Trump tries again with Congressional Black Caucus - CBS News

Almost three months after President Trump tried to mend fences with African American members of Congress at the White House, Mr. Trump is once again trying to restart talks with the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC). Mr. Trump's adviser Omarosa Manigault sent a letter to the CBC on June 9, inviting all members of the CBC back to the White House for a follow up meeting to "discuss issues pertinent to your members." A copy of the invitation was provided to CBS News by a Capitol Hill source. 

It's unclear what specifically Mr. Trump wants to discuss, but, according to the letter, the meeting was requested directly by the president. A meeting has not yet been scheduled. 

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Congressional Black Caucus sits down with President Trump

In the initial March 22 meeting, the CBC raised issue with Mr. Trump's budget outline and the GOP healthcare plan. 

Despite their differences, Louisiana Rep. Cedric Richmond described the meeting as "a positive first start." Both parties, at the time, agreed to meet on a routine basis going forward. 

Since then, the White House has rolled out fuller versions of both proposals -- which include budget cuts that would disproportionately impact African Americans. 

A source inside the CBC was skeptical about the latest invitation, saying, "We're willing to engage with the president, but it has to be a substantive policy discussion, not a photo op." 

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Trump asks black reporter to "set up the meeting" with Congressional Black Caucus

"The caucus has been quite clear that the policy proposals of this administration, from cutting early childhood education funding to dismantling the Affordable Care Act, would cause great harm to African American communities across the nation," the source added. 

Mr. Trump's outreach to African American community leaders has resulted with more photo ops than actual results. 

Presidents of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) met with Mr. Trump at the end of February, when he signed an executive order that moved an HBCU task force into the White House from the Department of Education. 

The college presidents sought a 5 to 10 percent increase in funding for black schools during the meeting. But Mr. Trump's recently released budget proposal revealed no new funding for the schools, despite signals otherwise. 

The 20 Hottest Cities for Tech Jobs Now - TIME Business

The 20 Hottest Cities for Tech Jobs Now Posted: 12 Jun 2017 07:30 AM PDT A diaspora of tech talent, driven by Silicon Valley’s tumbling job market and sky-high rents, has pushed tech job seekers to some surprising places. Job search site ZipRecruiter recently analyzed its database of more than 8 million active jobs, and ranked the 20 fastest-growing tech markets based on year-over-year data. Job growth for engineering, software, and IT roles may be losing steam in the Bay Area, but smaller cities are picking up the slack, the company says, Huntsville, Ala. topped the list, with over 300% tech job growth from 2016 to 2017. Thousand Oaks, Calif. (200%) came in second, followed by Phoenix, Ariz. (188%). “The tech industry is no longer bound to the coast,” says ZipRecruiter’s Chief Economic Adviser, Cathy Barrera. “As a result, we’re seeing the tech industry expand out of the major metropolis areas, and into smaller regional cities that have since flown largely under the radar.” Many of the cities on ZipRecruiter’s list are in the Midwest — Kansas City, Kan., Cincinnati, Ohio, and Indianapolis, Ind. are three standouts. The South also had a strong showing, with Nashville, Tenn. and three cities in Florida (Orlando, Jacksonville, Tampa) all making the cut. Barrera credits government policies, like tax breaks that attract entrepreneurs and business startups for much of this growth. But the main impetus, she says, is the skyrocketing cost of living in coastal tech hubs like San Francisco and New York. The median home price of a home in Huntsville hovers around $150,000, according to the report — a fraction of the $1.5 million it costs to buy a home in the Bay Area. “Big cities can only grow so much — and at a certain point, the skyrocketing living costs make it nearly impossible to find a job with a salary you can live off,” Barrera says. Here’s the full list, complete with average salary (as per PayScale), rent, and home costs: 1. Huntsville, AL Top tech jobs: Software Engineer  Systems Engineer  Systems Specialist  Help Desk Support  Information Technology Specialist  Growth in tech jobs YoY: 309% Early Career Median Pay: $59,500 Mid Career Median Pay: $96,400 Median rent: $950 Median home price: $152,170 2. Thousand Oaks, CA Top tech jobs: Project Manager  Network Engineer  Project Manager Coordinator  Quality Assurance Specialist  Software Test Engineer  Growth in tech jobs YoY: 200% Early Career Median Pay: $59,500 Mid Career Median Pay: $105,000 Median rent: $3,200 Median home price: $673,000 3. Phoenix, AZ Top tech jobs: Project Manager  Software Engineer  Software Developer  Data Analyst  SQL Developer  Growth in tech jobs YoY: 188% Early Career Median Pay: $58,400 Mid Career Median Pay: $96,800 Median rent: $1,345 Median home price: $216,000 4. Albany, NY Top tech jobs: Project Manager  SQL Developer  ERP Engineer  Software Developer  Software Tester  Growth in tech jobs YoY: 161% Early Career Median Pay: $55,200 Mid Career Median Pay: $87,000 Median rent: $1,625 Median home price: $175,000 5. Kansas City, MO Top tech jobs: Project Manager  Network Engineer  Project Coordinator  Developer  Web Developer  Growth in tech jobs YoY: 157% Early Career Median Pay: $57,200 Mid Career Median Pay: $89,500 Median rent: $895 Median home price: $207,107 6. Orlando, FL Top tech jobs: Project Manager  Software Engineer  Project Engineer  Network Engineer  Developer  Growth in tech jobs YoY: 149% Early Career Median Pay: $52,800 Mid Career Median Pay: $87,400 Median rent: $1,500 Median home price: $210,000 7. Salt Lake City, UT Top tech jobs: Software Engineer  Project Manager  Developer  Project Engineer  Technical Support Engineer  Growth in tech jobs YoY: 117% Early Career Median Pay: $58,200 Mid Career Median Pay: $97,800 Median rent: $1,495 Median home price: $533,800 8. Nashville, TN Top tech jobs: Project Manager  Senior Net Developer  Network Administrator  Project Engineer  Desktop Support Technician  Growth in tech jobs YoY: 114% Early Career Median Pay: $54,700 Mid Career Median Pay: $90,200 Median rent: $1,700 Median home price: $269,700 9. Jacksonville, FL Top tech jobs: Project Manager  System Administrator  Systems Engineer  Desktop Support Technician  Implementation Consultant  Growth in tech jobs YoY: 111% Early Career Median Pay: $52,000 Mid Career Median Pay: $89,200 Median rent: $1,200 Median home price: $170,000 10. Baltimore, MD Top tech jobs: Project Manager  Software Engineer  Network Engineer  System Administrator  Software Developer  Growth in tech jobs YoY: 109% Early Career Median Pay: $62,500 Mid Career Median Pay: $105,000 Median rent: $1,375 Median home price: $196,900 11. Cincinnati, OH Top tech jobs: Project Manager  Quality Engineer  Software Engineer  Lead Applications Developer  Scrum Master  Growth in tech jobs YoY: 96% Early Career Median Pay: $55,500 Mid Career Median Pay: $90,400 Median rent: $1,095 Median home price: $137,50 12. Cleveland, OH Top tech jobs: Project Manager  Quality Engineer  Developer  Quality Technician  Software Engineer  Growth in tech jobs YoY: 84.3% Early Career Median Pay: $52,100 Mid Career Median Pay: $86,700 Median rent: $1,000 Median home price: $75,000 13. Indianapolis, IN Top tech jobs: Project Manager  Quality Technician  Quality Engineer  Data Analyst  Net Developer  Growth in tech jobs YoY: 84.1% Early Career Median Pay: $55,400 Mid Career Median Pay: $89,400 Median rent: $1,000 Median home price: $180,715 14. Columbus, OH Top tech jobs: Project Manager  Network Engineer  Quality Engineer  Application Developer  Java Developer  Growth in tech jobs YoY: 83% Early Career Median Pay: $56,600 Mid Career Median Pay: $93,400 Median rent: $1,045 Median home price: $139,60 15. Denver, CO Top tech jobs: Project Manager  Network Engineer  Developer  Software Engineer  Systems Administrator  Growth in tech jobs YoY: 81.4% Early Career Median Pay: $62,300 Mid Career Median Pay: $103,000 Median rent: $2,100 Median home price: $372,500 16. Detroit, MI Top tech jobs: Project Manager  Software Engineer  Quality Engineer  Systems Engineer  Application Engineer  Growth in tech jobs YoY: 81.1% Early Career Median Pay: $59,600 Mid Career Median Pay: $94,400 Median rent: $750 Median home price: $57,000 17. Tampa, FL Top tech jobs: Project Manager  Systems Administrator  Project Coordinator  Data Analyst  Network Engineer  Growth in tech jobs YoY: 80.9% Early Career Median Pay: $52,700 Mid Career Median Pay: $90,600 Median rent: $1,495 Median home price: $202,750 18. Providence, RI Top tech jobs: Project Manager  Software Engineer  Senior Net Developer  Business Information Analyst  Quality Engineer  Growth in tech jobs YoY: 79% Early Career Median Pay: $55,400 Mid Career Median Pay: $90,500 Median rent: $1,800 Median home price: $194,250 19. Seattle, WA Top tech jobs: Project Manager  Software Engineer  Software Development Engineer  Developer  Technical Services  Growth in tech jobs YoY: 74.9% Early Career Median Pay: $76,200 Mid Career Median Pay: $117,000 Median rent: $2,700 Median home price: $620,000 20. Chicago, IL Top tech jobs: Project Manager  Quality Engineer  Network Engineer  Devops Engineer  Software Engineer  Growth in tech jobs YoY: 74.1% Early Career Median Pay: $62,200 Mid Career Median Pay: $102,000 Median rent: $1,750 Median home price: $270,000

Apple Just Confirmed Rumors It’s Working On Something Huge - TIME

Apple Just Confirmed Rumors It’s Working On Something Huge Posted: 13 Jun 2017 07:17 AM PDT Apple CEO Tim Cook has for the first time confirmed that the company is working on autonomous driving technology, Bloomberg reports. When asked about the tech giant’s intentions in the automotive field during a recent Bloomberg Television interview, Cook said that the company is “focusing on autonomous systems.” Cook hinted that there are applications for Apple’s technology besides powering self-driving cars: “Clearly one purpose of autonomous systems is self-driving cars,” he said. “There are others.” The revelation comes after rumors have circulated for years about Apple’s plans to expand more deeply into the car market. The initiative, said to be called Project Titan, was reportedly launched in 2014. Earlier reports, such as one from The Wall Street Journal, suggested that Apple was planning to develop its own electric car by 2019. But late last year, Bloomberg reported that the company switched its focus to the underlying technology that powers self-driving cars, rather than building its own vehicle from scratch. While it’s unclear if and when Apple’s technology will be on the road, the company has already been testing its systems in public areas. The iPhone maker obtained a permit in April to try out three driverless SUVs on California streets, Bloomberg also reported. Cook didn’t disclose any additional details about the Apple’s efforts. “We’ll see where it takes us,” he said during the interview. “We’re not really saying from a product point of view what we will do.” Apple executives have hinted at the company’s interest in the past. Jeff Williams, Apple’s chief operating officer, called the car “the ultimate mobile device” in a 2015 interview at Recode’s Code Conference, for instance. Cook’s comments come as companies like Alphabet’s Waymo and Uber are also racing to establish themselves as leaders in the emerging autonomous vehicle market, which could be worth $7 trillion by 2050, according to a report from Inteland Strategy Analytics. It also comes at a time when Silicon Valley companies are scrambling to compete in the lucrative and burgeoning field of artificial intelligence, which Cook called a vital part of self-driving car development. “We sort of see it as the mother of all AI projects,” Cook said during the Bloomberg interview. “It’s probably one of the most difficult A.I. projects to actually work on.”

Federal Reserve Raises Benchmark Interest Rate for Third Time in 6 Months - TIME Business

Federal Reserve Raises Benchmark Interest Rate for Third Time in 6 Months

Posted: 14 Jun 2017 11:41 AM PDT

(WASHINGTON) — The Federal Reserve has raised its benchmark interest rate for the third time in six months, providing its latest vote of confidence in a slow-growing but durable economy. The Fed also announced plans to start gradually paring its bond holdings later this year, which could cause long-term rates to rise.
The increase in the short-term rate by a quarter-point to a still-low range of 1 percent to 1.25 percent could lead to higher borrowing costs for consumers and businesses and slightly better returns for savers.
The central bank chose to raise rates again despite an economic slowdown at the start of 2017, which it predicts will prove temporary. It foresees one additional rate hike this year, unchanged from its previous forecast. It gave no hint of when that might occur.

The latest Fed rate hike, announced in a statement after a policy meeting, comes as the U.S. economy is growing only sluggishly. Even so, many of the barometers the Fed monitors most closely have given it the confidence to keep gradually lifting still-low borrowing rates toward their historic norms.
Though it assesses the overall economy, the Fed’s mandates are to maximize employment and stabilize prices. And hiring in the United States remains solid if slowing, with employment at a 16-year-low of 4.3 percent — even below the level that the Fed associates with full employment.
Inflation has been more problematic, having long stayed below the central bank’s 2 percent target rate. Recent data have suggested that inflation may even be slowing further. But Fed officials have said they think inflation will soon pick up along with the economy.
That said, no one expects the Fed’s rate hikes to turn aggressive. If nothing else, the chronically low inflation and the political fights and uncertainty in Washington — over investigations into Russia’s ties to President Donald Trump’s campaign, health care legislation, tax-cut plans and about whether Congress will raise the nation’s borrowing limit and pass a new budget — could lead the Fed to raise rates more slowly than it otherwise would.
Uncertainty also surrounds the membership of the Fed’s own policy committee. Trump is expected soon to fill three vacancies on the Fed’s influential board, and those new members, depending on who they are, could alter its rate-setting policy.
Fed officials have concluded that the economy, now entering its ninth year of expansion, no longer needs the ultra-low borrowing rates they supplied beginning in the Great Recession.
The central bank kept its benchmark rate at a record low near zero starting in late 2008 to try to boost consumer and business borrowing and lift the country out of the worst downturn since the 1930s. It finally raised the rate modestly in December 2015, then waited a year do so again. It acted again in March.
At the depths of the recession, the Fed began buying Treasury and mortgage bonds to try to depress long-term loan rates. That effort resulted in a five-fold increase in its portfolio to $4.5 trillion. The Fed said Wednesday that it would eventually allow a small amount of bonds to mature without being replaced — an amount that would gradually rise as markets adjusted to the process.
Some news reports have mentioned leading candidates to fill the three vacancies on the Fed’s seven-member board. They include Randal Quarles, a top Treasury official in two past Republican administrations, for the vice chairman’s job of overseeing bank regulation. Marvin Goodfriend, an economist at Carnegie Mellon University, has been mentioned for another board spot, and Robert Jones, chief executive of Old National Bancorp in Indiana, reportedly is a candidate for a board seat designated for a community banker.
The betting is that the administration will choose officials who will tilt the Fed toward a more “hawkish” stance. Hawks tend to worry that rates kept too low for too long could escalate inflation or fuel asset bubbles. By contrast, “doves” favor the direction taken under Chair Janet Yellen, favoring relatively low rates to maximize employment.
Yellen, the first woman to lead the Fed, is serving a term that will end in February. So far, Trump has sent conflicting signals about whether he plans to nominate her for a second term.