WASHINGTON—The Federal Reserve this week held interest rates steady, a shock to observers who assumed geopolitical tensions and rising oil prices may have moved the board to cut rates. Fed Chair Jerome Powell stressed in a Wednesday briefing that the board was holding steady as events in the Middle East played out. “In the near term, higher energy prices will push up overall inflation,” Powell said, “but it is too soon to know the scope and duration of the potential effects on the economy.” Fed Governor Stephen Miran, a Trump appointee, dissented from the decision, favoring a rate cut rather than maintaining the current range of 3.5% to 3.75%.  “The thing I really want to emphasize is that nobody knows,” Powell added. “The economic effects could be bigger, they could be smaller or they could be much smaller or much bigger. We just don’t know.” Stressing the unusually high level of uncertainty facing policymakers became a theme of Powell’s press briefing.  Powell said the Federal Reserve is guided by past oil price spikes, which have typically been temporary and had little lasting impact on inflation. However, after five years of inflation running above its 2% target, he added that the Fed remains vigilant for signs of more persistent price pressures. He also noted that the United States’ position as a net energy exporter could help offset some negative impacts. Higher oil prices may weigh on consumers worldwide, but they also boost profitability for domestic energy companies, potentially leading to increased drilling and investment. Over the longer term, sustained elevated oil prices could drive further expansion in domestic energy production, as firms respond to stronger incentives to increase supply. One moment of certainty was the continued pattern of the Federal Reserve fighting persistent inflation and a weakening labor market. Since September, Powell has emphasized the challenge of balancing the Fed’s dual mandate which is maintaining price stability while maximizing employment. “We are balancing these two goals in a situation where the risks to the labor market are to the downside which would call for lower rates and the risks to inflation are to the upside which would call for higher rates and not cutting.” Ultimately, the Federal Reserve chose to leave rates unchanged in an effort to balance these competing pressures. Powell’s March meeting marked his second-to-last as Fed chair before his successor, Kevin Warsh, is sworn in. Powell confirmed that he will serve out the remainder of his term until Warsh is officially confirmed as chair.

Planned Parenthood’s Illinois chapter has agreed to pay $500,000 after the federal government investigated allegations that the branch discriminated against its white employees. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) said there is reasonable cause to believe the organization segregated its employees by race into “affinity networks.” Many firms have “affinity networks,” which allow employees to join employee groups with those to whom they feel similar. However, at other companies, these networks are voluntary, not mandatory. Planned Parenthood had mandatory “affinity caucuses” segregated by race, and employees of other races were not allowed to participate. Every week, staff were required to attend one- to two-hour sessions of segregated racial affinity caucuses or DEI training. At DEI training sessions, white employees were reportedly the target of harassment and derogatory statements such as: they “are white and do not feel racism the same way that non-white patients feel” and “white supremacy is exerted at every level of oppression.” EEOC Chair Andrea Lucas said, “Segregating employees by race violates the core promise of our nation’s civil rights laws.” Lucas added in her statement that Title VII guarantees equal treatment for every employee and “those protections equally apply to white workers.” Planned Parenthood employees alleged that the company even restricted the benefits of white employees. “Planned Parenthood also denied white employees access to time off that it granted only to black employees,” the report read. Along with the $500,000 settlement, Planned Parenthood fired the manager responsible for the misconduct that the investigation uncovered. The EEOC says the investigation was prompted after multiple employees brought forward their concerns. The Daily Wire obtained a press release from the Illinois Planned Parenthood affiliate that may have been the start of the organization’s discriminatory practices. Planned Parenthood of Illinois said in a response to a BuzzFeed News article, “despite not having the details of this particular incident, we recognize that Planned Parenthood has been complicit in upholding systemic racism. Moving forward, Planned Parenthood of Illinois is deeply committed to being anti-racist and ensuring that our work is not performative, that there is no divide between our words and actions.” They added, “As part of this work, we’ve created spaces for honest conversations about race and are providing multiple channels through which staff have opportunities to share their lived experiences with leadership.” The Illinois Planned Parenthood is not the only affiliate to release statements on racism in their organization. Nineteen out of the 49 Planned Parenthood affiliates have issued statements. Planned Parenthood of the Pacific Southwest said, “We must confront how white supremacy of the past and present continues in the institutions we are a part of today including our own organization.” The Virginia affiliate said that they acknowledge “our past and our present participation in white supremacy and are committed to stopping, learning, growing and living our values through the hard and uncomfortable work of progress.” None of the statements released by the Planned Parenthood chapters specifically addressed discrimination allegations against white employees or white patients.

A University of Pennsylvania professor who was sanctioned by a court for acting in “bad faith” is set to teach a course on “misinformation” next year. Michael Mann, a prominent climate activist and director of Penn’s Center for Science, Sustainability, and the Media, announced that he will again co-teach a course on climate change communication alongside Kathleen Hall Jamieson, a member of the National Academy of Sciences (NAS). The course, previously offered at the University of Pennsylvania, focuses in part on combating what Mann describes as a “surplus of misinformation” surrounding climate change. “The problem isn’t so much a deficit of information; it’s a surplus of misinformation,” Mann said at a journalism conference, arguing that outright climate denial is fading and being replaced by what he calls “doomism, division, deflection, and delaying action.” Mann recently confirmed the course’s return on a university podcast, describing it as a “real pleasure” to collaborate across Penn’s School of Arts and Sciences and the Annenberg School for Communication. But Mann’s role as an authority on misinformation should draw scrutiny given his own legal history. A District of Columbia judge previously sanctioned Mann and his legal team, finding “by clear and convincing evidence” that they had acted in bad faith by presenting erroneous evidence and making false representations related to damages claims. “Here, the Court finds… that Dr. Mann… acted in bad faith when they presented erroneous evidence and made false representations to the jury and the Court,” the ruling stated. The court ordered Mann to pay more than $28,000 in legal fees. The controversy adds to a broader pattern of inflammatory rhetoric and political activism from Mann, who has repeatedly targeted conservatives in public statements and on social media. Mann has compared prominent figures such as Peter Thiel, Charles Koch, and Rupert Murdoch to the perpetrators of the September 11 attacks, and previously wrote that the Republican Party should be “destroyed.” He deleted the posts, but they were saved in screenshots. Michael Mann has been trafficking in violence-justifying (wink wink) Tweets for a long time He is celebrated and rewarded for it in the climate community His latest won’t change that pic.twitter.com/YMpnmxAdWX — The Honest Broker (@RogerPielkeJr) September 12, 2025 As reported by the Washington Free Beacon, Mann faced backlash for amplifying a social media post referring to conservative activist Charlie Kirk as “Hitler Youth,” a controversy that preceded his resignation as vice provost at Penn. He remains on faculty and continues to lead his research center. The resignation came after Sen. Dave McCormick (R-PA) called on the university to take “immediate, decisive action.” Mann has also drawn criticism for comments interpreted as invoking political violence, including a post referencing “second amendment territory” in relation to President Donald Trump, he has since deleted the post, but it was digitally archived to verify. The course’s co-instructor, Jamieson, is a member of the National Academy of Sciences, which has itself faced scrutiny over its handling of climate-related materials. Critics have pointed to the academy’s refusal to remove a controversial climate chapter from its judicial reference manual, even after the Federal Judicial Center declined to include it, citing concerns about bias. Mann has also recently praised the late biologist Paul Ehrlich, whose 1968 book “The Population Bomb” famously predicted mass starvation and societal collapse due to overpopulation — predictions that failed to materialize. Despite that track record, Mann continues to position himself as a leading voice on climate communication and misinformation. The announcement of the course raises broader questions about credibility, academic standards, and whether individuals with documented histories of misleading claims should be tasked with defining “misinformation” for the next generation of students.

Former intelligence official Joe Kent is suspected of leaking classified information to “disaffected MAGA media” personalities like former Fox News host Tucker Carlson — and FBI Director Kash Patel may be poised to declassify information regarding a probe into former intelligence official Joe Kent in an effort to prove that the investigation was not retaliation for his resignation. A report published Thursday by NOTUS also stated that FBI Director Kash Patel was considering declassifying as much information as possible in order to show that the investigation into Kent was already underway when he announced his plan to leave the administration. A law enforcement source told NOTUS that FBI counterintelligence had already begun a criminal investigation into Kent’s alleged actions long before he announced his resignation. An administration official told the outlet that Kent had “leaked classified information from a server to a member of the media.” Kent, according to a Wednesday report first published by Semafor, was already under the FBI’s microscope before he abruptly resigned on Tuesday and stated that he could no longer support President Donald Trump’s administration as it waged war against the Iranian regime. The Green Beret veteran declared on Tuesday that he could not remain on the job — as director of the National Counterterrorism Center — as long as the Trump administration continued military action alongside Israel against Iran. “Iran posed no imminent threat to our nation, and it is clear that we started this war due to pressure from Israel and its powerful American lobby,” he claimed. But shortly after Kent tendered his resignation, several sources revealed that he had not been part of the planning with regard to Iran — and had not been briefed on the intelligence that led President Trump to determine that Iran was, in fact, an imminent threat. By Wednesday evening, reports began circulating that Kent was being investigated by the FBI — and a strategic declassification of the relevant information could provide evidence that the investigation predated Kent’s exit from the administration.

'You're fact checking a joke?'

What a way to celebrate a victory

And Sarah Huckabee Sanders Gets Asked to Remove Herself From Another Woke Restaurant

At the height of the energy crisis in the 1970s, when oil prices more than sextupled, The Economist magazine showed a map of the Persian Gulf on its cover with the headline, “What’s a Nice Thing Like Oil Doing in a Place Like This?” The Iranian miscreants, with whom we are now at war, understand that, although they could care less what their own citizens think, in free countries public opinion and support is vital to a president’s ability to wage war. By impeding the movement of ships through the Strait of Hormuz, through which 20% of the world’s oil supplies pass, they know they can hit the American people at the gas pump and start them screaming for President Donald Trump to pull out of the war. I felt it the other day when I shelled out $150 to fill my tank. For sure I wasn’t happy. But for the many who are out of sorts because of high gas prices, know that if it brings you to sta rt calling for Trump to pull out of the war, you are following to the letter the script written by the terrorists in Tehran. One thing that characterizes times like this is the tendency for governments to not do what they should do and to do what they shouldn’t do. Weak leaders govern by poll, not by principle. Their finger is always to the wind trying to determine what will make voters happy tomorrow. They seek ways that government can “ease the pain.” In that energy crisis of the 1970s, President Jimmy Carter launched a major government assault on energy markets. Price controls. Government programs to incentivize use of alternative energy sources. He created the Department of Energy. It all just made things worse. Carter then was voted out, and Ronald Reagan was voted in. Reagan immediately removed government interventions and the price of oil plummeted by almost a factor of six. So, on the domestic front, government, rather than looking for political fixes to “ease the pain,” should be keeping consumers in touch with reality by keeping markets as open and free as possible so the right adjustments in supply and demand can take place. On the side of what government should be doing, and often doesn’t do, is actively protecting our national security on all fronts. The pursuit by the Iranian terrorist regime of nuclear weapons goes back as far as 2002, reports The Wall Street Journal. This is one year after the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. Those 9/11 attacks were planned during the Clinton presidency while he was looking the other way. Those who piloted the planes into the World Trade Center learned to fly in flight schools in our country. Under Bill Clinton’s presidency, defense spending as a percent of GDP, dropped from 6.1% to 3.8%. Clinton then turned the reins of government over to George W. Bush and shortly thereafter the 9/11 attack occurred. The Wall Street Journal documents ongoing Iranian activity to enrich uranium and develop weapons since 2002, despite the delusionary efforts of Presidents Barack Obama and Joe Biden to do a deal with them. With the easing of sanctions under Obama and Biden, the Iranian rulers had again access to hundreds of billions to once again fund terrorism. One result was the horrific attack by Hamas in Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. Meanwhile, we’ve had four attacks over recent weeks -- in Michigan, Virginia, New York and Texas -- by homegrown terrorists with Middle Eastern ties, while the Department of Homeland Security remains closed and unfunded. This is insane. Do we really need to wait for another 9/11? Let’s keep our country strong by keeping markets at home open and free and by being vigilant toward fanatics abroad, with money and power, who want to kill us. Regarding short term inconveniences and unpleasantness, best to remember that freedom is not free. Star Parker is founder of the Center for Urban Renewal and Education. Her recent book, “What Is the CURE for America?” is available now.

A man who formerly worked as a principal at an Oregon high school was convicted on child porn charges after he was placed on paid leave for comments about the death of Charlie Kirk.Jeremy P. Williams, 50, was on paid leave when he was arrested in Sept. 2025 on numerous charges, according to a letter written by Rainier School District superintendent Chad Holloway.He was charged with possessing depictions of minors engaged in sexually explicit content, as well as distribution of the same. He resigned as principal in Nov. 2025 and was getting paid $99.5K in his last year.Police said they were informed by alerts from a social media site about the illicit images connected to an account used by a resident of Longview, Washington. Investigators obtained warrants to confirm that the account belonged to Williams and then served a search warrant at his home to confiscate computers, phones, and other digital storage devices.He was charged with possessing depictions of minors engaged in sexually explicit content, as well as distribution of the same. Cowlitz County Superior Court Judge Thad Scudder sentenced Williams to five years and one month in prison after he was convicted in February. He must also serve three years of probation, pay $3K in court fees, and register as a sex offender.None of the images were of students from the high school, police say. RELATED: Child sex abuse material found on PE teacher's phone after he inappropriately touched students, police say Investigators said more than 30 child sex abuse images were found on his devices. One involved a 6-month-old child. A reporter for the Daily Chronicle in Longview said Williams previously boasted about winning awards for writing erotic fiction. Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!