Author: Leslie Stewart

Rebel fighters claimed to have captured the Syrian capital Damascus early Sunday, as government forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad were routed within days. The rebel claims open a new chapter in a 13-year civil war that has devastated the ancient land.”We declare the city of Damascus liberated from the tyrant Bashar al-Assad,” Hassan Abdulghani, a senior commander of the militant group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, known as HTS, said in a WhatsApp post. mentioned in. “To all the displaced people of the world, a free Syria awaits you.”NBC News has not independently confirmed the rebel claims.Assad’s whereabouts were not…

Paul Atkins, former Securities and Exchange Commission Commissioner and visiting fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, testified at a hearing on September 15, 2011, at the Capitol in Washington, DC. Brendan Hoffman/AFP On Thursday, December 5th, Bitcoin surpassed $100,000 for the first time. Traders welcomed President Donald Trump’s decision to choose a crypto enthusiast to lead the U.S. securities regulator, increasing optimism that the new president will push for measures to deregulate the sector. Cryptocurrencies have seen a ferocious rally since the November 5 election of Trump, who promised during his campaign to make the United States the “Bitcoin and…

Massachusetts Democratic Rep. Lori Trahan said Saturday that she and her family were the targets of a bomb threat and that local police were working with U.S. Capitol Police to investigate the incident.”This morning, I learned of a bomb threat aimed at my family and I. We responded quickly to ensure our safety and are currently working with the U.S. Capitol Police and Massachusetts State Police on this incident. I am grateful to the outstanding officers of the Westford Police Department,” Trahan said in a statement.Trahan added: “This is a good time to state the obvious: Violence and intimidation have…

Jerome Powell, Chairman of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, attends the New York Times Dealbook Summit at Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York, USA, on Wednesday, December 4, 2024.Yuki Iwamura | Bloomberg | Getty ImagesFriday’s jobs report effectively solidified the view that the Fed will approve a rate cut when it meets later this month. Whether you should do so and what to do from there is another question.The neither-too-hot nor too-cold nature of November’s non-farm payrolls release gave central banks the space they needed, and markets responded similarly by raising the implied probability of…

The man sought in the murder of United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson on a Manhattan street was last seen near a Port Authority bus stop 46 minutes after the shocking crime, police said.Thompson was shot in the back outside the Hilton Midtown hotel in New York on Wednesday morning on his way to an investor meeting for UnitedHealth Group, officials said. No arrests have been made. Police believe the person of interest may have left the city. “At this point, we believe he acted alone,” NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenney said Friday.The man who arrived by bus was staying…

The nation’s milk supply must be tested for avian influenza under a federal order announced Friday by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.Entities that handle raw milk, such as bulk milk transporters and dairy processors, must collect and share samples with USDA upon request.The goal is to quickly identify dairy herds affected by H5N1, a strain of avian influenza that has caused outbreaks in poultry and dairy cattle, and prevent transmission between livestock. As of Thursday, 718 dairy herds in 15 states were affected.”Among many accomplishments, this will give farmers and farmworkers greater confidence in the safety of their animals and…

Job seekers speak with recruiters at the Albany Job Fair on October 2, 2024 in Latham, New York.Angus Mordaunt | Bloomberg | Getty ImagesThe unemployment rate for black women rose sharply in November.The overall unemployment rate was 4.2% last month, up slightly from 4.1% in October, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics said Friday. However, unemployment rates rose significantly for some groups compared to others.The increase was most significant for black women, whose unemployment rate jumped from 4.9% to 6%. Meanwhile, the unemployment rate for white women rose slightly to 3.4% from 3.3% in October.”The increase for black women is…

Data shows November’s jobs report beat expectations and that growth is coming from several different sectors of the U.S. economy.Health care and social assistance continued to lead the way last month, adding 72,300 new jobs in those sectors, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. This follows the group’s biggest contribution in October.If we included private education in the health care category, as some economists do, the growth for this group would have increased even further to 79,000.Leisure and hospitality was the second largest contributor last month, adding 53,000 jobs. This also represents significant growth compared to October’s performance. November’s…

Job creation rebounded from the previous month’s near-stagnation in November as the effects of large-scale labor strikes and severe storms in the Southeast receded, the Bureau of Labor Statistics said Friday.Nonfarm payrolls increased by 227,000 in the same month, compared to an upwardly revised 36,000 in October and the Dow Jones consensus estimate of 214,000. The number of employees for September has also been revised upward to 255,000, an increase of 32,000 from the previous forecast. October numbers are Hurricane Milton and boeing strike.The unemployment rate rose slightly to 4.2%, as expected. The number of unemployed people increased as the…

SEOUL, South Korea – South Korean President Yun Seok-yeol, leader of the ruling party, on Friday signaled more openness to dismissing the president, accusing him of throwing a key U.S. ally into turmoil by briefly imposing martial law, repeating his previous position. It was reversed. Impeachment vote. Han Dong-hoon, leader of the conservative People’s Power Party (PPP), has previously said he opposes impeaching Yoon, as it would only cause further chaos. But on Friday, he said he learned that Yin had ordered the arrest of prominent politicians in addition to declaring martial law, an order that was lifted six hours…