NY poultry markets shut down as a precaution over bird flu
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(NEW YORK) — Live bird markets in New York City, Long Island and Westchester County will be shut down for a week after seven cases of avian flu in poultry were found at live bird markets in Brooklyn, the Bronx and Queens, state officials said Friday.
The cases were discovered during routine inspections. All infected flocks will be depopulated, officials said.
The state stressed the shutdowns are prudent steps. New York Gov. Kathy Hochul noted that avian flu does not pose a public health threat.
The order requires those markets to sell down all inventory, complete cleaning and disinfection procedures and remain closed for a period of five days after cleaning and disinfection.
There are no human cases of avian influenza, and the threat to the public is low.
Cases of bird flu have increased among animals — including dairy cows, wild birds, poultry and even pet cats.
On Wednesday, a second type of bird flu was found in dairy cows for the first time, the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced.
The number of birds affected by the virus has been rising in recent months, with roughly 7 million affected in November, 18 million in December, and 23 million in January, according to the latest figures from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
ABC News’ Mary Kekatos contributed to this report.
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.
The Warren County Sheriff’s Office have been identified as the remains of missing person Dana Leigh Mustian in North Carolina. (Warren County Sheriff’s Office)
(VANCE COUNTY, NC) — The remains of a North Carolina woman who had been missing for over a year have been found by a dive team, officials said.
A dive team discovered human remains in Vance County on Thursday, according to the Warren County Sheriff’s Office. Vance County is northeast of Raleigh and Durham, and borders Virginia on its north.
The remains were identified by the medical examiner’s office as those of Dana Leigh Mustian, 33.
Mustian was last seen at her home on Nov. 30, 2023, according to the Warren County Sheriff’s Office.
She was reported missing by her father on Dec. 4, 2023, according to the sheriff’s office.
The investigation into her disappearance and death will continue, the sheriff’s office said.
“We would like to thank Sheriff Curtis Brame and the Vance County Sheriff’s Office for their assistance,” the sheriff’s office added.
(NEW YORK) — The Brooklyn district attorney said he’s confident in the first-degree murder case against a man accused of setting a woman on fire and killing her as she slept on a New York City subway car.
Sebastian Zapeta, 33, waived his appearance in court Friday and will return to court on Jan. 7, when the indictment will be unsealed at his arraignment, prosecutors said.
Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez told reporters on Friday that he will do everything in his power to hold Zapeta responsible for his “malicious deed.” Gonzalez also thanked the grand jury for watching the disturbing images ahead of the holidays.
Zapeta was arrested on Monday in connection with the Sunday morning subway attack and was charged with first-degree murder, second-degree murder and first-degree arson.
He made his first court appearance on Tuesday and was held without bail. He has not entered a plea.
Around 7:30 a.m. Sunday, the unidentified victim was asleep on a stationary F train in Brooklyn when a man approached her and lit her clothes on fire with a lighter, police said.
Authorities do not believe the two knew each other and did not have a previous interaction, police said.
The suspect left the subway car after the incident, but images of him were captured on officers’ body cameras because the suspect stayed at the scene, sitting on a nearby bench, according to police. Those images were released as police requested the public’s assistance in identifying the man.
Three high school students recognized him and contacted police, authorities said.
Zapeta was taken into custody in a subway car at Manhattan’s Herald Square on Sunday evening. Police said he was found with a lighter in his pocket.
Zapeta is an undocumented immigrant from Guatemala, according to a spokesperson for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. He told authorities he does not know what happened, but he identified himself in the surveillance images.
