PlumBirch Culture

The Fed Opens the Door to a Rate Pause

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The Federal Reserve continued its aggressive campaign to rein in inflation by slowing the economy, lifting interest rates by a quarter-point. But there was also a notable shift in the central bank’s stance.

Fed officials essentially said they would have to wait and see how the economy performs before determining whether to raise rates again in June — opening the door to a possible pause.

“This is a very significant change,” said my colleague Jeanna Smialek, who covers the Fed. “Up until now, the Fed has really been in this posture where they were always clear that their next move was likely going to be a rate increase.”

Many companies and investors are craving lower interest rates, but Jeanna emphasized that it was too soon to know how the central bank would proceed. And Fed Chair Jerome Powell made clear that the central bank did not expect any interest rate cuts this year.

Two explosions occurred 15 minutes apart over the Kremlin early today, video footage verified by The Times showed. The incident set off a flurry of accusations and escalated tensions between Russia and Ukraine.

Russia claimed, without releasing evidence, that the Ukrainian government orchestrated a drone attack in an attempt to assassinate President Vladimir Putin. Ukraine strongly denied any involvement and suggested that Russia had manufactured the incident to distract attention from a looming counteroffensive. The incident could serve as a pretext for Putin to launch new strikes on Ukraine.

In early 2021, Carlson, who hosted one of the network’s most popular shows, sent a message to a producer that contributed to a chain of events that led to his firing. In the message, he described watching a video of men violently attacking “an Antifa kid” and finding himself wanting the men to “kill him.” He expressed a sense of dismay that the attackers, like him, were white: “It’s not how white men fight.”

The discovery of the message on the eve of its billion-dollar defamation trial set off a cascading panic at the highest levels of Fox. Within days, he was ousted from the network.

Entertainment

In a pivotal scene in the new movie “Beau Is Afraid,” Joaquin Phoenix’s character is given a final chance at romance with his childhood crush. Things go awry, but through it all Mariah Carey’s “Always Be My Baby,” a smash hit from 1995, plays in the background.

It was a surprising track for an indie film whose small budget typically would not be able to afford such high-profile rights. But for the director Ari Aster, there was never a second choice. So, he wrote a letter to Carey and pleaded his case. Surprisingly, after she was shown the scene, she agreed.

Home

If you’ve ever felt irritation in your eyes after lighting a candle in your home, it’s probably not a coincidence. Paraffin, the common candle wax, is derived from petroleum and emits toxic fumes when burned. (To avoid such issues, consider alternatives like beeswax, soy wax or coconut wax.)

We explored other design advice to create less toxic homes, including purging plastic packaging and dying fabrics naturally.

Consider leaving the lawn mower in the garage this month. To many suburbanites, it might sound wacky — a meadow in my front yard? What will the neighbors say? — but ecologists say a mowing pause can provide helpful resources for early-season pollinators.

Margaret Roach, who writes a gardening column in The Times and mows her lawn only once a year, has some tips. Her advice is to fill your lawn with plants that are hardy enough to survive throughout the year, and aesthetically pleasing enough to bring you joy.

Have a natural evening.

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