Chapter 1: What are the latest updates on inflation and the stock market?
Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Corva Coleman. Stocks opened lower this morning after a better-than-expected report from the Labor Department on inflation. NPR's Scott Horsley reports the Dow Jones Industrial Average slid about 80 points in early trading.
Consumer prices in January were up 2.4 percent from a year ago. That's a smaller annual increase than the previous month and slightly lower inflation than forecasters were expecting. Prices rose just two-tenths of a percent between December and January. Falling gasoline prices during the month helped to offset some of the increase in rents and grocery prices.
Although inflation has been cooling, prices are still climbing faster than the Federal Reserve would like. The central bank is widely expected to hold interest rates steady when policymakers meet next month, but the odds of a rate cut at the following meeting in late April have increased slightly. Scott Horsley, NPR News, Washington.
The Department of Homeland Security will partially shut down late tonight unless Congress can agree on a funding bill. The Senate failed yesterday to advance one. Democrats are demanding major changes to immigration enforcement. This comes after federal agents shot and killed two Minneapolis protesters last month. A federal judge has given an order to the Department of Homeland Security.
The agency must make sure that people held at an immigration detention facility near Minneapolis have access to lawyers. From Minnesota Public Radio, Matt Sepik has more.
U.S. District Judge Nancy Brazel also says DHS must wait 72 hours before moving detainees out of the state and must inform them of their destination. Her order comes in response to a lawsuit from a human rights group. The plaintiffs allege that the department has been blocking detainees from visiting with and calling immigration attorneys.
Matt Sepik reporting. Israeli authorities have arrested several people and charged two of them because they're suspected of using classified information to bet on the online platform PolyMarket. The action comes as there are growing concerns about insider trading showing up online in prediction market sites. And Bears Bobby Allen explains.
Israeli officials say a military reservist and a civilian have been indicted on charges of bribery and obstruction of justice. Authorities didn't reveal what the bets were exactly or how much the individuals allegedly made. Former Securities and Exchange Commissioner Joe Grunfest says the incident has likely put militaries around the world on edge.
It's a situation where people seeking to line their own pockets are willing to put at risk the militaries to whom they have pledged oaths of loyalty.
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Chapter 2: What is the current status of the Department of Homeland Security funding?
Brian Mann, NPR News, Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy.
There are other Olympic events set for today. One of the most anticipated is the men's singles figure skating. American Ilya Malinin could capture a gold medal. Supporters are also eagerly waiting to see if he can complete a quadruple axel during his Olympic performance. I'm Corva Coleman, NPR News.