Week in Review

In the News

Federal Reserve leaves benchmark rate as is

WASHINGTON — The Federal Reserve left its benchmark interest rate unchanged Wednesday after cutting it three times in a row last year, a sign of a more cautious approach as the Fed seeks to gauge where inflation is headed and what policies President Donald Trump might pursue.

In a statement, the Fed said the job market is "solid," and noted that the unemployment rate "stabilized at a low level in recent months." The Fed also appeared to toughen its assessment of inflation, saying it "remains somewhat elevated." A healthier job market and more stubborn inflation typically would imply fewer Fed rate cuts in the coming months.

DERAILMENT SETTLEMENT: According to an announcement posted online Monday, the village of East Palestine, Ohio, and Norfolk Southern Railroad have agreed to a $22 million settlement resolving all of the village's claims from the 2023 train derailment near the Ohio-Pennsylvania border that prompted a national reckoning on railroad safety.

MENENDEZ SENTENCED: Former U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez, 71, was sentenced Wednesday to 11 years in prison for accepting bribes and acting as an agent of Egypt. Menendez became one of only a handful of U.S. senators to be convicted while in office.

CONSUMER CONFIDENCE: The Conference Board reported Tuesday that its consumer confidence index fell this month to 104.1, from 109.5 in December. The index measures Americans' assessment of current economic conditions and their outlook for the next six months.

In the News

President signs Laken Riley Act

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump signed the Laken Riley Act into law Wednesday, giving federal authorities broader power to deport immigrants in the U.S. illegally who have been accused of crimes.

He also announced at the ceremony that his administration planned to send the "worst criminal aliens" to a detention center in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

The bipartisan act, the first piece of legislation approved during Trump's second term, was named for Riley, a 22-year-old Georgia nursing student who was slain last year by a Venezuelan man in the U.S. illegally.

FEDERAL GRANTS: President Donald Trump's budget office rescinded a memo Wednesday that froze spending on federal grants, less than two days after Trump issued the order, which sparked widespread confusion and legal challenges across the country.

CONFIRMATIONS: The Republican-controlled Senate confirmed Lee Zeldin on Wednesday to lead the Environmental Protection Agency, 56-42. On Tuesday, former Wisconsin congressman Sean Duffy was confirmed as Transportation secretary, 77-22, and on Monday, billionaire investor Scott Bessent was confirmed as Treasury secretary.

DOJ: The Justice Department said Monday it fired more than a dozen employees who worked on criminal prosecutions of President Donald Trump, taking retribution against lawyers involved in the investigations and signaling an early willingness to take action favorable to the president's personal interests.

— Associated Press

BIG NUMBER

2.3M People expected to die as a result of extreme temperatures — mostly heat — in Europe by the end of the century, according to a new study by the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.

HE SAID ...

I have always said that, I think, when you pardon people who attack police officers, you're sending the wrong signal to the public at large."

— Republican Sen.

Lindsey Graham, last Sunday on CNN discussing President Donald Trump's pardons. The Water Cooler

MARIANNE FAITHFULL (1946-2025): Marianne Faithfull, the British pop star, muse, libertine and old soul who inspired and helped write some of the Rolling Stones' greatest songs and endured as a torch singer and survivor of the lifestyle she once embodied, died Thursday in London. She was 78.

SUPER BOWL: The Kansas City Chiefs will go for an unprecedented three-peat against the Philadelphia Eagles in the Super Bowl on Feb. 9 in New Orleans. Last Sunday, the Chiefs beat the Buffalo Bills 32-29 in the AFC championship game, while the Eagles beat the Washington Commanders 55-23 in the NFC title game.

JIM ACOSTA: CNN anchor Jim Acosta, an irritant to President Donald Trump as a former White House correspondent, said Tuesday he's quitting the network rather than accept an offer for a new late-night time slot. "Don't give in to the lies. Don't give in to the fear," he told viewers. Acosta was with CNN for 18 years.

MONA LISA: French President Emmanuel Macron announced Tuesday a major renovation and expansion of the Louvre art museum in Paris. Among the changes, Leonardo da Vinci's masterpiece the "Mona Lisa" will get its own room. The renovation will also include a new entrance near the River Seine and new underground rooms.

PASSENGER JET, ARMY HELICOPTER COLLIDE NEAR DC