Monthly Archives

May 2024

Federal Reserve officials announced they are keeping their benchmark rate steady

Federal Reserve officials announced they are keeping their benchmark rate steady

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Unbiased headline news for Thursday May 2, 2024- Federal Reserve officials announced they are keeping their benchmark rate steady, citing that the progress in controlling U.S. inflation has hit a roadblock. The Fed stated that it is maintaining the federal funds rate within the range of 5.25% to 5.5%, the same level it has held since the central bank’s July 2023 meeting, which is the highest it has been in more than two decades. Economists had largely anticipated this decision given the uptick in inflation during the first three months of 2024. — The United States imposed fresh sanctions targeting hundreds of entities and individuals linked to Russia’s weapons development program. The actions by the Treasury and State departments aim to disrupt Russia’s military-industrial base, chemical weapons programs, and companies and individuals in third countries that assist Russia in acquiring weapons components as its invasion of Ukraine enters its third year. — The British Home Office announced the initiation of efforts to detain migrants for relocation to Rwanda. The goal is to facilitate flights to Rwanda within 9 to 11 weeks, as promised by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, in an attempt to deter migrant boat crossings into Britain. The British government stated in a statement that Rwanda has a proven track record of successfully resettling more than 135,000 refugees and “stands ready to accept thousands more who cannot stay” in Britain. — Walmart officials revealed plans to close all 51 of its health centers across five states and discontinue its virtual care services. “The decision to shut down all 51 health centers in five states and terminate the virtual care offering was not an easy one,” Walmart officials said in a news release. “Through our experience operating Walmart Health centers and Walmart Health Virtual Care, we determined that a sustainable business model for us to continue does not exist.” — Harvey Weinstein is scheduled for a retrial “sometime after Labor Day,” a judge stated, as the disgraced film mogul appeared in a Manhattan courtroom for the first time since the New York Court of Appeals overturned his rape conviction. Court officers wheeled Weinstein’s wheelchair into and out of the courtroom in Manhattan Supreme Court Wednesday afternoon. He sat before Judge Curtis Farber in a dark suit and tie and made no statements during his 20-minute appearance. — Maryland officials approved more than $3 million in compensation for a Baltimore man who spent 31 years in prison due to a wrongful murder conviction. Governor Wes Moore apologized to Gary Washington during a Board of Public Works meeting where the compensation was approved. “On behalf of the entire state, I’m sorry for the failure of the justice system,” Moore said, adding that while no amount can make up for the injustice. — Ford is recalling nearly 243,000 Maverick small pickup trucks in the U.S. because the tail lights may not illuminate. The company says a computer can falsely detect excessive current on one or both of the tail lamps, causing them to remain dark while the trucks are being driven. This can increase the risk of a crash. The recall covers certain pickups from the 2022 through 2024 model years. — Martinelli’s has voluntarily recalled a single lot of its apple juice that was distributed to five major retailers after it tested for arsenic levels higher than U.S. Food and Drug Administration standards. S Martinelli and Company stated in a recall notice dated April 16, 2024, that the recall was initiated as “a result of sampling by the State of Maryland that found samples from one production lot of Martinelli’s apple juice, sold in one-liter glass bottles, tested above the guidance action level for inorganic arsenic in apple juice set by the FDA in June 2023.”

Netanyahu made it crystal clear on Tuesday that an invasion into Rafah will proceed

Netanyahu made it crystal clear on Tuesday that an invasion into Rafah will proceed

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Unbiased headline news for Wednesday May 1, 2024 – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made it crystal clear on Tuesday that an invasion into Rafah, a city in southern Gaza, will proceed irrespective of any negotiations aimed at freeing hostages held captive by the terrorist group Hamas. Netanyahu affirmed that Israeli forces would enter Rafah and “eradicate the Hamas battalions there,” adding that this plan would be executed “with or without a deal, in order to achieve total victory.” However, Palestinians and the international community have continued to voice concerns that such a move would result in a catastrophic humanitarian crisis. — In an effort to deliver substantial humanitarian aid to Gaza by sea, the U.S. and its allies are scrambling to assemble an intricate system. Nearly two months after President Joe Biden gave the directive, U.S. Army and Navy troops are constructing a large floating platform several miles offshore from Gaza’s coast, intended to serve as a launching point for deliveries. However, any eventual aid distribution will hinge on a complex logistical and security plan with numerous moving parts and details that remain unfinalized. — Haiti’s newly established transitional council has made a surprising choice by selecting a relatively unknown former sports minister, Fritz Bélizaire, as the Caribbean nation’s prime minister, tasked with the monumental challenge of attempting to establish a stable new government amidst stifling violence. Bélizaire gained the support of four out of seven voting members on the nine-member panel, but with other panel members admitting they were unfamiliar with him, replacing the current interim Prime Minister Michel Patrick Boisvert in an unexpected move. — New details have emerged a day after police reported that four law enforcement officers were killed and four others were wounded in a shooting in Charlotte, North Carolina, while attempting to serve a warrant on Monday afternoon. When officers approached a house to arrest the suspect, they were immediately met with gunfire, and they returned fire, according to Jennings, who stated, “There’s indication that the suspect saw them coming to the house prior to them getting to the front door.” — One person died, and 13 others were injured after a sports utility vehicle crashed through the front glass wall of a thrift store in Las Cruces, New Mexico, authorities said. First responders stated that 10 of the injured in Tuesday’s crash were taken to hospitals for treatment, and a 67-year-old woman was critically injured and later died. The 69-year-old woman who was driving the SUV was not injured, according to Las Cruces police, who did not immediately release her name. — A teenager is dead, and a man has been arrested after driving a car into a home in east London before getting out and attacking members of the public with a sword, according to police. The incident occurred at approximately 7 a.m. local time when the Metropolitan Police in London were alerted to a “serious incident” taking place in Hainault, east London, involving reports of a vehicle being driven into a house in the Thurlow Gardens area and multiple people being stabbed, according to a police statement detailing the early morning incident. — In a historic shift, the Drug Enforcement Administration supports recommending the reclassification of marijuana as a less dangerous drug, moving it from a Schedule 1 classification, alongside drugs like heroin and ecstasy, to a Schedule 3 drug, like ketamine, steroids, and testosterone, sources stated. A source confirmed that the Department of Justice will send its recommendation to the White House’s Office of Management and Budget, which will review it, further solidifying a process that will then take several more months. — Weekly COVID-19 hospitalizations have hit their lowest level ever reported since the pandemic began, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. There were 5,615 COVID hospitalizations in the most recent week of available data. In comparison, there were over 150,000 weekly admissions at the peak of the Omicron variant circulating in early 2022. Forecasts of new hospitalizations from the CDC indicate that admissions will likely remain stable for the next four weeks.