Presidential debate: All major television networks will broadcast tonight's presidential debate, hosted by CNN. The debate will take place at CNN studios in Atlanta. President Biden and President Donald Trump have agreed to two debates, with the second to be hosted by ABC News on September 10. There will be no studio audience for tonight's debate, and the microphones of those not speaking will be muted to prevent any out-of-turn comments being heard.
Walgreens Financials: Walgreens announced it would close a significant number of its roughly 8,000 stores to improve its financial position. At the same time, the chain reported third-quarter sales of $36.4 billion, up 2.5% from a year ago. Walgreens' third quarter ended May 30. Its third-quarter operating income was $111 million, compared with an operating loss of $477 million in the same period last year. CEO Tim Wentworth said the company continues to face a challenging operating environment. He said the company will focus on improving its core business, retail pharmacy.
Jobless claims: Some economic forecasters suggest that today's unemployment figure indicates a strong employment situation in the U.S. and will put pressure on the Federal Reserve to refrain from cutting interest rates this year. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, there were 233,000 new claims for unemployment insurance during the week ending June 22, down from 6,000 the previous week. The seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for the week ending June 15 was 1.2%, unchanged from the previous week. For the week ending June 15, Connecticut recorded the largest increase in new claims with an increase of 2,168.
Attempted coup: Brazilian General Juan José Zúñiga, who was removed from his position as commander of the Brazilian army on Tuesday, attempted a coup yesterday to overthrow the government. Zúñiga led military forces in an attack on the presidential palace. The coup attempt failed and Zúñiga was arrested, handcuffed and taken away in a police vehicle. Zúñiga claimed the coup attempt was ordered by Brazil's president as a ploy to increase his own popularity. Brazil is facing economic problems and there is growing unrest in the country.
Trump Email: Donald Trump's campaign sent out a fundraising email alleging that Trump was tortured while under arrest and having his mug shot taken at Fulton County Jail in Georgia. Trump traveled to Fulton County for arrest on charges he is involved in a criminal conspiracy to overturn the results of the 2020 election in Georgia. Trump's appearance at the Fulton County Jail lasted approximately 20 minutes, and there was no evidence in the video or photographs that he was tortured in jail. Trump has never previously alleged torture, nor has he filed any complaints against jail officials.
Boeing 737: The National Transportation Safety Board says Boeing violated rules by releasing details of the Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 crash to the press while the safety board's investigation was ongoing. As a party to the investigation, Boeing is required to keep the information confidential. Boeing said the door plug that blew off while the plane was in flight was missing four bolts that were supposed to secure the plug. Boeing said the bolts were not installed because it didn't have a work order instructing workers to install the bolts.
