News Briefs

December 20, 2024

Reuters

Egg prices rise. United States wholesale egg prices are shattering records as an accelerating outbreak of bird flu in laying hens cuts supplies while shoppers buy more to bake during the holiday season. The increases hit consumers already grappling with inflation and bracing for potentially higher prices if President-elect Donald Trump follows through on plans to slap tariffs on goods from China and Mexico. Wholesale prices for large eggs reached $5.57 per dozen in the Midwest Dec. 18, and prices are even higher in California at $8.85 per dozen, where supplies are further constrained by rules prohibiting farmers from raising hens in cages.

Associated Press

U.S. House rejects Trump-backed budget. The House resoundingly rejected President-elect Donald Trump’s new plan to fund federal operations and suspend the debt ceiling Dec. 19, a day before a possible government shutdown. Democrats and some Republicans are refusing to accommodate his sudden demands and the quick fix cobbled together by Republican leaders. The outcome proved a massive setback for Mr. Trump and his billionaire ally, Elon Musk, who rampaged against Mr. Johnson’s bipartisan compromise, which Republicans and Democrats had reached earlier to prevent a Christmastime government shutdown. House Speaker Mike Johnson appears determined to regroup before the midnight deadline Dec. 20.

Reuters

Starbucks baristas go on strike. The union representing over 10,000 Starbucks baristas said its members will strike at stores in Los Angeles, Chicago, and Seattle for five days starting Dec. 20, citing unresolved issues over wages, staffing, and schedules. This is the latest in a series of labor actions across service industries following a period when workers in the automotive, aerospace, and rail industries won concessions from employers. Amazon workers at seven United States facilities walked out Dec. 19 during the holiday shopping rush. There were 33 work stoppages in 2023, the most since 2000, according to data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Reuters

Biden cancels more student debts. The Biden administration Dec. 20 canceled another $4.28 billion in student debt for nearly 55,000 public service workers, the United States Department of Education said. The action brings the total public service student loans forgiven to about $78 billion for nearly 1.1 million workers. The White House said this brings the total number of people who have been approved for student debt relief under President Joe Biden to nearly 5 million. The actions are part of Mr. Biden’s effort to fulfill his 2020 campaign pledge to deliver debt relief to millions of Americans before he leaves office in January.

December 19, 2024

Reuters

French court finds Dominique Pelicot guilty in mass rape trial. A French court found Dominique Pelicot guilty on Dec. 19 of repeatedly drugging and raping his wife for almost a decade and inviting dozens of strangers to rape her while she was unconscious. The Frenchman’s 50 co-defendants were also found guilty, while their victim, Gisèle Pelicot, sat in the courtroom to hear the sentencing, having waived her right to anonymity. Ms. Pelicot has become a symbol of female courage during the three-month trial. Supporters outside the courthouse cheered as she appeared after the verdicts had been read out.

Associated Press

Trump backs funding plan. President-elect Donald Trump Dec. 18 delivered a blow to bipartisan congressional budget negotiations days before federal funding was to run out. He then announced “success” in backing a new Republican bill, but it has yet to win the Democratic support needed for passage. The bill would keep the government running for three more months, add in disaster assistance, and allow more borrowing through Jan. 30, 2027. Elon Musk had whipped up outrage toward the bipartisan version of the bill and cheered on Republican lawmakers who announced their opposition, threatening primary challenges against anyone who voted for the budget deal.

Associated Press

Amazon workers go on strike. Workers at seven Amazon facilities went on strike Dec. 19, an effort by the Teamsters to pressure the e-commerce company for a labor agreement during a key shopping period. Amazon says it doesn’t expect an impact on its operations during what the union calls the largest strike against the company in U.S. history. The Teamsters say they represent nearly 10,000 workers at 10 Amazon facilities, a small portion of the 1.5 million people Amazon employs in its warehouses and corporate offices. Strikes are taking place in New York, California, Illinois, and Georgia.

Associated Press

Montana court rules state violated environment. Montana’s Supreme Court upheld a landmark climate ruling Dec. 19 that said the state was violating residents’ constitutional right to a clean environment by permitting oil, gas, and coal projects without regard for global warming. The justices, in a 6-1 ruling, upheld an August 2023 decision by a state judge. That decision was considered a breakthrough by young environmentalists and their attorneys to use the courts to leverage action on climate change. The justices found unconstitutional a policy that prevented Montana from considering the effect of greenhouse gases when issuing permits for fossil fuel development.

December 18, 2024

Associated Press

Fed cuts key interest rate for third time this year. The Federal Reserve cut its key interest rate by a quarter-point, its third cut this year, but also signaled that it expects to reduce rates more slowly next year than previously envisioned, largely because of still-elevated inflation. The Fed’s policymakers projected that they will cut their benchmark rate by a quarter-point just twice in 2025, down from their previous estimate in September of four rate cuts. Their new quarterly projections suggest that consumers may not enjoy lower rates next year for mortgages, auto loans, credit cards, and other forms of borrowing.

Associated Press

SCOTUS will hear TikTok ban case in January. The Supreme Court will hear arguments in January over the constitutionality of the federal law that could ban TikTok in the United States if its Chinese parent company doesn’t sell. The justices said Dec. 18 they will hear arguments Jan. 10 about whether the law impermissibly restricts speech in violation of the First Amendment. The law, enacted in April, set a Jan. 19 deadline for TikTok to be sold or else face a ban in the U.S. The justices could act after the arguments to keep the law from taking effect pending a final ruling.

Associated Press

House Ethics Committee to release Matt Gaetz report. The House Ethics Committee voted in secret earlier in December to release the long-awaited ethics report into former Rep. Matt Gaetz, according to a person familiar with the vote. The move by the bipartisan panel raises the possibility that the allegations against the Florida Republican, who was President-elect Donald Trump’s first choice for attorney general, could be made public in the coming days. Most Republicans have argued that any congressional investigation into Mr. Gaetz ended when he resigned from the House. 

Associated Press

Nissan and Honda consider closer collaboration. Japanese automakers Nissan and Honda have confirmed Dec. 18 that they are discussing closer collaboration but denied reports they have decided on a merger to form the world’s third largest automaking group. The companies issued a statement that said they were “considering various possibilities for future collaboration, but no decisions have been made.” Nissan recently announced it was slashing 9,000 jobs and cutting its global production by 20%, as Japanese automakers have lagged behind big rivals in EVs such as China and are now trying to cut costs and make up for lost time.

Associated Press

United States Congress unveils funding deal. Congressional leaders unveiled legislation Dec. 17 that will keep the federal government funded through March 14 and provide over $100 billion in emergency aid to states and local communities recovering from Hurricanes Helene and Milton and other natural disasters. The measure prevents a partial government shutdown set to begin after midnight Dec. 20. It also kicks final decisions on this year’s spending levels to a new Republican-led Congress and President-elect Donald Trump. Passage of the measure is one of the final bills that lawmakers will consider before adjourning for the holidays and making way for the next Congress.

Reuters

Israel-Gaza ceasefire agreement gains momentum. A Palestinian official said on Dec. 18 that mediators had narrowed gaps on most of the agreement’s clauses, but Israel introduced conditions which Hamas rejected. On Dec. 17, sources in Cairo said an agreement could be signed in the coming days on a ceasefire and a release of hostages held in Gaza in return for Palestinian prisoners held by Israel. The United States administration, joined by mediators from Egypt and Qatar, has made intensive efforts to advance the talks before President Joe Biden leaves office in January.

Reuters

UnitedHealthcare CEO murder suspect indicted. Luigi Mangione sought to “sow terror” by shooting UnitedHealthcare executive Brian Thompson on a Manhattan street this month, a New York prosecutor said Dec. 17 while announcing Mr. Mangione had been indicted for murder. A grand jury indicted Mangione on 11 counts, including first-degree murder and murder as a crime of terrorism, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg told reporters. Mr. Mangione would face a mandatory sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole if convicted on all counts.

Reuters

Israel remains in Syrian buffer zone. Israel will remain on the strategic Mount Hermon site on the Syrian border until another arrangement is found, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Dec. 18. Israeli troops occupied a Syrian-controlled peak of Mount Hermon when they moved into a demilitarized zone between Syria and the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights following the collapse of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s government this month. Officials have described the move as a limited and temporary measure. Israel’s move into the buffer zone has been criticized as a violation of international agreements by a number of countries and the United Nations.

Associated Press

Iran pauses stricter hijab law. Iranian authorities have paused the process of implementing a new, stricter law on women’s mandatory headscarf, or hijab, an official said on Dec. 16. The controversial law, which was approved by the parliament in September 2023, won’t be sent to the government to enact, at least temporarily. Many believe the law could have reignited the protests that engulfed the Islamic Republic after the 2022 death of Mahsa Amini. The law levies harsher punishments for women who refuse to wear the hijab and for businesses that serve them.

December 17, 2024

Reuters

School shooting at Wisconsin Christian school. A 15-year-old girl opened fire in a Wisconsin school classroom Dec. 16, fatally shooting a fellow student and a teacher and wounding six other people before killing herself with the handgun, police said. The shooting took place at the Abundant Life Christian School, which has 420 students from pre-kindergarten through 12th grade. There have been 322 school shootings in the United States this year, according to the K-12 School Shooting Database website, the second-highest total of any year since 1966, topped only by last year’s 349. Only about 3% of all U.S. mass shootings are perpetrated by women.