Federal Reserve

Trump keeps pressuring the Fed to cut rates. Here’s why its independence matters

Trump has threatened to fire Fed Chair Jerome Powell, challenging the Fed's independence. Experts say he's not the first president to target the central bank, but he's the most public and aggressive.

Trump visits Federal Reserve and tussles with Jerome Powell in extraordinary moment

President Trump visited the Federal Reserve to inspect an ongoing renovation and disagreed with the Fed chair about the project's final cost in an extraordinary moment.

Two officials fired by Trump return to court to challenge his power

Cathy Harris and Gwynne Wilcox, Democratic board members of independent agencies, argue President Trump lacked the authority to fire them, citing federal law and Supreme Court precedent.

Gov. Ivey Says Infrastructure is Top Priority

Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey says infrastructure is her administration’s top priority. Ivey made the comments in a speech Friday at the Public Affairs Research Council of Alabama’s annual meeting in Birmingham.

The Year Ahead for Transit in Birmingham

In this week's Magic City Marketplace, what to expect from Birmingham transit in 2017 and the effect of an interest rate hike on Birmingham banks.

Birmingham Rolls Out its Land Bank

The abundance of dilapidated and abandoned properties around Birmingham is something city leaders have struggled to deal with. A new tool to attack the problem is getting off the ground. It’s called a land bank. We talk about it in this week’s Magic City Marketplace.

Man Charged With Stealing Nearly $200,000 in Quarters

A Harpersville man is being charged with stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars in quarters while he worked for an armored truck company.

The Future of U.S. Steel

What remains of Birmingham’s steel industry took a major hit this summer when U.S. Steel announced it would be idling its blast furnace in Fairfield. About 1,100 workers were laid off. Thousands of more workers have lost jobs there through the decades, but U.S. Steel is trying to stay ahead in a very competitive economy. That’s where we start this week’s Magic City Marketplace.

A New Leader for the University of Alabama System

The University of Alabama System Board of Trustees is set to vote this month on a new leader for the three-campus system. Chancellor Robert Witt announced recently he’ll retire next August. He’s recommended current vice chancellor of finance and operations Ray Hayes for the job. We talk about what that next chancellor faces in this week's Magic City Marketplace.