A trial stops, some rates rise and the Force is back. It’s Thursday, and here are the 5 things you need to know to Get Up to Speed and Out the Door:
FREDDIE GRAY TRIAL
What now?: A mistrial was declared yesterday in the trial of William Porter, one of six Baltimore cops charged in Freddie Gray’s death, and legal analysts say its a major setback for the prosecution. If they wanted to use Porter to help convict the other five officers later on, that strategy is now in serious jeopardy. The judge will soon discuss new trial dates with the lawyers. Gray died last spring after he suffered a neck injury while in police custoday. Baltimore exploded in violence on the day he was buried, but the streets were calm yesterday, with protesters marching peacefully through the city.
ASH CARTER
Email echo: Here we go again. Another Obama administration official was reportedly using personal email to conduct government business. This time it’s Defense Secretary Ashton Carter, who used personal email even after all the flack Hillary Clinton got for using a personal email server during her time as secretary of state. Carter, like Clinton, says he hasn’t put sensitive information in jeopardy.
INTEREST RATES
Up from nothing: Interest rates can go up! We’d almost forgotten, since its been nearly a decade since the Fed has raised rates. The Fed raised its key interest rate by 0.25% yesterday, the first such hike since June 2006. The rates were put at zero in December 2008 to get us through the Great Recession, so this is the clearest sign yet that the economy is getting back on its feet.
WEAPONS SALE
Up in arms: The Obama administration OK’d a big arms deal for Taiwan yesterday, but China isn’t feeling it. The $1.83 billion sale — yes, billion, with a B — is the first such sale to the Asian island in four years and features mostly defensive weapons. China, which considers Taiwan part of its territory, said the sale violates international law and vowed to hit the companies involved in the sale with sanctions. That probably won’t matter much, though. The U.S. defense industry already steers clear of doing business with China.
‘STAR WARS’
The hype awakens: The Force is, finally, with us. Tonight — 10 years after the last “Star Wars” movie hit the big screen and three years after Disney bought the franchise — the world will finally get to see “Star Wars: The Force Awakens.” Fans are beyond pumped, the hype surrounding the film is almost unbearable and the early reviews are spectacular (but so were the ones for “The Phantom Menace,” so keep that in mind). And folks, if you don’t want to fall to spoilers before you see the movie, just stay off social media, OK?