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No country can be allowed to bully another, President Cyril Ramaphosa said Thursday in a jab at the United States which is boycotting the G20 summit of leading economies in South Africa this weekend.Washington has also demanded that South Africa does not issue the traditional joint leaders’ statement after the meeting, where around 40 countries will be present.”It cannot be that a country’s geographical location or income or army determines who has a voice and who is spoken down to,” Ramaphosa told delegates at a curtain-raiser event in a clear reference to Washington.”It basically means there should be no bullying of one nation by another,” he said in an address to a gathering of civil society groups ahead of the November 22-23 summit in Johannesburg.Relations between South Africa and the United States have plummeted this year over a number of foreign and domestic differences.The US embassy confirmed it would not attend the summit in a note to South Africa, saying Pretoria’s G20 priorities “run counter to the US policy views and we cannot support consensus on any documents negotiated under your presidency.”South Africa replied that the United States’ absence from the event negated its role.Foreign Minister Ronald Lamola said Pretoria would press ahead with a leaders’ declaration. “We will not be told by anyone who is absent that we cannot adopt a declaration or make any decisions at the summit,” he said in an address after Ramaphosa had spoken.”If we do not end up with a declaration, it will not be on the basis that someone who is absent told us,” he said.South Africa chose “Solidarity, Equality, Sustainability” as the theme of its presidency of the G20, which comprises 19 countries and two regional bodies, the European Union and the African Union. Its members account for 85 percent of global GDP and around two-thirds of the world’s population.Its agenda focuses on strengthening disaster resilience, improving debt sustainability for low-income countries, financing a “just energy transition”, and harnessing “critical minerals for inclusive growth and sustainable development”.This is the first G20 summit to be held in Africa.

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva put his “roadmap” from fossil fuels back at the top of UN climate talks in Belem on Wednesday, despite the failure of a bold bid to seal an early deal.Lula flew into the Amazonian city to bring the weight of the presidency to the summit, in a rare late-stage visit by a head of state or government at the annual gathering.COP30 host Brazil released a draft pact on Tuesday and pushed negotiators to work through the night, hoping to get nations to agree on the most disputed points as soon as Wednesday — two days before the conference is scheduled to end.Lula, who has invested political capital into making what he dubbed the “COP of truth” a success, shuttled between rooms to meet with ministers of various negotiating groups.He burst jovially into the evening’s press conference two hours late, singing the praises of Belem and the state of Para, boasting: “From the beginning, I had no doubt that we were going to organize the best COP of all those held so far.”He then returned to his “roadmap” away from oil, coal and gas that he first floated earlier this month, lighting the fuse for the summit’s ambitious tone.”We need to show society that we want this without imposing anything on anyone, without setting deadlines for each country to decide what it can do within its own time, within its own possibilities,” he said. “But we are serious — we need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. We need to start thinking about how to live without fossil fuels.”- No more money -Lula “said clearly the roadmap is what he wants to see coming out of the conference,” Marcio Astrini of Brazil’s Climate Observatory told AFP.”We need to see all this optimism reflected in the final text,” added Greenpeace Brazil.Still, much work remains to reach consensus, not only on the roadmap away from fossil fuels — supported by a coalition of more than 80 countries but opposed by the oil-producing bloc — but also on trade measures and other divisive topics.Negotiators are notably at odds over pressure from the developing world for developed countries to provide more financing to help vulnerable nations adapt to climate change and deploy renewable energy.The COP29 summit in Baku last year concluded with developed nations agreeing to provide $300 billion a year in climate finance, a figure criticized by developing countries as woefully insufficient.The EU, where many countries are facing economic headwinds and soaring debt, has led the opposition to demands for more money.”We’re not looking at any increases in adaptation finance,” Irish climate minister Darragh O’Brien said.The EU is also fighting attempts led by China and major developing economies to have language against its tax on imports of carbon-intensive goods such as steel, aluminum, cement and fertilizers.- Grants, not loans -“There should be at least a mention (of trade measures), because they become a disabler instead of an enabler. So, I think they will be mentioned in some way,” Mexican environment minister Alicia Barcena told AFP.Aisha Humera Moriani, Pakistan’s head of delegation, told AFP that “it’s extremely important that we find something on the operationalization of that $300 billion.” She added that most of the funding should boost climate-vulnerable countries’ resilience to extreme weather and a larger share needs to come as grants, rather than loans that further burden poor nations with debt.A new text is expected to be published on Wednesday.COP30 is due to end on Friday, but climate summits regularly run into overtime.In a sign that Brazil wants to stay on schedule, delegates sleeping on two cruise ships serving as floating hotels have been told to vacate their cabins on Saturday morning.

Denton Loudermill Jr. watched every Kansas City Chiefs game at his sister’s house with his family. The Kansas native and his late father were diehard fans.So, when the 2024 Super Bowl champions’ victory parade coincided with the one-year anniversary of his dad’s death, Loudermill thought attending would be healing.He donned a Chiefs-red sweatshirt, matching sweatpants and Jordan sneakers that his sister, Reba Paul, said were the only “flashy” thing about him.By nightfall, images of Loudermill in that same sweatsuit were plastered across social media, with internet sleuths falsely accusing him of a shooting at the parade that killed one and injured 22 others.Many posts, including one amplified by now-Missouri Secretary of State Denny Hoskins and state senator Rick Brattin, misidentified Loudermill as “Sahil Omar” — a fictional “illegal immigrant” hoaxers have linked to multiple atrocities.The misinformation sent the father of three into a year-long spiral of paranoia. He lost weight. He developed post-traumatic stress disorder. At the car wash where he worked, he saw customers compare him to photos online.Eventually, Loudermill sought therapy, but he never made his third appointment in April. That morning, he was found unresponsive on his living-room floor. He was 49.An autopsy report said Loudermill died accidentally from cocaine, synthetic marijuana and alcohol. It mentioned PTSD and depression and that he was drinking in excess the previous two days, but said he did not have a history of suicidal thoughts.Loudermill’s sisters, however, trace his passing to the lies that derailed his “simple” life.”He would still be here today had it not been for that,” said Paul, who is pursuing a legal case against Hoskins and Brattin. “It took away his peace.”- ‘Living hell’ – Loudermill was alone at the rally when shots rang out. His brother Quincy and another sister, Stephanie Fairweather, left early.The violence emerged from a dispute, authorities said. Two men and two juveniles were charged.Amid the chaos, officers handcuffed Loudermill and sat him on a curb. Multiple news outlets, including AFP, took photos and videos as he was detained.It emerged that he was only briefly held for moving “too slow” under police direction and was not connected to the shooting.AFP swiftly updated its photo captions to reflect his release and within 24 hours published a fact-check debunking the misinformation about him that was spreading rapidly online.In an X post sharing Loudermill’s picture, US Congressman Tim Burchett announced that one of the shooters had been “identified as an illegal Alien.”Similar claims piled up. Threats followed.”It was just like wildfire,” LaRonna Lassiter Saunders, Loudermill’s attorney, told AFP. “It was a huge injustice to Denton.”Suddenly fearing for his safety, Loudermill told his sister, “They really think I’m out here killing people, killing kids.”He tried to clear his name, telling one interviewer that life was “a living hell” and calling for remorse from the politicians.Burchett deleted his post and clarified that the shooter was not an immigrant, but his correction failed to say Loudermill was not a suspect.Neither Burchett, Hoskins nor Brattin — who also deleted their posts — responded to AFP’s requests for comment.Loudermill also turned to the courts, but the dragging process tormented him.A lawsuit against Burchett collapsed over jurisdictional issues, while suits against Hoskins and Brattin remain ongoing in Missouri.Last month, a judge denied requests by the state lawmakers to dismiss their cases. Paul said the family intends “to fight for our brother until our dying day.”George Washington University’s Mary Anne Franks, a free speech and technology law expert, said social media has made full accountability elusive.”What depresses me about these cases is that even if they’re ultimately successful, the damage is really impossible to undo.”- ‘Is everything OK?’ -In the months after the false accusations started, Loudermill’s sisters agonized as their brother — who once made friends everywhere — grew scared of crowds.”He was always worried about somebody looking at him,” Fairweather said.The day before he died, Loudermill texted his lawyer Saunders: “Is everything OK?”It was their final correspondence.”Imagine having the false accusations you’re illegal, you’re a terrorist, you shot children,” Saunders said. “That’s a lot.”The loss remains heavy on Loudermill’s siblings. Fairweather took time off work due to depression. When they search the shooting online, the false claims about their brother still pop up.

Some of Jim Henson’s most memorable creations go under the hammer in California next week, with the first US auction of puppets and memorabilia from the late entertainer’s decades-long career.Highlights include a pair of shoes worn by the domineering Miss Piggy in a “Muppets” movie, as well as puppets from “Fraggle Rock” and characters from the Netflix series “The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance.”Fans will have the chance to bid on more than 400 items at the November 25 auction, which is also being held online on the Julien’s Auctions website.”This is the first time ever that you can buy an authorized, authentic piece of Jim Henson Company memorabilia,” said Roy Parker, pop culture specialist at the auction house. Henson, who died in 1990, revolutionized puppetry by making the rigid figures maneuverable, latterly through his Creature Shop, creating now-instantly recognizable characters like Kermit the Frog.He also imagined entire universes that came to life in films like “Labyrinth” (1986) and “The Dark Crystal” (1982). His creations are “very nostalgic, because they remind everybody of their childhood and when they first saw Kermit the Frog up on screen,” said Parker.The auction, which will be held in person in Los Angeles as well as online, commemorates the 70th anniversary of the Jim Henson Company and is expected to raise tens of thousands of dollars.

Fireworks and dancing erupted across Haiti in a reprieve from gang violence as people came together to celebrate their national team punching its ticket to the 2026 World Cup.Haiti, the poorest nation in the Americas, will be making its first appearance on international football’s biggest stage in more than 50 years, and only its second overall, after qualifying for the tournament on Tuesday night.”We need a national holiday to celebrate it, with schools closed. We need pleasure and joy. Unlock the country and eradicate the gangs,” an ecstatic fan in Port-au-Prince told AFP.But even the gangs joined in on the celebrations that stretched into Wednesday in the capital and other cities such as Cap-Haitien and Miragoane. Jimmy “Barbecue” Cherisier, the UN-sanctioned leader of a gang coalition known as Viv Ansanm (Living Together), was seen in videos posted to social media partying with residents in his neighborhood.Just three days earlier, the gang boss had announced his intention to confront the police as he urged residents of Port-au-Prince to stay indoors. In Haiti’s main city, thousands of people celebrated in the streets to the rhythm of popular songs and chants performed by rara bands, the country’s festive music.Several fans paraded shirtless, waving national flags amid applause and fireworks.”I shouldn’t be out on the street at this hour, but since it’s for Haiti, I’m doing it anyway,” said supporter Widenie Bruno. Because of security concerns stemming from the gang threat in Port-au-Prince, the national team had to play all of its qualifying home matches in the Caribbean island nation of Curacao.It was there that Haiti, known as the Grenadiers, beat Nicaragua 2-0 to clinch their spot in the World Cup, which will be staged in the United States, Mexico, and Canada.  Haitian fans, however, may not be able to travel to the US to watch their team play because, in June, President Donald Trump’s administration included Haiti among 12 countries whose citizens are banned from entering the United States.- ‘So proud’ – Haiti’s qualification brings a moment of relief for a population strained and exhausted by the violence of organized gangs, which control 90 percent of the capital.Those groups, accused of murders, rapes, looting, and kidnappings, have contributed to a severe humanitarian crisis in Haiti, a small nation long burdened by political instability.The situation has worsened since early 2024, when gangs forced the then-prime minister Ariel Henry to resign.But on Tuesday night, everyone in the nation seemed focused on what was happening in Curacao.After the victory against Nicaragua, Haitian fans still had to wait for Costa Rica and Honduras to play to a scoreless draw before they could celebrate what had seemed impossible — Haiti’s first berth in the World Cup since 1974, when West Germany hosted the tournament. Another young fan of the Grenadiers said he planned to party all night long — whatever the cost.”I am so proud of Haiti that I will spend everything tonight,” he said. “I will wake up broke. We will spend the night in the streets.”

Nvidia shares climbed Wednesday after it beat quarterly earnings expectations on fierce demand for its sophisticated chips that power artificial intelligence.The solid results come amid increasing talk among Wall Street analysts of an AI bubble, with all eyes on how Nvidia, the industry’s bellwether company, will weather the doubts.”There’s been a lot of talk about an AI bubble,” Nvidia chief executive Jensen Huang said on an earnings call.”From our vantage point, we see something very different.”Jensen reasoned that companies around the world are shifting from classical computing machines and software relying on CPUs to AI-infused systems needing graphics processing units (GPUs) that are Nvidia’s specialty.Add to that software programs rapidly adapting to the AI age and a trend of AI “agents” capable of independently tending to computer work, according to Jensen.”Nvidia is chosen because our singular architecture enables all three transitions across every phase of AI,” Jensen said.”Our customer financing is up to them. We see opportunity to grow for quite some time.”AI is already paying off for internet giants in the form of improved recommendation engines and efficiencies, according to Jensen.”The internet has trillions of pieces of content,” Jensen said.”How could they possibly figure out what to put in front of you and your tiny screen, unless they have really sophisticated recommender systems to do so well — that has gone generative AI.”AI industry rivals have been pouring billions of dollars into Nvidia’s prized GPUs to power the technology despite questions regarding how the investments will pay off.Wedbush analyst Dan Ives referred to Nvidia earnings as a “pop the champagne” moment for the tech sector and a sign that worries of an AI bubble are overstated.- China sales stalled -Nvidia reported profit of $31.9 billion on record-high quarterly revenue of $57 billion, sending shares up more than 5 percent.It also took in some 60 percent more money in the quarter than it did during the same period the prior year, according to earnings figures.”Blackwell sales are off the charts, and cloud GPUs are sold out,” Huang said, referring to the latest model of its state-of-the-art hardware.”The AI ecosystem is scaling fast — with more new foundation model makers, more AI startups, across more industries, and in more countries.”Revenue in the current quarter is expected to be $65.0 billion, nearly $3 billion more than forecast by Wall Street analysts.Most of the money brought in during the recently ended quarter came from Nvidia’s unit devoted to GPUs for data centers.Nvidia was valued at more than $4.5 trillion based on the number of outstanding shares.In the period, Nvidia announced strategic partnerships with OpenAI to deploy at least 10 gigawatts of systems for next-generation AI infrastructure, while Anthropic will adopt one gigawatt of compute capacity using Nvidia’s latest systems.Nvidia is caught up in President Donald Trump’s trade war with China, where Beijing has responded by expressing national security concerns about Nvidia chips and urging Chinese businesses to rely on local suppliers instead.Sales of H-20 GPUs, which are designed for the Chinese market due to US restrictions on exports of AI chips to that country, tallied only $50 million in the quarter, according to chief financial officer Colette Kress.”Sizable purchase orders never materialized in the quarter due to geopolitical issues and the increasingly competitive market in China,” Kress said on an earnings call.”To establish a sustainable leadership position in AI computing, America must win the support of every developer and be the platform of choice for every commercial business, including those in China.”

The White House doubled down Wednesday after two incidents in which President Donald Trump angrily confronted female reporters from US news outlets.It called ABC News a “Democrat spin operation masquerading as a broadcast network” after Trump lashed out at TV correspondent Mary Bruce in the Oval Office on Tuesday.And after Trump said “quiet, piggy” to Bloomberg reporter Catherine Lucey on Air Force One on Friday, the White House said that “if you’re going to give it, you have to be able to take.”The verbal assaults were markedly harsh even for Trump, renowned for his confrontational approach to what he calls the “fake news.”He reacted furiously during a White House visit by Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on Tuesday when ABC’s Bruce posed questions about the murder of a dissident Saudi journalist in 2018, the Trump family’s business dealings, and the Jeffrey Epstein scandal.Trump told Bruce in the Oval Office not to “embarrass our guest,” called her a “terrible reporter” and threatened ABC’s broadcast license.The White House followed up on Wednesday, putting out a fact sheet containing examples from the past eight years of what it said was a “a deliberate deception to wage war on President Trump and the millions of Americans who elected him to multiple terms.”It was similarly unrepentant about Bloomberg’s Lucey, who asked Trump why he would not release material on Epstein, accusing the wire service journalist of “unprofessional behavior.”In footage of the incident, Lucey and another reporter could be heard trying to talk at the same time — a common occurrence as journalists in the press corps try to get the president’s attention.A White House official said on condition of anonymity: “This reporter behaved in an inappropriate and unprofessional way towards her colleagues on the plane. If you’re going to give it, you have to be able to take.”The White House Correspondents Association, an independent organization which represents journalists who cover the US president, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

A bill requiring the release of government records on Jeffrey Epstein headed Wednesday to Donald Trump for his signature, spurring a showdown over whether the US president will allow full disclosure — or return to trying to bury the case.Trump stunned Washington over the weekend, reversing his months-long opposition to the Epstein Files Transparency Act, ensuring that it sailed through Congress on Tuesday in a rare show of bipartisan unity.The spotlight now turns to the Republican president, a former close friend of the late sex offender. Only Trump can stand in the way of the release and he has pledged to sign the bill, despite featuring heavily in the case file.Insiders warn that even with the president’s signature, his administration could lean on redactions, procedural delays or lingering federal investigations to keep explosive details out of the public eye.”Once the president signs the bill, he must apply and execute it faithfully. There must be no funny business from Donald Trump,” top Democrat Chuck Schumer warned in a speech on the Senate floor.”He must not use the excuse of frivolous investigations to release some Epstein documents, while intentionally hiding others that deserve to be seen by the American public.”Epstein, a wealthy financier, moved in elite circles for years, cultivating close ties with business tycoons, politicians, academics and celebrities to whom he was accused of trafficking girls and young women for sex.Trump and his allies spent years pushing theories about powerful Democrats being protected over involvement with Epstein, framing the case as a potent symbol of how powerful men can hide behind lawyers, money and connections.But Trump himself was a longtime associate of Epstein, raising questions over what he knew about the notorious figure.Far beyond Trump’s conspiracy-minded voter base, the saga dented public trust in the US justice system and raised suspicion among voters who believe important pieces of the story were either hidden or ignored.Epstein’s 2019 arrest fueled a storm of outrage and pressure for a full accounting of his network, his finances and the people who helped him evade.Conspiracy theories about a cover-up only deepened after his death — ruled a suicide — in a New York jail soon after.- ‘Smoke screen’? -Passage of the Epstein Files Transparency Act in Congress marked a moment of deep emotional resonance, with abuse survivors filling the House gallery as the vote was called, hugging and cheering when it passed.It was a sharp rebuke of Trump and his ally, House Speaker Mike Johnson, who had led efforts to prevent disclosure.Johnson said he would “cross that bridge” when asked if he’d push Trump to veto the bill.The president had warned House Republicans off the action but reversed course, fearing humiliation as he faced the largest rebellion of his presidency.Once signed, the Justice Department has a month to dump its unclassified files online — in a searchable trove of transcripts, flight logs and communications that could unearth unseen names and connections.The text makes only narrow exceptions for personal data and genuine legal and security concerns.But analysts question whether officials will comply, or argue that sensitive material cannot be released because related probes remain active — including a new investigation ordered by Trump last week into Epstein’s ties with Democrats.”(This) might be a big smoke screen, these investigations, to open a bunch of them as a last ditch effort to prevent the release of the Epstein files,” Thomas Massie, the Kentucky Republican who pushed the House vote, told ABC News. The Justice Department and FBI said in July they had uncovered no evidence in a review of the files that would support further action, and it was not clear if the new probe ordered by Trump on Friday would hamper disclosure.Attorney General Pam Bondi was pressed on the justification for further investigation and said there was “new information, additional information.””If there are any victims, we encourage all victims to come forward,” she told reporters. “And we will continue to provide maximum transparency under the law.”

US President Donald Trump vowed Wednesday to end Sudan’s grinding civil war at the request of Saudi Arabia’s crown prince, condemning “tremendous atrocities” in a conflict he has previously overlooked.Trump admitted that the devastating war between Sudan’s army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) was “not on my charts” before Prince Mohammed bin Salman pushed him to get involved.But Trump said he would now work to “stabilize” the conflict with regional powers, notably including the United Arab Emirates, which denies accusations of backing the RSF with weapons and mercenaries.The United Nations has repeatedly called for greater global attention to the war, which has killed tens of thousands of people and displaced nearly 12 million since its outbreak in April 2023.”His majesty would like me to do something very powerful having to do with Sudan,” Trump said at a business forum with the Saudi royal a day after Prince Mohammed received a lavish reception at the White House.”It was not on my charts to be involved in, I thought it was just something that was crazy and out of control. But I just see how important that is to you, and to a lot of your friends in the room, Sudan. And we’re going to start working on Sudan.”Sudan’s Saudi-backed sovereign council, which is headed by army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, said it was ready to cooperate with the United States and Riyadh.In a statement, the council thanked Washington and Riyadh for “their continued efforts to stop Sudanese bloodshed.”International attention on the conflict has increased since the RSF recently seized the key Darfur city of El-Fasher after a relentless siege that has sparked warnings of crimes against humanity and genocide.- ‘Immediate halt’ -Trump had barely commented on the Sudan war in the nine months since he returned to office, focusing instead on the wars in Gaza and Ukraine.But on Wednesday, the 79-year-old Republican said he would use the “influence of the presidency to bring an immediate halt” to the war.”Tremendous atrocities are taking place in Sudan. It has become the most violent place on Earth,” Trump said on his Truth Social network a few hours after his initial comments.”We will work with Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Egypt, and other Middle Eastern partners to get these atrocities to end, while at the same time stabilizing Sudan.”While the conflict has been off Trump’s radar, Washington has stepped up efforts in recent months to resolve it.US Secretary of State Marco Rubio called the UAE’s foreign minister on Friday to urge Abu Dhabi to back a Sudan ceasefire.Trump’s own Africa envoy Massad Boulos on Saturday told AFP that the war in Sudan was the “world’s biggest humanitarian crisis.”Trump repeatedly claims to have solved eight conflicts since returning to office in January as he seeks a Nobel Peace Prize.His promise to start working on the Sudan conflict reflects his close ties with the de facto Saudi leader, whom he hosted at the White House for a lavish visit on Tuesday.Their closeness was also underscored by his comments in the Oval Office on Tuesday, during which Trump defended the prince over the 2018 murder of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi, saying the prince “knew nothing”.

Many US Federal Reserve officials were leaning against another rate cut in December, meeting minutes showed Wednesday, a move sure to infuriate President Donald Trump as he pushes for lower rates.The minutes come amid heightened uncertainty surrounding the economic outlook, with policymakers recognizing risks to the jobs market and concerns that inflation could be more persistent than expected — even after the impact from Trump’s tariffs fade.”Many participants suggested that, under their economic outlooks, it would likely be appropriate to keep the target range unchanged for the rest of the year,” said the minutes of the October 28-29 gathering.At the meeting, Fed officials voted to make a second straight interest rate cut this year, bringing the benchmark lending rate to a range between 3.75-4.0 percent.But Fed Chair Jerome Powell said shortly after unveiling the decision last month that a further reduction in December was “not a foregone conclusion.”Any decision to keep rates steady is likely to anger Trump, who said Wednesday he would “love to fire” Powell and urged Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent to “work on” the central bank chief.According to the minutes released Wednesday, “participants expressed strongly differing views about what policy decision would most likely be appropriate” in December.While “most participants” found that further rate cuts would likely be appropriate over time, several indicated they did not necessarily view another 25 basis point reduction as the best choice for the upcoming meeting.Many officials agreed that the rate-setting committee should be “deliberate in its policy decisions,” partially also because there is less availability of key economic data.A record-long government shutdown from October to mid-November paused the release of government economic reports — including those on inflation — leaving policymakers and business in a fog as they gauge the state of the world’s biggest economy.”These minutes underline that the FOMC (Federal Open Market Committee) remains far more divided than usual on the next steps,” said Oliver Allen of Pantheon Macroeconomics. But he expects the Fed to continue easing policy over time.For now, many officials expect a further uptick in underlying goods inflation over the coming quarters as Trump’s tariffs bite.But the timing and magnitude remains unclear as businesses take time to adjust prices.When it comes to the labor market, officials generally expect conditions to “soften gradually” in the coming months, with firms reluctant to hire or lay off workers.Many Fed officials are also noticing “a divergence in spending patterns across income groups,” the report said.They noted that consumption growth appeared to be disproportionately supported by households with higher incomes that benefit from strong equity markets.Lower-income households are increasingly sensitive to prices, and are adjusting their spending in response to higher costs and economic uncertainty.In October, 10 of 12 voting members on the FOMC supported lowering rates by 25 basis points.Of the two who disagreed, Fed Governor Stephen Miran backed a larger 50 basis point cut and Kansas City Fed President Jeffrey Schmid supported keeping rates unchanged instead.