NYC

On Wednesday, eight people were killed and eleven were injured as a rented pickup truck was rammed down a bike path close to the World Trade Center. This was the deadliest terrorist attack in NYC since 9/11. The attacker, Sayfullo Saipov, was 29-year-old immigrant from Uzbekistan, who moved to the US seven years ago, settling in Paterson, New Jersey. Saipov said he was inspired to commit the attack by videos from the Islamic State (after coming to the US, as investigation so far shows).

Another Uzbek national is being questioned in regards to the attack as well.

President Trump has urged to sentence the attacker to the death penalty. The president has also called to end the diversity visa program, in which visas are given out yearly to people from countries with low immigration rates to the US and through which Saipov arrived to the US.

Since 2014, there have been 15 vehicular attacks in the West by jihadist terrorists, killing 142 people.

Russing into trouble

Weeks ago, George Papadopoulos, Trump’s ex-campaign adviser, was charged for conspiracy and lying to the FBI. He pleaded guilty and has been cooperating with the investigation. Then, on Monday, Paul Manafort, Trump’s former campaign chairman, was charged on 12 counts by the FBI, including conspiracy against the  US and money laundering. Manafort denied the allegations. Trump says “there is NO COLLUSION”.

And Wednesday, Congress held a hearing of representatives from Facebook, Google, and Twitter regarding the way Russians had used the platforms to affect the election. Last year, Russian organizations have pushed misinformation through the platforms regarding the candidates and voting, targeting people based on their location, race, religion, and political preferences. The Congress threatened to increase the regulations on the companies if they don’t act soon to prevent a similar intervention in the 2018 Senate elections.

Something fishy

Puerto Rico continues to struggle in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria, two-thirds of the island still without power. On Monday, its government decided to cancel an energy contract with the small Montana company Whitefish. The contract was worth $300 million and aimed to restore energy to the island, a task requiring thousands of workers… while Whitefish only had two people employed full-time at the time of the signing. Also, the company is based in the same town that US Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke comes from. Interesting.

Congress has initiated an investigation into the case.

Getting a new chair

On Thursday, President Trump nominated Jerome Powell as the next Federal Reserve chairman. Trump’s nominee will replace Janet Yellen, who has only served for one term. The Federal Reserve is in charge of promoting sustainable growth, keeping unemployment low, and stabilizing prices. While Powell is expected to keep the market consistent and stable, some people are questioning his lack of financial experience. The move came as a surprise for many, as the Fed chairman is not typically replaced so soon. No luck for Janet though.