World Dec 20 News Wrap: Stocks tank again amid rising interest rates, potential government shutdown In our news wrap Thursday, Wall Street plunged again amid slumping tech stocks, rising interest rates and fears of an impending government shutdown. The Dow Jones was down 464 points, the Nasdaq dropped 108 and the S&P 500 slid 39.
Nation Dec 20 Trump administration says it will keep immigrants in Mexico throughout asylum process The Trump administration has announced it will keep asylum seekers in Mexico while they await the outcome of their cases. It’s a way to block them from settling in the U.S. during the asylum process, which can take years. Theresa…
World Dec 20 DOJ says Chinese hackers compromised sensitive data The Department of Justice has indicted two Chinese hackers for infiltrating U.S. companies and government agencies and stealing vast amounts of sensitive data to help Chinese companies compete with their American counterparts. John Demers, assistant attorney general for national security,…
Nation Dec 20 What new USDA restrictions mean for food stamp recipients After new restrictions on federal food stamps didn't make it into the farm bill, the USDA is implementing them instead. Roughly 755,000 Americans may feel the impact of the changes, which limit states' ability to grant work requirement waivers in…
Episode Dec 19 December 19, 2018 - PBS NewsHour full episode Wednesday on the NewsHour, the Fed raises interest rates for the fourth time this year, signaling confidence in the economy. Also: President Trump’s surprise decision to withdraw troops from Syria, Congress tries to avoid a government shutdown, Iraq's devastated Mosul…
World Dec 19 News Wrap: Outgoing Speaker Ryan laments 'broken politics' In our Wednesday news wrap, outgoing Speaker of the House Paul Ryan made his farewell speech in Washington, articulating concerns about what he called America’s “broken politics.” The Wisconsin Republican is retiring after 20 years on the Hill. Plus, Facebook…
World Dec 19 Trump administration to withdraw military forces from Syria President Trump appears to have ordered an immediate withdrawal of troops from Syria, tweeting that the U.S. had “defeated ISIS” there. But the decision contradicts policy advocated by administration officials and lawmakers. Brookings Institution's Gen. John Allen and Amherst College's…
Economy Dec 19 Markets drop as Fed signals it's not done raising interest rates yet In a sign of confidence in economic growth, the Federal Reserve raised its benchmark interest rate by a quarter point, to its highest level in a decade. Fed chairman Jerome Powell said politics played "no role whatsoever" in the bank's…
Politics Dec 19 Congress scrambles to wrap up legislation before the holiday With the holidays and a deadline to avoid a government shutdown fast approaching, Senate Republicans are working on a short-term funding deal as a compromise on the president’s demand for border wall funding. But some wonder if the timing of…
Nation Dec 19 After policy reversal, hundreds of detained migrant children could be released Hundreds of migrant children could be released from government custody as the Trump administration relaxes requirements for the adults sponsoring them. The shift was followed by an Associated Press report that some shelters house more than 1,000 children. Michelle Brane…