Amazon Inc. to buy Whole Food Market Inc.

Amazon.com Inc said it would buy Whole Foods Market Inc (WFM.O) in a deal valued at about $13.7 billion, including debt. The $42 per share offer represents a premium of 27 percent to the upmarket grocery chain's Thursday close. Whole Foods shares were halted at $32.77 in premarket trading, while Amazon's shares were up 0.5 percent at $969. Excluding debt, the deal is valued at $13.39 billion, based on 318.9 million diluted shares outstanding as of April 9. The grocer will continue to operate stores under the Whole Foods Market brand, the companies said. John Mackey will continue as chief executive of Whole Foods, and the company's headquarters will remain in Austin, Texas. Amazon and Whole Foods expect to close the deal during the second half of 2017.

Apple Inc. hires Sony pictures co-president

Apple Inc said on Friday it hired co-presidents of Sony Pictures Television, Jamie Erlicht and Zack Van Amburg, to lead its video programing efforts. The duo, responsible for shows such "Breaking Bad", "Better Call Saul", "The Crown" and "The Blacklist", have been Sony Pictures presidents since 2005. "Jamie and Zack are two of the most talented TV executives in the world and have been instrumental in making this the golden age of television," said Eddy Cue, Apple's senior vice president of Internet Software and Services. Apple began its long-awaited move into original television series last week, with a reality show called "Planet of the Apps", an unscripted show about developers trying to interest celebrity mentors with a 60-second pitch on an escalator. The company's future programing plans include an adaptation of comedian James Corden's "Carpool Karaoke" segment from his CBS (CBS.N) show that will begin airing in August, as well as a documentary about Sean Combs in June and another about Clive Davis in a few months.

Parents to be jailed for giving children western names

Parents in Egypt could soon be sentenced to six months in jail for giving their children ‘Western’ names such as ‘Mark’, ‘Lara’ and ‘Sam’. A draft law banning the use of ‘foreign names’ was introduced by MP Bedier Abdel Aziz and discussed by his country’s parliament yesterday. According to the Egypt Independent, he said “The fine should be between LE1,000- LE5,000($60-$300) and the sentence should be six months at the most. Using such Western names and abandoning Arabic ones will lead to an undesired and radical change in our society and culture. Our sons will no longer be connected to their true identity,” he claimed. As for what motivated him to propose this law, MP Abdel-Aziz explained that Western names such as ‘Lara’, Mark’ or ‘Sam’ are difficult to pronounce for other Arabs. The draft law has caused massive outrage among social media users who have expressed their condemnation, citing it as a trivial matter that the Parliament should not discuss.

Buhari, Nigeria's President too sick even to see wife

President Muhammadu Buhari was not allowed to see his wife, Aisha, during her recent visit to the United Kingdom, presidency sources have disclosed. In the stunning disclosure, the sources affirmed that the president has been kept away from several of his aides and even those bodyguards who supposedly travelled with him. The President’s Chief of Staff, Abba Kyari who also frequents London to take care of himself, is still the manipulator-in-chief, according to the sources. Furthermore, It was learned that Mr. Buhari has not spoken to Acting President Yemi Osinbajo for several weeks following his departure from Abuja for a second round of medical treatment for an undisclosed medical condition suspected to be cancer. The sources gave the example of Wednesday last week when members of Buhari’s cabal called the Acting President and asked him to await a call from the ailing President, pointing out that no such call was received except one that was just a few seconds of hellos before the person hung up the phone. It was also learned that the public declaration by Orji Uzor Kalu, a former Governor of Abia State, that he met Buhari in London is a complete fabrication as Buhari did not at any time receive Kalu, who recently decamped to the president’s All Progressives Congress party. One particular presidencial source said they suspect Kalu was using that gimmick to intimidate the judge who is trying him for corruption, considering that he wore a turban to court a few days later. Our sources confirmed that Buhari is incommunicado, and is only reached by two aides, Tunde Saburi and Sarki Abba, who have maintained stoic silence about his condition. It is notable that when Mrs. Buhari returned from her recent trip, she sent messages to her family members in Adamawa claiming her husband was recovering fast but asked for intensification of prayers. The cabal reportedly reduced access to Buhari in an effort to control information leaks to the public. They cabal reportedly went as far as forging Buhari’s signature so as to give the impression that he is still in control even after Buhari himself had handed over power to his vice, trying to create the impression that he is still in charge. Mr. Kyari is said to be in charge of all the behind-the-scene moves. It was he, they claimed, who a few days ago passed a fake document to Garba Shehu, one of Buhari’s spokespersons, claiming that Buhari had given Osinbajo the go-ahead to sign the 2017 budget. According to their account, Osinbajo had already decided on the date he would sign the budget, a decision that was delayed only by a last-minute discussion to include some projects such as the Lagos-Apapa Port road repairs. They said they were not surprised at Mr. Shehu’s fake statement claiming Buhari sent a letter granting the Acting President the right to sign the budget. Buhari is said to be rather unaware of his environment, his memory somewhat affected. For instance, on his way to the UK, he was said to have asked if he was on his way to Sokoto. Our sources said that the cabal working with Buhari might bring him back the same way he was returned in February, in a scheme to use his presence to perpetrate more fraud and control power.

Trump Grants Authority to Pentagon to Manage Troops in Afghanistan

The Trump administration has granted the Pentagon the authority to manage troop levels in Afghanistan, according to a U.S. official who said the decision is expected to be announced on Wednesday. The move means it will likely be up to Defense Secretary James Mattis to decide whether to send more American troops to Afghanistan as has been recommended by U.S. military commanders. In late April, Trump similarly gave Mattis the authority to manage the U.S. troop levels in Iraq and Syria. Trump gives Pentagon authority to set troop levels in Syria and Iraq While a similar delegation of authority to the Pentagon for Afghanistan troop levels had been expected, it had been anticipated that it would occur after the Trump administration concluded its Afghanistan strategy review. Earlier on Tuesday, Mattis told a congressional panel that the review will be completed in mid-July. "We are not winning in Afghanistan right now, and we will correct this as soon as possible," Mattis told the Senate Armed Services Committee. There are about 8,400 American troops in Afghanistan advising and assisting the Afghan military in its fight against the Taliban and the ISIS affiliate in Afghanistan. In February, General John Nicholson, the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan, described the military situation in Afghanistan as "a stalemate" and acknowledged the need for additional troops to help train, advise and assist the Afghan military. U.S. officials have said that as part of the strategy review the U.S. military had proposed sending 2,000 to 4,000 more American troops to Afghanistan. The delegation of troop level authority to Mattis presumably means that the defense secretary will decide how many additional American troops could be headed to Afghanistan. The move restores the process that had been in place prior to the Bush and Obama administrations. Defense Department officials portrayed the return of Pentagon control over Iraq and Syria troop levels as giving military commanders more flexibility and better management of their

200 Democrats file law suit against Trump

200 Democratic lawmakers have joined together to bring a lawsuit against President Donald Trump, alleging he breached a clause of the Constitution that forbids foreign payments and gifts. The Congressional lawsuit alleges that Trump through his business interests has been in violation of the so-called emoluments clause of the Constitution -- which prohibits a president from accepting foreign gifts or payments without consent from Congress -- since he took office in January. The 196 members of Congress who have thus far joined the complaint -- 30 from the Senate and 166 members of the House of Representatives -- say in the suit that they sought to "obtain relief from the president's continuing violation of the foreign emoluments clause," which they said was created, in part, to prevent foreign influence. A copy of the suit was published Tuesday night by the Constitutional Accountability Center, a Washington, D.C.-based legal organization which is filing on behalf of the Congressional plaintiffs. The suit is set to be filed in U.S. District Court on Wednesday. "Through this measure, the nation's founders invested members of Congress with an important role in preventing the corruption and foreign influence that the founders sought to avoid," the the suit reads, referring to the emoluments clause. "President Donald J. Trump has a financial interest in vast business holdings around the world that engage in dealings with foreign governments and receive benefits from those governments." Rep. John Conyers (D-MI), who helped to organize the suit along with Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), said -- according to the Associated Press -- that they had gathered the "greatest number of congressional plaintiffs on any lawsuit against a president." While the 196 signers are so far all Democrats, Blumenthal and Conyers indicated they will invite their Republican colleagues to join in on the suit later on Wednesday. The lawsuit asks that Congress first obtain "consent" before "accepting any benefits from foreign states." Trump decided to maintain ownership of his company -- the Trump Organization -- after becoming president but announced in January that he would hand it over to his sons Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump through a financial trust, in an effort to address concerns of potential conflicts of interest. The lawsuit, the third of its kind to target emoluments since Trump became president, comes just a few days after the Democratic attorneys general of Washington, D.C., and Maryland filed a similar suit, which also claimed that Trump had been in violation of the Constitution since he took office because his business accepted payments from foreign governments. White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer responded to that suit at a press briefing on Monday afternoon, reiterating the administration's position that Trump is not in violation of the emoluments clause and suggested that the lawsuit was motivated by politics. "It's not hard to conclude that partisan politics may be one of the motivations behind the suit," Spicer told reporters. A separate suit -- filed earlier this year by government watchdog group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, the Restaurant Opportunities Centers United Inc. and two individuals -- alleged that Trump has been in violation of the Constitution's emoluments clause as well. The Justice Department last week sought to have that suit dismissed, arguing that none of the plaintiffs suffered an injury that would give them standing to sue, according to papers filed in Manhattan federal court.

Breaking: Shooting in Alexandria, Virginia

House Majority Whip. Steve Scalise speaks to the media, May 17, 2017 in Washington, D.C.more Police are investigating a shooting at a park in Alexandria, Virginia, this morning, and initial law enforcement reports indicate that Rep. Steve Scalise, R-Louisiana, was among those shot. Two officers were also shot and one suspect in custody, according to initial law enforcement reports. The Alexandria Police Department said victims were being transported to local hospitals. The FBI has arrived at the scene of the shooting, which is about 7 miles away from the White House in Washington, D.C. This is a breaking news story. Check back for update...