Free Republic

Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell delivered a stern commitment Friday to halting inflation, warning that he expects the central bank to continue raising interest rates in a way that will cause “some pain” to the U.S. economy. In his much-anticipated annual policy speech at Jackson Hole, Wyoming, Powell affirmed that the Fed will “use our tools forcefully” to attack inflation that is still running near its highest level in more than 40 years. Even with a series of four consecutive interest rate increases totaling 2.25 percentage points, Powell said this is “no place to stop or pause” even though benchmark...

Fed Chairman Jerome Powell will speak Thursday during a virtual version of the Fed’s annual Jackson Hole, Wyoming, conference. He is expected to outline what could be the central bank’s most active efforts ever to spur inflation back to a healthy level. “Average inflation” targeting means the Fed will allow inflation to run higher than normal for a period of time. The effort will be the reverse of former Fed Chairman Paul Volcker’s rate hikes instituted to quash inflation in the 1980s. History will remember Paul Volcker and Jerome Powell as standing on the opposite ends of the inflation canyon,...

* Total US debt including all forms of government, state, local, financial and entitlement liabilities comes close to 2,000% of GDP, according to AB Bernstein. * The biggest potential load comes from entitlements, but is being pressured from rising levels of federal government debt as well. * The warnings about potential debt hazards come as the total federal debt outstanding has surged to $22.5 trillion. * A debt reform advocate says now is the time for the U.S. to tackle the issue, before recession hits. Total potential debt for the U.S. by one all-encompassing measure is running close to 2,000%...

President Donald Trump’s effort to stack the Federal Reserve with ideological allies has run into a familiar foe: Republican Sen. Mitt Romney, who’s likely to continue to act as a bulwark against the central bank becoming a target for political appointees. Herman Cain’s decision Monday to withdraw his name from consideration as a Fed governor was largely academic. Romney and three other GOP senators already were poised to torpedo the former Kansas City Fed president and pizza CEO’s nomination if it was brought to a vote.

Trial set for alleged video voyeur District attorney brings in specialist to prosecute Wright Kristi Richie Press-Herald Staff Facing a new prosecutor in Webster Parish, alleged video pornographer Benjamin Wright was arraigned in District Court Monday. Wright pleaded not guilty to four counts of video voyeurism involving juveniles; nine counts of video voyeurism involving adults; 50 counts of pornography involving juveniles; and public intimidation. District Attorney Schuyler Marvin called in one of his Bossier assistants to head up the prosecution team on the case. Jeff Cox, who is over the juvenile program in Bossier and Webster Parishes and specializes in...