Author: Press Room

The dockworkers’ strike that could have severely hurt the American economy and the supply chain weeks before an election has been paused until January 15, diverting what could have been a political catastrophe for Vice President Kamala Harris. “The union that represents tens of thousands of East Coast dockworkers and the shipping industry reached a tentative agreement on wages and are extending an expired contract through Jan. 15, 2025,” announced Politico on Thursday. The union said on Facebook that “effective immediately, all current job actions will cease and all work covered by the Master Contract will resume.” The threat of…

Consumers continue to see higher prices for everyday groceries, and they could face higher candy costs this Halloween.The cost of groceries increased 1.3% year over year in September and 0.4% month over month, according to the latest Consumer Price Index report. Prices rose slightly more than the 0.9% year-over-year increase in August.Five out of the six food groups the Bureau of Labor Statistics monitors saw price increases from August to September. Food at home inflation was led by the meats, poultry, fish, and eggs category, which saw a 0.8% increase compared to the month prior.Egg prices, in particular, climbed 8.4%…

France’s new centre-right government, led by Prime Minister Michel Barnier, has introduced an austerity budget aimed at addressing the high national debt.According to an explanation provided by the government following a Cabinet meeting on Thursday, the plan seeks to save and generate an additional €60 billion ($65.5 billion) next year.Two-thirds of this amount is expected to come from spending cuts, with the remaining third from tax increases targeting high-revenue companies and high-income households.Due to an excessively high deficit, the European Commission is conducting a deficit procedure against France. By the end of October, France must present a consolidation plan to…

Hurricane Milton’s rampage is not swaying House Republican leaders who oppose returning to Washington to approve billions of dollars for disaster assistance. President Joe Biden on Thursday said lawmakers should return to Capitol Hill “immediately” from their preelection recess, echoing pleas from both Republican and Democratic lawmakers from the afflicted states. But despite questions about the solvency of the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s disaster fund, House Speaker Mike Johnson and top appropriators insist the agency can manage just fine — for now — with the $20.3 billion that Congress freed up for it late last month. That money is for…

New York magazine placed its Washington political correspondent, Olivia Nuzzi, on leave Thursday evening for engaging in a “personal relationship” with former presidential hopeful Robert F. Kennedy Jr. that was a “violation of the magazine’s standards around conflicts of interest and disclosures.” Media reporter Oliver Darcy first reported on the leave Thursday and, while New York magazine did not name Kennedy, Darcy identified him as the politician involved. Kennedy was also recently named to Donald Trump’s transition team. Trump’s campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The magazine said it conducted an internal review of Nuzzi’s work…

Donald Trump (right) on Tuesday escalated his feud with Elon Musk in a Truth Social post belittling the billionaire.Andrew Kelly, Gaelen Morse/ReutersElon Musk and Donald Trump have had a tumultuous relationship over the years.While the two traded barbs during Trump’s presidency, they’re now political allies.Elon Musk and Donald Trump are getting along again after years of a frosty relationship.On August 12, Musk hosted Trump for a live interview on X, formerly known as Twitter, welcoming Trump back to the platform that paved the way for the reality TV star’s shocking upset in 2016.After tearing into each other in the past,…

A kitten with a heart murmur needed a home — then came an adoption that was “meant to be.”“Our hearts melted when Curie’s adopter told us why this kitten was the one,” a North Carolina animal shelter wrote Oct. 9 on Facebook. “Curie was born with a heart murmur, and her new mom has one too.”The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) of Wake County shared the joyful update after Curie arrived as a newborn. She landed at the shelter with her mom and three littermates when she was transferred from a rescue in June.Curie, who came…

The greenback has become an instrument of an “aggressive form of policy,” according to the eminent American economist The US government has weaponized the dollar rather than having it serve as a medium of exchange or a store of value, award-winning American economist and public-policy analyst Jeffrey Sachs has said.Sachs made the remark on Thursday in his address via video link to a meeting of BRICS ministers of finance and central bank governors. The officials were meeting in Moscow to discuss the improvement of the international monetary and financial system, ahead of the BRICS 2024 summit in Kazan later this…

The spy agency reportedly expects Hezbollah and Iran to exert pressure on Hamas to release Israeli hostages The head of the Israeli spy agency, Mossad, has insisted that after his country’s incursion into Lebanon concludes, any ceasefire will be contingent on the release of hostages held by Hamas in Gaza, according to the Walla news agency, citing a senior US official.Dadi Barnea, head of Mossad, recently relayed the demand to CIA Director William Burns, Walla reported on Wednesday.According to the unnamed American official and another informed source, Barnea told Burns that Israel and the US should only agree to a truce…

The Biden administration has come under criticism for being slow to assist Americans getting out of Lebanon. Other countries began evacuation efforts well over a week ago, especially as Israel began pounding Beirut with airstrikes, and as an Israeli army ground invasion materialized.White House spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre now says the US is working to evacuate Americans out of Lebanon, long after the war began. “Jean-Pierre said the US embassy in Beirut remains open and can help Americans who need emergency passports or other documentation,” Al Jazeera reports of the latest statement.”The US will continue to provide aircraft as long as…