*By J.D. Durkin*
On the day of the overwhelming 402-11 House vote in favor of permanently extending the September 11th Victim's Compensation Fund, New York Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez told Cheddar she feels good about the bill — H.R. 1327 — and its chances to pass the Senate.
More or less.
The House is one thing. But as John Feal, one of the 9/11 first responders synonymous with the reauthorization effort recently told Cheddar, "The Senate is where bills go to die." Working with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is still the last hurdle to make permanent protections a reality. But Rep. Ocasio-Cortez says there's reason to adopt a trust-but-verify approach.
"I'm actually cautiously optimistic," AOC told Cheddar. "I spoke with some of our survivors, our first responders. And they said they've been actively whipping \[McConnell\]'s support." Several first responders, including Feal, recently sat down with McConnell in his Capitol Hill office to present the Kentucky Republican with Detective Luis Alvarez's NYPD badge.
Rep. Ocasio-Cortez, who met with 9/11 responders and advocates following the House vote Friday, did note the hazards of the bill's next step. "I would hope that \[McConnell\] doesn't use it as a bargaining chip for anything else," she said.
Friday featured a press conference helmed by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and the main supporters of the bill: Rep.'s Jerry Nadler (D), Carolyn Maloney (D), and Peter King (R), all of New York.
Former "Daily Show" host Jon Stewart set an ambitious goal at Friday's press conference: a desired signing ceremony for the bill's passage on Friday, August 2nd. "As far as I'm concerned, that's our deadline," he told Cheddar.
Ben & Jerry’s co-founder Jerry Greenfield is leaving the ice cream brand after 47 years. He says the freedom the company used to have to speak up on social issues has been stifled
The Federal Reserve cut its key interest rate by a quarter-point Wednesday and projected it would do so twice more this year as concern grows at the central bank about the health of the nation’s labor market. The move is the Fed’s first cut since December and lowered its short-term rate to about 4.1%, down from 4.3%. Fed officials, led by Chair Jerome Powell, had kept their rate unchanged this year as they evaluated the impact of tariffs, tighter immigration enforcement, and other Trump administration policies on inflation and the economy. The only dissenter was Stephen Miran, the recent Trump-appointee.
After a late-night vote and last-minute ruling, the Federal Reserve began a key meeting on interest rate policy Tuesday with both a new Trump administration appointee and an official the White House has targeted for removal.
The Trump administration has issued its first warnings to online services that offer unofficial versions of popular drugs like the blockbuster obesity treatment Wegovy.
Albania's Prime Minister Edi Rama says his new Cabinet will include an artificial intelligence “minister” in charge of fighting corruption. The AI, named Diella, will oversee public funding projects and combat corruption in public tenders. Diella was launched earlier this year as a virtual assistant on the government's public service platform. Corruption has been a persistent issue in Albania since 1990. Rama's Socialist Party won a fourth consecutive term in May. It aims to deliver EU membership for Albania in five years, but the opposition Democratic Party remains skeptical.
The Trump administration has asked an appeals court to remove Lisa Cook from the Federal Reserve’s board of governors by Monday, before the central bank’s next vote on interest rates. Trump sought to fire Cook Aug. 25, but a federal judge ruled late Tuesday that the removal was illegal and reinstated her to the Fed’s board.
