Wonkbook: Why Donald Trump could be a threat to the Federal Reserve

By Ylan Q. Mui The Federal Reserve cherishes its political independence, charting a course for the nation's economy free from partisan influence. Yet the central bank has found itself in the shadow of not just one, but two, unpredictable and highly contentious elections as it debates when to resume withdrawing its historic support for the recovery. The …   The latest economic and domestic policy from Wonkblog   Donald Trump speaks at the Trump National Golf Club Jupiter in Jupiter, Fla., on March 8. (Christobal Herrera/European Pressphoto Agency) By Ylan Q. Mui The Federal Reserve cherishes its political independence, charting a course for the nation's economy free from partisan influence. Yet the central bank has found itself in the shadow of not just one, but two, unpredictable and highly contentious elections as it debates when to resume withdrawing its historic support for the recovery. The Fed's top officials are meeting in Washington this week and are widely expected to leave the central bank's benchmark overnight interest rate unchanged Wednesday. It's a testament not only to renewed fears of a slowdown at home, but also uncertainty about the upcoming referendum in Britain over whether to stay in the European Union. The calendar doesn't look much more promising this fall. Holding off on rate hikes now pushes the Fed's debate into the final months of the U.S. presidential campaign, complicating a decision that is already dividing the central bank. Wall Street isn't betting that the Fed will move until December, well after the election is over and a full year after the central bank hiked rates for the first time since the Great Recession. Read the rest on Wonkblog.   Quote of the day "There's something going on." -- Donald Trump, in an interview on Fox & Friends Monday during which he seemed to connect President Obama to the killings in Orlando. Polling shows Trump's supporters are more likely to endorse a range of conspiracy theories than those who support other Republican candidates. Max Ehrenfreund has more. Top policy tweets "Huge news: The FCC just won a sweeping federal court victory on net neutrality https://t.co/AWowSbZ8tI" -- @b_fung "This is the first significant anti-monopoly principle affirmatively put into legal force since at least the 1970s" -- @linamkhan "If reclassification was broadband policy's nuclear option, does that mean we're now living through a broadband nuclear winter?" -- @binarybits ADVERTISEMENT   Most Recent Posts from Wonkblog This is officially the weirdest place in America Every place is weird. But some are weirder than others. By Ana Swanson  •  Read more »   This statistic about gun violence in America seems hard to believe, but is true One statistic shows just how deadly guns are in America By Ana Swanson  •  Read more »   How Brexit (and Donald Trump) could affect the Federal Reserve The Fed must make big decisions at a sensitive and unusual time. By Ylan Q. Mui  •  Read more »   The soda industry is on the verge of losing one of its biggest battles ever Big Soda's is about to suffer one of its biggest defeats ever, and it could set the stage for more expensive soda in lots of other places. By Rachel Premack  •  Read more »   What ‘arms’ looked like when the 2nd Amendment was written Guns have evolved drastically since 1787, but the 2nd Amendment hasn't changed. By Christopher Ingraham  •  Read more »   The four cryptic words Donald Trump can’t stop saying For months, the Republican front-runner has been repeating a cryptic phrase. By Max Ehrenfreund  •  Read more »   There was another terrible case of gun violence over the weekend It was a stark reminder of everyday gun violence. By Lindsey Bever  •  Read more »   ADVERTISEMENT   Recommended for you   Federal Insider Federal news and policy update, in your inbox daily. Sign Up »         Share Wonkbook:       Twitter      Facebook Trouble reading? Click here to view in your browser. You received this email because you signed up for a Wonkblog newsletter. For additional free newsletters or to manage your newsletters, click here. We respect your privacy. If you believe that this email has been sent to you in error or you no longer wish to receive email from The Washington Post, click here. Contact us for help. ©2016 The Washington Post, 1301 K St NW, Washington DC 20071