>>Survey: Economists Divided On Where Economy's Heading
(Washington, DC) -- Top economists are divided on where the U.S. economy is heading this year as inflation remains high and job growth stays robust. The latest National Association for Business Economics survey shows a "significant divergence" among respondents on the outlook of the economy. However, a majority of economists surveyed believe there will be a recession this year. Nearly 60-percent of survey panelists said they believe the chance of a recession in the next 12 months is more than 50-percent. Inflation is expected to stay above the Federal Reserve's target rate of two-percent, although economists expect inflation to slow over the course of 2023 and 2024.
>>White House Confident In Legality Of Student Loan Forgiveness Program
(Washington, DC) -- The White House says it's confident in its legal authority to roll out its student loan forgiveness program. The Supreme Court will hear arguments today on President Biden's plan to forgive an estimated 400-billion dollars in student loan debt. White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said the program will give tens of millions of Americans more breathing room to start a family or buy a home. The program would cancel ten-thousand dollars in debt for those earning less than 125-thousand dollars per year and up to 20-thousand for those who received Pell Grants. Those challenging the plan in court, including several Republican-led states, argue the move is an abuse of executive authority.
>>Tesla, Musk Sued Over Self-Driving Tech
(San Francisco, CA) -- Tesla and its CEO Elon Musk are being sued by shareholders who say they overhyped the effectiveness and safety of the electric automaker's self-driving tech. The proposed class action suit filed in a federal court in San Francisco Monday accuses Tesla of defrauding the shareholders with false and misleading statements about the technology - technology that is potentially linked with several fatal crashes. The plaintiffs say its driven the stock price down, leading to significant losses.
>>Gov. DeSantis Signs Bill Revamping Disney's Self-Governing Board
(Lake Buena Vista, FL) -- A bill shifting control of the board that governs Disney World to the state of Florida is now in effect. Republican Governor Ron DeSantis signed off on the measure Monday. The governor is also appointing five members to the board. The action comes after DeSantis and Republicans sparred with Disney last year over a Florida law restricting classroom instruction on gender and sexual orientation in kindergarten through 3rd grade.
>>TD Bank Pays $1.2 Billion To Settle Ponzi Scheme Lawsuit
(Cherry Hill, NJ) -- TD Bank is paying over a billion dollars to settle a lawsuit about its alleged involvement in a Ponzi scheme. The money will pay back victims of disgraced financier Allen Stanford's scheme. He was sentenced more than a decade ago to 110 years in prison for selling fraudulent certificates of deposit. The lawsuit blames TD Bank for collecting those deposits and ignoring the suspicious activity.
