press

FORD is recalling nearly 274,000 of its Expedition and Lincoln-branded Navigator SUVs across the U.S. due to an issue that may cause a loss of brake function while driving, increasing crash risks.

According to documents published by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the front brake lines in these nowrecalled cars "may be in contact" with their engine air cleaner outlet pipe due to a potential installation defect. That can result in a brake fluid leak and/or a loss of brake function.

The recall covers 223,315 Expeditions and 50,474 Navigators between model years 2022 and 2024. Ford expects that just 1% of these vehicles have the defect, per a recall report dated Friday. Ford is not aware of any accidents or injuries related to this recall — but the Michigan-based auto giant had received 45 warranty reports of front brake line leaks as of April 17, NHSTA documents note. As a remedy, Ford and Lincoln dealers will inspect the front brake line of impacted vehicles and replace it or the air cleaner outlet pipe if necessary, free of charge. Dealer notifications were planned to begin Wednesday, the recall report notes, with owner letters set to be mailed out between May 26 and May 30.

In the meantime, drivers can also confirm if their specific vehicle is included in this recall and find more information using the NHTSA site or Ford's recall lookup. The company's number for this recall is 25S47.

Impacted drivers may experience an increase in pedal travel, NHSTA documents warn, meaning the pedal would need to be pressed harder to apply the brakes. And if there's a leaking brake line, the fluid level will decrease over time — potentially causing the red brake warning indicator to light up.

A spokesperson for Ford had no additional comments when reached by The Associated Press on Wednesday.

for those receiving the health care and food assistance, meaning fewer people would qualify for the aid. The legislation would raise from 54 to 64 the age of able-bodied adults without dependents who would have to work to qualify for SNAP. It also would also require some parents of children older than 7 — it's now 18 — to work to qualify for the benefits. Under current law, those recipients must work or participate in a work program for 80 hours a month.

The chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, Rep. Brett Guthrie, R-Ky., insists the changes would "strengthen and sustain" Medicaid for the future, and are the kind of "common sense" policies Trump promised voters.

But Democrats told repeated stories of their constituents struggling to access health care. Rep. Jimmy Gomez, D-Calif.,

revealed his own diagnosis with Type 2 diabetes at the House Ways and Means Committee hearing and the sticker shock of health costs. Democrats had proposals to revive subsidies to help people buy insurance through the Affordable Care Act. Most of the amendments were failing. One of the most difficult issues for Johnson, has been the more localized debate over state and local taxes as he works to come up with a compromise for New York, California and New Jersey lawmakers.

They have rejected an offer to triple the deduction cap, now at $10,000, to $30,000 for married couples.

The speaker met for more than an hour with lawmakers in his office and later into the night. Rep. Nick LaLota, R-N.Y., said the talks were cordial, but there was no deal. "More sizzle than steak in that meeting," he said late Tuesday.

"The reality is you need 218 votes to pass a bill and the way this bill is currently constructed, it will not have that because it does not adequately the issue of SALT," said Rep. Mike Lawler, R-N.Y.

The lawmakers believe they have leverage in the talks because without a deal, the $10,000 limit established under the 2017 tax bill expires at the end of the year and reverts to no cap at all.

"These things are in negotiation," LaLota said, adding that his constituents "shouldn't be asked to pay for the large amount of the bill like the were asked to pay for it eight years ago."

But as Johnson and the lawmakers edge closer to a SALT deal, the conservatives are balking that their priorities must also be met.

Rep. Eric Burlison, R-Mo., said he's a no for now, but would be working to improve the bill so that he could support it.

SPEAKER of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., speaks during a news conference at the Capitol, Tuesday, May 6, 2025, in Washington.

Photo:Rod Lamkey, Jr./AP

EPA announces rollback for some Biden-era limits on ‘forever chemicals’ in drinking water

By MICHAEL PHILLIS Associated Press

THE Environmental Protection Agency said Wednesday that it plans to weaken limits on some "forever chemicals" in drinking water that were finalized last year, while maintaining standards for two common ones. The Biden administration set the first federal drinking water limits for PFAS, or perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances, finding they increased the risk of cardiovascular disease, certain cancers and babies being born with low birth weight. Those limits on PFAS, which are human-made and don't easily break down in nature, were expected to reduce their levels for millions of people. Limits on three types of PFAS, including what are known as GenX substances found in North Carolina, will be scrapped and reconsidered by the agency, as will a limit on a mixture of several types of PFAS. The Biden administration's rule also set standards for the two common types of PFAS, referred to as PFOA and PFOS, at 4 parts per trillion, effectively the lowest level at which they can be reliably detected. The EPA will keep those standards, but give utilities

two extra years — until 2031 — to comply.

"We are on a path to uphold the agency's nationwide standards to protect Americans from PFOA and PFOS in their water. At the same time, we will work to provide commonsense flexibility in the form of additional time for compliance," said EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin.

The development was first reported by The Washington Post.

Large scale changes and utility pushback It appears few utilities will be impacted by the withdrawal of limits for certain, newer types of PFAS. So far, sampling has found

nearly 12% of U.S. water utilities are above the Biden administration's limits. But most utilities face problems with PFOA or PFOS.

Health advocates praised Biden's administration for the limits. But water utilities complained, saying treatment systems are expensive and that customers will end up paying more. The utilities sued the EPA. The EPA's actions align with some arguments in the utilities' lawsuit. They argued the EPA lacked authority to regulate a mixture of PFAS and said the agency didn't properly support limits on several newer types of PFAS that the EPA now plans to rescind. They

also sought the two-year extension.

Erik Olson, a senior strategist at the nonprofit Natural Resources Defense Council, said the move is illegal. The Safe Water Drinking Act gives the EPA authority to limit water contaminants, and it includes a provision meant to prevent new rules from being looser than previous ones.

"With a stroke of the pen, EPA is making a mockery of the Trump administration's promise to deliver clean water for Americans," Olson said. President Donald Trump has sought fewer environmental rules and more oil and gas development. EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin has carried out that agenda by announcing massive regulatory rollbacks. The EPA plans to loosen regulations for greenhouse gas emissions, cleanup standards for coal plant waste and car emission limits, among many other clean air and water rules.

Zeldin's history with PFAS is more nuanced; during his time as a New York congressman, he supported legislation to regulate forever chemicals.

Evidence of harm builds and so does the cost

Manufactured by companies like Chemours and 3M, PFAS were incredibly useful in many applications -– among them, helping clothes to withstand rain and ensuring that firefighting foam snuffed out flames. But the chemicals also accumulate in the body. As science advanced in recent years, evidence of harm at far lower levels became clearer.

The Biden-era EPA estimated the rule will cost about $1.5 billion to implement each year. Water utility associations say the costs, combined with recent mandates to replace lead pipes, will raise residents' bills and fall hardest on small communities with few resources.

The Biden administration did work to address cost concerns. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law provided $9 billion for chemicals like PFAS,

utilities have won multibillion-dollar settlements against PFAS polluters.

Utilities see partial relief, activists see a backslide

Some utilities have been surprised to find out they are over limits. And small water providers might struggle with compliance costs and expertise.

"This gives water pros more time to deal with the ones we know are bad, and we are going to need more time. Some utilities are just finding out now where they stand," said Mike McGill, president of WaterPIO, a water industry communications firm.

Some utilities wanted a higher limit on PFOA and PFOS, according to Mark White, drinking water leader at the engineering firm CDM Smith. He suspects the utility industry will continue to sue over those limits. Environmental groups will likely file challenges, too.

Melanie Benesh, vice president of government affairs at the nonprofit Environmental Working Group, said utilities may not have to install treatment that's as broadly effective if they just have to focus on two types of older PFAS.

"You really reduce what utilities have to do to make sure that the other, newer generation PFAS are captured" she said.

When the Biden administration announced its rule, the head of the EPA traveled to North Carolina and was introduced by activist Emily Donovan, who said she was grateful for the first federal standards. She had long campaigned for tougher rules for GenX substances that had contaminated a local river.

Now the EPA says it will roll back those GenX limits.

"This current administration promised voters it would 'Make America Healthy Again' but rescinding part of the PFAS drinking water standards does no such thing," she said.

TRUMP APPEALS FOR QATAR’S HELP IN PERSUADING IRAN TO

GIVE UP ITS NUCLEAR

By ZEKE MILLER, JON GAMBRELL and AAMER MADHANI Associated Press

PRESIDENT Donald Trump urged Qatar on Wednesday to use its influence over Iran to persuade the country's leadership to reach an agreement with the U.S. to dial back its rapidly advancing nuclear program.

Trump, who is visiting the Gulf nation as part of a three-country Mideast swing, made the appeal during a state dinner held in his honor by Qatar's emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani.

Qatar over the years has played the role of intermediary between the U.S. and Iran and its proxies, including during talks with Tehran-backed Hamas as its 19-month war with Israel grinds on.

"I hope you can help me with the Iran situation," Trump said during remarks at the formal dinner. "It's a perilous situation, and we want to do the right thing."

Trump wants Iran to stop backing militant proxy groups

The appeal to Qatar came after Trump told leaders at a Gulf Cooperation Council meeting earlier Wednesday in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, that he wants "to make a deal," but Tehran must end its support of proxy groups throughout the Mideast as part of any potential agreement.

The U.S. and Iran brokered a nuclear deal in 2015, during Democrat Barack Obama's administration, in which Iran agreed to drastically reduce its stockpile of uranium and only enrich up to 3.67%. But that deal was scrapped during the first Trump administration.

Today, Iran enriches up to 60%, a short, technical step from weapons-grade levels, and has enough stockpiled for multiple nuclear bombs should it choose to build them.

The Qatari emir did not directly address the Iran issue in his public appearances with Trump. Instead, he focused on the potential to expand the U.S.-Qatar defense and economic partnership to "another level of relations."

The U.S. and Iran have engaged in four rounds of talks since early last month about the country's nuclear program. Trump has said that he believes brokering a nuclear deal is possible but that the window is closing. At the state dinner, he called on Iran's leadership to "get moving" or risk the situation spiraling into a head-on conflict.

"Because things like that get started and they get out

PROGRAM

The call for Iran to cease support of Hamas in Gaza, Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Houthis in Yemen comes as that proxy network has faced significant setbacks in the 19 months since Hamas launched its Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel.

In Iran, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi called Trump's remarks "deceitful" but did not directly address his demands.

Trump said that he also believed the moment was ripe "for a future free from the grip of Hezbollah terrorists." Hezbollah is severely weakened after its war last year with Israel in which much of its top leadership was killed and after losing a key ally with the fall of former Syrian President Bashar Assad, a conduit for Iran to send arms.

Lifting sanctions on Syria

While in Riyadh, Trump

"Because things like that get started and they get out of control. I've seen it over and over again. They go to war and things get out of control, and we're not going to let that happen."

Donald

Trump

Trump said he decided to meet with al-Sharaa after being encouraged to do so by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. He also pledged to lift yearslong sanctions on Syria.

The White House billed the al-Sharaa meeting as a brief "pull aside" that ended up lasting 33 minutes.

Trump told reporters that the meeting went "great" and described him as a "young, attractive guy" with a "very strong past."

"He's got a real shot at holding it together," Trump said.

and led al-Qaida's branch called the Nusra Front. He changed the name of his group to Hayat Tahrir alSham and cut links with al-Qaida.

The sanctions go back to the rule of Bashar Assad, who was ousted in December, and were intended to inflict major pain on his economy.

Qatar rolls out the red carpet for Trump

of control," Trump said. "I've seen it over and over again. They go to war and things get out of control, and we're not going to let that happen."

Trump in his appearance at the Gulf Cooperation Council meeting in Riyadh also said that Tehran "must stop sponsoring terror, halt its bloody proxy wars and permanently and verifiably cease pursuit of nuclear weapons" as conditions for any deal.

also met with Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa, a face-to-face engagement with the onetime insurgent leader who spent years imprisoned by U.S. forces after being captured in Iraq. Al-Sharaa was named president of Syria in January, a month after a stunning offensive by insurgent groups led by al-Sharaa's Hayat Tahrir al-Sham stormed Damascus and ended the 54-year rule of the Assad family.

Formerly known by the nom de guerre Abu Mohammed al-Golani, alSharaa joined the ranks of al-Qaida insurgents battling U.S. forces in Iraq after the U.S.-led invasion. He still faces a warrant for his arrest on terrorism charges in Iraq. The U.S. once offered $10 million for information about his whereabouts because of his links to al-Qaida.

Al-Sharaa returned to his home country of Syria after the conflict began in 2011

In Qatar, Trump was greeted at the airport by Al Thani. Air Force One was escorted by Qatari F-15 jets as it neared Doha, the capital city. As he sat down for talks at Amiri Diwan, the administrative office of the emir, Trump told the Qatari leader he was impressed with the "perfecto" marble as well as the camels that took part in the arrival ceremony.

The emir said he had high hopes for Trump's efforts with Iran and at ending the war in Gaza.

"I know that you are a man of peace," he said.

"I know that you want to bring peace to this region."

Qatar, like the other Gulf Arab states, is an autocratic

NOTICE

nation where political parties are banned and speech is tightly controlled. But Qatar has also served as valuable partner to the U.S. The country is also home to Al-Udeid Air Base, a sprawling facility that hosts the forward headquarters of the U.S. military's Central Command.

The oil-and-gas rich country is also in the center of a controversy over its offer to provide Trump with the gift of a luxury Boeing 747-8 that the U.S. could use as Air Force One while new versions of the plane are under construction by Boeing.

The Qatari government has said a final decision hasn't been made. Trump has defended the idea even as critics argue it would amount to a president accepting an astonishingly valuable gift from a foreign government.

Trump has indicated he would refurbish the aircraft and it would later be donated to his post-White House presidential library. He says he would not use the plane once he leaves office.

Re: Supreme Court Equity Action No. 2024/00737

The Petition of Denise Lightbourne in respect of ALL THAT piece, parcel or lot of land owned by the Petitioner and situate on the Eastern side of Collection Street and approximately 400 feet Southwards of Robinson Road in the Southern District of the island of New Providence which said piece parcel or lot of land is bounded on the North by a public road (Collection Street) and running thereon Sixty (60) feet East by the said Lot 82 and running thereon Seventy (70) feet on the South by the said Lot No. 76 and running thereon Sixty (60) feet and on the West by Lot No. 84 and running thereon Seventy (70) feet which said piece parcel or lot of land is more particularly described on or by the plan or diagram filed in this action.

Denise Lightbourne claims to be the legal owner in possession of the land and has made application to the Supreme Court of the Bahamas under the Quieting Titles Act to have his title to the land investigated.

The filed plan may be inspected during normal working hours at:-

a) The Registry of the Supreme Court, George Streets, Nassau, N. P., Bahamas; or b) Themis Law Chambers, 79 Farrington Road, Nassau, Bahamas.

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that any person having any adverse claim or claim not recognized in the Petition shall on or before the 30th day of June, A. D. 2025, file in the Registry of the Supreme Court and serve on the Petitioner or the undersigned a statement of such claim in the prescribed form and verified by an affidavit to be filed therewith. Failure of any such person to file and serve a statement of such claim on or before the 30th day of June, A. D. 2025, will operate as a bar to such claim.

PRESIDENT Donald Trump arrives with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for the group photo with Gulf Cooperation Council leaders during the GCC Summit in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Wednesday, May 14, 2025.

Photo:Alex Brandon/AP

Louisiana plant at the center of an environmental justice fight halts operations

By JACK BROOK Associated Press

A PETROCHEMICAL

plant in Louisiana accused of increasing cancer risks for a majority Black community indefinitely suspended operations largely due to the high cost of reducing toxic pollution.

Japanese firm Denka announced Tuesday that its synthetic rubber facility hemorrhaged more than $109 million in the past year. The company cited weakening demand, staffing challenges and rising costs as reasons why "improving profitability in the near term would be difficult."

Denka also attributed much of its financial woes to what it has described as "unfair and targeted" pollution control measures.

Last year, the Environmental Protection Agency sought to rein in dangerous chemical emissions from hundreds of facilities including Denka's. The Biden administration's environmental justice campaign spotlighted Denka's plant, located about 30 miles (48 kilometers) northwest of New Orleans in St. John the Baptist Parish.

Under the Trump administration, the EPA withdrew a federal lawsuit against Denka alleging it exposed a predominantly Black population to unacceptable cancer risk — the highest nationwide — from the facility's emissions of

chloroprene. Last year, officials shut down a nearby elementary school due to concerns about emissions exposure.

"I am elated that we are waking up every day now with no chloroprene in our air," said Tish Taylor, a local environmental activist. She added that she was under no illusion that the company was concerned about its impact on her community's health: "The petrochemical industry around us doesn't care about human beings. They care about their bottom line."

The cost to reduce pollution

Denka produces Neoprene, a synthetic rubber used in wetsuits, laptop sleeves and other common products.

In suspending operations, Denka cited the "significant cost" of "pollution control equipment to reduce chloroprene emissions," which the company said it "did not anticipate" when it purchased the facility from DuPont in 2015. The company also cited "a shortage of qualified staff necessary to operate new pollution control equipment and implement other emission reduction measures."

In court filings last year, Denka said it had spent more than $35 million on equipment to reduce emissions by 85% since 2017. But harmful emissions

consistently remained higher than federal guidelines.

Denka said it remains "deeply grateful" to Republican Gov. Jeff Landry, who supported the company last year as it fought an EPA rule mandating the facility swiftly reduce chloroprene emissions. While the Trump administration has pledged to rewrite this policy, the company noted the outcome remains uncertain.

Denka said it is working with Landry's administration to consider "all options," including "a potential sale of the business or its assets." But no decision had been made regarding a "permanent

The chair of Tesla sold stock worth $230 million while profits at Elon Musk’s carmaker plunged

A MODEL X sports-utility vehicle sits outside a Tesla store in Littleton, Colo., June 18, 2023.

Photo:David Zalubowski/AP

PUBLIC NOTICE

INTENT TO CHANGE NAME BY DEED POLL

The Public is hereby advised that I, SHAWN NELSON TREVOR ROLLE AND JENNIBIE ROLLE of Freeport, Grand Bahama, The Bahamas, Parents of AALIYAH NIAMA JANEA EVANS A minor intend to change our child’s name to AALIYAH NIAMA JANEA ROLLE. If there are any objections to this change of name by Deed Poll, you may write such objections to the Deputy Chief Passport Officer, P.O. Box N-742, Nassau, Bahamas no later than thirty (30) days after the date of publication of this notice.

NOTICE

NOTICE is hereby given that VINCE TERVEUS   of Hamster Road, Nassau, The Bahamas is applying to the Minister responsible for Nationality and Citizenship, for Registration Naturalization as a citizen of The Bahamas, and that any person who knows any reason why registration/naturalization should not be granted, should send a written and signed statement of the facts within twenty-eight days from the 15th day of May 2025 to the Minister responsible for nationality and Citizenship, P.O. Box N-7147, Nassau, New Providence, The Bahamas.

closure" of the facility or "workforce reductions."

Landry did not respond to a request for comment.

A market 'slowdown'

Denka said it "faces a sustained slowdown in the global market demand for Neoprene, along with increases in energy prices, raw materials, and repair work that have been exacerbated by inflation."

The company's statement noted "rising energy costs," "weakening global economic environment for chloroprene" and "supply chain disruptions" as other factors.

The Denka facility needed large amounts of chlorine to produce

By BERNARD CONDON AP Business Writer

THE chair of Tesla sold more than $230 million of company stock since Elon Musk’s endorsement of Donald Trump triggered boycotts and protests against his cars, sending its profits and stock price plunging.

More than half of Robyn Denholm’s cash haul came from sales in the first four months this year as Tesla stock fell by onethird, according to filings reviewed by The Associated Press. In total, she unloaded hundreds of thousands of shares — more than half her holdings as dictated by a pre-arranged selling plan filed with regulators as Musk began embracing right-wing politics.

Denholm filed that plan on July 25, the day

PUBLIC NOTICE

INTENT TO CHANGE NAME BY DEED POLL

The Public is hereby advised that I, SAMANTHA SARAH GREEN MOREE, of P.O. Box N-877 Eastern District, Nassau, The Bahamas. intend to change my name to SAMANTHA SARAH MOREE If there are any objections to this change of name by Deed Poll, you may write such objections to the Chief Passport Officer, P.O.Box N-742, Nassau, The Bahamas no later than thirty (30) days after the date of publication of this notice.

NOTICE

NOTICE is hereby given that VIAIRE TERVEUS   of Hamster Road, Nassau, The Bahamas is applying to the Minister responsible for Nationality and Citizenship, for Registration Naturalization as a citizen of The Bahamas, and that any person who knows any reason why registration/naturalization should not be granted, should send a written and signed statement of the facts within twenty-eight days from the 15th day of May 2025 to the Minister responsible for nationality and Citizenship, P.O. Box N-7147, Nassau, New Providence, The Bahamas.

NOTICE

Galleon Cove, Little Blair, Nassau, The Bahamas is applying to the Minister responsible for Nationality and Citizenship, for Registration Naturalization as a citizen of The Bahamas, and that any person who knows any reason why registration/naturalization should not be granted, should send a written and signed statement of the facts within twenty-eight days from the 8th day of May 2025 to the Minister responsible for nationality and Citizenship, P.O. Box N-7147, Nassau, New Providence, The Bahamas.

chloroprene, said George Eisenhauer, an analyst with commodities consulting company Argus Media. It costs more than twice as much to purchase and import chlorine into the U.S. as it does in other leading chloroprene production sites like Europe, Japan and China, he said.

The costs rose over the past few years after a major U.S. chlorine producer shut down, Eisenhauer added.

Trump's tariff policies have not significantly affected the price because chlorine is typically imported into the U.S. through Mexico or Canada.

Local activists remain wary

Musk endorsed Trump for president.

Denholm’s profits were likely outsized, too. That is because many of the shares she sold had been acquired through so-called options granted to her by Tesla years earlier that, given recent stock prices, allowed her to buy at a deep discount, according to data from research provider FactSet. Nearly a million shares acquired through options were bought for $25, less than a tenth of the market price for much of the last nine months.

The AP reached out to both Tesla and Denholm but did not receive an immediate reply.

A Denholm statement to The New York Times, which earlier reported on the insider sales, said that the share value of holdings by Tesla directors has jumped because the stock itself has soared, creating “outsized returns” for all shareholders.

It’s not clear why Denholm decided to cash out so much of her stake.

Pre-determined selling schedules are used by executives and directors as a way of telling investors that their selling isn’t based on insider information, which is illegal, or necessarily a sign that they have

Denka's facility is in the 85-mile (137-kilometer) stretch of the Mississippi River between New Orleans and Baton Rouge officially called the Mississippi River Chemical Corridor and commonly referred to by environmental groups as "Cancer Alley."

Robert Taylor, 84, and other environmental activists warily celebrated Denka's announcement. Taylor, who lives near the facility, pushed for stronger environmental regulations, only to watch the Trump administration roll them back.

"They have given these guys all the protection they need from advocacy groups like mine," he said, referring to the Trump administration. "So that's why I am a bit puzzled by the action they (Denka) are taking now."

He wondered whether the company would eventually resume operations or sell the plant to a company that could restart production.

"I think the community needs to be on guard and be prepared to continue our advocacy for our clean air and safe environment."

turned pessimistic about a company.

Denholm isn’t the only Tesla insider who has been selling. The chief financial officer and other directors have unloaded $189 million in stock in the same ninemonth period, according to FactSet data.

Tesla stock soared after Trump was elected in November on hopes that the president-elect’s close relations with Musk would translate to less regulatory scrutiny and bigger profits.

But Musk’s role as the government cost-cutting chief for Trump and his comments supporting extreme right-wing politicians in Europe have triggered a backlash among car buyers, and sales have sunk along with its stock. Tesla reported last month that profits in the first three months of the year plunged 71%.

The stock soared again after Musk, the company’s chief executive and biggest shareholder, said he would be stepping back from his Washington work to spend more time at the electric automaker.

Tesla closed at $347 a share Wednesday, up 4% for the day and more than 50% since its April low.

NOTICE

NOTICE is hereby given that MARLENE SHARPE   of #27 Marathon Estate, Nassau, The Bahamas is applying to the Minister responsible for Nationality and Citizenship, for Registration Naturalization as a citizen of The Bahamas, and that any person who knows any reason why registration/ naturalization should not be granted, should send a written and signed statement of the facts within twenty-eight days from the 15th day of May 2025 to the Minister responsible for nationality and Citizenship, P.O. Box N-7147, Nassau, New Providence, The Bahamas.

NOTICE

NOTICE is hereby given that MC NAIR TERVEUS   of Hamster Road, Nassau, The Bahamas is applying to the Minister responsible for Nationality and Citizenship, for Registration Naturalization as a citizen of The Bahamas, and that any person who knows any reason why registration/naturalization should not be granted, should send a written and signed statement of the facts within twenty-eight days from the 15th day of May 2025 to the Minister responsible for nationality and Citizenship, P.O. Box N-7147, Nassau, New Providence, The Bahamas.

THE FIFTH Ward Elementary School and residential neighborhoods sit near the Denka Performance Elastomer Plant, back left, in Reserve, La., Sept. 23, 2022.

Photo:Gerald Herbert/AP

STOCKS END MIXED ON WALL

STREET, HOLDING ON

TO

MOST

OF THE GAINS THEY MADE EARLIER IN THE WEEK

By DAMIAN J. TROISE and ALEX VEIGA AP Business Writers

A choppy day of trading on Wall Street ended with a mixed finish for stock indexes Wednesday, as gains by several big technology stocks helped temper losses.

The S&P 500 edged up 0.1% after wavering between small gains and losses much of the day. Most of the stocks in the index lost ground, but solid gains for several heavyweight technology companies like Nvidia helped counter a decline in health care and other sectors.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average slipped 0.2%, while the Nasdaq composite rose 0.7%.

Super Micro Computer surged 15.7% after signing a partnership agreement with Saudi Arabian data center company DataVolt. Advanced Micro Devices gained 4.7% after announcing a $6 billion stock buyback program.

Nvidia rose 4.2% and Google parent Alphabet added 3.7%.

Other big gainers included eToro Group, a retail trading platform for stocks and cryptocurrency. It rose 28.8% in its first day of trading.

The market has been relatively steady since its surge on Monday, which came after the U.S. and China entered a 90-day pause in their trade war. The market gained some more ground on Tuesday after the government reported that inflation unexpectedly cooled across the country in April. Additional updates on inflation and retail sales are expected on Thursday.

The benchmark S&P 500 index, which sits at the center many 401(k) accounts, has erased all its losses since President Donald Trump escalated his global trade war in early April. It has now also erased its losses for the year and is back to within 4.1% of its all-time high set in February.

“The stock market’s rally has legs, as the trade negotiation with China was seemingly the toughest one on the docket,” said Rick Gardner, chief investment officer at RGA Investments.

Trump has delayed a large swath of his most severe tariffs against America’s trading partners, but some import taxes remain in place. Uncertainty over the path ahead continues to hang over businesses and consumers. The on-againoff-again nature of Trump’s

TRADER Edward Curran works on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange, Wednesday, May 14, 2025.

Photo:Richard Drew/AP trade policy has left companies reluctant to make plans about investment and hiring and consumers nervous about spending.

Businesses continue to trim or withdraw their financial forecasts as they face unpredictable trade policy and cautious consumers.

American Eagle fell 6.4% after the retailer withdrew its financial outlook for the year citing “macro uncertainty.” General Motors, UPS, Kraft Heinz and JetBlue are among the many companies representing a wide range of industries that have warned about the impact of tariffs and a weakening economy.

More than 90% of companies in the S&P 500 have reported earnings for their latest quarter. The majority of companies have reported better-than-expected earnings, but forecasts for earnings growth during the current quarter have been broadly cut in half for companies in the index.

The economy has already showed signs of slowing. It shrank 0.3% during the first quarter amid a surge of imports as businesses and consumers tried to stock up amid tariffs and policy uncertainty.

Inflation remains a big concern. The latest data on consumer prices released Tuesday showed that tariffs haven’t had much impact

Legal Notice

GREEN LIMITED Registration No. 141838 B

BUSINESS COMPANIES ACT (No.45 of 2000) In Voluntary Liquidation

KEW GREEN LIMITED Registration No. 141838 B INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS COMPANIES ACT (No.45 of 2000) In Voluntary Liquidation

Notice is hereby given that in accordance with Section 138 (8) of the International Business Companies Act, No.45 of 2000, the dissolution of KEW GREEN LIMITED has been completed, a Certificate of Dissolution has been issued and the Company has therefore been struck off the Register. The date of completion of the Dissolution was 19th February, 2025 LEGAL NOTICE

yet. But that could change as the impact of current tariffs make their way through supply chains and delayed tariffs potentially go into effect. Inflation has cooled to just above the Federal Reserve’s target of 2%, but the threat of higher prices on goods because of import taxes has heightened worries about inflation heating up. The U.S. on Thursday will release its April report for inflation at the wholesale level, which is what companies are paying for goods. Economists expect an easing of inflation there. The latest update Thursday for retail sales is expected to reflect a sharp

drop

Notice is hereby given that, in accordance with Section 138 (8) of the International Business Companies Act, No.45 of 2000, the Dissolution of SOUTH CAPITAL LTD., has been completed, a Certificate of Dissolution has been issued and the Company has therefore been struck off the Register. The date of completion ofthe dissolution was the 10th day of December, 2024.

CALIFORNIA GOVERNOR OUTLINES $12 BILLION DEFICIT AND FREEZE ON IMMIGRANT HEALTH PROGRAM ACCESS

By TRÂN NGUYỄN Associated Press

CALIFORNIA is facing a $12 billion deficit that Gov. Gavin Newsom wants to help close by freezing enrollment in a state-funded health care program for immigrants living in California without legal status.

Newsom announced the deficit and his plans to cover it Wednesday as he outlined his nearly $322 billion state spending plan for the upcoming fiscal year. Beyond higher-thanexpected Medicaid spending, Newsom blamed broad economic uncertainty, including federal tariff policies and a volatile stock market. California relies heavily on revenue from a tax on capital gains.

Newsom, a Democrat, highlighted California's contributions to the U.S. and world economy and said President Donald Trump's economic policies

could reduce state revenues by $16 billion in the coming years.

"California is under assault," he said. "We have a president that's been reckless in terms of assaulting those growth engines."

He now opens budget negotiations with lawmakers. A final budget must be signed by the end of June.

Assembly Republican Leader James Gallagher criticized Newsom for blaming much of the state's budget woes on Trump.

"Newsom's finger-pointing on the budget shortfall is the biggest load of crap I've ever seen from a politician, and he shovels out a lot of it," Gallagher said. "We're in this mess because of his reckless spending, false promises, and failed leadership."

A freeze on immigrant health care

The decision highlights Newsom's struggle to protect his liberal policy

priorities against budget challenges in his final years on the job and as he weighs his next political move, which could include a presidential run.

Immigration has become a politically potent issue nationally. Nearly half of Americans approve of President Donald Trump's tougher immigration approach, according to an AP-NORC poll conducted in April. Meanwhile, Republicans in Congress have threatened to reduce Medicaid money for states that enroll immigrants living in the country illegally.

The freeze does not mean California is backing away from its support for immigrants, Newsom said.

"No state has done more than the state of California, no state will continue to do more than the state of California by a long shot. And that's a point of pride," he said.

DoorDash delivery driver pleads guilty to stealing $2.5 million in deliveries scam

A FORMER food deliv-

ery driver pleaded guilty to conspiring with others to steal more than $2.5 million from DoorDash by getting the company to pay for deliveries that never occurred, federal prosecutors said.

Sayee Chaitanya Reddy Devagiri pleaded guilty Tuesday in federal court in San Jose to a single count of

conspiracy to commit wire fraud, the U.S. Attorney's Office said. Devagiri, 30, of Newport Beach, California, admitted to working with three others in 2020 and 2021 to defraud the San Franciscobased delivery company, federal prosecutors said. Prosecutors said Devagiri used customer accounts to place high-value orders and then used an employee's credential to gain access to DoorDash software

and manually reassign the orders to driver accounts that he and others controlled. Devagiri then caused the fraudulent driver accounts to report that the orders had been delivered when they had not, and manipulated DoorDash's computer systems to pay the fraudulent driver accounts for the nonexistent deliveries, officials said. Devagiri would then use DoorDash software to change the orders from

California was among one of the first states to extend free health care benefits to all poor adults regardless of their immigration status last year, an ambitious plan touted by Newsom to help the nation's most populous state inch closer to a goal of universal health care. But the cost ran $2.7 billion more than the administration had anticipated. The state has more than 1.6 million people without legal status enrolled in its health care program this fiscal year, according to the budget.

Newsom in March suggested he was not considering rolling back health benefits for immigrants as the state was grappling with a $6.2 billion

"delivered" status to "in process" status and manually reassign the orders to driver accounts he and others controlled, beginning the process again, prosecutors said.

The now-former employee in the scam pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud in November 2023 and admitted to being involved in the scheme, prosecutors said. Devagiri is the third defendant to be convicted of his role in this conspiracy. He faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison and a fine of $250,000. He is scheduled to return to court on Sept. 16.

Medicaid shortfall. He also repeatedly defended the expansion, saying it saves the state money in the long run. The program is statefunded and does not use federal dollars.

Under Newsom's plan, low-income adults without legal status will no longer be eligible to apply for Medi-Cal, the state's Medicaid program, starting in 2026. Those who are already enrolled won't be kicked off their plans, and the changes won't impact children. Newsom didn't say how long the freeze would last.

"We believe that people should have some skin in the game as it relates to contributions," Newsom said. Newsom's office estimated the changes will save the state $5.4 billion by fiscal year 2028-2029.

The Medi-Cal expansion, combined with other factors such as rising pharmacy costs and larger enrollment by older people, has forced California to borrow and authorize new funding to plug the multibillion hole earlier this year.

Starting in 2027, adults with "unsatisfactory immigration status" on Medi-Cal will also have to pay a $100 monthly premium. The governor's office said that is in line with the average cost paid by those who are on subsidized heath plans through California's own marketplace. There is no premium for most people currently on Medi-Cal.

CALIF. Gov. Gavin Newsom presents his revised 2025-2026 state budget during a news conference in Sacramento, Calif., Wednesday, May 14, 2025. Photo:Rich Pedroncelli/AP

A DOORDASH sign is posted on the door of a Dunkin’ Donuts franchise, Feb. 27, 2023, in Methuen, Mass. DoorDash reports earnings on Thursday, Aug. 1, 2024.

Photo:Charles Krupa/AP

Hotline between military and air traffic controllers in Washington hasn’t worked for over 3 years

By JOSH FUNK Associated Press

A HOTLINE between military and civilian air traffic controllers in Washington, D.C., that hasn't worked for more than three years may have contributed to another near miss shortly after the U.S. Army resumed flying helicopters in the area for the first time since January's deadly midair collision between a passenger jet and a Black Hawk helicopter, Sen. Ted Cruz said at a hearing Wednesday.

The Federal Aviation Administration official in charge of air traffic controllers, Frank McIntosh, confirmed the agency didn't even know the hotline hadn't been working since March 2022 until after the latest near miss. He said civilian controllers still have other means of communicating with their military counterparts through landlines. Still, the FAA insists the hotline be fixed before helicopter flights resume around Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.

The Army didn't immediately comment Wednesday about the near miss earlier this month and the steps it is taking to ensure helicopter

flights in the area are safe or about the hotline.

The FAA said in a statement that the dedicated direct access line between air traffic controllers at Reagan and the Pentagon's Army heliport hasn't worked since 2022 because of the construction of a new tower at the Pentagon.

But the FAA said "the two facilities continue to communicate via telephone for coordination."

"The developments at DCA (Reagan airport) in its airspace are extremely

concerning," Cruz said.

"This committee remains laser-focused on monitoring a safe return to operations at DCA and making sure all users in the airspace are operating responsibly."

The Army suspended all helicopter flights around Reagan airport after the latest near miss, but McIntosh said the FAA was close to ordering the Army to stop flying because of the safety concerns before it did so voluntarily.

"We did have discussions if that was an option

NEWARK PROBLEMS AND RECENT CRASHES PUT FOCUS ON AIR TRAFFIC CONTROLLER SHORTAGE

AND AGING EQUIPMENT

By JOSH FUNK Associated Press

THE recent chronic delays and cancellations at New Jersey's largest airport have highlighted the shortage of air traffic controllers and the aging equipment they use, which President Donald Trump's administration wants to replace. The Federal Aviation Administration is working on a short-term fix to the problems at the Newark airport that includes technical repairs and cutting flights to keep traffic manageable while dealing with a shortage of controllers. Officials met with some of the airlines that fly out of Newark on Wednesday to discuss the plan, and those conversations will continue on Thursday.

But even before those problems, aviation was already in the spotlight ever since the deadly midair collision of a passenger jet and a U.S. Army helicopter above Washington, D.C., in January, and a string of other crashes and mishaps since then. The investigations into those crashes continue while the U.S. Department of Transportation tries to make progress on the long-standing issues of not having enough air traffic controllers and relying on outdated equipment.

A U.S. Senate hearing on Wednesday focused on the FAA's efforts. What happened in Newark?

Twice in the past twoand-a-half weeks, the radar and communications

systems that air traffic controllers in Philadelphia who direct planes in and out of Newark rely on failed for a short time. That happened because the main line that carries the radar signal down from another FAA facility in New York failed, and the backup line didn't work immediately.

So the controllers were left unable to see or talk to the planes around Newark Liberty International Airport for as long as 90 seconds on April 28 and May 9. The lines — some of which were old copper wires — failed a third time on Sunday, but that time the backup system worked and the radar stayed online.

The FAA's head of air traffic controllers, Frank McIntosh, said during the Senate hearing on

that we wanted to pursue," McIntosh told the Senate Commerce Committee at the hearing.

Jeff Guzzetti, a former NTSB and FAA accident investigator, said "the fact that they were unaware that this connection was not working for three years is troublesome." But he is not entirely clear on the purpose of the hotline when controllers had other ways to communicate.

But Guzzetti thinks the Army needs to be more forthcoming about what

crews work on recovering

Thursday, Feb. 6, 2025, in

it is doing to ensure the airspace around Washington remains safe. Since the crash, the Army has at times refused to provide information that Congress has asked for, and officials didn't answer all the questions at a previous hearing.

"The DCA airspace is under the white hot spotlight. So the Army's going to have to be more transparent and more assertive in their dealings with this problem," Guzzetti said.

According to a U.S. official, one course of action under consideration now is to have the Army give 24 hours notice of any flights around National Airport.

The official spoke on condition of anonymity because no decisions have been made and discussions are ongoing.

January's crash between an American Airlines jet and an Army helicopter killed 67 people — making it the deadliest plane crash on U.S. soil since 2001.

The National Transportation Safety Board has said there were an alarming 85 near misses around Reagan in the three years before

the crash that should have prompted action.

Since the crash, the FAA has tried to ensure that military helicopters never share the same airspace as planes, but controllers had to order two planes to abort their landings on May 1 because of an Army helicopter circling near the Pentagon.

"After the deadly crash near Reagan National Airport, FAA closed the helicopter route involved, but a lack of coordination between FAA and the Department of Defense has continued to put the flying public at risk," Sen. Tammy Duckworth said.

McIntosh said the helicopter should never have entered the airspace around Reagan airport without permission from an air traffic controller.

"That did not occur," he said. "My question — and I think the larger question is — is why did that not occur? Without compliance to our procedures and our policies, this is where safety drift starts to happen."

The NTSB is investigating what happened.

Wednesday that he believes the planes remained safe because of what they had been directed to do beforehand, but acknowledged that 90 seconds is "a long disruption for a radar screen to go blank or not to be able to talk to aircraft."

"I don't believe there was a heightened significant danger to the flying public.

But with that being said, from where I sit, we want to remove all risk to the flying public," McIntosh said. "And that is what's concerning to me is how do we remove any bit of that risk. And we need to make sure our contingencies are better placed."

The first of those stressful outages prompted five to seven controllers to take a 45-day trauma leave, worsening the existing staff shortage at the Philadelphia control facility and prompting the FAA to limit the number of flights in Newark each day.

The FAA currently has 22 fully certified air traffic controllers and five supervisors assigned to Newark in the Philadelphia facility, but the agency wants to have 38 controllers there. Another 21 controllers are in training there, and 10 of them are certified on at least part of the area.

What has been done in Newark?

The FAA quickly limited the number of flights in Newark to between 24 and 28 arrivals and the same number of departures every hour to ensure the remaining controllers could handle them safely. At times when controller staffing is especially lean, like Monday, the FAA is limiting traffic even further. Before the problems, 38 or 39 flights would take off and land every hour in Newark. McIntosh said at the Senate hearing that on Monday, there were only three controllers on duty in Philadelphia for about an hour because some had taken sick leave and others had unplanned leave. That put the facility well below the minimum of seven controllers the FAA wants and led to average delays of more than 90 minutes as the agency limited flights.

The meetings FAA officials are having with all the airlines are focused on a plan that continues limiting takeoffs and landings to no more than 28 apiece an hour until at least mid-June. By then, a runway construction project should be wrapped

up, and the controllers who took trauma leave would be scheduled to return. After that, the FAA has said it might be able to bump up the limit to 34 arrivals and 34 departures an hour. Meanwhile, the number of flights a day must be cut because the airport can't handle everyone on the schedule. That's why Newark has generally led the nation in cancellations and delays in recent weeks — more than 100 flights were cancelled there Wednesday. After the FAA meets with the airlines, it will give them a couple of weeks to submit information in writing, so it likely won't issue a decision before May 28. The FAA said Wednesday that it is meeting with United Airlines, Delta Air Lines, JetBlue Airways, American Airlines, Alaska Airlines, Spirit Airlines and Allegiant Air about the Newark schedule. United has a major hub in Newark and has been vocal about the need for the FAA to manage the schedule at the airport more closely. United has already cut 35 flights from its daily schedule at the airport. The FAA has been able to install new fiber optic lines at Newark airport and the two other major airports in the New York area — Kennedy International and LaGuardia — but those are still being tested and won't come online until the end of the month. Officials were able to update some computer software last week that kept the radar from going offline a third time on Sunday when the primary line failed yet again.

Longer-term, the FAA is also planning to build a new radar system in Philadelphia, so that controllers there won't have to rely on the signal piped down from New York anymore. But that might not be done for months, although officials are working with contractors to speed up that project. A third data line is also being added to the facility as an additional backup.

SALVAGE

wreckage near the site in the Potomac River of a mid-air collision between an American Airlines jet and a Black Hawk helicopter at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport,

Arlington, Va.

Photo:Jose Luis Magana/AP

TRAVELERS check into their flights at Newark Liberty International Airport in Newark, N.J., Monday, May 5, 2025.

Photo:Seth Wenig/AP