Category: ESTA News

It appears that members of the Federal Reserve System (Fed), the US central bank, shared the view that the base interest rate is at or near the peak at the Open Market Committee (FOMC) meeting held last month. The committee members judged that it would be appropriate to lower the interest rate in 2024, but expressed a cautious view that additional interest rate increases would not be considered a policy option as uncertainty is very high in the economy.

According to the December FOMC minutes released by the Federal Reserve on the 3rd, while discussing the outlook for future monetary policy, Federal Reserve members judged that “the benchmark interest rate appears to have reached the peak or near the peak of this tightening cycle.” However, he emphasized that the actual monetary policy path will vary depending on how the economic situation develops.

At the December meeting, members agreed that interest rates would be lowered in 2024, the minutes said. Based on the forecasts submitted by the Federal Reserve members with their respective opinions, almost all members judged it appropriate to lower the benchmark interest rate by the end of 2024 to reflect the outlook that inflation will improve, the minutes said. However, he expressed a cautious stance on the timing of the interest rate cut.

The minutes said, “The participating members emphasized that their outlook is related to unusually high uncertainty and that they cannot rule out the possibility that future economic conditions will develop in a way that makes additional interest rate increases appropriate.”

This is to reemphasize the position that additional austerity cards will not be left off the policy table in response to changes in economic conditions. The December FOMC minutes released today are interpreted as a reconfirmation of the contents of Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell’s conference held immediately after the meeting.

At a press conference after the FOMC, Chairman Powell said, “The question of when it would be appropriate to return to the level of austerity policies will begin to come into view,” and added, “This was also discussed at today’s meeting.” As the market assessed that the Federal Reserve had ended interest rate hikes and signaled a policy change (pivot), a rally continued in the stock market, with government bond yields plummeting and the Dow Jones index exceeding its all-time high.

As the Federal Reserve’s position was reaffirmed in the minutes of the day, U.S. Treasury yields fell. According to the electronic trading platform Tradeweb, the yield on 10-year U.S.

Treasury bonds rose to 4.0% at 10:30 a.m. on this day but fell 9bp (1bp = 0.01% point) to 3.91% at 3 p.m., after the minutes were announced.

Electric car company Tesla recently launched its driving assistance feature, ‘Autopilot’ Although they announced that they would recall almost all vehicles sold in the United States to correct defects, some are criticizing that this is not enough to solve the safety problems of Autopilot.

The Washington Post (Daily on the 17th) According to WP), experts point out that Tesla’s recall will not solve the fundamental problem with Autopilot. After the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) previously investigated traffic accidents related to Autopilot, when it was pointed out that there were not enough measures in place to prevent the possibility of misuse of this function, Tesla announced a recall of 2 million units on the 13th, saying it would update the software to add a warning function.

However, experts say that measures to modify the Autopilot function should not be limited to providing more warnings to drivers, but that stronger regulations should be implemented, such as limiting the areas in which the function can be turned on.

Professor Matthew Wansley of New York’s Cardozo School of Law, who specializes in automotive technology, said Autopilot should not be used on roads with cross traffic. “There are a lot of crashes,” he said. Chairman Jennifer Homendi of the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), who has taken a more critical stance on Tesla’s self-driving technology than NHTSA, also said, “It is welcome that they are taking action,” he said, but pointed out, “We need to check whether such changes are being made properly, but how can we check if there is a voluntary recall?”

Previously in 2017, After investigating several fatal accidents related to Tesla’s Autopilot, the NTSB recommended that this function be disabled except in the basic situations for which Autopilot was designed.

Democratic Party member U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal criticized Tesla’s actions, saying, “They are far from sufficient,” and “Relying on Tesla’s own enforcement is truly problematic.”

At the same time, he emphasized, “When a car hits an obstacle or another vehicle or goes off the road, there must be measures beyond voluntary compliance (on the part of the company).”WP is currently using Auto. It was reported that pilot death accidents frequently occur when operating outside the specific location and situation for which it was originally designed (ODD, Operational Design Domain). Meanwhile, according to the Associated Press, on the 13th, a court in Los Angeles (LA) sentenced Tesla driver Kevin Liard of $23,000 believed to be the first case to be criminally prosecuted for an autopilot-related fatal accident. Ordered to pay compensation.

In December 2019, Riad was driving a Tesla Model S with Autopilot on a road in California when he hit a Honda Civic at an intersection right after exiting the highway. It hit and killed the two occupants. At the time, the Tesla vehicle ignored the stop sign at the intersection and continued driving at a speed exceeding 110 km/h. Liard pleaded not guilty after being criminally indicted but was sentenced to probation in June after being found guilty.

Following the sentence, he was ordered to pay compensation. A separate civil lawsuit filed by the victim’s family is ongoing. Attorney representing the surviving family member Donald Slavik said in a statement, “Tesla’s recently announced recall prohibits the use of Autopilot on controlled highways.” “If there had been restrictions, this tragic accident could have been prevented,” he said.

The inauguration ceremony for elected officials in Fairfax County, Virginia, was held at the county government building on the 13th. Including Jeff McKay, chairman of the Board of Supervisors, who was re-elected, Pat Herity (Springfield), and Cathy Smith. Ten supervisors, including Sully (Sully), James Jokinshaw (Braddock), and Dahlia Palchik (Providence), took an oath in front of Judge Penny Azkareit that day to fulfill their responsibilities as public officials.

In particular, the newly elected Supervisors Andres Jimenez (Mason) and Jimmy Berman (Dansville) once again enjoyed the joy of being elected amid the cheers of the people who filled the event hall. Then, Chief Prosecutor Steve Descano, Court Administration Director Chris Falcon, Sheriff Stacey Kincaid, and Water and Soil Committee Directors (Dana Barakat, Rhoda Beatery, and Christopher Connor) took the oath of office in turn.

The inauguration ceremony was held on this day, but the official term begins on the 2nd of next year. Chairman McKay, who stood at the podium on behalf of them, said, “I am honored to have been given the opportunity to serve again,” and said, “I will complete the projects that were not completed over the past four years and will be with you for the next four years”.

At the event on this day, former members of the Supervisory Association, including Sharon Vlorba, Kate Henry, and Tom Davis, also attended and congratulated the new public officials on their first departure.

The situation is worsening as the number of people suffering from food poisoning continues to rise after eating cantaloupe melons from Mexico infected with salmonella bacteria, and the federal health authorities have issued an advisory (reported by this newspaper on November 27), with the number of deaths due to this increasing rapidly.

According to CNN on the 7th, a total of eight people has died due to this cantaloupe infection, including three in the United States and five in Canada, and the number of patients complaining of symptoms is rapidly increasing across the country.

According to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 230 people are currently showing symptoms of the disease in 38 states across the country, including California, which is more than double the number from a week ago.

The Mexican cantaloupes in question began to be reported to be contaminated with salmonella on October 16th. Health authorities said it would take three to four weeks to determine whether an outbreak occurred, so the actual outbreak area or cases are estimated to be much higher than counted.

The bodies of the man and woman discovered in the woods near the Joint Base Lewis-McChord (JBLM) road on the 2nd are clearly that of a couple who were murdered and abandoned at their Lacey home about a month ago, and the tenant suspected of killing them has already been arrested.

The Stern County Sheriff’s Office made the announcement.

Sheriff’s Director Derek Sanders said that although the coroner’s department’s official confirmation process remains, it is clear that the two bodies are those of Davido and Karen Keff, who had been reported missing. The bodies were located less than half a mile from the couple’s property where the suspect, Timothy Burke (45), lived. It was discovered in a suitable location.

Davido (who legally does not use his last name) allows homeless people to move into his property on S. Steadman Road and live in RVs and garages, with or without rent. Burke, who was one of them, was known to have been spreading bad rumours that Davido was trying to evict him.

Keff’s employer, a chiropractor, asked the police to check on her well-being on November 10 after she was absent from work without reason and did not answer phone calls. Police who searched the couple’s home found traces of blood being cleaned up on two living room floors and marks where the body had been dragged into the garage.

Kef’s car also disappeared.

Police discovered Davido’s debit card had been used at two credit union offices on the 12th and checked CCTV in those parking lots, but she was unable to identify Keff’s car. Kef’s car, which was found abandoned that night, had muddy wheels, as if it had been driven off-road, and blood stains on her trunk.

Police arrested Burke the same night while he was hiding on a forest trail. At the time, he was carrying a .45-caliber semi-automatic handgun in his pocket, and the bullets from this gun matched the bullets that pierced the Davido couple’s room wall, police said.

Prosecutors said Burke, who was arrested on two counts of first-degree murder on November 22, is being held in the Thurston County Detention Centre without bail.

The construction of a large tent camp being created by the city of Chicago as a ‘winter base camp’ for illegal immigrants from Central and South America transported from the southern border area is facing difficulties.

According to Chicago media on the 4th, Illinois Governor JB Pritzker (58, Democratic) ordered a temporary halt to the construction of a ‘tent village for migrants to spend the winter’ being built in Brighton Park, south of Chicago.

After Illinois environmental authorities raised concerns after the city of Chicago disclosed on the 2nd that toxic heavy metals were detected in the soil of the tent village construction site, which was a former factory area, through an 800-page ‘Site Environmental Assessment Report’, Pritzker This is a decision the governor made on a whim.

WGN Broadcasting pointed out, “Despite the various concerns raised by residents and community leaders in the area, the city authorities ignored them and pushed ahead with construction.”

Governor Pritzker’s office said, “State environmental officials plan to speak with Chicago environmental officials and environmental assessment providers.”

The city of Chicago said in a report, “Mercury exceeding the allowable standard was detected in soil samples from the construction site,” and “soil near the sample collection point was removed and properly disposed of in an external landfill.” He added, “It has also been confirmed that the soil at another location is contaminated with a high concentration of semi-volatile compounds, so we plan to soon carry out removal work and dispose of it.”

The city of Chicago said, “In order to resolve other contaminant issues, we will lay clean crushed stone at least 15 cm thick across the entire tent site, which is approximately 40,000 square meters in size, and ensure that the minimum thickness is maintained through regular inspections.” He added, “Contaminated soil will be removed.” He argued, “If an ‘engineered barrier’ is installed, there will be no problem using the site as a temporary residence.”

However, Governor Pritzker’s office said, “A review by the state Department of Environmental Quality is necessary. We have decided to halt construction until the governor and state environmental officials complete further discussions.”

This very large tent village is located in Chicago, which promotes itself as a ‘sanctuary city’ (city protecting illegal immigrants) and is having difficulty providing accommodations for the 25,000 illegal immigrants from Central and South America who have been rapidly flowing in since August of last year and are still staying at police stations and airport lobbies. The goal was to move about 2,000 people to a ‘safe’ place before the temperature drops further.

The city of Chicago signed a $29.3 million contract with the private company Garda World last September and proceeded with construction, but local residents raised concerns about waste of taxpayer money, safety concerns for residents, and soil contamination issues. They have opposed the creation of tent villages, pointing out the following.

As the conflict between city authorities and residents intensified over the issue of creating a detention centre for illegal immigrants, some residents sued Mayor Johnson and the authorities on charges of violating the ‘Land Use Designation Act’.

As the announcement of the environmental assessment report was delayed amid controversy, city authorities moved construction materials to the site on the 28th of last month and began construction on the 29th. The goal was for completion by mid-month.

The conflict between Chicago city authorities and residents over the issue of accepting illegal immigrants from Central and South America eventually escalated into a legal battle. According to Chicago media on the 27th, the first trial of a lawsuit filed by South Chicago residents opposing the Chicago city government’s plan to create a temporary detention centre for illegal immigrants began on this day.

Natasha Dunn and Jimmy Darrell Jones, who filed the complaint as representative of residents, told the Cook County court that “Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson (47, Democratic) and city authorities are holding illegal immigrants in parks, police stations, public schools, and so-called ‘tent camps.’ “Please stop it,” he asked.

In their complaint, they said, “South Shore High School, which had been a major educational institution and a symbol of pride in the community for decades, was reduced to a ‘refugee centre’ without even listening to residents’ opinions,” and “the city authorities violated zoning laws.” “It violated the law and undermined the integrity and stability of the community.”

Chicago ABC reported that protests by residents have continued for several weeks in Brighton Park, the planned site for the construction of ‘winterized base camps’ for illegal immigrants transported from the southern border of the United States, but construction materials have recently been arriving at the site one after another.

One resident who did not want his name published said, “I want to hear the truth from the mayor,” and asked, “Shouldn’t the mayor put the residents first?” Residents claimed, “The construction site of Brighton Park was originally where a factory was located, and soil tests showed that it was contaminated with toxic metals,” and “It is an unsuitable place for people to live.” He also emphasized, “City officials do not want to cause chaos in our community.”

Residents are demanding that Mayor Brandon stop violating the land use designation law and disclose without hesitation how much money he is actually spending to support immigrants accepted under the slogan of a ‘sanctuary city.’

Since August of last year, about 20,000 illegal immigrants from Central and South America have been transported to Chicago, and about 2,000 of them are still living in the city police station and airport lobby.

City authorities said the winter base camp to be built in Brighton Park could accommodate up to 2,000 people.

President Joe Biden confirmed on the 26th that a four-year-old American girl was among the 13 hostages released by Hamas on the third day of a temporary ceasefire and pledged to make efforts to free all hostages.

In an emergency speech to the nation that day, President Biden said, “Abigail, a 4-year-old girl, is one of the 13 hostages released from Gaza today,” and “She is currently safely in Israel.”
President Biden expressed his gratitude to all stakeholders, including the governments of Qatar, Egypt, and Israel, saying, “She is grateful that she can return.”

President Biden emphasized, “We look forward to the release of other American hostages and will continue to make every effort to secure the release of additional Americans. We will not stop our efforts until all hostages return home safely.” He said, “My team and I have been in close contact with the governments of Qatar, Egypt, and Israel and have been working to negotiate. We spoke with Qatar yesterday to pressure Abigail’s release, and we will soon meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.” “I plan to talk on the phone as well,” he added.

“My goal is to extend the temporary ceasefire to allow for the release of additional hostages,” he confirmed. “Our goal is to continue this ceasefire beyond tomorrow so that more hostages can be released, and humanitarian aid can reach Gaza.” “We know this is a day-by-day, hour-by-hour approach, and nothing is guaranteed.”

President Biden said, “Israel agreed to extend the ceasefire further on the condition that 10 hostages be released per day, and I hope this is not the end. I expect the ceasefire to continue as long as the hostages are released.”

Regarding the hostages’ situation, he added, “I understand that an elderly American woman is in need of immediate medical attention and has been ordered to receive hospital treatment in Israel.”

On this day, Hamas released 13 hostages, including Abigail Ethan, an American girl who had just turned 4 years old. Abigail lost both of her parents and was taken hostage during a Hamas airstrike on Israel on October 7, and celebrated her 4th birthday while in captivity on the 24th.

Previously, Israel and Hamas agreed to a four-day ceasefire and the release of 50 Israeli hostages and 150 Palestinian prisoners.

Hamas released 13 Israeli hostages and 11 foreigners on the 24th, the first day of the ceasefire, and 13 Israelis and 4 foreigners on the 25th, the second day.

Israel also released 78 Palestinians imprisoned in its prisons over the past two days as agreed to a ceasefire.

Montgomery County, Maryland, will reimburse the cost of installing surveillance cameras (CCTV) in residential and commercial areas with high crime rates.

The Montgomery County Police Department announced on the 15th that in order to lower the crime rate, it will provide subsidies of up to $250 for homes and up to $1,250 for businesses to cover the cost of installing surveillance cameras.

The support budget was set at $255,000.

The county government expects to install up to 1,000 surveillance cameras with this cost.

Applicants can apply through the Montgomery County Police Department website (montgomerycountymd.gov).

One in nine households in New York state was found to be suffering from food shortages.

According to the 2020-2022 ‘Food insecurity’ report recently released by the Federal Department of Agriculture, 870,000 households in New York State are facing food shortages.

The food insecurity rate among all households in New York State is 11.3%. This is an increase from the food insecurity rate of 10.8% recorded between 2017 and 2019 and is 0.1% higher than the national average.

In the case of New Jersey, 8.8% of all households were found to be experiencing food shortages to the point where they were worried about eating every day, which was lower than the national average. However, it was found to be an increase of 1.1% from 2017 to 2019, indicating that countermeasures against this are urgently needed.

Food insecurity refers to a condition in which a person cannot secure sufficient and nutritious food for normal growth and development due to the lack of goods such as money.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture said that 14.7 million households, or 11.2% of the entire U.S. population, are worried about eating meals every day.

In particular, the rate of food insecurity among racial minorities such as blacks and Hispanics, as well as minority groups such as women and children, was found to be increasing every year.

By state, Arizona had the highest food insecurity rate at 11.6%, while Minnesota had the lowest food insecurity rate at 7.1%.