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- [00:01]
Korva Coleman
Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Korva Coleman. Stocks opened mix this morning as McDonald's reported better than expected earnings for the first few months of the year. NPR's Scott Horsley reports. The Dow Jones industrial average slipped about 50 points in early trading.
- [00:16]
Scott Horsley
McDonald's has been wooing cost conscious customers with a new $3 value menu as well as a discount breakfast meal for $4. The fast food giant says sales at its existing restaurants rose during the first quarter by 3.8%. Crude oil prices have come down a bit on hopes snarled tanker traffic in the Strait of Hormuz could start flowing soon. Retail gasoline prices, however, continue to climb. AAA says the average price of regular gas rose 2 cents overnight to about $4.56 a gallon. New applications for unemployment benefits rose last week as 200,000 people applied for aid. We'll get a more complete picture of the US Job market tomorrow when the Labor Department issues its monthly jobs report. Scott Horsley, NPR News, Washington.
- [00:56]
Korva Coleman
Campaign staffers bet on their own candidates and made thousands of dollars on prediction markets. As NPR's Luke Garrett reports exclusively, these staffers use inside campaign information to bet with an edge and win big.
- [01:12]
Luke Garrett
Two campaign staffers, granted anonymity for fear of retribution, said the method is simple. Campaign staffers would get an unreleased poll, use it to buy advantageous event contracts and then sell their contracts once the poll was released and their contract price. So one staffer admitted to doing this themselves. They won thousands and their bet was verified by prediction market data reviewed by npr. Current law bars prediction market betters from using insider information to make money. But former commissioner at the Commodities Future Trading Commission, Kristen Johnson, doubted that the agency could police, quote, election positions. These bets raise serious questions about how campaign operatives can turn private information into a quick payday amid an unsettled legal landscape for prediction markets. Luke Garrett, NPR News, Washington.
- [01:58]
Korva Coleman
There is new research on cell phone bans in schools across the United States and their effectiveness. More than two thirds of states have implemented some type of restrictions. NPR's Sequoia Carrillo reports on the latest findings from the National Bureau of Economic Research.
- [02:16]
Sequoia Carrillo
This week's study found that states with restrictions saw dramatically reduced cell phone activity in schools. Teachers reported that the number of students using cell phones in class dropped on average from 61 13%. On the other hand, the research found that the bans had a, quote, close to zero effect on test scores. But Thomas De, a professor of economics at Stanford and a co author on this study, characterized this research as the first draft of a new approach to schooling. Even though these bans are very popular with teachers and across party lines, this is new territory. Sequoia Carrillo, NPR News.
- [02:52]
Korva Coleman
On Wall street, the Dow Jones industrial average is down about 22 points. This is NPR. Iran's Foreign Ministry says Iranian officials are examining the Trump administration's latest proposal to end the war. The details have not yet been made public. Officials in several countries are hurriedly trying to trace passengers who were on a cruise ship where the rare hantavirus has been found. Three passengers have died. Several others are sick. The cruise ship operator says about 40 people disembarked. And after the first passenger died, there was a fire in New York City this week at the famous Eugene o' Neill Theater. The century old building now has water, smoke and electrical damage. The current production running there is the hit Book of Mormon. Jeff London reports. Producers say that they want to reopen the show on May 19.
- [03:48]
Jeff London
The primary damage was to the lighting booth high at the back of the theater where the spotlights are operated, but firefighters also had to cut to the roof to put out the blaze. The New York Fire Department issued a full vacate order as the theater's owners repair the damage. The fire's cause hasn't been determined. The show's producers say they hope the Book of Mormon can resume performances on May 19 so that the production can celebrate its 15th anniversary with nightly cameos from the show's original cast and writers beginning in June. An official announcement of when performances will resume is expected next. For NPR News, I'm Jeff London in New York.
- [04:32]
Korva Coleman
I get on Wall street, the Dow is now down about 10 points. The Nasdaq is up about 90. This is NPR.
- [04:40]
NPR Announcer
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