Getting the economic balance right

January 23, 2015 - Daily News Briefing

Amid persistent worries about deflation, the European Central Bank is following the lead of the Federal Reserve.

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A man accused of plotting to attack the US Capitol and kill federal officials and workers there pleaded not guilty Thursday to all the charges against him. Christopher Lee Cornell, of the Cincinnati suburb of Green Township, entered the pleas during a brief arraignment in US District Court in Cincinnati. He will continue to be held without bond. The 20-year-old Cornell planned to "wage jihad' by attacking the Capitol with pipe bombs and shooting government officials and employees, the FBI has said in court documents.

Iraqi commanders heavily dependent on outside support to defeat the Islamic State group are increasingly voicing frustration over the U.S.-led coalition's efforts, complaining of miscommunication, failed deliveries of weapons, inadequate training and differences in strategy. Leaders of the coalition stressed its successes at a London meeting Thursday, with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry saying that nearly 2,000 airstrikes had helped ground forces retake 270 square miles of territory, kill 50 percent of Islamic State commanders and choked off some of the group's oil revenue.

Antigovernment protests in Congo have left at least a dozen people dead, officials said Thursday, as the Senate postponed a vote on a proposed law that the opposition fears will prolong the president's time in power. After three days of unrest, Congo's capital returned cautiously to normal on Thursday, but protests continued elsewhere.

Former US Sen. and Kentucky Gov. Wendell Ford, an unapologetic smoker whose unfiltered chats and speeches endeared him to voters in a state that once thrived on tobacco and coal, has died at age 90. Best known for his 25 years in the US Senate and for helping to define a generation of Kentucky Democrats, Ford never identified with sweeping issues or great crusades. Instead, constituents knew he would always take time to stop by neighborhood corner stores to "buy a pack of cigarettes and chat a little."

A dispute over a cake in Colorado raises a new question about gay rights and religious freedom: If bakers can be fined for refusing to serve married gay couples, can they also be punished for declining to make a cake with anti-gay statements? Marjorie Silva, owner of Denver's Azucar Bakery, is facing a complaint from a customer alleging she discriminated against his religious beliefs. According to Silva, the man wanted a Bible-shaped cake with hateful words about gays that he wanted written on the cake. Silva told the customer she would make the cake, but not write the words.

The number of Americans filing new claims for unemployment benefits fell last week from a seven-month high, pointing to continued improvement in labor market conditions. Initial claims for state unemployment benefits slipped 10,000 to a seasonally adjusted 307,000 for the week ended Jan. 17, the Labor Department said on Thursday. That reversed the bulk of the prior week's increase which had pushed claims to their highest level since early June, but fell short of economists expectations for a 300,000 reading.

Jeff Gordon, the wildly popular four-time NASCAR champion, said Thursday he will retire as a full-time driver after the 2015 season. The 43-year-old Gordon is coming off one of his best seasons in years. He won four times in 2014, including the Brickyard 400. Gordon did not officially call his decision a retirement because there is "always the possibility I'll compete in selected events, although I currently have no plans to do that." He has spent his entire 23-year career in the No. 24 car with Hendrick Motorsports, and he delivered the news to his team at the shop.

“The object of the Monitor is to injure no man, but to bless all mankind.” – Mary Baker Eddy

The Daily News Briefing is published Monday through Friday by The Christian Science Publishing Society in Boston, Massachusetts.

To send a comment to the Editor, email editor@csmonitor.com.

“The object of the Monitor is to injure no man, but to bless all mankind.” – Mary Baker Eddy

The Daily News Briefing is published Monday through Friday by The Christian Science Publishing Society in Boston, Massachusetts.

To send a comment to the Editor, email editor@csmonitor.com.

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