5 things to know Wednesday
What we can learn 20 years after Clinton’s impeachment
It was exactly 20 years ago, that House Republicans voted to impeach President Bill Clinton. Then, outraged by allegations of perjury, obstruction of justice and sexual misbehavior leveled against the president, Clinton’s political opponents argued that impeachment was the right course for the country. The Senate refused to convict Clinton — and he survived the trial. However, his top accuser, House Speaker Newt Gingrich, didn’t, and the Republican party lost seats during the next election. All of this may be a cautionary tale to Democrats who are calling for President Donald Trump’s impeachment amid allegations ofhis colluding with Russia during the 2016 election, obstructing investigations and violating campaign finance laws by paying hush money to two women.
USA TODAY’s Susan Page delivers three lessons from the President Clinton impeachment in 1998 that are relevant today.
USA TODAY
All eyes on the Federal Reserve rate decision
A day after the Dow closed higher but well off its best levels, Wall Street’s focus shifts to the Federal Reserve’s decision on interest rates Wednesday. The stock market has been weighed down by a long list of worries ranging from fears that the economy will suffer if the Fed hikes interest rates too aggressively, to uncertainty about the trade dispute between the U.S. and China. Investors are hoping that the Fed, led by chairman Jerome Powell, will refrain from raising interest rates for a fourth time this year when it breaks from its two-day meeting Wednesday. President Donald Trump also weighed in and called for a halt in raising rates, adding: “Don’t let the market become any more illiquid than it already is.”
These 30 vehicles are the safest 2019 models
Strong crash-test performance, collision avoidance systems and high-quality headlights enabled 30 vehicles to qualify for the top honors in the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety’s initial (IIHS) 2019 model-year rankings. The list, released Wednesday, includes several major automakers led by Subaru and Korean auto brands Kia and Hyundai. IIHS tightened its qualifications for 2019, increasing the crash-test standards from a year earlier. Yet tests have shown that many vehicles throughout the industry fail to provide sufficient nighttime illumination due to poor manufacturing, inadequate design or outdated regulations. “That’s probably been the one area where we still see a lot more room for improvement,” said David Harkey, president of IIHS.
Chim chiminey, chim chiminey, chim chim cher-ee . . . alert: ‘Mary Poppins’ sequel is out
“Mary Poppins Returns,” Disney’s sequel to its way-back-when, 1964 gem with Julie Andrews and Dick Van Dyke, opens nationwide Wednesday. This time, Emily Blunt quite capably takes an umbrella in hand as the nanny of the title, and Broadway’s “Hamilton” honcho Lin-Manuel Miranda adds co-star magic. Alas, the musical bits are all new, but they’re pretty catchy, USA TODAY’s Brian Truitt says . Watch for Van Dyke’s appearance in the latest film, which also stars Emily Mortimer, Meryl Streep, Colin Firth and Ben Whishaw.
College football fans get another holiday treat
The Early Signing Period for high school recruits begins early Wednesday, and if previous signing days are any indication, things could get wild. Prepare for Wednesday’s flurry of activity by seeing which players made the USA TODAY High School Sports top 100 rankings. Want to find out where the stars of tomorrow will play college football next year? Be sure to follow USA TODAY Sports for non-stop coverage of the Early Signing Period. The signing period runs through Friday.
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