Month: September 2025

A man who was riding a rollercoaster at Universal’s Epic Universe in Orlando died Wednesday, park officials said in a statement.

The visitor at Universal’s Epic Universe theme park became unresponsive while riding Stardust Racers at the Florida park, a Universal spokesperson said in the statement.  The Orange County Sheriff’s Office said off-duty deputies found a man in his 30s on the ride Wednesday night. He was then taken to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead. The man hasn’t been identified, and there is no known cause of death yet. The District Nine Medical Examiner’s Office said the person’s body was in their care and will undergo an examination today.

Universal Orlando Resorts in a statement: “We are devastated by this event and extend our sincerest sympathies to the guest’s loved ones. We are fully committed to cooperating with this ongoing investigation.”

Universal’s Epic Universe opened in May; as a precaution, Stardust Racers will remain closed while the investigation by the Orange County Sheriff’s Office is underway. The sheriff’s office has not commented on the investigation.

Editorial credit: veritographer / Shutterstock.com

The Trump administration on Thursday formally petitioned the Supreme Court to allow President Trump to remove Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook from her position without delay. If the court agrees, it would mark the first time a Fed governor was fired by a president in the central bank’s 111-year history.

A federal appeals court on Monday rejected Trump’s attempt to fire Cook, with the three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit issuing a 2-1 emergency ruling ahead of the central bank’s start of monetary policy meetings on Tuesday. By law, Federal Reserve governors can only be removed for misconduct or other qualifying reasons. The White House has repeatedly insisted that Trump acted within his authority by seeking Cook’s removal.

In the Supreme Court filing, Solicitor General D. John Sauer argued that a lower court’s decision preventing the dismissal amounted to “improper judicial interference.”  Sauer wrote that “The Federal Reserve Board plays a uniquely critical role in the American economy. That reality only underscores the public’s interest in ensuring that an ethically compromised member is not permitted to wield its significant powers.”

The president invoked a clause in the Federal Reserve Act that allows members to be dismissed “for cause,” pointing to allegations of mortgage fraud against Cook raised by Federal Housing Finance Agency Director Bill Pulte, a Trump appointee. Pulte sent criminal referrals for Cook to U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi twice since Aug. 15, accusing Cook of mortgage fraud, alleging she listed properties she owns inconsistently on different forms.

Cook has firmly denied the accusations, and she has not been charged with any crime.  Cook has also fought back arguing that Trump doesn’t have the authority to fire her. Cook challenged her removal in court, and won reinstatement. The district found that her firing likely violated the so-called for-cause provision of the Federal Reserve Act and the Fifth Amendment’s Due Process Clause.

Editorial credit: Photo Agency / Shutterstock.com

On Wednesday, the Federal Reserve announced they have cut its benchmark interest rate for the first time this year by a quarter of a percentage point, in an effort to revive the flagging labor market.

Policymakers opted for the quarter-point cut to the Fed’s benchmark rate, in line with expectations. The rate was previously set at 4.25% to 4.50%. The vote for the quarter-point cut by the Fed’s rate-setting committee was 11 to 1. The sole dissenter, in favor of a half-point cut, was newly appointed governor Stephen Miran, who was sworn in this week (he is currently on leave but still maintains his title as chair of the White House’s Council of Economic Advisers). Trump’s other appointed governors- Michelle Bowman and Christopher Waller – both voted for the quarter-point cut.

The Fed cut reduces the federal funds rate — what banks charge each other for short-term loans — to between 4% and 4.25%, down from its prior range of 4.25% to 4.5%. The last time the central bank eased borrowing costs was in December 2024, when it also trimmed rates by a quarter of a percentage point. Federal Reserve officials are also penciling in two more rate cuts in 2025, but only one in 2026, according to the central bank’s summary of economic projections.

The Fed is guided by a dual mandate to keep inflation under control and maximize employment. In a statement on Wednesday, the FOMC indicated greater concern for slowing employment growth than for rising inflation. The FOMC said that “the Committee is attentive to the risks to both sides of its dual mandate and judges that downside risks to employment have risen.”

The latest policy move comes as the Federal Reserve is grappling with a difficult balancing act: bringing down inflation, which has been climbing again in recent months, while also trying to bolster a labor market that shows clear signs of weakening. Economists remain divided over whether lowering rates is the right course of action at this point; however, supporters of the rate cut argue that lower borrowing costs could give businesses more breathing room to expand and hire, while also easing the burden on consumers as credit card interest rates decline.

Signs of a slowdown in the job market are becoming harder to ignore. The August employment report showed only 22,000 new positions created, a number that fell far short of analysts’ forecasts. It also revealed that the country actually lost jobs in June. Since January, just 598,000 jobs have been added nationwide, a steep drop compared with the 1.4 million created during the same period last year. The unemployment rate inched up to 4.3% in August—the highest level seen outside of the pandemic since September 2017.

Editorial credit: miss.cabul / Shutterstock.com