Fed Cuts Rates Again, Signals Pause Next Year

 

WASHINGTON The Federal Reserve on Wednesday cut its benchmark interest rate by 25 basis points, marking the third consecutive reduction, and projected a slower path for future cuts. The FOMC lowered the federal funds rate to a 3.50–3.75 percent range after a two‑day meeting, while three officials dissented. Policymakers cited...

National Gas Prices Fall Below Three Dollars Nationwide

 

United States. National gasoline averages fell below $3 this week, with GasBuddy reporting a $2.90 national average and AAA reporting $2.95 as of Dec. 8, 2025. Multiple state-level reports show varied local movement: Wyoming, Ohio, Indiana, Montana, Wisconsin, Georgia, Alabama, Idaho and Tennessee-area counties reported declines or localized fluctuations. Analysts...

US Officially Assumes G20 Presidency, Excludes South Africa

 

United States — The U.S. assumed the G20 presidency on Dec. 1 and announced priorities to refocus the forum on economic growth, regulatory reform, energy supply security and technological innovation. The State Department said the presidency will pursue three core themes and host the 2026 Leaders' Summit in Miami. President...

Gas Prices Fall Nationwide Ahead Of Holiday Travel

 

United States. GasBuddy data showed the national average gasoline price fell below $3 per gallon over the Thanksgiving weekend, and local outlets reported week-over-week declines in multiple states this week. Drivers in Ohio, Michigan, South Carolina, Arkansas, Illinois, and Wyoming saw averages fall between 5 and 26 cents per gallon,...

Reeves signals fair choices ahead of Budget

 

Speaking from Downing Street on Tuesday, Chancellor Rachel Reeves is expected to promise “fair choices” in her 26 November Budget and address mounting speculation over tax rises. The Resolution Foundation says increases are inevitable, floating an income tax rise offset by a 2p cut to employee national insurance and an...

Trump administration to restart SNAP at half benefits

 

Facing court orders amid a shutdown, the Trump administration said it will restart SNAP but at roughly half the usual benefit, drawing on a $5 billion USDA contingency fund that falls short of the program’s $8 billion monthly cost. Officials warned the fund’s depletion leaves nothing for new November applicants...

Rural gender inequality fuels Japan depopulation

 

Akita’s dazzling kanto festival masks a harsher reality: rigid gender roles pushing young women from rural Japan. Government data show Akita has Japan’s oldest population — 39% over 65 — and its lowest birth rate, while a survey finds 27% of young women want to leave their hometowns, versus 15%...

Shutdown concern grows amid rising prices

 

Americans report rising concern about a lingering shutdown and its toll on the economy, with a big majority saying Congress isn’t even trying to end it, a CBS News/YouGov poll finds. Worry is rising, especially among lower‑income respondents, and most disapprove of how congressional Democrats, Republicans and President Trump are...

Courts extend SNAP funding as families worry

 

On a tense Saturday in Springfield, shoppers trimmed their carts as federal courts in Rhode Island and Massachusetts ordered the Trump administration to keep SNAP funded through the shutdown, with a Rhode Island judge directing restoration as early as Monday. President Trump said emergency funds would flow but warned of...

Caregivers confront costs shortages and hope

 

In Washington, D.C., Maurice White, 75, and Renee DeVigne, 68, have spent decades caring for elders—12 in all, including White’s mother, Evelyn, who turned 104 in October and recently returned home after a stroke and rehab. Their story sits inside a national squeeze: longer lives, fewer children, and a caregiver...