Cross-country storm set to bring more snow to Northeast: Forecast
ABC News
(NEW YORK) — The storm that brought heavy rain and mountain snow to the West Coast is making the trek across the country to bring a significant snowstorm to the Northeast this weekend.
The snow will first hit the upper Midwest on Friday. Up to 8 inches of snow is expected, with cold and blustery weather sticking around through the weekend in states like Minnesota and Wisconsin.
On Saturday, that storm combines with moisture streaming in from the South, enhancing the snow potential for a large portion of the Northeast.
Cities like Hartford, Connecticut; Providence, Rhode Island; and Boston are all facing heavy snow from Saturday evening into Sunday morning.
A winter storm watch is in effect in the Northeast; there’s a high likelihood of 4 to 8 inches of snow. New York City is included in the winter storm watch, though the city will be right on the fringe of heavier snow to the north and much lesser amounts to the south.
Some spots in New England could see up to 1 foot of snow.
Then, next week, another storm could bring more snow and ice to the Interstate 95 corridor. Cities like Baltimore, Philadelphia, New York City and Boston are all looking at a potential winter storm Tuesday into Wednesday.
(WASHINGTON) — The Smithsonian National Zoo in Washington, D.C, caused panda-monium on Christmas Day when it released a video of it’s newest celebrities, Bao Li and Qing Bao.
In the video, the giant pandas are seen rolling in grass, climbing trees and being “unbearably cute.”
The young pandas were brought to the zoo this past fall.
Bao Li, pronounced as BOW-lee, is a male and was born Aug 4. 2021. According to the National Zoo website, “Bao” means precious and treasure in Mandarin Chinese. The name “Li” refers to vitality and strength, and “Bao Li” means an active and vital power.
Qing Bao, pronounced ching-BOW, is a female and was born Sep 12. 2021. Her name means “green” and “treasure” in Mandarin Chinese. According to the National Zoo website, “Qing” describes the lush and mountainous habitat of pandas. “Bao” reflects how cherished and adored she is.
The pandas are set to debut to the public on Jan 24, 2025, in their renovated habitat on Asia Trail.
The Federal Reserve Board Building. Via Douglas Rissing/Getty Images
(WASHINGTON) — A jobs report to be released on Friday will provide a key gauge of the nation’s economic health, just days before the inauguration of President-elect Donald Trump.
The findings could also help determine whether the Federal Reserve will cut interest rates when officials meet later this month.
U.S. hiring has defied doomsayers for much of President Joe Biden’s term in office. Stubborn inflation, high interest rates and a contentious presidential campaign have proven no match for a resilient labor market.
Economists expect the U.S. to have added 155,000 jobs in December. The figure would mark a slowdown from the previous month but it would keep the labor market growing at a steady clip.
In November, employers added a robust 227,000 jobs. The unemployment rate ticked up to 4.2%, but it continued to hover near a 50-year low.
Alongside steady hiring, inflation has eased and the economy has expanded, giving rise to hope that the U.S. can achieve a soft landing.
Inflation has slowed dramatically from a peak of more than 9% in June 2022, but price increases remain higher than the Fed’s target of 2%. The pace of price increases has ticked up in recent months.
The Fed dialed back its fight against inflation over the final months of last year, lowering interest rates by a percentage point. Still, the Fed’s interest rate remains at a historically high level of between 4.25% and 4.5%.
Last month, the Fed predicted fewer rate cuts in 2025 than it had previously indicated, suggesting concern that inflation may prove more difficult to bring under control than policymakers thought just a few months ago.
A solid jobs report that matches economists’ expectations could give the Fed more reason to delay interest rate cuts, since such a sign of economic strength may ease concern that a continuation of high interest rates would tip the economy into a downturn.
Instead, the Fed could wait and see if inflation falls closer to target levels, while remaining somewhat assured that the labor market will remain sturdy.
If the jobs report falls short of economists’ expectations, however, central bankers may view potential interest rate cuts with a heightened sense of urgency.
Speaking at a press conference in Washington D.C. on Wednesday, Fed Chair Jerome Powell said the central bank may proceed at a slower pace with future rate cuts, in part because it has now lowered interest rates a substantial amount.
Powell also said a recent resurgence of inflation influenced the Fed’s expectations, noting that some policymakers considered uncertainty tied to potential policy changes under Trump.
“It’s common-sense thinking that when the path is uncertain, you get a little slower,” Powell said. “It’s not unlike driving on a foggy night or walking around in a dark room full of furniture.”
Trump has proposed tariffs of between 60% and 100% on Chinese goods, and a tax of between 10% and 20% on every product imported from all U.S. trading partners.
Economists widely forecast that tariffs of this magnitude would increase prices paid by U.S. shoppers, since importers typically pass along a share of the cost of those higher taxes to consumers.
(NEW YORK) — The 2024 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade may be an attractive target for both foreign and domestic terroristic violence, according to a joint threat assessment obtained by ABC News.
Among the most significant threats facing the nation’s largest Thanksgiving celebration “stems from lone offenders and small groups of individuals seeking to commit acts of violence,” according to the report put out by multiple law enforcement agencies, including the FBI and New York Police Department.
There is not a “specific, actionable threat,” but the document raises a particular concern about vehicle ramming, which “has become a recurring tactic employed by threat actors” looking to target crowded pedestrian areas. The NYPD will have sanitation trucks and other so-called “blocker vehicles” deployed along the route, the report states.
The 98th annual parade steps off at 8:30 a.m. on Manhattan’s Upper West Side and proceeds along a 2 1/2-mile route toward Herald Square.
The parade is expected to draw 2 million spectators and 10,000 participants.
There are 17 featured character balloons, 22 floats, 15 heritage and novelty balloons, more than 700 clowns, 11 marching bands, 10 performance groups and, of course, Santa Claus to close it out. There are six new featured character balloons, including Disney’s Minnie Mouse and Marvel’s Spider-Man.
“Though the 2024 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade event will provide a broad set of potential soft targets for an attack, congested areas where the largest amount of people gather — particularly designated viewing areas — are likely the most vulnerable spots for a mass casualty attack,” the assessment said.
After pro-Palestinian protesters glued their hands to the pavement along the parade route last year, law enforcement agencies said they “remain concerned that malicious actors may seek to engage in public safety disruptions, including attempting to block ingress and egress paths and roadways around the event and major transportation locations.”
