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By CHRISTOPHER RUGABER, Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal Reserve governor Michelle Bowman on Monday said the central bank should consider cutting its key interest rate as soon as its next meeting in July, underscoring deep divisions among Fed officials as they endure sharp criticism from the White House.

Bowman said that President Donald Trump’s tariffs have so far not caused the jump in inflation that many economists feared, and any upcoming increase in prices would likely be just a one-time rise.

“It is likely that the impact of tariffs on inflation may take longer, be more delayed, and have a smaller effect than initially expected,” Bowman said in a speech Monday in Prague. “Should inflation pressures remain contained, I would support lowering the policy rate as soon as our next meeting,” which is scheduled for July 29-30.

Bowman, who was appointed to the Fed’s board of governors by Donald Trump in 2018, is the second high-profile official to express support for a potential July cut in as many days. On Friday, Christopher Waller, also a Trump appointee to the Fed’s board, said in a television interview that the Fed should consider cutting borrowing costs next month. read more

By MICHELLE CHAPMAN, Associated Press

Real estate brokerage company Compass has filed a lawsuit against Zillow over its policy to ban private home listings.

In a filing with the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, Compass claims that “Zillow has sought to rely on anticompetitive tactics to protect its monopoly and revenues in violation of the antitrust laws.”

Compass says that Zillow has implemented an exclusionary policy that says if a home seller and their real estate agent market their property off Zillow for more than one day, that Zillow and its allies, Redfin and eXp Realty, will ban that home from being listed on their search platforms.

“The Zillow Ban seeks to ensure that all home listings in this country are steered on to its dominant search platform so Zillow can monetize each home listing and protect its monopoly,” Compass said in the lawsuit.

Compass alleges that the ‘Zillow Ban’ was enacted to prevent rivals from competing against it and reduces homeowner choice. read more

Jason Kephart and Susan Dziubinski of Morningstar

Why do target-date funds make ideal IRA investments?

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Here to discuss this topic is Jason Kephart, a senior principal with Morningstar’s manager research team. The interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Q: Target-date funds tend to be great investments for an IRA, because if investors choose the target-date fund that fits their time horizon, then that IRA effortlessly fits in with the rest of a portfolio. Delve into that.

A: Target-date funds are a great set-it-and-forget-it for investors who don’t want to spend a lot of time thinking about: How much of my portfolio should be in stocks versus bonds? What funds should I pick to fill those buckets?The target date takes all that off the hands of investors. read more

The fourth haunted house for this year’s Halloween Horror Nights is a throwback to last year’s event at Universal Studios, the theme park announced Monday. Visitors will experience Hatchet and Chains: Demon Bounty Hunters in a larger format in 2025, Universal Orlando says.

“In this Old West town, all hell is breaking loose,” reads a social media description. “Red-hot lava demons are trying to possess everyone, melting everything in their path.”

Universal Studios: ‘M3GAN’ again has moves in theme park

Hatchet and Chains was one of the featured presentations within the 2024 house called Slaughter Sinema 2, which was a round-up maze of (fictional) B-movies. The Hatchet scenes included a saloon, demons and the scent of roses. The original Slaughter Sinema concept debuted at HHN in 2018.

Among other elements of Slaughter Cinema 2 were “Night of the Undead Clowns,” “Mardi Gras Murders,” “Mummy Strippers: Unwrapped” and the Carey Drive-In.

Universal: New Las Vegas haunt will have Van Helsing vibes read more

NEW YORK (AP) — President Donald Trump’s media company plans to buy back up to $400 million of its stock, which have lost 46% of their value this year.

Trump Media and Technology Group, which operates the Truth Social media platform, said Monday that the acquisition will improve its financial flexibility. It will retire the shares after they are purchased, meaning these particular shares can’t be reissued.

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Companies can drive their stock higher by acquiring or removing the number of company shares outstanding. Trump is the largest stakeholder in Trump Media, with about 114 million shares. read more