Despite an unexpected uptick in inflation that occurred in late 2023, the Federal Reserve announced todaythat it would leave interest rates unchanged for now. This is the fourth consecutive rate hike pause by the Fed — keeping its benchmark rate range at a 23-year high of between 5.25% and 5.50%. “The committee does not expect it will be appropriate to …
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A man has been sentenced to 140 years in prison in California for brutally raping a 9-year-old girl and a 32-year-old jogger more than two decades ago, officials announced this week. Proescutors say Kevin Konther tried to accuse his identical twin brother of committing the crimes – along with the molestation of a former girlfriend’s daughter. Konther, 58, was sentenced …
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Aircraft laser strike reports soared to a record high in 2023, jumping 40% from the previous year, the Federal Aviation Administration said on Wednesday. “The FAA takes this threat very seriously,” said FAA Administrator Michael G. Whitakerin a videotaped statement. Laser incidents have soared since 2020 – more than doubling in three years. Pilots reported more than 13,000 laser strikes …
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The mortgage rate environment has been turbulent in recent years. After hovering near record lows during the height of the pandemic in 2020 and 2021, rates surged as the Federal Reserve attempted to reign in inflation. The benchmark interest rate was raised so high that mortgage rates subsequently hit their highest point since 2000 last summer, leaving many buyers and …
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A military veteran who shot and killed a handcuffed civilian in Iraq nearly 20 years ago was ordered jailed Tuesday on charges that he used a metal baton to assault police officers during a mob’s attack on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. Chief Judge James Boasberg agreed with prosecutors that Edward Richmond Jr., 40, of Geismar, Louisiana, is …
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Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg and four other leaders of social media companies were reprimanded by lawmakers in a congressional hearing on Wednesday for not doing enough to safeguard kids online. The Senate Judiciary Committee hearing opened with videos of people describing being sexually exploited on Facebook, Instagram and X, with Sen. Lindsey Graham telling Zuckerberg he had “blood on his …
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Washington — John Podesta, a senior adviser to President Biden and longtime fixture in multiple Democratic administrations, has been named senior adviser to the president on international climate policy, the White House announced Wednesday. John Kerry, 80, is departing the White House after serving as special presidential envoy for climate since the creation of the position at the beginning of …
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Billionaire Ken Griffin, who has donated over $500 million toHarvard University, said he’s stopped giving money to the Ivy League college because he believes the school is “lost in the wilderness” and has veered from its “the roots of educating American children.” Griffin, who made the comments at a conference hosted by the Managed Funds Association in Miami on Tuesday, …
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It’s tax season again. That means it’s time to compile your W2s and 1099s alongside your expense documents and file your taxes. Years ago, doing your taxes could be a major inconvenience, as it may have required a professional to guide you through the process. But that’s not necessarily true anymore. Today’s technology has simplified many complex tasks — and …
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Washington — The House voted on Wednesday to approve a bill that would expand the Child Tax Credit and extend some business tax credits in a rare and long-sought bipartisan victory amid divided government. The legislation passed the House in a 357 to 70 vote, far surpassing the two-thirds majority it required. 188 Democrats joined 169 Republicans in voting to …
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