Geoff Bennett:
No president has ever tried to fire a Fed governor in the bank’s 112-year history. It comes as the president is putting increasing pressure on the Fed over what he sees as an unwillingness to lower interest rates. An initial court hearing is scheduled for tomorrow.
In Florida, a federal judge has upheld her ruling to wind down the Everglades detention center known as Alligator Alcatraz by late October. The decision comes after e-mails emerged from last week showing a Florida official signaling that most detainees will be gone within a few days. The facility opened just last month. State officials say Florida stands to lose most of the $218 million invested in the project.
Also today, the Department of Homeland Security asked a military base outside Chicago for support on immigration operations in the form of — quote — “facilities, infrastructure, and other logistical needs.” The base said no decisions have been made on the request.
Meantime, authorities in Rwanda say they have received seven deportees from the U.S. so far this month after agreeing to take in as many as 250. The East African country is one of four African nations, along with Uganda, Eswatini, and South Sudan that have such deportation agreements with the Trump administration.
A Rwandan spokesperson says three of the individuals have expressed a desire to return to their home countries, while four wish to stay and build lives in Rwanda. No further information was provided about the identities of the deportees.
The U.N. Security Council voted unanimously today to end its nearly five-decade peacekeeping mission along Lebanon’s southern border with Israel. Scaling down the nearly 11,000-member force will begin immediately, with a final withdrawal by the end of next year. The pullout follows U.S. and Israeli demands to end the mission and leaves the Lebanese government as the sole provider of security in the area.
Meantime, in Gaza City, ambulances rushed to the site of blasts from Israeli strikes today. The Israeli military has stepped up its bombardment there, calling it the last Hamas stronghold. Health officials say at least 16 Palestinians were killed today across Gaza.
Back in this country, officials at the CDC said today that a salmonella outbreak involving recalled eggs has poisoned nearly 100 people across the country. The cases appeared in more than a dozen states starting in January; 18 people had to be hospitalized, and the CDC says the actual number of those infected is likely much higher than reported.
The FDA says Country Eggs LLC of Lucerne Valley, California, was a common supplier in areas where people got sick. The company has suspended production of its brown cage-free Sunshine Yolks or omega-3 Golden Yolk eggs.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution is stopping its print edition and shifting to a digital-only model in the new year. In a statement, the company said, “We knew this day would come,” adding that “Many more people engage with our digital platforms and products today than with our print edition, and that shift is only accelerating.”
The announcement follows similar moves by The Star-Ledger in New Jersey, among others, amid a broader shift in how people get their news. The AJC’s final print edition will appear on December 31.
On Wall Street today, stocks hit new highs after the latest earnings report from chipmaker Nvidia. The Dow Jones industrial average added around 70 points on the day. The Nasdaq rose 115 points. The S&P 500 closed at a new all-time high for a second day in the row.
