Trump weighs

Iran actions

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump was meeting with his national security team to discuss the Iranian government’s violent crackdown on protesters as he looks to get a better understanding of the number of Iranian citizens who have been killed and arrested in more than two weeks of unrest throughout the country. Trump said believes that the killing — human rights monitors say the death toll has exceeded 2,000 — is “significant” and that his administration would “act accordingly.”

He added that he believed the Iranian government was “badly misbehaving.” He said he has yet to receive a confirmed number of Iranians killed in the protests that began late last month. Trump added, “The message is they’ve got to show humanity.”

Bankers stand

by Powell

FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — Central bankers from around the world have expressed full support for U.S. Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell. This comes after President Donald Trump escalated his confrontation with the Fed by threatening criminal charges.

The central bankers, including European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde, emphasized the importance of central bank independence for economic stability. The dispute ostensibly centers on Powell’s congressional testimony in June about renovation costs, but Trump has criticized Powell for not cutting rates faster.

Economists warn that a politicized Fed could harm its credibility.

Inflation stays

above target

WASHINGTON (AP) — Inflation declined a bit last month as prices for gas and used cars fell, a sign that cost pressures are slowly easing. The Labor Department said Tuesday that consumer prices rose 0.3% in December from the prior month, the same as in November.

Excluding the volatile food and energy categories, core prices rose 0.2%, also matching November’s figure. Even as inflation has eased, the large price increases for necessities such as groceries, rent, and health care have left many American households feeling squeezed, turning “affordability” issues into high-profile political concerns.

‘West Wing’

actor charged

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Emmy Award-winning actor Timothy Busfield turned himself in Tuesday to authorities in New Mexico to face child sex abuse charges. Albuquerque police had issued an arrest warrant on counts of criminal sexual contact of a minor and child abuse.

The acts allegedly occurred on the set of “The Cleaning Lady,” a TV series Busfield directed and acted in. Busfield denied the allegations when interviewed by authorities during the investigation. He suggested the boy’s mother was seeking revenge for her children being replaced on the series.

He is known for appearances in “The West Wing,” “Field of Dreams” and “Thirtysomething,” the latter of which won him an Emmy.