
What is the federal reserve: What the Federal Reserve can and cannot do
The Federal Reserve sets interest rates, supervises banks, and lends to banks in stress. It does not set taxes or pass the budget; Congress wrote its mandate in statute.

The Federal Reserve sets interest rates, supervises banks, and lends to banks in stress. It does not set taxes or pass the budget; Congress wrote its mandate in statute.

The monthly jobs report moves markets within minutes, but its numbers rest on strict definitions. Here is what the unemployment rate does and does not tell you.

A tariff is a tax a government places on imported goods, paid by the importer. Here is who wins, who loses, and why prices move when tariffs change.

A once-a-decade headcount, plus quieter yearly surveys, decide where money, seats and services flow.

When a hometown paper closes, what disappears is not just coverage. It is a shared record that residents, courts, and councils could all check.

The basket of goods behind the headline number, and how to read it.