Politics

Acting Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Director Russell Vought said all diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility policies "will cease immediately," adding that employees may be investigated if they go against the order.

The morning after President Donald Trump addressed corporate America in Washington, one of the nation's top chief executives called on him for more policy certainty.

In a positive sign for the economy, headline inflation slowed in February. But the reading alone likely is not enough to break the Federal Open Market Committee out of its wait-and-see mode.

In a packed courtroom, a federal judge parsed whether the Trump administration's aggressive actions to rein in the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau are part of a "normal" transition of power or would impede its statutorily required functions.

The postponement would pertain to Federal Housing Administration-insured single- and multifamily loans and other final determination dates that have not passed.

Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell emphasized the need for patience amid uncertainty over the Trump administration's policies, saying there would be no immediate rate changes but that the Fed would proceed carefully.

Federal Reserve Gov. Michelle Bowman, one of the central bank's more inflation-wary officials, said the balance of risks for monetary policymaking could soon shift.

Independent monetary policymakers have resisted President Trump's call to lower financing costs but could find it harder to ignore employment losses.

Federal Reserve Gov. Christopher Waller said the Founding Fathers supported independent money management and undoing it now would be a mistake.

The nomination of Jonathan McKernan to lead the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau moves to the full Senate, where he's likely to be confirmed along party lines.