By the narrowest of margins‚ the Chicago City Council voted to call for a permanent cease-fire in Gaza‚ becoming the largest city in the nation to pass such a measure. Mayor Brandon Johnson cast the tie-breaking vote after 23 members voted in favor and 23 against. At least 47 cities across the U.S. have passed resolutions calling for a halt to the fighting in the war between Israel and Hamas — including several in states crucial for President Joe Biden’s re-election bid‚ according to Reuters....

Florida Democrats are accusing Gov. Ron DeSantis and state Republicans of waging an attack on transgender people after Florida’s DMV issued a policy change stating that genders on driver's licenses can no longer be altered. The new directive from the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles surfaced late last week in a memo sent to county tax collectors saying that it has rescinded guidance that previously "directed personnel to issue a new license in the event that a licensee...

People are divided into two economies right now. For the elite‚ defined as those living in urban areas with a postgraduate degree making at least $150‚000 a year‚ the economy under President Joe Biden has been great. Seventy-four percent of such voters tell pollsters their personal finances are getting better. For the rest of America‚ Bidenomics has been a disaster‚ with just 20% saying their finances are better than before compared to 40% who say they...

Half of renters in the United States have found themselves paying more than they can afford‚ following years of surging rents. But an increase in the construction of multiple-unit buildings has boosted the supply of apartments‚ which is slowly beginning to rein in runaway rents. Nationally‚ rents declined annually in December for the eighth straight month‚ according to Realtor.com’s monthly report. The median asking rent was $1‚713‚ which was down $4 from November and down $63 from the...

Americans are calling out decisions by landlords to raise rent prices as inflation remains high and the country faces an uncertain economy. Landlords routinely increase rent prices because of inflation and changing housing and rental markets. However‚ the last few years have been especially difficult on renters‚ and the uptick in prices often forces people to moves in search of better prices or get priced out of the market. Roughly one-quarter of American renters said they...

The Federal Reserve on Wednesday held interest rates steady for the fourth straight time‚ and cracked open the door to reducing rates later this year if inflation continues to subside. The widely expected decision left interest rates unchanged at a range of 5.25% to 5.5%‚ the highest level in 22 years.   Policymakers also made substantial changes to their post-meeting statement‚ softening some of its hawkish language. Officials dropped a sentence that suggested additional hikes may...

Officials at the US central bank have left interest rates at a 23-year high‚ while offering little certainty about the path ahead for borrowing costs. The decision from the Federal Reserve again kept the target range for its benchmark rate‚ which helps set borrowing costs for mortgages‚ credit cards and other loans‚ at 5.25%-5.5%. That is sharply higher than two years ago‚ when the Fed started raising rates to fight inflation. Investors expect rate cuts this year. Exactly when the...

The Federal Reserve held interest rates steady Wednesday for the fourth-straight meeting‚ keeping its benchmark lending rate at a 23-year high‚ as Wall Street eagerly awaits rate cuts sometime this year. The central bank has raised rates 11 times since March 2022 in a bid to combat the fastest inflation in decades. Price hikes have eased substantially since then‚ inching closer to the Fed’s 2% target. That means the Fed is due to cut...

House Speaker Mike Johnson‚ R-La.‚ is coming out in support of a bipartisan tax deal scheduled for a vote later on Wednesday. "The Tax Relief for American Families and Workers Act is important bipartisan legislation to revive conservative pro-growth tax reform‚" Johnson said in a statement. "Crucially‚ the bill also ends a wasteful COVID-era program‚ saving taxpayers tens of billions of dollars." "Chairman Smith deserves great credit for bringing this bipartisan bill through...

Five CEOs of some of the most prominent social media companies felt pressure from lawmakers and parent advocates on Wednesday at a high-profile Senate Judiciary Committee hearing‚ at which they were confronted about the harms suffered by teenagers on their platforms and asked to back new rules for the industry. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg‚ X CEO Linda Yaccarino‚ TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew‚ Snap CEO Evan Spiegel‚ and Discord CEO Jason Citron were questioned about their companies’ policies regarding...