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☆ Cheaper turkeys help bring down Thanksgiving dinner costs this year
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-20 | by ( Vanessa Yurkevich | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —Thanksgiving dinner will cost less this year than last but will still be 19% higher than before the pandemic, according to the American Farm Bureau Federation’s annual Thanksgiving survey out Wednesday. The average cost of this year’s dinner for 10 people is $58.08, or about $5.80 per person, the survey found. The center piece of the Thanksgiving meal, the turkey, helped bring down the overall cost. But items like cubed stuffing and dinner rolls both increased by 8% because of higher labor costs, the AFBF said. The cost of the Thanksgiving dinner items varies based on location, the survey found.

Persons: ”, Bernt Nelson, “, Zippy Duvall, Joe Biden, Donald Trump Organizations: CNN, American Farm Bureau, American Farm Bureau Federation, Cranberries, Farm Bureau Locations: Puerto Rico, Midwest

☆ Who will build new homes in Trump’s America?
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-19 | by ( Samantha Delouya | Julia Vargas Jones | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

Trump has said that undocumented immigrants share the blame for America’s once-in-a-generation home affordability crisis, but the president-elect’s deportation plans may backfire, driving up the cost of homebuying even further. There is a need for more construction workers, as well: There were 282,000 construction jobs open as of September, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. “Immigrant labor is really important for our ability to continue to build homes affordably,” said Tobin. More than one-third of construction workers in the labor force are foreign-born, according to the US Census Bureau’s 2023 American Community Survey. In some states, that share is much higher: In California, New Jersey and Texas, more than half of construction workers are immigrants.

Persons: CNN — Duewight Garcia overstayed, Garcia, ” Garcia, Donald Trump’s, Trump, America’s, Riordan Frost, Frost, ” Frost, Jim Tobin, ”, Tobin, “, Duewight Garcia, Edward Pinto, ” Pinto, Stan Marek, MAREK, it’s, ” Marek, Trump’s, Ohio Sen, JD Vance, ” Vance, Marek, they’re, Jennie Murray, ” CNN’s Tami Luhby Organizations: CNN, New, Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University, National Association of Home Builders, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Pew Research, Survey, American, National Immigration Forum, Trump, Housing Center, American Enterprise Institute, Labor, The New York Times, National Immigration Locations: Honduras, New York City, America, California , New Jersey, Texas, New York, California, Wells Fargo, Houston

☆ Questions about sexual orientation and gender ID on track to be on U.S. Census Bureau survey by 2027
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-07 | by ( The Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +3 min

Questions about sexual orientation, gender identity and changes to queries about race and ethnicity are on track to be asked in the most comprehensive survey of American life by 2027, U.S. Census Bureau officials said Thursday. Under the revisions, questions about race and ethnicity that previously were asked separately will be combined into a single question. Questions in English and Spanish about sexual orientation and gender identity started being tested in August with trial questionnaires sent out to several hundred-thousand households. On the sexual orientation test question, respondents can provide a write-in response if they don’t see themselves in the gay or lesbian, straight or bisexual options. The trial questionnaire also is testing “degenderizing” questions about relationships in a household by changing options like “biological son or daughter” to “biological child.”

Persons: ” Organizations: Census, American, Survey Locations: U.S, Eastern

“There’s no white knight coming,” a federal law enforcement official told NBC News, speaking on the condition of anonymity to describe the posture of federal authorities in the coming weeks, after Election Day. Law enforcement officials across the country said they believe the 2024 election will have a more sustained drumbeat of partisan rhetoric and disinformation than the 2020 election. The FBI has also set up a National Election Command Post at headquarters specifically to focus on election threats, as is standard practice in an election year. Two law enforcement officials expressed some concern that a federal response to any serious election issues could be chaotic and involve a “hodgepodge” of different state, local and federal law enforcement agencies and local election entities. Four other current and former law enforcement sources said they worried that disinformation and conspiracy theories could affect some segments of the law enforcement community, especially in parts of the country where Trump has significant support.

Persons: Donald Trump, Trump, “ We’ve, Rebecca Weiner, —, Attorney General Merrick Garland, “, General Merrick Garland, Chip Somodevilla, Jan, — “, Garland, Department’s, ” Organizations: WASHINGTON —, U.S . Capitol, NBC News, New York Police, Democrat, FBI, Justice Department, Trump, Infrastructure Security Agency, The Justice Department, Department, Attorney, Getty, Law, Department of Homeland Security, Capitol, Force Locations: ”, U.S, ” Federal, China, Iran, Russia, stoke

China’s National Bureau of Statistics on Friday reported third-quarter GDP growth of 4.6% year on year, slightly exceeding the 4.5% expected by economists polled by Reuters. “The national economy showed positive signs of growth in September,” Sheng Laiyun, the bureau’s deputy commissioner, said at the news conference, according to CNBC’s translation of the Chinese. Other data also released on Friday, such as retail sales and industrial production, also beat expectations, a hopeful sign for the world’s second-largest economy. “Despite the multitude of challenges, China’s economy is not incurable as some would suggest,” Xu added. Authorities continued to dip feed more stimulus measures throughout this month amid low consumer sentiment and a flagging property sector.

Persons: ” Sheng Laiyun, ”, Tianchen Xu, ” Xu, Finance Lan Organizations: China’s National Bureau, Statistics, Reuters, Economist Intelligence Unit, China’s, Finance, Ministry Locations: China’s, Beijing

☆ FBI to pay $22 million to settle claims of sexual discrimination at training academy
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-30 | by ( Sarah Fitzpatrick | Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Ap-Live-Blog-Byline-Image.Png | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +3 min

“These problems are pervasive within the FBI and the attitudes that created them were learned at the academy,” said David J. Shaffer, the lawyer for the women. One of the women said she was admonished to “smile more” and subjected to repeated sexual advances. The bureau also has agreed to a review by outside experts who will work to ensure that female recruits face a fair evaluation process. "I interned with the FBI in college and did everything needed to qualify for a special agent role. I even became a lawyer, which the FBI considers a high value qualification for future agents.

Persons: ”, David J, Shaffer, leered, Paula Bird, Bird Organizations: FBI, NBC News, Old Boy Network, FBI Academy Locations: Quantico , Virginia

☆ FBI to pay $22M to settle claims of sexual discrimination at training academy
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-30 | by ( Associated Press | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

“These problems are pervasive within the FBI and the attitudes that created them were learned at the academy,” said David J. Shaffer, the lawyer for the women. One of the women said she was admonished to “smile more” and subjected to repeated sexual advances. Men still make up some three-quarters of the bureau’s special agents despite efforts to diversify in recent years. The bureau also has agreed to a review by outside experts who will work to ensure that female recruits face a fair evaluation process. In one case, an FBI assistant director retired after the inspector general’s office concluded he harassed a female subordinate and sought an improper relationship with her.

Persons: ”, David J, Shaffer, leered, ” Paula Bird, Larry Nassar Organizations: CNN, FBI, Old Boy Network, FBI Academy, Associated Press, Justice Department Locations: Quantico , Virginia

☆ Did you know violent crime is down? Not if you’re watching right-wing media
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-24 | by ( Jon Passantino | Liam Reilly | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —The FBI on Monday reported that violent crime dropped across the US last year, registering the steepest annual decline in murders in decades. But the report was almost entirely ignored by right-wing media outlets, which have pushed a false narrative that crime is surging under President Joe Biden. Overall crime fell by 3% and property crime fell by 2.4%. The routine release of FBI data comes just weeks before a high-stakes presidential election in which perceptions of crime and safety have become a key political flashpoint. The decision by right-wing media outlets to bury the report underscores the disconnect between public perception on the issue of crime and the reality of falling crime rates.

Persons: Joe Biden, Donald Trump, ”, Bret Baier, Baier, Elon Musk, wasn’t, Fox’s, Breitbart, Newsmax, Gallup, “, Jeff Asher Organizations: CNN, FBI, Associated Press, NBC, The New York Times, Trump, Fox News, Fox, America, Daily, Washington Examiner, Epoch Times, Reuters, Social Locations: ”

☆ Attempts to purge voter rolls increase as election nears
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-20 | by ( Devan Cole | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

As of Tuesday, at least three dozen cases related to voter rolls and their maintenance are pending in 19 states, according to the liberal-leaning Democracy Docket, which tracks election litigation. The right-wing effort to purge voter rolls has largely centered around claims that noncitizens are casting illegal votes in favor of Democrats. “There’s always been some litigation about voter rolls and list maintenance. Reviewing voter rolls is a regular practice for states, and despite the 90-day quiet period, the NVRA does allow individuals to ask to be taken off lists close to an election. The federal law exempts some states if they allow voter registration on Election Day at polling centers where federal elections are conducted.

Persons: Donald Trump’s, Joe Biden, Kamala Harris ’, Brennan, “ There’s, ”, Uzoma Nkwonta, Nkwonta, ” Justin Levitt, “, Meritless, Biden, Jason Frazier, Earl Ferguson, Wes Allen, Allen, State Francisco Aguilar, Aguilar, Levitt, J, Christian Adams, Daniel Dale, Fredreka Schouten Organizations: Washington CNN, Republican National Committee, Justice Department, Brennan Center for Justice, New, Loyola Law School, Biden White House, Republicans, NGPAF, Biden, Trump ., DOJ, CNN, Alabama Republican, RNC, Nevada Democratic, State, Nevada Department of Motor Vehicles, Survey, Michigan Bureau, Interest Legal Foundation Locations: Georgia , Nevada , Michigan, Wisconsin, New Georgia, Georgia, Fulton County, Fulton, Trump, Trump . Fulton County, Atlanta, Nevada, Michigan , North Carolina, Arizona, Michigan

Polish American voters are having a moment. “The Polish American vote there is meaningful,” Jackson said. “A question I frequently get is whether there is even such a thing as a Polish American vote. The efforts by Harris and Trump show “the candidates are clearly making a play for the Polish American vote,” said Dominik Stecula, an assistant professor of communications at Ohio State University. Many Polish Americans do not speak Polish and have never been to Poland, and they long ago moved to the suburbs from the tightly packed Polish neighborhoods that once predominated.

Persons: Kamala Harris, Donald Trump, ” Harris, Trump, Harris, Tom Malinowski, Maureen Pikarski, Joe Biden's, Malinowski, Andrzej Duda, Duda, David James Jackson, “, ” Jackson, ”, Dominik Stecula, ” Malinowski, Stecula, ” Stecula, Vladimir Putin, Putin, Jackson, it’s Organizations: Polish, New, Harris Facebook, Biden, National, of, Solidarity, Bowling Green State University, Trump, Ohio State University, Democratic, Piast Institute, Survey Locations: Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Chicago, Polish, Poland, Ukraine, Krakow, Czestochowa, Philadelphia, Soviet Union, Ohio, Polish American, Pennsylvania , Michigan, Wisconsin, Michigan, Stecula, U.S, Luzerne County, Wilkes, Barre

☆ Why these three states are the most consistent tipping point in American politics
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-17 | by ( Ronald Brownstein | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +21 min

Trump won the presidency in 2016 by stunning Democrat Hillary Clinton to win all three states by a combined margin of about 80,000 votes. But, as in other states, Democrats have been concerned about the risk of depressed turnout and some gains for Trump among Black voters in Philadelphia. Eight years later, the two states split again, when Roosevelt comfortably won Pennsylvania and Michigan narrowly went to Republican Wendell Willkie. This trio of states has arguably become the most consistent tipping point in American politics. In the nine elections since 1920 when they split their vote, the candidate who carried two of these three states won seven times.

Persons: Kamala Harris, Donald Trump –, Trump, Hillary Clinton, Joe Biden, Harris, Bob Shrum, Shrum, Tad Devine, “, Biden, PRRI, William Frey, Tim Marema, don’t, Mason, Dixon, Barack Obama, Tony Evers, Gretchen Whitmer, Josh Shapiro, Republican Sen, Ron Johnson, Dane County, Ben Wikler, Pete Giangreco, ”, You’ve, That’s, Gene Ulm, Roe, Wade, Whitmer, Branden Snyder, It’s, Clinton, Dante Chinni, White, ” Chinni, they’ve, They’ve, Republican pollster Patrick Ruffini, Ruffini, “ I’m, ” Ruffini, Geoff Garin, Michael Dukakis, Republican George H.W, Republican George H.W . Bush, James Buchanan, John C, Franklin D, Roosevelt, Herbert Hoover, Republican Wendell Willkie, Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter, Theodore Roosevelt’s, Al Gore, John Kerry, Republican Thomas Dewey, Hubert Humphrey, Garin Organizations: CNN, White House, Democratic, Michigan, Wisconsin, AdImpact, Trump, Center, University of Southern, “, Republicans, Survey, Blacks, of Labor Statistics, Public Religion Research, Whites, GOP, Brookings Metro, for Rural, doesn’t, Keystone State, Republican, Center for Rural, Democrats, Biden, Black, White, Wisconsin , Michigan Democrats, Detroit, Electoral, American Communities Project, …, Democrat, Pennsylvania, Republican Party Locations: Michigan, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Georgia, North Carolina , Arizona, Nevada, Flint , Michigan, University of Southern California, California , New York, Illinois, Texas, Florida, Ohio, . Michigan, Wisconsin’s, Milwaukee, Philadelphia, Detroit, Waukesha, Ozaukee, Washington, Madison, Dane, Dane County, Eau Claire, Appleton, La Crosse, Outagamie, Winnebago, Green Bay, Green, Chicago, Scranton, Wilkes, Barre, ” Michigan, “ Michigan, Gaza, Wisconsin , Michigan, United States, “ Pennsylvania, Ulm, Pittsburgh, Butler , Pennsylvania, Republican George H.W ., Fremont, North Carolina, Michigan , Pennsylvania, “

WASHINGTON — Two brothers from Pennsylvania and New Jersey who allegedly assaulted a New York Times photographer and stole her camera after they stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, were arrested by the FBI on Thursday. The men the FBI identified as the Walker brothers, as seen pointing at a New York Times photographer before her assault. “Grabbing my press pass, they saw that my ID said The New York Times and became really angry. Two men the FBI identified as the Walker brothers, seen on the right in face masks, after assaulting a New York Times photographer. Reached Thursday, Schaff referred NBC News to a New York Times spokesperson, who said the paper is grateful to authorities "for their persistence in pursuing justice in this case."

Persons: Philip Walker, David Walker, Walker, Erin Schaff, Schaff, Brian Mock, antifa, “, ”, Nancy Pelosi’s, Danielle Rhoades Ha, sleuths, —, Donald Trump, “ Trump, Trump, Jan Organizations: WASHINGTON, New York Times, U.S, Capitol, FBI, The New York Times, NBC, NBC News, U.S . Capitol, Boys, Trump, pitchfork Locations: Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Upper Chichester , Pennsylvania, Delran , New Jersey, Trump

☆ Former CIA officer who spied for China sentenced to a decade in prison
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-12 | by ( Josh Campbell | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

CNN —A former CIA officer arrested for espionage has been sentenced to 10 years in federal prison for conspiring to provide classified information to Chinese intelligence officials, according to the US Department of Justice. Alexander Yuk Ching Ma, 71, of Honolulu, had arranged for himself and a relative, who also previously worked for the CIA, to meet with Chinese security officers in Hong Kong and provide classified material in exchange for $50,000, according to his plea agreement. Ma pleaded guilty in May. Ma was later the target of an FBI undercover operation after applying to work as a linguist at the bureau’s Honolulu field office. During the course of his monitored employment with the FBI, Ma allegedly took a digital camera into the FBI office to photograph sensitive documents that he would then take to his handlers in China.

Persons: CNN —, Alexander Yuk Ching Ma, Ma, Salina Kanai Organizations: CNN, CIA, US Department of Justice, FBI, People’s, DOJ, Justice Department Locations: Honolulu, Hong Kong, People’s Republic of China, China, Salina, United States

☆ Nearly half of US renters spend more than 30% of their income on housing costs
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-12 | by ( Samantha Delouya | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —Nearly half of all renter households in the US were cost-burdened in 2023, meaning they paid more than 30% of their income towards housing costs, according to new government data. “Housing costs rose between 2022 and 2023 for both homeowners and renters,” Molly Ross, a survey statistician at the Census Bureau, said in a statement. Households that spend more than 30% of their income on rent, mortgage payments or other housing costs are considered “cost-burdened” by the US Department of Housing and Urban Development. In 2023, 56.2% of Black or African American households spent more than 30% of their income on housing costs, compared to 49.7% of the total population. About 2.5 million, or 30.6%, of Black households were considered “severely cost-burdened,” meaning they spent more than 50% of their income on housing costs in 2023.

Persons: Molly Ross, Kamala Harris, Donald Trump, Trump Organizations: CNN, Survey, Census, US Department of Housing, Urban Development, Federal Reserve Locations: Florida, Texas , California , New York, Louisiana, Illinois , Kansas , Minnesota, New Mexico , New York, West Virginia

☆ What to Know About Online Paycheck Advances and Why They Face Scrutiny
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-09 | by ( Ann Carrns | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

A growing number of Americans who need cash before their next payday are tapping online paycheck advances. But the fees that often come with the advances are drawing scrutiny from a federal consumer watchdog. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau proposed a rule in July that would treat many digital pay-advance offerings as loans. The rule “will help workers know what they are getting with these products,” the bureau’s director, Rohit Chopra, said in prepared remarks. But that cycle doesn’t always match when bills are due, particularly for lower-income workers who face unexpected expenses.

Persons: Rohit Chopra Organizations: Consumer Financial, Employers

☆ Trump Agrees to Be Interviewed by F.B.I. in Its Investigation Into Gunman
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-29 | by ( Glenn Thrush | More About Glenn Thrush | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Former President Donald J. Trump has agreed to be interviewed by the F.B.I. as part of its investigation into the motives of the 20-year-old man who tried to assassinate him during a campaign rally in Pennsylvania on July 13, bureau officials said on Monday. “We want to get his perspective on what he observed, like any other witness,” Kevin Rojek, the head of the bureau’s Pittsburgh field office, said on a call with reporters. By week’s end, the F.B.I. offered its most definitive explanation yet, saying it was a bullet or a fragment of one, a statement it reiterated on Monday.

Persons: Donald J, Trump, “, ” Kevin Rojek, Mr, Trump’s, Christopher A, Wray, Thomas Crooks, Robert Fico Locations: Pennsylvania, Pittsburgh, Slovakia

☆ Justice Dept. Settles Lawsuit With Former F.B.I. Officials Targeted by Trump
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-26 | by ( Adam Goldman | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The Justice Department on Friday settled a lawsuit with two former F.B.I. officials who had accused the Trump administration of violating their privacy by sharing their texts disparaging former President Donald J. Trump with the news media, according to court documents. Their texts incited a political firestorm after the Justice Department in December 2017 invited reporters to review them at night before handing them over to Congress. counterintelligence agent who helped oversee the bureau’s investigation into the Trump campaign’s possible ties to Russia in 2016, Mr. Strzok exchanged inflammatory messages with Ms. Mr. Strzok drafted the memo opening the investigation, which was approved by his superiors.

Persons: Trump, Donald J, Peter Strzok, Lisa Page, Strzok, ” Organizations: Department, Trump, Justice Department, Republicans Locations: Russia

☆ Investigators Unlock Gunman’s Phone in Search of Motive for Trump Shooting
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-15 | by ( Glenn Thrush | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The motives of the young man who tried to assassinate former President Donald J. Trump remain a mystery, even after the F.B.I. gained access to his cellphone on Monday and began analyzing its contents for clues, law enforcement officials said. The gunfire grazed the former president’s ear, killed a bystander and seriously injured two other people. The F.B.I., in a statement on Monday, cautioned that the investigation was still in the early stages. Technicians are in the middle of analyzing all of the gunman’s electronic devices, not just his phone, for his communications, browser history and social media activity, officials added.

Persons: Donald J, Trump, Thomas Matthew Crooks Organizations: Technicians Locations: Pennsylvania, Quantico, Va

☆ Hollywood Sharpens Aim at Online Pirates
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-24 | by ( Brooks Barnes | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

In recent years, Hollywood has become much better at hunting pirates. But thieves are also getting better, moving operations overseas and taking advantage of the rising popularity of streaming to steal more content. official to lead the drive and renewing a push for federal legislation to combat online thievery overseas. The companies, which include Netflix, Disney, NBCUniversal and Warner Bros. as a special agent investigating computer hacking and intellectual property crimes and ultimately became the bureau’s fourth-highest-ranking official and highest-ranking woman.

Persons: Larissa L, Knapp Organizations: Hollywood, Netflix, Hulu, Amazon’s, Disney, Warner Bros, Association

☆ Consumer Bureau to Create ‘Corporate Offender’ Registry
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-03 | by ( Stacy Cowley | More About Stacy Cowley | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau on Monday finalized a plan to create a public registry of nonbank businesses that have been penalized for violating consumer protection laws, a roster some have called a “rap sheet” for companies. The goal, the consumer bureau said, is to make it easier for consumers, watchdogs and government prosecutors to identify patterns and recurrences. “Too many American families and businesses have been harmed by repeat offenders in a rinse-and-repeat cycle of illegal activity,” Rohit Chopra, the bureau’s director, said at a news conference. “When companies believe that violating the law is more profitable than following it, this totally undermines public trust and harms businesses who are playing by the rules.”The bureau estimates that at least 1,500 and as many as 7,750 companies will be subject to inclusion in the registry. The database will compile orders from state, federal and local governments and courts against companies that have faced sanctions for lawbreaking.

Persons: Rohit Chopra Organizations: Consumer Financial

cut ties to at least a handful of informants and issued warnings about dozens of others after an internal review prompted by concerns that they were linked to Russian disinformation, current and former U.S. officials said. The review was carried out in 2020 and 2021 by a small group within the bureau’s counterintelligence division, with the findings then passed along to field offices, which handle informants. The review was conducted during and after the 2020 election, when concerns about Russian meddling were running high, and at a time when the United States was closely monitoring whether Russia would invade Ukraine. The episode highlighted a tricky balance: The more access informants have to valuable intelligence, the higher the risk that they could knowingly or unknowingly be used to channel disinformation. This is particularly true with regard to post-Soviet countries, where shifting alliances among oligarchs, politicians and intelligence services have far-reaching consequences that can be difficult for Western governments to discern.

Persons: — Locations: Russia, United States, Ukraine

☆ Supreme Court saves consumer protection agency after a challenge from conservatives and the payday lending industry
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-16 | by ( John Fritze | Joan Biskupic | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Congress created the bureau in 2010 to protect consumers from financial scams. The payday lending groups sued over a 2017 bureau rule that prohibited attempts to withdraw payments from accounts after two consecutive tries failed due to insufficient funds. Because of that, the conservative appeals court tossed the payday lending rule. The Biden administration appealed to the Supreme Court in 2022. CNN Supreme Court analyst Steve Vladeck said the ruling is another instance of the high court not endorsing controversial opinions from the 5th Circuit.

Persons: Clarence Thomas, Biden, Massachusetts Democratic Sen, Elizabeth Warren, ” Thomas, Steve Vladeck, “, would’ve, ”, Vladeck, Samuel Alito, ” Alito, Neil Gorsuch, Stuart, Trump Organizations: CNN, Massachusetts Democratic, Federal Reserve, Circuit, University of Texas School of Law Locations: New Orleans

☆ Supreme Court Rejects Challenge to Consumer Watchdog’s Funding
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-16 | by ( Adam Liptak | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The Supreme Court rejected a challenge on Thursday to the way the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is funded, one that could have hobbled the bureau and advanced a central goal of the conservative legal movement: limiting the power of independent agencies. The vote was 7 to 2, with Justice Clarence Thomas writing the majority opinion. “Under the appropriations clause,” he wrote, “an appropriation is simply a law that authorizes expenditures from a specified source of public money for designated purposes. The statute that provides the bureau’s funding meets these requirements. We therefore conclude that the bureau’s funding mechanism does not violate the appropriations clause.”

Persons: Clarence Thomas, Thomas, ” Organizations: Consumer Financial, Treasury

☆ What the Supreme Court Ruling Means for Other Consumer Bureau Actions
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-16 | by ( Emily Flitter | Stacy Cowley | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

But the ruling falls far short of eliminating the bureau’s legal obstacles. Immediately after the ruling was announced, lawyers for the bureau, which is charged with preventing consumer abuse in the financial industry, began preparing dozens of legal filings to try to unfreeze its activities. Among them are requests to federal judges to end stays on new rules and on subpoenas to financial firms. While the Supreme Court’s ruling should resolve a few of the stays, the bureau will still struggle to overcome other roadblocks. He noted that Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr.’s dissent cited three recent consumer bureau actions that, in Justice Alito’s view, would be “major changes” in consumer protection law.

Persons: ”, Graham Steele, Samuel A, Alito Jr, ’, Alito’s Organizations: Consumer, Treasury Department

☆ Judge Blocks New U.S. Rule Limiting Credit Card Late Fees
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-10 | by ( Cade Metz | More About Cade Metz | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

In March, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau announced that a new federal rule would cap fees on late credit card payments at $8 a month, estimating that the change would save American households $10 billion a year. On Friday, a federal judge in Fort Worth temporarily blocked the rule, siding with bank and credit card company lobbyists who contend in a lawsuit that it is unconstitutional. Now, the lobbyists can continue their legal fight in U.S. District Court before Judge Mark T. Pittman, who granted the preliminary injunction. The consumer bureau’s new rule would limit issuers to an $8 fee unless they could show that more money was needed to cover their collection costs. The bureau estimated that the rule would apply to more than 95 percent of all outstanding credit card balances.

Persons: Mark T, Pittman Organizations: Consumer Financial, Bureau Locations: Fort Worth, U.S

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