Condensus

A divided Federal Reserve that decided to hit pause in its easing cycle following a rate cut in October signaled in minutes of last month’s meeting it was in no hurry to reassess the path of interest rates.

The impeachment drama unfolding in the Democratic-led U.S. House of Representatives has not stopped President Donald Trump’s fellow Republicans who control the Senate from helping him build on one of the biggest achievements of his presidency – making the federal judiciary more conservative.

U.S. Ambassador to the European Union Gordon Sondland, who testified on Wednesday in the House impeachment inquiry, never told Secretary of State Mike Pompeo he believed President Donald Trump was linking Ukraine aid to investigations of political opponents, a State Department spokeswoman said.

A trio of polls released ahead of Wednesday’s Democratic presidential debate showed a majority of Americans support Medicare for All, but offered conflicting signals about whether the proposed healthcare overhaul could hurt the party in the November 2020 general election.

The following are quotations from the fourth day of hearings by the U.S. House of Representatives Intelligence Committee on Wednesday in an impeachment inquiry examining President Donald Trump’s dealings with Ukraine.

Global stock markets stumbled and the dollar gained on Wednesday after China blasted a U.S. Senate bill aimed at protecting human rights in Hong Kong, the latest obstacle to easing tensions in a prolonged Sino-U.S. trade war that has dented growth worldwide.

Billionaire former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg put his name on Democratic primary ballots in Texas on Wednesday, paving the way for a possible late entry into the presidential race.

General Motors Co on Wednesday filed a racketeering lawsuit against Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV , alleging that its rival bribed United Auto Workers (UAW) union officials over many years to corrupt the bargaining process and gain advantages, costing GM billions of dollars.

Vice President Mike Pence’s office, responding to testimony on Wednesday by U.S. Ambassador to the European Union Gordon Sondland, said the two men had not discussed tying the release of U.S. aid to Ukraine to “potential investigations” during a September trip to Poland.

A senior U.S. diplomat on Wednesday described broad involvement at the upper levels of the Trump administration in a pressure campaign against Ukraine, giving testimony that for the first time put the secretary of state and vice president at the heart of the impeachment probe against President Donald Trump.

Islamist militiamen killed at least 19 people overnight in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, stepping up attacks on civilians in response to a military campaign against them in border areas with Uganda, local officials said on Wednesday.

Bolivian lawmakers are set to meet later on Wednesday to try and agree on a path to new elections and defuse street violence that has killed 30 people since a disputed October vote.

Malta police arrested one of the country’s most prominent businessmen on Wednesday as part of an investigation into the murder of journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia.

Wall Street’s main indexes were lower on Wednesday on concerns that a “phase one” trade deal between Washington and Beijing may not be completed this year, and minutes from the Federal Reserve’s October policy meeting offered little help.

Once feted as a dashing young military officer, Britain’s Prince Andrew’s reputation came to be overshadowed by accusations about his sex life and royal excess.

White House Deputy Press Secretary Judd Deere has said that talks with China are continuing and that there is progress on the text of a phase-one trade deal, Fox News reported on Wednesday.

Britain’s Prince Andrew stepped down from public duties on Wednesday, saying the controversy surrounding his ill-judged association with late U.S. financier Jeffrey Epstein had caused major disruption to the royal family’s work.

An increasingly divided Federal Reserve that decided to hit pause in its easing cycle following a rate cut at its October meeting offered little guidance on what would cause policymakers to change their minds on the outlook, minutes of the central bank’s last policy meeting showed.

Pop newcomers Lizzo, Billie Eilish and country rapper Lil Nas X dominated Grammy nominations on Wednesday in a list for the highest awards in the music industry that favored diversity and women over established stars like Taylor Swift, Ed Sheeran and Madonna.

U.S. diplomat Gordon Sondland testified on Wednesday that he had informed U.S. Energy Secretary Rick Perry in July that Ukraine’s president would comply with President Donald Trump’s request for a probe of the Ukrainian gas company Burisma, where Joe Biden’s son was a board member.

The nominations for the Grammy Awards, the highest honors in the music industry, were announced on Wednesday.

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Wednesday he did not watch a testimony from European Union Ambassador Gordon Sondland in the impeachment inquiry of President Donald Trump and that he was proud of American policy in Ukraine.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Wednesday he planned a multi-billion-pound tax cut if he wins an election on Dec. 12, by raising the amount of earnings exempt from social security payments.

U.S. envoy Gordon Sondland’s testimony in President Donald Trump impeachment hearings on Wednesday misrepresented Energy Secretary Rick Perry’s interaction with Trump and his lawyer Rudolph Giuliani, the Department of Energy said.

U.S. Special Representative for North Korea Stephen Biegun said on Wednesday a year-end deadline North Korea has set for Washington to show more flexibility in nuclear talks was an artificial one, but could mean a return to “provocative” steps that preceded the past two years of diplomacy.