- Trump Responds to Jan. 6 Committee’s Criminal Referrals, Says They Are ‘Fake’
By Frank Fang
Former President Donald Trump on Dec. 19 dismissed the Jan. 6 committee’s criminal referrals, saying that the panel has leveled “fake charges” against him ...
- ‘Twitter Files’ Show Company ‘Directly Assisted’ in US Military Psychological Operations
By Jack Phillips
Journalist Lee Fang released the latest installment of the “Twitter Files” on Tuesday, showing how the social media platform “quietly aided” U.S. intelligence ...
- Judge Rules 2 of Kari Lake’s Election Lawsuit Claims Can Go to Trial
By Jack Phillips
A Maricopa County, Arizona judge ruled that two out of 10 claims brought by GOP gubernatorial candidate that challenges Gov.-elect Katie Hobbs’ election ...
- Congress Unveils Sweeping ‘Omnibus’ Funding Bill With $1.7 Trillion Price Tag
By Tom Ozimek
Lawmakers have at long last unveiled the legislative text of the huge $1.7 trillion “omnibus” government funding bill for all of fiscal ...
- FBI’s Suppression of Speech on Twitter Calls for Congressional Investigation: Analysts
By Eva Fu
The FBI’s efforts to limit the free expression of speech on Twitter calls for a “thorough investigation” from the new Congress in January, according to longtime ...
- Satellite Launched to Map the World’s Oceans, Lakes, Rivers
By The Associated Press
A U.S.-French satellite that will map almost all of the world’s oceans, lakes and rivers rocketed into orbit Friday.
The predawn launch aboard a SpaceX rocket from Vandenberg ...
- FBI Faces Subpoenas After Twitter Files Exposing Social Media Ties: House Republican
By Frank Fang
The FBI is facing subpoenas after the so-called “Twitter Files” revealed that the bureau had been working closely with the social media ...
- Internal Twitter Records Show FBI Questioned Twitter on State Propaganda
By Melanie Sun
Independent journalist Matt Taibbi published a supplemental thread to Part 6 of the “Twitter Files” on Sunday, bringing to light documented exchanges ...
- Federal Judge to Block ‘Tyrannical’ California Gun Law Provision
By Matthew Vadum
A federal judge said he will block a “tyrannical” provision in an incoming California gun law because it would have the “chilling effect” of ...
- El Paso Mayor Declares State of Emergency Amid Surge of Illegal Aliens
By Mimi Nguyen Ly
The mayor of El Paso declared a state of emergency on Saturday, citing a surge in the numbers of illegal aliens in the city’s streets ...
- Twitter Files 6 Shows ‘Deep State’ Went Deeper Than Just FBI-Twitter Collusion
By Tom Ozimek
News Analysis
The latest episode of Twitter’s internal files on content crackdowns paints a picture of a censorship machine that not only worked ...
- FBI Sued by Analyst, Military Vet Suspended for ‘Conspiratorial’ Jan. 6 Views
By Samantha Flom
A lawsuit filed on Dec. 15 by government watchdog group Judicial Watch alleges that the FBI violated the constitutional rights of FBI analyst Marcus Allen by falsely accusing ...
![Strong labor data and positive expectations about the incoming Trump administration pushed the U.S. dollar to a two-year high on Thursday. The U.S. dollar iIndex hit a high of 109.53 on Jan. 2, the first trading day of the year, and the highest since November 2022. The jump came as data released on Thursday by the U.S. Department of Labor showed that initial jobless claims hit an eight-month low, suggesting a robust labor market, which is a positive sign for the overall economy. The dollar index was trading slightly lower on Friday at 108.96 as of 08:30 a.m. EST. The dollar index increase is also supported by investor confidence in the upcoming Trump administration, which assumes power this month. According to a recent survey by consulting company Teneo, “global CEOs and investors are optimistic about the economic impact of a second Trump administration, outweighing concerns about tariffs, geopolitical tensions, and trade barriers.” Story continues below advertisement In fact, “50 percent of global CEOs are accelerating activities in areas such as domestic and international investment and hiring based on the outcome of the 2024 U.S. election,” it said. While the dollar strengthened, the euro and sterling declined on Thursday. The euro fell to its lowest level in more than two years while the sterling declined to its lowest in eight months. A Dec. 17 report from JP Morgan predicts the U.S. dollar to reach even new highs over the coming months. Related Stories How Major US Stock Indexes Fared Jan. 2 1/2/2025 How Major US Stock Indexes Fared Jan. 2 Americans Have Hopes Trump Will Deliver on Immigration, Economy, Safety: Gallup 1/2/2025 Americans Have Hopes Trump Will Deliver on Immigration, Economy, Safety: Gallup “November’s election outcome has given way to lower global growth expectations, wider growth gaps between the U.S. and the rest of the world, and higher terminal federal funds rate forecasts for 2025—the perfect trifecta of bullish U.S. dollar cyclical impulse,” said Meera Chandan, co-head of Global FX Strategy at the company. “These are early first-order reactions that may give way to deeper rethinks once the full set of Trump administration policies are known next year [2025], but for now, they constitute a solid economic rationale for carrying a long U.S. dollar stance into the first quarter of 2025.” JP Morgan sees the euro’s outlook as bearish, noting the eurozone is especially vulnerable to trade conflicts. And while sterling was the best-performing currency against the dollar last year, such an outperformance is not expected this year, it said. US Economy Performance in 2025 With President-elect Donald Trump set to take power in less than three weeks, there are mixed views about how things could shape up for the American economy. According to a Dec. 9 post by Morgan Stanley, markets are “bullish on Trump’s second term, hoping for tax cuts and better growth.” “We expect no net stimulus and a decent size hit from tariffs and immigration. This should be bullish for bonds as the Fed continues cutting, but could be a disappointment for frothy stocks,” it said. Regarding tariffs, the most likely outcome is a 20 percent hike on Chinese imports and on vehicles from Mexico and the European Union, Morgan Stanley said. Story continues below advertisement It predicts the U.S. Federal Reserve to continue cutting interest rates to a range of 3 percent 3.5 percent by the end of 2025. S&P Global is forecasting the U.S. economy to grow by 2 percent in 2025 and 2026, following an estimated growth of 2.7 percent last year. The company sees inflation to likely remain above the 2 percent level for “longer than we previously thought.” Goldman Sachs predicts the U.S. economy to “beat expectations” this year. “The U.S. economy is in a good place,” said David Mericle, an economist with the company. “Recession fears have diminished, inflation is trending back toward 2 percent, and the labor market has rebalanced but remains strong.” While Trump’s policy changes are likely to be “significant,” Mericle does not see these actions changing the trajectory of the economy substantially. Goldman foresees the Fed reducing interest rates to a range of 3.25–3.50 percent, with the U.S. GDP predicted to grow by 2.5 percent. There have been three consecutive quarters of economic growth in the first nine months of 2024—1.6 percent in the first quarter, 3 percent in the second, and 3.1 percent in the third.](https://www.usnn.news/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/US-Dollar-Index-Hits-Highest-Level-in-2-Years-Euro-Falls-jpg.webp "US Dollar Index Hits Highest Level in 2 Years, Euro Falls 7")
