Free Republic

Dresdner withdraws as primary dealer for Fed NEW YORK (MarketWatch) -- Dresdner Kleinwort Securities has withdrawn from the Federal Reserve's primary U.S. government security dealers, the U.S. central bank said Friday. The change, effective after business closes, brings the number of dealers back down to 16, after Jefferies & Co. joined last week. Dealers trade directly with the Fed and are required to bid at Treasury auctions. The last firm to drop out was Nomura Securities International, a division of Nomura , in late 2007.

Endeavor Agency's Ari Emanuel talks several times a day to his brother, U.S. Rep. Rahm Emanuel, who is masterminding the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee's midterm elections. There's a well-reported piece on Rahm in today's Washington Post (Fighting For The Spoils) that mentions Ari. "They all play to win, those Emanuel boys. Rahm (left) is the middle son of three. His big brother, Ezekiel, is a Harvard oncologist and bioethicist. Younger brother Ari (below) is a high-flying agent in Los Angeles. He made news recently as the only major agent to publicly call for an industrywide shunning of Mel Gibson following...