Town Hall News

The average rate on a 30-year U.S. mortgage fell again this week, slipping close to its low point so far this year. The decline brings the average long-term mortgage rate to 6.19% from 6.23% last week, mortgage buyer Freddie Mac said Thursday. A year ago, the rate averaged 6.69%. This is the second straight weekly drop in the average rate after three straight increases. It’s now at the lowest level […]

JERUSALEM (AP) — There were hundreds, then dozens, and then just a few. Now there’s one Israeli hostage left in Gaza: Ran Gvili. Gvili, a 24-year-old police officer known affectionately as “Rani,” was killed while fighting Hamas militants during the Oct. 7, 2023 attack that triggered the war. After a series of ceasefire-mandated exchanges of hostages for Palestinians held by Israel, Gvili’s body still has not been recovered. His remains […]

DAKAR, Senegal (AP) — U.S. President Donald Trump is hosting the leaders of the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda on Thursday for a deal-signing aimed at ending the conflict in Congo. The Central African nation has been battered by decades-long fighting with more than 100 armed groups, the most potent being the Rwanda-backed M23 rebels. In a major escalation earlier this year, M23 seized Goma and Bukavu, two key […]

ROME (AP) — Italian prosecutors have asked 13 luxury fashion firms to provide documents on governance, internal controls and audits as part of an investigation into the alleged exploitation of Chinese workers at subcontractors, judicial documents showed on Thursday. According to the documents obtained by The Associated Press, the investigation highlighted episodes of “heavy exploitations” of Chinese workers at subcontractors’ workshops, where the brands involved produced some of their products. […]

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump plans to travel to Pennsylvania on Tuesday to highlight his efforts to reduce inflation even as fears mount about a worsening job market and amid signs that Americans are still feeling squeezed by high prices. A White House official said Trump would be making the trip to discuss ending the inflation crisis that he says was inherited from his predecessor, Joe Biden. The official […]

Two Black men who were fired by President Donald Trump from the National Transportation Safety Board and U.S. Surface Transportation Board accused the administration on Thursday of discriminating against them as part of a pattern of dismissing Black leaders across the government. Robert Primus on the STB and Alvin Brown on the NTSB were the only Black board members overseeing their officially independent agencies when they were fired this year, […]

Dec 4 (Reuters) – The U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) said on Thursday that spot crypto asset contracts will begin trading for the first time on futures exchanges registered with the agency. The move, first hinted at in August is another effort by the Trump administration to weave digital assets into mainstream finance and could help open the door for the broader use of cryptocurrencies. “Recent events on offshore […]

By David Shepardson WASHINGTON, Dec 4 (Reuters) – A group of 15 Democratic senators proposed legislation Thursday to require airlines to provide cash compensation if carriers cause significant delays. The senators led by Mark Kelly, Ed Markey and Richard Blumenthal are proposing to mandate compensation in line with European Union and Canadian requirements, including mandating at least $300 for a delay of more than three hours and at least $600 […]

WASHINGTON (AP) — AMC Entertainment CEO Adam Aron suffered a minor stroke last month but is recovering rapidly and will continue to lead the world’s biggest movie theater chain, the company said Thursday. Aron, 71, suffered the stroke while on a business trip in London, where he immediately received emergency medical care, the company said. Besides an initial slurring of speech, AMC says Aron has shown no loss of cognitive […]