Obama Makes History In Hiroshima

The president arrived in the Japanese city Friday, making him the first sitting U.S. president to visit the scene where the first atomic weapon was used in warfare. Obama will not be issuing an apology for the bombing, but is expected to use his speech to honor all those who died in World War II, and emphasize the current strength of U.S.-Japanese ties. Sponsored by: EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW, RIGHT NOW. #IBTPulse --------------------------------------------------------------- Obama In Historic Hiroshima Visit The president arrived in the Japanese city Friday, making him the first sitting U.S. president to visit the scene where the first atomic weapon was used in warfare. Obama will not be issuing an apology for the bombing, but is expected to use his speech to honor all those who died in World War II, and emphasize the current strength of U.S.-Japanese ties. Is A June Rate Hike Coming? Investors will closely watch Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen when she delivers a speech in Massachusetts later Friday, after a chorus of Fed officials raised the prospect of a June rate hike this week. Calls for a June hike could get another boost Friday too, when a second reading of U.S. first-quarter GDP is released, with the troubling 0.5 percent growth figure expected to be revised up to a more palatable 0.9 percent. Olympic Athletes Under The Zika Microscope Public health officials have long said more research on the Zika virus, which can cause birth defects, is sorely needed. Now a group of researchers studying the disease have a rare, if unorthodox, opportunity to get vital information about how long the infection can remain in humans, by studying athletes visiting Rio for the Olympics. Iran’s Reformist-Dominated Parliament To Be Sworn In The Islamic Republic’s newly elected parliament will be sworn in Saturday. The assembly, which has limited powers, will still offer a boost to reformist President Hassan Rouhani: it not only has the fewest number of clerics than at any time since 1979, it also includes a record number of women. The parliament is likely to play a key role in deciding whether Rouhani gets a second term in office. HERE'S WHAT YOU MISSED LAST NIGHT. It’s Now A Hate Crime To Attack Police In Louisiana Louisiana became the first U.S. state Thursday to declare assaulting public safety workers a hate crime, when Gov. John Bel Edwards, a Democrat, signed a so-called “Blue Lives Matter” bill into law. The new law provides for enhanced penalties for those convicted of assaulting police, paramedics or firefighters, similar to the penalties that apply to those convicted of targeting victims for their gender, race, age, religion or sexual orientation. Google Beats Oracle In $9B Android Trial Google clinched a major victory Thursday in a long-running copyright battle with Oracle Corp. over Android software used to run most of the world’s smartphones. A jury unanimously upheld claims by Google that its use of Oracle’s Java development platform to create Android was protected under the fair-use provision of copyright law, bringing the trial to a close without Oracle winning any of the $9 billion in damages it requested. Putin’s Approval Lowest In 2 Years: 80% With Russia’s economy in tatters, battered by sanctions and low oil prices, and living standards in decline, President Vladimir Putin is feeling the political heat, sort of. The strongman has seen his approval ratings dip, albeit to a level that most Western leaders could only dream of, to 80 percent. For comparison, President Obama has an average approval rating of 47 percent for his two terms combined so far. US Sees First Bacteria Resistant To All Antibiotics U.S. health officials on Thursday reported the first case in the country of a patient with an infection resistant to all known antibiotics, and expressed grave concern that the superbug could pose serious danger for routine infections if it spreads. AND THEN THERE'S THIS... What Happens When A TV Addict Tries To Cut The Cord? One of our esteemed TV writers who, by her own admission, watches a crazy amount of TV for both business and pleasure decided to cut the cord for a month, and go without. Here’s what happened. Under Pressure, UN Cuts Barrier Reef From Climate Report The Great Barrier Reef — the world’s largest living structure — has suffered severe damage from climate change-induced coral bleaching in recent years. So there was widespread bafflement when a new U.N. report on how climate change is affecting world heritage sites failed to mention the reef even once. Now it appears the decision to cut references to the reef came after pressure from a surprising source. 7 Hanover Square, 5th Floor, New York, NY 10004 © 2015 IBT Media Inc. All Rights Reserved. Please add pulse@ibt-mail.com to your contacts [Unsubscribe] | Privacy Policy