The Federal Reserve is widely thought to be set to increase US interest rates for the first time in ten years. Shares have risen in Europe and on Wall Street in anticipation.
which brings us to…
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WORLD
In an sometimes chaotic, sometimes lackluster show last night in Las Vegas, Republican presidential candidates debated – if that’s remotely close to the right word – national security and foreign policy. It was the final televised GOP gathering before the start of the election year, and turned out to be one of the most-watched ever.
Donald Trump, who before the debate had surged to his highest national poll rating so far, apparently “pledged” to forego a third-party candidacy and run as a Republican. That is, while he’s winning.
Jeb Lund writes at The Guardian:
Banks’ friend and fellow online artist and Vegas resident Empress Delfina joins us. She is dressed and shaped like a dead ringer for Lana from the television show Archer, which briefly freezes our Arab waiter in his tracks. After conferring over the fact that neither would vote for “these idiots”, Banks and Delfina start in on Trump.
Delfina leans forward. “A friend of mine who runs a club got a signed hat from Trump last night. It reminded me of something from my college psychology classes in New York. Analyzing signatures. It’s this jagged up-and-down signature, like he’s trying to cross himself out. I looked it up. It’s the signature of a sociopath.”
After two hours, neither has heard anything germane to their lives in Las Vegas. Not even anything about climate change, which the Pentagon considers an issue of national security, and which a desert oasis like Vegas is particularly vulnerable to.
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BUSINESS
Away from the Fed…
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CULTURE
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JOURNALISM
Long-time Belfast Telegraph sports journalist Jimmy Walker passed away, aged 78.
https://twitter.com/JohnCharlesLave/status/676743835586797569
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SPORTS
Jose Mourinho on his way out at Chelsea? Not so fast…
Baseball’s hit king Pete Rose was denied reinstatement after his ban from the game for gambling. He held a press conference to discuss it in, of course. Las Vegas.
Wednesday night sees the final game for USWNT star Abby Wambach.
Here’s her new goal…
The Overnight Note 