traditional definition of being in a recession. the second quarter gross domestic product g.d.p. shrank at annual rate of nine tenths of a percentage point. that s the second straight quarterly deficit and that checks the box, historically considered as recessionary. president biden says it s no surprise the economy is slowing down because of inflation. but he insists he has the nation on the right path and, quote: it doesn t look like a recession to me. the president also spent time today on a call with his chinese counterpart in a time increasing tension with communist china. white house correspondent peter doocy starts us off tonight live from the north lawn. good evening, peter. peter: good evening, bret. the numbers are right there in black and white. the u.s. economy shrunk for a second consecutive quarter. but, until large, well-respected groups, nonpartisan groups of economists issue some sort of a formal declaration that a recession is underway, then officials here
country are covering tonight wbrb in louisville astor religion rains unleash flash flooding and mud slides in eastern kentucky killing eight people we are told. one emergency official describes the situation as catastrophic as rescue crews search for stranded people. mud slides and power outages across the mountainous region where thunderstorms have dumped several inches of rain over just the past few days. and this is a live look at new york city. one of the big stories there tonight from fox 5, the skelton of sorrows has sold more for man $6 million at auction. it s believed to be about 77 million years old. it was discovered in montana in 2018. 77 million. that s tonight s live look outside the beltway from special report, we ll be right back. [jurassic park theme song]
dropping the national restriction but no one will be forced to go along. shep? shepard: jim angle live in washington. at least 21 people are dead astor religion rains triggered two separate landslides. that s our top story as we go around the world in 80 seconds. iindonesia. the first one swept through a drilling field saturday night on an island in the west. state media reports several workers died but about 60 of them escaped. the other landslide hit a neighboring province a few hours later. officials say heavy mud and rocks have buried more than a dozen homes and trapped villagers. hundreds of people evacuated as rescuers dug through the debris for survivors. russia. rivers of hot lava pouring from a volcano in the far east. scientists wore special heat resistant clothes to get a closer look. the volcano started erupting back in november for the first time in four decades. the nearest town is 37 miles away. authorities say the smoke and