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☆ Joe Biden's pre-election spending spree created an 'economy on speed,' economist says
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-11 | by ( Theron Mohamed | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

download the appSign up to get the inside scoop on today’s biggest stories in markets, tech, and business — delivered daily. Read previewThe economy is being artificially boosted by debt-fueled government spending and is heading for trouble bound, a veteran economist warned. The concentration of employment growth in those sectors shows the wider economy is "terribly dependent on government borrowing," Morici said. AdvertisementPoor competitionMorici also downplayed President Biden's declaration during his recent State of the Union speech that the US economy was the "envy of the world." It's widely assumed the Biden administration won't curtail its spending with an election in November, meaning more government jobs are likely to be created in the coming months.

Persons: —, You've, Peter Morici, Morici, he's, it's, Biden's, Biden Organizations: Service, University of Maryland, Fox Business, Business Locations: Russia, Ukraine, Israel, Gaza

☆ These 28 regional and community banks exceed regulators' threshold for high commercial real estate concentration risk: here's what's really at stake.
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-09 | by ( Laila Maidan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +12 min

But where banks' exposure to commercial real estate is concerned, locating that fire may be difficult. Rising interest rates quickly increased the cost of borrowing for investors in commercial real estate, including offices and multifamily homes. It doesn't reveal details such as borrowers' track records, said Mark Hillis, a former chief risk officer for commercial real estate at JPMorgan. There's also varying concentration risk: the largest banks with commercial real estate exposure are more diversified, meaning that any losses won't be as devastating, Baker said. "We think very few banks will run into issues just from their commercial real estate exposure," Reidy said.

Persons: Michael Barr, Jerome Powell, Todd Baker, Mark Hillis, Clifford Rossi, Robert H, Rossi, Baker, There's, Hillis, multifamily, haven't, You'll, Banks, you'll, Rebel Cole, NYCB, Matt Reidy, Reidy, Cole Organizations: Federal Reserve, Business, York Community Bank, SEC, Richman Center for Business, Law, Columbia University, JPMorgan, Smith, Smith School of Business, University of Maryland, Mortgage Banker's Association, Bank, Signature Bank, First, Countrywide Bank, Washington Mutual, Citigroup, multifamily, Florida Atlantic University, Federal, Regulators, TCRE, Equity RCRE, Community Bank, Provident Bank NJ, Merchants Bank of Indiana, Apple Bank for Savings, Oceanfirst Bank, Independent Bank, Lakeland Bank NJ, Ozk, Washington Federal Bank WA, Axos Bank, Sandy Spring Bank, Columbia Bank NJ, Farmers, Merchants Bank of CA, Popular Bank, Pacific Premier Bank, United Bank, Trust, Rockland Trust, Umpqua Bank, ServisFirst Bank, Bell Bank, Stellar Bank, National Bank of, National Bank of Florida FL, New York Community Bank Locations: multifamily, Basel, CRE, California, Rockland, National Bank of Florida

☆ I made $9,450 and erased my credit card debt by joining 2 clinical trials. I just had to agree to get the flu and dysentery.
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-23 | by ( Hilary Brueck | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

download the app Email address Sign up By clicking “Sign Up”, you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy . My flu clinical trial stay came with free room serviceThe study took place in a 3-star hotel in downtown Baltimore. (Just to be clear: I would never eat in my bed at home — gross — but when living in a hotel room with an extra bed, why not?) I'm lucky that I'm not prone to cabin fever, so the prospect of being stuck, quarantine-like, inside a hotel room didn't faze me. We waited for several days for the researchers to find a proper "donor" who could spread the flu.

Persons: —, Christopher Silva, It's, I'd, Silva, we'd, Shirley Jackson, it's, Hilary Brueck Organizations: Service, University of Maryland, Uno, University of Maryland School of Public, University of Maryland School of Public Health, Health Locations: Pennsylvania, Baltimore, hbrueck@businessinsider.com

☆ Warren Buffett's Berkshire keeps new stock pick secret — again. Here's what it means
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-18 | by ( Yun Li | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

A new stock pick from the 93-year-old Buffett almost always leads some investors to follow suit, quickly moving the share price. Berkshire has been a longtime shareholder in credit rating agency Moody's , and bought a big stake in Citigroup in early 2022. The last financial stock Berkshire bought was Capital One Financial in the first quarter of 2023. If the new stake ever exceeds 5% of whatever stock it is, Berkshire would be required to report its holding with the SEC. Buffett might be asked to reveal the identity of the mystery stock at Berkshire's annual shareholder meeting in early May.

Persons: Warren Buffett, Berkshire Hathaway, Buffett, Todd Combs, Ted Weschler, Berkshire's, Goldman Sachs, David Kass, University of Maryland's Robert H, Jamie Dimon, Kass, there's Organizations: Berkshire, The Securities, Exchange, Chevron, Verizon, Apple, Buffett, Bank of America, American Express, Citigroup, Mastercard, Visa, JPMorgan, U.S . Bancorp, Bank of New York Mellon, University of Maryland's, Smith School of Business, outperforming Bank, SEC Locations: Omaha, Berkshire, McLean, Va, Wells, outperforming

They found that 10 countries, including Kenya, Morocco, Niger, Yemen, and Pakistan, experienced the majority of locust outbreaks among 48 affected nations. The researchers also found a strong link between the magnitude of desert locust outbreaks and weather and land conditions like air temperature, precipitation, soil moisture, and wind. El Nino, a recurring and natural climate phenomenon that affects weather worldwide, was also strongly tied to bigger and worse desert locust outbreaks. “As such variability increases, it is logical to predict that locust outbreaks will increase as well,” said Tallamy. The desert experienced locust outbreaks in 2019 after uncontrolled breeding following cyclones, which filled the desert with freshwater lakes.

Persons: Elfatih Abdel, Rahman, Douglas Tallamy, ”, Paula Shrewsbury, al Khali, Xiaogang Organizations: Agriculture Organization, National University of Singapore, Food, International, of, Physiology, Nino, University of Delaware, University of Maryland, World Bank, Associated Press Locations: Africa, South Asia, Agriculture, Kenya, Morocco, Niger, Yemen, Pakistan, East Africa, Shrewsbury, India, Asia, Arabian, West Africa, AP.org

☆ Haley’s voters might decide Biden’s fate in November. Here’s why.
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-06 | by ( Ron Brownstein | Analysis Ronald Brownstein | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +17 min

In New Hampshire, more than 4-in-5 Haley voters said Trump would not be fit to serve again if convicted and that Biden had legitimately won. In that poll, two-thirds of Haley voters in Iowa said they would not vote for Trump in a general election; that number soared past three-fourths of her voters in New Hampshire. One key reason: fully 93% of all GOP-leaning voters said they disapproved of Biden’s performance as president. Madrid believes Biden’s record on immigration is the biggest obstacle to him harvesting support among the Republicans uneasy about Trump. Lake doesn’t agree that any single issue is critical for Biden with the kind of GOP voters who have rallied to Haley.

Persons: Nikki Haley’s, Donald Trump, Haley, Biden, Joe Biden, Haley –, Trump, ”, Smith, Michael Madrid, “ Trump, “, SSRS, “ Donald Trump, that’s, Alan Abramowitz, Ron DeSantis, it’s, Democratic pollster, Biden’s, ” Madrid, Haley herself, ” Jennifer Horn, MAGA …, ” Jim McLaughlin, Trump’s, McLaughlin, Bill McInturff –, –, Lake, Jean Carroll, ’, Taylor Swift, Chris Wilson, Republican pollster, Wilson, ” Wilson, Lake doesn’t Organizations: CNN, South Carolina Republican, Trump, White, GOP, Republican, Democratic, Trump Lincoln Project, Washington Post, University of Maryland, Capitol, CBS, Republicans, NBC News, Republican Party, South, Emory University, Florida Gov, Edison Research, Haley Iowa, Monmouth University, ”, Biden, New Hampshire Republican, NBC, AP Locations: Iowa, New Hampshire, California, Madrid, Washington, South Carolina, ” Madrid, McInturff, Lake, Trump

“As it stands, the policy makes little sense,” Oversight Board co-chair Michael McConnell said of Meta’s policy in a statement on Monday. Spokesperson Corey Chambliss said while audio deepfakes aren't mentioned in the company's manipulated media policy, they are eligible to be fact-checked and will be labeled or down-ranked if fact-checkers rate them as false or altered. Meta created its oversight board in 2020 to serve as a referee for content on its platforms. The board also noted that some forms of manipulated media are made for humor, parody or satire and should be protected. Meta said on its website that it welcomes the Oversight Board’s ruling on the Biden post and will update the post after reviewing the board’s recommendations.

Persons: Joe Biden, Michael McConnell, Meta, Corey Chambliss, Meta’s, Biden, Jen Golbeck, “, ”, Barbara Ortutay Organizations: Facebook, Meta, Pew, YouTube, Biden, University of Maryland's College of Information Studies, Associated Press, AP Locations: U.S, San Francisco

☆ It’s not just the Super Bowl. Catching a game is becoming unaffordable
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-04 | by ( Nathaniel Meyersohn | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

In 2023, the average NFL ticket climbed 8.6% to $120, according to Team Marketing Report, a sports market research company. Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, home of the Super Bowl, is the third smallest NFL stadium. The closing of the upper deck in Oakland helped the Athletics raise ticket prices during the early 2000s, for example. Five of the most recent seven NFL stadiums have seating for 71,000 or less. Relatively small, that ranks it 27th out of 30 NFL stadiums in capacity.

Persons: ”, Victor Matheson, Lionel Messi’s, Todd Kirkland, ” Matheson, Kirby Lee, Dennis Coates Organizations: New, New York CNN, Super, NFL, College of, Nebraska, Lionel Messi’s MLS, Atlanta Braves, Bureau of Labor Statistics, BLS, Ticketmaster, New York Yankees, USA, Reuters, Athletics, Oakland, Las, University of Maryland, Minnesota Twins, Florida Marlins, NFL’s Raiders, Kansas City Chiefs, San Francisco 49ers Locations: New York, Las Vegas, Oakland, Baltimore County

The credible data that exists on crimes motivated by conspiracy theories shows a disturbing increase. Many of those charged said they had bought into Trump’s conspiracy theories about a stolen election. “Lies, lies lies: They're lying to you over and over and over again,” said Steve Girard, a Pennsylvania man who has protested the incarceration of Jan. 6 defendants. While they may have taken on a bigger role in our politics, surveys show that belief in conspiracy theories hasn't changed much over the years, according to Joe Uscinski, a University of Miami professor and an expert on the history of conspiracy theories. Russia has amplified numerous anti-U.S. conspiracy theories, including ones claiming the U.S. runs secret germ warfare labs and created HIV as a bioweapon, as well as conspiracy theories accusing Ukraine of being a Nazi state.

Persons: ”, Nash, Melissa Sell, Sell, Elon Musk, There's, Evan Hansen, Wired.com, Musk, It’s, ” Hansen, Donald Trump, Trump, Mark Milley, Milley, Laws, Vince Lynch, Lynch, Danielle Citron, Sandy, —, Alex Jones, Sandy Hook, Hillary Clinton, chemtrails, “, hospitalizations, Robert Palmer, they're, Steve Girard, Jan, hasn't, Joe Uscinski, ” Uscinski, “ Jan, Tom Fishman Organizations: WASHINGTON, U.S ., United, Big Tech, Meta, Facebook, titans, Army, University of Maryland’s National Consortium, University of Virginia School of Law, Sandy Hook Elementary, CNN, FBI, Capitol, The Associated Press, Trump, University of Miami, Twitter, United States, U.S, . Locations: Maui, Chile, America, United States, Pennsylvania, U.S, Israel, Newtown , Connecticut, Florida, California, Wisconsin, Washington, Russia, China, Iran, Ukraine, Nazi

Police said Wednesday that they charged Justin Mohn, 32, with first-degree murder and abusing a corpse after he beheaded his father, Michael, in their Bucks County home and publicized it in a 14-minute YouTube video that anyone, anywhere could see. YouTube, which is owned by Google, did not attend the hearing despite its status as one of the most popular platforms among teens. Major social media companies moderate content with the help of powerful automated systems, which can often catch prohibited content before a human can. Despite the obstacles, social media companies need to be more vigilant about regulating violent content, said Jacob Ware, a research fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations. “The reality is that social media has become a front line in extremism and terrorism,” Ware said.

Persons: Justin Mohn, Michael, —, Pete Feeney, ”, Alix Fraser, Brian Fishman, it’s, Mohn, Michael Jensen, Jacob Ware, ” Ware, “ That’s, ” Nora Benavidez, Beatrice Dupuy, Mike Balsamo, Mike Catalini Organizations: YouTube, . Police, Islamic State, Meta, Google, Buffalo , New York —, Halle . Middletown, Halle . Middletown Township Police, Council, Responsible Social Media, Global, Counter, Twitter, University of Maryland, Foreign Relations, Free Press, Associated Press, AP Locations: Pennsylvania, Bucks, Louisville , Kentucky, Memphis , Tennessee, Buffalo , New York, Christchurch , New Zealand, Halle ., Halle . Middletown Township, Gaza, Ukraine, U.S, New York, Levittown , Pennsylvania

☆ More people need transplants than there are organ donors. Pigs might offer a solution
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-30 | by ( Jen Christensen | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +23 min

The need for more transplant organs is immense and growing. Researchers have transplanted genetically modified pig kidneys and hearts into people who were brain-dead to test whether they work in humans. Although Larry Faucette was too sick for a human heart transplant, University of Maryland doctors said he seemed physically strong enough for a genetically modified pig heart. It was more than a decade after the first heart transplant but long before such procedures became relatively routine. “We learned that the pig heart is an adequate substitute for a human heart.

Persons: Lawrence Faucette, Ann, he’d, ” Ann, Larry Faucette, Ann Faucette Ann, Larry, didn’t, ”, Robert Montgomery, “, Shelby Lum, ” Montgomery, Xenotransplantation, Art Caplan, Caplan, Babe ”, ” Caplan, They’re, eGenesis, people’s, Dr, Mike Curtis, Sanjay Gupta, ” Curtis, hasn’t, Julie O’Hara, Jim Parsons, Jayme Locke, couldn’t, Locke, Parsons, NYU —, Montgomery —, O’Hara, ” Locke, David Bennett Sr, Mary, David Jr, Bartley Griffith, Bennett, they’ve, Muhammad M, Mohiuddin, Larry Faucette’s, David Bennett’s, ” Griffith, xenotransplantation Ann Faucette, Wilbur, White’s, Ann Faucette, NYU ethicist Caplan, they’re, NYU’s Montgomery, UAB’s Locke, Steve Wood, ’ Curtis, “ I’m, it’s, ” O’Hara, Bennett’s, Larry Faucette —, ” Bennett’s, Faucette, who’d, Griffith, would’ve, Kate, Lucy, Nadia Kounang Organizations: CNN, Food and Drug Administration, University of Maryland, FDA, National Institute of Allergy, NYU Langone Transplant Institute, NYU Langone's Transplant, NYU Grossman School, Medicine’s Department of Population Health, “ Disney, University of Alabama, Transplant Institute, Parsons Family, Birmingham, NYU, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Doctors, University of Maryland Medical Center, Uno, UAB, CNN Health, NFL Locations: Frederick , Maryland, United States, Montgomery, “, Midwest, Yucatan, Maryland

Learn moreFrom soft-yet-durable sheets to powerful vacuums, the Insider Reviews team rigorously tests and reviews a wide variety of items for the home. We interview industry experts and do extensive research and testing to review the best lawn mowers, best paint, best drills, and more. James Brains/InsiderAdvertisementHow we test home productsWe test home products by using them every day for weeks and months. We test products as professionals to evaluate how each item meets industry standards, but we don't stop there. Her work spans from scoping out the best candles to meticulously evaluating the best vacuums.

Persons: Bissell, Dyson, We've, James Brains, he's, Lauren Savoie, Lauren Savoie Lauren, Lauren, She's, Jaclyn Turner, Jaclyn Turner Jaclyn, Jaclyn, James Brains James, Casper, James, — Organizations: Morning America, CBS Money Watch, Poynter, Leadership Academy, Women in Media, Insider, Homes & Gardens, Real Homes, Journalism, Studies, University of Maryland, College Park, Service Locations: Casper, Brooklinen, Bath, Real, Atlanta

☆ A new AI detection tool may have solved the problem of false positives for student writing, researchers say
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-24 | by ( Kali Hays | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

The researchers tested Binoculars on large sets of data compiled of news writing, creative writing, and student essays. As generative AI tools like ChatGPT explode in popularity, concerns have grown about students using AI to complete academic work while passing it off as their own. At the same time, many students have been wrongly accused of using AI, based on results of AI detection tools. Last year, schools and universities began disabling such AI detection tools. The researchers claimed Binoculars' method corrects for the role a person prompting an AI tool plays in the output, which has been pointed to as a cause for false positives in AI detection tools.

Persons: they've, Abhimanyu Hans, Dustin Moskovitz, Abu Dhabi's Falcon, Hans, Perplexity Organizations: Business, University of Maryland, Vanderbilt University, Carnegie Mellon University, New York University, Tübingen AI, Capital, Amazon Research

☆ Something in the universe is spewing surprising amounts of high-energy radiation, and astronomers don't know what or why
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-18 | by ( Morgan Mcfall-Johnsen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

The astronomers were mapping space's background glow of gamma rays, the brightest and most energetic type of light on the electromagnetic spectrum. They were surprised to find way more gamma rays coming from one part of the sky than anywhere else. AdvertisementAn artist's concept shows the entire sky in gamma rays, with the plane of our galaxy across the middle. Magenta circles indicate the area where astronomers found more high-energy gamma rays than average. Some unknown object or process out there in the universe may be producing both the gamma rays and the UHECRs.

Persons: —, Alexander Kashlinsky, NASA's, Swift, Cruz deWilde Kashlinsky, it's, Kashlinsky, Fernando Atrio, UHECRs, they're Organizations: Service, NASA, Business, University of Maryland, American Astronomical Society, NASA's Goddard Space, Fermi, Planck, ESA, University of Salamanca, JPL, Caltech Locations: New Orleans, UHECRs, Spain

Image A watch party for Mr. Trump in Des Moines on Monday night. Credit... Haiyun Jiang for The New York TimesInstead, if Mr. Trump wins next week’s New Hampshire primary, a march to a third nomination is all but certain. Some in the news media were reluctant to direct their audiences to Mr. Trump, especially shortly after he left office, for fear that it would only amplify his lies about his election loss. Since 2016, both Republican and Democratic leaders have often agreed that it helps Democrats to have Mr. Trump at the political fore. Mr. Biden has signaled his plans to highlight Mr. Trump’s efforts to subvert his loss in the 2020 election, invoking the attack on the Capitol and Mr. Trump’s revisionist history of what happened.

Persons: Donald J, Trump, codifying, —, he’d, Haiyun Jiang, ”, David Axelrod, Barack Obama, “, victimhood, Mr, Trump’s, Axelrod, Biden, Maansi Srivastava, Liam Donovan Organizations: Fox News, Republican, Trump, Republican Party, The New York, Democratic, Republicans, New, New York Times Democrats, Capitol, Washington Post, University of Maryland Locations: New York, Iowa, Florida, Des Moines, Hampshire, Clive , Iowa, New Hampshire, Washington, mattering

If those population-growth patterns continue for the rest of the decade, it could seriously imperil the Democrats’ long-term chances of winning the White House. The Week in Cartoons Jan. 15-19 View All 5 ImagesFor Democrats, the picture is grim. An analysis by the Brookings Institution found that the main factor driving population growth in 2022-23 was immigration. The two states Democrats are eyeing most urgently to become the new Arizona and Georgia are North Carolina and Texas. In particular, predictions of “Blexas” – a blue Texas – have taken longer to materialize than most Democrats had hoped.

Persons: Donald Trump, University’s, Joe Biden, ”, Alan Abramowitz, Christopher Cooper, Brennan, Biden, Mark P, Jones, it’s, Michael McDonald, Trump, Michael Bitzer, ” Bitzer, “ Biden's, Thomas Schaller, ” Schaller, –, Barack Obama, Cooper Organizations: White, Center for Justice, Biden, Emory University, Democrats, Western Carolina University, “, ”, Republicans, Rice University, University of Florida, Brookings Institution, Brookings, North Carolina’s Catawba, Northern Blacks, Brennan, University of Maryland, American Democracy, Senate, Democratic, Texas, Democratic Party, Electoral College Locations: South Carolina , Florida , Texas , Idaho, North Carolina, Tennessee, Utah, New, Texas, Florida, Idaho, South Carolina , Tennessee, California, New York, Illinois, Minnesota , Oregon, Rhode, Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Pennsylvania, U.S, That’s, North, Northern, Baltimore, Arizona , Colorado , New Mexico, Nevada, “ Texas, United States

A local buyer taking over a struggling newspaper in the 21st century is normally cause for some celebration. “Have no fear of me,” Smith told the Sun newsroom on Tuesday, according to someone who was there and relayed the statement on condition of anonymity because it was a private meeting. Smith told the newspaper he had one partner: Armstrong Williams, a commentator who hosts a show on Sinclair’s affiliates. In 2018, Smith told New York magazine that he dislikes and fundamentally distrusts print media. Skene reported from Baltimore.

Persons: David D, Smith, “, ” Smith, Donald Trump, Smith’s, Julian Sinclair Smith, Sinclair, Armstrong Williams, Brandon Scott, ”, Jim Shea, Kathy Szliga, Rupert Murdoch, Marty Kaiser, Alden Capital, Tim Franklin, Stewart Bainum Jr, —, Medill’s Franklin, ” Franklin, Olivia Nuzzi, David Simon, television’s, ” Simon, Abell, ___ Bauder, Skene Organizations: Sinclair, Baltimore Sun Media, Alden Global Capital, The, Associated Press, Sun, Sinclair Broadcasting Inc, Chesapeake Television Corp, Fox, Democratic, Project Veritas, Republican, Capital News Service, University of Maryland, Tribune Publishing, Philadelphia Inquirer, Boston Globe, Seattle Times, Medill Local, Initiative, Northwestern University, Baltimore, New York Locations: Baltimore, Maryland, “, New York

☆ Nasa astronomers says signal coming from outside our galaxy is 'unexpected and as yet unexplained'
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-14 | by ( Polly Thompson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

NASA scientists have found a powerful new gamma-ray signal coming from outside our galaxy. AdvertisementNASA astronomers have discovered an unexpected "signal" coming from outside our galaxy, which they can't explain. The scientists were analyzing 13 years of data from the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope when they noticed the mysterious signal. NASA's Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope, illustrated here, scans the entire sky every three hours as it orbits Earth. NASA's unexpected discovery could help astronomers confirm or challenge ideas about how the dipole structure is created.

Persons: —, Francis Reddy, NASA's, Alexander Kashlinsky, Fermi, Chris Smith, Chris Shrader, Pierre Auger, Fernando Atrio Organizations: NASA, Service, Fermi, NASA's Goddard Space Flight, University of Maryland, American Astronomical Society, Goddard Locations: Argentina

Bitcoin coins are seen at a stand during the Bitcoin Conference 2023, in Miami Beach, Florida, U.S., May 19, 2023. Crypto companies spent $18.96 million in the first three quarters of 2023 on lobbying, compared with $16.1 million during the same period in 2022. That was despite last year's spectacular meltdown of crypto exchange FTX, which had been a top-ten spender. Coinbase (COIN.O), the largest U.S. crypto exchange, led the pack again, spending $2.16 million, followed by Foris DAX, which operates Crypto.com, the Blockchain Association and Binance Holdings. Although those bills have yet to advance further, crypto lobbyists are not letting up.

Persons: Marco Bello, spender, FTX, Foris DAX, Kristin Smith, Sam Bankman, Fried, Coinbase, Binance, Crypto.com, Hannah Lang, Michelle Price, Matthew Lewis Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Blockchain Association, Binance Holdings, U.S . Securities, Exchange Commission, SEC, Thomson Locations: Miami Beach , Florida, U.S, Washington, Manhattan, Binance

Since June, the quarterly "dot plot" of policymakers' projections of the appropriate path of policy has shown rates rising another quarter point this year. Investors will be eager for the boost a rate cut would give to markets, and consumers will be relieved by lower mortgage and credit rates. Indeed, in remarks last week Fed Chair Jerome Powell noted that over the last six months inflation had averaged around 2.5%. Investors, meanwhile, have become increasingly fixed on March as a starting point for rate cuts. Between falling inflation and a modest slowdown in growth, Powell said: "We are getting what we wanted to get."

Persons: Vincent Reinhart, Dreyfus, Reinhart, Donald Trump, Michael Gapen, Gapen, Jerome Powell, Powell, Christopher Waller, Howard Schneider, Andrea Ricci Organizations: . Federal Reserve, Mellon, WE, Republican, Bank of America, Fed, Spelman College, Thomson Locations: U.S, Atlanta

Finally Souza, an innkeeper and community leader in Bela Vista do Jaraqui, said he rallied two dozen neighbors to drill a 60-meter well in the heart of the world's largest freshwater basin. With rivers forming the backbone of transportation across the Amazon region, the drought has disrupted access to food and medicine in dozens of cities. The Amazon, the world's largest rainforest, is regarded by scientists as a bulwark against climate change because its dense vegetation absorbs carbon and emits oxygen. The five researchers predicting a 2026 recovery said the effects of the drought could endure even longer if El Nino is prolonged. That would release huge amounts of carbon dioxide, contributing to climate change and wiping out a wealth of plant and animal species found only in the Amazon.

Persons: Bruno Kelly, Raimundo Leite de Souza, Souza, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Michael Coe, we're, El Nino, Coe, El, Philip Fearnside, Henrique Barbosa, Eduardo Taveira, Taveira, Paulo Brando, Brando, Barbosa, Brad Haynes, Jake Spring, Ana Mano, Andre Romani, Suzanne Goldenberg Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Rio, cobras, United, Reuters, Research Center, National Institute of, Research, University of Maryland, Honda, LG, Positivo, GIANTS, Yale University, Sao Paulo, Thomson Locations: Tefe, Amazonas, Brazil, Rights MANAUS, caimans, Bela Vista, Guyana, Suriname, French Guiana, Venezuela, Colombia, United Nations, U.S, South America, South, Pacific, North America, El Nino, University, Baltimore, Western Europe, Brazil's Amazonas, Manaus, Itacoatiara, Madeira Rivers, Sao Paulo, Sao

☆ Kamala Harris announces new $3 billion US pledge to global climate action at Dubai summit
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-02 | by ( Kyle Feldscher | Ella Nilsen | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Harris said the US would pledge another $3 billion to the Green Climate Fund – the main finance vehicle to help developing nations adapt to the climate crisis and cut fossil fuel pollution. “Today we are demonstrating through action how the world can and must meet this crisis,” Harris said. Harris’ attendance at the summit in Dubai is in line with her recent steps to ramp up public messaging on climate change. We must treat the climate crisis as the existential threat it truly is. In what represented an early success, several countries pledged millions of dollars to help nations hit hardest by the climate crisis.

Persons: Kamala Harris, Harris, ” Harris, Coal, “, Joe Biden, Biden, Donald Trump, –, CNN’s Priscilla Alvarez, Sam Fossum, Ella Nilsen Organizations: DC CNN —, US, Environmental Protection Agency, Past Coal Alliance, Energy Information Administration, UAE, Japan, Biden, Republican, Washington Post, University of Maryland Locations: Washington, Dubai, United States, Israel, Gaza, Germany, Paris

Periods of high inflation would offset those when inflation was low as occurred between the financial crisis and the pandemic. Those concerns may not matter anymore if the pandemic has driven inflation and interest rates chronically higher. Speaking at a Boston Fed labor market conference in November, Kohn said the new framework showed the risks of not keeping inflation at bay to begin with. "Probing" for maximum employment "can't ignore...inflation risks," Kohn said, calling for a return to a strategy disavowed in the last review. "I think preemptive tightening is best-practice central banking, and I hope they return to allowing that."

Persons: Joshua Roberts, Jerome Powell, There's, Miesha Williams, Powell, Charles Evans, Evans, Fed, Loretta Mester, Austan Goolsbee, Goolsbee, Donald Kohn, Kohn, Howard Schneider, Dan Burns, Andrea Ricci Organizations: Federal Reserve, REUTERS, Rights, U.S, Federal, Spelman College, Reuters, Chicago Fed, Chicago, Cleveland Fed, Boston Fed, Thomson Locations: Washington , U.S, Atlanta

☆ Fact Check: Palestinian official flag in 1939 did not show Star of David
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-30 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

The image of the flag, which is half white and half blue with the Star of David in its centre, is spreading on Facebook (archived) with claims that it shows the official 1939 Palestinian flag. “The 1939 flag of Palestine shows that it was recognized as a Jewish entity even then,” one Facebook account wrote (archived). According to academics who spoke to Reuters, the flag seen in circulating images is not an official flag of historical Palestine. An example of a mandate-era official flag from 1946 can be seen on the British Imperial War Museums website. The official flag of mandate Palestine in 1939, during which Palestine was administered by Britain as a League of Nations Mandate, was a Union Jack.

Persons: David, Shay Hazkani, Joseph, Rebecca Meyerhoff, Jack, ”, Salim Tamari, Tamari, Sharif Hussein, Derek Penslar, William Lee Frost, “, Union Jack, Penlsar, Tamir Sorek, Read Organizations: Zionist, Palestinian, Jewish, Star, Larousse, Reuters, Center for Jewish Studies, University of Maryland, League of Nations, Institute of Palestine Studies, Birzeit University, British, Harvard University, Union, Penn State University, Society, International Affairs, Britain, League of Nations Mandate, Thomson Locations: Palestine, Larousse French, Israel, Ottoman Empire, Union

BESSEMER CITY, North Carolina, Nov 30 (Reuters) - U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said on Thursday she believes the U.S. economy does not need further drastic monetary policy tightening to stamp out inflationary expectations and was on track to achieve a "soft landing" with strong employment. "We don't need that now," Yellen said. "I believe the signs are very good that we will achieve this soft landing with unemployment stabilizing more or less we're where it is in this general vicinity, and growth slowing to a sustainable level. So my hope is that Americans gradually will see that things are getting better," Yellen said. Reporting by Howard Schneider, writing by David Lawder, editing by Chris ReeseOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Janet Yellen, Yellen, Howard Schneider, David Lawder, Chris Reese Organizations: BESSEMER CITY, . Treasury, Federal, Thomson Locations: North Carolina, U.S

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