Quick Overview

• Russia has a window of opportunity in the next few months to secure entry to the World Trade Organization, says official.
  
  
• Total air cargo shipments rose 3.1% in March compared with a year earlier, following a 1.3% year-over-year drop in February, the Air Transport Association reported.

• The USDA said that 79% of the corn, 26% of the soybeans, and 39% of the cotton crops were planted. 59% of the U.S. winter wheat crop was rated good to excellent, down from 63% a week ago.
  
  
• The Florida Citrus Processors said that there were 148.2 million gallons of frozen orange juice concentrate in inventory as of April 30th, down 16% YoY.
  

• Manufacturing in the U.K. was down 1.6% in March, weaker than expected.
  
  
• Sales at U.S. wholesalers grew by 0.2% in March, while inventories increased 0.4 percent, the Commerce Department estimated Monday. Year-over-year Sales were up 7.2 percent, while inventories increased 10.8 percent.
  
  
• Increasingly Embattled, DeLay Scales Back Usual Power Plays ….threatening his career and the GOP majority he helped to build and sustain since coming to the House 20 years ago. Everywhere there are signs of a politician in retreat…as businesses fret that DeLay may be radioactive
  

• Eighty-eight members of Congress call on Bush for answers on secret Iraq plan"Unfortunately, the mainstream media in the United States was too busy with wall-to-wall coverage of a "runaway bride" to cover a bombshell report out of the British newspapers," Conyers writes. "The London Times reports that the British government and the United States government had secretly agreed to attack Iraq in 2002, before authorization was sought for such an attack in Congress, and had discussed creating pretextual justifications for doing so."
  
  
• Amid rising gas prices, makers warm to diesel cars Diesels use 20 percent to 40 percent less fuel than comparable gasoline engines. And diesel fuel coming to market starting this year will have lower sulfur content, reducing emissions dramatically.
  
  
• Chile April Trade Surplus Widens on Demand for Copper
  Chile, the world's largest copper producer, said its trade surplus widened more than analysts expected in April after copper prices surged to 16-year highs.