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US justice department drops probe into Fed chairman Jerome Powell

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The US justice department is dropping its investigation into the Federal Reserve chairman, Jerome Powell, over alleged building cost overruns.

US Attorney Jeanine Pirro said instead there would be an internal investigation led by the central bank's inspector general.

President Donald Trump has said the cost of the Fed's building renovations were too high, as part of a long-standing feud with Powell.

Powell's term is nearing its end and the US Senate is considering Trump's nominee for his replacement, Kevin Warsh. A key Republican, Thom Tillis, has withheld his support for Warsh unless the Trump administration would drop its investigation into Powell.

"American taxpayers deserve answers about the Federal Reserve's fiscal mismanagement, and the Office of the Inspector General's more powerful authorities best position it to get to the bottom of the matter," said White House spokesman Kush Desai in a statement.

"The White House remains as confident as before that the Senate will swiftly confirm Kevin Warsh as the next Federal Reserve Chairman to finally restore competence and confidence in Fed decision-making."

In her post on X, Pirro said she would not "hesitate to restart a criminal investigation should the facts warrant doing so".

The inspector general's office said it was "actively working to complete our review, and look forward to making the results available to the public and Congress upon completion", declining to comment on a timeline.

Trump called for the Fed to lower interest rates after returning to office last year, and then began floating the idea of firing Powell – a step some said could be illegal.

Amid months of attacks, he branded Powell a "knucklehead" and claimed he was "doing a lousy job" after his repeated calls for rate cuts were ignored.

Last summer, Trump criticised the ballooning costs of the renovations, arguing it will cost $3.1bn (£2.3bn), much higher than the Fed's $2.5bn forecast. The Fed has said the renovations will reduce its costs over time.

Powell took the highly unusual step of releasing a video in January disclosing that the justice department had served the Fed with subpoenas and threatened a criminal indictment over testimony he gave to a Senate committee about renovations to Federal Reserve buildings.

Calling the investigation "unprecedented", Powell said he believed it was opened due to Trump's anger over the Fed's refusal to cut interest rates despite repeated public pressure from the president. Trump said he did not "know anything" about the investigation.

It marked the first time Powell had publicly and robustly pushed back against the US president, as he warned that the independence of the US central bank was at stake.

"This is about whether the Fed will be able to continue to set interest rates based on evidence and economic conditions, or whether instead monetary policy will be directed by political pressure or intimidation," Powell said.

Lower interest rates make it cheaper to borrow, while higher rates dampen spending activity, helping to keep prices stable.

Trump, who cut his teeth professionally taking out loans as a property developer, has long confessed to liking a low interest rate policy.

He objected when the Fed raised rates in his first term, and has argued keeping rates too high could do unnecessary economic damage.

The Fed buildings being renovated are the Eccles and 1951 Constitution Avenue. The "overhaul and modernisation" will be the first works since they were constructed in the 1930s, and includes removal of asbestos and lead contamination.

Powell was nominated by Trump for the role as Fed chair in 2017 during his first term as president.

Last week, Trump threatened to fire Powell if he does not step aside at the end of his term next month.

Powell's term expires on 15 May, but he is planning to remain in post until his successor, Warsh, is confirmed by the Senate.

📰 மூல செய்தி (Source): https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cdxd1v0028vo?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss

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'My living nightmare': Rob Reiner's son on how he found out parents were dead

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The eldest son of the late Hollywood director Rob Reiner has told how his world "collapsed" after his parents were stabbed to death, and his own brother was charged with their murders.

Jake Reiner, 34, wrote in a blog post that "nothing compares to losing both of them at the same time and, on top of that, having your brother be at the center of it".

"My world, as I knew it, had collapsed," the actor wrote of the moment his sister phoned him with the devastating news. "I was in a trance."

Rob and Michele Reiner were found stabbed to death in their Los Angeles home in December. Their youngest son, Nick Reiner, 32, has pleaded not guilty to murder. He is due back in court next week.

In a lengthy Substack post published on Friday, Jake Reiner wrote: "We lost more than half of our family that night in the most violent way imaginable."

"Sure, any loss of a parent is devastating, but nothing compares to losing both of them at the same time and, on top of that, having your brother be at the center of it. It's almost too impossible to process.

He continued: "I understand that people have questions about what happened. Some of those answers will come in time. But some parts of this belong only to our family, and keeping them private is the only way to protect what little remains of something that was taken from us."

Rob Reiner, 78, directed films including This Is Spinal Tap, the Princess Bride, When Harry Met Sally and Stand By Me.

Michele Singer Reiner, 70, was an actress, photographer and producer, and the founder of Reiner Light, a photography agency and production company.

The Reiners were found dead in their Brentwood home by their daughter Romy on 14 December.

The couple died from "multiple sharp force injuries", according to the Los Angeles County medical examiner.

Nick Reiner was arrested in Los Angeles the same day, as US outlets reported that he and his father had attended a party the previous night and had a row.

Prosecutors allege that Nick Reiner fatally stabbed his father and mother inside a bedroom of their home before fleeing.

He faces two counts of first-degree murder, with a special circumstance alleging multiple murders.

He remains in custody and is next due in court on 29 April.

Jake Reiner said he keeps thinking about how frightened his parents must have been the night they died and that they were "the last people in the world to deserve what happened to them".

"They deserved to be loved, they deserved to be respected, and above all they deserved to be appreciated for how much they gave to all three of us and to the world," he wrote.

His 1,625-word essay follows a statement released jointly with his sister in December in which they did not directly address the allegations against their brother.

Jake Reiner wrote on Friday that Romy will tell her story separately from him, "in her own way and in her time".

He said that his goal in writing the essay "is to offer some insight. Not only to what I lost but also to celebrate what my parents meant to me".

The actor and former broadcaster describes every day since their deaths as "horrendous".

"Every meeting we take, every person we talk to, every tear we shed, every movement we make is connected to our parents being murdered," he wrote.

He continued: "In the middle of trying to process the most devastating moment of your life, the world demands meetings, paperwork, decisions, and explanations; as if documentation must come before mourning."

📰 மூல செய்தி (Source): https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c74v2enw8l7o?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss

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Zack Polanski calls for Trump to be 'kicked out' of his Scottish golf courses

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The leader of the Green Party in England and Wales has called for Donald Trump to be "kicked out" out of his Scottish golf courses and for them to be "brought into community ownership".

Zack Polanski made the comments on a visit to Glasgow as he supported his Scottish Green colleagues ahead of the Holyrood election.

The leader was heavily critical of the US president, saying he had "started illegal and unpopular wars".

Trump International in Scotland responded, saying the comments are "frankly ludicrous and ignorant and made by a man who is an imbecile".

Speaking during a press conference, Polanski said: "It's not for me to tell Scotland what to do either but I'd really like to see Donald Trump kicked out of his golf courses.

"I don't think you should be able to start illegal and unpopular wars and still have golf courses. I'd love to see those golf courses brought into community ownership."

The Green Party leader said the comment was a personal opinion and not a policy of the Greens or the Scottish Greens.

He added the idea of the UK having a "special relationship" with Trump and the United States "does not stand up to any scrutiny".

Donald Trump owns two golf resorts in Scotland – Trump International Golf Links in Aberdeenshire and Trump Turnberry in South Ayrshire.

The first located, on the Menie Estate at Balmedie, has two 18-hole courses.

The Old Course opened in 2012 and the US president cut the ribbon on the New Course during his four-day private visit to Scotland last summer.

Trump previously said he built the course in memory of his mother, who was born and raised in Lewis in the Western Isles.

Trump International Scotland hit back at Polanski's remarks.

Sarah Malone, executive vice president, said: "The comments in relation to our golf courses in Scotland are frankly ludicrous and ignorant and made by a man who is an imbecile."

The Green Party leader later responded on social media saying he had "thoughts" about spokespeople who work for Donald Trump.

It's not the first time Donald Trump's name has been aired on the Scottish election campaign trail.

Earlier in the week, the first minister and SNP leader John Swinney declined a White House invitation to a banquet celebrating the 250th anniversary of the founding of the US.

Now Zack Polanski wants Trump punished for his "illegal and unpopular wars."

He was asked – but didn't spell out – how these sanctions might apply.

The Trump team response was typically bombastic and Polanski's deft barb back was an amusing retort.

The Polanski position will be viewed as extreme fantasy by the other parties – but he also highlighted the instability in Nato.

That part is uncomfortably real for the UK and Scottish governments – and they now have to deal with worsening economic conditions for their citizens caused by the conflict in Iran.

The King will fly across the Atlantic next week to smooth relations with a man who could be characterised as a modern-day George Washington, railing against the British.

However, Trump's pristine golf courses will remain untouched by any revolutionaries this side of the ocean.

📰 மூல செய்தி (Source): https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c8954xe8yjpo?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss

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Ex-Channel 5 newsreader withdraws claims against Dan Walker

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A former Channel 5 News presenter has withdrawn her claims against Dan Walker, who was her co-host at the channel, after reaching a "mutual agreement" with the broadcaster, owned by Paramount, and ITN.

Claudia-Liza Vanderpuije, who hosted a show with Walker for a year between 2022 and 2023, had filed claims of unfair dismissal, discrimination and harassment on grounds of race and sex, and breach of contract.

However her lawyers said she "can confirm that a mutual agreement has been reached with ITN and Channel 5 in respect of the matters subject to tribunal proceedings. Claudia-Liza fully withdraws her allegations relating to Dan Walker and does not intend to repeat or pursue them."

Walker said on Friday: "Channel 5 and ITN have reached an agreement with the claimant. I firmly feel that I should never have been pulled into this; however, I was fully prepared to go to tribunal and defend the allegations which were levelled at me."

The terms of the case, which was to have been heard at an employment tribunal in London, were not made public.

On being told that the parties had reached an agreement, the judge formally concluded the case by dismissing the claim.

Walker's employers ITN and Channel 5 agreed to pay Vanderpuije an undisclosed amount to withdraw her tribunal, with no admission of liability.

A former BBC Breakfast and Football Focus presenter, Walker joined Vanderpuije as a co-host on Channel 5 News in 2022. Vanderpuije left Channel 5 News in 2024.

Walker said: "I will be forever grateful to those who were kind enough to go on the record with their accounts of working alongside me."

A statement from ITN said: "We continue to deny these claims in full, and we are glad this matter has been resolved."

A Channel 5 spokesperson said: "We strongly reject the claims that were made and are pleased that this matter has been resolved and that all the allegations relating to Dan Walker have been withdrawn."

📰 மூல செய்தி (Source): https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cdrmvx8m8vgo?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss

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