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A unanimous appeals panel said the Energy Department lacked the statutory emergency required to delay the Campbell plant's retirement.
A federal appeals court ruled that the Energy Department exceeded its authority when it ordered a Michigan coal plant to remain open past its planned retirement. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit ruled Friday that the Energy Department exceeded its authority under the Federal Power Act. The order had required the 64-year-old J.H. Campbell Generating Plant in Michigan to stay open after its scheduled retirement last year. The Federal Power Act allows federal intervention during specified electricity emergencies but does not create a general power to override ordinary retirement decisions.
Why it matters: The decision defines a practical boundary on federal emergency power over the electric grid while utilities and states argue over reliability, cost and the pace of plant retirements.
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Memorial ceremonies, service projects and newly released intelligence records marked the quarter-century anniversary.
Americans observed the 25th anniversary of the September 11 attacks with ceremonies at the three crash sites and commemorations across the country. Nearly 3,000 people were killed when al-Qaida hijackers crashed four commercial jets in New York, at the Pentagon and near Shanksville, Pennsylvania, on September 11, 2001. Friday's ceremonies included readings of victims' names, moments of silence, wreaths, flags, vigils and volunteer projects. The United States killed al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden in Pakistan in 2011, nearly ten years after the attacks.
Why it matters: The anniversary joins private grief to a public accounting of how one morning reshaped U.S. security institutions, travel, surveillance and two decades of war.
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AP reviewed statements about jobs, the economy, health care and the 2020 election against public records and available data.
A review of speeches at the Republican midterm convention found several claims that were false, misleading or missing important context. President Donald Trump, Vice President JD Vance and other Republican officials spoke at a two-day convention focused on the November midterm elections. The Associated Press reviewed claims involving job creation, immigration, health care, economic performance and the 2020 election. Payroll growth and household employment measures come from different surveys and are not interchangeable.
Why it matters: Campaign claims can become the assumptions voters carry into policy debates, making clear distinctions between measured results, rhetoric and unresolved data limitations especially important.
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New claims slipped to 206,000, while the broader labor market continued to show low layoffs and slower hiring than in earlier expansions.
Applications for U.S. unemployment benefits edged lower in the latest week and remained within the historically low range seen over the past year. Initial applications for unemployment benefits declined to 206,000 from a revised 207,000 in the prior week. The four-week average, which smooths weekly volatility, also moved modestly lower to about 206,000. Claims are a timely proxy for layoffs but do not measure all job-market conditions.
Why it matters: Low layoffs provide household stability, but slower hiring can leave job seekers with fewer openings even when headline unemployment remains restrained.
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