AFP USA

The US Federal Reserve on Wednesday lowered interest rates for the first time this year, flagging slower job gains and risks to employment as policymakers face heightened pressure under President Donald Trump.The Fed cut the benchmark lending rate by 25 basis points, to a range between 4.0 percent and 4.25 percent, while penciling in two more cuts this year.Fed Chair Jerome Powell stressed that the central bank remains “strongly committed” to maintaining its independence from politics, however, when asked about the addition of a key advisor to Trump among its ranks this week.He added that the Fed was “right to wait and see how tariffs and inflation and the labor market evolved” before lowering rates for the first time in nine months.Only new Fed Governor Stephen Miran — who has been serving in the Trump administration — voted against Wednesday’s decision. He favored a larger rate reduction of 50 basis points.The other 11 voting members of the rate-setting Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) supported the quarter-point cut.Ryan Chahrour, an economics professor at Cornell University, said the vote appeared to signal “consolidation” among top Fed officials.”They want to be clear that they’re not influenced by political considerations, and I think they understand that lots of dissent in multiple directions sends a confusing message to markets,” he told AFP.- ‘Stark divide’ -Fed projections, however, reveal a “stark divide” on the need for additional cuts this year, said economist Michael Pearce of Oxford Economics.Among 19 Fed officials assessing the path of monetary policy, seven projected no further reductions — even as a narrow majority overall penciled in two more cuts.Pearce said such a divide is “unusual,” and expects the October rate decision could again depend on jobs data.Powell told a press briefing that the Fed’s economic projections should be viewed “through the lens of probability.”Policymakers walk a tightrope balancing inflation and labor market risks as they mull changes to interest rates.On Wednesday, the Fed said that “downside risks to employment have risen,” even as inflation has picked up and “remains somewhat elevated.”It noted that job gains have slowed while the unemployment rate — despite being low — also inched up.The bank has held rates steady this year, until now, as it monitored the effects of Trump’s tariffs on inflation.But Powell said the passthrough of tariffs to consumers has been slower and smaller than expected.”While there are inflation risks, the bigger risk right now is more Americans losing their jobs and a downward spiral starting toward a recession,” warned Navy Federal Credit Union chief economist Heather Long.The Fed lifted its 2025 growth forecast to 1.6 percent from June’s 1.4 percent projection, while making no change to unemployment and inflation forecasts.- ‘Political attention’ -Beyond economic concerns, the Fed faces intensified pressure from Trump this year — with the president repeatedly criticizing Powell and calling for major rate cuts.Besides appointing Miran when another official retired early, Trump moved in August to fire Fed Governor Lisa Cook, sparking a legal fight that could have prevented her from attending Wednesday’s gathering.Miran’s confirmation — without resigning from the White House Council of Economic Advisers — risks giving a sense of political influence over Fed decisions, EY chief economist Gregory Daco earlier told AFP.Already, Miran has come under fire from Democratic lawmakers for taking a leave of absence from his White House role rather than stepping down, a decision he attributed to his tenure at the Fed lasting only until January 31.Separately, the legal battle by Cook — the first Black woman on the Fed’s board of governors — could have broader implications for the bank.A federal appeals court ruled late Monday that Cook could remain in position while challenging her removal over alleged mortgage fraud. But the Trump administration plans to appeal — potentially bringing the case to the Supreme Court.The increased political attention is concerning, Daco said: “History has showed that in times when a central bank is under political influence, the economic outcomes are suboptimal.”This could mean higher inflation, lower growth and more financial market volatility.

Donald Trump was treated to a sumptuous royal state banquet in Windsor Castle Wednesday, rounding off the US president’s first full day of a historic second state visit to Britain.Before some 160 guests at the start of the lavish event, designed to play into the mercurial American leader’s love of pomp and pageantry, King Charles III praised what he called Trump’s “personal commitment” to seeking peace.For his part Trump described the visit as “one of the highest honours of my life”, paying tribute to the transatlantic relationship by calling the UK and the United States “two notes in one chord… each beautiful on its own, but really meant to be played together”.Trump and his wife Melania’s welcome earlier featured gun salutes, soldiers on horseback and a flypast by the Red Arrows as the visit unfolded far from the British public and marching protesters.The King and Trump laughed and joked as the US leader inspected troops at Windsor, west of London, in an elaborate spectacle featuring a carriage procession.Some 120 horses and 1,300 members of the British military — some in red tunics and gold plumed helmets — feted Trump during a ceremonial guard of honour that UK officials called the largest for a state visit to Britain in living memory.The president and first lady were greeted on arrival by heir-to-the-throne Prince William and his wife, Catherine at Windsor after stepping off the Marine One helicopter under grey skies at 12:15 pm (1115 GMT). Inside a ring of steel and out of sight from thousands of demonstrators shouting anti-Trump slogans in London, William and Catherine then walked Trump and his wife a short distance to meet the waiting Charles and Queen Camilla.A 41-gun salute was fired simultaneously from six First World War-era guns on the castle’s east lawn, as a similar display took place at the Tower of London, in the capital.The Trumps and the royals were then taken in a black and gold coach, surrounded by cavalry, through the Windsor estate towards the nearly 1,000-year-old castle, where Trump and Charles inspected the guard of honour.The two also exchanged gifts, with the royals giving Trump a book to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the US declaration of independence next year, and Trump gifting Charles a replica of a sword owned by President Dwight Eisenhower.- ‘Gifts’ -Britain is pulling out all the stops to dazzle the unpredictable Trump as the UK government tries to keep him onside during a host of international crises.The 79-year-old Republican is, however, being kept far away from the British public as polls indicate he remains unpopular, with the entire visit happening behind closed doors. An estimated 5,000 people marched through central London waving Palestinian flags and displaying banners with slogans including “Migrants welcome, Trump not welcome”.”I’m just scared of the way the world’s being taken over by really nasty men,” Jo Williamson, a 58-year-old funeral director from Kent, southeast England, told AFP.Trump is the first US president to receive two state visits, after his previous one with Queen Elizabeth II in 2019.At Windsor, he laid a wreath on the tomb of Elizabeth, Charles’s mother, who died in 2022, and viewed a collection of US-related items, including a letter sent from President Abraham Lincoln to Queen Victoria in 1862 after the death of Prince Albert.The Trumps also had a private meeting with William and Catherine, described by their Kensington Palace office as “warm and friendly”.Trump’s changeability on everything from tariffs to Ukraine and Gaza has caused global turmoil and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer will be hoping the president leaves on Thursday feeling the warm glow of royal soft power.- Epstein’s shadow -“A lot of things here warm my heart,” the president, who owns two golf resorts in Scotland, his mother’s homeland, said on arriving late Tuesday.The US leader may also relish a chance to escape a turbulent period at home, where the killing of right-wing activist Charlie Kirk has caused deep turmoil.But the spectre looms of late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, who is providing domestic headaches for both Trump and Starmer.Starmer will host Trump on the second day of the visit on Thursday at his country residence, Chequers.The pair will be buoyed by the announcement of billions of pounds of investment in each other’s economies, including from British pharmaceutical group GSK and Google, but there could be awkward moments.Starmer faces political troubles at home, after sacking his UK ambassador to Washington, Peter Mandelson, over his links to the late Epstein.

Christian Louboutin of scarlet-stiletto fame on Wednesday named Jaden Smith, who has followed in his superstar father Will’s footsteps as an actor and rapper, as artistic director of the French shoemaker’s men’s collection.”Jaden Smith will unveil four collections per year, including shoes, leather goods, and accessories,” the brand said in a statement.Louboutin, the head of his eponymous brand since its founding in 1991, will be handing over the reins of his menswear line for the first time. “One morning, I was swimming and I asked myself: ‘Why not Jaden?’,” the 62-year-old told Le Figaro newspaper.He is banking on Smith, 35 years his junior at 27, to inject “visibility” into the line, which has grown to account for a quarter of Louboutin’s revenue since launching in 2008. “I am convinced by his creativity, but I am also happy to have an intelligent voice from a different generation at my side,” Louboutin added.Smith said his elevation represented “one of the biggest honours” of his life.”I feel a lot of pressure to be able to live up to everything that Christian has done for the house, and also stepping into such a serious role,” he told American media outlet WWD.Jaden Smith, son of Will and Jada Pinkett Smith, was in the spotlight from a young age, acting in “The Pursuit of Happyness” in 2006 and 2010’s “The Karate Kid” before turning towards music and fashion.While Smith the younger has already made a name for himself in with his brand MSFTSrep and a collaboration with sneaker-maker New Balance, he has never before headed a luxury fashion house’s entire line. “Today he lacks technique but he’s starting to learn,” Louboutin said, explaining that Smith had already made several visits to Italian factories.”What you cannot learn is enthusiasm and taste and passion. All that, he has,” the stylist added.Smith’s first collection will be unveiled at Paris Fashion Week for men in January 2026.

A dismembered corpse found rotting in an impounded Tesla registered to rising American rap star D4vd was that of a teenage girl, a US medical examiner has said.Los Angeles police discovered the body in the car’s trunk last week when they were called to a Hollywood tow yard by workers and neighbors who complained of a foul smell.When officers arrived, they found a badly decomposed body that multiple reports said was in pieces, wrapped in a plastic sheet in the electric vehicle’s front luggage compartment.The Los Angeles County medical examiner said the body was that of Celeste Rivas, who would be 15 years old if she were still alive.Entertainment outlet TMZ said Wednesday that its reporters had spoken to Celeste’s mother, who said her daughter had a boyfriend named David.The outlet carried a missing person poster published by Riverside County Sheriff seeking the whereabouts of Celeste, who was 13 when she went missing in Lake Elsinore, southeast of Los Angeles, in April last year.The medical examiner’s office had earlier described the dead person as a woman of unknown age with wavy black hair.”The decedent was found severely decomposed inside a vehicle,” the statement said.”She appears to have been deceased inside the vehicle for an extended period of time before being found.”Los Angeles Police Department investigators said the Tesla had been parked in the tony Hollywood Hills area for nearly a month before being towed.TMZ reported that the car, registered in Texas, to David Anthony Burke — D4vd’s real name — had never been reported stolen.A representative for the singer said he had been informed of the discovery and was fully cooperating with investigators.The 20-year-old has continued a world tour since the grisly discovery, and is due to play at the Greek Theatre in Los Angeles at the weekend.The young star shot to internet fame in 2022 when his “Romantic Homicide” became a breakout hit on TikTok.The tow yard where the car with the body was found sits a stone’s throw from Elon Musk’s new Tesla Diner, which opened to great fanfare in Hollywood in July.

Children are “uniquely and disproportionately” harmed by climate change, a medical expert told a US federal court Wednesday in a landmark constitutional case brought by young Americans challenging President Donald Trump’s fossil-fuel agenda.On the second and final day of a hearing in Missoula, Montana, the plaintiffs’ attorneys called Lori Byron — a former pediatric hospitalist with more than four decades of experience — to explain how a warming planet is impacting young people.The case, Lighthiser v. Trump, is emblematic of a growing global trend of using the courts to push climate action amid political inertia or outright hostility. At issue are three executive orders from the president that together seek to “unleash” fossil fuel development at the expense of renewable energy.Twenty-two plaintiffs represented by the nonprofit Our Children’s Trust are also contesting actions they say undermine federal climate science in the United States — from firing experts to scrubbing reports and reversing the scientific foundation for regulating greenhouse gases.They are seeking a preliminary injunction that could pave the way for a full trial, while lawyers for the Trump administration and conservative-leaning states want the case thrown out, arguing it is undemocratic.Byron, who co-authored the state’s climate assessment and has served on an Environmental Protection Agency committee, testified that the state faces more extreme heat days by mid-century, longer and more severe wildfire smoke seasons, and an increase in “climate surprises” such as catastrophic floods.”They breathe more air, they drink more water, they eat more food per pound of body weight compared to adults,” Byron said, adding that children are especially vulnerable to illness and injury from heat and extreme weather because of their developing bodies and reliance on adults.The toll is not only physical but also psychological: “Their brains are still developing, and stability in their life is very important. When you get displaced or lose your home, those experiences can have mental health impacts that last for decades.”Byron’s testimony was followed by Isaiah H., a 17-year-old from Missoula, an aspiring athlete who spoke of his love for his home but said it was becoming harder to spend time outdoors and connect with nature as a result of worsening wildfires and declining snowfall.”When my brother was really little, we had to actually evacuate our house because the smoke was too bad… for his lungs,” he said.”As a 17-year-old, I shouldn’t be having to step in like this, and shouldn’t have to miss school and make up tests and assignments just to advocate for my health and safety.”Michael Gerrard, an environmental law professor, told AFP: “The plaintiffs are building a strong factual case about the causes and dangers of climate change.”He added: “It would be plowing new ground for a court to say that there is a substantive due process right under the US Constitution to a stable climate system.”

Armed with signs and shouting slogans, thousands of anti-Donald Trump protesters descended on central London on Wednesday to decry the US president’s unprecedented second state visit to the UK.London’s Metropolitan Police estimated that there were around 5,000 people at the protest, which culminated in a rally in front of parliament.With Trump receiving the red-carpet treatment at Windsor Castle, around 22 miles (35 kilometres) west of London, demonstrators marched in the heart of the British capital to display their disdain on the first full day of the trip.”We’re protesting, I suppose, about everything about Donald Trump. You don’t know what placard to carry, really, there’s so many things” to dislike, former teacher Dave Lockett, 67, told AFP.”He’s sowing destruction and disorder throughout the whole Earth… If Trump’s ideas get into this society, then what we’re talking about is fascism in Britain,” he added.Left-wing lawmakers, including new Green Party leader Zack Polanski, were among those to address the crowds in Parliament Square at the rally hosted by well-known comedian Nish Kumar.”We are gathered here united to say this is not in our name,” Polanski said of Trump’s invitation from the ruling centre-left Labour government. “This is the moment to challenge everything Donald Trump stands for. This is the moment to reject the politics of hate and division.”- ‘Hiding’ -Protesters had first massed early afternoon near the BBC’s headquarters, holding aloft an array of banners, flags and signs, covering everything from support for the Palestinians to rejecting fascism. Amid a cacophony of drumming, some demonstrators had recreated smaller versions of the giant balloon depicting Trump wearing a nappy which was famously flown during his first state visit in 2019.Yashi Sriram, a doctor originally from India, turned out with a placard reading: “End the genocide. Stop Trump.””I just wanted to show support for the people of Palestine, really, more than anything else,” said the 32-year-old.A group called the Stop Trump Coalition organised the demo, with a broad alliance of organisations sponsoring it, including Amnesty International UK, Black Lives Matter UK, Palestine Solidarity Campaign and Greenpeace.The coalition questioned why Trump would barely be in London during the visit.”Because he knows we’re protesting against him,” the group said in a statement ahead of the march.”Instead, he’ll be hiding and having a sad little carriage ride all by himself in Windsor with a parade that no one will even see. This is because of the power of our protest.”Those at the evening rally repeatedly chanted: “Say it loud, say it clear: Donald Trump not welcome here,” as various speakers railed against him.- Trump unpopular -London’s Metropolitan Police deployed more than 1,600 officers — including 500 brought in from other forces — to ensure the event passed off without incident.A purported counter-demonstration failed to muster, and there were no reports of disorder or arrests.A lone protester, surrounded by police, displayed a sign reading: “We Love Trump,” sparking boos as anti-Trump campaigners marched past him.Trump remains deeply unpopular in Britain, with new polling Wednesday showing almost half of respondents thought it was wrong to invite him for a second state visit.Only a quarter believed it will improve UK-US relations, according to the YouGov/Sky survey.London mayor Sadiq Khan, who allowed the unflattering Trump baby blimp to fly during the American president’s first-term visits, has been a persistent critic amid a years-long feud.Khan wrote Tuesday in The Guardian: “Trump and his coterie have perhaps done the most to fan the flames of divisive, far-right politics around the world in recent years.”An estimated 150,000 people attended a weekend rally in London organised by far-right activist Tommy Robinson, with 26 police officers injured in clashes on the event’s fringes.In the article, Khan — the first Muslim mayor of a Western capital when he was first elected in 2016 — accused Trump of “scapegoating minorities, illegally deporting US citizens, deploying the military to the streets of diverse cities”.”These actions aren’t just inconsistent with western values — they’re straight out of the autocrat’s playbook,” he wrote.

The ex-chief of the US disease prevention agency told senators Wednesday she was fired for refusing to approve changes to childhood vaccine schedules not backed by scientific evidence, as the Trump administration moves to dismantle longstanding health policy. The high-profile testimony follows last month’s abrupt ouster of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention head Susan Monarez, who told lawmakers on the Senate Health Committee that US Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. also demanded she fire career scientists from the agency without cause.”Even under pressure I could not replace evidence with ideology, or compromise my integrity,” she told the panel.”Vaccine policy must be guided by credible data, not predetermined outcomes.”The testimony comes a day before a highly anticipated meeting of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices — a body Kennedy has dramatically revamped, firing all of its members and replacing them with figures whose views mirror his own vaccine skepticism.Monarez said Kennedy had demanded she agree to rubber-stamp every recommendation that committee makes to the CDC.She was fired less than a month after senators had voted to confirm her with unanimous support from Republican lawmakers.Her testimony contradicts what Kennedy had told the Senate Finance Committee. He insisted he had only requested she keep an open mind and said that she ultimately had not been “trustworthy.”Under questioning from Republican Senate health committee chair Bill Cassidy — a physician who continues to vouch for the safety of vaccines — Monarez said she told Kennedy she “would be open” to childhood vaccine schedule shifts if there were solid scientific data to justify them.But Kennedy “did not have any data or science to point to,” she said.”To be clear, he said there was not science or data” but he “still expected you to change this?” Cassidy asked.”Correct,” Monarez responded.- ‘Censored’ science -Monarez’s ouster was followed by the departure of several senior CDC officials from the body.Former CDC chief medical officer Debra Houry also testified Wednesday, and said Kennedy “censored CDC science, politicized its processes and stripped leaders of independence.””I could not in good conscience remain under those conditions.”Senator Angela Alsobrooks, a Democrat, later asked Houry if she believed Kennedy was “incompetent and dangerous to the American people’s health.”Houry was uncompromising in her response: “Seeing what he has asked our scientists to do and to compromise our integrity, and the children that have died under his watch, I think he should resign.”In 2025, the United States experienced its worst measles outbreak in more than 30 years, with more than 1,400 total confirmed cases and three deaths, including two young children.Asked by Republican Susan Collins what the public health implications might be if major CDC decisions come from politicized ideology rather than hard science, Monarez said it could move the US into “a very dangerous place in public health.””These are very important, highly technical discussions that have life-saving implications for our children and others who need vaccines.”Vaccines are safe and effective, according to the overwhelming consensus of the scientific community, but critics say the Trump administration has gone out of its way to sow doubt about them.

A well-financed campaign to build a casino in the heart of New York’s theater district collapsed Wednesday as a government-appointed panel voted down the proposal.Opposition to the project was led by community groups who said a casino would lure unsavory people and theater interests who argued it would cut into Broadway’s business.The Caesars Palace Times Square project, a venture whose sponsors include rap musician and entrepreneur Jay-Z’s company Roc Nation, failed to clear a key hurdle at the Community Advisory Committee. The CAC, which is composed of representatives of state and local officials, voted down the proposed $5.4 billion project by 4-2.  City Council Member Erik Bottcher said he voted no after “countless” conversations with constituents.”This is not a decision I took lightly,” Bottcher, who had been considered a swing vote on the proposal, said in an Instagram post.”All economic development opportunities deserve strong consideration. I believe casinos must clear a particularly high bar, requiring a uniquely strong degree of community buy-in before being sited in a neighborhood,” he added.”Despite extensive outreach by the applicants, that level of support has not materialized.”The vote follows two rowdy public meetings at which the CAC heard from dozens of backers and opponents of the casino. Supporters of the project included construction unions, neighboring restaurants and business groups that viewed the casino project as a source of additional customers.Other Caesars supporters included the Reverend Al Sharpton, whose organization was poised to oversee a new $15 million civil rights museum financed by the casino coalition if the Times Square proposal had been built.But Broadway League President Jason Laks, who led the opposition, praised CAC members “who looked at the facts, listened to the residents, and stood up for this neighborhood and the theater community.” “This was a vote to protect the magic of Broadway for the one hundred thousand New Yorkers who depend on it for their livelihoods, and for the tens of millions who come from around the world to experience it,” Laks said in a statement. “A casino can go anywhere, but Broadway only lives here.”

President Donald Trump’s administration has not offered a credible legal justification for US strikes targeting alleged drug smugglers, experts say, warning that he appears to be claiming an unlawful “license to kill.”The US military has destroyed at least two boats carrying a combined 14 people who were allegedly transporting drugs across the Caribbean this month, with Trump posting videos of the strikes on his Truth Social platform.Typical practice would be to interdict a boat, detain its crew and seize its cargo. But Trump has opted to use deadly force instead, saying the traffickers are “terrorists” who threaten US national security and interests and making clear the strikes are part of a continuing campaign.Trump “seems to be asserting a license to kill outside the law, because they haven’t shown that this is legal, and they haven’t really even tried to seriously make an argument on that front,” said Brian Finucane, senior adviser for the International Crisis Group’s US Program.The strikes are “remarkable and unprecedented,” said Finucane, who previously advised the US government on legal issues related to counterterrorism and the use of military force.He noted that they differ from strikes targeting militants during the “War on Terror,” as that conflict began with the 9/11 attacks on the United States, and was also waged against “organized armed groups” with “military style hierarchies.”- No ‘coherent legal argument’ -Trump has justified taking military action by saying “violent drug trafficking cartels POSE A THREAT to U.S. National Security, Foreign Policy, and vital U.S. Interests.”Finucane said they are “throwing out these legal terms,” but “they’re not actually using them to make a coherent legal argument.”Trump confirmed a new US strike on a suspected drug trafficking boat from Venezuela on Monday that killed three people, then said the following day that Washington had “knocked off” three boats in total, without elaborating.That came after US forces earlier this month blew up a boat with 11 people onboard, which Washington claimed was operated by the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua.The strikes have contributed to soaring tensions between the United States and Venezuela, which were already heightened over the deployment of American warships in the region that Washington says are to combat trafficking but which Caracas views as a threat.Some US lawmakers — almost all Democrats — have pushed back against the Trump administration over the strikes.”There is no legal authority that lets the President kill people in international waters based on accusations with no proof or due process,” Democratic US Representative Don Beyer said in a post on X.- ‘Manipulation of law’ -Senator Rand Paul, a Republican, clashed with Vice President JD Vance after the first strike earlier this month, saying it is “despicable and thoughtless” to “glorify killing someone without a trial.”And more than two dozen senators sent a letter to Trump asking for answers on the first strike, saying his report to Congress on it “provided no legitimate legal justification and was scant in details regarding the legal or substantive basis for this or any future strikes.”United Nations rights experts have condemned the killing of the alleged traffickers, saying that “international law does not allow governments to simply murder alleged drug traffickers.””Under international law, all countries must respect the right to life, including when acting on the high seas or in foreign territory,” said the experts, including the special rapporteurs on extrajudicial executions and on protecting human rights while countering terrorism.Mary Ellen O’Connell, a professor at the University of Notre Dame, said “the small speed boats allegedly carrying drugs for a criminal gang meet none of the conditions for lawful self-defense.””Without a justification under the law of self-defense, the human right to life prohibits intentional killing of people with military force,” said O’Connell, an expert in international law on the use of force, international dispute resolution, and international legal theory.”It is time to end the manipulation of law to license killing. The human right to life requires following peacetime law unless the real conditions of actual hostilities exist,” she said.