Peter S. Green

BEVERLY HILLS, CALIFORNIA - MAY 6: Elon Musk, co-founder of Tesla and SpaceX and owner of X Holdings Corp., speaks at the Milken Institute's Global Conference at the Beverly Hilton Hotel,on May 6, 2024 in Beverly Hills, California. The 27th annual global conference explores various topics, from the rise of generative AI to electric vehicle trends and features participants, soccer star David Beckham and actor Ashton Kutcher. (Photo by Apu Gomes/Getty Images)

When the Federal Reserve Board’s Open Market Committee meets next Tuesday and Wednesday, one thing is certain—the Fed will cut its benchmark interest rate for the first time in more than two years. For insight, BBTW spoke with an excellent translator of arcane monetary policy: Tyler Schipper, a professor of economics at the University of St. Thomas in Minneapolis. Here’s our Q&A (edited for brevity and clarity).

Young skater riding a skateboard on a winding road of Faroe Islands surrounded by beautiful scenery. (Getty Images/iStockPhoto)

It isn’t getting any better for America’s planemaker. Last week, 30,000 machinists walked off the job, angling for something better than a 25% wage hike. On Thursday Boeing confirmed its 737 production line was shut down, and the company has been losing money on several of its fixed-cost development contracts with the Defense Department. Oh, and did we mention that those two astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore are still stuck on the International Space Station? It’s just like Lost, but, you know, in space. If only there were a TV show that sufficiently conveyed that idea…

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As Floridians emerge from their battered, roofless and plywood-covered homes, it’s already clear that survivors are looking at more than $100 billion of damage caused by Hurricane Milton, following just weeks after Hurricane Helene hit the same part of Florida, then swerved upcountry into North Carolina, Kentucky and Tennessee. Helene alone caused damage of $30.5 billion to $47.5 billion to residential and properties, and as much as $30 billion was not insured, the real estate data company CoreLogic said, just before Milton hit.

Nano Nuclear Energy's portable Nano Reactor, the kind of miniaturized power plant that could support Big Tech's AI efforts.

“My plan,” Donald Trump said earlier this year, “will rapidly defeat inflation, quickly bring down prices, and reignite explosive economic growth.”

JD Vance is good at a couple of things, and one of them is making big pronouncements. Back in September he warned that when Donald Trump is elected, 11 million undocumented immigrants should get ready to go back home. “If you are in this country illegally in six months, pack your bags, because you’re going home,” Vance said. Well, now he’s got his chance.

President-elect Donald Trump, singer Kid Rock and entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy stand up after UFC Heavyweight Champion Jon Jones' TKO victory against challenger Stipe Miocic in the UFC 309 heavyweight title bout at Madison Square Garden in New York, on November 16, 2024. (Photo by KENA BETANCUR/AFP via Getty Images)