Curfew imposed in a small section of downtown Los Angeles
Police made dozens of arrests overnight in a one square mile area of downtown Los Angeles where an emergency curfew was enacted. LA Mayor Karen Bass yesterday announced the 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. curfew. California Gov. Gavin Newsom in a televised speech last night warned that Donald Trump’s use of the military against people in U.S. cities is typical of moves made by dictators as they seize power. Newsom said that local authorities had the situation controlled until Trump sent in the National Guard and Marines. Demonstrations against recent actions by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) took place yesterday in various cities across the U.S., including Boston, Chicago, Denver, New York City, Philadelphia, San Antonio and Seattle. An estimated 1,800 protests are planned for Saturday in the U.S.
Trump moves ahead with plans to shut down FEMA
Donald Trump announced yesterday that he plans to phase out the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) after this year’s hurricane season. He added that the federal government will distribute less aid for disaster recovery and that he will control who gets federal aid. He said disaster relief funding will come from his office and go to state governments to control. Under the Trump Administration, FEMA has entered this year’s hurricane season understaffed and underprepared. CNN reports that federal and state emergency managers say that most states do not have the budget or personnel to handle catastrophic disasters on their own.
Court rules tariffs can remain in place for now
A federal appeals court has ruled Donald Trump’s heftiest tariffs may remain in place while legal challenges play out and placed the cases on a fast track for resolution this summer. The decision came after the Trump Administration appealed the Court of International Trade’s finding the president exceeded his authority to impose country-wide tariffs, claiming a national emergency. In other tariff news, the U.S. and China have agreed to a framework to implement a trade truce, officials said. Neither side disclosed details of the deal, but the news agency Reuters reported that Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said that the countries had agreed to roll back export controls on certain goods and technologies.
Study shows child deaths from guns have increased
When the Supreme Court ruled in 2010 that the Second Amendment applies to local governments, some states tightened restrictions on guns and others weakened them. A new study published in JAMA Pediatrics shows that over the next 13 years, thousands more children died from firearm violence than earlier trends would have predicted. The study showed that all of the increase happened in states that had more permissive gun laws. In half of the states with strict firearm laws — California, Maryland, New York and Rhode Island — researchers noted a decrease in pediatric firearm mortality. Today, firearms are the leading cause of death among children and teens in the U.S.
Nintendo’s Switch 2 sales
Nintendo announced today that it sold more than 3.5 million Switch 2 consoles, marking a new record for the company. Nintendo classified the result as the “highest global sales level” for any Nintendo device within the first four days of release. Nintendo has said it has a goal of selling 15 million Switch 2 devices by the end of next March. The list price of the Switch 2 is $450. Switch 2 has several new features, including a Game Chat function that lets gamers communicate with other players by tapping a button on the console. Since its release in 2017, the original Switch gaming console has sold 152 million units.
Inflation increases in May but by less than in April
The Consumer Price Index, which is a measure of inflation, increased 0.1% in May, after rising 0.2% in April, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Over the last 12 months, the all-items index increased 2.4%. The Federal Reserve has been targeting an inflation rate of 2% and is not expected to make additional cuts to interest rates until that goal becomes more attainable. The index for shelter rose 0.3% in May and was the primary factor in the all items monthly increase. The energy index declined 1% in May as gasoline prices fell. The cost of energy decreased 3.5% during the past 12 months.
