News Recap - July 31, 2024

Highlighted national news events from July 31, 2024

Each day is packed with events happening all over the world. Cut through the noise so you can stay on top of what matters most.

Interest Rates

The Federal Reserve is leaving the current interest rate unchanged at 5.5 percent but suggests a rate cut is possible in the future. [More]

Meanwhile, the Bank of Japan has raised its interest rate by 0.25% in an aggressive move to prevent the yen from losing value against the U.S. dollar. This comes amid recent concerns over the yen’s decline which has been harming Japan’s economy due to high import costs for oil and other items, including food. [More]

New Jersey and AR-15 Rifles

A judge has ruled that New Jersey’s ban on AR-15 rifles is unconstitutional. U.S. District Judge Peter Sheridan, a George W. Bush appointee, said in his decision that possessing AR-15s for self-defense purposes is protected under the Second Amendment and was “inconsistent with our Nation’s historical tradition of firearm regulation.” His ruling allows for the use of the AR-15 for “self-defense within the home”. State Attorney General Matthew Platkin said his office would appeal the ruling. [More]

Title IX

A judge in Oklahoma has blocked the Biden administration’s revised Title IX federal statute that essentially compels public schools to allow biological males (who identify as trans) into girls’ sports, as well as bathrooms and locker rooms. Trump appointee U.S. District Judge Jodi Dishman ruled in favor of the state’s motion for a preliminary injunction against Title IX, making Oklahoma the 22nd state to block the Biden admin’s statute. [More]

(Title IX bans sex-based discrimination, but the Biden admin revised the definition to also prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. The rules will take place on August 1 in all U.S. states that don’t have a preliminary injunction.)

Meanwhile, a separate judge in Alabama rejected efforts to block Biden’s revised Title IX from taking effect in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina. [More]

Death Penalty Ruling

The South Carolina Supreme Court ruled that the state’s death penalty is legal and convicted prisoners may be executed by firing squad, lethal injection, or electrocution. South Carolina is now one of five U.S. states that allow executions by firing squad. This method has only been used three times since 1976, all in Utah.

Per WSOC-TV: “All five justices agreed with at least part of the ruling, opening the door to restart executions in a state that hasn’t put an inmate to death since 2011. But two of the justices said they felt the firing squad was not a legal way to kill an inmate and one of them felt the electric chair is a cruel and unusual punishment.” [More]

Daily Inspiration

“Be the calm in someone’s storm. Show them that there is still hope and peace to be found.” - St. Martin de Porres

---