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Here is our weekly survey of news stories to round out the week of April 20-26, 2015.
How does the Armenian genocide resonate? Experts @nigargoksel @amberinzaman @TomdeWaalCEIP @endeavoringE respond: http://t.co/xos5SL6Pvi
— CFR (@CFR_org) April 22, 2015
Hillary Clinton backer switches to Martin O’Malley: http://t.co/qZvYoNnrRq pic.twitter.com/SyrVi3OkBu
— The Hill (@thehill) April 22, 2015
America cannot stop genocide as long as policymakers and human rights advocates stick to black-and-white narratives. http://t.co/hJXD1s2AVW
— Foreign Policy (@ForeignPolicy) April 22, 2015
When 2015 began policymakers figured that the U.S. Federal Reserve would raise interest rates. Optimism about the strength of the U.S. economy, as well as projections that inflation would soon meet the Federal Reserve’s preferable mark of 2%, lent credence to these predictions. However, lower than expected growth during the first quarter, coupled with disappointing unemployment data and stubborn inflation statistics have caused some observers to change their predictions of a rate increase. Instead of expecting an increase in 2015, some are now saying that a change in monetary policy will not occur until next year. The minutes of the Federal Reserve’s meeting last month show that it is divided about what to do and this uncertainty means that extempers could face questions over the next three months about when the Federal Reserve will act, and if it should raise interest rates before the end of the year.
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Chicago is the third-largest city in the United States. Home to more than 2.7 million people, it is battling some of the same crises as other major urban centers in the country: declining population, poorly performing public schools, high crime, and a growing pension crisis. On April 7, Chicago voters went to the polls to participate in the first mayoral runoff since the city moved to nonpartisan mayoral elections in 1999. The battle was framed as an internal Democratic Party struggle that pitted Mayor Rahm Emanuel, a centrist, against progressive Cook County commissioner Jesus “Chuy” Garcia. After the votes were tallied, Emanuel won re-election by a comfortable 56-44% margin, but doing so cost millions of dollars and the fact that the election went to a runoff, especially after Emanuel’s biggest challengers dropped out of the race prior to the first round of voting, was deemed as a blow to Emanuel’s political reputation. Emanuel must now deal with the city’s economic problems, its teachers’ union, and a city council that is growing more progressive. His success in doing so may determine whether he is able to achieve higher national office in the future.
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