Jan May Have Delivered Lower Job Growth02/03 06:01
Jan May Have Delivered Lower Job Growth02/03 06:01 The American economy has an unusual problem: The job market looks too strong -- at least to the inflation fighters at the Federal Reserve. WASHINGTON (AP) -- The American economy has an unusual problem: The job market looks too strong -- at least to the inflation fighters at the Federal Reserve. Companies are still seeking more workers and are hanging tightly onto the ones they have. Putting aside some high-profile layoffs at big tech companies like Microsoft, Google, Amazon and others, most workers are enjoying an unusual level of job security even at a time when many economists foresee a recession approaching. Employers have added at least 200,000 jobs every month for 24 straight months -- the longest such streak in government records dating to 1939. Economists think the streak ended last month, if just barely: They have forecast that the government will report Friday that the economy added 185,000 jobs in January, according to the data firm FactSet, and that the unemployment rate ticked up to 3.6% from a half-century low of 3.5%. That would still represent a solid job gain, though decisively below the red-hot pace of the past year. For all of 2022, the economy added a sizzling average of 375,000 jobs a month. That was a pace vigorous enough to have contributed to the painful inflation Americans have endured, the worst such bout in 40 years. A tight job market tends to put upward pressure on wages, which, in turn, feed into inflation. Hence, uneasiness at the Fed. The central bank, hoping to cool the job market and the economy -- and, as a consequence, inflation -- has raised its benchmark interest rate eight times since March, most recently on Wednesday. Since July, monthly hiring has steadily decelerated even while remaining at historically healthy levels. Year-over-year measures of consumer inflation have steadily eased since peaking at 9.1% in June. But at 6.5% in December, inflation remains far above the Fed's 2% target, which is why the central bank's policymakers have reiterated their intent to keep raising borrowing rates for at least a few more months. The Fed is aiming to achieve a "soft landing" -- a pullback in the economy that is just enough to tame high inflation without triggering a recession. The policymakers hope that employers can slow wage increases and inflationary pressures by reducing job openings but not necessarily by laying off many employees. But the job market's resilience isn't making that hoped-for outcome any easier. On Wednesday, the Labor Department reported that employers posted 11 million job openings in December, an unexpected jump from 10.4 million in November and the largest number since July. There are now about two job vacancies, on average, for every unemployed American. The Labor Department's monthly count of layoffs has amounted to fewer than 1.5 million for 21 straight months. Until 2021, that figure had never dropped so low in records dating back two decades. Yet another sign that workers are benefiting from unusual job security is the weekly number of people who apply for unemployment benefits. That figure is a proxy for layoffs, one that economists monitor for clues about where the job market might be headed. The government said Thursday that the number of jobless claims fell last week to its lowest level since April. The pace of applications for unemployment aid has remained rock-bottom despite a steady stream of headline-making layoff announcements. Facebook parent Meta is cutting 11,000 jobs, Amazon 18,000, Microsoft 10,000, Google 12,000. Some economists suspect that many laid-off workers might not be showing up at the unemployment line because they can still find new jobs easily. Economic forecasters will be closely watching Friday's figure for hourly wage growth in January. According to the FactSet survey, they foresee a 0.3% average pay increase from December to January. Nancy Vanden Houten, lead economist at Oxford Economics, said that figure would translate into annual pay growth of 4.3%, down from a 4.6% year-over-year increase in December. It would be an improvement, she said, but "still too strong for the Fed to be confident that the moderation is enough to take the heat off inflation.'' "Layoffs remain low, and demand for workers is still strong, evident in elevated job openings, strong job growth and an unemployment rate that is at a half-decade low,'' said Rubeela Farooqi, chief U.S. economist at High Frequency Economics. "The labor market has yet to respond meaningfully to a rapid increase in interest rates.''
DeSantis Eyes 2024 From Afar 02/03 06:04
DeSantis Eyes 2024 From Afar 02/03 06:04 DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) -- Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis may be months away from publicly declaring his presidential intentions, but his potential rivals aren't holding back. No fewer than a half dozen Republicans eyeing the White House have begun actively courting top political operatives in states like New Hampshire and Iowa, which traditionally host the opening presidential primary contests. At the same time, former President Donald Trump, the only announced candidate in the race, is launching regular attacks against DeSantis -- and others -- while locking down key staff and endorsements in early voting South Carolina. For now, DeSantis is plowing forward with a fiery "anti-woke" agenda in the legislature before a presidential announcement in late spring or early summer. His team is beginning to hold informal conversations with a handful of prospective campaign staff in key states, according to those involved in the discussions. But compared with would-be rivals, the Florida governor, famous for crafting his own political strategy, appears to be stepping into the 2024 presidential primary season much more deliberately. "They understand they are in kind of a sweet spot now. They can feel the demand building and they don't really have to show any leg yet," said David Kochel, a veteran Republican operative who has been in touch with DeSantis' team to relay interest from activists. "I just don't think there's any urgency yet to start putting things in place." For voters, it may seem early in the 2024 presidential election season. But by historical standards, it is not. The GOP's opening presidential primary debates are just six months away, expected in late July or early August when the Republican National Committee holds its summer meeting in Milwaukee. Already, Trump has been in the race for more than two months. The former president on Saturday released a list of high-profile supporters in South Carolina, including Gov. Henry McMaster and Sen. Lindsay Graham. And on Feb. 15, Nikki Haley, the former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, is set to launch her own White House bid in South Carolina, followed by immediate appearances in Iowa and New Hampshire. Haley is among a half dozen Republican prospects in various levels of conversations with political operatives in New Hampshire and Iowa about job openings, according to people involved with the discussions who requested anonymity to discuss internal planning. Beyond Haley, they include former Vice President Mike Pence, former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott, former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan and former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson. Hogan, a term-limited governor who left office only two weeks ago, talked up his executive experience in multiple New Hampshire radio interviews on Thursday. He told The Associated Press he was launching a multi-day fundraising tour beginning this weekend in DeSantis' Florida. "There's plenty of room for Trump and DeSantis and me in the same state," Hogan said. "Everybody says it's Donald Trump or Ron DeSantis. But I think it might be somebody that nobody's talking about right now, which is what usually happens. ... My argument is the frontrunners almost never win." Indeed, recent political history is littered with tales of seemingly strong early contenders who ultimately failed. They include the likes of former Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, who looked like a frontrunner in 2015 and was forced out of the race before the first voting contest. Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush then emerged as the strong favorite before being overtaken by Trump. Veteran Republican strategist Ari Fleischer recalled the 2000 presidential campaign when his then-boss, Texas Gov. George W. Bush, successfully waited until mid-June to enter the Republican presidential primary. In the months before the announcement, Bush aggressively worked behind the scenes to line up donors, staff and endorsements. For DeSantis to adopt a similar winning playbook, Fleischer said, it's critical to work now to assemble a strong campaign apparatus in private. He likened a successful strategy at this phase to a duck, who appears calm but is paddling hard just below the water's surface. "So long as (DeSantis) is paddling furiously underwater like a duck, he can afford to wait," Fleischer said. "The amount of work it takes to build a presidential campaign is phenomenal. I don't think people understand what's involved unless they've done it. It's brutal. ... And if you don't put the labor into it quietly, privately, it falls apart." DeSantis' team declined to comment on his 2024 plans publicly, but the Florida governor's allies expect him to enter the race in late June or early July. In the short-term, he's preparing to promote his upcoming book, "The Courage to be Free," set for release on Feb. 28. And he'll spend much of the coming months stacking up legislative victories in the Florida statehouse, where the Republican supermajority stands ready to deliver a bevy of measures sure to entice the most conservative voters in a GOP presidential primary. In recent days, DeSantis said he's backing new laws that would ban abortions after 6 weeks of conception, ease restrictions for those wishing to carry concealed firearms and end the state's unanimous jury requirement for death penalty cases. He released a plan to end sales taxes on gas stoves, picking up on a false claim circulating on the right that the Biden administration plans to ban the appliance. DeSantis is also asking the state legislature for another $12 million to relocate unwanted migrants, signaling a continued focus on illegal immigration after spending millions in Florida taxpayer dollars to fly migrants from Texas to Martha's Vineyard last year. And he's zeroing in on issues related to race and education. He installed a conservative majority on the board of trustees at a small liberal arts school and has debuted a proposal to block programs on diversity, education and inclusion from state colleges. At the same institutions, he would also ban programs on critical race theory, which centers on the idea that racism is systemic in the nation's institutions, which function to maintain the dominance of white people in society. In the coming days, DeSantis is expected to declare victory in his battle against Disney, the state's largest employer, which drew the governor's ire after opposing the so-called "Don't Say Gay" law. State lawmakers are expected to meet for a special session as soon as next week to complete a takeover of a self-governing district Disney controls over its properties in Florida, all at DeSantis' request. As DeSantis focuses on Florida's statehouse, Trump has dramatically escalated his attacks on the man he and his aides see as, by far, his most concerning rival. But as other Republicans prepare to enter the race, Trump is also attacking them. For example, in a Thursday interview with conservative commentator Hugh Hewitt, Trump described Haley in sexist terms as "overly ambitious," noting that she once vowed not to seek the presidency in 2024 if Trump was also running. "She's a very ambitious person. She just couldn't stay in her seat," Trump said. In the same interview, he also criticized DeSantis, claiming he cried while asking for Trump's endorsement during the 2018 governor's race. "DeSantis got elected because of me. You remember he had nothing. He was dead. He was leaving the race. He came over and he begged me, begged me for an endorsement," Trump said. "He said, 'If you endorse me, I'll win.' And there were tears coming down from his eyes." DeSantis has largely avoided responding to Trump's digs. And without a campaign apparatus, he doesn't have a rapid response team or surrogate operation designed to engage with 2024-related fire. But earlier this week, he seemed to be knocking Trump -- at least, indirectly -- when asked about the former governor's repeated attacks. "The good thing is, is that the people are able to render a judgment on that whether they re-elect you or not," DeSantis said when asked about Trump, who lost his 2020 reelection.
Biden to Promote Admin Wins in Speech 02/03 06:05
Biden to Promote Admin Wins in Speech 02/03 06:05 President Joe Biden hasn't announced a reelection campaign, but some of the themes likely to be the centerpiece of that expected run should be on display Friday night when he addresses a national Democratic Party meeting. PHILADELPHIA (AP) -- President Joe Biden hasn't announced a reelection campaign, but some of the themes likely to be the centerpiece of that expected run should be on display Friday night when he addresses a national Democratic Party meeting. The president will focus on his administration's accomplishments creating jobs and stimulating domestic manufacturing when he and Vice President Kamala Harris appear at a Democratic National Committee gathering in Philadelphia. Before the speech, Biden will visit a water treatment plant and announce $160 million to upgrade Philadelphia water facilities and replace 20 miles of lead service lines -- part of a larger effort to remove lead pipes around the country. An additional $340 million will go to upgrade the city's water system. Much of that funding comes from a bipartisan infrastructure package Congress passed in 2021 and is also bankrolling railway projects the president spent this week trumpeting. With the State of the Union address coming next week, Biden has renewed calls for political unity, something he's acknowledged being unable to achieve despite his promises to do so as a candidate in 2020. But those appeals can quickly pivot to broadsides against his predecessor, Donald Trump, and the Republican Party's continued fealty to the former president's "Make America Great Again" movement. The DNC says Biden's speech will highlight how Republicans are seeking to undermine the progress the president says has made during his first two years -- a theme he's already begun hitting. "Look, this is not your father's Republican Party," the president said this week at a DNC fundraiser in New York. "This is a different breed of cat." He added, "I don't know what's gone haywire here" with the GOP. Going forward, he said, Democrats will "have to make clear that we're not going to put up with MAGA Republicans." Biden is facing increasing pressure in Washington, where a special counsel is investigating how classified documents turned up in his home and a former office, and a Republican-controlled House is investigating everything from the administration's immigration procedures at the U.S.-Mexico border to the overseas ties of the president's son Hunter. That's made some top Democrats anxious to see Biden stay on the political offensive. "The president is trying to solve the problems of the nation on infrastructure, on microchips, on gun safety, on health care, and I think he's going to talk about doing that," said Randi Weingarten, a DNC member and president of the American Federation of Teachers. "And then also compare (that) to the GOP, which seems to be on a revenge agenda." The president's speech comes the day before the DNC is set to approve an overhauled presidential primary calendar starting next year that would replace Iowa with South Carolina in the leadoff spot. New Hampshire and Nevada would go second, followed by Georgia and Michigan -- a change Biden has championed to ensure that voters of color have more influence deciding the party's White House nominee. The new calendar would be largely moot in the short term if Biden runs again, reducing the chance of a major Democratic primary challenger. His expected announcement of a reelection campaign is still likely weeks away. But Biden's advisers have been preparing for one for months, making staffing arrangements and readying lines of political attacks against Republicans seen as early presidential front-runners, including Trump, who launched his campaign in November, and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. "I look forward to being on your side when you run for president in 2024," outgoing White House chief of staff Ron Klain told Biden during a farewell speech Wednesday night. Alan Clendenin, a DNC member from Florida, said Biden has strengthened the economy, reestablished U.S. global standing and promoted inclusive values -- the opposite of what Trump and DeSantis stand for. "They predicted gloom and doom. He's proved them all wrong," said Clendenin, who kicked off a DNC Southern caucus meeting by noting that Florida has begun lagging behind other states in key policy areas and joking of its governor, "That's what happened when you're led by the devil." Biden repeatedly denounced "extreme MAGA Republicans" as a threat to the nation's democracy in the runup to last fall's midterm elections, when his party pulled off a stronger-than-expected showing. The president has since worked to portray today's GOP as beholden as ever to Trump, saying at the New York fundraiser, "You'd think that what would happen is that there would be a little bit, as we Catholics say, (of) an epiphany." "Well, instead, it's been the exact opposite," Biden said. "They've just doubled down." The president will have a harder time campaigning on future legislative accomplishments now that a House Republican majority has promised to thwart the White House policy agenda at every turn. A coming fight over extending the nation's legal debt ceiling may only harden partisan clashes. Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy said he and the White House would continue talking about ways to avoid a debt limit crisis. But, referring to federal spending, McCarthy said, "The current path we're on we cannot sustain." Biden has also suggested that simply bashing Republicans won't be enough to expand his party's electoral base. He acknowledged that his 2020 run brought the support of "not enough, but a fair number of blue-collar workers" and lamented that such voters "used to always be our folks." The president said his party has seen its support among Americans without a college degree decline "because a lot of people think we left them behind." He said that perception has more to do with attitude than with policy. Weingarten, whose union represents 1.7 million members, said Biden is right to acknowledge criticisms that Democrats can be seen as elitist, but said those charges were coming from a GOP that has done little to help workers or families. By contrast, she said, Biden has solidified pension funds, promoted union membership and helped reduce costs for low income families. "There's a lot of grievance in the country about the loss of good union jobs," she said. "Regardless of what has happened in the past, I would say that Joe Biden is a working person's president."
Trump Staff: Fan the Flame of Vote Lies02/03 06:08
Trump Staff: Fan the Flame of Vote Lies02/03 06:08 MADISON, Wis. (AP) -- A newly released audio recording offers a behind-the-scenes look at how former President Donald Trump's campaign team in a pivotal battleground state knew they had been outflanked by Democrats in the 2020 presidential election. But even as they acknowledged defeat, they pivoted to allegations of widespread fraud that were ultimately debunked -- repeatedly -- by elections officials and the courts. The audio from Nov. 5, 2020, two days after the election, is surfacing as Trump again seeks the White House while continuing to lie about the legitimacy of the outcome and Democrat Joe Biden's win. The Wisconsin political operatives in the strategy session even praised Democratic turnout efforts in the state's largest counties and appeared to joke about their efforts to engage Black voters, according to the recording obtained Thursday by The Associated Press. The audio centers on Andrew Iverson, who was the head of Trump's campaign in the state. "Here's the deal: Comms is going to continue to fan the flame and get the word out about Democrats trying to steal this election. We'll do whatever they need. Just be on standby if there's any stunts we need to pull," Iverson said. Iverson is now the Midwest regional director for the Republican National Committee. He deferred questions about the meeting to the RNC, whose spokesperson, Keith Schipper, declined comment because he had not heard the recording. The former campaign official and Republican operative who provided a copy of the recording to the AP was in the meeting and recorded it. The operative is not authorized to speak publicly about what was discussed and did not want to be identified out of concern for personal and professional retaliation, but said they came forward because Trump is mounting a third attempt for the White House. In response to questions about the audio, Trump campaign spokesperson Steven Cheung said: "The 2024 campaign is focused on competing in every state and winning in a dominating fashion. That is why President Trump is leading by wide margins in poll after poll." Wisconsin was a big part of Trump's victory in 2016, when he smashed through the Democrats' so-called "Blue Wall" in the upper Midwest, and his campaign fought hard to keep the swing state in his column four years later before his loss to Biden. Biden defeated Trump by nearly 21,000 votes in Wisconsin in 2020, a result that has withstood independent and partisan audits and reviews, as well as lawsuits and recounts in the state's two largest and Democratic-leaning counties. Yet, two days after the election, there was no discussion of Trump having won the state during the meeting of Republican campaign operatives. Instead, parts of the meeting focus on discussions about packing up campaign offices and writing final reports about how the campaign unfolded. At one point on the recording, Iverson is heard praising the GOP's efforts while admitting the margin of Trump's defeat in the state. "At the end of the day, this operation received more votes than any other Republican in Wisconsin history," Iverson said. "Say what you want, our operation turned out Republican or DJT supporters. Democrats have got 20,000 more than us, out of Dane County and other shenanigans in Milwaukee, Green Bay and Dane. There's a lot that people can learn from this campaign." The meeting showcases another juxtaposition of what Republican officials knew about the election results and what Trump and his closest allies were saying publicly as they pushed the lie of a stolen election. Trump was told by his own attorney general there was no sign of widespread fraud, and many within his own administration told the former president there was no substance to various claims of fraud or manipulation -- advice Trump repeatedly ignored. In the weeks after the election, Trump and his allies would file dozens of lawsuits, convene fake electors and pressure election officials in an attempt to overturn the will of the voters and keep Trump in office. It's unclear whether the staff in Wisconsin coordinated their message directly with campaign officials in Washington. Parts of the Nov. 5 meeting also center on Republican outreach efforts to the state's Black community. At one point, the operatives laugh over needing "more Black voices for Trump." Iverson also references their efforts to engage with Black voters. "We ever talk to Black people before? I don't think so," he said, eliciting laughter from others in the room. Another speaker on the recording with Iverson is identified by the source as GOP operative Clayton Henson. At the time, Henson was a regional director for the RNC in charge of Wisconsin and other Midwestern states. They give a postmortem of sorts on the election, praising Republican turnout and campaign efforts while acknowledging the Democrats' robust turn-out-the-vote campaign. Henson specifically references Democratic turnout in Dane County, which includes Madison, the state capital, and is a liberal stronghold in the state. A record-high 80% of the voting-age population cast ballots in 2020 in the county, which Biden won with 76% of the vote. "Hats off to them for what they did in Dane County. You have to respect that," Henson said. "There's going to be another election in a couple years. So remember the lessons you learned and be ready to punch back." Henson, reached by phone Thursday, said, "No thank you" when asked to comment about the meeting.
Companies Pledge Money to Stem Deaths 02/03 06:09
Companies Pledge Money to Stem Deaths 02/03 06:09 WASHINGTON (AP) -- Nearly 50 businesses and nonprofits -- including rideshare companies Uber and Lyft, industrial giant 3M and automaker Honda -- are pledging millions of dollars in initiatives to stem a crisis in road fatalities under a new federal effort announced Friday. It's part of the Department of Transportation's "Call to Action" campaign, which urges commitments from the private sector, trade groups and health and safety organizations to reduce serious traffic injuries and deaths. Traffic fatalities are near historic highs after a surge of dangerous driving during the coronavirus pandemic. The public-private effort, unveiled Friday as part of the department's multiyear strategy started last year to make roads safer, ranges from investments to improve school crosswalks to enhanced seat belt alerts in Uber vehicles and a partnership between the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to promote proven injury prevention strategies, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg told The Associated Press. It comes on the heels of the award of 510 transportation grants this week totaling more than $800 million under the bipartisan infrastructure law to states and localities that, for the first time, focus on road safety such as by adding bike lanes, lighting, protected left turns and sidewalks. After a record spike in 2021, the number of U.S. traffic deaths dipped slightly during the first nine months of 2022, but pedestrian and cyclist deaths continued to rise. More than 40,000 people are killed in road crashes a year. "It's still a crisis," Buttigieg said, stressing a need for a national change in mindset. "We're looking at road deaths coming in year after year in a similar proportion to gun deaths. The problem is they're so widespread and so common that I fear as a country we've gotten used to it and perhaps fallen into the mistaken sense they're inevitable." "We can't solve any of this on our own," he added. "We also know there isn't one piece that will get this all down. But if we add all this together it can be enormous." Road travelers will see an array of safety measures this year. Uber told the AP that it is donating $500,000 -- its single biggest investment in its effort to reduce drunken driving -- for free and discounted rides in Colorado, Georgia, Illinois, Missouri and Texas as part of the "Decide to Ride" program run in tandem with MADD and Anheuser-Busch. The world's largest ride-share company also said it was doubling the availability of its bike lane alerts this month from 71 cities to 144 for passengers exiting vehicles near cycling routes and providing a safety checklist for Uber Eats bicycle couriers. It also pledged to strengthen its seat belt alerts, such as by increasing their frequency or adding an audio message along with pop-up messages urging riders to "buckle up." "We were thinking about how we could make an impact more broadly -- how we can get people to start making better choices," said Kristin Smith, head of Uber's road safety policy. "We know it's going to take a broad coalition of people to be tackling the crisis on U.S. roadways right now." Uber's investment comes along with separate commitments from Lyft, the second-largest rideshare company, which has partnered with the Governors Highway Safety Association in recent years to award tens of thousands of dollars in state grants to help reduce impaired driving and curtail speeding. 3M, the maker of Post-it Notes, industrial coatings and ceramics, told the AP it was continuing its partnership with state transportation agencies to identify the best technology to make road signs and lane markings more visible and reflective. It's already pledged to improve 100 school crossing zones and added to that a commitment of $250,000 this year for a new transportation equity initiative that will fund half a dozen major projects in underserved areas. The company cited as an example its partnership with nonprofit groups to help build out Providence, Rhode Island's, Hope Street Urban Trail last year, featuring new bike and pedestrian lanes connecting the neighborhood to schools and the commercial district. Dan Chen, president of 3M's Transportation Safety Division, praised the federal government's call for action as the "right approach" that will allow companies like 3M to work in sync with policymakers and other stakeholders "to make roads safer for drivers, pedestrians and cyclists." Other businesses and groups joining the effort include American Honda Motor Co., which pledged continuing investments totaling $2 million to improve teen driver safety; UPS, which will install automatic emergency braking on its newer big delivery vehicles; and the Alliance for Automotive Innovation, a trade group, which will step up its push for industry adoption of safety technologies such as auto high beam. The Transportation Department said it was issuing an open call for pledges, and more companies were expected to join in the coming weeks. Buttigieg, noting the need for a sustained, multiyear effort to substantially reduce traffic fatalities, emphasized the opportunities as well with President Joe Biden's five-year $1 trillion infrastructure law and said much more work remained to rebuild public works and improve people's livelihoods. "I definitely have four years' worth of items and then some," he said, speaking of his job as transportation secretary.
Biden, Black Caucus Agree on Reforms 02/03 06:12
Biden, Black Caucus Agree on Reforms 02/03 06:12 WASHINGTON (AP) -- Members of the Congressional Black Caucus left a meeting Thursday with President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris with an agreement on how to address the issue of policing in America after the recent killing of Tyre Nichols. "We have agreement on how we will continue to work forward both from a legislative standpoint as well as executive and community-based solutions, but the focus will always be on public safety," Rep. Steven Horsford of Nevada, the chairman of the Black Caucus, told reporters later Thursday. Also at the White House were Sens. Raphael Warnock of Georgia and Cory Booker of New Jersey -- two of the three Black senators -- and Reps. Sheila Jackson Lee of Texas, Jim Clyburn of South Carolina and Joe Neguse of Colorado. The group of Black lawmakers did not disclose details about the agreement made in the room but said there will be more information about the "legislative package" in the days ahead. "This is going to require all of us, including Republicans, to get across the finish line," Horsford said. Before the meeting began, Biden said his hope was that "this dark memory spurs some action that we've all been fighting for." At Nichols' funeral Wednesday in Memphis, Tennessee, Harris said the White House would settle for nothing less than ambitious legislation to address police brutality. "We should not delay. And we will not be denied," Harris said. "It is nonnegotiable." Bipartisan efforts in Congress to reach an agreement on policing legislation stalled more than a year ago, and Biden ended up signing an executive order named for George Floyd, whose murder at the hands of Minneapolis police set off nationwide protests nearly three years ago. Even some political allies of Biden are frustrated with what they view as his excess caution on the issue. "I think the president is missing the opportunity to be a historic president when it comes to the social issues that continue to plague our country," said Rep. Jamaal Bowman, D-N.Y. "That's what we need." Bowman described Biden as "a champion of the status quo in many ways" and said Biden needs to be "a champion of a new vision for America." The solution, Bowman said, is not "thoughts and prayers, come to the State of the Union after your kid gets killed," a reference to Nichols' mother and stepfather being invited to attend next week's speech. Jim Pasco, executive director of the Fraternal Order of Police, said he was in touch with the White House last Friday, when video of Nichols' beating became public, about whether the situation could be a catalyst to "get things moving again." His organization, the nation's largest police union, had participated in previous attempts to reach a bipartisan deal, and Pasco said "we welcome any constructive effort to help us do our jobs better." The union's president, Patrick Yoes, has condemned Nichols' killing and said that "our entire country needs to see justice done -- swiftly and surely." Pasco said "we're kind of in a wait-and-see mode right now," with Republicans recently regaining control of the House, making legislative progress much harder. "You've got to look at the political realities here," he said. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., on Thursday signaled an openness to discussing the issue. South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott, the sole Black Republican senator, said resurrecting the previous Democratic bill is a "nonstarter." He has implored Democrats to put aside "tribalism" in order to strike a deal. "I've been working toward common ground solutions that actually have a shot at passing," Scott said. "Solutions to increase funding and training to make sure only the best wear the badge." Biden has embraced calls for overhauling how police do their jobs while also emphasizing his longtime support for law enforcement and rejecting proposals to cut money. He was elected with strong support from Black voters and is now preparing a reelection campaign for 2024. Harris, a former prosecutor and the first person of color to serve as vice president, has faced scrutiny for her approach to police issues. Marc Morial, president of the National Urban League, said he was encouraged that Harris attended the funeral. "This is what people expect, that you'll be there for them at a time of need," he said. Now, Morial said, "we need a substantive response, not a political response where they say, 'Let's just pass something.'" Biden's executive order was the product of negotiations among civil rights leaders and law enforcement organizations. It mostly focuses on federal agencies by requiring them to review and revise policies on the use of force. The administration is also encouraging local departments to participate in a database to track police misconduct. But steps such as making it easier to sue officers for misconduct allegations have remained elusive. And the White House made it clear Thursday that no executive action taken by the president can substitute for federal legislation. "We haven't gotten even a fraction of the changes that are necessary," said Rashad Robinson, president of the activist group Color of Change. "We haven't gotten the kind of structural change to policing that is required."
EU Officials Hold Kyiv Talks 02/03 06:13
EU Officials Hold Kyiv Talks 02/03 06:13 Top European Union officials were due to meet Friday in Kyiv with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in a show of support for the country as it battles to counter Russia's invasion and strives to join the EU as well as NATO. KYIV, Ukraine (AP) -- Top European Union officials were due to meet Friday in Kyiv with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in a show of support for the country as it battles to counter Russia's invasion and strives to join the EU as well as NATO. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President Charles Michel, as well as 15 European commissioners, traveled to the Ukrainian capital for what they described as a summit meeting. The last such summit was held in Kyiv in October 2021 -- a few months before the war started. The highly symbolic visit is also the first EU political mission of its kind to a country at war. "There will be no let-up in our resolve," Michel said in a tweet on his apparent arrival in Kyiv. "We will also support (Ukraine) every step of the way on your journey to the EU." The high-level visit came as Ukrainian authorities reported that at least six civilians were killed and 20 others were injured over the previous 24 hours. Among the dead were two brothers, ages 49 and 42, killed when Russian shelling destroyed an apartment block in the northeastern Kharkiv region, Ukraine's presidential office said. Their 70-year-old father was hospitalized with unspecified injuries. Also, 18 apartment buildings, two hospitals and a school were damaged in a Russian attack in the eastern city of Kramatorsk on Thursday, injuring six, Gov. Pavlo Kyrylenko told Ukrainian TV. Three people died when a Russian missile hit an apartment building in that city on Wednesday. EU assistance for Ukraine has reached almost 50 billion euros ($55 billion) since the fighting started, according to EU officials. The EU is providing Ukraine with financial and humanitarian aid, among other things. It also plans to adopt a 10th package of sanctions again Russia in the coming weeks. The EU has also announced it's ramping up its military training mission for Ukraine, from an initial target of pushing 15,000 troops through the schooling to up to 30,000 troops. One focus is to train the crews of tanks that Western countries have offered Ukraine. Ukraine wants to join the 27-nation bloc, and formally submitted its application last June, though that could take years and require the adoption of far-reaching reforms. In the meantime, von der Leyen said Thursday that the European Commission is willing to let Kyiv join what she called some "key European programs" that will bring benefits similar to membership. Those programs were due to be discussed in Friday's meeting, which will also address one of the main obstacles to Ukraine's EU membership: endemic corruption. Von der Leyen, on her fourth visit to Kyiv since Russia's invasion, said Thursday she was "comforted" by Ukraine's anti-corruption drive. The previous day, Zelenskyy had taken aim at corrupt officials for the second time in the space of a week. Several high-ranking officials were dismissed. Zelenskyy was elected in 2019 on an anti-establishment and anti-corruption platform in a country long gripped by graft. The latest corruption allegations came as Western allies channel billions of dollars to help Kyiv fight Moscow's forces. Ukraine's government is keen to get more Western military aid, on top of the tanks pledged last week, as the warring sides are expected to launch new offensives once winter ends. Kyiv is now asking for fighter jets. The U.S is expected to announce Friday it will send longer-range bombs to Ukraine as part of a new $2.17 billion aid package. Ukraine's forces are bracing for an expected new onslaught by the Kremlin's forces in coming weeks. Officials in the eastern Luhansk region said Russian forces have disabled mobile internet connections, stepped up shelling and deployed more troops in preparation for a full-scale offensive there.
Wall Street's Rally Takes a Hit Friday 02/03 09:01
Wall Street's Rally Takes a Hit Friday 02/03 09:01 Wall Street's rally took a hit Friday after a stunning jobs report showed the U.S. economy created a third of a million more jobs last month than expected, fueling worries about inflation and higher interest rates. NEW YORK (AP) -- Wall Street's rally took a hit Friday after a stunning jobs report showed the U.S. economy created a third of a million more jobs last month than expected, fueling worries about inflation and higher interest rates. The S&P 500 was 0.6% lower in early trading and on pace for its first drop after three days of big gains. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 57 points, or 0.2%, at 33,996, as of 9:47 a.m. Eastern time, and the Nasdaq composite was 1% lower. The market already looked like it was set to weaken before the jolting jobs report dropped. Late Thursday, several of Wall Street's most influential companies reported weaker profit for the latest quarter than analysts expected. That cast concerns over a rally that had brought the S&P 500 back to its highest level since August, driven mostly by hopes that cooling inflation may mean the Federal Reserve will soon take a pause on its hikes to interest rates and possibly even cut them by late this year. Then came the jobs report, which showed employers created a net 517,000 jobs last month. That was way above the 185,000 that economists expected and a sharp acceleration from December's 226,000 jobs. Normally, a stronger jobs report is good for Wall Street because it means the economy is on firmer fitting. But in this upside-down post-COVID world, it can be a worrisome sign. The Fed is in the middle of trying to cool down the job market, in hopes of taking pressure off inflation. The worry in the market is that the much stronger-than-expected hiring could indeed keep the Fed on the "higher-for-longer" path on interest rates that it's been talking about, even if markets haven't been believing it fully. "It's going to get harder to argue that rate cuts may be in 2023's future if the labor market is able to continue like this, especially considering that it remains to be seen how quickly inflation will fall, even if we have reached the peak," said Mike Loewengart, head of model portfolio construction at Morgan Stanley Global Investment Office. Treasury yields zoomed higher immediately after the jobs report on forecasts for a firmer Fed. The yield on the two-year Treasury, which tends to track expectations for the Fed, jumped to 4.24% from 4.10% late Thursday. The 10-year yield, which helps sets rates for mortgages and other important loans, rose to 3.50% from 3.40%. The reaction wasn't quite as sharp in the stock market, which opened with sharp losses and then pared them. Some analysts said they were paying more attention to the data on wages in the jobs report than overall hiring, which wasn't as surprising. Average hourly earnings for workers were 4.4% higher in January than a year earlier. That's a slowdown from December's 4.8% raise, though it was a touch above expectations. While slower wage gains hurt workers trying to keep up with rising prices at the register, it also means less pressure on inflation. "The Fed has been downplaying the importance of the unemployment rate and payrolls number, focusing more on wage gains instead," said Brian Jacobsen, senior investment strategist at Allspring Global Investments. "Wage gains were in line with the consensus expectations, so I'm not as worried as most about the path ahead for the Fed." Big Tech stocks were helping to lead the market lower following some weaker-than-expected earnings reports. Amazon fell 5.2% and was the biggest weight on the S&P 500, while Google's parent company dropped 4.2%. Because they're among the most valuable stocks on Wall Street, their movements carry more weight on the S&P 500 than others. On the winning side was Clorox, which jumped 6.9% after reporting much stronger profit for the end of 2022 than expected.
