Government Concerns

It was reported this week that Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter used his personal email to conduct government business for part of his official work in the first months after taking on his duties. This has lead to attacks from Republican lawmakers who say that the administration has not handled government information with care. Carter says he did not put sensitive information in jeopardy. The Pentagon (the headquarters of the United States Department of Defense) says Carter has done no wrong but believes occasional use of his personal email was a mistake.

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In Other News

The Barak Obama administration is preparing an executive order to tighten access to guns. The White House said President Obama is discussing “ways to keep guns out of the hands of those who should not have access to them and what more could be done at the state and local level to help address gun violence in America.” It was said that nhis executive orders would be reveled in "short order," but no detailed timeline was provided.

The Federal Reserve raised its key interest rate on Wednesday from a range of 0% to 0.25% to a range of 0.25% to 0.5%. The rate hike is a small one, but it will affect millions of Americans, including investors, home buyers and savers. A mistrial has been declared in the case against Baltimore police officer, William Porter, in the death of Freddie Gray. William Porter was one of six officers charged in connection with the death of Gray, a 25-year-old who died after sustaining a neck injury while in police custody.