Context: Local debt is riskier. The U.S. government can print money while the city of Detroit, or the state of Illinois, cannot. That's why the U.S. government borrows at much lower rates than Detroit or Illinois.
An American Airlines pilots' union sued the company on Thursday to temporarily halt all flights between the U.S. and China, the Financial Times reports, citing "serious" health threats from the coronavirus.
What they're saying: "We estimate that as many as 300 passengers and crew travel to DFW alone from Chinese cities on each American Airlines flight,” said Eric Ferguson, president of the union — representing 15,000 pilots. American Airlines previously stated it would cancel flights between Los Angeles and China from Feb. 9 through March 27, citing a decline in demand.
The U.S. State Department has placed U.S. diplomatic staff and their families in China on "authorized departure," meaning they are permitted to leave the country amid the coronavirus outbreak.
Driving the news: Approximately 210 U.S. citizens were evacuated Wednesday from Wuhan, where the outbreak began and has spread most widely. The virus has killed at least 171 people in China and infected over 8,000, and was declared a Global Health Emergency on Thursday by the World Health Organization.
The proposed capital of a future Palestinian state is just one reason why President Trump's peace plan is so widely opposed by Palestinian officials and activists.
Why it matters: Palestinian negotiators have long demanded a capital in East Jerusalem. In unveiling his plan, Trump said the capital would be in "Eastern Jerusalem." In fact, it's just outside the Old City in the Palestinian town of Abu Dis.
Those who have bet on fear overtaking the market by piling into U.S. Treasury bonds have been rewarded handsomely so far in 2020, as prices on safe-haven government debt have risen and yields have fallen significantly.
Why it matters: The bond market is sending a clear signal that investors are nervous — tensions continue to ratchet higher in the Middle East, new wrinkles are revealed in President Trump's impeachment trial, and the coronavirus outbreak is claiming more lives.
A memorial service was held at the Royal Australian Air Force base in Richmond, New South Wales,Thursday for three members of a U.S. aircrew who died while fighting bushfires when their air tanker crashed in the state's Snowy Mountains last week.
The big picture: Capt. Ian MacBeth, First Officer Paul Clyde Hudson, and Flight Engineer Rick DeMorgan Jr. died last Thursday when the Lockheed C-130 Hercules, operated by the Canadian company Coulson Aviation, crashed in the Snowy Mountains. A crowdfunding page to support their families had raised nearly $20,000 by 1:15am ET Thursday.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu no longer plans to bring annexations in the West Bank before his Cabinet for a vote in the coming days, after being urged to slow down by the White House.
Why it matters: Netanyahu seemed to receive the green light he was looking for yesterday to go ahead with annexations of all Israeli settlements and much of the Jordan Valley — and he planned to act quickly. Now, he's taking a step back.
The Pentagon revised the number of U.S. service members diagnosed with traumatic brain injuries (TBI) following Iran's Jan 7. attack on U.S. bases in Iraq to 50 on Tuesday.
The big picture: This is the third time the Pentagon has updated the figures for those injured in the attack. Per the CDC, TBIs are not always detected immediately after they've been sustained.
