Shares in Shenzhen pop as Chinese economic activity sees unexpected bounce

Stocks in Shenzhen surged during Thursday trade after a series of data released on Sunday and Monday showed Chinese economic activity bouncing unexpectedly in March.

By the morning session's end, the Shenzhen component jumped 3.13 percent and the Shenzhen composite soared 3.027 percent. The CSI 300, which tracks the largest stocks listed on the mainland, advanced 2.31 percent.

The moves came after both the private Caixin/Markit Manufacturing Purchasing Managers' Index and the official Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) for March expanded unexpectedly, surprising analysts.

The Caixin/Markit Manufacturing Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) came in at 50.8 for March. Analysts had expected it to come in at 49.9 for a second month, according to a Reuters poll of economists. A reading below 50 signals contraction, while a reading above that level indicates expansion.

That came on the back of Sunday's release of the official PMI in China, which rose to 50.5 in March from February's three-year low of 49.2. It marked the first expansion in four months, according to data released by China's National Bureau of Statistics.

"Our view is the impact of policy easing is gradually kicking in, pushing up sequential growth indicators such as PMI first," economists from Bank of America-Merrill Lynch said in a note.

In particular, they said, the "larger-than-expected tax/fee cuts and improving financial conditions" likely provided a boost to business sentiment in the country's manufacturing space. Furthermore, demand for industrial restocking could also have risen as commodity and raw material prices experienced a rebound.

"I think this is indeed a good number," Tan Min Lan, head of the Asia-Pacific chief investment office at UBS Wealth Management, told CNBC's "Street Signs" on Monday.

"It is a critical number because recall that a couple of weeks back one of the key concern(s) of the market is that when factories shut during the Chinese New Year period, they may not (reopen) if orders do not materialize," she said. "I think this set of data, it's critical, it's important because it suggests that production did not fall over the cliff and that the fears over industrial deflation and the fears over an unemployment surge may have been overplayed."

The manufacturing numbers come amid ongoing tariff talks between the U.S. and China aimed at resolving their trade differences. High-level trade negotiations between the two economic powerhouses are set to resume in Washington this week following last week's talks in Beijing.

— CNBC's Huileng Tan and Reuters contributed to this report.

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China's factory activity unexpectedly grows in March, a private survey shows

Manufacturing activity in China expanded unexpectedly in March at its fastest pace in eight months, a private survey showed on Monday.

The Caixin/Markit Manufacturing Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) came in at 50.8 for March. Analysts had expected it to come in at 49.9 for a second month, according to a Reuters poll of economists.

A reading below 50 signals contraction, while a reading above that level indicates expansion.

New orders climbed to their highest level in four months, while the index for new export orders returned to expansionary territory, "showing that both domestic and external demand rebounded moderately," wrote Zhengsheng Zhong, director of macroeconomic analysis at CEBM Group, a subsidiary of Caixin.

Markit and Caixin said in a joint press release that staffing levels at factories rose in March to mark their first expansion since October 2013. Some firms also hired additional workers to support greater production and new business developments, they added.

"Overall, with a more relaxed financing environment, government efforts to bail out the private sector and positive progress in Sino-U.S. trade talks, the situation across the manufacturing sector recovered in March," said Zhong.

Results of the private survey came after data on Sunday showed the official Purchasing Managers' Index rose to 50.5 in March from February's three-year low of 49.2. It marked the first expansion in four months, according to data released by China's National Bureau of Statistics.

The manufacturing numbers come amid ongoing tariff talks between the U.S. and China aimed at resolving their trade differences. High-level trade negotiations between the two economic powerhouses are set to resume in Washington this week following last week's talks in Beijing.

The Caixin PMI is a private survey focused on smaller businesses and offers a first glimpse into the operating environment. It is closely watched as an alternative to the official PMI.

Results of the Caixin PMI survey for the services sector are set to be released on Wednesday.

— Reuters contributed to this report.

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Rapper Nipsey Hussle shot dead outside his Los Angeles store

Grammy-nominated rapper Nipsey Hussle was shot and killed outside his clothing store in south Los Angeles on Sunday, media reports said.

Two other people were wounded in the shooting outside Marathon Clothing, the Los Angeles Times reported, citing law enforcement sources.

According to the newspaper, Hussle, 33, was shot multiple times and rushed to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

The Los Angeles Police Department said a shooting was reported about 3:20 p.m. PDT in the area of Slauson Avenue and Crenshaw Boulevard, and that three victims were transported to a hospital where one was pronounced dead.

"We have no suspect info at this time and will provide more details as they become available," the department wrote on Twitter.

Hussle, whose real name was Ermias Asghedom, grew up in south Los Angeles and often talked about being in a street gang during his teenage years. He had since become a community organizer, according to media reports.

His debut studio album, "Victory Lap" was nominated for Best Rap Album at this year's Grammy Awards.

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China's economy is slowing down. But smaller cities may offer glimpses of hope

Beneath the gloom overhanging China's economy, some big companies are finding growth opportunities in smaller cities outside Beijing and Shanghai.

Earnings and analyst reports released in the last few weeks indicate there are still many areas of untapped potential in the world's second-largest economy.

In particular, five industries present prospects for growth: Internet, autos, healthcare, education and tourism. Much of the growth for companies in these markets comes from smaller cities and county districts, which analysts say account for more than 70 percent of China's population.

"In our big picture now, these so-called lower-tier cities, they will be basically the major driver of growth in China in the next 10 to 15 years," Robin Xing, chief China economist at Morgan Stanley, said in a phone interview Thursday.

China's cities are separated into tiers based loosely on population and economic size. For example, Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen and Guangzhou are generally considered tier-one cities, while lower-tier cities are smaller.

Xing said his expectations for growth in less developed parts of China are based on the government's push to develop city clusters, bringing the services and productivity levels of big cities within closer reach of the roughly 600 million people living in rural China.

He also pointed out that his growth predictions are based on the assumption that the Chinese government will follow through on reforms regarding benefits from residency permits known as "hukou," as well as grant greater access to foreign firms.

Last year, growth in consumer goods sales slowed to 2.7 percent in Beijing and 7.9 percent in Shanghai, but grew at 10 percent or more in relatively less developed provinces such as Anhui, Yunnan, Hubei, Fujian and Shaanxi. That's according to official figures accessed through the Wind Information database.

It's unlikely stronger growth in such regions can significantly offset a nationwide slowdown.

But at least for now, companies operating in China's less developed areas provide a glimpse into some pockets of growth.

Here are a few areas of potential that some analysts are watching:

"Despite a high base of internet users in China, rural areas are creating incremental growth opportunities," Credit Suisse analysts said in a March 18 report titled "China's Unicorns: Preparing to gallop."

"It is worth noting that mobile payment penetration rose from 50.3% to 65.5% over 2017, with most new users coming from rural areas," the report said, adding people are spending close to five hours a day on mobile internet.

One of the most prominent examples of a company tapping into rural China's growth is Pinduoduo. Few in the country's big cities had heard of the e-commerce company until it raised $1.6 billion in an IPO on the Nasdaq last summer. The firm is best known for its group buying offers, that allow products to be sold cheaply in bulk, directly from the manufacturer or farmer.

On March 13, Pinduoduo reported 418.5 million users made at least one order through the platform last year, with average spending up by 95 percent from a year ago to 1,126.9 yuan ($163.90). Total revenues grew 652 percent to 13.1 billion yuan, but total cost of revenues quadrupled to 2.9 billion yuan. The company has been hit by allegations of selling counterfeit goods.

"While PDD's cash burn and marketing costs rose tremendously, I believe the stock is apt to find buyers at this price level as finding a company with this level of growth is very difficult," Brendan Ahern, chief investment officer at KraneShares, a New York-based firm that sells exchange-traded funds tracking Chinese stocks, said in an email on March 19.

Another internet company that has tapped growth in China's less-developed areas is Kuaishou, a Tencent-backed app for streaming short videos.

Founded in 2011, Kuaishou said it has more than 160 million active users. In particular, the firm claims that one out of every five people in China's 832 poverty-stricken counties and special regions, is an active user of its app. Some content has come under fire for being vulgar, but other videos showcase local creativity — one video of live chickens arranged in the shape of the Chinese character for "blessing" garnered more than 620,000 likes.

The app has also become an e-commerce platform, with about 1.15 million users from very poor areas notching sales of 19.3 billion yuan last year, according to the company.

It's not clear how large Kuaishou has grown, but reports from the latter part of last year indicate a valuation of $18 billion to $25 billion.

In contrast to last year's roughly 2.8 percent decline in new auto sales, used car sales rose nearly 11.5 percent and accounted for a third of overall auto sales, according to official figures accessed through Wind.

The government used to restrict sales of used cars between different cities if the vehicles didn't meet certain emissions requirements, but those constraints began to be removed in the last three years, according to the Credit Suisse report.

"The cross-regional flow of used vehicles certainly boosted circulation, especially when most of them are owned by residents in tier 1 and 2 cities, but demand largely comes from people in small cities," the analysts said.

The interest in secondhand cars has spawned some online sales platforms, such as Guazi and Uxin, with valuations in the billions of U.S. dollars.

In late February, Guazi's parent company Chehaoduo received a $1.5 billion investment from SoftBank's Vision Fund.

Uxin went public on the Nasdaq last year and has a valuation of just over $1 billion. The used car e-commerce platform reported on March 14 that total revenues for the full year of 2018 rose 69.9 percent to 3.3 billion yuan.

More than half of the cities Uxin operates in fall into the so-called tier-three and -four designation, according to CEO Dai Kun. In an interview with CNBC, he said secondhand cars are an attractive choice for people in smaller cities since they often lack a metro system and local incomes tend to be lower.

Looking ahead to the rest of the year, Dai plans further expansion into hundreds of cities and counties. He expects the economy to pick up and that the year-on-year decline in sales of new autos will end.

Improving the quality of life through better healthcare, education and other services is part of the opportunity in smaller cities, said Qin Gang, deputy secretary general at think tank Center for China and Globalization.

"In the last twenty years, development focused on high tier cities," he said in a Mandarin-language interview translated by CNBC. "The lower tier cities were neglected, ignored for a long time."

For the last several decades, that meant people crowded Beijing and Shanghai to see the best doctors and find the best schools. Technology is trying to change that.

Through a smartphone app, Ping An Good Doctor lets customers connect with doctors for consultations, order medicine and find recommendations for a nearby clinic or hospital if further examinations are needed. The process removes the hassle of waiting in hours-long lines just to see a doctor or pick up a prescription, and also encourages locals to try regional services.

A basic consultation can start at several hundred yuan, or about $65 and up. For 2018, Ping An Good Doctor claimed to have more than 265 million registered users and 54.7 million monthly active users. The company reported a 78.7 percent growth in revenue last year to 3.34 billion yuan, but posted an operating loss of 1.15 billion yuan.

China has one of the highest consumption demands for education in the world, Morgan Stanley analysts noted in a March 25 report. They expect the national education market to double to 10 trillion yuan by 2028, driven partly by spending growth in lower tier cities.

In a survey of parents from September to October last year, Morgan Stanley's AlphaWise research arm found demand for spending on after-school education in lower tier cities was just as strong as other parts of the country. That's despite households having less disposable income.

In light of the overall trend, equity analysts Sheng Zhong and Elsie Sheng upgraded after-school tutoring companies TAL Education and New Oriental Education and Technology to overweight. Both firms are set to report earnings in late April.

Data from travel booking site Ctrip has shown a trend of residents from smaller cities traveling more.

In its earnings report for 2018, Ctrip said that stays at its branded low-star hotels doubled from the prior year. Net revenue for the full year rose 16 percent to 31 billion yuan.

Tourism spending could increase if there was better implementation of the paid-leave system, UBS analyst Xin Chen said in a March 25 note. He pointed out that Chinese residents overall have 24 to 36 percent less leisure time than those in developed countries, with lower tier city residents on average taking about two fewer days off than those in tier-one and tier-two cities.

— CNBC's Michael Bloom contributed to this report.

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Kellogg nears deal to sell Keebler and Famous Amos business to Nutella owner Ferrero

Kellogg is nearing a deal to sell its Keebler, Famous Amos and fruit snacks businesses to Nutella-owner Ferrero for between $1 billion and $1.5 billion, people familiar with the situation tell CNBC.

An announcement could come as soon as Monday, the people said, requesting anonymity because the information is confidential.

Kellogg announced the sale of its cookie brands last year. Other brands up for sale include Murray and Mother's cookies and Stretch Island fruit snacks.

The sale comes as Kellogg is paring back its portfolio to focus on brands it can revive.

"We need to make strategic choices about our business and these brands have had difficulty competing for resources and investments within our portfolio," Kellogg CEO Steve Cahillane said in a statement last year, when announcing the planned divestitures.

Kellogg executives have pointed to Pringles, Cheez-Its and Rice Krispies Treats as brands it can revive with innovation and single-serve options.

The Corn Flakes-owner acquired Keebler in 2001 for $4.4 billion. At the time, part of its draw was the cookie brand's "direct-store delivery" platform, through which employees place the company's own products in stores, rather than ship from warehouses. So-called DSD gives a food company more control over ensuring proper display in grocery and convenience stores. But as in-store sales of products like cookies have fallen, it is less economical. Kellogg has since dropped DSD distribution.

Ferrero, which was founded in Italy as a family business in 1946, has been on an acquisition spree over the past two years. Other deals have included its $1-billion acquisition of Ferrara Candy Company, the U.S. owner of Red Hots and Now & Later candies. The deal gave Ferrero the infrastructure to further expand in the U.S.

Kellogg and Ferrero did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

This is breaking news please check back for more information

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Global recession fears are overblown, even as growth will stay 'sluggish' in 2019: PNC

Global growth fears may soon loosen their hold on the U.S. stock market, says PNC's Jeff Mills.

"I think, as we move into the second half of the year, this narrative of global growth potentially causing problems here in the U.S. is going to shift to a stabilization of global growth and then more of a focus on things like earnings," Mills told CNBC's "Futures Now" on Thursday.

Mills, who is co-chief investment strategist at PNC Financial Services Group, wasn't as fazed by last week's yield curve inversion as most of Wall Street was. Shorter-term Treasury yields crossing above their longer-term counterparts is widely seen as a sign of an oncoming recession.

Instead, he said investors should take the inversion with "a grain of salt," saying it was more of a technically driven move than an outright signal of the U.S. economy hitting the brakes.

"There is a nuance going on in the fixed-income market right now," Mills said. "It might be underappreciated."

"Structurally, the yield curve is actually a bit flatter than it normally would be, so you could see more frequent inversions that don't necessarily have to do with growth," the strategist explained. "From a timing perspective, we all know that the variability between inversion and recession is pretty large, and you usually actually see positive S&P 500 returns between the initial date of inversion and the next recession. So it's certainly not time to hit the panic button and sell right away. You have to acknowledge it, but I think we probably still have a little bit more time."

Mills also said that the world's most pronounced areas of weakness, like the Chinese market, appear to be bottoming based on his analysis.

In China, for one, "you're starting to see credit growth bottom, and typically that leads global PMIs," Mills said, referring to Purchasing Managers' Indexes, which serve as key indicators for the health of manufacturing and service markets around the world.

"Even if you look at Europe right now, it has been a bit of a black eye as it relates to global economic growth, ... the Citi [Economic] Surprise Index looks like it's starting to bottom," Mills said.

The Citi Economic Surprise Index, which measures economic performance relative to economists' expectations, hit its lowest level since August 2017 in early March.

And while fears of a recession in Germany have been simmering since the start of 2019, exacerbated last week by a worrying signal in the German bond market, Mills said the worst could be over there, too.

"I think the real ugliness of German data is probably behind us," he argued, adding that uncertainty around Brexit has likely contributed to the weakness. "I think the German bund probably bottoms here. I think the downside to rates is probably a bit overdone. You actually saw the German 10-year Bund trade through the Japanese bond. That's only happened twice in the last 30 years. So I think you probably see a bottoming out of rates here as you slowly start to see a stabilization of global growth going forward."

All in all, while Mills predicted global growth would stay "sluggish," he doesn't think it's anywhere near time for investors to call it quits.

"I'm not forecasting some sort of huge reacceleration, but I think all we need to see is a stabilization right now given expectations," Mills said.

U.S. markets closed broadly higher Friday on renewed optimism around a potential U.S.-China trade deal. The S&P 500 logged its best start to a year since 1998.

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Jean Chatzky: Here's how women can take control of their finances

When it comes to money, as with many things, men and women approach the topic differently.

Though traditional gender roles are changing, many opposite-sex couples still adhere to them, with men generally taking the lead on finances and women taking a less active role.

That's according to a recent study from UBS Global Wealth Management, which found that 58 percent of women leave those crucial choices up to their male partners.

Younger women — those between ages 20 and 34 — were even more likely to defer to their significant others, at 56 percent. Meanwhile, older women ages 51 and up were not far behind, with 54 percent saying they leave money decisions to their spouses.

It doesn't have to be that way, according to Jean Chatzky, a personal finance journalist and author of "Women With Money."

At some point, most women will find themselves on their own. Aside from those who never marry or divorce, the average age of widowhood is 59, according to the Census Bureau, with many women living another decade or more beyond a husband's death.

To help women successfully take control of their finances, she encourages investing with confidence, rather than stashing cash in a low-yield savings account.

While zero-risk cash investments are entirely appropriate for short-term needs, such as an emergency fund, savers will lose money in the long run by trailing the rate of inflation.

"We put and keep far too much cash in the bank and we should be investing in the markets," Chatzky said.

More from Invest in You:
Women must keep finding ways to avoid the 'money FOG'
Financially savvy women will make for a stronger economy
Women more likely to leave finances to spouses

The first step is to make savings a priority — aim to put aside 15 percent of whatever you earn, she advised — and put those dollars to work in an index fund. You don't have to actively trade stocks, Chatzky said; just pay attention to your fund's approach toward shifting from stocks to bonds.

Alternatively, opt for a target-date fund, which gradually moves from riskier investments to more conservative options as you near retirement.

Then, remember to revisit your portfolio periodically and rebalance as necessary to ensure that your asset allocation is still in line with your short- and long-term goals.

If you want help, meet with a professional. "I am a big fan of financial advisors," Chatzky said.

Financial advisors can play an important role, as well, in addressing any specific financial concerns you may have, such as a job change, move, illness, change in marital status, buying or selling a home, or paying for a child's education.

"Your advisor may tell you to increase your savings rate, restructure the way you're paying down your debts, [or] help you strategize to avoid taxes," she added. "All of those provide a quantifiable return."

Disclosure: NBCUniversal and Comcast Ventures are investors in Acorns.

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Outgoing FDA chief Scott Gottlieb gets personal about leaving 'the best job' he's ever had

For the last two years, Scott Gottlieb missed a lot of time with his wife and three daughters — back-to-school nights, school plays and parent-teacher conferences.

He loved his job running the Food and Drug Administration, but hated leaving his wife Allyson, nine-year-old twins and five-year-old in Connecticut every Sunday to head to Washington, DC. Leaving work on Fridays was also hard. Allyson would tease him about how he wouldn't want to leave D.C. at the end of the week, but didn't want to leave his home in Westport, Connecticut on Sundays either.

Gottlieb said he was used to traveling for work every week when President Donald Trump tapped him to be his FDA commissioner in March 2017.

The commute didn't bother him so much until late last year when he was on a call with a U.S. senator and his other line kept ringing. It was his wife; she was hit by a car while walking in a strip mall parking lot and slightly fractured her knee. He flew home that day, but there was no quick way to get to her between the flight and hour-long drive home from the airport.

"It put a bigger weight on me in terms of feeling disconnected and far away and not being there," said Gottlieb in an interview. "There was a fear that, God forbid, if something happened and I need to be home quickly, I just couldn't."

Although he originally planned to stay at the agency through August, the accident helped put his priorities in order, he said. At the top of the list: spending the summer at home with his family.

That's essentially what he told his staff when he resigned March 5; he wanted to spend more time with his family.

Usually, when an official of Gottlieb's stature resigns in Washington or Wall Street, "spending more time with my family" is rarely the real reason. And his unexpected departure, just two months after denying plans to step down, fanned speculation that he was at odds with the Trump administration and forced out like so many other top officials over the last two years.

Not true, Gottlieb said in an interview at the agency's Silver Spring, Maryland headquarters where his office bookcase is filled with family photos. Befitting for the nation's top food regulator, who is also a medical doctor, the White House candy dish on his desk is covered with plastic wrap to guard against germs.

The 46-year-old still has a full career in front of him. He's worked at the FDA multiple times, invested in health-care companies as a venture capitalist and written about health policy at the conservative think tank, the American Enterprise Institute. He denied knowing what he's going to do next.

In his nearly two years at the helm of the FDA, Gottlieb advanced sweeping initiatives like making cigarettes minimally or non-addictive and approving generic drugs faster. He published roughly 175 commissioner statements and gave countless media interviews, helping raise the FDA's stature and influence.

Just two weeks before Allyson's accident, Gottlieb announced the FDA would seek to limit the sales of fruity flavored e-cigarettes. That is part of the biggest and controversial issues of his tenure: curbing epidemic levels of teen vaping.

He'll step down before the policy is finalized or implemented. It's one of a number of initiatives he advanced that he leaves unfinished. He says he would have liked the tobacco policies to be further along, though he's "confident" they will get out.

Ned Sharpless, currently director of the National Cancer Institute, is filling in as acting FDA commissioner after Gottlieb's last day, which is Friday.

Right now, the only future plans Gottlieb said he's sure of: going to Disney World for spring break. (He let his daughters pick the vacation.)

"That last week is going to be hard. The first week after I announced, it was difficult," Gottlieb said. "I was very emotional because in some respects, I'm walking away from the best job I'll ever have. That's hard to do."

The night before Gottlieb announced his resignation, he called his old boss and friend, former FDA commissioner Mark McClellan.

"He said, 'just make sure you're ready to do this because there's nothing like this. You'll never have another job like this again,'" Gottlieb recalls him saying. "And I know that. I know enough to know that."

He also called as many of his FDA colleagues as he could before announcing his resignation. When the Washington Post's story broke, Gottlieb was sitting with two of his senior advisers in his office at the Health and Human Services Department headquarters. Their phones immediately started ringing.

Gottlieb said his predecessor Robert Califf warned him that it's going to feel weird when his phone stops ringing the day after he leaves.

As for what comes next, Gottlieb said he has no idea.

"It's the first time in my life I don't know what I'm doing next," he said. "I'm a doctor so I always had my next job planned out, but this is truly the first time I'm leaving a job and I do not have a job."

The one job he said he's looking forward to? Being a dad again.

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American Airlines flight makes emergency landing after hitting flock of geese

An American Airlines flight safely landed in Boston after hitting a flock of geese on Sunday morning.

American Airlines flight 2163 took off from Boston Logan International Airport at 10:08 am eastern time, heading for LaGuardia Airport in New York City.

The flight had 99 passengers and a crew of four.

The plane returned to Boston after encountering a bird strike, according to a statement from the airline. The flight landed safely at 10:19 AM and taxied to the gate, American Airlines said.

https://twitter.com/dmscott/status/1112371024451063808

Passengers boarded a replacement aircraft, which took off at 11:52 a.m. ET, said American Airlines spokesman Ross Feinstein.

The airline's maintenance team in Boston will evaluate the Embraer E190 aircraft.

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Luggage storage apps can solve the 'where do I stash my bags' problem when traveling

A vexing problem for travelers is finding a place to stash their suitcases when they arrive in a city too early to check into a hotel or Airbnb, or when they've checked out of their rooms and have adventures planned before heading to the airport.

Toting baggage to restaurants, museums or a meeting with a potential client is one option. But a growing number of start-ups promise apps that match travelers seeking short-term bag storage with coffee shops, restaurants, gift shops and other businesses that have secure storage space to spare.

These luggage storage networks, such as Vertoe, LuggageHero, Stasher, Nannybag, Knock Knock City and others, allow users to open an app, locate a vetted nearby drop-off spot, reserve a space and pay for the service online. Once dropped off, security ties are usually attached to bags to prevent tampering. Insurance is included in the fee and, after pick-up, users are invited to rate the experience online.

Storage fees vary and are charged by either the hour or the day. Both Knock Knock City and LuggageHero charge $1 per hour or $10 per day with a one-time handling fee of $2 per bag. Nannybag charges $6 per bag for the first day and $4 per bag for each additional day. Stasher's fees are $6 per day per item and Vertoe's fees start at $5.95 per day, per item (overnight storage counts as two days) and varies by location.

The services are still young and in the active learning and growth mode.

LuggageHero, which Jannik Lawaetz founded in 2016, currently has more than 300 storage locations in six cities (New York, London, Copenhagen, Lisbon, Madrid and Barcelona) and plans to expand to 39 cities by January 2020.

"The biggest challenges so far have been language," said Lawaetz. The company started by working only with locations in English-speaking countries, but now is working where Spanish and Portuguese are spoken.

Knock Knock City, also founded in 2016, has dealt with some challenges as well.

"We started in New York City and Brooklyn with people offering bag storage in their apartments on Craigslist, like Airbnb for luggage," said Selin Sonmez, co-founder of Knock Knock City, "But we found the business hours posted for some people's homes weren't reliable or always accurate and others required users to walk up flights of stairs with their suitcases."

Knock Knock City now also operates in San Francisco, Boston, Washington, D.C., Seattle, Philadelphia, Chicago and Miami and only works with partners on a ground floor that have strict business hours. Sonmez said any location with an average star rating below 3.5 (out of 5) is removed.

Like the other luggage-storage app services, the list of Knock Knock City partner sites is eclectic. Customers can store their bags at bike shops, clothing stores, restaurants, a massage therapist's office, an eyebrow bar, at hotels and in hostels.

In addition to helping businesses put unused or underutilized space to income-producing use, "we're helping local economies by getting travelers to explore neighborhoods and getting foot traffic in the doors," said Sonmez.

That's the pitch that convinced Atlas Workbase, a co-working space by Seattle's Space Needle, to sign up as a Knock Knock City site.

"There are a lot of Airbnb rentals in this area and a lot of tourists, so it solves a real need," said Kim Burmester, Atlas Workbase vice president of sales and marketing. "But our real goal is to get traffic in here as our key target audience is the traveling professional."

Vertoe, with luggage storage sites in 19 U.S. cities, has partnered with gift shops at transit nodes, hotels, cafes and dry cleaners. It will soon add some co-working spaces to its network as well.

"When we look for look for spaces, it is very important to us that our partners actually make money," said Vertoe co-founder and chief marketing officer Neha Kesarwani. "We add the locations thoughtfully with that goal in mind. If it's a marketplace, it needs to be a healthy one."

Nannybag, which operates in 24 countries and 250 cities, reports some hotel partners that have signed up as luggage "nannies" are finding it more profitable to set aside some guests rooms for luggage storage instead of renting the rooms to guests.

Stasher, with more than 1,000 StashPoints in more than 160 cities across four continents, has partnered with everything from a flower shop to an art gallery for storage. But it finds that a third of its luggage storage sites are now hotels.

"They generally offer better customer service as they normally already deal with this kind of request, and have very convenient opening hours as well," said Stasher marketing manager Elsa Corcione via email.

Stasher is also available in the Hotels.com concierge app and, like other luggage storage apps, is working with online travel companies to offer luggage storage as an add-on service.

As convenient as storing a suitcase at a coffee shop for a few hours may be, travelers who don't want to deal with any baggage hassles have other options. Travelers can send luggage (and golf bags, ski and snowboard gear or bicycles) ahead with door-to-door shipping services such as Luggage Free or with services such as Lugless (part of the Luggage Forward family) that offer both drop-off and door-to-door luggage shipping services. Pricing depends on destination, weight and how soon you want your bag to arrive.

Or, business travelers may want to consider another option. For an introductory fee of $9.95 per month for storage, and $99 per standard round-trip U.S. shipment, travelers can skip worrying about making arrangements for toting around a suitcase altogether. Dufl sends customers a suitcase to be filled with clothes or accessories and then picks up the suitcase and stores the items in a "virtual closet."

Customers can request that the suitcase, filled with any of the stored items, be waiting for them at a hotel and then, after their trip, return the suitcase and the clothes back to Dufl for dry cleaning and storage until the next trip comes around.

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10 high-paying jobs for people who love to travel

Going on a trip not only helps improve your productivity at work, it also helps you live longer, researchers from the University of Helsinki found. But many Americans can't afford to travel. Half of people who didn't plan a summer getaway in 2018 said it was because they didn't have the money to take a vacation, according to a 2018 Bankrate survey.

What if your job paid you to travel, though?

GOBankingRates found the best high-paying jobs for people who love to get away by analyzing data from Glassdoor, Business News Daily, Zenefits and the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The list includes both jobs with built-in travel opportunities as well as those that offer a generous amount of paid time off.

CNBC Make It then narrowed down the list to those that pay well: $60,000 a year or more.

Here are 10 great, high-paying jobs for people who enjoy being on the move.

Average annual salary: $77,970
Average amount of paid time off: 11.4 days

Ship engineers are in charge of both managing a crew and maintaining the equipment aboard their ship. This specialized type of engineering requires "knowledge of propulsion, electrical, refrigeration and steering systems," according to GOBankingRates.

Average annual salary: $87,500
Average amount of paid time off: 11.4 days

Architects design a range of structures, from houses to office buildings to factories. While they primarily work out of offices, the job can also require substantial time spent visiting project sites.

Average annual salary: $91,180
Average amount of paid time off: 11.4 days

Environmental engineers work to improve recycling, waste disposal, public health, pollution and other environmental issues across various industries. Like other specialized STEM careers, these positions tend to pay well.

Average annual salary: $161,280
Average amount of paid time off: 5.3 days

The very nature of a pilot's job means that they're constantly traveling. But while commercial pilots tend to have busy schedules, "they often have overnight layovers that allow them to explore the city they're stopped in," GOBankingRates reports.

Average annual salary: $64,850
Average amount of paid time off: 14 days

Although "conservationist isn't one of the first jobs that comes to mind when you think of travel," GOBankingRates points out, "it's a super important one given the effects of massive over-tourism and the population boom." These scientists are in charge of monitoring natural resources, such as parks and forests.

Average annual salary: $66,250
Average amount of paid time off: 14 days

Zoologists and wildlife biologists study animal behavior, analyzing how it interacts with and affects the world around them.

Average annual salary: $103,710
Average amount of paid time off: 11.4 days

Geological engineers typically work in remote areas near mineral mines or sand-and-gravel quarries. Their responsibilities can include both designing mines and extracting minerals used in manufacturing, such as coal.

Average annual salary: $70,760
Average amount of paid time off: 17.3 days

Travel writers' salaries can vary, depending on whether they work for a publication full-time or freelance for a number of outlets. "But if you're scrappy and good at what you do, there's a never-ending Rolodex of outlets to pitch and bylines to snag," GOBankingRates says.

Average annual salary: $77,920
Average amount of paid time off: 17.3 days

Auditors work with organizations to make sure that their financial records are accurate and up to date. "They can be full-time internal employees or consultants performing analyses on businesses around the world," according to GOBankingRates.

Average annual salary: $96,910
Average amount of paid time off: 17.3 days

Marine engineers design, build and maintain all types of ships, including aircraft carriers and submarines. Although they typically work out of offices, they are sometimes required to visit ships on-site.

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Review: Fiat Chrysler's 2019 Ram 1500 is the best pickup you can buy today

In the world of full-size pickup trucks, Fiat Chrysler's Ram 1500 has long been a distant third in sales behind General Motor's Chevy Silverado and Ford's F-150. We think the redesigned model is the company's best chance yet at catching up.

It offers staggering capability, serious technology and incredible on-road manners that impressed us during a weeklong test. It's not just the best Ram ever, the Ram 1500 is the best truck you can buy today.

To anyone who doesn't understand the pickup truck craze, we prescribe a few minutes in a Ram for you to figure it out.

Scoff all you want at the $66,370 sticker price of our Ram 1500 Laramie tester, but consider the following. It offers more rear legroom than a $90,000 Mercedes S-Class executive sedan, more cargo and passenger space than the $72,530 BMW X5 luxury family SUV we tested, more power than a $74,160 BMW sports sedan and more towing capacity than a $98,230 Lincoln Navigator.

And it's not just features and specs; the Ram feels entirely like a luxury product. There's a well-trimmed interior with a massive, Tesla-style portrait touch screen. There are massive heated and cooled seats that are comfortable for long hauls. There's effortless power around town and precious little cabin noise on the freeway.

Plus, we love the way the Ram rides. While other trucks and full-size SUVs tend to have some business in the ride at high speeds, the Ram is never unsettled. We also like the way it handles; though it makes no attempts to be sporty or otherwise exciting, it doesn't lumber about with the sloppiness of, say, a Toyota Tundra.

Ram also sweats the small stuff with tons of thoughtful details throughout the truck. The locking boxes on the side of the bed are watertight and can be drained, in case you need some impromptu coolers. The center console is reconfigurable with sliding cup holder trays.

Peek under the lids, and you'll see helpful conversion charts and formula references useful to any contractors who happen to buy a Ram. Below, there's a cute depiction of the Ram truck lineage driving through the center console.

Convenience wise, we counted two 110-volt power outlets, four USB-C ports, five USB-A ports and a wireless charging pad. Add in the standard 12-volt plugs, and you're set to power a small hospital should the need arise.

Finally, the 5.7-liter engine is a workhorse. It's not loud or obtrusive, but it delivers 380 horsepower and over 400 lbs per foot of torque. Spec a Ram right, and you'll be able to tow a best-in-class 12,750 pounds.

While the portrait style touch screen looks cool, it's not nearly as seamless as Fiat Chrysler's smaller displays. The software isn't quite there, as certain menus are confusing and tapping on an information area doesn't always lead to where you'd expect.

Luckily, you can save money by not ordering the larger infotainment display. You might need it, as you'll be spending a lot on gas. Ram trucks with the 5.7-liter engine are rated for 15 miles per gallon in the city and 21 mpg on the highway when equipped with four-wheel drive.

It's a decent figure for the class, but it's still a thirsty machine. If you don't plan to tow, there's a mild-hybrid V-6 "eTorque" engine that costs less and delivers 19 mpg in the city and 24 mpg on the highway.

The beauty of these trucks is that you can get them however you like them. Regular cab, extended cab, crew cab, long bed, short bed, wide bed, with Ram boxes, V-6, V-8 without eTorque, V-8 with eTorque, four-wheel drive or two-wheel drive. That's before you get to options and trims.

Because of this, we can't recommend one specification that will be the best all-around truck for all scenarios. Instead, we're going to option a truck as though we are a truck buyer looking to maximize luxury per dollar while using the bed for occasional hauling. If you need maximum payload or towing capacity, you can consult Ram's Towing & Payload Capacity Guide.

We'd start with a V-6, four-wheel drive Laramie Crew Cab with the shorter bed option. Add $1,695 for the Level 1 equipment group, which adds blind-spot monitoring, remote tailgate release, front and rear park sensors and a reclining rear seat with split folding.

We'd highly recommend choosing the $1,695 Advanced Safety Group to get adaptive cruise control, lane-keep assist, forward collision warning and an extremely useful 360-degree camera. To make moving stuff in the bed easier, we'd spend $845 on the Bed Utility Group to get a bedliner, cargo tie points and a cargo divider. Budget $100 or $200 if you don't want a bright red truck.

Finally, add $1,495 for the beautiful panoramic sunroof. All together, our Ram sits at $48,220.

We can't get over how much value the Ram offers buyers. As equipped, the Ram does a great impression of a luxury car. It's got adaptive cruise control, 360-degree cameras, heated and cooled seats and a gargantuan cabin. It rides exceptionally well and provides all the convenience features one would expect of a top-trim minivan, like 12 cupholders and nine total USB ports.

The luxury of the Ram alone justifies the price. But it doesn't stop there; you get up to a 6.4-foot bed, class-leading towing, never-ending list of available configurations and clever cargo solutions to make the bed more usable.

We aren't sure if the Ram we configured is the right truck for all readers. But if you do need a full-size truck, we're pretty confident in saying that the right truck for most readers has a Ram badge.

Exterior: 4

Interior: 5

Driving Experience: 4.5

Value: 5

Overall: 4.6*

Price as tested: $66,370

*Rating out of 5.

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Joe Biden responds to accusation of kiss: 'Never did I believe I acted inappropriately'

Former vice president Joe Biden said that he never believed he acted inappropriately, in response to an alleged close encounter in 2014 with a then-nominee for lieutenant governor in Nevada

"In my many years on the campaign trail and in public life, I have offered countless handshakes, hugs, expressions of affection, support and comfort," Biden said in a statement on Sunday morning.

"And not once – never – did I believe I acted inappropriately," he said. "If it is suggested I did so, I will listen respectfully. But it was never my intention."

Lucy Flores wrote about the alleged incident for New York Magazine's The Cut blog on March 29, claiming that Biden had put his hands on her shoulders and kissed the back of her head at a 2014 rally.

"He leaned further in and inhaled my hair," Flores wrote. "I was mortified. ... He proceeded to plant a big slow kiss on the back of my head. My brain couldn't process what was happening. I was embarrassed. I was shocked. I was confused."

"Even if his behavior wasn't violent or sexual, it was demeaning and disrespectful," Flores wrote.

She also addressed the incident on CNN's "State of the Union" on Sunday morning.

"What I'm saying is that it's completely inappropriate, that it doesn't belong in any kind of a professional setting, much less in politics, and that is something that we should consider when we are talking about the background of a person considering running for president," she said.

See below for Biden's full statement from Sunday:

"In my many years on the campaign trail and in public life, I have offered countless handshakes, hugs, expressions of affection, support and comfort. And not once - never - did I believe I acted inappropriately. If it is suggested I did so, I will listen respectfully. But it was never my intention.

I may not recall these moments the same way, and I may be surprised at what I hear. But we have arrived at an important time when women feel they can and should relate their experiences, and men should pay attention. And I will.

I will also remain the strongest advocate I can be for the rights of women. I will fight to build on the work I've done in my career to end violence against women and ensure women are treated with the equality they deserve. I will continue to surround myself with trusted women advisers who challenge me to see different perspectives than my own. And I will continue to speak out on these vitally-important issues where there is much more progress to be made and crucial fights that must be waged and won."

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Facebook faces the looming threat of fines from a growing list of federal and international agencies

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg backed stronger government regulation of the Internet on Saturday, but it may be too little too late for a company that remains mired in controversy and subject to investigations around the world.

It's been over a year since the public learned that a U.K.-based political consulting firm called Cambridge Analytica exploited Facebook's business model to influence the U.S. presidential election in 2016. Since then, the company has faced growing scrutiny from its users and even employees as more privacy scandals unraveled throughout 2018.

Though Facebook's top executives were hauled in to face critical congressional leaders, its users and investors don't seem to care. The company, which has a market value over $475 billion, posted a strong Q4 2018 earnings report in January. Facebook also met analysts' expectations for daily and monthly active users, which clocked in at 1.52 billion and 2.32 billion, respectively. Despite all the scandals, its stock price is up more than 4 percent over the past year, trading at $166.69 as of Friday's close.

If users don't care, regulators might. Facebook still faces a number of investigations and charges from various agencies in the U.S. and abroad, which combined, have the potential to levy significant fines.

There are several agencies thought to be still investigating or charging Facebook over its data practices, although several agencies declined to confirm the status of their investigations. A Facebook spokesperson did not provide comment for this article and declined to confirm which government entities are still probing its business. The company has previously said it is cooperating with government agencies at home and abroad.

Here are some of the government arms that are thought to be scrutinizing Facebook as of late March:

The FTC's investigation of Facebook, which the agency confirmed last March, reportedly centers on whether Facebook violated a 2011 agreement with the agency that required Facebook to receive explicit permission from users before it shared their personal data.

Facebook could face a "record-setting fine" from the FTC, The Washington Post reported in January. The fine would be expected to top the $22.5 million penalty the agency imposed on Google in 2012 for allegedly violating its agreement to improve privacy practices, according to the Post. Facebook has discussed a multi-billion-dollar settlement with the FTC, The New York Times reported in February.

An FTC spokesperson declined to confirm the status of the investigation or provide comment.

The Securities and Exchange Commission and the Federal Bureau of Investigation both began probing Facebook last year following the Cambridge Analytica reports, Facebook confirmed in July after the Post reported their involvement. The agencies are reportedly looking into what executives knew about Cambridge Analytica's access to user data, when they knew it and whether they reported it to shareholders in a timely fashion.

Prosecutors from the Northern District of California were also working with the SEC and FBI to investigate the Cambridge Analytica scandal, according to the Times, which it reported earlier this month is still active.

Spokespeople from the SEC, the FBI and the Northern District of California's U.S. attorney's office declined to comment or confirm the investigation.

Prosecutors from the U.S. attorney's office for the Eastern District of New York have been conducting a criminal investigation of Facebook, The New York Times reported earlier this month. A grand jury in New York subpoenaed records from at least two well-known companies that make smartphones and other devices, according to the Times. The companies reportedly had both partnered with Facebook to access personal information from hundreds of millions of Facebook users.

The Times reported in June that Facebook gave broad access to its users' data to at least 60 companies with which it had data-sharing agreements.

A spokesperson for the Eastern District of New York's U.S. attorney's office could not confirm or deny any investigation. The U.S. Justice Department did not immediately respond to CNBC's request for comment.

HUD filed a civil complaint against Facebook on Thursday, charging the company with "discrimination" in its advertising practices for housing. The agency is seeking damages for anyone harmed by Facebook's targeted advertising policies. The company has since changed its advertising system to no longer allow employers and landlords to limit their targeted audience by race, ethnicity or gender. It settled a lawsuit with the ACLU last week over the practice.

A senior HUD official told CNBC it expects that millions of users may have been affected by the allegedly discriminatory policies based on the scale of Facebook's platform.

A Facebook spokesperson told CNBC Thursday that it was surprised by HUD's decision to file the complaint but said it will "continue working with civil rights experts on these issues."

The European Union's data protection watchdog group has launched multiple investigations into Facebook's privacy practices. Ireland's Data Protection Commission released its annual report in February disclosing 15 ongoing investigations of major tech firms as of the end of 2018. Of those investigations, 10 were focused on the data usage by Facebook and two products it owns, Instagram and WhatsApp.

The investigations largely centered around whether Facebook or its subsidiaries violated the European Union's General Data Protection Regulation, which came into force last May and is generally stricter than U.S. data privacy law.

In a statement, the Irish DPC confirmed it "currently has 10 statutory investigations open in relation to Facebook and its subsidiaries (Whatsapp and Instagram), a number of which are at an advanced stage in terms of a draft inquiry report being finalised for submission to the parties for their submissions on the inquiry findings. These investigations were commenced both in response to complaints the Irish DPC is competent to handle as the lead supervisory authority of the companies concerned, and at the DPC's own volition having identified matters which warranted further investigation."

Facebook was scheduled to appear in front of an appeals court in Brussels for a two-day hearing this week to challenge a 2018 court order, which said it must stop tracking users and non-users without consent, according to the BBC.

In a press release published Tuesday prior to the hearing, the DPA said that it stands by the court's initial ruling and believes "that Facebook should be ordered to respect Belgian and European privacy rules when it processes personal data through its cookies, social plug-ins and pixels." If Facebook fails to comply with the court order, it could face a daily fine of 250,000 euros, which would be the equivalent of more than $280,000, according to Bloomberg.

Facebook has appealed a February ruling from Germany's Federal Cartel Office that called into question Facebook's business model and said it "overstepped" the boundaries of GDPR, especially in light of what it called "Facebook's dominant position" in the market.

"There is no effective consent to the users' information being collected if their consent is a prerequisite for using the Facebook.com service in the first place," the case summary stated.

The FCO gave Facebook 12 months to change its data and cookie policies to comply with the ruling. A spokesperson from the FCO did not immediately respond to CNBC's request for comment.

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Look inside the $2 million Montana dream home HGTV just gave away

Every year, HGTV gives away a luxe, fully-furnished home somewhere in America as part of its Dream Home contest. Beverly Fulkerson, a former preschool teacher from Osgood, Indiana won the 2019 home, a 3,650-square-foot mountain-side home located in Whitefish, Montana. The house is valued just over $2 million, according to HGTV.

The home, which is newly remodeled and fully furnished, is located in a Rocky Mountain resort town near Glacier National Park. The house overlooks a picturesque lake and is near a ski slopes.

The back of the house has a deck and a patio with a hot tub, separate dining and lounge areas, as well as a built-in grill.

Inside the home, which HGTV describes as "mountain modern," there are three bedrooms and three and a half baths. The great room has floor-to-ceiling windows and a gas fireplace.

And the and the open-concept kitchen has new appliances.

There's also a ski-themed "lodge" room for entertaining guests.

Even the master bathroom has a great view.

Because of the large tax bill that typically comes attached to any major prize, winner eerson may or may not end up moving into the Dream Home. Many former winners of the HGTV Dream Home contest have opted to either sell their prize home or to take a lump sum cash option in lieu of the house because of the significant tax burden associated with keeping the home.

Fulkerson has not publicly commented on whether or not she will ultimately keep the Montana home and is not participating in media interviews, an HGTV spokesperson told CNBC Make It. But, tax experts at Wolters Kluwer Tax & Accounting told CNBC Make It that Fulkerson would face a tax hit of more than $900,000 if she decides to keep the house.

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Trump administration says it will cut foreign aid for Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador

The Trump administration said Saturday that it intends to end foreign assistance programs for Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador, a move that Democrats called "reckless" and "counterproductive" in addressing the problems that cause people to flee to the U.S.

A State Department spokesperson said that "at the Secretary's instruction, we are carrying out the President's direction and ending FY 2017 and FY 2018 foreign assistance programs for the Northern Triangle," a term that refers to the three countries.

The spokesperson said "we will be engaging Congress as part of this process," which could mean it needs Congress' approval to end funding.

The aid affects nearly $500 million in 2018 funds and millions more left over from the previous fiscal year. The money was destined for Central America but had not been spent yet, the Washington Post reported.

A senior Democratic aide involved in the discussions said they consider the cuts outside the law and unconstitutional and that they would need Congressional approval.

Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J., who is the top Democrat on the Republican-chaired Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, called the decision "irresponsible" and "reckless" and he urged Democrats and Republicans to reject it.

"U.S. foreign assistance is not charity; it advances our strategic interests and funds initiatives that protect American citizens," Menendez said. "This latest reported move shows the Administration still does not understand that the United States cuts foreign aid to Central America at our own peril."

Crime and violence in the three Central American countries are seen as motivating thousands of people to flee and seek asylum in the United States. Some have advocated that more aid, not less, to the Central American countries would help ease the pressures on people to leave for Mexico and the United States.

The senior Democratic aide said, "The Administration can propose rescissions, but implementation requires Congressional approval."

In the Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control Act of 1974, Congress in that law reasserted its budget authority after President Richard Nixon's impoundment of congressionally appropriated funds, according to the House website.

Menendez said in Saturday's statement that cutting aid to the countries would be a step backward.

"But instead of doing our part to help stabilize the situation in the Northern Triangle and stem the flow of children and refugees to our borders, President Trump reportedly wants to make matters worse by blocking resources for programs that get to the root causes of this humanitarian crisis," he said.

President Donald Trump has said he would cut off aid to the three nations in the past, and in apparent frustration over immigration issues warned Friday he would shut down the U.S.-Mexico border "if Mexico doesn't immediately stop ALL illegal immigration coming into the United States."

Trump's comments Friday came after a morning of blaming Democrats for weak U.S. immigration laws. He tweeted that he would close the border, "or large sections of the Border, next week" unless Mexico took immediate action.

Trump continued to tweet about it Saturday, saying "Mexico must use its very strong immigration laws to stop the many thousands of people trying to get into the USA" and "our detention areas are maxed out."

"Next step is to close the Border!" Trump tweeted.

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, a nonprofit business lobbying group, estimates the U.S. and Mexico trade about $1.7 billion in goods daily. The organization told the Associated Press Friday that closing the border would be an "unmitigated economic debacle."

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6 things successful people like Bill Gates and Jeff Bezos do on weekends to prepare for Mondays

There are hundreds thousands of daily habits you can adopt to stay inspired and boost your productivity, but how do you decide on which ones to focus on?

Over the past five years, I've interviewed and studied more than 300 highly accomplished people, from business leaders and university presidents to Olympians and artists, about their daily routines.

Here's what some of the most successful people do on weekends to make their weekdays easier and more productive:

Your body (and brain) won't perform at its best if you don't give it proper rest. Of the several hundred people I interviewed, their sleep times average out at seven hours and 29 minutes per night. Tim Cook, Bill Gates, Jack Dorsey and Jeff Bezos all say they get at least seven hours of sleep per night, as well.

But it can be hard to get in seven and a half hours, especially if you have a demanding job that often requires you to stay at the office late. If you find yourself falling behind during the week, use the weekend to catch up.

Don't take this as an excuse to sleep five hours per night during the week, followed by 12 per night over the weekend, though. Just know that catching up on a few more hours over the weekend is better than nothing.

If you feel guilty about how little time you're able to spend with your family and friends Monday through Friday, you're not alone. Whether you choose to work out with your spouse or take your kids to the park, doing it during the weekend will save you from feeling any guilt during the weekdays.

"On the weekends we have [a nanny] in the morning, so [my wife] Tiff and I go work out Saturday mornings. Then the rest of the weekend it's just us," Mark Cuban said at South by Southwest in 2014. "It's us putting them to bed. It's us at dinner. We try to be as normal as possible."

Keep in mind, however, that if you need to get some work done over the weekend, aim to do it Saturday morning so you're not thinking about it during the rest of the weekend.

Successful people always strategize on their week ahead so they can get a head start on Monday. This can mean anything from blocking off a whole half-day on the weekend to spending 10 minutes on Sunday evening looking at next week's calendar and taking notes on what you have coming up. Once Monday morning hits, you'll be 110 percent ready.

"Saturday I take off. I hike. And then Sunday is reflections, feedback, strategy and getting ready for the rest of the week," Jack Dorsey tells Brooke Potter, author of "Becoming More Productive: The Secrets of Successful People Revealed."

While successful people make plans to ensure they don't waste their days, they also make a point to relax — and there are plenty of hours in the weekend to do that. Many will eat breakfast at a more leisurely pace than weekdays allow, curl up on the couch with some books, meditate or work out.

Richard Branson's Saturday evenings consist of more partying (to each their own, right?). On Sundays, he engages in more physical activities like rock jumping, paddle boarding and boat races, Branson tells the Telegraph.

In a Reddit AMA session in 2014, Gates said he prefers to keep his time off as mellow as possible. "Playing Bridge is a pretty old-fashioned thing in a way that I really like," he said. "I was watching my daughter ride horses this weekend and that is also a bit old fashioned but fun. I do the dishes every night — other people volunteer but I like the way I do it."

Chores are important and if you don't get to them, they'll pile up and turn into a cloud of anxiety that lingers over your head. Successful people make time to take care of their chores, whether it's shopping for groceries, doing laundry or taking care of bills, but they don't let it take over their weekends completely. (If they did, there'd be no time to do any relaxing or reflecting.)

To properly space out your chores, you'll have to prioritize getting some of them done during the weekdays. It can be as simple as setting aside 15 minutes before bedtime each night to do a little bit of this and a little bit of that. Then, when the weekend hits, schedule at least an hour or two to complete the chores that require more time and attention. You'll feel much better and in control once you've finished them.

Reflection and alone time is healthy for your mind and body. It will also help you to better reach your goals. Successful people use the weekend to reflect or meditate on things that are important to them (how can they make more time for those things?), things that have been bothering them (what are some good solutions?) and their career (how can they improve their skills and performance?).

A Harvard study found that people who spent 15 minutes at the end of the day reflecting about lessons they learned performed 23 percent better compared to those who didn't. Other studies have found that self-reflection can help you become a happier, more productive and less burned out person. Even if you struggle with the idea of self-reflection, at least try doing it on the weekends. It won't be long before you start to see some of the benefits.

Benjamin Spall is the co-author of "My Morning Routine," which was named as one of Amazon's best business books of 2018 and a Financial Times book of the month. He has written for the New York Times, New York Observer, Quartz, Entrepreneur, Business Insider and more. Follow him on Twitter @benjaminspall .

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Special counsel Mueller Russia probe findings have little impact on views of Trump: Poll

News that special counsel Robert Mueller ended his investigation without recommending criminal charges against President Trump has had little effect on public opinion, a new NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll shows.

The proportion of Americans who say the investigation has not increased their doubts about the Trump administration rose by ten points to 57 percent in the survey, while the proportion who say it has increased their doubts fell 12 points to 36 percent since February. But the president's job approval dropped by three points to 43 percent during the same period.

Behind those offsetting results is the fact that Americans have not been nearly as attuned to news about the Mueller investigation as the political and media worlds have been. Just 39 percent said they had read or heard "a lot" of news coverage of the end of the probe.

"It was not an event that captured the American public," said Republican pollster Bill McInturff, who conducts the NBC/WSJ poll with his Democratic counterpart Peter Hart.

So far, only Attorney General William Barr's four-page summary of Mueller's nearly 400 page report has been publicly released. Barr has promised to release the bulk for the report by mid April, but for now Americans are withholding definitive judgment.

In the survey, 29 percent said they though Mueller had cleared Trump of wrongdoing, while a 40 percent plurality said he had not. Another 31 percent weren't sure.

And Americans remain split on the prospect of impeachment proceedings. Sixteen percent of the public see enough evidence to begin impeachment hearings now, while another 33 percent say Congress should investigate before deciding the matter. Another 47 percent want Congress to eschew impeachment and allow Trump to complete his term.

Should the president seek re-election to a second term, he'd begin with a solid base of support but a larger group of voters with misgivings about his candidacy. The poll showed 40 percent of Americans would feel enthusiastic or comfortable about supporting him, while 59 percent would have reservations or be very uncomfortable.

Opinion divides more evenly on former Vice President Joe Biden. As he considers whether to enter the race, 47 percent say they'd feel enthusiastic or comfortable backing him, while 48 percent would not.

The early profile of Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders on this measure, 37 percent vs. 58 percent, resembles Trump's. Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts has a similar standing at 30 percent vs. 51 percent.

Democratic contenders Sen. Kamala Harris of California and former Rep. Beto O'Rourke of Texas remain less well known. Both discomfort four in 10 Americans at this stage, while roughly one in four feel positively about their candidacies.

The telephone survey of 1,000 adults, conducted March 23-27, carries a margin for error of 3.1-percentage points.

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North Korea calls for investigation into Madrid embassy attack

North Korea said Sunday it wants an investigation into a raid on its embassy in Spain last month, calling it a "grave terrorist attack" and an act of extortion that violates international law.

The incident occurred ahead of President Donald Trump's second summit with leader Kim Jong Un in Hanoi on Feb. 27-28. A mysterious group calling for the overthrow of the North Korean regime has claimed responsibility.

The North's official media quoted a Foreign Ministry spokesman as saying that an illegal intrusion into and occupation of a diplomatic mission and an act of extortion are a grave breach of the state sovereignty and a flagrant violation of international law, "and this kind of act should never be tolerated."

He claimed an armed group tortured the staff and suggested they stole communications gear.

The 10 people who allegedly raided the embassy in Madrid belong to a mysterious dissident organization that styles itself as a government-in-exile dedicated to toppling the ruling Kim family dynasty. The leader of the alleged intruders appears to be a Yale-educated human rights activist who was once jailed in China while trying to rescue North Korean defectors living in hiding, according to activists and defectors.

Details have begun trickling out about the raid after a Spanish judge lifted a secrecy order last week and said an investigation of what happened on Feb. 22 uncovered evidence that "a criminal organization" shackled and gagged embassy staff before escaping with computers, hard drives and documents. A U.S. official said the group is named Cheollima Civil Defense, a little-known organization that recently called for international solidarity in the fight against North Korea's government.

Spain has issued at least two international arrest warrants for members of the group.

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