World
Barack Obama says ‘sorry’ for photobombing; family says they got an heirloom picture
A Washington family got a pleasant surprise when Barack Obama entered the frame of their family photo. Former president Barack Obama said sorry for unintentionally photobombing what an overjoyed family claimed will now go down into their family heirloom. One Portia Moore posted the photo of her kids with Barack Obama passing by in the […]

Former president Barack Obama said sorry for unintentionally photobombing what an overjoyed family claimed will now go down into their family heirloom. One Portia Moore posted the photo of her kids with Barack Obama passing by in the background. “Preston and Belle, I hope you enjoyed peak bloom! My bad for stepping into the shot,” Barack Obama commented in the now viral photo.
The viral photo was part of Portia’s family photo shoot for Cherry Blossom. “It’s the kids turn to take a photo together and Damien is saying something to me. I’m just focused on Preston not running towards the water (peak mom moment). After that shoot was done I pick Preston up and asked Damien “what were you saying”? He goes “that was President Obama who just walked by” and looks his direction. I was like whaaaaat?! I ran to the photographer and asked her if she got the picture. She scrolls through and BOOM there is it! The perfect shot!” Portia described how the photobombing unfolded.
“This story is one to remember and the picture is a family heirloom (literally). And nope, we did not bother him on his much needed peaceful stroll,” the caption read.
Briana Inell, the photographer, told the New York Times that she did not even notice that Barack Obama entered the frame as she was focusing on the blossoms on the right and the Washington Monument on the left.
It was 7.30 in the morning and Obama probably went out to take a morning stroll at the Tidal Basin, a reservoir between the National Mall and the Potomac River. “It’s fun to be able to play tourist once in a while,” Mr. Obama said on Instagram later on Monday. “The cherry blossoms were beautiful this morning!”
“In the act of it, or as it transpired, you’re not realizing because you don’t even think that you’re going to see President Obama, right?” Belle and Preston’s father Damien Thomas said. “So you don’t put two and two together until after the fact and you realize, OK, that really is President Obama.”
Business
Fed holds rates steady, flags rising risks of inflation and unemployment
Economic picture
With unemployment still low and demand steady, Fed officials have said they are comfortable keeping rates unchanged until they have a better understanding of where the economy is headed. Trump, however, has repeatedly said the central bank should lower borrowing costs.Trump, meanwhile, has ramped up his criticism of Powell in recent weeks. At one point, Trump said in a social media post that “Powell’s termination cannot come fast enough!” Federal Reserve officials held interest rates steady for a third-straight meeting and emphasised they see a growing risk of both higher inflation and rising unemployment.Companies scrambled in the first quarter to import merchandise ahead of the tariffs, and a surge in consumer spending in March suggested households also sought to frontload purchases. Key inflation gauges cooled in the month.Chair Jerome Powell will hold a press conference with reporters at 2:30 p.m. in Washington.Powell and his colleagues are determined to keep tariffs from sparking a persistent rise in inflation, and several officials have signaled they would not support lowering interest rates preemptively to protect against a slowing economy.The S&P 500 index of US stocks and Treasury yields fell following the announcement, while the dollar pared gains.“Uncertainty about the economic outlook has increased further,” the Federal Open Market Committee said in a statement Wednesday at the conclusion of a two-day meeting in Washington. “The committee is attentive to the risks to both sides of its dual mandate and judges that the risks of higher unemployment and higher inflation have risen.”
Published on May 8, 2025
Economic picture
The central bank announced Tuesday that Kansas City Fed President Jeff Schmid would miss the May meeting due to the recent death of his wife. Kansas City was represented by First Vice President Kim Robbins. Schmid’s vote passed to alternate member Neel Kashkari, president of the Minneapolis Fed.“Although swings in net exports have affected the data, recent indicators suggest that economic activity has continued to expand at a solid pace,” the statement said.President Donald Trump‘s trade policy has unleashed a wave of uncertainty across the economy. While the levies are still being negotiated, economists widely expect the expansive tariffs to boost inflation and weigh on growth. That would pit policymakers’ two goals – price stability and maximum employment – against one another.Trump, meanwhile, has ramped up his criticism of Powell in recent weeks. At one point, Trump said in a social media post that “Powell’s termination cannot come fast enough!” Companies scrambled in the first quarter to import merchandise ahead of the tariffs, and a surge in consumer spending in March suggested households also sought to frontload purchases. Key inflation gauges cooled in the month.Officials voted unanimously to keep the benchmark federal funds rate in a range of 4.25 per cent to 4.5 per cent, where it has been since December.
Economists say it will take time for the full effect of the new tariffs to work through the economy. So far, the impact has mainly included a sharp decline in sentiment and a surge in imports. The US economy contracted at the start of the year for the first time since 2022, but a gauge of underlying demand stayed firm.The S&P 500 index of US stocks and Treasury yields fell following the announcement, while the dollar pared gains.But the president has since insisted that he does not intend to fire Powell.
Business
Berkshire’s Geico sees turnaround after tech upgrades and job cuts

At Berkshire Hathaway’s annual meeting, Vice Chairman Ajit Jain said the insurer is now “as good as anyone” in telematics but cautioned that it’s still too early to declare full success, noting continued progress is needed.


The vice chairman said Geico has made “rapid strides in telematics” and now “is as good as anyone.” Jain praised Geico’s CEO Todd Combs for reducing the company’s workforce. Geico cut more than 2,300 jobs last year.”All this has allowed Geico to become a more focused competitor,” he said, adding it is too soon yet to say “mission accomplished. We have achieved a lot, but we have to do a lot more.”Then at Berkshire’s 2024 annual meeting, Jain lamented that Geico was “still behind” but hoped by the end of 2025 to catch rivals in data analytics including pricing for risk, although Geico still enjoyed lower operating costs than “virtually anybody.”Geico posted substantially improved results in 2024, as it curbed its appetite to issue new policies while reducing the percentage of premiums it used to pay accident claims.Published on May 3, 2025 Jain, who has day-to-day oversight of Berkshire’s insurance operations, spoke at the conglomerate’s annual meeting in Omaha, Nebraska where he, Chairman Warren Buffett and Vice Chairman Greg Abel fielded shareholder questions. Berkshire Hathaway’s Geico car insurance unit has made progress in upgrading its technology to better match rates with risk, Berkshire Vice Chairman Ajit Jain said on Saturday.At Berkshire’s 2023 annual meeting, Jain lamented that Geico was behind the curve in telematics, where devices installed in vehicles let insurers monitor behavior including speed, braking, mileage and distracted driving including cellphone use.
Business
Wisconsin judge arrested for aiding immigration evasion; DOJ charges obstruction

Hannah Dugan, a Milwaukee County circuit judge
| Photo Credit:
MIKE DE SISTI/Reuters

A spokesperson for the U.S. Marshals Service said Dugan was arrested at the courthouse where she works on Friday morning. She was due to appear in federal court in Milwaukee later on Friday. A crowd formed outside the courthouse, chanting “free the judge now.”Wisconsin court records show that a man by that name who faced misdemeanor battery charges related to domestic abuse appeared in Dugan’s courtroom on April 18.According to the complaint, Dugan became “visibly angry” and commented that the situation was “absurd” when she discovered that immigration officials were there to arrest Flores-Ruiz.The arrest comes as the Justice Department has directed federal prosecutors to pursue criminal cases against local government officials who interfere with the administration’s immigration crackdown. Such resistance was widespread during Trump’s first 2017-2021 term in office.Dugan ordered the immigration officials to go and speak with the chief judge and then escorted Flores-Ruiz and his attorney through a door which led to a non-public area of the courthouse, the complaint said.A spokesperson for the FBI could not be immediately reached for comment.FBI Director Kash Patel said on social media that the FBI had arrested Dugan for interfering with the attempted arrest of Eduardo Flores-Ruiz, whom he described as an “illegal alien” now in custody. He later deleted that post, which he made before the case against Dugan was unsealed in federal court.In a criminal complaint, the U.S. Justice Department said Hannah Dugan, a Milwaukee County circuit judge, refused to turn over the man after immigration agents showed up to arrest him in her courtroom on April 18, and that she tried to help him evade arrest by allowing him to exit through a jury door.
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