Happy Thursday and welcome back to On The Money. I’m Sylvan Lane, and here’s your nightly guide to everything affecting your bills, bank account and bottom line.
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THE BIG DEAL
Trump administration sanctions 17 Saudis over Khashoggi killing: The Trump administration on Thursday announced sanctions against 17 Saudis for their alleged roles in the killing of dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi at the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul.
Among those being sanctioned are Saud al-Qahtani, a former top aide to Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, as well as a top subordinate and the Saudi consul general in Istanbul.
The Treasury Department says al-Qahtani was part of the “planning and execution” of the operation that led to Khashoggi’s death.
“The Saudi officials we are sanctioning were involved in the abhorrent killing of Jamal Khashoggi,” Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said in a statement. “These individuals who targeted and brutally killed a journalist who resided and worked in the United States must face consequences for their actions.”
The sanctions mark the U.S.’s most sweeping punishment to date of Saudis over the journalist’s killing, which sparked a diplomatic crisis with one of President Trump’s closest Middle East partners.
The Hill’s Jordan Fabian tells us more here.
LEADING THE DAY
HQ2 deal brings new scrutiny on Amazon: The $2 billion in taxpayer subsidies that Amazon is reaping from its new offices in New York and Virginia is bringing new scrutiny on the tech giant from public officials.
Lawmakers and officials whose towns won out in the search are welcoming the company with open arms, predicting that its arrival will bring massive economic investments into their communities.
But others are raising questions about the wisdom of gifting billions in taxpayer dollars to the second most highly valued company in the world when local infrastructures are struggling.
The Hill’s Harper Neidig tells us why here.
Senior GOP senator warns Trump against partial shutdown: Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Richard Shelby (R-Ala.) says he warned President Trump in a White House meeting Thursday afternoon that Republicans should avoid a partial government shutdown over the president’s desire for a border wall.
Shelby and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) returned to Capitol Hill Thursday afternoon after meeting with Trump.
Newly elected Senate Republican Whip John Thune (S.D.) also attended the meeting.
“I said we shouldn’t ever want to shut down the government,” Shelby told reporters when asked about discussion about a possible shutdown.
“I think maybe he agreed, I don’t know,” he said of Trump’s response.
The Hill’s Jordain Carney explains here.
- Trump has asked Congress for $5 billion to fund construction of a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border but the president and GOP leaders did not talk about a specific funding amount, according to Shelby.
- McConnell told reporters that he thinks a partial government shutdown will be avoided.
Senate confirms Bowman to Fed board: The Senate on Thursday confirmed Michelle “Miki” Bowman to the Federal Reserve Board, making the former Kansas bank commissioner President Trump’s third addition to the central bank.
Senators voted to confirm by a vote of 64-34 to confirm Bowman to a 14-year term on the board, filling a seat designated for an official with community banking experience. Bowman previously served as Kansas’ chief bank regulator and vice president at Farmers & Drovers Bank, a Kansas bank that reported $181 million in assets in 2017.
Fourteen Democrats voted to confirm Bowman, while Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) was the only Republican to oppose her. I’ve got more on Bowman’s confirmation and what it means for the Fed here.
GOOD TO KNOW
- Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Calif.) called on House Democrats to support Nancy Pelosi’s (D-Calif.) bid for Speaker amid opposition to her ascension from more than a dozen rebels.
- A new method to measure inflation implemented by the IRS on Thursday as part of the GOP tax-reform package passed last year will cut into the effects of tax cuts also included in the bill, according to a new analysis.
- Democrats are planning to dramatically step up their focus on improving financial services for underserved communities when they take control of the House, according to Reuters.
- Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) on Wednesday said she’s concerned about the package of incentives New York offered Amazon to locate part of its new headquarters in Queens, echoing criticism from some progressives about the deal.
- And CNN explores why Amazon’s biggest customer may soon be the federal government.
- Fed Chairman Jerome Powell is touring Texas in an effort to improve the central bank’s public image, in part by taking the time to explain its work, according to The New York Times.
- Wells Fargo said Thursday it notified about 1,000 employees in its consumer lending and payments, virtual solutions and innovations division of plans to eliminate their positions, according to Reuters.
ODDS AND ENDS
- The Defense Department failed its first full-scale audit, the results of which are expected to be released later today, according to a Pentagon spokesman.
- Mexico’s tequila producers are opposing Elon Musk’s efforts to trademark an alcoholic drink dubbed “Teslaquila,” according to The Guardian.