Trump, Clinton Victorious On Super Tuesday

The former reality TV star won seven states, while rivals Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio won three and one respectively. Trump’s victories effectively cement his Republican front-runner status, and demonstrate that the party establishment has run out of time to stop a candidate they loathe. Divisions in the party over Trump’s candidacy mean the GOP faces the possibility of a brokered convention.

EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW, RIGHT NOW. #IBTPulse   Trump Routs Republican Rivals The former reality TV star won seven states, while rivals Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio won three and one respectively. Trump’s victories effectively cement his Republican front-runner status, and demonstrate that the party establishment has run out of time to stop a candidate they loathe. Divisions in the party over Trump’s candidacy mean the GOP faces the possibility of a brokered convention. Clinton Takes Solid Victory Over Sanders The former secretary of state won seven states to the Vermont Senator’s four, putting her far enough ahead that many once again are speaking of her inevitable nomination for the Democratic party, and eyeing a likely battle against Donald Trump in November’s election. Democrats have said she needs to paint him as bigoted and dangerous for the country, while presenting herself as a presidential alternative. You can read all of IBT’s Super Tuesday coverage here. SCOTUS To Hear Arguments In Major Abortion Case Arguments will be presented to the court in relation to HB 2, a 2013 Texas abortion law that has contributed to the closure of more than half the abortion clinics in the state. Over 100 women who had abortions have filed supporting briefs with the court, seeking to sway Justice Kennedy, who holds the key vote on abortion cases. The court’s decision in this case could have implications far beyond Texas. Brazil Expected To Keep Interest Rates Steady A majority of economists polled by Reuters expect the country’s central bank to maintain its benchmark Selic rate steady at 14.25 percent, near a decade high. The bank’s credibility is being called into question, after holding rates unchanged at its last meeting, despite strongly hinting at an increase. The decision will come just a day before economists expect the country’s final GDP numbers for 2015 to show that its economy shrank at its steepest rate in 25 years. HERE'S WHAT YOU MISSED LAST NIGHT. China Seizes Disputed South China Sea Territory: Report China has reportedly stationed five ships in a disputed region of the South China Sea, around an atoll claimed by the Philippines. The vessels have been in the area for over a month, and had not been stationed in the region before. They have also chased Filipino fisherman out of the area, according to media reports. A Filipino military spokesperson said it was unclear whether the ships’ deployment was permanent. DreamWorks Animation CEO Eyes Paramount Merger DreamWorks Animation SKG Inc. CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg said he “fantasizes” about the prospect of merging the Hollywood animation studio with Viacom’s Paramount Pictures, and not just taking a minority stake in the company. The statement comes a week after Paramount Pictures said it was considering bringing in an equity partner. Viacom is considering selling a "significant" minority stake in Paramount Pictures, CEO Philippe Dauman said last week. Moody's Cuts China Government Bond Outlook Moody’s Investors Service downgraded China’s credit outlook from stable to negative Wednesday, citing “ongoing and prospective weakening of fiscal metrics,” falling foreign exchange reserves due to increased capital outflows, as well as “uncertainty about the authorities’ capacity to implement reforms.” According to estimates by Moody’s, the Chinese government’s debt has increased sharply to 40.6 percent of the country’s gross domestic product in 2015, up from 32.5 percent in 2012, and the ratings agency expects it to rise further to 43 percent in 2017. Flint Water Still Contaminated With Lead Although five months have passed since Flint, Michigan, changed its water supply because of problems with lead contamination and discolored drinking water, about 9 percent of the city’s sites tested positive for more than permissible amount of lead in water, the governor’s office said Tuesday. Meanwhile, a date of March 17 has been set for a judge to hear arguments on a request that seeks to stop Flint’s administration from charging the residents for water during the crisis. AND THEN THERE'S THIS... Fox News Reluctantly Accepts Rubio's Demise The conservative cable news channel had been building up the Florida Senator’s chances in the GOP race for weeks, but as Super Tuesday results came in, it became increasingly hard for the network to spin the news as positive for Rubio. This led to occasional moments of comedy, such as when Karl Rove was interrupted saying that the Virginia race was tight, by the news that Trump had prevailed in the state. How A Mandarin-Speaking Mermaid Charmed America While “Deadpool” continued to dominate the U.S. box office, a Chinese import became the unlikely pound-for-pound U.S. box office champion. Hong Kong director Stephen Chow’s “The Mermaid,” which centers on a beautiful mermaid sent to kill an environment-destroying industrialist, has brought in the highest per-theater average of any movie in North America for two straight weeks.   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