Tag: 60 Minutes

(CNN)Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell said repeated political attacks by President Donald Trump had zero influence on the central bank's decision to slow down interest rate hikes. Not at all," said Powell in an interview with the CBS news program "60 Minutes" on Sunday. "And it's very important that the public understand that we are always going to make a decision based on what we think is right for the American people." Powell explained that the Fed's decision in January to pause raising rates was because the global economy was showing signs of slowing and other risks to the US economy were rising. The Fed chairman has repeatedly made the case for a patient, measured approach, describing the US economy in a "good place," where policy makers "don't feel any hurry to change our interest rate policy." Since then, Fed officials have pointed to a spike in volatility in financial markets at the end of last year, a slowdown of growth in China and Europe, and uncertainty around unresolved policy issues including trade negotiations with China and the United Kingdom's exit from the European Union as reasons to be more cautious. When repeatedly pressed whether he had a "rule" about discussing the President, Powell flatly said, "I don't think it's appropriate. Instead, he said his responsibility is to fulfill the job Congress assigned the Fed: to ensure as many Americans are working as possible and to keep prices stable -- a role, he says, he plans to keep until his four-year term expires. Powell waved off any imminent concerns of a looming recession, saying he anticipates the US economy will grow at a "healthy rate." He also said he sees no reason why the economic expansion, which will be the longest in history in a few months, won't continue.

Donald Trump returned to the attack against Andrew McCabe on Monday, in response to an interview in which the former deputy FBI director discussed his new book and made claims damaging to the president. 'I believe Putin': Trump dismissed US advice on North Korea threat, says McCabe Read more In the interview, broadcast by CBS 60 Minutes on Sunday night, McCabe addressed, among other matters: How the deputy attorney general Rod Rosenstein was told by Trump to write a memo justifying the firing of FBI director James Comey in May 2017 How, following the firing of Comey, McCabe ordered investigations of whether it was done to impede the investigation of Russian election interference and whether Trump was acting on behalf of the Russian government How he believes that is why he himself was fired Discussions about whether Trump could be removed from office under the 25th amendment Discussions about whether Rosenstein should wear a wire to record the president How Trump ignored US intelligence advice on North Korea’s nuclear capability and said: “I don’t care. So it was really something that he kinda threw out in a very frenzied chaotic conversation.” The deputy attorney general also offered to wear a wire to record conversations with Trump, McCabe said. “The deputy attorney general [DAG] never authorized any recording that Mr McCabe references,” the statement said. The president may have been engaged in obstruction of justice in the firing of Jim Comey Andrew McCabe He told CBS: “Rod was concerned by his interactions with the president, who seemed to be very focused on firing the director and saying things like, ‘Make sure you put Russia in your memo.’ That concerned Rod in the same way that it concerned me and the FBI investigators on the Russia case. “If Deputy Attorney General Rosenstein listed the Russia investigation in his memo to the White House, it could look like he was obstructing the Russia probe by suggesting Comey’s firing. And the president responded, ‘I understand that, I am asking you to put Russia in the memo anyway.’” Publicly, shortly after Comey’s firing, Trump told NBC he had done it because of “this Russia thing”. The president, then, fired the director. “In the firing of the director, the president specifically asked Rod Rosenstein to write the memo justifying the firing and told Rod to include Russia in the memo. On CBS, McCabe was asked how he could remember conversations with Trump well enough to put them in a book.

Howard Schultz thinks politics are broken, and may run for president as an independent. Before there was Jill Stein, there was Ralph Nader. All argued that the Republican Party and the Democratic Party were basically the same, and the only way to make real change was to ditch them both. Yet here comes Howard Schultz, a billionaire who feels that he might be the answer to American politics, and that he’d run for president as an independent. What’s his value proposition for America? Schultz, a lifelong Democrat, would run under the theory that the answer to the political division in the country right now is moving away from party politics. Schultz would have to persuade millions of them to abandon the party to vote for him, while drawing enough Democratic votes away from a party that is energized and excited about taking out the president. For the past year, Schultz has been investing in burnishing his image and strategizing by hiring a number of experienced consultants, most prominently Steve Schmidt, the 2008 campaign manager for John McCain. Tina Podlodowski, the Washington State Democratic chair, blasted the idea of Schultz running as an independent in the press last week. Kristol wrote that he sees a silver lining to a run that doesn’t seem to be the billionaire’s intention: “For 2019 at least, the fact that serious people like Howard Schultz are considering an independent race might help bring home to more voters, including independents and some Republicans, how important it is to replace Trump.

Socialism is a brand that happily reinvents itself with every new generation. #TheFive #FoxNews FOX News Channel (FNC) is a 24-hour all-encompassing news service dedicated to delivering breaking news as well as political and business news. The number one network…

On 'Fox & Friends,' Kellyanne Conway praises President Trump's 'excellent' interview with Lesley Stahl and his leadership on the world stage.

Saudi Arabia says it will hit back at 'threats' over Jamal Khashoggi Read more Mnuchin’s wavering, which was reported by White House economic adviser Larry Kudlow, was part of an ambivalent response by the Trump administration to claims by Turkish officials that a team of Saudi assassins killed and dismembered Khashoggi. Media and tech companies including Uber, Virgin and Viacom have withdrawn in protest at Khashoggi’s alleged killing. Financial companies mostly have not. Kudlow told ABC’s This Week that Mnuchin would “make up his mind as the week progresses and as new information surfaces”. “Everybody in the world wanted that order. “I tell you what we don’t want to do. I don’t want to lose an order like that.” Khashoggi’s fiancee, Hatice Cengiz, said on Saturday – the reporter’s 60th birthday – she would not accept an invitation to the White House if the administration does not take meaningful action. “I believe the Trump administration will do something, the president has said that,” Rubio told CNN’s State of the Union. That I can tell you with 100% certainty, with almost full unanimity across the board, Republicans and Democrats, there will be a very strong congressional response if in fact the Saudis lured [Khashoggi] into that consulate, murdered him, cut up his body and disposed of it, there will be a very strong congressional response.” Rubio said Mnuchin should not attend the Riyadh conference. “I don’t think any of our government officials should be going and pretending it’s business as usual until we know what’s happening.” Trump has praised the Saudi regime for cracking down on opponents and his son-in-law, Jared Kushner, has personal ties to crown prince Mohammed bin Salman.

Written by Olivia Paschal (@oliviacpaschal), Elaine Godfrey (@elainejgodfrey), and Madeleine Carlisle (@maddiecarlisle2) Today in 5 Lines Forecasters expect Hurricane Florence to make landfall around the North and South Carolina border and then stall in the region, which could produce catastrophic flooding and widespread power outages. Pope Francis has summoned bishops from around the world to a meeting in February to address the sexual abuse of minors. Just days after CEO Les Moonves left CBS amid allegations of sexual assault, Jeff Fager, the executive producer of 60 Minutes, is also leaving the network due to violations of company policy, CBS said. The Race We’re Watching Voters are headed to the polls in Rhode Island, where incumbent Gina Raimondo is running against former Rhode Island Secretary of State Matt Brown for the Democratic nomination. Brown has positioned himself as to the left of Raimondo, who is one of only two female Democratic governors in the country. Polls close at 8 p.m. E.T. Today on The Atlantic Economy Up, Trump Down: A strong August jobs report didn’t help President Trump’s approval rating, which dropped below 40 percent in three polls this week. (Olivia Paschal) When The Polls Are Wrong: From Andrew Gillum to Ayanna Pressley, pollsters have failed to predict a slew of upsets in Democratic primaries. (Elaine Godfrey) A Moral Catastrophe: A lawsuit filed against Michigan State University alleges that the university knew more about former sports doctor Larry Nassar’s sexual abuse of athletes than they let on. (Caroline Kitchener and Alia Wong) James Madison’s Nightmare: The factionalized, mob-driven political society we live in would have been abhorrent to the Founding Father, writes Jeffrey Rosen.