1 month ago
Minutes from the Federal Reserve's September policy meeting reflect unanimous agreement among officials that interest rates needed to be higher to combat persistent inflation.
"Participants generally emphasized that inflation remained elevated while the labor market appeared to be near full employment, with some signs of strengthening, and that economic activity was expanding at a solid pace. Furthermore, almost all participants ****** sed that, while inflation risks were tilted to the upside, risks to the labor market had diminished and were now broadly balanced," minutes from the Sept. 16 meeting released Wednesday stated.
"Based on the outlook and the changing balance of risks, all participants viewed a higher target range for the federal funds rate as appropriate."
The Fed voted unanimously on Sept. 16 to raise rates, the first hike in three years. And at the time, most Federal Open Market Committee members saw a need for at least one more 25 basis point rate hike this year.
Markets were banking on a hike and expecting more to come.
#federal #hike #rates
"Participants generally emphasized that inflation remained elevated while the labor market appeared to be near full employment, with some signs of strengthening, and that economic activity was expanding at a solid pace. Furthermore, almost all participants ****** sed that, while inflation risks were tilted to the upside, risks to the labor market had diminished and were now broadly balanced," minutes from the Sept. 16 meeting released Wednesday stated.
"Based on the outlook and the changing balance of risks, all participants viewed a higher target range for the federal funds rate as appropriate."
The Fed voted unanimously on Sept. 16 to raise rates, the first hike in three years. And at the time, most Federal Open Market Committee members saw a need for at least one more 25 basis point rate hike this year.
Markets were banking on a hike and expecting more to come.
#federal #hike #rates
2 months ago
The New York City Health Department has ordered 10 cooling towers in the South Bronx, including one at Yankee Stadium, to be cleaned and disinfected after preliminary testing found the presence of Legionella bacteria as officials investigate a cluster. NBC News medical contributor Natalie Azar discusses how the test was conducted the possible threat level to attendees.
#stadium
#stadium
2 months ago
A rock performance at a venue in Virginia was canceled Thursday after a man working on a tour bus in a nearby parking lot was crushed underneath it hours before the show, according to authorities.
U.S. Park Police told Fox 5 Dc they responded to the Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts at 5 p.m.
The English rock band "Squeeze" was scheduled to perform at 7:30 p.m. that night.
The worker was under the tour bus when officers arrived. Park Police said a supporting apparatus failed, causing the bus to come down on him.
Connecticut Dad Jumped To His Death During Concert At Madison Square Garden In Nyc: Report
#police #tour #thursday
U.S. Park Police told Fox 5 Dc they responded to the Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts at 5 p.m.
The English rock band "Squeeze" was scheduled to perform at 7:30 p.m. that night.
The worker was under the tour bus when officers arrived. Park Police said a supporting apparatus failed, causing the bus to come down on him.
Connecticut Dad Jumped To His Death During Concert At Madison Square Garden In Nyc: Report
#police #tour #thursday
3 months ago
MILAN (AP) — Italian authorities recovered three artworks by Renoir, Cézanne and Matisse worth millions of euros that were stolen earlier this year from a private museum near the northern city of Parma, police said Friday. Five people were detained.
A statement from the Italian Carabinieri's art recovery squad said the artworks were discovered in the possession of one of the suspects during searches ordered by prosecutors in the Parma province and neighboring provinces. The five suspects detained are believed to belong to an organized crime group responsible for numerous thefts of homes, businesses and other properties. Police also recovered stolen goods worth tens of thousands of euros.
Meanwhile, Brazilian police said late Thursday they located eight stolen works by Matisse following an apartment raid outside Sao Paulo. There were no apparent links between the two thefts.
The three artworks recovered in Italy are "Fish," a painting by Auguste Renoir, "Still Life with Cherries," a pencil and watercolor by Paul Cézanne, and "Odalisque on the Terrace," a color aqatint by Henri Matisse. Authorities said the Cézanne was valued at 6 million euros ($7 million), the Renoir at 3 million euros ($3.5 million), and the Matisse at 20,000 euros ($23,000).
The heist at the Magnani Rocca Foundation, about 20 kilometers (12 miles) from Parma, took place on the night of March 22-23, police said. Video distributed by authorities showed the thieves entering through a broken door window and then taking the three artworks down from adjacent walls before exiting and escaping through the gardens in a matter of minutes.
#police #artworks #renoir #three
A statement from the Italian Carabinieri's art recovery squad said the artworks were discovered in the possession of one of the suspects during searches ordered by prosecutors in the Parma province and neighboring provinces. The five suspects detained are believed to belong to an organized crime group responsible for numerous thefts of homes, businesses and other properties. Police also recovered stolen goods worth tens of thousands of euros.
Meanwhile, Brazilian police said late Thursday they located eight stolen works by Matisse following an apartment raid outside Sao Paulo. There were no apparent links between the two thefts.
The three artworks recovered in Italy are "Fish," a painting by Auguste Renoir, "Still Life with Cherries," a pencil and watercolor by Paul Cézanne, and "Odalisque on the Terrace," a color aqatint by Henri Matisse. Authorities said the Cézanne was valued at 6 million euros ($7 million), the Renoir at 3 million euros ($3.5 million), and the Matisse at 20,000 euros ($23,000).
The heist at the Magnani Rocca Foundation, about 20 kilometers (12 miles) from Parma, took place on the night of March 22-23, police said. Video distributed by authorities showed the thieves entering through a broken door window and then taking the three artworks down from adjacent walls before exiting and escaping through the gardens in a matter of minutes.
#police #artworks #renoir #three
3 months ago
With no background in coding, Faith Maeba, a psychology major, was reluctant when her mother first suggested she enroll in classes on artificial intelligence.
But the senior at Virginia Commonwealth University began to see it differently as she looked into graduate psychology programs that explore human behavior in the workplace, which is quickly being upended by machine learning. Maeba, 21, is now pursuing a minor in AI.
"It's giving me an edge and standing out," she said.
Hiring has cooled for entry-level software developers — work increasingly done by AI agents — and college enrollment in computer and information science programs has been declining. Yet at campuses across the country, many professors are finding themselves busier than ever teaching students from a range of majors about artificial intelligence.
Colleges are responding to changes in student demand, but they also recognize that new graduates — regardless of their field — are facing questions about their AI skills from potential employers.
#virginia
But the senior at Virginia Commonwealth University began to see it differently as she looked into graduate psychology programs that explore human behavior in the workplace, which is quickly being upended by machine learning. Maeba, 21, is now pursuing a minor in AI.
"It's giving me an edge and standing out," she said.
Hiring has cooled for entry-level software developers — work increasingly done by AI agents — and college enrollment in computer and information science programs has been declining. Yet at campuses across the country, many professors are finding themselves busier than ever teaching students from a range of majors about artificial intelligence.
Colleges are responding to changes in student demand, but they also recognize that new graduates — regardless of their field — are facing questions about their AI skills from potential employers.
#virginia
3 months ago
CHICAGO (AP) — A former Illinois sheriff's deputy won't get an early medical release from his two-decade prison sentence for killing Sonya Massey inside her home after the Black woman called 911 about a possible prowler, state officials decided Friday.
Sean Grayson had been diagnosed with colon cancer prior to the 2024 shooting, and his attorney noted in January that the cancer had advanced to his liver and lungs.
The three-member Illinois Prisoner Review Board voted unanimously Friday to deny Grayson's application for early medical release, Liz Mitchell, a board spokesperson, said in an email.
Grayson, who is white, was convicted in October of second-degree murder for Massey's killing, a case that sparked protests over systemic racism and a U.S. Department of Justice review.
Body camera footage showed Grayson and another deputy enter Massey's home in Springfield, Illinois. Minutes later, Grayson shot the 36-year-old single mother in the face as she moved a pot of hot water from the stove and told him, "I rebuke you in the name of Jesus."
#board #deputy #release
Sean Grayson had been diagnosed with colon cancer prior to the 2024 shooting, and his attorney noted in January that the cancer had advanced to his liver and lungs.
The three-member Illinois Prisoner Review Board voted unanimously Friday to deny Grayson's application for early medical release, Liz Mitchell, a board spokesperson, said in an email.
Grayson, who is white, was convicted in October of second-degree murder for Massey's killing, a case that sparked protests over systemic racism and a U.S. Department of Justice review.
Body camera footage showed Grayson and another deputy enter Massey's home in Springfield, Illinois. Minutes later, Grayson shot the 36-year-old single mother in the face as she moved a pot of hot water from the stove and told him, "I rebuke you in the name of Jesus."
#board #deputy #release
5 months ago
NEW YORK (AP) — President Donald Trump spoke personally with the chief executive of Live Nation in the weeks before the Justice Department abruptly settled its longstanding antitrust lawsuit against the entertainment giant and its Ticketmaster subsidiary, the company revealed in a court filing.
Lawyers for Live Nation told the court on Monday that Trump and the company's CEO, Michael Rapino, spoke about the antitrust lawsuit in February, but didn't discuss "substantive terms" of any potential settlement.
They also said that White House lawyers were involved in some of the numerous in-person meetings, videoconferences, telephone calls and written communications between the company and the Justice Department in February and March.
Just days into the March trial, the Justice Department announced a settlement that most states refused to join, saying it did not go far enough to curb the company's dominance over concert venues and ticketing for live events though Ticketmaster.
The trial continued, and a jury concluded several weeks later that the company was a monopoly that cost concertgoers and sports fans.
Lawyers for Live Nation told the court on Monday that Trump and the company's CEO, Michael Rapino, spoke about the antitrust lawsuit in February, but didn't discuss "substantive terms" of any potential settlement.
They also said that White House lawyers were involved in some of the numerous in-person meetings, videoconferences, telephone calls and written communications between the company and the Justice Department in February and March.
Just days into the March trial, the Justice Department announced a settlement that most states refused to join, saying it did not go far enough to curb the company's dominance over concert venues and ticketing for live events though Ticketmaster.
The trial continued, and a jury concluded several weeks later that the company was a monopoly that cost concertgoers and sports fans.
5 months ago
Multiple tornadoes tore through Illinois and Indiana Sunday, killing at least two people as severe thunderstorms continue to sweep through the Midwest early Monday, knocking out power for tens of thousands across the region.
More than three dozen tornado reports were logged Sunday into Monday by the Storm Prediction Center, as supercell thunderstorms roared across the region.
This came on the heels of another round of tornadoes just four days earlier that leveled buildings and caused widespread destruction across the region. The previous week's storms also turned deadly as repeated bouts of severe weather swept across the central US, killing multiple people across several states.
At least two people were killed Sunday in rural Jefferson County, Illinois, around 90 miles southeast of St. Louis, according to county Sheriff Jeff Bullard.
Both victims died in separate mobile homes that were destroyed about two to three miles apart, Bullard said. A third home was completely leveled and five other people were taken to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, Bullard said.
More than three dozen tornado reports were logged Sunday into Monday by the Storm Prediction Center, as supercell thunderstorms roared across the region.
This came on the heels of another round of tornadoes just four days earlier that leveled buildings and caused widespread destruction across the region. The previous week's storms also turned deadly as repeated bouts of severe weather swept across the central US, killing multiple people across several states.
At least two people were killed Sunday in rural Jefferson County, Illinois, around 90 miles southeast of St. Louis, according to county Sheriff Jeff Bullard.
Both victims died in separate mobile homes that were destroyed about two to three miles apart, Bullard said. A third home was completely leveled and five other people were taken to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, Bullard said.
5 months ago
Former Defense Secretary Mark Esper on Sunday said he doesn't think "that the president is always getting good advice" from his advisers.
"Do you trust that the president is being given advice by people who think their loyalty is to the Constitution?" NBC News's Garrett Haake asked Esper — who served in President Trump's first term — during Esper's appearance on "Meet the Press."
"I don't see that the president is always getting good advice, and so I think that's the question to ask. I think Republicans on Capitol Hill have asked that same question, 'Is the president getting the best advice with regard to these strategic matters?'" Esper responded.
A number of Republicans in Washington have expressed concern and frustration with some of Trump's actions in recent weeks, particularly in Iran. Some Senate Republicans are "somber" and in "dismay" about the memorandum of understanding between the U.S. and Iran, which was finalized earlier this week.
Esper on Sunday said he some "serious questions" about the deal, which seeks to end the war and reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
"Do you trust that the president is being given advice by people who think their loyalty is to the Constitution?" NBC News's Garrett Haake asked Esper — who served in President Trump's first term — during Esper's appearance on "Meet the Press."
"I don't see that the president is always getting good advice, and so I think that's the question to ask. I think Republicans on Capitol Hill have asked that same question, 'Is the president getting the best advice with regard to these strategic matters?'" Esper responded.
A number of Republicans in Washington have expressed concern and frustration with some of Trump's actions in recent weeks, particularly in Iran. Some Senate Republicans are "somber" and in "dismay" about the memorandum of understanding between the U.S. and Iran, which was finalized earlier this week.
Esper on Sunday said he some "serious questions" about the deal, which seeks to end the war and reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
