US Inflation Hits 2.4% and Orban's Rival Alleges Sex-Tape Plot

[00:00] Peter Rowan: From Neural Newscast, I'm Peter Rowan. [00:03] Peter Rowan: And I'm Richard Lawson. [00:04] Peter Rowan: Today, U.S. inflation fell more than expected to 2.4% in January. [00:12] Peter Rowan: This signals a continued cooling of consumer prices. [00:16] Peter Rowan: We also look at the high-stakes election in Hungary. [00:21] Peter Rowan: Opposition leader Peter Magyar is alleging a blackmail plot. [00:26] Richard Lawson: And we examine the severe side effects of dopamine agonist drugs. [00:30] Richard Lawson: These medications have led some Parkinson's patients to lose hundreds of thousands of pounds. [00:36] Richard Lawson: These stories and more are on the way. [00:38] Peter Rowan: United States inflation fell more than expected to 2.4% in January. [00:44] Peter Rowan: Cooling prices provided relief to consumers. [00:48] Peter Rowan: This latest data from the Labor Department suggests the inflationary pressures that gripped the economy are continuing to ease. [00:56] Richard Lawson: The decline was sharper than the 2.5% rate many economists had forecasted for the start of the year. [01:02] Richard Lawson: This shift offers the Federal Reserve more flexibility. [01:06] Richard Lawson: They are now weighing when to begin cutting interest rates in the coming months. [01:09] Peter Rowan: Investors are closely watching these figures to see if the trend holds throughout the first quarter. [01:16] Peter Rowan: While some sectors remain volatile, the overall trajectory for consumer costs is now moving toward the central bank's long-term targets. [01:26] Richard Lawson: In Hungary, opposition leader Peter Magyar has accused the government of plotting to release a secretly recorded sex tape. [01:34] Richard Lawson: Magyar claims the alleged video was recorded using secret service equipment and is an attempt at blackmail. [01:40] Peter Rowan: The allegations come just two months before the parliamentary elections on April 12th. [01:46] Peter Rowan: Magyar leads the Center TISA party. [01:49] Peter Rowan: He is currently outperforming Prime Minister Viktor Orban in the latest opinion polls by a margin of eight points. [01:57] Richard Lawson: Fidesz party officials have denied the claims. [02:00] Richard Lawson: Communications director Thomas Metzer accused Magyar of lying to the public. [02:05] Richard Lawson: Orban's chief of staff stated he could not comment on something he claims to know nothing about. [02:11] Peter Rowan: The campaign is already growing murky before the official start date next week. [02:16] Peter Rowan: While Orban has focused on attacking the European Union, [02:20] Peter Rowan: Magyar has built support by promising to reset relations with Hungary's European partners. [02:26] Richard Lawson: Medical experts are warning that a common class of Parkinson's drugs can trigger life-altering impulsive behaviors. [02:34] Richard Lawson: These dopamine agonist medications are used by over a million patients. [02:39] Richard Lawson: Many families say they were not warned about the risks. [02:43] Peter Rowan: A BBC investigation highlighted the case of a solicitor who stole 600,000 pounds from his elderly clients. [02:51] Peter Rowan: He used the money to fund sex workers and antique purchases. [02:55] Peter Rowan: His family says the behavior only began after he started taking the drug Premic Soul. [03:02] Richard Lawson: These drugs work by boosting dopamine to regulate movement. [03:06] Richard Lawson: However, they also drive feelings of reward and enjoyment in the brain. [03:11] Richard Lawson: For one in six Parkinson's patients, this can lead to addictions to gambling, shopping, or pornography. [03:19] Peter Rowan: The Chair of the Health Select Committee has now written to the UK Drugs Regulator to request a formal review of warnings. [03:27] Peter Rowan: Families are calling for better monitoring by doctors to prevent these tragic financial and personal consequences. [03:34] Richard Lawson: I'm Peter Rowan. [03:36] Richard Lawson: And I'm Richard Lawson. Neural Newscast is AI-assisted, human-reviewed. [03:41] Richard Lawson: View our AI transparency policy at neuralnewscast.com.