Thursday, September 21, 2023

9/21 WAKE-UP CALL: Interest Rates Remain At 22-Year High

The Fed voted to hold interest rates at a 22-year high but signaled it could raise them once more this year to combat inflation. This is the second pause in 2023 after central bankers also kept rates steady in June. In July, the Fed increased its benchmark federal-funds rate to a range between 5.25% and 5.5%. It began lifting rates from near zero in March 2022. Because it can take a year or longer for rate increases to slow economic activity, Fed Chair Jerome Powell has said gradual hikes would give officials more time to assess the impact. They meet again on Oct. 31-Nov. 1 and in December.

➤U-S COMPANIES GETTING NEW CARBON-DISCLOSURE RULES: Carbon-disclosure rules for U.S. companies are coming sooner than expected. California and the EU are poised to approve regulations requiring companies that do business within their borders to release information about their greenhouse-gas emissions, including from their suppliers and customers. Those are stricter directives than rules that the SEC has proposed. The size of the California and EU economies—the world’s sixth and third largest, respectively, if they were countries—means few large companies can duck their rules. Businesses and Republicans have fought the SEC’s efforts to make one of the biggest changes in corporate disclosures in decades.

➤WRITER'S STRIKE COULD END TODAY: Writers and producers are near an agreement to end the Writers Guild of America strike after meeting face to face on Wednesday, people close to the negotiations told CNBC. The two sides met and hope to finalize a deal Thursday, the sources said. While optimistic, the people noted, however, that if a deal is not reached the strike could last through the end of the year. On Wednesday evening, the WGA and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers released a joint statement that the two groups met for bargaining and would meet again on Thursday.

➤UNMANNED JET TRAVELED SOME 60-MILES:  The F-35 Lightning II stealth fighter jet that went missing in South Carolina flew without its pilot for about 60 miles before crashing into a wooded area. The debris from the jet was found Monday after the pilot ejected and parachuted to safety into a residential backyard on Sunday. But many questions remain amid an ongoing investigation into the incident. The U.S. Marine Corps hasn't yet released much information about how the "most expensive" aircraft went missing and crashed. "How in the hell do you lose an F-35?" Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., wrote on X, formerly Twitter. "How is there not a tracking device and we’re asking the public to what, find a jet and turn it in?"

➤TEXAS GOVERNOR BLASTS BIDEN: Greg Abbott has deployed the National Guard to re-install razor wire to deter migrants - as one mayor declared an emergency amid an influx of 14,000 people. The Texas Governor launched a blistering attack on Joe Biden on Wednesday, slamming him for 'cutting the wire' and assuring Texans he was having it repaired. He shared footage of members of the Texas National Guard unravelling the new barrier before putting it up along the besieged banks of the Rio Grande. It comes as Eagle Pass is overwhelmed by migrants flooding the border, with 4,000 crossing on Wednesday, 14,000 since last week and 270,000 this year. Mayor Rolando Salinas declared a state of emergency after thousands overran Mission Border Hope, the only migrant shelter in the city. Despite the desperation, Biden on Wednesday granted temporary work permits to 472,000 Venezuelans who arrived in the country between January 1 and July 31.


➤UKRAINIAN DRONES HUNT RUSSIANS: Ukraine’s military tactics are putting Russia on the defensive in the Black Sea. By deploying domestically produced naval drones and missiles and targeting Moscow’s ships in their home ports, Kyiv has eroded much of the superpower’s naval superiority. Ukrainian coastal missiles and minefields keep Russian warships away. Commercial vessels are using Ukraine’s main port of Odesa again. Moscow can’t move ships from its other fleets because Turkey, which controls the straits between the Black Sea and the Mediterranean Sea, barred transit for belligerent warships in February 2022.

➤RUSSIA LAUNCHES ATTACKS: Russia launched a massive air attack on the capital Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities on Thursday, injuring at least 18 people and damaging infrastructure facilities across the country, officials said. Blasts were heard in Kyiv and the surrounding region after an air raid alert, Reuters witnesses said. Authorities reported sending rescue teams to several locations in the capital. Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko said people were injured in Kyiv and Cherkasy regions and in the city of Kharkiv in the east during the attack that came early in the morning.

➤TOP MILITARY CHIEF FINALLY CONFIRMED: The U.S. Senate has confirmed General C.Q. Brown as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff after his nomination was removed from a stack of some 300 military promotions being blocked by Republican Senator Tommy Tuberville of Alabama. The procedural move by Senator Majority Leader Chuck Schumer is expected to allow two more nominees, the Army chief of staff and the Marine Corps commandant, to be approved today. Tuberville has blocked military promotions for months because he opposes a Defense Department policy that reimburses the cost of abortions for service members who must cross lines to obtain an abortion.

➤CAPITOL RIOTER PLEADS GUILTY: In the latest hearing for those charged with joining the assault on the U.S. Capitol on January 6th, 2020, a man named Ray Epps has pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct. Epps was featured in dozens of Fox News segments hosted by Tucker Carlson that accused him of being a federal agent and attempted to depict the assault as a “false flag” operation. Epps is suing Fox News for defamation. He faces a maximum of one year in prison on the charge.

➤SAUDI CROWN PRINCE TALKS CONTROVERVIES: Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in his first interview with a major American news network since 2019 addressed controversies that have plagued his country and government over the past few years.   "Saudi Arabia is so big, so I'm quite sure most any person on the world, directly or indirectly, you have something to do with Saudi Arabia," bin Salman said in an interview with Bret Baier, Fox News chief political anchor and anchor and executive editor of "Special Report with Bret Baier." Baier spent a week in Saudi Arabia interviewing various members of the government and local business owners before his historic sit-down talk with the crown prince on the artificial island of Sindalah, built in the Red Sea. Once face-to-face with the leader of the fast-growing G-20 economy, Baier ensured that he addressed the controversial laws and incidents involving Saudi Arabia. 

Chief among those ranks the murder of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi in 2018, which the CIA concluded bin Salman had personally ordered. Khashoggi had written several articles critical of the crown prince, and U.S. intelligence alleges that the operation to kill Khashoggi – involving 15 people who ambushed and murdered him – could not have happened without bin Salman’s direct consent.

➤DeSANTIS CLAIMS TRUMP LAME-DUCK: The Florida Governor, 45, boasted that he could serve two terms as president unlike Trump during an interview with ABC News on Wednesday. DeSantis insisted he was doing better than his counterpart in his most recent race and has a 'much better chance of actually delivering' on policies if elected. He slammed the former president for not attending the Republican primary debate and said he 'owes it to people to be there'. The politician also repeated his threat to use deadly force on cartels who smuggle drugs across the chaotic border.

➤MORE AMERICANS OPPOSE IMPEACHING BIDEN: A little over a third of Americans believe that President Joe Biden should be impeached and removed from office, while 45 percent do not agree, according to a new poll. House Republicans began an impeachment inquiry a week ago, alleging that the president was involved in corrupt business dealings with his son, Hunter Biden. Some 37 percent of Americans believe President Biden should be impeached and 36 percent of them think he also should be removed from office, according to a new poll from Yahoo News and YouGov. The poll results closely follow party lines, with Republicans in favor and Democrats opposed.

➤2 TEENS FACING CHARGES AS ADULTS: Two teenage boys believed to be behind the sick hit-and-run homicide of a retired police chief in Las Vegas have been named as they are charged as adults. Jesus Ayala, 17, and Jzamir Keys, 16, are suspected of intentionally striking Andreas Probst, 64, while he was riding his bicycle down an empty highway in the northwest of the city at around 6am on August 14. Ayala was arrested the same day accused of being the motorist behind the wheel of the 2016 Hyundai Elantra which hit the retired cop.

➤AUTOPSY...PATS FAN DID NOT DIE FROM PUNCHES: An autopsy on New England Patriots fan Dale Mooney, who died at a Sunday night game at Gillette Stadium, didn’t indicate a traumatic injury was to blame, though a “medical issue” was identified in his death. “Our investigation has included numerous law enforcement interviews and the examination of multiple angles of video capturing the scuffle prior to Mr. Dale Mooney’s collapse during the Sunday night game at Gillette Stadium,” the Norfolk District Attorney’s office said in a statement. “Preliminary autopsy results did not suggest traumatic injury, but did identify a medical issue.” Witnesses said the 53-year-old victim was punched during a scuffle at the end of the home team’s showdown with the Miami Dolphins. Mooney’s sudden collapse was “pretty hard to watch,” one spectator told WCVB. “Cause and manner of death remain undetermined pending further testing,” according to the district attorney’s office.


➤A-B  STOPS CUTTING CLYDESDALE'S TAILS: Under pressure from animal-rights activists, Budweiser’s parent company said “whoa” to cutting off its Clydesdales’ tails. Anheuser-Busch InBev stopped the practice, known as docking, this year, and said that the horses’ safety and well-being are its top priority. Docking was traditionally performed to prevent the tail of the horse from interfering with harness and carriage equipment and later became fashionable. Animal-rights advocates say that tail braiding and wrapping is enough, and that docking causes lifelong pain, among other issues. Ten U.S. states and several countries, including Belgium, where AB InBev is based, ban or restrict the practice. The Budweiser Clydesdales, used for marketing since 1933, are among America’s best-known corporate icons. The brewing giant’s concession to activists comes after consumer backlash over a promotion with transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney hurt sales.

⚾MLB BLUE JAYS 6   YANKEES 1: Kevin Gausman struck out 10 in six solid innings and the visiting Toronto Blue Jays extended their winning streak to five games by pulling away late for a 6-1 victory over the New York Yankees on Wednesday night. The Blue Jays (85-67) won fifth straight for the second time this season and first since winning six in a row April 23-29. Toronto beat the Yankees for the 17th time in the past 25 meetings in the Bronx and stayed a game ahead of the Texas Rangers and Seattle Mariners in the American League wild-card race.

⚾MLB PHILLIES 6 BRAVES 5: Bryson Stott poked a two-run double down the left-field line with two outs in the 10th inning, lifting the visiting Philadelphia Phillies to a 6-5 victory over the Atlanta Braves on Wednesday afternoon. Stott's first hit of the series came against losing pitcher A.J. Minter (3-6), who gave up two runs (one earned) with four walks in one inning. The winning pitcher was Craig Kimbrel (8-6), who pitched a scoreless ninth inning. Matt Strahm allowed one unearned run in the bottom of the 10th but picked up his second save.


⚾MLB SCORES:

  • Angles 8 Rays 3
  • Twins 5 Reds 3
  • Nationals 13 White Sox 3
  • Rangers 15 Red Sox 5
  • Royals 6 Guardians 2
  • Astros 2 Orioles 1
  • Mariners 6 Athletics 3
  • D-Backs 7 Gints 1
  • Padres 3 Rockies 2
  • Mets 8 Marlins 3
  • Pirates 13 Cubs 7
  • Brewers 8 Cardinals 2
  • Tigers 4 Dodgers 2


⚾LONG SUSPENSION FOR BREWERS’ MEJIA: Milwaukee Brewers pitcher J.C. Mejia has been suspended for 162 games after testing positive for a performance-enhancing drug called Stanozolol. Mejia was previously suspended for 80 games in May 2022 after testing positive for the same drug. Stanozolol is a synthetic steroid.

🏈RAMS TRADE AKERS TO THE VIKINGS: The Los Angeles Rams are trading running back Cam Akers to the Minnesota Vikings in return for 2026 draft picks. Akers was selected by the Rams out of Florida State in the second round of the 2020 draft.

🏈LIONEL MESSI EXITS GAME EARLY: Lionel Messi left Inter Miami CF’s game against Toronto FC yesterday with an apparent leg injury. His departure in the 37th minute of the game came only minutes after his former Barcelona teammate Jordi Alba left the field. Neither seemed badly injured but both were clearly in some discomfort. Miami won the game 4-0.

➤SIMONE BILES IS BACK: American gymnastics champion Simone Biles posted the top all-around score in the U.S. qualifying competition yesterday, winning her a ticket to the upcoming World Championships. Now 26, Biles took the top spot at the U.S. qualifying competition in Antwerp, Belgium, the city where she won two gold medals at the World Championships 10 years ago.



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