Cesar Sayoc pleaded guilty on Thursday to 65 criminal counts for sending pipe bombs to 16 critics or opponents of President Trump, including Hillary Clinton, Joe Biden, billionaire George Soros and 2 CNN bureaus, the AP reports.
Details: Prosecutors cited evidence connecting the 57-year-old Florida man to the crime that included DNA linking and fingerprints. Sayoc, who was charged with using weapons of mass destruction and illegal mailing of explosives with intent to kill, still faces a possible life sentence, but will no longer go on trial as scheduled in July.
Lion Air of Indonesia reportedly is prepping a domestic IPO that could raise upwards of $1 billion.
Why it matters: The news comes less than five months after a Lion Air flight crashed, killing all 189 people aboard and sparking the investigation into Boeing's 737 MAX aircraft line.
President Trump roiled markets yesterday when he said his administration would likely keep tariffs on Chinese goods until he's certain Beijing is fully cooperating with the terms of a trade deal. That could mean years of negotiation, acrimony and tariffs, given the nature of the changes being discussed.
The big picture: A trade agreement between Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping is just one piece of a wide-ranging confrontation between the world's top economies.
More than 90% of doctors and other clinicians participating in Medicare's new payment system received bonuses in the first year of its rollout. That includes 71% who were "exceptional," according to a report from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.
The big picture: The goal of this system is to encourage doctors, nurse practitioners and others to provide better care.
President Trump said he plans to keep tariffs in place on Chinese goods for a "substantial period of time," possibly even after a trade deal is forged to ensure Beijing's compliance, Bloomberg reports.
Why it matters: China has been pushing the Trump administration to eliminate tariffs in any forthcoming deal, so the president's comments are certainly not a carrot for China's end of the bargain. Despite that, Trump said the trade negotiations are "coming along nicely."
The Business Roundtable's first quarter survey of more than 130 of the nation's top CEOs showed that chief executives dialed back expectations that they would see increased revenue, hire more workers and invest in capital expenditures over the next six months.
Why it matters: This marks the fourth consecutive quarter that the BRT's Economic Outlook Index has dropped.Sentiment surveys like these are watched closely because of their forward-looking nature, which could hint at what's ahead for the economy. If companies do rein in plans for hiring and spending — key drivers of growth — it could have big implications for an economy that's already feared to be slowing.
Levi Strauss is expected to price its IPO on Wednesday night, kicking off what should be a banner year for mega-listings.
Buzz: Reports are that the denim giant has strong investor interest that could push above its $14–$16 indicative range, the top end of which would raise around $586 million at an initial market cap of nearly $6.2 billion.
Nexstar agreed Wednesday morning to divest 19 of its local TV stations in 15 markets across the country in order to gain regulatory approval in its deal to acquire Tribune Media.
Why it matters: Regulators have rules about how many stations one operator can own in a single market, so that they can ensure a diversity of voices exists in each community. Nexstar is divesting these stations to get the merger approved under these rules.
Mozambique has declared a state of emergency after flooding that followed Cyclone Idai.
Backdrop: The storm has destroyed an estimated "90%" of Mozambique's fourth-largest city, Beira, which has a population of nearly half a million. So far 1.5 million people have been displaced or otherwise affected by the storm.
