The House on Thursday passed legislation that would impose sanctions on officials at the International Criminal Court, making a frontal assault on the tribunal in a rebuke of its move to charge top Israeli leaders with war crimes for their offensive against Hamas in Gaza.The bill instructs the president to freeze property assets and deny visas to any foreigners who materially or financially contributed to the court’s efforts to “investigate, arrest, detain or prosecute a protected person.” Protected persons are defined as all current and former military and government officials of the United States and allies that have not consented…
Author: usaeverydaylife
Michelle Bowman, governor of the U.S. Federal Reserve, speaks during the Exchequer Club meeting in Washington, D.C., on Feb. 21, 2024.Kent Nishimura | Bloomberg | Getty ImagesFederal Reserve Governor Michelle Bowman said Thursday she supported the recent interest rate cuts but doesn’t see the need to go any further.In a speech to bankers in California that was part monetary policy, part regulation, Bowman said concerns she has that inflation has held “uncomfortably above” the Fed’s 2% goal lead her to believe that the quarter percentage point reduction in December should be the last one for the current cycle.”I supported the…
U.S. Treasury yields fell on Thursday in a shortened trading session as the bonds market will close early in honor of the late former U.S. President Jimmy Carter.The 10-year Treasury yield was near flat at 4.691%, while the 2-year Treasury yield was about 2.5 basis points lower at 4.268%. On Wednesday, Treasury yields topped 4.7%, its highest level since April.One basis point is equal to 0.01% and yields and prices move in opposite directions.Federal Reserve Governor Michelle Bowman spoke just before the market close, saying she thinks the December rate cut should be the “final step” in the recent rate-cutting…
A picture of U.S. President Jimmy Carter is seen as members of the public sign a condolence book in the U.S. Capitol Visitor Center on Jan. 8, 2025 in Washington, DC.Kevin Dietsch | Getty ImagesAmerican politicians, foreign dignitaries and family members honored former President Jimmy Carter at a state funeral held Thursday at the Washington National Cathedral.Carter, the 39th president of the United States, died on Dec. 29 at age 100. Thursday’s service concluded three days of tributes to the former president in the nation’s capital.Those in attendance included President Joe Biden — who delivered a eulogy — President-elect Donald…
Four times a year, one of the biggest and most important tennis tournaments in the world sends out an announcement full of dollar signs and zeroes with the words “record prize money” scattered liberally.The four Grand Slams, the first of which begins Sunday in Melbourne, are the high points of the tennis calendar. Players at the 2025 Australian Open will compete for $59million (£47m) this year — over $6.2m more than last year. In 2024, the four tournaments paid out over $250m between them, while their leaders spent the year aligning themselves with the players who make their events unmissable,…
A U.S. flag flutters amid the remains of burnt buildings as powerful winds fueling devastating wildfires in the Los Angeles area force people to evacuate, in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of west Los Angeles, California, U.S. Jan. 8, 2025.Mike Blake | ReutersThe wildfires wreaking devastation in the Los Angeles area could become the costliest blaze in U.S. history.The insured losses from this week’s fires may exceed $20 billion, according to estimates published by JPMorgan on Thursday. Those losses would far exceed the $12.5 billion in insured damages from the 2018 Camp Fire, which was the costliest blaze in the nation’s…
While most investors were focused on the solid uptrends of the S & P 500 and Nasdaq in 2024, it’s worth remembering that gold pretty much matched the performance of the equity benchmarks through the course of the year. With stocks facing renewed headwinds in the new year, gold just may be the way to ride out this period of market uncertainty. The SPDR Gold Shares (GLD) , which tracks the price of gold, peaked in late October 2024, shedding just over 8% of its value before stabilizing in the $235 to $250 range. While the RSI had been firmly…
President Donald Trump shakes hands with Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella during an American Technology Council roundtable at the White House in Washington on June 19, 2017.Nicholas Kamm | AFP | Getty ImagesMicrosoft said Thursday that it’s contributing $1 million to President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration fund.The software maker is now more closely aligned with its highly valued peers in the technology industry. Google said earlier Thursday that it’s donating $1 million to the Trump fund, and Meta offered the same amount in December. Amazon was reportedly looking to make a similar contribution.OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said in December that he would…
Artwork for Ubisoft’s upcoming “Assassin’s Creed Shadows” game.John Keeble | Getty ImagesFrench video game publisher Ubisoft said Thursday it’s appointing advisors to review and pursue strategic options after a report last year suggested that its majority backers were considering a buyout.Ubisoft said in a strategic update that “leading advisors” had been hired to explore “transformational strategic and capitalistic options to extract the best value for stakeholders.””This process will be overseen by the independent members of the Board of Directors. Ubisoft will inform the market in accordance with applicable regulations if and once a transaction materializes,” the company said in a…
You gotta want it, right? That’s what they always say, “they” being the NHL players who dare tread into the lawless border between slot and crease, the coaches who send them there, and the fans in the 300-level relentlessly calling for blood.It’s about desire. It’s about a willingness to take the punishment, and an eagerness to dole it out. It’s about fearlessness and an almost wanton disregard for life and limb. That’s where the pain is, yes — the cross-checks to the back of the head, the slashes to the ankles, the elbows to the gut — but that’s also where the…
