The Federal Reserve raised its benchmark interest rate for the first time since 2023 on Wednesday by 0.25%. 

The Details: The increase brings interest rates to between 3.75% and 4.00%. Fed's policymakers voted 12-0 for the hike and suggested one more 0.25% interest rate hike could come before the end of the year. President Trump responded on Truth Social by saying, "LOWER THE INTEREST RATES FOR THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, AND FAST!"

For Context: Interest rates are primarily raised to combat persistent inflation and cool down an overheating economy. President Trump has pressed the Fed to lower interest rates for years. Outlets across the political spectrum noted the decision was in response to price increases from the Iran war. The current inflation rate is above the Fed's 2% target, according to The Hill (Center bias).

US Economy: NBC News (Lean Left) said the increase "defied President Trump's wishes for lower interest rates." NBC's article painted a broader picture of the current economy, noting both the S&P 500 and Dow both closed below expectations on Wednesday, and bond yields were at their highest level in years. It noted Trump's previous calls to lower the interest rate and debunked his claims that the US has "the Best Credit in the World," saying Canada, Australia and Germany are all rated higher by S&P. NBC quoted Fed Chair Kevin Warsh saying "inflation is too high and has been for too long." It also quoted a Wells Fargo spokesperson who said Warsh and the committee were "sending a clear message that the Fed will not tolerate inflation drifting further above target."

Resilient Market: Fox Business (Lean Right) quoted the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC), which said, "Economic activity is expanding at a solid pace…domestic spending has been resilient. Productivity growth is strong, and capital investment is robust." FOMC noted "job gains have kept pace with the workforce, and the unemployment rate has changed little…Today's policy action will support a timelier return to the Committee's 2% goal." It also quoted Warsh, but focused on his claims of a resilient economy, with him saying the panel "will deliver price stability" and that the decision "comes at a time when the American economy appears to be strengthening."

Trump Admin Response: The Hill quoted White House adviser Peter Navarro who it said "blasted" the Fed and called the increase "a bad decision." Navarro also accused the Fed of being politicized under Warsh's predecessor, Jerome Powell, and said he didn't think Warsh "was the right guy." The New York Post (Right) conversely highlighted Trump's "confidence" in Warsh despite the Fed "defying" his order. It quoted Trump saying he told Warsh, "You might as well vote with the board because it's just not going to matter." Trump also criticized the FOMC saying, "The board is very hostile. They're very political. They're doing the wrong thing. They're a bunch of politicians."

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The Trump administration has moved to legalize the accidental killing or injury of endangered animals, according to The New York Times (Lean Left bias).

The Details: The Times said it saw "an internal memo" sent to US Fish and Wildlife Service field offices on Sept. 14 that instructs a reinterpretation of the Endangered Species Act so only the intentional targeting of an endangered animal would be considered a crime. The Times said the memo gives a few example scenarios. It reportedly reads, "A vessel that inadvertently strikes a whale has not taken it, because the vessel's course was not set against the whale." In another, it says, "Felling a tree is not a take of the bats roosting in it unless the tree is felled for the purpose of killing or capturing them."

Story Framing: The Times framed the move as a "seismic shift" that has come "quietly." It said it would be "transformative" because in the US, "the killing of endangered animals almost always happens incidentally, in the course of economic activity," and that "until now, industries and individuals could be held accountable for those foreseeable deaths and, as a result, they have been incentivized to avoid them."

Previously: Back in July, the Trump administration rescinded the Endangered Species Act's definition of "harm," making it so that destroying an animal's habitat or nest was not illegal. This prompted lawsuits from 20 states and Washington, DC. The directive also took effect on Sept. 14 and sparked some pushback in Congress. On March 31, the Trump administration voted to exempt oil and gas companies drilling in the Gulf of Mexico from the Endangered Species Act.

How The Media Covered It: The Times's report was not widely picked up across the spectrum, though AllSides found coverage from Common Dreams (Left) and Newsmax (Right). Mainstream outlets have widely covered the Trump administration's July directive since it was issued, however, and continued to do so this week since it took effect.

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Kentucky Republican Rep. Thomas Massie introduced a resolution to impeach Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Tuesday over his handling of the conflict in Iran. Speaker of the House Mike Johnson announced that the 7-week campaign recess will begin Wednesday, rather than the originally planned date on Thursday, delaying a vote on the impeachment until after midterm elections.

Massie's Plans to Impeach Hegseth: The Hill (Center bias) reported that Massie "hid" his Hegseth impeachment resolution from Republican leaders out of fear of subversion. Massie said, "I didn't want to show it to anybody. I was afraid that they would do something to subvert me getting on the floor for an hour and 20 minutes and reading these articles." The Hill noted that "it is unclear whether any other Republicans will join him in the effort to impeach Hegseth" and cited a variety of officials who have defended Hegseth, including Attorney General Todd Blanche and Pentagon press secretary Kingsley Wilson. Wilson said, "By every measurable metric, the Department of War is better under President Trump and Secretary Hegseth's leadership than before."

House to Adjourn Early: CNN (Lean Left) wrote that the House's early adjournment will "stave off" a vote on impeaching Hegseth. CNN claimed that Republican lawmakers were already "in a dour mood" over contentious political issues such as tariffs and artificial intelligence before the "new headache" of Massie's resolution. The outlet alleged that Republicans found a way to "stall that vote" despite Johnson's claim that the recess had nothing to do with Hegseth. New York Post (Lean Right) similarly reported that "early exit allows GOP leadership to avoid a politically dicey vote" on impeaching Hegseth.

Responses from Lawmakers: Johnson said of Massie's resolution, "It is a publicity stunt by someone who wants attention. It will immediately be tabled, of course. But we probably won't do that today, we will do it when we come back. We should not be playing games with national security." The Post quoted Massie's X post about the recess, where he wrote, "And there it is. Just as I predicted. They're canceling Congress tomorrow to avoid the vote on IMPEACHING [Hegseth]. It will also make it harder for us to reach 218 signatures on the Epstein Discharge Petition before the election. We were at 190+ signatures last night."

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