Stories from United States

Married couples in the middle and upper-middle income brackets, with income from multiple sources, are disproportionately affected by rising costs. These individuals often rely on Social Security and distributions from retirement accounts like IRAs and 401Ks. The financial burden is significant for this demographic.

Rosa Kettumäki has been appointed as the second correspondent to Washington, joining Ilmari Reonameen.

Autonomous taxi companies are testing their services in Washington D.C. but face delays in regulatory approval from DDOT. While companies are eager to launch, citing successful operations in other cities like Los Angeles and Austin, D.C. has cited federal issues. Proponents argue self-driving taxis could be safer than human drivers. The announcement comes alongside new data regarding the impact of federal cuts on the regional economy. No specific timeline for the rollout was provided in the report.

Casinos have been actively recruiting churchgoers, offering them incentives like free rooms and liquor to gamble. This strategy has led to some individuals becoming 'whales,' or high-stakes gamblers, with casinos flying them to various locations for play.

Prosecutor St Van Dyke has been charged with wire fraud and the theft of non-public government information. The charges follow his withdrawal of winnings from a Polymarket account on the day of a major operation. Polymarket has referred the matter to the Department of Justice and is cooperating with investigations.

The US Treasury Department is providing cybersecurity intelligence to the cryptocurrency industry at no cost.

Senator Chris Van Hollen and other Democrats have proposed a new tax targeting the income of millionaires. Democrat Graham Plattner is proposing a wealth tax targeting individuals with assets exceeding $1 billion. The proposed tax would levy a rate of 5-6% on such wealth. Implementation of the tax could potentially generate $4 trillion for the treasury over many years.

President Trump is scheduled to attend the White House Correspondents Association dinner in Washington, D.C. This marks his first appearance at the event as president, following a history of boycotting the dinner during his first term.

The U.S. Department of Justice has dropped its criminal investigation into Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell. The probe originally focused on renovation costs at the Federal Reserve headquarters that the Trump administration claimed were over budget. This decision follows a federal judge's recent ruling quashing subpoenas issued by prosecutors to the central bank.

Two major wildfires in South Georgia have destroyed more than 100 homes and scorched over 40,000 acres of land. New fires were reported starting overnight, complicating emergency response efforts. Local residents have been forced to flee as the blazes continue to spread. Fire official Josh Grisham stated that crews are focusing on structure protection and building containment lines around residences.