Fired Surface Transportation Board member sues Trump over his dismissal ahead of rail merger review
A former Democratic member of the U.S. Surface Transportation Board has filed a lawsuit challenging his dismissal by President Donald Trump. Robert Primus claims his firing on Aug. 27 was illegal and threatens the board's independence. The White House has not responded to the lawsuit, which was filed Tuesday. Primus was dismissed just before the board was to consider Union Pacific's proposed $85 billion acquisition of Norfolk Southern. Critics argue that Trump's actions undermine the board's independence. Primus, who served since 2001, was the only member to oppose a previous major railroad merger.
Federal shutdown cuts off economic data vital to policymakers and investors
WASHINGTON (AP) — The government shutdown will deprive policymakers and investors of economic data vital to their decision-making at a time of unusual uncertainty about the direction of the U.S. economy. The absence will be felt almost immediately, as the government’s monthly jobs report scheduled for release Friday will likely be delayed. If the shutdown is short-lived, it won’t be very disruptive. But if the release of economic data is delayed for several weeks or longer, it could pose challenges, particularly for the Federal Reserve. The Fed is grappling with where to set a key interest rate at a time of conflicting signals, and the Fed may have little new data to analyze before its next meeting later this month.
Supreme Court lets Lisa Cook remain as a Federal Reserve governor for now
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court is allowing Lisa Cook to remain as a Federal Reserve governor for now. The court is declining to act on the Trump administration’s effort to immediately remove her. In a brief unsigned order Wednesday, the high court said it would hear arguments in January over President Donald Trump’s effort to force Cook off the Fed board. The White House said it looks forward to “ultimate victory” after presenting those oral arguments. Cook's lawyers praised the court for “rightly” letting her stay in her job. The justices will consider whether to block a lower-court ruling in Cook’s favor while her challenge to her firing by Trump continues.
A prolonged US government shutdown could impact your travel plans
A U.S. government shutdown has begun, and it could impact travel plans, with potential airport delays and cancellations. The shutdown started Wednesday after President Donald Trump and Congress failed to agree on funding. Many airport employees are now working without pay. Geoff Freeman from the U.S. Travel Association warns of longer TSA lines and flight issues if the shutdown continues. Airports remain staffed, but the strain could worsen due to existing air traffic controller shortages. International travel is still possible, and passport processing remains mostly unaffected. Smithsonian museums and national parks are open, but with limited services.
Trump pulls nomination of E.J. Antoni to lead Bureau of Labor Statistics, AP source says
WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House is withdrawing the nomination of E.J. Antoni to lead the Bureau of Labor Statistics, according to a White House official and an AP source who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the White House action, which has yet to be publicly announced. Antoni’s nomination, announced by the White House in August, was an attempt by Trump to gain greater control over the federal agency responsible for producing key economic data. The White House has maintained that it wants accurate figures after a series of downward revisions to the jobs report. Trump fired Erika McEntarfer as BLS commissioner on Aug. 1 after the July jobs report showed a rapid slowdown in hiring, with job gains in May and June revised much lower than initially estimated.
Civil rights agency drops a key tool used to investigate workplace discrimination
The U.S. civil rights agency responsible for enforcing worker rights will stop investigating complaints about company policies that don’t explicitly discriminate but may disproportionately harm certain groups. The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission will clear out all cases involving “disparate impact liability” by Tuesday. Disparate impact is a legal standard that says even if a policy looks fair, it can still be discriminatory if it creates unnecessary barriers. The EEOC's decision follows an executive order from President Donald Trump directing agencies to deprioritize disparate impact in civil rights enforcement. Critics say it weakens an effective legal tool used to root out workplace discrimination.
US takes a stake in another company, this one is operating a massive lithium mine in Nevada
The U.S. government is taking a minority stake in Lithium Americas, a company that is developing one of the world’s largest lithium mines in northern Nevada. The Department of Energy will take a 5% equity stake in the miner, which is based in Vancouver. It will also take a 5% stake in the Thacker Pass lithium mining project, a joint venture with General Motors. Thacker Pass is considered crucial in reducing U.S. reliance on China for lithium, a critical material used to produce the high tech batteries used in cell phones, electric vehicles and renewable energy. Both Republicans and Democrats support the project and narrowing the production gap. China is the world’s largest lithium processor.
Who might be blamed for the government shutdown? A poll shows voters' complicated views
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump got a significant amount of blame during the last partial government shutdown, which took place toward the end of his first term after he forced a shutdown over border wall funding — but with Democrats embracing the shutdown fight this time, the outcome could be different. A New York Times Poll conducted prior to the shutdown shows that most voters didn’t want Democrats to shut down the government if their demands were not met, although both parties could end up receiving some blame. About one-quarter of registered voters said they would blame Donald Trump and the Republicans in Congress if a shutdown happened, while about 2 in 10 said they would place blame on congressional Democrats. About one-third said they’d blame both sides equally.
Gold prices soar to new records amid US government shutdown
NEW YORK (AP) — As uncertainty deepens amid the U.S. government’s first shutdown in almost seven years, the gold frenzy continues to climb to new heights. The going price for New York spot gold hit a record $3,858.45 per troy ounce — the standard for measuring precious metals — as of market close Tuesday, ahead of the shutdown beginning overnight. And futures continued to climb on Wednesday, dancing with the $3,900 mark as of midday trading. Gold sales can rise sharply when anxious investors seek “safe havens” for parking their money. Before Wednesday, the asset — and other metals, like silver — have seen wider gains over the last year, particularly with President Donald Trump’s barrage of tariffs plunging much of the world into economic uncertainty.
Wall Street sets more records, but bond yields drop following discouraging data on the job market
NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stocks rose to more records as Wall Street still doesn’t seem to care much about the latest shutdown of the U.S. government. The S&P 500 climbed 0.3% Wednesday and topped its prior all-time high set last week. The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 0.1% to its own record set the day before, and the Nasdaq composite rose 0.4%. Treasury yields sank in the bond market after a report from ADP Research suggested that hiring across the country may have been much weaker last month than economists expected. A report on U.S. manufacturing was also weaker than expected.
