Is the Fed's job finished?

+ Unabomber and linguistic forensics; coronavirus antibodies in nearly all Americans US Edition - Today's top story: Why the Federal Reserve's epic fight against inflation might be over [View in browser]( US Edition | 15 June 2023 [The Conversation] [The Conversation]( Top headlines - [The lasting health toll of Indian boarding schools]( - [Where people move after disasters and FEMA buyouts]( - [Why “constitutional counties” do not live up to the name]( Lead story If you’re hoping to borrow cash in the coming months, you got a bit of relief yesterday. The Federal Reserve put its aggressive interest rate campaign on hiatus as it takes a beat to see how close it is to its goal of driving inflation down to around 2% – from 4%-5% today, depending on how you measure it. The question on everyone’s mind remains: Is the Fed finished? If you ask the central bank, it might say “not quite,” as it has signaled two more quarter-point rate hikes this year. But if you ask Ryan Herzog, an economist at Gonzaga University, the [answer is decidedly “yes.”]( Herzog explains why he thinks the inflation data shows the Fed is closer to its goal than it might appear – and why further rate hikes could do more harm than good. [[Science from the scientists themselves. Sign up here to weekly science email.](] Bryan Keogh Deputy Managing Editor and Senior Editor of Economy and Business Today's newsletter supported by [generous readers like you.]( Time to press the stop button? iStock/Getty Images [Why the Federal Reserve’s epic fight against inflation might be over]( Ryan Herzog, Gonzaga University The Fed said it’s pausing its aggressive rate-hiking campaign as it collects more data on the impact. Arts + Culture - [How the Unabomber’s unique linguistic fingerprints led to his capture]( Roger J. Kreuz, University of Memphis Similar techniques used to identify criminals have been employed to unmask anonymous authors. But they aren’t foolproof. Science + Technology - [96.4% of Americans had COVID-19 antibodies in their blood by fall 2022]( Matt Hitchings, University of Florida; Derek Cummings, University of Florida There’s pretty much no one left in the US who hasn’t been exposed to the coronavirus, whether by vaccination, infection or both. - [EU files antitrust charges against Google – here’s how the ad tech at the heart of the case works]( Eric Zeng, Carnegie Mellon University Antitrust suits against Google for its advertising practices center on the technology for buying and selling online ads. A computer scientist explains how these ad networks work. Ethics + Religion - [Jewish denominations: A brief guide for the perplexed]( Joshua Shanes, College of Charleston Jewish communities have always followed some different customs in different parts of the world, but the 19th and 20th centuries brought much more dramatic divisions. Politics + Society - [Russians are using age-old military tactic of flooding to combat Ukraine’s counteroffensive]( Liam Collins, United States Military Academy West Point The ongoing war in Ukraine has forced the Russian military to reassess its ability to defend its territorial gains. The flooding of the Dnieper River gives the Russians a natural defense. - [Despite threats of violence, Trump’s federal indictment happened with little fanfare – but that doesn’t mean the far-right movement is fading, an extremism scholar explains]( Amy Cooter, Middlebury Since Facebook removed online hate groups and individuals from its platform, extremist groups are increasingly organizing in more discreet ways. - [How ‘constitutional county’ declarations undermine the Constitution – a legal scholar explains]( John E. Finn, Wesleyan University By declaring a ‘constitutional county,’ local leaders assert they are creating a refuge from anti- or unconstitutional actions undertaken by an overzealous state or federal authority. Environment + Energy - [When homes flood, who retreats and to where? We mapped thousands of buyouts and found the average move is only 7 miles, and race plays a role]( James R. Elliott, Rice University; Zheye (Jay) Wang, Rice University Two disaster response experts mapped who gets FEMA buyouts and where they go. It turns out, they don’t go far. Health + Medicine - [American Indians forced to attend boarding schools as children are more likely to be in poor health as adults]( Ursula Running Bear, University of North Dakota Native Americans sent to government-funded schools now experience significantly higher rates of mental and physical health problems than those who did not. - [Food insecurity already affects 12 million US homes – and reductions in SNAP benefits won’t help]( Hilary Seligman, University of California, San Francisco For many Americans, a healthy diet of fruits, vegetables and whole grains is beyond their reach. Trending on site - [If humans went extinct, what would the Earth look like one year later?]( - [Trump charged under Espionage Act – which covers a lot more crimes than just spying]( - [The US has a child labor problem – recalling an embarrassing past that Americans may think they’ve left behind]( Today's graphic [The chart shows the three-month rolling average of the surface temperature of the tropical Pacific Ocean from 1950 to 2023.]( From the story, [El Niño is back – that’s good news or bad news, depending on where you live]( - - More of The Conversation Like this newsletter? You might be interested in our weekly and biweekly emails: • [Weekly Highlights]( • [Science Editors' Picks]( • [This Week in Religion]( • [Politics Weekly]( • [Global Perspectives]( • [Global Economy & Business]( Trying out new social media? 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