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By AAMER MADHANI and JOSH BOAK, Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump attacked Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell on Thursday for not cutting interest rates and said he could fire him if he wanted to, renewing a threat from his first term that could cause a major legal showdown over the issue of the central bank’s longstanding political independence.

“If I want him out, he’ll be out of there real fast, believe me,” Trump said in the Oval Office while taking questions from reporters with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. “I’m not happy with him.”

Trump’s comments followed a posting on his social media site in which he called on Powell to cut the Fed’s short-term interest rate and said, “Powell’s termination cannot come fast enough!”

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By FATIMA HUSSEIN

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration plans to eliminate the IRS’ Direct File program, an electronic system for filing tax returns directly to the agency for free, according to two people familiar with the decision.

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The program developed during Joe Biden’s presidency was credited by users with making tax filing easy, fast and economical. But Republican lawmakers and commercial tax preparation companies complained it was a waste of taxpayer money because free filing programs already exist, although they are hard to use. read more

By CHRISTOPHER RUGABER

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Federal Reserve can stay patient and wait to see how tariffs and other economic policies of the Trump administration play out before making any changes to interest rates, Chair Jerome Powell said Wednesday.

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“As that great Chicagoan Ferris Bueller once noted, ‘Life moves pretty fast,’” Powell said in a speech to the Economic Club of Chicago. “For the time being, we are well positioned to wait for greater clarity” on the impact of policy changes in areas such as immigration, taxation, regulation, and tariffs, Powell said. read more

By AMANDA SWINHART and PATRICK WHITTLE

MORGAN, Vt. (AP) — Making maple syrup in New England’s fickle spring weather can be an unpredictable business. Now President Donald Trump’s ever-changing tariff policies are adding anxiety about an industry that depends on multinational trade.

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“Any kind of disruption with our cross border enterprise, we feel it,” said Jim Judd, a fourth-generation sugarer who owns Judd’s Wayeeses Farms in Morgan, Vermont. “It’s uncertain enough making maple syrup.”

Judd, who has been making Vermont’s signature product since the 1970s, says multiple countries contribute to each container of the sticky sweetener. Stainless steel fixtures used connect sap lines and boil the liquid into syrup can originate in China. Packaging often comes from Italy. And the vast majority of equipment is sold by Canada, which produces about four-fifths of the planet’s maple syrup — and sells nearly two-thirds of it to U.S. consumers. read more

Universal Helios Grand Hotel, adjacent to the future Epic Universe theme park, is now open to guests, Universal Orlando confirms.

The debut of the 500-room resort may seem to have come early as its opening has been touted as with the opening of Epic, which is currently in its preview phases and officially will open to the public on May 22.

The Mediterranean styling of Helios Grand is seen from inside the theme park, standing at the far edge of its Celestial Park area.  The hotel has its own dedicated entrance to Epic, and it’s wedged between the Dark Universe and Wizarding World of Harry Potter — Ministry of Magic areas of the park.

Pictures: A look inside Helios Grand Hotel at Universal Epic Universe

Features of the new hotel include the rooftop Helios Bar, which has views of Epic Universe as well as the other side of the hotel; Lotus Lagoon swimming pool area with cabanas; dining options named Flora Taverna and Aurora Market; and the Universal Studios Store.  Helios also has select rooms with “How to Train Your Dragon” theming. read more