Inflation at 8.3%:Â Inflation in the U.S. remained steady from July through August according to data released this morning by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers rose 0.1% percent in August, the same increase as happened in July. Some analysts had expected inflation to drop in August. The annual inflation rate stood at 8.3%. In August, increases in shelter, food, and medical care were mostly offset by a 10.6% drop in gasoline prices.
Berman charges Justice Dept. was political:Â Geoffrey Berman, who was fired by Donald Trump as the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, says that the Justice Department under Trump”™s Attorney General William Barr was being used as a political tool to go after people Trump believed to be his enemies while helping people Trump believed to be his friends. A new book by Berman has been published that alleges pressures were being applied by Barr and others for political prosecutions. U.S. Sen. Dick Durban, head of the Senate Judiciary committee, yesterday called for an investigation of what happened at the Justice Department while Trump was in the White House.
Trump aides subpoenaed:Â The Justice Department has issued 40 subpoenas to people who worked closely with Donald Trump when he was in the White House according to reporting by The New York Times that has been confirmed by other news organizations. It”™s believed the subpoenas are in connection with criminal investigations into activity surrounding the Jan. 6th attempted coup.
Jean-Luc Godard dies:Â French movie director Jean-Luc Godard has died in Switzerland at age 91. Among his better known films are “Breathless” and “The Little Soldier.” Godard received an honorary Academy Award in 2010.
Alex Jones on trial:Â A trial of far-right personality Alex Jones begins in Waterbury, Connecticut, today. This follows his recent defamation trial in Texas in which he was ordered to pay $50 million to the family of one of the children killed in the Sandy Hook school massacre. The Connecticut trial is to determine the amount of damages Jones owes to the families of eight victims of Sandy Hook and an FBI agent who responded to the scene.
King Charles in Northern Ireland:Â Britain”™s King Charles and his wife Camilla, the Queen Consort, visited Northern Ireland today to lead that country”™s mourning for Queen Elizabeth. Her casket remained in Edinburgh, Scotland, where tens of thousands have filed past to pay tribute.
