The following is a rundown of the day’s news drawn from other media sources with topics curated just for Money and Markets readers: Personal security and freedom, Christie’s traffic jam scandal, business and finance.
Personal security and freedom
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Department of Justice ‘More Interested in Skin Color’ Than Education
The DOJ is asking for the state to provide an analysis of the racial composition of its private schools. “The proposal reeks of federal government intrusion and proves that the federal government is more interested in skin color than they are in education,” Republican Gov. Bobby Jindal said.
Most School Discipline Need Not Mean Court
“In our investigations, we have found cases where African-American students were disciplined more harshly and more frequently because of their race than similarly situated white students,” the Justice Department and Education Department said in the letter to school districts.
New School Discipline Guidelines: Stop Targeting Minorities
The Obama administration is urging schools to abandon overly zealous discipline policies that civil rights advocates have long said lead to a school-to-prison pipeline that discriminates against minority students.
1,400% Above Normal Radiation Hot Spot Found on San Francisco Beach
Following reports of abnormally high radiation readings on a beach in San Francisco, experts have discovered radiation hot spots measuring 1,400 percent above normal background levels, although they are keen to stress there is no link to Fukushima.
Outbreak of ‘Nightmare Bacteria’ in Illinois Stirs Worry
The outbreak, centered on a hospital in a Chicago suburb, has infected 44 people in Illinois over the past year, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said. The bug, known as carbapenem-resistant enterobacteriaceae, bears a rare enzyme that breaks down antibiotics.
Christie traffic jam scandal
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Christie Faces Scandal on Traffic Jam That Aides Ordered
“I am outraged and deeply saddened to learn that not only was I misled by a member of my staff, but this completely inappropriate and unsanctioned conduct was made without my knowledge,” he said.
‘It’s the Worst Example of a Petty Political Vendetta’
“Time for some traffic problems in Fort Lee,” read the damning Aug. 13 email made public Wednesday — the political payback to the mayor of Fort Lee, N.J., for his refusal to endorse the GOP incumbent last year.
Unconscious Woman Who Was Waiting for EMS Dies Because of Fort Lee Traffic
On Sept. 9, the first day of the traffic paralysis, EMS crews took seven to nine minutes to arrive at the scene of a vehicle accident where four people were injured, when the response time should have been less than four minutes.
Mayor to Chris Christie: ‘Don’t Call Me’
“I didn’t decide to join the fray of this until today when these e-mails surfaced. I’m not a retribution kind of a guy, but the folks that are responsible for this can no longer be in positions that they can actually cause this type of damage to other unsuspecting communities,” Mayor Sokolich told CNN.
Business and finance
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Study: Stock Market Declines May Be Deadly
Professors Joseph Engelberg and Christopher Parsons found from 1983 to 2011 that hospital admissions increased following stock market drops. People admitted complained especially of anxiety, depression or other conditions of mental or emotional stress.
Chamber of Commerce Declares 2014 the ‘Year of Immigration Reform’
Thomas Donohue, the president and CEO of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, declared 2014 the “year of immigration reform.” “Immigrants have brought innovation, ideas, investments and dynamism to American enterprise,” he said. “And in terms of demographics, we need immigration.”
Support at Fed for Slow Stimulus Cuts
The Federal Reserve’s decision in December to taper its bond-buying campaign reflected increased confidence in the economy and continued uneasiness about the stimulus effort, according to an official account of the December meeting.
Report Calls L.A. a City in Decline, Warns of Crisis in Leadership
Los Angeles is a city in decline, strangled by traffic, weighed down by poverty and suffering from “a crisis of leadership and direction,” according to a report released Wednesday by a 13-member citizen panel.
Macy’s to Lay Off 2,500 Employees Amid Cost-Cutting
In the same breath as it announced a “successful” holiday season, Macy’s said it would lay off some 2,500 employees as it attempts to achieve $100 million in savings a year.
Best wishes,
The Money and Markets Team
